Chapter 218: Importance Of Value
Adam’s smile didn’t fade as the realization settled deeper. The logic was too clean to ignore. He had two affinities, wind and death, yet his Enlightenment only reflected one. That mismatch wasn’t small. It was glaring.
Upon reaching the Master rank, the numbers should have doubled. Fifty-four thousand wasn’t the full picture. It should have been one hundred and eight thousand. The missing half wasn’t gone, it was blocked, redirected, or simply waiting behind a rule he hadn’t broken yet.
Adam leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing as he replayed everything he knew. There’s always a restriction. And there’s always a way around it.
His abilities had proven that again and again. Rules existed, but so did exceptions.
And Equip... was the biggest exception he had.
As for Chaos it wasn’t like other affinities, chaos wasn’t passive. It didn’t sit within limits. It adapted and more importantly, it was equipped. And anything equipped had always bent the system in subtle, exploitable ways.
A slow grin spread across his face as the answer locked into place. If the system won’t give me Enlightenment for a second affinity... I’ll force it to recognize one. Without hesitation, Adam activated chaos.
The energy responded instantly, unstable yet obedient, reshaping within him. He chose something simpler, something chaos had already mimicked before.
Flames.
They ignited silently inside him, contained and controlled. There was no outward display like aura since it wasn’t a primary affinity. But it was enough.
Adam held it steady, focusing not on power, but on recognition.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then,
[54,000 Enlightenment Gained]
The notification hit like a shockwave.
Adam’s eyes widened slightly, then sharpened with pure satisfaction. It worked. The system hadn’t rejected it. It had accepted A mimicked affinity as a valid second channel.
His grin widened, this time colder.
"That’s it..."
If chaos could simulate one affinity, it could simulate more. Not just for power, but for progression, enlightenment and growth far beyond what anyone else should be able to reach at this stage.
The ceiling he thought existed was already gone.
****
The shock of success hadn’t faded, but Adam didn’t slow down. If chaos could simulate one affinity, then stopping at flames would be a waste. His mind was already moving ahead, calculating possibilities with all the affinities chaos had adapted.
He cycled through them one by one.
Earth came first, dense and steady, forming deep within his core without spilling outward. Lightning followed, sharp and violent, restrained only by his focus.
Wind. Death. Holy light. Force.
Each one activated through chaos, each one mimicked just enough to pass as real affinities and that was all the system needed.
Adam didn’t rush the process. He repeated the same method with precision, holding each simulated affinity steady for recognition and one after another, the notifications came.
[+54,000 Enlightenment Gained]
[+54,000 Enlightenment Gained]
[+54,000 Enlightenment Gained]
They stacked rapidly, almost too fast to process. The numbers climbed higher and higher, far beyond what a normal Master should ever touch. By the time he finished, the total had reached a level that didn’t feel real.
378,000 Enlightenment.
Adam just stared at the panel, unmoving for a moment. Even after watching it rise step by step, it still didn’t settle properly in his mind. The number felt... excessive. Impossible.
No Master has ever started like this.
The thought came naturally, but he didn’t argue with it. What he had done wasn’t just efficient, it was completely outside the intended system structure.
A faint breath escaped him as another thought surfaced.
When did I become someone who breaks rules this easily?
He didn’t answer. There was no point. The system had rules, and he had Equip. That alone explained everything that mattered. After a few seconds, his expression steadied, the excitement settling into sharp focus.
Now came the next step.
Adam shifted his attention to technique creation, already knowing what would attract attention.
Common affinities. To reach a broader audience, he needed techniques that others could actually master. He focused on creating low-grade techniques, which typically attracted the largest number of consumers. While most martial artists avoided these in favor of the highest grades, Adam did the opposite, choosing a path only he could take by prioritizing quantity over quality.
He started with fire.
16 techniques formed quickly, shaped from structure and efficiency rather than raw power. Then 15 more for earth, focused on stability and defense. Wind followed with 19, built for speed and mobility. Finally, lightning, condensed into 13 sharp, aggressive techniques.
63 in total.
Each one was refined, clean, and optimized. More importantly, each one reached the same level.
Profound Grade and they all cost 6000 enlightenment each.
Adam didn’t hesitate. He didn’t question the cost or the output as Enlightenment flowed freely.
When he finished, the set was complete.
Sixty three profound Grade techniques, each tailored for maximum appeal.
Adam looked over them once, confirming their structure, then pulled up the forum interface. His finger hovered for just a second, his eyes steady.
Adam’s finger didn’t press down immediately. His eyes scanned the forum interface one more time. If he was going to flood it with sixty three profound Grade techniques, he needed to understand exactly how the system distributed attention.
The layout was clean and efficient.
At the top sat a search bar, allowing users to filter techniques by affinity, grade, and type. Below that were the rankings.
A weekly popularity board tracked which techniques were gaining the most traction in real time. Right beside it sat the best-seller rankings, listing techniques based on purchases and overall demand. That was where visibility exploded.
Adam’s eyes lingered there for a moment.
That’s where the real competition is.
At first glance, the system seemed flawed. Masters needed people to learn their techniques to gain Enlightenment and progress further. So logically, making techniques free should spread them faster and generate more growth.
But the forum didn’t allow that.
Every technique required a price and Adam understood why almost instantly. If techniques were free, Enlightenment wouldn’t be earned without a weight of value behind it.
Free distribution meant zero return.
Value, however, created commitment.
When someone paid for a technique, they were far more likely to learn it, use it, and refine it. That engagement translated into real feedback, real connection, and more importantly, real Enlightenment for the creator.
****
Author’s Note: Thank You For Reading.