[Chapter 564: A Massive Leap in Power]
After reaching the mid-stage of the Celestial Presence, Linton felt an endless torrent of supernatural energy coursing through his body. Every movement he made was charged with overwhelming power.
Having just advanced, the sudden surge of energy was still beyond his full control. Meanwhile, he was in the middle of an uninhibited party with all the women at the estate.
To avoid hurting any of them, he gently released a subtle wave of energy that lured everyone into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Linton quickly headed to the bathroom for a simple shower before soaring to the rooftop garden. There, he channeled his energy and began training, adjusting to the dramatic increase in his internal strength.
He trained diligently for six full hours. It wasn't until 9 a.m. that he began to stabilize this new realm and gradually gained mastery over his power.
At this point, he realized that passing into the mid-Celestial Presence stage truly felt like transcending an entire world. Compared to the early mid-stage, his power had grown exponentially.
His supernatural energy alone had increased by fifty percent. The once steady flow of spiritual power inside him now surged like the Nile. Whereas before, the golden light representing his accumulated merit covered about 7.5% of his total power, it now barely covered 5% because the total energy had expanded so much.
His spiritual awareness -- or soul perception -- had seen an even greater leap. After breaking into the mid-stage, his perception had literally doubled, extending its effective range from fifty to a full hundred kilometers.
To put this into perspective: Los Angeles' entire cityscape -- north to south, east to west, and every diagonal -- measured less than 100 kilometers in a straight line.
This meant that no matter where Linton was within greater Los Angeles, his spiritual awareness could effortlessly cover the entire metropolitan area.
Another critical change was the increase in the number of Soul Slave Marks he could seal, expanding from five up to seven.
These marks were Linton's trump cards. The original five had already been used on five key figures: Harvey Weinstein, Bill Clinton, Hillary, David, and Carter.
Harvey needed no introduction. A natural rebel, a notorious figure in Hollywood's underworld, and a disruptor of the old corrupt system. But after receiving Linton's mark, he became fiercely loyal and diligent in helping Linton's film company. Every task assigned was completed to perfection.
What was even more remarkable was the dramatic change in Harvey's behavior. Influenced by Linton, he started abiding by Hollywood's unspoken rules, resisting the temptation to abuse his power or take advantage of women.
Another point that thrilled Linton was Harvey's newfound respect for any woman connected to him. Harvey treated them with utmost reverence, never daring to entertain any ill intentions.
Bill Clinton and Hillary, meanwhile, played naturally supportive roles -- positions that brought immense strategic advantage and convenience to Linton.
In fact, several of Linton's major acquisitions and business ventures had greatly benefited from their assistance. Hillary, devoted and unreserved, was now expecting his child, solidifying their alliance even further.
As for David and Carter, Linton marked them with soul seals to ensure both the safety of his family and his estate.
David commanded the elite military force, Thunder Guards and operated a distant branch in Africa.
Carter oversaw the home base, the small farm, and the health product factory. He also managed numerous sensitive and confidential affairs related to the estate.
With such powerful responsibilities held by these two, Linton couldn't fully relax without binding them.
Every one of those five marks had been put to strategic use, playing crucial roles in safeguarding Linton's empire.
So gaining the capacity for two more marks was nothing short of a breakthrough. Next time a key player appeared, Linton would have no worries about applying control.
Other changes in power still needed detailed testing to confirm, but it was already 9 a.m., and the harem in the master bedroom was still sound asleep.
Thinking of this, Linton gathered his energy, returned to the master bedroom, and gently woke everyone with a light sweep of supernatural power.
...
"Darling, how did I fall asleep?" one of them murmured.
"Yeah, honey, when we're with you, we never need sleep. What's different today?" another chimed in.
"Are you okay? Was the concert too exhausting last night?" a third asked, concern ringing in her voice.
The whole group soon buzzed with chatter, their collective care for Linton evident.
"I'm fine. Last night was a bit tiring. Let's all get up and have breakfast first to recharge."
"Then we can keep the party going. It's Christmas after all. I haven't scheduled any work for the next three days -- we have all the time in the world to enjoy ourselves, okay?"
Everyone responded with a chorus of agreement and returned to their rooms to freshen up.
Soon they all gathered downstairs in the dining room, where the butler had already laid out a bountiful breakfast. Little Lina had just finished eating and was happily circling the Christmas tree under the nanny's watchful eye.
Upon spotting Linton accompanied by the women, Lina giggled excitedly, rushing over. "Daddy, why did you all just wake up? I already had breakfast."
Linton grinned, scooped her up, and tossed her gently into the air several times before setting her down to continue playing with the nanny.
The small farm operation in the countryside had now stabilized, allowing the estate in Los Angeles to receive weekly shipments of fresh produce -- milk, rice, flour, beef, and even most vegetables -- airlifted directly from the farm.
Since the arrival of the chef team, the quality of the estate's meals had jumped several notches. Thankfully, the women regularly partied with Linton and received long-term enhancement from the Vitality Pills, which kept their figures toned and radiant.
Moreover, the food itself was infused with spiritual energy, so their constitutions subtly improved with every meal.
...
During breakfast, the butler Amy followed routine by reading the morning newspaper.
Across all major papers, entertainment section headlines buzzed with reports on last night's Linton concert.
Though the angles varied -- some focused on the concert's electric atmosphere while others highlighted its wider impact -- many celebrated his star power.
Certain tabloid papers, clearly influenced by payoffs, emphasized the presence of specific actresses rumored to be involved with Linton, weaving suggestive gossip underneath.
Meanwhile, Britney Spears and Eminem snagged free publicity as featured guest performers, a huge win for their careers.
More analytical outlets scrutinized how Linton had managed his dramatic entrance during the concert. Several film industry experts shared their takes.
Most claimed the spectacle was a clever movie-set illusion, using props and nighttime lighting to conceal their tricks.
However, a few insiders argued that no set design could pull off such an effect. They speculated that Linton might possess genuine supernatural abilities.
To maintain mystery -- and boost buzz -- Linton had ordered Daniel to impose strict confidentiality on the stage crew, signing nondisclosure agreements.
Of course, in the money-driven media landscape, such secrets rarely hold for long if the price is right.
But Linton was unfazed. Such attention would only last a few days, and that was all he needed.
Since no official confirmation came from Universal Music and Linton refused interviews, public speculation surged, generating massive interest that benefited his brand.
Even the women in his harem were curious. During last night's party, Jennifer playfully blurted out the question everyone wondered: "Is it true you have supernatural powers?"
Linton smiled, admitting it and casually demonstrating by flipping effortlessly in mid-air.
His harem erupted in excitement, declaring how lucky they were to have a superhero of a man.
The energy intensified, their passion and devotion soaring to new heights.
...
After breakfast, Linton embraced Lina and strolled through the estate with his women.
The butler Amy had transformed the grounds into a Christmas wonderland. Lina was bursting with energy, tugging Linton excitedly from spot to spot.
They spent over an hour soaking in the festive beauty before Linton distributed generous year end bonus to all the estate's workers.
Later, Linton and his ladies returned upstairs for more partying -- this time synchronizing their energy and cultivation practices.
...
On December 26, the second day of Christmas, North Americans were still on holiday.
At 10 a.m., exactly as announced a month prior, the Amazon platform officially opened ticket sales for Linton's upcoming New York concert.
The Madison Square Garden venue could hold 20,000 people. After reserving seats for VIPs, sponsors, and media, 17,000 tickets were available for sale.
Amazon had arranged the tickets in tiered pricing categories and started a countdown timer on their homepage at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
At the stroke of 10 a.m., when the timer hit zero, over 13 million Americans flooded Amazon simultaneously to grab tickets.
The sale was even more frenzied than before.
Within just 30 seconds -- not even a full minute -- all 17,000 tickets were gone, setting an unprecedented record.
...
Thanks to the concert's buzz and the support of his harem, Linton's cultivation advanced with lightning speed.
In just three days, his mid-Celestial Presence stage power was fully solidified.
Yet, Linton noticed his sky-high popularity was beginning to taper off. The concert's heat was cooling down, just as expected.
Comparing gains, he realized this event was a financial jackpot -- but more importantly, it gave his star power and cultivation a tremendous boost.
It was crucial timing; without this concert, breaking through the mid-stage might have taken at least another six months.
Overall, the concert's popularity surge was roughly half as impactful as the months-long buzz generated by his Mission: Impossible film.
But while the movie's influence was gradual, this concert produced a concentrated explosion of fame over just two to three days.
Such a short-lived spike usually wasn't very helpful and could even be wasted. Yet, at a critical bottleneck, this burst was invaluable.
It was his sudden, explosive rise in popularity, combined with the harem's support, that propelled him to breakthrough on Christmas Eve night.
After three days and nights of extravagant parties and immersive role-plays, both Linton and his women felt mentally and physically fulfilled.
...
Having consolidated his mid-stage cultivation, Linton decided to put his new powers to the test.
Shortly after 3 a.m. on the third night, he gently sent everyone into a deep sleep, dressed quietly, and descended to the first floor.
He invoked the Earth Tunneling Technique.
Testing revealed he could now burrow a full kilometer underground. At maximum effort, his descent speed reached over 15 meters per second, though resistance increased with depth, slowing him somewhat.
This meant henceforth, while on land, no weapon could ever threaten his life. Even a nuclear strike would be no danger; he could swiftly dive underground to avoid lethal harm.
Currently, human weaponry couldn't penetrate one kilometer beneath the surface -- unless futuristic laser technology emerged, granting him zero reaction time.
Next, from a depth of five meters underground, he sped toward the coastline.
Testing showed his tunneling speed had increased from 50 to 70 kilometers per hour.
In the ocean, he also found his maximum dive depth was 2,500 meters, with a top descent speed of about 60 meters per second. But similarly, speed dropped progressively at greater depths.
Consequently, while underwater, he could evade any weapons or attacks. Even nuclear weapons couldn't reach such depths.
At a depth of ten meters, activating his Water Movement Technique, he could swim at a staggering 300 kilometers per hour.
Surfacing, Linton summoned his sword of flight.
With a thought, the sword enlarged automatically and hovered at his feet.
Mounting it, he sealed a power formation and rose sharply into the sky.
Compared to the early mid-stage where his max flight altitude capped at 10,000 meters, now he pressed upwards to 15,000 meters before feeling any stress.
Facing a random direction, he streaked over the Pacific Ocean.
After flying for thirty minutes at top speed, he gauged his velocity: roughly 6,000 kilometers per hour on his sword.
In emergencies, he could expend more power to push speed up by 30%. However, endurance would drastically drop -- maximum two hours.
Still, 6,000 km/h was plenty fast: even the quickest supersonic jets couldn't catch him.
The fastest missiles in this era topped around Mach 5, just over 6,000 km/h, making it nearly impossible to target him mid-flight.
He was now virtually untouchable in the air.
Having flown 3,000 kilometers from Los Angeles deep over international waters, well outside any country's jurisdiction, he decided to test his sword's power.
Scanning with his spiritual perception, he spotted a small island 60 kilometers away.
Upon arrival, the island spanned about ten square kilometers with a highest point barely 30 meters above sea level -- mostly barren rock with no signs of human habitation or navigational markers.
Perfect for testing.
Hovering above the island, he expanded the sword to ten meters long.
Channeling fifty percent of his power, he brought the sword down with a mighty strike.
A deafening explosion shattered the silence as the island split cleanly in two.
Massive waves roared as the broken halves quickly sank beneath the sea.
The sheer force of his sword satisfaction was immense -- obliterating an entire ten-kilometer island as if it were nothing.
Even a supercarrier would likely be defenseless against such a strike.
However, such a massive commotion surely would have triggered satellite alerts. To avoid unnecessary attention, he decided to depart quickly.
Mounting his sword once again, he took off, speeding back in the direction from which he had come.
*****
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