The moment Li Ming's eyes fell on the floating status screen before him, his pupils shrank slightly.
[ Name: Li Ming
Martial Arts: None
Martial Arts Cultivation: None
Slaughter Path Cultivation: Crimson Vein — Level 1 (20.1 / 20) ➕ ]
His gaze locked onto the small plus sign that now glowed beside the cultivation bar. A low chuckle escaped his lips, but he quickly suppressed the excitement surging within him. He turned without another word and made his way home under the cover of night.
The streets were quiet, blanketed in the hush that only followed bloodshed. The moon cast its pale glow over rooftops and alleyways alike, indifferent to the lives lost.
After entering the simple, shadowy confines of his house, Li Ming sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. His fingers hovered above the shimmering icon. Then, without hesitation, he tapped the plus sign.
In the next instant, a wave of coldness surged through his veins like a flood of icy needles. His muscles trembled, and his breathing paused momentarily as the chilling power wrapped around his heart. The sensation wasn't painful but it was intense. Violent. Hungry.
His entire being vibrated with raw, ascending energy. Crimson qi burst through his meridians, pulsing like a second heartbeat. He clenched his teeth and let it flow, surrendering to the surge.
After nearly half an hour, the sensation settled.
He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.
They gleamed with vitality.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he summoned the screen once again.
[ Name: Li Ming
Martial Arts: None
Martial Arts Cultivation: None
Slaughter Path Cultivation: Crimson Vein — Level 2 (0.1 / 100)
Combat Power: Middle Stage of Marrow Refining Realm ]
Seeing the new cultivation level, Li Ming nodded in quiet satisfaction. But then his gaze shifted to the final line and his expression changed.
Combat Power: Middle Stage of Marrow Refining Realm
His eyes widened, pupils dilating in disbelief.
"Marrow Refining…"
He whispered it aloud, stunned. He had expected an increase in strength, but not this much. To leap from nothing to marrow refining a stage only the elite in their region could hope to reach was beyond comprehension.
His earlier optimism gave way to silent reflection.
"No," he said quietly to himself, "I cannot be arrogant. Countless prodigies have fallen because they overestimated themselves."
The memory of historical heroes who died young too bold, too reckless flashed through his mind. Even if his cultivation had advanced, his experience in actual high-level combat was still lacking.
He stood up and clenched his fists.
"Today, I'll train. I need to adapt fully to this new level no shortcuts, no pride."
A determined light blazed in his eyes.
He stepped outside once more, but this time, he cast his gaze far toward the wealthier, heavily guarded region of the city toward a mansion encircled by high walls and golden-robed guards.
The County Magistrate's residence.
His next opponent.
Li Ming narrowed his eyes, then turned away.
At That Very Moment
Within the grand courtyard of the County Magistrate's estate, the night air was heavy. Lanterns flickered in the wind, casting tall shadows across the polished stone floors.
The magistrate, a heavyset man with graying hair and sharp eyes, sat beneath a silk canopy as a messenger bowed deeply before him.
"Lord Magistrate," the man said, voice tense, "several gang outposts in the city… have been completely destroyed. Their leaders,all dead. The killings happened in just six days."
The magistrate's brows furrowed deeply. He placed his teacup down with a quiet clink.
"All of them?"
"Yes, my lord. The survivors claim a single man did it. Dressed in black… merciless and fast. The court is labeling him a rebel."
A silence followed.
The magistrate leaned back slightly in his seat, eyes narrowing as an invisible pressure seemed to descend upon him. Though his cultivation had reached the peak of Bone Refining, and though he was surrounded by guards day and night, a strange sense of dread stirred in his heart.
An omen.
A storm.
He didn't know why, but the killings felt like more than revenge or chaos they felt like the beginning of something far larger.
After a moment of contemplation, he looked to a nearby guard.
"You. Go to the provincial capital and deliver a message to my mother's clan. Ask one of my uncles to come here in person."
The guard's expression shifted, knowing what that meant.
The magistrate waved his hand with finality.
"Go."
The flickering lanternlight danced across his hardening expression, as somewhere in the city, the shadow of his doom sharpened its blade.