Luo Tianran sat in a lotus position, his posture firm and dignified, exuding an aura of absolute authority. Across from him sat his remaining heir—the demon-level genius Luo Qinglong. They faced one another in perfect stillness, their eyes closed, neither speaking a word. The atmosphere was heavy, thick with unspoken thoughts and tension.Then, after what felt like an eternity, Luo Tianran finally broke the silence. His voice was deep and unwavering. “Qinglong, your brother’s murderer has appeared. According to our spies, he is in Thousand Roads City—currently lodged at the Sleeping Willows Inn.”Luo Qinglong remained motionless, his breathing calm, his expression unreadable. To most, the mention of an elder brother’s death would elicit a storm of emotions—anger, grief, vengeance. But for Luo Qinglong, there was only indifference.He had never cared for Luo Qiyan. To him, his so-called elder brother had been nothing more than a glorified waste of potential, a man paraded as a genius s

With calm and clear eyes, Kael Varian stared at Jin Mu, his tone steady but carrying an unmistakable seriousness. “By now, you should already have some understanding of what’s going on—and just how hectic my life is about to become. If you want to leave my side, to return to your sect, to your friends, now is the time to do it. You haven’t been implicated yet. As I told you before, I wouldn’t hold it against you if you chose to walk away right this moment.” Jin Mu crossed his arms, his expression resolute. “Kael, I’ve told you this before as well. I may be many things, but an ingrate isn’t one of them. You saved my life back in the forest. Those guys would’ve killed me if you hadn’t intervened. Now I owe you a life, and until I’ve paid that debt in full, you’re just going to have to put up with me.” Kael sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Do you have any idea the shit ton of trouble I’m in right now? No, scratch that—you probably understand it better than I d

Shortly after Kael left the Martial Arena, his registration token secured, he met up with Jin Mu in an obscure alley tucked away from prying eyes.Kael approached casually, his gaze sharp. “Is it done?”Jin Mu smirked, arms crossed as he leaned against the stone wall. “Yeah. I exchanged the beast cores for spirit stones and body refining pellets.”Kael nodded. “So, how much did we get?”Jin Mu let out a small chuckle before listing the gains. “Let’s see—you roughly hunted 150 low-rank spiritual beasts, between the 5th and 7th stage of the Body Refining Realm, 45 at the peak, and 10 Qi Condensation level beasts. The 150 fetched 15,000 low-grade spirit stones, the 45 earned 20,000, and the 10 were exchanged for 50 bottles of peak-quality Body Refining pills.”Kael absorbed the information, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk. Not a bad haul.Jin Mu continued, his amusement growing. “As for the other matter, it was a big success. Your little act back there really got under people's sk

Kael and Jin Mu returned to their room at the Sleeping Willow Inn, securing the door behind them before sitting cross-legged across from each other.Jin Mu, without a word, reached into his robes and retrieved over ten low-tier storage bags, each filled to the brim with spirit stones. A typical low-tier storage bag held between 25 to 40 square feet of space, depending on its quality. The ones Jin Mu had gathered were high-quality, averaging 30 square feet each, packed full of low-grade spirit stones.With meticulous precision, Jin Mu began emptying the bags, spirit stones tumbling onto the floor and forming small shimmering piles. He tried to maintain a neutral expression, but his shaking hands, his twitching lips, and the sheer glee radiating from him made it painfully obvious—he was barely containing his excitement.Kael, however, observed the growing mound with a much different expression. Unlike Jin Mu, he wasn’t thrilled.This was barely enough.Enough to get through the Body Refi

Kael woke with a start, his senses overwhelmed by a sharp, putrid stench. The moment his mind cleared, he realized—his body was drenched in a pungent blackish liquid, the bed beneath him soaked through with filth.His skin felt sticky, as though the impurities had seeped into his very pores, coating his flesh like a second unwanted layer.Disgust flickered across his expression.Without hesitation, he bolted upright, his singular thought being to rid himself of the revolting grime.He stumbled toward the inn’s bath area, quickly locating the steaming guest relaxation pool meant for weary travelers. Without a second thought, he plunged in, the soothing warmth washing over him—Only for the entire stream to turn black.Impurities poured from his body, tainting the once-clear waters, spreading through the bath like ink spilled across parchment.Within minutes, he had polluted the entire pool, leaving the water a murky, unrecognizable shade.Kael cursed under his breath, realizing he had