The Immortal Heir; The Absolute Cheat

Chapter 3

The central plaza of the Iron-Blood Sect was a sea of laughter and clinking wine cups. Lanterns bathed the marble floor in a warm, festive glow, completely masking the rot underneath. At the center of the grand stage stood Young Master Chen, raising a jade cup to the roaring applause of the inner sect disciples.

Beside him, Kai’s sister, Meiling, stood perfectly still. Her hands trembled beneath her red bridal sleeves, her eyes downcast as she suppressed a sob.

"Smile, dear cousin," Chen whispered, his voice a low, venomous hiss as he leaned in close. "Your useless brother is already digestion for the beasts in the Abyss. If you want your crippled father to survive the winter, you’ll play the happy bride."

Meiling flinched, a single tear spilling over her lashes.

High above the pavilion, clinging to the shadows of the tiled roof, Kai watched. His blood boiled, but his mind remained terrifyingly cold, honed by the fast-paced calculation of his new power. The Shadow Veil kept him completely invisible to the drunken guards below.

[Ding! Target scanned: Young Master Chen.]

[Cultivation Realm: Mortal Cultivator (Tier 3).]

[Warning: Surrounding Elders are at Tier 5 and above. A direct frontal assault has a 94% chance of suppression. Advise tactical ambush.]

"Then we strike fast," Kai thought.

He didn't need to defeat the elders yet. He just needed to create absolute chaos and seize his prize.

Down on the stage, the High Elder stepped forward, clearing his throat. "By the authority of the Iron-Blood Sect, we bless this union—"

"I object."

The voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the festive music like a lightning bolt.

The laughter died instantly. Heads snapped toward the entrance of the plaza.

A figure stepped out from the darkness into the bright light of the lanterns. His clothes were torn and stained with dried blood and green spider ichor, but he walked with a straight back and an aura that made the air grow heavy.

"Kai?" Meiling gasped, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief.

"Impossible!" Chen’s cup shattered in his grip, wine spilling over his knuckles. "You... you were thrown into the—" He stopped himself, realizing he was speaking in front of hundreds of high-profile guests. His face contorted with explosive rage. "Guards! Who let this escaped prisoner into the banquet? Kill him!"

Four Tier 1 enforcers—the very same ones who had dragged Kai to the cliffside—lunged forward, drawing their heavy steel sabers.

"Stupid cripple, you should have stayed dead!" the lead enforcer roared, swinging his blade down in a vicious arc meant to split Kai in half.

To the crowd, Kai didn't move. To Kai, the blade was moving in slow motion.

Agility +8. Strength +14.

Kai sidestepped the blade by an inch. Before the enforcer could recover, Kai’s hand shot out like a striking viper, gripping the man’s throat. With a brutal twist, a sickening CRACK echoed across the silent plaza.

[Ding! Enemy defeated. Extracting...]

[Extracted: +4 Strength, +2 Agility.]

Without pausing, Kai used the dead enforcer's body as a shield, letting the second enforcer's saber bury itself into his comrade's back. Kai kicked the corpse forward, sending the second guard crashing to the ground, and smoothly intercepted the remaining two.

He spun, his palm striking the third guard's chest with the full weight of his Tier 2 cultivation. The guard’s ribs shattered, and he flew backward into the banquet tables, scattering food and wine everywhere. The fourth guard dropped his weapon, terrified, but Kai’s shadow-wrapped hand gripped his face, slamming him mercilessly into the stone tiles.

[Ding! Extraction successful! Total attributes accumulated. Advancing to Mortal Cultivator (Tier 3)!]

A shockwave of spiritual energy erupted from Kai's body, blowing the red decorations off the nearby pillars. The absolute silence that followed was suffocating.

In less than ten seconds, four armed guards had been completely slaughtered by the sect's most famous cripple.

Kai stood amidst the wreckage, his eyes glowing with a faint, predatory blue light. He locked eyes with Chen, who was now trembling, his face pale with sudden terror.

"You said I was an eyesore, Chen," Kai said, his voice echoing with a dark, suffocating pressure. "I'm right here. Come take them out."

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