A half-meter-long dagger shot up from Tianlei's storage ring, and he grabbed it, the cool metal hilt settling firmly into his palm like an extension of his own fury.
Even though it was just a level 2 King Smith Stabber, it possessed enough sharpness to tear through the tough hide of a hell minotaur.
He paused for a moment, letting the weight of the weapon ground him, his breath steadying as he stared down the beast.
"I give you one last chance: either I rip your monster core out of you, or you willingly give it to me," Tianlei roared, forcing his voice to carry an unyielding edge.
The hell minotaur didn't shift, its massive form frozen in defiant stillness.
Tianlei scoffed, a low rumble in his throat.
"Arrogant creature."
He waved his hand slowly, and the King Smith Stabber glided toward the hell minotaur's chest. Inch by inch, it descended, the tip pressing against the leathery skin before sinking in with a faint, wet resistance that made Tianlei's stomach twist slightly.
Just then, a faint light erupted from the creature's chest, illuminating a small, crystalline red orb that hovered in the dim air like a captured flame.
Even though crippled and battered, the hell minotaur seemed to possess some lingering sense of understanding. After all, forced core removal would mean certain death, a final unraveling of its monstrous essence.
A slow smile crossed Tianlei's face as the beast core drifted into his hand, its warmth pulsing against his skin like a heartbeat.
"Amazing," Tianlei mused softly, his voice laced with quiet awe.
Aside from the Bodhisattva, this could be the most terrifying soul treasure he had ever wielded. Even his blood seemed to boil under the intense pressure it radiated, sending a shiver through his veins.
Tianlei felt something stir deep within him—a subtle shift . Then, something sharp pierced through the skin of his palm, extending outward toward the beast core with an eerie hunger.
Tianlei glanced down, his eyes widening in surprise as the black vein snaked forward, latching onto the orb and beginning to absorb its essence.
"This... is..."
The black vein continued drawing in the energy, pulling it greedily. Tianlei guessed that since he carried monster genes within him, they might be drawn to anything bearing a monstrous aura, eager to devour and claim it as their own.
Gradually, the crystalline red orb faded, its vibrant crimson color draining away until only a pale, colorless glow remained, emanating faintly from the core.
"Purification,"
Using his other arm, Tianlei grasped the core firmly, holding it up before his eyes to examine it in the low light.
"All the murderous intent has been stripped away," he observed, turning the now-clear orb between his fingers.
He shifted his gaze to the retreating black veins, which slithered back beneath his skin. It felt as though they had a will of their own, slipping beyond his control like elusive shadows.
Yet, the removal of that dark intent would spare his mind from twisting into something monstrous like that of a deranged killer driven solely by the urge to slaughter.
"Mind manipulating art,"
He touched his forehead gently, and a faint symbol adhered to his fingertip, glowing softly. He pressed it against the core and began absorbing the knowledge embedded within.
Within the core lay three techniques: Gravity of Light, Mad Bull Slash, and the power to still the air known as Stillness Illusion.
Beyond that, the core held little else save for a small, pill-sized crystal nestled inside.
Tianlei crushed the outer crystalline shell with a deliberate squeeze, and the glowing inner pill emerged, hovering in his palm with an ethereal shimmer.
Tianlei's eyes widened a fraction more, filled with quiet awe; the sheer volume of spiritual energy contained in the tiny pill caused his own spirit core to pulse wildly, as if straining against invisible bonds.
"Such a powerful spirit pill," he breathed.
"If I swallowed it, my spiritual energy would skyrocket," he thought aloud, a spark of excitement igniting in his chest.
Tianlei grinned, unwilling to let this chance slip away untouched. He opened his mouth and swallowed the spirit pill whole, feeling it dissolve on his tongue with a burst of radiant warmth.
Instantly, a surge of immense spiritual energy enveloped him, flooding his body like a tidal wave. His spirit core began absorbing portions of it hungrily, yet his overall strength didn't surge as he had anticipated, it remained steadfast at the 7-star soldier class level.
"Why didn't my strength increase?" he muttered, confusion knitting his brow.
Shi Guyin's laughter echoed in his mind, warm and knowing.
"Aye, I told you," the voice replied after a brief pause, as if giving Tianlei time to absorb the disappointment.
"As long as your foundation isn't solid, you'll just pour more power into an unstable vessel, and the end result will be your own collapse."
Tianlei ran a hand over his face slowly, frustration building like a storm cloud in his chest.
"How can I let opportunities like this just slip by because of foundation issues?" he asked, his tone edged with desperation.
"There must be a way to solidify my foundation," Tianlei pressed, leaning forward as if the answer might materialize before him.
"Kid, let me ask you a question," Shi Guyin said, his voice patient and measured. He waited a beat, ensuring Tianlei was listening.
"People take hundreds of years to grow stronger, even with immense spiritual energy in the world and soul treasures at hand . do you know why?"
Tianlei pondered for a moment, the weight of the words sinking in. "Because their foundation is weak."
"Indeed," Shi Guyin continued smoothly. "A weak foundation is mainly about the body's stability. As long as your body remains fragile, you're like a flimsy battery hit by lightning. And well, the end result is collapse."
Tianlei exhaled deeply, the breath escaping him in a long sigh. Hundreds of years... and yet peers like Feng San, around his own age, towered far above him in strength.
"How come others..."
"Advance faster?" Shi Guyin completed the thought, his tone gentle yet firm. He paused again, letting the interruption linger.
"That isn't mere luck; it's largely due to bloodline. I possessed an Emperor-grade bloodline, which meant my cultivation knew no bounds. A strong bloodline fortifies the body, allowing it to devour spiritual energy without restraint."
"For now, focus on building your foundation," Shi Guyin added, his words carrying a finality that brooked no argument.
Tianlei frowned, the lines on his face deepening; after all these years of struggle, he would still lag behind the others.
He extended his hand toward the hell minotaur's fallen form, and it vanished into his storage ring, leaving only an empty space in the dim chamber.
"I think I should meet Senior Xue Ren," he decided quietly.
He rose to his feet and stepped out into the cooling evening air. Darkness was settling in, and the campus lights flickered to life one by one, casting long shadows across the paths.
Students meandered back to their dormitories, their laughter and chatter fading into the night; others headed toward Silver Town for some after-school entertainment. That place had dragged him into so much trouble, he hadn't even had the chance to explore it properly.
"I hope the feather lady made it out alright," Tianlei thought, a pang of guilt surfacing as he recalled her plight.
After all, it was because of him that she had endured suffering there, far longer than his own brief week in the military branch. Those days had tormented his mind, twisting it with endless trials, yet they had also forged something new.
He glanced down at his hands, flexing them slowly; the misty hue patches had vanished, but the raw strength of a 7 star soldier class lingered
For some reason, a quiet hope stirred in him that Senior Xue Ren might see this as progress, a step forward in his fractured path.
Tianlei boarded the train-like cab, which whisked him toward the pre-evaluation chamber; he assumed she would still be there, buried in her duties.
He gazed up at the towering structure before him, its silhouette stark against the night sky. The pre-evaluation chamber occupied the top floor, and the building felt alien to him since Senior Xue Ren had simply opened a portal for their previous exit, bypassing the mundane ascent.
Now, with full darkness enveloping the world, he entered the lobby and approached the solitary desk, his footsteps echoing softly on the polished floor.
Behind it sat a woman, her eyes glued to her phone screen. In front of him, another young man was locked in a heated argument, but she paid him little heed, her expression one of practiced indifference.
"Hey, lady, are you even listening?" the young man shouted, slamming his hand on the desk with a sharp thud that reverberated through the quiet space.
The woman merely lifted her gaze, one eyebrow arching lazily.
"I told you, you must have an appointment," she said flatly, her voice devoid of warmth.
"And I told you, I'm here to meet Instructor Wei. Is that so much to ask?" he retorted, his frustration boiling over.
Tianlei, tuning out the exchange, stepped forward anyway.
The woman's eyes flicked to him, sharp and dismissive.
"Get out if you don't have an appointment."
Tianlei scoffed, crossing his arms. "I was never told I needed an appointment to meet Miss Xue Ren."
The woman's eyes narrowed just a touch, then she burst into laughter, the sound echoing mockingly in the empty lobby.
"Wait, you mean the Miss Xue? How could someone like you even qualify to meet a person of her stature? If you don't have an appointment, just get out."
"My appointment is my face," Tianlei replied .