He closed the interface. He swung his legs off the bed. The system's healing had been miraculous, leaving him energized.
He dressed in his dark work clothes, slipping a simple iron dagger and a cast off from the training yard into his belt.
He stepped out of his small room, pulling the door shut behind him. He moved silently, his Foundation Establishment Qi allowing him to mask the sound of his footsteps.
He navigated the maze-like corridors of the outer courtyards, heading toward the eastern latrines. It was a common spot for the bullies to loiter, catching lone apprentices on their way back from the night shift.
As he neared the area, he heard a familiar voice.
"I told him, if he doesn't have my spirit stones by tomorrow, I'll melt his hammer down and pour it down his throat."
Lei Tian stopped, pressing his back against the stone wall.
It was Lei Gang.
A burly youth from the main family, also at the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment.
He was Lei Jian's favored lackey, a brute who enjoyed enforcing the "hierarchy." He was the one who had landed the first kick to Lei Tian's ribs yesterday.
Lei Tian peeked around the corner.
Lei Gang was alone, leaning against a pillar, tossing a small pouch of extorted spirit stones in the air and catching it. The pale light of a nearby lumina pearl highlighted the arrogant sneer on his face.
Lei Tian's heart hammered a frantic rhythm. He had never killed anyone before. He had never even won a spar against Lei Gang.
He's stronger than me, Lei Tian's old instincts whispered. He's trained in the main family's martial arts.
But he remembered the feeling of the boot connecting with his ribs. He remembered Xiu'er walking away.
The fear was replaced by a settling calm.
Lei Tian drew the iron dagger. He channeled a thin stream of Qi into his legs, enhancing his speed.
He crossed the ten feet of the open courtyard in a silent blur.
Lei Gang caught the pouch of stones, his head turning just as Lei Tian closed the distance.
The brute's eyes widened, a flash of recognition and confusion crossing his features. "You... the mud scraper?"
Lei Tian lunged, his left hand clapping over Lei Gang's mouth to muffle any cry, while his right hand drove the iron dagger upward, just beneath the jawline, angling straight into the brain stem.
Lei Gang's body went rigid, his eyes rolling back. A gurgling sound escaped the hand clamped over his mouth.
Lei Tian twisted the blade sharply, ensuring the kill, then pulled it free, catching the heavy body before it could hit the stone floor. He lowered Lei Gang gently, the brute's life extinguishing in seconds.
Lei Tian knelt over the body, his breath coming in short gasps.
"System," he whispered, wiping the bloody blade on Lei Gang's robes. "Plunder."
[Target Defeated: Lei Gang.]
[Cultivation: Initial Stage Foundation Establishment.]
[Talent: Mortal Grade.]
[Initiating Plunder Protocol...]
A pale blue light erupted from Lei Tian's outstretched hand, enveloping the corpse.
The light pulsed, and Lei Tian felt a rushing influx of energy flow up his arm and into his Dantian.
He felt the foundation of his cultivation solidify, the liquid Qi within him growing denser.
[Plunder Complete.]
[Host Cultivation Progress: +10% towards Middle Stage Foundation Establishment.]
[Note: Target possessed identical talent grade. No talent upgrade acquired.]
Ten percent.
He looked down at his own hands, trembling with the intoxicating rush of stolen power.
"It works," he breathed, a manic grin stretching across his face. "It actually works."
He quickly grabbed Lei Gang's body, ignoring the warm stickiness of the blood, and shoved it into his cheap storage ring.
The corpse vanished, leaving only a few dark drops on the stone.
He stood up, adjusting his clothes. The fear was entirely gone, replaced by a cold hunger.
"More," he whispered.
He slipped past the inner gates, utilizing a known blind spot in the patrol routes, and exited the main compound of the Citadel.
He ventured into the sprawling districts that hugged the outer walls… the true forges where the bulk of the Citadel's common weapons were mass produced. It was a rough area, populated by laborers, rogue cultivators, and the desperate.
He found a secluded alleyway behind a roaring smelting furnace, the noise of the flames masking any sound. He waited in the deep shadows.
An hour passed.
Two figures stumbled down the alley, laughing loudly, a jug of cheap wine swinging between them.
[Target Analysis:]
[Target 1: Cultivation - Eighth Layer Qi Condensation.]
[Target 2: Cultivation - Ninth Layer Qi Condensation.]
They were rough looking men, likely mercenary guards hired by one of the lesser forging guilds.
Lei Tian drew his dagger.
He stepped out of the shadows as they passed.
"Hey!" the man at the Eighth Layer slurred, stumbling to a halt. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
Lei Tian blurred forward.
He grabbed the first man by the throat, his superior Qi crushing the man's windpipe instantly, cutting off his shout. With his other hand, he drove the dagger straight through the second man's heart.
The second man gasped, dropping the wine jug. It shattered on the cobblestones.
Lei Tian let the first man drop, already dead from a crushed trachea, and pulled his blade from the second. Both bodies hit the dirt with soft thuds.
"Plunder."
The blue light flashed twice.
[Target 1 Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.5%]
[Target 2 Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.8%]
The influx of energy was noticeably weaker this time, a mere trickle compared to the rush he had felt from Lei Gang.
Lei Tian frowned, quickly storing the bodies in his ring. "System. Why so little? They were almost at the peak of Qi Condensation."
[The energy disparity between major realms is exponential. The accumulated Qi of a mortal foundation is vastly inferior to the condensed liquid Qi of a Foundation Establishment expert. To achieve significant progress, the Host must consume targets of equal or higher cultivation.]
"Quality over quantity," Lei Tian muttered, wiping his blade again. "Understood."
He retreated back into the shadows, settling in for a longer wait.
The hours ticked by. The alley saw a few more passersby, but they were either mortals or low level Qi cultivators, not worth the risk of exposure.
Finally, long past midnight.
[Target Analysis:]
[Target 1: Cultivation - Seventh Layer Qi Condensation.]
[Target 2: Cultivation - Initial Stage Foundation Establishment.]
Lei Tian watched as two figures turned the corner into the alley. They were dressed in the utilitarian robes of the Citadel's night watchmen.
"I'm telling you, I heard something," the younger one, the Qi Condensation cultivator, said nervously, holding up a glow stone.
"It was a rat, you idiot," the older one, the Foundation Establishment guard, scoffed. "This district is full of them. Keep your hand on your sword and stop whining."
They walked deeper into the alley, their backs to Lei Tian's hiding spot.
He targeted the stronger one first. He launched himself from the shadows, aiming for the gap in the older guard's armor at the back of his neck.
The guard's instincts, honed by his cultivation, flared. He tried to spin, his hand dropping to his sword hilt.
But Lei Tian was already there. He bypassed the armor, driving the iron dagger deep into the base of the guard's skull. The man's eyes rolled back, his body going slack instantly.
"Captain?!" the younger guard shrieked, dropping the glow stone. He fumbled for his weapon, panic blinding him.
Lei Tian yanked the dagger free, pivoting smoothly. Before the younger guard could even draw an inch of steel, Lei Tian's hand clamped over his mouth, driving the blade upward into his chest.
The boy spasmed, then went still.
Lei Tian stood amidst the two fresh corpses, his breathing heavy, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm.
"Plunder."
The blue light washed over the bodies.
[Target 1 (Foundation Establishment) Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +10%]
[Target 2 (Qi Condensation) Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.4%]
Another significant surge of power hit his Dantian. He was now over twenty percent of the way to the Middle Stage.
He quickly stored the bodies, ensuring no blood pooled on the cobblestones. His storage ring was getting crowded. He would need to find a place to dispose of the 'waste' soon.
He checked the sky. The deep black was beginning to tinge with the faint hints of indigo. Dawn was approaching.
"Time to go back," he murmured.
He retraced his steps, slipping back into the main compound with the ease of a ghost.
The Citadel was still largely asleep.
He reached the corridor leading to his quarters.
And stopped.
Standing outside the door to his room, arms crossed over his chest, was a figure.
It was Lei Bao, another of Lei Jian's cronies. A hulking brute, slightly taller and broader than Lei Gang, also at the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Where have you been, mud scraper?" Lei Bao growled, his voice thick with malicious intent. "Jian sent me to fetch you. Seems he wasn't finished teaching you your place yesterday."
"Lei Bao," Lei Tian said, his voice eerily calm.
"Don't speak my name, trash," Bao spat, taking a heavy step forward, his knuckles cracking ominously. "Get on your knees. It'll save me the trouble of breaking your legs."
Lei Tian stepped forward, meeting Bao's charge.
Bao swung a Qi infused fist aimed squarely at Lei Tian's head. It was a strike meant to shatter bone.
Lei Tian raised his left arm, catching the brute's wrist in an iron grip.
The impact echoed sharply in the quiet corridor, but Lei Tian didn't budge an inch. The superior density of his enhanced Qi easily absorbed the blow.
Lei Bao's eyes went wide, shock replacing the arrogant sneer. "What...? How are you… "
Lei Tian channeled his newly bolstered Qi into his right fist and drove it directly into Bao's solar plexus.
The sound of shattering ribs was sickeningly loud.
Bao's eyes bulged, all the air rushing from his lungs in a bloody gasp. He doubled over, paralyzed by the overwhelming agony.
Lei Tian stepped in close, grabbing the back of Bao's head and violently twisting it to the side.
SNAP.
Lei Bao collapsed.
Lei Tian stood over the body of his tormentor, his breathing perfectly even. It had been effortless. The gap in power, fueled by his night's harvest, was undeniable.
"Plunder," he whispered.
The familiar blue light flared in the dim corridor.
[Target Defeated: Lei Bao.]
[Cultivation: Initial Stage Foundation Establishment.]
[Plunder Complete. Progress: +10%]
The energy rushed in, stabilizing his core further.
He calmly stored Lei Bao's body in his ring, smoothing a scuff mark on his dark robes.
He opened the door to his small room and stepped inside.
He lay down on his thin mattress.
PS: Come on guys, we just need 38 more Power Stones for our first bonus chapter for this week. Let's push it, haha.
PS: There are 10+ Advance chapters available on the Patreon for those who want to read ahead. www.patreon. com/Drrajnovel