Elder Shan, blinded by pain and dying from poison, didn't even register the intrusion before Lei Tian was upon him.
With a single motion, Lei Tian drove the dagger through the side of the Elder's neck, severing the spine and the major arteries in one stroke.
Blood sprayed across the scrolls on the desk. Elder Shan's head slumped forward, nearly severed from his body, his life extinguishing instantly.
Mei stood frozen, her scream dying in her throat. She stared at the masked figure standing over her husband's body, the bloody dagger in his hand.
"Who..." she choked out. "Who are you?! What have you done?!"
She backed away, her eyes darting toward the door. "Guards! GUARDS!"
She opened her mouth to scream for help.
Lei Tian stepped forward and drove the bloody dagger directly into her chest, piercing her heart.
Mei looked down at the blade protruding from her chest, then up at Lei Tian's masked face, a look of uncomprehending shock freezing on her features before she collapsed to the floor.
Lei Tian stood over the two bodies, his chest heaving slightly.
"System," he commanded. "Plunder. Both of them."
[Target 1 Defeated: Lei Shan.]
[Cultivation: Middle Stage Golden Core.]
[Talent: Earth Grade.]
[Physique: Earth Grade (Iron Forge Body).]
[Bloodline: Mortal Grade (Faint Thunder Affinity).]
[Initiating Plunder Protocol...]
[Target 2 Defeated: Mei.]
[Cultivation: Initial Stage Foundation Establishment.]
[Talent: Mortal Grade.]
[Initiating Plunder Protocol...]
The energy from Mei was a minor trickle, barely noticeable.
But the energy from Elder Shan... it was the accumulated power of a Middle Stage Golden Core expert, combined with the inherent structural strength of an Earth Grade Physique and the superior capacity of an Earth Grade Talent.
The energy slammed into Lei Tian's Dantian.
The impact drove him to his knees. He screamed, clutching his stomach as the sheer volume of power threatened to tear him apart from the inside out.
His foundation, only recently pushed to the Middle Stage, was suddenly flooded with energy that belonged to a completely different realm of existence.
His meridians bulged, feeling like they were being stretched over hot coals. His skin turned a fiery red, sweat instantly vaporizing off his body.
The pain was agonizing, far worse than any beating he had ever taken in the training yards.
But the system was ruthless. It forced the energy to compress, to integrate, forcefully expanding Lei Tian's capacity to accommodate the stolen wealth.
[Plunder Complete.]
[Host Cultivation Progress: Breakthrough Imminent...]
[Host has reached Late Stage Foundation Establishment.]
[Host has reached Peak Stage Foundation Establishment.]
[Host has surpassed the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[Breakthrough Successful: Initial Stage Golden Core.]
[Breakthrough Successful: Middle Stage Golden Core.]
[Warning: Physical vessel is undergoing rapid Earth Grade restructuring. Consciousness failure imminent.]
Lei Tian lay on the floor, his body twitching as his meridians were forcefully widened to the width of rivers.
The Earth Grade Iron Forge Body was rewriting his biology, turning his bones into something as dense as tempered steel.
He had skipped two entire stages and an entire major realm breakthrough.
In a single heartbeat, he had gone from a low-level apprentice to one of the most powerful experts in the inner forges.
He was a Middle Stage Golden Core cultivator.
The power humming in his veins was a dormant volcano.
"I am a god among these rats," he wheezed, his voice trembling with triumph.
He dragged himself to his feet and looked at the two corpses.
He systematically stripped Elder Shan of his storage ring, his high grade spirit sword, and a defensive amulet around his neck. He took Mei's jewelry and the small pouch of spirit stones she carried.
He opened his own cheap storage ring and began to pull out the bodies he had accumulated over the past twenty four hours. Lei Gang, the two mercenaries, Ping, San, Huo, and Captain Feng.
He unceremoniously dumped the seven corpses onto the floor of the study, mingling them with the bodies of Elder Shan and Mei.
Then, he took Elder Shan's high grade storage ring, wiped the dead man's spiritual imprint with a brute force surge of his own newly acquired power, and shoved all nine bodies inside it.
The study was now empty of corpses, but it was still a blood soaked crime scene.
"System," Lei Tian rasped, wiping a smear of blood from his mask. "Can you erase my presence from this room?"
[Affirmative. Complete environmental sterilization and karmic obfuscation is possible. However, the energy cost is substantial. It will require the consumption of approximately 33% of the raw spiritual resources currently held in the Host's newly acquired storage ring.]
"One third of a Golden Core elder's wealth just to clean a room?" Lei Tian grimaced.
But he thought of the alternative. If the Lei Family investigators found any trace of him here, if they linked the dead branch family apprentice to the murder of an inner forge Elder... he wouldn't survive the week.
"Do it," he commanded without hesitation.
[Processing...]
A soft hum filled the room. The blood splattered on the desk, the walls, and the floor evaporating into nothingness. The shattered wood of the sliding doors mended itself, clicking back into place.
The ambient Qi in the room was scrubbed clean, removing the chaotic signature of his sudden breakthrough and the violent clash of energies.
Within seconds, the study looked exactly as it had before Mei entered with the poisoned tea.
[Sterilization Complete. All traces of the Host's presence have been eradicated.]
"Good," Lei Tian breathed, feeling a sense of relief.
"System. Hide my cultivation base."
[Command Acknowledged. Cultivation Concealment engaged.]
The aura of a middle stage golden core expert vanished, replaced by the weak presence of a branch family mud scraper.
Lei Tian adjusted his dark hood and mask. He opened the window, checking the perimeter one last time.
He slipped out the window, scaling down the wall with effortless grace. He moved through the gardens, over the wall, and back into the dark alleys of the Citadel.
He retraced his route, slipping back into the apprentice quarters through the hidden crevice. He reached his small room without encountering a single soul.
He stripped off the dark robes, hiding them beneath the loose floorboard along with Elder Shan's storage ring.
He lay down on his thin mattress, pulling the rough blanket over himself.
He stared at the ceiling in the dark.
"System," he whispered, "how far have I ascended from the
mud?"
[Host Profile]
[Name: Lei Tian]
[Current Foundation: Middle Stage Golden Core Realm]
[Progress toward Late Stage: 10.5%]
[Innate Talent: Earth Grade (Superior)]
[Physical Form: Iron Forge Body (Earth Grade)]
[Bloodline Trace: Faint Thunder Affinity (Mortal Grade)]
A smile spread across his face.
PS: There are 10+ Advance chapters available on the Patreon for those who want to read ahead. www.patreon. com/Drrajnovel