Having successfully completed the ghost binding ritual and assigned Shriny to handle all the chore duties throughout his manor house, Lordi suddenly recalled an important matter.
"Oh man! I completely forgot—the Blade of Life Hater still has the Spirit Essence from Sword of Red Run stored within it! I need to extract that Foundation Stage level power and put it to proper use immediately! That's far too valuable a resource to leave sitting idle when I could be benefiting from it."
Moving with purpose driven by this realization, he hastily retrieved the Blade of Life Hater from his storage pouch. However, the moment the weapon emerged into the light and he got his first good look at it in weeks, Lordi froze in startled surprise. The bone blade's appearance had undergone a dramatic transformation. Originally, the weapon had been crafted from bone material that gave it a pale, almost ghostly white coloration. But now, as he stared at the blade in his hands, that characteristic pallid color had vanished entirely. The entire weapon from tip to hilt had turned a deep, vibrant crimson red, as though the bone material itself had been thoroughly soaked in blood and permanently stained by the slaughter.
The changes extended beyond mere aesthetics, the blade had always possessed a cold, threatening aura. But that simple coldness had evolved into something far more complex and menacing. Now the weapon exuded thick, almost palpable waves of violent killing intent. The very air around the bone blade felt heavier, charged with murderous energy that made the weapon seem almost alive with malicious purpose. Even the physical properties had shifted: when Lordi hefted the blade experimentally, testing its balance and weight distribution, he immediately noticed that it had become substantially heavier than before.
Shocked by these unexpected alterations and suddenly worried about what they might signify, Lordi immediately attempted to access the stored Spirit Essence of Red Run that should have been safely contained within the blade's structure.
He extended his spirit sense into the weapon. But to his bewilderment, he discovered something completely unanticipated: the Spirit Essence of Red Run could no longer be extracted or separated from the blade!
After several more failed searching, the truth of what had occurred became obvious. That precious Origin Power, the Foundation Stage level Spirit Essence had been irreversibly absorbed by the Blade of Life Hater.
At this point, trying to forcibly extract the Spirit Essence would be like trying to separate specific water molecules from a thoroughly mixed solution. Worse, any attempt to forcibly rip the Spirit Essence apart through brute spirit force manipulation would inevitably result in the Blade of Life Hater itself shattering into fragments.
Lordi stood frozen in confusion and concern for a long moment, his mind struggling to process this unexpected development and evaluate whether it represented a beneficial evolution or a catastrophic loss of valuable resources.
Finally, deciding that standing around worrying wouldn't change the facts of the situation, he forced himself to take practical action. Gripping the transformed weapon firmly, he raised the Blade of Life Hater and executed several experimental slashes and strikes.
The results of this practical testing immediately drove away much of his concern, replacing worry with genuine excitement and satisfaction. The blade's power had increased dramatically—even a massive leap in destructive potential. When Lordi applied even modest force to a practice swing, barely exerting himself beyond casual effort, the blade spontaneously generated visible blade Qi that extended several feet beyond the physical weapon itself. Sharp crescents of cutting spirit flow manifested in the weapon's wake, leaving shimmering trails in the air that took several seconds to fully dissipate. The killing intent radiating from these blade Qi projections felt overwhelming, their spiritual pressure so intense that they would likely inflict soul damage in addition to physical wounds if they struck an opponent. Even without trying to create these effects deliberately, without consciously channeling spirit energy into techniques, the blade now naturally produced this devastating cutting power through simple movement.
Lordi glanced around the training ground with new awareness, suddenly grateful for the protective formations that had been built into the facility's construction. If it weren't for the defensive rune inscriptions carved into every surface of this practice arena, then even a single careless strike of this enhanced Blade of Life Hater would probably generate enough destructive force to demolish more than half of the entire Lantern Cliff Residence complex.
"Not bad at all. This actually worked out quite well in the end," Lordi murmured to himself. While it was true that the Spirit Essence from Sword of Red Run could no longer be diverted to other purposes or applications, the tradeoff had resulted in a substantial and immediate enhancement to his primary combat weapon.
Throughout the subsequent days and weeks, Lordi maintained an extremely reclusive lifestyle, essentially barricading himself within the Lantern Cliff Residence and refusing to venture out except for absolutely essential errands. His daily routine fell into a strict, repetitive pattern: either advance his cultivation base, or crafting elixir pills.
Occasionally, during brief breaks between these primary activities when his mind needed respite from the intense concentration required for cultivation and alchemy, Lordi would turn his attention to studying Shriny's capabilities.
Through observations and tests, he gradually developed an understanding of this ghostress servant's abilities and limitations. Shriney, despite being bound to his will through the Ghost Controlling Technique, still retained part of the wraith powers she'd possessed during her original existence as a vengeful wraith. She had access to four distinct ghostly moves that could potentially provide combat utility.
The first move was something apparently universal to all type of ghost beings—a shriek or wail that could shock and disrupt an opponent's concentration, potentially stunning them at critical moments.
The second move manifested as spectral claws that could materialize and rake across an enemy; while these soul claws could certainly inflict physical wounds, their true danger lay in their ability to directly attack the target's spiritual essence. Anyone struck by this attack would suffer soul damage in addition to bodily injury—minor cases might experience disorientation and dizziness, while severe direct hits could actually shatter the victim's soul entirely, resulting in immediate death as their consciousness dissolved.
The third ability Shriny possessed was called Ghost Cannibal, a power that allowed her to devour other spiritual entities—particularly other ghosts or wandering spirits—and convert that ghost remains into restoration and advancement for herself. This meant that if Shriny sustained damage during combat, she could potentially recover by feeding on defeated enemy ghosts, and theoretically she might even be able to increase her power level beyond her current Ninth Layer equivalent strength if she consumed enough quality ghostly essence over time.
The fourth and final technique in her arsenal was Possession, though this ability came with significant restrictions on its application. Shriny could only successfully possess and control cultivators whose cultivation level was substantially lower than her own strength power, and even then only if the target had an unusually weak or damaged soul that made them vulnerable to intrusion. When conditions were right for its use, however, possession could allow her to take complete control of an enemy's body for a brief period, potentially turning opponents into unwitting weapons against their own allies.
"Not bad hey. These abilities could definitely be useful at crucial moments during Tournament matches," Lordi thought strategically as he reviewed Shriny's capability profile and considered how best to deploy her in actual combat scenarios. "She could serve as a surprise sidekick—opponents won't be expecting me to suddenly have a ninth-layer equivalent ghost attacking them from an unexpected angle. That element of surprise alone might be decisive in close matches. However, I need to maintain realistic expectations about her effectiveness against truly skilled opponents."
His analysis continued with sober assessment of Shriny's limitations. "If I end up facing someone at the level of Donovan Valdez—a true combat genius with perfected martial technique, extensive combat experience, and multiple trump cards—then Shriny probably won't make enough difference to change the outcome. Against that caliber of opponent, I'll still need to rely primarily on my own strengths."
After teaching Shriny some basic conversational phrases and essential common knowledge through repeated application of the Ghost Controlling Technique, Lordi relegated his ghostress servant to background household duties and refocused his primary attention and effort on the truly critical task: continuing to push his personal cultivation advancement to its absolute maximum potential before the competition began. Every additional fraction of spirit energy density mattered, every slight refinement of his foundation could prove decisive, and he couldn't afford to waste time on anything that didn't directly contribute to making him stronger.
——
After thirty days of relentless cultivation and non-stop elixir refinement work, Lordi once again loaded up his storage pouches with the latest batch of completed pills and made the journey to the Withered Orchid Villa to meet with Kinson Wexford for their regular business transaction.
This visit proved notably different from previous meetings, the atmosphere distinctly colder and less friendly than their usual interactions. Perhaps still harboring resentment over the Kim Simona's case and the beating by that mad but powerful Bloodline Lord Kim Selena, which Kinson'd endured because of events connected to Lordi's actions, the Bloodline Lord Wexford's demeanor when he saw this junior brother this time carried obvious traces of lingering anger that hadn't fully dissipated despite the passage of weeks.
More significantly from Lordi's perspective, Kinson showed absolutely no inclination whatsoever to present him with any supposedly beneficial "Abyss-sent Gifts" or "Fateful Chance" purchased during his trading expeditions. The senior brother simply conducted their business with cold professionalism—he inspected the look of pills, verified their quality, calculated fair market values, and distributed Lordi's share of the proceeds from previous sales in strict accordance with their established profit-sharing agreement.
This straightforward, no-surprises transaction actually made Lordi breathe an internal sigh of profound relief. The lack of "Generosity" from Kinson represented a blessing rather than a disappointment.
He'd been genuinely worried that this "kind" senior brother might have spent yet another fortune purchasing additional precious alchemy formulas that Lordi neither needed nor wanted—perhaps this time formulas for Essence Cultivating Pills, Blood Qi Pills, Soul Calming Pills, or some other category of elixirs that would be completely redundant with resources he already possessed. The prospect of having to pretend gratitude while internally screaming about wasted money had been weighing on him. Receiving only what he'd actually earned, with no unwanted additions, felt like dodging a lethal kill.
After carefully securing his payment of Spirit $tones in his storage pouches and collecting the latest batch of raw alchemical materials that Kinson had procured for their ongoing business arrangement, Lordi wasted no time lingering in the Inner Sect where awkward conversations might occur. He departed with swift efficiency, practically fleeing back to the Outer Sect and the sanctuary of the Lantern Cliff Residence.
Once safely back in his personal manor, he immediately resumed his now-familiar routine: alternating between intensive cultivation sessions and extended elixir refinement marathons. The cycle continued without pause, each day blending into the next in a blur of focused effort.
——
Time seemed to accelerate as the Grand Tournament deadline approached, days flying past with remarkable speed when filled with such intensive focus and repetitive activity. Before Lordi fully registered how quickly the weeks were passing, he found himself at the beginning of the third month since he'd begun this final preparation push.
His cultivation had progressed exactly as he'd projected and hoped: through consistent effort, legendary level elixir support, and the AllFullOS System's automated one-click-cultivation, he had successfully advanced to the absolute peak of the Ninth Layer Qi Refinement Stage. He'd gone as far as it was possible to go within this cultivation stage without actually breaking through to Foundation Stage—his spirit energy was compressed to maximum density near liquified status, his Jade tier Bone were refined to optimal purity. He was as ready as he could possibly make himself.
The Abyss Pit Sect's Grand Outer Sect Tournament represented a major event in the sect's calendar, a competition of genuine significance that attracted attention from Outer Sect disciples at all levels and even drew observation from Core-Formation Stage elite powerhouse and Inner Sect grand elders and curious to scout promising talent.
The Grand Tournament was held once every ten years—frequent enough to provide regular opportunities for ambitious disciples but rare enough that each tournament felt special and momentous. Participation was officially open to all Outer Sect disciples who had achieved late-phase Qi Refinement Stagge cultivation, meaning anyone at the Seventh Layer or above could legitimately enter and compete for the prizes and recognition that came with strong performance.
Lordi's understanding of the world, already stretched thin by his humble origins, shattered entirely as the true scale of the Outer Sect's domain settled upon him. It was not merely vast; it was a sprawl of rock and cloud that defied mortal comprehension. From Mellisy's lectern, came numbers that felt less like measurements and more like incantations. This realm, known as the Southern Nebula, held within its mist-wreathed borders nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand mountain peaks—each one a jagged pillar holding up the heavens from abyss, each one a sovereign territory of cultivation and contention.
A single mountain peak could host several thousand Outer Sect disciples, while the grandest and most spiritually potent arteries of the sect nurtured tens of thousands. Lordi's imagination faltered, painting a feeble image: if each peak were but a pinprick of light, the Southern Nebula would be a galactic sweep across a starless sky, each pinprick teeming with thousands of aspiring souls breathing, scheming, and hungering for ascension.
It was from this crushing, magnificent density that the Grand Tournament's structure emerged—a necessity born of pure logistical awe. To sieve meaning from such multitudes, the preliminaries would unfold in cascading tiers, a series of winnowing storms conducted in the heart of each local peak.
Outer Sect disciples would first clash only with those from their own mountainous cradle, their familiar rivals and allies, in three to ten successive rounds of elimination.
These initial contests would echo simultaneously across nearly a million arenas. Only then, once each mountain had offered up its most refined and ruthless survivors, would the true, sect-wide brackets begin—the stage where the peaks would finally turn to face one another, and the true geometry of power within this stunning, impossible world would be revealed.
Lordi had taken the precaution of visiting the Punishment Crypt's well in advance of the tournament start date to clarify various administrative details and ensure he understood exactly where he was supposed to report. During that visit, he'd specifically inquired advice from Deacon Enforcer Lion about registration procedures and learned something important: while the holy Sect maintained a relatively flexible policy that didn't require Outer Sect disciples to permanently reside at their initially assigned mountain peak—they were free to relocate to other peaks if circumstances warranted, as Lordi himself had done by moving to Alchemy Peak—participation in the Grand Tournament preliminary rounds was tied to initial registration locations. Regardless of where an Outer Sect disciple currently lived or spent most of their time, when preliminaries began they were required to return to and compete at the peak where they'd originally registered upon joining the sect. For Lordi, this meant he had to return to Ghost Shade Peak for his preliminary matches.
Since joining the Abyss Pit Sect and completing his initial entrance procedures, Lordi had spent remarkably little time actually at Ghost Shadow Peak, the mountain that was theoretically his origin base within the Outer Sect. He'd either been running around outside the holy sect entirely on various tasks and assignments, or he'd been residing at Alchemy Peak where the alchemy facilities and resources were concentrated.
Ghost Shade Peak itself, despite being his official assignment, had remained largely unfamiliar territory that he barely knew beyond the most basic layout. This lack of familiarity left him feeling somewhat disoriented and uncertain as he made his way back to the mountain peak for the first time in months.