Su Long looked down at little Mimi sleeping in his arms. Her small hands hugged his arm tightly, as if she was afraid he would disappear. A thin line of drool slid down onto his hand. Su Long smiled faintly, shaking his head.
"This little one…" he whispered.
But his thoughts soon grew heavy.
"I have a system, but there is a problem… Hatred and fear."
His eyes dimmed as he thought deeper.
"If a group comes to kill me, and I kill their strongest one first, then the rest will fear me… and fear gives me nothing. I will not gain hatred value that way. Instead, I must kill the weak ones first, so their anger grows, so their hatred burns. That way… I can harvest the hatred I need."
He clenched his fist, looking at Mimi's soft, sleeping face.
"I need to learn how to make people hate me, not fear me…"
Su Long's eyes softened when he looked at her again.
"Holy Body… such a blessing. With it, one could step into the heavens and become a god."
He touched Mimi's small forehead gently.
"But it is also a curse."
His voice trembled slightly as he remembered the history of the so-called Holy Body.
"There were three in the past. The first… killed by their own enemy family before they could grow. The second… sacrificed by an evil cultivator, who gained immense cultivation power. From that moment on, the world learned… sacrificing a Holy Body could bring enormous benefits. And the third… pitiful, truly pitiful. Born, awakened… and slaughtered by her own father out of fear. If she had lived, she might have brought disaster upon her clan."
Su Long closed his eyes. Mimi's tiny breathing warmed his chest.
"My mother… she died giving birth to Mimi. My father, Su Han… a strong cultivator, killed on the battlefield. I don't believe he fell so easily. Someone planned it. And my uncle… that traitor. He ran away while the Su family bled and died."
His teeth ground together.
"When Mimi was born and awakened the Holy Body, the elders celebrated. Father was happy, yet some grew worried. Families from afar came to 'congratulate' us… but now I understand. It was all lies. Their smiles were masks. What they really wanted was to one day capture my sister and sacrifice her."
His eyes turned bloodshot, filled with killing intent.
"I will kill them all… one by one."
Carefully, Su Long laid Mimi back onto the bed. She whimpered softly in her sleep, rolling over and clutching his robe.
"Brother… don't leave…" she murmured, half asleep, her voice soft and innocent.
Su Long's heart shook. He brushed her hair gently.
"Sleep well, Mimi. Your brother will protect you."
He quietly left the room, stepping into the courtyard. With a thought, the system panel appeared before him.
[System Panel]
Total Hatred Value: 170 points
Su Long considered for a moment, then allocated the points.
"One hundred into cultivation, fifty to upgrade the Heavenbreaker Sword."
A burst of power surged through his body, veins glowing with energy.
[Cultivation Increased! Body Refining Late → Body Refining Peak]
[Weapon Upgraded! Heavenbreaker Sword – Low Grade → Mid Grade]
[System Panel]
Host: Su Long
Cultivation: Body Refining – Peak (0 / 500)
Body Physics: True Titan Body – Allows fighting one stage higher
Total Hatred Value: 20 points
Skills: None
Treasures: Heavenbreaker Sword (Mid Grade, 0/1000), Starpiercer Bow (Low Grade, 0/60)
Su Long nodded, closing the panel. His grip tightened on the Heavenbreaker Sword. Its sharpness and durability had clearly increased.
The night was beautiful. The moon glowed brightly, silver light covering the city. Wind blew strongly, carrying a strange unease. Su Long's hair danced in the night breeze.
Then—
Shouts. Screams.
"Bandits! Run for your lives!"
Su Feng rushed forward, face pale. "Young master! The Black Fang Vultures bandits have entered the city! Nearly a hundred of them!"
Su Long's brows furrowed.
"Bandits?"
"Yes," Su Feng replied in panic. "Young master, you must protect yourself!"
Su Long's eyes turned cold. "No. You stay here and protect Mimi. I will kill the bandits."
Su Feng's lips trembled, but he nodded.
Inside the city, chaos reigned. The Black Fang Vultures slaughtered men and seized women. The leader present was Gao Ren, the left vice-leader of the group. His cultivation was at Body Refining Late Stage, and he wielded a deadly spear. His eyes were ferocious.
"Kill all the men! Capture the women!" Gao Ren commanded. His bandits roared, cutting down innocents, dragging screaming women by the hair. Gao Ren stood proudly, nodding in satisfaction.
Then—
Shoosh!
An arrow whistled through the air, piercing straight into a bandit's skull.
Pah! The body dropped lifeless to the ground.
"What?!" Gao Ren snapped his head around, eyes narrowing. Another arrow came, piercing another bandit. One after another, men fell.
Within moments, a dozen lay dead.
"Damn it!" Gao Ren roared.
From the rooftops, Su Long stood with the Starpiercer Bow in hand. His accuracy had improved greatly—before, only 30 meters, but now his arrows struck cleanly even at 70 meters.
[Ding! 100 Hatred Points obtained.]
Without hesitation, Su Long poured 60 points into upgrading the bow.
[Weapon Upgraded! Starpiercer Bow – Low Grade → Mid Grade]
[Accuracy, Durability, Strength increased!]
[New Ability Unlocked: Triple Shot Arrow – Fire three arrows at once]
"Good." Su Long drew the string, infusing qi. Three arrows appeared.
Shoosh! Shoosh! Shoosh!
Three bandits dropped instantly, arrows buried in their chests. Women who had been struggling in their grip burst into tears, freed.
Su Long fired again and again, each shot precise, his accuracy terrifying. Out of ten arrows, seven struck true.
In mere minutes, dozens of bandits fell.
[Ding! 230 Hatred Points obtained.]
"Retreat!" Gao Ren shouted, rage burning. Blood sprayed from his mouth in anger as he saw his men fall. "Back! We must report to the boss!"
The surviving bandits scrambled to flee.
Su Long didn't let them go easily.
Shoosh! Shoosh!
Seven more fell before escaping the city.
[Ding! 30 Hatred Points obtained.]
Gao Ren, pale and coughing blood, nearly collapsed on his horse. His men surrounded him, panicked.
"Boss! Are you alright?!"
"Damn… damn him!" Gao Ren growled, clutching his chest.
From the rooftop, Su Long lowered his bow.
"Finally… the bandits retreat. Half of them are dead. Next time, they'll think twice before entering this city again."
His eyes shone with cold determination under the moonlight.