Marcus woke up to the sound of shouting outside his window. Angry voices, lot of them. He rolled out of bed, bones cracking like an old man's. The power boost from yesterday was settling in, but it left him sore as hell. Growing pains, maybe?
He peered through the grimy window. Down in the courtyard, half the manor's servants were gathered around someone. Marcus squinted, trying to make out who it was. Then he saw the green robes and groaned. Elder Liu, the family's cultivation instructor. This was gonna suck.
"Where is he?" Elder Liu's voice carried easily to Marcus's room. "Where is the little monster?"
Monster. That was new. Yesterday he'd been trash, now he was a monster. Definitely an upgrade.
Marcus threw on his robes and headed downstairs. No point hiding - they'd find him eventually anyway. The servants parted as he walked into the courtyard, some looking scared, others fascinated. Like he'd grown horns overnight.
Elder Liu stood in the center, arms crossed, face red with anger. The guy was Foundation Building Level 7, which made him the strongest person in the manor after Father. His qi pressed down on everyone like a weight, making the weaker servants sweat.
"There you are," Elder Liu snarled when he saw Marcus. "What did you do to Wei?"
"Morning to you too, Elder Liu. Nice weather we're having."
That made him even angrier. "Don't get smart with me, boy. Wei's cultivation is damaged. Badly. His meridians are cracked, his qi flow is disrupted. It'll take months to repair, maybe years."
Marcus felt a stab of... was that guilt? Nah, couldn't be. Wei had started the fight. If anything, this was justice. "That's unfortunate."
"Unfortunate?" Elder Liu stepped closer, qi flaring. "You crippled your own brother!"
"I defended myself. Wei attacked first, like always."
"Defended yourself how? Yesterday you were trash, couldn't even sense qi. Now Wei says you drained his cultivation like some kind of demon."
The word 'demon' hit different. In this world, demons were real, and they were bad news. Being accused of demon techniques was serious shit. Marcus could feel the servants backing away from him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Marcus said calmly. "We sparred, I got lucky."
Elder Liu's eyes narrowed. "Lucky? Show me your cultivation base. Now."
This again. Marcus sighed and let his qi flow, not bothering to hide anything. If they wanted a demonstration, he'd give them one. Energy swirled around him, way stronger than it should be for someone who'd just started cultivating.
Elder Liu's face went white. "Peak Qi Gathering Level 1. In two days." He stared at Marcus like he'd seen a ghost. "This is impossible. Nobody advances that fast without pills, treasures, or..."
"Or what?"
"Demonic cultivation," Elder Liu whispered.
That got everyone's attention. The servants started muttering, backing away even further. Demonic cultivation was forbidden, the kind of thing that got you hunted by righteous sects. It involved stealing power from others, corrupting yourself for quick gains.
Which, Marcus realized, was exactly what he'd been doing.
"I think you should be careful about accusations like that," Marcus said, voice deadly quiet. "Father might not appreciate you calling his son a demon."
Elder Liu opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. Because Father was walking into the courtyard, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"What's all this commotion?" Father demanded.
"Master Chen," Elder Liu bowed quickly. "I was examining your son's cultivation progress. The speed of his advancement is... concerning."
Father looked between them, expression unreadable. "Concerning how?"
"No human can advance from zero to Peak Qi Gathering in two days without external aid. Either he's using forbidden techniques, or..." Elder Liu hesitated.
"Or?"
"Or he's not human anymore."
The courtyard went dead silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. Marcus felt dozens of eyes on him, judging, calculating. This was bad. Really bad.
But then Father laughed. Actually laughed.
"Not human? Elder Liu, I think you've been reading too many demon-hunting manuals. Marcus is my son, flesh and blood. If he's finally showing some talent, we should celebrate it, not question it."
Elder Liu looked confused. "But Master Chen, the speed—"
"Is unprecedented, yes. Which makes it valuable." Father's eyes glinted. "A son who can reach Qi Gathering Peak in two days? Imagine what he could accomplish in a month. Or a year."
Marcus caught the subtext. Father didn't care if he was using demonic techniques, as long as he brought power and prestige to the family. Practical guy.
"Continue your training," Father told Marcus. "I want to see Level 2 by week's end."
"Yes, Father."
As the crowd dispersed, Elder Liu grabbed Marcus's arm. His grip was strong, cultivator-enhanced. "I'll be watching you, boy. One slip, one sign of true demonic cultivation, and I'll report you to the Righteous Alliance myself."
Marcus smiled. "Looking forward to it."
Elder Liu stalked off, muttering under his breath. The servants scattered too, whispering among themselves. Only Aria lingered, looking worried.
"Are you really...?" she started, then stopped.
"Am I really what?"
"Different," she said quietly. "From before."
Marcus studied her face. Sweet Aria, who'd helped him when no one else would. She deserved honesty, or at least a version of it.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm different now. Question is, does that scare you?"
She bit her lip, thinking. "A little," she admitted. "But I'm happy you're finally strong enough to stand up for yourself."
Relief flooded through him. He hadn't realized how much her opinion mattered until now. "Good. Because things are gonna get more different before they get normal."
That evening, Marcus met Mei Lin at the garden as promised. She was already there, pacing nervously among the plants he'd decimated that morning.
"You came," she said, sounding surprised.
"I said I would." Marcus looked around at the half-eaten herbs. "They replanted already?"
"Overnight. Master Chen was furious about the losses, but he blamed it on spirit beasts. Said the walls needed reinforcing." She paused. "I didn't correct him."
"Thanks for that."
Mei Lin shrugged. "You said you'd help me cultivate. I want to see if you're serious."
Right, he'd promised to help her somehow. Problem was, Marcus couldn't share the system or teach her to eat cultivation bases. But maybe there were other ways.
"What's your problem exactly? With cultivation, I mean."
"I'm stuck," Mei Lin said, frustration clear in her voice. "Qi Gathering Level 2 for eight months now. My meridians are narrow, qi flow is sluggish. I need pills or treasures to break through, but the family won't waste resources on servants."
Marcus nodded. Classic cultivation problem - you needed resources to advance, but you needed strength to earn resources. Catch-22.
"What if I could get you pills?"
Her eyes went wide. "You can't afford pills. No offense, but your allowance is smaller than mine."
True. But Marcus didn't plan on buying anything. "Leave that to me. In the meantime, show me your cultivation technique."
Mei Lin demonstrated her qi circulation, energy flowing slowly through predictable patterns. Basic stuff, no wonder she was stuck. But watching her gave Marcus an idea.
"Your technique is too conservative," he said. "You're being gentle with your meridians, afraid of damage."
"Because damage could cripple me permanently!"
"Or it could break you through to the next level." Marcus stepped closer. "What if I told you there was a way to force a breakthrough? Risky, but effective."
Hope and fear warred on her face. "What kind of risk?"
"The kind where you either advance or potentially lose your cultivation entirely."
Most people would have run at that point. But Mei Lin was desperate, and desperate people made dangerous choices.
"Tell me," she said.
Marcus smiled. This was gonna be interesting.
"First, I need to understand your qi better. Let me see your hand."
She held it out, confused. Marcus took it gently, then bit down on her index finger. Not hard, just enough for the system to analyze.
[Scanning target... Analysis complete. Subject contains stagnant qi, blocked meridians, cultivates basic Iron Body technique.]
Perfect. The system could read other people's cultivation. That opened up all sorts of possibilities.
"What are you doing?" Mei Lin asked, trying to pull away.
"Research." Marcus held on, thinking fast. If he could analyze her cultivation, maybe he could figure out how to fix it. "Your meridians aren't just narrow, they're calcified. Built up layers of impure qi from years of bad technique."
That was total bullshit, but it sounded impressive. Mei Lin stopped struggling.
"Can you fix it?"
"Maybe. But it'll hurt. A lot."
She was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Do it."
This was probably a terrible idea. Marcus barely understood his own cultivation, let alone someone else's. But the system was whispering suggestions, and he was curious to see what would happen.
"Circulate your qi," he instructed. "As fast as you can."
Mei Lin closed her eyes, energy swirling through her meridians at maximum speed. Her face went red with effort.
"Faster."
"I can't—"
"You can. Push harder."
She gritted her teeth, forcing more qi through pathways that couldn't handle it. Marcus could see the strain building, meridians stretching to their limits.
At the perfect moment, he bit down on her wrist.
Not to drain her cultivation - that would defeat the purpose. Instead, he used the system to inject some of his own qi into her circulation. Foreign energy mixed with hers, creating pressure, friction, heat.
Mei Lin screamed.
Her meridians didn't just widen - they exploded outward, carved new by the violent qi flow. Energy surged through her body like lightning, burning away blockages, reshaping her entire cultivation base.
When it was over, she collapsed to the ground, gasping.
"What... what did you do?"
Marcus checked her cultivation with the system. [Analysis: Subject has advanced to Qi Gathering Level 3. Meridian capacity increased by 200%. Technique compatibility improved.]
"Congratulations," he said. "You just broke through."
Mei Lin stared at her hands, power flowing through them like never before. "This is incredible. I feel... strong. Really strong." She looked up at him with something close to worship. "How did you do that?"
"Trade secret, remember?"
She nodded eagerly. "Can you do it again? Help me reach Level 4?"
And there it was. The addiction. One taste of easy power and she wanted more. Marcus recognized the look because he'd felt it himself.
"Maybe," he said. "But first, you owe me something."
"Anything."
"Information. About the academy entrance exam. What do they test? What do I need to know?"
Mei Lin's family had connections at Heavenly Dragon Academy, servants who fed information back to the manor. She spent the next hour telling Marcus everything she knew about the selection process.
Combat trials. Cultivation speed tests. Interviews with elders. A final elimination tournament. The whole thing designed to find the most promising young cultivators in the empire.
"The competition is brutal," Mei Lin warned. "Hundreds of applicants for maybe twenty spots. Most of them are from major families, with the best techniques and resources."
"What about cultivation requirements?"
"Minimum Qi Gathering Level 5 just to qualify. Most accepted students are Level 7 or higher."
Level 5 minimum. Marcus was only at Level 1, barely. Even with the system, reaching Level 5 in two weeks seemed impossible.
Unless he got creative about it.
"Mei Lin," he said slowly. "How many servants work at this manor?"
She looked confused by the question. "Maybe thirty? Why?"
Thirty people, each with their own cultivation base. Not much individually, but added together... Marcus did the math. If he drained half of them, even partially, he could probably reach Level 5 easily. Maybe higher.
The dark thought should have bothered him more than it did. These were people who worked for his family, who trusted him. But then he remembered three years of being kicked, spat on, treated like garbage by these same servants. They'd made their choice when they decided he was beneath them.
Now it was his turn.
"Just curious," Marcus said. "Thanks for the information."
They parted ways shortly after, Mei Lin practically glowing with her new power. Marcus headed back to his room, mind racing with plans. Two weeks to the academy exam. Thirty servants between him and his goal.
The math was simple. The morality was complicated.
But Marcus was starting to care less about complications.
Back in his room, he found Aria waiting with dinner. She looked nervous, fidgeting with her apron.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
"People are talking," she said quietly. "About what happened with Wei. With the herbs in the garden. Some of the servants think you're using forbidden techniques."
"And what do you think?"
She was quiet for a long moment. "I think you're finally becoming who you were meant to be. Even if that person is... different from who you used to be."
Different. That was a nice way of putting it. Marcus sat on his bed, patting the space next to him. Aria hesitated, then sat down, careful to maintain a proper distance.
"Are you afraid of me?" he asked.
Another pause. "Sometimes. When you look at people like... like you're thinking about eating them."
That hit close to home. Maybe closer than he liked. "What if I told you that the difference between predator and prey isn't moral? It's just power?"
"I'd say that sounds like something a predator would say."
Smart girl. Marcus laughed despite himself. "Fair point."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, eating dinner together. Outside, night sounds filtered through the window - insects, distant voices, the normal rhythm of manor life. It felt peaceful. Normal.
Too bad normal was about to end.
"Aria," Marcus said carefully. "If I asked you to trust me completely, would you?"
She turned to look at him, brown eyes serious. "Yes. Without question."
"Even if other people said I was doing terrible things?"
"Even then."
The simple faith in her voice made something twist in his chest. She trusted him absolutely, believed in him when no one else would. That kind of loyalty was rare, precious.
It was also dangerous for her.
"Good," Marcus said. "Because things are going to get complicated soon. And I need to know you're on my side."
"Always," she said softly.
After Aria left, Marcus lay awake staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow he'd start the real work. Testing the limits of his power, pushing boundaries, taking what he needed to reach the academy.
The system whispered in his mind, encouraging, supportive. [The strong devour the weak, host. It is the natural order.]
Natural order. Marcus liked the sound of that. For too long he'd been the one getting devoured, consumed by a world that saw him as worthless. Now he had the chance to flip the script.
Tomorrow, the feeding would begin in earnest.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face, dreaming of power.