If one looked closely at the inky voids of Ye Qian's eyes, a faint, terrifying trace of crimson pulsed within. It was an ominous hue, a silent warning that to gaze into these depths was to invite the abyss into one's soul.
He blinked, deliberately centering his mind. When his eyelids lifted again, the crimson had vanished, and his eyes returned to their normal, aristocratic darkness.
Ye Qian prepared to check his status screen when a violent surge of energy erupted from his core. It was a torrential flood, wild and untamed, threatening to tear his meridians apart.
Without hesitation, Ye Qian activated the Ancient Demon Scripture.
Instantly, black Qi swirled around him, dense and heavy as mercury. The overbearing technique roared to life, acting like a vortex that greedily devoured the chaotic energy rampaging through his veins. The black mist thickened, wrapping him in a cocoon of darkness as it refined the raw power into pure, destructive strength.
Ye Qian was already at the Enlightenment Realm Peak. This sudden, massive influx of energy, catalyzed by the tyrannical Ancient Demon Scripture, smashed against his cultivation bottleneck like a battering ram.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The shackles that bound his potential shattered. The invisible barriers within his dantian disintegrated under the onslaught.
Ye Qian broke through.
The Enlightenment Realm was left behind as he stepped firmly into the Holy Induction Realm.
The black Qi—pure, ancient devilish energy—surged aggressively, resonating with the Supreme Demon Eyes. The room trembled under the pressure. Ornaments rattled, vases cracked, and the air itself seemed to warp. The ink-black of his eyes flickered, threatening to succumb entirely to that blood-soaked crimson.
Yet, despite the chaos inside, the world outside remained oblivious. The System's concealment was absolute, locking the demonic aura within these four walls. No one sensed the birth of a monster.
Ye Qian inhaled deeply, reining in the power. Although the System promised concealment, that was a passive defense. Now that he was awake, he needed to actively master this force. He willed the devilish Qi to recede, compressing it deep within his dantian, hiding the predator beneath the skin of a noble.
"Hoo!"
He exhaled, his breath shooting out like a white sword of condensed Qi that lingered in the air before dissipating.
Ye Qian opened his eyes. A sharp, terrifying glint flashed within them. He felt it—the immense, transformative power coursing through his limbs. He had completely stabilized his foundation and ascended to the Early Stage of the Holy Induction Realm.
In the Immortal Realm, a Holy Induction cultivator was a powerhouse capable of founding their own sect. But for an eighteen-year-old to reach this realm? It was unheard of. It was a terrifying aptitude that defied history.
Clenching his fists, feeling the raw strength, Ye Qian asked, "System, where did this energy come from? I haven't consumed any resources."
[Ding! The Supreme Demon Eyes contain a vast reservoir of dormant energy. Previously, your body could not access it. However, the Ancient Demon Scripture resonates perfectly with the eyes, unlocking this latent power. The resulting surge was what propelled your breakthrough.]
Ye Qian nodded, the logic sound. But a sudden thought chilled him.
"System, what about the predecessor's Heart Demon? Will it affect me?"
A Heart Demon was a cultivator's worst nightmare—a mental cancer that could lead to qi deviation and death.
[Ding! Host, rest assured. The Supreme Demon Eyes and Ancient Demon Scripture have refined the Heart Demon into pure energy. Furthermore, you are now immune to generating new Heart Demons. Cultivate without fear.]
Ye Qian exhaled in relief. Immunity to Heart Demons? That was a cheat code in itself.
"System, open my status panel."
A translucent blue screen materialized.
[Host]: Ye Qian
[Age]: 18
[Identity]: Young Master of the Ye Family
[Cultivation]: Holy Induction Realm (Early Stage)
[Physique]: Supreme Immortal Body, Supreme Demon Eyes
[Techniques]: Ancient Demon Scripture, Slaughtering Immortal Art, Primordial Sword Art
[Artifact]: Void Slaughtering Sword (Samsara Artifact)
[Luck Value]: -1000
[Villain Points]: 2000
Ye Qian let out a dry, bitter laugh.
Negative one thousand Luck.
It made sense. If his luck were high, he'd be a protagonist. But seeing the number starkly displayed was still a blow.
"System, what's the exchange rate for Luck?"
[Ding! 10 Villain Points = 1 Luck Point.]
Ye Qian did the mental math and immediately gave up. He would need 10,000 points just to break even. His current 2,000 points were a drop in the bucket.
"Forget it," he muttered. "Debt doesn't weigh you down if you ignore it."
He glanced at the lottery function. A simple roulette wheel filled with tantalizing treasures from the myriad worlds—bloodlines, techniques, divine artifacts. But the cost? 10,000 points per spin.
With his negative luck, he'd probably spin a "Thanks for playing." He decided to save his points.
Ye Qian stood up, surveying the room. It was a wreck. Fine porcelain lay in shards; silk curtains were torn by the energy storm.
"Rich families are different," he murmured, shaking his head. "These broken trinkets probably cost more than a commoner's life. My heart aches for the waste."
He walked to the door, his demeanor shifting. The monster receded, and the aristocratic Young Master returned.
Creak.
He pushed the heavy doors open. Sunlight flooded in, blindingly bright.
Guards snapped to attention, but Ye Qian's gaze fell on the two figures standing closest. His personal maids, Xia He and Qiu Lan.
They were exquisite. Dressed in long, flowing gowns of green and blue, they possessed skin like snow and figures that were graceful and alluring. Their delicate features were lightly powdered, their cherry-red lips inviting. Yet, beneath their beauty, there was a palpable trace of sorrow and fear in their eyes.