"System?"
Ye Chen muttered the word, the blood on his lips tasting strangely sweet now. The pain that had been tearing his chest apart just moments ago vanished into a cool, refreshing stream. It felt as if a gentle river was flowing through his shattered meridians, stitching them back together with invisible thread.
[Affirmative. The Supreme Overlord System is now online. Current status: Bound to Soul.]
The mechanical voice resonated again, echoing in the empty stable. A translucent blue screen, glowing faintly in the dim light, materialized in front of his eyes.
Ye Chen stared at it, his heart pounding against his healed ribs. "Is this real? Or have I finally gone mad from the torture?"
[The Host is perfectly sane. Scanning physical condition... Complete. Dantian repaired. Meridians cleared. Detecting 'Beginner Gift Pack' in inventory. Would you like to open it?]
"Open it," Ye Chen gasped, scrambling to his feet. He did not care if it was a demon or a god. If it gave him power, he would sell his soul a thousand times over.
[Ding! Opening Beginner Gift Pack...]
[Congratulations! You have received: The Chaos Body Tempering Art.] [Congratulations! You have received: 100x Cultivation Speed Passive Buff.] [Congratulations! You have received: One Grade 9 Marrow Cleansing Pill.]
"Grade 9?" Ye Chen's eyes widened. "That is a legend. Even the Sect Master only has access to Grade 4 pills!"
[System advises Host to consume the pill immediately. The Chaos Body Tempering Art detects impurities in your bone structure.]
Ye Chen didn't hesitate. A small, golden sphere appeared in his palm, radiating a terrifying heat. He swallowed it whole.
Boom!
It felt like he had swallowed a star. Fire exploded in his stomach, rushing through every vein and artery. He fell to his knees, but he did not scream. He gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face as black, foul smelling sludge began to ooze from his pores.
"Power," Ye Chen hissed through the agony. "This is power!"
[Ding! Impurities expelled. Cultivation detected. Chaos Body Tempering Art auto-circulating...]
[Congratulations! You have advanced to Body Tempering Stage 1.] [Congratulations! You have advanced to Body Tempering Stage 2.] [Congratulations! You have advanced to Body Tempering Stage 3!]
In the span of ten breaths, Ye Chen had regained three years of cultivation. He stood up, his bones cracking like thunder. The weakness was gone. His skin, once pale and sickly, now had a faint, jade luster. He clenched his fist, feeling the raw strength coursing through his muscles.
"Three stages in moments," Ye Chen whispered, looking at his hands. "It took me five years to reach this level before. With this System, the Azure Cloud Sect is nothing. Su Rou is nothing!"
Just then, the heavy wooden doors of the stable creaked open again.
Heavy footsteps crunched on the straw.
"Hey, trash! I forgot my identifying token. Did you see a jade piece lying around?"
It was Li Hu. The servant disciple had returned, looking annoyed. He kicked a bucket aside, not even looking up as he scanned the floor.
Ye Chen stood in the shadows, silent as a ghost.
"I am talking to you, deaf mute!" Li Hu shouted, finally looking up. "Did you hide it? I swear if you stole it, I will break your other..."
Li Hu's voice died in his throat.
He stared. The boy standing before him was not the broken, bloody mess he had left ten minutes ago. Ye Chen stood tall, his spine straight as a spear. The filth was gone, replaced by an aura that made the air in the stable feel heavy.
"You," Li Hu stammered, his eyes darting to Ye Chen's chest. "Your ribs... I heard them break. How are you standing?"
Ye Chen stepped out of the shadows. "You forgot something, Li Hu?"
"I asked you a question!" Li Hu barked, trying to hide his sudden fear with aggression. "What kind of demonic art did you use? You were half dead!"
"I was," Ye Chen said calm, his voice devoid of emotion. "But the King of Hell refused to take me. He said I had a debt to collect first."
Li Hu sneered, his confidence returning as he remembered Ye Chen was a cripple without a Dantian. "You think because you can stand, you can talk back to me? You are still waste without spiritual energy! I will just break your legs this time so you stay down!"
[Ding! Enemy Detected: Li Hu. Cultivation: Body Tempering Stage 2. Combat Power: 15. Weakness: Unstable footing, left shoulder injury.]
The blue screen flashed the data instantly. Ye Chen almost laughed. Li Hu was slow. So incredibly slow.
"Die!" Li Hu roared, lunging forward. He threw a heavy punch aimed directly at Ye Chen's face, his fist glowing with faint yellow light.
To the old Ye Chen, this punch would have been unavoidable. But to the Ye Chen who possessed the System, Li Hu moved like he was wading through mud.
Ye Chen did not retreat. He took one step forward.
"Too slow."
Ye Chen slapped Li Hu's fist aside with the back of his hand. The sound of skin striking skin was sharp and loud. Before Li Hu could react, Ye Chen's other hand shot out, grabbing Li Hu by the throat.
"Urgh!"
Li Hu's feet left the ground. Ye Chen lifted the two hundred pound man into the air with a single arm, his expression bored.
"Im... impossible..." Li Hu gagged, clawing at Ye Chen's iron grip. "You have... no Qi..."
"You talk too much," Ye Chen said coldly.
He tightened his grip.
"Please!" Li Hu wheezed, his face turning purple. "Senior Brother Ye! Mercy! I was just following orders! It was Su Rou! She made me do it!"
"Mercy?" Ye Chen tilted his head. "Did you show me mercy when you broke my ribs? Did you show me mercy when you starved me? Did Su Rou show me mercy when she stole my future?"
"I... I will serve you! I will be your dog!"
"I don't need a dog that bites its master," Ye Chen said. "I need a message."
He threw Li Hu.
The servant disciple flew through the air like a ragdoll, smashing into the stone wall of the stable. Dust and hay exploded from the impact. Li Hu slid to the ground, coughing blood, his arm twisted at a grotesque angle.
Ye Chen walked over, looming over the terrified bully.
"My cultivation..." Li Hu sobbed, clutching his dantian. "You... you shattered my cultivation!"
"Consider it payment for the years of abuse," Ye Chen said, looking down at him. "Go back to your mistress. Go back to Su Rou. Tell her that the trash she threw away has returned from hell. Tell her to wash her neck and wait for me."
Li Hu scrambled backward, dragging his broken body through the dirt, his eyes filled with absolute terror. He didn't dare speak. He just nodded frantically and crawled out of the stable door, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
Ye Chen watched him go, his heart cold.
[Ding! Quest Complete: The First Blood.] [Reward: 50 System Points.]
[New Function Unlocked: The Shop.]
Ye Chen turned away from the door. This was just the beginning. A servant disciple was nothing. An ant. His real enemies were in the Inner Sect, sitting on thrones of gold.
"Su Rou," Ye Chen whispered to the darkness. "Enjoy your throne while you can."