Time passed quickly after the events of the Greensbury Village Massacre. Without exchanging more than a few words, Xue Ren dropped Mu Qing and her sisters off at the Bluemoon Sect, though he only left after their talents were confirmed to all be of the High-Grade.
They wanted to talk to him one last time, to finally say what they couldn't before—but it was too late.
Xue Ren was already gone.
— Two Months Later —
Every day, Xue Ren checked his transmission amulet. And every day, his efforts yielded no results.
By this point, he had to accept it. They were gone.
Once again, he was alone in the world...
"I swear I'll turn over a new leaf! Just don't kill me, I beg of you—...."
|Fireball Sniper|
With a face devoid of emotion, Xue Ren ended the life of a Peak Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator. This one, like the thousands of cultivators he had slain in the last month and a half, was a member of the Bloodring Assassin's Guild.
The very moment Xue Ren departed from the Bluemoon Sect, he set out to finish what the Bloodring Assassins had started.
He tracked their bases down through underworld informants, slaughtering them all while following the rabbit hole deeper and deeper.
For weeks on end, he killed Bloodring Assassin after Bloodring Assassin. So much blood had drenched him that only his eyes were visible to those who met his demonic gaze in their final moments.
"That makes Base #24," said Xue Ren as he followed his usual routine and searched the area for any clues that could lead him to other bases. "I've already cleared out most of the Star Bearer Province. The Bloodring Assassin's Guild is limited to this Region, so I must be closing in on the Highest Executives. Any day now…"
After finding what he wanted from the Bloodring base, Xue Ren cast |Fireball Burst| to destroy what remained of the building.
Surprisingly, in less than a fourth of the expected time, he received a system notification that was possibly the only good thing that had happened to him in months…
*Ding!*
[Skill 'Fireball Burst' has reached 100% Proficiency, achieving Full Mastery!]
[EP +500]
[Your Total Evolution Points have reached the current maximum limit of 2000/2000, making evolution to the next Tier possible!]
[Would you like to proceed?]
"...Yes…"
Anything for more strength.
He still had his sister. He couldn't lose her too because of his weakness…
[Advancement of Primary |Fireball| to next Tier in 13… 7… 2…]
[Your Primary |Fireball| has successfully evolved from the 'Orange (Light)' Tier to the 'Red (Dark)' Tier!]
This evolution, unlike the previous ones, was a major one. It changed the color of Primary |Fireball| from orange to red, doing the same for all of Xue Ren's skills as well.
[As a result of your Primary |Fireball's| Evolution, Level 4 Fireball Skills have been unlocked!]
[Unlocked Skills: Giant Fireball (AoE/Single-target), Fireball Shroud (Stealth), Fireball Javelin (Mid range), Fireball Sword (Close-combat)]
Four new skills!
And each one seemed extremely useful!
"With |Fireball Shroud|, I can cloak myself in a blanket of tiny fireballs that disrupt the frequency of air," said Xue Ren. "I'll be able to hide my breakthroughs with it. That and my aura-suppressing ring will make it nearly impossible for anyone below the Golden Core Realm to discern my Realm."
Seeing as he could keep one of each Skill Type active at all times, Xue Ren activated |Fireball Shroud|.
Tiny fireballs materialized all around him, perfectly organized and molded around his figure. They didn't burn or harm him in any way and also didn't obscure his vision.
However, from an outside perspective, they would only see his silhouette hidden behind a heatwave-like veil. Looking for too long even had the chance of making someone go blind.
[Skill 'Fireball Shroud' proficiency increased by 0.000000001%]
An extra zero…
Xue Ren was a bit disappointed, but this was to be expected. Luckily, this skill could be passively activated, meaning its proficiency would progress a lot quicker than more active skills.
For example, |Giant Fireball| and |Fireball Javelin|, both of which were offensive types, were slower in terms of progression.
Testing out the first one, Xue Ren raised his right arm.
OOOM!
A massive sphere of flames with a diameter of 15 meters instantly formed above him. It radiated levels of heat far surpassing the |Large Fireball|, and this with it being at its weakest.
Overpowered!
When the |Giant Fireball| reached 90+% proficiency, it could very well have a diameter of dozens of meters!
[Skill 'Giant Fireball' proficiency increased by 0.000000001%]
"With this, it'll be far easier to clean up the bases I go to in the future," said Xue Ren as he apathetically tossed the |Giant Fireball| toward a small forest, destroying 5–10 trees in one go. "The destructive power is already double that of |Large Fireball|. The cultivation base allotment for self-absorption should be the same as well."
Speaking of cultivation, his breakthrough into the 4th Layer of Qi Condensation had happened some days ago. Next up was the 5th Layer, which he calculated to take approximately three months—a month longer than the required time for his latest breakthrough.
Of course, those calculations were based on the cultivation speed when Xue Ren was limited to Level 3 Fireball Skills. Now, however…
"A month and a half," he guessed. "Possibly 2–3 weeks if further increases in Skill Proficiency are included."
This was certainly beginning to encroach upon the realm of geniuses. But none of that mattered to Xue Ren now.
Nothing other than revenge mattered.
Deciding to test out |Fireball Javelin| and |Fireball Sword| later, Xue Ren resumed his quest. He had already memorized the Bloodring Assassin bases he had yet to go to, most of which were located around larger sects like the Bluemoon Sect.
The largest of the bases, however, were nearing Star Bearer City.
If Xue Ren didn't encounter any Golden Core Realm Experts at the sect areas, then he was sure to encounter them in Star Bearer City.
Even so…
"I'll find them all," he stated coldly as his deathly black gaze iced over. "And I'll kill them."