"Finally…"
"What was that, you puny worm!?" Sang Di was now but mere meters away from Xue Ren, his treasured gauntlets already prepped to deal the finishing blow. "Have you finally given up on your resistance!? If so, then you can die knowing that Bloodring Assassin Golden Mountainbreaker was the one to end your insignificant life—"
SPURT!
"Huh…?"
Sang Di's eyes widened in horror as he looked up, only to see that his raised right arm had been sliced clean off!
"Y-You worm bastard…!!" he roared, his eyes blowing fire as he glared at the expressionless 15-year-old boy standing with blood still dripping down a strange flame blade.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
Using his left hand, Sang Di unleashed his full strength. His rage further fueled the fist plummeting toward Xue Ren, making even space slightly tremble.
And yet…
SHING!
"When you meet King Yama, tell him that the one who killed you will be sending the rest of your brethren there soon enough."
Xue Ren's callous voice rang out in the ears of the bulky man, accompanying the spinning of his vision.
'Huh? Am I… dead…?'
Confirming his final thought was the shattering of his Golden Core right before his bulged eyes. It exploded into tiny shards, joining the rest of his shredded body.
*Ding!*
[Skill 'Fireball Sword' proficiency increased by 0.000008%]
Xue Ren only briefly glanced at this system notification before looting the corpse. After which, he flickered up a cliff that overlooked a fortified settlement that reeked of the stench of iron.
Extending a single finger, a massive 30-meter-wide ball of raging flames appeared.
"Burn."
Xue Ren's unfeeling voice was followed by a huge explosion taking out a big chunk of the fortified settlement.
Yet that wasn't the end…
|Giant Fireball|
|Giant Fireball|
|Giant Fireball|
|Giant…..|
Xue Ren was only satisfied after the entire settlement was reduced to cinders. That was when he blink-stepped in the opposite direction, his eyes set on the massive sparkling city that was visible from hundreds of miles away.
With a backdrop of fire and smoke, Xue Ren gave his final piece:
"The only Bases left are those in Star Bearer City. But it matters not; whoever gets in my way will be removed by force."
He was no longer the weak bottom-feeder that he once was. Those in the Golden Core Realm didn't frighten him.
— Meanwhile, within Star Bearer City, in the illustrious Starling Academy —
"Hmm?"
An old man with a kind, wizened appearance looked toward the north, sensing something odd.
Noticing this, a doll-like 16-year-old girl walked over to his lounging spot, and while pouring tea, asked, "Is something the matter, Master?"
The old man shook his head. "It's nothing, Yi Xu. Just a bit distracted."
"I see…"
"By the way, how is the practice of your Innate Skills coming along?" asked the old man to change the subject. "The Annual Examination is rapidly approaching, so I hope you've been working hard."
Yi Xu's head drooped. "I can now affect an area of two dozen meters with my |Nature's Entrapment| Innate Skill, but I still feel as if the effectiveness of the Skill is lacking. I won't be able to deal with anyone above the Early Foundation Establishment Realm…"
"You make it seem like students of that caliber are common," replied the old man with a bit of exasperation. "That is your only lacking quality. You underestimate yourself."
"Your Spiritual Roots are of the Peak Top Grade, the highest this Academy has ever seen," the old man added. "In terms of talent, no one here is your match. And with your only disadvantage being your young age, all you need is a couple more years to surpass even the Senior Students and Teachers."
"...I don't know…"
The old man sighed. "You're always overthinking everything, Xi Yu. Haiz… You can return now. Make sure not to go lax in your training."
"O-Okay, Master," the girl replied before leaving the room in a slightly downcast mood.
Once left alone, the old man returned his gaze to the vast cityscape outside the window.
"That feeling I felt earlier is gone," he muttered. "How unusual…"
Elsewhere in the large and prosperous Star Bearer City:
"Selling Rank 2 Monster Cores from Cross-fang Wolves!"
"You're going to want to have a look at this! A Silver Elixir Apple plucked from deep in the Red Fairy Forest! Many a cultivator died in order to acquire this rarity!"
"Hey, handsome young man, you interested in having a little fun~?"
With a thick hoodie on, Xue Ren moved through the busy streets of a small part of Star Bearer City. He ignored everyone trying to coerce him into buying whatever they were selling.
He only had one thing on his mind, his sole focus.
Revenge.
After a while of maneuvering through the city, Xue Ren came across a large building. It had an ominous vibe to it, with venomous-looking characters congregating around the area. They gave off a dangerous feeling, obviously marked by the stench of death.
"Whatcha staring at, brat!?" one of them glowered at Xue Ren, touching his long dagger in an attempt to intimidate the cloaked boy. "Hah!? You aiming to get yourself killed!?? Brothers, come have a look at this idiot!"
Some ten other unsavory characters stopped what they were doing. They backed up the first one, all pointing at and hurling insults at the cloaked figure who hadn't moved a single bit since he arrived.