To a normal cultivator, a Rank 9 Qi Foundation guard is a lethal threat. To Aris, he is nothing more than high-quality Evolution Material for his companion.
Aris didn't speed up. He turned into a narrow, dead-end alleyway where the moonlight couldn't reach. He stood still, his small back turned to the entrance.
"An alchemist who hides behind a child's illusion?" The Shadow Guard dropped from the rooftops, his blade coated in a toxic green Qi. "You were careless, 'Pale Alchemist.' My master wants your recipe. I only need your tongue and your fingers."
Aris didn't turn around. "You're Level 32," he said softly. "You've spent forty years cultivating just to be a dog for a minor lord. What a waste of potential."
"What?" The guard sneered, stepping into the deep shadow cast by the alley walls. "Die, brat!"
As the guard lunged, Aris's shadow didn't move with him. It detached from his feet and spread across the ground like spilled ink, turning the entire alley into a pool of absolute darkness.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Domain - Level 1]
[Companion Ability: Shadow Feast]
The guard's foot hit the "ink," and he didn't feel stone—he felt nothingness. He began to sink as if the ground had turned into a bottomless ocean.
"What is this?! My Qi! I can't circulate my—"
Nox emerged from the darkness behind the guard. The hatchling was no longer a small kitten; for a split second, it manifested as a mass of wings, teeth, and violet eyes.
The "Void Dimension" opened. It wasn't a physical place; it was the stomach of a god. Nox didn't bite the guard; it erased him. One moment the man was screaming, and the next, there was only silence. Not even a drop of blood remained.
[Target Executed.]
[Nox has consumed a Level 32 Soul.]
[Nox Level Up! Level 3 → Level 6.]
[Host Shared Experience: +2 Levels.]
[Abyssal Nexus: Level Up!]
Host: Aris Thorne
Level: 9
Current Status: Reaching the peak of the "Starting Zone."
[Stat Increases:]
Strength: 35 → 50
Agility: 28 → 40
Qi Capacity: 150 → 300 (Massive jump due to Nox's feast).
[New Ability Unlocked: Abyssal Forging - Rank 1]
System Note: You can now "re-forge" your own body or items by consuming the Spirit Stones you bought with your gold.
Aris returned to the Shattered Pagoda just as the first light of dawn touched the horizon. He sat in the center of the Yin-Spring, his body humming with the stolen energy of the Shadow Guard.
"Nox, good job," he whispered. The creature curled around his neck, purring like a black hole.
Aris pulled out the 5,000+ Gold he had earned. In this world, gold coins were made of Low-Grade Spirit Copper. To others, it was money. To Aris, it was Fuel.
"System, initiate Body Re-Forging. Use all the gold to fuel the Creation Forge."
[Warning: This process is extremely painful. You are literally melting your current skeletal structure to introduce 'Abyssal Steel' properties.]
"Do it," Aris said, his eyes cold. "I'm tired of being skinny."
[Forging Start...]
As the gold coins dissolved into a liquid golden mist, Aris's bones began to glow violet. He felt like his blood was turning into molten lead. Most five-year-olds would have died of shock; Aris simply bit his tongue and stared at the progress bar.
I survived 48 hours of corporate hell and a heart attack, he thought through the haze of pain. This is nothing.
[Body Tempering Breakthrough!]
[Rank 3 (Copper-Skin) → Rank 5 (Steel-Tendon).]
[Physique Evolution: 5% Awakened.]
His skinny frame didn't get "buff," but his muscles became dense and ropy, like steel cables. His height shot up by two inches. He was no longer a weak child; he was a biological weapon in the shape of a boy.
[New Quest: The Family Sparring]
Context: Every year, the Thorne Family holds a "Strength Test" for all children aged 5-10.
Objective: Enter the tournament under your real identity and defeat your 2nd Brother (Level 15) using only 1% of your power.
Reward: 500 AP, Hidden Item: Map of the Emperor's Vault.
"The tournament," Aris smirked, feeling his new, heavy bones. "I was wondering when the 'Main Plot' would try to find me."