The triumphant roar died in his throat, replaced by a sudden, chilling clarity. The initial euphoria of his newfound power gave way to the cold pragmatism of William, the adult who knew that miracles were never without consequences.
He looked down at his own body, coated in a thick, greasy film of black filth. The acrid stench of expelled impurities filled the small room. He was transformed, reborn in power. And that was the problem.
He hadn't gained one level. He had jumped seven levels—from the second to the ninth, the very peak of the realm—in under an hour.
Such a thing was not a blessing in the eyes of a clan. It was an anomaly. A secret.
His mind flashed with the cold, calculating faces of the Wei Clan elders. They wouldn't celebrate his rise; they would question it. They would want to know his secret. How could the clan's most famous piece of trash suddenly become a peak Body Forging expert overnight? It was impossible. Unless he had found some heaven-defying treasure or legacy.
A treasure they would feel entitled to.
"They wouldn't just ask," Wei Lian whispered to himself, a cold dread seeping into his heart. "They would take."
They would confine him. Interrogate him. Use soul-searching arts that could leave him a drooling imbecile. In the worst-case scenario, they would vivisect him on an altar, hoping to find the source of his miracle within his very flesh and bone. His Sage of Hundredfold Gains system was a secret that could never, ever be revealed.
His roar had been a mistake, an indulgence of emotion. He had to assume someone heard it. He had no time. He had to disappear.
Moving with a speed and silence that was utterly alien to his old self, he stripped off his soiled clothes. A quick, rudimentary wash with the water from his basin cleaned away the worst of the grime. He pulled on a simple, dark set of clothes—the kind worn by any commoner—and looked around the room that had been his prison for four years. He had nothing to take. Everything of value was already safe in his system's storage.
He didn't head for the main gate. He slipped out of his courtyard and melted into the shadows, his movements now as fluid as a cat's. His heightened senses picked up the distant chatter of guards, the rhythm of patrols he had unconsciously memorized over years of observation.
He navigated the servant paths and back alleys with unerring accuracy, making his way to a remote section of the estate's western wall. It was a ten-foot wall, meant to keep servants in and intruders out. For the old Wei Lian, it would have been an insurmountable obstacle.
For the new Wei Lian, it was nothing.
He took a short run-up, crouched, and unleashed the coiled power in his legs. He didn't just climb; he flew. His body felt weightless as he soared upwards, his hand catching the top of the wall with ease. In a single, fluid motion, he vaulted over, landing on the other side in a silent crouch, like a leaf falling to the earth.
He was out.
He stood up and looked back at the sprawling, moonlit rooftops of the Wei Clan estate. It was not his home. It had only ever been a gilded cage.
Without a second glance, he turned away. In the distance, the faint lights of Azure Dragon City twinkled against the dark horizon. The city was a sprawling metropolis, a place of commerce, danger, and most importantly, anonymity. A place where a lone cultivator at the peak of Body Forging could carve out his own path.
Wei Lian pulled his simple collar up, lowered his head, and began the walk towards the city lights. He was no longer Wei Lian, the Young Master of the Wei Clan. That identity was a shackle he had just broken. The city was a vast, unforgiving hunting ground, and for the first time in his life, he wasn't the prey.
Near the alleyway he exited, huddled against the cold walls, were the city's forsaken.
The first was an old man with a gnarled hand and an empty wooden bowl. Wei Lian felt a flicker of genuine pity mix with calculated curiosity. He reached into his robes, his hand passing through the pocket into his System Storage and emerging with a heavy silver tael. He dropped it into the man's bowl.
The clink was sharp. The beggar stared, his eyes widening in disbelief. Wei Lian had already turned away as the blue screen ignited in his vision.
[Sincere gifting intent detected.]
[Target: Beggar.]
[Item: 1 Silver Tael.]
[Calculating reward... Reward options enhanced due to high sincerity and value ratio.]
[Please select ONE of the following reward packages:]
► 100 Gold Taels
► 1x Spirit Convergence Pill (Low Grade)
He needed capital. The gold.
[Selected: 100 Gold Taels]
[Reward transferred to System Storage.]
A few steps later, he saw a young woman holding a listless child. He repeated the process, dropping another silver tael into her empty bowl. Her gasp was his reward, just before the system offered him another.
[Sincere gifting intent detected.]
[Selected: 100 Gold Taels]
[Reward transferred to System Storage.]
Two hundred gold taels.
He walked past a blind musician playing a haunting tune. Another silver tael found its home.
[Sincere gifting intent detected.]
[Selected: 100 Gold Taels]
[Reward transferred to System Storage.]
Three hundred.
He saw a grizzled veteran missing a leg. A flicker of respect passed through him. A fourth silver tael left his hand.
[Sincere gifting intent detected.]
[Selected: 100 Gold Taels]
[Reward transferred to System Storage.]
He now possessed four hundred gold taels. He paused. A commoner casually distributing life-changing sums of money was attracting stares. More importantly, he felt the intent behind his actions shifting from genuine pity to a cold, robotic transaction. He knew the system required a modicum of genuine feeling. He had made enough for now.
With power at the peak of Body Forging and a vault full of gold, he had everything he needed. He required a place to lie low and plan his next move. The anonymity of a humble inn would be perfect.
Wei Lian walked down a crowded street, his senses sharp, his gaze sweeping over the various inns and taverns. He chose one with a simple, unassuming sign: "The Weary Traveler Inn." It looked clean enough to be comfortable but common enough to avoid unwanted attention.
The air inside was thick with the smell of cheap ale and savory stew. A few patrons nursed their drinks at rough-hewn tables. Behind a long wooden counter stood a burly man with a perpetually tired expression, wiping a mug with a stained rag.
Wei Lian approached the counter. "I need a room."
The innkeeper grunted, barely looking up. "Five silver a night. Take it or leave it. Comes with hot bathwater and three meals every day."
Wei Lian's expression remained neutral. He manifested a single gold tael from his System Storage into his palm and placed it on the worn wooden counter. The soft thud drew the man's attention.
The innkeeper's dismissive glare froze. His eyes bulged at the soft yellow gleam of the gold, a sum equal to two hundred nights at his inn. His thick fingers snatched the coin with practiced speed. He bit it, the soft indent of his teeth confirming its purity. Greed swiftly conquered suspicion.
Without another word, the man slapped a heavy iron key on the counter. "Top of the stairs, end of the hall. Don't cause trouble."
Wei Lian took the key and ascended the creaking wooden stairs. He found his room and unlocked the door. The space was bare, containing only a small table, a washbasin, and a single wooden chest for belongings. The bed, however, was large, with a thick mattress and clean linens—a luxury he had not known for years.
He closed the door and slid the heavy bolt into place. He walked to the simple shuttered window, checking that it was secure. For the first time since fleeing the Wei estate, he allowed himself a moment of peace. He was anonymous. He was safe. He was rich.
The promise of a hot bath was his first priority. He shed his travel-worn clothes, feeling the faint, lingering grime of his rapid transformation still on his skin. He needed to wash away the last physical remnants of his old life, to be fully clean for the new one he was about to build.