The sonic detonation of Lumi’s roar had barely settled before she transformed into a white gale of absolute slaughter.
She did not merely lunge; she vanished into a silver streak across the dark clearing.
Her massive, snow-furred frame moved with impossible speed, and her razor talons swept out like curved broadswords of forged starlight.
Rip—!
The first strike cleaved three 9th-level Body Tempering bandits in half, armor and all.
Before their severed torsos could hit the forest loam, Lumi pivoted on her hind legs, her spiked tail lashing out like an iron whip to shatter the skulls of two more thugs.
Although heavily diluted across countless generations, Lumi carried the ancient bloodline of the Primordial White Tiger of Slaughter.
Nourished by the Genesis Beast Taming Art and the pure cosmic energy of Lucien’s internal star, her combat prowess far transcended common logic.
While her realm stood at the Peak of Tier 2, her biological density, predatory reflexes, and divine metal affinity allowed her to easily battle early Tier 3 beasts—powerhouses equivalent to the 1st through 3rd levels of the human Blood Quenching Realm.
Against mortal bandits, numbers were utterly meaningless.
When the gap in power reached such a terrifying chasm, fifty men were no different from fifty blades of dry grass waiting for a wildfire.
The two 5th-level Bone Forging lieutenants attempted to raise their spiked bucklers, but Lumi’s heavy paw came down like a falling mountain.
CRACK!
Shields shattered into splinters, and both men were driven into the earth, their chests caved into bloody pulp.
The gaunt leader of the Sand Viper Gang turned pale as chalk, his 7th-level Bone Forging aura collapsing under sheer, paralyzing terror.
He tried to turn and flee into the black trees, but a white shadow blocked his vision.
A single, casual swipe of Lumi’s claw tore through his dark mail shirt, decapitating him mid-stride.
In less than three minutes, the clearing became an ocean of severed limbs, torn armor, and spraying gore.
Not a single bandit drew a breath.
Silence fell over the forest, broken only by the dripping of hot blood from Lumi’s white claws.
The mercenaries and merchants of the caravan stood frozen, trembling violently.
Even Ronald, a veteran who had survived dozens of bloody skirmishes, gripped his broadsword with pale knuckles, staring at the colossal white beast in genuine terror.
Yet when Lumi trotted back to Lucien, the terrifying beast shrank, her bones clicking as she reverted into a fluffy, innocent white cub, leaping lightly onto Lucien’s shoulder.
Ronald swallowed his terror and bowed deeply.
“Lucien… you saved every soul here. We owe you our lives.”
“Save your thanks for later,” Lucien said calmly, wiping a speck of dust from his sleeve.
“The scent of blood will draw wild predators within the hour. Let us pack the wagons and move camp two miles west.”
The men scrambled to obey.
Within half an hour, the caravan broke camp and re-established their tents in a dry, secluded rocky hollow away from the slaughter.
While the merchants and drivers collapsed into their bedrolls to calm their shattered nerves, Lucien remained standing outside Ronald’s tent.
“Before Lumi ended that leader, I retrieved a detailed hide parchment from his belt. It contains the hidden route to their main stronghold. The Sand Viper Gang has terrorized the eastern trade roads for decades, amassing fortunes. Come with me, and bring four reliable men. Let us see what they left behind.”
Ronald’s eyes lit up with fierce anticipation.
He immediately roused four veteran guards, and the group of six slipped into the dark forest under Lucien’s lead.
Guided by the map and Lumi’s keen predatory senses, they navigated the treacherous ravines for an hour before arriving at a concealed cave entrance camouflaged beneath tangled brambles.
A handful of low-level bandits left behind to guard the camp rushed out with drawn daggers, but Lumi leaped from Lucien’s shoulder, ending them in seconds without allowing a single cry of alarm to escape.
Venturing deeper into the torchlit cavern, they did not find gold first—they found iron cages.
Chained to the damp stone walls were twelve emaciated men, their bodies covered in welts and bruises, trembling in terror as the newcomers entered.
They were merchants and travelers captured over the past month, kept as slave labor to maintain the camp.
Lucien did not hesitate.
Stepping forward, he tore the iron locks apart with his bare hands, the cold steel snapping like brittle twigs beneath the raw might of his ninety stellar temperings.
“The Sand Viper Gang is dead,” Lucien announced, his clear voice echoing through the damp cave.
“We are heading to Kerak City tomorrow. You may travel with our caravan, and from the city gates, you are free to return to your homes.”
Tears of profound relief streamed down the dirty faces of the twelve captives as they knelt, bumping their foreheads against the stone floor in desperate gratitude.
“Young master! Thank you!” one of the captives stammered, pointing toward a reinforced iron door at the rear of the cavern.
“The outlaws keep everything behind that seal!”
Ronald and his guards used captured iron keys to throw the heavy vault doors open.
Torches illuminated the chamber, and gasps of pure shock echoed through the cavern.
Mountains of gleaming gold coins were stacked against the walls, easily exceeding several million.
Lined up on wooden racks were wooden chests containing approximately one thousand Low-Rank Tier 1 beast cores, along with around one hundred valuable Tier 2 beast cores.
And in a sealed silk-lined chest sat roughly one hundred low-grade spirit stones, radiating dense, soothing spiritual Qi.
Lucien swept his gaze over the mountain of wealth and made his decision instantly.
“I will take the hundred spirit stones and the hundred Tier 2 beast cores,” Lucien stated calmly, looking at Ronald.
“Everything else—the millions in gold and the thousand Tier 1 beast cores—belongs to you, your men, and the caravan to distribute.”
Ronald and the four guards stared at him in utter disbelief.
That vast ocean of gold was enough to make every mercenary in their escort rich for life!
“Lucien… this is an astronomical fortune,”
Ronald said, his voice shaking with reverence.
“You killed the entire gang. You have the right to claim it all!”
“I have no use for piles of common gold,” Lucien replied with an easy wave of his hand.
His grandfather Lucas had gifted him one thousand low-grade spirit stones before his departure.
Adding another hundred was a significant gain.
In the Triad Kingdom, the nominal exchange rate dictated that ten thousand gold coins equaled one low-grade spirit stone; however, in practical reality, no cultivator in their right mind would ever trade a real spirit stone for mere mortal gold coins.
Spirit stones were exceptionally rare treasures.
While ordinary cultivators hoarded spirit stones to slowly absorb the natural environmental Qi sealed within them, Lucien had no intention of using them for cultivation. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
The thin, ambient Qi inside low-grade stones was utterly useless against the bottomless void of his Genesis dantian; he would need hundreds of thousands of stones to make a dent, whereas supreme pills refined with Stellar Flame could propel him through multiple realms in days.
He gathered the spirit stones for commerce.
In high-tier trade hubs like Kerak City and the Royal Capital, rare heaven-and-earth treasures could only be bought with spirit stones.
He needed them to purchase the three missing alchemy ingredients for his Harmony Pills:
* Bone Marrow of a Blood Quenching Realm Beast
* Grade 2 Spiritual Water
* 100-Year-Old Ginseng
Furthermore, he needed wealth to purchase high-grade ores.
Just as he had planned with alchemy, Lucien intended to seek out a master weaponsmith in Kerak City to observe the practical craft of weapon forging firsthand, betting that the act would awaken another divine craft scripture from the depths of his soul.
As for the hundred Tier 2 beast cores, neither he nor Lumi could directly breakthrough using Tier 2 cores anymore—their bodies had grown too dense.
However, those cores were invaluable reservoirs of condensed energy, perfect for replenishing their Qi reserves during next breakthroughs or stabilizing their foundations.
Loading the heavy crates onto their shoulders, the four guards and the twelve liberated captives followed Lucien and Ronald back to the campsite.
When the convoy awoke to the sight of crates brimming with gold coins and beast cores, the entire camp erupted in joyous celebration.
The fear that had gripped them hours earlier was completely replaced by boundless reverence for the quiet, white-haired youth.
After the distribution was settled, Lucien retired to his tent and fell into a peaceful, deep slumber, with Lumi curled warmly against his ribs.
_________________________________
The next morning, the caravan set off on the final leg of their journey.
With twelve extra men walking alongside the wagons, the convoy moved with renewed energy.
Yet whenever the merchants and drivers glanced at Lucien, their eyes lingered on the small, white, cat-like creature dozing lazily on his shoulder.
Gone was any pity or dismissive chuckles; their gazes were filled with profound awe, tinged with lingering terror, the memory of last night’s bloody carnage still fresh in their minds.
The final day of travel passed in peaceful quietude.
No bandits crossed their path.
As dusk settled over the rugged horizon, the dense forest finally gave way to a vast, rocky basin dominated by jagged black crags and curling plumes of volcanic smoke.
There, rising against the crimson evening sky, stood a colossal, imposing fortress city.
Its towering walls were forged entirely from dark basalt and reinforced iron slabs, radiating the heat of subterranean earth veins.
Carved deeply above the reinforced iron gates were two massive, thunderous words:
KERAK CITY
Directly above the inscription hung a colossal, gleaming crest cast from pure gold—a majestic hammer striking an anvil, symbolizing the undisputed capital of weapon forging in the Triad Kingdom. if you like the Novel. too many interesting stuff is coming next.