The heavy concrete dust in the underground parking garage slowly settled, coating the shattered remnants of Commander Kaelen’s custom sedan in a fine, ghostly layer of grey powder.
Grant Cross stood entirely unmoving in the dim, flickering fluorescent light of the basement floor.
His breathing remained low, rhythmic, and perfectly steady, completely undisturbed by the explosive burst of violence that had unfolded just seconds prior.
Beneath his threadbare canvas coat, the cold steel handle of his weapon rested silently against his hip.
The golden dragon lines that had temporarily illuminated the dark garage floor had faded entirely back into a deceptive, mundane grey finish.
He didn’t bother checking the ruined commander’s pockets or rifling through his expensive tailored suit.
To an ultimate Sovereign who had just unlocked a direct cosmic link, the broken remnants of a half-step Tier 2 underworld enforcer held no true physical or spiritual value.
Instead, his sharp, golden-tinted pupils remained locked firmly onto the glowing blue system screen hanging suspended in the stagnant, oil-scented air directly before his face.
« SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: LEVEL UP CONDITION MET »
• Current Accumulated Experience: 1,100 / 2,000
• Baseline Requirement: 1,000 EXP for Stage 3 Advancement
• Current Operational Status: Core threshold successfully breached.
Evolutionary parameters are unlocked and ready to deploy globally.
• Automated System Prompt: Would host like to initialize Stage 3 advancement now?
[YES / NO]
“Yes,” Grant thought, extending his hand and tapping the holographic glyph with a firm, decisive stroke of his finger.
“Initialize the advancement immediately.”
The very moment his skin made contact with the glowing azure button, a low, deep mechanical hum vibrated violently through the core of his bones, echoing through the empty concrete structure of the garage.
It wasn’t the fiery, agonizing heat of his initial midnight awakening back at the docks, but rather a cold, massive structural expansion.
His muscles didn’t bulge or grow cartoonishly larger; instead, their hidden cellular density multiplied by a factor of three, the deep fibers tightening together until his entire Iron Body felt completely concrete and impenetrable.
Inside the central cavity of his chest, the Primordial Dragon Core began to spin with frantic, blinding speed, pumping thick, heavy torrents of golden spiritual energy through his newly cleared meridians.
The ambient shadow network of the corporate tower’s basement rippled like water under an intense gale.
The low-voltage light bulbs overhead hummed aggressively, flickering wildly for three seconds before exploding simultaneously into tiny, falling showers of sharp glass shrapnel.
Ding!
« SYSTEM EVOLUTION COMPLIANCE: STAGE 3 »
• New Cultivation Realm: Tier 1: Iron Body (Stage 3)
• Combat Strength: 1,800 → 2,500 (Average Human Baseline: 10)
• Core Attributes Updated:
• Strength: 160 → 210
• Agility: 120 → 155
• Endurance: 175 → 230
• Core Milestone Unlocked: [Spatial Vault] successfully activated.
A universal micro-pocket dimension has been permanently anchored to the Host’s soul matrix.
Grant slowly exhaled, a visible wave of pure, condensed kinetic thermal force rippling outward from the soles of his boots.
The expanding energy cleared the shattered bulb glass and concrete debris from the floor, pushing it away in a perfect, pristine five-meter circle around his feet.
At a massive baseline of 2,500 Combat Strength, his physical senses were suddenly sharp enough to cut glass.
He could effortlessly hear the frantic, rapid beating of human hearts three floors up inside the corporate offices.
He could trace the exact hum of the high-voltage electrical currents running invisibly through the thick reinforced concrete walls.
But his main tactical focus was on the newly unlocked spatial matrix.
He willed his consciousness inward, and a second, sleek storage sub-menu materialized right beside his main attribute sheet, pulsing with a deep violet hue.
« SYSTEM INVENTORY: SPATIAL VAULT »
• Vault Capacity: Infinite Dimensions (Soul-bound, cannot be plundered, intercepted, or digitally traced by external forces)
• Current Stored Items:
• 1x Basic Mortal Sword (Currently Equipped)
• 50x Low-Grade Spirit Stones (Processed/Liquidated)
• Starter Tier Milestone Bonus Package Discovered!
Open Package?
[YES / NO]
A cold, knowing smirk touched Grant’s lips as he stared at the hidden cache.
“Open it.”
The glowing spatial grid flashed a deep, dark violet color block, a localized vacuum forming directly in front of his chest. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The space warped for a split second as a thick, physical leather-bound volume and a sleek, translucent gemstone crystallized smoothly out of the cosmic void, floating right before him.
« SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MILESTONE PACKAGE EXECUTED »
• Item 1 Acquired: [Mortal-Grade Technique: Phantom Step] (Grants a passive 100% Agility multiplication during short physical movement bursts)
• Item 2 Acquired: [Primordial Upgrade Stone] (Can fuse instantly with any low-tier physical weapon to elevate its core durability and piercing attributes)
Grant reached out his calloused hand and grabbed the floating, translucent upgrade stone.
The crystal was ice-cold to the touch, humming with a sharp, piercing metallic frequency that vibrated against his palm.
Without a shred of hesitation, he drew the Basic Mortal Sword from beneath his faded canvas coat, holding the plain hilt firmly, and tapped the cold stone directly against the flat surface of the steel blade.
CLANG!
A blinding, violet shockwave erupted outward from the exact point of contact, knocking away the dust from the ceiling pillars.
The raw tempered steel of the common sword began to churn and melt like liquid fire, rapidly reweaving its internal crystal structures as the essence of the upgrade stone was completely absorbed into the core of the metal.
Within seconds, the dull grey blade transformed completely into a sleek, pitch-black obsidian weapon, its flawless edge so unnaturally sharp that it visually warped and bent the ambient light around it.
« SYSTEM WEAPON EVOLUTION COMPLETE »
• Weapon Modified: Basic Mortal Sword → [Tier 1: Obsidian Dragon Blade]
• New Durability Rating: Indestructible (Tier 1 Maximum Baseline)
• Attack Modifier: +50 Piercing Force → +250 Armor Desolation
• Active Attribute: [Soul Bleed] (Attacks inflict a continuous 10% spiritual energy drainage on hit targets for a duration of 5 seconds)
Grant gripped the newly re-forged handle, feeling the immense weight of the weapon balance perfectly between his fingers.
With a single, silent flick of his thoughts, the massive obsidian sword dissolved into countless glowing particles of black light, vanishing directly back into his soul-bound Spatial Vault.
No security scanner in the modern world, no high-tier martial cultivator in the city, and no global satellite tracking device would ever be able to detect its physical presence now.
He turned away from the garage wreckage and walked calmly out into the cool morning air of the commercial district.
The heavy harbor storm had finally passed, leaving the sprawling city streets wet and gleaming under the glare of the rising sun.
Bradley’s corporate tower was behind him, its executive power broken, but the true war for the control of the city’s underworld had just officially begun.
With 2,500 Combat Strength, an undetectable storage vault, and an indestructible obsidian blade at his disposal, the low-level enforcers of the Ghost Hand Sect were no longer an obstacle to his path.
It was time to systematically hunt down the hidden masters who had ordered his bloodline broken five years ago, and reclaim the throne that belonged to him by right of blood.
The power scaling is hitting a massive milestone!
Now that Grant has cleared out the corporate tower and the top enforcer, the Grand Ancestor of the Cross Clan is bound to notice his return.
Will the old monsters be able to stand against the Obsidian blade?