A short while later, Ethan materialized on the lonely stretch of coastline just meters away from the run-down house, his towering figure once again cloaked in swirling, dense fog and shadow.
He lowered Keal’s mother into a standing position using telepathy.
"If there is one thing I have mastered just as brilliantly as fire element combat, it is Mana Telekinesis. In this art, I am an absolute pro."
Ethan mused inwardly as he effortlessly manipulated the air around him.
"And the only reason I can wield it with such flawless precision and limitless control is because of the Blue Dragon Heart throbbing within my chest, continuously and relentlessly supplying me with an inexhaustible torrent of mana without a single second of pause."
Gently lowering his arms, Ethan placed Kael’s little sister down onto the soft sand, and carefully laid the paralyzed mother flat on the ground.
With a flick of his wrist, Ethan accessed the system interface in his mind to purchase some basic supplies.
Fortunately, the system’s inventory wasn’t strictly limited to combat artifacts and destructive abilities; everyday commodities were readily available as well.
"It’s a good thing this system actually has practical daily utilities," Ethan thought with a faint smirk of amusement.
[System: "Host, please! I am a top-tier, apex system! Do not use my advanced administrative privileges for mundane grocery shopping and clothing errands!"]
Ethan completely ignored the system’s protest. Utilizing precise telekinesis, he manifested a set of clean, soft garments from his inventory and smoothly dressed Kael’s mother.
The fabric glided through the air like living silk, wrapping gently around her pale, mature body, concealing her exposed form, and fitting her curves with absolute perfection without requiring a single physical touch from him.
Next, Ethan focused his attention on the system store once more, spending a portion of his points to acquire a high-grade restorative elixir.
A glowing, vibrant green pill materialized in his palm, radiating a soothing, life-giving warmth that contrasted sharply with the chilly night air.
Ethan walked over and knelt down beside Kael’s trembling little sister, holding the pill out toward her.
"Eat this," Ethan commanded softly, his voice echoing in the quiet night.
Terrified out of her mind and shivering like a leaf, the two-year-old girl didn’t dare disobey. With small, trembling fingers, she reached out, took the radiant pill from his hand, and immediately popped it into her mouth.
The moment the pill dissolved on her tongue, a brilliant emerald-green aura exploded around her tiny frame, bathing her in a soft, glowing light.
The miraculous effects were instantaneous. The old bruises, cuts, and malnutrition scars marring her fragile skin rapidly faded and vanished.
Within seconds, her pale, sickly complexion transformed into a healthy, rosy glow, and her natural beauty truly began to bloom.
Framed by her striking light-blue hair and wide, luminous golden eyes, she no longer looked like an emaciated, neglected child of the slums, but rather like a pristine, ethereal doll touched by celestial grace.
"She has completely transformed. It seems the healing not only healed her injuries but also improved her overall condition."
Shifting his thoughts away from his physical burden, Ethan turned his gaze toward Kael’s mother, who still lay resting quietly on the sand.
Freed from her tattered garments and the squalor of that wretched house, her physical state was breathtaking yet tragic.
Despite the lingering weakness from years of paralysis and muscle atrophy, her features were strikingly refined.
Her skin, though pale, possessed a smooth, delicate texture, and her mature, curvaceous figure—accentuated by the clean new garments Ethan had provided—radiated a quiet, sorrowful elegance.
Ethan then shifted his focus inward, opening the system interface to browse the system shop and see what other items were available for purchase.
Glancing at his status, he noted that he currently had 51,000 points remaining in his balance.
A brief memory brushed through his mind: he had previously spent a portion of those points on a specialized growth pill to temporarily increase his biological age and height, successfully advancing his physical form to that of a imposing twenty-year-old youth.
He had also invested some points into a few tactical spells, fully expecting to need them to subdue and dominate Kael’s household tonight.
"Hmph," Ethan muttered inwardly with a faint, amused smirk.
"Turns out those spells were completely useless. I didn’t even need to lift a finger against that little bastard."
Without wasting another second, Ethan opened the system interface and purchased a soul-slave contract from the shop.
With a faint shimmer of golden light, a blank golden parchment materialized directly into his palm, its surface entirely empty without a single word written upon it.
Closing his eyes slightly, Ethan concentrated his telekinetic focus and gently coaxed a single, glowing droplet of blood out from between the eyebrows of Kael’s paralyzed mother.
As the crimson droplet hovered in the air before him, Ethan began channeling his mana, carving intricate characters and absolute decrees directly into the golden parchment using the blood.
The terms of the contract formed rapidly:
*She would unconditionally serve and obey Ethan for the rest of her natural life.
*She would never refuse, countermand, or question any order he issued.
*Should she ever attempt to violate or breach any of these foundational conditions, the contract’s backlash would instantly trigger, ending her life without mercy.
The moment Ethan finished inscribing the final stroke, the golden parchment flared with a dazzling, sacred light, sealing the blood pact. With a flick of his wrist, Ethan sent the glowing document drifting through the air toward Kael’s mother.
Looking down at her, his voice cut smoothly through the quiet night air.
"I am going to plant this directly into your Soul Sea," Ethan stated calmly. "As someone who was once a Second-Rank warrior before your body was crippled, you already know that every cultivator possesses a mental space deep within their consciousness, and at the absolute core of that space lies the Soul Sea."
"I need you to voluntarily open your mind space so I can permanently lock this slave contract into your Soul Sea. That way, even if you wished to, you could never extract or destroy it."
Hearing this, Kael’s mother stared at the floating golden contract, a flicker of hesitation and complex emotions crossing her pale, delicate features.
Her expression tightened as she weighed the sheer loss of her autonomy.
But then, the crushing reality of her miserable existence rushed back to her—she remembered Ethan’s promise to heal her broken body, and she knew with absolute certainty that she never wanted to spend another second trapped in that living death of paralysis and helplessness.
Finding her resolve, she closed her eyes and willed her consciousness to open.
A faint, ethereal blue radiance began to emanate from her forehead. Relying on his precise mana perception, Ethan peered inward, easily bypassing her superficial barriers to observe her inner world.
Right before his eyes lay a vast, shimmering expanse formed of pure blue energy—her mental space. And deeper still, shimmering at the very bottom of that space, rested the serene depths of her Soul Sea.
Wielding his telekinesis with surgical mastery, Ethan guided the glowing golden contract smoothly through her mental space, carrying it deeper and deeper until it plunged straight into the tranquil waters of her Soul Sea.
FWOOSH—!
The instant the slave contract touched the liquid depths, it dissolved completely, blending seamlessly into the very essence of her soul.
A sudden, sharp pang of pain flared deep within Kael’s mother’s chest.
She gasped silently as an overwhelming sensation washed over her—the profound, instinctual realization that she had completely surrendered her life and destiny into the hands of another.
A deep, unshakeable urge to remain utterly loyal to Ethan rooted itself firmly in her core.
Though Ethan technically possessed the ability to forcibly manipulate her emotional responses and suppress her free will using the contract’s absolute authority, he chose not to.
He didn’t see any necessity to strip away her personality; her own bitter hatred for her old life and her absolute need for his protection would be more than enough to ensure her unwavering obedience.