Mingyue's Predicament

Alex turned toward the door, stretching his arms as if he had just finished sealing a casual deal. "I'll give you a week. Call me when you've made up your mind. By then, I'll have the research complex and the contract ready." And with that, he left without waiting for a reply.

Faerith sat there, stunned. Her lips parted as if to say something, but before she could even process it, he was already gone. After a long pause, she exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Rich kids really are on a different level. He's building an entire research facility just to cover up the truth about the blood. Well... works out for me." A smirk played at the edges of her lips. "Now I get to study him properly. Let's see what kind of changes that blood has made to him."

If Alex had heard that, he would've smirked in satisfaction. As someone with the nickname Whale God, of course, he'd whale when he had the chance. And now, he had a gut feeling he could do the same thing with cultivation. He had multiple reasons for building the research complex.

First, he planned to use Faerith's name to take credit for any secret arts and cultivation techniques he acquired from Mingyue. Next, it would please his mother. Not only would he be working, but he'd actually be starting his own business. And finally, he needed to monitor his own transformation. Because for all he knew, some ancient soul might try to hijack his body. 'Mom's going to be surprised. She'll probably keep an eye on me at first, thinking I'm just playing around.'

Alex chuckled to himself as he stepped outside, where his car was already waiting. 'I should also create my own hunter guild… but who'd be a good frontman?' In his world, hunters were what people called Awakeners who made a living by raiding dungeons. They weren't ranked purely by strength, but by achievements—starting from one-star all the way up to the most elite five-star hunters.

As Alex plotted how to expand his family empire and finally get his mom off his back, Mingyue was dealing with her own problems. Even though she also came from a wealthy family, being a woman in the cultivation world came with its own set of challenges. Now, she stood in an open field, blood dripping from the tip of her sword. Five mutilated bodies lay scattered around her. Her cold amber eyes, now tinged with red, swept over the corpses with an indifferent gaze. She raised an eyebrow slightly before exhaling. Vesa had sent her back to her world, and she'd woken up in a forest. And the moment she arrived, trouble had already found her.

Mingyue swiftly changed into a fresh robe, wiping away any traces of the battle. Just as she finished, several figures approached—each wearing robes adorned with her family's crest. Their expressions were filled with worry as they called out, asking about her condition. But their arrival took Mingyue by surprise. She was still alive. Barely any time had passed. There was no way her family should have known she was in danger. Her first thought was that Lin Hua had sent people after her.

That suspicion solidified the moment her system warned her.

[Warning: All detected targets harbor malicious intent.]

Even then, Mingyue found it hard to believe. Her own family? Why would they attack her—their prized prodigy, the one they had pinned all their hopes on to elevate the Xueqi Family's status? But facts didn't lie. So, she made a split-second decision.

Feigning weakness, she let out a shaky breath and staggered, pretending to be on the verge of collapse from exhaustion. The moment they saw her vulnerable state, they didn't hesitate. They struck all at once. That was all the confirmation she needed. Fury exploded in her chest, drowning out any hesitation she had left. Her sword cut through them mercilessly, carving through flesh and bone like paper. Blood splattered across the field as the last of them fell, bodies twitching before going still.

Mingyue stood among the corpses, her grip on her sword tightening. A bitter taste filled her mouth. She had acted on instinct. Now, she regretted it. She had killed them all before she could interrogate even one. "Tch," she clicked her tongue in frustration. "I need to learn soul cultivation the next chance I get." Had she known soul arts, she could have extracted their memories before they died. Her amber eyes flickered red as she focused on the bloodstained ground.

Almost instantly, the corpses and pools of blood disintegrated into particles of light, flowing into her body like mist.

[215 Life Force Absorbed]

[Life Force storage full—excess converted into cultivation energy.]

[Jade Lotus Spiritual Vein and Ice Kirin Bloodline absorbed into Progenitor Bloodline—deemed inferior.]

A rush of energy surged through her veins. Mingyue's body thrummed with power as pure qi flooded her meridians, pooling into her dantian. Inside, a core began to take shape—dense and radiant. Her cultivation surged upward, crossing a major boundary in an instant.

***

Name: Mingyue Xueqi

Power Level: 6.5

Progenitor Transformation: 7.35/100%

Life Force: 150/150

Cultivation Level: Core Formation Stage - Mid-Level

***

Before drinking the Progenitor Blood, she had barely reached the peak of the Foundation Stage. Now, with the residual energy from the transformation and the life force she had just absorbed, she had leaped an entire major realm—straight to mid-Core Formation. Yet, instead of excitement, her thoughts remained cold and calculated. 

'I lost my spiritual root and my bloodline... but it was worth it. They were nothing compared to the Progenitor Bloodline. Just how powerful was the original progenitor?' For a moment, Mingyue wondered. Then, she pushed the thought aside. She had more pressing matters to deal with. 'Should I return home first... or head straight to the sect to report Lin Hua?'

Even with Vesa's warning, a part of her still resisted the idea that her family had truly betrayed her. She had always met their expectations, always done as they wished— Except once. The one time she had refused was when the family patriarch had suddenly arranged her betrothal to another clan. She had rejected it outright. In the end, they had compromised—giving her ten years to reach the Golden Core Stage. But that deadline wasn't even close. Only two years had passed. 

So why? Why were her own people attacking her now? Her gut told her something had happened to her parents. Otherwise, there was no way these people would have dared to act. Even if they weren't the patriarch, they had power and authority within the family. Which meant... something had changed.