Demon Core

Ten minutes later, Lu Shen arrived at the shop and stepped inside.

"Old man, are you here today?"

Silence greeted him. Frowning, Lu Shen called out again, but there was still no response.

He made his way toward the office and knocked a few times. To his surprise, there was no answer. Thinking the owner wasn't inside, Lu Shen hesitated before pushing the door open. What he found, however, was the shop owner lost in deep thought.

The man appeared to be in his mid-thirties or early forties, a thick beard covering his face, as if he hadn't trimmed it in a long time. Despite this, his sharp features and blue hair gave him a rugged yet strikingly handsome look.

He didn't seem to have an exceptionally high warrior realm, but his strong build suggested that he was quite fit.

"Why didn't you answer me?" Lu Shen asked, shaking the man lightly.

The shop owner blinked and looked up.

"You called me? Oh, sorry about that. I was deep in thought."

After a brief pause, the shop owner continued,

"You must be here for your pay, right? Here."

He extended his hand, handing Lu Shen an envelope.

Taking the envelope, Lu Shen hesitated before asking,

"Old man, what's wrong? Can I do anything to help?"

He knew it wasn't his place to pry into the shop owner's problems, but this man had given him a job during difficult times. Lu Shen was grateful and believed in repaying kindness when he could.

The two had deep bond that Lu Shen called him 'Old Man' and in return, the shop owner called him 'shitty brat.'

After a long silence, the shop owner finally spoke.

"What is your bloodline grade?"

Lu Shen was taken aback by the question but soon smile appear in his face.

"Top-grade snake-type bloodline."

Li Lan, the shop owner, stiffened slightly before using his bloodline skill to probe Lu Shen's strength. However, to his astonishment, he couldn't see through Lu Shen at all.

All he could tell was that Lu Shen was stronger than the average warrior in the refinement realm. The information shocked him deeply.

how can this be....

Li Lan couldn't help but marvel and glanced at Lu Shen once more.

In his prime, Li Lan had been a powerful bloodline warrior,However due to certain events in his past. He was forced to hide his true identity and live a humble life as a cake shop owner.

Taking Lu Shen under his wing, he saw him as someone who, like himself, had no family and understood the loneliness of this dangerous world.

Over time, Li Lan came to regard Lu Shen as his own little brother.

He was seriously shocked this time. Hearing about Lu Shen's bloodline had initially caught him off guard, but now he was truly astonished. Lu Shen was just a poor boy without any resources, yet in just two day, he had become this strong.

"It seems you're doing quite well. You've already reached the refinement realm."

Now it was Lu Shen's turn to be shocked. He had been using Silent Breath Technique to conceal his warrior realm,

so how had Li Lan seen through it?

Lu Shen only knew that Li Lan was not a strong bloodline warrior, so how could he accurately determine his strength?

Could it be...

A thought appeared in Lu Shen's mind, but his confusion was quickly resolved by the Origin Bracelet Spirit.

"He used his bloodline skill, but he only knows that you're strong,nothing more" the Spirit explained in his mind.

There truly are countless mysterious abilities in this world!

Lu Shen curled his lips into a smile at Li Lan but didn't answer his question.

Seeing Lu Shen's reaction, Li Lan nodded and smiled as well. In this world, it was necessary to hide one's abilities.

if not like himself Lu Shen might not have good end.

"You Shitty bart, come with me" Li Lan said suddenly with mysterious smile.

Lu Shen nodded and followed him.

-----

The two entered the storage area, Lu Shen's eyes widened as he see the sight of numerous weapons, books, shop materials, and even some advanced technology neatly organized on the shelves. 

"These are just samples. I bet you haven't seen this much wealth in your life" Li Lan teased, smirking at Lu Shen's drooling expression.

"...."

"Stingy old man, are you mocking me? I'm a warrior too, and in the future, I'll earn more than you!" Lu Shen's lips twitched a few times. Wiping away his drool, he spoke in annoyance.

Li Lan chuckled. "Ha ha ha, quite confident, aren't you, brat?"

After saying that, he walked to the right side of the room, Li Lan then pressed a hidden button. A screen appeared, and after inputting a code, the entire room trembled. The shelves flipped, revealing rows of weapons of various sizes and types.

"These weapons… some are from ruins I explored, while others belonged to my enemies" Li Lan explained before walking toward an advanced locker.

He input another password, then retrieved a round object, which he held up for Lu Shen to see.

"Do you know what this is?"

Lu Shen examined the object, which emitted an intense spiritual energy. The air around them grew dense with spiritual energy.

"I don't know" Lu Shen answer shaking his head. He had never seen anything like it, nor had he learned about it in the academy.

Li Lan sighed. "Yeah, I almost forgot. How could you know? This is…"

He explained that the round, red-and-silver object was the Demon Core of a high-rank demon beast.

Such cores were only found in powerful demon beasts, and Li Lan had obtained this one by slaying the beast himself.

Demon Beast Core

Affinity: Fire/Lightning

Rank: 5

Description: A core taken from an early Rank 5 demon beast. It contains huge amount of spiritual energy, particularly of fire and lightning attributes. This core was obtained by Li Lan when he killed the demon beast with a single blow.

Note 1: To use this core's energy, one must be at least at the Avatar Condensing Realm. Otherwise, their body will be unable to withstand the energy and will explode like a balloon.

Note 2: ?? ]

Lu Shen stared at the demon core,

Seeing this Rank 5 Demon Beast Core, Lu Shen could tell it was extremely valuable, but he had no way of knowing its full worth.

"How can I accept this, Old Man? Why are you giving it to me?" Lu Shen asked, frowning in confusion.

Li Lan met his gaze with a serious expression. "I'm giving it to you, but you'll owe me a favor in the future. This isn't a free gift, so don't hesitate over it."

Lu Shen narrowed his eyes. He knew that in just two days, his strength had increased significantly.

Was Li Lan trying to gain his favor while he was still weak?

If so, did that mean Li Lan expected him to become even stronger in the future?

After a brief pause and remembering his past, how he was treated by Li Lan, Lu Shen finally nodded.

"Alright, Old Man."

Li Lan raised an eyebrow. "You accept without hesitation? What if I ask you to kill innocent people?"

Lu Shen smirked. "I know you're not that kind of man."

"...."

Room became silence for second, before Li Lan burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You really trust me, huh? Well, you're not wrong, shitty brat. But remember, not everyone in this world is worth trusting. I'll tell you my request when you're strong enough."

Lu Shen nodded, taking his words to heart.

As he had seen how bind trust result in.

"who is your enemy?" Lu Shen asked, curious. If Li Lan was forced to live like an ordinary shop owner, then his enemy must be terrifyingly powerful.

Li Lan face draken and with deep breath. "You're too weak to worry about that now. But when you reach the Spirit Core Realm, you can contact me through this number."

He handed Lu Shen a small card.

Spirit Core Realm? Just how strong is your enemy?

Lu Shen frown his brows. He had guessed that Li Lan's enemy was an Integration Realm warrior, but now he realized the situation was far more complicated.

He didn't let it bother him. As he had the ability to enhance his bloodline. He believed he would surpass other geniuses easily and readily accepted Li Lan's offer.

After all, Li Lan had helped him in hard times, and he didn't know what would have happened to him if Li Lan hadn't help him and who can refuse rank 5 demon beast core.

He is confident that he could reach the Spirit Core Realm.

Suddenly, Lu Shen remembered the Origin Bracelets ability.

"Damn, I keep forgetting my own abilities!"

He activated it on Li Lan.

Name: Li Lan

Age: 37

Beast Bloodline: Thunder Lion

Warrior Realm: Avatar Condensing (Peak) (Sealed)

Battle Power: ???

Skills: All-Seeing Eyes, ???, ???, ???, ???

Lu Shen's eyes widened.

"Oh my god! What kind of power is this? His realm is sealed? And what are these question marks?"

He was speechless.

He asked his Spirit for an explanation.

"Higher-realm warriors merge their strength, speed, and endurance into one. That's why their abilities are measured in battle power. As for those question marks, your strength is too low to see all the details. His true power is likely near the True Spirit Realm, if not for the seal."

"So that's how it works... I can only see the details of warriors up to four realms higher than me."

Lu Shen turned to Li Lan and grinned.

"Old Man, what realm are you really in?"

Li Lan chuckled.

"Not much. You'll know when the time is right."

"Stingy Old Man, just tell me!"

"Shitty brat, no means no. You're too weak."

"Hmph, fine!" Lu Shen pouted.

A sudden thought struck him, and a mischievous grin spread across his face as he rubbed his hands together.

"old man, do you have more of these? Can you give me another one?"

Li Lan's face twitched as he see Lu Shen greedily eyeing his collection.

"You little shit! No, I don't have more!"

Li Lan felt a pang of heartache when he gave Lu Shen the Rank 5 demon beast core, and now this little brat wanted more? Rank 5 demon cores weren't so easy to come by!

In past may be can kill rank 5 demon beast but now!

"Go to sleep, and you'll find it in your dreams."

Lu Shen muttered under his breath, "stingy..."

Li Lan's eye twitched. "What did you just say?"

Lu Shen coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject. "Come on, Old Man! We've known each other for so long. Who knows how much longer we'll be stuck working together?"

Li Lan sighed but couldn't hide a faint smile. "Don't try your tricks on me, brat. Now go home."

Lu Shen grinned, sensing the warmth behind Li Lan's words. "Fine, fine. I'll focus on my graduation test now."

"Good. Train hard. I can only wait for five years."

Lu Shen nodded firmly. "I'll do my best. And… thanks for this, Old Man."

Li Lan watched as Lu Shen disappeared into the distance. He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "That brat…"

Soon, his fingers curled into fists. His smile faded.

His expression darkened.

"Just wait for me... five more years, Yu'er."

A chilling light flickered in his eyes. his eyes turned sharp as a blade.

"Feng Clan... just wait."

------

At Northern High Academy.

Principal's Office.

Principal Zhang sat at his desk, deeply focused on reviewing documents when Teacher Tang stepped inside.

"Ah, Teacher Tang, please come in. Have a seat." Principal Zhang gestured toward a chair.

"Thank you, Principal Zhang." Teacher Tang sat down, sensing the seriousness in the principal's tone.

Principal Zhang folded his hands on the desk. "I've called you here to discuss the elite class's preparations for the upcoming graduation test. As you know, this is a critical time, not just for our students but for the academy itself."