Chapter 4: From Bones to Blood

Lucian found the book faster than expected. Without wasting a moment, he grabbed it and went straight home—then set it on fire.

That book had once fallen into the hands of a noble family member. It had twisted the man's mind, turning him into a fanatic who preached survival of the strongest and believed that anyone outside the noble families deserved to die.

Because of that book, hundreds of thousands had perished.

Now, that problem was solved. It was almost laughable how a single academy book falling into the wrong hands could cause such chaos. The story had become a dark joke—but that joke had helped Lucian track down the book.

Now it was time for the second goal.

Contact the Black Root Organization, infiltrate it, expose the traitors within, and eliminate them.

But that could wait. Lucian's current priority was to refine his body and begin cultivation.

If his guess was correct, this process would change his appearance completely. He might regain the striking looks he had when he was a general who had undergone three tempering rituals—perhaps even more now, considering his current "quirks."

That would attract too much attention—unwanted attention.

If that happened, the academy plan would have to be abandoned. He had only joined to earn a high grade and enter the Elite University. But if his appearance changed suddenly, it might catch the eyes of some lunatics.

He decided to leave the academy. As for Elite University, he would enter through the exam route. As long as he erased his past traces, no one would link his new identity to the old one.

Three days later, Lucian left the academy.

Using a teleportation array, he arrived at a building in a back alley.

A man peeked out from the shop's window.

"I want to register," Lucian said.

"Name and number," the man replied coldly.

Without delay, Lucian was registered. This was a hunter's guild—but it offered a unique service: a fake death system. They could forge a person's death during a mission.

What made them the best at this was how they mixed real deaths with fake ones. No one could tell who truly died.

Lucian accepted a mission. If three months passed without his return, his name would be erased from the civil records.

Now, it was time to leave this cursed town. His next destination: Wall City.

This city was located at the edge of what was once the cultivation world—now called the Refuge.

Thousands of years ago, a catastrophe had destroyed all sects, kingdoms, and empires. Nothing was left.

A vast and glorious cultivation realm had become a forgotten wasteland.

To this day, no one knew what caused the destruction. The spreading beast tides and strange environment made exploration impossible.

Some believed these bizarre conditions were what kept the catastrophe ongoing—not Wall City.

Lucian aimed for a specific sect ruin, several miles beyond the wall. The location had been discovered during one of the campaigns launched by the Ten Families.

He still remembered the coordinates.

Many unknown treasures awaited him there. But first, he needed to complete refining his body and start cultivating properly.

Weeks passed before Lucian arrived in Wall City. He bought a cheap house on the outskirts.

Once settled, he resumed his cultivation.

After three months of intense training, he was on the verge of bone refinement.

"Just a little more…"

Lucian exhaled deeply, enduring the sharp pain.

Moments later, he finally felt it—his bones were fully saturated with Qi, and the fusion process began.

Unbearable pain flooded him. He bit down hard to keep from screaming.

His bones cracked and reformed, molding around his powerful soul.

A foul, black substance oozed from his pores.

Time passed quickly. When it was over, Lucian collapsed onto the bed, panting as if he had just crawled out of hell.

He caught his breath and tried to stand. As soon as he rose, he noticed something odd—the floor seemed... farther away.

"What the...?"

He looked down at himself. His skin showed signs of tearing from rapid growth.

Yet his body still appeared thin and lean. In fact, the added height made him look even skinnier.

"This is taller than my past life. I used to be six feet… Now I'm six-foot-five?"

He stood by the door and measured himself. The door was about six-foot-six.

"Good thing I left the academy. How would I explain a kid growing from five-foot-five to this overnight? And this is just the beginning—the changes aren't over yet."

Lucian glanced around. Since returning to the past, everything had moved quickly. He couldn't afford to waste time. He needed to grow stronger—fast—and reclaim his former strength.

He thought, "I wonder if my status screen will be different in this life."

Every cultivator received a status screen upon starting real cultivation. It was a gift from the Heavenly Dao to the once-favored race that was nearly wiped out.

But that was a matter for the future.

For now, he needed to begin blood refinement. This process required draining his blood in intervals, allowing his newly refined bone marrow to produce fresh, powerful blood to replace the old.

Of course, this had to be carefully managed with medicine and meditation.

Still, compared to bone refinement—especially the brutal method Lucian used—this phase would feel like rest.