CHAPTER 15 THE TEMPTATION OF POWER
721 Words
Night quietly descended upon the Rizz Clan.
Lanterns illuminated the winding stone paths.
The excitement from the interrupted assessment had finally begun to settle.
Yet...
An invisible tension lingered over the clan.
No one knew what had truly happened inside Black Pine Forest.
Only that several disciples had never returned.
Raizen sat cross-legged inside his modest courtyard.
Moonlight streamed through the open window.
His breathing remained slow and steady as Spirit Qi flowed through his meridians.
After today's battle...
He had gained a deeper understanding of himself.
He wasn't strong enough.
But he wasn't hopeless either.
Host Status
Realm: Body Tempering Realm (Peak)
Foundation: High Grade
Talent: Divine Grade (Sealed)
Supreme Foundation Progress: 1%
Raizen smiled faintly.
"So it really keeps track."
Although his cultivation hadn't advanced...
His foundation had become even more stable.
He preferred it this way.
A sturdy building was never built on weak ground.
Reminder.
Host may attempt breakthrough.
Recommendation: Delay.
Raizen raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Foundation not yet complete.
A rushed breakthrough will reduce future potential.
He nodded.
"I trust your judgment."
The screen disappeared.
Elsewhere...
A hooded figure stood outside the walls of the Rizz Clan.
His crimson eyes stared toward the brightly lit compound.
The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.
"The first seed..."
"...has already been planted."
His body dissolved into black mist.
Inside a secluded pavilion...
Kaden stared at the black crystal resting in his hand.
It pulsed like a living heart.
Dark energy slowly swirled within it.
The stranger's words echoed repeatedly inside his mind.
"A shortcut..."
"The first step toward true power."
Kaden clenched his jaw.
"There has to be a price."
A cold chuckle echoed from the shadows.
"There is."
The hooded stranger stepped into the moonlight.
"But tell me..."
"Has the world ever given you anything without one?"
Kaden remained silent.
"You've worked harder than most."
"You possess talent."
"Yet today..."
"The clan spoke only of Rizz Raizen."
The stranger's voice was calm.
Almost hypnotic.
"Doesn't that anger you?"
Kaden's grip tightened.
"It does."
"You were supposed to be the future of the younger generation."
"But now..."
"People are beginning to compare you to a boy they once mocked."
Every word struck Kaden's pride.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
He finally asked.
The stranger smiled.
"I want nothing."
"I simply dislike seeing talent wasted."
He pointed toward the black crystal.
"Absorb it."
"It will awaken power sleeping within you."
Kaden stared at it.
Something deep inside warned him not to touch it.
Yet...
His jealousy drowned out his caution.
Slowly...
He reached for the crystal.
The instant his fingers touched it—
A surge of black energy rushed into his arm.
"Agh!"
He fell to one knee.
Veins darkened beneath his skin.
His heart pounded violently.
Then...
The pain vanished.
Kaden looked at his hands.
Spirit Qi flowed through them more powerfully than ever before.
His eyes widened.
"I..."
"I broke through?"
He had reached the Spirit Gathering Realm.
Without months of cultivation.
Without effort.
The stranger smiled beneath his hood.
"How does it feel?"
Kaden laughed.
His laughter grew louder.
"This..."
"This is incredible!"
For the first time in his life...
He believed he had surpassed everyone.
Hidden in the shadows beyond the pavilion...
Elder Tian silently watched.
His usually calm expression darkened.
"So..."
"It has begun."
He looked toward the night sky.
"The corruption has already entered the clan."
He made no move to reveal himself.
Not yet.
Instead...
He wanted to see just how far the darkness had spread.
Meanwhile...
Raizen slowly opened his eyes.
His cultivation session had ended.
A cool breeze drifted into his room.
Something felt...
Wrong.
Deep within his mind...
The Origin System suddenly spoke.
Warning.
Corruption signature detected.
Location: Rizz Clan.
Raizen immediately stood.
"It's here."
The warning from earlier had become reality.
Somewhere inside the clan...
Someone had accepted the corruption.
He didn't know who.
He didn't know why.
But he knew one thing.
The enemy was no longer hiding beyond the forest.
It was walking among them.
Far beneath Black Pine Forest...
One of the ancient chains snapped completely.
CRACK!
The colossal creature slowly opened its eyes.
A deep, ancient voice echoed through the endless darkness.
"...The first pawn..."
"...has fallen."
A slow smile spread across its unseen face.
"The board..."
"...is finally taking shape."
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