THE BLACK CULTIVATOR

YOU'RE WEAK

The Naija youth’s palm wrapped around the hilt of his new heavenly-grade blade as he pulled it out from the system’s inventory.

“Dragon’s Mountain!” He muttered to himself. Scanning the design of the weapon.

Massive energy detonated into the air the moment he swung the blade. Shockwaves rippled out in every direction, and the air screamed like thunder.

“Blade Art!”

Chris took his stance, one leg digging deep into the hot ground, his eyes glowing with intense golden core Qi. The dragon’s mouth opened wide as blue energy gathered from everywhere, slowly forming a large ball of fire. The intense heat melted all nearby steel and turned the surrounding buildings into raging flames.

[25x Recovery Activated]

[Adrenaline & Willpower Surge 40%]

Chris’s skin turned bright red, sizzling like boiling soup. He smirked.

“That’s a powerful attack you have there. Unfortunately for you… you met the wrong person.”

Cracks spread across the ground beneath his feet like spiderwebs. Cold air escaped his mouth as his aura skyrocketed with every passing second.

“One Blade — Ten Thousand Cries, One...... Void s***h!”

His voice echoed across the battlefield. The ground uprooted. The air twisted inward as a visible void s***h blasted forward like lightning.

The dragon wasted no time, unleashing its blue fire breath. The two supreme attacks collided with a deafening BOOM!

On one side, the air grew unbearably cold. Ice pillars and spears erupted from the earth as mist rose from the melting ice. On the other side, everything melted into a river of molten lava.

Chris stood motionless, his blade pierced into the ground, both hands resting on the hilt. A casual smile spread across his face.

The void s***h picked up speed, pushing closer to the silver dragon and splitting its flames in two. The air boomed again. The dragon’s white eyes turned blood-red.

[Notice: Silver Dragon Has Entered Berserk Stage]

[Power Rapidly Increasing… 30%>>>>>40%]

The dragon unleashed a wider, more powerful blue breath, pushing back the void s***h and melting the erupting ice pillars.

Chris chuckled.

“You no fit escape your death, my friend. You know why?” (You cannot escape your death) He stretched his right hand forward. “Sovereign Flame Core Shockwave!” he whispered, then snapped his fingers.

A concentrated beam of golden fiery energy blasted through the air. The dragon raised one wing to block it, but the beam passed straight through, ignoring the physical body. It burned its way deep inside, scorching blood and flesh before crashing into the dragon’s core and cracking it slowly.

The dragon’s eyes shook violently. Its breath grew weaker. The sovereign flames then burned its dantian.

The dragon screeched, blood pouring from its mouth and eyes. The void s***h surged forward again, severing the dragon cleanly in two from head to tail. Thick, hot blood splashed into the atmosphere.

“It’s because you’re weak,” Chris muttered as the dragon’s massive body hit the earth with a heavy

Thud!

He exhaled. The ice manifestation remained, cold mist mixing with the smoky air. “Well, that was easy, wasn’t it?” he murmured, clapping his hands as if cleaning dirt off them.

He pulled his blade out of the soil and shoved it back into his inventory.

“I still have much room for growth.” He stared at the dragon’s corpse and the destroyed battlefield — one side covered in ice, the other flowing with lava. “It’s not going to be an easy journey. It’s going to be a very long one… but that’s enough time for me to get better.”

[Daily Quest Completion Rate: 81%]

[Daily Quest: 181/200 Beasts Killed]

[Golden Core Realm: Early Stage — 56%]

“Eighty-one percent!” Chris shouted, palms open. “How? Na dragon I kill oh! (It’s a dragon that I killed!) A f*****g core formation stage dragon at the peak stage, and all I get is one percent? You no dey mad oh!” (Are you mad/crazy!) He pointed an accusing finger at the screen.

[Daily Completion Rate: 81%]

[Notice: Host’s Blood Temperature Rising Fast: 20%>>>>30%]

The Naija youth sighed, pressing both palms against his waist. “One day, System. One day. You go chop better beating from me,” (You will receive a serious beating from me) he vowed.

[The System Has No Physical Body]

[Host Will Wait And Wait And Die. Can’t Wait For That Day]

“Sharp.” (Got it / Okay / Smart) The Naija youth nodded.

“Now where do I find more beasts to s*******r?” he whispered, scanning the area with his Qi Sense.

The air was thick with the smell of dragon’s blood, dragon feces, smoke, heat, and chilling ice. Chris suddenly shot upward into the air, one hand clamped over his nose.

*No be me, odour go kill today,* (It’s not me, the smell will kill today) he thought.

[1 Week and 4 Days Left Until the Arrival of the Lion Clan Expedition Team]

He halted mid-flight, staring at the message. “Well, I better get serious.” He cracked his neck.

Brummmm!

His stomach grumbled loudly.

“s**t. Not now, stomach. Calm down until I finish this quest.”

Beesh!

He shot up into the sky.

[Advanced Qi Sense Engaged]

Instantly, his senses locked onto an army of rocky apes marching deep into the forest in the far north of the continent. He broke the sound barrier as he flew toward them.

---

Meanwhile…

“It’s annoying that we are the only ones instructed to remain on the third continent,” Hu muttered to himself.

He and thirty disciples moved deeper into the southern side of the continent. The void sun was already setting. Unlike the outside world, the void darkness here was far thicker.

“Elder Hu,” a skinny blue-eyed disciple whispered, “wouldn’t it be better if we found shelter and waited out the night? Or headed back to camp?”

They kept advancing carefully through the lonely alley.

“The research team picked up a strong signal around here,” Hu explained. “Whatever treasure lies here is quite powerful. So no, we are not returning to camp, and we are definitely not finding shelter.” His voice was cold.

“Okay… okay, Elder Hu,” the disciple swallowed hard, fingers trembling as Hu’s eyes glowed faintly while staring into his own.

“Get back into formation. Now.”

The blue-eyed disciple ran back. They arranged themselves into five cultivators per line. Hu marched in the middle, with three lines ahead and three behind him.

“Power the lanterns, everyone!” Hu commanded.

They obeyed. The lanterns were special — they didn’t need to be held. Once activated, they floated beside their users, the light sustained by their user's Qi.