Chapter 3: Today I Came With a Blade. Who Needs an Invitation?

Blackpeak. Deep in the forest, Benson Santee cut down three men without breaking a sweat. "What a blade…" He studied the black demonic saber in his hand, something raw stirring across his features. Strength felt good. It felt right. "This was forged from the Night Queen's dragon scales. Then I'll call you… Star Soul." He sheathed the demonic saber and searched the bodies of George Santee and the other two. He found six Spirit Pills, along with a martial manual titled Wolf Form Blade Technique. Spirit Pills were used to raise one's cultivation. They were common, low-grade pills. As for Wolf Form Blade Technique, it was a top-tier art of the Santee family. Only high-ranking disciples within the clan were allowed to learn it. "Luca Santee offered you this little scrap, and the three of you came to kill me." Benson let out a soft, self-mocking chuckle. "So in his eyes, I really am worth less than nothing…" Six Spirit Pills and Wolf Form Blade Technique were valuable, but compared to what the Tenji Sword Sect had given the Santee family, it was a drop in the ocean. When Benson thought of what the Santee family had done, and of Luca's cold-blooded ruthlessness, his gaze sharpened to a knife edge. If he had not accidentally awakened the divine altar and obtained the Apex Tower, he would have died out here in the wilderness, filled with regret. But he had the Apex Tower. He had also obtained the Apex Technique, the foremost of the universe's four great body-refining divine arts. It was like being granted a second life. This time, he would climb to the peak. "Luca… In three days, you'll formally enter the Tenji Sword Sect." Benson's eyes turned glacial. "I won't let you get what you want." Whoosh. He slung the saber behind him and strode away, steps firm and unyielding. … Moon City. Traffic streamed through bustling streets. The city glittered with prosperity. Moon City had Five Great Families, and they practically monopolized over ninety percent of the city's wealth. The Santee family had once been at the bottom. Then they latched onto the Tenji Sword Sect. In only a few years, they surged into the top three, and before long, they would likely become the head of all five. Benson returned to his home, a small house tucked away in a remote corner. The Santee family's rise had been built on Benson's "corpse," yet none of their splendor had ever been shared with him. He lived alone. He barely remembered his birth mother. As for his father, half a year before Benson's Heavenly Phoenix Blood was taken, the man had left the clan on business and never returned. … Night fell. All was silent. Benson sat on the training platform in his room and closed his eyes. In his mind, he began to sift through the cultivation method of the Apex Technique. The first layer was called Bronze Body. Once cultivated, the flesh became as hard as bronze and steel. Blades could not pierce it. Water and fire could not harm it. Even a casual punch could shatter an opponent's bones and tendons. But before long, Benson opened his eyes. "It's only the first layer, but the requirements are brutal." His voice dropped to a murmur. "To forge Bronze Body, I need massive resources and spiritual energy to temper the body. This body of mine is too weak, and I don't have enough body-refining resources. I'm afraid I can't meet the standard…" Benson was only at the fourth level of the Body Refinement Realm. He was nowhere near the conditions needed to cultivate Bronze Body. Still, he did not rush. The first layer also contained foundational principles. He could begin with a preliminary tempering. He followed the basic method and circulated the spiritual power within him. As the energy in his dantian flowed through his meridians, something shocking happened. His realm dropped to the third level of the Body Refinement Realm. "What's going on?" Benson frowned. The total amount of spiritual power in his dantian had decreased. With doubt gnawing at him, he continued cultivating the foundational method of the Apex Technique. Not long after, he jolted awake again. Second level. In that brief span, he had fallen two minor stages. "That can't be right." More confused than ever, he wondered if he had practiced it wrong. He checked the method carefully. There was no mistake. After a moment's hesitation, he tried again. Soon enough, without any surprise at all, he dropped straight to the first level of the Body Refinement Realm. "This is going backward. If it keeps going, I'll turn into an ordinary person…" His expression turned grave. The Apex Technique was hailed as the foremost of the universe's four great body-refining divine arts. Why was his cultivation declining instead of rising? Feeling the thin, weak spiritual power in his dantian, Benson could only shake his head. Finally, he asked, "Tower Spirit, what is happening?" Humm. The instant the words left his mouth, a strand of dreamlike white light surfaced within him. Inside that glow, the outline of an ancient tower appeared. The Apex Tower. "My spiritual power is about to vanish," Benson said. "It hasn't," the Tower Spirit replied. "The spiritual power in your dantian has dispersed throughout your entire body, into every single part." "Oh?" "This is the most profound aspect of the Apex Technique," the Tower Spirit explained. "It tempers the whole body. Any part of you can become the strongest point of eruption." Benson's heart stirred. He reached for a kettle beside him. His fingers tightened slightly. Bang! Water sprayed everywhere as the kettle exploded into fragments. "So that's it!" Joy flashed across his face. He had not drawn on the spiritual power in his dantian at all. He had relied purely on the brute strength of his arm, and the result startled him. The spiritual power had not disappeared. It had fused perfectly into every part of his body. The total amount of spiritual power had not changed either. It had simply spread throughout his entire physique. In terms of realm, he was at the first level of the Body Refinement Realm. But the strength of his flesh was absolutely greater than it had been moments ago. Yet a new problem followed. Tempering the whole body demanded a vast supply of spiritual power. At the first level, he could not keep dispersing power to every part of himself. After a brief pause, Benson took out the six Spirit Pills he had looted from George and the others. He swallowed one without hesitation. The pill's quality was exceptional. One glance told him it had been refined by the Tenji Sword Sect. As it dissolved in his stomach, a thick surge of spiritual power spread through him. Benson steadied his breathing and guided that energy throughout his body. Soon, meridian after meridian opened. The spiritual power in his dantian grew full and vigorous again. Second level. Third level. Fourth level. In the blink of an eye, Benson rose three minor stages and returned to the fourth level of the Body Refinement Realm. As he absorbed the pill's power, he circulated the Apex Technique and distributed the energy throughout every part of his body. After repeating the cycle several times, he finally broke through the bottleneck of the fourth level and stepped into the fifth. Dense spiritual power coursed through every inch of skin and flooded every bone and tendon. He pressed on while the momentum was hot, swallowing two more Spirit Pills in succession. With the Apex Technique in motion, the pill energy circulated endlessly through his body, strengthening every part of his physique. With the Spirit Pills replenishing him, he did not fall back to the fourth level this time. Instead, his body continued to harden, his foundation stabilizing with each cycle. Several hours later… Benson opened his eyes and stopped cultivating. He could feel the change clearly. Power filled him to the brim. A faint dark sheen flickered along the surface of his arms, and his skin felt hard as metal. His realm had reached the peak of the fifth level of the Body Refinement Realm. It was only the fifth level, yet the total amount of spiritual power within him was astonishing. For ordinary cultivators, the key was how much spiritual power the dantian could hold. But Benson was different. His spiritual power had been used to strengthen his flesh, saturating every part of his body. Compared to an ordinary fifth-level cultivator, Benson's total spiritual power was several times greater. Even those at the sixth or seventh level might not match him. "I still have three Spirit Pills left. Breaking into the sixth level shouldn't be a problem…" "This body…" Benson exhaled slowly. "It's growing again." Once, the Santee family's discarded son had relied on that single drop of Heavenly Phoenix Blood to reach the seventh level of the Body Refinement Realm at only thirteen. In Moon City, such talent was unheard of. Later, the Heavenly Phoenix Blood was stolen, his physique damaged, and he fell to the fourth level. For three years, he had not advanced at all. But his body had "come alive" again. … Three days passed in a flash. After using the remaining three Spirit Pills, Benson successfully broke into the sixth level of the Body Refinement Realm. For ordinary people, one or two Spirit Pills were enough to rise a minor stage. For Benson, it took at least three. At the same time, his absorption speed far surpassed everyone else's. Where others needed days to digest a pill, he could do it in about half a day. After all, cultivating the Apex Technique meant strengthening every inch of his body. That alone guaranteed he would need far more resources than ordinary cultivators. "I may be at the sixth level, but my physical strength is several times greater than others at the same realm…" In his room, on the training platform, Benson woke from cultivation. Beside him lay the manual that only high-ranking disciples of the Santee family were allowed to practice: Wolf Form Blade Technique. In just three days, he had nearly mastered it. The Apex Tower had not only improved his physique, it had even sharpened his talent and comprehension. He only needed to read Wolf Form Blade Technique a few times to grasp its secrets. Creak! Benson pushed open the door. He lifted his eyes to the blue sky, a keen light flickering in his pupils. Today was the day Luca Santee, the young lord of the Santee family, would formally enter the Tenji Sword Sect. It was time for Benson to go… and "congratulate" him. … Moon City. The streets were livelier than ever. Outside and inside the Santee estate, red lanterns hung in rows. Drums and gongs thundered. "The Santee family is really putting on a show!" "Of course. Every year on this day, a Santee disciple formally enters the Tenji Sword Sect. The clan head hosts a banquet and invites guests to witness it." "I'm jealous. The Santee family built a bridge to a monster like the Tenji Sword Sect. At this rate, they'll soon become the top family in Moon City." … A red carpet stretched from the front gate all the way to the main courtyard. In the courtyard, Calvin Santee, the clan head, sat in the highest seat. He looked around forty. His lips curled in a constant smile, but his eyes were dark and predatory, the kind that made people uneasy. The heads of the Four Great Families were all present as well. Yet it was easy to tell their congratulations were only for show. None of them looked truly pleased. In their eyes, without the Tenji Sword Sect, how could the Santee family possibly swagger like this? "Second Miss, arriving!" a voice announced at the entrance. Everyone turned. Even Calvin rose to his feet. "Rosalyn is back…" A young, stunning woman strode in with two or three attendants. She was tall and graceful, and a jade pendant hung at her waist. On the front of the pendant was a sharp, commanding character: "Sword." "That's the token of an inner sect disciple of the Tenji Sword Sect." "Damn. The Santee family's Second Miss has only been in the Tenji Sword Sect for a year, and she already became an inner sect disciple?" "You don't know? She's gifted. The sect values her highly. They say she's already reached the ninth level of the Body Refinement Realm, and she's completed the initial tempering of a Sword Body." "Incredible. She's only seventeen, right? Ninth level already. Once the Sword Body is fully formed and sword qi erupts from within, her future is limitless." "And I heard the Tenji Sword Sect's young sect master treats her especially well. Their relationship isn't ordinary. The Santee family might be about to raise a golden phoenix." … Hearing the whispers around her, Rosalyn showed no displeasure. Instead, a faint smile played on her lips. She stopped before Calvin. "Father, I came on behalf of the sect to guide the clan's new disciple." At that, Calvin's excitement surged, his eyes practically shining. On behalf of the sect. His daughter represented the Tenji Sword Sect. What prestige! "Hahaha! Good, good!" Calvin boomed. "Today, you are both the Santee family's Second Miss and an honored guest from afar. Come, take a seat!" As he spoke, he deliberately swept his gaze over the other four clan heads, pride written all over his face. Rosalyn did not refuse. Like a noble songbird, she sat beside Calvin's seat. Once the guests were seated, ceremonial cannons fired above the Santee estate, and petals rained down like drifting snow. "The auspicious hour has arrived! The initiation ceremony officially begins!" the host called. "Please welcome the disciples of the Santee family who will enter the Tenji Sword Sect!" Amid roaring cheers and congratulations, several young men and women stepped onto the prepared platform. Luca Santee, the Santee family's young lord, stood in the central position, brimming with confidence. At that very moment… Benson Santee, the Santee family's abandoned son, arrived outside the Santee family's main gate. "Stop!" Two guards with blades at their waists blocked his path. "Heh. Look who it is." One guard sneered. "The 'genius' who got kicked out of the clan. What are you doing here?" Benson lifted his eyelids slightly. His voice stayed calm. "I'm going in." "Going in? Sure." The guard jutted out his hand, chin raised. "Invitation. Unless you're Santee blood, you need an invitation to enter!" Benson did not flinch. "I don't have one." "Hmph. Then get lost-" One of them stepped forward and shoved him. The other swung a palm toward Benson's head. "A mongrel like you thinks he can step through the Santee gate?" Benson's voice turned icy. "Today I came with a blade. Who needs an invitation?" Shing! The instant he finished speaking, a cold, pitch-black arc of saber light flashed. Blood sprayed. Both guards were silenced in the same heartbeat, their throats sealed by the demonic saber.