Chapter 24: Slaughter

Lin He did not hesitate. His sword moved with fluid grace, slicing through Kells’ neck before he turned and walked away, his demeanor unflinchingly composed.

Meng Chen nodded silently.

The Demon Sovereign had offered an astronomical price, enough to fund Lin He’s cultivation all the way to the Fifth Realm. To reject such a fortune required immense courage—a decision Meng Chen respected.

Ordinary people might argue: Wouldn’t seizing demonic resources save humanity vast sums? But they failed to grasp the stakes. An SSS+-ranked demonic prodigy, if allowed to mature, could inflict losses far surpassing any short-term gain. Lin He’s choice dealt a devastating blow to the demons while safeguarding humanity. Yet, aside from the demons themselves, no one stood to lose more than Lin He. The demons had offered a king’s ransom for Kells’ life, but humanity would never reward him equally. Some recognition would come, but nothing matching the demonic bounty.

Such was the disparity between realms.

The demonic world operated under a clan-based city-state system. Though fractured internally, its factions obeyed the Demon King’s decrees. In this hierarchy, ordinary demons suffered while powerful clans and city-states amassed obscene wealth—wealth that allowed them to pay exorbitant ransoms. Humanity, by contrast, prioritized collective welfare: prosperity and peace for all. The demonic pot fed only 2% of its elite; humanity’s pot was shared by everyone.

The resources humanity provided Lin He paled in comparison to what the demonic realm lavished on Kells. Yet this was humanity’s limit. They had ruled for merely three millennia, while demonkind had reigned for eons. Their foundations were incomparable.

Thus, even if Lin He had chosen wealth over principle, none could fault him. But he chose principle over wealth—the bearing of a true monarch.

Lin He asked calmly, “My War Conversion rate is now the highest among contemporary Infinite-tier cultivators, correct?”

Meng Chen glanced at the data and frowned. “180%, surpassing Guan Ditian’s 177%. However, another individual holds a 326% War Conversion rate.”

Lin He’s head snapped up, his gaze sharp as a blade’s edge. “Who?”

“Do not compare yourself to him,” Meng Chen replied, shaking his head. “He has used Transcendent-tier evolution elixirs since childhood. His denominator is lower than yours.”

Lin He frowned. “No one sought to cultivate him with Infinite-tier resources?”

“He refused,” Meng Chen said with a faint smile.

“Why?” Lin He’s confusion deepened. “Is he… unwell?”

For an Infinite-tier talent to reject Infinite-tier resources—thereby limiting his future potential—defied reason.

Meng Chen chuckled. “Aren’t you equally unorthodox?” His eyes dropped to Lin He’s hands, scarred and calloused, a testament to relentless training. “You’d rather endure this than wield a sword? You’re crippling your own path. It’s not too late to change.”

Lin He shook his head in silence.

After a moment, he asked, “What is the name of the one with 300% War Conversion?”

“Li An,” Meng Chen answered gravely. “One of your greatest future rivals.”

“Is that so?” Lin He smirked, a chilling edge to his smile.

Suddenly, he recalled something. “Today, I passed through Tianshui City. There was a girl… her body contained an immense reservoir of icy energy. She was formidable. Why have I never heard of her?”

Meng Chen’s expression tightened. “Do not inquire further about her. Your paths may never cross. However, Li An is always by her side—did you notice him?”

“By her side?” Lin He frowned, struggling to recall. “Was there someone there? I… cannot remember.”

The Next Morning

Today marked Tianshui High’s graduation ceremony and the registration deadline for the Super High School League. Neither concerned Li An. He skipped ceremonies—he’d never attended school—and the principal would handle his league registration.

Today, he had one task: break through to the next realm.

Three vials of Infinite-tier evolution elixir glinted before him. Li An felt like he could ascend to the heavens just by looking at them. Grinning wildly, he bolted upright in bed.

“Haa…” He exhaled slowly, wincing as yesterday’s overexertion flared in his muscles. No matter—healing was trivial for a triple-path cultivator. Channeling source energy into water elements, he cast a healing spell. Soothing energy flooded his body, mending aches as water swirled around him. The remaining droplets brushed his teeth and rinsed his face.

Suddenly, he froze.

Where’s Shuangxue?

She should have been perched at his bedside. Yet the room held no trace of her. Gone?

Noticing a note on the nightstand, Li An picked it up while brushing his teeth. The scrawl read: “Gone to practice punches.”

No talent for calligraphy, he mused, descending to the basement. Before reaching the bottom, he heard the rhythmic thud of fists against a training dummy.

He gaped at the scene.

Shuangxue’s cheeks glowed pink, her breaths heavy though sweat had yet to form.

“You’ve been training all night?!”

“Yes. Why?” She turned, her smile like dawn’s first light—radiant enough to stagger him.

“Right… you don’t sleep.” He approached, pressing a hand to her forehead.

33°C.

His eyes then caught the wastebasket overflowing with blood-streaked tissues. Need to buy her blood-nourishing supplements, he noted.

A thought struck him. “Since your temperature’s rising, can you eat cooked food now?”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh! Maybe!”

Li An instantly ordered delivery. Five minutes later, a steaming bowl arrived—noodles swimming in duck blood, pork blood, beef tripe, and fatty brisket. The aroma wafted enticingly.

Shuangxue sat rigidly before the bowl, tension lining her posture. This might be her first taste of cooked food. Previously, forcing it would have made her vomit blood hourly—a trade of agony for fleeting pleasure. Her father,宁愿自己被冰封 (宁愿自己被冰封) preferring to endure frost rather than watch her suffer, had delayed this moment.

Perhaps that mysterious human guardian he met years ago orchestrated this, Li An mused. Sending her to me at eighteen…

As Shuangxue tentatively lifted her chopsticks, Li An smiled. Today marked more than a breakthrough—it was a thawing.