Born in Blood



Slowly, the laughter echoing throughout the concave was dwindling in volume.

In truth, the volume didn't change, just that the people lessened in number.

In the span of twenty minutes, Liam had killed over 32 men and women that died without knowing how or why.

There wasn't any need for him to use his darkness.

His element would only erase their flesh and blood, leaving no trace whatsoever and lessening his provisions. 

Liam limited himself to using a spell only when one of them was going to shout for help.

The Shadow Clone was doing well on its own. 

Liam had to keep it close to him as he moved further in, deliberately slowing himself down so he didn't lose control over it.

The clone's blade wasn't as sharp as Liam's, but it was enough to kill those with Rank 1 bodies.

Eventually, the strange silence was noticed by the stronger cultivators who exited their tents, half-naked and confused.

As their horrified eyes swept through their base, the once lively hideout was now covered with streaks of blood but no bodies.

…Except two figures – one of which was pure black with a blank expression, and the other radiating pure danger – making a beeline straight towards the group.

Before they could even take out their weapons, Liam used the first form of his martial art and decapitated the group of four in one slash - storing their bodies just as fast.

Liam heaved a sigh, cold sweat dripping from his pale face.

Using spell after spell and controlling the Shadow Clone stressed his mind by a lot. 

'That should be everyone. Only the hostages are left.'

Liam's hard gaze shifted to the tent that the four leaders came out of. 

He entered inside, and a group of women – covered with bruises and wearing tattered clothing – looked at him with fear in their eyes. 

They trembled at Liam's blood covered figure, holding each other for support.

"W-will you let us live?" one of them managed to blurt out.

Liam remained silent. 

Regular humans would barely provide him any nourishment. 

Their Lifeforce was incredibly weak since they never absorbed 'Ora' in their lives. 

'...But they saw my abilities.'

Liam said nothing and smiled warmly in response… but the grip on his blades subtly tightened.

Giving them a painless death was the least he could do.

///

Since the hideout was an effective cover, Liam simply chose to devour all the bodies there. 

There were a total of 51 bodies!

Only 26 of them were fully cultivators – the rest had Rank 1 or Rank 2 bodies with varying cores, minus the human hostages.

Liam semi-transformed his teeth and began wolfing away at the human flesh, careful not to lose himself in the process.

With each limb, organ and heart devoured, his Chaos Pearl, blood, body and core expanded and strengthened.

It took him four hours to devour all of the bodies. 

Granted, he took pauses and waited for most of the bodies to digest in order not to lose himself, spending those breaks in cultivation.

As Liam's stomach ingested the last corpse, his body experienced a change.

It entered the upper-tier of Rank 3!

He could feel a noticeable change in his physical strength. 

Liam's physique didn't change much. He was still lean but a tiny bit more muscular. 

'I'll only see a major change once I enter the fourth Rank. Until then, I'll have to eat, cultivate and use pills to quicken the process.'

The average age for a Rank 4 body was about 25 to 26 years of age, not considering the usage of elixirs and pills.

Liam was a few months away from becoming fifteen!

He had cut so many corners due to his favorable circumstances and unorthodox techniques, giving him an unbelievable edge.

'The gap between the upper tier and the fourth Rank is massive. Unless I work hard enough, it might even take me a full year to advance.'

Liam cleaned away any traces of his stay, including the blood from those he killed. 

He mentally took note of the waterfall. 

It was well hidden. Enough for him to consume other humans in privacy.

'I've done enough. It's time to return.'

With that, Liam made his way back to the Temple.

///

Squeezing through the tight crevice and completing the boring run back inside, Liam finally arrived in the underground.

The first thing he did was head to the Mission Hall and report the mission completed. 

Receiving his merits, he went to the pill store next. 

Although the merits themselves were not enough to buy items that significantly bolstered his progress, they were still buyable through 'Ora' Stones.

A stern, scar-faced lady helped direct the surrounding acolytes on what pill to buy. 

There was a large inscribed board built atop a pillar in the center, fixed with all the names, Ranks and uses of the pills available.

Liam briefly sifted through them.

'Raven Tongue potion, Flame Spider pill, Bone Boiling elixir… the first one helps with the prolonging of mental energy, the other with the protection of the core, and the third softens the bones for faster cultivation.'

In truth, the Shadowfire cultivation technique was much deadlier compared to other methods of expansion.

If used for long periods of time, the corroding effect would potentially remain permanent, maiming the organ.

For that exact reason, Liam used it for a total of thirty minutes every day, even though he could use it for far longer.

Liam bought all three items, costing him a total of five thousand 'Ora' Stones, then made his way back to his new accommodation.

Some female acolytes his age and older looked at him with blushes, to which he frowned and glared in response.

'Why did that make them blush even more?'

Liam scowled, forgetting the corruption effects given by the Dark Star.

Shaking his head, he entered his accommodation and made sure to lock the door.

The 'Ora' density in his home was far better than before, raising his chances of entering the liquid stage of the core before the one year mark.

Without delay, he prepared for the coming months.