The sound of swallowing rang out in the silent chamber. No one dared to move recklessly, as it could trigger a bloodbath between clan members immediately.
This divine treasure was highly valued, especially for cultivators of the Lan Clan, as most of its members possessed Wood-type spirit cores.
In that silence, Lan Xiaorong finally spoke.
"Fellow clan members, surely we are not mere bandits fighting over scraps? This treasure is indeed valuable, but should we not consider who among us can make the best use of it for the clan’s future?"
He implied that everyone should give him the treasure since he was the most talented person in the group.
His words caused the three clanmates to immediately draw their swords as if they had just found their first target to eliminate.
With swords in hand, they walked toward Lan Xiaorong together.
"What are you doing?! Don't come near me! Wait, wait, wait!!" Lan Xiaorong cried out in shock. He hadn't expected the three of them to become so determined suddenly.
"I'm sorry, Brother, but this treasure is too valuable. Please forgive me." Lan Baixing squeezed out fake tears from the corners of his eyes.
He was determined to keep this treasure for himself no matter what—even if it meant killing his own clanmate. With this, he could reverse his fate from that of a mediocre cultivator to a peak genius.
"Please forgive me, Big Brother Xiaorong…" Lan Yueli also had tears at the corners of her eyes, but unlike Baixing’s, hers were not fake.
She secretly had feelings for him, but as a cultivator, this matter was too important for her to give up. All she could do was swallow her sorrow.
"Brother Xiaorong, I will tell your parents how brave you were. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. I promise that I will become an immortal cultivator!," Lan Xuanyan shamelessly said the words.
He thought to himself. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time—an opportunity to turn his life around.
He could no longer bear to be just an ordinary talent cultivator. With this treasure, he would have hope. No, he would definitely become a great cultivator.
Seeing their determination to not back down, Lan Xiaorong also made up his mind. He drew his sword and yelled at them.
"You three are two-faced hypocrites! I will fight you to death!"
His wooden sword glowed with the intense light of Wood Qi.
However, just as the bloodbath between clan members over the divine treasure was about to begin—
Four transparent, blue-colored cubes suddenly appeared in the middle of the chamber. The four cultivators of the Lan Clan were shocked by their sudden appearance, as they hadn't sensed any Qi from them at all!
The next scene made all of them scream.
The cubes moved toward the treasure at a speed they couldn't keep up with—and in an instant, the treasure vanished into the void!
"NOOOOOOOO!" they all screamed in unison, finally realizing that they had just been robbed.
They lunged toward the four cubes, using the best movement techniques they had. To their surprise, just when they thought the cubes were about to flee, the cubes instead rushed toward them at the speed of light—
And in an instant, they struck their chests and sank into their bodies!
"AHHHHHHH!" Lan Xiaorong screamed as the enemy went inside him. He thought he was about to die—the horrifying image of his body being destroyed from the inside out filled his mind.
He fell to the ground because of fear.
"AHHH! Lord, please! I don't want to die! Have mercy!!" he shouted, pleading for the one responsible for the cubes to spare his life.
The other three did the same, begging for mercy. Their lives and deaths now depended entirely on the robber's decision.
However, no answer came. They could only assume that death could come for them at any moment.
Just as they were bracing for the worst, an answer did come—
But it was not what they expected.
A translucent blue light window appeared before their eyes.
[The Ultimate Leveling System has chosen you as its vessel!]
[Acceptance will awaken the dormant Mana within you, unlocking boundless potential.In exchange, you will be bound by an unbreakable Soul Contract.]—[Click here to read the full contract details]
[Refusal will result in immediate death.]
[Accept the Awakening] / [Refuse and Perish]
Lan Xiaorong was confused. He did not know what it was, but it threatened to kill him if he dared to refuse its request.
The moment the words of acceptance came out of his mouth, he felt a surge of unfamiliar energy from inside him. It enveloped his entire body, making his skin glow with a blue light.
Lan Xiaorong panicked. He didn’t know what was going on, but then he started to feel a connection with the blue light energy. It felt similar to when he first awakened his spirit body and learned to move spiritual Qi for the first time.
Suddenly, another translucent blue light window appeared before him.
[Your Mana has Awakened!]
[Analyzing potential...]
[Detected: Level. 6 Mana Compatibility!]
[Detected: Level. 7 Wood Affinity!]
[Detected: Level. 5 Sword Talent!]
[Detected: a Slight Heroic Personality!]
[Detected: A Cultivator’s Natural Greed!]
[Potential analysis completed!]
[Class Acquired: Verdant Magic Knight (6★)]
[Awakening Complete!]
[Status Window is Now Available!]
He gazed at his skin as the blue light energy sank into his body, gathering at the center of his chest, close to his heart.
Lan Xiaorong sensed that his body suddenly felt a little stronger. He moved his divine sense all over himself, both inside and outside his body, trying to find out what the blue light energy had done to him—but he found nothing. He didn’t even know where the increase in strength had come from.
There was only a cluster of blue light energy in the center of his chest that was abnormal in his body.
"Brother Xiaorong! What is going on?!" Baixing shouted as his entire body glowed with blue light, just like Lan Xiaorong had moments ago.
Hearing Lan Baixing’s voice, the anger from the earlier event surged through Lan Xiaorong’s head. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he shouted back.
"Shut up! You hypocrite! You wanted me to die, didn't you?!" His voice was filled with rage at the betrayal.
"Please, Brother Xiaorong! The treasure is gone now—there's no reason for us to fight!" Baixing begged for mercy. The other two joined in as well, their courage to fight over the treasure vanishing the moment the Divine treasure itself disappeared.
For a while, all four of them shouted and cursed at each other. But eventually, they moved on to another matter.
"Has anyone heard about those blue cubes before?" Lan Xiaorong asked, only to receive headshakes from the other three, indicating they had no idea what those things were.
"Are they ghosts? I heard from mortals that sometimes they see transparent humans walking through walls. It was quite similar… Even though it didn't look like a human ghost, maybe it was a ghost of the spirit race?"
"Big Brother Xiaorong, I remember! It seemed to call itself the Ultimate Leveling System! It told me through the translucent window!" Lan Yueli said, confident in her memory.
"What the hell is the Ultimate Leveling System? Is it a Dao treasure?" Lan Xiaorong and Lan Yueli continued to discuss what they recalled from the translucent window.
Meanwhile, Lan Xuanyan remembered something about the last message he had received before the blue light energy settled in his chest.
Then, as he murmured certain words, his eyes widened, and he quickly called for the others’ attention.
"Brother Xiaorong! Baixing! Yueli! Look at this! Do you see it?!" Lan Xuanyan pointed at the empty air, his action causing the other three to look at him in confusion.
"What are you talking about? Are you seeing a ghost?" Lan Xiaorong mocked him, thinking Lan Xuanyan had finally lost his mind.
Lan Xuanyan scratched his head in frustration, confused as to why they couldn’t see what was so obvious right in front of him. He thought for a moment before an idea struck him.
"That's right! Everyone, please say the words Status Window! You might see what I see!" He urged the others to say it. At first, the three resisted, not wanting to look silly, but under Lan Xuanyan’s stubborn insistence, Lan Xiaorong finally gave in and spoke.
As soon as Lan Xiaorong said the words, a notification sound rang, and a translucent window appeared before his eyes. The sight was magnificent in his opinion. He didn't know it yet, but this thing could take him to heights he had never imagined.
Class: Verdant Magic Knight [6★]
Health Points (HP): [12 / 12]
Mana Points (MP): [11 / 11]
Constitution: 10 [+20%]
Magic Power: 10 [+10%]
[Skill Points Available]: 1
[Skill Selection Store]
Verdant Blade Manifestation (Lv. 1 / 100)
Evergreen Aegis (Lv. 1 / 100)
Verdant Knight Physique (Lv. 1 / 100)