C3 Absolute Kill

The Hua Mansion, situated in the western part of the city, boasted five expansive courtyards and numerous spacious rooms. The estate was adorned with elegant pavilions, towers, artificial mountains, and ponds. With over a hundred servants and slaves, the mansion was affluent by any standard.

Yet, in comparison to the Liu family of God Burial City, the Hua Mansion paled into insignificance.

Huah Yunfei was in his bedroom, reflecting on the day's events. Having spent nine days and nights in the library, it was time to move on, so he settled into his former residence.

His recent research in the library had enlightened him about the Galaxy Realm and today's occurrences, providing Huah Yunfei with a clearer vision of his future in this world.

"In the Galaxy Realm, laws and punishments often serve merely as window dressing. The Liu family's brazen behavior at the City Lord Mansion is proof enough that here, might makes right, and the weak are at the mercy of the strong."

"With this understanding, my next objective is crystal clear. Let's call it the 'three-step strategy.'"

"For the future, which is the third step, I must rise to become a formidable force in the Galaxy Realm, shielding my loved ones from oppression. Possessing the unique ability to sense the Spiritual Energy in all things, given enough time, my ambitions are far from mere fantasy."

"The second step involves confronting the Liu family of God Burial City. I owe it to the original owner of this body to seek vengeance, and I suspect they've long coveted my Hua Mansion."

"The first and most pressing step is to ally with powerful forces outside the city, ensuring the City Lord Mansion hesitates before making any fatal moves. This is precisely why I've entrusted the Five Elements Spirit Stone to Great Boss Wu of the Endless Depository for auction."

The Endless Depository, overseen by the Great Boss Wu, is a top-tier trading company within the Galaxy Realm. If anyone in the God Burial City could rival City Lord Liu, it would undoubtedly be Great Boss Wu from the Endless Depository.

"I need to forge connections with Great Boss Wu externally, while internally, I must rapidly bolster my own combat abilities. Strength is the ultimate safeguard, and to achieve formidable combat prowess, I inevitably depend on 'it'."

Huah Yunfei gazed at the white jade box before him. Upon opening the box, he found an ancient cloth lining the interior, its original hue long faded beyond recognition. Resting on the cloth was a nondescript black iron plate, palm-sized, with the word "Destruction" inscribed on it. Its unassuming appearance was precisely why it had sat untouched for so many years in the family's library.

Yet, this iron plate from the jade box represented Huah Yunfei's most significant find after nine days and nights of searching. To him, the unassuming iron plate radiated a terrifyingly potent aura, one that even made the luster of a top-grade Five Elements Spirit Stone seem dim in comparison.

The iron plate contained a cultivation technique known as "Destruction Dao," which consisted of merely four moves. The first move, "Sword Breaking Style," promised that at its peak, one could shatter all Spirit Weapons in existence. The second was "Destruction Technique," followed by "Destruction Law," and finally, "Destruction Dao." The latter three moves could only be practiced after one had surpassed the Foundation Establishment phase and reached the Golden Core stage.

The Sword Breaking Style, even in its nascent form within the Qi Refining Realm, had already exceeded Huah Yunfei's wildest expectations. Now, having reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, Huah Yunfei found further progress in the Sword Breaking Style elusive. It was time for him to ascend to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

To achieve Foundation Establishment, one required a Foundation Establishment Stone. A high-quality stone could solidify a cultivator's base, promising a boundless future. In contrast, an ordinary stone was akin to a castle in the air, making any advancement to the Golden Core Realm an almost insurmountable challenge.

If an average person used a top-grade Five Elements Spirit Stone for their Foundation Establishment, they would find condensing a Golden Core to be a straightforward task in the future.

Huah Yunfei decided to auction off the top-grade Five Elements Spirit Stone partly to befriend Great Boss Wu and partly because he had a superior alternative in mind.

Gazing at the three raw stones on the table, Huah Yunfei's face broke into a smile full of intrigue.

"I hope you won't let me down."

The Huah family was renowned for their weapon forging prowess in God Burial City.

God Burial City earned its name because the "Nameless Master" once crafted the God Burial Sword, one of the universe's top ten Spirit Weapons, within its walls.

The Huah family's ancestors were disciples of this Nameless Master. Although they didn't inherit his complete legacy, they gained invaluable teachings and experiences that would elude most ordinary blacksmiths in their lifetimes.

The ores and raw stones necessary for forging were often found together, closely linked in their existence.

Hence, the Huah residence also boasted its own stone cutting workshop.

Tiancheng, now middle-aged and portly, with a ruddy, plump face, stood outside the workshop like a deity of wealth. He peered at the firmly closed doors, his expression a peculiar mix of pleasure and consternation. His hands were clasped behind him, fingers restlessly intertwining.

Tiancheng had raised such a son. The boy's mother had passed away early, and he had been too tender-hearted to discipline him. With no shortage of money, he indulged his son's whims, inadvertently turning him into a standard bearer for mischief and a magnet for trouble.

His son had spent his days mingling with the spoiled heirs of God Burial City, stirring up chaos throughout the city.

By the time Tiancheng realized he needed to intervene, he found himself at a loss; his son had become a hardened ruffian, impervious to reason or persuasion.

Unexpectedly, after recovering from an illness, his son seemed to have transformed entirely.

He had secluded himself in the Huah family's Book Collection Vault for a full nine days and nights.

After a casual stroll, he stumbled upon treasures like the top-grade Five Elements Spirit Stone and the Thunder Spirit Stone.

Upon his return, he rushed into the stone-cutting workshop, mysteriously shooing all the artisans away.

Hua Tiancheng was finding his son more and more enigmatic.

"Regardless, he's an improvement over the troublemaker he used to be," Hua mused, clenching his fists with a mix of relief and anticipation. "Today, my son brought three raw stones into the workshop. I'm curious to see what treasures he'll unearth."

Just then, the workshop door cracked open, and Huah Yunfei emerged to face his father, Hua Tiancheng. "Dad, would you like to come in and have a look?"

Hua Tiancheng burst into laughter, playfully chiding his son, "You rascal, at least you've got a shred of decency. Let me come in and offer some guidance."

"In my day, I was a notable figure in the Endless Depository. They called me 'Little Stone King.' Your mother fell for my extraordinary looks and keen eye..."

Boasting about his past exploits, Hua Tiancheng walked past the cutting tables to the most secure room in the back. This unique, metal-forged room was as solid as the vaults of the God Burial City, where the Hua family assessed their most valuable stones and ores.

They entered the room, pushing open the hefty black metal door, and Hua Tiancheng's incessant chatter came to an abrupt halt.

The floor was strewn with fragments and dust from raw stones. On the cutting table, three jade boxes were neatly arranged.

Clearly, the Spirit Stones had been expertly extracted by his son and were now housed within the jade boxes.

Grandfather Hua touched his nose and, with trembling hands, opened the first box.

Inside lay a crystal as dark as ink, with golden lightning patterns flickering within—a middle-grade Thunder Spirit Stone, arguably the most powerful among its peers.

Gazing at the Spirit Stone on the table, which was as black as ink with golden lightning patterns intermittently flashing within, he couldn't help but marvel.

"This Thunder Spirit Stone is a superior Spirit Stone. Sadly, they're incredibly rare. You've already found a low-grade Thunder Spirit Stone. If you manage to collect three, they could be used to lay a foundation nearly on par with a top-tier Five Elements Spirit Stone. But how often does such good fortune just drop into our laps?"

Hua Tiancheng mumbled to himself as he opened the second jade box, only to accidentally bite his tongue in shock.

"You lucky kid... How... How did you stumble upon such fortune!? Another Thunder Spirit Stone, and it's a superior one at that," Old Master Hua exclaimed, his words muffled by his swollen tongue.

He doubted his own eyes as he cradled the Thunder Spirit Stone in his palm for a closer look, then resigned himself to the truth.

Indeed, a superior Thunder Spirit Stone lay before him.

The lower and middle-grade Thunder Spirit Stones typically displayed numerous branch-like patterns of irregular lightning.

However, the Thunder Spirit Stone in Hua Tiancheng's grasp housed a lifelike golden serpent. With each flick of its tail, a web of intricate golden lightning would briefly illuminate before fading away.

The presence of the lightning serpent was the hallmark of a superior Spirit Stone.

"Could it possibly be a top-grade Thunder Spirit Stone this time?" he wondered.

Hua Tiancheng eyed the final jade box, his hands shaking as he reached out. He couldn't help but spit to steady his nerves and then chuckled at his own foolishness. "How could it be? My son isn't some legendary nameless master."

The fabled nameless master was said to possess the extraordinary ability to discern the true nature of raw stones.

Huah Yunfei simply offered a faint smile in response to his father's musings.

Snap!

The final jade box was opened by Hua Tiancheng, and he was momentarily petrified by what he saw.

Inside the box was a segment of dark, semi-translucent crystal, no longer than a finger.

Yet, this small piece of Spirit Stone had Hua Tiancheng utterly bewildered.

It was indeed a top-grade Thunder Spirit Stone!

Encased within the finger-length dark crystal was a golden dragon seal. With each breath the dragon took, a golden web would form instantaneously, enveloping the entire Spirit Stone in a dazzling display.

The breath of the thunder dragon was as swift and brilliant as a bolt of lightning!

This was the hallmark of a top-grade Thunder Spirit Stone.

Hua Tiancheng snapped back to attention, his expression now gravely serious. "Don't let anything else occupy your mind right now, you little rascal. The priority is to refine this top-grade Thunder Spirit Stone and establish your foundation. I will stand guard for you. You cannot leave this place until your foundation is complete, and I won't allow anyone to disturb you."

"Dad..."

"Forget the rest. I won't pry. Simply put, your destiny is the destiny of our Hua Manor. The might of this top-grade Thunder Spirit Stone rivals that of a top-grade Five Elements Spirit Stone. As for acquiring more exceedingly rare Thunder Spirit Stones to aid your progression in the future, leave that to me," Hua Tiancheng declared with conviction. It was clear from his demeanor that he was ready to go to any lengths to support his son's advancement.

"Dad is unaware that detecting Thunder Spirit Stones within raw stones is now a trivial task for me. The love of a parent is universal, and in honor of Dad's intentions, I must strive to become stronger and protect our home."

Huah Yunfei offered no further words. He simply nodded, sat down cross-legged, and placed the top-grade Thunder Spirit Stone in his palms, beginning his attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Huah Yunfei remained seated for a full two days and nights.

During that time, under Hua Tiancheng's watchful eye, the Chaos Egg in Huah Yunfei's hands slowly vanished, integrating into his body.

And within Huah Yunfei, a small cauldron began to take shape.