I Only Wanted to Stay Unseen, Until...

Miu Toanh's response was a faintly flickering air-blade. Despite being at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, unleashing so many air-blades in quick succession had nearly drained his spiritual Qi energy dry.

"Hold him off!" Miu Toanh shouted. "I'll grab the blade and finish him!"

With that, he bolted toward the Blade of Life Hater lying on the floor.

Pay Ling lunged for the blade with cold eyes as well—but just as he closed in, Miu Toanh flashed a sinister grin. Another air-blade materialized at his fingertip, slashing viciously toward the back of Pay Ling's head.

In that split-second crisis, Pay Ling pressed his left hand to the ground, hurling himself forward. His right hand snatched the blade's hilt, and with a whip of his wrist, he swung it backward!

Clang!

The Life Hater met the air-blade. Pay Ling's hand went numb, the webbing of his palm splitting open in blood, but in this life-or-death moment, he ignored the pain. Scrambling to his feet, he charged at the trio, swinging the blade wildly.

Moments later, the room was in shambles. Lee Sagwon, Chou Ease, and Pay Ling were all bloodied and bruised. Lee Sagwon had it the worst—his right leg had been snapped by a brutal kick from Pay Ling, a jagged white bone jutting through the flesh at a grotesque angle.

Pay Ling hadn't come out unscathed either. The wound on his chest throbbed, bleeding profusely, while gashes on his back split open, the pain searing deep into his flesh.

Miu Toanh was the least battered, mostly intact save for a smear of blood under his nose.

But Miu Toanh's face was livid with rage!

A fifth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator against a measly fourth-layer newbie—not only had he failed to kill Pay Ling, but he'd just taken a fist to the nose. If word got out, he'd be a laughingstock!

To make jokes worse, he had two fourth-layer teammates backing him up!

Pay Ling was at his limit, his body held upright only by the weight of the Life-Loathing Blade. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, his eyes sharp and wary as they locked onto the trio. Every muscle screamed in protest, but he refused to fall.

Lee Sagwon broke the silence with a weak cough, his voice a rasping whisper. "You can stall this rotten mess for a pitiful second, but don't kid yourself—it'll catch up, you miserable cunt! Do you think tonight's bloodshed changes anything? As long as you're in the outer sect, you'll never know peace—not unless you hand over that blade. If you're smart you'd—"

"Then I'll slaughter all three of you," Pay Ling interrupted, his voice low, cold, and dripping with menace. "I'll wipe you out, cover my tracks, and disguise the blade. Who'd ever know it was me?"

With that, he hefted the Blade of Life Hater and charged again!

Chou Ease and Lee Sagwon paled, scrambling into defensive stances. Miu Toanh's hands flew to activate a Dao Fulu—but Pay Ling was already veering away, his charge a feint. In a flash, he bolted even quicker for the door and vanished into the night.

The cool night air hit him like a slap as he ran out of the courtyard. No sounds of pursuit reached his ears, but he didn't dare stop. His mind raced, recalling the rough layout he'd seen on the sand table. For a fleeting moment, he considered seeking out Pay Honine for help, but the thought was quickly dismissed. Instead, he turned toward the back mountain, where the forest was dense and the population sparse.

From what Lee Sagwon's crew had said, they barely respected Kinson Zheng—let alone Pay Honine. And if Sun Elaine was still with him? Better to head somewhere deserted.

Half an hour later, Pay Ling stumbled to a stop in the heart of a dense forest. His lungs burned, and his legs threatened to give out, but he forced himself to stay alert. Growing up roaming Mountain Yuan, he knew how to survive in the wild. After a quick scan of the area—no people, no threatening beasts, just the occasional chirp of sparrows and rustle of bugs—he finally allowed himself to breathe.

Exhaustion crashed over him like a wave. With trembling hands, he used the Blade of Life Hater to clear a patch of ground before collapsing onto it. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he glanced at his palm.

Under the faint starlight, it glistened with crimson blood.

"Dumb-ass system… Demon-ass sect…" Pay Ling's face twisted with anger, then settled into resignation. "Rotten luck. Fuck that ten-day deadline, how could I end up in this mess..."

After catching his breath and regaining a sliver of strength, he muttered, "System, I want to cultivate! Select the Blood Fiend Sword Art, Smart Duration! One-Click-Cultivation!"

~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* 

[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]

> All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation System™ is at your service! 

> [OCC] - One-Click-Cultivation activated.

> Features: Temporary practice, smart duration, and questionable decision-making.

…

Instantly, the control of his body slipped away. The system guided him to raise the Blade of Life Hater, striking a slow, deliberate starting pose before launching into a methodical practice.

At first, his movement was clumsy and awkward, but after two rounds of practice, it began to smooth out.

Leaping, dodging, and striking, Pay Ling's execution of the Blood Fiend Sword Art transformed from rigid repetition to fluid mastery. Beneath the dim glow of the stars, a flurry of chilling blade light danced around him in a speed of flash, forming an impenetrable wall of steel!

His body adapted to the sword art at an astonishing pace. Then, suddenly a familiar chime echoed in his mind.

~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* 

[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]

> Scanning host status...

> Detected Injuries:

 - Internal bleeding: Moderate

 - Qi depletion: Moderate

 - Mental stability: Questionable

> WARNING: Continuing [Blood Fiend Sword Art] practice will cause irreversible damage. (Error: 193)

> Pending...

"?!"

Pay Ling's heart raced, his mind washed with panic. 

What was the system going to do this time? Steal another "gift" from some random victim? Before his thoughts could spiral further, the system chimed again.

~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* 

[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]

> Pending… 

> Scanning inventory...

> Detected Restoration: [Spirit-Nourishing Pill]

Pay Ling could only watch as his body acted on its own, retrieving the pill from his robes and slipping it into his mouth.

~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* 

[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]

> Spirit-Nourishing Pill consumed.

> Restoration in progress... 20%… 

> Resuming [Blood Fiend Sword Art] Cultivation process...

As the pill dissolved, a warm current surged from his dantian, spreading swiftly to his limbs under the system's guidance. His battered, weary body began to heal at a speed he could feel, the pain ebbing away like a receding tide.

The congealed essence blood in his veins stirred, subtly transforming with each precise movement of the Blood Fiend Sword Art. It was as if the art itself was reshaping him from within, refining his very essence with every strike.

Lost in the rhythm, Pay Ling forgot his wounds, his grudge against Lee Sagwon's trio, even Fairy Lith's ten-day ultimatum. The thrill of cultivation consumed him, the satisfaction of growing stronger with each motion drowning out all else.

Until... 

The system chimed again.

~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* 

[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]

> Scanning cultivation requirements...

> Detected lack of Cultivation Material: [Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator Essence Blood] (Error: 191)

- Required quantity: 3

- Host inventory: EMPTY

- Error: Insufficient materials for cultivation.

> Executing optimal solution...

Pending... 

Pay Ling's eyes shot wide, his heart skipping a beat.

Before he could process the message, the system added calmly.

~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* 

[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]

> Pending... 

> All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation System™ has decided to be *GENEROUS* today! 

> Qi Refinement Stage cultivators x3 will be gifted to the host for FREE.

> Processing... 

???

Pay Ling's thoughts froze, then erupted into a storm of panic. Under Abyss Pit Sect laws, killing three Qi Refinement cultivators meant a fine ranging from 30,000 to 90,000 spirit stones—and he was penniless!

"Stop! Stop it!" he screamed internally, his thoughts a chaotic storm. "Cancel cultivation! ESC! Oh shit, fuck me!"

But the system ignored him completely, hijacking his body and sprinting out of the forest at breakneck speed toward the disciple residences.

At first, Pay Ling's panic was consumed by the looming fine, but he don't care about that anymore quickly.

Because his body was heading straight for Lee Sagwon trio's dorm lodge.

"FF-UUUUUH-KUH!!!"

The brain-dead system paid him no mind, leaving him to frantically scramble for a plan.

Lee Sagwon's crew might be injured, but three against one? And remember—when he ran earlier, Miu Toanh had brandished that Dao Fulu, its presence alone enough to send shivers down his spine. These silver-spoon brats, with their influential connections, definitely had aces up their sleeves!

Though he'd regained some strength, rushing back now was like delivering himself as a meal on a platter

His thoughts churned as his body halted abruptly at the courtyard gate. The system, mechanical and unfeeling, retrieved his nameplate, deactivated the lodge defense ward, and stormed in. Without hesitation, it kicked the door open with a loud bang!