Rise of The Abandoned Husband

I emerged from the fiery pit transformed. The sacred flames had burned away my weakness, leaving behind something stronger—something deadly.

The three purple-robed assassins from the Veridia City Martial Guild stood frozen in disbelief. Their shock was almost comical.

"Impossible..." one whispered, his voice trembling.

I stretched my arms, feeling the power coursing through every fiber of my being. "You've been waiting here an entire month just for me? I'm flattered."

The leader regained his composure first, drawing a gleaming blade that hummed with dark energy. "Knight! The Guild suspected you might survive. That's why we remained."

"How thoughtful," I said, rolling my shoulders. My new body felt incredible—lightweight yet impossibly dense. "And now you get to be the first to test what I've become."

The three exchanged nervous glances. They'd clearly heard about my encounter with Nigel Reyes.

"Formation Three," the leader barked, and they spread out to surround me.

I made no move to defend myself. "Don't hold back. I want to know exactly what this body can do."

Their attack came simultaneously—three blades striking from different angles with practiced precision. In my previous state, this would have been a deadly assault requiring all my defensive skills.

Now? I simply stood there.

The blades struck my bare skin with a metallic clang—and shattered. Not a single mark appeared on my flesh.

"Is that all?" I asked, genuinely disappointed.

The assassins stared in horror at their broken weapons. One backed away, trembling. "What are you?"

"I'm what happens when you push a man too far," I replied calmly. "I'm what happens when you take everything he loves."

The leader wasn't ready to concede. He pulled out a second weapon—a short staff that expanded into a full-length spear crackling with purple lightning. "Die, monster!"

He thrust the spear directly at my heart with enough force to impale an elephant. The tip struck my chest and crumpled like tin foil.

I smiled. "My turn."

With a casual gesture, I activated "Heavy Falling Space"—my gravity manipulation technique. The air around the three assassins suddenly thickened, and they dropped to their knees, struggling against the invisible weight.

"How does it feel?" I asked, approaching the leader slowly. "To be helpless? To be at someone else's mercy?"

"The Guild... will hunt you... forever," he gasped, fighting to remain upright.

I crouched before him, studying his terrified face. "Good. I'm counting on it."

With deliberate slowness, I placed my palm against his chest. "I need to test something."

Before he could respond, I drove my fist straight through his ribcage. Blood erupted from his mouth as I closed my fingers around his golden core—the concentrated essence of his cultivation.

I withdrew my hand, his core glowing softly in my palm, and let his body collapse. "Interesting."

The other two assassins watched in horror as I examined the golden orb. This was power in its purest form—decades of cultivation compressed into a single, brilliant point.

"Do you know what happens when one cultivator takes another's golden core?" I asked conversationally, rolling the orb between my fingers.

The younger assassin shook his head, too terrified to speak.

"Neither do I," I admitted. "But I'm about to find out."

With that, I placed the core against my chest. It dissolved instantly, merging with my body in a rush of heat and power. Energy surged through me, filling my meridians with liquid fire.

"Fascinating," I murmured, feeling my strength increase noticeably. "Simply fascinating."

I kicked the dead leader's body into the fiery pit. The sacred flames welcomed him with hungry tendrils.

The remaining assassins stared at me with abject terror. They'd come expecting to find my corpse—or at most, a weakened survivor. Instead, they'd encountered something beyond their comprehension.

"Please," the younger one begged. "We were just following orders."

"So am I," I replied. "My own."

I moved to him next, my speed beyond what his eyes could track. One moment I stood ten feet away, the next my hand was plunged into his chest.

His scream died as quickly as it began.

I extracted his golden core—smaller than the leader's but still valuable—and absorbed it immediately. Another surge of power, another layer of strength added to my already formidable reserves.

The last assassin had managed to stand despite the crushing gravity. He was older, more experienced—a true elite among the Guild's forces.

"You've changed, Knight," he said, his voice surprisingly steady. "You were once a healer. A man of honor."

"I still am," I countered. "But the world taught me that honor alone isn't enough. Sometimes you need to become the monster to fight the monsters."

He nodded slowly, accepting his fate. "Then make it quick."

I respected his courage. With a blur of movement, I appeared before him and drove my hand through his heart. His golden core—the largest of the three—pulsed with the energy of decades of cultivation.

As I absorbed it, I felt something shift within me. My meridians widened, my dantian expanded, and my awareness stretched outward like ripples in a pond.

I released the "Heavy Falling Space" technique, letting the bodies of the two dead assassins slump to the ground.

"Thank you for your contributions," I said to their remains, feeling no remorse. These men had come to confirm—or ensure—my death. They served a corrupt organization that had taken Isabelle and planned to use her blood to create an army of super-soldiers.

They deserved no mercy.

I examined my hands, noting how they seemed to glow from within. The sacred fire had fundamentally changed me, and now the absorbed golden cores were accelerating my evolution.

Three cores in rapid succession. A substantial power boost, but not nearly enough to challenge the Guild elders who held Isabelle captive.

I needed more.

A thought occurred to me—these assassins had been waiting here for a month, exposed to the harsh desert conditions. They were significantly weakened from their normal state. Against fresh Guild elites, even my enhanced body might not prove invulnerable.

I needed to test myself further, against stronger opponents.

Looking toward Veridia City in the distance, I smiled. The Guild would send more hunters once these three failed to report back. Each one would bring me their golden core, each one would increase my power.

By the time I reached Isabelle, I would be unstoppable.

I gathered the remaining belongings of the assassins—communication talismans, maps, weapons. Anything that might prove useful. Their purple robes I left behind; I had no interest in disguising myself. Let the Guild know exactly who was coming for them.

My stomach growled, reminding me that even my transformed body required sustenance. The month in the sacred fire had burned away all fat, leaving me lean and hungry.

I needed to eat, to rest briefly, and then to continue my journey toward Veridia City.

But first, I needed clothing. Walking naked across the continent would attract unwanted attention.

I rifled through the assassins' travel packs and found basic supplies—dried meat, water skins, and spare clothing. The largest assassin's robes would have to do, though they were tight across my new, broader shoulders.

As I dressed, I considered my next move. Jade Moon Villa was three days' journey to the west—my home base where The Man with the Mustache waited with the Cindercore crystal. That crystal was crucial to my plans for rescuing Isabelle.

But I was reluctant to return immediately. This new power flowing through me demanded exploration, testing, mastery.

I consumed the dried meat and water quickly, feeling my body processing the nutrients with supernatural efficiency. Already I could feel my strength returning, amplified by the three golden cores I'd absorbed.

I gazed toward Veridia City, my enhanced vision picking out details that would have been invisible before. Somewhere in that sprawling metropolis, Isabelle was being held prisoner, her blood harvested for the Guild's twisted experiments.

"I'm coming for you," I whispered. "And nothing will stand in my way."

I set off eastward, toward a small Guild outpost I knew was stationed in the foothills. It would make an excellent testing ground for my new abilities—and provide more golden cores to fuel my advancement.

The path to rescuing Isabelle would be paved with the bodies of those who served the Guild. And I would walk that path without hesitation.

As I moved across the desert landscape with inhuman speed, I felt a savage grin spread across my face. Let the Guild send their hunters. Let the Great Families dispatch their champions. Let them all come.

I would consume their golden cores and grow stronger with each defeat. By the time I reached the Martial Saint Realm, not even the Guild's vaunted elders would be able to stop me.

The man who had entered the sacred fire was gone. What emerged was something new—something forged in fire and unleashed in fury.

And the world would tremble before me.