Villain Seduces to Rise in Status

The next day had begun.

"Let’s go inside again... I’m quite excited now."

This was his first time controlling swords with telekinesis, like something straight from cultivation novels and superhero stories. Seriously, it felt like some dream come true.

He summoned his physical body into the inner sanctum and flew to the pagoda’s highest floor. The cosmic black ocean stretched below, stars reflecting across black waters that seemed to extend infinitely.

"Hmm... oh right, gravity. I can alter the laws of this place. Let’s increase it slightly, that should definitely improve my physical conditioning. I remember anime characters doing this too."

If gravity was to be measured. Then he had adjusted the parameters from 1x to 1.2x, deciding to increase it gradually as he got used to each level.

Cale settled into lotus position on the wooden floor, black energy pooling between his palms as he cycled through the control techniques he’d absorbed from the dead cultivator’s memories.

"Fuuu... let’s begin."

Across the chamber, suspended within a golden array, a black short sword hummed with dormant potential. With a sharp exhale, Cale forced a single glowing drop of his blood to float across the room and merge with the blade.

’Alright, consciousness has been merged. Now I just need it to recognize me.’

The moment blood made contact, crimson runes erupted violently across the blade’s surface.

Cale thrust his hand forward, establishing a tether of blue light, and the weapon shot from its hilt like a startled viper. It moved wildly across the ceiling, leaving brilliant white trails as it bounced chaotically off wooden architectures.

"Ugh!... it’s mentally exhausting! And that’s just with one fucking blade out of eighteen!"

Sweat beaded his forehead as he struggled to control the frantic weapon, his arms waving in sweeping motions.

’My head’s going to split open today.’

The blade nearly shattered a potted bonsai before he finally clamped down on his focus, releasing a burst of blinding spiritual pressure mixed with Origin Essence.

One minute... Two... Five... Ten...

Finally, the sword froze mid-air, suddenly docile, hovering obediently point-down inches from the floorboards.

"He... hehe... finally! Sigh, you’re like some rabid dog."

Breathing heavily, he approached his new acquisition, marveling at the top-grade treasure now bound to his lifeforce through blood refinement.

’I hope the others bind easier.’

He guided the weapon toward him with a casual wrist flick, but a sudden lapse in concentration sent it tearing through a wooden cabinet in an explosion of splinters.

’Phew... and I need to master all eighteen in these five hours. Wait, why didn’t my time increase to six hours? Maybe I need to reach Advance Stage in soul cultivation for that.’

For the next five days, or rather five hours in the external world—Cale and his two spiritual bodies bonded consciousness with each of the eighteen blades. Each weapon received a divine consciousness of its own, meaning now it was capable of learning and adapting through battle like a sentient being.

***

Deep within his mind realm, Cale existed in meditation.

His main body anchored itself in a blazing, subterranean landscape of roaring flames, quietly refining the violent ambient energy of the floating Thorned Lotus fan.

With a flicker of his will, a transparent golden figure stepped from his physical form, his spiritual soul body.

While his flesh remained locked sitting, refining the blades, his soul body advanced along a different path.

Raising a single hand, the golden spirit commanded the tyrannical flames surrounding him.

He pulled down a massive pillar of roaring fire onto molten rock, using the sheer terrifying heat of his consciousness to forge a spiritual sword from the fan’s metal.

Cale’s spirit swung the newly forged blade with monstrous force, unleashing arcs of fiery orange and black sword light that cleaved straight through the freezing blue mist of the inner sanctum.

Now, with the Ashes of Undying merged, the fan could change to any shape by providing additional energy and not increasing to a very high volume.

Like, the fan could change to multiple swords. Hundreds too, but not five hundred. Something like that.

’Is my bottleneck finally breaking?’ he thought, feeling his body tremble with surging power.

Finally, a massive roaring storm of chaotic black flames erupted around his main body.

The intense fiery vortex condensed violently, absorbing directly into his bare, tempered flesh. He had consumed every remaining item, herb, spiritual stone to nurture both body and cultivation simultaneously.

’Who knows when we’ll be ambushed again.’

His eyes remained closed, but the aura exploding from him was heavy, vast, and overwhelmingly powerful.

His cultivation had finally achieved Peak Master Stage!

He opened his eyes and smiled.

"Indeed, refining and cultivating simultaneously produces better output. Or maybe it’s just because my body’s main function is refinement now... hmm."

[Congratulations host for advancing to Peak Master Stage!]

[Reward: Quasi-Lightning (Normal) → Lightning (Normal)]

[+100 Blank Points]

[Choose a bloodline as reward!

>Ancestral Black Dragon,

>Bloodred Phoenix,

>Kunpeng Divine.]

His eyes widened at the third option. ’Kunpeng?’

He had never heard anyone mention a Kunpeng in this world. He knew from NovelPhoenixs and manga what they were supposed to look like, but never encountered one here.

Hell he had even seen a Phoenix and Azure Dragon in his past lives, but never a Kunpeng.

And seriously, he needed defensive capabilities now. The system had focused almost entirely on offensive power. A divine bloodline offering balance appealed to him a lot.

’And it’s "Divine"—though I don’t know if all three are equivalent or if this is some test of my knowledge.’

"Phew."

He selected the Kunpeng Divine bloodline.

[Congratulations host! Divine blood flows through your veins! A drop of divine Kunpeng’s blood has been integrated into your bloodstream]

[Kunpeng [Divine]: 12% (Perfected)]

’A-a drop? Ah... I’d probably die if I absorbed more than this. As expected of divine spiritual beasts.’

He checked its properties.

[Forces the user’s Qi pathways to seamlessly fuse extreme sub-zero ocean energy and blinding solar sky fire. Grants two completely different combat modes switchable at will. Host receives high-level immunity against water and fire users.]

"Hmm, don’t I already possess something similar? Well, the immunity is still useful."

[The bloodline transforms the cultivator’s stomach and energy core into a mini black hole. Can swallow, dissolve, and safely absorb raw poisons, enemy spells, or massive spiritual plants to a high degree, that would normally detonate an ordinary cultivator.]

He grinned wickedly. "Hehe, now I can conduct crazy refinement like a mad scientist without worrying about backlash!!"

[Absolute Speed Supremacy: Known as the fastest bloodline in the celestial realm. Grants high speed in air and water, allowing the user to tear through space fabric and cross tens of miles in a few seconds with sufficient energy, completely bypassing enemy formations.]

[Aura of Beast Suppression: Because the Ancestral Kunpeng is the absolute apex predator of skies and seas, a single surge of this bloodline releases terrifying pressure. Can instantly paralyze, weaken, or terrify lower-tier beast clans like Gryphons, Sea Serpents, or ordinary Eagles. Host’s Will and spiritual pressure strength increased. Host’s Domain strength increased significantly.]

[The blood acts as a high-tier healing and refining serum. Because the beast represents endless vitality of celestial oceans, dense concentration accelerates cellular healing, mends shattered bones, and clears deep spiritual curses. Process will be slow for host considering only a single drop of divine blood.]

Again, this too seemed modified to complement the Genetic Ascension he’d just acquired.

As if the system had already predicted he’d choose this specific bloodline.

’Sigh... I’m not even going to argue anymore. Let’s see where this goes.’

Strangely, acquiring a divine bloodline didn’t feel different at all. No sudden surge of power or some transformation.

"It’s time to go back now."

He exited the inner sanctum, consciousness returning to his physical form.