The roar of engines tore through the heavens.
A colossal black airship—shaped like a jagged blade—hovered above the ruins of the Skyfire Clan. Its hull shimmered with void steel, impervious to mortal weapons. Runes pulsed across its surface, absorbing ambient Qi and distorting the space around it.
On its deck stood a cloaked figure, tall and cold, eyes glowing with violet fire.
Elder Varn of the Obsidian Void Sect.
"Report," he ordered.
A masked disciple knelt. "No survivors detected, Elder. The cleansing is complete."
Elder Varn narrowed his eyes.
"No," he said slowly. "The core's resonance… someone triggered it."
He stepped forward, gaze piercing the storm like a hawk's. Below, a lone figure stood atop the shattered altar, cloak fluttering in the wind, faint light radiating from his chest.
"Impossible…" Varn muttered. "The Genesis Core should've been locked."
Jin Long looked up, golden eyes meeting the elder's across the sky.
He raised his arm. The energy sword materialized again—pulsing with both Qi and something… alien. A soft hum vibrated through the air.
A warning.
Elder Varn raised a hand. "Send the Shadow Blades."
Five black streaks shot down from the ship—elite assassins garbed in Voidsteel armor, moving with the silence of death. Each was at least a Core Formation expert. In the past, Jin Long would have fled or died on the spot.
Now?
Now, the world felt different.
> "Host's combat efficiency: 37% and rising."
"Activating Echo Reflex Mode: Temporal delay of 0.7 seconds established."
Time seemed to slow. Jin Long's body moved before his mind could catch up—dodging, spinning, slashing. His energy blade tore through the first assassin's armor, then exploded into radiant shards that redirected mid-air and struck two more.
The last two hesitated—an error.
Jin Long's footwork shifted into Skyfire Phantom Steps, enhanced by the core's internal trajectory tracking system. He closed the gap in a blink and knocked both assassins unconscious with precise, surgical strikes.
Above, Elder Varn's expression darkened.
> "He's adapting to the core already? No… this isn't a coincidence."
> "This boy is a variable."
He turned away.
> "Retreat for now. I want him watched. Not killed."
As the airship pulled back into the storm, Jin Long knelt once more. Not from exhaustion—but from choice.
He reached into the broken earth and pulled out a hidden pendant—his mother's.
A tear fell onto the stone.
"I swear… every sect that betrayed us will fall."
> "New objective registered."
"Vengeance Path unlocked: Multiverse-level threat designation confirmed."
And just like that, the heavens acknowledged him not as prey, but as a contender.