The journey back to "Blackrock City" was entirely different from all his previous travels. Wei Shen was no longer the cautious phantom slinking between the shadows, fearful of every rustling leaf.
Now, thanks to the immense and stable power of the peak ninth level of Qi Condensation, he walked through the "Forest of Lost Souls" as if it were his own backyard.
He moved with speed and agility, his body, reforged in the fire of the "Crimson Magma Serpent," was light and strong, each step covering great distances with little to no effort.
The spiritual beasts that would have considered him easy prey in the past now sensed his aura from afar and fled in panic. He passed near a pack of "Rock Wolves," but the moment they sensed his presence, they let out faint whimpers and vanished between the trees as if they had seen the specter of death itself.
"Instinctive creatures," Wei Shen thought coldly as he watched them flee. "They respect power and flee from death. A simple and effective law."
He no longer thought about hunting for survival. The little meat he had kept from his previous kills was sufficient for his journey. All his focus now was on the city, on the reward, and on the next step in his grand plan.
The forest, which had been his prison, his place of torment and rebirth, had now become just a transitional phase, a mere memory on his path towards greater goals.
After only a single day of swift, continuous travel, he saw the walls of "Blackrock City" looming on the horizon.
He didn't enter directly. Instead, he stopped at a small, secluded river.
He looked at his reflection in the water. He was covered in dust and ash from the lava caves, and the dried bloodstains from his battle with the serpent. His clothes were torn and worn. He still looked like a savage who had just emerged from the wilderness.
"This appearance attracts the wrong kind of attention."
He stripped off his ragged clothes and washed himself in the cold river water, removing every trace of his recent battles from his body. Then, from his "storage bag," he took out the set of clean, simple clothes he had previously bought—the dark trousers, the gray shirt, and the black cloak with its hood.
When he put on his new clothes and looked at his reflection again, the transformation was complete.
There was no longer any trace of the savage hunter. Standing before him now was a handsome young man, with sharp features and a cold, deep gaze, radiating an aura of mystery and disciplined power. He had put on his urban mask once again, ready to enter a new stage.
He entered "Blackrock City" with quiet confidence. The guards at the gate gave him only a passing glance, and the passersby in the crowded streets instinctively made way for him, sensing the cold, aloof aura that surrounded him.
He didn't stop at his old inn, nor did he pay attention to anything else. He headed directly, with steady, calculated steps, towards the "Adventurers' Hall."
When he entered the hall, it was as boisterous as ever, teeming with mercenaries and adventurers who were drinking, laughing, and exchanging stories of hunts and rewards. But the moment Wei Shen crossed the threshold, a strange silence fell over a large part of the hall.
Many recognized him. He was that unknown boy, with the cold face, who had dared to accept the suicidal mission to kill the "Crimson Magma Serpent" several days ago.
The whispers began immediately.
"Look! It's that kid! He's back!"
"Impossible! Did he run from the mission? There's no way he could have survived!"
"But he looks… different. Calmer, and more… dangerous."
Wei Shen ignored all the whispers and stunned looks. He cut a path through the crowd that parted before him and went straight to the main counter where the supervisor "Brok," the large man with one arm, was sitting.
Brok raised his head from a ledger he was reading, and when he saw Wei Shen, his single eye widened in utter disbelief.
"You…" he stammered in a low voice. "The kid… You came back… alive?"
Wei Shen didn't speak. With absolute coldness, he placed the golden mission scroll on the wooden counter. Then, calmly, he took out the spoils from his "storage bag" and placed them next to the scroll.
First, the large leather waterskin, which still contained a significant amount of the serpent's dark, viscous crimson blood, which radiated a faint energy aura.
Then, the "Magma Heart." It was the size of a human head, still warm to the touch, and looked like a huge red gem pulsing with an inner light.
As soon as it appeared, the temperature in the hall rose noticeably.
At that moment, absolute silence fell over the entire hall.
Even the whining of the wind outside seemed to have stopped. All eyes, filled with shock, greed, terror, and disbelief, were fixed on the terrifying treasures on the counter, and then on the calm, cold young man who had brought them.
The adventurers who had been mocking him a few days ago were now pale-faced, their mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.
The supervisor "Brok," who had seen many battles and much blood in his life, found his single hand trembling slightly as he reached out to examine the spoils.
He touched the "Magma Heart" with extreme caution, feeling the heat and the immense power latent within it. Then he looked at the blood in the waterskin.
"By all the ancient spirits…" he whispered in a choked voice, raising his head to look at Wei Shen. "The heart and blood of the 'Crimson Magma Serpent'… You… you really did it. You killed it… alone."
Wei Shen nodded his head slowly, without any change in his facial expression.
It took "Brok" several minutes to regain his composure. He shouted at his assistants, and they quickly began to prepare the reward. He was now dealing with Wei Shen with a respect and fear he had never before shown to anyone in this hall.
After a few moments, he pushed several heavy cloth sacks and three polished white ceramic vials across the counter
"Five thousand low-grade spirit stones, and three vials of medium-grade 'Bone Tempering Pills'," "Brok" said in a formal voice. "Your reward in full, adventurer."
Calmly, without even counting it, Wei Shen placed all the sacks and vials into his "storage bag."
At the same time, "Brok" presented him with a small badge made of solid gold, engraved with the image of a serpent coiled around a sword. "And this… is the Gold-rank Adventurer's Badge. You're the first person in the history of 'Blackrock City' to earn it from a single mission."
Wei Shen took it, looked at it indifferently for a moment, then put it in his pocket.
As he turned to leave, "Brok" called out to him again. "Young Master…" His voice carried a completely different tone now, a tone of deep respect. "With such strength, your name will echo in every corner of this city. The 'Silver Moon Auction,' the largest auction in the region, will be held in less than two weeks.
Its gates will always be open to someone of your status and power."
Wei Shen didn't reply. He merely gave a slight nod without turning around, then continued his walk towards the exit.
The crowd parted before him once again, but this time, their looks did not carry mockery or pity, but a mixture of awe, envy, and absolute fear. This boy was no longer an unknown. He had become a terrifying legend born in a single day.
Wei Shen exited the "Adventurers' Hall" and returned to the crowded city streets. But this time, he saw it differently. It was no longer just a place to gather information; it had now become his new theater of operations, and he now possessed the resources to begin playing his own game.
He returned to his inn and closed the door. He emptied the contents of his "storage bag" onto the table: piles of gleaming spirit stones, vials of precious pills, his spoils from the sect, and his new treasures from the beasts.
"The first phase of the plan… is complete," he thought, looking at his new wealth. "Now, the second phase begins: the auction… the forging techniques… and the search for the components for my true breakthrough."
The first volume of the testimony of "Wei Shen" had ended. The Demonic Heir was born from the womb of blood and fire, and had established his footing in this new world.