System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 654: The Breath of the Grave

Back at the grand commercial plaza, the thick, suffocating pressure of the Vice Hall Master’s Early Golden Core aura continued to vibrate through the polished white stone of the reception hall. The crimson alchemical flames dancing across his ancient fingers cast long, sinister shadows against the walls, threatening to reduce the massive mansion to a pile of ash. The engineering crew stood their ground, their faces pale with sweat as they gripped their defensive formation tools, desperately invoking the legal authority of the Branch Leader to halt the impending destruction.

Yet, the Vice Hall Master merely let out a harsh, guttural laugh, his eyes burning with absolute, unchecked arrogance. "The Branch Leader’s permits? Do you honestly believe a piece of administrative paper will protect this rogue trash from the righteous wrath of the Alchemical guild? I will raze this entire structure, and if the commander wishes to file a formal complaint, he can do so over your charred corpses!"

"I would highly advise against ruining the pristine masonry," a deep, chillingly smooth suddenly echoed from the side of the hall.

The voice didn’t carry a massive explosion of qi, yet it cut through the oppressive Golden Core pressure with the effortless precision of a razor-sharp blade.

Ethan slowly stepped out from behind the shadow of the mahogany counter, his hands still casually tucked into the wide sleeves of his spotless white robes. His towering, muscular frame immediately dominated the visual space, and his piercing amethyst eyes locked onto the contingent of orange-robed alchemists with a cold, thoroughly mocking amusement. Maeve stepped back slightly, her face instantly melting into an expression of absolute, unshakeable confidence the moment her master took the stage.

"Who the hell are you, rookie?!" the lead senior alchemist barked, his hand aggressively snapping to the hilt of his sword as he stared down the tall youth. "State your name before our master thoroughly incinerates you along with this illegal monument!"

Ethan stopped just a few paces away from the vanguard of the alchemical force, looking completely unbothered by the volatile, swirling crimson flames pulsing from the Vice Hall Master’s hands.

"Gentlemen, welcome to my humble establishment," Ethan said, a dark, predatory smile slowly curling the corners of his lips. "I am Ethan Brightsword, the Master of the Immortal Doctor’s Pavilion. I couldn’t help but overhear your incredibly loud, dramatic entrance. Tell me... would you care for a formal, comprehensive medical treatment today?"

The Vice Hall Master’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, his ancient face contorting with immediate offense. "You... you are that arrogant frontier rat who has been practicing fraudulent internal medicine across our transit nodes?"

"Fraudulent? Far from it," Ethan replied smoothly, taking a slow, calculated step forward. He tilted his head, his clinical, analytical gaze sweeping across the faces of the senior alchemists as if he were inspecting a row of diseased livestock. "In fact, looking closely at your current complexions, every single one of you looks remarkably unwell. The skin beneath your eyes is utterly translucent, your spiritual internal pathways are suffocating under the toxic back-draft of your poorly refined pills, and your vital life essence is violently fluctuating. It truly looks as if the literal, cold shadow of death is currently looming directly over your shoulders. Perhaps a mandatory consultation is exactly what you need to survive the week."

The grand hall instantly went dead silent. The engineering crew practically stopped breathing, their minds completely shattered by the sheer, unadulterated audacity of this young man. He wasn’t just talking back to a Golden Core powerhouse; he was casually diagnosing an entire contingent of elite, wealthy sect alchemists as walking corpses.

"You dare insult our physical constitutions, you insolent piece of trash?!" the lead senior disciple roared, his face violently turning crimson with rage. "Our masters possess the highest, most pristine longevity techniques on this mountain! You are nothing more than a bottom-tier outer rookie who survived on frontier luck!"

"Longevity?" Ethan let out a low, deeply mocking chuckle that echoed off the high ceilings, his amethyst eyes flashing with a dangerous, razor-sharp edge. "You call that erratic, contaminated internal energy ’longevity’? You are practically drowning in your own alchemical impurities. If you refuse my professional treatment today, I highly doubt half of your senior staff will possess the physical capability to draw breath by the time the next full moon rises. So tell me, Vice Hall Master... shall we begin your diagnosis, or do you intend to continue playing the role of a loud, loud-mouthed corpse in the middle of my lobby?"

The Vice Hall Master’s ancient face transformed into a mask of pure, unbridled psychotic fury. The crimson alchemical flames swirling around his hands exploded outward, the intense heat causing the very air in the lobby to distort and warp. "You insolent, low-born maggot! I will burn your soul into absolute nothingness for your arrogance!"

Despite the old man standing an entire major realm above, Ethan did not experience a single millisecond of fear. Instead, a surge of raw, terrifying passion began to aggressively race through his veins. He could feel the intoxicating, intoxicating excitement of the blood frenzy clawing at his mind, causing his Primordial Void Body to violently tremble with a desperate hunger to unleash its full, unrestricted combat potential.

During his recent breakthrough alongside Great Elder Hestia, Ethan’s ancient lineage had undergone a massive, monumental evolution. The colossal, cosmic entity that used to manifest as a phantom behind his back had now fully solidified and integrated directly inside his soul matrix. It would no longer clumsily appear as an outward illusion; if Ethan were to truly pull back the seals and unleash his absolute, unholy strength, his entire physical vessel would instantly transmute into a Nightmare Void form, overflowing with a cataclysmic torrent of pure, world-ending void essence.

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

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Sword mastery levels

Sword Intent.

Sword Aura.