Chapter Fourteen

"So this is how it feels to be the predator instead of the prey." Ever since he started showing the beasts what true fear meant, the terror directed toward him had become overwhelming.

Even he was slightly shocked by how exaggerated their reactions had become. Of course, any beast that had witnessed him massacring and tormenting others would understand perfectly why.

Liyu glanced sideways at a fox type beast with two tails that was desperately trying to merge with the surrounding scenery while avoiding his gaze, as if eye contact alone would kill it instantly. Liyu gave the fox a small smile.

The moment the beast saw it, its entire body shivered violently in panic. Yet instead of jumping at it and tearing it apart, Liyu simply turned away and continued walking toward his cave.

Soon, he sat cross-legged inside the cave while staring at the pile of beast cores before him. There were exactly eighty cores. This would be his second body refinement session since the last insane breakthrough that pushed him into the seventh stage of Body Refinement.

And this time, he had learned his lesson about greed. Instead of recklessly devouring nearly two hundred beast cores again, he limited himself to only eighty. Although the process would still be unimaginably painful, he was at least confident that he would survive this time.

After swallowing the last beast core, Liyu slowly closed his eyes. Then the refinement began. The essence stored within the beast cores exploded through his body all at once, flooding his flesh with violent energy currents.

Even with his monstrous endurance, his body groaned under the torment of being broken apart and reforged repeatedly. Liyu clenched his teeth tightly and focused on guiding the energy through his body.

Blood poured endlessly from his pores as his skin split apart. Layers of flesh peeled away while new flesh regenerated beneath them, stronger and denser than before.

The process repeated itself over and over again in a horrifying cycle. The pain was massive as always. Yet Liyu had long since grown used to enduring agony. So he simply bore with it and continued refining.

After finishing with his flesh and muscles, he directed the energy toward his bones. That was when the real torture began. The moment the essence invaded his skeletal structure, the sounds of cracking bones echoed throughout the cave.

Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah! His bones trembled violently before shattering apart piece by piece, reduced into fragments and powder within his own flesh. Veins bulged across Liyu’s blood covered body as he endured the agony silently.

Soon, new bones began forming in place of the destroyed ones. Stronger. Denser. Far more terrifying than before. After a long while, the bone refinement finally completed. Then came the final and worst stage. His organs. Liyu inhaled deeply before directing the remaining essence toward his innards. Several seconds later, "Ghhhhh!"

A muffled scream escaped his mouth. His organs were being destroyed and rebuilt at an insane speed. His lungs ruptured before regenerating. His stomach twisted violently. Even his heart cracked repeatedly under the pressure before restoring itself again and again.

The torment was enough to make any normal cultivator lose consciousness instantly. But Liyu endured it. Pain had practically become part of his cultivation path at this point.

Several minutes passed. Then suddenly, his heartbeat stopped. One second passed. Then two. Then three. By the fifth second, nothing happened. Liyu simply sat there motionless like a corpse.

Then, at the tenth second, Thump. His newly forged heart suddenly beat once. Then twice. Then faster and faster until blood began circulating throughout his body once more, reviving the terrifying physique that had just been refined again.

Liyu breathed heavily as the session finally ended. "Sincerely, there’s no way I’m ever getting used to this torture," he muttered weakly. Yet at the same time, another part of him didn’t want to stop. Because the more he refined his body, the more overwhelming strength surged through every inch of him. His muscles felt packed with explosive force. His bones felt indestructible. Even breathing made him feel powerful.

Liyu slowly clenched and unclenched his fist, trying to gauge his newfound strength. Surely after two brutal refinement sessions, he should have already broken into the eighth stage of Body Refinement.

Although the jump from the seventh stage to the eighth didn’t sound massive, the increase in power flowing through him right now was anything but small. As if confirming his thoughts, the system chimed.

[Ding! Host has successfully broken through to the Eighth Stage of the Body Refinement Realm.]

Liyu grinned. "Well, I figured as much." Feeling refreshed and considerably stronger, Liyu summoned his status panel.

[System: Infinite Reflection System

Host: Liyu

Current Realm: Body Refinement Realm

Stage: 8th Stage

Physique

Primal Tyrant Physique

Grade: Divine

Current Rank: Basic

Evolution Completion Rate: 300/1000

Evolution Requirement:

Kill enemies or beasts at least two levels above yourself.

Clones

Current Number of Clones: 0

Requirement: Reach Level 1 to create first clone.

Current Level: 0

EXP Required to Level Up: 90/100

Core Tabs

1. Status

Name: Liyu

Realm: Body Refinement

Physique: Primal Tyrant

Combat Power: 2000+

Spirit Root Grade: Divine

Cultivation Technique: None

Titles: Devouring Debt

Bloodline: None

Essence Point: 2500

2. Reflections

Contains all clones and their descriptions.

Current Clones: None

Create a clone before unlocking this tab fully.

3. Synchronization

Requires at least one clone to unlock.

4. Storage Space

Large space for pills, weapons, relics, artifacts, and other items.

Feature locked. Reach Level 1 or enter the Qi Gathering Realm to unlock.

5. Special Skill

Berserker — Rank S

A dormant survival ability that activates only when the user is pushed to the brink of death.

Once activated, the physique abandons all restraints and forcibly drags the body beyond its natural limits. All body functions are multiplied fifty times over.

In this state, the user fights like a cornered beast driven purely by survival and destruction.

Warning: The closer the host is to death, the more terrifying the physique becomes.

6. Eyes

Origin Eyes

Grade: Supreme

Rank: Basic

Eyes Rank will evolve alongside the host’s breakthrough into higher realms.

That was basically everything. If there was one thing progressing far slower than his cultivation realm, it was definitely his system level. He had spent weeks slaughtering beasts nonstop, yet he was somehow still Level 0 without even obtaining his first clone.

"Hey system," Liyu muttered internally with annoyance. "This is starting to feel more like a scam than an actual cheat ability. Why the hell haven’t I leveled up yet?" Based on all the transmigration stories and anime he had consumed back on Earth, he was absolutely certain that leveling up shouldn’t take this long. If another protagonist had killed as many beasts as he had, they would probably be Level 5 already. Yet here he was, still Level 0.

"Care to explain yourself?" Liyu grunted internally.

The system replied in its usual monotone voice, sounding oddly lazy as if dealing with Liyu’s complaints was beneath it. [Host, I already explained how the leveling mechanism works. You only gain significant EXP when defeating enemies that actually force you to struggle. Kill beasts equal to your level or stronger than you, and the EXP gained increases dramatically.]

Liyu groaned. "So you’re telling me that slaughtering a bunch of peak Level 1 beasts and even some Level 2 beasts somehow doesn’t count as difficult battles?"

[Correct. Although their cultivation realms were technically higher than yours, they were still overwhelmingly weaker than the current Host. Fighting them was closer to bullying than actual combat.]

Liyu’s expression became slightly smug for a moment before irritation returned again. "So basically Level 1 beasts are useless to me now?"

[Essentially.]

"Sincerely, this system is completely messed up," Liyu cursed under his breath. "Where’s the classic eternal grind every protagonist is supposed to enjoy? Why do I have to constantly risk my life just to level up?"

Despite his complaints, Liyu was already roasting a massive slab of beast meat over a fire nearby. The smell alone made his stomach growl violently. [Affirmative, Host. Your physique, combined with the system’s core growth mechanism, suggests that your fastest path toward strength is through constant battle and near-death struggles.]

Liyu’s eye twitched. "And which lunatic designed a system like that?"

The system remained silent. That silence alone gave him the answer he needed. "The Dark Monarch," Liyu cursed. "Of course it’s that damn bastard." He was almost certain that terrifying existence was somewhere out there watching his suffering with amusement.

Liyu swore inwardly that if he ever became strong enough, he would personally find the Dark Monarch one day and beat him senseless. That thought alone brought him a surprising amount of comfort.

Soon, he focused entirely on eating. And eating. And eating. The amount of meat Liyu consumed in one sitting was enough to feed an entire household alongside their neighbors for an entire day. Yet to him, it felt perfectly normal. After all, once cultivators began tempering their bodies, their energy consumption skyrocketed far beyond ordinary humans. And Liyu’s body was anything but ordinary. Still, if other Body Refinement cultivators saw how much a single person was eating right now, they would probably faint on the spot. Then again, nothing about Liyu had ever been normal to begin with.

As Liyu enjoyed his massive meal, he suddenly asked, "Hey system, so in simple words, if I want to level up faster and gain access to the cloning feature of the system, I would need to face beasts that are not just in higher realms, but are actually stronger than myself?"

[Affirmative, host. The more stimulating the battle is, the more the host is pushed to the edge, the more EXP will be received once the enemy is slain.]

"Oh," Liyu muttered calmly before a slow smile spread across his face. "Guess I’ll be reaching level one tomorrow then."

"Stimulating battle." His expression slowly darkened. "I’ll be getting a very stimulating one soon."

The system instantly sensed danger. [Host, what are you planning?] the system asked cautiously, sounding both curious and concerned.

Liyu simply continued eating as he shrugged lazily. "Don’t bother. What I want to do is safe... totally safe."

The system immediately fell into turmoil. Whenever the host said something was "totally safe," disaster usually followed shortly afterward. And unfortunately, the system’s instincts were absolutely correct.

The next day, Liyu stood at the entrance of a massive cave. And it wasn’t his cave. The system’s voice rang out almost immediately. [Host, what are you doing here?] A brief pause followed before the system spoke again, this time sounding genuinely alarmed. [You aren’t planning to fight the beast resting inside this cave, are you?]

There was part disbelief and part curiosity regarding just how insane Liyu truly was. Liyu shrugged casually. "Well, maybe. Maybe maybe."

[Host, I know you are strong. Perhaps even stronger after reaching the eighth stage of the Body Refinement Realm. But that beast...] The system paused heavily before continuing.

[That beast is at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. And not a weakling.] Another pause followed, allowing the weight of those words to settle fully. [Not to damage your self-esteem or anything of such, host, but your chances of victory against a beast of that caliber are less than ten percent. Host, turn back while you still can.]

But as always, Liyu did not listen. Instead, he stepped directly into the lion’s den. Well, not exactly a lion’s den. Curled deep within the cave was a gigantic reptilian beast resting around its nest.

A king cobra.

A monstrous one.

No sane person would ever compare this creature to the king cobras of Earth. Even hundreds of those combined would not be enough to scratch this terrifying monster.

The moment Liyu activated his Origin Eyes, he immediately understood just what kind of creature he was facing.

A true monster.

The oppressive pressure filling the cave was suffocating. Even Liyu’s abnormally tough skin prickled slightly beneath the overwhelming aura.

"Host, turn around and flee now. You cannot beat that beast. Don’t even think about risking your life like this."

Liyu merely shrugged.

"Well, you’re the one that told me to face strong opponents if I wanted to level up faster, right?"

The system’s voice exploded loudly inside his mind, furious beyond belief.

"I told you to fight strong opponents within your capacity to defeat! Not something you clearly cannot overcome!"

"Host, you have not been discovered yet. This is your best chance to escape. There is absolutely no way you are beating that thing with your current combat power."

The system sounded genuinely worried.

And honestly, it had every reason to be.

If Liyu died, the system would perish alongside him. Their existences were bound together.

So despite how tempting it occasionally felt for the insufferable host to die, the system still desperately wanted him alive.

"Host. Leave. Now."

"Hey, chill sys," Liyu replied with another careless shrug. "I’m not planning to fight that thing head-on."

A dangerous grin slowly formed on his face.

"I have a plan. Trust me."

"I’m going to kill it."

The system went silent.

It already knew there was no point trying to convince Liyu once his mind was made up.

Still. It had three final words, just three.

"Host, don’t die."

Liyu smiled faintly before nodding.

"Don’t worry. I won’t."

The smile on his face slowly disappeared as he prepared to begin his plan.

Standing near the outer edge of the cave, Liyu clenched his fist tightly before punching the rocky wall with all his strength.

BOOOOM!

The entire cave trembled violently from the impact.

But it failed to achieve the effect Liyu wanted.

The gigantic king cobra remained asleep.

"Well, if that didn’t work, then this will."

Liyu bent down, grabbed three fist-sized stones from the cave floor, and hurled them forward using his monstrous physical strength.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The stones exploded into dust the moment they struck the creature’s dark scales.

Not even a scratch was left behind.

Still, it achieved exactly what Liyu wanted.

The creature’s massive body stirred slightly.

And immediately, the oppressive aura filling the cave intensified sharply.

Then, the creature’s eyes snapped open.

Two enormous golden irises gleamed within the darkness like the eyes of an ancient predator awakening from slumber.

Before Liyu could even think of his next move, the system’s voice exploded urgently inside his head.

Extremely urgently.

[HOST RUN!]