Chapter 564: Chapter 564: Breaking the Threshold

The cool evening air did little to soothe the sudden, violent spike of killing intent that erupted in Ethan’s chest the moment he rounded the corner of the residential path.

Before he even reached the wooden fence of the cottage, the quiet of the slums was shattered by a chaotic barrage of coarse shouting, mocking laughter, and the sharp, violent crash of shattering glass. A figure came bursting through the front window of the house, rolling heavily across the dirt yard in a shower of sharp shards.

It was Roy.

The boy was in a horrific, near-fatal state. His face was unrecognizable, a swollen mass of deep purple bruises and lacerations. Thick, dark blood poured continuously from his broken nose and the corners of his mouth, staining his torn tunic. His breath came in ragged, wet wheezes. Yet, the moment his blurry, swelling eyes caught sight of Ethan’s sleek new midnight-black combat suit, a spark of absolute desperation ignited in his gaze.

Using every ounce of his remaining strength, Roy dug his fingernails into the dirt, dragging his broken body forward. He crawled toward Ethan’s boots, coughing up a thick glob of crimson.

"Ethan... please..." Roy sobbed, his voice a broken, desperate rasp as he clutched at the youth’s greaves. "Help them... those bastards... they have my mother... and Louisa... please save them..."

Ethan looked down at the dying boy, his amethyst eyes completely devoid of emotion, turning into two pools of freezing, abyssal violet. He didn’t say a word. He reached into his spatial storage and pulled out a small glass vial filled with a glowing, translucent crimson liquid—a low-grade healing potion from his personal stash. Though these potions were now far too weak to affect his own monstrous divine physique, he kept a small stock from his days commanding his former subordinates.

He bent down, popped the cork, and poured the fluid straight down Roy’s throat.

"Stay here and rest," Ethan ordered, his voice flat, carry a terrifyingly calm authority that brooked no argument. "You won’t die."

As the potent medicinal energy instantly began to knit Roy’s internal organs back together, Ethan stood up and walked toward the cottage door.

Before he could reach the threshold, two heavily scarred thugs stepped out onto the porch, blocking his path. Both were bulky men radiating the crude, unrefined spiritual energy of the peak Body Tempering Realm. Looking at Ethan’s refined appearance and his clean, pristine combat suit, they instantly exploded into raucous, despectful laughter.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the first thug sneered, resting a heavy iron mace over his shoulder. "Look at this pretty boy in his fancy little suit! Hey brat, who the fuck do you think you are? Turn around and scramble back to whatever wealthy clan you crawled out of. Don’t try to play the hero here, or we’ll paint the porch with your brains!"

"Yeah, get lost, little prince!" the second thug cackled, spitting on the ground near Ethan’s boots. "The women inside are occupied. If you want a turn, you can wait in the back alley until the boss is done breaking them in!"

Ethan didn’t offer a single word of response. He didn’t even blink.

SHING.

A single, instantaneous flash of steel cut through the dim evening light. Ethan’s iron sword cleared its scabbard and returned to its sheath so quickly that the air didn’t even have time to whistle.

The two thugs froze mid-laugh. A thin, red line materialized across both of their necks simultaneously. A split second later, both of their heads slid cleanly off their shoulders, fountains of dark arterial blood spraying into the air as their headless corpses collapsed backward onto the wooden deck.

Without breaking his stride, Ethan stepped forward, raising his right boot and delivering a massive, iron-like kick straight into the chest of the second corpse, launching the dead weight forward like a cannonball.

BOOM!

The heavy wooden front door completely shattered under the immense kinetic impact, exploding inward in a cloud of splinters and broken iron hinges.

The violent detonation inside the house instantly silenced the chaotic shouting inside. Every single eye in the living room snapped toward the ruined doorway in absolute, paralyzed surprise.

The scene inside was a stomach-turning display of pure depravity. Mary and Louisa were both bound hand and foot with thick, coarse ropes, completely stripped of their clothing. Their pale, trembling bodies were forced flat against the floorboards, their hips cruelly forced upward with their backs bent, their asses thrust high into the air in a posture of complete, forced submission.

Standing directly behind them were two of the largest thugs of the gang. Their trousers had been completely dropped around their ankles, their thick, rigid shafts fully erect and glistening, positioned barely inches away from the women’s opening, perfectly primed to violently violate them.

"What the hell?!" the gang leader roared, dropping his wine jug as he stared at the crimson-drenched corpse that had just demolished his entrance. His eyes widened as they locked onto Ethan, who stood framed in the shattered doorway, his amethyst eyes gleaming in the shadows like a demon arriving from the underworld.

The remaining thugs inside the room didn’t even have time to register the identity of the intruder before Ethan was already moving. He didn’t use an intricate footwork technique; his physical speed alone was so terrifyingly absolute that he simply vanished from the doorway, reappearing directly in front of the gang leader.

"Who the—"

WHACK!

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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. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

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 ??