Ascension of the Forsaken

Chapter 7: Shock

After carefully wiping the blood off his hands, Kael crouched beside the fallen beast. His sharp fingers dug into its lifeless body, seeking the treasure hidden within. Jin Mu, still catching his breath, watched curiously from a distance, his brows furrowing as he asked, “What are you doing?”

Kael didn’t even glance up. “What does it look like I’m doing, dumbass? I’m digging out its core,” he replied bluntly, his tone laced with irritation.

Jin Mu flushed slightly but pressed on. “Oh… uh, are you planning to sell them?”

Kael paused momentarily, letting out a dry laugh before continuing his task. “Sell them? No. I’m going to absorb them, obviously. You know, use them to boost my cultivation.”

Jin Mu’s eyes widened, his curiosity now mixed with concern. “You’re absorbing the raw energy from the cores?”

Kael extracted the shimmering crystal, holding it between his fingers as its faint glow pulsed faintly with Qi. “That’s right. It’s how I’ve been cultivating since I began my journey. Is there a problem with that?”

Jin Mu hesitated, his expression torn. “Well… it’s just that… it’s—”

Kael’s piercing gaze snapped to Jin Mu, impatient. “Spit it out.”

“It’s inefficient,” Jin Mu said hurriedly. “A waste of resources, even.”

Kael tilted his head slightly, a sharp gleam of curiosity flickering in his eyes. “Oh? And why do you say that?”

Jin Mu took a step closer, his voice gaining confidence as he explained. “For starters, absorbing the raw energy from a beast core can take an enormous amount of time—anywhere from days to half a month for just one core. And even then, the results are… well, mediocre at best. It’s not worth the effort.

“Secondly,” Jin Mu continued, his tone becoming more animated, “beast cores are incredibly valuable. They can be traded for currency, used to purchase medicinal pills, or exchanged for specialized cultivation resources that are ten times more effective than absorbing raw energy.

“Lastly—and most importantly,” Jin Mu said firmly, his expression serious, “cultivating directly with beast cores carries significant risks. The energy inside them is unstable and volatile, which increases the chances of Qi deviation. A single misstep could injure your meridians—or worse, cripple your cultivation entirely.”

Kael remained silent, his expression unreadable. He studied the beast core in his palm, its faint glow reflecting off his sharp features.

“Interesting,” Kael finally said, his voice casual but laced with a hint of amusement. “I didn’t realize there was a more ‘efficient’ way to cultivate.”

Jin Mu nodded, his confidence growing as he continued. “It’s common knowledge, actually.  Beast cores are precious resources that shouldn’t be wasted.”

Kael smirked, his gaze shifting back to the core. “I couldn't agree more.” He closed his eyes, allowing his Qi to surge outward, wrapping around the core with expert precision.

“I don’t have the luxury of time—or patience—for refinement. Efficiency is subjective,” Kael said smoothly, his voice carrying a subtle edge.

The core began to dissolve in his palm, its radiant energy flowing directly into his meridians. Jin Mu’s eyes widened as he watched the process—it was fast, unnaturally fast.

Kael exhaled slowly, his Qi humming faintly as his strength surged. He opened his eyes, locking his sharp gaze on Jin Mu. “You were saying something about mediocre results?”

Jin Mu was speechless, the sheer impossibility of what he had just witnessed making his thoughts stumble. For anyone else, cultivating raw energy would have been inefficient, dangerous, and foolish. But Kael had made it seem effortless, the energy bending to his will as if it had always belonged to him.

Kael smirked, tossing the now-dim beast corpse aside. “Resources can be traded. Power cannot. And power is what I care about.”

Jin Mu swallowed hard, unsure whether to be impressed or terrified. Whatever Kael was doing defied logic, yet the results spoke for themselves.

“You’re different,” Jin Mu finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kael chuckled softly, turning away. “You have no idea.”

“Tell you what,” Kael began, his tone casual but carrying an edge of intrigue. “You said beast cores could be exchanged for power, right?”

Jin Mu simply nodded, his eyes still dazed, unable to fully process the overwhelming shock from Kael’s earlier display.

“Then let’s save the cores of half the beasts here—and any more we kill in the future. I’m curious about the resources you mentioned.”

Kael’s sharp gaze turned toward Jin Mu, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “As I said, power is all that matters to me right now. Anything that can grant it will be warmly welcomed.”

With that, Kael set to work, extracting cores with ruthless efficiency. His movements were precise and practiced, as if he had been carving these treasures out of beasts his entire life. Jin Mu watched silently, still grappling with the surreal nature of Kael’s strength and demeanor.

Once Kael had gathered the cores, he separated them into two equal halves, holding one half out to Jin Mu. “Keep these,” he ordered. “Don’t lose them.”

Jin Mu nodded quickly, his hands trembling slightly as he accepted the cores. Meanwhile, Kael sat cross-legged without hesitation, focusing inward as he began absorbing the remaining cores with unnerving ease.

Meanwhile, back at the scene where Kael had slain the Serpent Fang disciple to save Jin Mu, the escaped disciples had returned—with someone new accompanying them.

The man’s presence was palpable, his aura heavy and commanding. Unlike the younger disciples who wore expressions of panic and fear, this newcomer carried himself with chilling calm and authority. There was no mistaking his superiority; the disciples were visibly docile before him, keeping their heads low in deference.

“Is this where it happened?” the man asked, his voice smooth but cold.

One disciple stepped forward hurriedly. “Yes, Senior Brother Qiyan.”

Qiyan’s golden eyes scanned the area, his gaze sharp and calculating. “It seems they’ve already left,” he muttered, a faint trace of annoyance darkening his expression. His lips curled into a vile smile. “Scour the area. Find any clues we can use to track them.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!” the disciples chorused before dispersing, combing through the scene for anything that might reveal Kael’s or Jin Mu’s trail.

Qiyan’s smile deepened, his expression twisted with dark satisfaction. “No one kills a member of my sect and gets away with it,” he murmured, his voice dripping with malice.

After a tense few minutes, one of the disciples called out, excitement lacing his voice. “Senior Brother! We found tracks leading away from here!”

Qiyan’s gaze snapped to the disciple, his eyes gleaming dangerously. “Excellent,” he said, his voice low and commanding. “Let’s follow them.”

The group moved quickly and efficiently, their deadly intent spreading through the air like a rising storm.