"Thank you," Levi said, his voice hoarse but sincere.

Aldric nodded once. "Don't thank me. You earned it." He paused, then added, "Though I am curious—how many more tricks do you have hidden away?"

Levi's lips curved into a slight smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Aldric laughed at Levi's words, his expression softening, making Levi slightly surprised that he could lose his cold demeanor.

Then Aldric's expression turned serious. " There are still dark cultivators and also human survivors. We need to find out where they are. You can take a few minutes to rest, we will take care of the rest."

He turned to leave, but paused at the crater's edge.

"Levi."

"Yes?"

"That bloodline of yours… it's one of the top 1000 bloodlines right? Maybe higher!."

Levi heart pounded slightly. A top 1000 bloodline was above A rank which means Aldric had figured out what his bloodline was. Levi's expression remained the same Ned didn't respond, his face carefully neutral.

Aldric smiled slightly then glanced back. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. For now at least"

With that cryptic statement, Aldric leaped away, leaving Levi alone in the massive hole.

Levi waited until Aldric was completely out of sight before he moved.

He reached toward the scattered demon remains, specifically targeting the pieces of corpse from the demon body.

His hand extended, and he activated the Celestial Slaughter Art.

His Astra energy flowed from his palm, spreading across the demon's flesh like snakes seeking food.

At first, there was nothing.

The Arrow of Abyssal Extinction had erased so much that Levi worried there wouldn't be anything left to extract.

But then—

"WENG."

A faint pulse of energy.

Deep within the frozen flesh, he found it.

Levi's fingers moved as his hand seals changed. His Astra energy wrapped around that energy, carefully extracting it from the frozen flesh, guiding it outward.

The energy emerged slowly, like pulling a splinter from deep within skin. It was pale gray, almost translucent, barely larger than a grain of rice.

But the moment it was free, Levi felt the overwhelming weight of it.

This mote contained the accumulated death energy of thousands of sacrifices, the refined power of four demonic guardians, the concentrated essence of a Peak Fiend Warrior. Even this tiny fragment was worth more than everything Levi had absorbed so far combined.

His hands blurred through the seals, guiding the mote, compressing it, shaping it according to the Celestial Slaughter Art's method.

The mote began to transform.

It darkened from pale gray to deep crimson. It condensed, becoming denser, more concentrated. Patterns began to form within i, the familiar lines and curves of the Celestial Slaughter Mark.

But this mark was different from the others.

It was larger. More complex and extremely powerful.

With a blast of energy the pattern completed in mid air, and for a moment it hung in the air before Levi's face, pulsing with dark energy.

Then it shot forward.

"Whoosh!"

The mark struck Levi between his eyebrows!

And the world exploded into sensation!

"Hmph!"

A scream threatened to escape Levi's throat as power flooded into his body but Levi gritted his teeth and endured.

The energy wasn't the gentle in the slightest. Gradually process of absorbing the previous marks. This was likean avalanche, an overwhelming flood of energy that threatened to tear him apart from the inside!

The mark sank into his skin, through his skull, into his brain, deeper and deeper until it reached his soul itself!

Then it burned.

[Ding! Celestial Slaughter Mark acquired: 10/10]

The single mark from the demon actually filled 10 spots!

Levi's body shook as the energy surged through him! His bones creaked and groaned as they were reinforced! His muscles tightened and condensed! His blood boiled in his veins before cooling into something denser, more potent!

But most importantly, his soul transformed.

The Celestial Slaughter Marks weren't just physical enhancements—they fundamentally strengthened the soul itself. And with five marks total, Levi had crossed an important threshold.

His soul, which had been like mist before, solidified into something more substantial. Not yet liquid, but no longer formless vapor. It was like watching fog condense into clouds—still not solid, but definitely more real.

And with that transformation came power.

[Physical Strength increased by 20%]

[Soul Strength increased by 20%]

[Killing Aura significantly enhanced]

[New Ability Unlocked: Soul Pressure]

[Soul Pressure: You can now project your accumulated killing intent as tangible pressure that affects weaker opponents. Those with cultivation more than two levels below yours will feel instinctive fear in your presence.]

But that wasn't all.

The accumulated energy from five Celestial Slaughter Marks, combined with the residual power from the demon's death, pushed Levi toward a breakthrough he hadn't expected.

"BOOM!"

His cells trembled and then suddenly expanded!

The Astra energy within him began to churn violently, rotating faster and faster until it formed a vortex! The energy compressed, condensed, refined itself through the centrifugal force!

[Level 3 Genetic Soldier → Level 4 Genetic Soldier]

[Ding! 10,000x multiplier activated: 7,500x]

"BOOM!"

The breakthrough hit like a physical impact!

Levi's entire body was wreathed in golden light as his Astra energy underwent qualitative transformation! The vortex in his dantian spun so fast it became a blur, and at its center, the liquid Astra energy began to crystallize!

Not into a solid core, that only happen until Fiend Warrior realm—but into something between liquid and solid. A viscous, honey-like substance that contained far more power per drop than the liquid form.

His meridians, which had been shredded and damaged from overuse, suddenly began to repair themselves! The breakthrough energy flooded through every channel, every pathway, reinforcing what had been broken and strengthening what remained intact!

[Ding! Level 4 Genetic Soldier achieved]

But the multiplier wasn't finished.

The 7,500x multiplier meant that what should have been a simple breakthrough became something far more dramatic. Instead of just reaching Level 4, Levi's cultivation surged further!

"BOOM!"

Another expansion!

[Ding! Level 4 Genetic Soldier → Level 5 Genetic Soldier]

"BOOM!"

[Ding! Level 5 Genetic Soldier → Level 6 Genetic Soldier]

The golden light around Levi's body intensified to blinding levels! His aura exploded outward, creating a shockwave that pushed back dust and debris!

Students across the battlefield stopped what they were doing and turned toward the source of the disturbance, their eyes widening as they felt the overwhelming pressure of someone breaking through multiple levels simultaneously!

"What is that!?"

"Someone's breaking through!"

"That aura… it's coming from where Levi fought!"

When the light finally faded, Levi sat in the crater with steam rising from his body. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady, his expression peaceful despite the transformation he'd just undergone.

He'd jumped from Level 3 Genetic Soldier to Level 6 Genetic Soldier in a single breakthrough.

Three full levels.

His meridians, while not completely healed, were restored enough to safely use his techniques again. His Astra energy reserves had increased dramatically—he now had roughly six times the energy capacity he'd had before the mission started.

And perhaps most importantly, his soul had been strengthened to the point where he could now project killing intent as a tangible weapon.

Levi's eyes opened, and for a brief moment, they glowed with crimson light before fading back to their normal color.

He stood slowly, his fully regenerated legs supporting his weight easily. He stretched, feeling the new power coursing through his body, testing his enhanced strength.

Luna squeaked happily from his shoulder, nuzzling against his neck in happiness.

Levi smiled and gently scratched behind her ears.

"Cute girl."

"Squeak!"

He checked his spatial ring, confirming the demon's ear was still safely stored. Then he reached up and gently took the Blood Refining Fruit from Luna's mouth.

The treasure pulsed warmly in his palm, still radiating vitality despite everything that had happened.

He had really suffered for this tiny bit of blood refining fruit.

But before he think about eating it,

"LEVI!"

Multiple voices shouted his name simultaneously.

Levi turned to find three students approaching his crater—the same three who had confronted him earlier. The ninth-ranked, eighth-ranked, and third-ranked Elite students.

The female third-ranked student—Seria—landed at the crater's edge, her expression cold. "The demon's dead. The immediate threat is over. Now we can finish what we started."

Her eyes locked onto the Blood Refining Fruit in Levi's hand.

"Drop the fruit. That's a treasure worth millions of Federation credits. It's wasted on someone with an F-rank talent, even if you did somehow contribute to killing the demon."

The ninth-ranked student—the one who had originally demanded the fruit—smiled viciously as he landed beside Seria. "You've already used that Tier-3 arrow. You have no more trump cards. If we fight now, you'll lose."

The eighth-ranked student with the greatsword landed last, his hand resting on his weapon's handle. He didn't speak, but his intention was clear.

Levi's face remained expressionless as he stared at the three students.

He'd just broken through to Level 6 Genetic Soldier. His power had increased dramatically. But his meridians were still being repaired.

In a straight fight, even with his new power, his chances weren't good.

But he hadn't survived this long by fighting fair.

His hand moved to his saber's handle, and as it did, he activated his newly unlocked ability, Pressure!

"WENG."

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