Shizuka looked completely confused, not understanding what Yukinoshita was saying. What did she mean by "possessed"?
Haruno said: "Just now, I not only revealed the Yukinoshita family's bottom line to him, but also told him about our family's predicament. Isn't that basically inviting him to exploit me? You know me—someone as shrewd as I am would never normally do such a thing."
Shizuka gradually came to her senses. "Now that you mention it, it is strange. You're the type who always speaks half-truths, leaving people guessing. How could you be so straightforward today?"
Haruno rolled her eyes, feeling Shizuka was mocking her. But she had to admit, it was true. That made her even more annoyed. Sometimes, the truth cuts like a knife.
Meanwhile, Kael, having left the room, used a small trick to overhear their conversation. He smiled faintly. Haruno hadn't been "possessed." She had been affected by a spell. The Heavenly Demon Canon of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires could absorb desires to strengthen itself, and it could also manipulate them. During their exchange, Kael had subtly used a spell to make Haruno spill the truth.
As for the Yukinoshita family's predicament, Kael's view was simple: if they were willing to pay the price, he could help. If not, they could find someone else. He didn't care—strength meant he could make money anywhere.
So his priority now was to break through his bottleneck and grow stronger.
Back home, Kael set up a barrier to prevent interruptions. He sat on his bed and took out the Hundred Ghost Banner. Earlier, he had collected over 200 evil spirits with it. They had been refined, leaving pure soul energy for him to use. He had originally planned to gather 500, but the genuine banner wasn't that powerful. Still, with his newly cultivated Gluttonous Mana, he could make up for the shortfall.
Prepared, Kael activated his Heavenly Demon Mana, absorbing both the pure soul energy and Gluttonous Mana. The two distinct forces were absorbed, refining and strengthening his Heavenly Demon Mana.
When his mana boiled to its peak, Kael broke through without hesitation. With a muffled sound, the bottleneck between Second and Third Rank shattered effortlessly. The process was smooth, without obstacles.
Kael had stepped into Third Rank Lower with ease. His mana's quantity and quality increased more than tenfold. He was far stronger than before—he could defeat his past self with a flick of his finger. The saying "each rank is a new heaven" was true.
Feeling the surge of Heavenly Demon Mana, Kael laughed happily. He didn't even know how strong he was now. But he was confident—even if Yato appeared, he might not be Kael's match. Freshly advanced, Kael was brimming with pride. He wasn't claiming invincibility in this crossover world, but he was certainly a top-tier fighter.
Probably.
When he opened his eyes, daylight had already arrived—it was Saturday. Time flew during closed-door cultivation. Days had passed in the blink of an eye.
He called Saki and Marin, inviting them over. By the time they arrived, Kael had prepared breakfast—soy milk and buns, a classic Chinese meal.
"Good morning, Renjou-kun."
"Good morning, Renjou-kun."
Marin was her usual cheerful self, while Saki had returned to normal. It was as if Kael's talk of a harem had never happened. But Kael knew both had already accepted the reality. When they drank his blood to cultivate the Blood Puppet technique, they had fallen under his control.
Kael didn't expose their acceptance—he didn't want awkwardness.
"Good morning, Marin, Saki." Since they had accepted it, he spoke more intimately.
Marin playfully rolled her eyes but didn't object.
After breakfast, Kael poured water before them, adding a drop of his blood to each cup. "Drink."
He had called them to help with their cultivation. Not for a party. That could wait.
Marin and Saki nodded, drank the blood-infused water, and began cultivating. Since Kael had reached Third Rank, his blood contained far greater mana. Digesting it wouldn't be easy for them. He estimated they wouldn't finish by nightfall.
So he set up a barrier to protect them and went out alone. His goal was a jade shop, to buy pendants for protective charms. They could also be sold.
He visited a well-reviewed shop and bought several small, fine pendants. They were inexpensive, perfect for charms.
Just as he was about to pay, a sweet, surprised voice came from beside him. "Ah, Renjou-kun, we meet again. What a coincidence."
He turned to see a beautiful face with a false smile—Haruno Yukinoshita. This time, she was alone. Shizuka wasn't with her.
"Coincidence?" Kael said with a half-smile. "Fine, if you say so. Are you here to buy jade too, Ms. Yukinoshita?"
Haruno smiled faintly, pointing to a pendant. "Please take that one out for me to see."
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Late again. I had to read code instead of novels. 😭