The "Asura Heart-Purging Scripture" wasn't a gentle manual. As Han Shuo began to circulate the energy, it felt like liquid nitrogen was being pumped directly into his veins. In the world of cultivation, most techniques felt like a warm flow of Qi, but the Asura path was paved with pain. The icy energy slammed into his third-stage Qi Condensation meridians, scouring away the sludge left behind by years of pampered laziness and medicinal pills.
(Argh... it feels like my soul is being shredded.)
He gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face. The stolen Dao Bone in his chest reacted violently to the new scripture. It hummed with a golden, saintly light that fought against the dark, freezing Asura Qi. The two powers clashed right over his heart, creating a localized storm of agony. Han Shuo's vision blurred. He could feel the jagged edges of the bone scraping against his ribs from the inside, a constant reminder that he was a thief in his own body.
(System, you didn't say it would feel like being flayed alive!)
(System: High-tier results require high-tier suffering, Host. Or did you expect to reach the peak by drinking tea? Focus. If your mental collapse happens now, the Dao Bone will perceive your weakness and shatter your sternum. Keep circulating.)
Han Shuo forced the freezing Qi to complete a full circuit. Each time the energy passed through his "Dantian," the reservoir at his core, it grew slightly denser. The black, murky Qi he had inherited was being compressed and purified. He pushed through the second hour, then the third. The pain eventually turned into a dull, throbbing numbness. Suddenly, a barrier in his mind snapped.
A wave of power erupted from his center, pushing outward through his limbs. His senses sharpened, and the air around him seemed to vibrate with a new clarity.
(System: Congratulations. You've reached the fourth stage of Qi Condensation. You are now officially slightly less of a disappointment.)
Han Shuo slumped forward, gasping for air. As his adrenaline faded, he became aware of a revolting sensation. His skin felt heavy, slick, and incredibly itchy. He looked down at his hands and recoiled in disgust. A thick, viscous black goo was oozing from every pore of his body—the "Impurities" common to those who broke through stages, but because his body had been so corrupted by stolen power, the discharge was excessive.
(God, the smell...)
It was worse than rotting meat. It was the stench of spiritual decay mixed with the metallic tang of old blood. He smelled like a corpse that had been left in the sun for a week. He couldn't even stand to be in his own skin for another second.
"Someone! Get in here!" he shouted, his voice rasping.
The heavy obsidian doors creaked open immediately. A young woman stepped in, bowing low. She wore the dark, form-fitting robes of the Asura Clan servants, stitched with silver thread that caught the dim light of the room. When she looked up, Han Shuo felt a momentary lapse in his panic.
She was strikingly beautiful, with long, ink-black hair that fell like a silken waterfall down her back. Her skin was the color of cream, contrasting sharply with the harsh, jagged architecture of the Asura estate. Her eyes were a deep, guarded violet, shimmering with a mixture of professional obedience and a hidden, cold resentment that she was far too skilled to let reach her lips.
(She's actually stunning. If the original Han Shuo wasn't such a monster, he might have realized he had a goddess for a maid. But in his memories... he just saw her as furniture. Or worse.)
"Young Master," she said, her voice steady despite the overwhelming stench in the room. "You called for Lin Xua?"
Han Shuo tried to maintain his "Villain" mask, keeping his face stiff. "Prepare a bath. Now. And burn these clothes. I've reached a breakthrough."
Lin Xua's eyes flickered with a brief flash of surprise. She looked at the black muck covering him the sign of a deep cleansing and bowed again. "Immediately, Young Master. I will prepare the medicinal herbs to soothe your meridians."
As she turned to leave, Han Shuo opened the system interface in his mind, ignoring the slime on his fingers.
(System, show me the shop. I need something to mask this Dao Bone's aura before someone notices I'm not the same Han Shuo.)
(System: Opening Villain Shop. Current Balance: 0 Villain Points. Note: You gain points by performing acts that align with your 'Villain' status while subverting the protagonist's fate. I suggest you start by doing something truly 'evil' to your maid, or perhaps go kick a puppy. Your current bankruptcy is pathetic.)
Han Shuo ignored the snark. He scrolled through the locked items: Heaven-Veiling Mask (1,000 VP), Soul-Binding Chains (500 VP), Soul-Consuming Pill (200 VP).
(I'm broke. I'm at the fourth stage of Qi Condensation, which is still trash compared to the elders. And I smell like a sewer.)
Just as he was about to close the screen, the heavy doors didn't just open—they were blown off their hinges. A violent, oppressive pressure slammed into the room, making the black goo on Han Shuo's skin vibrate.
A woman stepped through the dust. She looked like a more lethal, refined version of Han Shuo, with long crimson hair tied in a high ponytail and a massive, serrated greatsword strapped to her back. Her eyes were like shards of ice, and her presence alone made the air feel thin.
This was Han Ling, his elder sister and a true genius of the Asura Clan. Unlike him, she was already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
"I heard the 'Waste' of the family was screaming about a breakthrough," she said, her voice dripping with disdain as she stepped over the threshold. She didn't even flinch at the smell. She looked at him with the eyes of a butcher inspecting a piece of meat. "Tell me, brother. Did you actually advance, or did that stolen bone finally decide to rot your brain?"
(Fuck. My sister. The one person who knows exactly how much of a coward I actually am.)