"Why not just kill everyone within the sect?" the Ancestor asked bluntly.
The Emperor shook his head. "Itachi would know it's us," he said firmly. "He's a bright kid—he'd see through something that simple."
He began pacing slowly, his eyes narrowing with calculation. "If we make a direct move, he'll immediately point the finger at us. But if we fabricate a mysterious force… he'll waste his time fighting shadows. Meanwhile, we'll be observing."
The Emperor paused, a cold glint in his eyes. "After all, his body did start cracking after just one attack. That kind of flaw… we need to understand it better. Only when we know exactly how he breaks—can we be sure he stays dead."
"Something big should happen within the next few days… although I can't say for sure how long it'll take for the boy's mother to arrive," Itachi said with a casual shrug, his tone unbothered.
"But the fact that he chose to play the long game shows she's pretty far away." He yawned slightly, glancing out the window before adding, "Well, I've got other things to worry about. Time to focus on my breakthrough."
The Sect Master stood there, stunned. He couldn't wrap his head around how Itachi always seemed to know so much—how he could read people and situations so accurately with nothing but scraps of information. Just books, and that brain of his.
Unable to say anything more, the Sect Master gave a deep, respectful nod before quietly leaving. As the door shut, Itachi closed his eyes and looked inward.
'I should've gathered enough energy to hit level five Body Tempering,' he thought. Months of swallowing pills like they were snacks had finally borne fruit.
He took a step into the formation circle he had created—an intricate network of glowing runes and symbols carved into the ground. The moment his foot touched the center, the formation flared to life, pulsing with energy as it synchronized with his breathing…
Itachi was more than talented enough to break through multiple levels in a single day. If it were just about talent, he would've already been far beyond the Body Tempering realm. The only reason he hadn't made those leaps was energy—specifically, the ability to refine it fast enough.
The pills he had been popping like candy? They held more than enough power to push him forward. In fact, they could've allowed him to break through long ago.
But the problem wasn't quantity. It was refinement. Most of the energy from those pills had simply been sealed away, sitting dormant within his body. The reason? His chakra.
Ever since the seal on his chakra had been placed, Itachi's ability to refine and process energy had dropped dramatically. But Itachi didn't complain. He created a solution instead.
And like always, he didn't overthink it. He carved out a formation. A formation specifically designed to bypass the seal limits his capability and speeds up his energy refinement.
"Nice…" Itachi muttered as he felt the Qi he'd sealed away begin surging through his body, flowing straight into his eyes like a river finally released from a dam. Within moments, his eyes reached their limit—they couldn't absorb a single thread more.
But with a calm breath and a slight push of intent, that limit shattered. A sudden pulse echoed from deep within his eyes, like a heartbeat pounding from behind his gaze. And with that pulse, the breakthrough came.
Level 2 Body Tempering.
The moment it happened, power rushed through his body in waves. His muscles tightened. His blood ran heavier. His heartbeat slowed, but every beat now carried more force than the last.
The slower his heartbeat, the more strength each thud carried… and when the time came for that pace to quicken again, Itachi knew—the strength it would release would be terrifying.
Normally, a slower heartbeat was something only those far beyond the Body Tempering realm would achieve—a sign of refined control and immense power. But Itachi had decided to grant himself that trait early, embedding it into his foundation at a far lower stage.
His eyes continued drawing in the Qi stored away by the seal, greedily absorbing it. The moment they were saturated once again, another pulse rippled through him, and just like that, he broke through to level 3.
But then… nothing. Itachi opened his eyes, blinking once in surprise. He had burned through all of the stored Qi. There wasn't even a trace left to carry him further.
'I see…' Itachi thought as he sat quietly within the formation. 'Breaking through to level 1 Body Tempering took the same amount of energy as a level 1 Nascent Soul. For level 2, it matched level 2 Nascent Soul… and this pattern seems to continue.'
He let out a faint sigh, rubbing his fingers together as if feeling the lingering residue of power still etched into his skin.
Without his chakra, he wasn't even close to matching a true Nascent Soul cultivator in strength—yet he required the same amount of energy to break through. It was the price of his eyes… they were too powerful, and with that power came an equally heavy toll.
And then there was the fact that, in terms of pure cultivation alone, he already stood at the equivalent of a level 9 Qi Refinement. A ridiculous gap, considering he was only at level 3 Body Tempering.
His strength growth didn't follow any predictable pattern. Without cultivation, he was already equal to someone at level 7 Body Tempering. When he broke through to level 1, he could match a level 2 Qi Refinement cultivator. At level 2, he could go toe-to-toe with someone at level 6 Qi Refinement. And now, at level 3, he could fight on par with a level 9.
It was impressive, sure… but also annoying. Because while his body was now strong enough to handle more chakra without the risk of blowing up, his chakra itself had also grown stronger, evolving alongside him. His chakra had always been too powerful, so even now, these small improvements were barely noticeable. The progress felt like a drop in the ocean
"The wild beasts attacked?" the Sect Master asked, eyes wide with disbelief. He stared at the elder who had come rushing in, out of breath and clearly shaken.
"Yes," the elder confirmed, nodding quickly. "It's the largest coordinated beast wave in history. All sects are being ordered to take part in the defense. The empire has already mobilized."
He paused, then added, "To motivate the cultivators, the empire is distributing special rings. They'll track the number of beasts each person kills. Every kill earns points, and those points can be exchanged for rewards—spirit stones, artifacts, cultivation techniques… even bloodlines."
The Sect Master went quiet for a moment, his thoughts drifting back to his conversation with Itachi. Itachi had warned him that something major would happen soon. He had even mentioned using wild beasts as a distraction.
The emperor was now fully distracted, too entangled in the chaos of the beast wave to worry about Itachi. It was the perfect excuse—plausible deniability for any future attacks. If something happened to Itachi now, the empire could claim innocence. After all, how could they target one person amidst such widespread disaster?
But… was this not too big?
The Sect Master's brows furrowed. How many lives would be lost to this orchestrated catastrophe? How much blood would stain the soil before the empire considered its goal achieved? Would the empire not grow weaker from this, cracking under the weight of its own schemes?
"Also," the elder continued with a sigh, "many sects are growing restless. Rumors are spreading about our sect not having one but three disciples capable of skipping cultivation levels. That kind of talent is… unsettling."
The Sect Master nodded absently, lost in thought. Does Itachi see the future… or is he simply walking a few steps ahead of everyone else?
Elsewhere, Ling Han stood in a quiet village, his expression dark as he listened to the growing rumors of the wild beast attacks. This… this had never happened in his past life. Something was off. And deep down, he already knew the answer.
It's him. Itachi.
Ling Han had thought he was the one who stirred trouble wherever he went—but next to Itachi, he looked like a beginner. A mere shadow trying to chase a storm.
"…Su Yan," he whispered, her name slipping out like a plea.
The longer she stayed near Itachi, the more danger she was in. Whatever ripples Itachi caused, they weren't ripples anymore—they were tidal waves, and Su Yan was standing too close to the shore.
Without hesitation, Ling Han turned and took off toward the sect, his mind made up. He would protect her. Save her, if needed.
He had already reached level 4 Qi Refinement—and unlike the others, he didn't cultivate the standard form of Qi. He cultivated Slaughter Qi.
Ling Han didn't get far before the sharp sound of galloping hooves snapped him out of his thoughts.
A carriage came thundering down the road, kicking up dust and panic. Behind it, another followed just as fast. Both were racing through the streets with reckless abandon—young masters showing off in a senseless competition, utterly indifferent to the terrified pedestrians diving out of their way.
They didn't care who they ran over. Why would they? In this city, who dared to stop them?
Ling Han instinctively moved to the side, about to let the madness pass, when he caught sight of something just ahead. An old woman had tripped, her frail body sprawled across the path, directly in the line of the oncoming carriage.
Time slowed. In that moment, Ling Han disappeared. A sharp gust followed, and in the next instant, his foot collided with the carriage, launching it violently into the second one. The two slammed into each other with a deafening crash, wood and wheels splintering on impact.
The old woman blinked, still alive and unharmed. Ling Han stood between her and the wreckage, calm as ever. And just like that, the street fell into silence.
Ling Han sighed, already bracing himself for what was to come. Two arrogant young masters, drunk on their status, humiliated by the sudden stop to their fun. He could already picture their expressions—rage, entitlement, disbelief. He didn't flinch. He didn't fear it. After all, he was Ling Han.
Elsewhere, beneath the looming shadow of death, Su Yan stood frozen, her body taut with tension. Before her, a masked assassin radiated a suffocating pressure—thick, oppressive, like standing at the bottom of the sea with boulders pressing against her chest. Her breathing grew shallow. Her knees trembled. Each heartbeat echoed in her ears like the tolling of a war drum.
"Withstand that pressure," Itachi's voice reached her from a short distance away, calm, steady, and unmoved. "The more you can stand in moments of hopelessness and remain true to yourself, the stronger your Dao heart will become."
Su Yan didn't respond. She couldn't. But her eyes, wide with fear just moments before, slowly narrowed, locking onto the figure before her with a flicker of determination.
"A Dao Heart holds three main benefits," Itachi began lazily, reclining slightly as if the conversation was of no real urgency. But his tone carried weight. "First, it serves as a shield for your mind, resisting all sorts of mental interference. Mind control, illusions, spiritual invasions… a strong Dao Heart makes your will immovable."
"Second," he continued, his eyes half-lidded, "limitation shattering. A cultivator with an unyielding Dao Heart can push beyond their supposed limits. Even if the heavens decree a boundary, someone with the right Dao Heart can break it. In rare cases, it even allows for a degree of reality manipulation, fate-bending, law-defying, and more."
Su Yan's pupils shrank, her heart skipping a beat. That wasn't just cultivation anymore. That was something greater—something she wanted with all her heart..
"Lastly… suppression." Itachi's gaze didn't waver as he continued. "A powerful Dao Heart can crush weaker ones outright. It can even override spiritual pressure, shatter another's will, or let you stand tall beneath forces that should bring you to your knees."
His eyes shifted to Su Yan, watching her closely. "It would even let you ignore suppression like this."
Su Yan clenched her fists, her breathing shallow. She looked deep within herself, trying to find a foothold in the storm crashing down on her… but the pressure was too much. Her foot moved back.
"I… I can't…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Before her stood the assassin—a level 9 Nascent Soul cultivator. Someone powerful and dangerous. Someone who had tried to kill Itachi, only to be captured and broken like a wild beast, now reduced to a tool for her training. He wasn't from this empire either. No, this threat came from beyond—a message, perhaps, from a neighboring power that wanted Itachi erased.
"That's right. You can't," Itachi said with a calm nod. The words hit Su Yan like a hammer. Her heart tightened, and she lowered her head in shame. But Itachi didn't stop speaking.
"At the end of the day," he continued, his voice steady but not unkind, "an inflexible mindset is a brittle one. Sooner or later, it shatters."
Su Yan looked up, surprised by his tone—he wasn't scolding her. He was teaching her.
"The perfect Dao Heart isn't built on pretending to be invincible," Itachi said. "It's built on understanding your limits—and knowing how to navigate around them. If you're an egg and your enemy is a wall, you don't slam into it headfirst. That's not courage. That's foolishness."
He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "You wait. You think. And when the time is right… You hatch."
Su Yan's breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she nodded, a thoughtful light entering her eyes. She had much to learn—but now, she saw the path more clearly.
"It's okay to be scared," Itachi said softly, his gaze distant. "Everyone fears something. Fear only gets in the way of your Dao Heart if you let it. The real question is—do you have the courage to face it?"
"A Dao Heart is complex," he continued. "But at the end of the day, it's strength determines how far you'll go. Only those with unshakable Dao Hearts have the right to challenge the heavens."
He stood, brushing imaginary dust from his robes.
"Did you form your Dao Heart?" Su Yan asked quietly. Itachi paused, casting a glance over his shoulder, and gave her a simple nod.
"My Dao heart surpasses even the highest rank," Itachi said with a faint smile. "I call it the Transcendent Dao Heart."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Su Yan standing alone before the assassin.
She glanced at the motionless figure ahead—the assassin's eyes were vacant, pupils dilated, clearly caught in a deep genjutsu cast by Itachi. Even so, the pressure that radiated from their body was real, a reminder that this was no ordinary opponent. Still, she took a steady breath and stepped forward, blade in hand.