Jin Xiao sat in the damp underground, his back against a rusted metal wall. The air was stale, thick with dust and decay. Rats scurried through the shadows, their tiny claws scratching against concrete.
He wasn't afraid of them.
They weren't the real predators.
"The system cultivators are getting stronger by the second. If I don't find another way to gain power, I'll be a real corpse next time."
But he had no spiritual root. No system. No cultivation technique. They had ensured Earth's old knowledge was erased.
"But power is never created from nothing. It is always transferred."
A smirk crept onto his face. If he couldn't cultivate… he would steal.
The Blood Refinement Method
Jin Xiao had spent his life studying everything—science, physics, biology, psychology. But he had also learned one simple truth: Power is just energy. And energy can be transferred.
The system cultivated people, yes. But it wasn't granting power from nothing. It was absorbing spiritual energy and redirecting it.
"So if I intercept that flow…"
He stood up, dusting himself off. It was time for a test.
The First Target
The slums were in chaos.
The moment cultivation was introduced, human nature revealed itself. The weak clung to power like starving dogs fighting over a single bone.
And where there was greed, there was opportunity.
Jin Xiao moved carefully through the broken alleys until he found what he was looking for—a lone cultivator.
A man in his late twenties stood over a group of people, his body pulsing with golden light. His system screen flickered beside him, showing his stats.
[Name: Zhao Ren]
[Rank: Qi Refining Stage 2]
[Cultivation System: Lesser Heaven's Path]
The man grinned, lifting a trembling teenager off the ground.
"You refused to hand over your rations?" He scoffed. "Pathetic. Mortals should learn their place."
Jin Xiao watched quietly.
"A fresh cultivator. Someone who thinks he's invincible just because he has a little power."
Jin Xiao grabbed a rusted metal pipe from the ground and stepped forward.
"Hey."
Zhao Ren turned, frowning.
"What?"
Jin Xiao smiled.
"You talk too much."
The First Kill
Jin Xiao moved first.
The pipe whistled through the air. Before Zhao Ren could react, metal met bone.
CRACK!
The cultivator staggered back, blood spraying from his temple.
"You—fucking bastard!" Zhao Ren's golden energy flared as he raised his hand. "You dare—"
Jin Xiao didn't let him finish.
He closed the distance and drove the pipe into Zhao Ren's throat.
Gurgle.
Zhao Ren's eyes bulged. He clutched at his neck, choking on his own blood.
Jin Xiao twisted the pipe.
"You're not special. Just another idiot who thought power made him untouchable."
He yanked the weapon free, letting the man collapse.
The system screen beside Zhao Ren flickered. Jin Xiao stared at it.
This was it. The stolen power.
The Forbidden Absorption
Jin Xiao knelt over the corpse and pressed his hands against Zhao Ren's chest.
He had no system. No cultivation technique. But he had knowledge.
"Energy can be absorbed. It just requires the right catalyst."
He became that catalyst.
Jin Xiao focused. He felt something—the faint spiritual residue left behind by Zhao Ren's cultivation. It was struggling, trying to return to the system's network.
Jin Xiao didn't let it.
He pulled.
A sharp pain ripped through his body. His veins burned, his muscles spasmed. His mind screamed.
But he endured.
And then—
[Unauthorized Absorption Detected]
[Reformatting Energy…]
[Success]
Jin Xiao exhaled.
His body felt different.
[Qi Acquired: Rank Unclassified]
His first stolen cultivation.
A slow, dark smile spread across his face.
"I don't need a system. I don't need spiritual roots. I'll take power from those who think they own it."
He stepped away, leaving the corpse behind.
Tonight was just the beginning.
The Predator Watches
Far above the city, the silver-haired woman stood on the rooftop, overlooking the slums.
She felt the disturbance. A tiny shift in the flow of energy. Something unnatural.
Her golden eyes narrowed.
"Oh… so you really are interesting."
She licked her lips, a slow grin forming.
"Run, little rat. I want to see how far you can go before I catch you."