Her first opportunity came the next night. In a forgotten courtyard where the city's Qi veins converged, she knelt, focusing inward. The System reacted.
[Cultivation Method Detected: Shadow Veil Absorption]
[Initiate Qi Gathering?]
She accepted.
Darkness surged through her veins, suffusing her bones with chilling energy. The pain was unbearable, but she bit her lip, suppressing her cries. Hours passed before a notification appeared.
[Cultivation Rank Up: Qi Initiate (1)]
[First Familiar Slot Unlocked]
A shadowy mist coiled before her, forming into an ethereal wolf with piercing violet eyes.
[Familiar Acquired: Nyx, the Eclipsing Fang]
Nyx bared her fangs before lowering her head in submission. Xel'Varyn grinned, extending her third hand to stroke the beast's head. "We start small, but we will build an empire."
The streets were cruel, but she had a plan.
---
A Rising Clan
With Nyx scouting the shadows, she tracked down a group of rogue cultivators hoarding stolen Qi crystals. She approached them as a cheerful vagrant, smiling, joking—until she saw the hostility in their eyes.
[Warning: Threat Level Detected]
Without hesitation, her third arm lashed out, catching a blade mid-swing. She twisted it with unnatural strength, driving the weapon into its owner's throat. The others barely had time to react before Nyx pounced, tearing through them like a specter of death.
When the fight was over, Xel'Varyn knelt among the corpses, gathering their stolen Qi.
[Cultivation Rank Up: Qi Adept (3)]
[Second Familiar Slot Unlocked]
From the carnage, a raven emerged, its feathers shimmering like liquid shadow.
[Familiar Acquired: Veyne, the Death Whisperer]
Xel'Varyn sighed, wiping blood from her cheek, her cheerful expression unwavering. "Well, boys, we're getting stronger."