System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 610: The Phantom Hunt

"Open the gates of the Crag of Wolves!" said the Chief Instructor. His voice carried a booming, authoritative resonance that triggered the ancient mechanism of the mountain.

RUMBLE!

The massive, iron-reinforced stone gates violently ground open, revealing a thick, unnatural fog that swirled aggressively within the jagged cavern walls. The dark valley stretched out before them like the gaping maw of an ancient beast, breathing a chilling, damp air into the sunny plaza.

"Begin!" said the Chief Instructor.

Instantly, the elite core factions moved. Thanks to their pre-planned strategies and minimal talisman counts, the top noble squads glided forward with fluid, unmatched agility. The spiritual gravity of the array barely registered on their bodies, allowing them to sprint into the fog like elegant streaks of light.

"Move! Move! Don’t let them leave us behind!" said a frantic frontier cultivator.

The larger, ragtag groups of commoners rushed forward next, but the moment they crossed the threshold into the fog, a collective gasp of agony echoed through the cavern.

THUD!

"Ugh! The pressure... it’s too heavy!" said the leader of the largest commoner team. Holding a sack of over a hundred talismans, his knees buckled violently, the invisible spiritual gravity slamming down onto his squad like a literal mountain of lead. Their movements became sluggish, heavy, and exhausting, every step forcing their boots to sink deeply into the mud.

ROAR!

From the dark crags above, the glowing crimson eyes of savage, low-tier spirit beasts began to manifest. Drawn like moths to a flame by the dense spiritual aura of the hoarded talismans, packs of shadow wolves leaped down from the cliffs, aggressively snarling as they ignored the nobles and charged directly toward the encumbered commoners.

While the entrance erupted into a chaotic mess of heavy limbs and snapping jaws, Ethan stepped calmly into the valley.

The moment his boots crossed the threshold, he felt a faint, almost imperceptible tingle across his shoulders. Carrying a grand total of only two talismans, the array’s oppressive gravity completely ignored him. His body felt lighter than air, his internal qi flowing with flawless, absolute freedom.

Swish.

With a sudden, explosive burst of speed, Ethan vanished from the entrance. He didn’t run along the standard path; instead, he blurred through the rocky terrain like a dark phantom, leaping from boulder to boulder with terrifying velocity.

A stray shadow wolf, hunting near the path, caught a glimpse of his passing figure. The beast instinctively turned to attack, but the moment its primal senses registered the ridiculously low talisman aura on his body—combined with the dense, icy bloodlust Ethan naturally radiated—the wolf’s eyes widened in sheer, instinctual terror. It whimpered loudly, tucked its tail between its legs, and dived back into the shadows, actively fleeing from his path.

"Look over there! Is that the Brightsword bastard?!" said a noble youth from a mid-tier faction, glancing back through the mist as he maintained a steady pace. "He’s moving too fast! He’s already closing the gap on the vanguard!"

"Let the fool run," said his team captain, a cold sneer on his lips. "The further he goes, the closer he gets to the true monsters of the core families. He thinks he can outrun a wolf pack, but he’s just delivering himself to the slaughter alone."

Ethan caught their whispers as he soared directly over their heads, his black robes billowing in the damp wind. He didn’t even glance down at them. His eyes were fixed entirely on the arrogant vanguard ahead—the very elites who thought they had bought themselves a safe, effortless victory.

High above the valley, on the floating obsidian platform where the high authorities gathered, a tense atmosphere began to brew. Several grand mirrors made of polished spiritual crystal hovered in the air, projecting every angle of the ongoing race in real-time.

"Wait a moment," said an elder from the core world. He was an official observer sent directly from the main sect headquarters, his luxurious silk robes rustling as he pointed a trembling, manicured finger at Ethan’s rapidly blurring reflection. "Look at that backwater brat! He is completely bypassing the spiritual gravity and the beast zones! Instructor, is this not blatant, shameless cheating?!"

The Chief Instructor didn’t even look up from his teacup. He took a slow, deliberate sip, a cold, mocking smirk playing on his lips as he glanced over at the furious noble.

"Cheating?" said the Chief Instructor. His deep voice carried a dangerous, heavy vibration that instantly silenced the surrounding complaints. "Why exactly would you consider this to be cheating, Elder?"

"He is manipulating the system to completely trivialize the difficulty of the Crag!" said the observer, his face turning an unsightly shade of red. "The tournament is meant to test their endurance and teamwork under pressure!"

"Did your families not sign and formally ratify the official rulebook when the conditions were proposed months ago?" said the Chief Instructor. He placed his teacup down with a sharp thud that caused the crystal mirrors to vibrate. "In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, it was your very own core coalition that vehemently insisted on adding the specific clause regarding the talisman count weight."

The core observer froze, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, but not a single sound came out.

"You designed this system to ensure your own coddled descendants could walk through the valley like tourists while the commoners drowned in their own blood," said the Chief Instructor, his sharp gaze completely piercing through the elder’s hypocrisy. "The rules state that a unit must enter with their talismans. Ethan Brightsword entered with his. He followed your precise laws to the letter. If your own trap has accidentally cleared a golden path for a true monster, you have no one to blame but your own greedy hands."

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??