"The ability to destroy my Witch Dolls means this empire's strength far surpasses those nations on the surface of the
Inside Shavier's old mansion study in Wanxiong City, Leilin nodded as he received the latest intelligence.
The puppets he had created were all at the Dawn Sun Peak level — essentially the pinnacle of sixth-rank Wizards — powerhouses that would be considered Throne-class in the Wizard World. Yet they had been wiped out by the empire's Special Operations Division.
In other words, if you brought the Wizard World's Sky Throne, Flame Throne, and similar wizards here, they probably wouldn't fare any better.
"Furthermore... I didn't find any trace of the Night Lady's involvement. They simply relied on the Central Intelligence's surveillance and localized Shadow Magic Web control to isolate and force out the Witch Dolls... Terrifying operational capability and execution..." Leilin remarked coolly, while also losing hope for his remaining two puppets.
With this empire's strength, it was only a matter of time before they were discovered and eliminated.
However, the data and intelligence he needed to collect had all been gathered, and the goal of buying time had been achieved. That was enough.
...
In the following period, Leilin remained in Wanxiong City, watching as Shavier tossed and turned in indecision before curiosity finally won out. He purchased a large quantity of medicinal herbs and custom-made training equipment, then began practicing the [Snake Bite Fist].
During this time, another Witch Doll was discovered. Its destruction apparently affected several major cities, causing over a million casualties from destruction and contamination — a devastating disaster that sparked a wave of government scandal investigations and disaster relief donations. Even Shavier's younger sister, Jia'er, who was still in elementary school, donated her pocket money.
The only surviving Witch Doll was somewhere in the ocean, though the empire's fleet would likely track it down sooner or later.
Leilin was indifferent to this. He ordered the puppet to collect whatever hydrographic data it could and then paid it no further attention.
After all, before these puppets were destroyed, he was confident he would have integrated into this world — unnoticed by the empire's vast surveillance network and the Shadow Magic Web.
Inside the basement.
The space had been completely cleared out by Shavier. An area nearly half a basketball court sat empty, with only sandbags and similar equipment placed along the perimeter.
Shavier was bare-chested, his arms wrapped with layers of fine thread. He began training according to the Snake Bite Fist instructions in his family's ancient manual.
"Hiss hiss..."
With each punch, the bones in his hands seemed to soften, contorting into various strange angles. The wind from his fists carried a hissing sound — like the roar of a venomous snake.
"Hah... Snake Bite Fist! Cunning! Treacherous! It relies on catching opponents off guard, striking from where they least expect! That's why in the initial stage, one must use special medicinal solutions to soak the arms and soften the bones..."
Shavier muttered to himself. After completing a set of movements, he walked to a nearby water vat, picked up a white towel, and carefully applied the dark medicinal liquid to his arms, not missing a single pore.
"Ugh... hiss... damn, that hurts..."
The moment the black liquid touched his skin, a searing heat radiated outward, seemingly drilling through his pores all the way to his bones — as if trying to melt his entire arm.
The excruciating pain immediately drew a curse from Shavier.
He shoved the prepared towel into his mouth, his expression twisted and savage, letting out guttural, beast-like growls...
The agony persisted for half an hour before gradually subsiding. By then, Shavier's face was drenched in cold sweat.
"Ptah..." He spat out the bloodied towel and examined his arms.
After washing away the residual medicine, the skin on his arms had become paler and smoother, with an almost silky quality.
"This is..."
He touched his elbow, feeling as though his skin had thickened slightly.
"No... it's more like an extra layer of keratin..." Shavier thought for a moment, then produced a thin needle and pricked his skin.
Tough, smooth — like a piece of cowhide...
It took a full fifty percent of his strength before the needle finally pierced the skin, producing only a faint prick of pain.
"My arms... their resistance to impacts has increased dramatically, and my bones have become far more flexible. I've met the minimum requirements for the Snake Bite Fist..."
Shavier nodded, then grimaced at the cost: "It's just that preparing the solution is expensive, and this pain..."
He shuddered as he flipped through the manual containing the Snake Bite Fist. "This is only the initial stage, and it's already nearly emptied my savings. In the advanced stages, I'll have to soak my hands in venom so that every strike carries poison... This doesn't look like any orthodox technique at all — it's practically a dark art..."
In fact, Shavier's guess was largely correct. The [Snake Bite Fist] had originally been a technique his family trained their servants and menials in. What standards could it possibly have? Naturally, it prioritized speed of results and raw power above all else.
Unfortunately, as their bloodline thinned and the empire suppressed them, the supernatural power within their lineage gradually faded. Yet these martial arts manuals happened to survive.
"If he keeps training like this, there's a good chance he'll suffer a catastrophic backlash in the end. And even if he succeeds, the best he'd achieve is little more than a senior technician with mid-tier spell authorization..."
Leilin stood to the side, glancing casually at the youth's diligent figure.
"Never mind... I've been a 'house guest' for quite some time. Let me pay a bit of rent..."
A faint smile crossed Leilin's face. He extended a finger and tapped lightly!
Pop! A mote of black light merged into the ancient family manual that recorded the Snake Bite Fist. The light was so faint that Shavier, absorbed in his training, noticed nothing at all.
The ancient book trembled slightly, then quickly stilled.
Within its pages, on the sheet bearing the Black Mandala petal rune, dark lines began tracing themselves across the surface, slowly completing the petals and surrounding symbols.
Soon, the lines seemed to lose their momentum and stopped moving. But by then, the Black Mandala — previously three-quarters incomplete — was now clearly half-visible, and a subtle ripple of energy emanated from it.
"Hiss hiss..."
Shavier, still practicing his fist forms, naturally didn't notice any of this change. But driven by the wind of his punches, the hiss of a great snake resounded once more, causing the Black Mandala mark to flicker with traces of light.
A force that had always been hidden within the book — the residual radiation sealed by the wizard who created it — was now being activated, slowly influencing the only blood descendant nearby.
"Hiss hiss..." "Hiss hiss..."
The whistling sound of the Snake Bite Fist grew louder and louder, the great serpent's hiss heavier and heavier, as though an ancient giant python were coiling around Shavier himself.
The youth had entered a strange state — eyes vacant, merely repeating his movements over and over.
Gradually, dense wisps of black mist began to materialize. Behind Shavier, an illusory black serpent took shape, its crimson pupils and forked tongue radiating a dangerous aura.
After the black serpent phantom appeared, the skin on Shavier's arms began to transform — a layer of epidermis slowly sloughed off, revealing the faint outline of scales beneath...
"The small measure of power I invested was merely a catalyst — just enough to cover my rent. But it served as a key, activating the dormant radiation energy within the book..."
Leilin smiled faintly, watching as Shavier was gradually enveloped in black mist.
With his current power, he could certainly transform the boy into something on par with a Dawn Sun Wizard immediately. But that would violate the Wizard's Principle of Equivalent Exchange.
Moreover, this otherworldly type of power and the sudden surge in radiation would certainly draw the attention of the Shadow World's Magic Web. What would be the point?
So Leilin chose to pay an equivalent price — but "coincidentally" triggered the book's original energy, using the radiation left behind by the boy's ancestor to transform him. That way, it had nothing to do with Leilin.
"Although your ancestor was merely a low-level wizard, this transformation serves as the gateway to the Path of the Extraordinary. What comes next depends on you..."
Leilin smiled faintly, a trace of anticipation in his eyes.
He hadn't done this out of boredom. He wanted to use the boy to confirm certain things — whether organizations with special abilities existed, and whether other blood descendants were out there.
Once Shavier began displaying these kinds of abilities, he would become a magnet, drawing the attention of all manner of interested parties.
And the boy's instinctive sense of danger had piqued Leilin's interest as well.
"Don't disappoint me, boy..."
Leilin watched the figure still training ceaselessly in the basement, the phantom of the great serpent growing ever more terrifying, the smile at the corner of his lips slowly widening...
"Huh? What happened to me?"
It wasn't until the next morning that Shavier slowly regained consciousness. He held his head and murmured to himself.
Crack!
Without warning, he grabbed the wooden table as he stood — and a large chunk broke right off, sending him tumbling back to the floor.
"What the...? Was this table always this fragile?"
The youth exerted a slight force, watching as the wood in his hand crumbled into sawdust and fell away. His jaw slowly dropped open.
"This situation... it doesn't seem like the table got weaker. It seems like I got stronger..."
Shavier stood up, examined his hands, then suddenly made a sharp motion — a thrust!
Whoosh!
The air erupted with a piercing shriek, carrying the hiss of a great serpent, instantly leaving a small hole in the wall. Dust cascaded down.
"My body... it's like it's completely familiar with the Snake Bite Fist's movements already. And this..."
Shavier examined his elbow, where the faint impression of scales had emerged.
"The Snake Bite Fist — mastered?!"