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

Chapter 646: A Spectacular Severance

Roy came sprinting into the dirt clearing, his chest heaving violently as his boots kicked up thick clouds of dust. He had been down at the lower markets when he first caught wind of the Alchemical Pavilion’s aggressive mobilization against his master. Burning with a fierce, absolute loyalty, he had charged up the mountain paths without a single millisecond of hesitation, fully prepared to draw his blade and lay down his very life to protect Ethan’s sanctuary.

But the moment he burst into the clearing, his heart violently dropped. The two orange-robed alchemists had already completely surrounded Ethan, their hands hovering dangerously close to their weapon hilts.

"Master Ethan!" Roy roared, his eyes flaring with desperate rage. Without a single shred of fear for his own safety, he threw his weight forward, launching himself directly into the fray to intercept the troublemakers.

Yet, before Roy could even cover half the distance, the space around Ethan violently distorted.

SHING!

A single, microscopic silver flash cut through the afternoon air, so impossibly fast that it didn’t even leave an afterimage. There was no massive explosion of qi, no heavy movement—just a flawless, silent ripple in reality.

Thud. Thud.

Two heavy, meat-filled thuds echoed simultaneously against the dirt. The two orange-robed disciples blinked, their arrogant smirks still plastered across their faces, completely confused as to why the world had suddenly tilted. Then, a split second later, two fountains of crimson blood violently erupted from their left sides.

Their entire left arms had been cleanly, spectacularly severed right at the absolute height of the shoulder. The cuts were so breathtakingly precise, executed with such an unholy, transcendent velocity, that neither of them had felt a single sense of pain, nor had they even seen Ethan’s hand move from his side.

"AAAAAAHHAAAH!"

The clearing instantly filled with their unified, blood-curdling screams of pure, agonizing terror as they clutched their gaping, bloody shoulders, stumbling backward in absolute horror. The sheer reality of what had just occurred completely shattered their arrogant minds.

"Pick up your pathetic legs and get the hell out of my courtyard," said Ethan, his voice dropping into a flat, bone-chilling whisper that instantly silenced their screams.

Terrified and bleeding out, the lead alchemist frantically looked down at the dirt, desperately reaching his remaining right hand toward his severed limb in hopes of saving it for a medical reattachment.

"If your fingers so much as brush against those severed limbs," Ethan interrupted smoothly, his piercing amethyst eyes locking onto their trembling frames with a cold, absolute finality. "I will ensure your remaining arm is severed with the exact same precision. Leave them."

The two disciples violently recoiled, their faces completely draining of all color. Realizing that this frontier monster would thoroughly execute them without blinking an eye, they turned tail and fled down the mountain path like absolute dogs, screaming for the Alchemical Masters to save their miserable lives.

Ethan watched them vanish before casually walking over to the two bleeding arms lying in the dirt. With a swift, effortless kick, he launched both limbs straight toward the entrance wooden archway of his courtyard.

THUD! THUD!

The severed arms were pinned perfectly onto the wooden pillars, left hanging there as a graphic, unmistakable warning signal for any other arrogant fools who dared to approach his residence to provoke him.

Roy stood entirely frozen in the center of the clearing, his drawn sword trembling slightly in his grip as his wide eyes darted between the pinned arms and Ethan’s perfectly pristine, bloodless white robes. A wave of profound, overwhelming marvel washed over his soul.

He let out a self-deprecating, bitter chuckle, slowly shearing his blade as a deep sense of foolishness settled in his chest. He had actually run up this mountain thinking he needed to sacrifice his life to protect his master—yet compared to Ethan’s terrifying, abyssal strength, his own power was nothing more than a pathetic drop of water in a vast, violent ocean. To think he had worried about a monster who could dismantle Senior disciples without even revealing his weapon.

"Master..." Roy whispered, bowing his head in absolute, unconditional reverence. "This servant completely underestimated your magnificent stride."

Ethan walked calmly back toward the wooden door of his hut, his steps unhurried and his demeanor completely relaxed. The door swung open before he could even touch the handle, and Mary and Louisa came rushing out into the clearing.

Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with lingering dread. Without a single care for decorum, they threw their arms around Ethan’s massive frame, clinging to his white robes as they trembled from the terrifying display they had just witnessed through the window.

"Master Ethan!" Louisa cried out, her voice cracking with a thick layer of raw panic. "Are you alright? Will... will there not be catastrophic problems because of this? They were senior disciples from the Alchemical Pavilion! Their masters will surely seek a bloody vengeance against you!"

Ethan slowly wrapped his large arms around both women, drawing them close against his chest. His deep, smooth baritone washed over them like a soothing balm, instantly anchoring their chaotic spirits.

"Calm yourselves," said Ethan, his handsome face carrying a cold, entirely cynical smirk as he looked past their shoulders toward the blood-stained courtyard gates. "There will absolutely be no problems. Everything on this mountain peak has already been thoroughly and legally arranged. If those greedy alchemical fools ever possess the absolute audacity to return to my doorstep to cause trouble, they will certainly go back to their masters—but they will do so entirely without their heads."

-------------------

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 ??

------

Sword mastery levels

Sword Intent.

Sword Aura.