The vault was smaller than the raw materials warehouse, but the air inside was thick with spiritual energy. The walls were lined with shelves made of fragrant spirit-wood to preserve the potency of the items stored within. Everything was in a jade box, a crystal vial, or displayed on a silk cushion.
The system map was a blinding wash of purple and blue.
"Jackpot," Jin Hao breathed, the lust for power replacing the lust for flesh in his mind.
He walked to the nearest shelf. He opened a jade box. Inside lay a row of five pills, glowing with an azure light.
[Item Identified: Ocean Tide Pills. Tier 2. Used to expand the capacity of the Dantian and purify water-attribute Qi.]
"Tier 2," Jin Hao scoffed, though his hands were trembling. "Trash for the main family, maybe. But for me..."
"Devour."
A rush of refreshing energy flooded his system. It felt like drinking a gallon of ice water on a hot day. His Dantian expanded slightly.
He moved to the next shelf. A rack of polished Spirit Tools. Swords, daggers, and heavy iron staff.
"Devour. Devour. Devour."
The spiritual inscriptions unraveled and fed him.
He found a crate filled with Middle-Grade Spirit Stones. There were hundreds of them. A fortune that could buy a small city.
"Mine," Jin Hao growled. "All mine."
He plunged his hands into the stones. The blue light erupted, turning the room into a strobe-lit chamber of theft.
The energy hit him like a physical blow.
[Devouring Complete.]
His cultivation began to climb. It moved past the early stabilization phase. It pushed toward the peak of the Initial Stage.
But it was slowing down.
In the warehouse, a crate of rice had given him a noticeable bump. Here, he was eating Spirit Tools and Middle-Grade stones, and the bar was moving inches, not miles.
"System!" Jin Hao snapped, grabbing a jade statuette and dissolving it. "Why is it so slow? I just ate enough wealth to bankrupt a branch family! I should be Golden Core by now!"
[Explanation: Cultivation progression is exponential, not linear. The energy required to advance from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core is approximately one hundred times the energy required to traverse the entirety of the Qi Condensation realm. As the Host's container expands, the volume required to fill it increases drastically.]
"Exponential," Jin Hao spat the word like a curse. "I hate math. I hate logic. I just want to level up!"
He grabbed a bundle of Fire-Cloud Grass. "Then I just have to eat more. I have to eat everything!"
He stripped the shelves bare. He devoured pills he didn't recognize. He devoured artifacts he didn't know the names of. He devoured raw ores that sparkled with strange lights. He didn't care what they were for or why they were here. He just knew they were energy.
He found a box containing a Spirit-Gathering Array Plate, a portable formation used to increase cultivation speed. A rare and expensive tool.
"Devour it."
The complex stone disk turned into dust and light. A massive surge of pure Qi slammed into his meridians.
The barrier within his Dantian trembled.
He grabbed a handful of Thunder-Berries. "More!"
The energy roared.
BOOM.
A shockwave rippled through the vault, knocking empty jade boxes off the shelves.
[Breakthrough Successful. Host has reached the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment.]
Jin Hao panted, sweat dripping from his nose. He felt powerful. But the hunger was worse.
"Not enough," he wheezed. "Middle Stage isn't enough. Arya Chen is Golden Core. I need... I need to catch up."
He looked at the remaining shelves. There was still about half the vault left. Mostly miscellaneous materials, some lower-grade herbs, and a large collection of Spirit-Iron Ingots.
"I'm not leaving anything," he declared. "If I can't take it with me, I'll turn it into power."
He moved to the ingots. They were heavy blocks of metal. He placed both hands on the stack.
"Devour all."
The system worked overtime, breaking down the physical matter, extracting the trace spiritual essence, and filtering out the impurities. A steady stream of energy flowed into Jin Hao.
He felt like a man eating a feast after he was already full, forcing himself to swallow bite after bite because he knew he would starve tomorrow.
His cultivation crept up. From the stability of the Middle Stage... to the peak of the Middle Stage.
He consumed a crate of Beast Cores. The violent energy thrashed inside him, causing him to cry out in pain, but the System brutally suppressed it, refining it into usable fuel.
The barrier to the Late Stage loomed. It was harder than the last one.
"Break!" Jin Hao screamed, his voice hoarse. "I command you to break!"
He found the last treasure in the room. A sealed box made of lead. The system identified it as a Shadow Stalk, a poisonous plant used in assassination arts.
"I don't care if it's poison," he snarled. "It's energy."
He devoured it.
The toxic energy hit his system. For a second, he felt his blood freeze. But the Treasure Devourer System stripped the poison, leaving only the pure Qi.
It was the final straw.
BOOM.
The shockwave this time was violent. It cracked the stone floor beneath his feet.
[Breakthrough Successful. Host has reached Late Stage Foundation Establishment.]
Jin Hao fell onto his back, gasping for air. His body felt like it had been stretched on a rack and then beaten with hammers. But beneath the pain, there was a hum of power so intense it felt like he was vibrating.
Late Stage Foundation Establishment.
"Late Stage," he whispered, a giddy laugh escaping his lips. "I did it. I actually did it."
He sat up, looking around the vault. It was empty. The shelves were bare. The floor was littered with empty boxes and the dust of dissolved matter. He had eaten a fortune. He had no idea what these resources were originally intended for, but he knew they were valuable, and now they were his.
"Let them cry," Jin Hao sneered, standing up on shaky legs. "Let Bolin weep over his lost treasures. He should have given them to me. Now, he has nothing. And I... I have everything."
The sky began to glow with the first light of the coming morning sun. He needed to leave.
He slipped out through the hole where the door used to be. He moved through the estate, retracing his steps. The unconscious guard was still there, snoring softly in the corridor, the broken lantern beside him.
"Sweet dreams," Jin Hao mocked as he stepped over him.
He made it back to the guest compound without incident. The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon, painting the sky in shades of gold.
He slipped into his small room , drafty shed near the stables that smelled of horse manure and damp hay. It was a hovel fit for a servant.
Jin Hao looked around the miserable room. Yesterday, this place had been a constant reminder of his status. Today, it was just a disguise.
"System," he said, his voice quiet in the morning stillness. "Status."
[Host: Jin Hao]
[Cultivation: Late Stage Foundation Establishment]
[System Status: Active]
[Next Breakthrough Requirement: Peak Foundation Establishment (Estimated Energy: 3x Current Reserves)]
"Three times," Jin Hao muttered. "It really is exponential."
He lay back, staring at the rotting beams of the ceiling. He felt the phone shaped hole in his heart ache a little less. Who needed porn when you could feel this kind of power coursing through your veins? Who needed a screen when you were about to turn the whole world into your personal reality show?
"Su Lian," he whispered, closing his eyes and picturing the beautiful face of his goddess. "Su Lian."
He smiled, a dark expression.
"I'm going to possess every inch of you. And I'm going to savor every moment until you're completely mine."
Jin Hao pulled his thin blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes, drifting into a satisfied doze.