Investing in the Reborn Empress, Rewarded With 10x Returns

From the ridge, the expedition staging ground was visible... The clearing sat at the very edge of the Whispering Woods. Inner and outer sect disciples gathered in distinct groups.

The moment Liana stepped into the camp, she drew every eye.

"Is that the Heavenly Peak’s new prodigy?"

"Keep your voice down. I heard she cleared the Body Cleansing realm in a week. The Sect Master gave her a custom Dark Cloud weave for the trip."

"A week? Are you joking?"

"Who is that walking behind her?"

"The janitor from the Ninth Peak. They came up the stairs together."

"Oh, I know him. He gave us stamina mints at the depot. Good guy."

Hearing the whispers, Theo smiled wryly. He preferred anonymity. Being called a "good guy" usually meant someone was going to ask for a favor.

"Thunder Gorge..."

Theo checked his map, locating Liana’s meeting spot.

The Gorge sat deep in the wilderness. Getting there required passing through territories controlled by late-stage beasts. A mortal couldn’t survive the trek.

"One hour."

Theo glanced at Liana. She had already walked ahead to join the inner sect vanguard. He bolstered his resolve. He wouldn’t underestimate his own system upgrades.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze lock onto him.

Garrick.

The large disciple stood with the Blood-Iron group. He looked pale. A sickly gray tint shadowed his face.

Catching Theo’s eye, Garrick slowly dragged a thumb across his throat.

"What is his problem?"

Theo rolled his eyes but sensed something off about Garrick’s posture. He activated Destiny’s Eye.

[Name: Garrick]

[Age: 17]

[Physique: Titan]

[Realm: Body Cleansing]

[Destiny: Black]

[Evaluation: Arrogant and vindictive. Prone to extremes.]

[Recent Misfortune: Beast Seed firmly rooted. His human essence can no longer sustain the array. He now consumes raw beast blood to survive. Sanity failing.]

"Beast Seed?"

Theo arched an eyebrow.

He knew Malakor planted the seeds, but how did Garrick get corrupted so fast inside the sect walls? Outer disciples weren’t allowed into the wild without supervision. Where did he get the raw beast blood to feed the array?

"This expedition is compromised."

Theo pondered.

Normally, a hero would wait for the villain to spring the trap, then reveal their hidden strength in a dramatic fight.

But Theo knew better.

"Elder Vespera!"

Theo walked straight toward the pavilion where the overseeing elders sat.

"Hmm?"

Vespera, who was sorting vials of antivenom, looked up. "Did you break your mop already?"

"I need to report something."

Theo leaned in. He kept his voice low. "Garrick from the Blood-Iron Peak. He smells like rotting chimera blood. The exact same smell as the failed grafts in your lab. I think he’s practicing a forbidden blood art."

He used his experience in the lab as a plausible excuse for noticing.

The moment the words "forbidden blood art" left his mouth, the atmosphere shifted.

The Sect Master, sitting nearby, straightened in his chair. Vespera stopped sorting her vials.

"Are you certain?" the Sect Master asked. His voice dropped an octave.

"I cleaned enough cages to know the smell," Theo replied. "He looks sick, too. Gray skin. I figured it was better to report a false alarm than let a feral cultivator loose in the woods."

"Sound reasoning."

The Sect Master nodded. He exchanged a look with Vespera.

"Malakor’s faction," Vespera muttered, her eyes narrowing. "They always push the boundaries of body refinement."

Elder Silas, master of the Blood-Iron Peak, stood up. He looked ready to drag Garrick over by the neck.

"Silas, wait."

The Sect Master raised a hand. He looked at Theo.

"We will handle this. Return to your duties. Act normal."

"Understood."

Theo walked away. The Sect Master clearly had a plan. In this sect, if the supreme elders couldn’t handle a rogue disciple, worrying about it was useless...

Half an hour later.

An inner sect deacon stood before the crowd. He announced the trial rules.

"Ordinary animals yield zero points."

"Early-stage beasts yield one point. Mid-stage yield three. Late-stage yield fifteen."

"Peak-stage beasts yield one hundred points. Do not engage them unless you want to die."

"If you secure a kill, fire a signal arrow. An overseer will retrieve the carcass and record your score."

The deacon stepped back. The disciples collected their arrows and marched into the treeline.

"Silas," the Sect Master said quietly.

"Yes."

Elder Silas blew a bone whistle. From the canopy above, dozens of mechanical tracking birds took flight. They dispersed into the woods, following the Blood-Iron disciples.

...

A short while later.

A signal arrow shrieked into the sky.

An overseer returned minutes later, dragging the corpse of a Shadow Panther.

Its eyes were wide. The fatal wound was a single, clean puncture through the skull. No blood spilled. Frost sealed the wound entirely.

"Liana. One point," the deacon announced.

"Many can kill an early-stage beast," Elder Silas noted. "But to do it without wasting a single ounce of qi is rare."

"Her combat insight is unmatched," the Sect Master smiled.

"First time fighting in the wild, and she slaughters it like a farm chicken," Vespera commented.

Many prodigies panicked during their first real fight. Their forms broke under pressure. But Liana clearly thrived in combat.

"Where is my janitor?" Vespera propped her chin on her cane. She watched the treeline.

Whoosh.

Another arrow pierced the air.

"Theo. One early-stage beast slain!"

The overseer dragged the carcass into the clearing. The elders leaned forward, staring at the remains.

After a long pause, the Sect Master spoke.

"Is that... an Iron-Spine Ape?"

If the beast didn’t have a few intact metal spines on its back, nobody would have recognized it.

The ape’s skull was caved in. Its ribs were shattered. The entire torso was crumpled into a heap, resembling a crushed tin can.

It was a messy kill.

A complete opposite of Liana’s elegant strike.

Elder Silas crossed his arms. "The spine is the hardest part of that ape. It was shattered along with the rest of its body in a single blunt-force strike."

"That boy’s physical density is on par with the inner vanguard," the Sect Master said.

"He must be training a body-forging technique in secret." Silas frowned.

None of the elders disagreed. They could read the battle’s outcome from the corpse.

Theo’s performance was just as effective as Liana’s.

But the elders remained silent. They weren’t sure if they should praise him.

This fighting style was far too familiar.

"Vespera," the Sect Master sighed. "Is he learning your surgical methods, or just hitting things with a hammer?"

"..."

"Is it too late to steer him toward a sword manual?" Silas asked.

The elders shook their heads.

Vespera stood up, tapping her cane against the floor.

"If you want to poach my janitor, go ahead... Whoever beats me in a duel gets to scrub my cauldrons next week."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!