Seven months later, the citizens of Bara City were shocked by an announcement from City Lord Layla.
She revealed that she had successfully captured a group of criminals who had been secretly using a treacherous method to harvest the spirit roots of young children and sell them through the underground market for huge sums of money.
The operation was conducted by the Phoenix Division of Bara Corps, led by Chloe Petra. Using all the intelligence gathered by Layla's mini clones, they successfully ambushed the Golgo Family, who were in the middle of harvesting the spirit roots of several children in a secret facility within the school.
Barto, the leader of the Leyvi fan club, was also part of the Phoenix Division. His expertise in infiltration, as a former law enforcement officer, played a crucial role in the mission's success.
Because the Golgo Family had been committing these crimes for over a hundred years without being caught, they had grown complacent, making the raid easier. The criminals had not updated their security systems or protocols, which allowed the Phoenix Division to act swiftly. They were suppressed before they could react, preventing them from alerting others or escaping.
What shocked the citizens the most wasn't whether the crime was possible because many bizarre methods exist in the cultivation world—but the identities of the perpetrators. The culprits were none other than the Golgo Family, one of the most renowned families in Bara City. This revelation shattered the citizens' trust, as many had regarded the family with the highest respect for generations.
The Golgo Family had opened a school in Bara City to provide children with basic education, helping them develop skills and knowledge before they were tested for spirit roots using an Aptitude Measuring Device.
Most families in the city sent their children to this school, trusting the Golgo Family, which had run it for over a century. The Golgos were a highly respected family among the citizens. In hindsight, their apparent dedication to education and youth development was nothing more than a calculated ploy to mask their true intentions.
Spirit roots typically finish developing by the time children turn ten years old. At this age, they were tested to determine if they possessed spirit roots. The testing process was considered a significant milestone in a child's life, often celebrated with ceremonies and gifts from their families.
After testing with an Aptitude Measuring Device, the children were divided into two groups: those with spirit roots and those without, the latter being referred to as mortal children. This separation determined the trajectory of their lives, with spirit root children being groomed for greatness in cultivation and mortals for more common pursuits.
Mortal children continued their education to prepare for jobs suited for mortals, while children with spirit roots were taught cultivation techniques. The education system was carefully structured to maximize the potential of every child, regardless of their inherent abilities.
However, unbeknownst to anyone, the Golgo Family had been secretly testing children slightly earlier than the designated time, selecting those with great aptitudes and stealing their spirit roots using a bizarre method discovered by the head of the Golgo Family, Dobi Golgo, over a hundred years ago—before he established the school.
This method was not only highly effective but also painless and left no trace, ensuring that the victims and their families remained oblivious to the crime. It was this very precision and subtlety that allowed the Golgo Family to operate under the radar for so long, deceiving even the most vigilant observers.
It turned out the school was merely a facade to hide their inhumane activities. Remarkably, they successfully concealed their crimes for a century.
When the Golgo Family members were taken into custody by City Lord Layla and held in Bara City's prison, Ava volunteered to interrogate them.
Her body cultivation technique had taught her how to inflict the most excruciating physical pain without causing death. This was why she was the most feared member of the Clover Family, nicknamed the King Kong Princess.
Under Ava Clover's brutal interrogation methods, Dobi Golgo confessed to all the crimes he and his family had committed over the past century, from obtaining the extraction method to establishing the school, harvesting spirit roots, finding customers in the underground market, and implanting them. He revealed everything, begging her to stop the torture.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Ava was highly satisfied with her first interrogation job, which greatly lifted her mood.
Recently, she had been frustrated because it was becoming increasingly difficult to defeat Leyvi during their sparring sessions. He had grown somewhat accustomed to her speed, allowing him to block some of her attacks and disrupt her combos.
Moreover, hearing about the Golgo Family's crimes soured her mood further, as she could relate to the situation. Born into a prestigious cultivation family without a spirit root, she deeply understood the pain of being treated differently due to her inability to cultivate.
The thought of so many children being robbed of their ability to cultivate enraged her. While the stolen spirit roots granted some individuals the ability to cultivate, the implants could only enable them to reach the Foundation Building realm at best, as the roots were fundamentally incompatible with them. Robbing exceptional spirit roots from children and implanting them to others only for them to be below-average cultivators—a tremendous waste of talent.
This crime was also a major reason for Bara City's decline. Most citizens with great potential were reduced to mortals.
As a result of this incident, many former students of the school who couldn't cultivate began to suspect they might have been victims. They took to the streets, demanding justice.
"Execute them! Execute those vile people!"
"We want justice! Let their heads roll!"
"Throw them into boiling lava!"
The streets of Bara City became a cacophony of anger and frustration as citizens expressed their collective outrage. Some carried banners with messages condemning the Golgo Family, while others chanted slogans demanding immediate retribution. Parents, in particular, were vocal, fearing for the safety of their children and questioning how such heinous acts had gone unnoticed for so long.
However, given the severity of the Golgo Family's crimes, which violated the laws of the Cloud Continent, Layla handed them over to the Law Enforcement Department to be judged by a higher authority.
Ultimately, the case concluded with a death sentence for Dobi Golgo and all family members directly involved in the crimes. The execution was carried out in the presence of representatives from the Law Enforcement Department and key figures in Bara City's leadership, ensuring transparency and adherence to the law. The remaining family members were sent away to other regions to join the workforce of selected organizations, similar to the maids and Valenia in the past.
The school, despite being a cover for the Golgo Family's evil scheme, would continue operating under new management. It was undeniable that the school provided a beneficial system. With trustworthy leadership, it was hoped that great talents would once again emerge from Bara City.
This event significantly boosted Layla's reputation as City Lord. Within a year of assuming the position, she had solved one of the most egregious cases in Bara City's history, which had remained hidden for so long.
Layla's achievement deterred many minor criminals behind the scenes. Some ceased using underhanded tactics to evade taxes and began paying the full amounts owed.
However, this effect was limited to minor offenders. Major players remained unfazed by Layla's accomplishments. These influential figures, who wielded significant resources and connections, continued their dubious dealings, confident that their positions shielded them from scrutiny.
To Layla, it was best if they kept looking down on her because it would be easier to catch them off guard.
Meanwhile, Leyvi continued focusing on his cultivation. Over the past seven months, he spent most of his time in an underground training room. Each day, he cultivated until half an hour before midnight, then depleted his Qi using his tier-3 battle gloves, Crazy Tempest and Scary Void.
He repeated this routine daily to trigger the Qi refill benefit, which resets at midnight. This unique advantage, which allowed his Qi reserves to replenish automatically, allowed him to experiment with various techniques without fear of depletion.
The Scary Void consumed 30% of his Qi per use, allowing him three chances to create the vacuum effect daily. After that, he would use his remaining Qi to train with the Crazy Tempest or other martial skills.
Since discovering cavitation bubbles in Holy Cat City, Leyvi has been fascinated by the concept of pressure. Similar to temperature, both extremely high and low pressure could cause serious damage.
His Qi detonation technique demonstrated high-pressure damage by concentrating and releasing a massive amount of Qi at a single point, creating a destructive explosion and a high-pressure shockwave.
Low-pressure damage was exemplified by cavitation caused by rapid pressure drops in fluids and the Scary Void, which siphoned air and Qi, creating a low-pressure zone that violently sucked in its surroundings.
For seven months, Leyvi used the Scary Void to create vacuum effects, studying the mechanics of pressure. He endured the vacuum's effects on his body daily to build resistance.
Initially, standing in the vacuum without Qi protection caused the fluids in his body to boil, rupturing cells, blood vessels, and organs. The injuries were severe, even with his tempered body.
Now, after enduring the vacuum three times daily for months, his body had strengthened to withstand its effects. His external and internal toughness had reached a level where even an average early-stage Core Formation cultivator would struggle to harm him.
One day, Anda entered the training room and said with a smile, "Leyvi, Sister Vivian has come to visit us with her newborn baby. Come upstairs now."