[Demonic Path Integration Complete. Host has gained:

Demonic Eye: Upon activation, the host can see detailed information within their power limits.

Demonic Aura: The host has gained the Demonic Aura, making all beasts cautious or fearful.

Life Essence Absorption Manual: With this technique, the host can snatch others' life essence, but can only absorb one-tenth of it.

The manual has been transported to the inventory. You can access the inventory with the keyword "Inventory."]

Chen Long blinked as a flood of information surged through his mind. It took him a moment to process the power he had just gained. Demonic Eye? Demonic Aura? Life Essence Absorption Manual? Each ability seemed formidable, but the weight of their potential left him momentarily speechless.

He shook his head, trying to focus. “Demonic Eye… How do I activate it?” He spoke to himself softly, his brows furrowed. “Do I just concentrate?”

Focusing on his herb bag, he felt a slight tug in his mind, and suddenly, shimmering windows filled his vision

[Torn Herb Bag

Quality - Bad

Condition - Torn]

[Azureleaf Herb ×5

Grade - 1

Quality - Low]

[Sunshine Grass ×8

Grade - 1

Quality - Low]

[Spiritroot ×2

Grade - 1

Quality - Low]

[Dewdrop Lily ×13

Grade - 1

Quality - Poor]

[Radiant Orchid ×3

Grade - 2

Quality - Mid]

"Wow! So this is the power of the Demonic Eye! And I think this is the rare herb the previous owner of this body found today, but unfortunately, he died from exhaustion. I can sell these in his stead. Now, let's open the inventory and learn the manual. ‘Inventory.’”

A new window appeared before Chen Long, displaying numerous empty squares, with one square showcasing the image of a book.

Chen Long tapped on the book icon, and another window materialized.

[Do you want to read the Life Essence Absorption Manual? Yes/No]

"Yes."

As soon as he spoke the word, a torrent of information surged into Chen Long's mind. In mere seconds, he mastered the technique, the knowledge settling into his consciousness effortlessly.

"Well, this is helpful. I don’t have to read from page to page."

After reviewing everything, Chen Long began to gather the scattered herbs from his torn bag. As he stood up, a voice called out to him from behind.

"Little Long? Is that you?"

Chen Long turned towards the source of the voice and saw a familiar yet unwelcome figure. Zhang Wei, a low-level member of the Black Fang Gang who preyed on unaffiliated herb gatherers like Chen Long, emerged from between the trees. Zhang Wei was notorious for exploiting those who wandered too close to the outer parts of the mountain.

Today seems to be my turn, Chen Long thought. Let's see what he’s capable of.

Zhang Wei stepped out of the shadows and stood before Chen Long. He had a dark complexion, a nearly bald head, and piercing black eyes. At 5'11" with a wiry yet muscular build, his presence was imposing.

"How was your harvest today? Let me see."

Chen Long instinctively hid his bag behind him. Zhang Wei's expression darkened, and he said in a chilling tone, "Come on, I’m your senior. Let me see what you’ve found today."

Reluctantly, Chen Long revealed the contents of his bag. Zhang Wei rummaged through it, pulling out several grade-1 herbs and three grade-2 herbs of mid quality. A sinister smile spread across his face.

"Wow! You had quite a harvest today!"

His gaze shifted to Chen Long, taking in his appearance. Chen Long's blue hair and deep red eyes, a result of the Demonic Eye, contrasted sharply with his muddy, pale skin. His body had a slight build due to recent physical enhancements.

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"Little Long, it must be tough for you to take care of your family alone. Come with me to my place. I have a grade-3 herb that I’ll give you as a gift."

Chen Long frowned and scrutinized Zhang Wei. 'Let’s see what he’s up to,' he thought.

"Thank you, Senior. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this debt," Chen Long replied, pretending to be grateful.

Zhang Wei led Chen Long to his home, which was more of a hidden lair than a residence. It was nestled inside the mountain, allowing him to keep an eye out for any herb gatherers entering the area. The interior was damp and musty, filled with cobwebs. The sparse furnishings consisted of a bed and a chair.

"Please, have a seat. I’ll fetch the herb for you."

"Oh? There’s no need for that. I’ll grab it myself after I finish you off!" Chen Long's voice turned cold and menacing.

"What!?! What do you me—" Zhang Wei's words were cut off as Chen Long placed his hand on his face and commanded, "ABSORB!"

"What? No! W-wait, w-what’s happening?" Zhang Wei's voice grew increasingly muffled. His body began to shrink as a dark red aura flowed from him and into Chen Long.

"Ahhh! Stop! Please stop! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Zhang Wei's screams echoed through the room until his voice faded, and he collapsed lifelessly.

A few minutes later,

Zhang Wei's twisted, dried body fell to the ground with a thud. The dark aura of his stolen life essence still lingered around Chen Long, who stood over the corpse, breathing heavily. Silence filled the room for a few moments, broken only by the faint rustling of wind outside. Chen Long wiped his brow, though the exertion hadn't taken much of his physical energy, just mental focus.

The system window materialized before him:

[The host has successfully gained 4 years of lifespan. The host has successfully gained 0.4 talent.]

Chen Long nodded slightly, taking a deep breath as he tried to absorb what had just happened. "So that's how talent works," he mused. The power of absorbing life essence was beyond anything he'd ever experienced. It was ruthless, efficient, and terrifying.

However, his mind didn't linger on the morality of it. In this world, survival mattered more. His previous self’s principles were slowly fading, replaced by the cold logic of this new reality. I'll do whatever I must to survive—and thrive.

A thought struck him, pulling him from his musings. I should search Zhang Wei’s place for anything valuable. I can’t waste this opportunity.

Chen Long rifled through Zhang Wei's belongings, eventually finding 27 silver taels tucked away in his clothes.

"Why would he carry so much money with him?" Chen Long murmured, surprised by the amount.

He continued his search and came across a few herbs—all grade-1 and of mid-quality. Moving through the shabby house, Chen Long scanned every corner for anything else of value. After a few minutes, he discovered several grade-2 herbs, though they were of poor and low quality.

Just as he was about to conclude his search, the sound of footsteps outside made his heart race. He froze, his fingers still clutching the bundle of herbs he had found. Someone’s coming.

The faint murmur of voices grew louder.

"Zhang Wei, come out! It’s time for you to pay tribute. Zhang Wei!"

Chen Long gritted his teeth. More trouble. How many of them are there?

“Boss, I don’t think he’s home. Maybe he went up the mountain.”

“Hah! Must be it. We’ll come back later.”

Chen Long exhaled softly, his muscles relaxing slightly as the footsteps began to fade. He was about to resume his search when—

BAM!

The door flew open, splintering under a powerful kick. The sudden noise jolted Chen Long, sending his heart racing. Grabbing a knife he had found while searching earlier, he braced himself.

Three men entered the room, one of them brandishing a blade.

"Who the hell are you?" the leader demanded, his voice laced with suspicion. "Zhang Wei knew we were coming. He wouldn’t dare leave for the mountain today. So, who sent you?"

Chen Long's mind raced as he assessed the situation. In front of him stood three thugs, the leader armed with a blade.

"No one sent me," Chen Long replied quickly, keeping his voice steady. "I was kidnapped by Zhang Wei."

"Oh? So you're one of his victims." The leader narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. "Then tell me—where is Zhang We—"

"Boss, over here!" one of the men called out, interrupting. He gestured toward the twisted, shriveled corpse lying in the corner.

The leader’s gaze shifted toward the body, his eyes widening as he recognized Zhang Wei’s contorted face.

Before he could react, Chen Long seized the moment. He hurled the knife with precision, the blade piercing the leader’s eye. A scream cut through the room as the leader collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.

Without hesitation, Chen Long lunged at the remaining two, placing his hands on their chests. The men looked at each other, momentarily stunned before erupting into laughter.

"Hahaha! You think you’re strong enough to push us, kid?" one of them sneered. "You may have killed our boss with a sneak attack, but there’s no way you’ll take us down. Try again in another life!"

Chen Long's lips curled into a cold smirk. "I’m not trying to push you."

His voice dropped as he uttered the command: "ABSORB!"

The men's faces contorted in horror as their bodies began to shrink, dark red aura flowing from them and into Chen Long. Their laughter turned into agonized screams, echoing through the room until both of them collapsed into lifeless, dried husks.

Chen Long quickly moved toward the armed leader’s body, placing his hand on him as well. In moments, the leader's body suffered the same fate, crumbling into a withered corpse.

Chen Long stood over the three bodies, the echoes of their dying screams still ringing in his ears. His breath came in heavy gasps as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Despite the fact that absorbing their life essence hadn’t drained his physical strength, the mental strain was beginning to catch up with him.

A system window flashed before his eyes:

[The host has successfully gained 9 years of lifespan.The host has successfully gained 0.9 talent.]

"Hah! My talent’s increased by a full point." Chen Long chuckled. "Status."

A new system window appeared, displaying his current attributes.

[Name: Chen Long

Lifespan: 17/91

Talent: 7.4

Constitution: Karmic Progenitor Body

Rank: Mortal (Demonic)

Health: 150/150

Vitality: 15

Strength: 9

Endurance: 9]

"My talent’s at 7.4 now… but I don’t know if that’s considered high or low in this world," Chen Long muttered, feeling both satisfaction and uncertainty. "Let’s see if these guys had anything useful on them."

He glanced around the room, his eyes narrowing. I need to hurry. Who knows if more of them will come?

Kneeling by the shriveled remains of their leader, Chen Long rifled through his clothes. After a few moments, his fingers brushed something metallic—he pulled out a small pouch and opened it, his eyes widening slightly at the glint of silver.

"Forty-five taels," he muttered. "Add that to what I found earlier, and I’ve got a bit more than seventy." A small smile curled on his lips. "That’s enough to get into the Alchemy school."

He quickly gathered the rest of the herbs and silver, his mind already planning the next steps. But before he could leave, a thought struck him. Carrying all this silver is asking for trouble.

Glancing around, he found a small patch of dirt near the back of the room. Kneeling down, he dug a shallow hole, wrapped the silver in cloth, and buried it. He smoothed the dirt over, brushing his hands off as he stood.

"That should keep it safe for now."

With one final glance at the corpses, Chen Long turned and slipped into the shadows of the mountain.