Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

The moment he stepped forward, terror swept across every face.

The power radiating from him no longer belonged to the realm of the King-Tier. It had already stepped into the domain of an intent User. And not just any intent user—he stood above most. Even Matriarch Whitmore, the strongest among them, was only at the Advanced Tier. The rest were still at the Beginner Tier, far beneath what they now faced.

Yet, Matriarch Whitmore stood her ground, unwavering in the face of the suffocating pressure.

"Starfall…" she called, voice steady.

She didn't use his title—Young Master—this time. She spoke his name directly. Seeing that his terrifying aura hadn't subsided, she continued slowly, deliberately.

"Do you know why the six family heads of that generation died after you disappeared?"

There was a pause. Then:

"It was June—the one you spoke of—who used some sinister technique to slowly drain their life force… piece by piece."

"In the end," she said, voice quieter, "they all died. Sick, frail… in their beds."

"You're lying…" Starfall's voice thundered, raw with fury. But even as he spoke, his overwhelming aura faltered, retreating just slightly.

"I saw them kill June with my own eyes…"

Despite the crushing pressure, Grandmaster Quinn, lacking any protective power, somehow found the strength to speak.

"Matriarch Whitmore speaks the truth. When my brother, Quentin, returned back then, he had lost all his strength. He told me he was injured by a pregnant woman. That must have been June—the very same June you speak of."

The other family heads looked at each other. Memories stirred.

Nineteen, maybe twenty years ago, their fathers—or masters—had also mysteriously lost their powers. But none of them had ever dared speak of it.

"Nonsense… June was just an ordinary woman…"

"Impossible…"

"This… can't be happening…"

"June isn't dead? She's… not dead?!"

Starfall looked like he was unraveling. A thread pulled too tight. From a distance, Ethan quickly pulled Lyla and the others back behind cover.

'This guy isn't about to go berserk and start slaughtering, is he?'

And then—Starfall vanished.

He shot into the sky, a dark streak against the horizon, moving in the opposite direction.

'Is he… leaving?'

For a brief moment, a collective breath caught in their throats, poised to exhale.

Whoosh…

But at that moment, he suddenly returned.

Thump. Thump.

Two heavy sounds echoed across the field. Lachlan Silverwood and Sylvan Wynn, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, suddenly arched as their chests burst open.

Two bloody hearts were ripped out with brutal precision.

Crunch, crunch…

From within the black flames surrounding Starfall came the unmistakable sound of chewing.

Several girls turned away, nauseous, doubling over as they vomited. Even Ethan felt bile rise in his throat, his stomach churning.

The next second, Starfall vanished again—this time for good.

Hiss, hiss, hiss…

A series of small objects zipped through the air. Matriarch Whitmore, swift and calm, caught every single one in her outstretched hand.

No one spoke. They all watched the direction he'd flown in, the silence stretching.

After a long pause, Matriarch Whitmore finally sighed.

"…He probably won't be coming back."

She opened her palm.

Inside lay forty-two beads, each the size of a soybean—glowing softly, humming with energy.

They were Energy Cores.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as realization dawned. The family heads, just moments ago cowering, now stared wide-eyed, their expressions full of greed and disbelief.

Matriarch Whitmore's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

"My Whitmore Family wants fifteen. Any objections?"

"Uh…"

Silence reigned. Not because they agreed—far from it. But because they couldn't argue. They exchanged glances, then looked back at her.

Her fingers closed around the Energy Cores as if daring them to speak up. The message was clear: Disagree, and you get nothing.

There were four family heads left—plus Donovan Silverwood. All of them were old, so they understood her message perfectly.

Their faces soured like they'd swallowed nails, but they nodded reluctantly.

"Haha, good!" Matriarch Whitmore waved her hand. The family heads of Wynn, Quinn, Blackwell, and Hargrove each received six cores.

Amber Zane got one, quietly slipping it into her robes.

Donovan Silverwood was also given one. His eyes nearly popped out from surprise.

"What, you think that's too little?" Matriarch Whitmore snapped, glaring.

"No, no…" Donovan stammered, quickly hiding the core like a guilty child.

Matriarch Whitmore still had sixteen beads left. After a moment of thought, she flicked one toward Samuel Wynn.

"When we get out, send this to the Wynn Family."

Ethan watched her methodical distribution. Despite appearances, it was a balanced approach—reward and punishment both.

The Zane, Silverwood, and Wynn Families had lost the most. Each received only one Energy Core—a bitter consolation from a harvest that happened once every decade.

They would barely have enough to sustain their Hidden Territories. Though, knowing the Silverwood Family, they likely had reserves tucked away.

---

"Ethan… did you see Dad?" Lyla asked softly, tugging on Ethan's sleeve.

Ethan frowned and slowly shook his head.

Lyla's eyes dimmed, a flicker of panic surfacing.

"We need to leave. Quickly. Dad is being controlled by Luna Silverwood… I'm afraid they'll hurt him."

"Do you know where they are?" Ethan asked, his voice low.

Lyla hesitated, then nodded.

Meanwhile, Matriarch Whitmore and the others were preparing to depart.

The crisis had passed. Lachlan Silverwood's grand scheme had been shattered—ironically—by Starfall's unexpected return.

The true tragedy, though, lay in the thousands who had come to participate in the Tournament… only to be turned into nutrients.

Ethan's brows furrowed.

'Where had all that blood gone? Was it used to nourish that... Nexus?'

He had no way of knowing.

Off to the side, he noticed Donovan frowning, clearly deep in thought. He seemed like he wanted to speak—but hesitated.

Before he could, Matriarch Whitmore beat him to it.

"You're wondering why your elder brother wasn't harmed by June back then, aren't you? It's because he ran. Escaped early. But he didn't leave unscathed.

He was only lightly injured. If he hadn't been, Lachlan wouldn't have been able to overpower and kill him later."

Donovan slowly nodded. Her explanation made sense. But as he looked down at Lachlan's cold corpse, his expression darkened again.

"Letting him die like this feels too easy. I still want to know why he imprisoned me beside the Ancestor's Statue. Looking at things now… it was completely pointless.

If not for the help of a master, even with my own essence pearl condensed from energy core, I doubt I could've reformed this physical body."

Matriarch Whitmore shook her head.

She didn't have an answer—but she was clearly curious about the mysterious master he mentioned.

---

Everyone began packing up.

With a swift kick, Donovan sent his brother's and Sylvan Wynn's corpses tumbling into the nearby lake.

Ethan winced.

'Damn… That old geezer was despicable, sure. But he was still your brother, right? Just dumping the bodies in the lake like trash?'

Well… not his problem. Ethan didn't plan to interfere.

Soon, they all mounted the Golden Dragon conjured by Matriarch Whitmore and began ascending once more.

Once they landed, Lyla immediately grabbed Ethan's hand and pulled him toward the Silverwood family's inner sanctum.

They hurried through twisting corridors and shadowed halls before arriving at a concealed chamber. As soon as the door opened, Ethan recoiled.

A thick stench of blood and medicine hit him like a wall. He frowned, his Senses reaching into the room.

Inside… was a high-tech medical facility—cold, sterile, and humming with machinery.