Adapting... First Kill...

...…

"Knock knock! FB…We are your senior brothers, you piece of trash! Open up!"

A loud, boisterous voice echoed from the other side of a flimsy shed's paper-thin door.

It didn't take much for the door to come crashing down as multiple figures with two bamboo sticks engraved on their robes appeared through the gaping hole of Azmodeus's home.

"..." The young boy in question stared at the scene with a calm, apathetic gaze.

He didn't particularly like such rude guests, and these ones were quite high-ranking. Shouldn't they at least have more class than this?

Despite these thoughts, he simply asked, "What are you all doing here?"

"Is that sass I hear in your voice, you piece of trash??" A young man with slicked-back hair sneered, his face twisting with disdain.

'This waste is only a couple of years younger than us, and yet he's still lingering in the Lowest Stages of the Strength Refining Realm! I've never seen such trash in my entire life!'

This young man was Yang Bo and was also turning fifteen this year, making him quite the genius as he had already reached the Peak Stages of the Viscera Training Large Success Realm within just a short time of two and a half years.

In terms of the rankings in the Yang Sect, he was considered to be around mid-tier among the Outer Sect Disciples!

_____

"There's no need to go so hard on the waste, Brother Yang Bo. After all, he has it quite hard! I mean, just take a look at that face of his! And with cultivation like that, it's no wonder that he's such a wastrel…" another man called Yang Ming, ridiculed with a 'friendly' voice.

"Shut up, all of you," a stern voice cut through the air. "We just need to bring this boy back for punishment, don't waste time with your nonsense."

The leader of the group, Yang Hao spoke with a stern gaze, silencing the chatter of his fellow Outer Sect Disciples with a non-negotiable tone.

Ranked within the top 30 of the Outer Sect, he had reached the Absolute Peak of the Viscera Training Large Success Stage.

In addition to that, his combat abilities were rumored to have already surpassed his cultivation realm, given that he was said to be capable of going toe to toe with someone in the Early Stages of the Altering Muscle Realm.

"..."

Azmodeus scanned all the four figures who had invaded his hut. He had expected that something like this would happen the moment he didn't go back to the sect for the entire four hours.

He let out a soft sigh before asking, "What do you guys want?"

"Only speak when you are spoken to," Yang Hao said dryly before making his way to him. "You will be coming back with us to explain your absence of duties to the Disciplinary Committee."

For Yang Hao, this was a simple task— quick and easy. After all, cultivation waited for no one, and with the upcoming Outer Sect Competition, he couldn't afford to waste time and go lax in his cultivation.

However, what Yang Hao had assumed would be a simple job turned out to be anything but…

And he would learn that the hard way. The moment his hand touched Azmodeus's slightly muscular arms, his world was flipped upside down!

"!!!" He didn't even realize what happened until his head was suddenly slammed against the hard, wooden planked floors with a deafening thud.

CRASH!

The floor of Azmodeus's hut immediately gave way, sending Yang Hao crashing through into the foundations of the hut below, causing the entire hut to shake violently!

"Don't touch me," Azmodeus uttered in a cold, apathetic voice.

"!!!" "!!!" "!!!"

It was at that moment that Yang Hao and the rest snapped out of their reveries, their astonished gazes shifting towards Azmodeus, whose expression remained indifferent.

"H-How could this be?? You were supposed to be in the Strength Refining Stage!" Yang Bao exclaimed in disbelief.

And he definitely wasn't the only one who was shocked by this situation. Yang Ming and the other Outer Sect Disciples stared at this scene before them with their eyes pried wide open.

"Y-You…" Yang Hao's voice seethed and was on the verge of exploding as he struggled after being held down by this Trial Disciple.

He was usually inexpressive, but he hated nothing more than when someone outdoing him!

"How Dare You!?" Yang Hao roared. His body broke free from Azmodeus's tight hold as he immediately launched a counterattack!

And he held back none of his punches, which were wild and full of intent to kill. It was obvious to the other disciples that he was aiming to end a life!

"..."

Azmodeus watched as the incoming fiery fist, possessing enough power to topple a large tree, came hurtling toward him.

Initially, he planned to let them off by just giving them a small slap on the hand, a reminder to keep his true strength a secret. But the moment someone sought to take his life, everything changed.

Although he had never taken a human life himself before, there was really only one thing that he had been excelling at for as long as he could remember…

'Adapt… For a cultivator to grow stronger, they must adapt…'

His thoughts were followed by lightning-quick decisiveness as he raised his hand up, pulling out a sharp stone head.

Following this sudden movement, he took the stone and in one fluid motion sliced the air in front of him.

Spurt!

Crimson-colored blood gushed out from Yang Hao's neck. He was barely even given the time to understand what had happened before the light faded from his eyes.

And along with that, something else shifted in Azmodeus's eyes.

Something started to change inside him, something that acted as the last thread connecting him to his humanity, something far less human…

To be a cultivator, one must adapt…

It was a code that he had lived by since the day he was abandoned.

To adapt meant accepting and improving. That was what a cultivator needed to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of Prometheus.

'This is what I must do if I wish to survive… If I want to get stronger and pay back my debts…this must be done.'

As this final thought entered Azmodeus's mind, his gaze hardened and he lifted his eyes from Yang Hao's lifeless body and locked them onto his next targets.

'They will help me adapt… They will help me improve…'

...….