Cautious until I reign supreme

Xu Tianran wanted to focus on his cultivation, but a troubling thought suddenly crossed his mind.

The recruitment of new disciples was approaching, and if his understanding of typical cultivation sect events was correct, demon sect spies would likely infiltrate the sect as outer disciples, carefully concealing their true cultivation.

A year later, during the inevitable sect-wide competition, these spies would seize the opportunity to challenge him discreetly, attempting to force him to reveal his true strength. If he crushed them too easily, it would attract unwanted attention. If he held back, he risked injury in an ambush.

Worse still, if his true cultivation was exposed, it could alert the spies hidden within the elder ranks. Those in power would not allow a threat like him to grow unchecked—they would undoubtedly attempt to eliminate him in secret before he became too strong.

Xu Tianran rubbed his temples. Trouble. Trouble. Trouble.

He sighed, shaking his head. Why am I being so overly cautious?

Then, memories of his past life surfaced, and he immediately understood.

Back when he had reached the Golden Immortal Realm, he never had the luxury of cultivating in peace. Enemies lurked in every shadow, forcing him to constantly hide, escape, or battle cultivators of equal or higher realms.

Ambushes, assassinations, and betrayals—he had endured them all. Alone, surrounded by enemies, always injured. Most of his time had been wasted on healing rather than progressing his cultivation.

Now, looking back, he found it truly laughable. How foolish I was in the past.

His talent had never been on par with true peerless geniuses, yet he had exposed himself too early, making himself a target before he could accumulate true power. He had seen countless arrogant geniuses shine too brightly, only to die before they ever reached their peak.

Xu Tianran's eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light.

Now that he had anticipated the demonic sect spies infiltrating the sect, he needed a plan.

"I'll eliminate them all. Whoever is weaker than me will die immediately. As for those stronger... I'll wait, cultivate, and strike when the time is right."

But there was a problem—how could he kill without leaving any evidence?

If he acted recklessly, the hidden demonic spies among the elders would become suspicious. He couldn't afford that.

Then, an idea struck him.

"Ah, yes… I need to cultivate all my auxiliary techniques first."

Xu Tianran smirked as he sat cross-legged in his immortal mansion.

"In my past life, I relied solely on raw power. But now... I will have absolute control over life and death."

His offensive and movement techniques had already reached peak perfection, but now it was time to refine his auxiliary techniques—the ones that would allow him to kill without leaving a trace.

Ding! System detected host's intent to cultivate auxiliary techniques…

A profound state enveloped Xu Tianran as his body instinctively absorbed knowledge, refining his understanding of these techniques to absolute perfection. His system interface flickered—

Peak Immortal-Level Auxiliary Techniques:

1. Phantom Veil Art (100%) – Erases presence completely, making him invisible to spiritual senses below the Void Refinement Realm.

2. Silent Death Sutra (100%) – Enhances assassination efficiency; attacks become soundless and undetectable.

3. Heavenly Mirage Steps (100%) – Allows instant teleportation within a set radius, leaving behind an illusion.

4. Karmic Shadow Concealment (100%) – Erases all cause-and-effect traces after a kill, making investigations impossible.

5. Soul Severing Whisper (100%) – Kills the target by shattering their soul directly, leaving behind no external wounds.

6. Blood Resonance Absorption (100%) – Absorbs and manipulates another's aura, allowing him to mimic them perfectly.

7. Void Shadow Clone Technique (100%) – Creates clones with 100% of his power and intelligence, indistinguishable from the original.

8. Heavenly Physiology Modification (100%) – Allows complete restructuring of his physique, altering his appearance, bone structure, aura, and even bloodline traces.

9. Earth Shadow Escape Technique (100%) – Allows him to move underground undetected, merging with the earth itself.

10. Soul Reaving Insight (100%) – Extracts memories without harming or alerting the target, leaving no trace of interference.

11. Heavenly Formation Mastery (100%) – Grants absolute control over formations, allowing him to bypass, modify, or set up arrays effortlessly.

Half a day later, a powerful ripple spread from his body before vanishing into nothingness. His entire presence became ethereal—undetectable, untraceable, as if he had never existed.

Xu Tianran slowly opened his eyes, a chilling glint flashing within them.

"With these, even if I kill in broad daylight, not even the heavens will know."

He exhaled slowly, his mind sharp as a blade.

System, open the status window.

Then, a translucent screen appeared before Xu Tianran, displaying his status in detail.

System Status Window

Name: Xu Tianran

Cultivation: 9th Golden Core Realm (5th Extreme)

Talent: Heavenly Five Elemental Spiritual Root

Body Constitution: Innate Immortal Body

Cultivation Technique: Immortal Star Cultivation Technique (Peak Immortal) - Perfection

Martial Skills:

Star Severing Sword Technique (Peak Immortal) – Perfection

Star Destroying Fist Technique (Peak Immortal) – Perfection

Sword Intent: 100%

Fist Intent: 100%

Star Teleportation Technique (Peak Immortal) – Perfection

Auxiliary Techniques:

Phantom Veil Art (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Erases presence completely below Void Refinement Realm)

Silent Death Sutra (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Attacks become soundless and undetectable)

Heavenly Mirage Steps (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Instant teleportation within set radius, leaving behind an illusion)

Karmic Shadow Concealment (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Erases all cause-and-effect traces after a kill)

Soul Severing Whisper (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Shatters soul directly, leaving no external wounds)

Blood Resonance Absorption (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Mimics others' aura and presence perfectly)

Void Shadow Clone Technique (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Creates clones with 100% of his power)

Heavenly Physiology Modification (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Alters physical appearance, aura, and bloodline perfectly)

Earth Shadow Escape Technique (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Move through the ground like a shadow, completely undetectable)

Soul Reaving Insight (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Extracts memories without harming or alerting the target)

Heavenly Formation Mastery (Peak Immortal) – Perfection (Bypass, modify, or set up formations effortlessly)

Combat Power: Equivalent to a 6th Divine Soul Transformation Realm Cultivator

Wealth: 700,000 Top-Grade Spiritual Stones

Storage: Storage Ring (500 Square Meters)

System Functions Activated:

Devouring System (Talent, Cultivation, Skills – Converts into points for upgrades)

Relationship Function (Tracks others' favorability and enmity levels)

Identification Function (Reveals hidden details, true cultivation, and mental state of targets)

Xu Tianran slowly opened his eyes, a sinister smirk forming on his lips.

"Hehehe… it's time for a bloodbath."