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

Ethan barely managed to raise an arm in defense, but the skeleton—no more than a shadow—slipped straight through his guard and phased into his body.

"This is the Quintessence Bone, my legacy preserved across endless ages, waiting only for your arrival. The Primal Divine Body was born to bear the weight of heaven and earth, and only it can withstand the Quintessence Bone. I was shaped for you in a time long past, and you, in ages yet to come, will live for all living things..."

The warm, steady voice of the man echoed in Ethan's ears as his fading silhouette took on five shifting colors.

Ethan looked down at himself in shock. His body was glowing, threads of multicolored light weaving across his skin before sinking deeper, piercing his bones. He felt each of his two hundred and six bones shatter into fragments, yet he did not collapse. Until now, the only reason he could stand at all was thanks to that tiny sprout inside him—But now the colored radiance flowed into every crack, filling each fracture as though sealing them with some invisible resin. The sensation was surreal, equal parts pain and revelation.

"You..." Ethan struggled to form words. The man had spoken as if his entire existence had been meant for this one moment: to pass on this so-called Quintessence Bone to him. And now Ethan stood there, uncertain if what he was experiencing was destiny or madness.

A gentle laugh echoed, fading as the figure's glow dimmed and finally vanished. Ethan closed his eyes, letting silence wash over him as he felt the change settle into his body. When he looked again, the five-colored radiance was gone. His bones were whole—restored, smooth, and white as if they had never been broken. Not even Yaya's healing or the world tree's power had been able to mend him before, yet now, in mere moments, he was fully healed.

Ethan opened his eyes and stared at the space where the figure had disappeared, the man's words repeating in his mind. Before he could linger on them, the world shifted again, and he found himself standing before the stone once more. Its glow had faded, the chamber around him swallowed in shadow.

"Let's go."

The voice came sharply as Morzan suddenly appeared, seizing Ethan and pulling him away with blinding speed. They rushed through the rift they had entered by, bursting back into the Hidden Territory. The instant they emerged, a violent gust ripped through the air. Ethan squinted against the force, only to see Morzan's hood torn away.

"Holy—" Ethan blurted, stunned.

Morzan's face was revealed for just a heartbeat, but that was enough. Both of his eyes were swollen black and purple, as though someone had beaten him within an inch of his patience. With a grunt, Morzan yanked the hood back in place.

"What are you staring at?" he growled, then shot into the sky.

"You two little rascals have gone too far!"

High above, Ethan spotted the culprits. Blackie had reverted to his massive Black Qilin form, while Micah was floating, his body wrapped in dozens of jade like talismans fluttering like strips of cloth around him. The two of them had clearly been at each other's throats. Yet the moment Morzan appeared, they froze, exchanged a quick glance, then bolted in opposite directions like guilty children.

Ethan, however, couldn't shake what he had just seen. Morzan's bruised face told a story. Had he encountered someone inside that illusory space in the stone? Or sought someone out and been humbled? Ethan remembered the weak, half-dead voice he had heard earlier. Could it have been the same person? But if someone on the brink of death could still beat Morzan to a pulp, then just who was that person?

He had no time to ponder. With a single motion, Morzan swooped after the two fighters, catching both the qilin and the talisman-wrapped Micah as easily as if they were misbehaving kittens. He dragged them back by the scruff of their necks, then unleashed a flurry of blows that made even Ethan wince.

"Old man, come on, that's too much—" Ethan hurried forward, stepping in front of Blackie and Micah in an attempt to shield them.

Before he could finish, Morzan flicked his sleeve, and suddenly the world spun. The next thing Ethan knew, they were all plummeting. A vast golden sand stretched below, growing larger and larger as the wind howled past their ears.

"Morzan, you bastard," Ethan cursed under his breath, realizing the man had done it on purpose. They had been dumped straight back into the Sea of Death—ten thousand meters above it.

By the time the spinning stopped, they were already less than a thousand meters from impact. The fall speed was deadly. Ethan immediately worried for Julian and Micah, neither of whom had reached the War God rank and so lacked the ability to fly.

Just as he prepared to act, Micah suddenly steadied in mid-air. Two jade talismans shot out from his body, one sticking to Ethan's chest, the other to Julian's, halting them both instantly. Micah smirked, then casually flicked out another talisman at Blackie, who was still tumbling helplessly.

The massive qilin, dazed and battered from Morzan's earlier thrashing, was slow to react. Just as he began to transform back into his true form, the talisman slapped onto him.

Whoosh.

Instead of halting, his body plummeted even faster.

"An Anti-Flight Talisman... Micah... you son of a bitch!"

Blackie's roar faded as he plowed into the ground below.

Thud.

A huge plume of dust rose skyward.

"Hahaha! I don't have a mother!" Micah laughed, doubled over.

Ethan could only shake his head. The two of them had known each other for barely any time at all, yet already bickered and pranked one another like lifelong brothers. One moment they were trading blows, the next laughing or sulking over some petty slight. Still, Ethan knew neither would ever cross the line into real harm. Bruises and broken pride were as far as they went.

"Micah, that was a bit much," Ethan finally said, unable to let it slide.

"It's fine, Ethan," Julian interjected quickly. "If it weren't for Micah, Blackie would probably still be sulking."

That caught Ethan off guard. Logically, Julian should have taken Blackie's side. He had always been closer to the qilin, while Micah never missed a chance to provoke him. But for some reason, Julian was defending him now.