Chapter 92: Ten‑Thousand‑Pound Strength

In the Empire's history, there have been numerous precedents of Holy Soul Wizards dying outside the Wu Shi Ta.

Each occurrence is a nationwide shock.

Lei En's knowledge is limited; he does not understand why the Silver Star Duke became the target of Shadow Blade.

Shadow Blade worships Luo Xi, a demon god who is the mortal enemy of the God of Magic VijesCui; in the Empire he is like a rat on the streets, everyone calls for his death, and his followers have no place to hide in the Empire.

If they can conspire to kill the Silver Star Duke and stir up chaos, it would greatly please Luo Xi.

That seems like a plausible reason.

Lei En guesses in secret, but cannot be certain.

A Holy Soul Wizard is the world's most powerful spellcaster; even when away from the Wu Shi Ta, he is not so easily killed.

He doubts whether a Shadow Blade assassin possesses such strength.

Lei En looks at Director Fei Lian, the legendary Magic Swordsman still deep in thought, unsure whether he knows about Shadow Blade or has other information.

A single Abyssal Gate is enough to alert the Longshande ruling class.

Lei En thinks it over and decides to remain silent.

He cannot explain his own affairs, nor why he knows of the Shadow Blade assassin; it involves too many of his own secrets.

"I'll go see Your Grace the Duke right away," Fei Lian says, patting Lei En's shoulder. "This time you achieved great merit, saved Longshande; the Duke will not be stingy with rewards. Return and rest well, and await my good news."

"Thank you, Director," Lei En replies.

"Da Wenlah, I need to trouble you further here: dispose of all the Demon corpses so that the evil energy doesn't pollute the river," Fei Lian continues ordering.

Da Wenlah replies solemnly, "Yes, Director, I know what to do."

After speaking, Fei Lian climbs into the car and departs immediately.

Lei En stays behind with nothing to do; having just finished a battle, Da Wenlah feels embarrassed to involve him in handling Demon corpses, so he lets him leave first.

Returning to Vige Manor, the afternoon is just past halfway, and Viola has not yet returned.

After washing, Lei En changes into fresh clean clothes and lies on the bed to rest.

In fact he is not tired at all; his condition is better than ever, both physically and mentally, reaching an unprecedented peak.

After lying for a while, bored, Lei En enters the training arena.

He wants to familiarize himself with his current strength.

This time he absorbed an unknown number of Demon souls, his energy filled up several times, most of which was used to strengthen Elements; although still a Level Two Wizard, his power surged, equivalent to more than three levels of advancement.

Iron Body increased by one level.

Strength enhanced by one level.

Dragon Power Art rose from one ring to two rings.

After consuming so much energy, he still has over 80% remaining, and the next soul ascension is not far off.

Training in the arena for a little over an hour, Lei En roughly gauges his strength.

The most notable improvement is still Strength.

Before today, he could lift about 4,600 pounds; after enhancing "Strength" to a rare Element and reaching level four, it suddenly surged to over 7,500 pounds, an increase of nearly 3,000 pounds!

If he further augments with two‑ring Dragon Power Art, it breaks straight past ten thousand pounds!

Ten‑thousand‑pound strength.

Lei En himself is startled; converted to his past life's weight units, it's roughly ten thousand jin, capable of lifting five‑ton objects!

Strength grows, and defense becomes stronger as well.

Iron Body is a Supreme Element; strengthening it consumes a full two hundred units of energy, enough to upgrade the Wizard rank twice, showing how hard it is to improve.

Nevertheless, a level‑two Iron Body is definitely worth that much investment.

Lei En uses himself as a test; even with his strength, wielding a sharp longsword, it is hard to harm himself after the Iron Body activates.

He slashes wildly at his arm, clanging a few times, sparks flying, and after only a few strikes the blade is riddled with gaps.

After a dozen swings, the test longsword breaks into two pieces.

Lei En himself is dumbfounded, truly witnessing what "blade‑proof" means!

But Iron Body is not invincible; after augmenting himself with Dragon Power Art, a warhammer strike to his leg still hurts.

A full‑force smash could likely cause injury.

Lei En does not try again; after all, both spear and shield are his, no need to rank them.

He looks at his phone's 80% energy gauge; with so much soul power, it should be enough to raise Rainbow Beam to two rings or boost Charge to three levels, but after long consideration he abandons the idea.

These two Elements are already sufficient for now.

His current true strength is not inferior to any Mid‑stage Transcendent, and he even dares to contend with High‑stage Transcendent, already far beyond normal professional ranks.

He should temporarily halt Element enhancement and first raise his Wizard rank.

Each level up allows the fusion of an additional Magic Soul, gaining a new Element, making power increase faster and stronger!

His ability to challenge higher tiers mainly stems from possessing Iron Body, a Supreme Element; a single top‑tier Element outweighs several ordinary and rare Elements.

He deeply understands which of the two is lighter or heavier, and knows how to choose.

"We've only fused the Crystal Giant Lizard for just over half a month, and now we must prepare to find a third Magic Soul; upgrading too fast is a moderate annoyance."

Lei En smiles helplessly.

His standards for Magic Souls are high; finding a suitable one is not easy and may require some effort.

That evening, Viola returns to the manor.

She has already heard about the Abyssal Gate, knows Lei En is involved, but does not know the details, assuming he is merely assisting.

Lei En does not want Viola to worry too much, so he does not tell her the truth, only roughly explains the process.

Viola, after listening, also looks worried, realizing this may be a conspiracy against the Silver Star Duke, but she has little information and cannot draw a useful conclusion.

The next day, newspapers across Longshande publish the incident.

However, the newspaper reports were understated, using a very ordinary tone to announce that the Demon‑extermination Squad had discovered the Demon's trace in the dock warehouse.

Now they have all been eliminated, so people need not worry.

Although some rumors spread from dock workers who had seen the Demon that day, because the Demon had not yet caused any terrible disaster, those rumors did not stir up much turmoil, and the matter quickly settled.

Yet beneath the calm surface, Longshandecheng was roiling with hidden currents.

Silver Star Title: Duke ordered a full investigation; the security officer and the Demon‑extermination Squad searched the entire city, and the Secret Fire Guard was also deployed, sweeping street by street, uncovering a large number of fugitives and also cultists of an evil god.

However, these were all followers of other evil gods, unrelated to Luo Xi.

Security Bureau Chief Fei Li Ang personally supervised, cooperating with the Mechanical Guild, investigating all of Te La Wei Qi's actions over the past few months, including every friend, colleague, and relative who had contacted Te La Wei Qi, yet they could not uncover many useful clues.

He is a lurking fallen one, much like other extraordinary fallen beings.

Since returning to work at the Mechanical Guild, Te La Wei Qi began preparing to open the Abyssal Gate, indicating that shortly after his fall he obtained an Abyss crystal.

Beyond that, there are no further clues.

Where that Abyss crystal came from is completely unknown.

One can only conclude from this that Te La Wei Qi's fall was deliberately provoked, everything was pre‑planned.

But the mastermind behind the scenes, and which faction they belong to, the Security Bureau is unsure of; many speculate it was the Shadow Blade Assassin, but there is no concrete evidence.

A week later, Lei En received a notice to go to the Security Bureau.

Outside Director Fei Li Ang's office, Lei En saw Captain Bo Luo Ke and Fu Li Da.

Both looked in good spirits; their injuries had basically healed.

"Lei En!" Bo Luo Ke greeted him happily.

His skin had healed, showing no burn marks; only his hair and eyebrows were still uneven, and his bald head looked like a boiled egg, a bit odd. He laughed, "Why haven't I seen you these past few days? I still haven't thanked you for saving my life. If it weren't for you, I'd never have had a chance to survive."

"And me," Fu Li Da added beside him.

Lei En shook his head, "We're teammates; this is what we're supposed to do. I could never watch you die in battle."

He has recently been focusing on the Phonograph, reaching a critical point, so he's been holed up in Zorutan's mechanical workshop, rarely leaving except to eat and sleep.

"No matter what, you saved me," Bo Luo Ke said solemnly, his gratitude beyond words.

In fact, Bo Luo Ke still feels as if he's dreaming.

At that moment, faced with the onslaught of so many Demons, he had already prepared for certain death, but Lei En suddenly stepped forward, displaying terrifying power.

These past few days, each time he recalls Lei En's battle against the Demons, he is filled with awe.

Pure strength, charging speed, solid defense!

Lei En, wielding only a war hammer, barreled through hundreds of Demons, limbs snapping, flesh flying, like a ruthless killing machine.

Violence, bloodshed, shock!

Those battle scenes are etched deep in his mind, never to be forgotten.

When the investigation into Ai Si Bo Ge's death was first conducted, Bo Luo Ke had already interacted with Lei En.

At that time, Lei En was still an ordinary person; Bo Luo Ke thought the young man was extraordinary, able to escape from a second‑rank Shadow Warrior, surely possessing exceptional talent, so he considered sparing him, refraining from deeper investigation to avoid causing trouble for Lei En.

Unexpectedly, just a little over two months later, Lei En possessed such formidable power.

And he even saved his own life.

Bo Luo Ke thought the twists of fate were astonishing, and also realized that Lei En would surely become a legend in the future; this was only the beginning.

Earlier, before Lei En arrived, Bo Luo Ke had actually had a private conversation with Fu Li Da.

They knew Lei En intentionally reduced his role in the Demon‑clearing battles; although the Director and the Chief could not be fooled, and some perceptive extraordinary beings could discern the truth from the warehouse, this also revealed Lei En's mindset—he did not want too much attention.

The two reached a consensus to keep Lei En low‑profile.

Lei En chatted briefly with the two teammates, realizing they had formed a tacit understanding, and smiled knowingly.

At that moment, the Director's female secretary emerged from the office, inviting them in.

Upon entering the office, they saw Fei Li Ang seated behind a large desk, several stacks of documents spread out, looking very busy.

"Lei En, you're here," Fei Li Ang rose, walked around the desk, smiling, and ordered the secretary to bring tea.

"Director," the three called in unison.

Fei Li Ang sat on the spacious sofa, laughing, "Don't be formal, all sit down."

Lei En remained composed, no different from usual; Bo Luo Ke and Fu Li Da were a bit restrained. Having been in the Demon‑extermination Squad for years, this was their first close encounter with the Director, and knowing the man before them was a legendary strongman, they couldn't help feeling nervous.

Fei Li Ang's demeanor was easygoing; after asking a few questions about their injuries, he quickly put them at ease.

Lei En thought to himself that this legendary magic‑swordsman's social skills were impressive, both powerful and capable, no wonder he became the Silver Star Title: Duke's confidant, heading the Security Bureau for decades.

After a brief chat, Fei Li Ang finally got to the point.

"You destroyed the Abyssal Gate, a great feat; you are the city's heroes, and all the people of Longshande owe you a favor," Fei Li Ang said sincerely. "Title: Duke has already drafted your commendations, which consist of three parts."

Bo Luo Ke and Fu Li Da listened attentively, and Lei En was also very interested.

"First, Title: Duke will, at the year‑end Divine Birth Festival, confer upon you the title of Baron," Fei Li Ang said with a smile. "Congratulations on becoming members of the nobility."

"Goddess above, Baron!"

Bo Luo Ke was stunned for a few seconds, then almost leapt up in surprise; even the usually composed Fu Li Da's eyebrows rose in delight, and she laughed happily.

Lei En was also a bit surprised by the Silver Star Title: Duke's generosity.

He understood Bo Luo Ke and Fu Li Da's feelings; for the vast majority of Empire civilians, the greatest life goal is to obtain a title and become nobility.

Even though today nobles no longer hold the same high status as in the early Empire, the Silver Star Title: Duke's grants are merely honorary titles without actual fiefs, yet for civilians and most extraordinary beings, noble titles still hold great allure.

Being ennobled means shedding civilian status, entering the Empire's upper class, and gaining many privileges.

Viola had spoken to Lei En about the ennoblement process.

The title‑granting ceremony is usually held at the year‑end celebration of the Goddess's ascension, the Divine Birth Festival.

The Silver Star Title: Duke typically confers no more than ten titles each year, sometimes only two or three.

The newly ennobled are few heirs of the Duke's family; most are wealthy magnates who have contributed great fortunes to the Title: Duke.

In other words, it means using money to buy a noble title from a Title: Duke.

Among the upper echelons of Longshande, it is almost an open secret, and even some well‑informed commoners have heard the inside story.

The Empire Knight Medal and the Empire Sir Medal, whose recipients belong to the quasi‑nobility, are priced openly at five thousand gold and ten thousand gold respectively.

A baron title costs a flat twenty thousand gold; a viscount title is fifty thousand gold, non‑negotiable.

Titles above count come with fiefs and can be hereditary, so the Silver Star Duke has never sold any.

Lei En suspects the Silver Star Duke doesn't refuse to sell a count title; rather, the offered money is insufficient, the bid too low.

Now the Silver Star Duke has suddenly conferred three baron titles. Though they are merely honorary titles—a matter of a few words—with almost no cost, rarity makes them valuable; if titles become rampant, future title values will suffer. Granting three at once is thus quite generous.

Within the entire Security Bureau, only a handful of people hold noble titles.

Given Bolo Ke's position, it was almost impossible to be ennobled; now learning that he will become a noble, a baron, the sudden happiness leaves him speechless for a long time.

Freida likewise experiences emotional ups and downs, unable to calm down.

Lei En's reaction is relatively calm; he only wants to increase his own strength, does not yearn for noble titles, and does not place much importance on them.

Of course, he would not pretentiously refuse; becoming a noble benefits his whole family.

At the very least, he can adopt a surname in the future.

Fei Liang is somewhat surprised by Lei En's reaction; after Bolo Ke and the other calm down, he continues: "Besides the baron title, Your Grace the Duke will reward each of you with a thousand gold, and also a chance to enter the Wu Shi Ta Alchemy Chamber once, to freely select an enchanted piece of equipment."

"Additionally, the Security Bureau will give you some rewards—higher salary and benefits. After you return from the Wu Shi Ta, Da Wen Lahe will tell you personally."

"Now you all follow me into the Wu Shi Ta."

Fei Liang disregards the varied reactions on their faces, stands and leaves; only after Lei En turns back and reminds them twice do Bolo Ke and Freida snap out of their daze and hurry after him.

(End of Chapter)