Attribute Farming System

Knox swatted at the golden number floating above his head, an annoyed expression crossing his face. "This thing is really annoying, and it follows me everywhere I go."

All citizens of each region in the Azura Empire below the age of 100 had a golden number form above their heads shortly after the Azura Ordinance List's appearance. The number increased or decreased for every battle with a member of the younger generation they engaged in.

No one besides the individual could see their number. Moreover, the only other way besides fighting for the number to increase was in relation to cultivation. This technically meant that if someone was stronger than their cultivation indicated, the golden Ordinance Value number wasn't an effective way to approximate their placing on the list.

It was a poorly designed setup by whoever created the Azura Ordinance List Competition.

Then again, in all fairness, hopping realms in battle was not a common occurrence, especially in the higher realms, where the gaps between each minor stage were astronomical.

Knox leaped thousands of meters with each step, his gaze distant as he spoke aloud. "I have yet to bother myself with asking what value your golden number should be at to qualify for the Top 1,000 in the Elemental Nations. But if my stupidly inaccurate guess is correct, then I suppose I need to be in the Core Formation Realm to qualify for the Top 1,000. Which, I must say, is quite the tall order for my father to have for me. And to achieve this in 10 years—does my father not think I'm useless trash? Or did he banish me expecting me to fail?"

The latter would give his father a good excuse to conveniently get rid of previously crippled trash, but who knew for sure?

--- Meanwhile, within the Sect Leader's Private Chambers in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect ---

"That crippled trash still isn't dead yet!?"

The furious voice of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect Leader reverberated through the halls of his throne room. Kneeling below his throne in reverence were a few servants, all of whom wore nervous expressions. Beads of sweat ran down their faces as they couldn't even find it in themselves to look their Sect Leader in the eye.

"S-Sect Leader, the boy has eluded us once more," muttered the servant at the forefront, his cultivation in the Golden Core Formation Realm.

As the one instructed to chase and kill Knox for good, it was his responsibility to report his failure personally. This also brought about the oppressive atmosphere that everyone in the building—except for the Sect Leader—felt at that moment.

Anxiously continuing where he left off, the servant said, "The boy—the target—slaughtered the entire hunting squad we sent out—and did so with a single move. Then he somehow left the scope of my Divine Sense and vanished from the map… Sect Leader, I've failed you! Please punish me!"

*Bang, Bang!*

The Golden Core Realm servant slammed his forehead against the ground several times. The fortified ground cracked, and so too did his head as blood fountained out of it.

The Sect Leader's livid expression eased up a bit as he dismissively waved his wrinkled hand. "Forget about it," he said, though his tone turned absurdly cold on the flip of a dime. "Just don't let it happen again. Understood?"

Large beads of sweat rolled off the servant in huge amounts, his complexion looking paler than that of a ghost. He profusely nodded while repeating, "I won't let it happen again, Sect Leader! Forgive this lowly one!"

"Enough!"

The Sect Leader's booming voice silenced the Golden Core Realm cultivator, sending shivers up and down his spine. In front of the power of a Soul Formation Realm cultivator, his strength was worth less than dirt.

"Regardless of your incompetence, the strength and mysterious methods of the Eldest Son of the Falazars have really come to surprise me," said the Sect Leader, his aura gradually decreasing. "If our sources are accurate, then Knox Falazar only started cultivating shortly after miraculously returning to life. This means that in a little less than five months, a fifteen-year-old boy with not a smidgen of cultivation advanced to a point where even a group of Mid-Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were not his match."

Quietly pondering to himself, the Sect Leader considered the implications that such a prodigy would have for the Sect as a whole.

Ultimately, the Sect Leader turned his head up, his expression bereft of emotion. Apathetically, he gave the verdict that would decide Knox Falazar's fate:

"Knox Falazar—the Eldest Young Master of the Falazar Count Family—cannot be allowed to mature. Rip out the weeds before they sprout, roots and all. No matter how the Falazar Count reacts, don't relent. Kill Knox Falazar. Send out everyone; don't test him any longer."

"Y-Yes, Sect Leader!"

Following the simultaneous shouts of the servants, they blurred from their spots and used the Sect Leader's authority to contact all their main forces. No matter if they were in the Qi Condensation Realm or the Nascent Soul Realm, any combatant who wasn't immersed in cultivation or currently on a mission was tasked with a new objective.

On Day 235 of the Lunar Calendar, Year 6681, 30% of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect powerhouses were ordered to spread out and hunt Knox Falazar. They were to corner him from all sides, blocking off all routes of escape.

Then they'd slay him without holding anything back.

--- Meanwhile, inside the Fortress Prison ---

Knox hummed a quaint tune while dressed up in a prisoner's outfit, swabbing the dirty floors of the Fortress Prison squeaky clean. "Oh, simple things, where did they go~?"

"Hey, twigsh*t, get your head out of the clouds!" shouted a burly man wearing nearly identical orange, striped clothing as Knox. "Mop better! If you don't hurry and finish up soon, then I'll have your a*s tonight!"

"O…Of course, Sir Albert…!" Knox sheepishly mumbled while cowering in place, his legs trembling. "I'll work even harder!"

Declaring this, he rushed forward, leaving smoke in his wake as he mopped the hell out of everything in a straight line. Then, after making it to the end of the cafeteria, he turned around and repeated the impeccable cleaning process for the next section of the floor.

Knox left crystal-clear rows wherever he ran, and he assumed this was good enough for his senior inmate, for the man scoffed and left the area.