Han Yu ducked low, sweeping his broom in a wide arc.
The nearest attacker, too confident, too aggressive, tripped and slamd face-first into the ground.
Han Yu followed up with a sharp jab of the broom handle into the man’s gut, knocking the air out of him with a pitiful wheeze.
One down.
The other two ca at him from either side.
Han Yu gritted his teeth.
This would hurt.
He let the one on his left grab his arm—and then twisted, using the man’s own montum to throw him straight into his companion.
The two collided with a loud THUD, staggering.
Before they could recover, Han Yu slamd the bristled end of the broom into their faces, sending one sprawling and the other stumbling back, blood spurting from a broken nose.
His muscles ached.
His breathing was ragged.
The suppression array was taking its toll.
But Han Yu stood tall.
"I don’t know who you think I am," he panted, "but I’m not the sa Han Yu you used to push around."
The leader wiped blood from his lip, glaring murderously.
"This isn’t over," he spat, retreating into the mist. His companions scrambled after him, half-carrying their injured comrade.
Han Yu didn’t chase.He knew better.
Instead, he slumped down against the side of the shed, heart hamring in his ears.
’Survived... again.’
And he had done it without using the pills too!
Han Yu closed his eyes for a mont, letting the cold air soothe his burning muscles.
When he opened them, there was a new light in his gaze.
A fierce, unyielding fla.
Han Yu was no longer prey.
He was sothing else now. Sothing dangerous.
And he wasn’t planning to stop here.
Han Yu sat there for a few more minutes, catching his breath. His body ached from the effects of the suppression array, but he could already feel it fading, the natural resilience of his newly tempered body pushing back against the lingering weakness.
He slowly stood up, dusted himself off, and picked up his faithful broom.
"I need to prepare," Han Yu muttered grimly. "If they co at again... it won’t be with just three people."
He began walking back toward the servants’ quarters, planning to prepared well with what little supplies he had left. His mind churned with possibilities.
Halfway there, he heard rapid footsteps approaching.
Han Yu tensed, raising the broom defensively—
"Han Yu!"
It was Li i.
Bounding up to him with an excited gleam in her eyes, she skidded to a halt right in front of him, a small jade bottle clutched tightly in her hand.
"I have fantastic news!" she chirped.
Han Yu’s instincts scread.Nothing good ever started with those words.
"What is it?" he asked cautiously, eyeing the bottle like it was a venomous snake. Li i thrust it into his hand.
"I refined a new pill! It’s specially designed to boost recovery and strengthen your marrow after high-intensity combat situations. It’s perfect for you!"
Han Yu stared at the bottle. Then at her.
"...This isn’t like the last pill, right?" he asked suspiciously. "The one that almost killed ?"
Li i waved a hand dismissively.
"Pffft. Statistically speaking, you survived, didn’t you? This one is even safer! Ninety-two percent success rate!"
Han Yu blinked.
"Wait... what about the other eight percent?"
Li i smiled brightly.
"Well... minor side effects like temporary blindness, bleeding from the ears, muscle spasms, hallucinations, a brief coma—"
"STOP."
Han Yu held up a hand, heart sinking.
Li i pouted.
"You’re no fun," she mumbled. "But I promise this one’s much better. Here!"
Before he could argue, she uncorked the bottle and popped a pill straight into his mouth.
Han Yu reflexively swallowed.
Imdiately, he regretted it.
The world spun. His knees buckled. His skin felt like it was being simultaneously tickled and punched from the inside out. His bones itched. His muscles twitched.
And then—
BOOM!
A surge of vitality exploded within him, rushing through his veins like a tidal wave. His vision blurred. His ears rang.
He staggered back, coughing violently, as blood trickled from his nose and ears.
"Li i... you..." he gasped hoarsely.
"Shh, shh, just relax," she said cheerfully, jotting notes into her thick notebook labeled Han Yu Resilience Trials. "This is normal. Probably."
Han Yu collapsed onto the ground, darkness creeping into the corners of his vision.
The last thing he saw before blacking out was Li i’s eager, twinkling eyes peering down at him.
He didn’t know how much ti had passed.
When he finally woke up, the first thing he noticed was the heavy, tingling feeling throughout his body. Like every cell had been reforged in fire.
He sat up groggily, blinking at the familiar cracked ceiling of his servant’s quarters.
"...Back here again," he mumbled.
His body ached—but it wasn’t the aching of injury. It was the soreness of profound growth.
Han Yu reached inward, checking his body.
And imdiately froze.
His bones were even denser than before, so dense that they almost seed tallic. His muscles thrumd with tightly compressed vitality. His skin glowed faintly with a healthy sheen.
His body had ascended to a completely different level.
He wasn’t just at the Tenth Stage of the Body Tempering realm anymore.
He had perfected it.
Every part of him was now tempered to the limit. He had achieved a level of physical strength that could rival so newly advanced Qi Refining cultivators.
With a little more effort, there was a chance he might just breakthrough to the Eleventh Stage of the Body tempering realm.
Han Yu exhaled slowly, feeling the raw, explosive power coursing through his limbs.
"...She’s insane," he muttered under his breath. "But she’s effective."
A knock sounded at the door.
Cautiously, Han Yu stood up and opened it.
Li i stood there, beaming, a fresh notebook in her hands labeled Han Yu Mutation Trials.
"How do you feel?" she asked brightly.
Han Yu looked at her, then down at his own fists. He tightened them experintally, hearing the faint crackle of energy in his bones.
A small, savage smile crossed his lips.
"Like breaking soone’s face," Han Yu said simply.
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