"Let me see!"
At this point, Kocho Shinobu didn't care at all about maintaining her calm composure. She rushed to Su Chen's bed, her small hand reaching inside his clothes to meticulously examine his injuries. Her breathing was rapid, and beads of sweat dripped down her face from pure tension. Shinobu swore this was the most urgent she had ever felt while trying to save someone.
"Master, how is it? Is there... is there still hope for Mister Su Chen?"
Kanao squatted beside Shinobu, her large eyes filled with worry and nervousness. She didn't know medicine, so she could only watch her Master diagnose him, her gaze anxious. When she saw the change in her Master's expression, Kanao asked again with great concern.
Shinobu's expression was one of pure shock, her fair, delicate face filled with complete disbelief. "Su Chen... he..."
"What? What happened to Mister Su Chen?" Kanao and Kanzaki Aoi asked at the same time, fearing the worst.
Shinobu's eyes were wide, her small face frozen in surprise. "His injuries... they've healed."
The next day, at dawn.
When Su Chen woke up, he found himself lying on a comfortable bed in the Butterfly Mansion. He didn't open his eyes immediately. Instead, he kept them closed and entered his internal state of enlightenment.
Bullet Domain activated.
[Your cell activity has increased. You perceive that other blood seems to be flowing within your body. You feel that this blood has immense potential value, and your body has adapted to this blood!]
[During your sleep, you skillfully used the breathing technique Total Concentration - Focus, allowing your bodily functions to recover rapidly.]
[You have gained insight into the Total Concentration - Focus technique, and you are attempting to explore deeper levels of the technique.]
[Your body has regained vitality, and your physical condition is stronger!]
[All your cells have undergone a qualitative improvement. You have comprehended a new breathing technique based on Total Concentration - Focus — Total Concentration - Hundred Refinements!]
Enlightenment ended.
Bullet Domain deactivated.
Su Chen slowly opened his eyes. The last trace of his internal injuries, through the clever application of his breathing, had already vanished. He tried moving his hands and found that his body wasn't stiff at all. In fact, he felt even more flexible than before.
Was this the change from the new breathing technique? he wondered.
Su Chen closed his eyes again. He began to try and activate Total Concentration - Hundred Refinements.
His lungs began to expand rhythmically. Air entered them, was processed, and then transported throughout his entire body. Su Chen could distinctly feel that every joint, every muscle, and even every single cell in his body emitted a sound almost like 'joy.'
It was like his entire body was undergoing a new tempering. Su Chen felt like he was in excellent condition.
Since he had fainted last night, his Total Concentration - Focus technique had been continuously helping him repair his body. Now, every cell had been active for an entire night and was in a state of high excitement.
As Su Chen began to utilize the Total Concentration - Hundred Refinements breathing technique, all his cells trembled in resonance. A crackling sound, like frying beans, arose from his joints.
His body was growing rapidly!
Su Chen could consciously feel that he had... grown taller? He roughly estimated that his original height of $1.7 \text{ meters}$ had now reached around $1.8 \text{ meters}$ with this body's growth.
Not bad.
Just as Su Chen was about to lift his leg for further testing, he suddenly noticed a weight on it.
Su Chen sat up. A faint scent of wisteria drifted in the air. He rubbed his eyes and, in the dim morning light, looked to his side.
By the bed, a girl wearing a colorful haori was sitting on a small stool. Her head was leaning forward, and she was sprawled ungracefully, fast asleep on his left leg. A delicate butterfly hair clip was fastened behind her head, and stray purple strands of hair lay scattered on the bed. With her eyes tightly closed, she was sleeping soundly.
The girl seemed utterly exhausted. Her eyes were red and puffy, and a tiny glint of drool hung from the corner of her mouth.
She must have sensed that the 'pillow' under her head was wiggling. She clutched the quilt, mumbled something, and then fell right back into a deep sleep.
Su Chen was amused by the sight. Good thing I had a blanket, otherwise Kocho Shinobu's drool would have landed right on me, he thought. This girl... she really doesn't pay attention to her image when she sleeps.
Judging by her appearance, she must have been taking care of him all night.
Su Chen leaned down and gently wiped the corner of Shinobu's mouth with his thumb. An incredibly soft sensation came from his hand. It was warm, and his fingertips could still vaguely feel the warmth of her lips.
Kocho Shinobu slowly opened her eyes.
She rubbed them, then looked at Su Chen with a sleepy, unfocused gaze. Upon seeing him awake and looking at her, she smiled softly. "Su Chen, you're awake?"
Su Chen nodded. "Yeah, I've been awake for a little while. But you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you."
Hearing this, Shinobu's face instantly flushed. She shyly turned her back to him and quickly tried to tidy her messy hair and appearance.
While she was distracted, Su Chen glanced around the room and casually asked, "So, is the competition over?"
Shinobu, still with her back to him, replied, "It's already over. I told everyone to go back. You could have slept a bit longer, you know."
"No need," Su Chen said, his tone somewhat apologetic. "I'm the one who dragged us down this time. I couldn't even secure the Hashira spot for the Butterfly Mansion."
It was a situation they should have easily won, but he ended up messing it up by getting knocked out.
Seeing Su Chen so disheartened, Shinobu turned back around and smiled sweetly. "It's alright, Su Chen. Shinazugawa actually conceded. So, the Butterfly Mansion now has threeHashira spots~"
Su Chen was stunned. "Three?"
"That's right! Rengoku also gave his Hashira spot to the Butterfly Mansion. Now I'm quite rich~" Shinobu's tone even had a hint of pride.
Su Chen thought to himself that money could indeed change a person's mental state.
He was still confused. He remembered being eliminated. Why would Shinazugawa concede?
Before he could ask, Shinobu began to explain. "Shinazugawa was the one who violated the rules first. That guy messed up the Butterfly Mansion, he was clearly just looking for trouble! And he himself admitted it was his fault, so he gave the Hashira spot to us."
"As for Rengoku," she continued, "he said the Rengoku Family wasn't short on money, so he gave his spot to the Butterfly Mansion, too."
Su Chen had a strange look on his face. "So you just... accepted it?"
"Of course not!" Shinobu turned around fully, patted her chest, and then said with a beaming smile, "He said it was for Su Chen, so I accepted it on your behalf. Rengoku said that if you have time in the future, you should visit the Rengoku Family! So, Su Chen, remember to repay Rengoku for this favor later on~!"
Slap.
Su Chen slapped his forehead.
So, he had to personally go to the Rengoku Family... to teach them Flame Breathing, huh?