With the last remnants of courage he had left, Feng charged at Master Stone. He used the momentum of his smaller, more agile body to evade the lethal punch. In a swift, spinning motion, he used Master Stone's solid frame as a stepping point, springing backward to put distance between himself and the edge of the cliff.
Master Stone merely snorted coldly. With a simple flick of his arm, a thunderous boom erupted, sending small rocks flying and cracking the ground around them. The vibration even made the edge of the cliff more unstable, as if it could collapse at any moment. Without giving Feng any time to recover, Master Stone leapt high into the air, chasing after him as he struggled to regain his balance.
"Not according to plan!" Feng cried inwardly as panic began to creep in. His original plan had been to lure Master Stone into destroying the ground at the cliff's edge, causing it to collapse and drag him down. The ground had cracked—but it was from Master Stone's leap as he pursued him. Now, Feng was the one left exposed in a far more dangerous position.
Master Stone's speed in midair was terrifying. Another punch shot straight toward Feng's face—far too fast to dodge.
"Too fast!" Feng screamed in his mind.
BAM!
The blow slammed into Feng's face with full force. The faint sound of cracking bone echoed. Feng was sent flying like a rag doll, smashing into several tree trunks in succession before finally coming to a halt with his body slumped against the last one. Each tree he struck was left with a deep indentation.
"Gahhh!" Blood gushed from his mouth and nose. His face was swollen, bruised, and torn open by wounds. His vision spun wildly as the world tilted and blurred. Consciousness began to slip away.
"I knew your plan from the very beginning," Master Stone said as he walked closer with heavy steps, his tone filled with mockery and absolute confidence. "Dirty tricks like that won't work on me."
Feng tried to move his hands, struggling to push himself up. But his body no longer felt like his own. Every muscle, every bone screamed in agony, refusing to respond. He had reached his limit.
Master Stone did not stop. He attacked again, this time with a controlled punch that carried less power, as if deliberately holding back to avoid killing Feng too quickly. Even so, to Feng's already shattered body, it was devastating.
"Aghhh!" Feng's scream of pain echoed through the forest. He was sent flying once more, rolling across the ground before coming to a helpless stop.
"Hahaha! Die, Feng!" Jun, who had been watching from behind the trees with a pounding heart, now felt safe. He stepped forward toward the defenseless Feng, his face twisted with hatred and triumph. "All you can do is bluff!" he snarled, kicking Feng's motionless body. "Hit him again! Crush his neck!" Jun ordered Master Stone.
Master Stone nodded obediently. With cold precision, he struck Feng's neck and chest.
"Ghhh…!" Feng's voice was strangled. Fresh blood poured from the many wounds on his body, soaking into the brown earth. He was thrown once more, twitching weakly before finally lying completely still, his breathing shallow and ragged.
Inside the blood-soaked bracelet on Feng's wrist, Lean observed everything with astonishing calm.
"This child is quite impressive. A steadfast heart—he never once asked me for help. Unfortunately, his experience is still lacking. Not cunning enough." A faint sigh echoed in his thoughts. "Hah… it can't be helped. I'll lend him a little of my power. The side effects for a mortal will be severe—but it will also increase his experience."
A thin, meaningful smile appeared on Lean's unseen face.
At that very moment, the pale bracelet emitted a faint silvery glow. The light, small like a falling star, seeped out from the bracelet and slipped into Feng's body through his torn skin. It flowed onward, through every cell, every ruptured blood vessel, every cracked bone—like life-saving dew falling upon a parched wasteland.
Feng's body, lying on the ground, suddenly began to tremble violently.
His scream echoed—screams of agony that lasted several seconds.
Then… he rose.
Not rising normally, but floating several inches above the ground. His body radiated a faint yet incredibly dense purplish-silver aura. Feng opened his eyes. They were no longer his usual eyes—within them now burned a savage ferocity and a profound emptiness. His tattered clothes tore open at the chest, revealing a body now traced with fine, glowing veins.
Master Stone and Jun froze, utterly stunned. Instinctive fear surged through them—especially for Master Stone, who understood what this meant.
"Middle Stage Body Tempering?! Impossible…!" he muttered, his face filled with disbelief—and now, genuine fear.
"What's happening?! Kill him! Now!" Jun screamed, his voice bordering on panic.
Master Stone drew his weapon—a pair of iron tonfas radiating a purplish aura. He unleashed every ounce of strength he had left. With a thunderous roar, he launched a dark-purple wave of energy, ripping through the air toward the floating Feng.
Feng merely raised his hand calmly. He extended a single index finger. From its tip, a small but blindingly bright beam of pure white light shot forth.
The two attacks collided midair.
At first, the small white beam pushed back the larger purple assault. Master Stone, drenched in cold sweat, roared and poured in more energy, causing his purple attack to swell and press back against the white light. The two forces clashed at the midpoint, straining against each other—until—
BOOMMM!!!
A colossal explosion of energy shook the forest. The shockwave annihilated everything within a fifty-meter radius. Trees were uprooted, the ground split apart, and dust filled the air. Jun was flung far away like a withered leaf, screaming in agony. Master Stone was also forced back several steps, a mouthful of blood spilling from the corner of his lips.
"How is this possible?! A mere mortal becoming a Practitioner in an instant?!" Master Stone shouted, his mind in chaos.
Within Feng's submerged consciousness, he could only feel things faintly. His body moved on its own, guided by pure battle instinct.
"This little bit of power shouldn't attract their attention, right?" Lean mused calmly from within. "I've only lent him a fraction. The side effects on a mortal body will be severe. But… as compensation, from today onward, his eyes will be opened. He will be able to see Essence. Danger and opportunity always walk hand in hand."
Feng did not answer Master Stone's question. He took a step.
Just one step—yet in the blink of an eye, his body appeared right beside Master Stone. The speed stunned him.
"So fast!" was all Master Stone managed to say before a simple frontal punch slammed into his chest.
BRUK!
His ribs cracked. Master Stone was sent flying, crashing through a line of trees before collapsing onto the ground.
But Feng did not stop. He appeared again above Master Stone as he struggled to rise, seized both of his opponent's arms, and with brutal force smashed Master Stone's body into the earth.
"Aghhh!!" Master Stone's scream was filled with agony.
DUG! His body created a crater ten meters deep.
It still wasn't over. Feng grabbed Master Stone's weakened neck. With a swift, emotionless motion, he twisted and tore. Fresh blood sprayed violently, splattering across Feng's blank face. Behind the borrowed savagery in his eyes lay a terror that could not be expressed.
With his primary enemy fallen, the floating figure of Feng looked around. His glowing eyes locked onto Jun, who was desperately trying to crawl away with his injured body. Without hesitation, Feng raised his hand once more. A small white beam shot forth, piercing the air and stabbing straight through Jun's abdomen from behind.
"Aghhh…!" Jun's scream was cut short. He collapsed, motionless.
After that, the floating Feng looked up at the sky, as if searching for something. The light around his body began to dim, flickering unstably. Then, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, his body fell freely from the air and slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
There, amid the ruins of battle and two lifeless bodies, Feng lay unconscious. His body—after borrowing that power—now looked even more broken and pallid than before, having paid a heavy price for a blood-soaked victory.
The forest returned to silence.