Old Lady Shen laughed so hard her shoulders shook, her cackle echoing through the silent, beast-strewn forest.
"Ahhh… something is definitely wrong with her today," Wang Fang muttered, watching her with a mix of suspicion and worry. But as the adrenaline of waking up faded, a memory began to gnaw at him. "Granny!"
She didn't seem to hear him, her eyes lost in the treeline.
"Granny!" he shouted again, louder this time.
"Hm?" She finally turned, her expression softening. "Yes, child? Why are you shouting?"
Wang Fang stepped closer, his voice dropping to a serious whisper. "I saw it. Before I blacked out... I saw you kill that tiger."
"Oh?" she replied, her tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather. "Okay."
"Okay?" Wang Fang's brows shot up. "What do you mean, okay? You killed a Tier-Three beast with one strike! A single slash and it was over! That it, really?"
She smiled faintly, a distant look in her eyes. "It wasn't a big deal. I'll explain the 'how' later. For now, stop worrying about my sword and start worrying about your own body. Don't you feel it?"
Wang Fang blinked. "Feel what?"
Old Lady Shen sighed, shaking her head. Is he truly this dense, or is he just pretending? "Focus, boy. You've broken through. You're in the middle stage of the Blood Refinement Realm."
Wang Fang's jaw dropped. Without a word, he dropped into a cross-legged position. He pulled a deep, lung-filling breath of the forest air and held it.
In that instant, the world changed.
His breathing wasn't just air anymore; it was deep and effortless, like his lungs had doubled in size. His blood flowing like an ocean; it surged with a rhythmic warmth, carrying traces of refined spiritual essence to every corner of his body. He felt his bones and flesh knitting together, turning dense and resilient, as if he had been forged like steel in a master's furnace.
He opened his eyes and stood up, his movements light and powerful. "I... I feel stronger. Much stronger."
Old Lady Shen let out another bark of laughter. "Hahahaha! Of course you do! You forced your limits at the very edge of death. That is the only true way to grow." Then, her face hardened, the humor vanishing. "But it's still not enough."
"Not enough?"
"You were unconscious for two days, Wang Fang. Your body was screaming for rest."
"Two days?!" Wang Fang yelped, clutching his head. "I slept for two days in a cave full of dead monsters? That's terrifying!"
"Relax," she chuckled. "While you were busy dreaming, I wasn't idle. I refined the essences of those beasts into a spirit-grade pill. As for the tiger... I've prepared the meat. You'll eat it later, a Tier-Three heart is better for you than any soup."
Wang Fang stiffened, glancing at the massive, bifurcated carcass. "You want me to eat, that?"
"Enough," she interrupted, pressing a glowing pill into his palm. It hummed with a pure, concentrated energy. "This will help you bridge the gap to the Qi Gathering Realm."
Wang Fang hesitated, looking at the pill. "Granny, you gave me a pill last time and said the same thing. I did break through,but it was unstable then."
She snorted derisively. "That was a half-measure. A test. This? This is the real thing. Now, move." She pointed toward a smooth rock jutting out from the center of the nearby stream. "Sit there. Don't come off that rock until you've broken through."
"Wait, Granny! Where are you going?"
"That is none of your concern," she said, already turning her back to him. "Just do as you're told."
Wang Fang grumbled, but he knew better than to argue when she had that look in her eyes. He waded into the cold water and hopped onto the rock, closing his eyes to the world.
Old Lady Shen watched him for a moment, her gaze softening. "Sometimes I have to be the hammer," she whispered to the shadows, "so you can become the blade."
She moved with terrifying speed, snapping open several yellow paper charms and pinning them to the trees. A shimmering veil of protective energy rippled into existence, hiding the clearing from sight.
Then, she turned toward the road leading back to Qinghe. Her eyes, usually cloudy with age, became sharp as broken glass.
"Two days ago... I felt a tremor in the village. Something is wrong."
In one fluid motion, she drew her sword. She didn't grip it for combat; instead, she tossed it into the air, where it levitated, glowing with a fierce blue light. She stepped onto the blade calmly, her robes fluttering in a sudden wind, and vanished into the sky like a streak of lightning