Today was as usual in the Luo Clan, with disciples streaming eagerly from their morning training.
Too weak… too weak… and too weak…
Just by strolling around and sensing others' energy with his divine sense, Wu Han could gauge their strength. Even though most were on par with him at the 6th stage of Qi Condensation, compared to him now, they were mere children.
His heart beat fiercely. He wanted to test his newfound power, preferably against someone he had fought before—to make a strategic comparison of his progress.
"I said don't worry about me—I can do this!"
Suddenly, a familiar shout rang out from afar. On one of the training grounds stood a tall, busty woman, her face etched with worry as she looked over a man with a bandaged arm. Wu Han quickly recalled their names.
Yan Fei—son of the Yan family and their pride. They had fought once before, and Wu Han had nearly lost to the mere mortal, back when his martial understanding was lacking. Only by devising Sky Piecer on the spot had he snatched a narrow victory.
And Hong Qing—a skilled and beautiful swordswoman who had forced him to reveal his magic just to halt her advance.
The two were arguing over Yan Fei's well-being; he had just recovered from the injury Wu Han dealt him and was already pushing to spar again.
Second round.
Wu Han walked over, a faint smile on his face. Yan Fei recognized that infuriating grin immediately.
"You! You dare show your face here!" Yan Fei pointed an accusing finger, his expression burning with rage. His arm had healed, and his spirit blazed like fire. Just seeing the culprit who had left him bedridden—and made him miss so many opportunities—made his blood boil.
"What's the matter? And who are you?" Wu Han asked, though he knew perfectly well.
"You—YOU! I am Yan Fei, the prodigy of the Yan family! How dare you forget me, and what you did?!" Yan Fei seethed, easily baited. "But since you're here… COME! FIGHT ME! While I recovered, I gained insight into my technique!"
Yan Fei's fist tightened around his spear. Every time he closed his eyes, the moment replayed—Wu Han's spear thrusting through his body, its speed haunting him day and night. But during meditation, he had glimpsed a way to counter it, and now he burned to test that insight.
"Oh, really?" Wu Han's interest was piqued. Such confidence in an untested theory was a scholar's minor mistake—cute, even. He'd let it pass. But today, he too had come to test a new toy.
As the two men's argument heated toward a boil, a girl watched from behind, lips slightly parted.
It's him.
Hong Qing's cheeks flushed just at the sight of Wu Han standing tall. With her higher cultivation and martial insight, she could clearly sense the tremendous change radiating from his body. Before, it had been like a mysterious, misty fog. Now, it was a heavy rain finally soaking the earth.
Or her underwear—but that remained a mystery.
"If you want a rematch, I'm happy to oblige. Let's make it 2–0." Wu Han smirked and stepped onto the stage, empty-handed.
"You'll regret this! Even if you're a disciple of the Miracle Doctor, you're still scum! The scum who broke my sister's heart!" Yan Fei took his position and raised his spear, its intent so sharp it seemed to cut the very air around the blade.
He wasn't lying. He's figured something out. Wu Han grew cautious and took his stance.
"Wait, that stance…" Hong Qing's eyes widened. She'd faced it many times before—but it couldn't possibly be here!
"DIE!"
Molten Spiral Twirl!
Yan Fei's spear flared with heat. Before, it had been like a volcano erupting, engulfing the land. Now, the spear shot straight forth like a jet stream of lava.
So he partially copied the core principle of Sky Piecer and made it his own!
Wu Han inwardly commended Yan Fei's gift—to grasp a magical principle after seeing it only once and fuse it into his own technique. A week ago, this would have defeated Wu Han in one move.
But now, the one to be defeated in a single strike… was Yan Fei.
Thump.
His inner gear shifted—energy flowing from dantian to heart. His body heated, Qi surged, and his steps became fleeting as wind. He dodged the incoming spear as easily as a leaf floating on a gentle breeze.
Yan Fei panicked as his spear shot past its mark. Wu Han stomped, his aura blazing.
Blazing Cloud Palm!
Wu Han's palm struck Yan Fei's unprotected rib cage. With a twist, an explosion followed.
BOOM!
Yan Fei was sent flying, tumbling across the ground before lying still, unconscious.
An opponent who once forced him to adapt magic into martial arts… now defeated in one strike.
The Origin Ember Heart Law was truly game-changing.
And even more so in practical use!
The human body was like a machine, powered by circuits and a generator—in this world, the dantian.
But Wu Han's dantian had been imprinted by his original soul, adapted for casting external magic as he had in the world of sorcery. That had been the invisible blockage holding back his martial progress.
Until now.
Having practiced the Origin Ember Heart Law, combined with his mastery of energy flow, he could now shift control from his dantian to his heart when utilizing internal energy.
A two-in-one warrior. All that remained was to find a way to combine both paths.
Even a god resided in a mortal body—he still had to follow the rules of nature.
But every rule had a fine print.
If there's a method in this world to unlock a third core… it should be possible.
But while he was excited about his future progression, he noticed that a certain pair of eyes were still fixed on him. As a matter of fact, it was making him feel uncomfortable.
"You want something?" Wu Han turned to Hong Qing, who had kept staring at him from start to finish—and even now, after he had just sent her fiancé flying from the ring.
The last time they fought, she had rushed to try and kill him on the spot. But right now, why was she looking at him the same way Hui Lian had lusted after his cock?!