ch 10

Blood gushed from Tianze’s gut. A sharp tail, covered in black scales, had pierced through him from back to front. His hands trembled as he grabbed the tail, feeling the heat of his own blood spilling down his torso. His breath came out in shallow gasps.

Hff… hff… hff…

In front of him stood a creature—a monster seemingly born from a nightmare. A twisted mix of drake and snake, its massive body coiled through the shadows of the forest. Cyan eyes glowed menacingly beneath its scaled brow. Its tail—now coated in Tianze’s blood—twitched and flexed, ready to strike again.

After months of traveling through the depths of the forest, Tianze had learned much—about his body, about the jungle, about the savage nature of survival. He had meditated for hours each day, focusing his consciousness on his body through his inner energy. He had studied his veins, muscles, bones—every organ, every cell. He had even experimented with directing inner energy toward wounds, stimulating healing. The results had been slow—until he discovered something extraordinary.

Innate energy.

Unlike inner energy, innate energy was life energy—nearly impossible to increase or manipulate. But Tianze’s body was different. Every time he consumed a beast’s core and flesh, his innate energy grew. His body was absorbing life itself, strengthening with every hunt, every kill.

But now, none of that mattered if he couldn’t survive the next few seconds.

Is it a snake? No… a drake? No… I’m not sure. But now, only one of us can leave this place alive.

Pain tore through his abdomen. He dropped to one knee, clutching the wound as his blood poured onto the forest floor. But he didn’t panic. His mind split in two.

One part of his brain focused entirely on his injury. He connected the major blood vessels using materialized energy threads—tiny, cyan-blue fibers that pulsed with inner energy. Then, he patched the wound externally using the same materialized energy, stabilizing the injury. Finally, he directed a surge of innate energy into the cells around the wound, forcing rapid proliferation and healing.

The bleeding stopped almost instantly. The pain dulled.

The other part of his brain was focused on the battle.

The beast’s tail cracked through the air like a whip. If it landed, Tianze’s body would shatter. His eyes narrowed. Cyan-blue light flickered beneath his pupils as his vision sharpened. His super vision activated—his gaze piercing through the monster’s body.

No weak points externally—its scales were impenetrable. But inside…

Tianze’s gaze focused on the enormous energy swirling within the beast’s core. Its mouth was the only vulnerable opening.

That’s it.

Tianze’s muscles coiled. He darted toward the monster, his sword flashing in his hand as he launched a flurry of attacks to distract it. The beast’s head tracked him, jaws snapping. Its eyes burned with feral rage.

And then it opened its mouth to crush his skull.

Tianze’s hand blurred—his claws extending as he shoved his arm into the beast’s mouth. Its teeth scraped against his forearm, tearing flesh, but he didn’t stop. His arm dug deeper—past the fangs, down the throat. He grasped for the core—

It’s too hard… too strong!

His muscles screamed under the strain. He needed more time—more leverage.

Tianze’s gaze darkened. A thin smile crept onto his bloodied lips.

“I guess it’s time for my trump card.”

He pulled out a small bag tied at his waist and dropped it into the monster’s throat. The bag burst—filling the beast’s throat with concentrated venom.

The monster’s eyes widened. Its throat swelled—and then it roared.

Crimson-red fire erupted from its mouth, consuming Tianze in a wave of blazing heat. His body was engulfed. His flesh burned. His skin peeled. The venom dissolved instantly.

Tianze screamed—his body convulsing in agony.

But his mind didn’t falter.

He focused all his inner energy into his eyes—shielding his vision as the flames raged over him. His body lay half-burned, dark blue energy threads exposed beneath the charred skin. His veins pulsed with cyan light—barely holding him together.

Tianze’s gaze sharpened. His breathing steadied.

Time slowed.

He channeled his energy through the specialized vessels he had created in his body—directing the flow with perfect control. His heart thumped, circulating the condensed energy. His muscles flexed with unnatural strength.

He struck.

Tianze’s left hand shot into the beast’s left eye—his claws piercing through the protective layer. His right hand held the monster’s mouth open as his left hand dug deeper—reaching toward the brain.

And then he twisted.

The beast screamed—a gurgling, wretched sound as its body convulsed. Tianze dug his claws deeper—shredding the brain with brutal precision. Cyan energy surged through his arm—frying the neural pathways of the beast’s mind.

The monster fell limp. Its body crashed to the ground, snapping trees beneath its weight.

But the tail shot forward in a death spasm—

Tear!

Tianze screamed as his left leg was severed below the knee. Blood sprayed across the ground.

He fell to the dirt, gasping, his body trembling violently. He was dying—his body in a state of collapse.

But Tianze knew what he needed.

He dragged himself toward the monster’s chest. His claws sliced through the scales. He plunged his hand into the beast’s flesh—tearing open the cavity around its core. The moment he ripped it free, he began to devour the raw flesh.

Instantly, poison flooded his veins. His body seized. His heart stopped for a moment.

But he didn’t stop.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and forced his body to adapt. His inner energy circulated—forming millions of tiny condensed spheres of cyan energy. The spheres flowed through his blood vessels, capturing the venom molecule by molecule.

He directed the spheres into his dantian—forming a cavity within his core. He stored the poison there, compressing it into a single toxic mass.

Now his body was clean.

He focused the remaining energy on his injuries. Cyan light crawled over his shredded flesh—knitting together the muscle fibers and reconnecting the nerves. His left leg reformed—his muscles growing back stronger and more defined than before.

After a few hours, his body was whole again. His skin, though scarred, pulsed with new strength.

Tianze stood and walked toward the lake. He washed his body, the cool water soothing the last of the burning sensation. He gazed at his reflection. His face had changed—his features sharper, more refined. His cyan-blue eyes glowed beneath the moonlight.

“Not bad…” he muttered. He grinned. “I guess this is an enhanced version of myself.”

His stomach growled.

“I’m hungry.”

His gaze turned toward the depths of the forest.

“I guess I need to keep eating…”

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