Zhang Feng's fist came at him like a comet of unstable, crimson qi tearing through the rain. The Rage Pill's energy coiling around his arm bright like a sun going nova. The heat hit Lu Chen's face three feet away.
So this is a Body Forging punch.
His body was a chorus of screams. Broken ribs. Torn muscle. The system's timer flashed: <38 seconds.>
Lu Chen braced. He wasn't blocking. He was surviving.
If poison gives EXP… what about a berserk energy backlash?
The fist was inches away.The air trembled. Li Yun's cry came from the distance.
Then—
Everything stopped.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
The rain hung in the air. Glass beads on a string. Zhang Feng's fist froze, trembling, its crimson glow lighting the suspended drops. Sound vanished. Wind died.
Lu Chen's breath caught. What—?
A figure moved through the frozen scene. He didn't walk through the rain; he moved between the droplets. Gray robes undisturbed. He appeared beside Zhang Feng as if he'd always been there. He was tall, lean and his hair slick and arranged like silver wires. His eyes like a winter sky. A face that had seen ten thousand storms.
Elder Tao.
The Outer Hall Overseer. The man whose punishments were whispered about after lights-out.
He reached out. Two fingers touched Zhang Feng's wrist.
That was all.
The crimson energy shattered. Not with a bang. With a sound like ice cracking—a thousand tiny fractures until it was harmless mist.
Zhang Feng crumpled. Not from the touch. From the backlash. The Rage Pill's energy had nowhere to go. It turned inward. He hit the mud with a wet thud, body convulsing, dark veins spiderwebbing under his skin. His shrill scream wasn't human. It was the sound of a cultivation foundation tearing itself apart.
Elder Tao didn't look at him.
His gaze—cold, empty—swept the courtyard. Disciples flinched. When those winter eyes landed on Lu Chen, they paused. A heartbeat too long. On the battered youth who should be broken but was, inexplicably, standing.
Elder Tao's voice was soft. It shouldn't have carried over the resumed rain. But it did, landing in every ear with the weight of law.
"Enough. Unauthorized fighting is forbidden. Forbidden pills are prohibited." His eyes swept Lu Chen and the convulsing Zhang Feng. No emotions. "Both parties. Outer Hall by sunrise tomorrow for judgment."
That was it. There were no private summons. No favouritism. It was just cold, impartial law. But yet the message was clear. A rising former-trash and a falling enforcer were now in the same shoes. Both are now rule-breakers.
After he said his piece he turned. The rain curved around him as he left.
Silence held for three seconds.
Then chaos.
Disciples scrambled back from Zhang Feng and Lu Chen's circle. Zhang Feng foamed at the mouth. Wisps of reddish qi leaked from his pores—his aura dropping.
A disciple near the front pointed, his voice a mix of horror and glee. "Look at his qi! It's leaking! His foundation's toast!"
"Serves him right, using a Rage Pill in a fair fight," another muttered, but he couldn't hide his shock. "He's ruined. He'll be lucky to still be in body tempering 5 by next week."
The real dread came in a hushed whisper from the back. "Idiots. Don't you get it? That's Zhang Feng. His brother is Zhang Long."
The name landed like a stone in the mud. He was one of the top five disciples in the Body Forging Realm. The chatter died instantly. Dozens of eyes slid from the convulsing enforcer to Lu Chen's battered back. You don't just beat a Zhang. You buy a lifetime of trouble.
Lu Chen let out a breath he'd been holding. The adrenaline crash hit him like a physical blow. His knees buckled.
Li Yun was there, catching him, her small frame trembling. "You idiot! You complete, stubborn, suicidal idiot!" Her voice broke. "You look like something the sect hounds dragged in and then regretted!"
Lu Chen managed a weak smile. Blood trickled from his mouth. "If I collapse… can you carry me?…don't think of the gossip…"
DING.
Lu Chen's mental eye twitched. "Are you kidding? I almost died!"
DING.
"Small blessings, even mosquito meat is still meat." Lu Chen muttered, leaning heavier on Li Yun.
Around them, whispers built into a storm.
"He stood against a Rage Pill!"
"Elder Tao didn't give any special treatment… but Lu Chen benefited... is it just luck?"
"Peh... Luck or coincidence. He definitely won't survive Zhang Long's wrath." a jealous disciple could help but sneer.
"I don't care. Whether he's blessed or cursed.I don't want to be near when they pick."
As they began their slow, painful trek toward the dorms, the rain eased. The mist grew thicker.
From three vantage points in the gloom, figures watched Lu Chen's back.
A sharp-eyed youth from Sword Peak, fingers tracing his practice sword's hilt.
A burly disciple from Beast Taming,noting the unnatural resilience with a professional acknowledgment.
A slender figure from the Alchemy Hall,mentally cataloging herbs that cause such rapid… transformations.
All three had questions. All three would seek answers.
Lu Chen reached the courtyard gate. Maybe—just maybe—I can make it to my bed and pass out for a week.
A new voice cut through the mist. Calm. Controlled. And utterly, terrifyingly cold.
"It appears the rumors are true."
A figure stepped from the shadows. Zhang Long.
He didn't look angry. That was the worst part. He looked… amused. His eyes cataloged Lu Chen's injuries with detached curiosity.
"They said my little brother was beaten. Then my other brother was broken by his own Rage Pill." Zhang Long's voice was conversational. "Both by the same cripple who couldn't cultivate a week ago."
He took one step forward. The pressure of his Body Forging aura settled over the courtyard like a physical weight.
Li Yun paled. "Senior Brother Zhang, Elder Tao just ordered—"
"Sunrise judgment. I know." Zhang Long cut her off, his eyes fixed on Lu Chen. "But the elder didn't say anything about... clarification."
He smiled. It was the most dangerous thing Lu Chen had seen all night.
"I find myself curious. How does broken trash suddenly stand up? How does a shattered dantian allow for Body Tempering Sixth Stage?"
"I believe we should talk," Zhang Long said, his voice dropping. "About old times. About sudden recoveries. About... what exactly you've stumbled upon."
The courtyard waited. The rain fell.
[TO BE CONTINUED…]