Wu Kai spent the next two days inside the small cave.
The pain was constant. Each breath burned like fire in his chest, the broken bones throbbed, and his left arm was still partially unusable. He could barely move. Sitting against the cold wall, with the dagger at his side, he alternated between moments of consciousness and a light, restless sleep.
During that time, his body did not stop absorbing what remained of the Iron Skin Bear's essence. The Blood Spiritual Physique worked nonstop, repairing the severe damage. On the first day, his ribs realigned with painful cracks. On the second, the skin on his chest fully closed, leaving a long pink scar that still stung.
"I almost really died that time…" he muttered on the morning of the third day, carefully flexing his left arm. The pain had diminished to a tolerable discomfort.
"But I survived. And I got stronger."
He slowly stood up, testing his body. He was not at his peak yet, but he could fight again. The forest was calling him.
He left the cave and returned to hunting.
The following days were intense. Wu Kai plunged even deeper into the forest, hunting with a cold and calculated determination. Early rank 1 beasts fell in seconds. Mid-rank 1 beasts, which once posed a threat, were now challenging but manageable prey. He had learned to read movements, conserve energy, and use blood in increasingly creative ways.
He absorbed everything. Every drop of blood made him stronger, faster, more resilient.
With only one week left before returning to the sect, Wu Kai stopped by a stream after killing a venom-fanged wolf. He wiped the blood from his face and murmured.
"Status."
The silver screen appeared before him.
[Status]
Host: Wu Kai
Age: 17
Titles: Demon Child
Physiques: Blood Spiritual Physique
Bloodline: None
Cultivation: 5° stage of the Body Refinement Realm
[Techniques]
[Title Roulette]
Wu Kai let out a low laugh, filled with satisfaction.
"Fifth stage… and I'm almost at the sixth. Incredible."
He closed the screen and looked at his own hands. The power he felt now was completely different from when he had arrived in the forest. His body had transformed. Denser muscles, tougher bones, and blood that flowed like a raging river when activated. Even without using the physique at full power, his strength was already frightening.
"I kept hunting."
And that was exactly what he did.
During the entire final week, Wu Kai did not stop. He hunted from dawn until dusk, slept little, and absorbed blood without rest. He faced packs of beasts, stronger solitary beasts, and even a peak rank 1 serpent that nearly poisoned him. Each victory brought him closer to the limit.
On the last day before returning to the sect, at dusk, Wu Kai stood before a mid rank 1 black panther. The fight was fast and brutal. He plunged the dagger into the beast's heart and absorbed its still-warm blood.
The vital essence entered like a massive wave.
Wu Kai felt his entire body vibrate. The barrier to the sixth stage, which had already been cracked for days, finally shattered with a silent snap within him.
An explosion of pure energy ran through his limbs. His muscles expanded slightly, his bones became denser, and his blood circulated with renewed force. He opened his eyes, glowing with intense red.
Sixth stage of the Body Refinement Realm.
Wu Kai took a deep breath, feeling the new power running through his veins. He raised his hand and clenched his fist. The air seemed to tremble slightly with the contained strength.
"In just one month…" he murmured, looking at the orange sky.
"I went from the first stage, a completely useless person, to the sixth. If the elders of the sect knew this, they would certainly think I'm using some forbidden demonic technique."
He laughed to himself, shaking his head.
"Maybe it really is… from their point of view."
Wu Kai sheathed the dagger and looked around. The forest, which once seemed like a place of terror and danger, now felt small. He had grown beyond it. His time in the wilderness had come to an end.
There were only three days left until the outer disciple tests. Those who had not reached at least the fourth stage would be expelled without mercy. Before, Wu Kai felt a heavy weight just thinking about it. Now, he was eager.
"Let's see their faces when I show up."
He washed the blood off his body in the stream and began the journey back. The return to the White Cliff Sect would take two full days now that his speed was several times greater.
As he walked, Wu Kai reviewed everything he had experienced over the past four weeks. The transmigration, the system, the title "Demon Child," the Blood Spiritual Physique, the clumsy first hunts, the fight against the three disciples, the Iron Skin Bear… and now the sixth stage.
He had changed completely.
He was no longer the weak, talentless orphan. He was someone talented. Someone with real potential to rise to the top of this cruel world.
Two days later, at dawn, Wu Kai caught sight of the gigantic White Cliff in the distance. The waterfall shone under the rising sun, the outer disciples' caves scattered across the mountain like honeycombs.
He stopped for a moment on the trail, looking at the sect with a confident smile.
"I'm back."
Not as the trash who left. But as someone no one could ignore from now on.
Wu Kai adjusted the dagger at his waist and continued walking, his steps firm and determined. Excitement burned in his chest.
The tests were coming. And he could hardly wait to show how much he had changed.