The effect of the pill was incredible!
Langtian could feel it. His body was being healed at a speed that defied reason, stitching itself back together with every breath. The medicinal essence surged through his veins like wildfire sweeping across dry grass, rushing into his limbs, muscles, and bones.
Torn meridians pulsed with new life as they began to mend. Blocked spiritual pathways opened one by one with a tingling rush. His qi flowed more freely than ever before, smooth and powerful, like a river breaking through a dam.
Even the fatigue in his muscles began to vanish. The bruises faded. His shattered body wasn't just recovering, it was even growing stronger!
"Damn. What kind of pill is this…?" he whispered, staring down at his trembling hands in disbelief. "A high-grade Profound-tier, at least…? Since when could Senior Sister refine something like this?!"
But then—
Something changed.
The more he focused on guiding the flow of energy, the hotter his body became.
At first, it was just a pleasant warmth.
Then it burned.
And then—
Too much.
"Wait… this—this is too much!"
His veins felt like they were filled with molten iron now. His breath came in short, shallow gasps. Sweat streamed down his face and soaked his chest, dripping off his skin like rain as he struggled to control the pill effect.
And after only a few more second, his heart, started to race, then thundered in his chest like it was trying to escape his ribcage.
And then—he felt it.
A desire, a pulse. A savage, gnawing hunger.
A hunger for destruction.
And then, with a sudden, feral roar—
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"
Langtian shot upright like an explosion!
His arm lashed out in a blur, slamming into a nearby shelf with such force it splintered apart, pieces flying like shrapnel!
He spun, snarling like an animal, grabbed the next one, ripped it from the wall, and shredded it like paper in his hands.
Wood cracked, nails tore loose, dust filled the air.
But it wasn't enough.
Not even close.
The pulsing in his chest was too wild, too violent! It howled inside him like a beast let loose.
His blood boiled.
His vision blurred, now painted in shades of red and black.
His breath came in ragged bursts, each one deeper, hungrier, more unstable than the last.
And then, his eyes locked onto it.
The stone table at the center of the room.
Probably weighted over a hundred jin, but grabbed it with both hands, and lifted it clean off the ground like it weighed nothing!
He then brought it down onto the floor.
BOOM!
The stone table exploded!
Dust billowing like smoke in a battlefield.
But still—
"Not enough…" he growled, voice shaking, deeper than before.
His arms trembled.
His eyes bulged, bloodshot, glowing faintly red.
Veins bulged from beneath his skin like writhing snakes.
"IT'S STILL NOT FUCKING ENOUGH!!"
"I need more!"
"Kill…"
"I NEED TO KILL SOMETHING!!!"
He threw his head back, mouth open in a twisted scream, his arm raised high as the violent energy inside him surged upward, too wild to contain!
"AAAAAAAAARGHHHHHH!!!"
BOOM!!!
A shockwave burst from his body, blasting everything in the room outward in a violent eruption of raw qi!
Pelts, tools, shelves, everything flew.
His scream echoed like thunder, shaking the entire hut, rattling the walls as if they were about to collapse.
Suddenly—
BANG!
The door slammed open with explosive force.
Before Langtian could even react, a figure stormed inside, and with a single, devastating kick to his chest, sent him flying backwards into the bed!
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs. He crashed down, limbs sprawled, vision spinning.
Before he could even react, the figure leapt onto the bed behind him, then lifted him into a meditating position!
What?
An enemy?!
Langtian snarled, wild-eyed, instinct overriding thought. He twisted violently, swiping his arm like a claw, trying to rip them apart.
But the stranger caught it with a single hand.
He roared, swinging his other fist.
Caught again.
Both his arms were locked now, his whole body immobile under that person's control.
"Tranquil Heart Breathing. Do it!" the figure commanded.
"URRGHHHH!!!"
Langtian howled in agony. The pain was overwhelming. His skull throbbed like it was about to split open, his heart hammered in his chest, and every breath came in sharp, ragged gasps. His lungs burned. His ribs screamed.
Everything was noise and blurred light. The world had been filled with rage and madness and heat.
His body only wanted to fight, to tear, to destroy now!
"BAI LANGTIAN!!" the voice roared again, louder this time, cutting through the air like a blade. "TRANQUIL HEART BREATHING! NOW!"
This time, the voice had successfully pierced his haze of pain and feral destructive instinct.
'Tranquil Heart Breathing…! This will help. I have to do it. I HAVE to!'
Gritting his teeth, Langtian forced his mind to focus through the chaos and agony.
His breath hitched.
He forced it steady.
In…
Out…
Again.
In…
Out…
"Still waters flow through my heart… Mountains unmoving, my will is stone…"
In his mind, Langtian recalled the mental chant, the quiet inner mantra all cultivators were taught from the beginning.
Tranquil Heart Breathing was nothing special. Just a basic breathing method that every cultivator in the realm knew.
It was often used to calm the mind, steady the soul, and help fend off inner demons during breakthroughs.
And now… miraculously, it worked.
Bit by bit, the roaring fire in his chest began to cool.
The red haze faded.
His heartbeat slowed.
His hands stopped trembling.
And eventually, the hunger grew faint.
His mind… returned to clarity once more.