The adrenaline still coursed through his body, but it was beginning to fade. The clearing felt quieter now. The wind swayed the leaves above them. Wu Kai ran a hand across his face, wiping away some of the blood, and then he noticed.
He was smiling. A silly, almost childish smile that he couldn't remove from his face.
He blinked, surprised at himself. The excitement still burned in his chest. His heart beat not only from exhaustion but from something more. Something alive. Something he hadn't felt in a long time, not even on Earth, where his life had been monotonous and safe.
"Could it be… I truly enjoy fighting?" he murmured to himself, still smiling.
The question sounded strange, but honest.
On Earth, he had never been the type to seek out fights. He was ordinary. Calm. Even a bit cowardly when it came to physical confrontation. But here, even weak, even without experience, even nearly dying twice in less than an hour… those two fights had left him more excited than anything he could remember ever experiencing before.
The sensation of danger. The pure adrenaline. The victory was earned with his own hands. The power of his new physique pulsed through his veins.
It was terrifying. And, at the same time… addictive.
Wu Kai let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. The smile didn't fade.
"This is insane…"
He stood up slowly, feeling his muscles protest. He looked at the wolf's body. The blood was still fresh, calling to him.
Without rushing this time, Wu Kai approached. He knelt beside the carcass and placed his hand over the deepest wound on its neck. His eyes glowed faintly red.
The flow began.
This time, he controlled it better. The beast's blood flowed in thick streams, being absorbed directly into his body. He felt the vital essence being refined, strengthening his muscles, bones, and, most of all, his own blood.
The sensation was good. Warm. Revitalizing.
When the wolf's body became completely dry and pale, Wu Kai let out a long breath of satisfaction. A wave of energy passed through his body, but it wasn't enough to break through to the third stage. Even so, he felt stronger. More stable.
He looked at the dead deer nearby. The blood was already mostly coagulated, but there was still enough.
"I can't waste it…"
He repeated the process with the deer as well. Less energy than the wolf, but still useful.
After finishing, Wu Kai stood up and stretched his shoulders. The cuts still stung, but they already seemed to be healing much faster than normal, courtesy of the Blood Spiritual Physique.
He looked around the clearing, at the two dried corpses on the ground, and then at his own hands.
"Two in one day… and I'm still alive."
The silly smile returned, more subtle this time.
"Maybe I really do like this."
He sheathed the dagger, wiped the blood from his face with his torn sleeve, and took a deep breath of the damp forest air.
"Well… I'm still far from the fourth stage. Let's keep going."
With firmer steps than before, Wu Kai left the clearing, diving once more into the ancient trees. The fear was still there, but now it was accompanied by something else.
Anticipation.
Wu Kai advanced through the dense forest, his steps quieter than before. The experience of the two fights was still fresh in his mind, every mistake, every hesitation, every success. He wasn't a battle genius, but he could already feel that he was learning.
His movements now seemed a bit more fluid, his reflexes a bit sharper. The Blood Spiritual Physique helped, of course. Blood constantly circulated through his veins, keeping his muscles warm and his senses alert.
The forest seemed more alive now. Every rustle of leaves, every distant snap of a branch, every scent carried by the wind—he registered everything with greater clarity. It wasn't just survival instinct. It was curiosity. A part of him wanted to discover how far this new body could go.
He walked for nearly an hour without finding anything dangerous. Sunlight barely penetrated the canopy, leaving the ground covered in a dark green gloom. Small beasts fled at the sound of his steps—mutant rabbits with long ears and birds with dark feathers flying between branches. Nothing worth hunting. Wu Kai didn't mind. He needed larger prey. Stronger prey. Denser blood.
Finally, the terrain began to change. The ground became more sloped, the trees more spaced out. Moss-covered rocks appeared between the roots. A narrow stream ran nearby, the sound of water over stones creating a constant backdrop.
Wu Kai stopped near the bank and crouched down. He washed his face and arms in the cold water, cleaning off the remaining dried blood. The cuts on his chest and thigh had already stopped bleeding and were forming thin scabs. The accelerated healing was another clear advantage of his physique. In a day, there would probably be no scars left.
He looked at his reflection on the surface of the stream. The face staring back was still that of the pale, thin young man from the memories, but his eyes looked different. More alive. Sharper. A faint red glow still danced at the depths of his pupils when he focused.
He saw his appearance for the first time. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he wasn't ugly either. He was simply ordinary. His hair was gray, and his eyes were as well, but due to his activated physique, they glowed red, giving him a somewhat more striking appearance.
"I'm not the same trash as before." He murmured to himself with a half-smile.
He stood up and kept walking, following the stream upward. Water could attract beasts coming to drink. It was a good strategy.
Time passed slowly. The sky above the trees began to darken, the day was coming to an end. Wu Kai knew it would be dangerous to remain in the forest at night, especially alone and still so weak. But he didn't want to return empty-handed. He needed more blood. He needed to advance.
A low roar echoed in the distance.
Wu Kai froze. His ears sharpened. The sound came from somewhere ahead, upstream—it was a roar of anger.
He tightened his grip on the dagger and advanced carefully, staying low between rocks and bushes. His heart sped up again, but this time it wasn't just fear.
There was excitement mixed in.
Pure anticipation.