With a sharp breath of air I open my eyes in confusion to an unknown ceiling recognizing that this has happened a lot lately, I try to move but my body that feels heavy for whatever reason and the only reaction I can muster is to move my body slightly.

“Li Nu, do not move or you will open your stitches again!”

‘Li Nu, who is it? Does he know me?’

Questions fill my mind with the last things I remember, flashing in rapid succession to form a clear picture of the whole mess I created with the Yue clan fairies.

Shaking my head, I try to speak but my throat feels completely dry and hoarse. So I slowly look around the room.

It's honestly just a basic room, small with almost no furniture to speak off, piled with dust and scary looking spider-webs in the corners. But all in all, it gave a safer feeling than the killer forest that at every corner something scary would happen, making me flee at the speed of light.

Slowly using my neck I lift my head up from the uncomfortable pillow and what greets me is a familiar face. Familiar not to me but to the real owner of this body.

Wide-eyed in surprise to see the mildly fat face of Yao Chen, I smile at the mother hen of the outer sect disciples. He looks back at me with reddened and beady eyes while his boul cut hair seems disorganized as if he had not slept in days.

“Li, please listen to me, don't get up yet.”

Getting up from the fragile wooden chair, Yao approaches the uncomfortable bed that I am laying upon and places a gentle hand on my other non-injured shoulder. Feeling a little better I try to speak again and this time actual sound comes out of my mouth.

“Y-yao...water.”

“Yes, yes right away.” Turning to grab a wooden bowl he places it towards my lips and I greedily drink the soothing and fresh water. “Man, I thought of you dead, thankfully Senior Brother Yi was out completing a Sect request and had to brush the borders of the Yue sect. What did you do to the Heavenly fairies Li? Did you insult their ancestors?”

Frowning I recall how the women had ganged up on me and tried to commit murder in cold blood, ‘If this senior Yi was not around I would most probably have died. Those bitches simply took it too far, just because they caught me inside their river and inside their sect’s territory they could have been less resentful.’

Not being able to shake the feeling of rage I grab the wooden bowl from Yao Chen's hands and drink the rest of the water in a full gulp.

“What happened to me, I thought I was dead after an earth spike had pierced through my shoulder.”

With a sour look on his face, Yao explained.

“Li from what Senior Yi spoke on the hall, you were frozen to an earthen spike and left to die with hypothermia, it was lucky that Senior came looking for blood mist fruits and saw you bizarrely impaled near the limits of the Yue sects territory. He then carried you in his magic treasure, delivering you to the common hall. Seeing who was injured they called for me to treat your wounds and I did so for the last six days.”

‘Six days, I was unconscious for that long? If I ever see any of those little girls again I will make them bleed.’

Nodding in gratitude I return the now empty bowl and try to get up from my horizontal position, the first time vertical in almost a week makes my head spin, but I persevere through sheer will. Having risen while Yao to assist me I notice that my body seems strange.

Flexing my arm that is free from the stitches I notice that my hand seems lighter yet heavier than before as if I had a very strong metal but also lightweight inside. Getting up from the bed despite Yao’s protests I move my feet a couple of steps forwards while recalling the updates on my status.

Willing the popup messages that I instinctively know to have stored up along my coma, I gaze intensely at multiple warnings about my physical state. Paying no regards to any of the warning messages I focus solely on the silvery notification informing me about the end of the loading screen.

Changes to Qi and Dantian has been applied.

+ 40 Stamina; +40 Strenght; +40 Dexterity; +40 Intelligence; +40 Wisdom.

Have been assimilated.

Due to connection to the Dao, changes can be made to the body

Warning: the process will be painful

Would you like to proceed?

Y/N

I look at the reason why my body felt strange, all the points that had been allocated made my Qi and Dantian to be modified, withstanding all the massive status changes. I look at the last option to modify my body with glee as it meant yet another boost in strength. But quickly let my greed die, as the idea of doing the actual change in Yao Chen's room is not pleasant.

'For many years, Yao Chen has been Li Xiao's best friend, but I do not trust him fully yet. Better do it in my own room.'

Saving the silver notification in the corner of my vision I walk up to Yao Chen feeling overwhelmingly happy. Placing a hand on his shoulder while smiling I face the wall and walk a couple of steps towards it, suddenly knocking back my arm in a fluid motion, I let my Qi run through my dantian all over my body and let a fist fly.