Chapter 8 -- 

Hui stood up and observed the changes in his sapling body. A layer of filth covered him, though Hui softly convinced himself it was the impurities expelled from his body. 

Before the breakthrough, Hui was at a height of a meager meter. Now he stood tall at a meter and a half. Patting the twenty meter oak beside him, Hui sighed to himself wondering when he’d possess such magnificent height, and girth. All of his branches and roots had developed a fair amount as well.

Besides physical size, Hui felt an explosive power residing in his body, almost as if he were a coiled panther seeking prey rather than a harmless young tree.

Hui casually whipped at a nearby boulder with his branch.

“Crack!”

The boulder split neatly where it was struck, almost a meter deep in. Hui sharply breathed in as he saw the devastating effects. Before he had been hard pressed to pierce the boar’s hide, which had equivalent durability to stone, even with the concentration of energy.

‘With this, I should be able to hold my own against something of the boar’s strength, even at its prime.’

Chuckling to himself over his terrifying martial prowess, Hui began to stretch exaggeratedly as if preparing for a sprint. Previously, his top speed on ground was still within the realms of a mortal’s capabilities from his previous world. Before he exhausted himself, he could have represented his country in the olympics.

Breathing deeply, Hui dashed forwards with all his might. An afterimage could be seen where he had stood, as he appeared ten meters away. The wind formed from his rapid movement spread outwards, rustling the grass around.

‘Haha! I could beat Bolt with my eyes closed and my roots tied behind my back!’

Meanwhile, Hui also noticed that he had improved in another area, one which he was unaware could be improved as the previous exhaustion training had no noticeable effect. 

His senses were keener. Since his rebirth, Hui had adapted well to his surroundings. This was partially because he had maintained both his memories and the five senses he were familiar with. Though the sapling mortal body did not possess all of the requisite parts, he found that he could still experience the feelings through some unidentifiable sense. 

Everything within a certain range was crystal clear visually to Hui, decreasing in clarity along with distance. Previously, he had about the same sight as when he was human. Now, it had increased nearly fivefold, along with sense of hearing. 

Hui was ecstatic. He had managed to survive on his own without any background or assistance thus far, which was a miracle. He had taken things in stride as his personality warrants, but he knew full well the threat presented by the unknown forest and the world beyond it. With every improvement in his capability, it was another card in his hand to be able to live this second life well.