"Although, that attack didn't seem to do much damage. That attack was pretty much created from the accumulation of all my experiences and understanding so far. I think I'll still give it a name. Let's call it Rupture", Tang Lin decided solemnly.
'Damn, that explosion that knocked me out has completely thrown me off course. Before, I could approximately estimate the time, but now I've completely lost track of time. Although, I guess it allowed me to rest and cleanse my fatigue', thought Tang Lin.
"There's no time to waste again, but I need to be even more careful. I don't have the life-saving talisman to save me again, so even one mistake can cost my life", he murmured.
Now at the entrance of the stairs, Tang Lin looked down the stairs where he could see the light of the chimera's room still on.
'I've gotten a bit more used to Gravity's power, created some more techniques with the crimson bloodline, but unfortunately I can't test out the poison bead without poison', Tang Lin reassessed himself.
*Inhale*
"Ok!" he said.
*Exhale*
"Let's do this!" Tang Lin growled.
Walking back down the dark stairways, he could hear the sound of his heartbeat get faster at every step.
It was as if he could feel a spiritual imitation of the chimera's snake tail wrapping around him, but this time it was grasping his heart tightly.
'Is this what they call fear?' he thought as he took the final step back into the chimera's room.
"How brave of you. To have the courage to return, despite running away with your tail between your legs a few days ago", a voice grunted.
*Gulp*
'Keep calm. I can't lose my cool right now. Wait, did he just say a few days ago? It seems my enlightened sleep was longer than I expected', Tang Lin thought.
"Where's the Fang girl? She didn't come back with you? Or did she already die from my poison?" the chimera asked with slight anger.
*Silence*
"It seems like you've now become a mute", stated the chimera.
"Tell me why you're stuck here? How did you get here and why can't you leave?" Tang Lin asked firmly.
'I've got to confirm which side the chimera is on before I reveal or ask anything related to the crimson bloodline', he thought.
"Hmph, I'm not interested in you anymore. Why would I answer you just because you asked?" the chimera sneered with disdain.
"Then you leave me no choice", Tang Lin replied as he wielded only the Gravity sword.
"Pfft. HAHAHA, do you really think you can beat me?" the chimera belittled.
"There's only one way to find out", said Tang Lin.
Running towards the chimera, it simply let out a roar to push him back, but this time Tang Lin didn't falter.
'Sigh, this boy. Putting aside my own feelings, why do I keep getting this nostalgic and reverent feeling from him', thought the chimera.
'I can't seem to sense that energy inside him anymore', the chimera pondered as it got up.
Seeing Tang Lin attempt to attack its hide with his sword, the chimera scoffed as it swiped its right paw at him.
'Attack incoming from the left!' Tang Lin thought as he lifted his sword horizontally, while supporting the blade of the sword with his left hand.
*Smash*
Tang Lin was pushed away, but he just barely managed to keep his ground and not topple over.
*Keurgh!*
'Ugh, that sure hurt a lot', groaned Tang Lin as he felt his wrists pulsing in pain.
'Heart, brain and genitals. Those are the chimera's vital points that I've identified so far', he thought, while trying to stabilise his breathing.
"Hmph! You thought you could beat me now with just this amount of power? Fool!" mocked the chimera as it walked up to him.
"Accept your fate", the chimera whispered enticingly as it raised its paw into the air.
'Tch! Looks like I have to try those pills out sooner than I anticipated', Tang Lin planned quickly.
"Fate? Sorry, but I don't believe in that bullshit", replied Tang Lin with a grin before taking out a jade pill bottle and unplugging it.
"A pill bottle? This aroma?!? Foolish mortal. You must've stolen that from the treasury. How disgraceful of me to let this happen", grunted the chimera.
Taking out a single pill, Tang Lin admired its rosy hue before being interrupted by a looming shadow.
*Smash*
'AH! Thank god I managed to dodge that attack in time', muttered Tang Lin, who had leapt to the ground.
"HEY! What's the big idea? Isn't this the part where you just watch me grow stronger?" Tang Lin yelled.
"Huh? Which idiot told you to let your opponent get stronger in front of you?" countered the chimera with a befuddled expression.
"Ugh…" he complained before hurriedly swallowing the pill.
The chimera didn't seem to be in a hurry now after seeing Tang LIn ingest the pill and only smirked discreetly.
At first, nothing happened, but after a couple seconds, the pill started to take effect.
*Ba-dump*
Tang Lin could hear his heartbeat grow louder and faster.
"Ah, did I forget to mention? Those peak-grade human pills are called Reconstructive pills used by peak staged Viscera Training body cultivators, who are preparing to make a breakthrough and literally reforge their broken through to the Flesh Training stage. Good luck dealing with the overflowing amount of energy", said the chimera sarcastically as it waited to enjoy watching Tang Lin's agony.
A fuzzy feeling started to sprout within his chest after hearing the chimera. In the blink of an eye, a torrent of energy washed over him, spreading throughout his body.
"It doesn't hurt? Is it because the crimson bloodline already reformed my body in the past? Whatever the reason, maybe it's possible for me to turn this situation into an opportunity. There's still too much energy to ignore and it would be a waste to not make use of it, especially when my body needs three times the amount of resources of a normal cultivator. I could now attempt to attack the Flesh Training stage and further strengthen my foundation. Luckily, the chimera is still underestimating me and thinks I'm going to suffer a backlash and die from the pill's potency", Tang Lin pondered.
Standing frozen on the ground, Tang Lin spread the energy evenly within his body. Then, he commanded it to infiltrate every cell and fiber of his flesh and muscles in order to refine them.
However, Tang Lin's body was now much sturdier than the past, so the energy was unable to penetrate his body.
'Hm? What the hell did the crimson bloodline do to me?' he wondered in surprise at how much his weak physique was transformed.
'This might be a problem. Wait, no! This is the perfect time to apply the concept of vibration', thought Tang Lin.
Revolving his qi, Tang Lin attempted to have a stronger grasp of the situation. His crimson qi was then quickly spread out before wrapping around the pill's energy.
'Qi Resonance', thought Tang Lin as the energy started to spin and vibrate.
After reaching the optimal frequency, he boldly commanded the energy as it once again attempted to drill into his muscles.
"Argh!" he groaned from the sharp pain.
'It's starting. KEKEKEKEKE!' thought the chimera mischievously.