Lawrence looked at Han Shuo with some surprise, then smiled and said, "Very good. His body suddenly moved again and he appeared in front of Han Shuo in the blink of an eye. He kicked out violently with his foot at lightning speed, still aiming for Han Shuo's stomach.
Han Shuo had already been kicked in the stomach and was in excruciating pain. He was well aware that Sergeant Knight Lawrence's attack speed and strength was not something that he, someone who hadn't even surpassed the solid realm of demonic practice, could fully defend against.
But for some reason, Han Shuo was completely unafraid and even felt a bit of eager anticipation. The magical yuan in his body circulated through his abdomen a few times, and he felt the pain quickly subside. Concentrating like never before, he faced Lawrence's subsequent attacks calmly.
Just as Lawrence's foot came flying in his direction, Han Shuo's feet had already kicked off and he backed up quickly, dodging Lawrence's foot in a flash. But Lawrence wasn't surprised in the least and his body didn't hesitate. He followed his empty kick with a series of punches and kicks, following Han Shuo's retreat and continuing to attack Han Shuo ferociously.
Lawrence was a sergeant level knight, and he was able to increase his bodily functions beyond a typical muscle man when he circulated his combat aura to his energy and attack power. Even with Han Shuo's current agility, he still couldn't avoid being hit repeatedly. Pilipala kept ringing out as Han Shuo could only fully protect his face. As a result, his chest, waist, stomach, arms and legs were constantly being hit.
The pain in his body increased as he was hit multiple times. His dodging speed became slower due to his overall body condition. In this way, he was hit more often, and by the end, both of his legs were as heavy as lead, and every movement required a monumental amount of effort.
If it wasn't for the fact that Han Shuo had been constantly practising magic and strengthening his body during this time, Bryan's weak and fragile body would have killed him within a minute of Lawrence's barrage of attacks.
When he'd faced Claude and Erick, both of them had sent their combat aura directly into Han Shuo's body. The fierce fighting aura had been surrounded by the magic yuan as soon as it entered his body, so Han Shuo's body hadn't suffered too much damage.
Han Shuo hadn't been seriously injured the two times he had been hit by the fighting aura, causing him to overlook the warriors and the knight slightly, but now that he had been so thoroughly beaten by Lawrence, Han Shuo finally understood how wrong he had been before.
It was only due to the miraculous effects of the magic yuan that he hadn't been injured before. If it hadn't been for the magic yuan, his internal organs would most likely have been completely destroyed as soon as the combat aura entered his body. No wonder Claude was so surprised that Han Shuo hadn't died a horrible death immediately when Claude sent his combat aura into Han Shuo's body. This also explained why Erick confidently thought that Han Shuo was definitely dead and didn't even bother to check Han Shuo's body.
Lawrence used his combat aura in a different way and didn't send it directly into Han Shuo's body to wreak havoc on his internal organs. On the contrary, Lawrence used it to increase the speed and power of his attacks. This prevented the miraculous effects of the magic yuan and forced Han Shuo to passively take the blows with his physical body.
Pa!
The same foot stomped on Han Shuo's stomach again and Han Shuo staggered backwards in retreat. He finally couldn't take it anymore and fell heavily to the ground once more.
The current Han Shuo had two broken ribs and numerous other injuries. Apart from his unharmed face, his entire body had been hit like never before. Han Shuo struggled with his body and tried again and again to get up, but each time he would fall back to the ground.
Every twist and turn of his body caused him great pain, but Han Shuo actually felt ecstasy at this moment. He could clearly feel that the Magic Yuan was circulating at a much faster rate than normal, flowing through all of his aches and pains, creating a strange, fiery sensation where his bones had been broken and wounds had been opened.
Han Shuo understood that his previous conclusion had been correct. The fastest way to break through the solid realm was to 'break things'. The abnormal circulation of the magic yuan was now constantly repairing his broken body, reforging his tendons, bones, muscles and skin over and over again, making his physical body even more resilient.
Even though his body was in excruciating pain, Han Shuo was quite satisfied. He gritted his teeth and screamed in pain as he laughed fiercely. He finally stood up and stared into Lawrence's eyes, "I think our partnership can continue for a long time."
Lawrence stopped and stood in front of Han Shuo, frowning as he watched him struggle to his feet after falling again and again. As the attacker, Lawrence was well aware of the power of his attacks right now. Even an ordinary companion at arms with the advantage of defending with combat aura would not be able to withstand the blows Han Shuo was so stubbornly taking.
What surprised Lawrence the most was that even after suffering these fierce attacks, Han Shuo could still laugh out loud between cries of pain. Lawrence could tell from Han Shuo's laughter that he truly seemed to be filled with joy. Lawrence thought this was just too unbelievable.
When Han Shuo had mentioned a long-term partnership, Lawrence was stunned at first, but then smiled slightly. "Bryan, you're quite interesting, but a long-term partnership depends on your body and whether it can handle more attacks. To be honest, I haven't been at full strength today, nor have I used my sword. I have plenty of coins. If you still want to earn this money, you can come to me anytime. I will still offer the same price of five gold pieces per session, what do you think?"
Han Shuo nodded and replied, "No problem, I'll be back soon!"
"Good. Bryan, you're a very interesting guy, I hope you can recover quickly. My attacks will be even more vicious next time! Be prepared!" Lawrence said as he changed out of his clothes, rearmed himself with his sword and left the training ground.
Han Shuo didn't leave immediately after Lawrence left. Instead, he sat down Indian style and circulated the magical yuan according to the principles of magic practice, reforging his badly damaged body.
After a while, he felt his depleted energy slowly replenishing itself after repeated circulations of the magic yuan. His legs, which felt like they weighed a tonne, also gradually regained some strength. Though he was still sore all over, the pain seemed better than the complete lifelessness he had felt earlier.
He grimaced as he moved, feeling the pain he was in. Han Shou laughed loudly, holding up under the never-ending agony. He slowly got to his feet and strutted out of the training ground.
"Oh, it's Bryan, are you all right?"
Han Shuo heard the others gasp in amazement as he walked out of the training ground. As he turned around, he realised that it was the good-hearted young warrior, Cal, who had tried to talk Han Shuo out of it in the lobby. Cal's tight robes had some dust on them, and there were a few beads of sweat on his forehead, but otherwise he seemed unharmed.
"No big deal." Han Shuo smiled at Cal and replied weakly, nodding his head.
Cal was a seasoned warrior and could tell at a glance that Han Shuo was not as unaffected as he claimed to be. Cal had a lot of experience as a human target and of course he understood that just because there was nothing outwardly visible, it didn't necessarily mean that the body was unharmed. The way Han Shuo was walking and the expression on his face indicated that his physical condition was quite bad.
Cal quickly walked over to Han Shuo and held out a hand to steady Han Shuo. Cal frowned, "No big deal. Your body must be in terrible shape. Here, let me carry you back. Good thing you got out alive, I thought you'd be beaten to death in there!"
Cal meant well, but Han Shuo was an errand boy for the Necromancy Major, and a crazy one at that. If he were to return with Cal, it would inevitably lead to unnecessary complications.
Besides, Han Shuo didn't want to owe anyone any favours. Even though he felt terrible, he had to hold it in. He would be fine if he walked slowly. Therefore, Han Shuo brushed off Cal's steadying hand and smiled, "Thank you, Cal. I'm fine, really. I can walk back on my own."
Han Shuo turned to leave immediately after his words, but saw a familiar figure approaching from the distance - Claude.
A human target followed behind Claude, and they both approached the knight students' training grounds. It looked like he was also here to spar with human targets.
Han Shuo had been prepared to meet Claude when he came to the Knight Training School. The last time at the Light Magic Department, Han Shuo's small skeleton had almost been pulverised by Claude, and he himself had also suffered from Claude's fighting aura. If it hadn't been for the magic yuan surrounding the aura, he would most likely be dead by now.
Claude had long forgotten about this matter and didn't know that Han Shuo was the master of the small skeleton, but Han Shuo had already noted this event for future revenge. Even though he was willing to see Claude again, his physical condition was at its worst at the moment, and Han Shuo had no desire to go head-to-head with Claude right now. If he had guessed wrong and Claude was still holding a grudge from the last time, then death was the only possible outcome for Han Shuo if Claude took his revenge.
Han Shuo's mind raced through ways to avoid Claude as he approached with a sunny smile, turning his head to engage in a lively conversation with other knight students.