Cough.
Blood dripped from Ye Tian's lips as he doubled over, clutching his chest.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his vision swimming.
With his trembling left hand, he wiped the blood away using the sleeve of the hospital gown, staining the pale blue fabric with crimson streaks.
'Pathetic...' he thought, gritting his teeth.
'This body... it's so weak.'
Despite the pain tearing through him, he pushed himself upright.
His legs wobbled beneath him, each step a fight against the impending collapse.
He staggered toward the rooftop's edge, where the cold night air hit him like a wave, chilling the sweat that soaked his body.
"There..." he muttered, his voice barely audible. A small open area to the side of the rooftop caught his eye.
He stumbled toward it, every movement a labor, every breath a reminder of his dire condition.
When he reached the spot, he dropped to the ground, sitting with his legs crossed.
His chest heaved as he struggled for air, his body trembling violently.
The blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth fell in a slow, rhythmic pattern, staining the cold concrete below.
His right arm throbbed uncontrollably.
The veins bulging along its length pulsed unnaturally, stretching further with every beat of his heart.
They crawled upward, spreading across his shoulder and creeping toward his neck. He grimaced, his teeth grinding audibly.
"This body... can't handle it..." he growled through clenched teeth.
"Damn it... it's too weak."
He glanced at the bag of mana stones lying beside him.
The faint glow of the stones reflected in his dark eyes, each shard a glimmer of hope and risk.
'I don't have a choice,' he thought, his hand trembling as he reached for the bag.
His breath hitched as a moment of doubt flickered in his mind.
The stakes were high... if this failed, he'd die here and now.
But if he did nothing, the rampant mana already inside him would rip him apart anyway.
"The worst that can happen... is death..." he whispered bitterly, his voice laced with irony.
"But when has that ever stopped me before?"
With that thought, he plunged his hand into the bag, grabbing as many mana stones as he could fit in his palm.
Without hesitation, he shoved the stones into his mouth, their rough edges scraping against his teeth and tongue.
The bag wasn't large... only 50 thumb-sized stones in total.
He swallowed the first batch with a sharp gulp, ignoring the way his throat burned.
Then, taking a deep breath, he forced down the remaining stones in a single breath.
As the last stone passed his throat, his body immediately reacted...
Pain.
A searing agony surged through him, tearing through his veins like molten lava.
His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, his body arching backward as the mana began its violent rampage.
The veins beneath his skin bulged further, spreading across his chest and legs like invasive roots.
"Ack—!" He groaned, biting down hard to stifle the scream that threatened to escape.
The pain was unlike anything he'd experienced before... a cruel, relentless torment that clawed at the edges of his sanity.
'Stay conscious...' he told himself, his inner voice trembling under the strain.
'You've endured worse than this. This is nothing.'
His hands gripped his knees tightly as he forced himself into a lotus position.
Blood poured from his five facial points... his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth... all at once, painting his pale face in crimson streaks.
The mana coursing through his body was wild, chaotic, like a feral beast refusing to be tamed.
It crashed into his organs, tearing at them mercilessly, leaving behind damage that would have killed an ordinary man.
Through the haze of pain, Ye Tian bit into his own hand.
The sharp, deliberate act of self-inflicted pain brought him back from the brink of unconsciousness.
Blood dripped from the wound, but it grounded him, anchoring his mind against the relentless tide of agony.
'Focus...' he thought, his breathing ragged but controlled.
-----
Slowly, painfully, he began to sort through the rampant mana coursing through his body.
With each agonizing second, he forced the energy to follow the remnants of his qi vessels, guiding it along the dormant pathways.
The process was excruciating, each moment stretching into an eternity as his body fought against itself.
But bit by bit, the qi vessels began to unblock, their pathways reigniting like old machinery brought back to life.
His muscles, tendons, and bones began to repair themselves, revitalized by the surge of energy.
The frailty that had plagued his body started to fade, replaced by a growing strength.
Sweat poured from his body in rivers, but it wasn't ordinary sweat. It was thick and black, seeping from his pores like tar.
The toxins that had accumulated over years of weakness were being purged, expelled by the newfound energy coursing through him.
The stench was foul, almost unbearable, but Ye Tian didn't falter.
He kept his breathing steady, his focus unwavering as he guided the energy further.
The black sludge coated his body entirely, a grotesque cocoon that encapsulated him in his moment of transformation.
But within that darkness, a faint light began to shine.
The light came from within him, starting as a soft glow that grew brighter with each passing second.
It seeped through the cracks in the black layer of toxins, illuminating the rooftop with an ethereal radiance.
Ye Tian's hair floated upward, lifted by the sheer force of the energy radiating from him.
The glow intensified, growing so bright that it was almost blinding.
The cracks in the black shell widened, and with a final surge of power, the cocoon burst.
A shockwave rippled outward, purging the toxins from his body and scattering them across the rooftop in a perfect circle.
The air grew lighter, the oppressive weight that had hung over him lifting as the transformation reached its climax...
When the light faded, Ye Tian sat in the center of the rooftop, his body gleaming with renewed strength.
His skin was free of blemishes, his muscles toned and defined, radiating vitality.
His breathing had steadied, the ragged gasps replaced by calm, measured inhalations.
He opened his eyes, their dark depths reflecting a flicker of satisfaction.
His body felt stronger, his qi vessels reawakened and ready to channel energy once more.
"It worked..." he murmured, his voice steady but quiet.
"I'm back."