In the early morning, a thin, pale mist hovered over the summit of the rear mountain, lingering for a long time. As a gentle breeze passed through, it suddenly carried a deep, resonant sound of physical contact. In a concealed grove atop the summit, Xiao Yan's feet were firmly planted in the soil, his toes gripping the ground tightly, his jaw clenched, sweat pouring down his forehead. His bare torso, clad only in a short shirt, was covered with dense streaks of blue bruises. Behind Xiao Yan, the elderly physician, now in a soul-state, sat calmly on a large stone, his face serious as he gazed at Xiao Yan, who was gritting his teeth in steadfast determination. With a gentle wave of his hand, the physician caused a slight ripple in the air. A slender, faintly red stream of combat energy surged forth from his palm, then struck Xiao Yan's shoulder like a whip, leaving a long, prominent streak of blue bruising. A sharp tremor ran through his lips, and with a deep breath drawn through his teeth, Xiao Yan felt his shoulders suddenly go numb. A searing pain surged through his chest, intensifying until it seemed to pierce his very heart. Under the weight of this intense agony, even his toes grew weak, and he nearly lost his balance, collapsing to the ground. "Thud... thud... thud..." A series of somewhat unsettling, dull sounds, occasionally laced with faint gasps of pain, echoed through the small forest, one after another... Master Yao's touch was precise—each attack precisely reached the threshold of pain that Xiao Yan's body could endure, ensuring neither to overwhelm the already critically injured boy nor to fail to deliver genuine discomfort. The piercing pain from the aura strikes caused Xiao Yan's face to wrinkle with agony, nearly distorting. With each movement of Master Yao's hands, fresh marks of bruising appeared across his body. "Thud!" Another aura blade surged forth. Finally, the sturdy, post-like Xiao Yan reached his limit. His legs gave way, and he collapsed, drained. After a deep, labored breath, Xiao Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and lifted his head, managing a strained, crooked smile. "Master, how is it going?" "Very good. Today, I endured eighty-four blows of qi whip, far surpassing the nine blows I had taken just over a month ago. . . ." The elderly physician nodded with a smile, his eyes gleaming with a subtle, almost imperceptible admiration. Over the past half-month, Xiao Yan's resilience had exceeded his expectations—especially today. He had originally believed that seventy blows would be Xiao Yan's limit, yet the young man had pushed through to eighty-four. This truly highlighted the remarkable endurance of the boy. Listening to the elder's words, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, sank heavily onto the muddy ground to rest for a while, and only after regaining his strength did he slowly rise, retrieving his clothes from a nearby stone and donning them. As the cool fabric touched the bruised areas, Xiao Yan winced again and again, his teeth clenched in pain. With a transparent twist of his body, the medicine transformed into light and shimmered into the black ring, leaving behind a well-worn, concerned message: "Hurry back and soak your body in the foundational elixir, or the residual blood clots inside you will seriously injure you!" Understanding this, Xiao Yan nodded slowly, dressed in his clothes, and then made his way down the back slope at a leisurely pace. Xiao Yan gently leaned against the edge of the wooden basin, his rapid breathing gradually settling into calmness, until finally, a soft snore emerged faintly from his nostrils. After enduring the intense physical and mental strain, he could no longer withstand the dual exhaustion and slipped into deep sleep. …不知这一觉睡了多久，Xiao Yan only remembered waking up to the intense sunlight, which had already brightened the room to the fullest. Stretching lazily, his bones suddenly crackled with a series of crisp sounds. Raising his head, he felt an indescribable sense of vitality and fullness throughout his body, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “That’s amazing!” Standing up from the wooden basin, Xiao Yan suddenly paused—he noticed that the originally green liquid inside had now completely transformed into clear, transparent water. “Has the medicinal energy been fully absorbed?” he mused, shaking his head in mild disappointment. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he closed his eyes with a touch of excitement, carefully sensing the state of his Qi. After a moment, Xiao Yan opened his eyes again, his palms gently clasped, a joyful smile spreading across his face, filled with unmistakable delight: “At last, the fifth stage of Combat Qi!”