Summer Mu originally wanted Evan Lin to stay the night and head back the next day, but Evan turned him down.
After leaving the estate, Evan Lin grabbed a cab and gave the driver the hotel address.
When he arrived at the hotel and just stepped out of the car, he happened to see Sisi Shao being surrounded by classmates as she headed back in.
Sisi Shao glanced at Evan, her eyes playful, and said mockingly, "How come it's only the first day and you've already disappeared for a whole day? Hope you don't vanish during the actual competition too. Or did you run into some cute girl out here?"
Allen Zeng, walking beside Sisi, shot Evan a teasing look. "Hey, judging by your face, you went out to play, right? That's kinda shady, man. No. 2 High's math scores are weak enough already. Wouldn't it be better to spend your time on some practice problems?"
"Heh, asking him to do practice problems is just making things hard for him. No. 2 High only has Rachel Liu worth mentioning in math. The rest? Please. Judging by Evan's look, he's just here as a headcount for the competition." Owen Ou watched Evan with open disdain.
The group all turned to Evan, chattering away, clearly unhappy with how he'd acted today. Sisi Shao's bias just made their stares even more hostile.
Evan didn't say a word. He walked up the steps and into the hotel.
He planned to head back to his room and study the divine medicine he'd gotten today, along with that nearly dead herb he bought at the auction.
But before he could ignore them and head up, Owen Ou suddenly stepped forward, blocking Evan's way with a grin. "Hey, don't rush off yet. Chat a bit more. Yo, where'd you get that painting? Don't tell me you snatched it on your way here."
Owen Ou glanced at the scroll in Evan's hand, then looked away.
"Get lost," Evan spat, his voice icy cold.
Owen's face darkened and he opened his mouth to curse back.
Evan shot him a cold look, and inside the Soul‑Sacrifice Beauty Scroll, the Three Maiden Spirits seemed to receive a command, unleashing a terrifying wail as they rushed at Owen.
Owen's face went pale. In his vision, he saw three bloody, mangled women's faces opening their bloody maws at him. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor, body turning cold, and a sudden warmth in his crotch as he wet himself on the spot.
Allen Zeng and the others were waiting to see Evan embarrassed, but Owen's bizarre reaction caught them off guard.
"What happened to you?"
Allen Zeng moved to help him up, but quickly caught a whiff of urine. The others noticed Owen's embarrassing state, faces awkward as they glanced at each other.
Meanwhile, Evan was already striding into the hotel. Sisi Shao watched his back, wanting to say something but stopped, her eyes complicated.
He reached his room, opened the door, and walked in.
Evan headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, then walked out stark naked.
He casually tossed the Soul‑Sacrifice Beauty Scroll aside. Inside, the Three Maiden Spirits had already regained their devastating beauty, poking their heads out of the scroll and gazing longingly at Evan's bare body, eyes full of yearning and desire.
But Evan's attention was entirely focused on the two herbs in front of him.
One was the divine medicine, the other a spiritual herb that was already dead.
This divine medicine is low-grade, but for me right now, it's a huge tonic.
Evan calmed his mind.
This divine medicine is packed with spiritual qi, but most importantly, its abundant life force is enough to trigger a full-body metamorphosis for me right now.
"If I refine this divine medicine, my cultivation will make a qualitative leap."
Evan narrowed his eyes. The Qi Refining stage is mostly about laying the foundation for later breakthroughs. The body is the cornerstone. On the Immortal Martial Continent, this divine medicine might be nothing special, but for my current body, it's enough for a chain of breakthroughs.
He adjusted his breathing, then popped the divine medicine straight into his mouth.
Instantly, the divine medicine melted like ice meeting fire, turning into a gentle stream that flowed down Evan's throat.
Normally, spiritual herbs and medicines are best taken as pills—not only does that help the body absorb the effects better, but it also makes the process much less painful.
Eating the divine medicine raw like Evan did usually means the wild medicinal power will rampage through your veins, causing agony like countless pill furnaces exploding in your blood.
But sometimes, this rough and direct method is the best way to temper the whole body.
As soon as the medicine entered his mouth, Evan felt a fire ignite in his dantian.
The thousand-year ginseng's medicinal force rampaged through Evan's body, surging with his blood and battering his meridians.
The stabbing pain all over made sweat bead on Evan's forehead, but his expression didn't change for a second.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, his whole qi sea surging. Countless streams of true qi erupted from his skin like clouds, filling the air with mist.
Within a one-zhang radius around Evan, the white mist soon became so dense you could barely see him. This true qi was different from before—almost solid, not just vapor.
The Three Maiden Spirits stared at Evan in awe, sensing waves of powerful life force bursting out from inside him.
Evan closed his eyes, quietly focusing inward, guiding the wild medicinal power through his meridians. Wherever it passed, the originally narrow channels were forcibly widened, and his whole body rang with crisp popping sounds.
Just as Evan was concentrating on controlling the medicinal force, a faint warmth came from his left hand.
The dragon that had always slept there—the scale on its tail trembled slightly, and a powerful surge of medicinal force, equal to the one in his body, began expanding through his meridians and qi nodes from his left hand.
"Is that dragon reacting again...?"
Evan muttered to himself. Two waves of medicinal force rampaged through his body at once, forging ahead with unstoppable momentum—and bringing waves of piercing pain.
The popping sounds grew louder and louder.
Soon, Evan's skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
The Three Maiden Spirits, who'd been sneaking glances at Evan, saw the white mist around him take the shape of a dragon—even for just an instant. Their faces changed dramatically, and they dove back into the Soul‑Sacrifice Beauty Scroll, trembling in fear.