Lin Chen sat cross-legged in his cramped quarters, eyes half-lidded, spirit stones spread around him like offerings at a shrine.
The spiritual energy trickled into him… slower than he liked. It was like filling a jug with a leaky ladle.
"Tch. At this pace, I'll reach the third layer of Qi Condensation by next winter… and I'll still be dog meat in the Hidden Trials," he muttered, cracking his neck. "Chen'er, is this what you've been reduced to? Begging scraps from stones like some outer sect beggar?"
He sighed.
Then he grinned.
"But hey… beggars can slap faces too."
---
His eyes snapped open, gleaming.
He had three days before the Hidden Trials began. Three days to squeeze every drop of strength from this weak mortal body.
"Time to raise a little hell."
---
By mid-morning, the outer sect square was once again buzzing — though now, whenever Lin Chen passed, disciples parted like waves before a sharp rock.
The memory of his previous 'incidents' still lingered. Zhang Kui? Flattened. Wang Fei? Sent home to gum porridge for the next six months.
No one was dumb enough to block his path now.
But Lin Chen… he wasn't here for them today.
---
At the row of resource stalls, an inner sect steward — Steward Guo, a skinny man with pockmarked cheeks — spotted Lin Chen approaching and immediately stiffened.
"Lin Chen…? What do you—"
Lin Chen slapped a jade token on the counter, grinning wide.
"Ten portions of Body Tempering Brew. And every last scrap of that Bone-Marrow Cleansing Powder you've been hoarding, Steward Guo. Don't play dumb — I know you've got a private stash."
The steward's eye twitched.
"Th-That's expensive—"
Lin Chen leaned in, voice smooth as honey and sharp as a dagger.
"Guo… buddy. Do I look like I'm here to haggle? Or do you want people to start whispering that Elder Mo's favored disciple got 'accidentally' shortchanged at your stall?"
The blood drained from Guo's face. He scrambled to gather the items like his life depended on it.
---
An hour later, Lin Chen staggered back to his quarters, arms full of jars and packets.
He dumped them onto the floor with a clatter.
"Phew. Shopping is exhausting. No wonder rich young masters keep servants for this crap."
---
The door creaked open behind him.
"Senior Brother Lin…?"
Lin Chen glanced back, spotting the familiar small figure — Luna Yue. Her ponytail swished nervously as she peeked in, eyes wide.
"I… I brought you those herbs you requested… b-but… are you really going to use all these dangerous medicines at once? It could… it could cripple your meridians!"
Her voice quivered.
Lin Chen's grin softened slightly.
"Relax, little Yue. Senior Brother's an expert at reckless stupidity. I've crippled myself before — and got better every time."
Luna's lips parted. "T-That's not reassuring!"
---
Lin Chen ruffled her hair, making her squeak and flush pink.
"Don't worry. When I come out in three days, I'll be twice as handsome and ten times as annoying."
He picked up a jar and squinted at the label.
"'Extreme Bone Refining Brew — Warning: Causes Screaming'? Heh. Just what I need."
---
As the sun began to set, Lin Chen sealed his door shut and arranged the concoctions around him like a battlefield general setting his troops.
His smile faded, replaced by a cold, sharp light in his eyes.
"No one rises without pain."
He shed his outer robe, revealing his thin but wiry frame — crisscrossed now with faint scars from his recent fights and self-inflicted training.
"I walked through fire before. I'll walk through it again."
---
Far away, in the elder pavilion, Elder Mo sipped tea, gazing into his spirit mirror.
When he saw Lin Chen pop open a jar and start chugging directly from it, the old man nearly spat out his drink.
"This little devil… he's really going to do it. Hah. Interesting… very interesting."
---
Meanwhile, Luna Yue sat outside Lin Chen's door, hugging her knees and listening nervously to the strange noises coming from inside.
Occasional groans. The splash of liquid. A loud curse:
"ARRGH! Who made this brew — a sadist?!"
Then a pause… and another mutter:
"Heh… it burns. Good."
Luna's cheeks puffed. "Senior Brother is crazy…"
Her heart thumped anyway.
---
Inside, Lin Chen's breathing grew heavier as wave after wave of medicinal energy tore through his body, breaking down old limits and reforging them stronger.
Pain danced through every bone, every tendon.
His vision blurred. His ears rang.
But his grin never left.
"Come on, world," he rasped. "Hit me harder."
---
Thus began Lin Chen's three days of madness.
And when he emerged…
The Azure Sky Sect would realize:
The storm had only just begun.
---
[End of Chapter 9]