Viper's heavy, mud-caked boot came down with a sickening thud, pinning Su Han's leg to the forest floor.
?Su Han lay there, a broken figure amidst the decaying leaves, his body flickering between the numbing cold of the toxin and the searing heat of his internal injuries.
?Blood pooled in Su Han's eyes, turning the world into a hazy shade of crimson. He ground his teeth so hard that his jaw ached, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned bone-white.
?He felt the suffocating weight of helplessness—a feeling the young master despised more than death itself.
?'Is this it?'
?Su Han's mind raced, a flicker of despair trying to take root in his thoughts.
?'After everything... after coming to this world, does my journey end in the dirt of this godforsaken mountain?'
?"No!"
?A silent roar erupted from the depths of Su Han's soul. He couldn't die here. Not like this.
?He had a stolen legacy to reclaim and a father to find—the man who had braved unimaginable dangers just to find a cure for Su Han's broken Dantian.
?As his fury reached a boiling point, something shifted. Su Han's blood, once sluggish from the poison, began to hum with a strange, ancient heat.
?It was a volcanic surge that started in his chest and exploded into his meridians like a tidal wave of molten gold.
?Viper, oblivious to the change, let out a sadistic cackle. The bandit increased the pressure on Su Han's leg.
?CRACK. The sound of a splintering bone echoed through the clearing. Su Han's face contorted into a mask of agony, but he didn't scream.
?He only stared back at his tormentor with eyes that were starting to glow with an unnatural, predatory light.
?"Look at you, little brat,"
?Viper sneered, his face twisted in a monstrous grin.
?"Did you really think you could challenge the elites? I'm going to gift you so much pain that you will beg me for mercy—a mercy I will never grant."
?Viper threw his head back, his laughter echoing like a hyena's bark, filled with a wild, animalistic madness.
?But amidst that laughter, a cold, mechanical chime resonated within Su Han's consciousness:
?[DING! Congratulations to the Host! You have awakened the 'Invincible Supreme Dragon Bloodline'!]
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?[System Status: Bloodline Level 1. Strength, Speed, and Sensory Perception have been DOUBLED.]
?[Host can now combat cultivators one level higher. Host is now IMMUNE to all Level 1 toxins!]
?[DING! New Bloodline Skill Obtained: 'Blood Dragon's Rage'!]
?The revelation hit Su Han like a bolt of lightning. He felt the numbing poison simply dissolve, neutralized by the sheer purity of the Dragon's blood now coursing through him.
?The pain was still there, but it was now fuel for Su Han's rage. He looked at Viper with a gaze so chilling that the bandit's laughter died in his throat.
?Su Han's lips curled into a dangerous, bloody smile. As Viper shifted his weight to crush the other leg, the boy moved.
?"Blood Dragon's Rage!"
?Su Han roared. In an instant, his skin turned a burning shade of red, and his hair seemed to catch fire, glowing with a crimson hue.
?He didn't just stand; he erupted from the ground like a shadow. Using the maximum velocity of his Shadow-Step Flicker, Su Han bypassed Viper's guard.
?The Venom-Tooth Dagger flashed in Su Han's hand. Viper, stunned by the sudden burst of speed from a boy who was supposed to be dying, tried to strike back.
?But Su Han was faster. He spun in the air, a blur of crimson and steel, and drove the dagger deep into Viper's reaching arm.
?A fountain of blood sprayed the ferns. Before the bandit could even scream, Su Han's other hand moved with the precision of a master.
?"Tiger's Claw!"
?The amber glow of the skill slammed directly into Viper's chest. The impact sounded like a sledgehammer hitting a drum.
?Viper was launched backward, tumbling through the dirt and vomiting a thick spray of blood.
?Madness flickered in Viper's eyes as he scrambled up.
?"I'll kill you!"
?The bandit unleashed his own martial art: Mountain-Breaker Fist.
?BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Five times their strikes met, the shockwaves rattling the nearby trees. Both were spitting blood, their bodies pushed to the absolute limit.
?Su Han knew his time was running out—the system interface showed only 10 seconds left of his Bloodline Rage.
?He gritted his teeth and charged. Viper swung a devastating fist, aiming to end the fight.
?Su Han didn't dodge. In a move of suicidal brilliance, he thrust his wounded leg forward to take the hit.
?CRUNCH. The fist shattered Su Han's shin bone, but his smile only grew wider and more terrifying.
?Su Han had traded his leg for an opening. While Viper's power was spent on the strike, Su Han's Tiger's Claw struck like a thunderbolt into Viper's sternum.
?Ribs snapped like dry twigs. As the bandit flew back, Su Han's other hand whipped forward, launching the Venom-Tooth Dagger like a guided missile.
?The blade buried itself to the hilt in Viper's throat.
?Viper's eyes bulged. The bandit clutched at his neck, gurgling on his own blood, his expression one of pure, unadulterated shock.
?He had met a true monster today. Viper's head slumped, and the light faded from his eyes.
?[DING! Congratulations! Target Slain: Body Refining Realm - Level 4 (Viper)!]
?[Gained 100 Experience Points and 500 Silver Coins!]
?[DING! New Equipment Obtained: 'Blue-Steel Armor' (Yellow-Grade)!]
?[DING! New Skill Obtained: 'Nine-Times Slash' (Yellow-Grade)!]
?[DING! Level Up! Host has reached: Body Refining Realm - Level 3!]
?As the 'Blood Dragon's Rage' subsided, a wave of agony crashed over Su Han. He collapsed against a cedar tree, gasping for air.
?His body was a wreck, but his spirit was soaring.
?"That was... too close,"
?Su Han wheezed, looking at his broken leg.
?"No healing pills left. I have to reach the market."
?Su Han looked at his updated interface. Despite the pain, he smiled. He had the coins, the gear, and the strength.
?The Black Wolf Mountain Range was no longer his graveyard; it was his training ground.
?Dragging his broken body with a makeshift crutch, Su Han turned his gaze toward the distant Market Town.
?It was a place of trade and treachery—his next step toward sovereignty.
