31. Reforged (Part One)

After swallowing the pill, Ye Feng felt no discomfort at first—only a growing warmth within his body. Though it was winter, the room was not cold, and the initial heat seemed ordinary. But gradually, Ye Feng realized something was wrong: the warmth intensified, as if a furnace had ignited inside him, and the heat kept rising. His clothes were drenched in sweat, clinging to his body as if he had just emerged from a river.

The heat showed no sign of abating, instead increasing relentlessly. Ye Feng’s muscles contracted painfully, the arteries inside them pulsing with an urgent rhythm. A faint, dark violet glow emanated from his skin. Unable to endure, Ye Feng let out beastly roars, his veins trembling as though about to burst. He rolled desperately on the floor, striking the stone walls of the corridor with his fists, head, feet, every part of his body—seeking relief from the tormenting heat. No one could understand how much he suffered. Even Huaihuai, frantic and helpless, circled anxiously. He had never witnessed a real person ingest this medicine, only seen it documented, and thus could neither comprehend nor assist Ye Feng in alleviating his agony.

After about twenty minutes, the heat finally began to subside, and Ye Feng felt somewhat better. He thought perhaps it wasn’t as difficult as he had feared. But before he could finish the thought, a new sensation struck: an icy chill radiated from his body. It was not ordinary cold, but the biting chill of deepest winter, as though he stood naked in snow and someone had poured a bucket of water over him.

The piercing cold nearly drove Ye Feng to collapse. Bloody marks appeared across his skin, but these wounds were insignificant compared to his suffering—he was gradually losing sensation, the cold so intense his blood seemed near frozen. A dark green light glowed faintly from his body, and his throat felt so constricted by frost that even his roars were trapped within. The blue veins threatened to snap. No longer could he roll about; the alternating torture of heat and cold had left Ye Feng dazed. Instinctively, he curled himself into a ball, hoping for some warmth.

Another twenty minutes passed. Ye Feng’s body was entirely numb with cold, and he thought his death was imminent. But then, a turn occurred: heat returned to his veins, hope flickered anew. The respite was brief—before he could recover, the heat surged again, so fierce that his body felt ablaze. The wounds from the cold burned painfully, but the heat soon returned in full force, forcing him to roll on the ground once more.

After another twenty minutes, the cold struck again. By now, Ye Feng understood that this was a cycle—heat and cold alternating endlessly, but he had no idea when it would end.

Unknowingly, four hours had passed. Ye Feng had endured nine cycles, his mind teetering on the brink of collapse. Now he truly understood the agony of wishing for death yet being unable to die—the pain was overwhelming, and his spirit was nearly broken.

His brow was tightly furrowed, his face pale as snow. His head felt swollen and dizzy, his vision darkening with waves of blackness.

By the fifth cycle, Ye Feng’s body was already failing. Huaihuai wished to aid him with his bio-electronic energy, but knew the timing was not right—he could only help once, and only at the most critical moment. Huaihuai constantly scanned Ye Feng’s condition. Fortunately, Ye Feng’s body began to recover more quickly with each cycle, but after the ninth, his spirit was clearly faltering, his consciousness slipping.

When the familiar yet foreign heat surged again, Ye Feng’s mouth twitched in a bitter smile—clearly, not everyone could become a superhuman, and this time, he was surely doomed.

Huaihuai’s judgment proved correct. As Ye Feng slipped into unconsciousness, Huaihuai’s bio-electronic energy was unleashed at full force. Ye Feng felt a surge of vitality in his mind, allowing him to persevere.

“Ye Feng... Ye Feng... Ye Feng...” Huaihuai increased the output, calling out anxiously.

“What? I’m not dead yet? Who’s calling me?” Ye Feng struggled to open his eyes, his gaze dazed and unfocused.

“Ye Feng, it’s me, Huaihuai! Hold on, this should be the last time. You must endure—for your parents, you must survive!” Huaihuai’s voice was urgent.

“Huaihuai?” Ye Feng’s pupils regained focus. “For my parents? Yes, I still have revenge to avenge. I cannot die yet. I must hold on.”

Ye Feng had no recourse but to rely on his remaining willpower to stay conscious. Since Huaihuai said it was the final cycle, at most half an hour remained—he would grit his teeth and endure.

His fingernails dug deep into his palms, his lips bitten until they bled, but none of this mattered. He persevered.

A few minutes later, the cold returned, but Ye Feng remained conscious. The bone-chilling frost failed to defeat him; he pressed on, second by second. Huaihuai’s energy was nearly depleted, and Ye Feng himself was running on empty.

“I can’t take it anymore, I’m so tired. I want to sleep.” Ye Feng thought to himself, then slipped into unconsciousness.

This was the greatest torment Ye Feng had ever faced. A surging tide of heat assaulted every nerve in his body, and as he slipped into unconsciousness, the cold finally began to wane. Sixty seconds later, it vanished altogether. Now, Ye Feng resembled a beast on the brink of death—his skin torn, breathing shallow, his strength utterly exhausted from the ceaseless heat and cold.

To help Ye Feng, Huaihuai had nearly spent all his energy. “Total energy consumed: approximately ninety-three percent. Initiating sleep protocol. I hope this kid finds a way to replenish my energy soon, so I can awaken.” With that, Huaihuai disappeared.

Though Ye Feng was unconscious, his body underwent a profound transformation. First, his wounds began to heal visibly. His hair and skin started to emit a faint, glowing light, though he was unaware. The glow persisted, and within it, every cell in Ye Feng’s body experienced strange changes—cells contracted, then divided, making muscles and bones denser and stronger. Wisps of gray matter seeped from his pores along with sweat.

Eventually, after an indeterminate time, the glow faded slowly away.