A day passed in the blink of an eye.
In the hotel room.
"Breathe in... breathe out..."
His slow, heavy breathing spread through the air like low, rumbling thunder.
Huang Tian's chest rose and fell. With each breath, scorching air poured from his nose, the white vapor burning hot.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A muffled pounding came from his chest, like a giant beating a cowhide drum. His heavy heartbeat sounded as he slowly stretched his back and arms. His spine straightened vertebra by vertebra, and his muscles sang like bowstrings drawn taut.
As his heartbeat grew heavier, his skin gradually took on a dark golden sheen, as though cast from bronze and forged from iron.
Drip... drip...
Fine beads of blood squeezed through his pores and fell to the floor with soft taps. In an instant, they evaporated into wisps of pale crimson mist.
I'm about to break through—
The thought flashed through his mind. He shifted into a training stance and guided his qi and blood to break through the barrier. A rushing sound rose from inside him, as though a river were surging and roaring.
Boom!
At one moment, it was as though the river had burst its banks. Its waters poured forth unchecked with a tremendous roar.
At the same time, his bones and sinews cracked wildly, like bamboo joints shooting upward.
Crack... crack...
With every crack, he grew a little taller.
Rip!
His swelling muscles stretched his clothes tighter and tighter until they burst apart. Shreds of fabric fluttered away like butterflies.
His shoulder bones rose like two small mountains. Blue-black veins knotted beneath his skin, and his muscles bulged.
Even standing still, he resembled an imposing ancient idol. Beneath his dark golden skin, qi and blood rolled like molten lava, giving off a faint red