Morning arrived with the force of a hammer strike, but for Kai, it felt like a blessing.
He sat up, the wooden bed frame groaning under the sudden shift of his weight. His body felt different. Denser. The [Strength: 9] upgrade wasn't just a number; it was a physical reconfiguration. His muscles felt like coiled steel cables wrapped around heavy bones.
And, inevitably, his morning erection was a monolith. It throbbed with the rhythm of his heart, a relentless reminder of the [Dragon's Vitality] still simmering in his blood.
Kai shook his head, swinging his legs out of bed. "Focus," he muttered. "The hunt is long."
He walked out into the small courtyard. The air was crisp, smelling of damp earth and soap.
Ye Rou was there.
She was by the stone washbasin, scrubbing the family's clothes. She was in a deep squat, her heels flat on the ground, her knees wide. The position was innocent in intent but sinful in execution.
Her faded dress was pulled tight across her lower body. The fabric strained against the massive, heart-shaped expanse of her ass. Because she was squatting, her glutes were spread and rounded to their limit. Kai could see the deep shadow of her cleft, the way the dress hugged the curve of her hips like a second skin.
As she scrubbed, her body rocked back and forth. Rub. Scrub. Her ass jiggled with a hypnotic rhythm.
Kai froze. His cock twitched violently, straining against his trousers. The memory of the bathroom—of that ass wet and soapy—flashed in his mind.
I could just walk up behind her, the dark voice whispered. She wouldn't stop me. Not after yesterday.
He took a step forward, his hand reaching out.
Then, he stopped. He clenched his fist, feeling the raw power in his new muscles.
"Not now," Kai whispered, shaking his head to clear the haze of lust. "The prize today is bigger."
He forced a smile onto his face. "Mom! I'm off to the Academy!"
Ye Rou started, nearly losing her balance. She turned, her face flushing as she looked up at him from her vulnerable position. "Oh! Kai! Be... be careful today."
"I will," Kai promised. He gave her ass one last, lingering look—burning the image of her spread thighs into his mind—before turning and marching out the gate.
The Academy was quiet. The sun had barely crested the walls, and the mist still clung to the stone training grounds.
Kai didn't go to the main plaza. He went to the secluded "Iron Wood" training grove in the eastern sector. He needed to know what Strength 9 felt like before he faced anyone real.
He stood before a training dummy made of Ironwood—a material known for being as hard as rock.
Kai planted his feet. He didn't use Qi. He didn't use a technique. He just drew his fist back, twisting his waist, and threw a straight punch.
CRACK-BOOM!
The sound was like a cannon shot.
The Ironwood dummy didn't just rock back. The entire chest cavity exploded. Splinters the size of daggers flew through the air. The thick wooden post snapped at the base, sending the top half cartwheeling across the dirt.
Kai stared at his fist. There wasn't even a scratch.
"Peak Mortal Strength," Kai grinned. "I can break bones like twigs."
Hah... Hah...
A sound drifted through the mist. Heavy, ragged breathing. The sound of wet fabric moving against skin.
Kai's ears pricked up. Someone else was here.
He moved silently, his Agility 5 allowing him to ghost through the trees. He pushed aside a branch of weeping willow and looked into the private clearing beyond.
He stopped. A slow, wicked smile spread across his face.
It was Instructor Li Hua.
But this wasn't the Ice Queen who had looked down on him from the podium. This was a woman at her limit.
She wasn't wearing her stiff, formal uniform. She was wearing a thin, white training gi that was soaked through with sweat. The fabric had turned translucent, clinging desperately to her body.
Her massive breasts heaved with every desperate gasp for air. The wet white cloth was plastered to them, outlining the dark, heavy areolas underneath. Her nipples were hard points pressing against the fabric. Her hair was a mess, sticking to her wet neck.
She was holding a heavy stone sword, her arms trembling.
"One... more..." she gritted out, her voice straining.
She tried to lift the sword for a vertical slash, but her form broke. Her legs wobbled. She stumbled, dropping the sword with a heavy thud, and fell to her knees, panting uncontrollably.
[Ding!]
[Target Identified: Li Hua][Status: Qi Deviation (Mild) / Exhaustion][Current State: Vulnerable][Defense: Lowered]
Kai stepped out of the shadows.
"Tough morning, Instructor?"
Li Hua jerked her head up, her eyes wide. When she saw Kai standing there, looking fresh and arrogant, a flash of humiliation crossed her face.
"You..." She tried to stand, but her legs were jelly. She slumped back onto her heels, her chest bouncing with the movement. "What... are you doing here... trash?"
Even on her knees, she tried to sneer.
Kai didn't bow. He walked toward her, his boots crunching on the gravel.
"I came to break some wood," Kai said, glancing at the shattered dummy behind him, then back to her. "But it looks like you're the one who's broken."
He stopped right in front of her. He loomed over her kneeling form. From this angle, he could look straight down the loose, wet collar of her gi. He saw the deep, sweaty valley of her cleavage, glistening with moisture. The scent of her—salty, musky, and intense—filled his nose.
"How the mighty have fallen," Kai mocked softly. "The great Instructor Li, brought to her knees before she even fights."
Li Hua's face turned crimson. "Silence! I am... merely testing a new cultivation technique. Leave now, or I will..."
"You will what?" Kai interrupted. He squatted down so they were face to face. "You can barely breathe. If I wanted to, I could do anything to you right now, and you couldn't stop me."
Li Hua's eyes flashed with fury, but also... fear. She realized he was right. Her Qi was turbulent; she was powerless for the next few minutes.
"You wouldn't dare," she hissed.
"I wouldn't?" Kai reached out.
He didn't strike her. He took a single finger and ran it down the center of her chest, right between her breasts. He dragged his finger through the pool of sweat gathering there.
Li Hua froze. The touch was electric.
"You're soaking wet, Li Hua," Kai whispered, showing her his wet finger. He brought it to his mouth and licked the sweat off. "Salty."
"You... you insolent animal!" Li Hua gasped, her body trembling not from exhaustion now, but from rage and a sudden, confusing spike of heat.
"Save your energy," Kai said, standing up and towering over her again. "Remember our bet? Consider this a preview. When I win... I'm going to work you harder than this. I'm going to make you sweat until you beg for mercy."
He leaned down, his voice dropping to a growl.
"Rest up, Instructor. I want you at your best when I break you."