Yun Yun huffed and puffed as she dragged the four ice sculptures over.


    In the process, she couldn’t help but notice the utter absence of life in them—completely snuffed out. Shock rippled through her. She knew Han’s soul prowess was something else, but every display left her reeling. His strength at the Day Roamer stage wasn’t like other early-tier cultivators. Sure, they could take down Viscera Realm fighters, but not with such ease. These four didn’t even get a chance to fight back—wiped out in an instant.


    “Two at minor Viscera mastery, one at major,” she murmured, stunned. That meant Han could squash her even more effortlessly if he wanted.


    His soul settled back into his body, and Han shook his head, unfazed. At his current level, dropping Viscera Realm foes didn’t even spark a flicker of pride.


    “Told them to leave, but they had to get greedy,” he said.


    His Yin Earth Fire—a spell pivotal in cross-tier battles—had evolved again, its ferocity now overwhelming. Even Day Roamers couldn’t withstand it. And these chumps thought they could scheme against him? A typical Day Roamer in a bind might’ve fallen to that lineup, but they had no clue who they were messing with. No lifeline could’ve saved them.


    Han plucked their spatial pouches and started erasing the seals.


    Yun Yun piped up, “Han, why’d you call me ‘Sect Master Yun’ earlier?”


    “…”


    Because your name’s Yun Yun.


    He pondered a beat, then said earnestly, “I think you’ve got the vibe of a sect leader.”


    “But I’m not part of any sect.”


    “Right… I meant ‘sect master’ as in ‘clan head.’ I could see you leading the Yun family someday.”


    She laughed, shaking her head. “My talent’s not up to it, and I’ve got no interest anyway.”


    “Life doesn’t always bend to our plans,” Han replied, his tone cryptic.


    “What’s this bag?”


    While wiping the pouch seals, he’d snagged a purple cloth sack from the cultivator. Inside lay that purple snake, now unconscious, its life fading fast.


    Yun Yun explained, “That’s probably a spirit beast. Its master’s dead, so it’s suffering too.”


    “So this is a spirit beast pouch?”


    “Yep.”


    Han eyed it curiously. “If it holds beasts, could it hold people—or just their bodies?”


    Her expression turned odd. “People… aren’t exactly spirit beasts, right?”


    “True.” But he shook his head again. “You’d be surprised—some folks are tamer than beasts. No beast-taming spells needed; they’re more obedient than anything a spell could control.”


    Yun Yun blinked, intrigued. “What’s that about?”


    “They’re called…” Han said gravely, “lapdogs.”


    She paused. “Never heard of that breed.”


    “Hope you never run into one.” Or turn into one.


    “I did it!” Yun Duo’s cheer broke the moment. She leapt up, cheeks flushed, the Mountain-Bearing Stone fully refined. Its power now simmered in her, ready to aid her Day Roamer breakthrough later.


    “Huh? What’s with these ice statues?”


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    “Just some nobodies,” Han brushed off.


    With Yun Duo done, they had no reason to linger. They left the cave, exiting the Stone Forest without a backward glance. Before going, Han torched the four corpses to ash.


    The ornate carriage kicked up dust and pebbles, speeding off into the distance.


    Hours later, more Purple Flame Sect disciples arrived at the Stone Forest. After poking around, they reached the puddle nook—and found four piles of ash.


    “Jerks! We didn’t even mess with them. Han, you tried to let them off easy, and they still came after us!” Yun Duo huffed, now clued in on the earlier drama.


    “Good thing you were here, Han. If Second Brother had come instead, we’d have been toast.”


    “Just doing my part,” Han said with a modest smile, not basking in the praise. He’d signed up to help—sitting idle and snagging free loot wasn’t his style.


    The seals on the four pouches were gone. Han rummaged through, pulling out a pointed shuttle. Sensing its patterns and power, he grinned.


    “No wonder they risked it, knowing I’m Day Roamer. They had this up their sleeve.”


    It could’ve seriously hurt a dodging Day Roamer, but… too bad for them. Against Han, who didn’t even let them react, it was useless.


    “Why so many stone-eater stomachs in this guy’s pouch?” Han wondered.


    Gakuma slayer much?


    “Maybe they’ve got some weird use for them,” Yun Yun guessed.


    No one alive could solve that riddle for him.


    “Stomachs?” Yun Duo perked up. “Let me see!”


    “…”


    Here, take them—all yours.


    Her obsession with freaky stuff was downright spooky.


    The pouches held no real treasures for Han. The shuttle was a decent one-shot Day Roamer item, but the rest? Meh. No Purple Flame Technique—the sect’s core legacy—here. The best was a run-of-the-mill Day Roamer spell. Han shook his head. Big sect disciples, yet so broke.


    Back in Heiyun Town by midnight, the Yun sisters dropped Han at the peach grove and left. His share of Mountain Force Liquid was already in hand.


    Inside, Lu Qingmo was still up. Han pulled out the purple snake.


    “Purple Mist Flame Snake—a Purple Flame Sect specialty. Feeds on fire, refines it in its belly, and spits it out stronger,” she said, sizing it up before shaking her head. “Don’t bother trying to boost your Yin Fire with it. It’d die on contact—bred specifically for their sect’s legacy technique. Someone once nabbed one; it’s useless for other flames. If it worked broadly, Purple Flame couldn’t keep the recipe.”


    Han sighed, disappointed. “It’s dying, huh?”


    “Pretty much,” she nodded. “Unless a Purple Flame beast-tamer shows up today, it’s done.”


    Like a ghost bound to a fallen master, a beast followed suit. Han didn’t care much—it was no use to him anyway.


    “Town’s been quiet?”


    “Zuo Tianzheng picked his talents from the bunch. Otherwise, same old, same old—no trouble.”


    “Any word on the other two ingredients for the Heavenly Saint Revival Liquid?”


    Lu Qingmo sighed. “The ancient cipher’s still unsolved. Even if we crack it, it’s a long shot. Judging by the decoding hassle, Heaven-Mending Vine’s probably the ‘common’ one—and we’ve got zilch on it. The other two? Near impossible.”


    “There’s always a way,” Han said.


    After a long chat, he found a spot and started refining the Mountain Force Liquid.


    As its power seeped in, one word hit him: heavy. A deep, grounding weight, like the earth and mountains flooding his body. Bit by bit, it fused into his organs, fortifying them.


    Then—an organ flared with earthy yellow mist, radiating flawless perfection. A hazy figure flickered within, like a living being dwelling there, gone in an instant.


    “Phew!” Han exhaled, the breath carrying a tangible heft.


    His stomach unleashed a surge of misty vitality, coursing through his limbs, refining them. True qi poured into his stomach and gushed back out—transformed. His physique spiked, the qi thickening with a newfound gravity.


    Lu Qingmo glanced over from afar, rubbing her forehead. Another breakthrough? Seriously?


    Han had perfected another organ—his stomach this time. The month’s training had already pushed him forward; the liquid sealed the deal.


    Two of his six viscera were now flawless—a third of the way there. Feeling the boost in his body, he nodded, pleased.


    In the Viscera Realm, mastering each organ brought a solid jump in strength. Perfecting all five organs and six viscera into a seamless cycle? That’d be a game-changer. He wasn’t far from mastering the viscera half.


    And when his stomach hit perfection, he’d glimpsed something—the gods of the organs. The day he truly sensed those “divinities” might be close.


    At dawn, leaving the peach grove for the martial hall, Han mulled things over.


    Where’s my Drift Wish Bottle? It’s the last day for this cheat! Come on, Drift, step it up! You don’t want to vanish with regrets, right?


    Bai Ruoyue lit up when she saw him. “Thought you’d be gone for days!”


    “Got lucky, so I’m back early.”


    If the Mountain-Bearing Stone had needed days to ripen, he’d have lingered longer. The timing was a stroke of fate.


    This time, Han didn’t nudge Bai Ruoyue to check his progress—he wanted her to take the lead for once.


    At mealtime, he wolfed down food lightning-fast, way quicker than usual. A perfect stomach meant killer digestion. Paired with his swallowing technique, few things could stump him now.


    His speed caught everyone’s eye.


    “What’s with the appetite today? Swallowing Sun Technique level up?” someone asked.


    “Nah, not that,” Han said, wiping his mouth and tilting his head.


    Ask me already!


    Bai Ruoyue’s eyes flickered. Her hand slid under the table, brushing him.


    Let’s see what’s improved.


    “Freak!” she muttered, pulling back.


    Han smirked. Now that’s more like it.