The effects of the potion were immediate.
Just as Qu Weichen’s consciousness was fading into darkness, the burning pain from the flames also began to subside.
By the time she completely lost consciousness, the effects of the drug faded away as well.
[Qu Weichen!] In a panic, Number Nine suddenly thought of something and shouted in Qu Weichen’s mind.
[Don’t forget your hatred!] [You just took a Martial Artist Awakening Potion worth five thousand yuanliang, something your mother saved up for years!] [Each white bubble nutrient is two thousand yuanliang, the light blue ones are twelve thousand each!] [Qu Weichen, you took five white bubble nutrients and two light blue ones.] [That’s thirty-nine thousand yuanliang, almost forty thousand.
Qu Weichen, don’t let it all go to waste.] [Don’t forget the night lit by flames.]
Boom!—
It was as if thunder exploded in Qu Weichen’s mind, and the darkness before her eyes was replaced by the firelight from that night.
She seemed to return to the ruins, back beside the corpses that had been torn apart and burned by flames.
She saw the towering undead knight trampling toward her, saw the skeleton soldiers raise their spears at her, saw herself being picked up like trash by the undead knight, saw death and bones again and again.
The burning pain hit her once more, her blood, bones, and meridians burning inch by inch, as if she would turn to ash.
But Qu Weichen’s mind was no longer on the pain.
She trembled and said in her mind, “Almost forty thousand yuanliang… how long did it take Mom to save that?”
That palace master was really generous.
What ordinary people might spend a lifetime saving, these people could just invest in a promising young person without a second thought.
Qu Weichen gritted her teeth, almost masochistically replaying the massacre she witnessed that night.
The flying limbs and blood, the resistance of the brave and the trampling of their hearts.
It was a disaster that even the powerless and harmless could not escape.
If only she were strong enough—
Constance, a little disappointed but also excited, was just about to record that Qu Weichen had passed seven rounds of tempering and fainted during the eighth, when she saw Qu Weichen suddenly force herself awake again.
“She actually…?” This was rare.
Constance had seen many Martial Artist awakenings, and once someone gave up or started to faint midway, it usually ended right there.
For someone like Qu Weichen to push through… she’d never seen it before.
Qu Weichen stared at the empty ceiling with red eyes, the hatred and killing intent in her gaze almost tangible.
Constance raised her eyebrows slightly—this one clearly had a story, but that was normal.
Fourteen years old and able to endure eight rounds of body tempering… if she hadn’t been through a lot, how could she have such willpower and determination?
Eight rounds!
Whether or not Qu Weichen could make it through the ninth, she was already a great seedling! At this moment, Constance took back her earlier judgments of Qu Weichen as “weak” and “useless,” and her respect and admiration for the palace master grew even deeper.
She almost believed those ridiculous rumors outside when she saw Qu Weichen’s thin body and pretty face! After all, she hadn’t seen what Qu Weichen looked like when she was first rescued.
Constance repented for a moment, then started mentally praising the palace master’s vision.
As soon as the eighth round ended, Qu Weichen reached out and grabbed three light blue nutrient pills from the iron box, shoving them all into her mouth.
A surge of power exploded inside her, but Qu Weichen ignored the uncomfortable swelling—once the flames started burning, all the strength from the nutrients would be consumed anyway.
She pushed herself and grabbed another light blue nutrient to swallow.
Her arm trembled, veins bulging, but before she could reach for the last white nutrient, the erupting flames devoured her in an instant, nearly burning away her sanity.
The final round.
Red markings appeared on Qu Weichen’s chest and abdomen, spreading out across her body in all directions, each wave of expansion bringing a hundred times more pain! By now, Qu Weichen thought she’d be numb from the agony, but in reality… she was still fully conscious, feeling everything.
The markings crawled up her hands, neck, and cheeks.
The fanaticism in Constance’s eyes was hard to hide; her hand holding the pen trembled, and only after a deep breath did she solemnly write down Qu Weichen’s reactions and performance.
A Martial Artist who endured nine rounds of awakening wouldn’t see their strength skyrocket immediately, but their physical abilities would be ten times greater than the average Martial Artist.
Those who could endure nine rounds had unmatched willpower and endurance, and the courage to face pain head-on.
Constance knew how painful awakening was.
For every Martial Artist, staying conscious and pushing through was far braver than accepting death.
The red markings glowed faintly in the small room, and in that moment, the heat radiating from Qu Weichen’s body made the whole room hot.
But Qu Weichen made no sound, suppressing everything, enduring everything.
Time ticked by, and for every awakened person, this was truly “a day that felt like a year” in pain.
After this extreme and drawn-out suffering, she finally began to taste the strength and changes in her body.
If before she was like someone wearing five thick winter coats in the dead of winter, now she was like someone in a T-shirt playing on her phone in an air-conditioned room in summer—completely at ease!
The red markings gradually faded, and her skin returned to its original color.
After the tempering, her skin was even fairer and more delicate, and her muscles stronger.
Lying on the bed, the moment the “flames” disappeared, Qu Weichen’s tense mind finally relaxed.
Number Nine played soothing music in her mind that she’d never heard before.
With the lullaby, Qu Weichen felt sleepy, but still insisted on asking Number Nine: Is it all over?
A crisp achievement notification answered her.
[Martial Artist Awakening · Ninefold Tempering]: As a Necromancer, isn’t it normal to endure nine rounds of Martial Artist awakening? No way, no way, don’t tell me there are mages who haven’t even awakened as Martial Artists? Completion reward: Skill Points _5
Her mind relaxed, and Qu Weichen drifted into a deep sleep to the gentle music in her head.
She slept soundly, dreaming of the cold night when she first arrived on this continent.
Her mother brought her home, and that bowl of hot bread soup gave her a second life, filling her with endless strength.
The flames that once boiled and burned now became a warm energy lingering in her organs, quietly nourishing her whole body.
…
“Martial Artist awakening, nine rounds of tempering, red markings appeared.”
Constance stood at the table, still full of respect and admiration.
In fact, thinking that Qu Weichen would be her disciple made her a little excited.
The palace master reclined in her chair, reading Constance’s notes.
When she saw Qu Weichen’s magic talent, she smiled knowingly, and then came the nine rounds of Martial Artist tempering…
“Not bad at all~” The palace master rubbed her fingertips over the words, not looking particularly surprised.
She seemed to be pondering, her bright eyes flickering, then she lowered her gaze and smiled.
“Take good care of her.”
“Teach her all kinds of basics—Martial Artist, Mage, everything.
Fourteen years old… she’s still in time to enroll at the academy.” She closed the black notebook and handed it to Constance.
“Keep recording.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Constance bowed and took the notebook, about to leave, when the palace master spoke again:
“Go to the treasury and get a spatial ring.”
“Thank you, Palace Master!”
After the tall giant left, the beauty in the gold-trimmed white robe finally showed a hint of amusement.
She leaned back in the wide chair, shadows falling over her, and a low laugh escaped her lips.
“Interesting human.”
That’s what she said.
…
When Qu Weichen woke up, she was back in the room where she’d first regained consciousness.
Staring at the familiar ceiling, she almost felt like time had gone backward.
Nine rounds of tempering.
Now her whole body was filled with strength.
Qu Weichen even felt a little cocky, wanting to spar with that tall giant to see how much she’d changed.
And those skeletons and undead knights from before—if she faced them now, there’s no way she’d be completely helpless, right?
Host: Qu Weichen
Class: Necromancer
Skill Points: 7
Potential Points: 1
As for skill points, she now had seven.
Qu Weichen opened the skill tree, looking at the next tier—Skeleton Archer and Slowing Curse—and couldn’t help but sigh.
[Skeleton Archer Summon]: Summon a skeleton archer to fight for you.
(Max archers: 2)
Skill cooldown: 5 minutes
[Slowing Curse]: 5% chance to reduce target’s agility by 10%.
Skill cooldown: 1 minute
She really didn’t want to learn either of these.
Unfortunately, the skills were sequential—if she didn’t learn these, the ones below wouldn’t unlock.
Forget the archer, she’d save up more points.
Qu Weichen decisively put her skill points into the curse.
She was in the Prison Sanctuary now, with almost no chance to summon undead.
The curse wasn’t that useful either, but if it worked, it could be a surprise! She checked the upgraded effect of Slowing Curse and leveled it up once.
[Slowing Curse]: 10% chance to reduce target’s agility by 15%.
Skill cooldown: 30s
It wasn’t really about the chance or effect, mainly the halved cooldown.
Too bad further upgrades wouldn’t reduce the cooldown anymore, so Qu Weichen saved the rest of her skill points.
“Nine, did the palace master come by?” Qu Weichen asked in her mind.
[No, it was the giant who brought you back.
She just wiped your face with a towel and left.] Number Nine said, [But she did leave a new set of clothes by your bed.
I suggest you take a shower first.]
Qu Weichen didn’t need the reminder—she already felt uncomfortable.
She got up, grabbed the new uniform, and went to the bathroom for a shower.
After tidying up, she felt much better.
—Knock, knock.
“Come in,” Qu Weichen called out.
She suspected the person had been waiting at the door for a while, otherwise how did they knock just as she finished?
“Time to eat.” The tall giant pushed the door open.
Before Qu Weichen could say anything, a boxed meal was shoved into her hands.
She opened it to find two big meat patties, some green vegetables, and a fried egg at the bottom.
