The sun had barely risen when Liang Chen was already awake, arranging his small workbench with care. Herbs, powders, and empty vials lined the surface in neat rows, a small army of ingredients waiting for their purpose. Each morning, each batch of pills, each meticulous motion was a step toward something greater — though it was invisible to the world, the first whispers of a life being rebuilt.
School was routine. Teachers lectured about math and science, classmates whispered about exams and gossip, and Liang Chen moved among them unnoticed — just another diligent student with polite smiles. But inside, he felt the pulse of spiritual energy stronger than yesterday.
A subtle difference. Nothing dramatic, but enough that his reflexes felt sharper, his mind clearer. He could sense a pencil dropping a table away before it hit the floor. He could hear the faint rustle of pages across the room. His heartbeat was steady, measured, tuned to the rhythm of the world around him.
After school, he returned to the small alley where he had been experimenting with pills.
Today's goal: refine the formula to create a slightly stronger effect on stamina and focus without exhausting his body. Each motion was precise, each grind deliberate. He combined herbs he knew could stimulate minor energy responses, and with careful heat application, the mixture transformed into a set of small amber pills.
Testing was slow. He swallowed one and waited, focusing inward. The pulse in his Energy Sea responded more clearly this time, weaving lightly through his body. He could feel a faint strength in his limbs, subtle but undeniable.
Progress, he thought. Slow, but real.
A knock at the alley door made him glance up. The girl he had helped earlier appeared again, carrying a small basket of food.
"I… I wanted to thank you," she said softly, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. "My mother said you've been helping us so much… I brought some extra for your mother."
Liang Chen accepted the basket, his fingers brushing against hers briefly. "Thank you. This will help."
She hesitated, then nodded. "You… you really don't have to help everyone so much. I mean, some people would just walk by."
He smiled faintly. "Strength is useless if it's hoarded. Use it, or lose it. That's my rule."
She blinked, unsure how to respond, and then left. Liang Chen returned to his work, grinding and mixing. Each batch he completed was stronger than the last, not just in the pills' effects, but in his understanding of the process, his discipline, and the subtle awakening of his energy.
Night fell. Liang Chen sat at the window, gazing at the city below. The pulse of spiritual energy in his body was growing, responding faster to his focus. His senses were keener, his reflexes slightly quicker, his stamina improving in small ways.
Every coin earned, every herb ground, every pill made — it was all training. He could feel it in his bones, in his heartbeat, in the faint glow that danced in the depths of his dantian.
Rebirth had given him a second chance, and he was determined to use it fully. Step by step, pill by pill, day by day, he was becoming stronger.
And soon… the world that had once betrayed him would have no choice but to notice.
Chapter Ending Quote:
"True strength begins in the quiet moments, in the repetition no one sees, in the small victories that build a life."