The ambulance took Lam Minh to the nearest field hospital. After receiving first aid from the nurses, he was transferred to a treatment room with a diagnosis of "three broken ribs, torn shoulder muscle, and multiple soft tissue contusions." For a normal person, this was a rather severe injury, requiring at least a month to recover.
But Lam Minh was not a normal person. He was an Early Qi Refining cultivator. His recovery speed was many times faster than an ordinary person's.
As soon as the nurse left, he closed his eyes and silently circulated the small stream of qi in his dantian to the injured areas. The warm qi flowed like a hot spring, gradually soothing the pain and stimulating rapid cell regeneration. He could clearly feel his muscle fibers mending themselves and his broken ribs slowly knitting back together at a speed invisible to the naked eye but palpable to him.
"It's a good thing I'm only in the Qi Refining Realm," he thought to himself. "The body has only been nourished by qi at a rudimentary level. If I were at Foundation Establishment, where qi is compressed and nourishes every cell, an injury like this would probably only take a day or two to fully heal."
As he was dozing off and recuperating, the door to his hospital room opened. To Quyen ran in, breathless, her forehead dotted with sweat. She had taken a taxi here as soon as she heard the news.
"Lam Minh! Are... are you okay?" she asked anxiously, looking at him lying on the hospital bed, his face pale from blood loss.
Seeing her sincere and worried expression, the frustration in Lam Minh's heart over the "missed farm" subsided somewhat. He managed a weak smile.
"I'm fine. The doctor said I just need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks and I'll be fine. Thanks for worrying."
"What's there to thank me for!" To Quyen chided, but the rims of her eyes had turned a little red. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Why would you risk your life like that?"
Lam Minh just smiled wryly. He couldn't very well say he risked his life to "farm points." He had to choose a more noble reason.
"I wasn't thinking much at the time. I just saw someone in danger and rushed out."
This answer stunned To Quyen. She looked deep into his eyes. Those eyes, despite his exhaustion, still shone with an unshakeable determination and righteousness. She realized that this lazy, mysterious boy had another side to him she had never known—the heart of a hero.
In that moment, a strange, warm seed of emotion quietly sprouted in the young girl's heart.
In the following days, Lam Minh's hospital room became much livelier. To Quyen came every morning, carrying a thermal food container.
"Herbal chicken soup. I stewed it myself. I heard it's very good for broken bones." She ladled the soup into a bowl, and a rich aroma filled the room.
Lam Minh looked at the steaming bowl of soup, a warm feeling swelling in his chest. It had been a long, long time since someone had cared for him like this. In his previous life, after his family was torn apart, he fought alone on the brutal battlefield, licking his own wounds.
"Thank you, Class President," he said, his voice sincere.
"Don't call me Class President anymore," To Quyen pouted, a rare gesture for her. "Just call me To Quyen."
Hung 'fat' also visited frequently, each time bringing a pile of snacks and comic books.
"Brother Minh, you're my idol! A hero saving a beauty—no, saving a mother and child! So awesome!" he chattered while opening a bag of chips. "The whole school is talking about you now. Tran Tuan is so mad he's probably fuming!"
Lam Minh could only smile bitterly. He didn't want to be famous in this way at all.
During the day, he enjoyed the care of his friends and family. But when night fell, that's when his real work began.
After making sure everyone was sound asleep, he would whisper, "System, open Battlefield Simulation."
It was the familiar "Alley of Death." But now, with real combat experience (albeit the experience of being beaten up), his approach was different. He no longer "committed suicide" foolishly, but began to practice real combat.
He tested different angles of attack on the "acupoints," learned how to dodge, how to move to conserve stamina. Every time he failed, he would "die" and be revived, and then have 30 minutes of [Invulnerability] to torture the Madakaros in the simulation.
Each death in the simulation only gave him a few dozen points, but many a little makes a mickle. More importantly, his combat skills improved day by day. He gradually turned the knowledge of his past life into the instincts of this 16-year-old body.
A week passed, and his injuries were almost completely healed. The doctor who examined him was astonished, calling it a "medical miracle." He was discharged early, on the condition that he rest for another week at home.
On the day of his discharge, To Quyen came to pick him up.
"When you get home, remember to rest properly. Don't go running around again," she instructed, still carrying the empty food container.
"I know, I know, 'Mom'," Lam Minh teased.
To Quyen blushed and shot him a glare. "Who's your mom! Don't talk nonsense!"
Seeing her cute, embarrassed expression, Lam Minh couldn't help but laugh. He realized that being with this girl felt peaceful and happy.
That evening, after a warm family dinner, Lam Minh returned to his room. He immediately checked his status panel.
[Current Immortality Points: 1980/2000]
"Only 20 more points!" he exclaimed in excitement. "Let's do one last run!"
He entered the simulation. This time, he decided to try a truly "artistic" death. He lured the Madakaros near a pile of oil drums, then threw a dagger at the valve of a nearby gas cylinder.
Gas hissed out.
He smiled, raised his middle finger at the Madakaros, and pulled a cheap lighter he had "borrowed" from Hung 'fat' out of his pocket.
Click!
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion engulfed the entire alley.
[Host has revived.]
[Death in Simulation. 'Glorious Self-Destruction' skill has reached Novice level. Damage level: Blown to smithereens. A truly spectacular and iconic death. Received 30 (300/10) Immortality Points.]
[IMMORTALITY POINTS REACHED 2010/2000. DOES THE HOST WISH TO BREAK THROUGH TO THE MID-STAGE QI REFINING REALM?]
"Breakthrough!"
[CONFIRMED. CONSUMING 2000 IMMORTALITY POINTS. BEGINNING MERIDIAN AND MARROW CLEANSING.]
Immediately, a stream of energy, much stronger than the last time, erupted from his dantian. If the breakthrough to the Early-stage was like a small creek, this was like a raging river, furiously charging into his meridians.
"Argh!" Lam Minh gritted his teeth, sweat pouring off him like rain. This breakthrough process was more painful than he had imagined. The powerful qi was scouring and widening his still-narrow meridians. He could hear small crackling sounds coming from within his body. A thin layer of black, foul-smelling impurities began to seep from his pores.
This was the Marrow Cleansing process, a benefit that only came with breaking through the minor realms of Qi Refining.
After about 10 minutes of pain, the flow of qi gradually subsided, returning to his dantian. His qi vortex was now noticeably larger, spinning faster and with more stability.
Lam Minh let out a sigh of relief, his entire body soaked in sweat. He stood up and felt the difference.
His body felt as light as if a heavy burden had been lifted. The muscles under his shirt hadn't bulked up, but they had become firmer and more solid, each fiber seemingly woven together perfectly. He clenched his fist, and a surge of power flowed out. He felt that now, a single punch from him could easily dent a thin steel plate. Compared to the Early Qi Refining Realm, his strength and speed had at least doubled!
His hearing and vision had also become sharper. He could clearly hear the chirping of crickets outside in the garden and see the individual veins on a leaf outside his window in the dark.
"This is true power!" Lam Minh muttered, his expression one of pure satisfaction.
He looked at the system panel.
[Remaining Immortality Points: 10]
[Next Goal: Late-stage Qi Refining (0/4000)]
"4000 points... Looks like the road of grinding is still long."
He noticed a new line had appeared under the [Battlefield Simulation] section.
[Host's breakthrough detected. New option unlocked.]
Unlock Early-stage Foundation Establishment Simulation: Requires 5000 Immortality Points.
Lam Minh's eyes widened. "The hell! 5000 points just to unlock it? That's more expensive than breaking through to the Late-stage? This system is a blood-sucking merchant!"
But he also understood that this was a worthwhile investment. Farming points off Qi Refining enemies was too slow. Only by confronting stronger enemies could he break through faster.
"Alright, immediate goal: grind 5000 points to unlock the new 'playground'! Then, another 4000 points to reach the Late-stage."
Lam Minh jumped into the shower, washing away the foul-smelling impurities from his body. Looking at himself in the mirror—a youth with a perfectly proportioned body, lean muscles hiding explosive power, and increasingly deep eyes—he couldn't help but smirk.
"The path to becoming a god of war is starting to get interesting."