Critical Return System: I Am Pampering Beautiful Maidens

After understanding natural breathing, he felt closer to the world.

It was a strange yet interesting sensation, a clear sign that he had mastered the technique.

Without wasting time, Li An began his practice, extracting a green energy that descended into his body like tiny luminous particles.

They were absorbed through the pores of his skin.

"So slow..."

Li An was dissatisfied with the speed at which he extracted vital energy. It was too slow—though a hundred times better than his previous self, he was still not the least bit satisfied.

Stopping his practice, he grabbed the wine gourd. Just the faintest whiff was enough to make him feel tipsy. He took a sip.

Upon tasting it, he realized it was the best thing he had ever drunk. It had an inexplicably sweet flavor, yet it wasn't cloying.

At the same time, his mind became light, and his face flushed.

Li An was drunk.

But he quickly recovered and returned to his practice. Using the wine as a nourishing energy source, he transformed it into purple energy within his body, absorbing the vitality of the Immortal Grapes.

He refined this energy and directed it into his bones, which grew stronger with each passing second as the purple liquid fused with them.

Outside, Li An continued drinking. The gourd was already half empty.

His face was hot, sweat forming on his forehead.

But he didn't stop. He repeated the process until his bones became saturated—any more energy, and they would shatter.

He had reached a crucial stage.

Transformation.

To break through the realm of a martial artist, one had to change the structure of their bones.

Li An, having arrived at this crucial moment, took a deep breath, calmed his thoughts, and began the process.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

Forcing the energy through, Li An couldn't suppress his cry. His entire body felt as if it were being crushed by an immense pressure, trying to tear his bones apart.

'Keep going.'

He clenched his teeth like a lock and didn't stop, breaking down his bone structure entirely. This caused internal bleeding, killing his cells.

But Li An didn't die. His vitality still sustained him, though it was diminishing with each passing second. If he took too long, he would truly die.

Feeling the urgency, he used his eyes to accelerate the process.

Observing his body as a perfect diagram of himself—one of the abilities of the Eyes of Comprehension—he saw his shattered skeleton and his blood circulating aimlessly.

Yet, amid it all, something caught his attention: the purple energy had not disappeared, even after being refined.

"Is it because this energy doesn't belong to this world? And vital energy isn't enough?"

This hypothesis made Li An understand why his fusion was so difficult.

But even so, he didn't panic. On the contrary, a crazy idea formed in his mind.

"Destroy the rest."

He no longer hesitated in the destruction and let his bone structure completely disintegrate until nothing remained.

On the outside, he was now just human skin—a terrifying sight.

"Whether I live or die depends on this."

Li An, after destroying everything, screamed internally and, using the purple energy, directed it to his origin. All birth begins from a seed. As much as he hated to admit it, this was his core.

And to find it, one needed profound self-knowledge.

With his innate ability, Li An could feel his entire existence.

Channeling the immortal energy derived from the wine into his core, he felt the greatest pain of his life. His very being was being reshaped.

Li An was committing a taboo.

But that didn't matter. All he wanted was to survive.

Enduring the pain with his consciousness, his bones began to regenerate. They were no longer white but golden, forming his new skeletal structure.

On the outside, his appearance gradually returned to normal, and his human form was restored. But unlike before, he had grown ten centimeters taller, reaching 1.85 meters. His hair, once only reaching his eyebrows, now cascaded past his face, reaching his knees.

His skin was crystalline, as if no blood flowed beneath it.

Even his consciousness underwent changes. Li An felt as if he could leave his body and observe his surroundings. And in that moment, he found himself floating above himself, seeing his body from a new perspective. Looking toward the walls, he realized his gaze could penetrate obstacles, reaching the neighboring dormitory, where a man was training, trying to break his own limits.

'So this is the reality of rank F people…'

Li An thought, attempting to extend his vision even further but failing, being pulled back into his body. He coughed up a mouthful of red-gold blood.

"I can only project myself a hundred meters..."

However, he wasn't disappointed. The mere fact that a martial artist could possess spiritual awareness was already impressive.

"My eyes… If I learned to control them, they would be nothing short of extraordinary. But what a pity..."

He sighed, pushing his hair back to see better, as his vision had gone completely dark.

As soon as his sight returned, he stood up, catching the strong scent of sweat. It wasn't impurities, just the excessive perspiration from the intense process he had undergone.

Leaving the martial arts room while pinching his nose, he rushed to the bathroom. He quickly opened the door and shut it behind him.

Without wasting time, he removed his clothes and began washing himself, scrubbing away the lingering odor on his skin.

After the bath, he let out a relieved sigh. He put on a white robe that was in the bathroom and walked over to a digital screen.

Renting a hair-cutting machine, he started trimming his long black hair. However, he didn't cut it all off—he left it shoulder-length, removing the strands that covered his face. His new hairstyle made him look delicate and androgynous.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he smiled. His current appearance was stunning. Even celebrities wouldn't compare to one percent of his beauty.

"With this face, being a sycophant would be easy… What woman wouldn't love receiving gifts from a cute young man?"

Li An was thinking ahead.

If he had a system, why not use it?

"Hehehe!"

He laughed maniacally, envisioning the future and everything awaiting him.

Starting tomorrow, he was sure—his life would never be the same again.

His temperament and appearance would bring him trouble… and the envy of many men!