Shock

It took a while before Xiao Ming finally showed any signs of life, a testament to how utterly spent he was.

At first, Xue Mao struggled to transfer his pure internal energy into him, nearly exhausting himself in the process.

In the end, Xiyu had to step in to assist, draining almost two-thirds of its own internal energy just to prevent Xue Mao from fainting.

Only after all that effort did Xiao Ming's fingers twitch slightly, followed by two soft sneezes — yet he remained unconscious.

"Thankfully, he's still alive and not dead. I'll go prepare a healing potion right away since his injuries have stabilized a little," Xue Mao muttered with a sigh, before hurrying off.

Xiao Ming was left under the careful watch of Xiyu, both to aid his recovery and to prevent his origin energy from draining away completely.

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Meanwhile, in another plane...