Right below them, Hao exhaled slowly and began gathering solar qi again, his body glowing faint gold.
The four immediately held their breath.
Kurome whispered. 'I think Master already noticed us. He probably had an eye on us the moment we stepped onto the stairs.'
Mo Xixi squinted. 'Mhm… Boss probably knows.'
Tian Lu nodded slowly.
'Employer.' 'Knows.' 'Everything.'
Yan Zhi turned pale.
'…We're doomed.'
All four continued watching anyway.
Meanwhile, Hao - completely unaware of the peanut gallery on the stairs - was way too locked in.
Not from arrogance.
Not from showmanship.
Just pure, undiluted focus.
He had been practicing the same movement for the past fifteen minutes straight. Eat. Burn his palm. Heal. Try again. Burn his heel. Heal. Visualize. Adjust. Repeat.
And finally -
KRAK-THOOM!
A golden burst of solar qi exploded from under his soles as he kicked off the ground, launching him into a short, clean arc across the storage floor.
