Late at night, in the dojo… "Aaargh, it's burning me alive!" A pained roar echoed from the bathroom.
Outside the bathroom, the onlookers, witnessing this bizarre scene, displayed a variety of expressions.
Ross and Muret were filled with anxiety, but unsure what to do, they could only stand there idly.
Mia, on the other hand, observed Bellamy's condition with a scrutinizing gaze.
As for the newly joined Drake, he kept his head down, huddled alone in a corner.
"Damn! This is… so… good! Gyahahahaha!"
After the initial cry of pain, a burst of unrestrained laughter erupted from the bathroom, as if the previous howls of agony had never occurred.
After obtaining the tiger bone formula from the Fierce Tiger Dojo, Mia had refined it, using her knowledge of herbs to create a completely new tiger bone potion.
However, this potion wasn't meant to be drunk, but rather used for boiling.
By refining the original potion, which was already intended to strengthen the body, and adding the tiger bone component, the potion's potency became extremely potent. So potent, in fact, that Bellamy couldn't help but cry out in pain shortly after being immersed in it.
At this moment, Bellamy was completely submerged in a large wooden tub, his entire body bright red, his temperature rising rapidly. The potion's effects were far beyond his expectations.
But he couldn't get out, nor did he want to.
Mia had told him that the intense heat was a sign that the potion's power was entering his body.
If he got out now, most of the potion's efficacy would be wasted. He was well aware that a fresh tiger's bones had been ground to powder and added entirely to this concoction.
Including the herbs in the tub, this single bath was worth 800,000 Berries.
And that was without even factoring in Mia's personal value. Bellamy absolutely wouldn't allow this potion to go to waste.
"Aaargh, it hurts like hell!"
Although he yelled like this, Bellamy had no intention of climbing out. His face was contorted in a grimace.
He didn't try to suppress the pain; he simply endured this hellish torment.
His body began to rapidly absorb this special tiger bone potion.
His scalding body finally stopped increasing in temperature, and Bellamy felt his heart begin to race.
Thump. Thump… Thump-thump…
His heart beat faster and faster, and the blood throughout his body began to flow more rapidly.
But he still had many unhealed wounds on his body.
In an instant, these wounds all burst open, and blood gushed out like a spring.
Within a few breaths, the entire tub of potion was dyed a bloody crimson.
"What's going on?!" Seeing this, Ross grabbed Mia by the collar, slamming her against the wall. "Damn it, why is this happening to the boss?!"
"It's just blood exchange." Mia had no intention of explaining further, simply staring coldly at Ross.
"Ross, let go of Mia."
A voice suddenly came from the bathroom.
"Let go!"
"Yes." Ross glared hatefully at Mia, but obediently released his grip.
"Boss, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I feel fantastic."
Just a little weak, and his legs were a bit wobbly.
But Bellamy's mood was indeed very pleasant, because he had just made a major discovery.
Just now, when his heart was beating wildly and his blood was flowing rapidly, he faintly glimpsed a new path for the Spring-Spring Fruit.
This path was closely related to the field of shape-shifting and touched upon another characteristic of the Spring-Spring Fruit: resilience, the power of springiness.
The moment he became a spring-man, a force of resilience naturally appeared within Bellamy's body.
This force, initially about two tons, could be applied to any part of his body and was currently his greatest source of combat power.
He had always neglected this power. After all, things that are easily obtained are often easily overlooked.
But just now, when his heart was beating rapidly, Bellamy felt the resilience within his body actually increase.
It wasn't because he had become stronger, nor was it due to any other random reason.
He could feel it: it was simply because his heart rate had increased, thus increasing his springiness.
And because his heart was beating so fast, this connection became extremely obvious, the kind that even an idiot could notice.
He realized almost instantly that this was the working principle of the Spring-Spring Fruit's resilience.
Heartbeat, blood flow, the peristalsis of internal organs.
The spring force within him originated from his own life processes.
If he were to extrapolate further, could cellular activity also be linked to it?
After confirming this working principle, an idea suddenly popped into Bellamy's mind.
"If I can precisely control the acceleration and deceleration of my heart, wouldn't that mean…!"
A completely new skill framework was thus established.
Bellamy slowly closed his eyes.
He began to focus all his energy on his heart.
The people outside the bathroom were anxiously watching his situation. Seeing him suddenly close his eyes, they were all somewhat puzzled.
Ross thought something had really happened to the boss, and his expression became tense again.
Thump. Thump… Thump-thump…
A sound like a beating drum echoed from the bathroom, one beat after another, growing increasingly faster.
"What's wrong with the boss?" Muret was starting to get restless.
With such a strange occurrence, even Drake, who had been deliberately hiding in the corner to avoid attention, couldn't help but raise his head and look towards the bathroom.
Springs are inherently the most suitable shape for compression and rebound. The moment his heart transformed into this shape, its beating speed immediately increased dramatically.
As his heart rate accelerated, the spring force within Bellamy's body began to grow rapidly: two tons, three tons, four tons…
The drumming grew louder and louder, and the windows in the room began to vibrate.
Gradually, ripples even appeared around his body.
This was a manifestation of the air and water being vibrated together.
After a dozen or so breaths, his heart finally reached its limit, and the spring force within his body reached around eight tons.
"Reached the limit? Then let's begin!"
Bellamy, standing in the center of the wooden tub, suddenly opened his eyes. "First Gear… Springman!!!"
With this explosive shout, the wooden tub shattered, and Bellamy landed on the ground.
But his new form was more than just that.
The surging, irrepressible spring force within his body spread to his limbs and even his skin.
When Bellamy's feet touched the ground, his body instantly bounced back up.
Bounce, fall, bounce, fall.