Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 15: Third Stage of the Body Tempering Realm

In the early morning mist, after completing the thirty-two forms, Xia Ye stood in the courtyard and exhaled a breath of stale air. Once the sensation of aching muscles and throbbing bones subsided, he was left with a sense of comfort throughout his entire body, as if he’d just enjoyed a relaxing hot spring bath. Every six hours, Xia Ye would remove his eye patch and use his left eye to examine the ancient turtle shell. Over the past two days, he had already gained a general understanding of this form of witchcraft. The “Riding the Dragon, Returning to the Character” technique could not only be used to temper the body and strengthen muscles but also possessed formidable offensive power—it was a technique that allowed even a ten-year-old boy to effortlessly lift a heavy object weighing two hundred shi. At the fourth stage, one possesses 400 shi of strength; at the fifth, 800 shi; and at the sixth, over 1,000 shi. This marks a significant threshold: at this point, strength gains begin to slow, and the body undergoes a process of refinement and reshaping. When one’s eyes become as sharp as those of a god, one’s flesh as hard as iron and stone, blades fail to cut through easily, and defensive capabilities surge—that is the seventh stage. The eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm is called “Swallowing Gold and Shattering Stone”—as the name implies, one can even digest stones. Furthermore, at this stage, regenerative abilities increase dramatically; injuries or illnesses heal very quickly! The ninth stage is the limit. Upon reaching it, one’s inner energy flows ceaselessly, and exhaled breath shoots forth like an arrow, capable of inflicting injury! “Xia Ye must be at the third stage of the Body Tempering Realm, right?” Even the poorest people, in this Age of Vital Energy, understand these basic cultivation principles. Each level of a sorcerer’s cultivation has its own distinctive characteristics. At the Body Refinement Realm, these light spots appear on the sorcerer’s body; they are usually invisible, but as soon as Yuanqi is used, they begin to flicker. The more light spots there are, the higher the realm and the greater the power. In the Divine Consciousness Realm, these light spots are connected into soul threads until they reach a limit, unlocking the Mixed-Primordial Realm. In the Hun Yuan Realm, these soul threads are connected along mysterious and profound trajectories to form a totem! “That’s right!” Xia Lingyue turned her head and glanced at her younger brother, who was still deep in thought, flashing a proud smile. “Congratulations!” “Xia Ye is so amazing!” “I want to be a warrior and a hero just like Brother Xia Ye!” The neighbors offered hollow compliments—some out of jealousy, some out of envy, but for the most part, it was just a sense of detachment. “Who would’ve thought that one-eyed guy from the Xia family could actually break through to the next rank?” Uncle Xia’s wife was astonished: “Wasn’t he offered to Prince Zhao by the clan chief, only to have his bloodline sacrificed on the ancestral altar? I heard it was a miracle he survived at all—how could he possibly still be cultivating?” “Shh, do you want to get yourself killed?” Uncle Xia glanced warily around; this wasn’t something to be said lightly. As for Xia Ye… well, what a pity. If his bloodline were still intact, just imagine how powerful he’d be? “That old woman Xia down the street is always bragging about how great her son Xia Zhi is, but he’s the same age as that half-blind guy and still isn’t even at the third rank?” Uncle Xia’s wife went on and on, a look of schadenfreude on her face. Her own child had no talent for cultivation and was still just a laborer, toiling in the fields to scrape out a living, so she was thoroughly annoyed by this kind of boasting. “Hmph, I bet that Xia Zhi will definitely die in this Blood Survival Trial!” “Stop nagging!” Uncle Xia grumbled, but his wife wasn’t wrong. Based on past experience, only sorcerers at least at the seventh stage of the Body Tempering Realm stood a chance of holding their ground in the Ancient Forest of the Wasteland; anyone below that was mere cannon fodder—they’d be lucky to make it back alive. After advancing in rank, Xia Ye’s first thought was hunger. He drank an entire large pot of congee and ate three jin of smoked meat before he finally felt full. “Too bad we don’t have any tonics at home!” Xia Lingyue applied herbal ointment to her younger brother’s wounds, feeling a twinge of guilt. After advancing in rank, one should consume highly nourishing foods to help consolidate one’s cultivation level and lay a solid foundation. “This is just fine!” Xia Ye wasn’t one to fuss over such things. He now felt energetic, his limbs were strong, and a hint of color had returned to his face—he was no longer the pale figure of someone just recovering from a serious illness. “This form of witchcraft is quite powerful. If I master it completely and practice diligently, perhaps the lingering aftereffects of the sacrifice can be completely cured!” The stone pedestal by the door weighed nearly four hundred shi. Xia Ye tested his strength and found he could lift it with ease, indicating that his maximum strength was around five hundred shi. Keep in mind that this is a level typically only reached at the fourth stage of the Body Tempering Realm. For a sickly person like Xia Ye, it was undoubtedly a massive physical boost brought about by the “Dragon-Riding Return” Art. It wasn’t just strength; his neural reactions, speed, and explosive power had all improved to some extent, giving Xia Ye even greater confidence in his journey to the Fengjing Ruins. Xia Ye was a cautious man. Although time was tight, he still conducted a rough assessment of his physical condition. Only after gaining a clear understanding did he set off for Damo Zao with his sister. “I’ve already got everything ready!” Mo Wu Heng was a girl who kept her promises; she had been waiting for quite some time. “Thank you!” Xia Ye smiled. “You look much better!” Mo Wu Heng had a keen eye; after learning that Xia Lingyue was Xia Ye’s older sister, she made an exception and allowed her into the workshop. “No, thank you!” Xia Lingyue wasn’t a mechanical engineer, but she knew what an invitation to the workshop meant. As she declined, her suspicious gaze involuntarily swept over Xia Ye and Mo Wu Heng’s faces. “It’s fine, come on in!” Mo Wu Heng smiled magnanimously; she greatly admired Xia Lingyue’s tact and discretion. “Time was really tight. My friends worked nonstop for over two days just to craft what you needed.” The flat-chested girl lifted the burlap cloth covering the wooden table, and a pile of gear immediately came into view. “Thank you!” Xia Ye didn’t test the sword; instead, she quickly handed over the sword coin: “This isn’t payment—it’s just a small token of my appreciation!” “I already told you not to take it!” Mo Wu Heng rolled her eyes, but when she saw that Xia Ye wasn’t rushing to examine the weapon—instead, he was concerned about the craftsmen first—she couldn’t help but nod in approval. This was a young man with a heart of gold. “Please, you must accept this!” Xia Ye had never worked a forge, but he knew it was hard labor. “All right, then I’ll accept it on their behalf. Why don’t you try out the weapon?” Mo Wu Heng licked her lips. She’d never cared much about money; what mattered to her was Wei Fan’s assessment of the equipment.