The rains had passed, but the mountain air remained damp. Mist clung to the pine trees like silken veils, winding through the narrow paths of Azure Peak Sect.
Jiang Chen sat cross-legged on the stone platform of the Qi Pavilion, his breathing steady, posture firm.
The thin threads of Qi in the air moved reluctantly toward him, like spiders crawling across glass.
He'd been meditating for hours.
[Basic Qi Absorption – Entry (27%)]
The numbers had slowed.
Each percentage now came harder than the last.
"There's a bottleneck," he realized. "I'm not just lacking talent. There's something… missing."
It wasn't effort.
It wasn't will.
It was foundation.
His dantian—the core that stored Qi—was too fragile. It leaked. The Qi he absorbed faded quickly, dispersed without anchoring itself.
"The body... it's not ready yet."
...
[Iron Body Tempering – Entry (39%)]
You must reach 50% to stabilize internal flow for Qi accumulation.
Jiang Chen opened his eyes.
The answer was clear:
"I need to forge the body before I can rise any further."
But forging the body meant pain—more than before. It meant pushing the flesh to its limits.
...
Back-Courtyard: Training Grounds
The stone dummy cracked under his punch.
Jiang Chen exhaled sharply, stepping back as sharp pain ran through his forearm. Blood welled at his knuckles. He'd wrapped his hands, but the stone didn't care.
Nearby disciples flinched at the sound of stone breaking—but said nothing.
He was still an outsider in their eyes.
...
A faint voice spoke behind him.
"That form… is not from the outer sect."
Jiang Chen turned.
She stood with her arms behind her back, dressed in a plain sky-blue robe with an inner disciple's badge at her belt. Her black hair was tied with a simple white ribbon, her gaze calm, curious.
She looked… older than him. Perhaps by a year. Maybe two.
"You fought Lu Yan, didn't you?" she asked.
Jiang Chen gave a cautious nod.
"And survived. That's rare."
He waited for a sneer. None came.
"You're cultivating without a spiritual root," she said softly.
That made him freeze.
His eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
She smiled faintly. "My name is Lin Yuyan. I'm not here to mock you. I'm here because I've seen your fists. They're… honest. And I believe that matters."
Jiang Chen was silent.
"The sect won't help you," Lin Yuyan continued. "You killed the wrong person. Elder Lu will move slowly, but he'll move. You'll find doors closed. Pills will go missing. Teachers will forget your name."
Her eyes met his.
"So if you want to live… you need to forge your own path."
...
He sat beneath the old pine again. Candlelight flickered beside him, casting long shadows.
Jiang Chen stared at the manual for Iron Body Tempering, flipping to the final page.
His breath caught.
There was a footnote written in faint ink—faded from age:
"Those who walk this path beyond its natural limits must endure 'Nine Cycles of Blood and Bone.' Failure leads to madness. Completion grants a new vessel."
Beneath it, the words:
[Optional Branch Unlocked: Iron Body – Blood Tempering Path]
(Warning: Pain threshold will exceed normal human tolerance.)
(Side effects: Nightmares, hallucinations, violent nerve backlash.)
He hesitated.
"If I take this route… I might cripple myself."
But the panel shimmered faintly, as if beckoning him.
And from deep within his soul…
A memory surfaced.
...
The stars burned.
Mountains split beneath two fists colliding.
A warcry echoed across the sky.
"Only through pain does the body shed weakness."
A white-robed figure stood amidst corpses of gods, his chest bleeding, his arms cracked.
He smiled—and raised his fist one last time.
Jiang Chen woke with a gasp.
His hands were trembling.
But his heart… was steady.
...
He returned to the grove with dawn's first light.
There, surrounded by wind and stone, he began the Blood Tempering Path.
A method meant only for those with forged wills.
A path once abandoned by the sect for its cruelty.
[Iron Body Tempering – Blood Tempering Path Initiated]
Progress: 0% | Pain Threshold: Unlocked
...
Somewhere in the inner peaks of the sect, two elders sat in a quiet chamber.
One held a black scroll. The other sipped tea.
"The servant boy… Jiang Chen. Still alive?"
"Alive and training harder than anyone."
"Interesting. Elder Lu wants him gone."
"Then Elder Lu will have to move quickly. This boy won't remain weak for long."
A pause.
"There's something… strange about him."
"You felt it too?"
They both turned toward the open window, where the first rays of dawn crept in.
"Keep watching. We may be witnessing the rise of a storm."