The next morning.
Mist filled the forest, dewdrops sliding down the leaves.
Ye Xuan sat cross-legged upon a boulder, and when he opened his eyes, his gaze was deep as an abyss.
After two days of tempering, though his body was still weak, it was now completely under his control.
No longer would a baby's cry frighten him away, nor would a cramp collapse him.
"The mortal body is steady. Time to gather herbs and brew the soup."
He recited silently in his heart.
---
Not far away, the mountain ridge stood steep and treacherous.
For goblins, that place was a forbidden land.
Beasts roamed there, venomous serpents lurked, and unknown dangers awaited.
Yet when Ye Xuan stepped into it, his heart remained calm.
—In his past life, he had walked through thunder pools far more terrifying with nothing but a mortal body.
What was this compared to that?
---
Halfway up the mountain, a low growl suddenly resounded.
A red-furred wolf had locked its gaze upon him, baring sharp fangs.
For an ordinary F- goblin, fear alone would have sent it fleeing.
But Ye Xuan simply raised his hand, lifting a wooden stick across his body.
The wolf pounced.
Ye Xuan sank his hips, power surging through his arms, and swept out with force—
Bang!
The stick slammed into the wolf's side, hurling it tumbling several yards away. With a whimper, it turned tail and fled.
Ye Xuan withdrew the stick, his expression calm as ever.
"Body tempering has shown results."
Continuing upward, he finally found a familiar herb in the crack of a rock.
Ash-gray roots, slender leaves giving off a faint bitter fragrance.
In the cultivation world, this was known as Mountain Bitter Grass.
When boiled into soup and consumed, it tempered the muscles and bones.
A faint smile touched Ye Xuan's lips.
"It seems though the heavens and earth differ, the principles of spiritual herbs remain the same."
---
Back in the forest, he lit a bonfire, propping up a crude stone pot with rocks, simmering the Mountain Bitter Grass together with spring water.
Before long, green smoke curled upward, the broth glimmering with a faint emerald sheen.
The surrounding goblins watched suspiciously, yet none dared approach.
Ye Xuan lifted a stone bowl and, without hesitation, drank the bitter medicinal soup in one gulp.
Boom—!
In that instant, his blood seemed set ablaze, meridians scorched, bones crackling faintly.
The pain nearly suffocated him, yet he clenched his teeth and endured.
Sweat and blood seeped from his pores, his body shedding weakness through agony.
Hours later, the blazing torment finally subsided.
Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharper than it had been the day before.
He lifted his hand, clenched his fist—
Bones crackled like firecrackers, blood surged like thunder.
"The first step of tempering the mortal body is complete. The blood has been refined. Next… the bones."
The corner of Ye Xuan's lips curved upward.
In the distance, several goblins secretly watched, fear gleaming in their eyes.
They could not comprehend—
Why was it that this weakest waste, without slaughter or plunder, could transform into something so terrifying in mere days?
Ye Xuan slowly stood, his gaze cast toward the distant peaks.
"Goblins rise through killing… but I shall ascend through the immortal path, tempering my body into divinity."
"This road… only I can walk."