Deep in the forest, the night was thick as ink.
Around the campfire, goblins snarled and fought over scraps of meat, the sound of tearing flesh mixing with guttural growls.
Ye Xuan sat alone in the shadows, cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation.
His aura was far more solid than days before, spiritual power faintly flowing through his meridians, blood thundering in his veins, bones occasionally cracking with sharp pops.
—The Minor Stage of Body Tempering.
No longer was he the frail shell that once fled at the cry of an infant. His body had truly begun to endure the tempering of spiritual power.
Yet in the eyes of his kin, the sight was unsettling.
"Hey, that trash is putting on airs again."
"Sitting there like a rock—does he think he's some human mage?"
A few younger goblins snickered, jealousy and unease flickering in their eyes.
To them, Ye Xuan's changes in the past few days were too strange:
The weakest F- could suddenly lift giant stones, could even send a fellow goblin flying with a kick.
If left unchecked, he might become a threat.
Thus, three goblins crept forward, gripping stone shards and wooden clubs.
"Tonight, let's put this trash down for good!"
---
Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes.
There was no panic—only a calm gaze watching them draw near.
The three goblins lunged together, shrieking as they swung their crude weapons.
Ye Xuan's body surged, foot stamping the ground, hips twisting—his figure like a tiger pouncing from the mountain.
Bang!
The first goblin was smashed back by a brutal shoulder charge, crashing heavily into the ground.
The second slashed with a stone shard, cold glint flashing.
Ye Xuan's hand shot out, seizing the wrist in an iron grip.
Crack! Bone snapped, the goblin's scream tearing through the night.
The third froze, then spun to flee.
Ye Xuan snorted coldly, stamping down as his body blurred forward, wooden stick sweeping wide.
Bang!
The goblin was hurled several yards, striking a branch that snapped in two before collapsing unconscious.
---
The firelit clearing fell silent.
Every goblin stood frozen, eyes flashing with fear.
Never had they seen such power.
A goblin once weaker than F-, now, in mere days, had crushed three of his kin with ease?
Ye Xuan withdrew his stick, expression flat, as if nothing of note had occurred.
"Body Tempering has reached the Minor Realm."
He mused inwardly, eyes gleaming.
His meridians and blood were stable; to advance further, he needed to temper his bones.
Once bone refinement was complete, his frame would be as unyielding as iron and stone—only then could he shed the mortal shell.
But the herbs in this forest were no longer enough.
To refine bones, he needed stronger spirit herbs and ores, to brew a medicinal broth that could temper marrow and skeleton alike.
"It seems… this forest has reached its limit."
He raised his gaze toward the faint silhouette of distant mountains.
There—perhaps lay the chance he sought.
---
Night deepened.
The three defeated goblins were dragged away, the campfire rekindled—yet none dared approach Ye Xuan again.
They whispered in hushed voices, eyes filled with dread:
"That trash… has changed."
"Best not to provoke him."
Ye Xuan, however, had already closed his eyes once more.
His blood surged, meridians and bones subtly transforming under the remnants of medicinal power.
He faintly sensed a flicker of spiritual light stirring within his dantian, as though awakening from slumber.
That light was unstable, but it confirmed one thing—so long as he continued refining bones and laying the foundation, one day he would truly condense a Golden Core again.
"The chance for bone refinement has come. This step… must not falter."
His gaze grew profound, aura faintly rippling around him.
The dantian stirred, spiritual power flickering—this was the first glimmer of dawn upon his reopened cultivation path.
"The immortal road has always been against the heavens. Even if this body is the weakest goblin, I will ascend to the peak step by step."
The night wind brushed past, his figure stark and solitary under the firelight.
---
Meanwhile, beyond the forest.
In the tavern, the young adventurers still argued heatedly.
"I'm telling you, I wasn't lying! That goblin cast fire in a single thought!"
"Nonsense! Goblins only scream and scatter—how could they use magic?"
Laughter and scolding echoed all around.
Yet in a shadowed corner, a cloaked middle-aged man slowly raised his head, eyes sharp and contemplative:
"A goblin… instant-casting fireball? Interesting…"