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Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: True Foundations of Power..

Without wasting another breath, he summoned his System Panel, his eyes burning with determination.

[Techniques available for learning: Lunar Sword Technique, Lunar Dome Bell Technique, Lunar Mental Tome, Moon Steps, Lunar Body Tempering Technique.]

Wan Long's gaze settled on the Lunar Body Tempering Technique.

Among all the methods he'd taken from the library, this one was fundamental—simple, direct, and yet, it formed the very foundation of power.

"If I want to grow stronger… I need a body that can handle it first."

He focused on the technique and commanded,

"System, upgrade Lunar Body Tempering Technique."

[Upgrade Options Available.]

[Low-Grade Yellow tier → High-Grade Earth tier— 100,000 RP]

[ Note :Cultivation Techniques were ranked from Yellow, Purple, Earth, Heaven, and Imperial, each divided further into Low, Middle, and High tiers]

His eyes gleamed.

"One hundred thousand… worth it. Confirm full upgrade."

[Confirming… 100,000 RP deducted.]

[Upgrading Lunar Body Tempering Technique → High-Grade Earth Tier…]

The world trembled around him as runes of pale silver light emerged, swirling into his body like flowing moonlight. The energy wasn't violent—it was serene, steady, and infinitely vast. He felt it seep into his bones, his muscles, and even his blood.

A tide of pain followed immediately. His bones cracked sharply, the sound echoing in the quiet night. His veins pulsed as if molten silver was pouring through them, reforging everything in its path.

He gritted his teeth and endured.

Sweat dripped down his temples as his skin faintly shimmered under the moonlight, turning translucent like crystal for brief moments.

[Technique: Lunar Body Tempering Technique (High-Grade Earth Tier) — Proficiency: Beginner.]

"Good," he muttered hoarsely. "Now, let's push further."

[Would you like to increase proficiency?]

[Beginner → Minor Completion — 10,000 RP]

[Minor Completion → Mastery — 20,000 RP]

[Mastery → Great Completion — 30,000 RP]

[Great Completion → Perfection — 40,000 RP]

Without hesitation, he answered:

"Max it. Perfection!"

[Confirming… 100,000 RP deducted.]

[Technique Proficiency: Perfection achieved.]

A burst of radiance engulfed him.

The room filled with a low, humming resonance as his entire body vibrated. His blood essence surged like a roaring river, his heart thundering in rhythm with the moonlight outside.

He could feel every tendon, every pore, every thread of muscle responding to his will. His body was no longer that of a mortal—it was being reforged, purified, and reborn under the influence of the Lunar energy.

A crisp sound echoed through his core.

Crack!

Then another—Crack! Crack! Crack!

He felt something shatter deep within his dantian, a faint barrier that had always resisted him. His eyes shot open as he felt a violent surge of energy rise from the depths of his body.

[Breakthrough achieved.]

[Body Tempering Realm: Level 10]

[You have Awakened Lunar Veins in your meridians.]

The energy settled, calm but unfathomably strong.

Wan Long's breath came out slow and steady. His entire body felt weightless, his strength dozens of times what it was before. His fists clenched—and the air itself trembled faintly.

He looked at his reflection again, and for the first time, he could see faint traces of luminous silver coursing beneath his skin like rivers of light.

"So this is… the legendary Tenth Level of Body Tempering," he whispered, awe creeping into his voice.

Legends said the Body Tempering Realm only had nine levels—those who surpassed it, reaching the mythical Twelve Stages of Tempering, were said to approach the creation of Saint Bodies—pure physiques, bones like jade, and flesh infused with spiritual essence.

He slowly exhaled, feeling his power stabilize. His entire being radiated quiet strength, and faint moonlight seemed to dance within his pupils, serene and cold.

He opened the system panel once more, and a new line of text shimmered faintly beneath his technique list.

[Lunar Veins awakened. - Prerequisite for the condensation of the "Lunar Body".]

Wan Long froze for a moment, then his lips curved slightly.

"So… the Lunar Body Tempering Technique really was the foundation of the ancient physique," he murmured. "One of the recorded Ancient Bodies... It seems this path is real after all."

He turned his gaze toward his remaining resources.

[Recycle Points: 156,000]

"It's time to strengthen the spirit," he said calmly. "If the body has broken through, the mind must follow."

With that thought, he focused on the Lunar Mental Tome, the mental cultivation method he had brought from the library.

[Technique: Lunar Mental Tome — Low-Grade Yellow Tier]

[Upgrade options available.]

[Low-Grade Yellow → Low-Grade Purple — 100,000 RP]

He nodded slowly.

"Mental cultivation is costly... but worth every point."

[Confirm full upgrade.]

[100,000 RP deducted.]

[Technique Upgraded — Lunar Mental Tome: Low-Grade Purple Tier.]

A faint ringing filled his mind.

A silvery aura of light expanded from the center of his consciousness, illuminating endless moonlit plains within his sea of consciousness. His spirit flickered like a candle, then steadied, growing brighter and denser with each passing breath.

[Lunar Mental Tome — Proficiency: Beginner.]

"Not enough," he muttered. "A strong body is nothing without a sharp mind."

[Upgrade Proficiency?]

[Beginner → Mastery — 50,000 RP]

(Note: Technique proficiency: Beginner → Minor Completion → Mastery → Great Completion → Perfection)

"Confirm up to Mastery."

[50,000 RP deducted.]

[Proficiency increased — Current: Mastery.]

The change was instant. His consciousness expanded sharply, and for a moment, he felt as if he could sense the faint rhythm of the world outside his body—the slow drifting of night clouds, the pulse of spiritual energy in the air, even the heartbeat of small creatures outside his hut.

His mind felt clear and cool, like still water under the moon. Every thought flowed with precision and calm purpose.

He exhaled softly, opening his eyes. They gleamed faintly with moonlight.

"The Lunar Mental Tome truly lives up to its name," he whispered. "Even the sect's official Earth-tier method can't compare."

He checked the system one last time.

[Recycle Points Remaining: 6,000 RP]

He leaned back, exhaustion settling in—but a quiet satisfaction burned beneath it. His body had broken through to the tenth level, his mind had ascended to a new realm, and both were now aligned under the gentle radiance of the moon.

He gazed up at the faint glow seeping through the window, a small smile forming on his lips.

"One day… I'll condense the true Lunar Body," he said quietly. "And when that day comes, even those like Peak Master Lian Yueru won't be able to suppress me so easily."

.....

Wan Long sat cross-legged, his breathing calm and measured.

With a thought, the System panel shimmered before his eyes once again.

[Spiritual Energy Stored: 86,200 days — equivalent to approximately 230 years.]

He stared at that number for a long moment. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with quiet determination.

"Two hundred and thirty years of stored spiritual energy…" he murmured. "Today, I'll forge the strongest foundation in history."

He knew what he was about to attempt bordered on madness.

Ordinary cultivators spent their entire youth just to polish their body to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering before hastily rushing into the Qi Refinement Realm.

Breaking through to the mythical Twelfth Layer?

That required decades of unrelenting tempering—decades most cultivators didn't have.

But Wan Long was different.

He had time. He had the System. And he had willpower.

"System, channel thirty years of spiritual energy into my cultivation."

A deep hum echoed through his meridians as the Moon Breathing Technique activated on its own, silver threads of lunar essence filling the room. The light was soft yet vast, spilling over his body like a waterfall of moonlight.

His pores opened, his blood roared, and every cell of his body began to tremble in resonance with the moonlight energy.

He could feel it—his muscles compressing, bones refining, flesh being reforged under the rhythmic pulse of the moon's divine glow.

Even with the aid of the Lunar Body Tempering Technique, progress at this level should have been excruciatingly slow.

But the endless flow of spiritual energy poured into him like an eternal tide.

His consciousness drifted into a deep trance.

His body moved on instinct alone—breathing in rhythm with the heavens, exhaling in perfect synchronization with the flow of lunar Qi.

He did not know how long he had been sitting there.

Time lost all meaning.

Outside his hut, a faint silver mist began to gather, slowly thickening until it blanketed the courtyard. The moon above seemed brighter, almost conscious, as if observing his cultivation.

Then, a faint sound—crack—like jade fracturing under immense pressure.

[Breakthrough achieved.]

[Body Tempering Realm: Level 11.]

But Wan Long did not stop.

The flow of energy continued, unbroken and vast, as if the moon itself was pouring its essence into him.

Days turned into weeks. On the 16th day, ;The courtyard shimmered with ethereal moonlight like day and night.

And then—

BOOM!

A thunderous pulse shook the entire western side of the Alchemy Hall.

A column of silver light erupted into the sky, piercing through the clouds.

[Breakthrough achieved.]

[Body Tempering Realm: Level 12.]

[Lunar Veins fully awakened.]

The world seemed to hold its breath.

Above the Alchemy Hall, the night sky twisted and darkened as a vast celestial vision unfolded—phases of the moon overlapping, ancient lunar sigils circling one another in slow, divine rotation.

Within the moonlight, faint faces of ancient beings appeared—guardians of the moon, their expressions solemn and distant, their eyes opening as if acknowledging a successor.

The air turned heavy.

Even cultivators far across the sect turned their gazes skyward.

"What is that… heavenly phenomenon?"

"It's centered above the Alchemy Hall!"

"Someone's… someone's surpassing the Tenth Layer of Body Tempering!"

Elders emerged from their secluded courtyards, robes fluttering under the oppressive moonlight.

Even the Inner Sect elders, who had long stopped being surprised by genius, stood frozen.

But it wasn't just the brilliance of the vision that shocked them—It was the magnitude.

No one in recent history had caused a phenomenon this grand.

The last recorded cultivator to do so had founded one of the Great Peaks- the martial peak!

And yet here it was again—this vast, ancient power answering to a mere outer disciple's courtyard.

The moon phases reached perfect alignment, and thunder rumbled across the heavens.

Dark clouds gathered unnaturally fast, coiling into a massive vortex above the Alchemy Hall.

Bolts of silver lightning crackled within, carrying an aura that could reduce mountains to dust.

"The phenomenon has attracted a Heavenly Tribulation!" someone shouted.

Within the courtyard, Wan Long still sat unmoving, his body wrapped in threads of moonlight, each pulse of silver radiance stronger than the last.

He did not see the clouds.

He did not hear the thunder.

In his inner world, the final stage of his tempering was still unfolding—his blood was being reforged into liquid light, his bones humming like divine metal.

But the heavens would not wait.

The first bolt of tribulation lightning formed—its light blinding, its energy vast enough to annihilate ordinary cultivators in an instant.

And as it descended, the heavens themselves seemed to roar—

KRAAAACK!

The Heavenly Tribulation had begun.

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