At that moment, Ling Tian was completely immersed in a state of mysterious serenity, as if his entire body had been soaked in a warm spring.

  The previously turbulent spiritual energy was now being steadily guided into the vortex of vital energy inside his body. This vortex absorbed and refined the energy, transforming it into purer qi that further strengthened the vortex. What had once been the size of a child’s fist had now expanded to the size of an adult’s under Ling Tian’s constant efforts to guide and temper it.

  Just as Ling Tian was marveling at the steadily growing vortex within him, a sudden darkness fell over his eyes. When he opened them again, he was startled to find himself floating above the stone chamber.

  Below him was his physical body—covered in a layer of pitch-black filth and impurities.

  “What… what is going on?” he gasped.

  He stared in shock at his own body lying beneath him. Then he glanced down at his own hands—vague, almost translucent. A wave of confusion overtook him.

  Unbeknownst to Ling Tian, during the intense pain of the body-tempering process, his spirit—or soul—had experienced an awakening. The excruciating agony had caused his soul to ascend to a new level, and in a rare state of detachment, it had separated from his body. It was not something that just anyone could achieve; only those with exceptionally resilient spirits, like Ling Tian—who had crossed over from another world—were capable of such a feat.

  Of course, Ling Tian himself was unaware of all this.

  Seeing his illusory, ghost-like self, he was startled. That moment of panic shattered the delicate state of transcendence he had entered, and in the blink of an eye, his soul snapped back into his body.

  At that moment, the vortex of energy inside him had fully formed.

  Ling Tian stared at the slowly rotating vortex in his dantian, his heart pounding with excitement. Forming a vortex out of raw qi marked a true breakthrough into the Body Tempering realm. Before this point, qi remained as amorphous clusters within the body. Even with large reserves of it, much of it couldn’t be efficiently utilized. Once saturation was reached, further absorption became impossible. That was the bottleneck of a so-called ninth-level cultivator.

  But after forming the vortex, not only could the refined qi be used with full efficiency, the rotation allowed for continuous absorption of spiritual energy from the surroundings. This was why only after reaching the Body Tempering stage could one be considered a true cultivator—one capable of drawing on and refining energy effectively.

  Crack!

  A fissure suddenly formed in the blackened crust covering Ling Tian’s body.

  The crack widened rapidly until the shell shattered completely with a loud crash, like a porcelain vase smashing to the ground.

  A glint of sharp light flashed from Ling Tian’s eyes as they snapped open. Though he reeked of burnt impurities, the stench couldn’t dampen his excitement.

  He threw a light punch forward. A muffled boom echoed through the air as a ripple spread in the space before him.

  Feeling the immense strength surging through his body, Ling Tian closed his eyes again and savored the mystical sensation of stepping into the Body Tempering realm.

  After a long while, he finally opened his eyes, stood up, and sniffed at himself with a frown.

  The stench was nauseating.

  He made his way to the door, which had remained shut for days, and pushed it open.

  “Ugh! What’s that smell?! Oh, it’s you, lunatic! Wait… did you enter the Body Tempering stage?”

  A voice rang out in surprise.

  Ling Tian turned and saw the speaker—a fellow disciple from the Dark Sect named Dongfang Zhou. There were only eight disciples of their generation within the sect, so even without making a point to memorize everyone, Ling Tian still recognized a few of them. Dongfang Zhou was one of the more notable ones—seventeen years old and already at the third level of Body Tempering.

  “You need something?” Ling Tian asked, voice cool and distant.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Hey, don’t always be so cold,” Dongfang Zhou chuckled. “There aren’t many of us in the Dark Sect. If you keep isolating yourself, you’ll never make friends. Besides, it’s important to understand your place.”

  He walked up with a grin and suddenly clapped a hand down toward Ling Tian’s shoulder.

  But the hand wasn’t friendly.

  It carried force—a gust of power that could easily break bones if it landed.

  Ling Tian’s eyes flashed with a cold gleam. With a swift twist, his left hand clenched into a fist and struck upward, aiming directly at Dongfang Zhou’s descending palm.

  Boom!

  Fist met palm.

  Both bodies trembled slightly from the impact.

  Without pause, Ling Tian struck again with his other hand. Dongfang Zhou raised his arm to block.

  Boom!

  Another resounding clash.

  This time, both took two steps back as faint ripples spread outward from their collision.

  “You kidding me? Are you really only at the first level of Body Tempering?” Dongfang Zhou cried, stunned. His hand tingled with numbness.

  He had just wanted to teach Ling Tian a lesson—not get caught in a real fight.

  But the strength Ling Tian had shown far exceeded what someone at the first level should be capable of.

  Before Dongfang Zhou could react further, Ling Tian lunged like a bullet from a cannon.

  Seeing this, Dongfang Zhou’s expression darkened. He released his qi, and a faint red aura wrapped around his body. Ling Tian did the same—his own body glowing red, though noticeably dimmer than Dongfang Zhou’s.

  Each clash of fists sent out another wave of ripples and thunderous noise.

  Despite having stepped into Body Tempering, Ling Tian clearly lacked both the quantity and control of qi that Dongfang Zhou possessed. It didn’t take long for him to fall into a disadvantage.

  The scuffle soon drew the attention of several other Dark Sect disciples, who gathered around to watch. Fights were allowed as long as no one died.

  Boom!

  Ling Tian blocked a whipping kick, but the force sent him skidding nearly three meters across the ground.

  As Dongfang Zhou advanced, Ling Tian’s eyes gleamed. He kicked up a cloud of dirt toward his opponent’s face.

  Instinctively, Dongfang Zhou squinted, and in that instant, Ling Tian vanished and reappeared right in front of him.

  A sharp, qi-empowered hook punched straight into Dongfang Zhou’s gut.

  “Waaaah!”

  The iron-like blow nearly forced Dongfang Zhou’s stomach contents up. It wasn’t enough to break his defense, but it still left him reeling.

  “You… you fight dirty!” Dongfang Zhou growled, spitting up bile as Ling Tian slowly approached him.

  The surrounding disciples burst into whispers and low whistles.

  “Hmph! In a real battle, there’s no such thing as fighting dirty. If this were a life-or-death fight, you'd be dead by now. Victory is what matters. The rest is nonsense!”

  A thunderous voice cut through the noise.

  Everyone turned. Even those who had been watching just for fun quickly lowered their heads.

  Two figures stepped into view.

  One was the long-unseen Elder Huo. The other—a stunning young girl, likely about Ling Tian’s age.

  She wore a flowing black dress stitched with gold thread along the hem. Her face, delicate and refined, held a pair of enchanting phoenix eyes. Her nose was perfectly straight, her lips a soft cherry hue. Her hair, black as ink and smooth as silk, fell over her shoulders.

  She was flawless.

  But what stood out most was the strange contrast in her aura—innocent and pure on the surface, yet laced with a subtle, seductive energy that didn’t match her age. Like a beautiful rose—gorgeous but thorny.

  Her gaze swept over the crumpled Dongfang Zhou before settling briefly on Ling Tian. A trace of surprise flickered in her eyes but quickly vanished, replaced by calm indifference.

  To her, both of them were insignificant.

  “Understood, Sect Master…” Dongfang Zhou muttered. Though deeply dissatisfied, he didn’t dare talk back.

  There were very few people in the entire sect who dared to challenge Elder Huo. Dongfang Zhou certainly wasn’t one of them.

  “As for you,” Elder Huo said, turning to Ling Tian, “you’ve just entered Body Tempering and you already dared to fight Dongfang Zhou, who’s at the peak of level three. You’ve got guts—and skill. But you’re reckless. Come with me. I have some questions for you.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ling Tian cupped his fists and followed.

  “Ling’er, we’ll discuss that matter later,” Elder Huo added, giving the black-dressed girl a glance.

  “Let’s go.”

  With a sweep of his sleeve, Elder Huo and Ling Tian vanished on the spot.

  The girl lingered a moment, staring at the embarrassed and furious Dongfang Zhou.

  Recalling what Elder Huo had told her, she pouted and grumbled, “Tch. That old man found an excuse again. I was so close to convincing him this time! Damn it!”

  With a flash of light, she vanished as well.

  The disciples around her pretended not to have heard her calling the Sect Master an “old man,” though many were laughing inside.

  Dongfang Zhou pounded the ground with a fist, his face twisted with humiliation. The memory of the girl’s mocking gaze burned in his mind.

  “Ling Tian! You damn lunatic… just wait! I won’t forget this!”

  With a blink, Ling Tian found himself in a spacious stone chamber. The walls were adorned with elegant calligraphy and paintings, giving the room a refined atmosphere. But the two massive swords crossed on the far wall added a palpable sense of danger.

  Elder Huo sat on a throne-like stone chair draped in what looked like the pelt of a powerful beast.

  “Ling Tian,” he said, “I’m curious. Have you ever consumed any rare herbs or treasures? Something that might’ve altered your body—purified your bones and meridians?”

  “Rare treasures?” Ling Tian blinked, confused. “Why do you ask, Elder?”

  “When you broke through into Body Tempering, I was observing from outside. Your entire body was covered in impurities. Most cultivators expel a lump about the size of a fist—some gifted ones might manage a head-sized amount.

  “But you… the impurities you expelled were far beyond anything I’ve ever seen.

  “That’s why I suspect your body might have been nourished over the years by medicinal power. It may have slowly replaced your innate impurities, allowing you to expel them all at once during your breakthrough—without harming your body in the slightest.”