Chapter 42: Spirit Forging and Body Tempering
Chapter 42: Spirit Forging and Body Tempering
The Spirit Forging Technique was the secret art of the Golden Jade Hall of the Xuanxin Sect, known only to Master Chen Ji and his lineage.
Lu Hangzhi hadn’t originally understood the Spirit Forging Technique’s worth. But with each hammer blow, his magic power wildly surged outwards. This furious magic power battered the flying sword blank to cleanse impurities, and simultaneously, his own spiritual power pool suffered immense shock.
Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying were very young when they started practicing this art, so they probably hadn’t felt its profound effects clearly.
But Lu Hangzhi was used to brutal training, pushing himself to the limit. He threw a spiritual energy vortex onto himself. Just as his strength gave out, new power surged forth. He quickly entered his extreme training state. During the process of his magic power repeatedly striking the flying sword blank, he distinctly felt it. Alongside that intense vibration sensation, not only were impurities within the blank slowly cleansed, but his spiritual power pool also experienced faint tremors. Over time, the outermost edge visibly expanded outwards by a tiny bit.
The faster the strikes came, the more noticeable the expansion of the spiritual power pool became…
Simultaneously, sweat poured out fiercely, only to be replenished by the spirit fruit juice. Specks of murkiness were mixed within the sweat – clearly, impurities from inside his body were also being expelled bit by bit.
Lu Hangzhi swiftly grasped it. The kind of terrifying unnatural strength and toughness Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying possessed at such a young age was almost certainly a result cultivated by the Spirit Forging Technique.
“Hang in there!”
This thought fixed in his mind, Lu Hangzhi forced himself to endure the intensely sore arms drained of strength, pushing past that sense of limit. Following the energy-flowing methods of the Spirit Forging Technique, once, then again, persisting almost numbly, maintaining a state forever on the brink of exhaustion and collapse. He endured the Spirit Forging Technique’s tempering of both his spiritual power pool and his physical body.
One minute…
Three minutes!
Ten minutes!
Whenever an Essence Spirit Fruit’s magic power was wholly devoured and digested, or whenever a spiritual energy vortex faded away, he swallowed another fruit to sustain the vortex’s operation.
Time passed.
Lu Hangzhi gradually grew accustomed to that sore, numb sensation, completing the repetitions of tempering akin to a machine.
He lost count of the thousands upon hundreds of strikes he delivered. Suddenly, Xiao Mu’s exclamation sounded beside him:
“Senior Brother Hangzhi, that’s enough.”
“That’s all?”
Lu Hangzhi felt a bit dissatisfied, wanting more. It took him a moment to notice that the flying sword blank he had forged was now the same size as the one Xiao Mu had worked on.
Xiao Mu stared at him with a face full of admiration. “Senior Brother Hangzhi is truly incredible. You completed your first forging successfully on the first try. When little Mu had his first try, it took three whole days to fully cleanse the impurities from one flying sword blank.”
As if worried Lu Hangzhi might doubt him, Xiao Ying nodded vigorously beside them. “No wonder we could only become the master’s registered disciples.” Both wore expressions of undisguised envy and awe.
“……”
Lu Hangzhi smiled faintly without a word. Stopping abruptly after such intense activity felt unexpectedly uncomfortable.
Closing his eyes and focusing his senses, he was astonished to discover that besides his muscles feeling more solid and compact and his arm strength increasing, his spiritual power pool – originally just the size of a small pond – had expanded outward by at least a meter. There was no sign of impending breakthrough to the Fifth Grade, yet the upper limit of his magic power had increased by at least ten percent. It was an incredibly potent effect.
“Xiao Mu.”
“Bring me another flying sword blank. I’ll get a little more practice in.”
“Oh.”
Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying, though young, clearly understood the benefits brought by the Spirit Forging Technique. Hearing this, they immediately grasped his intention. Without hesitation, they picked out another flying sword blank from the pile of materials and handed it over.
Without wasting words, Lu Hangzhi gave each foodie a box of fruits. Then he lifted the hammer and began the “clank, clank” training again. This time, the singular purpose was tempering his body and pushing the limits of his spiritual power pool.
Inside another Training Room of the Golden Jade Hall, Chen Ji wore a faint smile, nodding slowly with unmistakable appreciation. He then withdrew his spiritual sense from observing Lu Hangzhi and resumed his seclusion.
…
After nightfall, Lu Hangzhi returned to his room. He felt overwhelming soreness throughout his entire body. His arms seemed like they were about to split apart, red and swollen. Eating spirit fruit or taking Foundational Reinforcement Pills yielded no relief.
“Senior Brother!”
“We’re back.”
“Huh? What’s this?”
Lü’e opened the door to see Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying jointly carrying a gigantic wooden barrel taller than they were. It was filled with hot water, emitting the strong scent of medicinal herbs into the air.
Xiao Mu answered, “The master ordered it. He had us bring this medicinal bath for you; it’s already heated and prepared. Jump in and soak for half a shichen. By tomorrow morning, we guarantee you’ll be lively and vigorous again.”
“Bring it in quickly.”
A feeling of warmth blossomed in Lu Hangzhi’s heart. He hurriedly instructed the two boys to carry the medicinal barrel into his room.
“You two go get some food. Ask sisters Lü’e and Cong Fang for spirit bamboo shoots or spirit fruits; whatever you want.”
“Mhm!” Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying unceremoniously dashed out of the room to wheedle snacks from the two sisters.
Lu Hangzhi closed the door behind them, quickly stripped naked, and jumped into the medicinal tub.
Wah!!
Hot!
Painful!
The moment he entered the water, Lu Hangzhi regretted it. It hurt so fiercely he clenched his teeth, baring them against the pain, and desperately wanted to leap right back out of the tub.
Just then, a familiar voice drifted into his ears.
“Calm your heart and steady your spirit. Activate the Spirit Forging Technique.” Master Chen’s voice held a calm authority impossible to refuse.
Lu Hangzhi felt his anxious mood and the myriad pains instantly lessen considerably. Unconsciously, he sat upright, cross-legged inside the tub, closed his eyes, and began circulating his power.
Waves of hot currents flowed into his body, washing over his swollen, red arms, over his entire being…
Simultaneously, a thick stream of spiritual power poured into his spiritual power pool.
“Disciple.”
“This medicinal bath is the unique cultivation method paired with the Spirit Forging Technique. After severe exhaustion, without this special bath in the next few days, you wouldn’t even dream of lifting your arms.”
Master Chen Ji’s voice came again, this time tinged with a hint of reproach.
“Of course, if everyone pushed themselves as recklessly as you did, recovery would take over a month, easily.”
Ugh.
Lu Hangzhi broke out in a cold sweat hearing this, listening obediently as he was scolded.
Chen Ji continued:
“Brutal, limit-pushing training can achieve results quickly in the short term. But it must be done cautiously. The slightest carelessness can damage your core foundation. You absolutely must be careful in the future.”
“This disciple respectfully follows the master’s guidance.”
“This master knows that the Battle at Violet Cloud Town, where too many cultivators died at the hands of Ghost Cultivators, must have caused you significant turmoil. However, all things require moderation. Exceeding it is improper.”
“Yes!”
Once again, warmth surged through Lu Hangzhi’s heart.
Chen Ji’s tone shifted:
“However, your recklessness this time actually pushed you past the Fourth Rank peak limit. Seize this medicinal bath opportunity immediately. Prepare to break through to the Fifth Rank.”
“Huh?”
Lu Hangzhi was stunned. Then he sensed it: his seemingly drained spiritual power pool, after soaking in the medicinal bath for a while, had rapidly refilled to the brim. Moreover, his body was still greedily absorbing the magical energy from all the spiritual materials in the bath. This influx sent ripples coursing more intensely across his spiritual power pool, the waves churning higher, showing signs of an uncontrollable swelling storm.
Lu Hangzhi felt a touch of confusion.
His previous breakthroughs had never been this tumultuous.
He remembered when he broke through from First Rank to Second Rank, he hadn’t felt anything much at all. Eating a few Essence Spirit Fruits had propelled him directly to Second Rank peak. Then, through cultivation to consolidate his power, he easily reached Third Rank cultivation…
Breaking through the Third Rank peak to Fourth Rank had been much the same. Swallowing one Foundational Reinforcement Pill felt like piercing paper; he stepped straight into the mid-stage Epiphany Stage.
Only this time!
His spiritual power pool’s reaction was incredibly fierce!
A jolt of fear shot through Lu Hangzhi. But remembering the master was near instantly calmed him. He sat cross-legged in the tub, mind like the moon reflecting in a great river. Though the waters surged fiercely within him, though waves mounted terrifyingly tall, he stayed unmoved. He simply absorbed the spiritual energy concentrated within the medicinal tub…
An ordinary person, at this moment, would have immediately seized the potent tide of spiritual energy to fiercely attack the barrier to the Fifth Rank, striving to break through as quickly as possible.
Lu Hangzhi felt absolutely no such urge to rush the breakthrough. He let the medicinal tub’s spiritual energy flood into his body unchecked, allowing wave after wave to build ever higher, constantly scouring the edges of his spiritual power pool.
Within the courtyard, purple bamboo leaves drifted gently…
Ruan Qing sensed something. He looked up towards the Purple Bamboo branches swaying ever so slightly above, then turned his gaze towards where the Spirit Gathering Array stood. His expression showed a flicker of confusion.
Half a minute passed. A small whirlwind began to stir within the courtyard.
Lü’e and Cong Fang finally noticed the disturbance. Puzzled, they watched leaves rolling on the ground driven by the wind, exchanging confused glances.
“What’s happening? Why is there wind in the courtyard?”
“Seems like the wind is only here inside the courtyard…”
Hearing this, Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying, contentedly patting their round, full bellies, scanned their surroundings and stated knowingly, “Senior brother is about to break through.”
“Breakthrough?”
Ruan Qing was utterly shocked. He stood up slowly, “But… that can’t be. Senior brother Hangzhi just advanced to the early Fourth Grade not long ago… huh… this is indeed the sign of uncontrolled spiritual power leakage during a breakthrough. How peculiar.”
Naturally, he didn’t know that Lu Hangzhi, having cultivated the Art of Breath Suppression, could now hide his true strength by up to three minor realms. Unless someone attained the Seventh Grade rank, seeing through his current genuine cultivation level was impossible.
As time passed, the winds generated by the spiritual energy spillage affected the entire courtyard. The winds grew ferocious.
Above the house, a massive, dark vortex of spiritual energy manifested. Its density became visible to the naked eye as if solidified substance.
The five of them stopped talking. Quietly, they gathered in the front courtyard, watching and waiting, prepared.
The spiritual energy vortex grew ever more spectacular!
Wind and impending storm filled the courtyard.
Finally…
Just as the spiritual vortex expanded almost enough to engulf the entire building… With a thunderous BOOM, the vortex violently exploded. Amidst the startled cries of the five witnesses, it transformed into a soft shower of spiritual rain, gently drenching every corner of the courtyard.
For an instant, all five sensed an exhilarating, sword-drawing-sharp aura shoot straight from the room up into the firmament. Its power was so overwhelming that Ruan Qing went rigid, crying out involuntarily:
“Fifth Grade!”
“He… he truly broke through!”
“This is unbelievable.”
Lü’e and Cong Fang exchanged astonished looks.
A Fifth-Grade Cultivator?
Violet Cloud Town had never seen a Fifth-Grade Cultivator before.
Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying, spending their time in the Golden Jade Hall, had seen plenty of Fifth-Grade Inner Sect Disciples and Sixth Rank True Disciples. Their immunity to shock was much higher. Facing the closed door, they offered their congratulations across the gap:
“Congratulations, Senior Brother!” “Congratulations!” they bowed repeatedly.
“Haha…”
Lu Hangzhi changed his clothes. Fresh and invigorated, he walked out into the courtyard. He glanced at the scattered wreckage of leaves littering the ground, then flashed a grin at his companions. “Being able to breakthrough today was entirely an unexpected joy. Xiao Mu, Xiao Ying, I thank you.”
“Happy giggles~ Then I’m taking a box of fruits back to eat before bed!”
“Yes, yes!”
These two boys truly lived up to their foodie titles.
Lu Hangzhi laughed heartily. “No problem! Lü’e, give them each two boxes.” Essence Spirit Fruits ripened every four days, yielding over two thousand each time. Feeding these two little gluttons was trivial.
However…
Reaching the Fifth Grade wasn’t actually his biggest achievement today.
The corners of Lu Hangzhi’s mouth lifted slightly, a faint, elusive smile blossoming on his face.