After practicing swordsmanship for half an hour, Shen Hao felt that nearly half the spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi had been consumed. Only then did he sheathe his sword and return to his room. He shut the door, sealing out the clamor beyond, then sat cross-legged on the crude wooden bed and took a yellowed ancient book from his robes—it was none other than the Meridian Tempering Art he had found in the Scripture Repository.
He had long since thumbed the pages until their corners curled, yet the writing upon them remained clear. After days of bitter cultivation, the meridians in his limbs had undergone preliminary tempering. They had become several times broader and tougher than before, and the sluggishness of spiritual energy flowing through them had greatly diminished. What he had to challenge next were the far more complicated meridians of the torso.
The torso was the foundation of the human body. Its meridians crisscrossed throughout it, linking the limbs, bones, dantian, and Sea of Qi; their importance needed no explanation. Yet precisely because of this, tempering the torso meridians was far more difficult than tempering the limbs, and the pain one had to endure increased by geometric proportions.
Shen Hao took a deep breath, placed the Meridian Tempering Art on his knees, closed his eyes, and focused inward. Within his dantian and Sea of Qi, spiritual energy churned without end, transforming into a pale-blue torrent that slowly surged toward his torso meridians. Following the records of the Meridian Tempering Art, he carefully guided the spiritual energy, allowing it to seep bit by bit into the meridians of his torso.
The instant the spiritual energy entered his torso meridians, a piercing pain swept through his entire body like a tide. It felt as though countless sharp blades were twisting and weaving through his meridians. His whole body jolted, and his face turned pale as paper in an instant.
Cold sweat rolled down from his temples like beads from a snapped string, soaking his clothes. Shen Hao's body trembled uncontrollably, his teeth grinding with a clack, and he bit his lips hard enough to leave a bloody mark. Yet his gaze remained incomparably resolute.
He knew this was a process one had to undergo when tempering meridians. Meridians were fragile by nature; only through repeated scouring and polishing with spiritual energy could they be widened and toughened. If he retreated now, all his previous efforts would go down the drain.
Shen Hao endured the agonizing pain and guarded his mind with all his might, controlling the flow of spiritual energy without daring to grow the slightest bit impatient. He divided the spiritual energy into tiny streams, slowly washing through the meridians of his torso. Every wash felt like taking a trip through the gates of hell. Wave after wave of pain battered his nerves, until even his consciousness began to blur.
No one knew how much time passed. Just as he was about to give out, Shen Hao fiercely bit through the tip of his tongue. A thick scent of blood spread through his mouth, instantly clearing his mind somewhat. Gritting his teeth, he mobilized every last trace of spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi and charged with all his strength toward the deepest parts of his torso meridians.
"Buzz—"
An almost inaudible hum rang out within his body.
When the first thread of spiritual energy flowed through his torso meridians without the slightest obstruction, an indescribable sense of comfort instantly swept through his limbs and bones. It was like parched earth receiving sweet rain, like a taut bowstring suddenly slackening. He could not help but let out a long breath of foul air.
All strength left Shen Hao's body, and he collapsed directly onto the bed, gasping for breath. Sweat had already soaked through his clothes, plastering them tightly to his body. It felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from him, yet a gratified smile appeared on his face.
He focused inward once more and saw that the meridians in his torso had widened by nearly half, while their walls had become much tougher. Pale-blue spiritual energy flowed through them with incomparable smoothness. The stabbing pain in his meridians caused by cultivating too quickly before had also vanished without a trace.
"Wonderful. The torso meridians have finally undergone preliminary tempering," Shen Hao murmured, his eyes brimming with delight.
He rested on the bed for a while. Once he had recovered a little strength, he took out a Low-grade Spirit Stone from his robes and carefully pressed it against the Companion Jade Pendant he wore close to his body.
Green light flickered, and the jade pendant immediately emitted a faint halo. The Spirit Devouring Vortex within his dantian also began to turn slowly. The spiritual energy inside the Spirit Stone seemed to have found an outlet, pouring endlessly into his body. After being purified by the jade pendant, it transformed into the purest spiritual energy and flowed through the torso meridians he had just tempered, gathering in his Sea of Qi.
This time, the circulation of spiritual energy was several times smoother than before, without the slightest sense of obstruction. Shen Hao could clearly feel the spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi growing denser and more condensed at a rate visible to the naked eye. Nourished by the spiritual energy, his cultivation also faintly showed signs of breaking through once again.
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