Body Tempering Skin Perfection

Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin walked out of the valley with the others. Murong Xue was already waiting outside with her arms crossed, looking utterly bored. When she saw the two emerge, she even shot them a glare. Yuan Jin shrank his neck in fright. "Hmph, hmph." Seeing this, Murong Xue turned her head away and said nothing more.

Once everyone had left the valley, Shi Yun exchanged a look with Murong Yunhai and slowly nodded. "The selection has ended. Those chosen by the light have passed the selection. Congratulations on becoming disciples of my Five Mountains Sect." Shi Yun formed a hand seal, and beams of light flew out, landing among the crowd.

Just as Yuan Jin had expected, all those with Profound Veins had been selected, along with some of those with Yellow Veins. Wang An clasped his fists and waved at them. He too had been chosen by the light, clearly passing the selection.

This division stirred up unrest among the crowd. "May I ask, sir, how was the selection among those with Yellow Veins decided? Why did we not pass?" A young man who had not been chosen by the light gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and asked Shi Yun.

Shi Yun gave him an indifferent glance. "After entering the valley just now, why did you not head toward the fruit trees?"

"That was because the pressure inside was too great, sir. We couldn't get in," the man hurriedly answered.

"Then why could others withstand the pressure and walk farther in? Even if they knew they could not reach the end, should they not still have given it their all? Among us cultivators, how many can truly walk to the very end? If you do not even possess a heart set upon the Dao, what Dao are you cultivating?" As his words fell, Shi Yun slowly released the cultivation of Foundation Establishment, suppressing the remaining crowd until they dared not speak again.

"As for the rankings in this selection, they shall be determined by the number of fruits obtained. They are Murong Xue, Yuan Jin, and Zeng Fan. Your reward is the Spiritual Fruit in your hands, which can help you cultivate the Body Tempering Realm more quickly. In five days, we will depart for the sect. Make your preparations. From then on, immortals and mortals will stand apart; settle your karmic ties early." Shi Yun swept his gaze across the crowd, nodded to Murong Yunhai, and then flew away first.

Murong Yunhai looked over the crowd and smiled. "Those of you who were not selected may consider joining my Profound Spirit Dynasty. You may still embark upon the path of cultivation. Those interested may contact the Imperial City Guard, and someone will conduct another assessment for you." After saying this, Murong Yunhai led Murong Xue toward the Imperial City. The rejected youths were naturally overjoyed and all planned to join the Profound Spirit Dynasty. Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin exchanged a glance. Why weren't they taking us back? Naturally, neither of them intended to join the Profound Spirit Dynasty, so they called Wang An and headed toward the Imperial City together.

A short while later, the two returned to the Imperial City. Yuan Jin took out a Spiritual Fruit and handed it to Zeng Fan.

"Why are you giving it to me? You need it too. No, no." Zeng Fan waved his hand in refusal when he saw the fruit Yuan Jin offered. Of the five Spiritual Fruits, Yuan Jin had three and Zeng Fan had two, neatly establishing their rankings.

"Take one more. Your breakthrough will be faster that way. After fighting Murong Xue, I feel that I can already break through to Body Tempering Muscle Perfection. One less Spiritual Fruit won't matter. Don't stand on ceremony with me. If you break through sooner, won't you be able to help me more in the future?" Yuan Jin waved his hand, leaving Zeng Fan no room to argue further.

"Alright." Zeng Fan nodded. He kept this matter in his heart. Some things did not need to be said again. After returning to their lodgings, the two went their separate ways and began preparing for their breakthroughs.

Early the next morning, Zeng Fan slowly awoke from meditation. The fatigue from yesterday's battle had completely vanished. "My condition has recovered. It's time to begin my breakthrough." Zeng Fan took a deep breath and removed three Spiritual Fruits from his Storage Ring. A fragrant aroma wafted out, and he felt his body radiating desire. Opening his mouth, he swallowed one Spiritual Fruit. The moment it entered his mouth, it turned into a faintly sweet liquid. Zeng Fan guided the liquid through his entire body, and with every circulation, a small amount was rapidly absorbed.

As the liquid was absorbed, the glow on Zeng Fan's body gradually expanded, showing that he was drawing ever closer to Body Tempering Skin Grand Perfection... After a while, the glow on his body began to fade. "Not enough." Zeng Fan opened his eyes. The remaining two fruits appeared in his hands and turned into liquid as they entered his body. The dim light on his body brightened once more, and Zeng Fan closed his eyes and began refining them with all his strength.

As he continuously refined the energy brought by the Spiritual Fruits, the glow on his body kept spreading toward every part of him. Fifty percent... seventy percent... ninety percent... one hundred percent! Spiritual Energy finally filled his entire body. The light around Zeng Fan suddenly flared, then slowly withdrew. Zeng Fan opened his eyes. Body Tempering Skin Grand Perfection! He lowered his head to look at his skin. A current of Spiritual Energy flowed throughout his body, no longer able to exist only briefly as before.

The next step was Body Tempering Muscle. Zeng Fan pondered. Body Tempering Muscle trained the tendons and meridians within the body, requiring constant stimulation and hammering with Spiritual Energy. The higher one's Body Tempering Muscle realm, the faster one's speed and the stronger one's explosive power.

"For now, before entering the sect, this is all I can do. After joining, I'll slowly continue breaking through." Zeng Fan rose and stepped outside, beginning to practice the Fish Dragon Fist to familiarize himself with his improved realm.

After finishing a set of Fish Dragon Fist, Zeng Fan was lightly sweating. He tidied himself up and headed for Yuan Jin's residence, only to find Yuan Jin's door tightly shut. Zeng Fan could sense an aura within that was steadily growing stronger. "Yuan Jin's breakthrough should be fine." Seeing that Yuan Jin was still in seclusion, Zeng Fan decided to stroll around the Imperial City.