Body Tempering Art

Body Tempering Art

As Old Yuan's tone gradually turned serious, Luo Jun became serious as well.

"Do you remember how much I told you a single breakthrough in the Body Refinement Realm would enhance your various physical functions?"

Luo Jun replied, "You said it was generally around 50%, but my breakthrough gave me a 100% increase. You said it was because of a unique method, but you didn't explain in much detail."

Even now, Luo Jun didn't know what set him apart from ordinary Cultivators.

"Now I can tell you." Old Yuan looked at Luo Jun as though admiring a work of art he had carved with his own hands. "When I opened your Meridians that day, I used a technique of my own creation: the Body Tempering Art!"

"The Body Tempering Art?" Luo Jun's eyes lit up. "Sounds like some secret, exclusive technique?"

"You could say that..." Old Yuan Nodded. "Over the hundred-plus years since Vital Energy emerged, quite a few factions have developed in secret. Many organizations, families, and Sects have their own exclusive cultivation methods, but those are mostly useful only in the Heart Refining Realm. The cultivation methods for the two realms of Foundation Establishment and Body Refinement are largely the same throughout the world."

"Of course, even with the same cultivation method, the final results can differ. Those with good talent may gain more than 50% after a breakthrough, while those with poor talent may not even reach that. The difference usually isn't obvious, generally less than 10%. Anyone whose increase exceeds 60% per level is considered a peerless genius."

Luo Jun thought it over. "The difference at each level doesn't seem like much, but as you cultivate higher, those increases stack exponentially. The gap becomes obvious later on."

Old Yuan Nodded. "That was what I thought back then as well, so I became curious. What caused the difference in these increases? Could it be like the breakthrough success rate, purely dependent on luck?"

"Back then, I collected a great deal of information and compared it in detail. In the end, I found that those whose gains after breakthroughs exceeded the average were usually physically strong and had more aggressive cultivation styles... Combined with records from earlier years of people suffering Cultivation Deviation during cultivation, even dying from their bodies exploding, I formed a bold hypothesis."

"Modern Vital Energy cultivation methods have been castrated into comparatively mild methods because the human body is too fragile to endure such drastic transformations. This castration weakens the enhancement effects, but it also reduces the cost of failure."

"To verify this, I ventured through various other worlds, gathering techniques and information. Some Otherworlders are biologically very close to us and have been exposed to Vital Energy far longer than we have. Many of their methods could be used for reference... After years of effort, I finally developed the Body Tempering Art!"

"So you succeeded in the end?" Luo Jun listened with growing longing.

"No... I failed..."

Old Yuan sighed. "My theory was correct. With the Body Tempering Art, each level improves physical functions by more than 70%, with a maximum of 100%! That is also what I inferred to be the theoretical maximum enhancement for the Body Refinement Realm. But correspondingly, once a breakthrough fails, the backlash is enormous. At best, it cripples one's Meridians; at worst, it kills on the spot!"

"Many disciples who researched this technique with me died because of it. The technique was also classified by the authorities as an unorthodox, evil art and strictly prohibited from being spread..."

A technique that would make you invincible if mastered, but kill you if it failed... That really was an evil art... The key was that the odds of never failing even once were far below 1%. No one in their right mind would dare cultivate that!

Luo Jun now understood where Old Yuan's lingering injuries had come from...

"So the technique I cultivated is this one with such severe backlash?" The sweat Luo Jun had just wiped away immediately returned, soaking his forehead. But then he reconsidered. He had the Dice of Heavenly Secrets and could regret once per day. As long as he was patient, he could completely avoid the possibility of failure!

Seeing the sweat on his forehead, Old Yuan thought he was afraid and comforted him. "There was no other choice at the time. The method of transmitting cultivation is unique to the Body Tempering Art. If I wanted you to survive that mission, I could only take a gamble with this method. Besides, I believed that even if you failed, you would be able to endure it!"

"Why are you so confident in me?" Luo Jun looked suspiciously at Old Yuan, then suddenly realized. "Someone succeeded before? You said before that you had seen someone with even better natural aptitude than mine?"

Old Yuan Nodded. "He was my proudest disciple back then. He possessed extraordinary talent, with natural aptitude more than ten times that of an ordinary person. Only he endured the side effects of the Body Tempering Art and successfully continued cultivating it."

"He proved that my theory was correct. The Body Tempering Art was originally the strongest technique, created for inhuman monsters. But the technique was also a failure. Other than monsters, if ordinary people cultivated it, they would either die or be crippled... And to withstand the backlash, one could only rely on innate physical conditions. Later training and enhancements were completely useless!"

Luo Jun recalled that when he had broken through, the Severity Coefficient seemed rather high, though certainly not high enough to kill him. A physique ten times that of an ordinary person could withstand the backlash... That innate condition should correspond to attribute values. Back then, he had been around five times stronger than an ordinary person, so he should have been injured. But now he was nearly six times stronger, definitely tougher than before!

Ten times? As long as I keep Upgrading, surpassing that disciple will only be a matter of time.

"Then my senior brother must be an unrivaled master by now, right?" Luo Jun asked expectantly. With a physique already ten times stronger than an ordinary person, then gaining another increase with every level—even using the minimum 70%, after five levels his physique would be more than a hundred times that of an ordinary person. Even without Vital Energy, his raw physical strength would rival Hulk!

"Him?" At the mention of this, Old Yuan hesitated. A trace of regret and anger flashed through his eyes before he sighed. "Died!"

"What?" Luo Jun was startled. "Even someone that powerful died? How did he die?"

"You need not ask!" Old Yuan's tone turned stern. "In any case, if you wish to cultivate with me, I can teach you the complete Body Tempering Art. Your natural aptitude may not match his, but as long as you can continue cultivating it, your future achievements will be far beyond what Others can reach!"

"If you do not wish to cultivate with me, I can cripple your current realm, erase your memories, and let you return to the life of an Ordinary Person."

"You choose!"

Luo Jun did not hesitate at all. He immediately dropped to his knees and bowed. "I already made my position clear when I came! Master, I'm an orphan, with no one to depend on and nothing tying me down. As an Ordinary Person, I could only struggle on the poverty line for the rest of my life. Rather than live like that, I would rather cultivate under you—changing my own life while also helping you fulfill your regrets from back then!"

Luo Jun's words were practical and sincere. Old Yuan Nodded in satisfaction. "Good. But if you wish to become my disciple, you must obey three conditions."

"First, only you and I may know of our master-disciple relationship. Do not acknowledge that you are my disciple before anyone!"

"Second, do not let anyone know that you cultivate the Body Tempering Art, and do not reveal anything unusual about yourself. Remember, in the eyes of the authorities, this is an evil art!"

"Third, your cultivation must proceed step by step, with your feet firmly on the ground. Before you cultivate the Body Refinement Realm to its Top Floor, you may not cultivate the Foundation Establishment Realm. Before you cultivate the Foundation Establishment Realm to its Top Floor, you may not touch the Heart Refining Realm!"

Luo Jun immediately kowtowed three times and agreed.

"Very good!" Old Yuan helped Luo Jun up. This time, he did not use Vital Energy, but his hands.

"Master, this disciple has a question." Luo Jun asked curiously, "I understand your first two conditions, but why the third?"

According to what Old Yuan had said before, the Three Great Realms existed in parallel. As Long As one met the prerequisites, one could cultivate any of them.

"The Body Tempering Art differs from other cultivation methods." Old Yuan glanced at him. "Your senior brother died because of this!"

Luo Jun shuddered upon Hearing that. "This disciple will obey Master's command!"

Old Yuan Nodded. "Then we should not delay. We begin cultivation today!"

"Master..." Luo Jun hesitated. "I'm still a student, after all. I requested leave to come here today. Could I cultivate only in my spare time... There's only one month until the College Entrance Examination. By then, I'll be able to devote myself entirely to cultivation!"

Though he had already entered the extraordinary world, Luo Jun had been an Ordinary Person for eighteen years. He was about to graduate, and he was somewhat reluctant to be expelled for skipping class and fail to receive his diploma.

"Oh, I forgot because you didn't mention it." Old Yuan waved a hand. "You don't need to go to Second High School anymore. During This Time, cultivate diligently and prepare for the entrance examination at the end of the month."

"Entrance examination?" Luo Jun was Stunned. "Where?"

Old Yuan looked at him and pointed beneath his feet. "Right here."

"Ningdong University?!" Luo Jun's eyes widened. "I Haven't Heard that there's an early admission examination here!"

"There isn't for ordinary majors." Old Yuan chuckled. "Explorer Academy has one."

"When I said I was Professor Yuan, I wasn't fooling you!"

That evening, Luo Jun dragged his exhausted body back to the Rental House and collapsed onto the bed.

Even with his current physique, he had nearly failed to endure today's Devil Training.

That morning, Master had first taught him to memorize the cultivation method of the Body Tempering Art, then personally guided him through several complete circulation cycles. Up to that point, Luo Jun had felt pretty good.

Then Hell arrived in the afternoon.

Old Yuan's demand was simple: maintain the circulation of Vital Energy while climbing the Trial Stone Steps.

The Trial Stone Steps drained both physical strength and Vital Energy at the same time. Climbing them once already left him drenched in sweat; repeatedly climbing them was enough to work a man to death.

Moreover, to supervise Luo Jun, Old Yuan had put an Overseer Belt on him. It was a Treasure Tool that could detect the circulation of Vital Energy within his body. Once it stopped, it would inflict a mental assault. Though it caused no tangible injury, it made one wish they were dead.

At first, Luo Jun had refused to accept this. Before he could even climb halfway up the stairs, all his Vital Energy would be depleted. How was he supposed to keep circulating it when there was none left?

Old Yuan's response was that when it ran out, he should squeeze it out from his Qi Sea. As long as there was even a trace of Vital Energy, the Overseer Belt could sense it and stop attacking.

Furthermore, while climbing, concentrating to stabilize the Vital Energy inside his body could reduce the consumption. Many Treasure Tools and skills could drain other people's Vital Energy. If someone drained all your energy in battle, how the hell were you supposed to keep fighting?

And so, Luo Jun spent the entire afternoon in the agony of constantly climbing.

Fortunately, after cultivation, Old Yuan gave him a Pill. Though eating it could not relieve fatigue, it replenished nutrients and energy, allowing him to skip dinner while still having enough nourishment to recover his body.

This has to continue tomorrow... I have to endure this for more than twenty days... I'd rather suffer Cultivation Deviation and die in an exploding body. Senior Brother I've never met, I'm coming to follow in your footsteps!

Luo Jun buried his head in his pillow and let out a pained whimper.

After complaining for a while, he took a small metal plate from his pocket. The words "Admission Ticket" were engraved on it, with "Ningdong University Explorer Academy Entrance Examination" below them.

Looking at the metal plate, Luo Jun recalled the future Old Yuan had mapped out for him during the day.

End of Chapter