Body Tempering Threshold, Fierce Tiger Bares Fangs

The sky had not yet lightened, only a faint fish-belly white spreading across the eastern horizon. In Ye Qingxuan's room, however, silence had long since been broken.

He sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, eyes shut tight, upper body bare. That reddened left arm, after a night's rest, no longer burned with the same searing pain as the evening before, instead transforming into a deep, hidden ache beneath the skin and flesh.

Following the old method, he pressed his right hand—wrapped in a cloth bundle—against his left shoulder, sank his waist, planted his stance, and cycled his qi to the dantian, once again beginning that tedious and agonizing rubbing.

Sweat soon beaded at his temples, sliding down his gaunt cheeks. His jaw was clenched so tight that every time the cloth bundle rolled across his skin, it brought a fiery pain. This pain seeped in from the skin and membranes, straight down to the sinews and bones.

Yet his movements did not stop—inch by inch, unyielding and steadfast.

The lesson of pushing twice in one day the night before had taught him the truth of "going too far is as bad as falling short." This body was still frail, like an unfired clay pot that needed a slow, gentle flame—haste would not do.

One session at dawn, one at dusk, accumulating two points of Merit each day—this was his safest course for now.

When the cloth bundle rubbed from shoulder to wrist for the third time, the muscles in his arm trembled uncontrollably, his strength nearly spent.

Just then, the scroll in his mind unfurled on its own. A point of light materialized in response to his thought and sank into the region representing the Indestructible Vajra Body.

[Merit: +1]

A warm current surged from his sea of consciousness, washing over his aching left arm. The searing pain quickly faded, replaced by a pleasant numbness that suffused his entire body.

He opened his eyes and let out a long, turbid breath.

[Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body]

[Realm: Uninitiated (Scale: Zero Inches)]

[Merit: 4/5]

Four-fifths!

Just a little more, and it would be complete.

Ye Qingxuan clenched his fist, feeling the surge of newborn power beneath his skin and flesh—a solid, tangible growth, the foundation upon which he could stand firm in this turbid world.

He dressed, and Ye Caiwei had already risen, lighting the fire in the kitchen.

"Brother, I'm making egg custard today," the little girl said, her face flushed red by the stove's glow.

"You eat it. I'll have mine at the office." Ye Qingxuan patted her head. "Remember, don't skimp. Make sure you eat well and get plump—that's what will make me happy when I come back."

Without waiting for his sister's reply, he grabbed a cold steamed corn bun from the table, stuffed it into his mouth, and strode out the courtyard gate.

Time could not be wasted.

By the time he reached the Fengtian Division office, the backyard was already buzzing with voices.

Today seemed different. The long wooden tables that usually sat in the yard had been moved aside, and a crowd of constables—both regular and temporary—stood lined up in formation.

Under the eaves stood two men.

One was tall and lean, his face stern—Chief Constable Li, one of the chiefs. The other was slightly plump, grinning amiably—Chief Constable Yan. The newly appointed Chief Constable Zhang was nowhere to be seen.

Wei Datong sidled up to Ye Qingxuan and lowered his voice: "See that? Chief Constable Zhang didn't show today. Word is he drank too much at the Drunken Immortal Tower last night and couldn't get out of bed."

As his words fell, Chief Constable Li under the eaves gave a heavy cough, and the yard fell silent at once.

"Today, each squad patrols the streets as usual. But there's one thing I need to remind you all of." Chief Constable Li's gaze swept the crowd like lightning. "The city's been unsettled lately—friction between the various gangs is constant. When you patrol, keep your eyes open and don't get involved lightly. If trouble arises, report back to the office first. No acting on your own."

When he finished speaking, Chief Constable Yan began calling the roll and assigning duties.

"...Ye Qingxuan, Wei Datong, Xiong Tiezhu—White Stone Alley."

At the words "White Stone Alley," Wei Datong's face twitched.

The three collected their waist tokens and short blades and left the office. Wei Datong was visibly unsettled the whole way, speaking little.

Xiong Tiezhu, carrying his thick-backed broadsword on his shoulder, rumbled, "White Stone Alley—what's the deal?"

"What's the deal?" Wei Datong glanced around, and when he saw no one nearby, leaned in and said, "White Stone Alley is the lair of the Fierce Tiger Hall! That debtor of ours, Hall Master Duan Tianbao—his headquarters are right there."

Ye Qingxuan heard this but did not slow his pace, though his gaze turned toward the direction of that alley.

Unlike the bustling Pear Blossom Alley, White Stone Alley exuded a grim, forbidding air. The lane was wide, the courtyard walls on either side built extremely high—all green brick and black tile, their gates tightly shut. There were few pedestrians on the street, and those who passed walked quickly, not daring to linger. Occasionally, one could spot bare-chested men with tattoos, gathered in small groups against the walls, eyeing passersby with unfriendly looks.

The three of them in their dark uniforms might have been intimidating in Pear Blossom Alley, but here, they didn't carry much weight.

Those men only cast lazy glances at them, showing no intention of giving way.

"See that three-section mansion?" Wei Datong jerked his chin toward a courtyard deep in the alley, its black-painted gate flanked by two stone lions. "That's the Fierce Tiger Hall headquarters. Duan Tianbao's inside."

He sighed. "These people and our Fengtian Division—we keep to our own business. On the surface, they follow the 'rules'—no killings, no disrupting the markets. And we're happy to leave them be, as long as they hand over their 'tribute' to the chief constables on time. Then White Stone Alley stays their turf."

"Officials and bandits, one family," Wei Datong concluded, his voice full of self-mockery.

Ye Qingxuan's gaze settled on that imposing headquarters gate.

The crushing debt of fourteen taels of silver had come from here.

He thought of his father.

If his father were still alive, with his status as a full constable and his old ties to men like Hong Qingshan, perhaps he could have simply gone to see one of the chief constables, offered a few taels of silver as a courtesy, said a few proper words, and this debt would have been smoothed over—big trouble turned small, small trouble turned to nothing. Even Duan Tianbao, a fierce dragon crossing the river, would have had to show some respect to the Fengtian Division.

But there was no "if."

Now, he was just a temporary constable without a roster spot—his words carried no weight, and he didn't even have the standing to request an audience with a chief constable.

In this turbid world, without the shelter of power, only the naked law of the strong and the weak remained.

He silently withdrew his gaze and gripped the short knife at his waist even tighter.

Begging others is never as good as begging yourself.

The afternoon patrol passed without incident. The men of Fierce Tiger Hall did not come to cause trouble, but those scrutinizing gazes prickled like thorns on his back.

When their shift ended, the three returned to the yamen and handed in their tokens. Ye Qingxuan, eager to get home, declined Wei Datong's invitation for drinks and went straight back to Southern District.

Dinner was radish and meat stew. Ye Caiwei, obedient as ever, ate her egg custard, a healthy glow spreading across her small face.

After the meal, Ye Qingxuan watched his sister mend his old clothes under the lamplight, and the urgency in his heart grew even stronger.

He coaxed his sister into bed early, then bolted the newly made door latch and returned to the outer room.

He stripped off his shirt, sat cross-legged, and focused his mind with unprecedented intensity.

Tonight was the moment of truth.

He wrapped the cloth bundle, took a deep breath, and pressed his palm heavily onto his left arm, beginning the night's cultivation.

Pain.

A pain more intense than any before exploded from his flesh and skin.

He could clearly sense that his skin, under this repeated rubbing and grinding, had grown much tougher. But correspondingly, to stimulate the blood and qi beneath the dermis required greater force and deeper suffering.

Sweat poured down like rain, quickly soaking the bedboard beneath him.

His body trembled, his teeth grinding audibly.

But only one thought filled his mind—just a little more!

Just as his vision darkened and he was on the verge of passing out, that scroll finally unfurled with a roar in his mind!

[Merit: +1]

A familiar point of light flared up and vanished into the scroll.

The next moment, that line of cold text changed.

[Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body]

[Realm: Uninitiated (Scale: Zero Inches)]

[Merit: 5/5]

The merit value was full!

Ye Qingxuan felt his entire body jolt. That warm current did not merely wash away fatigue and pain as it usually did.

This time, it seemed to transform into a fuse, instantly igniting all the blood and qi he had accumulated over the past three days!

Weng!

A roar echoed in his mind. On the scroll, the words "5/5" in the Indestructible Vajra Body region suddenly blazed with ten thousand beams of golden light.

"Merit complete, heavenly mechanism stirred, realm breakthrough!"

A line of large characters shone brilliantly!

Ye Qingxuan's breath stopped in that moment.

The blood and qi inside him, like a floodgate thrown open, roared and surged, charging toward his limbs and bones!

His heartbeat pounded like a drum, each beat heavier than the last, rattling his chest numb.

The long-suppressed anticipation and excitement were now pulled to their absolute limit.

The Indestructible Vajra Body was finally about to enter its first realm!