Indestructible Vajra Body Reaches Great Accomplishment, Body Tempering Enters Second Stage

Six more days passed.

Within the small courtyard in the Southern District, the rhythm of morning and evening was punctuated by a consistent sound.

"Swish... swish..."

It was the sound of Ye Qingxuan tumbling in the sandpit in the corner of the yard.

This sound, from its initial raw and grating nature, had now become steady and rhythmic, like an old farmer pushing a millstone, repeating endlessly, neither hurried nor slow.

The patrol duty had become a diversion for him, a break between cultivation sessions. The trivial disputes within the Fengtian Division, the grumbling and flattery among colleagues, Zhang Lingxiao's arrogance after gaining power – all became wind passing by his ears, scattering as it blew, leaving not a trace on the lake of his heart...

All his focus was poured into this small sandpit, into the scroll slowly unfurling in his mind.

Days passed, and the money pouch he carried grew empty and then full, then empty and full again. The five hundred and fifty coins he'd gotten from the Pan family had long since turned into fatty pork from the butcher and white flour from the rice shop, sustaining his terrifyingly large appetite and cultivation.

His skin and flesh had also undergone a silent transformation through this day-after-day tempering. The initial redness, swelling, and broken skin were long gone. Now, after each training session, only a uniform, deep red remained on his body, as if scalded by a branding iron, steam rising from it, but no blood seeping out.

The pain remained, now a deep, bone-marrow ache that he could face with equanimity. In fact, he could savor the sensation of surging blood and strengthening bones with every collision between his muscles and the sand.

This night, the moon was high in the sky.

Ye Qingxuan finished his last cycle of tumbling and sat up from the pit. Sweat poured from him like water, every muscle trembling slightly, a sign of exhaustion.

He panted heavily, his chest heaving.

At this moment, the scroll in his mind suddenly lit up with an unprecedented brilliance, without any warning.

Another point of light flowed into it.

[Merit: +3]

Instantly, the number representing Merit began to flash wildly.

[Name: Ye Qingxuan]

[Realm: Body Tempering First Layer, Perfected]

[Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body (Realm: Minor Accomplishment, Progress: Two Inches, Merit: 45/45)]

Perfected.

The hard work accumulated over all these days had finally culminated tonight, flowing naturally to completion.

On the scroll, after the "45/45" inscription, two brand-new characters appeared, glowing with a subtle radiance, beckoning him forward.

[Penetration]

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Qingxuan willed it.

"Penetration!"

Boom!

An indescribably scorching torrent surged from the scroll, instantly engulfing his limbs, his torso, his internal organs!

His body trembled, and he was flung from the sandpit, only to fall back heavily.

This was not pain.

It was a fierce sensation, as if his entire being had been thrown into a furnace, melted and reforged from the inside out, from bone marrow to skin!

His eyes snapped open, but he could see nothing. He could hear no sound.

His world was reduced to the roaring torrent within his body.

Countless cultivation methods for the Indestructible Vajra Body, the subtle changes in blood circulation, the secrets of muscle activation – no longer were they characters and diagrams to be deciphered, but had transformed into primal instincts, deeply imprinted into his bodily memory.

His bones and sinews crackled, his flesh and blood writhed and grew.

The barrier of the Body Tempering First Layer, under the scouring of this torrent, crumbled like paper, shattering at the slightest touch.

A stronger, more refined power erupted from the depths of his flesh and blood!

He didn't know how long it lasted, perhaps an instant, perhaps half an hour.

When Ye Qingxuan regained control of his body, he found himself still sitting cross-legged in the sandpit.

The night breeze blew, carrying a chill.

He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air.

The breath was long and dense, and as it sprayed into the air before him, it formed a visible white ribbon that lingered for a long time.

He lowered his head and examined his body.

The redness on his skin had faded, replaced by a bronze-like luster. The luster was subtle, but under the moonlight, it exuded a metallic texture.

He slowly raised his hand, opened his five fingers, and then clenched them tightly.

"Pop!"

With a slight popping sound, the air in his fist was literally crushed!

An unprecedented sense of power filled every corner of his body.

In his mind, the scroll had changed its appearance.

[Name: Ye Qingxuan]

[Realm: Body Tempering Second Level (Muscle Refinement)]

[Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body (Realm: Grand Completion, Scale: Three Inches, Merit: 0/135)]

Body Tempering Second Level, the realm of muscle refinement!

The Indestructible Vajra Body has also advanced from minor completion to the realm of grand completion!

Below the scroll, new lines of small text appeared.

[Body Tempering Second Level, Muscle Refinement Realm: Vital energy enters the flesh from the skin, integrating the body as one. With every movement, one can wield a strength of three hundred jin.]

[Indestructible Vajra Body (Grand Completion): The skin and flesh throughout the body are tough, vital energy is contained within, ordinary blades and swords can hardly wound its surface, and the ability to deflect and transform force has begun to manifest.]

[Overall Assessment: Within the alleys of the Southern District, you can rank among the top twenty.]

Top twenty!

Ye Qingxuan's gaze fell upon this last line.

The alleys of the Southern District were full of hidden talents. Besides the well-known experts from various gangs, who knew how many martial artists were hidden in the shadows. To rank within the top twenty among these thousands of people was enough strength to protect himself, and even to do things he had never dared to think of or do before.

He stood up and walked out of the gravel pit.

Three hundred jin of immense strength.

The palm print Duan Tianbao had left on the table was also from the Body Tempering Second Level.

Ye Qingxuan walked to the stone mill in the courtyard. The stone mill was left by the previous owner and weighed at least two hundred jin.

He reached out with one hand, grabbed the edge of the stone mill, took a deep breath, and the muscles in his arm bulged slightly.

"Lift!"

The heavy stone mill was lifted off the ground by his single hand, without the slightest sign of strain.

He held the stone mill in his hand, weighing it, as if holding an ordinary brick.

His strength was far more than three hundred jin.

This was the additional boost to his own realm after achieving Grand Completion in the Indestructible Vajra Body.

He put down the stone mill, his mind clear.

Now, if he were to face Hu Jiudao of the Fierce Tiger Hall again, he could probably decide life or death in a single move.

Even against Duan Tianbao, he might have a chance to fight.

The pent-up frustration in his chest, which had been suppressed for a long time, was largely released with the breath he had just exhaled.

The vow, "Within a month, I will make this Fierce Tiger Hall break this rule for me," was no longer an empty promise.

He now had the capital to fulfill it.

He walked back to the edge of the gravel pit, wanting to test his body again after reaching Grand Completion, to see just how far it had progressed.

He lay down in the pit and rolled around again.

"Swish..."

The gravel rolled over his body, but the feeling was completely different.

If it had felt like countless steel needles pricking him before, now it was like being brushed by a rough brush.

There was friction, there was pressure, but there was no longer that bone-deep pain.

His skin and flesh had become so tough that the gravel could hardly stimulate him effectively.

He completed a full cycle and sat up from the pit.

The scroll unfolded in his mind.

[Merit: +3]

Merit was still increasing, but he knew very well that this efficiency was like a drop in the bucket compared to the total requirement of 135 points after "Grand Completion."

This method had to change.

His gaze fell upon the bluestone blocks used for building the courtyard wall.

Cloth brushing, sand grinding, stone striking, rod beating.

The cultivation of the Indestructible Vajra Body was inherently a brutal path of self-destruction and surpassing limits.

The next stage was stone striking.

He stood up, walked to the well, drew a bucket of water, and poured it over himself.

The icy well water washed over his bronzed body, and water droplets slid down his firm muscles.

He looked up at the sky.

It was almost time to report for duty.

He changed into his clean constable uniform, and the surging power was completely contained beneath the ordinary clothes.

From the outside, he was still the same slender youth, but his gait now carried the steadiness of a mountain.

He pushed open the courtyard gate; the sky was a hazy blue.

In the alley, early risers had already lit their cooking fires.

In this chaotic world, a new day had begun.