The pain grew more and more intense, racing along his central nervous system toward his brain as if it came from the depths of his soul. Hodan felt as though his flesh were being torn apart inch by inch and his bones ground to ash bit by bit. The agony cut so deep it nearly drove him mad!
Hodan could clearly feel his cells changing and growing stronger at an incredible pace under the tempering of Sovereign's Might, this power of origin. His muscles grew stronger, and his bones more resilient.
Though the pain throughout his body was excruciating, Hodan's mind remained clear after reaching the peak of cultivation. He could tell that every part of his body was constantly transforming: his muscles were rapidly growing stronger, and his bones were becoming harder with each passing moment.
Hodan's body began to spasm. Intense pain spread through him, and his face shifted between expressions of agony and resolve. Vast waves of Sovereign's Might surged over his skin like a mass of black flames, looking especially eerie amid the pitch-black mist.
Five years had passed since Hodan began using Sovereign's Might to temper his body.
Quite a few Metal Lifeforms had passed by during that time, but to keep his secret, Hodan had killed them all. They never even saw him before he took them out with a wide-area soul attack.
Their wealth had also helped him obtain more Sovereign's Might. At times, to conceal his presence, Hodan had forcibly restrained large quantities of thunder-element energy, triggering a tremendous thunderstorm in the Fog Sea.
He either struck the passing Metal Lifeforms down into the sea or kept them out beyond the storm. As a result, no one had discovered that Hodan was tempering his body with Sovereign's Might in the Fog Sea.