Body Tempering Medicinal Bath

Inside the bathroom, steam billowed.

Several maids carried copper basins, methodically pouring hot water into a massive wooden tub. Splashes flew as the tub was quickly filled to the brim.

"You may all leave." Qian Renxue turned, her golden pupils sweeping over the maids as she issued the command.

"Yes, Young Mistress." The maids responded in unison, bowed, and then retreated from the bathroom on light feet, pulling the door shut behind them.

The moment the door locked, Qian Renxue walked to the table and mixed the medicinal liquids from several jade containers according to the required proportions.

The ink-black liquid emitted a rich, medicinal fragrance; the instant it was poured into the hot water, the entire tub of clear water turned pitch black.

She took a deep breath, shed her clothing to reveal a slender frame that was already beginning to show signs of grace, and stepped into the tub without hesitation, submerging her body completely into the dark medicinal brew.

"Hiss—" The moment she entered the water, a sharp, stinging pain radiated from her limbs and bones, as if countless tiny needles were piercing her skin. Qian Renxue couldn't help but gasp, her brows knitting tightly together as a flicker of agony crossed her golden eyes.

As time passed, the power within the medicinal liquid gradually permeated her skin and invaded her body. The pain grew increasingly intense, accompanied by an unbearable scorching sensation, as if her body had been cast into a furnace and her internal organs were being set ablaze.

Qian Renxue's face turned pale, fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her body instinctively tried to struggle out of the water.

"Circulate your cultivation technique and refine the medicinal power." Chen Qingxuan's voice rang out at the perfect moment.

"Ah... Master..." Qian Renxue hugged her arms and curled her body up, half her head submerged in the ink-black liquid as she couldn't help but blow a few bubbles.

Her cheeks flushed a deep red, the color spreading to her earlobes, and her voice carried a hint of shy annoyance and panic, "Master, you... you are not allowed to look!"

Chen Qingxuan was speechless, caught between laughter and tears: "Countless goddesses, saintesses, and immortals have pursued this master over the years, all of them top-tier in both beauty and talent."

"As for your little frame..."

"Master~~" Qian Renxue pouted coquettishly.

"Xue'er will grow up! I definitely won't be worse than them in the future!"

She paused, as if remembering something, and asked curiously, "Master, does that mean I have many mistresses?"

"This master has passed through ten thousand flowers, yet not a single leaf has touched my robes," Chen Qingxuan said calmly.

"I have traversed the Floating Life Immortal Domain for hundreds of thousands of years, focused solely on the Dao, and have never had a cultivation partner."

Qian Renxue blinked her golden eyes, her little head turning over some unknown thought, and the corners of her mouth curled up, though she asked no further questions.

"Do not be distracted; circulate your technique quickly," Chen Qingxuan reminded her.

"Guide your own blood and qi to absorb the medicinal power and strengthen your flesh. This liquid is both a tonic and a poison; if you cannot refine it in time, your body will be backlashed by the medicinal power and suffer damage from the toxins."

Qian Renxue dared not delay any longer. She quickly gathered her focus and circulated her blood and qi according to the body-refining method recorded in the Primordial Nirvana Sutra.

She could clearly feel the blood and qi within her body surging like a river, flowing along specific meridians. With every cycle, it drew out a portion of the medicinal power, integrating it into her flesh and blood.

The scorching heat and stinging pain remained intense, as if her body were being torn apart and reconstructed.

Her muscles contracted and expanded violently under the influence of the medicine, her bones emitted faint "creaking" sounds, and her internal organs felt as though they were being soaked in hot water one moment and seared by flames the next.

Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead. A stubborn light flickered in her golden pupils as she endured the discomfort, circulating her technique over and over again.

She did not know how much time had passed, but the heart-wrenching pain gradually subsided, and the scorching heat transformed into a gentle warmth flowing through her limbs and bones.

The energy in the medicinal liquid was absorbed continuously, nourishing her flesh, bones, and meridians, giving her a sense of fullness she had never felt before.

Her body felt as if it had been reshaped, becoming tougher and more powerful.

Half an hour later, Qian Renxue slowly finished her cultivation and exhaled a long breath of turbid air, which contained faint traces of black mist.

She looked down into the wooden tub and saw that the originally ink-black water had become even murkier, now coated with a layer of black grease that emitted a faint, fishy stench.

"Why did this water get even blacker?" She wrinkled her nose and asked with a hint of disgust.

"These are the impurities expelled from your body," Chen Qingxuan explained.

"Your constitution is naturally good, so there weren't many impurities to begin with, which is why the water only turned murky."

"If it were an ordinary person, the impurities expelled during their first medicinal bath would reek; that is true filth."

"No, I want to wash again," Qian Renxue said, preparing to stand up.

Qian Renxue emphasized to Chen Qingxuan in her mind, her cheeks still flushed. "Master, you are absolutely forbidden from peeking!"

Chen Qingxuan remained silent...

Qian Renxue exited the tub as quickly as she could, dried her body with a towel, and changed into clean clothes.

She walked to the door, opened it, and instructed the maids waiting outside: "You may enter. Change the water inside and prepare another tub of hot water."

"Yes, Young Mistress." The maids responded and entered, nimbly dumping the murky medicinal water, cleaning the tub, and refilling it with hot water. They finished tidying the bathroom quickly and retreated with bows.

Meanwhile, in Martial Soul City, at a remote orphanage.

This was a place specifically designated by Martial Soul Hall to take in orphans, receiving tens of thousands of children every year.

Most of them were children abandoned by their parents or those who had lost their families in wars and disasters. A small portion were the descendants of Martial Soul Hall deacons who had died in the line of duty, and they received slightly better treatment within the orphanage.

In a simple, cramped room, over twenty children between the ages of five and seven were huddled together. The air held a faint scent of mold and sweat.

Most of the children looked lost, with only a few showing a spark of intelligence in their eyes.

"Brother Feng, tomorrow is the day of the Martial Soul Awakening," a little girl with braided pigtails tugged at the corner of the boy's shirt beside her, her voice thin and tinged with nervousness.

The boy called "Brother Feng" was slightly older than her. His frame was thin but he stood straight, his eyes calm. He patted the little girl's head and spoke in a steady tone: "Don't worry, Nana. Your brother Xie Yue has Innate Soul Power of level nine; with talent that good, you certainly won't be any worse. You might even be better than him."

"Really?" The little girl's eyes lit up as she stared intently at the boy; she was Hu Liena.

"Really, you will definitely be the best." The boy nodded with certainty, his name was Ling Feng, and he spoke with a conviction that transcended his age.

Not far away, a boy wearing a washed-out, faded long robe, holding a tree branch and scribbling on the ground, looked up at Ling Feng and Hu Liena, then turned his head to look at another taciturn boy beside him.

His name was Ye Fan, and like Ling Feng and the boy named Li Taibai, he was an "outlier" in this orphanage.

Unlike the other children who cried, made a fuss, or acted timid, they were unusually precocious.

The three of them exchanged a glance, each seeing a sense of mutual understanding in the others' eyes.

They had spent several years together in this orphanage, tacitly agreeing to play the roles of ordinary children, with no one ever breaking that unspoken pact.

For them, tomorrow's Spirit Awakening might be the chance to change their destinies.