Myriad Tribulations Unending, First Level Six Realms (4000 Characters)

After leaving Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, Huo Yuhao did not head directly back to the secluded courtyard.

He kept his pace steady, weaving through the bustling crowds in the East District of Shrek City. The white, frayed edges of his coarse cloth robe caught the sunlight, yet they could not mask a composure and calm far beyond his years.

He kept a clear ledger in his mind.

The medicinal ingredients for twenty portions of Body Tempering Powder cost just over thirty Gold Soul Coins at market price; after a ten percent discount, the actual payment was twenty-eight.

He had paid forty. The extra twelve—both a gesture of goodwill toward Yao Sheng and an acknowledgment of the superior quality of the herbs—was also a calculated move.

He did not like to owe favors, especially not to merchants with whom he might have long-term dealings.

And right now, he needed more than just herbs.

The medicinal potency of the Body Tempering Powder was extremely aggressive. If ingested directly, that violent energy would act like thousands of daggers, instantly piercing the esophagus, stomach lining, and small intestine, tearing his internal organs to shreds before he could even begin to circulate his energy.

At best, he would vomit blood and suffer grave injuries; at worst, his bones would shatter, his meridians would be destroyed, and he would be reduced to a cripple incapable of cultivation for the rest of his life.

This was a lesson learned in blood from his past life.

A Body Sect disciple who prided himself on his physical strength, eager to grow stronger, had swallowed a whole bottle of Body Tempering Powder without following the dilution protocols. The result was bleeding from all seven orifices and a collapsed sternum. By the time he was carried before Du Busi, even that Limit Douluo could only shake his head and sigh.

The correct method was to dilute it in water and soak in a medicinal bath.

This allowed the medicinal power to permeate through tens of thousands of pores, seeping slowly and evenly from the surface into the skin, flesh, bones, and blood.

It was like tempering steel with fire: the iron billet must be placed in the furnace to be repeatedly calcined and forged, not by pouring molten lava directly into the hearth.

Thus, he made his way through several shops.

First was an old store specializing in apothecary equipment, where he selected a high-quality brass cauldron—the walls were of uniform thickness, ensuring steady heat conduction and resistance to cracking.

He also picked up a fine-clay strainer, a jade pestle, a porcelain mortar, an ebony spoon, and other miscellaneous items.

The shopkeeper, a lean old man, took a few extra looks at him, surprised by how accurately the young man selected his tools and how detailed his questions were.

Next was a carpentry workshop that specialized in bathtubs.

Huo Yuhao did not choose the expensive, carved, and gilded varieties; instead, he requested a plain cypress tub, half a zhang wide and three chi deep, with thick walls.

Cypress is resistant to rot and soaking, with a fine grain that does not easily warp when exposed to water. It also carries a faint, bitter, woody fragrance that does not clash with medicinal properties.

He paid an extra three Silver Soul Coins to have the shopkeeper sand and polish the inside and outside until it was perfectly smooth, ensuring not a single splinter remained.

The shopkeeper took the money and patted his chest, guaranteeing, "Don't you worry, little customer. Everyone in the West District of Shrek City knows my work, Old Zhou. I promise you'll be satisfied!"

Huo Yuhao nodded, left his address, and arranged for delivery by the end of the Shen hour.

When he returned to the secluded courtyard, carrying his new equipment through the twilight, a brand-new cypress tub was already resting securely by the gate.

The surface of the tub was smooth as a mirror, and when he leaned in, he could smell only a faint scent of wood.

He opened the gate, organized his tools, and moved the tub into the empty room he had designated as his "medicine chamber."

Then, he began to prepare the Body Tempering Powder.

He took a portion of herbs from the wooden box.

The Body Tempering Flower was a deep, brownish-red, its petals thick and its roots intact. When he pinched them with his fingertips, he could feel the volatile medicinal energy contained within.

The Bone Refining Grass had thick, sturdy stems with a pale gold cross-section—a top-tier specimen.

The remaining auxiliary herbs—Red Flame Root, Dragon Blood Vine Shavings, Maidenhair Fern, Tiger Bone Glue—were all of excellent quality.

Huo Yuhao washed his hands, lit incense (in reality, just a common wormwood stick to repel insects), and sat cross-legged before the table.

He first took three Body Tempering Flowers, removed the stems, kept the petals, and slowly ground them into a paste in the jade mortar.

Deep red juice seeped out, emitting a spicy and scorching aroma, as if the most sweltering sunlight of late summer had been sealed within.

Next came the Bone Refining Grass.

He held the stems down with the ebony spoon, used the fine-clay strainer to catch them, and used his soul power to gently shatter the fibers before grinding them down finely.

The medicinal properties of the Bone Refining Grass were more restrained; its texture had to be broken to fully release its power.

One ingredient, two, three...

His movements were fluid and precise to the point of harshness. Every method of preparation, the order of addition, and the heat requirements were etched into the depths of his soul.

He placed the brass cauldron onto the charcoal stove.

He filled it seven-tenths full with water. When small bubbles like crab eyes appeared at the bottom, he added the Maidenhair Fern and Red Flame Root first.

These two had tough medicinal properties and required a fierce fire to boil for a long time to force out all the power hidden within their fibers.

After the water boiled three times, the broth gradually turned orange-red.

He added the Bone Refining Grass shavings, Dragon Blood Vine Shavings, and Tiger Bone Glue in sequence. With each addition, he used a precise amount of soul power to stir exactly forty-nine times, clockwise, neither too fast nor too slow, ensuring the medicinal properties blended without scorching.

When the broth reduced to seven-tenths of its original volume, he turned the heat down to a simmer.

Only then did he slowly pour the bowl of deep brownish-red Body Tempering Flower paste into the cauldron.

Sssss—

With a soft sound, white mist billowed upward.

The originally orange-red broth instantly transformed into a thick, deep crimson, like molten lava, like congealed blood.

A domineering, pungent, and almost wild medicinal fragrance burst forth, instantly filling the entire room. The scent was not gentle or inviting; it was aggressive, rushing straight into the lungs and marrow.

Huo Yuhao's expression remained unchanged as he stirred the liquid in the cauldron with a wooden spoon, maintaining a steady rhythm for one hundred and eight rotations.

The medicinal liquid in the cauldron gradually thickened and clarified, eventually condensing into a crimson fluid as translucent as red jade and as still as a deep pool.

He used a jade spoon to scoop up a drop; the liquid clung to the sides like honey, stretching into a thread an inch long without breaking.

It was done.

He extinguished the fire and, while the liquid was still hot, portioned it into twenty small mutton-fat jade vials he had prepared in advance.

The jade vials were ice-cold, and upon meeting the scalding liquid, they emitted a faint "pop" sound before being sealed with beeswax.

Twenty vials of blood-red Body Tempering Powder sat quietly on the table.

Each vial contained enough "raging fire" to make an ordinary soul master's skin split and leave them howling in agony.

Yet, as Huo Yuhao looked at them, his eyes were as calm as a blacksmith inspecting a freshly forged blade.

These medicinal liquids would be enough for two months of his body-tempering cultivation.

He took nineteen vials and placed them in a special staggered array within the temperature-controlled compartment of his storage ring, ensuring the medicinal potency remained stable.

He kept only one vial, holding it in his palm.

In the center of the vacant medicine room, a cypress wood bathtub, over half a zhang wide, was filled with clear water. The surface was calm, reflecting the moonlight filtering through the window lattice, a bright, shimmering expanse.

Huo Yuhao stood by the tub and pried off the beeswax seal of the jade vial.

He slowly poured the crimson, lava-like Body Tempering Powder into the water.

"Hiss--!!!"

A sharp, prolonged, and urgent sound erupted, like a red-hot iron rod plunged into ice water!

Thick white steam billowed upward, instantly permeating the entire room!

The once crystal-clear water was dyed, consumed, churned, and boiled by the crimson medicinal liquid at a speed visible to the naked eye. Countless fine bubbles surged madly from the bottom of the tub, as if the entire basin of water had been set ablaze!

When the steam dissipated slightly, the water in the tub had turned into a thick, deep crimson, faintly glowing with an eerie fluorescence. The surface still trembled gently, like a dormant beast breathing.

Huo Yuhao removed his clothes.

The moonlight filtered through the window, falling upon his slender yet slightly gaunt frame.

The youth's skeleton had already stretched out, but due to years of malnutrition, his muscles were thin, his shoulder blades protruded slightly, and his waist was so narrow it seemed as if it would snap at a touch.

His skin glowed with a faint, unhealthy pale-blue hue under the moonlight, and the light-blue veins beneath his skin were faintly visible.

His expression remained indifferent as he lifted his leg and stepped into the tub.

He sat down.

Except for his head, everything from the neck down was submerged in the boiling, crimson liquid.

The next instant, a searing, agonizing pain far exceeding that of boiling water exploded across his entire body!

First came the stinging, burning sensation on his skin, followed immediately by the medicinal power penetrating his muscles like countless fine needles stabbing madly into his flesh. Within moments, the intense pain drove deeper, drilling straight into his bone marrow and internal organs.

Every inch of his body burned with excruciating pain, as if he had been thrown into a red-hot furnace.

Had it been any other soul master of his age, they would likely have screamed and leaped out of the tub, unable to endure even a single breath.

Yet, Huo Yuhao simply sat cross-legged at the bottom of the tub, his back straight as a rock that had stood for eons.

His face remained as calm as ever, not even a brow furrowed, as if the heart-wrenching agony had nothing to do with him.

In his past life, he had risked his life to fuse with the 400,000-year-old Ice Jade Empress Scorpion soul bone. The agony of that soul bone forcibly merging with his physical body had been like falling into an endless hell, where his soul and flesh were torn apart and reshaped over and over again—a thousand times more brutal than this.

Compared to that, the pain of this medicinal bath was nothing more than a mosquito bite.

Huo Yuhao slowly closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body. A wisp of soul power flowed steadily, guiding the medicinal potency from the air and the water, bit by bit, thread by thread, slowly seeping into his limbs and bones.

His previously thin and gaunt frame was being nourished by the constant influx of medicinal power, growing firmer and stronger at an imperceptible rate, his muscles gradually becoming more defined.

An hour passed quietly.

The blood-red medicinal liquid in the tub had completely faded, returning to a basin of crystal-clear water; every drop of medicinal power had been absorbed clean.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, a faint glimmer flashing in his pupils as he stood up.

Water droplets slid down his firm physique. He took a clean towel to dry himself and walked over to a bronze mirror.

The youth in the mirror was no longer the thin, malnourished-looking boy from before. His shoulders and back were broad, his muscles firm, and his entire demeanor was several times more spirited.

He nodded slightly, quite satisfied with the results of this medicinal bath.

After a brief rest, he walked up to the rooftop of the small courtyard.

With the medicinal bath just finished, the medicinal power was still circulating within his body; he had to use a specialized technique to guide it, or else he could not fully refine the residual potency and truly solidify his foundation.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, his legs slightly bent as his body slowly sank. His arms twisted and stretched behind his back at an extremely strange angle.

Every movement was slow and steady, the posture peculiar yet secretly aligned with the fundamental truths of the human body.

As this strange sequence unfolded, the residual medicinal power within his body seemed to be drawn by a tether, surging madly toward his limbs and bones.

A scorching yet gentle heat flowed through his meridians, nourishing every inch of his sinews, bones, flesh, and organs. The comfort, radiating from the inside out, made him almost moan aloud.

What he was practicing at this moment was not any known body-refining technique on the continent, but the supreme body-refining art he had created in his past life—the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body.

This art was a supreme path of body refinement he had forged himself, melting the body-refining methods of the Body Sect, the secret techniques of Shrek Academy, and the unique lore of many hidden sects across the continent into one furnace.

The Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body consists of nine levels, each a heaven unto itself; upon reaching the perfection of the ninth level, one's physical strength can rival that of a god, earning the title of a deity walking among mortals.

In his past life, Huo Yuhao ultimately failed to reach perfection, stopping at the eighth level, yet even so, his physical strength was no weaker than that of an ordinary Limit Douluo.

If he could achieve the ninth level—the Demigod Body—even if Niu Tian, Titan, and the Sea God's High Priest were to join forces and strike him with the Sea God's divine power simultaneously, he could withstand it with his physical body alone, remaining completely unscathed.

Now, reborn in this life, he was starting from scratch, practicing the very first level of the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body.

The first level contains thirty-six training diagrams, which he specifically created to lay an unshakable foundation.

He likened the human body to an empty city:

The skin is the city wall, the flesh is the rammed earth, the bones are the beams and pillars, the blood is the flowing water, the marrow is the oil and grease, and the internal organs are the furnace.

The order of cultivation is strictly followed:

Skin → Flesh → Bones → Blood → Marrow → Organs

Every six diagrams completed marks the perfection of a small realm; only when all thirty-six diagrams are mastered, with all six realms fulfilled, is the first level considered complete.

Each realm, once mastered, is evidenced by clear manifestations:

Skin Realm Perfection: Bronze Skin. Pores close, skin turns a dark bronze color, impervious to blades; a sharp edge drawn across it feels like touching the hide of an old ox.

Flesh Realm Perfection: Golden Muscle. Muscles reveal faint golden patterns; soft as cotton when at rest, harder than refined steel when exerted, possessing astonishing explosive power.

Bone Realm Perfection: Iron Bone. Bone density increases threefold, turning a blue-black hue; struck by an ordinary iron rod, the rod bends while the bones remain unyielding.

Blood Realm Perfection: Blood energy acts like a pump, the heartbeat like a war drum; the sound of surging blood can be heard from three feet away, and wounds heal several times faster than those of an ordinary person.

Marrow Realm Perfection: Jade Marrow. Bone marrow shifts from crimson to a translucent, jade-like white; regenerative power leaps forward, allowing broken bones to knit back together in mere days.

Organ Realm Perfection: The six organs thunder; the organs become as if cast from refined iron, breath becomes long and deep like an abyss, and soul power circulates ceaselessly. Even without food or drink for days, he remains energetic and immune to foul miasma. As the organs vibrate, a faint sound of thunder emerges, and his endurance and vitality far exceed those of soul masters at the same level by more than tenfold.

What he was currently practicing was the very first diagram of the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body.

His movements were neither hurried nor impatient, stretching, twisting, sinking, and tensing over and over again.

With every change in posture, he precisely guided the medicinal power still lingering within his body, crushing and refining those violent yet gentle energies bit by bit, thoroughly integrating them into his skin, muscle fibers, bones, and meridians.

The medicinal power, which had originally flowed only as a gentle warmth, transformed under the operation of the technique into nourishment as fine as spring rain, seeping into every corner of his body and silently tempering his foundation.

The setting sun slowly sank below the horizon, twilight staining the small courtyard. The last glimmer of gold was swallowed by the night, and the cold moonlight spilled onto the terrace like a thin veil, blanketing his entire body.

Only then did Huo Yuhao slowly withdraw his power. A series of faint yet crisp cracks echoed from his joints, and his entire temperament became a degree more steady and refined.

He walked slowly back into the room, showing no intention of resting, and sat cross-legged directly on the bed.

With eyes slightly closed and mind settled, he immediately began to circulate the Dao Heaven Art.

Wisps of heaven and earth soul power were drawn in by the mental method, pouring into his body like fine rain, flowing slowly along his widened meridians to nourish both body and soul.

For the current Huo Yuhao, cultivation had long since replaced sleep; only by working day and night could he step by step return to the pinnacle in this world where the strong prey upon the weak.

The night deepened, and all was silent.

In the small courtyard, only the figure of the youth sat quietly, merging with the soul power of heaven and earth, accumulating strength in silence.