God Position Fragment, Body Martial Soul Gold-Grade Awakening

At noon on the sixth day, those familiar heavy footsteps finally sounded outside the stone chamber.

Shoes struck the stone steps in a distinct rhythm, every step carrying the unique imposing presence of the Body Sect's leader.

The stone door slid open, and Mu Ye strode in, carrying an even larger food box than last time. The moment he entered, he saw two camping tents in the corner of the stone chamber, already laid out with bedding; neatly arranged tea tins and pastry boxes on the stone platform; Gu Yue adjusting the temperature of the medicinal pool; and Na'er sitting cross-legged on a cushion, peeling an orange. He halted, his thick brows rising high.

"Yo! Have you turned the training room into an outdoor party?" Mu Ye set the food box on the stone platform, his voice booming like a bell. "You've moved everything in. Are you planning to start grilling next?"

Na'er sprang up from the cushion without the slightest guilt. "Uncle Mu Ye, your training room is dark and stuffy, and there isn't even anywhere to sit. I fixed it up for you, and you're still unhappy about it?"

"Uncle?" Mu Ye rubbed his clean-shaven chin, then turned to Li Chen and pointed at his own face. "Do I really look that old?"

Li Chen rose from the medicinal pool and draped on an outer robe. "By seniority, you are indeed an uncle."

Mu Ye choked on that, but instead of getting angry, he burst into hearty laughter that echoed back and forth through the sealed stone chamber.

He walked over to Na'er and looked her over from above, his eyes full of the teasing amusement elders showed juniors. "You've certainly got a sharp tongue, little girl. I don't care about anything else, but stay away from the formation patterns in this chamber. Those markings were left behind by generations of sect leaders. Even if I sold you, you couldn't afford to compensate for the damage."

"Who wants to touch your lousy formation patterns?" Na'er rolled her eyes, peeled an orange segment, and handed it to him. "Have some orange, Uncle. Cool that temper down."

Mu Ye took the orange and popped it into his mouth. After chewing twice, he nodded. "Mm, sweet. Looks like you've got a little conscience after all."

Then he opened the food box and brought out a large earthenware pot. The moment he lifted the lid, a rich medicinal aroma filled the chamber.

There were clearly more medicinal herbs in the chicken soup this time. The broth was darker than before, amber-colored, with a thin layer of oil floating on top.

"New recipe. I added angelica and astragalus to replenish blood and vitality," Mu Ye said as he ladled out the soup. "Your Bone Tempering progress has been too fast these past few days. You've burned through a lot of blood and vitality, so you need to make up for it. I reckon you'll soon be tackling the ninth level. That's one of the three hardest levels."

"I'm already working on it." Li Chen accepted the bowl. "I started attempting the ninth level these past few days—the spine."

Mu Ye's hand paused as he ladled soup. He looked up at Li Chen, surprise flashing through his eyes. "You started the ninth level on your own? How's it going?"

"The thoracic vertebrae had a severe rejection reaction. It took half an hour to break through the eleventh vertebra. The lumbar and thoracic sections are stable now. I haven't touched the cervical section yet."

Mu Ye set down the ladle, walked over, turned Li Chen around, and lifted his outer robe to inspect the markings on his back.

His rough fingers pressed inch by inch along the grayish-white marks on both sides of Li Chen's spine. When he reached the thoracic section, he could clearly feel the muscles beneath his fingertips twitch slightly. It was the residual burn reaction caused by Law Power.

Mu Ye withdrew his hand. The carefree smile on his face faded for once, and his tone became much more solemn.

"You've got nerve. The ninth level is the spine. Every previous Body Sect leader had their master guarding them throughout while cultivating this level. You forced your way through the rejection reaction and opened the thoracic section alone. Do you know what that means? One small mistake, and you could have injured your spinal cord."

Na'er grew nervous as she listened, even forgetting to eat her orange. "Uncle Mu Ye, is he alright now?"

"He's fine now." Mu Ye patted Li Chen's back, keeping his strength very light. "The markings have stabilized, which means the rejection reaction has passed. But you are not allowed to cultivate the remaining cervical section alone. Of the three spinal sections, the cervical vertebrae are the most dangerous. The medulla is right beside them. If anything goes wrong, even I might not be able to save you in time. Wait until I come tomorrow to guard you. Rest for half a day today and build up your blood and vitality."

Li Chen did not force the issue and simply nodded.

Mu Ye picked up his bowl again and sat beside the stone platform, his usual hearty tone returning. "Still, being able to endure the thoracic section on your own means your willpower and control have exceeded my expectations. Senior Uncle Han told me you cultivated like your life depended on it, but I thought he was exaggerating. Now it seems he actually understated it."

"What did Teacher Han tell you?" Li Chen asked.

"He said you were good at everything except taking care of yourself." Mu Ye took a sip of soup and looked at Li Chen over the rim of his bowl. "Once, after your Soul Power broke through, your Law Power conflicted. He told you to slow down and guide it gradually, but you refused to listen and forcibly reversed it instead. Although it turned into a blessing in disguise, Senior Uncle Han still complained about it over the phone. He was terrified something would happen to you. Hahaha."

Li Chen fell silent for a moment. The corner of his mouth moved slightly in an extremely faint, fleeting smile.

Gu Yue happened to look up and catch that expression. The page in her hand paused for a beat before she casually turned it over.

After listening for so long, Na'er finally found a chance to cut in. "So what exactly is your relationship with Teacher Han, Uncle Mu Ye? Li Chen said Teacher Han is your senior uncle. Doesn't that mean you're one generation below Teacher Han? And Li Chen is Teacher Han's student, so shouldn't you call him junior brother?"

Mu Ye was stunned by the tongue-twisting chain of questions, then burst out laughing. "Your mind works fast, little girl! By seniority, Han Tianyi is my senior uncle, and Li Chen is his student, so he should indeed call me senior brother."

"Then doesn't that mean you have to call him junior brother, Uncle Mu Ye?" Na'er's eyes lit up, and the curve of her lips rose higher and higher.

"Nonsense!" Mu Ye set his bowl heavily on the stone platform. "We each use our own terms! He calls me senior, and I call him kid. What's with all this seniority nonsense?"

"But you just said it yourself..." Na'er refused to let it go, her golden ponytail swaying as she spoke. "Han Tianyi is your senior uncle, and Li Chen is Han Tianyi's student. A student is one generation below a senior uncle, so doesn't that make you fellow generations, Senior Brother Mu Ye? Isn't that right, Senior Brother?"

Mu Ye glared at her for a full three breaths, then turned to Li Chen with an incredulous expression. "Where did you find such a sharp-tongued little girl?"

"I didn't find her. Aunt Leng picked her up." Li Chen held his bowl, his tone calm.

Mu Ye was instantly speechless. "I just need some peace..."

Na'er smugly shook her head. "Who's Peace? Why do you need her? Besides, I have the Golden Dragon Bloodline. You won't lose out by having the Body Sect leader call me junior sister."

"Dream on!" Mu Ye pulled out a token from his robes and slapped it onto the stone platform. Turning to Na'er, he said, "Your Golden Dragon Bloodline fighting style is too forceful. You're not flexible enough in how you release and withdraw power. I told you that last time. I was originally going to teach you a couple of Body Sect techniques for redirecting force, but now it seems—"

"Brother Mu Ye!" Na'er immediately changed her form of address. Her expression switched from smug to obedient so quickly that even Gu Yue's hand paused halfway through turning a page. "Your soup is so delicious. Would you like another bowl? I'll serve you."

That "Brother Mu Ye" made Mu Ye feel thoroughly pleased. He pushed the token toward her. "Take it. This is a pass token for the Body Sect's Inner Court. Come to the Body Sect when you have time, and I'll teach you those two force-redirection techniques. But first, you need to train that mouth of yours to be softer—redirecting force is about overcoming hardness with softness, not competing with others to see who can shout louder."

Na'er took the token, turned it over twice in her hands, and tucked it into her clothes, though she still refused to admit defeat. "My voice is just like my fists. Both came naturally."

"Alright." Mu Ye stood and brushed nonexistent dust from his clothes. "Rest properly today. I'll come early tomorrow to guard you while you cultivate the cervical section. And you..." He pointed at Na'er. "Stop feeding him grilled skewers."

"Got it, Uncle Mu Ye." Na'er deliberately enunciated the words "Uncle Mu Ye" with extra clarity.

Mu Ye walked to the doorway, then looked back at Li Chen. "I'll teach you the remaining two formulas in one go. Your progress is twice as fast as I expected. At this rate, you'll have all twelve formulas opened within another three days. By then, the foundation for a Gold-Grade Awakening will be secure."

He strode out through the stone door, his heavy footsteps traveling up the stone steps before gradually fading into the distance.

The stone chamber fell quiet again. Na'er played with the token, Gu Yue continued reading, and Li Chen leaned against the stone platform with his eyes closed, resting.

The medicinal furnace gave off a soft hum, fine bubbles rose from the pool, and the breathing of the three of them intertwined within the sealed stone chamber, forming a wordless understanding.