Stainless Body

The night grew ever deeper.

In the pool within the practice room.

The Blood-Strengthening Soup was thinning at a rate visible to the naked eye, yet it continued to steam incessantly.

Chen Zhuo's blood and qi surged out from all forty-eight thousand pores of his body, gathering around him as if he were standing inside a furnace.

Under the "roasting" of this furnace, he breathed in and out like a bellows.

His skin and membranes tightened and expanded in rhythmic succession.

With every contraction and expansion, the toughness of his skin was tempered repeatedly, climbing ever higher.

His tendons were like bowstrings, his bones like gold and iron.

They, too, were undergoing incredible changes.

The transformation lasted for the entire night.

It was not until the next day, when the sun had climbed high, that it ended.

A blazing sun tore through the darkness, standing alone in the firmament.

Streaks of scorching sunlight fell upon the small courtyard beside the yamen's kitchen, piercing through the window lattice and thrusting forcefully into the practice room where Chen Zhuo resided.

Yet, inside the practice room at this moment, the great furnace of blood and qi Chen Zhuo had formed burned fiercely, like a raging inferno.

In terms of heat, it was no less intense than those rays of sunlight.

After another hour or so, the Blood-Strengthening Soup had turned completely clear and watery, and only then did Chen Zhuo slowly open his eyes.

A flash of white light seemed to flicker within his pupils, blooming in the room and making the entire space significantly brighter.

Chen Zhuo blinked, and the white light before his eyes shattered like a dream or a bubble, piece by piece, until it vanished.

"White Light in an Empty Room."

This was not a product of the material world, but a phenomenon perceived after his spirit had ascended to a higher level.

"White" signified the Immaculate Body.

After the blood exchange, not only had his body transformed, but his spirit had also received an inconceivable nourishment.

Everything was different now.

Chen Zhuo held a hand up before his eyes; his long, slender fingers appeared unchanged, yet his nails had become as hard and sharp as steel.

With a mere thought, he curled his fingers slightly downward, and a series of explosive cracks erupted in the air, sounding like firecrackers, with a faint rumble of thunder mixed within.

After the blood exchange, I am truly no longer human, but it seems... the transformation is far from over.

Chen Zhuo felt every minute change in his body, his heart brimming with joy.

However, he still realized that the transformation was not yet thorough.

After a moment of reflection, he suddenly understood.

The second realm, Aperture Opening, opens the apertures of the body and connects them to the heavens and earth.

Perhaps all martial artists in this world believe that human strength has its limits.

When body tempering reaches its peak, one must seek novelty and change, drawing the essence of heaven and earth into the body to transform it into a raging flame, continuously tempering the physique.

[Realm: Body Tempering (Blood Exchange)]
[Practice: Iron Cloth Shirt: 98/250 (Great Success)]
[Practice: Minor Heavenly Cycle Qi Circulation Method: 0/80 (Not Started) (Gray)]
[Combat: Zhengyang Blade Technique: 13/20 (Not Started)]
[Technique: Dissection Technique: 3/40 (Entry)]

Since the Iron Cloth Shirt had not yet reached perfection, it was not difficult for Chen Zhuo to spot the clues within.

Nevertheless, this transformation alone was enough to place him among the top tier of individuals in Baiyun County.

He was now only beneath those few Aperture Opening martial artists like the Old Blind Man.

I wonder if Wang Mingyuan has opened his apertures.

When his realm was low, Chen Zhuo naturally could not discern the depth of the three big shots in the yamen.

Thinking back now, Chief Clerk Sun, Registrar Wang, and Magistrate Liu must be at least at the Aperture Opening realm; otherwise, they could never manage the vast mess that was Baiyun County based on their official titles alone.

Why is the Aperture Opening method still gray?

Chen Zhuo glanced at the panel again, his brows knitting slightly.

He had clearly completed the blood exchange; the Aperture Opening method on the panel should logically be available for practice.

As he pondered, the words the Old Blind Man had once spoken suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"You will definitely come back to beg this old man to teach you martial arts."

Could it be... that there is some hidden key to the step from Body Tempering to Aperture Opening?

"Go out and ask Senior Brother Yan."

Whenever Chen Zhuo thought of the Old Blind Man's devious, profiteering grin, his back teeth would itch with irritation.

If he went to the Old Blind Man for martial arts instruction, there was no telling how much he would be fleeced for.

He was already in debt, and he couldn't let that snowball any further.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhuo quickly got dressed, packed up the remaining demon blood, turned around, opened the door, and stepped out.

The moment he stepped outside, he saw Yan Ming sitting leisurely on a recliner with his eyes tightly shut, a large bowl resting by his side.

Before he even got close, a pungent medicinal odor drilled aggressively into his nose.

"Medicine?"

Chen Zhuo walked over to Yan Ming and lifted the large bowl to his nose; the stench nearly knocked him out.

"Senior Brother, why have you suddenly started drinking medicine?"

Chen Zhuo asked.

"What medicine? It's so sweet; it's clearly a fine vintage."

Yan Ming replied with a deadpan expression.

Chen Zhuo tentatively took a sip and immediately spat it out, his face twisting in bitterness as he said:

"Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about what 'sweet' means?"

Yan Ming cursed, "You don't know a damn thing."

Chen Zhuo scrutinized Yan Ming carefully, finding nothing out of the ordinary, yet the wrinkles at the corners of Yan Ming's eyes made him feel that something was off.

He wasn't old, and he was a martial artist; how could he suddenly have wrinkles?

"Let's not talk about that."

Yan Ming snatched the bowl back and downed the rest in one gulp.

After finishing, he wiped the corner of his mouth, opened his eyes, and cast a faint glance at Chen Zhuo.

"Huh?"

Yan Ming had already looked away, but his gaze snapped back to Chen Zhuo.

After the blood exchange, the chiseled, knife-carved lines of Chen Zhuo's muscles had gradually faded.

Internalized and unified—this was the "Stainless Body."

To the naked eye, Chen Zhuo now looked like a fledgling martial artist who hadn't even mastered the basics.

"Junior Brother, you..."

Yan Ming's pupils dilated violently, and he shot to his feet, his body swaying so hard his legs nearly gave out, causing him to stumble.

"No, that's not right..."

Yan Ming scanned Chen Zhuo again, shaking his head firmly as he muttered to himself:

"Impossible. How could it be a Stainless Body? Even with a few bottles of fake first-tier demon beast blood, it shouldn't be possible in just one night."

"If it's not that... could his martial path have regressed?"

Seeming to realize something, Yan Ming turned his head sharply and asked, "Did something go wrong with your training last night?"

Chen Zhuo spread his hands: "I'm perfectly fine."

Hearing this answer, Yan Ming didn't speak, but he felt somewhat relieved.

He knew Chen Zhuo wouldn't lie to him about such things.

However... what on earth happened to this kid last night?

Watching Yan Ming fall into deep thought, Chen Zhuo stole a glance at him.

He truly wouldn't lie to Yan Ming.

But his progress was so shocking that it was best not to let Yan Ming know.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he couldn't say for sure.

It was better to keep it a secret.

"Senior Brother, are we not going to work in the kitchen today?"

Chen Zhuo deliberately changed the subject.

"What do you mean 'we'?"

Yan Ming rolled his eyes at him: "Just me. You still have to go."

"The lunch shift is simple anyway; it's just food for the yamen runners and White-Uniform Runners. Just wing it and make whatever."

"I..."

Chen Zhuo thought for a moment and ultimately didn't refuse, but he set a condition: "I want the ingredients for the Blood-Strengthening Soup, and I want a lot of them."

Yan Ming lay back down on the chair and pouted, "Take whatever you need."

Chen Zhuo opened his mouth, wanting to ask about the medicine he had been drinking, but Yan Ming saw right through him and immediately barked:

"Get to the kitchen, now."

Chen Zhuo let out a helpless sigh, and with a heart full of doubt and worry, he turned and left the small courtyard.

Watching Chen Zhuo walk away, Yan Ming's face suddenly flushed crimson. Unable to hold it back any longer, he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Yan Ming coughed violently for a long while before he finally managed to catch his breath.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up, and staggered toward the portrait of his master, his eyes growing distant and unfocused.

"Master, it is time..."