Ice-Fire Body Tempering, Evil Tiger Awakening

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Xiao Cheng had already spent more than four months in the Body Sect.

His life over those four months could be summed up in two words—bitter training.

Every morning, he got up at five for a ten-kilometer cross-country run with weights. In the morning, he underwent specialized Body Martial Soul training with Mu Huang to refine his control over his body. In the afternoon, he practiced combat sparring and endurance training. At dusk, he soaked in the Yang Spring to nourish his flesh and strengthen his True Dragon Qi. At night, he trained his spiritual power with Han Tianyi, chasing stars within the sea of stars.

Day after day, without interruption.

Such high-intensity training had naturally produced remarkable results.

After four months, Xiao Cheng's Soul Power had risen from level 22 to level 24. Though he had only advanced two levels, his foundation was incredibly solid, without the slightest trace of instability. His spiritual power had improved by leaps and bounds as well, soaring from just over three hundred points to over four hundred. He was not far from the Spirit Sea Realm now!

His physical strength had undergone an even more dramatic qualitative leap. With a swing of one arm, he could now exert five thousand jin of force, nearly twice as much as when he had first arrived at the Body Sect.

But what concerned Xiao Cheng most was something else.

Over the past few days, he had constantly sensed something stirring deep within his body, as though a sleeping beast were about to awaken.

The sensation was strange. It was neither a sign of a Soul Power breakthrough nor a precursor to Martial Soul Evolution, but a deeper, more primal tremor.

"Could my Body Martial Soul be undergoing a second awakening?" Xiao Cheng had once guessed, but he quickly dismissed the thought. A second awakening of a Body Martial Soul could only be triggered after the Martial Soul had developed to a certain point, absorbed multiple soul rings, and accumulated sufficient foundation. He had not even added the first soul ring to his Body Martial Soul yet. How could it possibly undergo a second awakening?

With that question in mind, he sought out Mu Huang and Han Tianyi.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Han, lately I keep feeling like something inside my body is about to awaken, but I can't tell what it is," Xiao Cheng honestly described his feelings.

Mu Huang frowned slightly upon hearing this. He placed a hand on Xiao Cheng's shoulder, and a gentle stream of Soul Power entered his body for a careful examination.

"It isn't a second awakening of your Body Martial Soul," Mu Huang said with certainty. "A second awakening of a Body Martial Soul requires the Martial Soul to grow to a certain degree, absorb multiple soul rings, and accumulate enough foundation before it can be triggered. Your Body Martial Soul hasn't even received its first soul ring, so a second awakening is impossible."

"But..." Mu Huang withdrew his hand, confusion appearing on his face. "Your physical condition is excellent. Your blood and qi are abundant, your meridians are clear, and there isn't any abnormality. Yet I can indeed sense a latent power gestating within you. I simply can't determine what it is yet."

Han Tianyi also stepped forward to inspect him, then shook his head as well. "I can't see through it either. But since you have the feeling of awakening, it means your body is indeed undergoing some sort of change. Rather than letting it slowly brew, we might as well add fuel to the fire and force it to awaken completely."

"Add fuel to the fire?" Xiao Cheng was somewhat puzzled.

"That's right." Han Tianyi smiled faintly, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. "Our Body Sect possesses a secret method called Ice-Fire Golden Body Refinement. As the name suggests, it uses heavenly treasures of ice and fire attributes to temper the body and stimulate its potential through the extreme alternation of cold and heat.

Twenty thousand years ago, Sea God Tang San Tang San used Blazing Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass to achieve a true Ice-Fire Golden Body Refinement, laying the foundation for his path to godhood. This secret method was developed based on that legend."

Mu Huang nodded and continued, "We don't have divine treasures like immortal herbs, but the Body Sect has accumulated some spiritual materials with both ice and fire attributes over the years. Their effects cannot compare to a true Ice-Fire Golden Body Refinement, but they should be enough for your current condition."

Xiao Cheng's eyes lit up. "Then what do I need to do?"

"Very simple." Mu Huang pointed toward the back mountain. "We'll prepare a large cauldron and fill it with spiritual materials of ice and fire attributes. Then you'll be tempered inside it. If you endure it, the power inside you will awaken completely. If you fail to endure it..."

He paused, a meaningful smile curling across his lips. "Then we'll just have to fish you out. It will only mean starting all over again."

Three days later, everything was ready.

A gigantic bronze cauldron had been set up in the center of an open space on the back mountain. It stood three meters tall and had a diameter of two meters. Its entire surface was carved with intricate runes, exuding an ancient and heavy aura.

The cauldron was a high-grade Soul Tool. It required no fuel; as long as it was supplied with Soul Power, it could generate raging flames and heat its body until it glowed red.

The cauldron was filled more than halfway with liquid. The liquid displayed a strange dual color—one half was blazing crimson, giving off scorching heat as bubbles rose and burst across its surface; the other half was icy blue, radiating bone-piercing cold as a thin layer of ice crystals formed upon the surface.

Red and blue converged within the cauldron, yet remained distinctly separate, forming a bizarre yin-yang pattern.

"This is Ice-Fire Spirit Liquid, refined from more than a dozen spiritual materials, including Red Flame Fruit, Ice Crystal Fruit, Mystic Ice Grass, Fire Spirit Ganoderma, and Jade Marrow Grass." Standing beside the cauldron, Mu Huang spoke solemnly. "Each of these materials is over a hundred years old, and there are quite a few thousand-year spiritual materials among them. Their medicinal power is extremely tyrannical. Once you enter, you will endure the torment of two extreme forces, ice and fire. That pain is not something an ordinary person can bear."

He looked at Xiao Cheng, concern in his gaze. "Cheng'er, it isn't too late to regret this. We can use a gentler method to stimulate the power in your body. It may be slower, but it will be safer."

"No, Grandpa." Xiao Cheng shook his head, his eyes resolute. "I'm ready. If it's an awakening, then let it come even more fiercely."

He removed his outer clothes, leaving only a pair of shorts. After taking a deep breath, he leaped into the enormous bronze cauldron!

Splash!

Water sprayed in every direction.

The moment Xiao Cheng landed in the cauldron, he felt two utterly opposing extreme forces assault him at once!

The fiery spiritual liquid on the left was as scorching as magma, as if it wanted to burn his skin black. The icy spiritual liquid on the right was as cold as thousand-year-old black ice, as if it wanted to freeze his blood solid. The two forces clashed violently within him, as though they intended to tear his body in half!

"Ugh—ah!"

Xiao Cheng could not help releasing a muffled groan of pain. One half of his body turned crimson as blood, while the other became pale as frost. The two colors intertwined and battled across his body, creating an eerie sight.

Xiao Cheng clenched his teeth and endured the heart-rending agony as he began circulating the Dragon Transformation Sutra.

True Dragon Qi slowly flowed through his meridians, guiding those two extreme forces along specific paths through his body. Every circulation felt as if a dull blade were scraping through his meridians, causing unbearable pain.

Yet he did not stop. Again and again, he circulated the technique, gradually allowing the ice and fire energies to merge into his flesh, bones, muscles, and organs.

As time passed, the Ice-Fire Spirit Liquid within the cauldron began to change.

The crimson fiery liquid gradually dimmed, while the icy blue liquid began to melt away. The medicinal power contained within the spiritual liquid was being absorbed bit by bit by Xiao Cheng's body.

Xiao Cheng's body was also undergoing astonishing changes.

Fine, dense lines began emerging across his skin. They were interwoven in red and blue, resembling some ancient runes.

His bones cracked continuously, while his muscles repeatedly swelled, contracted, and reshaped themselves. Tempered by the power of ice and fire, his internal organs became tougher and stronger.

It was a transformation akin to being reborn.

No one knew how much time had passed—perhaps two hours, perhaps an entire day. The Ice-Fire Spirit Liquid in the cauldron had dimmed considerably, and most of its medicinal power had been completely absorbed by Xiao Cheng.

Then Xiao Cheng slowly opened his eyes.

Flames seemed to burn within his eyes, while ice seemed to condense there as well. But the strange phenomenon soon faded, returning them to their usual clarity.

"How do you feel?" Mu Huang and Han Tianyi hurried forward and asked.

Xiao Cheng leaped out of the cauldron, stretched his limbs, and felt the surging power within him that nearly seemed ready to overflow. A radiant smile appeared on his face. "I feel... very good."

At that moment—

Buzz!

A strange ripple suddenly erupted from Xiao Cheng's body!

A purple-gold mark abruptly appeared on his forehead! It formed a complex geometric pattern and radiated an ancient, mysterious aura, as though it contained some supreme law.

This was the first time Xiao Cheng had sensed the existence of this Purple-Gold Mark while fully awake!

He could feel that the mark seemed to be a part of his soul, intimately connected to him. It was like a key that had opened a door leading into an unknown world.

"This..." Mu Huang's pupils contracted sharply. He could sense that the power contained within the Purple-Gold Mark was enough to make even him feel a trace of threat!

Han Tianyi's expression also turned grave. His spiritual power was the sharpest among them, and he could clearly sense that the Purple-Gold Mark was connected to a power far beyond the scope of their understanding!

The next moment—

ROAR—!!!

An earth-shaking tiger's roar rang out behind Xiao Cheng!

A massive black tiger phantom appeared out of thin air behind him!

The tiger was black as ink from head to toe. A pair of fallen-looking black wings grew from its back. Its tail was not an ordinary tiger tail, but an Evil God Hook formed from countless bone segments, resembling a scorpion's tail! Its eyes were dark gold, radiating a domineering aura that looked down upon the world, like a king reigning over all living things!

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!

A legendary god-level soul beast with the bloodline of a god, a forbidden existence!

Though it was only a phantom, the pressure it released caused the air across the entire back mountain to solidify! The surrounding trees trembled beneath that pressure, and even the scattered stones on the ground began floating on their own!

"This... this is..." Mu Huang sucked in a cold breath. With his knowledge, he naturally recognized this legendary fierce beast. "The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?! Cheng'er, how did you awaken the power of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?!"

Xiao Cheng was equally shocked and delighted. He could sense that his Body Martial Soul had automatically gained its first soul ring—a purple-gold soul ring that exuded the same aura as the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger phantom!

It was the first soul ring of his Body Martial Soul, formed from the power of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!

And the source of all this was the purple-gold mark on his forehead!

Xiao Cheng sank his consciousness into the Purple-Gold Mark, and a flood of information surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

He understood.

Back in the Spirit Ascension Platform, the Purple-Gold Mark had devoured the Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger, reverted the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger bloodline within it to its origin, refined the purest Evil God Bloodline, and stored it within the mark. Today, under the stimulation of the Ice-Fire Golden Body Refinement, that power had finally awakened completely and transformed into the first soul ring of his Body Martial Soul!

So that was it... Xiao Cheng suddenly understood. That Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger wasn't erased after being devoured by the Purple-Gold Mark. It was transformed into this soul ring and had been dormant inside my body all along. Only today, after being stimulated by the Ice-Fire Golden Body Refinement, did it finally awaken completely!

With the appearance of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger phantom, Xiao Cheng's Soul Power broke through once more, reaching level 25.

At that very moment, his spiritual power also touched the threshold of the Spirit Sea Realm. If it were tested with a spiritual power measuring device now, it might reach 499 points.

He could feel that his spiritual power had become even purer and more powerful. Most importantly, under the enhancement of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger soul ring, his physical strength surged dramatically once again!

With a swing of one arm, he could exert a full eight thousand jin of force!

Eight thousand jin! What did that mean? Even an ordinary assault-type Soul King could only achieve that much with a full-force strike without using a soul skill! Yet he was merely a level 25 Soul Grandmaster!

"So... so strong..." Xiao Cheng clenched his fist, feeling the power within him that nearly seemed ready to spill out. His heart was filled with excitement and shock.

"Good boy..." Mu Huang stepped forward and patted Xiao Cheng on the shoulder, his eyes full of gratification and pride. "You truly haven't disappointed your grandpa. But don't spread word of this for now. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger does not have a very good reputation, and it could easily bring unnecessary trouble."

"I understand." Xiao Cheng nodded.

Xiao Cheng grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Thank you, Grandpa! Without your Ice-Fire Golden Body Refinement, who knows how long I would have had to wait before this power awakened!"

"This is your own fortune." Mu Huang shook his head. "I merely added some fuel to the fire."

Han Tianyi also stepped forward and carefully examined the Purple-Gold Mark on Xiao Cheng's forehead. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "This mark... its origins are mysterious. Cheng'er, you must hide it well and never let it be exposed before others."

"I understand, Grandpa Han." Xiao Cheng nodded solemnly.

Xiao Cheng had always known that a tremendous secret was hidden within him. And now, that secret had finally revealed a single corner to him.