Body Tempering Tenth Level, Pill in Hand

Several days later, Lin Chen went to the Lineage's alchemy room, handed the Tiger-Patterned Grass to the disciple on duty, and commissioned him to refine a Tiger Strength Pill.

Afterward, he stopped by the Martial Pavilion and took the Thunderlight Sword Technique. He planned to devote himself to practicing it and further strengthen himself.

The cold wind grew sharper by the day, and the old tree in the courtyard shed its last withered leaves. Time slipped away in cultivation. In the blink of an eye, the second year's end had arrived.

On the mountain behind the Lin Residence, inside a secluded chamber.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged, his eyes gently closed.

By now, his body had undergone a striking change.

His skin was firm and supple, his sinews and bones strong without being bulky. Blood and vitality surged through him, carrying strength that could rival a wild ox.

Yet outwardly, he remained well-proportioned and upright, with smooth, clean lines and no hint of clumsiness.

"Body Tempering Realm, tenth level. I finally made it."

"All that day-and-night effort wasn't wasted. I've been diligently grinding away on Fierce Wolf Mountain for two years..."

"I really do work too hard!"

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes and murmured to himself, unable to keep the smile from his lips.

He looked himself over, quite pleased.

With a fan in hand, he looked gentle as jade, every inch a refined young gentleman. But if he let loose, he could crack stone with his bare hands, as fierce as a beast in the forest.

Stillness and motion—those two utterly different qualities somehow coexisted in him.

"Ah, the stronger I get, the better I look."

Lin Chen chuckled and shook his head. With a thought, the familiar, simple Character Panel appeared before his eyes:

[Character]: Lin Chen

[Age]: 18/79

[Life-Bound Divine Artifact]: Iron Sword (Tier 1, supreme quality)

[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm, tenth level (breakthrough available)

[Martial Arts]: Eight Extremes Fist, Thunderlight Sword Technique (beginner)

[Idle Training]: Fierce Wolf Mountain (in progress)

This was what Lin Chen had achieved in two years.

Not only had he reached the tenth level of the Body Tempering Realm, leaving him one step from the Spirit Martial Realm, but he had also grasped the basics of the Spirit-Grade Martial Art, Thunderlight Sword Technique.

"Over these two years, I put every bit of experience from idle training into my realm, breaking through from the sixth level of Body Tempering all the way to the tenth. That's astonishingly fast."

"Meanwhile, I spent most of my time in the real world studying the Thunderlight Sword Technique."

"But a Spirit-Grade Martial Art is profound. Trying to comprehend it with my Body Tempering Realm cultivation and knowledge has been slow going. I still haven't reached minor mastery."

Lin Chen considered this quietly.

In this world, the tiers of martial arts were clearly defined.

Body Tempering Realm martial artists mostly practiced ordinary martial arts that honed their bodies and relied on brute force in combat. Generally, only after entering the Spirit Martial Realm did they begin cultivating Spirit-Grade Martial Arts capable of drawing on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

As for the Profound Grade, Earth Grade, and even the legendary Heaven Grade above it, those were far beyond Lin Chen's reach.

After all, the strongest people in Kaiyang City were only at the tenth level of the Spirit Martial Realm. Not a single Profound Martial Realm expert had ever appeared there.

His father, for instance, was the strongest of the current generation in the Lin Residence and one of Kaiyang City's two foremost experts, yet even he was only at the tenth level of the Spirit Martial Realm.

So naturally, studying a Spirit-Grade sword art while still in the Body Tempering Realm was no easy task. Grasping its basics within two years already showed considerable insight, surpassing Lin Chen's initial expectations.

"Looks like my cultivation aptitude may be ordinary, but I do have some talent for understanding martial arts."

Turning his attention back to the panel, Lin Chen looked at the realm entry:

[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm, tenth level (breakthrough available)

[Success Rate: 60%]

(Base Success Rate: 50%)

(Eight Extremes Fist, superior quality: +10%)

(Failure Penalty: Unable to attempt another breakthrough for one year)

"Sixty percent..."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. Given his ordinary aptitude, even that much was thanks to Eight Extremes Fist, a solid, superior-quality body-tempering art.

"Looks like I need to visit Father. If I can get a spirit pill to help with the breakthrough, my odds should improve."

With that, Lin Chen rose, left the secluded chamber, and headed for the Lineage's council hall.

The Lineage's council hall stood on the eastern side of the residence, a grand building with sweeping eaves and interlocking brackets that lent it a solemn air.

Inside, a man in a brocade robe sat in the seat of honor.

He appeared to be in his thirties. Calm-faced, he held an Ancient Book and read it closely, as though weighing the deeper meaning of its words.

He was Lin Hai, the Lin Family Head and the strongest person of the current generation in the Lin Residence, with cultivation at the tenth level of the Spirit Martial Realm.

Beside him sat a gentle woman in an elegant, pale dress: Liu Mubai.

Her features were soft, and she was carefully brewing a pot of spirit tea, lending the solemn hall a touch of peace.

As soon as Lin Chen appeared outside the hall, before he could speak, Lin Hai lifted his gaze from the book.

"Come in."

He closed the Ancient Book, his voice steady.

Lin Chen straightened his clothes, stepped inside, and respectfully greeted his parents. "Father, Mother."

The two before him were his parents in this life.

There had been no tragic beginning with both parents dead.

For more than a decade, he had lived as the young master of the Lineage, clothed in finery, well fed, and dearly protected. His days had been comfortable. Despite his ordinary aptitude, he had always received first-rate cultivation resources every month without fail. For that, Lin Chen had always been grateful to his parents.

If he had never awakened the system.

He had originally planned to become a Lineage elder someday and live out his life peacefully in Kaiyang City.

But now that he had a cheat, Lin Chen had no intention of stopping there.

Who wouldn't want to see for themselves the magnificent sight of mountains moved, seas overturned, stars plucked down, and the moon chased across the sky?

Inside the hall, as Lin Chen entered.

Tenderness filled Liu Mubai's eyes, and she gave a slight nod. Lin Hai, meanwhile, studied his son with a keen gaze. A flicker of surprise and approval crossed his eyes.

"Your aura is deep and your foundation solid. It seems you've practiced Eight Extremes Fist quite well."

Lin Hai saw through him at once.

He could tell that Lin Chen's tenth-level Body Tempering cultivation was no hollow show. It had been forged through genuine tempering.

"Father, I haven't dared slack off for a single day these past two years. Only through diligent practice day and night have I made this small bit of progress."

Lin Chen answered respectfully.

"Good. Guard against pride and impatience. Keep that resolve, and you can go far on the martial path."

Lin Hai nodded and tapped the tabletop twice with his fingertips before changing the subject.

"Have you come today because you want to attempt a breakthrough to the Spirit Martial Realm?"

Lin Chen nodded.

At that, Lin Hai's expression grew serious. He asked in a low voice:

"How long have you been at the tenth level of Body Tempering? Has your cultivation stabilized? How confident are you?"

Lin Chen's realm had risen through Attribute Allocation. His foundation was far more solid than that of martial artists who had to cultivate the hard way.

So even though he had only just reached the tenth level of Body Tempering, he was fully qualified to attempt a breakthrough to the Spirit Martial Realm.

Of course, he could not say that.

Otherwise, planning to break through to the Spirit Martial Realm only fifteen minutes after reaching the tenth level of Body Tempering would sound far too rash.

So Lin Chen replied:

"It has been some time since my breakthrough. My foundation is stable now, my blood and vitality are full, and my body has been properly tempered."

As he spoke, he circulated his energy slightly. His blood and vitality stirred faintly throughout his body—the unmistakable sign of perfected Body Tempering.

"It seems you really are well prepared."

Seeing this, Lin Hai's last trace of concern faded.

After a moment's thought, he took a plain wooden box from his storage bag and pushed it toward Lin Chen.

"This is an Essence Condensation Pill, mid-tier Spirit Grade. It refines one's vital essence and protects the Qi Sea. If you run into trouble during your breakthrough, taking it can raise your chances by thirty percent. Take it."

This was exactly the pill Lin Chen had come for.

He accepted it but did not rush away. Instead, he stood quietly in the hall and listened, committing to memory every point his father explained about the breakthrough.

About an hour later, Lin Chen bowed solemnly and took his leave.

Pill in hand. Next comes the breakthrough to the Spirit Martial Realm.

Outside the hall, Lin Chen's eyes flashed with resolve.

With a ninety-percent chance, how could I fail?

This time... the advantage is mine!