Hellish Tempering

Within his body, countless tiny Dao Bells coursed rapidly through his blood vessels, each shining and erupting with astonishing divine power.

Shi Yi could clearly feel that his ability to refine the blessings of heaven and earth had grown much stronger.

But this was still not enough. For now, the Dao Bells formed from divine radiance resembled them only in shape, not in spirit. The patterns on their surfaces were indistinct, nowhere near as lifelike as he had imagined.

This was an enormous undertaking, far beyond a single day's work.

Over the next half month, Shi Yi sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, continually etching the Dao Bells of divine radiance within his blood until every bell possessed a distinct spiritual essence and exuded an aura of the Great Dao.

At that moment, the blood and vital energy within Shi Yi surged. When he stirred them, countless Dao Bells thundered, unleashing tremendous blood essence power.

His cultivation of transforming the divine radiance in his blood into Dao Bells had reached completion, bringing this stage to a close. His gains were substantial, and his physical strength increased by the day.

Afterward, Shi Yi began further experiments, such as transforming the divine radiance in his blood into spears, Ancient Cauldrons, swords...

With his experience of forming Dao Bells, Shi Yi handled his subsequent cultivation with practiced ease, spending less and less time on it.

Eventually, whatever weapon the divine radiance in his blood became was merely a matter of a thought, depending entirely on whether he wished to attack or defend.

Had any beings from the outside world witnessed this scene, they would surely have been shocked speechless.

Young beings who could reach such a level in the Blood Moving Realm could be counted on one's fingers, and every one possessed world-shaking talent. As for those who achieved this before turning five, there were scarcely any in the whole vast world.

Shi Yi was not satisfied. He knew this still did not constitute the true meaning of the Blood Moving Realm.

The true meaning of the Blood Moving Realm was for a layer of precious blood essence radiance to arise automatically over the body's surface, without activating the divine radiance in the blood for defense.

This could not be achieved simply by diligently studying runes and spending every day taking medicine and meditating here. To become true gold, one had to endure countless trials of tempering.

By then, two months had passed since he received the baptism of a primordial remnant's true blood.

In another seven months, Shi Yi would turn five. In other words, in seven months, he would have to travel to Demon Spirit Lake and receive a baptism bestowed by its supreme experts.

Before then, Shi Yi naturally intended to do everything he could to grow stronger.

Thus, he rose from his meditation cushion and channeled vital essence into a bone token in his hand.

Before long, Shi Yuan arrived. As Shi Yi's great-grandfather, he was fully responsible for Shi Yi's cultivation.

"Yi'er, it's only been two months since I last saw you. Why does it feel as though you've undergone another fundamental transformation?" Shi Yuan studied his great-grandson, astonishment showing in his eyes.

Shi Yi did not say much and simply demonstrated the fruits of his cultivation. In just two short months, his mastery of runes had reached an astonishing level, allowing him to advance ever further in his cultivation of the Blood Moving Realm.

His pure physical strength alone had increased by a considerable amount.

"Excellent!"

Shi Yuan could not help cheering. His great-grandson had entered the Blood Moving Realm only two months ago, yet he had already traversed the entire course of cultivation that others followed in that realm. It was truly breathtaking.

Then he asked why Shi Yi had summoned him here.

"I see. That's no great problem. Our Martial King Manor has a place dedicated to tempering the body," Shi Yuan answered after hearing Shi Yi's request.

Next, he took Shi Yi out of the Martial King Manor residence and into an immensely vast territory-the fief granted to Martial King Manor by the Stone Kingdom. Here, Martial King Manor held supreme authority, ruling over mighty rivers and mountains.

Before long, the two arrived among a range of mountains. A Martial Training Ground had been built here, equipped with numerous implements for tempering the body. At a glance, Shi Yi saw many bare-chested members of Martial King Manor training themselves.

"Yi'er, this is the place."

Shi Yi nodded.

After descending into the Martial Training Ground, he showed not the slightest embarrassment. He simply followed the local customs, stripped off his upper garments, and began his journey of tempering his body.

When the surrounding members of Martial King Manor saw Shi Yi, young and adult alike showed shock and admiration. Everyone knew that Shi Yi, bearer of the ancient double pupils, was Martial King Manor's future and hope. He had always been shrouded in mystery.

Now that the bearer of double pupils had come in person to cultivate here, they were naturally excited and filled with anticipation.

Shi Yuan did not leave. Although this was Martial King Manor's territory, accidents could still happen. He had to ensure Shi Yi's safety.

Shi Yi, meanwhile, began a nearly crazed regimen of hellish tempering.

Lifting cauldrons, sprinting with boulders, wrestling the Ancient Beasts Martial King Manor raised here, enduring the pounding force of a waterfall, and more-these became Shi Yi's daily routine. He never stopped for a moment. Apart from the time he spent recovering his strength, he devoted every instant to tempering his physique.

Such frenzied behavior left the members of Martial King Manor dumbfounded and speechless. Who could have imagined that this extraordinary, godlike child, crowned with the title of "ancient sage," would work harder and endure more hardship than anyone else?

Shi Yi sweated in torrents. Every training session had to drain all the energy from his body, until he collapsed limply on the ground and could no longer move.

The closer he came to these limits, the faster he unearthed the potential within his body. He continually broke his own records, taking another step forward every day.

Whenever he collapsed and could no longer get up, Shi Yuan promptly brought Precious Medicine to replenish his physical strength and divine substances.

Later, he even dispatched his spirit body to hunt Fierce Beasts within the lands ruled by Martial King Manor, using their flesh and blood as Precious Medicine to restore Shi Yi's strength.

Through day after day of hellish tempering, Shi Yi never spoke a word of giving up. Instead, he persevered in silence, challenging the limits of his flesh with an almost obsessive determination.

Such perseverance won the wholehearted respect of Martial King Manor's members. In their minds, the labels attached to Shi Yi were no longer merely "ancient sage" and "born divine being."

His talent far surpassed theirs, yet he also worked harder than they did. How could they not admire him?

Time flowed on, and seven months passed in the blink of an eye. Shi Yi was about to turn five, and the time agreed upon with Demon Spirit Lake was drawing near.

Shi Yuan looked at the boy lying spread-eagled on the ground and reminded him, "Yi'er, we should go. The baptism at five is an extremely important transformation, one that concerns your future."

Shi Yi nodded. He was panting, his entire body aching. Just moments earlier, he had surpassed his limits once again, only to reach a new limit.

Then he struggled to his feet, ate the flesh-and-blood Precious Medicine Shi Yuan gave him, and began recovering his strength.

Once his strength had mostly recovered, Shi Yi sprang beneath the waterfall, washed himself, and changed into clean robes before leaving with Shi Yuan.

Seven months of hellish tempering, pushing the limits of the human body day and night-throughout this process, he had also diligently studied bone text, continually deepening his cultivation of the Blood Moving Realm. Shi Yi's progress exceeded all imagination. Judged by his destructive power, he had already entered the late Blood Moving Realm.