Early the next morning, Qin Tiexin went to Zongmenfang City.
The recipe for medicinal bath Old Wu had been given to him a long time ago. It was written on a piece of yellowed paper. It was better than the recipe in "Basic Tempering Technique". Qin Tiexin asked each of the more than twenty medicinal materials above according to their names. After asking three shops, the prices were almost the same - a pair of medicines cost two yuan for low-grade medicine Spirit Stone.
He touched Spirit Stone in his arms. He got five yuan for the mission, and he had three yuan left before, which added up to exactly eight yuan.
"Four pairs." He poured all Spirit Stone on the counter.
The shopkeeper was a fat old man. He looked at Spirit Stone, then at Qin Tiexin: "Tempered bones?"
"Hmm."
"First quenching?"
"First time."
The fat old man didn't ask any more questions and turned around to grab medicine from the medicine cabinet. Each medicine he grabbed was weighed with a small scale and wrapped in yellow paper. Finally, he wrapped more than twenty paper bags and tied them into two large bundles with hemp rope.
"Go back and use a big pot, boil three bowls of water into one bowl, and mix it into a bathtub." The fat old man handed over the medicine, "The water needs to be hot and the water needs to be soaked to the point where it needs to be soaked for half an hour before the medicine can be fully absorbed."
Qin Tiexin nodded, took the medicine and left.
When he returned to his residence, he set up an iron pot and began to boil the medicine.
The medicine package was opened, and the medicinal materials inside were of different shapes: there were dark red blood clots, white rhinoplasty pieces, and the pungent gucaocao. He poured all the medicinal materials into the pot, added the dragon tendon vine, added six bowls of water, and started a fire.
The water gradually boiled, and the medicinal smell spread. It was pungent, bitter, and had a fishy smell similar to rust. The medicinal soup turned from clear to turbid, and finally boiled into a thick black slurry, bubbling in the pot.
Qin Tiexin poured the medicinal solution into the tub and added hot water. The water turned dark brown, with an oily-like medicinal film floating on the surface.
He took off his clothes and stepped into the tub.
The water was very hot and his skin immediately turned red. He slowly sank in until his entire body was immersed in the liquid.
At first it was just hot. After a few breaths, the medicinal power began to seep in.
It was like countless fine needles, piercing through the pores and drilling along the muscle fibers. First the limbs, and then spread to the trunk. When the power of the medicine converged on the spine, the feeling changed - it was no longer a needle prick, but like something was prying between the bones, trying to forcefully break each vertebra.
Acidity, numbness, swelling, and pain all mixed together.
Qin Tiexin He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and ran the magic spell. His spiritual power circulated in his body, trying to guide the power of the medicine. But the power of the medicine was too strong, like an out-of-control wild horse, rampaging through the meridians. He could only barely protect his heart and main organs, and the others were allowed to collide.
Half an hour is as long as half a day.
The water gradually cooled down, and the potency of the medicine gradually faded away. Qin Tiexin stood up from the bucket, his skin all red, like a cooked shrimp. There was still a soreness and numbness in his spine, but it was much better than before.
He dried his body, put on his clothes, and went out to the training square.
The physical training square is on the west side of Qinwu Peak. It is an open stone flat. The ground is paved with bluestone slabs and has been stepped smooth. Various equipment stands on the side of the field: stone locks, stone piers, barbells, and several special traction racks.
The frame was made of stone, with two upright columns and a thick wooden pole running across the middle. There were belts and a winch on the pole. Standing next to it was a shirtless strong man with a burn scar on his chest.
"Use a tractor?" the strong man asked.
Qin Tiexin nodded and handed over a piece of low-grade Spirit Stone.
The strong man took the Spirit Stone and pointed to the shelf. "Go up there and tie your shoulders and hips tightly."
Qin Tiexin climbed up the stone platform and put the belt on the shoulders and hips according to the instructions. The belt was very thick and lined with soft leather, but it still hurt after being tightened.
"First time?" the strong man asked.
"First time."
"Then be gentle first." The strong man walked to the winch and held the handle. "Be patient and don't move."
He began to turn the winch.
The belt tightens and the body is lifted upward. First the feet leave the ground, and then the entire weight of the person hangs on the shoulder straps and hip straps. The spine is stretched, and the joints make a subtle "crunching" sound.
It doesn't hurt, just tight.
The strong man continued to turn the winch.
The stretching force became stronger and stronger. Qin Tiexin felt that the spine was being pulled apart section by section, and the gaps between the vertebrae were widening. First there was soreness, then swelling, and finally a sharp pain - like an iron wire being stabbed from the tail vertebrae to the cervical vertebrae.
He bit the wooden stick he had prepared in advance.
Sweat seeped out from his forehead, flowed down his cheeks, and dripped on the stone platform.
"Ten breaths," said the strong man.
Qin Tiexin is counting in his mind: one, two, three...
Every breath was slow. The pain was getting worse, and his spine seemed to be broken. But he knew it wouldn't break - the frame was designed to be strong and would only stretch to the limit, not really break.
... eight, nine, ten.
The winch reversed and the body slowly fell.
When my feet stepped on the stone platform, my legs felt a little weak. The pain in my spine was still there, but it was lighter than before.
"Rest for five breaths," said the strong man, "And then do it a second time."
Qin Tiexin let go of the stick and took a big breath.
After five breaths, it was pulled up again.
The second time was more painful than the first. Because the stretching just now had already stretched the joints and ligaments to their limit, this time it was to apply more force to the limit.
Qin Tiexin bit the wooden stick tightly, leaving deep teeth marks on the wooden stick.
The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time.
After doing it five times, when he came down from the rack, his back was covered in sweat and his clothes were soaked. There was a burning pain in his spine and it was difficult to bend down.
"Come back tomorrow." The strong man said, "Pull continuously for ten days before the gap in the spine can be opened to allow the medicine to enter."
Qin Tiexin nodded and slowly walked down the stone platform.
Next is the malleus.
He walked to the corner of the square, where several people were beating each other. They were all naked, with bulging muscles and bruises all over their bodies. They were all seniors practicing physical training.
Qin Tiexin took off his shirt, revealing his muscular upper body. He was half a head taller than those people, and his shoulders were wider. His muscle lines were not as obvious as theirs, but they were thicker, as if they were wrapped in iron.
"New here?" a square-faced man asked.
"Hmm."
"Quenching where?"
"Sternum, ribs."
The square-faced man pointed at the two hammers on the ground. "You know the rules, right? Stand in a triangle. You hit me, I hit him, and he hits you. Control the force yourself, just don't hit the person to death."
Qin Tiexin nodded and picked up a hammer.
The head of the hammer is made of iron and the handle is made of hard wood. It weighs about fifty kilograms in his hand. It is not heavy for him, but it is just right for beating his body.
Three people stand in a triangle.
The man with a square face stood opposite Qin Tiexin, and another tall and thin man stood on the left side of Qin Tiexin.
"Start!"
The man with the square face moved first. He picked up the hammer and hit the tall and thin man on the chest.
"Bang!"
There was a muffled sound. The tall and thin man shook his body, and his chest immediately turned red.
The tall and thin man took a breath, turned around, and hit Qin Tiexin on the left chest with a hammer.
Qin Tiexin didn't move.
The hammer hit the sternum, and the force penetrated through. He could feel the bones vibrating, and slight cracks appeared on the surface - not real cracks, but "micro-cracks" needed for tempering the power of the medicine.
It's his turn.
He raised the hammer and looked at the square-faced man's chest. There were already several bruises there, left by previous beatings.
The hammer falls.
"Bang!"
The square-faced man took half a step back, lowered his head and glanced at his chest. "You can do it now. Come again!"
The three of them take turns, you hit me, I hit him, and he hit you.
The dull sound of the hammer echoed in the square. Other disciples who were practicing physical training occasionally looked over, then turned back to continue their training.
Qin Tiexin received more than a dozen blows. His chest, back, and sides of his ribs were all red, and some places were starting to turn blue and purple. But the hammer in his hand was always steady, and every time he dropped it, the force was controlled just enough to cause micro-cracks without actually breaking the bones.
The man with the square face gradually began to breathe heavily. The tall and thin man was even more unbearable, sweating profusely, and the hand holding the hammer was shaking.
Only Qin Tiexin, except that his face was a little pale, his breathing was still steady.
"Stop!" the square-faced man shouted.
The three of them stopped at the same time.
The square-faced man wiped his sweat and looked at Qin Tiexin: "Junior brother, your body... is really tough. Which peak are you from?"
"Common servant disciple."
"Common servant disciple?" The square-faced man was stunned, "The competition will be held in a month?"
"Hmm."
"What a little monster." The square-faced man nodded, "During the competition, let those 'ladies' who are doing Qi training see how good we are in body training. With your skills, you will have a place in the outer sect in the future."
Qin Tiexin said nothing, took out the ointment from his arms and began to apply it on the bruises.
The ointment is cooling and the burning pain is slightly relieved after applying it.
Take a break and continue.
This time, people changed. The square-faced man and the tall and thin man went to rest, and the other two came up. Qin Tiexin continues.
He received more than twenty blows.
There was almost no intact skin on his chest and back, and it was all blue and purple. But his hand holding the hammer was still steady, and every time he counterattacked, his force was still precise.
Until the sun sets in the west, there are gradually fewer people in the square.
Qin Tiexin put on his clothes. The clothes rubbed against bruises, which made him frown slightly in pain. He slowly walked back to his residence.
In the evening, he boiled medicine again and took a medicinal bath.
When the medicine penetrates, it hurts more than during the day. Because the bones were damaged today, the medicine acts directly on the micro-cracks, like pouring salt into the wound.
But he gritted his teeth and endured it.
After taking the medicinal bath, he took out the stone hammer.
This time I beat myself.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, pressed his left hand on his right chest and ribs, and raised a stone hammer with his right hand.
It is harder to hit yourself than to hit others. If the force is too light, it will be useless, but if the force is too strong, it may break the bones. He needs to find that critical point.
The first hammer fell gently.
"Pah."
The force is too light, only the skin and flesh hurt.
The second hammer is three points heavier.
"Bang."
This time it was enough. He could feel tiny cracks appearing on the surface of his ribs. They were shallow, but they were there.
One hammer, another hammer, and another hammer.
He was beaten from the chest to the back, from the ribs to the shoulder blades. Every bruise and every bone that needed to be tempered was carefully beaten with a stone hammer.
After doing this, when he lay down, his whole body seemed to fall apart.
But the body refining method was running, the spiritual power nourished the damaged bones, and the medicinal power penetrated into it. He could feel that the micro-cracks were healing, and the healed bones were denser and tougher than before.
Painful, but effective.
The next day, he continued.
Take a medicinal bath in the morning, go to the physical training square in the afternoon, and do some self-pounding exercises in the evening.
The third day, the fourth day... seven consecutive days.
On the afternoon of the seventh day, he stood in the weight-bearing area.
There are dozens of bluestone square weights here, ranging from small to large, ranging from one hundred kilograms to fifteen thousand kilograms. Each weight has grooves and can be placed on the head to temper the skull and spine.
Qin Tiexin starts with three thousand pounds.
He squatted down, held up the square weight with both hands, raised it above his head, and slowly placed it in the groove above his head.
The weight comes down.
Not suddenly, but slowly and continuously, from the skull through the cervical vertebrae to each vertebrae, then to the pelvis, to the legs.
He stood up straight.
The legs sank slightly, and the soles of the feet sunk half into the ground.
He started squatting.
Once, twice, three times...
The weight makes the movement slow. Every time you squat down, you need to exert force on your thighs and lower back at the same time. Every time you stand up, your spine has to bear an impact.
After doing twenty squats, he put down the weight and replaced it with a 4,000-pound weight.
Then five thousand catties, six thousand catties...
When he reached 8,000 pounds, he began to sweat on his forehead. It wasn't because he was tired, but because his skull was under too much pressure, and there was a slight "creep" sound coming from inside the skull, as if something was squeezing.
He continued.
Nine thousand catties, ten thousand catties.
When a 10,000-kilogram square weight pressed against his head, he felt cracks appear on the surface of his skull.
They are "micro-cracks" required for tempering. The cracks are very thin, like ice cracks on porcelain, and are distributed in various parts of the skull.
He took a deep breath and started walking.
One step, two steps, three steps...
With each step, the ground vibrates slightly. The weight is transferred from the head to the feet, and then to the ground through the soles of the feet.
After walking ten steps, he stopped. The crack in his skull was expanding. If he walked any further, it might actually crack.
He slowly squatted down, held the square weight with both hands, and took it off.
The moment he put down the weight, he staggered and almost lost his balance.
My head hurts so much, it feels like it's going to explode. The cracks in my skull are aching faintly, and it's throbbing with my heartbeat.
He sat on the ground and rested for a while.
Then he got up and changed into a 12,000-pound one.
This is his current limit.
When the square weight pressed against the top of his head, the crack in his skull expanded instantly. The pain became sharp, like an awl drilling into his brain.
He gritted his teeth and began to squat deeply.
The first one is very slow.
The second one is slower.
When he reached the fifth time, his vision began to turn black, his eardrums buzzed, and his breathing became heavy.
But he didn't stop.
The sixth, seventh...
After reaching the tenth time, he put down the weight and collapsed on the ground.
The cracks in the skull have spread all over the skull, like a fine network. It hurts, but it is also absorbing the power of the medicine - he can feel that the power of the medicine is seeping along the cracks and nourishing the inside of the bones.
At night, taking medicinal baths is particularly painful.
The medicine seeped into the cracks in his skull, like pouring hot oil into a wound. He bit the towel and gripped the edge of the bucket with both hands, his knuckles turning white.
Half an hour later, when he came out of the tub, his face was pale and his whole body was shaking.
But after lying down, the pain slowly subsided as the body-refining method was running. It was replaced by a numb and itchy feeling - the cracks were healing and the skull was becoming harder.
He reached out and touched his forehead.
Under the skin, the texture of the bones seems to have changed subtly. It is denser and smoother, like a polished Shitou.
The moonlight shines in outside the window, covering the ground with a layer of white frost.
Qin Tiexin Close your eyes.
There are still twenty days until the competition.