After swallowing a Body Tempering Pill, Lin Xiye sat cross-legged on the ground and began circulating the spiritual power within him according to the first volume of the Scarlet Flame Dao Scripture.
In the four Body Tempering realms, one used Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to temper the body, from the skin to the organs. Once the physical body returned to its innate state, one could step into the Spirit Nourishing Realm.
Time passed, and night gradually fell.
Even before killing the Zhao Household's Third Elder, Lin Xiye had already shown signs of an impending breakthrough.
Now, as Lin Xiye breathed in and out, his presence continued to rise.
With the Body Tempering Pills' medicinal effects and the boost from his Profound-grade Spirit Root, Lin Xiye broke through to Bone Refining Realm Perfection in just two days.
"Phew..."
After breaking through to Bone Refining Realm Perfection, Lin Xiye slowly opened his eyes.
After his consumption over the past two days, only twenty pills remained from the eleven bottles of Body Tempering Pills he had on hand. Each bottle had contained six pills.
Looking at the twenty remaining Spirit Tempering Pills, a flash of determination appeared in Lin Xiye's eyes.
He was only half a step away from breaking through to the Organ Refining Realm.
Several days had passed since he killed the Zhao Household's Third Elder.
The Zhao Household could attack at any moment.
Every bit of strength he gained would give him more confidence when facing the Zhao Household.
Lin Xiye grabbed all the Body Tempering Pills and swallowed them at once.
After taking Body Tempering Pills continuously over the past few days, Lin Xiye's body had gradually developed a resistance to them.
No matter the pill, its effects would grow weaker and weaker if taken over a long period...
And as one's strength increased, some low-level pills would lose their effect altogether.
Take these Body Tempering Pills, for example. Even after being enhanced to the supreme grade by the Immortal-Appraising Treasure Mirror... even supreme-grade Body Tempering Pills had no effect on Spirit Nourishing cultivators who took them.
As the twenty Body Tempering Pills entered his stomach, their immense medicinal power immediately dissolved within Lin Xiye's body.
Advancing to the Organ Refining Realm was several times more painful than advancing to the Bone Refining Realm.
All five organs shattered, then were reforged.
Lin Xiye squeezed his eyes shut as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
The five organs within him began to shatter and disintegrate... That extreme pain surpassed every torture in the world.
Only an unshakable will could carry him through.
The four Body Tempering realms were Skin Refining, Blood Refining, Bone Refining, and Organ Refining... Every step forward was accompanied by pain; every step forward was a test of one's Dao heart.
After another three days, the pain within Lin Xiye slowly receded.
His five organs had been reforged.
"Early Organ Refining... achieved!!"
Feeling the transformation within himself, Lin Xiye was in a very good mood.
In the Organ Refining Realm, one's lifespan reached 160 years.
Although Lin Xiye was already 110 years old, he still had another fifty years to live.
More importantly, after breaking through to the Organ Refining Realm, his strength had increased dozens of times over.
In the Bone Refining Realm, even striking with all his might, he could unleash at most a million jin of force.
In the Organ Refining Realm, a mere swing of one arm could unleash a tremendous force of ten million jin! (Note: 1 tonne = 2,000 jin; 10 million jin = 5,000 tonnes!)
After successfully advancing to the Early Organ Refining Realm, Lin Xiye slowly rose from the ground and stopped cultivating.
Since leaving the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect and returning to his lineage, Lin Xiye had advanced through the realms too quickly.
So he needed to spend some time consolidating his cultivation.
If he continued cultivating, his foundation could very well become unstable, which might even affect his immortal path in the future.
The path of cultivation required steady progress, step by step. Blindly pursuing speed would ultimately cost more than it gained.
After ending his cultivation, Lin Xiye took the three volumes of Organ Refining Realm cultivation methods gifted to him by the Azure Shore Pavilion's shopkeeper and leisurely left the secret chamber.
After being upgraded and enhanced by the Immortal-Appraising Treasure Mirror, all three volumes of Organ Refining Realm cultivation methods had reached the Foundation Establishment level.
Although Lin Xiye primarily cultivated the Scarlet Flame Dao Scripture, reading other cultivation methods would also help his cultivation.
As the saying went, in seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao, all methods led to the same truth.
One of the three volumes was a beast-taming method called the Myriad Beasts Scripture!
One was a water-path method called the Water Melody Art!
The final volume was a sword-path method called the Lesser Five Elements Sword Technique!
The one that interested Lin Xiye most was the Lesser Five Elements Sword Technique! After breaking through to the Spirit Nourishing Realm, he could practice this cultivation method a little.
Once mastered, this technique could be considered unrivaled among those at the same level in the Foundation Establishment Realm!!
However, the sword path was difficult to cultivate. It required not only perseverance and comprehension, but also some fortuitous opportunities and good fortune...
Just as Lin Xiye lay in a grand preceptor's chair, eagerly reading the Lesser Five Elements Sword Technique, a flustered figure suddenly appeared outside his courtyard.
"Ancestor, something terrible has happened."
"A sentry reports that thirty li away, a force of nearly twenty thousand is approaching Qiao Town."
"Among them are the Zhao Household's armored guards and forces from several towns around Zichuan City..."
"They're coming for our Lin Household."
The figure was none other than Lin Changge. His voice was urgent, and he was even more panicked inside.
Ever since Lin Xiye had killed the Zhao Household's Third Elder, Lin Changge had been plagued by worry. Over the past few days, the mental strain had been so great that he had grown noticeably thinner...
Over the past few days, faced with the pressure from the Zhao Household, Lin Changge had made all kinds of preparations, such as sending some of the clan members away in advance and intensifying the armored guards' training.
But when truly faced with the entire Zhao Household, he still could not remain calm.
For hundreds of years, the Zhao Household had been the hegemon within a thousand li of Zichuan City. Other forces had tried to challenge its position, but in the end, they had all vanished like smoke and clouds... Their entire households had been wiped out.
"The Zhao Household has finally come?"
Hearing Lin Changge's report, Lin Xiye remained calm and composed.
While breaking through to the Organ Refining Realm, Lin Xiye had prepared himself for an attack from the Zhao Household.
Lin Xiye had originally thought he would likely have to abandon his breakthrough midway and deal with the Zhao Household first! Yet he had never imagined... that even after he had successfully broken through, the Zhao Household still had not arrived at Qiao Town.
But on second thought, it was not so strange.
The Zhao Household had always acted cautiously! Whenever it suffered a setback against an enemy, no matter how weak that opponent appeared, it would gather the strength of the entire clan, mobilize all its resources, and strike with everything it had to annihilate them.
"I understand..."
"As the clan leader, what kind of behavior is this, running around in a panic?"
"As for the Zhao Household, I will take care of them myself."
"Go and reassure the clan members and maintain order in Qiao Town..."
"You may leave. Do not disappoint me."
Lin Xiye slowly rose from the grand preceptor's chair and replied calmly to Lin Changge outside the courtyard.
As he spoke, Lin Xiye took a light step. His entire body became an afterimage, and he drifted out of Qiao Town.
Meanwhile...
Thirty li from Qiao Town, a vast, imposing force crossed mountains and rivers, rapidly approaching the town.
The force consisted of five hundred heavy cavalry, five thousand elite armored guards, and over ten thousand ordinary armored guards.
The Zhao Household's banners fluttered, and its convoy stretched on without end. Many mountain folk in the villages and hamlets who saw the sight trembled with fear and unease...