In the Qi Refining Stage, a wisp of immortal energy begins within the body, starting from a single breath and culminating when the body's meridians are completely saturated with it.
The Body Tempering Stage, conversely, is about using Dharma Power to transform one's physical self; it is a crucial step in a mortal’s transition toward becoming an immortal. An immortal body is fundamentally different from a mortal one; without altering the vessel, how can one achieve true immortality?
Lu Yuan was currently heading towards Master Yuanyuan’s Hall of Tranquility and Moderation. His Martial Uncle Yuanyuan had summoned him, and he intended to go. As he walked, he faintly sensed that the Dharma Power within his body was on the verge of another significant shift. After entering the Body Tempering Stage, the power had already begun surging through every part of him, granting him the ability to fly. The next progression in the Body Tempering Stage, the second level, ought to involve the Five Zang Organs and Six Fu Organs.
The Qi Refining Stage has ten layers, each with its distinct characteristics.
Likewise, the Body Tempering Stage also has ten layers, each defined by unique traits.
The ten layers of Body Tempering: the first is Qi Control to Leave the Void; the second, Refining the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs; the third, Essence of Sun and Moon; the fourth, Tempering the Blood; the fifth, Vital Essence Blood; the sixth, Skin and Bone Forging; the seventh, Hammering the Brain; the eighth, Sword Control to Traverse the Sky; the ninth, Residual Body Rebirth; and the tenth, Great Perfection. The first layer, Qi Control to Leave the Void, is achieved when Dharma Power floods the body, enabling flight. The second layer, Refining the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs, involves solidifying these vital organs with Dharma Power, rendering them exceptionally robust. The five Zang organs are the most crucial components of the human body; once they are exceptionally strong, the ability to inhale and exhale Dharma Power also becomes far more potent.
When cultivators absorb the Dharma Power of the heavens and earth, the strength of the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs is paramount.
Simply put, if one could originally ingest a fixed amount of Dharma Power per breath, refining the organs would allow the intake to triple, which is immensely beneficial for Dharma Power cultivation.
In truth, among the ten layers of Body Tempering, several are utterly critical.
The first layer, Qi Control to Leave the Void, is key because it grants flight.
The third layer, Essence of Sun and Moon, is equally vital. Once this is condensed, the cultivator absorbs the pure essence of the sun and moon, elevating the quality of their Dharma Power far beyond what it was before.
The fifth layer, Vital Essence Blood, is the milestone that allows a cultivator to forge their own flying sword.
The sixth layer, Skin and Bone Forging, hardens the entire body immensely, granting a massive boost to defense.
The eighth layer, Sword Control to Traverse the Sky, is incomparably powerful. Reaching this level allows one to truly command their sword against enemies, capable of striking foes ten or even a hundred miles away—a truly astonishing level of might.
The ninth layer, Residual Body Rebirth, is an almost unbelievable ability where, if a part of the body is destroyed, it can be regenerated by expending a vast amount of Dharma Power.
To summarize, the Body Tempering Stage has six particularly crucial and important layers: the first, third, fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth.
Naturally, the most crucial of all remains the eighth layer, Sword Control to Traverse the Sky.
Once Sword Control to Traverse the Sky is achieved, the cultivator is entirely different from before.
But enough digression; let us cease detailing the differences between the ten layers of Body Tempering.
For now, he vaguely felt that he was ready to attempt breaking through to the second layer of the Body Tempering Stage. His normal cultivation speed certainly wasn't this fast. Reaching the second layer of Body Tempering so quickly was all thanks to Yunhu; the massive Cloud Beast prize from the final Five Peaks Competition was truly too powerful.
The Cloud Qi intake of a single Cloud Beast alone equaled that of four Cloud Cats, and its overall spiritual energy contribution was four to five times that of the four Cloud Cats combined, accelerating his Dharma Power cultivation speed to five or six times his original rate.
This Cloud Beast had made his cultivation progress astonishingly swift.
Thus, after three months of dedicated practice, his Dharma Power finally reached the threshold for advancement.
Taking a deep breath, he directed his Dharma Power to surge toward the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs.
This breakthrough wasn't exactly easy. Before being tempered, the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs are quite fragile; one misstep could cause them to rupture. Therefore, other cultivators approach this stage with extreme caution. However, this wasn't a major obstacle for Cloud-attribute cultivators, as Cloud-attribute Dharma Power is characterized by its immense gentleness when required.
The primary weakness of Cloud-attribute Dharma Power is its relative lack of direct combat strength.
Fortunately, he practiced the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations, which remedied these deficiencies.
Casting aside all distracting thoughts, he slowly began to impact the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs.
The Five Zang are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys; the Six Fu are the small intestine, gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, and bladder. At this moment, his Dharma Power was gradually seeping into these organs.
“Ah!” Lu Yuan, seated cross-legged, let out a long roar toward the sky. A plume of foul air jetted from his mouth, shooting straight up until it stopped a full ten feet above the ground. Immediately, he felt that all his Five Zang and Six Fu Organs had become extraordinarily powerful, purged of every last impurity.
Before birth, the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs are entirely pristine.
Once born, they constantly absorb noxious air day and night, accumulating impurities within the body, which is the source of all manner of illness.
Only by reaching the second layer of Body Tempering can one completely expel all the accumulated foul air. Simultaneously, the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs become astonishingly potent, allowing for a deep and far-reaching absorption of Dharma Power, far exceeding their previous capacity.
Lu Yuan understood that he had finally reached the second layer of Body Tempering: Refining the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs.
At that moment, a chorus of sharp inhalations could be heard near Lu Yuan.
As mentioned earlier, Lu Yuan was on his way to Master Yuanyuan’s Hall of Tranquility and Moderation when he felt the urge to break through. Breakthrough sensations must never be suppressed, lest the feeling vanishes before one can advance. Therefore, after laying down a simple defensive barrier nearby, he began the process.
The result was this mighty roar reaching the sky, the foul breath rocketing ten feet high before dissipating.
Several elders happened to be passing by. While their Dharma Power might not match that of the renowned Sword Immortals of the Ninth Generation, most were no weaker than Lu Yuan and were likely also in the Body Tempering Stage. Seeing Lu Yuan about to break through, some paused to observe. Then, witnessing the mighty roar and the forceful expulsion of noxious air, these elders were visibly astonished.
They were stunned at how quickly he had reached the second layer of Body Tempering! Each of them had endured immense hardship to advance from the first to the second layer, with the fastest taking around ten years. Yet, Lu Yuan, who had only just entered the Body Tempering Stage during the last Five Peaks Competition, reached the second layer in just three months. His rate of Dharma Power breakthrough was simply terrifying.
Lu Yuan, the foremost true disciple of the Tenth Generation of North Peak, truly lived up to his reputation.
Before the Five Peaks Competition, although Lu Yuan was well-known, Yun Yi and Yun Ping had established their fame long before, leading many to believe the latter pair were stronger. This competition cemented Lu Yuan's status as the primary true disciple of North Peak. If not for Lu Yuan’s naturally indolent disposition, many more people would likely have sought to align themselves under his banner by now.
Of course, even those considering pledging allegiance to Lu Yuan would have to factor in Sima Changbai.
If Lu Yuan was an eaglet testing its wings, Sima Changbai was a great eagle dominating the sky. Even now, the gap between Lu Yuan and Sima Changbai remained vast.
Tidying himself up, Lu Yuan strapped on his Yangwu Sword and Changhong Sword, tossed the spirit stone sealing tablets into his Asura Pouch, grabbed a wine gourd, and departed the mountain with characteristic swagger.
Mount Hua was quickly left behind.
The destination for this trip was the Five Immortals Alliance. He was going there for actual training and experience.
While he worried about his Master’s health, he couldn't help it; the stronger he became, the more peace of mind his Master would have regarding his safety. Lu Yuan had always been someone who let go of worries easily, and after descending the mountain, he cast those concerns aside.
Clutching the wine gourd, he took long draughts. He would fly for a while until his Dharma Power was depleted, then walk for a time, living a life of utter ease. Although his official destination was to report to the Five Immortals Alliance for trials, since the route passed through East Dao Prefecture's Dongye County, he decided to visit his old home first—which was naturally Donglin Town.
This visit to Donglin Town brought an unexpected encounter.
Simply put, he ran into a childhood friend.
Lu Yuan had been a king among the local children when they were young, and there was only one other such king in Donglin Town: Meng Bai. Despite his refined name, Meng Bai was just as much of a troublemaker as Lu Yuan back then. Peeping at bathing women, stealing fruit—wherever Lu Yuan went, Meng Bai was close behind.
The two child kings dominated Donglin Town ten years ago. When these two acted up, the entire town’s youth followed suit, causing headaches for every household.
Running into his childhood friend Meng Bai wasn't the surprising part. The surprise was that a year after Meng Bai encountered his own immortal fate, he also gained an immortal opportunity and became a true disciple in Wuling Immortal Sect, a mid-tier cultivation sect. Moreover, Meng Bai was also heading to the Five Immortals Alliance for training this time—the Alliance accepted numerous disciples annually, including those from the Five Great Immortal Sects as well as many smaller and medium-sized ones.
Since they were both heading to the Five Immortals Alliance and were old friends, they naturally decided to travel together.
Meng Bai had the appearance of a pale scholar. Seeing him, Lu Yuan could only sigh: the former child king had turned into a pretty boy, which was rather melancholy to witness.
“Brother, which immortal sect did you join?” Meng Bai asked. He had just introduced himself as the Fifth True Disciple of the Wuling Immortal Sect, and also the personal true disciple of the Wuling Sect Master.
“Mount Hua Immortal Sect,” Lu Yuan replied casually.
“The most powerful of the Five Great Immortal Sects.” Meng Bai was momentarily stunned. “It’s great just being an ordinary disciple in the strongest of the Five Great Sects, Mount Hua…” He patted Lu Yuan’s shoulder. He had never imagined Lu Yuan was a true disciple of Mount Hua Immortal Sect. True disciples of Mount Hua were extraordinary; it was something he couldn’t have even dreamed of.
“Don't worry, when we get back there, I’ll look out for you. That’s what sworn brothers are for,” Meng Bai joked cheerfully.
This nearly brought tears to Lu Yuan’s eyes. He was at the second layer of Body Tempering; needing protection from Meng Bai, who was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, felt utterly humiliating.
Meng Bai was the personal true disciple of the Wuling Immortal Sect Master, so reaching the seventh layer of Qi Refining after over eight years of cultivation was quite normal. Although his mid-tier sect couldn't compare to Mount Hua, as the Sect Master’s disciple, the resources he received were certainly no less than what Ye Fang and Ye Yuan received—both of whom were currently at the seventh layer of Qi Refining as well.