A Song For The Ages

Feiyin settled into a rhythm that soon became his new routine. Each day in the giants' valley started with him heading toward the Heavy Mountain. The towering peak loomed like a silent teacher, and every step he took upon its steep slopes pressed down on his body, mind, and essence qi.

Where once he had struggled to reach past two thousand meters, his body was now gradually adapting. He could feel his muscles hardening like steel tempered in a forge, his bones gaining a density that vibrated with endurance, and even his qi nexuses seemed steadier under the crushing suppression, while his yin refining picked up the pace, reaching beyond 80%.

He was not always alone in this effort, since Darak, the young clan leader, often joined him. With a competitive grin, Darak pushed his own massive boulder higher each day, spurred on by the strengthening effect of the runic pills Feiyin refined for training. The two of them sometimes exchanged a few words of challenge or encouragement, and though their physiques were vastly different in scale, they both relished the climb, each day trying to surpass their own limits side by side.

In the evening, Feiyin devoted himself to alchemy. The giants had provided him with ingredients both familiar and strange, some of which he only ever saw in the records- giant roots that thrummed with vitality, crystalline ores with elemental attributes, and beast blood essences harvested from various tiered creatures raised by the clan. He combined these with his own refined methods to create runic pills.

Unlike before, when he worked alone under secrecy, here he could lean into the process without fear of disturbance, using the resonance of his oscillation sense and his musical intent to bring the ingredients into harmony. The patterned glow that emerged from the pills was proof of success, and he knew that each pellet could shift the path of a cultivator, deepening their foundations beyond the ordinary.

And there was another benefit: alchemy was never a one‑to‑one exchange. For every pill refined for the giants, ingredients were provided in multiples, and with his steady hands he could usually produce two pills from each batch. One went to the clan as part of his bargain, while the surplus he quietly kept, stockpiling precious runic medicine for himself and his companions. It was part of the hidden trade of alchemy, one that he had no reason to refuse.

Not content to simply refine, Feiyin also took some of the pills himself. He swallowed a handful of body-nurturing runic pellets before resuming training at the mountain, and the effect was immediate. His blood circulated faster, his breath steadier, and his muscles repaired themselves quicker than before. It was as though the mountain and the pills were echoing each other, each amplifying the gains of the other, pushing his training pace into overdrive. His endurance climbed. His constitution deepened. He felt that every day stretched his limits further than the last.

Still, he did not forget those waiting for him outside. After a few days, Feiyin left the secret valley and step out of the realm, finding a quiet ridge where he could activate his communication jade. He spoke with his parents, his voice soft but filled with certainty, telling them not to worry. "I will be training a little longer," he said, "but every day here counts. When I return, I'll be stronger- and better equiped to help us all." Though his parents' voices were tinged with concern, he could sense their pride. The brief exchange steadied his heart, giving him strength to continue.

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But instead of only pushing his body and refining pills, he also turned his attention toward knowledge. The clan had granted him access to their archives, a privilege rarely extended to outsiders. The archive was housed in a monumental hall of stone, its shelves carved into the walls and filled with tablets, scrolls, and records that radiated age. Giants had preserved their history not merely in words, but in engravings, murals, and artifacts that vibrated faintly with essence. The place was a treasury of wisdom.

As Feiyin walked between towering shelves, he ran his hand over a stone tablet inscribed with the saga of an ancestor who could lift mountains. Another scroll described the clan's connection to the world: how their bloodlines tied them not only to strength but to the currents of essence itself. Their race believed that the body was the truest vessel of power, and they sought to make their flesh resonate with the rhythm of the world.

He also discovered texts on their most known innate ability- Gigantification. Depending on their alignment with the world, a giant could double in size, or in rare cases grow more than tenfold, their might swelling with each increase. This ability was the reason some giants were depicted to be the size of mountains while all of the giants he currently met were roughly twice his size. But even with its innate nature, this ability required specific training to be able to master it while also requiring enough essence qi and stamina to maintain, which explained why the giants did not always have it active.

The records claimed the body was a treasure trove waiting to be unearthed, built upon the eight natural elements coursing within them. Through relentless refinement, some giants formed patterns on their flesh, and in the most extraordinary cases, with only two recorded in their clan heyday, complete innate runes that condensed their body's potential into power.

The revelation left Feiyin shocked. It was an idea he had once toyed with when reading about the spiritual eye technique that carved sigils within the iris, but had set aside in the rush of cultivation. Now, seeing its feasibility in practice reignited his excitement- this path of body and essence, rune and intent, felt in line with his own strength.

'This is clearly what I have been pursuing- the completion of all eight elements, to be able to play the song of the world, which has reshaped my essence qi and even refined my body. Yet here is another path, one which pursue the completion of the natural elements through the body, excavating all the potential from within to birth runes.'

Sitting cross-legged before a mural of a giant ancestor the size of a mountain who had reached the Astral Chakra Realm, Feiyin closed his eyes. He felt the threads of what he had learned weaving together. "They temper their flesh to be one with the world," he thought. "I temper essence qi to mirror the world. Perhaps… The two paths are not so different."

Feiyin rose, eyes shining with resolve. His time with the giants was not just forging his body, but refining his path.