NOVEL NEXT 67: Expectations (III)
Since his regression, Muchen faced a lot of problems stemming from his weak body. Although a majority of those problems arose from his new spiritual root, it hindered his abilities a lot. But he couldn't deny the limits of his own flesh.
From the limit on his cultivation, even with Yae, to his body failing to keep up with the destructive techniques he used against Shu Huang. Muchen knew that if he didn't fix this issue soon, it would become the very bottleneck that would strangle him to a halt. A state where he wouldn't advance further, nor have the time to rebuild himself stronger.
Qi cultivation, even though it strengthened the body, didn't have it as the main goal. A person born with a high-ranking spiritual root would have a body and meridians capable of handling it; however, Muchen wasn't blessed enough.
To not reach such a cliff, he turned to the only method he knew that could help him at least bring his body up to par. A method that was once looked at as heretical. Created by the stubbornness of mankind, who refused to accept their limits because of something as superficial as talent. Crazed fanatics who pushed the limits of their body to supplement their lower cultivation talent and outlasted powerful opponents.
Muchen took a page out of the Body tempering cultivators of the past, the Asuras of the Iron Temple. A sect long buried in the river of time.
These cultivators studied nature. The qi beasts and spiritual herbs, they scrutinized every ounce of these species that broke out of their molds. Qi beasts and spiritual herbs all started as normal creatures; however, with a special way of living, they broke through the limits of their species and were born anew.
How was it that these creatures cultivated? They had no intelligence to read or memorize, they had no will to put effort, nor did they have time to chant mantras and practice forms.
So, how was it that they became stronger?
Cannibalism. The act of devouring one another till the last survivor. The law of the jungle had rewarded the perseverance and will to survive of these creatures.
These discoveries divided the Cultivation society into the Orthodox and Unorthodox cultivators as they are today. The latter started to use the method of cannibalism on fellow humans, feeding on the essence and gathering as much of it as they could, while the former refused to let such evil go by.
However, the Iron Temple found a different path.
A hundred Qi Beasts from a hundred different species from the lands, skies, and the seas. Ground and reduced with a mixture of a hundred spiritual herbs from a hundred different kinds, all condensed and refined with a formula that took a century to complete. Creating the Hundred-year elixir, a super-refined essence of the living.
I got the items at a lower price thanks to Gu Fe, but it still blew through ¼ of my yearly profit. Even with his immense funds, Muchen could only dry his eyes at the mountain of gold he had to use.
This extreme cost was the reason such a method wasn't sustainable for everyone. That's why the Iron Temple faded into obscurity. They only left behind their legacy, which Wang Yang happened to find while looking for a place to sleep in the southern wilderness.
Muchen, now submerged in that elixir, gritted his teeth. The fiery red liquid, as hot as magma bursting forth from the core of a volcano, surrounded him. The scathing burn had stripped his skin a dozen times in one day. Even with the elixir's creation, the sheer difference between beasts and humans made its use harder, excruciating.
However, he continued to absorb the boiling qi in the elixir and pumped it through his body. The scalding qi passed through his organs, muscles, tendons, bones, and skin, causing damage the entire way. Boils, holes, and burns appeared all inside him.
He paused in that moment and waited for the rampaging qi to settle down in his body before absorbing it into the parts it damaged and healing them using the new energy. Then he repeated the process all over again, tempering his body like a chunk of iron in a furnace. Heating it and molding it into his desired form with a hammer, giving himself impeccable hardness and strength.
Thanks to Chen Zhipeng's help, he didn't have to resurface for oxygen, nor did he have to worry about the container breaking open because of the toxic elixir. He could stay submerged for days and keep going forward single-mindedly.
Before Muchen's regression, he always struggled to stay in battle longer. His body couldn't handle the techniques he had, and the force alone ripped him apart if not for his stubbornness to stop. That inability to overcome his physical limits was the very reason for his demise.
Now, he had the chance to build himself up stronger. A stronger body that would withstand more pressure and allow him to stay in fights longer. Such a future was within his grasp now since the will had always been within him.
So, even if his lungs burned, even if his skin melted off, even if the heat made his stomach burst, even if his very blood boiled in his veins. Muchen didn't stop, not for a second.
To stop the sect from suffering, I have to go through this pain. As a mediocre cultivator, I have to go through suffering to get power beyond my destiny. This was Muchen's protest, a protest against the fate this world had imposed on his loved ones.
He had already mapped his physical body into his soul. No matter how grave the injuries would be, he'd only need time and pills to recover. He'd recover and become even stronger than before, more resilient than before. No matter the pain or pressure, he wouldn't break.
Each second felt like an hour, but Muchen persevered. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes flowed into hours. Before what seemed like an eternity, the oxygen in the pipe connected to his mouth stopped; it was a non-verbal cue.
Muchen climbed out of the transparent tank, his hands nothing but bones held together by Qi. The moment he landed on the ground, the cold air prickled into his exposed, steaming muscles.
With a burned scalp and half his face bare bones, his eye slipped out of the socket, but he put it back in. Even now, he didn't show a shred of pain on his still face.
"Man… you've seen better days." Zhipeng found Muchen's current look fascinating. Especially when he saw the way new flesh appeared one fiber at a time, forming his usual handsome face one layer at a time.
"Was I late?" Muchen's voice turned hoarse, nothing like the breezy, gentle tone he had. He didn't have the capacity to track time inside the elixir. All his mental power went into regenerating his body and circulating the rampant Qi around.
"You have enough time to make a dramatic entrance," Zhipeng smirked. Giving his friend a new set of special clothes that he prepared.
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Running his fingers through his now growing hair, already four inches long, Muchen looked at his belongings with a smile. Even if he had the pressure of making his plan succeed, not a hint of nervousness clouded his heart now. His body grew stronger. His realm was the 9th level of the Golden Core Realm. Only one step remained now.
It is time to enter the main stage. With extreme power bursting from his body like an untamed beast, Muchen exited the Chrysanthemum peak, piercing through the air like an unrelenting arrow.
***
Eastern Gate, Outer Sect City.
From the moment of sunrise, even before that, an undercurrent of excitement had flowed throughout the Azure Sky Sect's disciples. The day the young disciples left for the Eastern Martial Meet had arrived.
The city, bursting with vitality, welcomed the disciples with open arms. Stalls offered breakfast for free, weapon and pill shops ran heavy discounts, attracting many. With street performers doing auspicious dances and the disciples receiving a day off from training, a small-scale festival had sprung up in the Outer Sect city.
However, the disciples who would leave for the Eastern Martial Meet didn't have the luxury to enjoy this. They all gathered at the docking station on the eastern gate of the city. Among the towering white pillars and green stairs, dozens of wide ships of wood and metal floated in the air like they weighed nothing. Workers loaded and unloaded crates full of goods from the ships, while many people embarked on them to reach their destination. This resulted in a never-ending flow of ships entering and leaving the docking station in droves.
In front of a medium-sized ship on the southern side of the docking station, disciples for the Eastern Martial Meet gathered. And unlike most of them, Wang Yang hadn't seen a flying ship before. While his peers boarded the ship, engaging in excited chatter and youthful fervor, his eyes followed the path of every ship that flew into the clouds like a child encountering a bird for the first time.
"To think country bumkins like you had the honor of becoming a Peak Master's disciple. You must've used up the luck of seven lifetimes." Lie Feng flicked his hair with a disdainful look. "Wouldn't you agree, Miss Sun?"
"…" Sun Lingling, however, paid him no mind.
"I mean… I do feel like I am lucky to be here today." In her stead, Wang Yang answered the snide comment with honesty.
He knew his inadequacies more than anyone else. He knew how lucky he was to be in his position, but he planned to make good use of that luck.
"I'll become a cultivator worthy of my position or die trying." Wang Yang had worked hard and trained nonstop since the incident at Jade Pavilion. He understood how much his inability affected others around him.
"Well said, Brother Wang. Truly well said."
Wang Yang turned to look at the guy he had seen after the Sect trial. The fourth-place holder, Zhang Jun. A disciple of the Lotus Peak.
With short, shiny purple hair and sharp purple eyes, the young man walked up to the odd trio with a measured smile. But when Wang Yand didn't answer, he continued with a little bow.
Even if they joined the sect in the same year, Wang Yang was a disciple of a Peak Master while Zhang Jun's master was an elder in Lotus Peak. Even as new disciples, their standings were different.
"Apologies, I resonated with what you said so much that I forgot my manners. Should I address you as Senior Brother Wang?" Zhang Jun asked.
"No, no, just call me, Brother Wang. We are both new disciples, Brother Zhang." Wang Yang smiled; he wasn't too good at keeping up with formality as someone from the countryside.
"You are as easy-going as I've heard, Brother Wang." Zhang Yun smiled and slung his arm around Lie Feng. "Please forgive this fool, too; he is too passionate and often overdoes things."
"Jun, you shan't belittle my perfection with such drivel. Everything I do is perfection." Lei Feng crossed his arms, his face defiant. However, he didn't push Zhang Jun away.
"As you can see, Brother Wang, he is a complete idiot." Zhang Jun laughed before his voice took a serious tone. "But I have to warn you, Brother, please be careful on this trip."
"Why?" Wang Yang tilted his head.
"Just like this fool here, a lot of people will keep their eyes on you." Zhang Jun gestured towards the ship.
A group of five disciples, two from Lotus peak, one from Peach peak, and two from Sky peak. The third male and two females made an odd group; however, their eyes dug into Wang Yang. Scrutinizing his every move.
"You can already see the main team of Eastern Martial Meet locking onto you."
Unlike the disciples chosen from the Sect trial, the actual disciples chosen by the Sect Elders were all elite talents from the seven peaks.
Wang Yang followed his gaze and found another group of ten seniors, 6 men and four women. Their gaze wasn't as hostile as the first group. But so sharp that Sun Lingling wondered how Wang Yang had missed it until now.
"Wait! Is it because I was loud earlier?"
"No, it's because you are Peak Master Li's student." Zhang Jun smiled. "Truth is, they have all tried to become Peak Master Li's student, but failed like many others before them."
"Master is a bit too famous. But I guess I understand why they'd have a problem with me." A wry smile hung on his lips.
"Not just you, Brother Wang. The rumor is that some Foundation building realm disciples tried dueling with Senior sister Sun, but went back in shame. So, they can accept her since she is capable enough in their eyes." Zhang Jun glanced at the expressionless Sun Lingling; she didn't confirm or deny his words.
"But you don't have to worry, Brother Wang. Since Peak Master Li is leading the team, they won't try anything openly." He turned back to Wang Yang.
But before Wang Yang could express his relief, a burst of energy in human form landed right next to him.
"Junior Wang, it's good to see you made it!" Hao Chang burst forth from the cloud of dust and hugged him.
The scene, as simple as it looked, sent waves of emotion across everyone watching. Some of the seniors on the deck couldn't believe their eyes.
I heard they had gotten friendly on Wang Yang's ride to the Sect before. But I didn't know he got this close to Senior Hao. Zhang Jun had to re-evaluate his understanding of Wang Yang from that alone.
After all, a connection between Peak Master's direct disciples didn't form easily, even if the two had the same status. It was akin to keeping two swords in one scabbard.
"Senior Sister Hao, what are you doing here?" Happy to see her, Wang Yang also smiled.
"I am the leader of the disciples for this Martial Meet, aren't I amazing? Tell me I am amazing!" Hao Chang puffed up her abundant chest with a proud smile. Her bubbly nature, the sheer opposite of the other seniors who glared at Wang Yang before.
"It's a shame Kexin couldn't join. I wanted to discuss the eighth volume of 'The Valleys Where Two Paths Meet' with her." She said, holding the new release of the series in her hand.
"Master made me read this one; it was so good."
"Right! I couldn't sleep after that last cliff hanger, but it was worth waiting!"
As Hao Chang and Wang Yang dived deep into the novel, Huang Bai watched the young disciples from a distance, blending into the workers of the flying ships. The hubbub reminded her of the old days when they would cause a ruckus right before journeys with their Master. However, her eyes searched for the main source of trouble in her mind these days, but the man wasn't there.
Three incense sticks' time passed over the appointed time, yet he didn't arrive. Li Muchen, her senior brother, had always made a point to be punctual. In the years she had known him, he had never been late.
All disciples had boarded the flying ship, ready to leave for the Eastern Martial Meet. In their mind, the elders and Li Muchen might already be inside. So, they kept to themselves as the ship rose in elevation.
When the ship approached 3 kilometers in altitude, a shadow landed on the deck. The flapping silk robe and uncombed hair flowed with the wind; his style didn't match the calm and collected demeanor Huang Bai knew. But what surprised her the most was the aura around him.
"Apologies, I lost track of time while cultivating."
The bloody, crimson aura clung to the air and oppressed everyone on board. Huang Bai had only seen such an aura around her second senior brother, Hua Jiahao, when he came back after slaughtering thousands of Qi beasts.
The last place she expected it to be was around Li Muchen.
What happened to you, Brother?