Next day Su Wen woke up at his usual time and did all his daily tasks of collecting ingredients, maintenance of the farm and herb garden. Concocted pills for Du Yue, then prepared breakfast for everyone.
Due Yue, sat on the dining table, had a rosy look on her face with her right eye had a new sparkle in them. She glanced at Su Wen and the small smile appeared on her face.
Su Wen sat in front of her, both of them having their usual Spiritvine herb tea. He looked at her and and ask softly, "How's your meridians now"?
Du Yue, after remembering yesterday's events blushed a little but managed to control her expression and said softly, "I am feeling a lot better, like I am set free of a cage."
Su Wen nodded, after all she couldn't circulate her Spiritual Qi in her body before, thus making her feel locked up like in a mortal body. He said, "Do not circulate too much Spiritual Qi in your meridians, let them heal first for at least a few days."
Du Yue nodded.
Su Wen continued, "Today, we will look into your body cultivation."
He paused, glanced at her, and asked, "Have you learned the Yin Jade Body Tempering technique?"
She nodded, though a faint flush of embarrassment touched her features. "I did study all the cultivation methods, but for some reason… I can only remember them up to the Sevenfold Body Refinement Realm. It's the same for Soul and Spirit Cultivation."
She hesitated before continuing softly, "No matter how hard I try, I can only recall one level above my current cultivation. I've read every technique in full, yet everything beyond that is veiled in mist. And after I finished reading them… the manuals simply crumbled into dust."
Her fingers curled slightly as nervousness crept in. She wasn't sure how to explain it… how it felt as if it were her own fault, not only forgetting, but somehow causing the books to disappear as well.
Noticing her unease, Su Wen immediately reassured her, "Don't worry. I think these techniques are too profound for you to fully remember at your current level, which is why they're hidden deep in your consciousness. Once you break through to the next realm, the rest of the techniques will reveal themselves."
Su Wen had taken two years to learn the intricacies of the cultivation techniques, mostly because he was a mortal at that time. But Du Yue was now at the peak of the Instinct Realm in Soul Cultivation, so it shouldn't be too hard for her to remember the technique, current Su Wen can do that in hours. However, practicing them was an entirely different matter.
Du Yue was stunned, then breathed a sigh of relief. 'I wonder how profound these cultivation techniques are, that we're not yet eligible to learn them fully.'
Su Wen continued, "The injuries in your body are the result of the Heavenly Tribulation, and your body is continuously fighting to heal them."
"Once your body heals, the Tribulation Laws act up, injuring the areas that have already healed. It's more like a punishment from the Heavens for failing the tribulation. To heal these injuries, I can give you a pain relief pill and counter the Heavenly Tribulation Laws with my Grade 2 Sword Intent. While it's basic, it's still part of the Dao of the Sword. The two Laws will cancel each other out, and then you'll just need to take healing pills to treat the injuries."
Du Yue nodded. Su Wen continued, "But for the body cultivation, instead of completely removing the Tribulation Laws from your body, we'll fight them with my sword intent. The idea is to push the Tribulation Laws back just enough to allow your body to heal, but in doing so, your body will become a battleground."
He paused for a second and glanced at her. "That's why I warned you… it will be painful. But this is the fastest method to achieve the Sevenfold Body Refinement."
"We'll heal the 'battlefield' until the Tribulation Laws recover and injure it again, then repeat the process. Eventually, your body will become strong enough that the Tribulation Laws won't have any effect on you. By that time, your body will have risen close to the Sevenfold Body Refinement Realm."
Du Yue was bewildered. Never in her life had she expected someone to use Heavenly Tribulation Laws as a body-refinement tool, treating them like some convenient whetstone. Maybe some extreme body cultivators had done similar things, but still… this wasn't something any sane person would willingly go through. It wasn't just painful, it required many days of enduring torture.
But one thing she was certain of…
'If he were in my place, he would do it without a second thought. H-He's a madman… but… I-I like it.'
A smile bloomed on her face, her right eye glowing with determination, without a hint of hesitation.
"When do we start?" she asked, smiling brightly.
Su Wen was stunned. 'Why is she smiling?! Did she finally lose her mind after hearing the process?'
He looked doubtful for a moment, but when he saw the unwavering determination in her right eye, he didn't comment further.
'This girl… why is she so unpredictable? But… she's really not bad', he mused inwardly as a helpless smile tugged at his lips.
Meanwhile, Grandma, Grandpa, and Little Sparrow sat on the other side of the table. After hearing the extremely painful explanation, their hearts tightened. They didn't want these children to face something so agonizing… yet when they saw those two smiling at each other like idiots…
Grandma couldn't hold back and whispered… only loud enough for the two to hear,
"Did… did I go too far yesterday? Look at them… after all that serious talk, they're still smiling at each other."
Grandpa nodded solemnly and sighed dramatically,
"Sigh! I always thought our grandson was insane for practicing all three cultivation paths… but I didn't expect our future granddaughter-in-law to be just like him."
Little Sparrow seized the chance and chirped proudly,
"–Chirp! Two insane, two lovers… the world faces consequences!"