Chapter 6: Tempering
Wei stopped mid-circulation.
The compression cycles were working, but slowly. Twelve percent body tempering would not stabilize Jade Eyes. At this rate, it would take weeks.
He opened the system interface.
Body Tempering Progress: 12%
Required for Stable Ocular Channel Support: 40%
Recommended: Medicinal Assistance
He exhaled once.
He needed herbs.
Specific ones.
Ironwood Bark. Scarlet Root. Bone-Reinforcement Grass. Fire Lotus Resin.
Those were not stored in his residence.
There was only one place in the inner sect that would carry such materials without raising suspicion.
His aunt's apothecary courtyard.
He changed robes and left quietly.
The apothecary courtyard smelled of dried herbs and crushed leaves. Rows of bamboo racks lined the walls, scrolls and jars arranged with obsessive order.
His aunt, Madam Lian, stood over a bronze cauldron, grinding powder with slow precision.
She did not look up when he entered.
"You rarely visit unless you want something," she said.
Wei bowed slightly. "Aunt."
She glanced at him.
"You look thinner. Are you eating properly?"
"Yes."
She studied him a moment longer. "And why are you here?"
"I need tempering herbs."
Her grinding stopped.
"For meridian strengthening?"
"For body tempering."
She straightened fully now.
"Body tempering?"
"Yes."
Her brows drew together. "You are a Qi cultivator."
"I am aware."
"Then why are you wasting time strengthening muscle and bone? Your brother is already at Novice Fifteen. After yesterday's meeting, the sect sees him as stable and disciplined."
Wei remained quiet.
She continued, "And you—"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're trying to impress Mei Lian again, aren't you?"
"No."
She snorted softly. "Every time she distances herself, you try something drastic."
"That is no longer the case."
"You stopped accepting her pills. Everyone knows. Now you start body tempering? What is this, an attempt to appear rugged?"
Wei kept his tone level. "I am no longer interested in her."
His aunt gave him a flat look.
"You forget I raised you after your mother died. I know when you're lying."
"I'm not."
She stepped closer, studying his expression.
"You've been obsessed with that girl for years."
"I was."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"Was?"
"Yes."
A pause.
She searched for hesitation. Found none.
"Then why body tempering?"
"Because my foundation is weak."
She folded her arms.
"You've known that for years."
"And I ignored it for years."
Silence hung between them.
She walked back toward the herb shelves.
"Body tempering is painful."
"I know."
"You could damage yourself."
"I won't."
"You don't even have a proper manual."
"I don't need one."
She stopped.
"Explain."
Wei considered how much to say.
"I am adjusting Qi compression manually. Controlled cycles. Gradual expansion."
She turned slowly.
"That is inefficient and dangerous."
"It is deliberate."
She stared at him.
"You sound different."
He said nothing.
She exhaled.
"You understand that Zhao Rui is ahead of you because he follows structure. The Grandmaster publicly stabilized the sect for him yesterday. Perception matters."
Wei nodded once.
"I understand."
"And you think boiling yourself in herbs will fix perception?"
"I am not boiling myself for perception."
She held his gaze a few seconds longer.
Then she turned and began pulling jars from the shelves.
"Ironwood Bark," she muttered. "Scarlet Root. Fire Lotus Resin."
She placed them on the table.
"You will mix them in specific ratios."
She handed him a parchment.
"This creates a Muscle Tempering Decoction."
He read it quickly.
Correct proportions.
"You'll soak in it?"
"Yes."
"At moderate temperature."
Wei did not answer immediately.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Moderate temperature, Liang Wei."
"Yes."
She handed him a final pouch.
"Bone Reinforcement Grass. Add last."
He gathered the materials.
As he turned to leave, she spoke again.
"If you are truly done with Mei Lian, then stop reacting to her. Growth is quiet."
"I know."
"And stop trying to match Zhao Rui through shortcuts."
Wei paused.
"I'm not matching him."
He left before she could question further.
Back in his residence, he locked the door.
Lan Xue stood outside as usual.
"Do not allow interruption," he instructed.
She nodded.
He entered the bathing chamber.
Steam cauldrons were used occasionally for medicinal soaks. The stone tub was wide, reinforced with formation lines to prevent cracking under heat.
He poured water into the basin and began igniting the heating array.
The herbs were ground carefully and added in stages.
Ironwood Bark first.
Water darkened.
Scarlet Root dissolved next, tinting the liquid faint red.
Fire Lotus Resin melted slowly, releasing a sharp scent.
The water began to bubble.
He checked the temperature array.
100°C.
He added the Bone Reinforcement Grass.
Steam thickened.
The water darkened further.
150°C.
Most cultivators would stop there.
He adjusted the formation manually.
200°C.
Steam rolled across the ceiling.
He removed his robe.
250°C.
The surface of the liquid churned violently now.
300°C.
The stone beneath the tub glowed faintly from sustained heat.
He stepped forward.
Paused briefly.
Then stepped in.
Pain hit instantly.
Not burning flesh—Qi protected him—but deep, penetrating heat that reached into muscle layers.
He lowered himself completely into the bath.
His jaw tightened.
The system activated immediately.
Body Tempering Process Initiated
External Enhancement Detected
Current Temperature: 300°C
Warning: Severe Tissue Stress
Recommended Duration: 47 Minutes
Wei exhaled through his nose.
Forty-seven minutes.
He began circulating Qi outward rather than inward.
The decoction reacted.
Herbal energy forced itself into his pores.
His skin flushed red.
Muscle fibers contracted violently.
He maintained compression.
Pain intensified.
It felt as though his bones were being tapped with hammers from inside.
Body Tempering Progress: 18%
Five minutes passed.
Sweat evaporated instantly on contact with steam.
His breathing remained measured.
He focused on directing the herbal energy along peripheral meridians.
The liquid around him vibrated faintly.
Body Tempering Progress: 24%
Muscle Fiber Density Increasing
Micro-Fractures Forming (Controlled)
The sensation shifted from heat to pressure.
As though the bath were squeezing him.
He adjusted posture slightly.
The system pulsed.
Remain Submerged
Do Not Circulate Qi Inward
Maintain Peripheral Flow
At minute twenty, his arms trembled involuntarily.
He pressed them down against the stone edge.
Pain flared sharply along his ribs.
He did not rise.
Body Tempering Progress: 31%
At minute thirty, the decoction began thickening as herbs fully dissolved.
The scent became metallic.
His skin darkened slightly under the steam.
He checked the interface.
Seventeen minutes remaining.
His thigh muscles spasmed.
He forced them still.
Body Tempering Progress: 38%
Threshold for Ocular Support: Approaching
At minute forty, a sharp cracking sensation echoed through his shoulders.
Not bone fracture.
Compression realignment.
He gritted his teeth.
Steam roared around him.
Body Tempering Progress: 45%
Ocular Channel Support Achieved
He remained submerged for the final seven minutes.
No movement.
No retreat.
When the system timer reached zero—
Extraction Recommended
He rose from the bath.
Steam parted around him.
The liquid had darkened to near black.
He stepped out carefully.
His skin was no longer flushed red.
It carried a faint jade tint under the surface.
Not visible unless examined closely.
He sat cross-legged immediately and began internal circulation.
The herbal energy settled.
Merged.
Reinforced.
Body Tempering Complete: 52%
Physique Status: Reinforced Novice Tier
New Skill Unlocked
The interface shifted.
Jade Skin – Tier 1
Effect:
• Minor Physical Damage Reduction
• Enhanced External Qi Resistance
• Increased Heat Tolerance
Scaling: Dependent on Continued Tempering
Wei flexed his fingers.
His skin felt denser.
Not heavier.
Condensed.
He directed a small amount of Qi toward his brow center.
This time, it flowed smoothly.
No backlash.
He activated Jade Eyes briefly.
The room clarified instantly.
Meridian lines within his own arms appeared sharply defined.
The stone wall revealed faint Qi veins embedded within its structure.
He deactivated it calmly.
Outside, Lan Xue shifted slightly but did not knock.
No one in the sect knew what had occurred inside this chamber.
No one sensed the decoction.
The formation array had contained the heat and Qi surge.
Wei stood and dried himself.
The mirror reflected a subtle change.
Not dramatic.
But present.
He returned to the cultivation mat.
The system remained active.
Awaiting further input.
He began circulating Qi again—this time with greater stability through muscle and bone.
Jade Eyes remained dormant but accessible.
The path forward required continued tempering.
And refinement.
He closed his eyes and resumed structured breathing.