Chapter 53: Body-Tempering Effects Cause Concern

After making the adjustments, Qin Anyu felt that the gains were even greater than those by the riverbank.

By performing the movements more slowly, the pain was significantly reduced; by pushing the execution to the absolute extreme, the associated tendons, bones, skin, membranes, flesh, and internal organs received a far more thorough workout.

"I have no idea how our ancestors practiced this in the past, but later generations simply followed suit. It seems that the true teachings are gradually losing their fidelity, and eventually, no one will be able to cultivate this technique anymore."

Such was his belief, yet he failed to realize that it was his own undue haste that had previously left them all limp and powerless.

Nevertheless, this method was undeniably time-consuming—a sentiment shared by Qin Youqin and the other two as well.

By the time he reached the fifth posture and found himself unable to proceed any further, the two pots of medicinal soup were fully brewed.

Qin Lingxue said, "Eldest Brother, the medicinal soup is ready and can be used now."

Her next sentence was: "Eldest Brother, moving so slowly, will it actually have any effect?"

Qin Ganxi took the opportunity to conclude his stance. "Experience the key points I explained slowly, and you'll know whether it works or not."

Although his entire body ached at the moment, beneath the pain lay a warm sensation, indicating that the effects were exceptionally good.

After finishing a bowl of Tongtian Soup, he immersed his entire body into the Piercing-Marrow Ointment.

Amidst enduring various kinds of agony, he faintly heard the wails of Qin Wushuang echoing like a ghost.

Qin Wushuang had been the first to agree to add a spoonful of the Piercing-Marrow Ointment to his body-tempering soup, so he must be feeling the torment now.

Instead of going out to watch the spectacle, Qin Anyu circulated his cultivation technique, quietly observing the changes within his body while casting all the pain entirely out of mind, as if the one suffering was not him, but someone else.

Back when he was cleaving his soul, he had done the exact same thing. The ultimate source of this method was the ancestor, who had handled it precisely in this manner, stating that this "breaks the mold and tears down the fences, allowing for a clearer understanding of oneself." Facts had proven this true: his soul-cleaving speed had been faster, and his self-awareness deeper than anyone else's.

It was simply a pity that he later discovered his physical body was somewhat weak, and by the time he wished to remedy it, it was already too late. He had been forced to undergo the divine tribulation in an attempt to follow in the ancestor's footsteps, only to nearly be reduced to ashes, managing to survive and continue his existence only by entering this clumsy, mediocre vessel.

In less than an hour, Qin Anyu emerged from the clear "medicinal soup" with a look of utter gloom on his face.

The effects of this body-tempering session fell far short of expectations, successfully stimulating and clearing only three meridians and two acupoints. The efficacy was less than thirty percent of the previous time, and the activation rate of his bodily cells was a mere ten percent compared to before.

"The ox-tendon grass is insufficient, the bone-covering sinew is entirely absent, the grade of the ores is too low and the varieties are far too few, and the types and grades of the medicinal herbs are likewise too low. I cannot rely on the existing inventory to improve; I must find new herbs and ores. This plane is still far too low-level. That senior predecessor also possessed a mediocre vessel, but obtaining medicinal herbs and ores was comparatively easier, which is why he was able to advance to Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment before his lifespan expired."

"Eldest Young Master (Eldest Brother), what is wrong?"

Seeing his desolate appearance upon coming out, Qin Youqin and Qin Lingxue asked in unison.

He swiftly banished these negative thoughts from his mind and forced a smile. "The effect wasn't as good as before, so I'm a bit disappointed."

Glancing back toward the other room, he asked, "Hasn't Wushuang come out yet?"

Qin Lingxue smiled and replied, "He couldn't bear it at first, came right back out after going in, but seeing that you still hadn't come out, he went back in again. After going back and forth like that a few times, he finally settled down."

Qin Anyu remarked, "Doing that diminishes the medicinal efficacy; you'd best not follow his example. If possible, try to view your body as someone else's, treating yourself merely as an onlooker observing your body's changes from an outsider's perspective."

As soon as he said this, it dawned on him that the level of cultivation here was far too low, lacking systematic cultivation methods and advanced cultivation philosophies. Thus, certain cultivation mindsets and approaches that he considered "only natural" were completely unheard of in this place.

If that was the case, he would need to communicate with them more frequently in the future and impart some systematic cultivation methods to them.

Only, doing so would make him even more exhausted.

Still, there was no help for it; their cultivation talent was exceptional, and they were very close to him. A little extra fatigue was a small price to pay.

With him out, the two women began brewing their own medicinal soup and subsequently performed the postures of the *Nine Transformations Body Technique*.

Paying them no mind, Qin Anyu picked up the blunt sword and began to fiercely pound his own body with it, hammering from his head down to his feet, and then from his feet back up to his head. He beat his front, then his back, and then his back again before returning to his front. In short, he spared not a single pore or a single patch of skin on his body.

For a time, dull thuds and resounding whacks echoed throughout the hall.

Seeing him subject himself to such brutal self-inflicted torment, expressions of worry involuntarily surfaced in the eyes of the two women, causing their postures to falter slightly. However, determination quickly reclaimed their gaze, and they ceased paying attention to him, focusing entirely on their own movements and experiencing the effects brought by each posture.

Only then did he realize that cultivating a mediocre vessel was even more arduous than his ancestor's body-tempering methods. The ancestor used to claim that body-tempering required "courting hardship," but cultivating this mediocre vessel required "begging for a beating."

Without unobstructed meridians, a sound thrashing was strictly necessary to maintain cellular activity; otherwise, the body would regress and return to a stagnant pool of dead water.

As he continuously beat his body, the two women finished brewing their medicinal soup and completed two full rounds of the *Nine Transformations Body Technique* postures.

"Eldest Young Master, we really should listen to you. Although those movements were much slower this time, the effects are much better than that time by the river."

"Indeed, Eldest Brother! Why didn't you tell us to move slower from the beginning? It made my legs so weak I couldn't even stand. Although my whole body aches now, I can still control my body properly."

Could he possibly tell them that he hadn't thought it through himself, nor had he undergone that transformation previously?

Obviously, he could not. "I didn't expect it to turn out that way either. Since we've gained the benefits, you must practice whenever you have time from now on and strive to elevate your physical strength as quickly as possible."

A short while after the two of them went into the room to soak in the medicinal bath, Qin Wushuang walked out. Watching Qin Anyu forcefully beat his own body with the sword in a daze for a long while, he finally asked, "Brother, what on earth are you doing? Is this treating an itch with pain?"

Faced with such a seemingly humorous question—which, to a cultivator, was utterly brainless—Qin Anyu could only reply, "I am striking while the iron is hot. Aren't you going to give yourself a beating?"

Qin Wushuang shook his head. "I feel that my body has grown much stronger, and the speed at which vital energy enters my body has increased. I'm a bit dazed and need to meditate in silence for a while."

Continuing to pound his own body, Qin Anyu asked, "What were you thinking about during the medicinal bath?"

"What else could I think about at a time like that? My mind was entirely consumed by why it hurt so damn much."

"It stopped hurting later on, didn't you think about anything else?"

"I did. I wondered how you could possibly know so much, and why Little Sister and Youqin are so strong."

"Pfft—"

Qin Anyu was so choked by his words that he nearly suffered a deviation in his cultivation.

Instead of seizing that opportunity to experience his own bodily changes, he had been pondering such idle nonsense. He truly wondered how he had ever managed to cultivate in the Wuyuan Sect.

Never mind. He would just wait for Lingxue to come out and let her teach him instead.

Qin Wushuang was truly his nemesis.