Inner Body Refinement

If one were to look at these herbs, one would realize that it was the same set of herbs that made Ji Min tread the thin line between life and death the last time he used them.

They were the ingredients needed to concoct the 'Divine Resurrection Ointment'; ranging from the tiny Spirit Flame Kiwi Seeds to the impulsive 'Fire Bird Sap', and just by looking at them, Ji Min began to develop a nostalgic sensation of utter dread.

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The mere thought of how Sensei had told him to use the herbs alone was enough to send waves of shivers rattling down his spine as he gulped hard with an apprehensive expression.

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." Ji Min said as he walked over, stripped, and took a dip in the tub.

The water was hot, and it helped to loosen some of his tensed and dry muscles as he let out a moan of satisfaction.

Then he looked at the table that was only an arm's length away from him, and once again, he felt all the hair on his body stand on end.

"Don't stress. You got this!" He began to reassure himself as he tried to fight the fear of the experience, he was about to put himself through.

Then after a few minutes of reassuring himself, Ji Min finally grabbed one of each of the medicinal herbs placed on the table and gulped them down; then he grabbed the jug of hot water and with a fluid motion, took a big swig that sent his face burning bright red like kindling coal.

Argh!

Ji Min let out a mini roar that was accompanied by significant heat refraction.

His entire body turned beet red, and smoke began to waft off his head like an oiled turkey being grilled.

He felt a heavy tremor surge through his body followed by an immense shudder than made the bath water ripple like tidal waves at sea.

He stretched and curled as the properties of the medicinal herbs began to wreak havoc within his innards.

He felt like he had swallowed a dead phoenix that was now experiencing rebirth; it was a pain of unimaginable proportions, and it tyrannically crushed the mental scale of his pain tolerance.

Ji Min felt like his organs and innards were being cooked in boiling lava (if that were possible) and his consciousness flash like a car's emergency trafficators.

In little to no time, he began to think of quitting midway, but there was no way he could do that as he was in so much pain that he could muster no energy to even throw up the dissolving herbs.

Gradually, his mind began to grow blank as he tried his possible best to latch onto the last thread of consciousness he had left; and whilst he was able to indeed latch onto it, it didn't take long for Ji Min to realize that the fragile thread of consciousness he was clinging to was about to snap.

Then just as his mind was about to go blank, different thoughts and emotions of encouragement suddenly began to flow through his mind.

'This is tough, but you're tougher, Young Lord.

This is what you're going through, not who you are.

I know this feels unbearable right now, but I also know you've got what it takes to get through it.'

Ji Min could tell that it was Sensei who was trying to encourage him through the process, but he couldn't tell if the thoughts were being transmitted to him, or if it was he, who was subconsciously accessing Sensei's thoughts.

He knew Sensei couldn't speak to him during his training, especially with Ji Tang around; but the realization of subconsciously accessing Sensei's thoughts uninvited opened a new chapter of possibilities for both of them.

It felt and sounded like his own thoughts, but the intentions, emotions, and perspective behind the thoughts told him they belonged to Sensei; nevertheless, these words were able to tug Ji Min's consciousness awake and help him bulldoze through his refinement process.

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." Ji Min muttered softly as he powered through 'day one' of his personal training routine.

After three solid agonizing hours, Ji Min finally pulled through his inner body refinement process, and instantly he could feel glaring changes within his body.

"My entire internal system is now about half as strong as my external body cultivation stage." He muttered to himself as he scanned his internal structure.

"According to Sensei; for me to cultivate the 'Genesis Scripture', my internal structure must possess the exact same strength as my external structure.

This means I must refine my organs to the 1 Star Lord Stage, otherwise, my body might be unable to endure the strain of constructing new meridians this late into my cultivation journey." He added as he stepped out of the bath, grabbing a robe that he donned immediately after.

He then lay on his makeshift bed facing upward as the moonlight spilled through the tent curtains and brightened his face.

He stretched his hand towards the bright silvery moon in the sky; then after a few moments of self-reflections, he sighed and began to mutter to himself.

"Three months…"

"...So close, yet so far."

He then made a grasping motion at the moon as he began to feel a new kind of resolve wash through his mind, easing his stress and putting him at peace.

"Yama, Valpak, Sun; I hope you guys escaped safely." He added with a soft yawn as he gradually began to drift into a deep slumber.

Dawn the next day.

Ji Min and Ji Qing were once again plunged into their limb-loosening routine.

"These chains; they seem to constrict further every time I get used to them." Ji Qing said with a soft grunt as Ji Min nodded in agreement.

He had also noticed the phenomenon the day before and could utterly relate to what she was currently experiencing.

Not only did the chains constrict further once their joints and muscles adapt to the strain, but the force with which it constricted also increased with time.

"Just bear it; you would obviously notice the difference once the routine ends." Ji Min consoled her as beads of sweat ran down his face and dropped onto his drenched robes.

Then just like that, the sun rose and set upon them repeatedly for six straight days, and before they both knew it, two weeks had passed.