Chapter 120
"Tsk..." A guttural groan rumbled from the depths of Ji Wuye's throat as his bare feet first touched the searing surface of the cauldron. His long white hair had been tied up high, distancing it from the water.
Wisps of steam rose and danced around his calves, the intense heat already prickling his skin. Slowly, jaw clenched tight to stifle any further cries of pain, he lowered himself into the iron cauldron.
The scalding water steadily rose up his body, lapping at his chest and leaving only his neck and head exposed to the stifling air.
'Now I need to wait ten minutes,' Ji Wuye muttered inwardly, his voice strained. At this time, he began entering a meditative state, crossing his legs into a lotus position while submerged in the cauldron's hellish depths.
Fiery agony and redness due to the bubbling hot water immediately assaulted the outer layer of his skin. Not even a full minute had passed as he sat there, tendons taut with the effort of remaining still.
Why could this torturous experiment help someone skip four years of grueling training and achieve the same results?
The answer was deceptively simple...One needed to possess an unwavering resilience to endure this unimaginable trial.
If one's resolve faltered even briefly, not only would the bones liquefy, but the Qi pathways and meridians would be irreparably tarnished by the noxious ingredients.
For that first excruciating minute, Ji Wuye had to endure the searing irritation from the Pine Resin and Black Mustard Seeds for 3 agonizing minutes straight...
As he meditated, struggling to stabilize his mind and treat the overwhelming pain as a mere phantasm, the reddening skin began itching fiercely.
The maddening itch caused his eyebrows to twitch spasmodically, but the sensation vanished as quickly as it had manifested.
However, in the next torturous moment, he clamped down hard on his lower lip, stifling a scream as the outer layer of skin began blistering grotesquely.
'Ugh!' Yet Ji Wuye's focus only wavered briefly before his indomitable will reasserted itself, his mind's eye fixating once more upon the immutable image of Kunlun Mountain.
"Immovable..." he rasped out between ragged breaths, the words of the first Earthen Roots stage practicing method, Ground Meditation, passing his cracked lips.
"AHK-!" Just as the mantra left his mouth, an invisible force seemed to clamp down on his throat, constricting his airflow until he gasped, desperately trying to draw breath. The bubbling water rose hungrily up his chest, threatening to drown him.
The very herbs that should have bolstered Ji Wuye instead turned traitor, attacking and suffocating him mercilessly.
His mind screamed in anguish, and he yearned desperately to gaze upon the wizened face of the old man once more. He even wanted to jump out of this cauldron, descending from Kunlun, to directly question him, even though their relationship was not that close in this timeline.
While enduring this hellish experiment, unknown to Ji Wuye, the effects of the fossilized tree bark, volcanic rock dust, and charred oak bark began to strengthen and steady his mind, which had previously been consumed by searing curses and agony.
Immovability akin to an ancient mountain that cannot be swayed by external forces, no matter how fierce, those words, like a mantras, rang in his mind, hypnotizing him and calming all his nerves.
…
Three endless minutes had crawled by, and by now, Ji Wuye had regained some semblance of control over his ragged breathing. He craned his neck as high as the cauldron would allow, greedily gulping down precious mouthfuls of air to prevent the roiling water from invading his lungs.
"Huff...Huff...Huff..." While taking this temporary reprieve, unknown to the suffering young hero, the second agonizing reaction immediately began as he noticed a new, severe pain blossoming from his blistered, ruined skin.
"Tsk." Ji Wuye clicked his tongue, the sound a strained hiss as he clenched his jaw once more against the fresh waves of torment.
The first four harrowing minutes had exposed him to the Toxic Effects of Scorpion Venom, which he now needed to endure for another two agonizing minutes.
His vision swam and the world seemed to tilt treacherously as his burning body and seeping blister wounds reacted violently.
In this moment, all the muscles in his body seized cruelly, the sudden cramps ripping any remaining strength from his white-knuckled grip as his steady lotus position faltered.
This was the Earthen Endurance Trial, the second grueling method of practicing the Earthen Roots, the first profound realm of the Unbreakable Vajra.
This time, what Ji Wuye needed was not to meditate, but instead to keep his eyes forged wide open, observing the agonizing process with every fiber of his being.
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[!] Your passive skill, Quick Adaptation(E), has been triggered!
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The crimson pools of his eyes began to glisten with a feverish sheen. The bubbling cauldron surrounding him grew faint and muted, as if receding to reveal his whole body undergoing a shocking transformative change.
Thanks to the alchemical combination of black mustard seeds and saltpeter, deer antler powder, ox gallstones, and magnetite sand, the previous attacking effect ingredients now inexplicably brought positive, strengthening changes to his form.
The agonizing feeling of muscle cramps subsided, and the grotesque sight of his outer skin layer melting away to reveal the swollen, reddened inner flesh that made him appear obscenely obese slowly faded.
The twitching, pulsating exposed musculature gradually stilled as the searing heat from the alchemical bath somehow became more tolerable for Ji Wuye's transmuting body to withstand.
In addition to his newfound heat resistance, a strange cool sensation began spreading through Ji Wuye's body. The boiling cauldron water that had tortured him so mercilessly now appeared to freeze before his eyes, turning into shards of ice that should have been utterly impossible to withstand.
His body shuddered involuntarily, but eventually these phantasmal visions melted away as his transmuting form finally developed a profound resistance to both scorching heat and bitter cold.
…
Two long, agonizing minutes finally crawled past. The second grueling practicing method, the Earthen Endurance Trials, was at last achieved.
"Heh..." A smirk twisted Ji Wuye's cracked lips. In the next moment, something that should not have been possible, happened. "To think, the Wudang Training style helped me a lot."
The first 6 torturous minutes had focused on Breath Control Exercises. But the next and final stage, the Rooting Stances, was skipped entirely, thanks to his constant Wudang style training which had already adapted his body.
Now with his crimson eyes blazing and his Quick Adaptation skill activated, Ji Wuye's whole submerged body underwent a rapid, shocking transformation.
The blistered, ruined skin regenerated anew, but unlike the previous frail white appearance, it was now an unearthly pale yet looked hard as granite - capable of deflecting even the sharpest blades.
"No wonder 'he' is so hard to hit," Ji Wuye muttered under his ragged breath. By now, as his skin rapidly transmuted, the bubbling cauldron water seemed to dry into his very body.
...
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[!] Congratulations! Your The Unbreakable Vajra Form skill has made a minor breakthrough!
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[>>[The Unbreakable Vajra Form]<<]< p>
Type: Passive skill - Internal/External Art
Stage: Granite Embrace (2nd Stage)
A martial art that originated from a secluded monastery deep within the awe-inspiring Himalayas, where ascetic warriors have dedicated their lives to tempering their bodies into indestructible vessels through rigorous training and unwavering discipline.
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A few eternal moments later, Ji Wuye remained seated in a lotus position with his eyes closed, feeling the rapid changes still rippling through him from within the now empty iron cauldron.
Finally, he opened his eyes, a look of stunned realization dawning. "It's done..." he rasped. "And the name suits it perfectly... Granite Embrace."
He could feel an entirely new power surging within, as if a blinding light were beaming from his very core. "No, it's more like I have been reborn."
Without hesitation, he summoned up his stats, prompting a transparent screen to flash into existence before him.
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STATUS SCREEN
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[->] Name: Ji Wuye
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[->] Level: 16
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[->] Strength: 117 (+15)
[->] Agility: 111 (+15)
[->] Qi: 106 (+15)
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[] Skills:
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- Quick Adaptation(E)
- Healing Art Primer(2nd)(E)
- Cloudsoaring Steps(2nd)(E)
- Pulse of Blade Sword Art(1st)(??)
- Deflecting Blows(E)
- Feline Reflexes(E)
- Pressure Form Perfection Style(2nd)(D)
- Slash Breaker (E)
- Qi Training(???)
- The Unbreakable Vajra Form(2nd)(C)
- Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa(1st)(C)
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"As expected, my guess is correct," Ji Wuye spoke with a wide, triumphant smile, his eyes squinting against the rush of exhilaration.
His primary attributes had finally shattered the 100 point threshold. This meant that physically alone, without the aid of martial arts but purely relying on raw power and his reforged body, he had officially stepped into the 7th realm as a martial artist.
BOOM!
As he shifted his feet, the iron cauldron violently split in half, the shockwave of force destroying the burned wooden floor and crumbling the stone brazier along with it.
"A pity..." Ji Wuye sighed speechlessly at the collateral damage. He tried adjusting to his newly gained, staggering power once more, reining it in.
KNOCK-!
A faint knocking sound from the door was heard, but it went like a passing wind in his ears as his mind was focused on the current topic...
Yes, it was unmistakably the 7th realm, not the 5th or 6th. That was why that legendary 'man' had borne the fearsome nicknames Unbreakable Vajra and the Undying Immortal.
"But it's different when they use martial arts," Ji Wuye murmured, a look of contemplation furrowing his brow.
KNOCK-!
Yet another knock, by now, his eyesbrows furrowed, but still his focus remained unwavering...
If a martial artist utilized their cultivated Qi or refined techniques - movements honed to trigger their body's maximum potential - their attributes could leap even higher by +10 or even +30.
This was the vast difference between those who used skills to compensate for a lack of innate talent or attributes, versus those who trained in and specialized in the pure martial arts.
KNOCK-!
The former had a far harder time boosting their attributes by +10 or +30 like the latter, or even reaching such staggering stats. But they had other advantages, like the unique properties of their skills, like his own Slash Breaker.
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[>>[Slash Breaker (E)]<<]< p>
Type: Active Skill
A sword technique used by Adventurers to slay thick-skinned monsters by imbuing one's blade with mana.
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Just as Ji Wuye examined his skill window, unknown to him the constant knocking at the door finally ceased as it was flung violently wide open.
BANG!
"Junior, what happened, why the-" The words froze in Lian Rougang's throat as his Senior Sister entered and her eyes fell upon Ji Wuye's naked, transformed body.
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