65: body tempering

The next day.

The Trainees of the Upper Academy welcomed a new day.

Today, they were attending a Martial Cultivator class.

A-4 Training Ground.

Under everyone's expectant gazes, a burly middle-aged man walked over. He had short hair, a one-inch scar at the corner of his eyebrow, and a serious expression. He wore a tight-fitting black short-sleeved shirt that showcased his solid muscles.

"Follow me."

Everyone followed.

Fei Xiaobao whispered under his breath, "Teacher Zhou is a bit fierce."

"Yeah, a little."

Twenty minutes later.

As everyone expected, Zhou Wu led them to the Body Tempering Tower.

"Go in."

"The layout of the Body Tempering Tower is similar to the Meditation Tower, but it's free. You can come here anytime during the day."

The group from the Upper Academy arrived at a room on the second floor.

"Everyone, sit down."

"For Martial Cultivators, the body is the foundation. Your Spiritual Qi is not as good as Technique Cultivators, and your Mental Energy is not as good as Spirit Cultivators. You must capitalize on your physical advantages."

"Next, I will teach you how to temper your body. It can be summarized in one word."

"Endure!"

"Endure?"

Everyone was puzzled.

"That's right. When Evil Qi enters the body to temper it, all you have to do is endure. Remember, you are not allowed to use Spiritual Qi to resist."

Zhou Wu introduced the Physical Body Realms of Martial Cultivation to everyone.

Body Tempering: tempering the skin and flesh.

Bone Forging: forging the tendons and bones.

Marrow Cleansing: removing Impurities from the Physical Body.

immaculate: the Physical Body approaches perfection.

He then flipped a switch in the Body Tempering Chamber, and a chilly current of air began to flow slowly.

"Remember, endure what ordinary people cannot endure."

"Hiss..."

Fei Xiaobao sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Holy crap, who's sticking me with needles?"

Fei Xiaobao's words left everyone confused.

Two seconds later.

The eerie airflow filled the entire space, and everyone felt that something was wrong.

Xiao Weiqing's body trembled; it felt as if an unknown energy was invading, making him very uncomfortable.

"Hmph~"

"Ugh~"

"Ah..."

More and more people began to react.

The same was true for Xiao Weiqing; his skin stung, and his muscles began to ache.

"No, I can't take it anymore."

Fei Xiaobao stood up, preparing to flee.

*Bang!*

Zhou Wu shut the door.

"Fifteen minutes."

"No one leaves until fifteen minutes are up."

"Huh?"

"Teacher Zhou, it hurts so much! What if I die of pain here?"

Zhou Wu snorted coldly. "At this concentration of Evil Qi, no one has ever died from the pain."

"I forgot to tell you, Body Tempering refines every aspect of the body. It can increase your stamina in certain areas."

"As for the girls, Body Tempering can detoxify your system, making your skin fair, tender, and delicate."

As soon as he said this...

Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up, especially the male Trainees.

Fei Xiaobao even gritted his teeth and said, "It's just fifteen minutes. I want an hour! No, I want to keep tempering forever!"

The Aura of the other Trainees also surged, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Seeing this...

Zhou Wu leaned against the door with his arms crossed, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Xiao Weiqing caught a glimpse of the surrounding situation out of the corner of his eye and sighed in his heart. Youth were so easy to fool.

Although he didn't know which 'stamina' was being referred to, it definitely wasn't what everyone was thinking. As for fair and delicate skin, one only had to look at Zhou Wu to know it was likely nonsense.

However, this psychological suggestion was clearly very effective. At this moment, these Trainees were drenched in sweat and flushed red, yet not a single one made a sound.

Xiao Weiqing gradually began to feel pain as well, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at his body.

Time passed.

Some obviously couldn't hold on, but for some reason, they still didn't cry out, grit their teeth and enduring.

Fei Xiaobao was dripping with sweat, his hands braced on the ground. The sweat from his forehead fell like a small stream, forming a puddle. He felt his vision starting to blur.

"Old Zhuang, how long has it been? I can't hold on anymore."

"Fatty, with so many people here, do you really want to be the first one to collapse?"

"Yeah, I can't be the first."

Fei Xiaobao rallied his spirits again, slightly lifting his head and looking forward.

Zhou Wu glanced at his Wristband and nodded with satisfaction. In fact, fifteen minutes had already passed, and not a single person had collapsed yet.

*Thud!*

Fei Xiaobao could no longer hold on and collapsed.

Zhou Wu walked over.

He hauled Fei Xiaobao outside the Body Tempering Chamber.

With that...

The inside of the Body Tempering Chamber became like falling dominoes, with one person after another collapsing.

Trainees who were still conscious crawled on the ground like worms toward the door.

At that moment...

Wei Lan's brow was furrowed tight, her expression very pained, but she didn't want to give up, her hands bracing against the floor.

"Wei Lan, give up if you can't take it. It's already been over fifteen minutes."

"It's... fine, Brother... Qing. I can... still endure."

Despite her words...

The feedback from her Physical Body was the most honest. Wei Lan's vision went black, and she fell straight backward.

However, her back didn't hit the floor; instead, she was caught by a solid shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Brother Qing. My body is a bit numb; I feel like I've lost sensation."

"Didn't I tell you not to force yourself?"

Xiao Weiqing gave Wei Lan a stern look.

Then, he picked Wei Lan up in a bridal carry and took her out of the Body Tempering Chamber.

Zhou Wu was slightly surprised to see this. It was already difficult for most people to endure until now, yet this kid could still pick up a girl.

This Xiao Weiqing was a Technique Cultivator, wasn't he?

Others were green with envy at the sight. Wei Lan was top-tier in both appearance and figure.

"Sigh, some people even have company during Body Tempering."

A male Trainee said to the female Trainee beside him, "Sister, if you can't endure, just give up. Don't worry, I'll help you out."

The female Trainee, her face showing pain, glanced at him sideways. "You?"

"Of course!"

The male Trainee felt underestimated and decided to show off.

However...

This Body Tempering thing was entirely based on physical feedback; it was hard to change it through sheer willpower alone.

Like certain other things, it wasn't a matter of how long you *wanted* to last.

For example, right now.

The male Trainee was full of confidence, believing he could last at least another fifteen minutes.

In reality?

Thirty seconds passed.

The male Trainee's face turned beet red, his back went numb, and once again unable to endure, he scrambled out of the Body Tempering Chamber on all fours.

The female Trainee beside him snorted coldly.

"You wanted to help me? I haven't even gotten into the zone yet, you weakling!"

Xiao Weiqing placed Wei Lan on a chair outside and returned to the Body Tempering Chamber once more.

By now, there were fewer and fewer people in the chamber, no more than twenty. Most were Body Cultivators, so Xiao Weiqing, a Level 3 Technique Cultivator mixed in among them, was a bit of an oddity.

But before long, Xiao Weiqing also couldn't hold on. His body had already begun to go numb, so he quickly scrambled up and walked out.

"Act according to your capabilities; there's no need to compete with those brutes," Xiao Weiqing comforted himself.

Zhou Wu said, "Alright, let's stop here for today. It's been an hour. The remaining three Trainees are all very good."

The three Zhou Wu mentioned were none other than Qin Tian, Duan Shuyu, and the last one was surprisingly Zhou Ming.

Qin Tian was expected. Although he was covered in sweat, he clearly wasn't in much pain. Much like Wei Lan in the meditation room, his outstanding performance far exceeded the others.

Duan Shuyu was the same; his Thunder Astral Art came with its own Body Refining, so this kind of Body Tempering was no trouble for him.

These two would likely not be in the same Body Tempering Chamber as them in the future.

However, Zhou Ming being able to hold on until now was something they hadn't expected.

"That's all for today's Body Tempering. Go back and reflect well. If you come here on your own privately, stagger it with your meditation time—meaning, if you temper today, meditate tomorrow. Do not do Body Tempering or meditation consecutively; it's not good for your cultivation rhythm."

Everyone nodded. "Understood."

"Alright, dismissed."

"Teacher Zhou, please wait a moment."

Zhou Wu turned around and looked at Qin Tian, his eyebrows arching slightly. "What is it, Qin Tian?"

Qin Tian bowed slightly. "Teacher Zhou, I wish to take you as my master."

Hearing this, everyone turned their eyes toward Zhou Wu in unison.