Body Tempering with Fierce Winds, Part 1

Having a competitive spirit is a good thing. Su Qing grumbled internally, but she decisively took out her Lingtong and bound it to the leaderboard.

The leaderboard not only displayed the latest rankings but also included past records.

Su Qing scrolled through, finding that the oldest record stopped at the Year 06 students, with everything before that being blank.

In the short five years from Year 06 to Year 10, the highest record was set by a Year 07 student, who was now a fourth-year student undergoing training outside and had not yet returned to the sect.

This person was named Yao Lingyi, the senior sister of the fourth-year Body School. According to the leaderboard, she had descended to a depth of 1966 meters into the underground karst cave, just 34 meters short of crossing the 2000-meter chasm.

The top five on the leaderboard were all students from Year 06 and Year 07.

Beyond the fifth place, the name of Year 08 student Ling Yunxiao was the first to appear.

After passing the fiftieth place, Su Qing found Senior Sister Si Cheng’s name.

After the hundredth place, she saw Senior Sister Zhu Xu.

To be in the top 200 as a second-year student, Senior Sister Zhu Xu was truly formidable.

No wonder she could withstand sixty-nine heavenly lightning bolts back then.

Although she wasn’t exceptionally skilled in the sword dao, in the path of body tempering, she was peerless, truly achieving enlightenment through her physical body.

Su Qing scrolled through the top five hundred names on the leaderboard but didn’t find any students from her current year.

Either no one had challenged it yet, or their progress wasn’t enough to make it onto the list.

As a newcomer, Su Qing didn’t demand too much.

She decided to go for a hundred meters first to get a feel for it.

There were rules to follow when entering the karst cave for body tempering: when entering, one had to keep to the left side of the rock wall, and when exiting, keep to the right.

This was to ensure that both sides of the body were evenly tempered by the fierce winds, similar to flipping a fish when frying it.

If one became exhausted midway and was blown out by the fierce winds, they had to control their body and try to move towards the center, to avoid taking other students along and having them pile up on the bed outside.

Furthermore, due to the fierce winds, one had to remove all storage bags and magical artifacts before entering, to avoid damage from the fierce winds and incurring unnecessary losses.

Su Qing naturally complied.

Most of those who entered the karst cave with her were senior sisters and brothers from the second and third years.

Seeing her, a first-year, also entering the karst cave for body tempering, and then seeing her cultivation had reached late Foundation Establishment, their expressions inevitably twisted for a moment.

Body tempering with fierce winds was extremely painful.

Even though Body Cultivators were good at enduring pain, understanding it, and finding pleasure in it, it was still somewhat unbearable.

Many people, whose flesh was battered bloody by the wind, squatted on rocks, grimacing and shuffling, trying to stall for time. But the appearance of a first-year like Su Qing was the best catalyst.

In other sects, being sixty years older was nothing.

Everyone was of the same generation.

But in the Sword School, with its yearly academic divisions, these second and third-year students, though only slightly older than the first-years, still had to maintain the demeanor of seniors and absolutely would not allow themselves to be inferior or underestimated by juniors. For a moment, many people straightened their expressions, regrouped, and ventured further into the karst cave.

Some second-year senior sisters, whom Su Qing already knew, enthusiastically offered tips on body tempering with fierce winds.

Cui Huai was one of them.

This senior sister, with her cold demeanor, disciplined actions, calm composure, and gentle patience, had always left a deep impression on Su Qing, because she seemed to lack the stereotypical temperament of Body School members often associated with other sects.

More like a Talisman Cultivator or an Array Cultivator than a savage Body Cultivator.

In fact, Senior Sister Cui Huai was by no means an ordinary Body Cultivator.

Su Qing had seen her on the leaderboard; she ranked over two hundred, making her the second-highest in the second year after Zhu Xu.

To be honest, Su Qing almost didn’t recognize Senior Sister Cui Huai, because her entire body, including her cheeks, was covered in uniform, fish-scale-like cracks, continuously oozing blood.

She must have been injured by the fierce winds inside the cave.

At this moment, she, with downcast eyes, calmly applied medicinal juice to her gruesome wounds, while conversing with Su Qing. “So, Junior Sister has always tempered her body with earth fire before? This is your first time tempering it with fierce winds?”

Cui Huai definitely belonged to the school of thought that tempered the body with the mind.

To receive her guidance would surely be greatly beneficial.

Su Qing replied, then pondered and asked, “Precisely. May I ask, Senior Sister, in your opinion, what is the difference between body tempering with wind and body tempering with fire?”

“That’s a very intricate question.” Cui Huai patiently explained, “There are many proverbs about fire tempering, mostly referring to ‘true gold fears no fire,’ or ‘steel is forged through a hundred refinements.’ This shows that metals and minerals often prefer to be tempered by fire.”

“Flame is tyrannical and fierce. When used for body tempering, it primarily tempers hardness and resilience. Body Cultivators, using their flesh and blood bodies, imitate the five metal spiritual ores, seek spiritual items like earth fire and magma, draw fire into their bodies, and repeatedly forge themselves in the raging flames to temper their sinews and bones, expelling impurities.”

“This method is extremely difficult at first. One is inevitably scorched and charred, their face disfigured, enduring excruciating pain. But once the Dao is attained, one can forge a body of bronze skin and iron bones, fearing no power of raging flames or sharp blades.”

Senior Sister was, after all, a senior sister.

Her experience was considerably greater than hers.

Su Qing’s insights on body tempering with earth fire were summarized so fluidly by Senior Sister Cui Huai that every word resonated deeply with her, causing her to nod repeatedly and occasionally add her own observations.

“Among the five elements, the fire element has always had superior attack power. After body tempering with earth fire, ordinary spell attacks mostly have little effect on the body, I think it should be the effect of earth fire body tempering.”

“Your realization is correct. Body tempering with earth fire can increase spell attack defense.”

‘Su Qing blinked. ‘Doesn’t that mean increasing magical defense?’

Cui Huai, seeing her listening intently, elaborated further. “Body tempering with wind, on the other hand, is a different experience.”

“Although fierce winds are also powerful, they are ultimately not as tyrannical as earth fire. Body tempering with wind emphasizes patience; it can be said to be a gradual transformation. Initially, we merely perceive our clothes thinning. Gradually, our faces feel a bit dry. After a while longer, we slowly feel our skin tightening.”

Cui Huai looked into Su Qing’s eyes, speaking seriously, “If one does not pay attention at this point, underestimating the power of the wind, and blindly pushing forward, one can only end up with their flesh and skin separating and muscles atrophying.”

“One must know that the wind bending a hundred blades of grass is not due to momentary strength, but rather thousands of years of incessant erosion. Body tempering with wind, therefore, cultivates the resilience that stands firm against countless blows.”

‘Su Qing automatically translated in her mind: ‘Body tempering with wind increases physical defense. Presumably, after reaching a certain level, she won’t fear sharp blades and weapons.’

Zhang Mingliang, hearing this, added with interest, “Junior Sister, have you heard? A few years ago, a student from another sect, relying on his special bloodline and strong physique, disregarded others’ advice and stubbornly pushed eight hundred meters into the karst cave. For the first seven hundred meters, he felt it was nothing, mocking us Body School cultivators for exaggerating. But when he reached the eight hundred-meter mark, guess what happened?”

“He actually merged physically. Half of his body was blown into particles and scattered between heaven and earth, swept across the mountaintop by the fierce winds. When the other students noticed something was wrong, reported it to the elders, and rescued him, although he luckily survived, his front and back body were like a smooth bamboo pole; he could no longer distinguish front from back.”

Su Qing couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine. Zhang Mingliang had just casually told a horror story.

She pressed on, “Is that person doing well now?”

Cui Huai said indifferently, “With such severe damage to the body, reshaping flesh and bones is incredibly difficult. One can only say he has barely managed to reshape himself into a human form, or rather, he is merely ‘initially humanoid.’ Perhaps only after he finds a spiritual medicine that can bring the dead back to life and regrow bones, or after forming a Nascent Soul, will he truly understand this karmic debt.”

“Therefore, no matter one’s cultivation or bloodline, entering this karst cave requires extreme caution. Otherwise, one wrong step leads to many wrong steps, and regrets will be boundless.”

Senior Sister taught with her heart on her sleeve; Su Qing kept it in mind.

Their cultivation levels were different, and the distance they could traverse in the karst cave also varied, so they naturally couldn’t go together.

Having largely recuperated, and once the medicinal liquid on her skin had solidified, Cui Huai nodded slightly to Su Qing and re-entered the karst cave.

Her figure went first, disappearing into the dark entrance.

Su Qing looked at Zhang Mingliang. This unlucky senior brother also had many injuries, but his eyes were bright like his name. He wanted to show a friendly smile to his junior sister, but winced in pain.

“Senior Brother, how long does it usually take for you all to enter the karst cave once?”

Zhang Mingliang said, “The time varies, it’s really hard to say. It mostly depends on individual ability. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, generally, a full body tempering session takes at least one to two months, until the body truly can’t bear it anymore, then one can relax and be blown out of the karst cave by the wind.”

Having gathered enough information, Su Qing no longer hesitated and cautiously walked into the karst cave.

The fierce wind at the cave entrance rushed towards her face, throwing her hair and clothing far back. It wasn’t until she truly entered the karst cave that she realized what “seeing is believing” meant.

The cave entrance appeared narrow from the outside, but upon entering, one would find the cave’s interior extremely spacious, as if the mountain itself had been hollowed out.

Within a hundred meters in the distance, a few figures could still be seen struggling along the left rock wall. Beyond a hundred meters, no one was visible; instead, there was solid wind.

Wind is an invisible entity; it can only manifest through external objects.

If trees swayed, wheat rolled, or grass bent to the ground, Su Qing knew the wind had come.

Perhaps because the fierce winds contained spiritual energy, the winds deep within the karst cave seemed to have a physical form, like surging transparent tides, accumulating, layer upon layer, growing higher.

Once a certain level was reached, the long wind howled, sweeping through, pushing the cultivators in that area back out of the cave with an irresistible force.

Su Qing had only walked about ten meters when she felt this opposing push. It was as if an invisible barrier enveloped her, stealing her breath.

Every step forward was like pushing an increasingly heavy mountain.

Yet, the karst cave walls were polished extremely smooth by the fierce winds, and the ground beneath her feet even more so, leaving no place to brace herself.

A slight inattention would send her flying outwards.

She tried to attach spiritual energy to her feet. Her left palm also imbued with spiritual energy, she pressed it against the cave wall, slowly moving inwards.

The fierce winds at the cave entrance had been greatly weakened by the deep tunnel; they weren’t difficult to endure.

Initially, it was just like thousands of tiny needles pricking, piercing through her clothes directly to her skin, making her body surface ache.

Su Qing’s body tempering had also achieved some success; this pain was nothing to fear.

The main peak itself had fierce mountain winds, and many of these winds flowed out from the karst cave entrance.

Perhaps because she had long been accustomed to its caress and to absorbing the spiritual energy contained within, now exposed to even fiercer winds, she felt a sense of familiarity amidst her excitement, as if meeting an old friend after many years.

When she had advanced another twenty meters, besides the light entering from the distant cave entrance, there was no other illumination.

The tunnel was very dim, making the inscription on the rock wall ahead stand out particularly.

These characters, inscribed by spiritual energy or divine sense, remained as vivid as when first carved, untarnished by the daily fierce winds.

Upon closer inspection, Su Qing realized it was actually a sword intent.

The reason it remained timeless, unblemished by the fierce winds, was that it did not defy the wind vein.

Instead, it moved with the wind, going with the flow, making the entire sword intent flow shimmering on the cave wall, like a wind-blown prayer flag.

What a unique sword intent.

Su Qing hadn’t expected to gain insight into the sword dao while tempering her body.

The four large characters left by the sword intent were [Listen to the Wind Veins].

The four characters were concise and profound. Su Qing vaguely gained some insight.

Perhaps it was the lateral thinking from cultivating divine sense that made her involuntarily close her eyes and carefully perceive the wind surging from its source.

Divine sense poured out, but after only a few meters forward, it was torn to shreds by the mountain wind.

Fortunately, this flowing sword intent gave Su Qing inspiration. She transformed her divine sense into ethereal threads, wandering freely in the wind.

Gradually, she seemed to perceive something. Her mind stirred, wanting to investigate further.

It was precisely this brief moment of absentmindedness by Su Qing that caused her foot to slip.

Her heart pounded. She wanted to brace herself against the wall, but it was already too late.

Carried by the cross-current, she was directly blasted out of the cave, like a straight line, accurately landing on the upright bed at the cave entrance.

Su Qing slowly slid to the ground. Her Lingtong “dinged,” having automatically pushed her latest progress.

[Exploration Distance: Twenty-six meters, Ranking: One thousand four hundred twenty-third place.]

‘Over a thousand places away, isn’t that practically last?’

Zhang Mingliang was originally healing when he heard the commotion. He looked up and greeted her warmly, “Junior Sister, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

Su Qing instantly felt a rush of blood to her head, her chest heaving slightly.

She immediately realized the cunning of this leaderboard. She wiped her face and re-entered the karst cave.

This time, she reached the [Listen to the Wind Veins] spot without any mishap.

She released her divine sense without mishap, perceiving the wind veins.

Her divine sense was far stronger than ordinary people’s, and she had specially trained it.

After about an incense stick’s time, she saw patterns of wind appear in the dark air. Different wind patterns corresponded to different wind currents, like brushstrokes floating on black paper, all manifesting under the delineation of her divine sense.

These wind patterns varied in length, some thick, some thin, some curved, some straight. There were continuous flows stretching for thousands of li, and also sharp, needle-like ones.

Although ordinary students could understand the meaning of “listening to the wind veins,” very few could actually achieve it.

They had to undergo various chaotic winds, being kneaded and flattened, before slowly discerning the wind veins through their trained physical sensations.

It was only Su Qing, inspired by Senior Sister Cui Huai and the flowing sword intent, who tried to use her mind to analyze and understand body tempering, thus quickly skipping the period of confused trial and error and grasping the key points early.

But this was not enough.

What was learned on paper was ultimately shallow; Su Qing still needed to experiment to find which wind pattern was suitable.

Thus, within a short hour, dozens of “bangs” sounded as Su Qing was repeatedly thrown out of the karst cave dozens of times.

She grew braver with each battle, and even more addicted, even managing to adjust her posture as she was blown away by the wind, landing on the bed in a relatively comfortable position.

She landed on the ground, already familiar enough to change into her second set of damaged clothes.

And Zhang Mingliang lived up to his friendly reputation. In truth, he was waiting for his healing medicine to take effect, had nothing to do, and no one to gossip with, so he was quite bored.

So he very kindly greeted Su Qing every time, never once missing. Seeing her disheveled state, Zhang Mingliang couldn’t help but begin to impart his experience, “You’re probably struggling at the ‘Listen to the Wind Veins’ section, that’s the first hurdle for new students. Be careful not to let your attention wander, just keep moving forward. After being battered by different wind veins, you’ll slowly be able to distinguish them.”

“Don’t be discouraged; it’s normal to spend two or three months on this stage.”

Su Qing had actually already tried over a dozen different wind veins. She had already chosen the first wind vein she wanted to follow in her heart.

Hearing her senior brother impart knowledge, she asked, “What if one tries to perceive the wind veins with divine sense? Delineating the wind veins with divine sense and then trying them one by one, wouldn’t that be more efficient?”

“It’s not that no one has used this method,” Zhang Mingliang shook his head. “Unfortunately, Foundation Establishment cultivators have weak divine sense, and the fierce winds are strong, so they can’t sustain it for too long. I hear Golden Core third-year students and Nascent Soul fourth-year students often use this method to clear a path.”

It seemed this method was indeed difficult to promote.

Su Qing didn’t dwell on it. After thanking Zhang Mingliang, she tried again.

This time, she paused briefly at the [Listen to the Wind Veins] spot, choosing a wind vein that was both gentle and strong, continuous and unending, and followed it.

After clarifying the direction of the wind veins, the benefits were very obvious: it allowed one to avoid chaotic and malevolent winds, and instead directly impact the physical body with the most refined fierce winds within the wind veins.

Following this wind vein slowly, with every step, the weight on her shoulders increased.

Su Qing couldn’t open her eyes, so she simply closed them, her palm stroking the rock wall as she moved forward.

After fifty meters, the wind pressure had increased by an order of magnitude compared to the first fifty meters.

If it was originally a needle-like sting, like countless tiny needles, now it was like being pricked with large needles, inflicted by a certain nanny from her childhood nightmares.

Fortunately, Su Qing was skilled at enduring. She could bear it.

After spending another two incense sticks of time making simple adjustments in place, she inwardly observed her body.

She was not greatly affected, not to the point of physical merging, so she slowly ambled forward, walking another fifty meters.

By the hundred-meter mark, the flowing sword intent appeared again. This time, the four-character mnemonic was [Guide Wind into Apertures].

Coincidentally, her fingers touched an uneven rock wall. Su Qing was somewhat surprised.

She meticulously stroked it and discovered faint inscriptions on it: [First Baihui, then Yongquan, connect to heavenly wind, open earthly meridians, guide wind like needles, pierce acupoints and cleanse marrow.]

Beneath this technique description, a faint signature remained. Su Qing traced it, softly reading aloud, [Yao Lingyi].

It was the answer left by the top-ranked person.

She copied it!