Body Tempering Tribulation

The Body Tempering Tribulation, as its name aptly suggested, was a trial designed to refine the physical body. Most commonly, it manifested as a tribulation of fire.

Shangguan Xue found herself no exception to this rule. Her inherent talent, while considerable, had not yet reached a level where it could defy such fundamental laws.

The instant the total spiritual energy within her body met the demands for the Body Tempering Realm, her heart faltered, skipping a beat. Immediately following this, a crimson flame ignited within its depths.

As the inferno raged, spreading relentlessly to every corner of her being, beads of sweat vaporized into plumes of white mist, ceaselessly rising from Shangguan Xue’s form.

Concurrently, her skin flushed a deep, alarming crimson, appearing as though it might weep blood at any moment. The searing agony of being consumed by fire mercilessly ravaged her entire frame.

Gritting her teeth, Shangguan Xue frantically channeled her spiritual energy, forming a protective shield within her, striving to mitigate the flames’ destructive might.

Yet, this torment was merely the overture.

Before her very eyes, countless fissures abruptly spiderwebbed across Shangguan Xue’s skin. From these new crevices, torrents of crimson flame erupted, coiling around her small, trembling form.

Despite the spiritual energy safeguarding her, the relentless flames managed to breach her defenses, scorching her skin. A patch of her flesh instantly blackened, stark against her reddened body.

Sizzle! The flames hissed as they seared her flesh, a sound that seemed to mock Shangguan Xue’s very struggle.

“Should you fail,” Jia Nan suddenly interjected, “I’ll personally erect a tombstone for you, inscribed with two bold characters: ‘Serves You Right!’”

“Perhaps let Qingmei write it instead…” Shangguan Xue, remarkably, still found the presence of mind to quip. “Your handwriting is simply dreadful.”

Were Shangguan Xue not in the midst of a tribulation, Jia Nan would have undoubtedly bound her with a tail and given her a good spanking. Instead, she merely gritted her teeth, firing back a retort:

“Elegant script is reserved for those of noble character, while unsightly scrawls are for the morally reprehensible. My handwriting is ugly, so it is fitting for you.”

“A valid point,”

Shangguan Xue managed a slight twitch of her lips. Her entire being was submerged in the agonizing inferno, yet the casual banter with Jia Nan provided a momentary, albeit slight, diversion.

“Can it… can it burn a little faster?” Shangguan Xue, having endured this trial once before, murmured under her breath. “This is such a waste of time.”

Were such a sentiment to reach the ears of other cultivators, they would undoubtedly deem her utterly mad.

In the crucible of tribulation, slowness was a blessing, while speed was a curse. A gradual pace allowed cultivators to meticulously dissolve the tribulation’s might with their spiritual energy.

However, an accelerated tribulation could inflict pain beyond endurance. Even a momentary breach of their defenses could spell utter annihilation, leaving no trace behind.

As if heeding her unspoken plea, the tribulation fire consuming Shangguan Xue surged in intensity, instantly accelerating. The crimson inferno swelled, escalating from a moderate blaze to a roaring conflagration.

The agony, too, instantly spiked severalfold. Even within the searing torment of being burned alive, a new, excruciating pain emerged—that of being hacked and cleaved by blades and axes.

To attempt a description, it felt akin to having one’s body meticulously carved by a glowing, red-hot steel blade.

Yet, despite the inferno’s ferocity, her crimson robe remained unscathed. After all, that garment was capable of resisting attacks from the Tongtian Realm, whereas this tribulation fire was merely tailored for the Body Tempering Realm.

Boom!

The spiritual energy, channeled through her martial arts techniques, clashed violently with the tribulation fire, producing an astonishingly loud bang. Far from engulfing Shangguan Xue entirely, the flames seemed to weaken, their intensity diminishing slightly.

“Utterly insane,” Jia Nan remarked with a wry grin. “To persevere through such agonizing pain is truly something.”

“Isn’t risking my life precisely what I do best?” Shangguan Xue’s voice rasped, her throat raw and scorched by the relentless flames.

Recalling the myriad years she had spent alongside her, the Nine-Tailed Fox nodded sagely:

“Indeed. You consistently toy with the lives of others, and habitually toy with your own.”

‘What kind of jingle is that? Are you preparing for a postgraduate exam or something?’ Shangguan Xue silently grumbled, then, enduring the excruciating pain, she once again mobilized her spiritual energy.

It became strikingly evident that the tribulation fire engulfing her was steadily diminishing, receding from a raging inferno to a moderate blaze, and striving further towards a mere flicker.

This signified that she was nearing the culmination of the Body Tempering Tribulation.

“I find myself wondering again how Sister Dong managed to undergo two tribulations concurrently,” Jia Nan mused, her gaze piercing through the flames to Shangguan Xue’s pain-contorted face. “She was only twelve, yet she withstood the agony of both the Body Tempering Tribulation and the Consciousness Condensing Tribulation simultaneously.”

“Hatred,” Shangguan Xue murmured, a profound sense of awe in her voice.

“Indeed,” Jia Nan agreed with a nod. “Her willpower is, frankly, terrifying.”

Even amidst her painful spasms, Shangguan Xue couldn’t help but let out a weak laugh:

“That’s why you call her ‘Sister’ too, isn’t it?”

By chronological age, Jia Nan, being a demonic beast, was undeniably the most ancient among them.

Yet, driven by profound admiration, she wholeheartedly addressed Shi Ledong as ‘Sister Dong.’

“What, jealous?” Jia Nan teased, continuing their banter. “Do you wish for me to call you Sister Xue?”

“No, thank you. Having Qingmei call me that is quite sufficient.”

With a soft murmur, the tribulation flames flickering across Shangguan Xue’s body almost entirely vanished.

She gulped in ragged breaths, her focus now entirely on enduring the lingering flames within her core.

Before long, these internal fires dissipated, leaving only a faint ember nestled within her heart.

Sensing that her heart had been sufficiently tempered, the Martial Saint channeled her spiritual consciousness, carefully encasing the tribulation fire, and, to her own surprise, absorbed it completely.

Thus, she had successfully navigated the Body Tempering Tribulation.

“Why did you not employ your spiritual consciousness from the very beginning?” Jia Nan questioned, a frown creasing her brow.

As a demonic beast, she was exempt from tribulations, advancing solely through the inexorable march of time and the natural accumulation of spiritual energy. Consequently, her understanding of such trials was limited.

“Tribulations are not solely detrimental,” Shangguan Xue explained, flexing her wrists and savoring the surge of power within her. “Only by enduring the Body Tempering Tribulation can one’s physique achieve a truly invulnerable resilience, impervious to blades and spears.”

“As for retaining that ember of tribulation fire, it serves as a deterrent against any shortsighted fools who might dare to provoke me.”

Even as she spoke, the wounds adorning her body had already begun to heal themselves, leaving behind only vivid crimson scabs. Such was the extraordinary regenerative prowess inherent to the Body Tempering Realm.

Activating the last vestiges of her spiritual energy to shed the remaining scabs, Shangguan Xue rose to her feet and reached for the wooden saber resting nearby.

“Aren’t you going to rest?” Jia Nan asked, a helpless glance flickering across her face. “Most people, after enduring a tribulation, are utterly drained of strength, I imagine.”

While a body that had ascended to the Body Tempering Realm resisted fatigue, the mind, having weathered the crucible of tribulation, would undoubtedly be weary.

“I cannot afford to neglect my practice,” Shangguan Xue stated, her jaw tight with resolve.

‘So diligent…’ Jia Nan hummed in response, then inquired, “What are your thoughts on the spiritual seal?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll claim one, and then I’ll condense another myself,” Shangguan Xue replied, her voice steady even as she swung her wooden saber. “I intend to select a Body Tempering Spiritual Seal.”

“As long as you have a plan, that’s all that matters,” Jia Nan affirmed with a nod. “I’ll go inform the others that you’ve successfully advanced to the Body Tempering Realm.”

“Go ahead… but I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll grumble about not being informed beforehand, and then demand to witness my next tribulation in person.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox offered no reply, merely extending a paw to tear open a rift in space.

“Wait,” Shangguan Xue suddenly called out, stopping her. “Tell them I wish to see them tomorrow night.”

“Alright,” Jia Nan readily assented, before slipping into the spatial rift and disappearing.

‘Sigh, this is simply too inconvenient. Why isn’t there some sort of spiritual artifact for long-distance communication?’ Shangguan Xue mused, pondering the thought. ‘Perhaps I should discuss it with Qingmei and have the Ink Pavilion invent a mobile phone?’