After returning from the market, I wasted no time. The weight of the five body tempering pills in my pouch pressed against my waist with every step, reminding me of my purpose.
> "These will take me one step closer."
I closed the door behind me, sealing out the noise of the sect, and sat cross-legged on the cool wooden floor. The room was small, but today it felt like the center of my world.
I retrieved the pills, their faint medicinal fragrance curling in the air.
Without hesitation, I swallowed the first one.
Warmth surged through me almost immediately. I could feel the pill's power flooding my body, sinking deep into my blood, bones, and flesh.
I clenched my fists as the familiar pressure built inside me.
The fourth minor stage—Blood Tempering— had already forged my circulation, toughening my veins, but this was different.
As the next pill dissolved in my body, I felt it: a grinding sensation, like something drilling into my very skeleton.
The energy gnawed at my bones, breaking them down just to rebuild them stronger.
I groaned, sweat beading on my forehead, but I didn't stop.
One pill, then another, and another. Three in total.
Each one brought waves of sharp heat and cracking sounds from within me.
> "This is the fifth minor stage—Bone Tempering."
I could feel the density in my limbs, the subtle weight in every movement. My bones had hardened like tempered iron.
I didn't stop there.
I took the fourth and fifth pills, letting their medicinal force race through me like fire through dry grass.
My chest tightened, my breathing roughened, but my focus never wavered.
This time, the changes burrowed deeper.
A strange warmth spread through my lungs, my heart, my liver—my organs.
It was as if my insides were being reforged.
When the blazing energy finally settled, I exhaled slowly, my breathing steady but powerful.
> "The sixth minor stage—Organ Tempering."
My body had crossed another threshold.
The path of body refinement was harsh, but I could feel the results coursing through me.
Every fiber of my muscles, every pulse of my blood, even the beat of my heart—it all resonated with strength.
> "Step by step, I will unify my body, qi, and soul."