"Die!!"
An enraged roar suddenly exploded in Duan Lingtian's mind.
The next moment, Duan Lingtian felt a stabbing pain that nearly caused him to faint.
The pain came from the depths of his soul, making Duan Lingtian's body begin to tremble...
"No... impossible! You are not from this world... So close, just a hair's breadth away... I refuse to accept this... I refuse to accept this!!"
The hoarse voice suddenly changed, as if it had encountered something that terrified it immensely.
After the roar, the voice vanished completely, as if it had never existed at all.
"What is going on?"
After the stabbing pain subsided, Duan Lingtian collected his wits.
Soon, his eyes widened.
Right at that moment, a vast and complex wave of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind, becoming his own.
"This..."
Even having lived two lives, Duan Lingtian was still stunned by these memories.
These unfamiliar memories belonged to the Samsara Martial Emperor, one of the Seven Great Martial Emperors of the Yunxiao Continent ten thousand years ago!
The Yunxiao Continent was the collective name for this world.
The Seven Great Martial Emperors of ten thousand years ago were all figures who stood at the absolute peak of the Yunxiao Continent, existences comparable to deities. They were immensely powerful, overlooking all living beings, and with a wave of their hands, they could seemingly pluck the stars and shroud the sun and moon.
Back then, the Samsara Martial Emperor could be called the foremost among the Seven Great Martial Emperors. He had once used soul possession to be reborn, experiencing two lifetimes...
In his first lifetime, apart from pursuing the peak of the martial dao, he was also a powerful alchemist.
In his second lifetime, he was a powerful blacksmith, and he had pushed the art of Inscription to its absolute limit.
"Incredible!"
Duan Lingtian took a deep breath.
"Relying on the *Samsara Three-Life Scripture*, this Samsara Martial Emperor pushed the arts of alchemy, blacksmithing, and inscription to their absolute limits in just two lifetimes. His martial prowess is unfathomable—he can be called all-knowing and all-powerful!"
"So, this time he was planning to crush Duan Lingtian's soul, seize Duan Lingtian's body, and begin his third path of cultivation..."
"However, my appearance completely shattered his plan! The moment he crushed Duan Lingtian's soul, I crossed over from Earth and seized control of Duan Lingtian's body a step ahead."
"He just tried to crush my soul, little knowing that my soul does not belong to this world at all. Although the strength of his soul was peerless in this world, upon colliding with my soul, due to the restrictions of certain world rules, his soul was still pulverized into ashes!"
"Turns out, he had been hiding within Duan Lingtian's body for years, waiting for an opportunity to seize Duan Lingtian's body... Duan Lingtian's body being so weak was also his doing; he was afraid that if Duan Lingtian grew strong, it would interfere with his soul possession."
"This time, Duan Lingtian was heavily injured and on the brink of life and death, giving him his opportunity... Who could have known that at the very last moment, my appearance would reduce all his efforts to nothing?"
Destiny, this is destiny!
You, the Samsara Martial Emperor, were like a deity in the Yunxiao Continent.
If you could have completed the three lifetimes of reincarnation, the *Samsara Three-Life Scripture* would have reached perfection...
By then, even if the other six great Martial Emperors of the Yunxiao Continent from back then joined forces, they would not be your match!
It is only a pity that at the very last moment, because of my soul coming from another world, your efforts fell short of success at the final hurdle!
Instead, you made things easy for me. All the memories from your two lifetimes, including your insights into alchemy, blacksmithing, and inscription, have now become a part of my memory!
I really must thank you properly for this timely assistance!
"Hahahaha..."
Duan Lingtian laughed.
Just as he was worrying about how to begin cultivation with this weak body, the Samsara Martial Emperor delivered a "generous gift" right to his doorstep!
"Ah, there are quite a few cultivation techniques in the Samsara Martial Emperor's memories. Aside from his *Samsara Three-Life Scripture*, the absolute pinnacle is a set called the *Nine Dragons Battle Sovereign Scripture*. Created through the vicissitudes of his two lifetimes, it is a powerful body-tempering technique that cultivates both the internal and external. It builds the body of the Nine Dragons Battle Sovereign, making one invincible and possessing peerless martial might!"
Taking a deep breath, Duan Lingtian made up his mind.
He would cultivate the *Nine Dragons Battle Sovereign Scripture*!
"My body is too weak right now; I cannot cultivate the *Nine Dragons Battle Sovereign Scripture* directly. Well, I'll have Mother help me buy some medicinal herbs to prepare the medicinal liquid needed for a medicinal bath."
In his first lifetime, the Samsara Martial Emperor had been a Grade Nine Alchemist.
Therefore, preparing the medicinal liquid needed for a medicinal bath was completely effortless for Duan Lingtian.
In the eyes of ordinary people on the Yunxiao Continent, alchemists were divided into nine grades, with Grade Nine being the lowest and Grade One the highest.
Only certain prominent figures standing at the peak of the Yunxiao Continent knew that...
Above Grade One alchemists, there were quasi-Imperial Grade Alchemists and Imperial Grade Alchemists.
The Samsara Martial Emperor had once been the only Imperial Grade Alchemist in the Yunxiao Continent...
"Mother, I need these medicinal herbs."
Duan Lingtian found Li Rou and handed her the slip of paper in his hand.
"Tian'er, these are all herbs to strengthen the physique. In the past, I also had the Great Elder prepare some for you to use, but they didn't have any effect."
Li Rou looked at the medicinal prescription. Although she didn't understand alchemy, she still recognized the herbs on it.
The Li Family's Great Elder, Li Huo, was a Grade Nine Alchemist and the only alchemist in the Li Family, holding a very high status within the clan.
"Mother, I still want to try."
The young man shook his head, looking stubborn and resolute.
"Alright, Mother will go buy them for you."
Li Rou nodded with doting affection.
From her perspective, as long as her son was happy, what did it matter if these herbs were wasted? They were just external possessions.
"Tian'er, do you need Mother to ask the Great Elder to help you prepare them?"
Half an hour later, Li Rou returned, bringing back the medicinal herbs Duan Lingtian needed.
"Mother, no need. Just hand them directly to me."
After taking the herbs, the young man returned to his room.
"Could it be that Tian'er wants to handle those herbs himself? Oh well, as long as he's happy. None of those herbs are poisonous; let him play with them."
A thought stirred in Li Rou's heart, but she didn't mind.
The herbs Duan Lingtian asked Li Rou to buy fell into seven categories in total, all of which were quite common. He intended to use them to prepare the "Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid".
This medicinal liquid could strengthen one's physique and increase the cultivation speed of martial artists in the Body Tempering Realm.
The formula for the "Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid" had long since vanished from the Yunxiao Continent; the Samsara Martial Emperor had found it in an ancient ruin during his second lifetime.
He had originally intended to use it in his third lifetime, but now it had fallen into Duan Lingtian's lap.
Preparing medicinal liquid was different from refining medicinal pills.
Refining medicinal pills could only be done by alchemists who had condensed pill fire and attained a proper grade.
As for preparing medicinal liquid, as long as one had the formula, knew the proportions of the herbs, and the order of preparation, anyone could make it.
Preparing the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid for the first time, Duan Lingtian clumsily spent an hour following the Samsara Martial Emperor's memories to get it right.
Afterward, he had his mother's maid prepare a wooden tub and warm water.
Duan Lingtian poured the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid into the water, stirred it evenly, stripped off his clothes, and jumped right in.
Sitting cross-legged in the wooden tub, Duan Lingtian could clearly feel a tingling sensation spreading all over his body.
He knew this was the medicinal liquid of the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid dissolving into his body and transforming his physique.
Closing his eyes, Duan Lingtian began to cultivate the *Nine Dragons Battle Sovereign Scripture*...
The *Nine Dragons Battle Sovereign Scripture* was further divided into the "Nine Transformations of the Battle Sovereign".
Cultivated to the ultimate level, one could command the power of nine dragons, achieve the status of Martial Emperor, and wield god-like might!
Right now, what Duan Lingtian was cultivating was the first transformation, the "Spirit Serpent Transformation".
Under Duan Lingtian's greedy absorption, the medicinal liquid in the tub of bathwater was quickly depleted.
At this moment, the cultivation of the Spirit Serpent Transformation also entered onto the right track.
A martial artist's initiation mainly involved tempering the body, strengthening qi and blood, and transforming the physical flesh...
Three days later, after absorbing the third tub of medicinal liquid, Duan Lingtian finally stepped into the First Level of the Body Tempering Realm!
"Splash, splash~~"
Stepping out of the wooden tub and coming before the full-length mirror, Duan Lingtian looked at the sturdy physique in the mirror, which was worlds apart from three days ago, and smiled.
Then, he began to stretch his body, discovering that his physical flexibility had reached a terrifying degree.
Many incredible movements could now be completed with ease, his body as fluid and agile as a spirit serpent.
This was the characteristic of the Spirit Serpent Transformation, making the body as flexible as a spirit serpent...
"This *Nine Dragons Battle Sovereign Scripture* truly lives up to being created through the two lifetimes of the Samsara Martial Emperor. I'm afraid it is no inferior to that *Samsara Three-Life Scripture*."
"An ordinary martial artist at the First Level of the Body Tempering Realm only increases their strength by about twenty catties, but my strength has increased by over thirty catties, putting my physical strength right on the heels of a martial artist at the Second Level of the Body Tempering Realm."
"If I were to face Li Xin of the Second Level of the Body Tempering Realm right now, even if my raw strength were slightly inferior to his, relying on the Xingyi Fist from my past life and my solo combat techniques, I could easily defeat him!"
Duan Lingtian's eyes narrowed.
"Unfortunately, the martial skill within the Spirit Serpent Transformation, the *Spirit Serpent Movement Technique*, can only be executed once one reaches the Seventh Level of the Body Tempering Realm or higher..."
"Otherwise, relying on the agility of the Spirit Serpent Movement Technique coupled with the Xingyi Fist, even if I faced a martial artist at the Third Level of the Body Tempering Realm right now, I might not lack a chance of victory!"