Inside the Du Family's living room, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt almost tangible, pressing down upon everyone's chest as if squeezing the very air of the room into water. The First Elder of the Du Family's exclamation of "What an overbearing Body Tempering Formula!" cracked like a sudden thunderbolt in a flat field, instantly making the surrounding air tremble and ripple visibly. His gray beard shook wildly like withered grass whipped by a fierce wind, revealing the churning upheaval in his heart. The First Elder's eyes were as deep as an abyss, seemingly concealing an endless universe; the wisdom and accumulated experience of the years contained within them shone like brilliant stars. With just a single glance, he seemed to pierce through layers of the void and instantly comprehend the terrifying power hidden within this Body Tempering Formula. That power seemed to possess the ability to alter heaven and earth, to turn the cosmos upside down and shatter mountains and rivers—resembling the primordial creation force at the dawn of chaos that nurtured all things, capable of both reshaping the world and reducing everything to nothingness and utter destruction.
"Fan, I... I really am useless." Du Rong's face was ashen, the deathly pallor covered thickly like the heavy frost and snow of deep winter, entirely devoid of life. A trace of blood at the corner of his mouth resembled a red spider lily blooming on the edge of death—so glaringly red that, set against the pale background, it held a tragic beauty laced with endless despair. He struggled to push himself up from the ground, every movement like a life-or-death battle against a weight as heavy as Mount Tai. His muscles were taut, veins bulging as if every last shred of strength was being squeezed dry by this crushing burden. His eyes were filled with guilt and self-reproach, the gaze stabbing straight at Du Bufan like two searing blades; the emotion within it burned like a roaring wildfire, scorching enough to reduce his soul to ashes and leave behind only boundless remorse.
At this moment, Du Bufan's face was plastered with bewilderment and utter confusion, as if he were lost in an endless sea of fog. Chaos shrouded him on all sides, and the boundless mist coiled around him like pythons, trapping him deeply so that he could find not a single clue. His mind was tangled in confusion like a mess of hemp. When he had practiced this Body Tempering Formula back then, how relaxed and effortless it had been—like a horned dragon returning to the sea to roam freely, or a roc spreading its wings to soar into the highest heavens without the slightest obstruction, smooth and exhilarating. Yet now, Du Rong had merely struck a single posture and was violently shaken to the point of vomiting blood. He looked like a fragile, insignificant ant attempting to shake a towering giant tree—so utterly overestimating his own capabilities. Du Rong possessed peerless, supreme talent, and should have practiced this formula as smoothly as a boat drifting downstream. Yet given the current situation, could it be that his own memory had been silently altered by some unfathomable mysterious force? Or did this Body Tempering Formula itself harbor some unknown profound mystery?
"Heh, let this old man try this body-tempering art!" The Second Elder let out a loud, hearty laugh. His voice was bold and unconstrained, ringing out like a great bronze bell amid the heavy atmosphere. The laughter was filled with dauntless courage and towering spirit, as if he meant to contend with the lofty heavens themselves. With a single stride, he looked like a god of war descending from a distant divine realm to the mortal world. Every step he planted left a deep footprint in the ground—a print as profound as a meteorite strike, as though he were issuing the most fearless challenge to this mysterious Body Tempering Formula. The Second Elder was one of the Du Family's rare physical cultivation powerhouses; his majestic frame stood like a towering mountain, bearing the family's honor and dignity, rock-solid and unshakable, like an immortal monument witnessing the rise and fall of the clan.
Following the instructions Du Bufan had imparted, he began to execute the first movement of the Heavenly Dao Body Tempering Formula. However, the moment he initiated the movement, he instantly sank into an endless quagmire and vortex. His speed slowed to that of a heavily laden snail crawling inch by inch; every tiny movement appeared excruciatingly difficult, as if every fraction of forward progress drained his entire strength. This arduous state was as remote and unattainable as trying to breach the vault of heaven itself. Every muscle stretch felt like hauling the immensely heavy wheel of fate—a wheel laden with all the suffering and tribulations of the world, every shift accompanied by thunderous roars. Every bulging vein was like an ancient giant dragon awakening from a millennium-long slumber in the abyss, radiating an ancient and mysterious aura as it engaged in a thrilling, life-or-death struggle against a terrifying force seemingly from the nethermost hell. His complexion rapidly shifted from red to purple, and then from purple to black. The veins on his forehead writhed and twisted like angry dragons, bulging so high they threatened to burst through his skin like an enraged beast breaking out of its cage—a truly horrifying sight. At the critical, life-and-death moment when he was about to complete that first movement, he ultimately proved unable to resist the mighty force, which felt like a final judgment day.
Thud, thud, thud... His body was violently driven back by a pulling force strong enough to shatter stars, acting like a meteorite struck with cosmic force. His figure flew backward like a loosened arrow, retreating a dozen steps in succession, each step kicking up a fierce gale and a cloud of dust until—like a dying giant beast—he mustered the last shred of strength to steady his stance. What followed was a sound of ragged breathing rolling like distant thunder, echoing relentlessly in a space as silent as a domain of death. Every intake of breath sounded like a roar from the deepest abyss of hell, like the death knell rung by the Grim Reaper himself, making one's hair stand on end. Though he had not vomited blood, his battered and disheveled state resembled a defeated general who, while retaining a shred of majesty, could no longer conceal his exhaustion and decline.
"Second Brother?" The First Elder widened his eyes in utter astonishment, his expression resembling that of a man witnessing the end of the world, with all creation instantly reduced to ruin. The worry in his gaze was like a surging tsunami, its towering waves threatening to ruthlessly devour everything before him without leaving a trace.
The Second Elder panted heavily for a long time, every breath resembling a thrilling tug-of-war with the Grim Reaper as he fought with all his might to seize back his life's sovereignty. After a long while, he spoke in a voice that was hoarse yet sounded as resonant as thunder: "Marvelous! What an extraordinary Body Tempering Formula! A mere single movement packs a force as heaven-shaking and earth-shattering as Pangu cleaving the chaos, surpassing even the Du Family's supreme body-tempering arts passed down for a millennium and forever revered as peerless treasures. Practicing this for just a little over ten seconds made me feel as though I were plunged into the primordial, chaotic realm of martial arts. Within that void of primordial chaos, I seemed to touch the true meaning of martial arts. The gains from this short span of time exceed what I would achieve in an entire day of past cultivation. It is an elevation deep within the soul, a brand-new comprehension of martial arts—this is a technique that defies the heavens!"
"This..." The crowd was once again deeply shocked, their souls struck by a divine thunderbolt emanating from the depths of the universe, carrying the dual forces of destruction and rebirth. That divine thunder burst deep within their souls, instantly shattering their original perceptions into fine dust. Though they had long known that the body-tempering art imparted by Du Bufan must be extraordinary, they had never imagined it would be powerful to this degree. Originally, they had thought this Body Tempering Formula was merely a scattering of twinkling stars in the night sky—bright enough, yet insignificant within the vast cosmos. Little did they expect it to be a creation-star capable of reshaping the universe, holding the power to create and destroy worlds, and this was merely a single movement. What kind of terrifying existence capable of overturning the heavens and rewriting fate must the complete Body Tempering Formula be? It was a power that transcended the absolute limits of their imagination, resembling an endless black hole that inspired deep awe and terror at the mere thought of it.
"It is only a pity that the difficulty of practicing this Body Tempering Formula is akin to climbing a heavenly ladder that reaches beyond the nine firmaments and connects to the heavens. That ladder towers into the clouds, seeming to pierce straight into the depths of the universe, with every step paved with thorns and traps. The thorns are as sharp as a demon's fangs, easily piercing human skin; the traps are as deep as the jaws of hell, ensuring eternal damnation for anyone who falls in. The cultivation process is agonizing beyond compare: every inch of skin feels scorched by karmic fire—a flame seemingly from the nether depths capable of making one's soul tremble; every bone feels shattered by the hammer of the underworld, every strike landing with world-destroying force that threatens to crack one's very marrow; every drop of blood feels gnawed upon by a venomous dragon radiating an aura of death, slowly devouring one's vital energy drop by drop. Without iron will capable of snapping the shackles of fate, and the fearless determination of a phoenix undergoing tribulation to rise from the ashes, one simply cannot persist." The Second Elder's expression was as solemn as an immemorial sacred mountain, bearing the frost and snow of a thousand years, unchanging through the ages. The reverence in his eyes rushed toward that unknown, mysterious power like a torrential, endless river.
Hearing this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, as though a bone-chilling wind from the nether springs of the Yellow Springs were sweeping across the lake of their souls, stirring up towering waves of awe. Their gazes converged uniformly on Du Bufan, filled with astonishment, admiration, probing, and an underlying deep-seated dread of that mysterious power. At this moment, Du Bufan seemed to them to have transformed into a mysterious legend who controlled life and death and commanded fate—like a deity stepped out of ancient myth, radiating a reverent, mysterious glow that made him both unreachable and intensely magnetic.
Meanwhile, Du Bufan had fallen into deep contemplation, his brows slightly furrowed and his gaze revealing a hint of solemnity. He was well aware of the formula's power and danger—it was a double-edged sword that could easily injure others and oneself if mishandled. He began to recall every single detail of his own practice, attempting to figure out why he had been able to cultivate it with ease while others found it so arduous. Was it due to a special physique of his own, or were there other hidden circumstances? He continuously sorted through various possibilities in his mind, his concentrated expression making it seem as though everything around him had vanished, leaving only himself and the puzzle of this mysterious Body Tempering Formula.
Du Bufan slowly opened his mouth: "Perhaps this Body Tempering Formula requires a special state of mind—a state capable of harmonizing with this overbearing power. When I practiced it, my mind was entirely free of distractions; I thought only of merging with heaven and earth, complying with this force rather than fighting against it." His voice was calm and steady, echoing within the quiet living room like a guiding lamp, pointing the way for everyone amidst their bewildered exploration.
Upon hearing this, a flash of sudden realization crossed the crowd's eyes, as though after groping in the dark for a long time, they had finally caught sight of a ray of dawn. Yet they also understood that such a state of mind was not easily attained, requiring exceptionally high comprehension of martial arts and deep self-control.
The First Elder nodded slightly, his eyes filled with contemplation: "Bufan, what you say makes a certain amount of sense. But how exactly to cultivate this state of mind is something we must ponder carefully. This Body Tempering Formula is both an opportunity and a challenge; we must not give up lightly." His gaze turned firm—a determination that would never shrink back in the face of difficulty, acting like a lighthouse standing tall amidst a raging storm to guide the family forward.