After their brief trip to Purple Cloud City, Lin Chen returned to the sect.
Since night had already fallen, and rather than rushing into matters, he chose to rest. Body refinement was no trivial process; a single mistake could damage his foundation. He decided to begin preparations the following day.
The next day, after carefully checking everything, Lin Chen confirmed that all the necessary ingredients for refinement had been gathered. Rare beast blood, medicinal fruit, and bone pill—nothing was missing.
What remained were the auxiliary tools required for the process, the most important of which was a cauldron sturdy enough to withstand prolonged refinement.
Thus, he came to the Refinement Hall to borrow a massive furnace—one large enough to fit an entire body.
The elders in charge glanced at Lin Chen, clearly preparing to question his request. A refinement furnace was no trivial object—it was forged from the toughest materials, capable of withstanding extreme heat and violent spiritual reactions.
Such items were tightly controlled within the sect and were never lent out lightly, especially not to an ordinary disciple.
However, the moment Lin Chen mentioned his master's name, their expressions shifted.
The doubt in their eyes vanished. The questions they were about to ask died on their lips. Without further inquiry or hesitation, the furnace was handed over as if the matter had already been decided.
The entire exchange was smooth to the point of being unsettling.
Lin Chen accepted the furnace, yet a strange feeling rose in his heart.
That reaction didn't feel like respect.
It felt more like fear.
"It seems my master wasn't boasting after all," Lin Chen muttered to himself. "She really does have… a fearsome reputation within the sect."
By the time night arrived, Lin Chen had finished taking care of the remaining preparations.
Under the moonlight in the garden, Lin Chen began setting up the furnace. Carefully stacking green flamewood beneath it. This type of wood burned steadily and produced intense heat for extended periods, making it especially suitable for refinement processes.
Next, Lin Chen poured in the beast blood he had obtained from the auction. The amount was limited, so he mixed in water until there was enough liquid for his entire body to be fully submerged.
Although this diluted the mixture, it did not affect the refinement itself—during the process, the body absorbed only the essence within the blood, not the water.
With everything prepared, the furnace was soon filled.
Lin Chen lit the fire.
Flames leapt up, crackling softly as heat gathered beneath the cauldron. Before long, the blood inside began to warm. Ripples spread across the surface, thin wisps of steam rising into the air, until the liquid finally reached a rolling boil.
Lin Chen watched the churning blood calmly.
The moment had come.
It was time to begin refinement.
He still felt some hesitation about bathing out in the open like this, but cultivation was never about comfort. If comfort mattered, he wouldn't be standing in front of something literally called a furnace. Besides, the area was secluded—no one was likely to wander in and witness this particular mistake.
With a quiet breath, he removed his robes and stepped into the furnace.
The pain hit instantly.
It felt like being dropped into hot oil. The burning blood clung to his skin, stinging fiercely, far worse than ordinary heat. Even with his cultivator physique, the agony made his muscles spasm, his jaw tightening as he fought the urge to leap right back out.
"Damn…"
This was no ordinary suffering. No wonder the manual stated that the survival rate was less than one percent.
This pain wasn't just because of the heat—if it were, he could have endured it. What truly made it unbearable was the fierce nature of the blood essence itself, raging through him like a living thing, burning from the inside out.
"Aiva… I'll leave it to you," Lin Chen said through clenched teeth.
His thoughts were already breaking apart, pain grinding away at what little rationality he had left. Keeping his mind clear was becoming harder than enduring the furnace itself.
[Understood. Initiating temporary unconsciousness. Excessive pain may damage cognitive functions.]
"Okay…"
The word barely left his mouth before darkness swallowed him whole.
The instant Lin Chen lost consciousness, Aiva took control.
His entire body sank beneath the boiling blood, completely submerged. Without pause, she retrieved the Bone-Crushing Pill from the storage ring and fed it to him.
Crack.
The sound echoed inside the furnace—sharp and unnatural.
Then it came again.
Crack. Crack.
It spread rapidly, like a chain reaction. Arms, legs, ribs, spine—every bone in his body shattered almost simultaneously. The pill did not break them gently; it crushed them into fragments, reducing the strongest framework of the human body to ruin.
This was the beginning of refinement.
The Tyrant Body Refining Art demanded absolute destruction as its first step. Bones were destroyed first because they were the hardest to erase. Flesh, organs, nerves—far weaker—were already being torn apart by the ferocious beast blood flooding his body.
Only when nothing remained intact could something new be forged.
Creation required destruction.
The Winged Tiger blood surged violently through every pore, pouring into the shattered body like a raging tide. Lightning and wind attributes clashed within him, tearing, carving, and reshaping.
Fine cracks appeared across Lin Chen's skin, glowing faintly as blood and energy rewrote his very structure from the inside out.
Aiva guided the process with ruthless precision.
Broken bones were reforged first—denser, heavier, laced with faint traces of lightning. Nerves followed, rebuilt to endure violent Qi circulation.
Organs were reconstructed next, strengthened to withstand forces that would shred an ordinary cultivator instantly. Blood vessels thickened, flesh condensed, and the body was assembled layer by layer.
This was not something a human mind could manage.
A single misstep would mean total collapse.
As the reconstruction stabilized, the blood within the furnace was gradually absorbed. The violent turbulence inside his body slowed, the chaotic energies settling into a fragile yet perfect balance.
Then came the final step.
Aiva took out the Azure Flame Fruit and consumed it.
A warm, gentle force spread through the newly rebuilt body, flowing like calm fire. It healed lingering damage, fused unstable structures, and reinforced every part that had just been born. Flesh hardened, organs adapted, and the body reached a state of peak stability under the refinement technique.
50 minutes later,
[Process completed.]
Lin Chen regained control of his body.
He found himself sitting inside the furnace, now filled with nothing but hot water. The blood was completely gone, absorbed down to the last drop. Instead of pain, a deep sense of warmth and vitality flowed through his body.
He let out a slow breath.
"It seems the refinement is complete."
His body felt light. Strong. Refreshed—like every part of him had been polished from the inside out.
"Thanks, Aiva," Lin Chen said sincerely. For something like this, gratitude was well-deserved.
[You are welcome.]
He leaned back against the edge of the furnace. What once felt like boiling torment now felt no different from a warm bath.
"So… my talent should be average or below average now, right?" Lin Chen asked casually.
[It should be.]
"Great," Lin Chen said with a small smile. Average was far better than trash.
He stayed there for a while longer, enjoying the warmth. After nearly half an hour, he finally climbed out of the furnace.
"That really was a wonderful bath," he muttered.
Now, it was time to get dressed—and see what had truly changed.
"Disciple, where are you?"
Lin Chen's expression froze.
"…Fuck no."
This wasn't how these scenes were supposed to go. In novels, it was always the disciple accidentally walking in on the master—not the other way around. Why was fate reversing the script on him?
Before he could react, a figure descended into the garden.
Lan Yaoye landed lightly on the ground.
Her gaze swept across the scene… and then stopped.
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat.
Having just undergone complete regeneration, his body was still adjusting, and certain reactions were… less obedient than usual. And certain
A certain part is in an excited state.
The silence stretched.
Then—
His master's face turned red.
Not slightly red. Not embarrassed red.
It was the kind of red that looked like steam might start coming out at any second.
Lin Chen reacted instantly. He grabbed the robe from his storage ring and covered himself in one frantic motion.
"T-This isn't what it looks like!" he blurted out.
Too late.
The damage had already been done.
Lan Yaoye's eyes widened, then darted away so fast her head nearly snapped back.
"Haha…!" she laughed stiffly. "I—I clearly came at the wrong time!"
She turned around like a wind-up toy, movements rigid and awkward.
"I'll—uh—come back later!"
Before Lin Chen could say another word, she shot into the sky and vanished.
"She looks embarrassed… well, not my problem," Lin Chen muttered, glancing up at the sky. "She's the one who came uninvited. If anything, she's the one at fault."
Unlike women who would make a huge fuss if someone accidentally peeked at them, Lin Chen was far more lenient about such things. It wasn't like he had lost an arm or a muscle over it.
Let it go.
He stretched lazily and chuckled to himself.
"La la… I should go drink the wine I bought," he said cheerfully. "A successful refinement deserves a proper celebration."
*****
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