The journey back to the academy was long, but the burden on Yuan Tian's shoulders felt heavier than the miles they covered. The horrors of Jinshui Village clung to him, the images of charred marks, dismembered offerings, and the silent echoes of a place long abandoned by the living. Yet, the academy loomed ahead, its walls offering the kind of safety that only time and effort could bestow.
They arrived by late evening, the setting sun casting long shadows over the stone courtyards of the academy. Despite the darkening sky, Li Yuan Tian felt a small weight lifting from his chest. The academy was familiar—its training grounds, its dorms, the familiar scent of incense and earth mixed with the sharp tang of sweat. He was home.
They were immediately ushered to Elder Zhao's office upon their arrival. The Elder was a tall, imposing figure whose age had not dulled his sharp eyes or even sharper mind. Despite his years, his energy radiated the kind of strength that few could match. He listened intently as Li Yuan Tian recounted their findings, carefully noting each detail with his usual precision.
Fei Zhi's report was succinct but detailed, explaining the strange symbols, the burned cart, the unsettling presence of spirit flame, and the ominous warning left behind by the demon cultivators. He even mentioned the crude sealing charm found at the well.
Elder Zhao didn't speak immediately. His eyes lingered on the group, his gaze hard and calculating. "Demon cultivators… here? In our region?" He muttered to himself, fingers tapping lightly against the edge of his desk. After a long silence, he finally looked up, his expression unwavering.
"We cannot ignore this. I will lead an investigation myself. Prepare yourselves," he said in a low, firm voice. "Gather a team. I'll see to it that we uncover the truth of what happened in Jinshui."
Li Yuan Tian hesitated, glancing at Fei Zhi and Shui Rong. They all knew what this meant. The academy's attention would be fully focused on the village, and if the demon cultivators were as dangerous as they feared, this would become a much larger conflict. But none of them spoke up. The academy needed to act, and quickly.
The Return to Training
The days that followed were filled with tension as Elder Zhao's investigation team departed, but for Li Yuan Tian, the academy was a place of growth. His training had to continue—there were no shortcuts. The time spent in Jinshui had given him a taste of the kind of power that was out there, something darker and more twisted than he had imagined. And he knew he needed to be stronger.
Each day, as was becoming routine, he trained alongside Han Jue. Their fights were brutal, their training rigorous. It was no longer just sparring. It was testing the limits of endurance, strength, and technique. Every strike was harder, every counter move sharper, every block a test of pure will.
Han Jue, ever the brute force martial artist, relied on raw power and strength. But Yuan Tian was learning to use his agility, his precision, his adaptability in battle. He was learning to balance his natural talent with the techniques he had acquired, pushing himself beyond his previous limits.
For months, the rhythm of their training continued—endless hours of practice, sweat, blood, and bruises.
Eight Months Later: A Breakthrough
Eight months passed, and during that time, Li Yuan Tian's body tempered in ways that defied the natural progression. His endurance, his speed, his strength—they all grew in tandem. His muscles hardened, his joints became more fluid, his breath more controlled. But most importantly, he learned to feel the flow of energy within him, guiding it, controlling it, pushing it into the right channels.
One evening, during a particularly intense sparring session with Han Jue, it happened.
Li Yuan Tian's footwork was fluid, faster than it had ever been. Han Jue swung his massive fist, aiming to crush Yuan Tian with sheer force, but Yuan Tian ducked under the blow, using his momentum to strike at Han Jue's side. The hit landed with a sharp crack, and Han Jue grunted in surprise, but he immediately countered, his fists swinging with power.
But this time, Li Yuan Tian didn't retreat. He stood his ground. In a split second, he shifted his stance, pushing the flow of energy within his body into his legs and arms, locking it into place as he sent a series of quick strikes at Han Jue's body. Each punch was faster, sharper, more precise. Han Jue's defenses couldn't keep up, and for the first time,Li Yuan Tian managed to land a solid blow to Han Jue's chest that sent him stumbling back.
The moment the hit landed, Li Yuan Tian felt it—the surge of power that surged through him like a river breaking through a dam. His body hummed with energy, the qi flowing freely through his limbs, a perfect harmony between spirit and flesh.
He paused, feeling the overwhelming sensation of reaching a new peak. A moment of silence stretched as he realized that something inside him had changed. His body had finally reached the late stage of Body Tempering.
Han Jue stood, breathing heavily, staring at Li Yuan Tian with a mixture of respect and astonishment. "You did it," Han Jue said, his voice low. "You've reached the late stage."
Li Yuan Tian nodded, his body still vibrating with the energy coursing through him. He had pushed beyond his limits, finally breaking through. His body had hardened to the point where his strength was no longer a mere product of his training—it was a product of his newfound mastery.
"Only the beginning,"Li Yuan Tian murmured to himself.
As the sun set outside, the academy's vast training grounds stretched before him. It wasn't just his body that had been tempered—his spirit, his will, his determination were all in tune with his growing power. He wasn't the same person who had entered the academy months ago. And he wasn't finished yet.
With the breakthrough in Body Tempering, Li Yuan Tian could feel the weight of his new responsibilities pressing on him. He had grown stronger, but there was still so much to learn. As the echoes of his fight with Han Jue faded away, his thoughts returned to Jinshui Village. The demon cultivators, the spirit flame, the strange markings—they were still out there, and they were just as dangerous as before.
Li Yuan Tian wasn't sure what the future held, but he was ready to face it. The academy would continue to train him, but the real tests, the ones that mattered most, were out in the world.
And he would be prepared.