The shrine had fallen silent.
Qin Feng sat alone on the cold stone floor. he was still blind. but he was no longer no longer helpless.
But that was just the beginning.
He clenched his fists slowly, raising them... there was a faint tremor. it wasn't fear—it was anticipation.
"I've wasted too much time," he whispered. "I need strength. Now."
Qin Feng sat cross-legged and exhaled deeply. His father had taught him the rudimentary steps of cultivation before everything went to ruin. Though he'd been blind then, the lessons had stayed with him—etched into his mind, like forgotten runes waiting to be used.
Now was the time to use them.
He steadied his breath, calming the racing of his heart as he recalled. Then, he began.
"Cultivation is the path to true strength, but it all starts with the body"
"Focus the senses; Sense the essence of heaven and earth"
As he entered a meditative state, the subtle hum of energy in the air began to come alive. It was faint, like a breeze behind a sealed window—but it was there. A presence all around him. The essence.
His newly opened soul eye, hidden deep within, stirred. Though inactive for now, its influence had already balanced the resonance between his soul and the natural essence. He could feel the difference. What had once been elusive and foggy now felt presen.
He reached out with his inner perception, and like a thirsty sponge meeting water, his body began to drink it in.
"the essence flows into your bones first, they drink it like dry earth after rain. Once the bones are filled, the essence moves into your muscles, building power and control. Then it spreads to your skin, hardening it until it can withstand blades and blows."
His skin prickled.
The first strand of pure essence drifted toward him and slipped beneath his skin.
Almost instantly, his bones responded.
A deep, dull ache surged through his arms and legs, his spine and chest. It was as though something ancient within him had stirred—a primal instinct written into every joint and marrow.
His bones weren't resisting, they were absorbing.
This was the Bone Forging Stage of the Body Tempering Realm. The very foundation of cultivation.
As more essence poured into him, his body grew hotter. Beads of sweat formed and rolled down his back. He grit his teeth but didn't cry out. The pain was sharp, at times overwhelming, but it was the pain of growth. Of transformation.
His bones pulsed with subtle light, visible even through the skin. Cracking sounds echoed softly in the silence of the shrine as years of weakness were being reshaped, hardened, reforged.
Time lost meaning.
He trained relentlessly, cycling his breathing and essence flow, focused completely. He had no pills, no teacher guiding him but he had will. He had need.
Eventually, the pain receded into a dull burn. His bones had taken in all they could for now. He would need toperform some excercises to balance and condense the essence in his body. His body was shaking slightly, but his eyes remained firm. He wanted to keep going but a sharp pang in his stomach interrupted him.
Qin Feng blinked and looked down.
"...Right," he muttered. "I haven't eaten since…"
The spirit had nourished him with essence when it brought him to the shrine... but a long time has passed since then.
He had no idea how long it had been. He'd been too focused to count. But now that the training pause had arrived, his body demanded nourishment.
He rose slowly, feeling a strange heaviness in his limbs like he was wearing a new body that hadn't adjusted to him yet. His body ached, but he felt stronger.
He looked around the dusty, stone shrine.
There was nothing here to eat. Of course.
He moved to the doorway. As he pushed it open, sunlight spilled into the shrine, painting the floor gold. Qin Feng squinted slightly, still not fully used to the brightness, and stepped out into the quiet mountainside.
The wind was crisp. and the wind rustled softly. Birds chirped in the distance.
He took a breath. Then another.
He was alive. He could see. And he had started the path.
The road ahead was long...he hadn't even completed Body Tempering yet. But this… this was the first real step.
There was only a long path before him tolowed by a dry wasteland....
"seems those damed qin clan bastard really wanted me to die" He tought
With steady feet and a growling stomach, he headed out.