Master Chen's sanctuary was a study in harmonious simplicity. Inside the cabin, the air hummed with a palpable quiet energy, smelling of aged wood, dried herbs, and woodsmoke. There were no modern conveniences beyond a cast iron stove. Scrolls depicting meridian pathways and esoteric diagrams adorned the walls. Li felt his System interface shimmering subtly, attempting to map the unfamiliar energy currents in the room. Master Chen noted it with a faint, unreadable glance. "Your... digital ghost," he observed, sipping his reheated tea. "It measures the surface ripples. We dive for the source. Your parents sent you not merely to learn to strike, but to forge the vessel that holds the intent. To temper the spirit in the fire of discipline and cleanse the river of its silt." He placed Li's cup down. "The path of Lian Ti (Refining the Body) is not gentle. Are you prepared to suffer?"
The training commenced before first light the next day. Zhan Zhuang (Standing Meditation) was the foundation. Master Chen positioned Li in the Horse Stance, thighs parallel to the ground, back straight as a spear, arms held in a circle before his chest. "Root like the ancient cedar!" Chen commanded, his voice a whip crack in the pre-dawn chill. "Feel the earth's Qi rise! Draw the heavens' Qi down! Your spirit is scattered wind! Gather it into the Dan Tian!" Minutes felt like hours. Li's thighs screamed. Sweat stung his eyes. His muscles trembled violently. [STR Check Failed! CON Check Failed! END Check Failed!] Collapse was inevitable. He hit the damp earth, gasping. His System logged minute, agonizing gains: [+0.05 STR, +0.05 CON, +0.05 END per minute sustained]. Progress measured in drops of sweat and tears.
"Again," Chen stated, no pity in his eyes. "The oak does not complain of the wind. It endures."
Weeks blurred into a grueling cycle. Pre-dawn Zhan Zhuang. Hours spent hauling water from the icy creek in heavy wooden buckets, scaling the steep path back to the cabin – Weighted Ascent, training STR and END simultaneously. Afternoons were for Meridian Striking: Chen guiding Li through precise, often painful self-massage along energy channels with smooth river stones, accompanied by specific breathing patterns. "You are unclogging the rivers within," Chen explained as Li gritted his teeth against the sharp discomfort flaring along his limbs and torso. "Decades of stagnation, poor nourishment, the poison of constant fear... it must be purged." [Meridian Purity: 15% -> 22%]
Then came the Huan Gu Dan (Bone Transformation Pill). Chen produced it from a small jade vial. It was the size of a large pea, obsidian black, and emitted a pungent, metallic odor that made Li's stomach clench. "This pill contains the essence of ten-thousand-year-old stalactite marrow, fused with dragon's blood herb and solidified dawn dew," Chen intoned, his voice grave. "It will burn. It will break you. It will rebuild you. Swallow it whole. Then, enter the Bai Cao Tang (Hundred Herbs Bath)."
The stone tub in a secluded, steam-filled corner of the cabin was filled with a thick, bubbling concoction the color of dark jade. The scent was overwhelmingly herbal – bitter, pungent, strangely alive. Swallowing the pill felt like ingesting a lump of molten lead. Fiery agony exploded in Li's gut, radiating outwards like liquid lightning, searing along his meridians. He gasped, staggering towards the tub. As he sank into the scalding liquid, the external heat warred with the internal inferno. His System erupted in frantic crimson warnings:
[CRITICAL ALERT! MAJOR BODILY RECONFIGURATION DETECTED!]
[TOXIN PURGE PROTOCOL ENGAGED AT MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY!]
HP: 100/100 -> 45/100 (Purging - Severe Cellular Stress)
[CONSTITUTION OVERLOAD! ENDURANCE OVERLOAD! PAIN THRESHOLD EXCEEDED!]
[WARNING: QI FLUCTUATION - STABILIZING...]
Black, viscous, tar-like ooze, smelling of decayed meat and chemical waste, seeped from every pore on Li's body. It mixed with the herbal bath, forming grotesque swirls. He screamed, a raw, animal sound torn from his throat, his body convulsing. Visions flickered – Brad's fist, the locker's cold metal, the Hendersons' worried faces, a dragon made of fire coiling in his bones. He felt his skeleton softening, reshaping, knitting stronger. Muscles frayed and rewove themselves with denser fibers. The pain was beyond anything he'd imagined. He begged silently for it to stop.
Master Chen stood vigil, his face impassive but his eyes intensely focused. "Breathe, Li Wei! Ride the dragon! Let the weakness burn! Let the poison flow! This is the forge! ENDURE!" His voice was an anchor in the storm of agony.
Hours later, utterly spent, trembling like a newborn foal, Li was helped from the now murky, foul-smelling bath. He collapsed onto a rough hemp mat, barely conscious. His skin felt raw, hypersensitive, glowing faintly pink. His muscles, though utterly drained, thrummed with a deep, resonant power he'd never known. He felt... lighter, yet denser. As if gravity itself had less hold on him. His System, calmer now, displayed the transformation:
STR: 17 -> 22
CON: 15 -> 20
END: 16 -> 21
AGI: 13.5 -> 17
DEF: 11 -> 16 (Base)
QI SENSITIVITY: 3 -> 7 (Distinct Currents)
MERIDIAN PURITY: 22% -> 55%
[NEW HIDDEN STAT UNLOCKED: Bone Density - Tier 1 (Jade Foundation)]
[TOXIC BURDEN STATUS: CLEANSED]
Master Chen placed a calloused hand on Li's damp forehead. A wave of profound, cool peace washed through him, easing the residual tremors. "The first crucible is passed," Chen said, a rare, almost imperceptible softening around his eyes. "Your foundation is laid. The Jade is unblemished. Now... we cultivate the river that flows within it." Li, too exhausted for words, drifted into a deep, healing sleep, the scent of herbs and the mountain's silence his lullaby. The forge had tempered him. Now, he would learn to wield the fire.