The days following Feiyin's complete tempering of his body had been filled with silent refinement. He had not rushed to begin his meridian opening immediately, despite his anticipation. Instead, he had taken the time to adjust, to truly feel the changes in his body.
His body felt lighter, yet his movements carried more weight. His blade felt easier to wield, each slash sharper and more precise than before. His senses had heightened, allowing him to perceive the oscillations of the world with greater clarity, but more than that, his inner sense had emerged, giving him an unprecedented awareness of his own body.
Each breath, each pulse of blood, each tiny tremor of his muscles, it was all laid bare to his perception. And yet…Something felt off. A dissonance that he could not place, an itch beneath his skin that did not stem from his own body. He had never ignored his instincts before, and he would not start now.
So, in those few days, Feiyin had continued honing his strength control. His father's advice rang in his mind, a drawn blade was a known one, a sheathed blade an unknown, so he had refined the art of hiding his power.
His first step had been physical control. He had observed the militia, the ordinary villagers, even the weaker cultivators in their midst. He had learned to mirror their movements, to breathe as they did, to mimic their postures. By distributing his strength evenly through his body, he could diminish his presence, making himself appear normal, unremarkable.
But that was only the first step. The second was controlling his inner strength itself, dispersing it just enough so that his presence felt muted. He had been careful, precise, making minute adjustments over the last few days. And the third… was the oscillations.
Feiyin had long since noticed that cultivators of different strengths emitted different frequencies. He had observed how their bodies vibrated at different intensities, how their energy pulsed stronger or weaker, depending on their level.
'If I can copy those oscillations… I can make my strength seem lower than it is.'
The process was painstaking, requiring both focus and patience. He had spent hours adjusting the rhythm of his body's vibrations, matching them to the weaker cultivators he had observed.
It was difficult, like trying to walk with deliberate slowness while his body begged to run. But Feiyin persisted, and the results were promising. His father had taken notice, of course. Nothing escaped Cai Feng's sharp gaze. One evening, after a long day of training, his father had approached him as Feiyin wiped the sweat from his brow.
"You're getting better at it," Cai Feng remarked, crossing his arms as he studied him.
Feiyin straightened. "At what?"
Cai Feng smirked. "Hiding."
Feiyin's lips twitched. "Did I fool you?"
His father's smirk widened slightly. "No. But I wouldn't expect you to, not yet. You're on the right path. If you keep refining it, soon even I will struggle to see through you."
Feiyin's chest swelled with pride, but he did not let it cloud his mind. His father was a seasoned warrior, his instincts honed through decades of battle. If he had noticed Feiyin's concealment, then it meant Feiyin still had much to improve. And he would.
But first, he had another goal to achieve. It was time to open his first meridian.
Feiyin sat cross-legged in his training chamber, his breathing slow, controlled. His pulse thrummed in his ears, steady as a war drum. The world outside his small room was silent, but within him, a storm brewed.
The past days had been spent adjusting, getting used to the sheer depth of his newfound inner strength and the way it pulsed through his body like a living current. He had felt it in the way his muscles responded faster, the way his breath flowed steadier, the way his blade moved sharper.
The absolute pinnacle of the Body Tempering Realm.
But it was not enough.
Strength alone was meaningless if it could not be properly channeled.
And that was where the next step came.
Opening the first meridian.
He closed his eyes, extending his inner sense into his body, the perception of his own flesh and energy clearer than it had ever been before. He could feel everything, from the smallest tremors in his muscles to the gentle pull of his breath through his lungs.
But most importantly… he could feel the meridians.
Thin, dormant channels running through his body, blocked and untouched, like rivers dammed shut. He traced their paths with his mind, noting where they converged, how they branched through his limbs and organs. They were locked gates, and the key to true cultivation was to force them open using his own strength.
His first meridian needed to be a foundation, something that would ground his progress, give him stability as he advanced.
His foot.
It was a common starting point, one of the lowest points of the body, a natural choice to anchor his future circulation. Opening a meridian in his foot would create a stable flow upward, allowing his future meridians to connect in a steady, structured manner.
He exhaled, then gathered his inner strength, guiding it downward, toward that blocked path. The moment his energy pressed against it, resistance met him like a solid wall. His brows furrowed. He had expected this, but feeling it firsthand was something else entirely.
It was like trying to push through a sealed gate, an invisible force rejecting his energy, refusing to yield. Feiyin frowned as he increased the pressure. A sharp sting shot through his leg. His eyes snapped open, sweat beading on his forehead.
'So this is what it feels like…'
His fingers twitched at the lingering sensation, a mixture of heat and pressure, as if his foot had suddenly become heavier, denser. He had barely begun, and already, his body fought back. This was not something he could rush.
If he forced it too quickly, he could damage his meridian before it even fully opened, setting back his progress permanently. If he applied too little pressure, the meridian would remain closed, and his efforts would be wasted.
Balance. It was all about balance.
He took a deep breath, letting his energy withdraw from the meridian, allowing the blocked passage to remain untouched for now.
Feiyin sat still, his breathing measured, mind focused entirely on the meridian in his foot. The resistance was like a dense, immovable force, stubbornly blocking the flow of his energy. He had expected as much, but simply pushing harder would only strain his body. He needed a different approach.
He closed his eyes, drawing upon his unique perception of the world, the oscillations that underpinned all things. And then, he listened.
Even within the silence of his body, there were subtle frequencies, tiny, imperceptible pulses running through his flesh, bones, and blood. His meridian, despite being sealed, was no exception. He could feel its natural frequency, a low, stubborn vibration, like a wall that refused to budge.
His inner strength crashed against it like waves against stone, forceful but unfocused.
'No wonder it resists me… I'm not guiding my strength properly.'
His thoughts turned to music, to the way a single misplaced note could ruin a melody, just as mismatched oscillations could disrupt his meridian. Then, he remembered the five elements, the fundamental forces that governed the world, and the five organs within him, each carrying a corresponding resonance.
A thought struck him.
'What if I don't force my way in… but wear it down instead?'
His eyes narrowed. He adjusted his breathing, matching his inner strength to the melody of the five elements, weaving them together into a cycle.
Earth first, steadying the foundation of his meridian, preparing it for change.
Then Metal, sharpening his energy into a fine point.
Water followed, soft but persistent, finding the smallest cracks in the resistance.
Wood came next, expanding and pressing forward, seeking new space.
And finally, Fire, burning away the last vestiges of the blockage.
A slow, methodical cycle, like a drill, grinding down the resistance layer by layer. At first, the obstruction barely reacted. But as he continued the cycle, his strength flowing in precise oscillations, he felt a shift. The resistance began to weaken, chipped away bit by bit.
Feiyin's lips curled into a small, triumphant smile.
This… this was working.
It was slow, deliberate, but unlike before, he wasn't fighting against his body. He was guiding it, working with it. A deep exhilaration filled him. This method, it wasn't just brute strength or reckless force. It was art, a refinement of his understanding of energy and vibration.
Feiyin maintained his rhythm, his inner strength moving in a steady, measured cycle. He could feel the obstruction in his meridian thinning, slowly eroded by the oscillations of the five elements, earth stabilizing, metal refining, water wearing away, wood expanding, and fire consuming.
The resistance was no longer an impenetrable wall, but crumbling stone beneath his deliberate efforts.
And then, it happened.
A faint crack.
It was minuscule, barely perceptible, but to Feiyin, it was as loud as a mountain splitting apart. The barrier within his foot shuddered, and for a moment, his body froze, as if sensing the impending change. His breath hitched.
He felt his inner strength press through, like a river finally breaking through a dam. The meridian shook, then opened, a small pathway, barely the width of a hair, but undeniably open.
And at that moment,
The world responded.
A powerful, indescribable force surged through the air, rushing toward him like an invisible tide. It was cold yet warm, overwhelming yet comforting. It carried the vastness of the heavens, the depth of the earth, and the endless, flowing energy that made up all things.
The Essence of Heaven and Earth had recognized him.
Feiyin's body trembled as the energy poured into him, flooding into the newly opened meridian. He gasped, his senses expanding in an instant, as if a veil had been lifted from his perception.
His mind reeled, everything felt clearer, sharper. His breathing, the faint rustling of wind outside, the distant heartbeat of the earth beneath him… It was as if the entire world had become more vivid.
His meridian pulsed, drinking in the energy like parched land soaking up rain. The influx of essence was not chaotic or violent, it was a baptism, washing over him, strengthening him.
Feiyin's muscles, bones, blood, and even his inner organs resonated with the energy, accepting it, merging with it. He felt a subtle but undeniable shift, as if his body had stepped beyond mortality, integrating something greater into itself.
The Meridian Opening Realm.
He could feel it, his meridian was no longer empty. It carried a thread of the world's essence, a connection to something far greater than himself. His heart pounded, but his mind was calm, focused.
The process lasted only moments, yet it felt like an eternity. When the flow of essence finally settled, Feiyin exhaled deeply, his breath carrying a faint trace of warmth, like mist dissipating in the cool morning air. He slowly unclenched his fists, his fingers tingling with newfound energy.
He had done it.