As Yi Fan broke through to Body Tempering 6th stage, another notification came.
[Host needed to refine his body one time to achieve the next stage of cultivation.
For this you needed three materials.
Yellow Earth Powder (5 kg) – common soil refined through alchemy, used to strengthen flesh.
Grainy Stone Essence (1 kg) – ground mineral powder that nourished bones slightly.
Mud Iron Pebble (0.5 kg) – small stones with faint metallic properties, taken to temper marrow.
When you gathered them the system would help you merge them with your body.]
Yi Fan read it carefully. He thought, "This type of material I had seen in the Black Wind Woods market. But they were so costly. I had to prepare many silver coins to buy them."
He kept thinking. If he had been reincarnated here when this body had been 14 and had joined the sect then, he would not have had to worry about cultivation resources. The sect would have provided everything. Now it was difficult for him to gather so much money.
Then he remembered his sister."I have almost forgotten that I have a sister who is already an inner disciple of the sect. I could borrow some silver from her. I had not met her in a week."
***
Inner Sect Area.
Yi Fan entered the inner sect area and tried to find his sister by asking other inner disciples. Most of them did not know anything about her.
While asking, he met a female disciple. Her name was Li Jing'er. She had long dark hair tied up with a silver hairpin. Her eyes were deep brown and sharp, with a small red mark on her forehead. She wore layered blue and green robes, practical but still elegant. Leather bracers covered her arms. A bow rested in her hand. She moved with quiet confidence, steady and sure, like someone who knew her own strength.
Yi Fan asked her, "Senior, have you heard about a new inner disciple? Her name is Yi Xiao. I am her elder brother."
"Yi Xiao? Yes, she is my junior sister. Why are you searching for her?" Li Jing'er asked.
Yi Fan watched Li Jing'er's face when he said Yi Xiao's name. She had gone pale for a moment. Her mood had changed. He could see she was not pleased. He wondered why.
"I want to meet her. Can you kindly show me the way?" Yi Fan asked.
"Follow me. I will take you there," Li Jing'er said, and she started walking. Yi Fan followed.
A short time later she stopped beside a house and went in. Yi Fan stayed outside the door and waited. He watched a narrow gap so he could see inside without being seen.
Inside, Yi Xiao was trying to understand a jade slip. She was focused and did not move at first. Li Jing'er entered, and Yi Xiao sensed her presence. Li Jing'er walked up and hugged her tightly.
"What are you doing? I am trying to concentrate. I told you to take a walk in the sect and give me some time alone. Why did you come early?" Yi Xiao asked, annoyed.
"I went for a walk, but your brother came to meet you," Li Jing'er answered.
"Has he come here?" Yi Xiao asked.
At that, Yi Xiao ran out instantly. Behind her, Li Jing'er looked unhappy and cold. She thought to herself,"I will not let you fall in love with anyone else. I want to be the most important person to you. How can your trash brother take that place?
Yi Fan saw Li Jing'er's behavior through the small gap in the door. He understood why she had looked pale when he had asked about Yi Xiao. He thought, This woman is a lesbian. He smiled a little inside and did not make a sound. He watched them from the door gap until Yi Xiao and Li Jing'er left the room.
When Yi Xiao came out, she hugged her brother, Yi Fan. "At last you came to meet me. You remembered that you had a little sister," she said.
"Why didn't you come to meet me?" Yi Fan asked.
"My master said I could not leave this house until I mastered his special technique," Yi Xiao replied.
"I see. But don't worry. I will come to meet you," Yi Fan said.
He asked, "Are you feeling well here? Is anyone bullying you?"
Li Jing'er could not hide her contempt. "What could you do if someone bullied her? You don't have the strength to avenge her."
Li Jing'er kept insulting him. Her goal was simple — to show Yi Xiao that her brother was useless. She wanted Yi Xiao to change her opinion about her brother. She thought by making Yi Fan look weak, she would become more important to Yi Xiao.
But Li Jing'er underestimated the bond between the siblings. Yi Fan did not reply at once. Yi Xiao's voice turned dark. "Senior sister Li, I respect you, and I am thankful for you, but I cannot endure someone insulting my brother. If you don't like him, at least do not insult him in front of me."
Before Yi Xiao could say more, Yi Fan closed her mouth with his hand and said to Li Jing'er, "Please forgive my junior sister. She is always like this. She does not know how to behave sometimes."
Yi Xiao tried to speak, but she could not find the words.
Later, when they were walking in the street, Yi Fan asked Yi Xiao for one hundred silver coins. Yi Xiao gave it to him without asking why he needed it. She trusted him. She believed in him.
Yi Fan noticed his sister's cultivation. She had already reached Qi Transformation. When he told her that he had reached Body Tempering 6th layer, she was shocked. She could not understand how he had broken through so fast in seven days. Her eyes widened. She asked him many questions, but Yi Fan only smiled and did not answer everything. He did not want to worry her. He only felt proud and a little guilty for keeping his progress secret.
Next he went to the Black Wind Woods market. He searched for the three materials the system had required. The market was noisy. Traders shouted. The smell of herbs and soil mixed in the air. The Yellow Earth Powder, Grainy Stone Essence, and Mud Iron Pebbles were all there, but they were expensive. He counted his silver and bargained with the sellers. He felt his heart beat faster when the price was high. In the end he paid what was needed. He had the exact amount the system demanded.
That night he walked to a small cave on Black Wind Mountain. He had chosen a place where few people came. Inside the cave it was cold and damp. He sat down, laid out the materials in front of him, and arranged them carefully. He looked at the powders and pebbles one last time. His hands trembled a little from nervousness.
He commanded, "System, start refining my body."
The system activated. The materials began to fuse with his flesh and bones. Pain erupted through his body. It was more intense than any pain he had felt before. His skin burned as if ice and fire had mixed together. His limbs shook. He screamed out loud. The sound echoed in the cave and then disappeared. He had chosen a secluded place for this reason; he did not want anyone to hear him.
The pain rose and fell, again and again. Many times it was stronger than before. At last the torment grew so high that he lost consciousness.
A few hours later Yi Fan opened his eyes. His body felt different. Strength flooded through him in a way he had not felt before. He moved his hands and tested his limbs. He felt power in his bones and flesh.
He thought, "My strength now equaled a Body Tempering 9th layer cultivator, while I am still at the 7th layer. This physique is awesome. Not better than Yang Kai's Black Book, but still useful."
[Ding]
He heard the small notification sound and smiled weakly. He sat up slowly and let the new strength settle in his chest. He knew the road ahead was still long, but this step had been important. He breathed deeply and prepared to leave the cave, feeling both tired and more confident than before.
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