The night was cold.
Stars blanketed the sky, their faint light barely illuminating the cliff where Lin Tian sat cross-legged.
He closed his eyes.
The moment his mind calmed, the information from the shattered jade slip surfaced clearly in his consciousness.
Heaven-Defying Body Art.
No rank.
No limit.
Only one requirement.
—Endure.
Lin Tian exhaled slowly and began circulating his blood according to the first pattern engraved in his mind.
The change was immediate.
Pain exploded throughout his body.
It was not the dull ache of ordinary cultivation. This pain was sharp, violent, as if countless blades were tearing through his veins.
Lin Tian's jaw tightened.
His breathing remained steady.
"So this is the price," he murmured.
The Blood Refinement energy inside him reacted violently, as if challenged by a higher authority. His muscles convulsed, bones trembling under invisible pressure.
Crack.
A faint sound echoed from within his body.
A bone fractured.
Then another.
Blood seeped from the corner of his lips.
An ordinary cultivator would have screamed, begged, or lost consciousness.
Lin Tian did none of those.
He focused.
Every fragment of pain was pulled inward, compressed, and forced to follow the circulation path of the Heaven-Defying Body Art.
His shattered bones began to realign.
Stronger.
Denser.
His blood boiled, then condensed, turning darker, heavier—like molten iron.
Hours passed.
The moon moved across the sky.
By the time the first hint of dawn appeared, Lin Tian's body was drenched in blood and sweat.
Then—
Boom!
A shockwave burst outward from his body, scattering rocks across the cliff.
Lin Tian's eyes snapped open.
They glowed faintly red before returning to normal.
He inhaled deeply.
The air rushed into his lungs, filling him with an overwhelming sense of power.
His cultivation surged.
Body Refinement — Third Layer.
No.
It didn't stop.
Fourth Layer.
Then—
Silence.
Lin Tian slowly stood up.
His body felt light, yet terrifyingly solid. When he clenched his fist, the air itself seemed to tremble.
He looked down at his arms.
His skin appeared unchanged, but beneath it flowed condensed strength far beyond his previous state.
"This technique…" he muttered. "It doesn't just strengthen the body."
It rebuilt it.
Perfected it.
Lin Tian stepped forward and punched the air.
Boom!
A crater exploded into the cliff face several meters away.
He stared at the destruction calmly.
"So this is the difference."
No qi techniques.
No martial skills.
Pure physical power.
But he knew this was only the beginning.
The Heaven-Defying Body Art was divided into stages.
And he had only entered the first.
Lin Tian sat back down and stabilized his cultivation, allowing his body to fully adapt.
When he finally opened his eyes again, the sun had risen.
And someone was watching him.
Lin Tian's gaze sharpened instantly.
On a nearby rock stood a young woman in light green robes, her long hair tied loosely behind her back.
She stared at the shattered cliff, then at Lin Tian.
Shock was written all over her face.
"That explosion…" she said slowly. "You caused it?"
Lin Tian stood calmly.
"You were spying," he replied.
The woman snapped out of her daze and frowned.
"I was passing by," she said. "This area is dangerous. I felt a strange fluctuation and came to check."
Her eyes lingered on Lin Tian.
"A Body Refinement cultivator… but that power…"
She frowned deeper.
"That doesn't make sense."
Lin Tian studied her silently.
Her robes bore a faint insignia.
A mountain pierced by a blade.
Iron Ridge Sect.
So soon.
"State your name," she said cautiously.
Lin Tian didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he asked, "What do you want?"
The woman hesitated.
Then she took a breath.
"I'm Su Yan," she said. "An outer disciple of the Iron Ridge Sect."
Her gaze hardened.
"And you… you seriously injured Elder Huang, didn't you?"
The wind blew between them.
Lin Tian's expression remained calm.
"Yes," he said.
Su Yan's pupils contracted.
She hadn't expected him to admit it so easily.
Silence stretched.
Then—
Instead of drawing her weapon, Su Yan did something unexpected.
She bowed slightly.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Lin Tian narrowed his eyes.
"For what?" he asked.
Su Yan clenched her fists.
"Elder Huang abused his authority," she said. "Many suffered under him. The sect ignored it."
She met Lin Tian's gaze directly.
"But what you did… forced them to look."
Lin Tian said nothing.
Su Yan straightened.
"The sect will investigate," she continued. "But when they do—"
Her voice lowered.
"You'll be summoned."
Lin Tian nodded once.
"I expected that."
Su Yan hesitated, then spoke carefully.
"If you want to live," she said, "you should enter the sect."
Lin Tian smiled faintly.
"Then it seems," he said, "I was going there anyway."
The wind howled again.
And somewhere beyond the mountains—
A much bigger storm was beginning to form.