It was ages ago, but Argus can recall all of it as if everything just happened then, before an extremely odd day that made him feel like passing through a point of extreme, substantial change, a day that would mark him as one of the most terrifying beings in existence, in terms of mental fortitude, that is.
The reason for that being the fact that mental demons, dreaded by all cultivators going through their own tribulation to break through, felt more annoying than terrifying to him back then, a nuisance not that different from a mosquito relentlessly buzzing in his ears when he's already about to rest.
"Scram"
Amidst the drowning sound of temptations, or rather for him, annoyance that comes piling up on his mind, the young man merely spoke a word in a hushed manner, as if it wasn't something that should be heard by anyone at all, and yet despite the silence, the one who should hear the word received the intent completely.
And within just a mere moment, one of the most terrifying, if not downright the most terrifying part of one's tribulation during breakthrough, disperses like clouds after a rainy day, the potential this achievement entails already peaking through like the sun amidst the veil of clouds.
The most terrifying part of it all is when the young man himself discovers that it wasn't a one-time thing, as the minor breakthrough after that, and the one beyond that, even each and every single one of his breakthroughs to a major realm wasn't plagued by even the faintest trace of mental demon tempting him to just surrender and lose himself to the power he now holds.
This holds true even now that he has returned to his younger body; gone are the sounds of extreme temptation that one might just fall through, given how vulnerable one can be, both physically and mentally, during a breakthrough, no matter how minor it is.
While it is through that the purpose of Argus' cultivation is not a breakthrough even for the most minor of stages, what he is currently going through might hold an even greater significance than a breakthrough to a major realm, as right now, he is changing the very orthodoxy of cultivation itself, defying the known law that feels like it is already set in stone that no one can, and should, cultivate using two techniques simultaneously, no matter the compatibility between the two.
Well, it sure is useful for one to no longer worry about the mental demons that are plaguing the mind, but for the young man who has that as the least of his worry, as if the heaven itself is finding ways to balance out things, the suffering he is feeling right now is far beyond what any Body Refining Realm Cultivator, no matter how talented they are, should be feeling right now.
It's almost as if the very heaven itself is also dissuading the young man from continuing down this path.
'More…'
If there's anything that Argus, no, Xing Yuandao likes the most, however, it is the challenges that come along with every great tribulation he is passing through, since, as a cultivator, he is one among the people who understands one particular concept the most.
The concept of danger and opportunity exists as either side of the same coin, and that the larger the sea of misfortune is, the grander the opportunity beyond that is.
Hence now, without hesitation whether he can truly complete and perfect Augmented Circulation or not, without doubt about its potential in the future, without worry about himself failing, and without fear of the pain that will only continue, no, worsen as he approaches what he assumes will be the success of this experiment, Argus forges forward, a smile on his severely torn face as he continues to circulate two techniques within his meridians, consoling the non-sentient part of his body to endure for just a little bit more.
'Hahaha… is it working?'
If anyone who isn't aware of who Argus truly is as a person, and only aware of the situation he is in right now, they might think that it is nothing but a rambling from a person who is going insane due to the pain he is currently feeling, but while it is true that this young man is swimming amidst the sea of pain right now, it is also true that he had gone through things a lot worse than this during his previous life.
Right now, retaining not a semblance of rationale, but rather a clear mind even amidst what any other person can consider extreme torture, the young man is observing the changes within his own body, changes that just made him crack a faint smile while clenching his bloodied fist in sheer thrill.
The cracked meridians, albeit in miniscule amount, already started to repair themselves, mending each and everything that strained it, not by just recreating the walls, but by turning those cracks into the micro-vessels circulating qi as well, all while the walls themselves start to toughen, thickening and making them appear all the more solid than before.
If there's anything that one might just find extremely confusing, it is the fact that despite the expansion of not only the thickness of the wall, but also the passages of the Three Purities Origin Meridian, it doesn't appear as if the physical manifestation of this meridian changed at all, as if outside, it is still the same old meridian that the young man once has.
Despite this confusion however, Argus merely kept it to himself for now as he is well aware that this time is one of the most crucial part of cultivation, that balance, or rather, disadvantage that he once has over the destructive power wreaking havoc all across his body now on the side of disadvantage as everything starts gradually tipping to his favor, the start of his meridian's recovery the very first step that he needs to take without fail in order to start stabilizing his body's current state.
Coming into far deeper focus than before, the young man proceeds to perform both the improve Pure Heaven True Circulation Art and Nine Stellar Palace Scripture to the utmost he can, the once precarious balance now tipping more onto his favor as even with the amplified damage his body is taking with the surge of both techniques, the Three Purities Origin Meridian also balances everything out.
It isn't only balancing out as well, as in fact, it is starting to increase its recovery ability even more, the tyrannical energy coming from the cultivation of the Nine Stellar Palace Scripture further enhancing the already terrifying properties of the Pure Heaven True Circulation Art pushing his body not only to a more powerful destruction, but to a more rapid repair as well.
During this process of repeated damage and repair of the body, the young man will just remain in his meditation, silently observing the changes happening within his body as he starts getting more and more excited with the continuous improvement of his state, the once bloodied, torn, and battered flesh now gradually recovering as if everything is new and improved.
If there's anyone in the entirety that knows something about this recovery, though, it is the creator of this concept, Argus, himself, who knows the recovery of the body is nothing but the beginning of the true completion of entry to both Augmented Circulation and the Nine Stellar Palace Scripture.