Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family was still worried!
Especially since it was the villagers' first time entering the Inner Mountain, and it had resulted in one death and two injuries! The one who died was even an acquaintance of their family. How could Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family not be worried?
Cheng Zongyang understood his mother's concern, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was going hunting in the Inner Mountain. It was better to break the news to her gently.
"Mother, the entire team is made up of Martial Artists. Nothing will happen. I also promise you that I'll come back in one piece every time."
"Let's just go along with what he wants. Our son has a good head on his shoulders. He won't be reckless," Cheng Guanghai chimed in at the right moment to console her.
He supported his son learning martial arts. The signs of chaos in these times were growing more and more obvious. If an accident were to happen, with Martial Arts, his son would have the power to protect himself.
Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family finally relented.
Afterward, Cheng Zongyang helped his father haul away all the dirt. Once everything was shoveled clean, he rinsed off and found an excuse to go out for a walk.
In the woods behind his house, he vanished behind a tree, entering the Wilderness World.
He appeared in the small market cabin. There was barely any room left inside, and sacks of grain were piled up outside the door.
He took off his clothes and, bare-chested, started a fire in the stone pit by the door before placing a large iron pot on top.
To the right of the cabin's entrance were two large vats, filled with stream water he had hauled back that afternoon.
He used a small wooden bucket to transfer water into the iron pot. When the amount was right, he poured a packet of Body Forging Medicinal Materials in to boil.
Then, while waiting, he began to chop down the trees around the cabin.
He left the larger trees; he would need them for his training later. He chopped down all the smaller ones.
His tasks for tonight, aside from his Cultivation, were to chop down trees and gather wood.
They had food at home, so hunting wasn't urgent. Tomorrow, he planned to build a storehouse first.
「One hour later.」
Drenched in sweat, Cheng Zongyang stopped his work and walked over to the large iron pot.
Gazing at the bubbling medicinal broth, he scooped some up with a ladle to check it. Seeing that its consistency was about the same as described in the formula, he quickly pulled the burning firewood from the fire pit and set it aside.
Next, he brought over a bathtub and poured the medicinal broth into it.
A moment later, looking at the half-full tub of broth, Cheng Zongyang moved it to a spot a few meters from a large tree.
While keeping an eye on the temperature, he began to split the fire, adding firewood to six separate piles to create a protective circle around the area with the tub.
Once he entered the tub, he had to stay in it until the medicinal broth turned clear. If he got out before then, the medicinal bath would fail. Not only would there be no benefits, but it would actually cause some damage to his body.
He could have put the tub in the cabin, but he needed to start tempering his body immediately after, and running from the cabin to the outside would waste precious time.
He fed the fires more wood, and the roaring flames illuminated a radius of ten to twenty meters, which would keep wild beasts from approaching.
The dazzling firelight from the cabin area naturally attracted the attention of many creatures in the forest, but none dared to come near.
They had an instinctual fear of that kind of light.
Beside the tub, Cheng Zongyang rinsed the sweat from his body with clean water. After waiting for a moment, he gritted his teeth, lifted a leg, and tried to put it into the tub.
The instant he felt the scalding heat on the sole of his foot, he yanked it back.
'Damn it, at this temperature, you could poach an egg in here! Isn't this cultivation method a little twisted?!'
Although the Body Refining Skill stated that this method could rapidly increase one's strength, it was just too inhumane.
If the formula hadn't recorded that the medicinal properties could heal any damage done to the body, he would never train like this.
'Otherwise, a dip like this would scald my little brother right off!'
In the end, to ensure the medicine's effectiveness, he bit down on a wooden stick and stepped into the tub.
"Nngh!!!"
Cheng Zongyang shuddered, his muscles tensing up all over. He bit down hard on the stick in his mouth, his eyes bulging like brass bells!
He fought the urge to pull his foot back, his trembling hands gripping the edge of the tub for dear life as he stepped in with his other foot.
CRACK!
An even more intense wave of pain made the stick in his mouth snap.
'Better a short, sharp pain than a long, dull one!'
He had come this far; there was no turning back!
And so, with what little reason he had left, Cheng Zongyang plunged down and sat.
In an instant, he almost leaped right back out of the tub!
Pain!
Pain that shot through his entire body!
His face twitched, his jaw clenched, and the stick in his mouth instantly broke in two! But his teeth held the pieces tight, making them jut out from the corners of his mouth!
The pain from the high temperature nearly overwhelmed Cheng Zongyang's mind, making it completely impossible for him to assume the posture described in the Cultivation Technique that would accelerate the absorption of the medicine!
Just holding on and keeping himself from jumping out already took every ounce of his willpower!
But then, the effects of the medicine kicked in!
Wisps of a warm current flowed from his limbs and bones through his body. At the same time, a cool sensation from an unknown source washed over his mind, gradually restoring the willpower that had nearly crumbled from the scalding heat!
Cheng Zongyang gradually calmed down. Feeling the changes in his body, he knew the effects described in the formula were beginning to manifest.
He didn't know if he was just getting used to the high temperature of the broth or if the warm current was protecting his body and counteracting the pain.
And so, he took a deep breath and formally began to assume the posture given in the Cultivation Technique—
He sat down, interlaced his fingers, and hugged his legs, lowering his head until his forehead touched his knees. This submerged his head in the medicinal broth as well.
Now, curled into a tight ball, Cheng Zongyang was completely immersed in the medicinal broth!
At this moment, the medicine's effects seemed to magnify. A ceaseless warm current surged from his spine and spread throughout his entire body.
The sensation was like putting a frozen hand into warm water. Or like being enveloped in some kind of warm, moist environment.
The indescribable feeling almost made Cheng Zongyang lose control!
'It's so damn comfortable!'
This step embodied the principle of the union of heaven and earth, resembling the posture of a baby in the womb. In this way, he could accelerate his body's absorption of the medicine's effects and the process of its nourishment.
At the same time, Cheng Zongyang was surprised to find that while submerged in the broth, he didn't need to breathe!
'Is this the way to accelerate Cultivation?' He was utterly shocked.
Although the initial feeling of being boiled alive had been excruciating, getting past it was something else entirely!
Just like that, Cheng Zongyang sat curled up in the medicinal broth, completely motionless.
Slowly, the once murky black broth began to clear. The temperature also started to drop.
After an unknown amount of time, the moment Cheng Zongyang felt the warm current from his spine cease, he immediately lifted his head.
He didn't immediately take a breath. Instead, he wiped the water from his face, opened his eyes, grabbed the edge of the tub, and vaulted out. His entire body was crimson, but there were no burns from the high heat.
He took two steps at a time to the large, prepared tree and, without a word, slammed his back—right on the spine—into the trunk!
BANG!
As the great tree trembled slightly, a jolt erupted in Cheng Zongyang's chest, nearly forcing out the breath he was holding. But he forced himself to hold it in and continued to slam his back against the tree!
According to the records of the Cultivation Technique, this breath was called "Primordial Qi." It was the breath held before the body's interior interacted with the outside world.
It was like the first cry of a newborn, which breaks its self-contained, Innate cycle and begins its interaction with the outside world.
The purpose of holding this breath was to continue stimulating the purest feedback from the medicinal power within his body!