Chapter 56 - 54: 10th Layer of Body Refinement?

Chapter 56: Chapter 54: 10th Layer of Body Refinement?

The Overlord Body Technique had advanced to the high level. The subsequent maps slowly unfolded. Nine more maps had been added! They were much more complex than the previous ones, clearly not on the same level at all.

Su Tan wasn’t in a hurry to cultivate; instead, he examined them. Even the simplest of the nine new maps was more difficult than the previous nine combined. It seemed they would not be easy to master. However, Su Tan wasn’t afraid because he had already found a method during his previous cultivation sessions.

The difficulty of the Overlord Body Map lay in the extreme requirements for physical coordination, muscle strength, bone hardness, and tendon flexibility. The most important aspect was comprehending the maps—matching the incantations and breathing techniques to the illustrations. But Su Tan wasn’t worried about any of this. Because the Cultivation Technique was directly equipped to him, he already knew the incantations of the Overlord Body Map by heart, as if they were a natural part of his body. This wasn’t a problem for him. But for anyone else, it would be a completely different story; this was precisely the hardest part.

Take the Little White Wolf for example. In reality, it was an expert. The physical strength of a powerful Demon Beast could easily withstand the rigorous requirements of the Overlord Body Map. However, when it came to comprehending the incantations and the theoretical knowledge of the corresponding breathing methods, it couldn’t compare to Su Tan. Even if Su Tan explained it clearly, the wolf might not necessarily grasp the concepts. Everyone’s understanding of the Dao was different, as was their cognition. These differences ultimately determined an individual’s capacity for comprehension. Some things could only be sensed, not explained in words! The Overlord Body Map was custom-made for the system’s master, so it was simply easier for Su Tan to practice than for anyone else.

What Su Tan lacked was his body’s Physique. But even this wasn’t an issue for him! If his bone and flesh strength couldn’t keep up, he would just equip some defense. If his strength wasn’t enough, he would just equip more strength. Whatever was lacking could simply be compensated for!

Although his method felt a bit shameless—closely resembling the decadent lifestyle of a pay-to-win gamer—it was highly practical!

He browsed through the nine new maps. The Overlord Body Map, which he already knew by heart, appeared even more vividly in his mind. Relaxing his mind and adjusting his body to its peak state, he began to cultivate!

The tenth map!

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

His limbs moved in unison; every usable part of his body was in motion. He assumed the bizarre posture according to the tenth map and breathed in time with the incantation. With every movement, his breathing rose and fell in perfect harmony! His posture resembled both a tiger and a dragon. His domineering aura radiated outward, its sharp edge fully exposed! He looked exactly like an overlord descending upon the world!

The Little White Wolf beside him had been given some time off by Su Tan, but it hadn’t taken a break. Before, it hadn’t thought much of it, but now it suddenly realized that watching Su Tan cultivate with its own eyes was actually incredibly useful. It discovered that Su Tan’s movements could be considered a perfect textbook example. Sensing Su Tan’s breathing... his chest inflated and deflated like a balloon. The amplitude was massive and completely exaggerated! Coupled with the incantations he was muttering under his breath... wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to learn?

The Little White Wolf watched with wide, bright eyes, not daring to blink for fear of missing something. Studying Su Tan’s cultivation process firsthand was far more effective than having Su Tan personally instruct it! It felt that missing out on so many opportunities before had simply been a reckless waste of precious gifts.

RIIIP RIIIP RIIIP!

Su Tan could feel his tendons and meridians being stretched to their absolute limits, making tearing sounds as if they were about to snap. Naturally, this feeling was highly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t to the point of being unbearable. He was already used to it. The first time was raw, the second time was familiar. By the third and fourth time... it didn’t matter anymore. His body could do whatever it wanted. He would just continue to endure!

CRACK CRACK CRACK!

His bones vibrated under the immense pressure! This kind of pain was far worse than the tearing of his tendons. Su Tan clenched his jaw and continued to hold his stance. As long as he held on for a little longer, he would succeed!

He felt relatively indifferent, having mostly adapted to the agony, but the Little White Wolf beside him was terrified by the sight! It wondered if this guy was even human. To think he could endure so much! Its opinion of Su Tan changed once again. Wasn’t this a little too ruthless?

"Done!"

Su Tan finished the tenth map much faster than he had imagined, all because he had already found the knack for it.

He had completed the posture, but he didn’t immediately retract it. He was holding the stance. With every passing second, he could feel his body seemingly shattering and reconstructing, increasing his strength by another fraction. This was the wonder of the Body Refinement Chapter of the Ten Thousand Dao Furnace. He didn’t need to run and jump around to temper his body like other Body Refining Techniques required. Just by holding a single posture, his body would be thoroughly tempered! Moreover, the speed at which he grew stronger was worlds apart from ordinary Body Refining Techniques.

After holding it for about three minutes, Su Tan couldn’t take it anymore. If he continued, he felt his body would truly collapse. Only then did he slowly perform a buffer movement and retract the bizarre posture. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he took a deep breath, allowing his body to fully recover before completely relaxing. At this moment, he felt his strength had multiplied several times over.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully cultivating the tenth Overlord Body Map!"

"Ding! Congratulations, Host. Your cultivation base has advanced!"

"My cultivation base has advanced?" Su Tan was puzzled. His cultivation base had actually leveled up? He clearly hadn’t done anything related to Qi Condensation, yet his cultivation base had advanced? After the ninth level of Body Refinement was the Qi Condensation realm. Could it be that because he cultivated his body so ruthlessly, things naturally fell into place, and he automatically broke through to the Qi Condensation realm?

"No... I can’t feel the existence of Qi at all!" he thought. "Then what the hell did I advance to? Is the system tricking me?"

Su Tan hurriedly opened his Personal Attributes panel:

...

[Personal Attributes] [Warehouse] [Inventory] [Mail]...

[Personal Attributes]:

Host: Su Tan 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Identity: Cultivator (Blind)

Profession: Divination Master, Physician, Gradeless Alchemist

Cultivation Base: Tenth Level Body Refinement

Physique: Dominator Body [Degree: Great Perfection] (Advancing to High-Level)

Strength: 9121.16

Agility: 9106.06

Defense: 9123.33

Cultivation Technique: Ten Thousand Dao Furnace

Martial Techniques: Mountain Lean Strike

Pet: Holy White Wolf

...

[Warehouse]:

Cultivation Technique: Overlord Body Refining Technique x158

...

[Inventory]:

Slot 1: [Emperor Armor Fragment +1], Associated with [Recovery + Defense]

Slot 2: [Divination Turtle Shell], Associated with [Divination Skill]

Slot 3: [Holy Beast Essence Blood], Associated with [Holy White Wolf]

Slot 4: [Ten Thousand Dao Furnace], Associated with [Cultivation Technique, Martial Techniques, Elixir]

Slot 5: [Weapon], Associated with [Attack Power]

...

[Mail]:

[Unlockable Inventory Slots] (Read)

[Achievement Rewards] (Read)

...

Taking a cursory glance, Su Tan didn’t look closely at the rest of the stats. His gaze, however, was firmly fixed on the Cultivation Base column.

"Body Refinement?! Tenth level?!" He stared in disbelief at the large, blood-red characters before his eyes.

Although he was a total novice in cultivation, after spending some time learning about it, he already understood its basic restrictions and rules. It was common knowledge that the Body Refinement realm only had nine levels. There could only be nine levels! Depending on the Cultivation Technique used, the degree to which the physical body was tempered varied, divided into classifications like Ordinary, Intermediate, Advanced, Perfect, and so on... This was an ironclad law!

He had never heard of anyone cultivating the Body Refinement realm to the tenth level. But now, his realm had actually reached the tenth level! This... Why was this? It was incredibly strange!

...