The silence that followed was deafening. And yet, none of the Daoists present dared to refuse the Trial Master's command.
Ling was one of the first to move, stepping forward while the others hesitated.
After a few grueling seconds, the others followed suit.
Ling's gaze lingered on the woman from earlier, since she was among the first to step up. However, he recognized the lingering danger and, for the time being, decided not to make any connections.
They walked in silence, the Trial Master's heavy footsteps echoing as his massive frame nearly scraped the tunnel walls.
Yet, they were only able to follow him because of a tiny lantern the Trial Master had wrapped around his wrist, shining just enough light to see.
A few minutes later, Ling realized that they had actually begun to slowly descend.
This is too strange... But I am no idiot. I know exactly what kind of facility this is... Ling's thought trailed off as he clenched his fists in unease.
This place was a demonic cave, likely one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of branches scattered around the continent.
Talentless people would usually be brought here, and the demonic cultivators would hone them until they'd become blades that could deal with their enemies.
But getting out of one of these things is near impossible... Ling frowned. Uncle Zhao had mentioned that only two or three Daoists emerge from these demonic caves, and oftentimes, they don't live to see the end of the week...
Long story short, he was screwed. And that was all because he left the sect that had been tormenting him.
But even as he walked through this dreary atmosphere, he had no regrets. He achieved freedom, even if for a single moment.
Before he could think further, the Trial Master stopped and tapped the wall. Without warning, a massive opening appeared, and a powerful force pulled Ling in.
He didn't have time to react, and when he reopened his eyes, he found himself in a small, unfamiliar room.
It had a bed, a table to the side with a few cups, and a couple of manuals he didn't recognize
A formation, Ling deduced as he turned his gaze toward a steel door.
He approached and kicked it, but it didn't budge an inch, so he went back to the table and inspected the manuals.
"Crude Breathing Method and..." he flipped the other manual over. "Stone Splitter Palm..."
Ling skimmed through both manuals. Just as he suspected, they were tailored to the Tempered Body realm.
The breathing technique will forcefully break my body apart and condition it roughly... Ling remarked. As for the Stone Splitter Palm technique, it will help the future me control Qi better when in battle.
While he could bring the Qi into his Dantian already, using it was hard and extremely exhausting. But that was simply because he was not at the realm where he could freely control Qi like that.
Ling sighed. I'm already an exception because of my experience. Most people can't even feel their Qi at the Tempered Body Realm... But maybe I can because of that interface...?
But that was enough for now. He had to figure out what to do next.
Just as he had those thoughts, he heard a knock at the door. When he turned around, he saw a letter being slid under the door, arriving right in front of him.
Ling leaned down with a puzzled look and ripped open the letter before reading its contents.
—You are to reach Stage Three Tempered Body within 14 days. You must also reach at least 20% mastery in both techniques given to you. Food and water will be provided.
The moment he read it, he realized someone had already placed a piece of stale bread in front of him.
He wasn't hungry, at least, not yet. He set the bread on the table and turned toward the bed.
Ling wanted to test something out. Ever since he first arrived, something had been plaguing his mind.
He placed the two manuals beside him for now as he sat in a lotus position and began breathing rhythmically.
Of course, he was performing the basic technique of the Thunder Sect, and like he thought, a pop-up flashed in front of him.
<+1 Qi: 26/1000>
It indicated that his Qi had increased, which meant he had somehow managed to absorb Qi from the surroundings and bring it into his Dantian. Naturally, that shouldn't be possible this early on in the Body Tempered realm.
Unlike last time, it took 30 seconds for a single point of Qi.
However, one thing was certain...
I can already gather my Qi. I still can't use it, but if I reach Stage Four Tempered Body, I might be able to at the very least enhance myself... Ling trailed off, a smirk appearing on his face.
He had this interface ever since he was born, and it seems like only now did it finally begin to show its effects.
As for what it did aside from collecting Qi and absorbing the Qi of the dead, he had no clue.
Nonetheless, he decided to begin learning the manuals right away.
He picked up the Crude Breathing Method manual and swiftly read through its contents.
It was pretty simple, as all he had to do was wrap some cloth around his chest and abdomen to restrict airflow.
Ling did just that, making sure to tighten it so it would be extremely hard to breathe, and then, he simply got off his bed, straightened his back, and stood on one foot in a crane position.
He inhaled sharply and held it. One second, five, then thirty. Finally, at the one-minute mark, Ling's vision began to distort as his legs buckled, causing him to fall to the ground.
It felt like his lungs were on fire, and yet he couldn't even let out a scream or breathe, since he had restricted his airflow moments earlier.
Even so, there was one benefit to all the pain he'd endured.
<+5 Qi: 31/1000>
Ling crawled onto the bed and looked up at the cave-like ceiling.
He had too many thoughts swirling in his mind. However, there was one in particular that drove him forward.
I need to survive... he trailed off as he stiffly stood back up and got into the crane position.
And for that, I need to reach Stage Three Tempered Body...