On the peak of Qingzhu Feng, hundreds of cultivators gathered.

Ning Zhuo had already arrived, though the Qinghuang Zi, the peak master of Qingzhu Feng, had yet to appear.

It was early morning, the light of day not yet intense.

A vast sea of clouds silently surged around the mountainside, like myriad cloud-beasts slowly stretching their colossal bodies in slumber.

On Qingzhu Feng…

Lin Wuya sat cross-legged deep within a stone grotto, his Dantian’s blood circlet slowly revolving within him, like a river flowing ceaselessly. Every drop of his blood seemed to have been tempered a thousand times, carrying a profound spiritual essence, circulating autonomously through his meridians. He closed his eyes, adjusting his breath, feeling the “Taichu Xueyuan Dan” dissolve among his internal organs, its gentle power soaking into his parched earth-like meridians and spirit, repairing what had been scorched by the blood-thunder.

Seven days of meridian coagulation and eight blood tribulations had almost pushed him into the abyss of death. Yet now, not only had he survived, but he had truly embarked on the heaven-defying path described in the *Taichu Zhenjie*: using the physical body as a foundation, refining nine tribulations to achieve a Dao Body. This method did not rely on external spiritual energy for nourishment; instead, it used the self as a crucible, continuously devouring the laws of heaven and earth, as well as tribulation-thunder’s malevolent energy, transforming them into his own power. The more dangerous it was, the more he could grow; the closer to death, the nearer to perfection.

“The second refinement is complete,” he murmured, his voice hoarse but firm. “The Tongtian Meridians are connected, the Dantian’s blood circlet is formed, and my physical strength is now impenetrable to the full force of an early Nascent Soul cultivator’s attack. If I were to encounter those pursuers from Xuanxiao Sect again… this time, I wouldn’t have to flee.”

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, a silver glint shimmering within. In his sea of consciousness, the words of the *Taichu Zhenjie Zonggang* reappeared; the previously blurred sections began to clarify automatically, as if with each tribulation overcome, the seal on the jade slip loosened.

With the second refinement complete, the third refinement begins: Bone Forging.

Take the spine of mountains and rivers as bone material, and use the earth-fire furnace to forge its form.

One must seek “Dixinyan Sui” or “Xuanjing Tiemu”; obtaining either is sufficient to start the furnace.

On the day of Bone Forging, all bones are remade, and the pain is ten thousand times greater than the previous two tribulations.

If it fails, one’s bones will remain permanently soft and weak, rendering one a cripple.

Lin Wuya frowned slightly. “Dixinyan Sui” was an extremely Yang object, born deep within volcanic veins, a thousand-year rarity; “Xuanjing Tiemu” was an even more legendary material, said to be found only where ancient meteors had fallen. Neither of these items was easy to acquire.

But he did not back down. His gaze swept over the Spirit-Gathering and Meridian-Guiding Array he had drawn on the cave wall with his own blood, and suddenly he had an epiphany: “Since my ‘Tongtian Meridians’ can resonate with the earth’s veins and stimulate withered wood to revive… perhaps I can use my own blood to simulate earth fire and forcefully ignite the ‘Inner Furnace’?”

This thought, once born, spread like wildfire, quickly occupying his mind. He recalled a fragmentary line from the *Taichu Lianti Jue*: “Upon initial formation of the Dao Body, inside and out are connected, allowing the body’s fire to substitute for divine craftsmanship.” Could it be that true “Bone Forging” did not rely on external objects, but rather used one’s own body as a furnace to refine the essence of heaven and earth into bone?

“I’ll try!”

He took a deep breath, formed an ancient hand seal, and chanted a secret incantation: “The Taichu has a furnace, burn my hundred bones!” As his voice fell, the Dantian’s blood circlet within him suddenly accelerated, the crimson aura vibrating violently. An intense heat erupted from his heart, surging along his blood vessels directly into all his limbs and bones!

In an instant, all the bones in his body emitted an ear-splitting grinding sound, as if thousand-pound hammers were striking each bone from within. Excruciating pain assailed him, ten times worse than being struck by blood-thunder! Cracks-like red marks appeared on the surface of his skin, as if his bones were expanding and reshaping, tearing his flesh.

“Aah!” Lin Wuya roared, his head thrown back, his voice shaking the stone grotto, causing dust to fall. He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping from between his fingers, only to be evaporated into mist by the high temperature mid-air.

This was not merely cultivation; it was a complete destruction and reconstruction of his own body!

Time passed minute by minute, his consciousness on the verge of collapse several times. Just as he was about to faint, he suddenly felt the earth’s veins beneath his feet vibrate again, and that branch spiritual脉竟 actively surged, sending a trace of extremely subtle earth-fire energy into his body!

“Is it… sensing my ‘body fire’?” Lin Wuya suddenly realized. “The earth veins are not inanimate objects, but alive! As long as I can ignite the ‘Taichu Inner Furnace,’ I can resonate with the earth veins and borrow their fire source to aid my bone forging!”

He strongly willed himself to guide that wisp of earth-fire energy into the center of his spine, which was the beginning of the human body’s main bone—the dragon’s spine. As the earth fire integrated, the originally charred and fractured bone joints began to glow with a dark red luster, like molten iron being re-forged.

A night passed, and dawn broke in the east.

Lin Wuya slumped to the ground, drenched not in sweat, but in black impurities excreted from his pores. These were the residues of decaying old bones, now forced out of his body by the new bone. He raised his arm, and with a light clench of his fist, heard a crisp “crack,” and his entire arm bone actually emitted a metallic clang!

“It’s done… initial shaping,” he gasped, a tired but joyful smile on his face.

Just then, another line of new characters appeared in the *Taichu Zhenjie* in his sea of consciousness:

Upon initial completion of the third refinement, one “Xuan Bone Inscription” is bestowed to suppress bone spirit agitation.

A golden light descended from the void and merged into his glabella. Lin Wuya immediately felt his mind clear, and a strange power circulated through all his bones, firmly stabilizing the unstable new bones. It also carved a miniature rune on the third segment of his most central spine, shaped like a coiled dragon around a pillar, faintly emanating an ancient oppressive aura.

“So that’s it… this is true ‘Bone Forging’,” he murmured. “It’s not simply replacing bones, but imbuing them with spirituality, making them capable of carrying the power of the Great Dao.”

He slowly stood up, his footsteps silent on the ground, yet with each step, the ground slightly indented by an inch, as if he weighed a thousand *jun*. This was not weight, but the manifestation of power condensed to its extreme—his body had begun to depart from the mundane realm, stepping towards the “Dao Body.”

Just as he was about to continue comprehending the subsequent techniques, his heart suddenly twinged, and the jade slip at his waist became searing hot!

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wuya’s expression sharpened. He quickly took out the jade slip, and his divine sense probed within, only to find a section of content that had never appeared before suddenly emerged:

Warning: An enemy is approaching from the south, carrying “Suoling Ding” and “Souhun Fan,” intending to track the Taichu aura. Distance: three hundred *li*, extremely fast, estimated arrival in half a day.

“People from Xuanxiao Sect? They found me so quickly!” Lin Wuya’s pupils constricted.

He immediately put away the jade slip and quickly checked the arrays inside the cave. Although the Spirit-Gathering and Meridian-Guiding Array was concealed, the continuous accumulation of spiritual energy in recent days had left traces. Especially last night, when the blood-thunder descended, the celestial phenomena were obvious, likely startling powerful cultivators from all directions.

“I can’t stay here any longer,” he decided decisively.

Packing his belongings, extinguishing the spiritual light of the array, and burying the bloodstains and rune marks with soil, Lin Wuya quietly left the stone grotto. His figure flashed across the cliff like wind, speeding towards the northern wasteland.

However, after only ten *li*, the mountain valley ahead suddenly became filled with cold winds, and black mist billowed. A grey-robed figure stood in the air, holding a dark small banner with a twisted human face drawn on it, which was exhaling faint light from its open mouth.

“Kid, stop running.” The man’s voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing. “You have the scent of ‘Taichu Qi’ on you, my Souhun Fan can’t be fooled. Hand over the jade slip, and I can let you die a quick death.”

Lin Wuya paused, then coldly looked up: “Xuanxiao Sect’s Law Enforcement Elder? It seems your sect master trusts you greatly to send you alone.”

The grey-robed old man narrowed his eyes and smiled: “Clever. Unfortunately, clever people often don’t live long. Do you know why we didn’t send late Nascent Soul or even Soul Transformation old monsters to catch you? Because… you’re not worthy.”

Before his voice finished, he shook the Souhun Fan in his hand. The human face on it instantly magnified a hundredfold, transforming into a giant maw descending from the sky, directly targeting Lin Wuya’s head, intending to forcefully suck out his soul!

“Humph!” Lin Wuya snorted coldly, not retreating but advancing, his right fist striking out with a boom!

This punch condensed all the blood and Qi power of the “Dantian’s Blood Circlet,” combined with his newly reshaped Xuan bones. Where the fist wind reached, the air exploded, even creating a crimson trajectory!

“Boom!”

The fist wind collided with the soul maw, erupting in a deafening roar. The soul maw was actually torn apart, letting out a shriek before dissipating into the air.

The grey-robed old man’s face changed drastically: “How is that possible? A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator’s body can withstand a soul attack?!”

“I am not Foundation Establishment,” Lin Wuya slowly raised his hand, faint bloody airflow swirling around his fist. “I have walked a path you dare not imagine—Taichu Nine Refinements: the first refinement activates the body, the second refinement condenses meridians, and the third refinement forges bones! What you face now is not a fugitive, but a rising… Dao Body!”

With that, he stomped his foot, and his body surged forward like a pouncing tiger, charging directly at the old man’s face!

The old man hastily conjured a bronze shield, but it was shattered by Lin Wuya’s single punch. Immediately, a second punch struck his chest, sending him flying dozens of *zhang* away, crashing into and collapsing a stone peak!

“Pfft!” The old man spat out a mouthful of black blood, his eyes filled with horror. “This combat strength… is at least equivalent to peak Golden Core! But he clearly has no spiritual energy fluctuations… could he truly be a legendary body cultivator?!”

Lin Wuya advanced step by step, his voice cold: “You say I’m not worthy? Then I’ll tell you now: Xuanxiao Sect has appropriated the Taichu inheritance for a thousand years, yet no one dares to cultivate this method, only hiding the jade slip, timid and fearful. And I, even if alone, will walk this path to the end!”

The old man tried to struggle, but Lin Wuya had already leaped into the air, his right leg sweeping out horizontally, striking down with the force of a thousand *jun*!

“Kneel for me!”

“Boom!!!”

One foot landed, the earth cracked, the old man’s knees buckled, and he was forcefully stomped into the rock layer, his fate unknown.

Lin Wuya withdrew his leg, gave a cold glance, and turned to leave. He knew that although he had won this battle, he had completely exposed his whereabouts. If the Souhun Fan contacted other disciples, stronger cultivators would arrive within three days.

He had to quickly find “Dixinyan Sui” or “Xuanjing Tiemu” to complete the final stage of the third refinement. Otherwise, if he encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator, even with his formidable physical body, he would not escape capture.

He traveled north, crossing the ruins of ancient battlefields, entering a vast desert region. Here, yellow sand filled the sky, and white bones littered the ground. Legend had it that this was once the frontline of a great war between ancient demon races and humans, burying countless powerful corpses, and many treasures lay dormant beneath the sand.

“Perhaps… there’s a clue here.” Lin Wuya stopped, squatted down, and grabbed a handful of sand, carefully sensing it.

Suddenly, his fingertip touched something hard. Brushing aside the sand, it was a broken fragment of a war spear, entirely black, yet gleaming with a metallic cold light under the sun.

“This is no ordinary weapon,” his eyes narrowed. “Extremely dense in texture, astonishingly heavy, and it retains a trace of faint starlight… Could it truly be ‘Xuanjing Tiemu’ formed from a fallen meteor?”

Just as he was about to examine it closely, a distant sand dune suddenly rose, and then, a low roar echoed through the heavens and earth!

A sand scorpion, its size comparable to a small mountain, burst out of the sand. Its carapace was bronze-colored, and dark green venom dripped from its tail barb, corroding rocks upon contact. Its compound eyes glowed crimson, locking onto Lin Wuya, clearly viewing him as prey invading its territory.

Lin Wuya sneered: “Good timing. Just right to test how hard my newly forged bones are.”

He tossed aside the war spear fragment and charged towards the sand scorpion. The moment they collided, fists and claws met, sparks flying! The sand scorpion’s tail barb swept, but Lin Wuya caught it with one hand and exerted sudden force.

“Crack!”

The entire scorpion tail broke off!

The sand scorpion hissed in pain, its giant pincers clamping down. Lin Wuya leaped up, pushing off its carapace with his feet, using the momentum to flip over, and delivered an elbow strike squarely at its head’s weak point!

“Thump!!!”

Like a bell tolling, the sand scorpion’s head caved in significantly, its brains bursting, and its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a sky full of yellow sand.

Lin Wuya landed, unharmed. He walked back to his original spot, picked up the Xuanjing fragment, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: “With this, plus my ‘Taichu Inner Furnace,’ it’s enough to initiate the final bone forging ritual.”

That night, he found an underground secret chamber in the ruins of an ancient city, set up a barrier array, and began the final step.

He ground the Xuanjing Tiemu into powder, mixed it with his own essence blood and spiritual liquid, creating a paste which he applied to all exposed bones (actually guided by his mind). Then he sat cross-legged, activated the “Taichu Inner Furnace,” and ignited his body fire.

Flames rose from his internal organs, spreading along his blood vessels to his bone marrow, incinerating all impurities. Simultaneously, the Xuanjing powder gradually permeated his bones, fusing with the new bone tissue, forming a strange structure between flesh and metal.

Three days and three nights, the fierce flames did not extinguish.

At dawn on the fourth day, the secret chamber door burst open, and a figure slowly walked out.

His physique had not changed, but his aura was entirely different. With each step he took, the ground subtly trembled, as if a volcano about to awaken was hidden within him. When he clenched his fist, his knuckles emitted a crisp metallic clang; when he opened his eyes, stars seemed to flow deep within his pupils.

The third refinement, Bone Forging, was complete.

One “Taichu Guyuan Dan” is bestowed to stabilize bone spirits and activate potential.

Golden light descended, and the pill entered his abdomen. Lin Wuya felt as if all his bones had come alive, responding to each other, forming a complete “Bone Resonance System.” With just a thought, he could instantly mobilize the power of all his bones, erupting with speed and strength beyond his limits.

“Now I…” he looked into the distance, “even against a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, I can fight head-on.”

And at this moment, across various parts of the continent, unusual phenomena occurred frequently.

In Xuanxiao Sect of the Southern Domain, within the sect master’s hall, two of the nine soul lamps simultaneously extinguished. The sect master’s face was ashen: “The Law Enforcement Elder is dead, and the Shadow Tracer is also missing… What kind of monster has that Lin Wuya become?”

In the Bing Gong of the Northern Domain, a white-robed woman gazed at Lin Wuya’s incredibly clear figure in the ancient mirror, finally breaking into a smile: “The third refinement actually allowed him to comprehend ‘Inner Furnace Bone Forging’ on his own. His talent far surpasses that of the one from back then… It seems I have truly found the right candidate.”

Beneath the yellow sand of the Western Domain, a bronze giant gate fully opened, and nine shadowy figures filed out, whispering in unison: “The Taichu Dao Body has returned to the human world. We, the tomb guardians, shall protect his journey.”

At the Donghai Altar, eight large characters shone brightly, and the sea of clouds churned, as if countless beings were silently bowing in the netherworld.

And in Lin Wuya’s heart, a voice grew clearer and clearer:

“The fourth refinement, Blood Transformation… requires ‘Jiuzhuan Shengjilu’ or ‘Longxue Lian,’ otherwise, the bloodline attribute cannot be reversed. Next, I should go to Yaowang Gu.”