M dew g to the grass, shimmering uhe soft glow of dawn. Feiyin stood before his father, his heartbeat steady, his mind sharp. He had e to uand mu the past weeks—how to temper his muscles, how to breathe tthen his ans, how to endure pain without fling. But today, he felt something different in the air. His father’s expression was heavier than usual, his presenanding.“This lesson,” Cai Feng said, his voice measured, “is the most important one you will receive in the Body Tempering Realm.”Feiyin straightened his posture, knowing what his father was about to expin would shape his cultivation path for years to e.“The Body Tempering Realm is not just about making yourself stronger. It is about preparing yourself for what es .” Cai Feng’s gaze sharpened. “Yoal in this realm is te a body capable of handling Essence Qi. A weak body will colpse the moment Qi enters it. A refined body will e—and more than that, it will allow you to open your meridians.”Feiyin furrowed his brows. He had heard of meridians before, but this was the first time his father had spoken of them directly.“To open the meridians,” Cai Feng tinued, “your body must be able to gee and withstand an immense level of force. That is why Body Tempering is not only about refining flesh but about developing internal strength—true power.”He took a step forward, his presence suddenly heavier. Feiyi it immediately—the slight tremor in the grouh his father’s feet, the shift in the air, as though space itself bent around him.“This is internal strength—the force your body naturally gees. It is kiiergy, trolled at will.”Feiyin’s breath hitched. He had always felt the osciltions of movement, the subtle shifts of force around him. But now, as he focused, he realized his father was not moving, yet force pulsed through him.“Every part of the body tributes to this strength,” Cai Feng expined. “The more refined your body, the greater the force you gee.”He raised a single fihe skin, when tempered, grants 1,000 kg of forot only proteg you but increasing the strength of every movement.” He ched his hand into a fist. “Tempered muscles and tendons add another 1,000 kg, making your strikes sharper and faster.” He touched his wrist, his voiwavering. “Fed bones add 1,000 kg, allowing your body to withstand greater impacts without breaking.”Feiyin’s mind raced as he absorbed the numbers. Every aspect of Body Tempering was not just about survival—it was about power.“The marrow strengthens your endurance, geing another 1,000 kg of force by making your blood and regeion more effit.” Cai Feng’s eyes narrowed. “And finally, tempered blood itself grants the st 1,000 kg, perfeg circution, stamina, and Qi adaptability.”Feiyin took a sharp breath. “That’s… 5,000 kg of force.”His father nodded. “Yes. But that is not the true limit.”He tapped Feiyin’s chest lightly.“You have already learhat the five elements govern different parts of your body—Earth for skin, Wood for muscles and tendons, Metal for bones, Water for marrow, and Fire for blood. But what you may not yet uand is that these elements also govern your internal ans.”Feiyin frowned, recalling his lessons. “The spleen, liver, lungs, kidneys, a?”Cai Feng smiled. “Correct. When yans are properly refihey enter a state of perfect harmony. Your breathing bees fully optimized, your body processes energy effitly, and your Qi flow stabilizes. And when all five aspects of Body Tempering are harmonized with yans, your force is no longer limited to 5,000 kg—it doubles.”Feiyin’s heart pounded.“10,000 kg of force.”A sileretched between them as Feiyin fully grasped the weight of his father’s words. This wasn’t just about toughness or strength—it was about being something far beyond normal human limits.“The greatest mistake most cultivators make is thinking that strength es from cultivating their Qi alone,” Cai Feng said, folding his arms. “But Qi alone is meaningless if the body ot ha. Many rush into the realm, opening meridians too soon, only to find their bodies breaking apart because they ck the foundation to endure Essence Qi.”Feiyin nodded, uanding now why his father had spent so much time drilling him in both external and internal training.Cai Feng tinued, “The more refined your body, the more meridians you open in the realm. A weak body only open a few, limiting future growth. A strong body—oempered properly— open far more.”Feiyin narrowed his eyes. “So Body Tempering doesn’t just determine my strength now—it determines my potential for all cultivation moving forward.”Cai Feng smirked. “Exactly.”A sudden thought struck Feiyin. “If internal strength is kiiergy… does that mean it be used for more than just body refi?”His father’s smirk deepened. “Now you’re asking the right questions.”He took a siep forward.The ground cracked beh his foot.Feiyin barely had time to process what had happened before Cai Feended a single finger, flig it toward a small training dummy several meters away.A gust of pressed force shot forth like an invisible shockwave—not Qi, not elemental energy, but pure, trolled kiiergy.The dummy’s woode imploded instantly, splinters flying in all dires.Feiyin’s jaw dropped. “That was—”“Internal strength,” his father said simply. “Refined kiiergy be trolled, directed, and used offensively. Most rely on Qi teiques, but a properly tempered body kill without ever drawing upon Essence Qi.”Feiyin ched his fists. The potential was staggering.Cai Feng turoward him fully. “This is why your training follows both external and internal refi. It is not just about endura is about trol. If you ot trol your own force, your power will be wasted. Worse, you may even harm yourself.”Feiyin nodded, his mind now rag with new uanding.Cai Feng allowed him a moment to process before speaking again. “From now on, your training will be more focused. You will refine each part of your body with i, not just repetition. The more precisely you trol your internal strength, the more force you will gee.”Feiyin exhaled slowly, his entire perspective shifting.Strength wasn’t just about how hard he trai was about how well he uood his own body, how perfectly he trolled the energy within him.His father cpped a hand on his shoulder. “Tomorrow, we begin your first true internal strength refi exercise. Prepare yourself.”Feiyin grinned despite himself.10,000 kg of force.He would reach it.And beyond.