Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

Chapter 104 Tempering Continues

"How could this happen? You were fine just now, Chang'an, how are you feeling?" Lu Jin's voice was filled with anxiety and fear.

Lu Lin was also terrified and quickly asked with concern, "Senior brother! Don't scare me! Were you injured somewhere earlier, or did you suffer a qi deviation?"

Li Chang'an waved his hand, his voice still relatively steady.

"It's alright, don't worry, I'm fine. Energy is conserved, you know. After a muscle is torn, it will recover and become stronger. After a bone is broken, the joint will become more resilient."

"But all of this requires a prerequisite: bones need calcium and muscles need protein. Otherwise, you will only get weaker and your bones will become more brittle the more you train."

"My Qi-transformed body advanced so much in a short time under constant tempering, which naturally took a toll."

"Since I haven't taken any tonics, I can only deplete my body's vital energy and blood."

"But it's alright. Although this kind of consumption looks scary, it hasn't damaged the foundation of your life. As long as you take some supplements for a period of time, you can recover by making up for the deficiency."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin breathed a long sigh of relief. The worst thing in cultivation is to ruin one's foundation. Once the foundation is ruined, even the best talent is useless.

"So, this method still carries a lot of risk," Lu Jin said.

Li Chang'an nodded and said, "There are definitely risks, but as long as we control the pace, the risks are not too great. This time, I was too aggressive. I should have proceeded step by step."

Lu Jin nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand. You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. If you take too big a step, you might accidentally tear your balls."

"The words may be rough, but the principle is sound," Li Chang'an said with a smile.

Lu Lin chimed in, "So, when we're using high-voltage electricity to refine our bodies, we can't tear and rebuild so many times at once like Senior Brother Chang'an did. Is tearing it once or twice a day enough?"

Li Chang'an nodded: "Pretty much, but the exact amount depends on your ability, as everyone's capacity to bear it is different."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin breathed a sigh of relief. He had been wondering about this while watching Li Chang'an's experiment.

That intensity was too high; his strength simply didn't allow it.

But if it's just one or two tears a day, he can grit his teeth and get through it.

But then his heart jumped again, because that meant he would have to go up there and get electrocuted frequently.

Lu Jin was already eager to try out the machine, but seeing Li Chang'an's current state, he couldn't help but worry.

"Go back first, put everything else aside. Your grandfather will have the kitchen prepare some good food for you, so you can recover first."

Li Chang'an did not refuse. He was indeed not in good condition. It was like someone who had not worked out for a long time suddenly going through a super high-intensity strength training session. It would be difficult for him to recover in less than ten days or half a month.

The three returned to Li Chang'an's courtyard.

Lu Jin arranged for Lu Lin to look after things while she hurriedly went out.

Not long after, Lu Jin returned.

He was holding several exquisite porcelain vases in his hand.

Inside were some previously refined Marrow Cleansing Pills, some Qi-Replenishing Pills, and Grain-Abstaining Pills for seclusion, among others.

These pills had little effect on Li Chang'an, but since they were made from some precious medicinal herbs, they still had some ability to nourish his blood and qi.

Without thinking twice, Lu Jin stuffed all the pills into Li Chang'an's mouth.

Not long after the pill was taken, the meal from the kitchen was delivered.

The food delivered today was specially ordered by Lu Jin; the quantity and quality were more than double what they usually were, including century-old ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, deer antler, he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum), and angelica root.

It can be described as a highly nourishing food; an ordinary person might get a nosebleed after just a few bites, but Li Chang'an now eats it like a meal.

It's fortunate that the Lu family is so large and powerful that ordinary people really can't afford it.

"Eat more! Eat more!"

Lu Jin pushed a bowl of ginseng and black chicken soup in front of Li Chang'an.

Li Chang'an didn't stand on ceremony and picked up the soup bowl to drink. While eating, he didn't forget to call out to Lu Jin and Lu Lin: "Grandpa, cousin, you should eat more too. That stuff consumes a lot of energy. You need to build up your energy reserves so you'll have the strength to fight off the electric shock later."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin was about to pick up her chopsticks when she felt that her senior brother's words made this meal sound like a last meal before his execution.

But there was no time to think about it anymore. It was just a last meal; only after eating would I have the strength to be electrocuted.

The two grabbed their bowls and chopsticks and started eating. They devoured the nutritious meal on the table in no time.

After finishing his meal, Li Chang'an sat cross-legged in a chair, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his internal energy, accelerating the transformation of the Post-Heavenly Water Valley.

In his intermediate state of consciousness, he could see the medicinal power of the food and pills transforming into warm currents in his stomach and abdomen, flowing into his limbs and bones.

His body is slowly replenishing its deficiencies. However, it will take some time for him to fully recover, since he doesn't have the digestive abilities of someone like the Six Treasures Immortal Thief.

"I feel much better."

Li Chang'an opened his eyes and exhaled. Due to excessive energy expenditure, he did not plan to activate the Reverse Life state again today.

"Let's go to the backyard and continue. I'll call you this time." He stood up and nodded to Lu Jin and Lu Lin.

"It's just body tempering, why all this talk about electricity? It sounds really scary," Lu Lin said softly.

"Hahaha!" Lu Jin laughed loudly.

The three of them returned to the small courtyard where the high-voltage electric refining equipment was stored.

Li Chang'an walked to the control panel and skillfully turned on the power switch.

"Cousin, it's your turn this time."

"I'll do it."

Looking at the instrument, Lu Lin took a deep breath and activated her profound internal energy.

A wisp of white hair appeared, and two points of white light shone deep in his pupils. His short hair turned white inch by inch from the roots.

Then, he took off his outer robe, went shirtless, and sat down in front of a chair.

Li Chang'an picked up the conductive patches and attached them to his limbs: "To avoid any sudden accidents that could damage your internal organs, you should protect them in advance."

"Understood, Senior Brother!"

Lu Lin quickly did as instructed. In a calm state, it was not difficult to do this step. For example, when the Tang Clan was cultivating poison, they would wrap their internal organs with a membrane to prevent the poison from entering their lungs.

After a moment, Lu Lin said, "Everything is ready, let's begin!"

Li Chang'an tapped the power button, walked to the control panel, and turned the knob to the first position.

The current flowed into the patch, and Lu Lin didn't react much. At this setting, it felt like someone was giving him a muscle massage, which was quite comfortable.

"Second gear, senior brother!" Lu Lin said.

Li Chang'an turned the knob to the second position.

The current increased, and Lu Lin frowned, but quickly relaxed.

This level represents the intensity of electrocution interrogation, which would be excruciating for an ordinary person, but for Lu Lin, who is in a state of reverse rebirth, it's hardly a test.

After adjusting for a while, Lu Lin said, "Senior brother, let's go to the next gear."

"In third gear, be careful of your internal organs."

Li Chang'an gave a reminder and pushed the knob to the third position.

A dark blue arc of electricity exploded at the patch, making a crisp "crack" sound.

This is already a deadly electric current.

Lu Lin also began to feel unwell; burns started appearing on his body, and white light surged around him as he recovered.

At the same time, the electric current began to invade his internal organs, but fortunately he had prepared a cage in advance, and the current flowed along the cage without harming him.

However, this also presents a problem: the protection of internal organs takes up a lot of mental energy, which will inevitably affect the surface of the body.

Transformation is not a passive ability, but an active one, and it also requires mental effort.

Multitasking was a bit strenuous for Lu Lin, but gradually, he found that after overcoming the physical pain time and time again, his consciousness became clearer.

He began to carefully experience himself.

He quickly realized that while the intensity of level three could effectively hone his willpower, it couldn't truly tear apart his rebellious spirit.

If you can't tear and regenerate, it doesn't count as resistance training, and the improvement will be minimal. You need to increase the intensity.

"Senior brother—add—add one level!"

Because of the electric current, their teeth were chattering and their voices were somewhat distorted.

"Remember to protect your internal organs."

Li Chang'an said something and turned the knob to the fourth position.

This is enough power to electrocute all the fish in a fishpond.

As soon as she shifted into this gear, Lu Lin instantly lost her composure.

An electric current surged wildly through his body. Although he managed to protect his internal organs, his muscles and bones felt as if they were being torn apart, each beating its own accord.

In this situation, he struggled in the chair, his back arched into an exaggerated curve, while his neck was tilted high.

He tried to scream, but the muscles and bones in his throat were also trembling violently from the electric current, and the sound he made was so distorted that it was completely indistinguishable.

At the same time, because of the excessive current in his body, tree-shaped bolts of lightning actually spewed out from his wide-open mouth.

The person was in considerable pain and was in a state of mental anguish.

Seeing his eldest grandson's extremely miserable appearance, Lu Jin's heart tightened. As the great-grandfather, it was really hard not to feel heartbroken.

But he did not speak up to stop it.

This is an essential path in spiritual practice.

Every extraordinary person who has achieved success in cultivation has embarked on a path that is difficult for ordinary people to endure.

"Lin'er, remember this!"

"Now is the time for formal practice."

Lu Jin reminded him.

At the same time, he kept a close eye on Lu Lin's condition; if there was even the slightest sign of something amiss, he would rush forward without hesitation to pull the plug.

Li Chang'an stood in front of the control panel, pressing the pulse button while observing Lu Lin's reaction.

Although Lu Lin screamed miserably and her facial expression was ferocious, the white light in her eyes did not dissipate. Although the rhythm of carbonization and recovery on her body surface was somewhat chaotic, she was able to complete the repair each time.

This means we haven't reached our limit yet.

After several rounds of pulses, Li Chang'an keenly noticed that the speed at which Qi was recovering on Lu Lin's body surface was slowing down. There were several wounds where the white energy surged violently, but it took a long time to recover.

Having just experienced it once, Li Chang'an naturally knew that this was a sign that the reverse-generation structure was about to be torn apart.

"I've reached my limit, I can't keep going any longer."

Li Chang'an immediately released the button, cutting off the power.

After the current was cut off, the current on the body surface disappeared, and the lingering white qi instantly returned to its original position and recovered.

Immediately afterwards, her fair skin faded, and her white hair turned black instantly.

Lu Lin's desperate struggle to survive was shattered.

The moment the reversal state disappeared, Lu Lin felt as if her bones had been removed, collapsing onto the metal chair, her body occasionally twitching, her lower trouser legs still wet.

Even Lu Lin, who had previously endured being hit on the ribs with an iron ruler and having oil hammer poured on her head, couldn't maintain her composure after being subjected to such intense electric shocks and ended up urinating incontinently.

Lu Jin rushed forward and picked up Lu Lin.

Li Chang'an also hurriedly went to get a clean change of clothes.

After changing into clean clothes, Lu Lin regained consciousness. He leaned against Lu Jin and said weakly, "Grandpa, I seem to be... a bit disappointing. Did I fail?"

Looking at his great-grandson, Lu Jin's eyes reddened slightly. He gave him a thumbs up and said, "Silly boy, what are you saying? You're not a disappointment. You succeeded. You did a great job."

Li Chang'an handed him a glass of warm water: "Feel yourself, see if there are any changes."

Lu Lin took the warm water, drank a sip, and then closed her eyes to feel her body.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and said blankly, "I don't feel any change. Does that mean it's not working?"

"Silly child, your senior brother has already shown you how it works, how could it not work? You're too impatient," Lu Jin said.

"I really want to improve," Lu Lin said.

Li Chang'an also said, "Wanting to improve is a good thing, but haste makes waste. It takes time to build muscle through fitness, how can it be so fast? You might only feel it after you recover, or—you could try entering a reverse-growth state now and experience it?"

In the reverse life state, due to the transformation of Qi, one's control over oneself becomes very high, and one can discover some subtle progress.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin shook her head: "My body is still numb, I can't get in."