Spiritual energy surged through Lin Wuming’s limbs and bones.
He could clearly feel every part of his body—every cell—undergoing subtle changes as the energy soaked through them.
Then suddenly, as if some invisible barrier had been broken, Lin Wuming’s eyes flew open.
The spirit stone in his hand had already dimmed and lost all its luster.
A single spirit stone was normally enough to last a Body Tempering cultivator for half a month or longer.
Yet Lin Wuming had completely consumed it in less than half an hour.
And yet, given the changes in his body, this didn’t seem the least bit strange.
At this moment, Lin Wuming looked as though he had just come in from a heavy rain—his entire body drenched in sweat.
He clenched his fists and felt an enormous strength within.
He was certain that a single punch could leave a huge hole in the floor—and in fact, he truly could do it now.
‘Foundation built… Body Tempering complete?’
It took Lin Wuming quite a while to understand what had just happened.
He had actually completed the entire Body Tempering process in under half an hour?!
One had to understand—even the so-called geniuses in his family, who began tempering their bodies at age ten, hadn’t achieved such progress.
When Lin Wuming left home at age fifteen, the most talented among them had used at least ten spirit stones and had only reached the late stage of Body Tempering.
They still had a long way to go before mastering it.
And now, Lin Wuming had completed the entire process using just one spirit stone.
“This…”
He couldn’t help but glance at the description of the Basic Vitality Cultivation Technique.
“Slow to cultivate, but with solid foundations.”
This was what they meant by slow to cultivate?
What Lin Wuming didn’t realize was—it actually had very little to do with the technique itself.
The Basic Vitality Cultivation Technique emphasized firm foundations and a cleansing from the inside out, which was inherently more difficult than the usual outside-in approach.
Under normal circumstances, this method progressed slower and was much harder.
But Lin Wuming possessed a naturally Immaculate Body—a physique completely free of impurities in its spiritual channels.
On top of that, he had spent the past year inside the Heaven’s Path Forbidden Ground, untouched by even a trace of spiritual energy.
Everything he consumed or used lacked spiritual power, so his body didn’t accumulate any spiritual impurities at all.
For most people, during tempering and foundation building, impurities would be expelled from the body in the form of filth, requiring them to bathe and cleanse daily.
But for Lin Wuming, finishing the process merely left him covered in sweat.
With no impurities to purge, the process was extremely smooth.
The spiritual energy directly permeated his body, with virtually no loss or waste.
Every last drop of energy was used to full effect.
And so, just one spirit stone allowed him to complete his Body Tempering and build his foundation in a single bound.
“Senior Brother?”
Beside him, He Yingying called out in concern.
Although she couldn’t see clearly, she could guess that her senior brother was cultivating.
So she didn’t disturb him.
But as the cultivation progressed, something felt off, and she grew increasingly worried.
“I’m fine.”
Lin Wuming waved his hand.
Then, feeling like that wasn’t cold enough, he added,
“My matters aren’t for you to concern yourself with. You have no right to.”
“Oh…”
He Yingying nodded, a little aggrieved, but said nothing more.
“Senior Brother… were you tempering your body just now?”
She remembered that her senior brother had joined the sect a year earlier and still hadn’t formally started cultivating, only learning music.
Perhaps this had all been part of Senior Sister’s test for him?
If he needed a year to pass his test, how long would she need?
This was her only worry.
If she took too long… her mother might…
“Something like that. Just finished building my foundation,” Lin Wuming answered casually.
“…”
“Just now? Built your foundation?!”
Even though He Yingying was a princess, used to seeing greatness, she was completely stunned by that one sentence.
She had started her own foundation building at age eight, using mid-grade spirit stones—one of which was worth ten low-grade ones—and far purer.
Even so, it took her three full years to temper her body and complete her foundation.
Some of her royal siblings used high-grade spirit stones, and even then it took them nearly two years.
The chief disciple of the Hall of Grand Void—widely hailed as a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius—had used supreme-grade spirit stones and still needed over half a year to finish.
And this senior brother of hers—how long had he been cultivating?
He used a low-grade spirit stone.
And just like that, he completed his foundation?
He Yingying was utterly shaken.
She now looked at her senior brother—and at “Newbie Village”—with far more awe and admiration.
This was a true genius.
This was a real master!
He neither flaunted his talent nor acted superior.
Even after completing what might be the fastest foundation-building in history, he remained so calm and composed!
Compared to those so-called “geniuses” who flaunted their small achievements and belittled others, they were nothing more than shallow clowns, smug and proud in their tiny wells.
What she didn’t know was—Lin Wuming himself was stunned too.
Though he realized his speed was fast, he still credited it to the system-given technique, assuming it was just “playing the pig to eat the tiger.”
Besides, half an hour for foundation building might sound quick, but surely those top sects also had a few such prodigies… right?
So, nothing to brag about.
Totally normal.
Just standard stuff.
Of course, if he’d dared say that aloud, the chief disciple of the Hall of Grand Void might’ve been so mad they’d pinch the soft flesh on his waist till he cried.
After completing Body Tempering and building his foundation, the next step was Qi Refining.
Qi Refining meant storing spiritual energy in the body, which further nourished the physique while also slowly turning that energy into one’s own—ultimately gaining control over it and learning to use it in battle.
Once he reached the Qi Condensation Stage and could use spiritual energy freely, he could attempt to help his junior sister reattach her severed meridians.
And the first step to all of this was to fill his meridians with spiritual energy—only then would he truly step into the Qi Condensation Stage.
But…
Lin Wuming smiled bitterly.
Where was he supposed to find more spiritual energy now?
His spirit stone was used up. He had already spent all his savings.
In a few days, he might not even be able to afford food.
Ordinary people, even if they couldn’t afford spirit stones, could still cultivate slowly by absorbing spiritual energy from the air.
But he was different—he had to use spirit stones or rare spiritual herbs to continue.
And now, he was well and truly broke.
Looks like it was time to find a way to make money…
He glanced at the guqin he carried with him.
Time to go to work.
Just a working man now.