Chapter 23: Bronze Heads and Iron Arms

At this moment, Lin Heng’s mind was clear and ethereal, his insight into the essence of the sword deepening. Bathed in the pure primordial energy of heaven and earth, channeled through the medicinal efficacy of the Jade Sword Herb, his body began a subtle transformation. However, it was not enough to propel him to the next cultivation realm; after all, Lin Heng had only recently ascended to the fourth level of the Grandmaster realm. Ultimately, the medicinal power of this rare treasure was integrated into the foundation of his cultivation.

Lin Heng sensed that with the foundation laid by this treasure, he would likely undergo another transformation in at most a month of further practice. He was satisfied with this result; any acceleration in his cultivation was exceptionally rare. Having fully absorbed the treasure’s essence, he cast aside all distractions and returned to focused meditation.

In that state of deep focus, time passed swiftly. A month later, Lin Heng indeed ushered in another transformation, reaching the fifth level of the Grandmaster realm. From then on, he practiced diligently without pause. With the abundant resources provided by his sect, he maintained a steady pace—advancing one level every four months—and after a year and a half, he achieved the ninth level of the Grandmaster realm.

The ninth level of the Grandmaster realm represents the pinnacle of a warrior's physical form, the stage where one achieves a body of copper and iron, impervious to harm. At this juncture, an unprecedented transformation occurred within Lin Heng.

As he practiced his swordplay in the cold pool, Lin Heng suddenly froze, standing perfectly still. In that moment, he seemed to merge with his surroundings, radiating an aura of natural harmony. The primordial energy of the world began to converge upon him, rising and falling with his breath. From the moment the morning glow bathed the sky until the moon climbed to its zenith, Lin Heng remained as motionless as a statue. Yet, as time drifted by, the beating of his heart grew louder, thundering like a battle drum that echoed across the wilderness.

Within his body, a surging torrent of vitality coursed through his limbs, washing over every fiber of his being. The life force and energy accumulated in his blood—now as vibrant and brilliant as rubies—erupted, generating an unparalleled power of growth. The primordial energy flowing in from the world fueled this growth, and under its influence, Lin Heng’s body underwent a violent metamorphosis; it was as if he were being reborn in his mother’s womb.

This was a true shedding of the old self to reveal the new. His skin, muscles, bones, internal organs, and brain—everything was evolving. His innate potential was being tapped to the absolute limit, becoming more perfect from the inside out. At this moment, his "Ethereal Qi" manifested naturally, and a layer of protective, cloud-like energy enveloped his entire body.

When the transformation concluded, Lin Heng felt a powerful strength radiating from within. His body felt as if it were cast in bronze and iron, incomparably resilient, with blood flowing as vigorously as a dragon, exuding an indestructible aura. Lin Heng was now impervious to water and fire, protected against blade and spear; his physical form had transcended the mundane.

With a slight perception, Lin Heng could clearly discern that within this indestructible physique, his meridians and acupoints had been expanded to their limit, capable of housing a vast, river-like flow of internal energy. With this, Lin Heng completed the first goal of the Grandmaster realm: through nine physical transformations, he had refined his body to the human limit.

Next, he would begin the practice of accumulating internal essence. Once Lin Heng filled all 1,296 of his acupoints with internal energy, he would reach the great completion of the Grandmaster realm.

"The efficiency of refining essence into energy has increased by more than ten-fold. This accumulation of power is far faster than before," Lin Heng noted. Having finished the transformation, he tested his internal arts and immediately noticed the difference. Now that he possessed an indestructible body, his vitality was at its peak; every cycle of his internal cultivation method could refine a vast amount of blood essence into internal energy. Furthermore, with his transformation complete, the primordial energy he absorbed from the world could be directly converted into his own internal essence, resulting in a quantum leap in the speed of his progress.

"At this rate, I can fill an acupoint with internal energy in just over a day, improving my cultivation level every three months. Since I am currently at the eleventh level of the Grandmaster realm, in about five years, I will be able to break through to the Great Perfection of the twenty-seventh level."

The first nine levels of the Grandmaster realm corresponded to the nine physical transformations, while the remaining eighteen levels involved filling each acupoint with internal energy. During those nine transformations, Lin Heng’s internal energy had also been steadily accumulating and deepening. Now that the nine transformations were complete, he gathered all his internal energy and found it sufficient to fill eighty-seven of his newly expanded acupoints. Following the standard of seventy-two acupoints per level, Lin Heng was currently at the eleventh level of the Grandmaster realm.

"In reality, my speed of improvement could be even faster."

Lin Heng’s mind remained serene, devoid of joy or sorrow. He stepped out of the cold pool, his figure moving like a gentle breeze as he headed toward the Cloud Sword Palace.

"Has my disciple finished his training?" Xiao Rang noticed Lin Heng’s arrival and spoke with a smile. As he looked at Lin Heng, he nodded in satisfaction. "No wonder you returned a bit late today. I never expected you to have already achieved a body of copper and iron. In that case, you may now consume the Essence Pills to further boost your cultivation."

He rose and went to the storehouse, retrieving the Essence Pills he had finished refining just days ago. Over the past period, Cloud Sword Palace had been collecting materials to refine these pills; unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they had only gathered enough for eight, resulting in eight pills. Even so, the cost had been astronomical. The raw material cost for a single Essence Pill was 500,000 taels; these eight pills were worth over four million taels of silver.

However, the effects of the Essence Pills were potent. A single pill could provide a Grandmaster-level warrior with enough surging vitality to fill twenty acupoints, in addition to increasing the speed at which one absorbed and refined primordial energy—well worth the price of 500,000 taels.

"Consume these pills as quickly as you can, my disciple," Xiao Rang said, handing over a jade box as casually as if he were giving Lin Heng a box of ordinary candies, despite the four-million-tael value inside. He had already spent a fortune on Lin Heng over the past two years; another four million was of no consequence. "Once you have refined them, you need not return to the cold pool. I shall personally spar with you, using the techniques of a hundred schools to sharpen your combat experience."