Chapter 1: Tempering the Emperor's Bones
Azure Cloud Peak of the outer sect pierced through swirling mists, its spiritual energy thick enough to congeal into liquid. This sacred ground housed the top hundred outer disciples – revered elites who dominated lesser cultivators' fantasies.
Within a moonlit hall, a black-robed girl sat cross-legged, her cultivation aura distorting the air like heatwaves. At the eighth layer of Qi Refining, she was Liu Mulan: Dongfang Qingcheng's personal attendant and the outer sect's de facto ruler. Though nominally a maid, her bond with the Holy Maiden made even elders tread carefully around her.
"Zhao Jinghuai," she said without opening her eyes, "has that trash Liu Xuan crippled Lu Tianming yet?"
"Orders were dispatched three days ago," replied a handsome youth with a fox-like smile. "By now, the Holy Son-turned-maggot should be begging on the sect's outskirts."
Liu Mulan's lips curled. Lu Tianming's alleged "defilement" of Dongfang Qingcheng required absolute erasure. Letting the former prodigy linger risked awakening memories better left buried.
Chaos erupted as near-naked disciples stumbled in, dragging Liu Xuan's broken body. "Senior Sister! Lu Tianming... he's regained his cultivation!"
The hall froze. Impossible. Dongfang Qingcheng herself had extracted his Dao Bones and shattered his dantian. Yet the evidence lay twitching at her feet.
Zhao Jinghuai's smile turned brittle. "This complicates matters. If the Holy Son truly recovers..."
Liu Mulan silenced him with a raised hand. "A Qi Refining ant thinks to challenge the heavens?" Her palm struck the meditation platform, reducing solid jade to powder. "At the tournament, I'll break him myself."
Three Days Later
At a windswept summit, Lu Tianming's palms tore through the air with thunderclap force. Spiritual energy vortexed around him – he was breaking through to the third Qi Refining layer, having devoured 500 spirit stones and scavenged herbs in three days. The Great Desolate Emperor Body thrummed in his veins, its golden meridians drinking ambient energy tenfold faster than mortal cultivators.
CRACK!
A boulder the size of a warhorse exploded under his strike, debris raining down the mountainside. Elephantine roars echoed from his bones as he examined his palm. "The Dragon Elephant Divine Palm takes form." Each strike now carried 1,500 jin of force – enough to crush opponents two realms above.
Yet his gaze darkened. "Liu Mulan's at the eighth layer. To survive the tournament..."
The coffin in his dantian hummed. "Your Emperor Bones remain unrefined," the white-robed empress's voice dripped icy disdain. "Even low-grade Body Tempering Pills could awaken their latent power."
Though their... encounter had been forced, an arcane bond now pulsed between them – one even the empress couldn't fully comprehend.
Outer Sect Alchemy Pavilion
Whispers dogged Lu Tianming's steps as he approached the distribution hall.
"Isn't that the disgraced Holy Son?"
"Serves him right for assaulting the Holy Maiden!"
He walked past them like a king through beggars. Elder Xu Hai – the pavilion's keeper – pressed an unexpectedly plump pouch into his hands. "Eight Body Tempering Pills, fifteen spirit stones. This old man hasn't forgotten how you saved us from those Blood Moon Cultists."
Lu Tianming inclined his head. In this den of vipers, even one ally was a minor miracle.
"Look! The mighty Holy Son comes begging!" A hulking youth emerged flanked by thugs, iron staff gleaming. Liu Xingye – Liu Xuan's elder brother and 98th-ranked outer disciple – leered like a tiger scenting wounded prey.
A sweet chime interrupted: "Outer sect rules forbid unauthorized combat!" Zhong Xianxi – ranked tenth among disciples and Lu Tianming's sole remaining friend – stepped between them, her vermillion robes flaring like warning flags.
Zhao Jinghuai materialized behind her, qi pressure pinning the girl in place. "Let the dogs fight, Junior Sister."
The crowd held its breath as Lu Tianming raised a hand. "I'll duel you. When you lose, I take every pill and stone you own."
Laughter erupted. Liu Xingye was fifth-layer Qi Refining, infamous for leaving opponents crippled. Yet Lu Tianming stood unfazed – a beggar wearing a king's gaze.
"You court death!" Liu Xingye spat.
Zhong Xianxi bit her lip, memories surfacing of the radiant Holy Son who'd once guided her swordplay. That man's shadow flickered in Lu Tianming's stance now.
As combatants faced off, the empress's coffin pulsed in Lu Tianming's core. This would be the Emperor Body's first trial... and the first blood spilled in his vengeance.