Bai Zihan slowly opened his eyes, his vision unfocused as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.
His body still ached, though the unbearable agony had finally faded.
For a long moment, he simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, his mind sluggishly piecing together his experience.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his chest rising and falling heavily as he tried to steady himself.
The pain was beyond anything he had ever imagined—so unbearable that only a madman would willingly go through it a second time.
And yet, despite everything, he knew—this was only the beginning.
The Primordial Chaos Body Refinement Technique wasn't a one-time process. He would have to undergo this torment again. And again. And again.
The thought alone made him shudder.
"...I really don't want to do that a second time," he muttered hoarsely.
But he had no choice. If he wanted strength—to stand above everyone—he had to endure.
And if he could do it once, then he could do it twice.
With a deep breath, Bai Zihan pushed those thoughts aside and focused on his body.
Before cultivating the technique, the sheer brutality of it made it seem like it would leave him crippled, his meridians shattered, and his foundation ruined.
Yet now that he had cultivated the Primordial Chaos Body Refinement Technique, he found no lingering side effects.
In fact... he felt stronger.
He clenched his fist, feeling a surge of raw power coursing through his veins.
His muscles felt denser, his bones tougher, his very flesh seemingly more refined.
It was as if his body had been reforged from the inside out, every part of him now stronger than before.
"It seems like the suffering was perhaps worth it?"
The pain he had endured wasn't something just anyone could withstand, even knowing that it would make them stronger.
Although he felt a newfound strength, he wasn't entirely sure if it justified what he had gone through.
He needs to test that out before drawing a conclusion.
It also seemed like he had also broken through to the Late-Stage of Core Formation.
"System, show me my status!"
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Cultivation Realm: Core Formation (Late)
Martial Arts: Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword (Minor Mastery)
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Well, considering all those high grade ingredients that he consumed, it was no wonder that he has broken through a minor realm.
It was an unexpected gain, but a welcome one.
Regardless, the primary increase in his strength wasn't his cultivation but his body, and he wanted to know just how much stronger he had become.
Curious, he slowly stood up, stretching his limbs and rolling his shoulders.
His movements felt smoother, lighter, as if his body had been unshackled from invisible restraints he hadn't even known were there.
Flexing his fingers, he clenched and unclenched his hand.
The subtle shifts in his muscles, the way his tendons pulled—everything felt different.
Testing further, he took a step forward—only to nearly stumble as he moved faster than expected.
His speed had increased.
His control over his own body had changed.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
Bai Zihan's smirk deepened as he flexed his fingers, a surge of excitement replacing the exhaustion that still lingered in his body.
He had endured unimaginable agony, but now it was time to see if the suffering had truly been worth it.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, feeling the flow of energy within his body.
His blood coursed like a raging river, his muscles coiled like steel cables, and his bones radiated an unshakable sturdiness.
The moment his foot pushed off the ground, the stone beneath him cracked, spider web-like fissures spreading out.
His body blurred, reappearing on the other side of the chamber almost instantly.
Bai Zihan blinked in mild astonishment. He hadn't expected that.
His speed had tripled—no, possibly even more.
This wasn't just fast—this was explosive.
He clenched his fist and thrust it forward.
The air in front of him rippled violently, a compressed shockwave blasting out, shaking the chamber walls—walls that had been strengthened by formations.
"...Three times... or perhaps four times stronger."
That was his initial estimation.
His physical strength had increased at least threefold, maybe more.
If this was the result of just the first session, he could only imagine how terrifying his power would become after fully attaining the first form of the Primordial Chaos Body.
Perhaps then, no one in the Desolate Heaven Empire would be able to kill him.
Of course, that was still a distant goal.
He would need to collect even rarer ingredients and withstand even greater pain to refine his body further through the Primordial Chaos Body Refinement Technique.
Still, his current body was already vastly superior to most, something that others might not be able to achieve even after years of hard work.
His current physical strength—was it already superior to a Core Condensation cultivator?
That didn't necessarily mean he could defeat a Core Condensation cultivator, but if they only compared raw physical ability... Bai Zihan wasn't sure if any of them could overpower him now.
A chuckle escaped his lips.
Although he might not yet be able to win against those in the Core Condensation Realm and beyond, he could at least survive if he fought one.
His survivability had drastically increased with this.
And yet, he wasn't done testing.
If his strength had increased this much, what about his defense?
Bai Zihan lifted his hand, his fingers tightening into a fist. He hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and—
He punched himself in the chest.
A dull thud echoed in the chamber, but that was it.
Bai Zihan frowned, looking down. He had felt the impact, but it didn't hurt.
The power he used was 50 % of what he could muster but with the increased strength, it was enough to knock out anyone in the Core Formation Stage.
"Let's increase the power."
This time, he focused, drawing on his full power which is enough to even seriously hurt Core Condensation cultivator.
His fist slammed into his torso, sending a powerful shockwave outward. The air trembled, the chamber walls quaked slightly, and yet—
Although he felt a slight ache where he had struck himself, it was so insignificant that even ten such attacks wouldn't make a difference.
Even he was momentarily stunned.
His body had already surpassed the level of ordinary body refinement cultivators. No, it was beyond that.
His defense was so high that most physical attacks would be useless against him. Even powerful techniques might struggle to break his body now.
Although he hadn't yet achieved the first form of the Primordial Chaos Body—the ability to absorb all types of energy—even without that, his physical resilience was superior to those with powerful constitutions.
Bai Zihan took a deep breath, his smirk returning.
"Perhaps this body is already comparable to those of the Golden Core Realm cultivator!"