Chapter 25: The First Breakthrough

Scene 1: Pushing Beyond Limits

The night stretched endlessly over Master Yen's valley, a vast expanse of cracked earth and towering cliffs. A faint glow from the moon cast jagged shadows across the terrain emphasizing the desolation. The wind howled, sharp as a blade, cutting through the stillness like a predator lurking in the dark.

Lin Feng stood in the middle of it all, his breathing slow and controlled. The weight pressing upon him had not lessened since he first arrived. If anything, it had grown heavier, settling into his very bones making each movement feel sluggish and unnatural.

It was as if the heavens themselves were testing him.

But he welcomed the challenge.

His arms ached, his legs burned and his entire body screamed for rest. Yet, he did not stop.

He couldn't.

With clenched fists, Lin Feng sank into a stance, his muscles tensing under the unseen pressure. Then—he punched.

A single strike.

Then another.

And another.

Each punch cut through the thickened air, but even the simple act of throwing a blow felt like pushing against a mountain. The resistance wasn't just physical, it was as if something unseen was rejecting his very presence in this valley.

Fifty punches. His arms trembled.

Sixty. His breath grew ragged.

Seventy. His muscles burned like fire, his joints screaming in defiance.

Eighty. His vision blurred at the edges.

His heart pounded in his ears, yet his fists did not stop. He knew this pain. He had endured worse.

"Without a body to withstand the heavens, even the greatest cultivator will shatter under its weight."

Master Yan's words echoed in his mind, a reminder of why he was here.

Ninety. His breath came in gasps.

One hundred. He had reached his limit.

Or so it seemed.

Lin Feng forced himself forward and struck again.

Scene 2: The Breaking Point

A deep ache spread through his body. His bones groaned under the weight, his muscles teetering on the edge of failure. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to stop.

But he didn't.

He couldn't.

His vision swam, darkness creeping at the edges. His movements became sluggish, his arms almost too heavy to lift.

But even so he lifted them.

One punch.

Then another.

His body was beyond exhaustion. His mind was the only thing keeping him moving.

The world around him dulled. The howling wind faded, the valley's oppressive silence growing thicker. All he could hear was his own breath.

Then—

A shift.

It was subtle at first, a strange trembling from deep within.

Then, like the cracking of stone beneath unbearable weight, something broke.

A surge of heat spread through his limbs. His muscles contracted, tightened, and expanded. The burning pain in his bones shifted, no longer pure agony but something else entirely.

Power.

Raw, untamed, coursing through every fiber of his being.

The suffocating pressure that had once weighed on him felt lighter. Not gone, but no longer as unbearable.

Lin Feng's breath steadied. He felt it, his body had changed.

His fists clenched, the strength in them unmistakable.

He had broken through.

Body Tempering Stage 2.

Yet, as he stood amidst the silence, he knew one thing…

This was only the beginning.