Leap.
With a leap that sent the foul water splashing around, Mikael jumped out of the hot spring before landing firmly on the rocky ground.
With a wave of his hand the polluted water vanished under his magic, and a moment later he cast two more spells: one that refilled the spring with clean water, and another that restored its temperature to what it had been before.
In an instant the hot spring was back to its original state, no trace of impurities left behind.
Mikael then cast a cleansing spell on himself, and in the blink of an eye his figure was once again pristine, without the slightest blemish of filth clinging to him.
'Interesting… really interesting,' thought the handsome man as his emerald eyes turned toward the empty air before him, where glowing had appeared:
[With an innovative and unorthodox approach you have pushed the Ninefold Physique Method beyond its ingrained limits.]
[You had a theory in mind, tested it, and succeeded, proving that your theory was correct. This allowed the Ninefold Physique Method (High-level Core Formation Art) to evolve into Unnamed (Low-level Core Perfection Art).]
[Because of your deed, your recognized potential as a Probationary Chosen One has slightly increased.]
[Reaching Chosen One status would grant numerous visible and hidden benefits, so continuing to work hard is advised, while slacking off is strongly discouraged.]
His eyes scanned through all four messages before finally settling on the last two.
'This confirms it…'
He paused, taking the time to read them again just to be certain. 'I was expecting something like this, otherwise I wouldn't have "started" as a Seed. But the Akashic Records is indeed compiling everything I do and assigning me a sort of "potential value"…'
Mikael tilted his head slightly. 'Honestly, I was already 100% sure, but having confirmation is always better.'
His gaze then shifted to the fourth message, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips. 'At the same time, I really like the carrot-with-hidden-stick tone of that one.'
For a few seconds his attention lingered on those two points, countless possibilities flashing through his mind—before he finally 'quieted' them down and focused on something else.
Howl.
The howling of the wind resounded in his ears as he gave the Records a simple command before opening his 'new' Body Tempering Method description.
This command was simply him asking the Records to display the answer in the same format as what he had found in the Scripture Pavilion, so he wouldn't be lost and could more easily compare the before and after.
[Unnamed Body Tempering Method
Level: Low Level Core Perfection Art
Introduction: A powerful body-tempering method built around nine successive cycles of total bodily refinement. Each stage demands the use of rare tempering resources and the endurance of grueling, inhuman physical conditioning.
Though the process is both agonizing and resource-intensive, each completed cycle permanently enhances the user's overall physique—boosting durability, raw power, and regenerative capacity. Widely regarded as one of the most extreme and unforgiving methods available for those pursuing absolute bodily strength.
Extended(NEW): The Ninefold Physique Method was refined further by Mikael Angelini, his modification revolving around the complete cleansing of every last impurity within the body during each transformation of the Method.
In doing so, not only were the impurities accumulated entirely reset, but the resulting physique was 50% stronger than what the original Ninefold Physique Method could grant—yet, remarkably, the difficulty of comprehending the art itself did not increase in the slightest.
However, this is precisely where the problems began. The refined version demanded slightly more cultivation resources than the original—an increase that, by itself, most would accept given the benefits—but the true issue lay elsewhere: the danger multiplied, and the willpower required soared to terrifying heights.
The original Ninefold Physique Method already demanded an exceptionally strong will; even so, its worst consequence for failure was that the transformation collapsed and had to be attempted again. This refined version, however, is far less merciful. Here, failure does not mean starting over—it means certain death.
Because the body must be broken down far more thoroughly than in the original, the strain on one's determination and willpower multiplies several times over, even though the comprehension difficulty itself remains unchanged.
If not for this single, fatal flaw, the refined Body Tempering Method would have leapt far beyond its predecessor in value—far more than the step from a High-Level Core Formation Art to a Low-Level Core Perfection Art; without doubt, it would stand at the level of a Mid, perhaps even a High-Level Core Perfection Art.]
A smirk made its way onto Mikael's visage, 'Evolving the Ninefold Physique Method was always the "ultimate goal" of my impurities cleansing process, I had theorized that if I was able to cleanse all the impurities in my body then naturally the Body Tempering Method should function better and—'
Pop.
He clenched his fist, feeling the power coursing through him, 'I am happy to see that I wasn't wrong! Reaching the third transformation was always just a "side effect" while the impurities cleansing was the true goal; as for why I chose this dangerous and extremely painful process?'
A confident smile appeared on his visage, 'Why not!? This is undoubtedly the most beneficial path. The other methods I had in mind could cleanse the impurities, yes, but they certainly didn't make my body 50% percent stronger…'
"Fuuuhhhh."
Mikael softly exhaled, calming his racing heart. He took a moment to steady himself before diverting his thoughts elsewhere, 'Now that I think about it, this "new" Cultivation needs a new name, no?'
He rubbed his chin, 'In that case, I need to find one…'
Tap tap tap.
He tapped his chin with a pensive expression, 'Something simple like Ninefold Physique Method Mark II to stay in the theme with Ferocity Art Mark II?' He considered it for a moment before shaking his head.
'Yeah, no!'
'I don't think naming it in the "Mark series" would work well with this one—at least not without changing the name to something else so that it truly became "mine," and not just an upgraded version of the Ninefold Physique Method…'
After thinking it over, he transmitted his chosen name to the Records.
[Unnamed (Low Level Core Perfection Art) has been renamed to Ninefold Impurity-Free Physique Method (Low Level Core Perfection Art)]
Crack.
Just as he finished the naming process, Mikael heard a familiar bone-breaking sound, one he instantly recognized as the sign of someone undergoing Body Tempering—and considering the only people present in the hot springs were himself and Amelia…
Step, step, step.
His footsteps echoed softly as he approached the hot spring from which the sound originated.
Inside was Amelia's naked form, submerged in water now red with her blood as she continuously tempered her body, each motion giving rise to those horrifying sounds.
The pained grimace on her visage, her clenched jaw, all made it clear how excruciating this process was, but then her expression shifted. The grimace melted away, replaced by surprise as her enhanced senses caught Mikael's presence nearby.
'Why is he here? Shouldn't he be doing his own Body Tempering in his own hot spring?'
Amelia thought, confused, but whatever her doubt the instant she realized Mikael was watching, her expression changed again.
Her spine straightened, her jaw unclenched, and a proud, almost arrogant smile spread across her beautiful, fairy-like features.
Whether it was the woman in her that didn't want to worry her love or the warrior in her that refused, that didn't accept to show weakness…
Both were of the same mind: masking her pain and projecting a proud, confident image toward Mikael was the right thing to do.
Still, not everything was an act. It was true that part of it came from not wanting to worry Mikael, from wanting to hide her 'weakness', but another non-negligible part was simply that, with Mikael's silent presence, the pain suddenly… became more bearable.
Sigh.
Mikael let out a deep, pained sigh as he saw Amelia's actions and heard the continuous sound of her tempering her body, each crack and grind a reminder of the unimaginable suffering she endured.
His jaw clenched so tightly it felt as if his teeth would break, but Mikael didn't care, his gaze was fixated on Amelia who was suffering even now, and to him this sight was absolutely unbearable.
He abhorred even the mere idea of his woman suffering, so watching her in pain was akin to torture, and the anguish tearing through him was likely greater than the physical agony she herself was experiencing.
But—
Even though every part of him was itching and screaming, wanting nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and end her torment, he didn't move an iota and remained rooted in his place.
Drip.
He clenched his fists so hard that blood began to drip onto the floor, yet he didn't care, his gaze still fixed unwaveringly on Amelia's form.
'DAMN IT—I AM NOT A HYPOCRITE!'
'I tempered my own body earlier, I threw myself into danger, into agony, all for strength! If I stop her now—if I dare to rob her of that same path—then I would be nothing but a fucking hypocrite!'
He repeated the thought to himself like a mantra, trying to calm the storm raging inside, trying to rationalize the situation, but no matter how much he rationalized it, as he heard her body breaking and his Amelia suffering, he just couldn't help but want to take her in his arms and stop her pain…
The only silver lining was that he distinctively felt his presence had a calming effect on Amelia, that it helped ease her pain, or else…he didn't know if he would have been able to stay here for long.
In this way, amidst this ambiance full of pain—physical for her and mental for him—time began to 'quickly' pass.
Mikael stayed with Amelia for a couple of days, offering her his silent support, but eventually he left; he could no longer bear to watch her suffering, and so he escaped, leaving the hot springs behind to begin the other training he had planned.
The Body Tempering he was previously doing was actually number eleven on his "Training List," which meant that normally it wouldn't have been Mikael's focus at this point, and in truth, it wasn't its turn at all, but… Mikael didn't really care about that order.
The Training List was simply a structure he had created, what he believed to be the most optimal sequence to train in various subjects in a way that would allow him to grow more powerful at the fastest speed possible, but of course—
Plans could never perfectly keep up with reality, and he was entirely ready to adjust and adapt this "Training List" whenever needed to extract the maximum benefits, which was exactly what he was doing with his Body Tempering.
Now, instead of keeping it in its original eleventh position, he decided to remove it from the list altogether, replacing the rigid order with a more flexible approach: he would focus on Body Tempering each time the impurities in his body reached a critical threshold.
At those moments he would temporarily switch to Body Tempering until a full transformation occurred, leaving him entirely free of impurities, before returning to the other planned practices.
In this way, and only in this way, he could truly maximize the use of his time.
On that note, Mikael wasted no time before launching himself into a new wave of cultivation, this time targeting: 6. Train in the Moonpiercer Sword Art and Sword Nurturing Art.
Author Note:
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Kinda dramatic Mikael reaction to Amelia no?
I think I made it a little too dramatic, I aren't sure how it would read to readers but at least to me it looked like that, let's hope you aren't of the same opinion as me…
Totally unrelated but little trivia that I probably shouldn't give but meh, I don't really care.
The Ninefold Impurity-Free Physique Method wasn't some kind of 'grand plan' I had in mind since 20-30 chapters it's a 'on the spot' decision…kinda.
You see when I write it's like 50% plan, 50% decision on the spot, I of course plan my novel before writing it, like now I know how the Volume 4 will end and what the Volume 5 will talk in the large lines but I don't plan everything and often take on the spot decision as I write.
Like for the Body Tempering scene, I had this scene of him silently tempering himself with Amelia beside him in my mind since a while so that was 'planned', for the impurities cleansing method it's a mix of the two, I had the impurities cleansing in my head and I was tilting toward it being done in body tempering but I wasn't 100% sure.
As for the Ninefold Impurity-Free Physique Method it was a on the spot decision because I thought it would be a good idea…
(I don't know it if interesting when I talk about the behind the scene writing process? Do you are interested in seeing it more often in the Author Note or it's boring? I admit that I would be curious."
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