Following Elder Huo's lead, Nie Feng quickly noticed the oppressive atmosphere of Divine Sword Peak. Even his breathing and energy circulation seemed constrained under this overwhelming pressure.
"You'll get used to it," Elder Huo said without turning his head. "Once you adapt to this, you'll find your energy flows much more freely outside. Many dream of such an ideal training environment but can't have it. Divine Sword Peak is truly exceptional."
"I understand," Nie Feng replied, focusing his mind. After walking for a while, Elder Huo stopped in front of a stone chamber carved into the cliff.
"This will be your training and resting place. Starting today, it's yours," Elder Huo said before suddenly placing his palm on Nie Feng's abdomen.
In an instant, a terrifying force surged into Nie Feng's dantian, destroying the energy he had cultivated over ten years.
Nie Feng froze in shock. Before he could speak, Elder Huo placed a hand on his head, and a torrent of searing energy poured into his mind like molten gold, accompanied by a rhythmic murmuring reminiscent of ancient chants.
When Elder Huo withdrew his hand, Nie Feng realized that the foundational technique of the Shadow Sect had been imprinted deeply into his consciousness. Alongside the technique, he could also sense Elder Huo's personal insights into its nuances.
"I told you the techniques of the Light Sect weren't suitable for you, so I simply discarded them," Elder Huo explained. "I've just infused our foundational technique into your mind. With your meridians strengthened by ten years of cultivation, you should progress at an exceptional pace."
Though Nie Feng understood Elder Huo's reasoning, the loss of his hard-earned progress was still hard to swallow. However, his resolve remained unshaken. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the stone chamber, sat cross-legged on the stone bed, and began to practice the new technique.
Seeing this, Elder Huo's eyes gleamed with approval.
"This boy is even more remarkable than I expected. Such resilience... Truly a gem among stones," Elder Huo murmured before vanishing into the sky in a streak of red light.
Sitting cross-legged, Nie Feng closed his eyes, and the Shadow Sect's foundational technique unfolded in his mind. He began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy according to its instructions.
Unlike the natural, nurturing approach of the Light Sect's techniques, the Shadow Sect's method was aggressive and domineering—more like plundering than absorbing. While the Light Sect's techniques aimed to refine energy gently and nourish the body, the Shadow Sect's approach forced energy into the body, unyielding and violent.
For most practitioners, such a technique would risk overwhelming their meridians, but Nie Feng was different. His years of rigorous cultivation had made his meridians exceptionally tough, enabling him to handle the brutal demands of this new practice.
Spiritual energy flowed into Nie Feng's body like a raging river, his meridians enduring the onslaught with ease. The violent energy gradually refined into a purer form of qi, laced with an inherent aura of aggression—a stark contrast to the serene energy he had previously cultivated.
"This technique is indeed as overbearing as Elder Huo's presence," Nie Feng thought, his focus unwavering as he guided the turbulent energy into refinement.
In the following months, the disciples of the Shadow Sect noticed a new face—an individual whose dedication to cultivation bordered on madness. Nie Feng spent every possible moment cultivating, sometimes sitting in meditation for three consecutive days without moving. His relentless training and insatiable appetite for spiritual energy earned him a reputation as a fanatic.
"Who is this lunatic? I've never seen him before," one disciple asked.
"I heard the Sect Master brought him here personally," another replied.
"Well, he's crazy. Absorbing spiritual energy at that rate? He's bound to explode one day."
The gossip soon died down, as none dared to speak ill of someone favored by Elder Huo.
Three months later, Nie Feng's cultivation had progressed at an astonishing pace. He had regained his previous strength and even approached the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm—a milestone that once took him ten years to achieve.
"This feeling…" Nie Feng murmured, sensing the surging energy within his dantian. His heart raced as he realized he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Sealing himself in his stone chamber, Nie Feng sat down and focused all his attention on the roiling energy within. He guided the unruly energy into a rotating vortex, forming the beginnings of a qi cyclone.
The cyclone grew stronger with each rotation, pulling in more and more spiritual energy from the surroundings. Nie Feng's pores opened wide, drawing in torrents of energy to sustain the process.
The intense influx of energy caused excruciating pain, his muscles spasming as dark impurities seeped out through his pores. Soon, his entire body was coated in a layer of thick, black residue, a testament to the impurities expelled during the transformation.
Outside the stone chamber, Elder Huo arrived in a flash of red light. Peering through a crack in the door, he saw Nie Feng enveloped in the dark sludge.
"This boy... Is he truly breaking into the Body Tempering Realm after just three months?" Elder Huo muttered, astonished. "And such an extraordinary purging of impurities... What kind of potential does he have?"
Inside, Nie Feng was completely absorbed in his cultivation, guiding the violent energy into his burgeoning cyclone. With each rotation, the qi cyclone grew stronger, and Nie Feng felt himself inching closer to a new realm of power.