Chapter 5: Second Level of Body Refinement

Chu Feng felt a chill in his heart—what a sharp-eyed little girl. She had actually seen through the trick behind those pieces of silver and Shadow Iron? On second thought, those hastily made silver ingots and Shadow Iron were identical to the “genuine” ones; but that was precisely the problem. In this world, nothing is ever truly identical.

Silver ingots were one thing; they were all cast from the same molds, so they tended to look alike. But Shadow Iron was another matter—pitch black with a glossy sheen, and while the quality was nearly uniform, its irregular, stone-like shapes made it nearly impossible to find two identical pieces.

Regardless, Chu Feng couldn't just turn and run. So he returned to the little girl's stall.

“What do you want to ask?” Chu Feng inquired.

“Uncle, look—these three pieces of Shadow Iron you gave me, how come they look exactly the same?” The little girl asked, staring curiously at him.

“Hmm? You're right—they really are identical! Let me have a look!” Chu Feng took the Shadow Iron, scraped it with his nail, then bit into it with his teeth. “A friend gave these to me; they're absolutely genuine!”

“No doubt, they're real. But Shadow Iron—it's rare to find two pieces that look alike, let alone three that are exactly the same! Even if you used a mold, they shouldn't be this similar!” The girl gave Chu Feng a long, searching look. “Uncle, is there something fishy going on?”

“Fishy? What could be fishy? Do you think I made these myself?” Chu Feng shook his head, smiling wryly. “If I could make Shadow Iron and play tricks with it, would I be in such dire straits?”

“Haha, fair enough!”

The little girl nodded. “I was just curious—don’t take it to heart, Uncle! Oh, and here’s a free tip: when cooking this meat, don’t use ordinary firewood. You should use Ironwood from the Celestial Wood Clan. It saves time, cooks the meat thoroughly, and is easier on your digestion—which means you’ll break through faster! Just keep walking ahead and you’ll find someone selling it.”

“Great! Thank you, miss!” Chu Feng cupped his fist in thanks.

“Haha, you’re much older than me. Call me niece, that’ll make me happy!” the girl laughed.

Chu Feng didn’t linger. He plunged deeper into the market, heading straight for the Ironwood vendor.

This time, the girl hadn’t seen through his secret or tried to return the beast meat—luck was finally on his side. He hoped she would soon resell those three pieces of Shadow Iron and silver.

Ironwood was a special fuel for boiling herbs and cooking meat. Though Ironwood trees grew in all four great territories, only the Celestial Wood Clan produced the finest quality.

Chu Feng repeated his trick, buying thirty pounds of Ironwood from a martial artist, along with some rare herbs.

The vendor’s business was good. After verifying Chu Feng’s Shadow Iron was genuine, he immediately accepted it, paying no attention to its identical appearance.

Chu Feng also bought a large cooking pot. Then he ventured deep into the forest, seeking a secluded spot to start his fire and prepare for a breakthrough.

He settled beside a branch of the Heavenly Wolf River. The water was abundant, and a nearby cave offered shelter from wind and rain—a perfect location.

Chu Feng first washed the meat, then placed it in the pot and lit the Ironwood. The fuel was indeed superb: once ignited, the whole log blazed like a charcoal briquette, radiating intense heat without producing thick smoke. Even in a strong wind, the flames only grew fiercer.

Ordinary wood would take six hours to cook such a pot of meat; with Ironwood, one hour sufficed.

Chu Feng bathed in the river, scrubbing off dirt and relaxing his tense spirit. By the time he came ashore, the meal was ready.

“This beast meat truly lives up to its reputation—the aroma is rich and lingering!” Chu Feng tasted a bite of tiger meat. The flavor burst in his mouth, and chewing was deeply satisfying.

The so-called “lingering aroma” meant the scent was locked within the meat as it cooked, only released when bitten into—not broadcast to the surroundings. This way, only the martial artist enjoyed the fragrance, and no wild beasts would be attracted by the smell.

After a few bites of tiger meat, Chu Feng tried some bear heart—the Blood King Bear’s heart was as large as a watermelon. The jet-black eagle talon was nearly as long as a horse’s leg; eating it was a challenge.

With every mouthful, Chu Feng felt his strength steadily increasing.

Such was the power of beast meat. Eating ordinary wild game only brought satiety, but beast meat made you feel your strength grow!

Chu Feng spent the entire afternoon eating. Out of fifty pounds of beast meat, he devoured more than forty, leaving only the bear heart and leopard gall. The rest was gone.

Using the Celestial Wood Clan’s best Ironwood to cook the finest beast meat yielded remarkable results. After eating more than forty pounds, Chu Feng felt no sense of overfullness. With ordinary meat, even four pounds would strain the stomach; forty pounds would be impossible without bursting.

But after forty pounds, Chu Feng felt energized and powerful. His arms, when squeezed, were as hard and thick as steel.

“They say a martial artist in the first stage of Body Refinement must undergo a fat-purging process to reach the second stage. Since I’m by the river, why not try bathing?”

Chu Feng plunged into the water.

Swimming not only washed away sweat and grime but shaped the muscles, distributing strength evenly across the body.

While swimming, Chu Feng noticed a shimmering layer of oil on the river—fat expelled from his body.

From his face, head, limbs, and torso, oil seeped out in streams.

The beast meat’s potent properties squeezed all his fat out; the more he ate, the more intense the effect.

Chu Feng remained calm, soaking quietly until the fat-purging process finished.

After two full hours, with not a trace of oil left, Chu Feng climbed out of the river.

Earlier, he had eaten forty pounds of meat without a single bowel movement, yet his wrists and face weren’t the slightest bit plumper. The meat had expelled his fat and transformed it into pure muscle.

Even more astonishing, his hair had grown noticeably longer.

The saying goes, “Strength grows hair, weakness grows nails.” Hair lengthening rapidly is a clear sign of surging inner power.

“A martial artist at the second stage of Body Refinement can lift a thousand pounds and walk with it across the training ground. There’s no stone cauldron here, but that boulder over there must weigh at least twelve hundred pounds! If I can lift it and take a few steps, that means I’ve reached the second stage of Body Refinement!”

With that, Chu Feng strode over to the boulder.

“Up!”

Power surged through his arms as he gripped the stone like iron pincers. With a twist of his waist, he hoisted it overhead—the ground beneath his feet sank over an inch.

A thousand pounds pressing down on flesh and bone—without exceptional strength, a man would be crushed in an instant.

“One step, two steps, three steps!”

“Ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps!”

As Chu Feng walked, counting his strides, he reached thirty and knew he’d advanced to the second stage of Body Refinement—the stage of channeling power.

“Go!”

With a shout, he hurled the massive stone several yards away, where it crashed into the earth, making the ground tremble. Seeing the deep footprints behind him, Chu Feng was elated.

Breaking through from the first to the second stage might be just one rank, but the increase in strength was tremendous.

“The feeling of having power—how wonderful!”

Chu Feng clenched his fists. If he were still in the Fear Gate, this strength would mean he was no longer at the bottom. He’d never be a menial again. Against the likes of mountain cats, wolves, and leopards, he could easily take on three at once.