Chapter Four: The Body Tempering Realm

Body Refining Realm

Wu Hong opened the first page of the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata and found two ancient characters—“Body Refinement.” These words were simple yet majestic, as if they had existed before heaven and earth took shape. Indeed, the feeling they imparted was that no living being could have written them; the characters seemed born of nature, with no trace of human artifice. If a man had written these, surely only a sage could reach such a realm.

Though Wu Hong had never seen the legendary sages.

Beneath the two grand characters, there was a line of tiny script: “All methods require a vessel to reach the heavens; the stronger the physical vessel, the firmer its foundation. Remember, to cultivate the body refinement technique, the practitioner must offer a single drop of pure blood!”

The explanation was clear and concise. Wu Hong flipped through the subsequent pages of the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata, only to find them all blank. He couldn’t help but mutter in confusion, “I’ve never heard of a cultivation method that requires the master’s own blood.”

Yet Wu Hong hesitated not at all. He bit his finger, and a drop of bright red blood fell onto the page. At once, the ancient book responded. The wound on his finger seemed drawn by a mysterious force, and blood began to pour out wildly, forming a trail across the page.

“Damn! At this rate, I’m going to bleed myself to death!” The blood drained rapidly from Wu Hong’s body through his wounded finger, and soon he felt weak and faint.

“What should I do? Hmph—if I’m doomed to live a coward’s life, it’s better to die like this!” Wu Hong’s face turned pale, his expression hardening. The blood continued to gush from his finger, until, after an unknown time, it finally ceased.

Wu Hong felt unsteady, and he sank to the floor. The True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata now glowed with a faint yellow light.

The pages turned themselves, one after another. Each page bore the image of a golden Buddha, vivid and lifelike.

The figures struck strange poses. There were nineteen pages in total. Most curious was that Wu Hong had not tried to memorize the movements, yet they seemed etched into his mind—he remembered them all.

Setting the book aside, Wu Hong began to imitate the poses from his memory. At first, he was clumsy, but he gradually became proficient.

The complete set comprised nineteen forms, slow as Tai Chi. After performing the sequence, Wu Hong felt warmth suffuse his body. Astonished, he thought, “I’ve never heard of body refinement being practiced this way.”

Typically, practitioners of body refinement needed to consume copious elixirs and undergo rigorous physical training.

But here, after one set of movements, his whole body felt warm, drenched in sweat, as if he’d fought a fierce battle.

Wu Hong was overjoyed. He’d taken many elixirs as a child.

But he was born frail. Though he was the eldest son of King Wu Wei, he was considered the greatest waste of the Wu Wei Prince’s household. It wasn’t for lack of effort—he’d worked hard for ten years without results. Anyone would have lost hope.

Wu Hong sat cross-legged, flipping to the last page of the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata, and found a few more lines of tiny script.

“These nineteen forms contain the profound principles of heaven and earth, the Dao in its simplest form. If the practitioner perseveres, great rewards await.

The body refinement chapter can also strengthen the body through the salvation of sentient beings.”

The first line made sense, but the second about salvation confused Wu Hong. Did it mean he had to become a monk to improve his body refinement?

Just as Wu Hong pondered this, the door to his humble hut creaked open, and Niu Dali walked in.

“Wu Hong, what are you doing?” Niu Dali stared at Wu Hong in surprise.

Wu Hong’s face instantly changed. He shivered—he couldn’t let anyone see the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata! This was his greatest secret!

A hundred thoughts flashed through his mind—should he silence Niu Dali? Impossible. Not only was he unsure he could defeat him, but the idea felt wrong.

“Brother Niu, did you see anything?” Wu Hong asked helplessly, holding the book.

“What did I see? Why aren’t you sleeping at this hour, looking so pale?”

“What, you really didn’t see anything?” Wu Hong sprang to his feet, holding the book in front of Niu Dali.

“Brother, are you ill? What am I supposed to look at?” Niu Dali was puzzled, thinking Wu Hong might have lost his mind. Wu Hong’s sudden movements startled him, but perhaps he had business with Wu Hong, so he entered without waiting for an invitation.

Wu Hong still couldn’t believe it. He clearly held the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata—how could Niu Dali not see it? He even looked at Wu Hong as if he were mad. This was incredible!

Hands trembling, Wu Hong waved the book in front of Niu Dali’s eyes.

Niu Dali reacted quickly, but not quickly enough. He only saw Wu Hong’s empty hand passing before his eyes and tried to grasp it, but caught nothing.

Wu Hong’s own eyes widened—the hand passed through the middle of the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata as if the book were not there.

“Brother, you really need to see a doctor! What are you showing me? Your hand is empty!” Niu Dali smacked his forehead in exasperation. “I was going to arrange your work tomorrow, but you really look unwell. Take tomorrow off, go out and find a good doctor!”

With that, Niu Dali turned and strode away, disappearing into the night.

Wu Hong stared in disbelief at the swinging wooden door. How could such an obvious book be invisible to others?

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Wu Hong was naturally open-minded.

Otherwise, as the eldest son of the Wu Wei Prince, considered the greatest waste in the number one family of the Great Qian Dynasty, the pressure would have been overwhelming. Yet Wu Hong never cared about others’ opinions or gossip.

Partly from his father’s encouragement, partly from his own temperament.

Wu Hong didn’t sleep. He kept practicing the nineteen body refinement forms from the book. Several hours passed, and he felt neither tired nor sleepy.

Unbelievable—the body refinement technique in this book must be a treasure! Even with the knowledge Wu Hong gained in the Wu King’s household, he’d never heard of such a miraculous method.

Ordinary body refinement techniques relied on years of training and medicinal herbs.

But the method in the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata left the practitioner refreshed, and the seemingly simple nineteen forms exercised every part of the body.

The practice was comfortable, like sunbathing on a summer beach. Body refinement was usually painful, but these movements were enjoyable.

Wu Hong practiced all night, never feeling tired. By dawn, he was full of energy. He wondered if it was true that Niu Dali couldn’t see the book last night.

After all, books with such names could be found at street stalls. Why not treat it as a pastime, carrying it openly to the slaughterhouse to see how others reacted?

Better to act openly than to always guard it like a thief.

Wu Hong was bold by nature. He thought it best not to always practice in secret.

Having decided, he wiped the sweat from his body, took the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata, and went out.

He arrived at the cattle hall and glanced around.

“Brother, why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to see a doctor? If you need money, I have some for you,” Niu Dali greeted him warmly.

“Brother Niu, I’m much better. Assign me some work! The young lady saved me—I can’t just eat idle meals.” Wu Hong had no resentment toward Niu Dali for treating him like a madman. If not for him, Wu Hong might never have discovered that only he could see the True Explanation of the Great Sun Tathagata.

“You’re really alright?” Niu Dali asked, still concerned, eyeing Wu Hong strangely.

“I’m fine, Brother Niu,” Wu Hong replied helplessly. Niu Dali really was a caring person.

“Alright, here you go!” Niu Dali tossed Wu Hong a cow-killing hammer.

Wu Hong caught it, surprised that it seemed lighter than yesterday.

“Brother Niu, is this the same hammer you gave me yesterday?” he asked curiously.

“See? I told you you weren’t well! This is the same hammer. From now on, it’s yours. Changing weapons all the time makes slaughtering cattle difficult.”

Wu Hong walked over to Hou Shun, where a cow was tightly bound to a special device.

He looked into the cow’s eyes, full of pain, and felt a surge of pity. Perhaps a quick death was a kind of release.

He suddenly recalled the body refinement forms he practiced dozens of times last night—a natural grace, felt but not described. He wondered what would happen if he applied it to slaughtering cattle.

Wu Hong raised the short-handled hammer, exhaled, and struck with a muffled sound.

There was no crack of bone—yet the cow ceased to resist. Hou Shun quickly stabbed its neck artery, and blood spurted.

“Impressive! You mastered your strength in just one day!” Hou Shun truly admired Wu Hong. Though killing cattle seemed simple, mastering the control of force was not a matter of a day or two.

A warm current surged through Wu Hong’s body, just like when he practiced the forms. He was overjoyed. Perhaps the book’s mention of salvation meant this—a swift release for the dying, a kind of transcendence.