Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 120 Body Refinement Completed! [Two-in-One]

"No, before..."

Before Ji Yuan could finish speaking, seeing the iron hammer approaching, he hurriedly raised the hammer in his hand to meet it.

"Thump—"

The two collided, producing a sound like the clashing of bronze bells.

Ji Yuan felt a numbness in his hands, followed by a sharp pain in his wrists. He was sent flying backward, rolling several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

He quickly looked at his hands and saw that blood was flowing from the tiger's mouth, and his hands were in excruciating pain.

With just that one blow, Ji Yuan felt he had never been injured so badly before...

After giving Ji Yuan a punch, the Iron Hammer Island Master lost interest upon seeing Ji Yuan's miserable state.

"Damn it, it's rare to see a body-refining expert, but I didn't expect him to be so useless. Come over here and honestly work on your blacksmithing. Once you've mastered body-refining, we'll have a showdown with our physical strength."

After getting up, Ji Yuan could only awkwardly cup his hands in greeting, "Senior, may you be divinely powerful."

"Stop bragging, come and learn the hammer technique."

Seeing that Ji Yuan had taken out another piece of blood essence and was about to put it in his mouth.

With a wave of his hand, the Blood Essence was in Iron Hammer Island's possession.

"You need to use blood essence for such a small injury? No wonder your body refinement is so weak. Well, your body, which is at the minor completion stage of body refinement, isn't as fragile as you think. This little injury will be fine in a while."

As he spoke, the Iron Hammer Island Lord swallowed the blood essence he had snatched from Ji Yuan in just a few bites.

He then picked up the double-sided cylindrical iron hammer, about the size of a winter melon, from his hand again.

"Kid, watch closely!"

The Iron Hammer Island Master seems to be an impatient person; he teaches without hesitation or delay.

Ji Yuan had no choice but to immediately pull himself together and start studying diligently.

The enormous iron hammer seemed weightless in his hands; he could hammer, strike, lift, sweep, cut, and rub with ease.

When it comes to the finest details, he wields the hammer with the precision of pounding garlic.

The sound kept ringing "thump thump thump".

This was the first time Ji Yuan had ever seen beauty in the hammering technique.

After a while, the demonstration of a set of hammer techniques was completed.

The Iron Hammer Island Master finally caught his breath, "How much have you learned?"

Ji Yuan had intended to say that nine out of ten orifices were open, but when he looked at the panting Iron Hammer Island Master, he realized that this old senior had indeed grown old.

"I'll demonstrate once, and then you can take a look and give your opinion."

The hammer technique used by this physique is completely unlike that of magic, which requires much understanding.

Once you memorize the moves, you'll be able to use this hammer technique.

Immediately, Ji Yuan exerted all his strength to lift the large iron hammer in his hand and slowly began to use it, following the example of the Iron Hammer Island Master.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ji Yuan, panting heavily, loosened his grip, and the iron hammer slammed to the ground, making another dull thud.

Although the first attempt was clumsy, it was mostly due to the heavy hammer in his hand.

But thankfully... it was finally put to use.

Upon seeing this, the Iron Hammer Island Master immediately turned and walked towards the front yard.

"Xu Fugui, Xu Fugui, you damn well couldn't learn it even after three days of studying! And look at Ji Yuan, you little good-for-nothing... oh no, you're an old good-for-nothing!"

"..."

So for the rest of the day, Ji Yuan didn't go anywhere, nor did he start blacksmithing.

Right there beside the iron furnace, he practiced his hammering techniques again and again.

As for his hands, they were initially extremely sore, then became numb, and finally he felt as if a force was being generated from within.

"Well, have you experienced the wonders of body cultivation?"

"Iron Hammer Island Master, who was eating sunflower seeds on the side, said with a smile."

"I understand now."

Ji Yuan nodded quickly. He was already thinking about the situation where, after his physique was fully developed, he could rival a peak Qi Refining expert with just his physical body.

"Oh, by the way, Xu Fugui mentioned your Thunder Falcon Boat. Bring it over and I'll give it a good beating in a bit. We'll talk about top-grade magic artifacts later."

Upon hearing this good news, Ji Yuan put down the iron hammer in his hand, summoned the Thunder Falcon Boat, and then presented it with both hands.

"Thank you for your trouble, senior."

"It's nothing."

"..."

Another day passed, and Ji Yuan had mastered the unknown hammer technique perfectly. Only then did he find a moment to ask the Iron Hammer Island Master:

"Senior, when can I start forging iron?"

"Oh, so you're already thinking about suffering?"

"Okay."

The Iron Hammer Island Master put the melon seeds in his hand aside, then clapped his hands and stood up.

The ground in front of Ji Yuan arched up and immediately turned into an iron stake.

"Come on, let's fight."

With another wave of his hand, the Iron Hammer Island Master sent the iron block from the ground crashing onto the iron stake. "Remember, don't stop until you meet my requirements."

Ji Yuan: "..."

"No, senior, I..."

Ji Yuan was about to speak up and explain himself, but before he could finish speaking, he found that a hammer was hanging over his head.

"Remember, don't stop. If you stop, this hammer will come down, and if you get hammered to death, don't blame me for not warning you."

As soon as the Iron Hammer Island Master finished speaking, the iron hammer seemed to begin to fall.

Ji Yuan quickly picked up the iron hammer in his hand and struck the iron ingot.

The hammer that had just been dropped slid back a few inches.

Damn it, this is going to drive people to their deaths... Ji Yuan cursed inwardly, but his hands didn't stop moving, swinging the iron hammer one after another.

The Iron Hammer Island Master laughed and left, returning to the front yard.

After observing for a while, Xu Fugui seized the opportunity to ask, "Master, is it alright for you to use this method to scare him?"

"What could be wrong with that?"

The Iron Hammer Island Master shook his head indifferently, "You don't understand. This kid is a slippery fellow. If he can use 70 or 80% of his full strength, he's already risking his life."

"If we don't push him hard, his physique will never reach its limit. Without breaking through the limit, how can he achieve great success?"

Xu Fugui thought about it again and realized that it seemed to be true.

Take this flying boat for example. Even though it's inside the Water Dragon Sect, he still hides the Thunder Falcon Boat and pilots the Crimson Sky Boat.

This guy is so cunning; he'll never reach his limit unless you push him a little.

With this in mind, Xu Fugui felt relieved.

"Besides, the longer you can hold your limit, the better. You don't need to tell him that; just let him play around with it."

After speaking, the Iron Hammer Island Lord took out Ji Yuan's Thunder Falcon Boat and went to another weapon-refining room on the island.

For the next five days, Xu Fugui watched as Ji Yuan forged iron on the small island.

For the first two days, Ji Yuan seemed fine, but on the third day, his face turned pale, his hands trembled, and he appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

The fourth day was still precarious.

On the fifth day, it was still teetering on the brink of collapse.

……

It wasn't until the eighth day that Xu Fugui saw a sense in Ji Yuan that he seemed to have truly reached his limit.

He could barely swing the hammer in his hand for a long time. Rather than forging iron, it was more like he was repeating muscle memory, raising and lowering it again and again.

As for him... he seems to have already fainted?

It wasn't until much later that he made the slightest movement of opening his eyes, proving that he was still conscious.

Ji Yuan never expected that he could persevere for so long... If he asked himself honestly, he didn't think his willpower was that strong.

There's only one simple reason why he's been able to persevere until now.

He is afraid of death.

Because the iron ingot was still two palm-sized pieces, it did not meet the requirement of being one palm-sized as stated by the Iron Hammer Island Master.

He feared that if he stopped, the hammer above his head would smash his skull into a pulp.

That's it.

Of course, if anyone asks about it later, Ji Yuan will definitely say that it was his unparalleled perseverance that kept him going until now!

I don't know how much time has passed.

Having long since become numb and unable to perceive the existence of her own body, Ji Yuan felt that she could no longer hold on.

I'm so tired, no, I'm so sleepy, I could fall asleep standing up.

Death... His mind, which had stopped working, no longer knew what death was.

In a daze, he felt as if he had fallen to the ground, but the iron hammer hanging above his head did not fall. In his dazed state, he realized something.

What the Iron Hammer Island Master said is false.

But the truth is that my physique... seems to have truly broken through some kind of shackle, and my physique is about to reach its full potential!

A surge of energy and blood, accumulated deep within his body from years of consuming spirit pigs, began to continuously generate strength, nourishing Ji Yuan's body.

As soon as he collapsed, Xu Fugui and his apprentice came to his side.

The Iron Hammer Island Master picked up the iron hammer that was floating in mid-air, swung it a few times, and then put it back into his storage bag.

"Finally, body refinement has been completed?"

Xu Fugui looked at Ji Yuan lying on the ground.

He looked sickly and dying before, but now he has a rosy complexion and is lying on the ground as if in a deep sleep... no, he is in a deep sleep.

Because it was only a short while, Ji Yuan started snoring.

It was still the thunderous snoring.

"I'm fine now that I'm awake. Hey, finally someone I can fight."

The Iron Hammer Island Master rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes filled with excitement.

This kind of pure physical combat was something the Iron Hammer Island Master hadn't experienced in far too long... With his fully developed physique, if the spiritual cultivator didn't resist, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand a single punch from him.

However, it is too difficult to find another body cultivator who has also achieved mastery of body refinement.

"Master, please be gentle, she's still a child."

Xu Fugui said with concern.

"Heh, you really treat him like a junior." After saying that, the Iron Hammer Island Master looked somewhat dejected.

Time flies, especially when you see how young Ji Yuan is, and then think about your own age...

Xu Fugui nodded and then shook his head.

"At first, I wanted him to be my junior brother, but since you don't have that intention, Master, why not just treat him as your junior? After all, when people get to this age, they always think about having a junior by their side."

"Speaking of which, I actually want to ask you about this."

The Iron Hammer Island Master turned around and looked seriously at his disciple, who was even older than himself.

"If I hadn't taken you with me back then, you would be enjoying your grandchildren in the mortal realm right now. But instead, you've ended up in this state. Do you... ever regret embarking on the path of cultivation?"

Xu Fugui fell silent upon hearing this.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally raised his head and smiled nonchalantly.

"I regret it when I can't sleep at night, but I don't regret it anymore once I wake up in the daytime."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because what happens at night is fantasy, and what happens during the day is reality."

"You old rascal, still playing riddles with your master? Come on, let's go for a drink!"

"..."

Ji Yuan felt he had never slept so comfortably before, not even in the lakeside cabin in Zengtou City.

He felt as if he were lying on a cloud, his whole body was warm and soft, and he could smell a sweet fragrance.

Even after he woke up, he refused to open his eyes.

"If you don't get up soon, we'll eat all this roasted takin and horse meat."

Hearing the voice of the Iron Hammer Island Master, Ji Yuan finally came to his senses, opened his eyes abruptly, and sat up.

It was still that same plot of land in the backyard, with a huge iron stove beside it.

Iron Hammer Island Master and Xu Fugui were eating barbecue and drinking wine on the other side.

Upon seeing Ji Yuan get up, the Iron Hammer Island Master immediately rubbed oil on his body and stood up laughing.

He casually tossed the Thunder Falcon Boat, which had already been upgraded to the highest-grade magic weapon level, next to Ji Yuan, and then leaped out from behind the desk.

"Come on, kid, let's have a fight, I'll loosen up your muscles!"

"Take this punch!"

The Iron Hammer Island Master swung his fist, as big as a sandbag, and smashed it down.

Ji Yuan reacted quickly. He exerted force with both hands, and his body flew backward, also taking the Thunder Falcon Boat that was on the ground with him.

The Iron Hammer Island Lord's fist slammed into the ground with a dull thud.

After getting up, Ji Yuan also realized that his strength was indeed incomparable to what it used to be, not to mention the seemingly inexhaustible source of his own strength.

Even their reaction and movement speeds are much faster.

Has body refinement truly reached its peak?!

"Don't run away, kid, try and punch me!"

"Iron Hammer Island Master shouted with a loud laugh."

Ji Yuan looked up again and realized that the Iron Hammer Island Master was also a person who had achieved great success in body refinement. He could then go all out and show off his skills, and it would be a good opportunity to test the strength of his current physique.

"good!"

Ji Yuan stepped forward to meet them head-on, and the two of them threw punches.

"boom--"

The two fists collided, creating an extremely powerful sonic boom.

Ji Yuan felt as if his right arm had been smashed against an iron wall, remaining completely still, while his hand was shaken and ached.

There was no further conversation.

Without any skill involved, the two simply engaged in a brutal, hand-to-hand combat.

If you can dodge, then dodge; if you can't, then just take the punch.

Anyway, since the body is tough and thick-skinned, taking a punch won't hurt, and recovery is quick.

So the two fought for the full time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the bruised and battered Iron Hammer Island Master finally retreated to the iron furnace, panting, and said, "I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting anymore."

Ji Yuan, whose opponent also didn't have many good pieces of meat, then stopped.

"Senior, you've surrendered. Then I'll have to say it when I get out: I, Ji Yuan, defeated a Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on... I was defeated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Ji Yuan looked at the sword boat that had appeared in front of him at some point and quickly changed his words.

"Heh, just like Xu Fugui, he's no good either."

Iron Hammer Island Master returned to Xu Fugui's side, picked up a roasted lamb leg, and began to eat it in large bites.

Looking at the Iron Hammer Island Master, whose hands were still trembling uncontrollably, Xu Fugui couldn't help but sigh. He had also practiced body cultivation and could naturally tell that his master was truly unable to hold on any longer.

It's not about being modest or yielding.

Boxing. Boxing.

Ultimately, youth prevails over strength.

Ji Yuan is only in his early twenties, but what about the Iron Hammer Island Master?

He was over two hundred years old and was nearing the end of his life.

Having achieved mastery of body refinement, Ji Yuan felt his spirits rise considerably. He went straight to the two of them, and without any ceremony, picked up the meat on the table and began to eat it heartily.

When the meal got lively, they even raised their glasses of wine.

"Come on, let's have a drink!"

"..."

After eating and drinking his fill, Ji Yuan only came to his senses when he heard Xu Fugui resign.

He approached the Iron Hammer Island Master and, seeing this senior who had bestowed such a generous gift upon him on their first meeting, he bowed respectfully.

The Iron Hammer Island Master accepted the greeting without hesitation.

Seeing Ji Yuan stand up, he, who had been sitting with an imposing air, then spoke:

"Little rascal."

"This junior is here."

"I've reached the end of the path of body cultivation, but you haven't. As long as you don't give up on this path, you will definitely be able to achieve a body like Vajra. As for what comes after that... I've searched through countless ancient books over the years and I always feel that the path of body cultivation shouldn't be so short. There's probably still a lot to go on."

"But I can't leave, so please go and check on me."

After saying this, the Iron Hammer Island Master seemed to relax his obsession and feel much lighter.

"Okay, I will!"

Ji Yuan nodded vigorously.

As he spoke, he had already looked at the [Pigpen] on the panel.

His body tempering skill was granted by the building effect of the [Pigpen]. The pigpen is currently level 2, and once it is upgraded to level 3, each pig will be able to produce one "Tempering Bead".

Ji Yuan's intuition told him that this bead should also be related to body refinement.

"Senior, may I ask how to break through from the Great Perfection of Body Refinement to the state of having a body as strong as steel?"

"Refine your acupoints, refine all 361 acupoints in your body to perfection, and your physique will be in perfect harmony. At that time, you will naturally be able to enter the Vajra Realm."

Ji Yuan thought to himself, "Just as I expected!"

Therefore, upgrading the level 3 [Pigpen] can now be put on the agenda.

After bidding farewell to the Iron Hammer Island Lord, Ji Yuan and his companion spent more than a day returning to the Dragon Hatchery Island, arriving back in the middle of the night.

late at night.

Ji Yuan continued to pilot the Crimson Sky Boat back to his Ding-18 Cave, but before his boat could land, he discovered that two other boats had landed ahead of him.

These two people were together, and they were his very antagonistic neighbors.

Ji Yuan discovered them, and they naturally discovered Ji Yuan as well.

So after they landed, they started pointing at each other and cursing.

"You damn bastard, still following me? What, you want me to give you one of my children as your mother?!"

The child, Tang Ran, immediately retorted, "You? You dare to challenge me?!"

"You old man are just someone we make fun of."

Ji Yuan observed the two of them, thinking to himself: They seemed to be having a big argument, but on the way back, they didn't look like they were arguing. So, their discord is just a facade?

It seems these two are quite intelligent.

Ji Yuan didn't want to pay attention, so he nodded to the two sides and then went back to his own courtyard, locked the door, and told himself not to answer whoever knocked on the door later.

Ji Yuan only settled down after returning to his residence on Chulong Island.

He took out a piece of blood essence and swallowed it, then activated the building effect and released Tu Yue to clean up the mess. The whole sequence of actions was smooth and effortless.

He himself was deep in thought in the hall.

I've been a member of the Water Dragon Sect for almost half a month now, and I've met most of the people I needed to meet and learned most of the things I needed to learn.

There doesn't seem to be anything else to do. Anyway, Ji Yuan isn't planning to go to the front lines, and he's already earned enough merit points for this year. So... it seems like he can go back to Misty Island and cultivate peacefully.

But there's one more thing before we go back.

It's still the Foundation Establishment Pill.

We can only wait for the Qinghui Grass and Huanling Grass, but we can prepare the other auxiliary medicines in advance.

If you have herbs like Qinghui Grass and Huanling Grass, and you also prepare an auxiliary medicine... then you've already gathered all the ingredients for a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills!

Unfortunately, alchemy skills haven't been developed yet.

Otherwise, we could have started refining it.

After a short rest of a few hours, Ji Yuan went out again.

The auxiliary medicines for foundation building must be obtained from the Treasure Pavilion, where everything is available. Moreover, while the Treasure Pavilion does not sell main medicines, it does sell other auxiliary medicines.

One batch of Foundation Building Pills requires 3 century-old Gentiana plants, 5 century-old Dew-Continuing Grass plants, and 2 bottles of Three-Flower Jade Dew.

The medicinal catalyst consists of one second-tier demon core and one pot of earth vein spiritual spring.

Demon cores are common, so Ji Yuan wasn't in a hurry to buy them.

We can explore other avenues later, or perhaps buy some better demon cores once we've accumulated a bit more spirit stones.

Even so, aside from the demon core, the auxiliary ingredients for a single batch of Foundation Establishment Pills still require nearly 50 mid-grade spirit stones.

If you add other medicinal herbs to this... damn, Foundation Establishment Pills are really damn expensive.

Even with Ji Yuan's current financial resources, he could only purchase two doses of auxiliary medicine for the Foundation Building Pill.

This corresponds perfectly to his two thousand-year-old Illusionary Spirit Grasses.

One plant of *Cymbidium goeringii* is still missing.

After buying all these items, Ji Yuan's originally bulging storage bag immediately deflated, leaving him with only 5 mid-grade spirit stones.

It feels like I've suddenly become poor again.

Since that's the case, it's time to go back and develop for a while... After buying things on Wanwu Island, Ji Yuan didn't even go back to Chulong Island. He sailed straight south on the Crimson Sky Boat.

He flew slowly for half a day, waiting until he was far away from the Water Dragon Sect before switching his flying boat to a top-grade magic weapon—the Thunder Falcon Boat!

The Iron Hammer Island Master said he would hammer a few times, and it seems he really did hammer a few times.

Ji Yuan felt that the flying boat was no longer so flat, but rather a bit longer.

Or rather, the overall lines have become more aesthetically pleasing.

With a slight push, the Thunder Falcon Boat transformed into an arrow released from a bow, instantly disappearing into the distance and becoming a streak of light against the sky.

A flying boat, now that's what a flying boat should be!

Ji Yuan sensed everything around him passing by like fleeting shadows.

After the Thunder Falcon Boat was upgraded to a top-grade magic weapon, its normal speed increased by at least 30%!

What about the maximum speed?!

Ji Yuan activated the Thunder Falcon spirit inside the Thunder Falcon Boat, and in an instant, several sonic booms resounded from the boat. Ji Yuan could no longer even see his surroundings clearly.

At such extreme speed, he saw... a glimmer of hope for survival.

Damn it, with this thing around, even without using any talismans, most early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators probably won't be able to catch up to me.

This maximum speed is about 50% higher than before.

After experiencing the effects of the Thunder Falcon Boat, Ji Yuan put it away again and slowly traveled forward on the Crimson Sky Boat provided by the sect.

A day later.

A streak of purple light swept down from the clouds and plunged back into the mist.

It took Ji Yuan quite a while to find his Misty Island again.

Having been away for nearly a month, and with springtime approaching and weeds and shrubs growing wildly, Ji Yuan looked at his overgrown dwelling and felt as if the empire he had built had simply vanished.

As for the big toad... what about the big toad?

Ji Yuan piloted the Thunder Falcon Boat around Misty Island twice, but still couldn't find it.

"Damn it, is he dead?"

Ji Yuan immediately dismissed the thought as soon as it crossed his mind.

It's unlikely. This giant toad is already a mid-stage second-tier demon beast, not to mention it ate so many spirit pigs with strong physiques with me... Even if there were a late-stage second-tier demon beast, it should be able to save its life.

In that case, did you go out for a treat?

As Ji Yuan was pondering this, he suddenly heard a piercing scream coming from the depths of the mist.

"Croak—"

Immediately following was a surge of demonic energy.

This is... a giant toad?!

Is it fighting with other demons?

After a slight hesitation, Ji Yuan still steered the Thunder Falcon Boat into the depths of the mist.

The big toad was his right-hand man, and after raising it for so long, he had developed some affection for it. Ji Yuan couldn't bear to see it die!

The Thunder Falcon Boat arrived in an instant.

Upon getting closer, Ji Yuan finally saw what was going on.

On the shore of an island roughly half the size of Misty Island, chaos reigned. A giant toad struggled desperately to jump ashore, but a large snake was coiled around it, pulling it tightly into the depths of the water.

Not only that, but the giant toad also had two more bloody holes on its head.

Much of its original stone armor has also fallen off.

It wasn't the shedding caused by fighting, but rather the shedding caused by the decay of its body surface... Ji Yuan saw it clearly at a glance.

The big snake in the water is poisonous, and the big toad was bitten by it.

Otherwise, with the giant toad's strength, it wouldn't have been unable to escape.

Should we save them?!

We definitely have to find a way to save them.

If we don't save it soon, the giant toad might die here.

With this thought in mind, Ji Yuan's flying boat took off, and he immediately reached out and pointed downwards.

The surrounding spiritual energy was drained, and a drop of black water appeared out of thin air, soaring through the air and landing directly on the large snake coiled around the giant toad's body.

The water droplets exploded with a loud bang.

Countless water blades sliced ​​back and forth across the serpent's scales.

Although the giant snake was a mid-stage second-tier demon beast, it still felt a sharp pain when faced with such a dense attack.

It instinctively loosened its grip on the giant toad's body.

Seizing the opportunity, the giant toad used its hind legs to propel itself onto the shore.

Once ashore, the giant toad finally saw Ji Yuan's figure clearly. Upon seeing the familiar flying boat, it trembled and opened its mouth.

"Quack quack—"

Its cries were utterly pitiful.

(End of this chapter)