Nameless Body-Tempering Technique

Yu Residence.

Evening meal. The four members of the family sat at their small dining table, chewing each bite with care.

Little Cai, as usual, didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, terrified that some tiny gesture would catch his father’s eye—and then he’d be in for a beating. Truly, he was as humble as the Alpine valleys.

Father Yu glanced at his eldest son and cleared his throat.

The sound startled Little Cai so much that his whole body trembled. His chopsticks slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor; his eyes went blank.

A moment passed in frozen silence.

“I’m sorry, Father, though I don’t know why, nor do I know what I did wrong, or what happened. In any case, I apologize. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have done that. I swear it won’t happen again—no, there won’t be a next time.” Little Cai muttered a steady stream of apologies, never pausing, occasionally shuddering as new misdeeds occurred to him.

Poor child—how had a perfectly good boy ended up so traumatized?

“What nonsense are you babbling about? I haven’t said a word yet,” Father Yu said, looking at his son as if he’d suffered some great shock.

“Oh, I see. Please go on, Father. Your son is listening,” Little Cai replied after another dazed moment, looking utterly lost.

“It’s about the matter at the Celestial Jade Pavilion. You—”

“I’m sorry, Father! It’s my mistake, I was wrong, I have sinned. I shouldn’t have done that. I swear it won’t happen again—no, there won’t be a next time!” Little Cai’s litany of remorse continued, as if terrified that silence would be fatal.

Father Yu: “……”

Mother Yu: “……”

Yu Yunfan: “……”

Was this child beyond hope?

“Stop, stop. I’m not going to beat you. Why are you so worked up?” Father Yu shook his head.

“Wait, Father, you’re really not just looking for an excuse to hit me?” Hope flickered in Yu Daoyi’s small eyes.

That was the pure longing for survival.

A vein throbbed on Father Yu’s forehead—this child still had no filter.

“You haven’t done anything. Why would I beat you?”

Phew—

Yu Daoyi let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Tonight’s dinner was truly an ordeal.

“So, Father, is there something you wish to ask?”

“Was it you who caused the incident at Celestial Jade Pavilion?”

“You already know, Father? Of course—you’re so formidable, nothing escapes you.” The flattery came naturally, as if born to his lips; not the least bit forced, it seemed perfectly right and proper.

Father Yu nodded, satisfied.

“A few days ago you asked me who was behind the Celestial Jade Pavilion. You must have discovered something.” Father Yu spoke softly.

“I was just curious. Qingshan Town is as small as a town can be. Even within the Southern Mountain Region, it’s insignificant among the hundred and eight provinces. Though the Seven Luminaries Trade Consortium is everywhere in the Mortal Realm, it doesn’t seem necessary for them to set up a full Celestial Jade Pavilion in a place like this.”

Father Yu nodded again in agreement. This boy had no gift for cultivation and was always up to mischief, but at least he wasn’t hopelessly stupid.

“The Celestial Jade Pavilion is deep and complex. The Seven Luminaries Trade Consortium is a colossus in the Mortal Realm, its roots far beyond our reckoning. Don’t get involved too deeply, or you might find yourself unable to extricate yourself.”

“I understand, Father. I was merely curious, and my suspicions have now been confirmed. I won’t dig any deeper.” Yu Daoyi nodded.

“I can tell you plainly: no matter how vast the Seven Luminaries Trade Consortium is, or how widely it spreads through the Mortal Realm, it would never set up a full Celestial Jade Pavilion in a tiny place like Qingshan Town.”

“The Seven Luminaries have seven great pavilions: Polaris, Celestial Jade, Celestial Axis, Celestial Power, Jade Balance, Open Sun, and Shaking Light, each overseeing a major division—artifacts, medicine, beasts, magic, earth, formations, and people. Each pavilion is the Consortium’s representative in the Mortal Realm.”

“Qingshan Town is far too small to support a full pavilion. At most, they’d set up a little shop flying the Consortium’s flag. So the establishment of a Celestial Jade Pavilion here must serve some special purpose.”

“A purpose? Do you know what it is?” Yu Daoyi asked.

Father Yu shook his head calmly, “I’m just a simple cultivator in a small town. How could I know such things?”

I don’t believe a word of it, you old fox! Who are you kidding? I’m not stupid!

Every time Father spoke, his words reached far beyond Yu Daoyi’s experience. He’d read many books since coming to this world, but his father always managed to shatter his hard-won understanding.

The table returned to silence.

Yu Daoyi quietly picked up a new pair of chopsticks and continued eating, as cautiously as before.

After a while.

“I’ve also heard you’ve been spreading rumors about me outside—saying I withhold your spirit stones and even mistreat you.”

Clatter—the chopsticks fell again.

“Father, Mother, I’m finished with my meal,” Yu Yunfan said quietly, putting down his chopsticks with studied grace.

“Come, let’s not get in the way of father and son’s conversation.” Mother Yu set her bowl and chopsticks aside as well.

Yu Daoyi watched the pair recede, heart pounding, not daring to breathe.

How did Father know?! Is it too late to confess now?!

Urgent! What should I do?!

“Sigh. Well, tell me—which position do you want to use today?” Father Yu, after savoring his last bite, set down his chopsticks and exhaled deeply.

What??? Position? How could I possibly choose that?

No, wait—a position for what?!

I haven’t even started making excuses—not to mention explaining myself!

“Father, you should have more trust in your son! We’re family! How could you let outsiders sow discord?”

“Outsiders? Discord? No, my foolish boy—it was your adorable little brother, my second son, who told me. Hardly an outsider.”

What the—! I want to argue, but I can’t refute it! What now?!

“Father, since you’ve put it that way, it seems I have no escape. In that case, please allow your child to say a few words—”

Yu Daoyi met his father’s gaze, put down his chopsticks, and adopted a solemn expression.

Then, seeing Father’s eyelids droop, he bolted for the door.

Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best!

A breath later—

“Aaahhhh!”

Yu Yunfan, curse you and your ancestors!

…Did I just curse myself in the process?

In the rear courtyard, Yu Yunfan listened to the wretched screams that echoed from the house. A trace of a smile appeared on his normally expressionless face, restoring an inner sense of balance.

Yu Residence, night.

Yu Daoyi lay flat on his stomach atop his bed. Why flat? Because lying on his back hurt too much.

He reflected that he’d spent three years training in body-tempering arts; his only failing was his talent for cultivation. He was doing just fine in alchemy and body-refinement!

He really had no self-awareness. Alchemy, perhaps, required talent—but who needed talent to endure body training? With his penchant for mischief, there was no way he’d fail at that.

Lying there, Yu Daoyi quietly began circulating the mysterious technique he used for body refinement. He refused to be beaten for nothing! If there was ever a time to temper his body, it was now. He would cultivate until his father’s beatings no longer hurt!

Hiss—

The pain crashed over him like a tidal wave, far more intense than when he first practiced energy cultivation. His body felt as if it burned in a cauldron; beads of sweat sprang to his forehead only to evaporate instantly.

Moments later, his skin flushed crimson, and the pain redoubled, far worse than before. Faint black lines appeared beneath the surface, though their color remained too dark to see clearly. Eyes squeezed shut, Yu Daoyi endured the agony, unaware of the changes overtaking him.

The small room’s temperature soared, growing stiflingly hot. The heat distorted the air around Yu Daoyi, and the pain wrenched a cry from his lips. The bedding and walls bore deep scratches, yet, strangely, for all the heat, nothing in the room caught fire.

Outside, Father and Mother Yu, sensing their son’s transformation, appeared instantly at his door.

“What have you done to our son, Yu? How has he ended up like this?” Mother Yu demanded, her brows knit with worry. She was clearly heartbroken by her son’s suffering, but dared not enter lightly.

Father Yu looked at his anxious wife, a touch helpless. Normally, she watched with cool detachment as he disciplined their eldest, never showing such concern. It was only now, at this critical moment, that her true affection for the boy shone through.

“Don’t worry, my dear. There’s no harm—our child is breaking through.”