The morning air was crisp, the faint warmth of dawn filtering through the wooden shutters. Light stretched across the floor, casting golden streaks over Feiyin’s motionless form.


    He was still sitting in the same meditative position from the night before, yet he hadn’t noticed the passage of time.


    His body felt different.


    Not in the sense of exhaustion or strain, but rather an undeniable completeness.


    A sense of balance.


    For months, he had worked toward this moment, forging himself through relentless training, refining his inner strength with painstaking control, tempering every fiber of his being until he could call himself perfected in the Body Tempering Realm.


    And now, he had done it.


    10,000 kg of inner strength.


    A number that once felt impossible now sat within him, steady and unshakable.


    He clenched his fists, feeling the power contained within his body. His muscles were like coiled steel, his bones reinforced pillars, his blood a coursing river of vitality, and his organs resonating with a perfect cycle of elements.


    He could feel everything.


    Every breath he took, every flicker of warmth that coursed through his veins—his body responded in ways he had never experienced before. It was as if nothing within him was hidden from his awareness anymore.


    And then, he noticed something new.


    A sensation that had not been there before.


    It wasn’t like his usual ability to perceive oscillations. That was an external perception, an understanding of how things moved, vibrated, and connected in the world around him.


    But this?


    This was internal.


    His eyes remained closed, yet he could see within himself.


    Not with his physical vision, but with something deeper—a sense beyond his usual five.


    A crude, but unmistakable Inner Sense.


    Feiyin inhaled slowly, focusing on the strange new perception. It was as if his awareness had seeped into his body, mapping it from the inside. He could feel his flesh, his muscles, his bones—not just as sensations, but as something tangible, something real.


    With a mere thought, he could trace the path of his blood as it flowed through his veins.


    He could feel the subtle pulse of his organs, each one maintaining its rhythm in perfect harmony.


    He marveled at it.


    It was incredible.


    He had read about this before, but experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely. Inner Sense.


    A cultivator’s first step toward true self-awareness.


    Most only gained it after completing their inner tempering or upon opening the first third set of meridians. It was considered the bridge between the Body Tempering Realm and the Meridian Opening Realm, an ability that allowed a cultivator to better observe, refine, and direct their own energy.


    This will make finding and opening my meridians so much easier.


    His mind raced with possibilities.


    Before, meridian opening was like stumbling through darkness, relying on instinct and experience to locate the delicate energy pathways within the body. But now?


    He could see them.


    Not yet fully, but faintly—like shadows hidden just beneath the surface.


    He focused, pushing his awareness deeper, tracing along his limbs, his torso, his spine. He could feel them.


    The meridians.


    Delicate, dormant pathways, waiting to be unsealed.


    His breath quickened in excitement.


    This was a monumental step forward.


    Opening meridians was an arduous process, something that many cultivators struggled with for years. But with this—with his perfected foundation and newfound Inner Sense—he would have an edge.


    A grin spread across his face.


    He had only just completed one phase of his cultivation, yet the next was already within his grasp.


    His journey was far from over.


    But he was more ready than ever.


    —


    The morning light had barely begun to filter through the wooden slats of their home when Feiyin stepped out of his meditation, his body still buzzing with the aftereffects of his breakthrough. He hadn’t even had time to fully grasp the weight of what had happened before his mother and father noticed the change.


    Mei Liao had been tending to a pot of medicinal tea when she turned, her amethyst eyes narrowing slightly before softening with warmth.


    "You did it, didn’t you?"


    Feiyin blinked, surprised at how quickly she had noticed. He offered a small smile, nodding. "I completed my inner tempering. My body… it feels whole in a way it never did before."


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    His father, who had been sharpening his saber at the table, paused mid-motion. His sharp, gray eyes flicked toward his son, studying him carefully. A slow, approving smirk pulled at his lips.


    "Good," Cai Feng said, setting the whetstone aside. "I could tell something was different the moment you walked in. Your presence is more… settled. Stronger."


    Mei Liao wiped her hands and approached, placing a gentle hand on Feiyin’s cheek. "I’m proud of you," she said softly. "Few ever reach complete body tempering, let alone at your age."


    Feiyin relished in the warmth of their praise, but he had more to share. "There’s something else," he said, hesitating for a brief moment before continuing. "I developed an Inner Sense."


    A beat of silence stretched between them.


    His parents exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from pride to shock.


    "You can already sense your meridians?" Mei Liao asked, brows furrowing.


    Feiyin nodded. "It’s faint, but I can see them. They’re like… dim lines hidden within me, waiting to be revealed."


    Cai Feng exhaled, rubbing his chin. "Even geniuses who complete their inner tempering can usually only vaguely feel their meridians. Inner Sense grows naturally as you open them, but for you to already perceive them, even before starting…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "It’s unprecedented."


    Mei Liao folded her arms, her expression thoughtful. "With this, your Meridian Opening will be far smoother than most. You won’t have to fumble blindly, searching for each one—"


    "But that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy," Cai Feng cut in, his voice turning serious.


    Feiyin straightened, sensing a lesson coming.


    His father leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "The Meridian Opening Realm, as the name suggests, is about using the inner strength cultivated in the Body Tempering Realm to open the meridians in your body."


    Mei Liao nodded, adding, "The process is slow and painful. Each meridian is like a closed riverbed—a dried-up path that needs to be forced open by your own strength. The stronger your inner strength, the better your chances of succeeding."


    Cai Feng gestured toward Feiyin. "You’ve already completed your inner and outer tempering, meaning your body is far stronger than the average cultivator attempting this stage. But that also means your meridians will be sturdier, making them harder to open."


    Feiyin absorbed every word. "How does opening them work exactly?"


    His father tapped the table. "When you open a meridian, your entire meridian circulation system undergoes a baptism from the world’s essence qi. This stabilizes, strengthens, and broadens your meridian pathways, increasing their capacity to handle energy."


    "But," Mei Liao continued, "because of this baptism, every subsequent meridian becomes harder to open. The more you open, the more resistance you face. That’s why most cultivators plateau early on."


    Feiyin frowned slightly, deep in thought. "So it’s not just about how many meridians you can open—it’s about enduring the increasing difficulty each time?"


    "Exactly." Cai Feng nodded approvingly. "The Meridian Opening Realm is divided by the number of meridians opened. The early phase consists of the first 33 meridians, the middle phase is 66, and the late phase is 99. But the true peak of this realm is 106 meridians."


    Feiyin tilted his head. "Why 106? Weren’t there 108 total?"


    Mei Liao sighed. "The last two meridians—the Conception and Governing Meridians—connect the entire body’s energy network. They represent the balance of Yin and Yang. But almost no one manages to open them."


    Cai Feng’s eyes darkened slightly. "Even among sect geniuses, only the most extraordinary talents can reach 106. Those who can open all 108 are spoken of as legends."


    Feiyin clenched his fists, feeling a fire stir within him. If the last two were impossible, then he would prove otherwise.


    Cai Feng watched his son’s reaction, then smirked. "That being said, the more meridians you open, the greater your potential in future realms. This stage is what determines the quality of your cultivation path. The weak plateau early. The strong set themselves apart."


    Mei Liao gave Feiyin a gentle smile. "You’ve already forged a foundation stronger than most. If anyone can push beyond the limits, it’s you."


    Feiyin’s heart pounded with excitement. His next journey was clear.


    He had mastered his body.


    Now, it was time to open the path forward.