Dao of the World Walker (Xianxia) Book 2

Yang enjoyed eating out with his senior brothers and sisters, but was glad to be back at his cave. He enjoyed the banter and teasing and was getting comfortable with the seniors. He was sure that with time, if things stayed the same, he would be able to call all of them friends, along with senior brothers and sisters.

As always, Senior Brother Lin Yi was the kindest. Yang thanked whatever deity existed for having Senior Brother Lin Yi take a liking to him. He wasn't unaware that while the others treated him most kindly, it was Senior Brother Lin Yi who had included him in their group. Whatever his reasons, Yang appreciated it.

He was even more appreciative of Senior Brother Lin Yi for taking his time to bring him back to his cave despite Senior Brother Zhen Hao's kind offer to drop him off.

Once back at his cave residence, Yang could barely hold himself back from running inside and taking out the bottle of Molten Body Pills and the handwritten manual Senior Brother Liu Te had given him.

Yang first removed the stopper and spilled a couple of pills into his hand to take a look at them.

Although they were called pills, they were rather shaped like beads instead. Unlike the shape of the pills from his first life, these were almost perfectly round, glossy, and felt solid. If Yang didn't know any better, he would have confused them for some type of precious stone beads.

There were six of them.

Yang placed them back in the bottle and settled at his table to read through Senior Brother Liu Te's handwritten notes.

It was clearly only part of the full notes. Much of the beginning was missing, likely the section where Senior Brother first recorded the recipe and ingredients. The pages he had been given contained instructions on taking the pills, what could be expected from each stage, and the warnings.

Thankfully, Senior Brother's notes could never be called a mess as they were meticulously arranged. The stages, their effects and symptoms were written in detail. To be honest, it was more meticulous than some of the published manuals filled with the ranting of cultivators.

The manuals were not like published academic books in his first life, so more often than not, the personalities of the writers were very apparent in the texts. He thought of one memorable manual that seemed to have been written almost entirely to dismiss a rival cultivator's work. While useless to learn from, it was surprisingly entertaining.

Now back to the notes.

Senior Brother had listed the general principles first.

General Principles

Outer layers are easier to reach. Inner structures are more protected, more complex, and take longer to refine.

The body will be cleansed from the outwards to inward: skin first, marrow last.

Each stage builds upon the foundation of the last. Skipping a stage or changing the order is impossible.

The first pill should not be taken after the fourth stage of Qi Condensation, as it leaves the cultivator without enough remaining qi realms to take all six pills. The best time is the first stage of Qi Condensation.

On the pill's mechanism:

All six pills carry the same dosage of medicinal energy. The first five pills release more energy than is needed for that stage's molting, with the amount used at each refinement increasing in each subsequent stage. The residual energy lingers in the body and gradually begins working on the next layer. When the cultivator advances and takes the next pill, the new dose acts as a catalyst, working in tandem with the residue already settled in the body. This layered approach is what allows the medicine to penetrate progressively deeper without overwhelming the cultivator.

The toxin removal process flows outward to inward, beginning at the skin and ending at the marrow.

For consumption:

One pill per realm. The next pill must wait until the cultivator has advanced.

Premature consumption wastes the dose. The body cannot integrate it before reaching the next stage. It may also render the whole process useless, preventing the cultivator from following through on the next stages. Known to have a variety of adverse effects. Some cultivators were unable to refine the next stage after moving to the next realm. Some were able to.

Six stages, six pills, six realms. No more, no less.

The one pill per realm was mentioned a couple of times, and Yang wondered, a bit offended, how stupid Senior Brother Liu Te thought he was to specially warn him about it, despite it being repeated multiple times in his notes. But then he consoled himself that Senior Brother didn't know him well enough yet. Once he did, he would know that while Yang wouldn't claim to be a genius, he wasn't dumb enough to do something clearly stated to be harmful to him. An image of beast cores appeared in his mind, but he pushed them away. He didn't know at the time, and it worked out well.

He moved on to the next part before any more unwelcome thoughts could arise in his mind.

The next part was the warnings.

Warnings

The later doses cause immense pain. The pill truly molts the body, reforming each part, one by one, into a more durable and more efficient form than before.

Yang had to stop and really think about this part for a moment as he imagined himself like a naked, featherless bird at the word molting. He had assumed the name was the usual cultivator tendency toward dramatic language, the kind that produced names like Thousand Year Heavenly Sword and Five Element Supreme Heaven Pill for things that were decidedly not as extraordinary as the name suggested.

It's his luck that he gets a Molten Body Pill that will truly force him to molt like an insect.

The remaining warnings continued:

It will not perform miracles.

It cannot repair severed or damaged meridians.

It cannot reform severed appendages, organs, or limbs.

A weakened body lacks the vitality to cooperate with the pill.

The later stages, especially Molten Organ and Molten Marrow, may cause organ failure, irreversible damage, or death if the body cannot meet the pill halfway.

Never to be consumed during illness or severe injury.

Best for: Qi Condensation cultivators. Gives the best possible chance of refining the body to its peak natural form. Allows them to lay a foundation second only to those built on rare heavenly resources.

Well, at least that's something. He doesn't have any heavenly treasure, so this will have to do.

Then the stages and some information about them were listed under the names of each stage.

Stage 1: Molten Skin Stage

Opens the pores, expels surface toxins, and removes medicinal residue and mortal filth (duration depends on accumulation; the more toxins, the longer the process). The skin sheds in layers. Results in slightly improved qi absorption, better healing response, and sharper senses.

Pain Level: Low

Stage 2: Molten Flesh Stage

Targets muscles, fat, meridians, and connective tissue. The muscles soften and reform, hidden minor injuries dissolve, and qi channels widen slightly. Symptoms include fever, muscle spasms, and the sensation of flesh boiling beneath the skin. Results in increased physical strength and improved qi circulation.

Stage 3: Molten Blood Stage

Refines blood essence, burns away blood-borne toxins, and purifies inherited impurities passed down through the bloodline. Symptoms include coughing of dark blood, veins glowing faintly red beneath the skin, and violent heart-pounding. Results in greater stamina and stronger vitality.

Stage 4: Molten Organ Stage

Organs enter a semi-molten spiritual state. Weak organs are rebuilt and strengthened, and poison resistance increases significantly (alcohol loses much of its effect; common toxins are tolerated). Results in enhanced endurance and longer breath retention.

Warning: If the cultivator lacks sufficient vitality, organs may fail mid-process. Never to be used during sickness or injury. May cause death or irreparable damage if the body cannot work with the pill to rebuild what is being unmade.

Stage 5: Molten Bone Stage

Bones soften like heated metal, impurities leak from the marrow's outer layers, and the skeleton is reforged denser, harder, and stronger. Visuals include audible cracking from within the body, bones faintly glowing beneath the skin, and a metallic scent in the sweat. Results in a massive increase in physical durability and a stronger foundation for the body's future cultivation.

Stage 6: Molten Marrow Stage

By this point, the residual energy of all five previous pills has been working steadily on the marrow. When the sixth and final pill is consumed, all of that accumulated energy converges with the new dose to refine the marrow at once.

Cleanses the deepest impurities the body has ever held and refines marrow essence to its purest natural form. Qi absorbed by the cultivator is more thoroughly refined. Less qi is lost as waste, more is converted into pure usable qi. The same qi reserves now perform techniques more efficiently; the same technique requires less qi to execute.

Symptoms include the entire body burning from within. All previous stages are given one final push as the convergent energy expels the last lingering toxins from every layer. The body undergoes a final reshaping, refining itself into the best version it is capable of becoming. Temporary loss of consciousness is possible and not unusual.

Results: All previous stage benefits are amplified and locked in. The body is now fully tempered: skin, flesh, blood, organs, bone, and marrow each at their natural peak. The cultivator now possesses a foundation upon which true cultivation can be built.

Yang set down the notes and took a deep breath.

All of this looked painful. But looking at the advantages, looking at what it would change, he believed it was worth it.

The only question was when to take the first one.

Senior Brother Liu Te's notes didn't mention how long each stage took, likely because it depended on how many toxins had accumulated in the body.

Yang was already at the second stage of Qi Condensation. He had a slow cultivation technique, unanswered questions about his own soul and body, uncertainty about the best way to use the spirit honey. Several unknowns still sitting unresolved.

But this pill was the one sure thing he had in hand right now.

Why delay?

Yang picked up the bottle, took out one pill, and moved to his bed. He settled with his back against the wall. After his experience with beast cores, he was taking no chances with where he was sitting when something was about to happen to his body.

He swallowed the pill.

And braced himself for what Senior Brother Liu Te's notes had described as low pain.