4 The Tempered Thousand-Hammer Refinement Technique

In the middle of the night, Qin Wentian slowly regained consciousness. As he blinked his eyes open and shook his head, a sense of bewilderment washed over him.

"My Astral Soul..." he murmured, his voice trailing off as he seemed to be trying to recall something. Then, he closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. Suddenly, a radiant beam of light illuminated the room, and on Qin Wentian's forehead, a faint shadow in the shape of a massive hammer materialized. It was resplendent, as if woven from starlight.

"Success! I've successfully condensed my Astral Soul by forming an innate link with the Heavenly Hammer Constellation," Qin Wentian exclaimed softly. "Now, I just need a set of cultivation techniques that can fully complement my Heavenly Hammer Astral Soul so that I can unleash my full power."

However, his joy was tempered by a discovery. He sensed traces of starlight concealed within his sea of consciousness.

"What is that?" Qin Wentian delved deeper into his sea of consciousness to investigate. Within it, he found another faint shadow resembling the Heavenly Hammer Constellation, completely occupying his Astral Gate. Delving even further, he sensed the presence of a tiny, Astral Energy-made being suspended behind the faint shadow. This being emitted an intangible stream of Astral Energy, which appeared to be locking down the Heavenly Hammer Astral Soul.

Perplexed, Qin Wentian scratched his head. Why would such a thing exist within his sea of consciousness?

"Could it be..." Qin Wentian's memory began to click into place, recalling the moments before he lost consciousness. To confirm his suspicion, he quickly examined the stone that had always hung around his neck. Only the string remained – the stone had vanished.

"Oh no, that stone was left for me by that old man," Qin Wentian realized with a stiff expression.

At that moment, all the radiance emitted by the Astral Being seemed to converge on the top of the faint shadow of the Heavenly Hammer. The starlight points became so concentrated that they appeared on the verge of exploding. Then, with a resounding bang, Qin Wentian experienced a splitting headache as fragments of memories flowed through his sea of consciousness. Soon after, the light from the Astral Being began to dim rapidly, fading to the point where Qin Wentian couldn't sense it at all.

"The Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique. This is... a memory storage technique! That Astral Being contained volumes of memories and somehow integrated with my Astral Soul after sensing its existence!" Qin Wentian exclaimed, his heart pounding with excitement. Memories began to flood his mind—a cultivation technique that could utilize both Yuan Qi from Heaven and Earth and Astral Qi to temper his body, strengthen his bones, cleanse his meridians, and fortify his organs. This was the first realm of a Martial Cultivator, the Body Refinement Realm, designed to create a perfect physique.

The Body Refinement Realm comprised nine levels. After achieving a perfect body and purifying the impurities in their meridians, cultivators could use their inner Yuan to stimulate the potential of vital acupoints, enhancing their strength. Subsequently, their energy channels and meridians would interconnect, forming a circulatory pathway where enlarged blood vessels circulated inexhaustible strength. This stage was known as the Arterial Circulation Realm.

The Body Refinement Realm—the attainment of a perfect human body with superhuman strength capable of tearing apart leopards and tigers, splitting massive rocks in two.

The Arterial Circulation Realm—where cultivators harnessed boundless strength and seemed capable of accomplishing almost anything.

Beyond that lay the legendary Yuanfu Realm. In this stage, all the Yuan Energy within the body condensed into a liquid, forming the foundation for a Yuan Palace. Cultivators at this level possessed peerless, overwhelming strength and could easily soar through the skies.

For Stellar Martial Cultivators who had condensed an Astral Soul, they could absorb Yuan Qi from the Constellations into their bodies, known as Astral Yuan Qi or Astral Qi. This Astral Qi matched the properties of the Constellation they had linked with. For instance, those who condensed their Astral Souls based on the Leo Constellation gained the might of a fierce lion. When they unleashed their power, it multiplied significantly. By combining their Astral Qi with their Astral Soul, their might became even more potent. This was why Stellar Martial Cultivators were the rulers of this world.

"Common cultivation techniques involve tempering and refining the body through suffering and pain. But this Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique is even more extreme—it's akin to self-torture! Undergoing repeated blows of a smith's hammer, a hundred times, even a thousand times. Steel must be hammered repeatedly before it can become a fine sword. Only through continuous refinement can one break through their limits and conquer themselves," Qin Wentian realized, his heart racing with newfound understanding. He rose from where he sat and made his way to the training grounds in the backyard.

Qin Wentian took a deep breath, gazing up at the vast expanse of stars in the night sky. A faint smile graced his face. With his Astral Soul condensed, he could finally tap into the Astral Qi from the constellations and begin his cultivation journey.

Closing his eyes, he released his Astral Soul and used his sensory abilities to establish a connection with the Heavenly Hammer Constellation residing in the 5th Layer of Heavens. In an instant, an overwhelming and supremely potent Astral Qi descended upon Qin Wentian's body, enveloping him in a radiant layer of starlight. Qin Wentian could keenly sense every subtle fluctuation of this powerful Astral Qi originating from the 5th Heavenly Layer.

The gap in the might of Astral Qi between Stellar Martial Cultivators who had condensed their Astral Souls from the 5th Layer of Heavens and those from the 1st and 2nd Heavenly Layers was immeasurable. There was no comparison to be made.

After a considerable amount of time had passed, and Qin Wentian's capacity for absorbing Astral Qi had reached its limit, he initiated the Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique. Countless astral hammers materialized within his body and began to whirl and pound relentlessly. Merely absorbing Astral Qi wouldn't yield the desired effects of the Body Refinement Realm. To truly strengthen his body, he needed to combine the cultivation technique he had acquired with the absorbed Astral Qi.

"It's so painful." Beads of sweat formed on Qin Wentian's forehead as grinding sounds emanated from within his body. He gritted his teeth and endured the ceaseless assaults from the Astral Hammers within his body. Only by enduring the excruciating pain inflicted by the torturous Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique could he attain a perfect body. The more powerful the source of Astral Qi, the higher the level of pain.

"Ah..." Qin Wentian couldn't help but let out a low roar, but he remained resolute in bearing the agony. The rumbling sounds grew increasingly deafening as the Astral Qi within his body was completely depleted. Yet, this was not the end. Refusing to give up, Qin Wentian rose to his feet and summoned a Heavenly Hammer into his hands. He began to wield it gracefully while enduring the excruciating pain. This was the essence of cultivating the Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique. Only by enduring tens of thousands of hammer blows could he transcend his limits and achieve the desired effect.

From the 5th Layer of Heavens, the starlight of the constellation shone down upon the Heavenly Hammer that Qin Wentian wielded in his graceful dance. Cracking sounds echoed as the hammer underwent continuous transformations.

After a hundred repetitions, the unique Stellar Meridians within Qin Wentian's body gradually took on the shape of the Heavenly Hammer, and Astral Qi flowed smoothly through the meridian pathways throughout his body. The sensation was incredibly comfortable, causing Qin Wentian to forget the pain and fatigue he had experienced earlier.

A "Ka Cha!" sound resonated within Qin Wentian's body, as if all his sinews, meridians, bones, and muscles were vibrating simultaneously.

Finally, after pushing his limits several more times, the grueling ordeal came to an end. With his palms pointing toward the ground, Qin Wentian breathed rapidly. The Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique had truly pushed him to the brink. His body ached intensely, and he felt utterly drained, as if he might crumble into dust at any moment.

"Is it because I've never cultivated before, leaving my body with a weak constitution and a shallow foundation? That's probably why I'm suffering so much now," Qin Wentian muttered as he sat cross-legged on the ground, no longer wielding the massive hammer. The supply of Astral Qi seemed boundless, as the starlight continued to cascade down upon him. Qin Wentian absorbed the Astral Qi in an effort to recover more quickly.

The night had passed swiftly, and the approaching dawn brought with it a hint of dampness in the air. However, Qin Wentian, who had been diligently cultivating on the ground, felt no discomfort from the chill. Opening his eyes, he stood up and stretched, marveling at the newfound vitality coursing through his body. He had never felt this strong before.

Qin Wentian couldn't help but attribute his rapid recovery and newfound strength to the Heavenly Hammer Constellation. His Uncle Black had chosen this constellation for its unique abilities:

Explosive Strength

Invulnerable Defense

High-speed Regeneration

Moreover, the Heavenly Hammer Constellation enhanced his talent in forging, which was another reason for his choice.

"Thanks to the Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique and my Astral Soul, I reached the 3rd level of the Body Refinement Realm in just one night. Now, it's time to test my actual strength," Qin Wentian mused.

He approached a stone bench and struck it with gathered strength. The stone bench instantly crumbled into dust, leaving only a pile of debris on the ground.

"So, this is my strength! It's incredible—a casual strike of mine exceeds the strength of nine bulls and two tigers," Qin Wentian marveled. Nine bulls and two tigers represented herculean strength, and any martial cultivator who reached the 3rd level of the Body Refinement Realm could achieve this level of power.

At the 1st level of the Body Refinement Realm, one possessed the strength of a single bull; at the 2nd level, it was four bulls; and at the 3rd level, it soared to nine bulls. If one managed to break through to the 9th level, they would possess strength equivalent to that of 81 bulls. Martial cultivators sought these levels of power, and it was the driving force behind their pursuit of cultivation.

Strength!

As a martial cultivator, Qin Wentian now possessed herculean strength. However, this referred only to common martial cultivators. Stellar Martial Cultivators who harnessed Astral Energy had power far surpassing that of regular martial cultivators at the same level.

In just one night, the Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique had granted him a strength level exceeding that of nine bulls. Qin Wentian was ecstatic. He walked to the center of the training grounds, ready to endure the torturous pain once more and further strengthen his body. This was a normal process for Stellar Martial Cultivators who condensed Astral Souls from the 5th Heavenly Layer. With such potent Astral Qi and the Tempered Thousand Hammer Refinement Technique, they could easily refine their bodies and gain immense power in the initial stages of cultivation.

Qin Wentian knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time. He had to rely on his newfound strength and leave the Bai Clan as soon as possible, for danger lurked around every corner in his current situation.