Morning came, but inside his room, Fu HongJun was still sleeping like a pig. Sprawled across the bed, drool on his cheek, he didn’t even twitch.

BANG!

The door slammed open with a loud kick. The old man stood at the entrance, hands behind his back.

But Fu HongJun didn’t stir.

In fact, he just mumbled something incoherent, turned over to the other side, and continued snoring.

The old man stared at him, expression twitching.

“…This brat.”

He turned around and left.

A moment later, he returned,carrying a full bucket of cold water.

SPLASH!

Water exploded over Fu HongJun’s head and soaked the entire bed.

“AHHH…… what the hell?! Again?! Don’t you people know how to knock?! I’m sleeping!” Fu HongJun yelled, flailing blindly, eyes still half-closed.

But then he froze.

Standing there, grinning with all his yellowed teeth, was the old man.

Teeth bared. Eyes glowing.

“Morning, brat,” he said. “I’ll give you the time it takes for one incense stick to burn to prepare for training.”

Then, without another word, he turned around and walked out, robes fluttering behind him like the cloak of a villain.

After the incense stick burned out, Fu HongJun finally stepped out of his room, dressed in a clean academy uniform and looking surprisingly fresh though his eyes still held the fatigue of a sleepless night.

Just then, the door in front of him creaked open.

Xue LuLi walked out.

The moment their eyes met, tension sparked like dry tinder.

Both immediately looked away with a hmph, but as Xue LuLi turned and began walking briskly down the corridor, Fu HongJun quickly followed behind , not because he wanted to, but because he had no clue where the old man was planning to train him.

Xue LuLi noticed him.

She sped up.

Fu HongJun sped up too.

She broke into a jog.

He followed.

She gritted her teeth.

He smirked.

Despite her efforts to lose him, Fu HongJun kept up easily, his two newly awakened meridians giving him strength and stamina far beyond what he used to have.

Eventually, they reached a large open field,nothing fancy, just an empty patch of land with dust and a few weeds and stones.

And standing right in the center was the old man, hands behind his back, beard flowing in the breeze.

He looked up as the two arrived and barked, “LuLi. Repeat your morning routine and meditate.”

Without a word, Xue LuLi dashed to a far corner of the field, sat down cross-legged, and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed, and a faint ripple of spiritual energy began to form around her.

Fu HongJun stood still, confused.

“…Huh? Why isn’t she training her body?”

The old man glanced at him and, noticing the puzzled expression, said casually, “She doesn’t need to open meridians. She has her own path.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Oh, you really don’t know? Every Companion Awakener can cultivate spiritual qi directly. They don’t need to temper their body first.”

Fu HongJun’s jaw dropped slightly. “What?!”

The old man just shrugged. “Never mind. Starting with body refining isn’t bad either.”

Fu HongJun’s face twitched.

In his mind, he roared at Emperor Ye.

“Master! Why didn’t you tell me I don’t have to break my bones doing body training?! I could’ve just sat like a damn statue too!”

Emperor Ye’s voice yawned in his head, completely unbothered.

“Brat, if you complain one more time, I’ll make you run laps with a hundred brooms tied to your back. Do you want to be beaten again or not?”

The old man said,
“Let me introduce myself. I am Yang Po Jing, the former dean of this academy. I specialize in body refinement. What’s your name?”

“My name is Fu HongJun.”

“Give me your hand.”

The old man took his hand and tested it. Then, he paused, frowning. Something felt off, so he tested again more carefully this time.

Then he looked at Fu HongJun with a blank face.
“Hey kid, where is your spirit companion? How can you refine your body without spirit awakening?”

“Didn’t I awaken? Master, I have the…”

In his mind, Emperor Ye suddenly cut in.
“Brat, I am not a spirit companion. And also, you didn’t awaken your spirit.
As for other questions,if you want broom beatings on your butt, then go ahead and ask.”

The old man sighed.
“Never mind. Since you have a natural physique, I guess it’s possible.”

Then, he summoned his spirit companion. A flame monkey enveloped in purple light burst out from his side, hovering in the air.

He waved his hand, and his qi surged into Fu HongJun’s hand.
“Don’t be nervous. Relax your mind.”

The strange qi flowed into Fu HongJun’s meridians, stirring like hot ink in cold water.

Then, he felt it.

Something was about to emerge.

A white light began to glow from his chest, then expanded to his entire body.

A spirit slowly emerged.

Its shape was unnatural: its entire form was bound by heavy iron chains. Around its wrists, ankles, and neck, eight strange characters glowed dimly. The entire body was engulfed in black flames, licking the chains like devouring snakes.

Its eyes burned with cold golden light, staring silently like a beast that had been shackled for eternity... but was now awakening.

Yang Po Jing and Xue LuLi both felt a suffocating pressure descend like a falling mountain.

Xue LuLi, who was sitting and meditating, suddenly clutched her chest.
Her face turned pale.
Then cough!
A spray of blood splattered the ground, and she fainted on the spot.

Yang Po Jing’s expression shifted instantly. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the white-glowing spirit hovering behind Fu HongJun.
His flame monkey spirit companion trembled unconsciously.

“This… pressure… is Spirit Suppression.”

His brows furrowed deeply.

But what puzzled him even more was the color , pure white.

“It’s white… That’s a beginner-level color. No spirit with that color should be able to suppress mine. My spirit is purple-class. This makes no sense.”

He snapped his fingers toward Fu HongJun.
“Take your spirit back! Focus your thoughts. Imagine it returning to your body!”

Fu HongJun didn’t hesitate.
He closed his eyes and thought, Come back!

The chained, flame-wrapped spirit turned its head one last time, its golden eyes flashing ominously then it vanished in a stream of white light that flowed back into Fu HongJun’s chest.

The moment it disappeared, the terrifying pressure lifted.

Yang Po Jing took a deep breath and wiped sweat from his brow.

Fu HongJun turned to him, his expression still dazed.

“Master… what is that spirit? It looks like… like a prisoner.”

Yang Po Jing didn’t answer right away.
He stared at Fu HongJun with a troubled expression.

“I… I don’t know.”

A long silence stretched.

Then, the old man sighed heavily and reached into his robe.

He pulled out a thick, ancient manual bound in dark beast leather. Faint crimson runes glowed along its surface like blood pulsing beneath skin.

He handed it to Fu HongJun with solemn weight.

“Four Divine Beast Body Refinement,” he said.
“This is the method I cultivated myself. You’ll follow it starting today.”

Fu HongJun carefully accepted the manual, his fingers tingling from the faint heat it emitted.

The old man continued:

“Before you begin, let me explain the cultivation stages. There are two main paths: Qi cultivation and body cultivation.”

He raised two fingers.

“Those who follow Qi cultivation start from:

Qi Absorption Stage

Foundation Building Stage

Golden Core Stage

Nascent Soul Stage

Divine Soul Stage

Tribulation Stage

Immortal Ascension”

Then he clenched his fist.

“But those who follow the body refinement path take a different road. It’s crueler. Harder. Every stage burns pain into your bones. If you walk this path, your stages will be:

Meridian Opening Stage

Bone Refinement Stage

Blood Tempering Stage

Bronze Body Stage

Silver Body Stage

Golden Body Stage

Immortal body Stage”

“Since you started from meridian opening and two are already opened, you’ll take the body cultivation path first. Later, after the meridian stage, if you wish, you can dual cultivate.”

“In the Meridian Opening Stage, you must open at least 36 meridians to break through. If you’re talented enough, you can open up to 108 meridians. But with 36, it’s already possible to reach the next stage.”

“Now then…”
He pointed casually.

“Tie this 5 jin stone to your back and run five full laps around the academy. Once you’re done, follow me.”

Then Yang Po Jing gently picked up his granddaughter in a princess carry, muttering under his breath, “Always acting fierce, then fainting like a kitten…” and began walking toward the main hall with steady steps.

Before leaving, he paused and looked over his shoulder.

“Oh, kid, one more thing. You must finish running before the breakfast bell rings. If you’re late…”
He grinned wickedly.
“...No breakfast.”

Fu HongJun quickly strapped the stone onto his back and started running through the academy grounds.

Inside his mind, Emperor Ye lazily formed a hand sign. A glowing character appeared in the air : “Twice.”

The word flew straight into the stone.

Fu HongJun staggered. The weight suddenly doubled, like a mountain crashing onto his spine.

But he didn’t question it. He just gritted his teeth and kept running.

After five full laps, his legs wobbled. Gasping for air, Fu HongJun collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat and wheezing like a dying ox.