Lin Mu heard senior Xukong's suggestion and took out a mirror from his ring. This was a rather expensive silver mirror that he had bought in the Wu Lim city and was now finally coming handy. Lin Mu had mostly used polished bronze mirrors before this, and seeing the quality of the silver mirror made him impressed.
He held it in front of him and gazed at the young man in the mirror.
"Is this… me?" Lin Mu questioned in shock.
"That is most definitely you," Xukong confirmed.
"But… how?" Lin Mu asked in a stunned voice.
"That is another one of the effects of the Xiantian physique. When it reaches completion, it will revert one's body to the most optimum condition it can achieve. That is the reason why you look like this now." Xukong explained.
Lin Mu's skin had become soft and supple, the faint tan that had previously had completely been erased. Replacing it was fair smooth skin that would make a woman jealous. His hair became glossy and shone in the light of the flames.
The scars that he had on his body also disappeared and it was as if he never got them. One could even say that Lin Mu now looked a bit more feminine than before. His hair was already long enough to reach below his holders and if he used a bit of makeup, he may even be able to disguise as a girl.
"I look way more girly now…" Lin Mu said with a wry smile.
"Ahaha!" Xukong laughed before continuing, "you've got time to grow. You're not even twenty, by the time you reach that age your features will become more mature."
"Plus… this is not the end," Xukong added.
"Not the end? What do you mean, Senior?" Lin Mu questioned.
"Did you really think it ended at body tempering realm?" Xukong asked.
"Yes, the thirteenth stage of the body tempering realm is the last, no? After that, you will automatically enter the qi refining realm." Lin Mu stated.
"That is indeed true, but reaching the thirteenth stage of the body tempering realm is not the end. You see, before qi cultivation used to exist, there was only one way one could strengthen their bodies, it was called as body cultivation. The body tempering realm is a mere fraction of it." Xukong answered.
"Body cultivation? What is that? And what do you mean that qi cultivation did not exist?" Lin Mu questioned, his curiosity igniting.
"This was far back, in a time beyond my existence. Back then, the great progenitors of the human race faced a great threat from beasts and other races that were naturally stronger than them. It is said that the beasts and other races had a natural talent in using spirit qi, and thus they easily defeated humans and ate them.
Some races enslaved the humans and ruled over them for thousands of years. It was then that a small group of the humans learned about the secret potential of their bodies. They learned that they had been blessed by the heavens too, just that they were too blind to see it.
They discovered that the 'breath' they had within them was vital energy and that they could increase its amount by training and consuming vital energy rich food. They devised training methods and started hunting weaker beasts to feed themselves.
Little by little, their Numbers grew and more and more people learned how to use the vital energy. This is what later on got to be known as the body tempering realm. But this was not the end as they didn't enter the qi refining realm automatically like us after reaching the thirteenth stage of the body tempering realm.
There was still something that they lacked, and they didn't know what. Thus they kept up their efforts until a genius was born. This genius was blessed by the heavens and progressed in the body tempering realm much faster than any other human.
He reached the peak of the body tempering realm at the age of seven and got stuck there for three years. When he reached the tenth year of his life, his potential exploded and his strength did too. That was when they learned of the realm beyond the body tempering realm." Xukong explained.
"What is the name of the realm beyond that senior?" Lin Mu questioned, his curiosity reaching the peak.
"The body cultivation realm that is beyond the body tempering realm is called… The Five Treasures Realm." Xukong answered.
"What does the Five Treasures realm entail?" Lin Mu asked.
"In the Five Treasures Realm, one needs to refine their five treasures, which are the five organs of your body; the liver, the spleen, the heart, the lungs, and the kidneys. Refining each organ successfully will push you to a realm equivalent to that of the qi cultivation realm." Xukong revealed.
"Wait! You mean to say… just one realm of the body temping realm encompasses the entire spirit qi refining cultivation?" Lin Mu said with utter shock.
"Indeed. The body tempering realm is an extremely potent way of strengthening your body such that it becomes invulnerable. Another thing is, there is no order to it. You can start to refine any organ you want first and can even do all of them together.
Though doing that is not recommended, as it could take a very long time.
For example, if you fully refine your liver, you will instantly obtain the strength that is equal to that of a peak core condensation realm expert." Xukong explained.
Lin Mu's mind felt as if it was struck by lightning. He could immediately understand the potential of the body cultivation and wondered why it was not practiced here. He had never Even heard something like this existed.
Lin Mu was currently at the peak stage of the body tempering realm which already put him at the same level as that of a peak stage qi refining realm cultivator and if he added his Xiantian physique to that, he was perhaps pushed to the level of a Early stage core condensation realm expert.