Chapter 4: Astral Tempering Technique

Words : 2599 Updated : May 22nd, 2025

The meal felt bland, as the Juggins family strictly prevented talking. Liam enjoyed the quiet, eating while lost in his thoughts. "How long has it been since I had real hometown food, especially Mrs. Leila's cooking?" he thought. In his previous life, Leila had an unhappy marriage. George, due to his high position, often got caught up in social obligations and rarely came home. During those times, Liam, struggling in poverty, frequently visited Leila's home for meals. To him, her cooking was unmatched. "Mrs. Leila's got class. She's kind, beautiful, and can cook. Too bad she ended up with someone like Mr. Juggins, always chasing power," Liam thought, shaking his head. After a pause, Leila turned to Liam and said, "Liam, since you're new to Cadell City, why don't you have Catherine show you around downtown and pick up some toiletries? The apartment probably doesn't have everything you need." "Sure, that sounds good. Thanks, Catherine," Liam said without hesitation. Catherine nodded reluctantly, already planning to ditch him as soon as they got outside. After the meal, Liam bid farewell to Leila with a smile. Once they were outside, Catherine's smile disappeared. She didn't look at Liam and said coolly, "I've got things to do. You can check out the city by yourself." She paused and added, "You know how to catch a cab downtown, right?" She figured Liam would ask for help, saying he didn't know how. But to her surprise, he just nodded, "Yeah, I know." Catherine watched him walk away alone, feeling guilty and almost wanting to call him back. But then she reminded herself, "Catherine, you and Liam are from different worlds." When Catherine returned home, Leila asked, "Where's Liam? Why didn't you go shopping with him?" Catherine replied flatly, "He said he could go by himself." George snorted, "That kid thinks he can chase after my daughter. He doesn't know his place." At his position, moving up the ranks meant having the right connections. If someone on the city council gave George a hand, it could save him time and effort. That's just how politics works. Joshua seemed to like Catherine, and they were classmates. The deputy mayor had mentioned it to George several times, so he monitored it. But since Catherine was still young, he didn't want to push it. George hoped Liam's background or abilities would match Joshua's when he came over, but after meeting him, George was disappointed. He turned and grumbled, "Don't let any random guy hang around our daughter. School comes first." Leila's face darkened, and she snapped, "George, can't I have a say regarding our daughter?" Seeing her parents about to start arguing, Catherine sighed and went back to her room, now even more annoyed at Liam. Meanwhile, Liam didn't give the Juggins family drama a second thought. In his eyes, they didn't matter. After leaving Longvista Park, instead of taking a cab home, he just strolled along the edge of Lake Yanvale, quietly sensing the shifts in spiritual energy around him. Spiritual energy was like water. It flowed to where it was lowest. Some places, such as deep ocean trenches, collected spiritual energy, becoming prime spots for cultivation. Places, like shallow creeks, were not so great for training. He walked a few miles along Lake Yanvale before finally stopping. "This is probably the spot with the densest spiritual energy. If I wanted more, I'd have to go deep into Cloude Mountain," Liam thought, looking around at the quiet grove of willows. Even though it was summer, the breeze here was cool. Liam picked out an old willow tree, sat cross-legged under it, and faced the softly rippling Lake Yanvale. Lake Yanvale was the biggest lake in Cadell City, right near downtown. Many neighborhoods, shopping streets, and hotels were built around it, giving the northern Jenos Province a bit of a southern vibe. Seated under the willow tree, facing the vast lake and feeling the gentle breeze, Liam felt comfortable despite the summer heat. In cultivation, Energy Refining was the first realm, and it was split into three stages: Foundation Establishment, Profound Enlightenment, and Divine Sea. Foundation Establishment was the entry point for cultivators. Once you reached it, you had strength and speed beyond that of normal people's. You could cultivate true essence, draw talismans, and pull off some basic spells. Profound Enlightenment and Divine Sea were called the"realm of magic. One could use more magic spells. After reaching the Innate realm, one could travel thousands of miles and live for over five hundred years. "The Innate realm is a long way off. I should focus on Foundation Establishment first," Liam thought. "What method should I use for Foundation Establishment?" he considered. "My downfall in the past life during the heavenly tribulation was partly due to an unstable foundation core," he reflected, learning from his mistakes. Although the Foundation Establishment seemed insignificant, Liam decided to perfect each realm in this life meticulously. "Over five hundred years, I've collected many secret techniques and mystical skills. Just for Foundation Establishment alone, I've got 13,726 different methods. Last time, I used the True Martial Foundation Chapter from the True Martial Immortal Sect, but if I want perfection, I need something way more profound." He had already planned his cultivation path for this life. "I'll go with the Astral Tempering Technique from the Grandpath Sect." The Grandpath Sect was a major player in the cultivation world, not the most famous, but their Foundation Establishment methods were well-known, even if they never produced any experts. When perfected, the Astral Tempering Technique could enhance one's power several times over other Energy Refining cultivators, providing a stable foundation without hindering future progress. "This technique is all about being open-minded and using all sorts of methods to cultivate. In a place like Earth, where spiritual energy dwindles, I must rely on herbs, treasures, and even negative energy to aid my cultivation. The Grandpath Sect's Foundation Establishment method is ideal for this," Liam thought. Evil energy, negative energy, and death energy are different types of energy in the universe, just like spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is abundant and easily absorbed by cultivators, while other energies require specific techniques for extraction. With the Astral Tempering Technique, Liam could pull off some Golden Core-level tricks even during Foundation Establishment. "Unfortunately, the Grandpath Sect was mid-to-upper tier among the big sects," Liam thought. Their vision was great, but in the end, cultivation was about focus. The True Martial Immortal Sect focused on one field to produce cultivation experts. With his mind made up, Liam started going over the Astral Tempering Technique in his head. This method from the Grandpath Sect wasn't just about refining energy. It also focused on training the body, working both inside and outside. As he went deeper into practice, his body felt like a black hole, sucking in all kinds of spiritual energy around him. Within about thirty feet, everything went eerily still, even the willow branches stopped moving. Time passed. The moon set, the sun rose, and dawn broke. Liam ended up sitting under the tree, practicing all night. Luckily, since this spot was off the beaten path, hardly anyone came by, so he wasn't disturbed. As the sun rose, Liam suddenly opened his mouth and shot out a white jet of energy, blasting several yards through the air with a sharp hiss, like it was cutting straight through the atmosphere. The energy hung in the air for a few minutes before slowly fading.

Chapter 4: Astral Tempering Technique

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