Born in Blood

Liam chose to do his final cycle inside the guild cave, just cause it was easier to instantly begin his Rank-3 tempering method after breaking through.

His upper body was bare and a look of determination rested on his face. After all, he needed to go through ten minutes of boiling heat assaulting his insides.

Heaving a sigh, he began with the breathing technique.

Steam slowly arose from his figure, condensing to the top of his 'Ora' cave. The heat surrounding him increased substantially, as though he was inside a forge.

One minute passed.

Liam wasn't bothered at all. It seemed that with higher mental capabilities, one could ignore pain much more effectively. Added to the fact that his body was also strong.

Three minutes passed.

Slowly, Liam's insides were beginning to push out the impurities in his body. He felt it inching away from his organs and skin like a viscous paste.

Six minutes passed.

At this point, Liam's skin had transitioned from a light red to a dark purple, his body emitting a boiling hot aura.

Ten minutes passed.

Liam's purple skin had started to turn black as he started to convulse. His pores pushed out all the accumulated impurities from his body, which bubbled and boiled with heat.

Hant! Hant! Hant!

Liam took in deep breaths to revitalize his dead lungs. The panting continued for at least five minutes, before strength gradually returned to his body.

He felt strong. Powerful.

'I wonder how it would've been if I fought against Wyrel in this state.'

The first thing he did was leave his cave and enter the bathing area for a wash.

He dipped himself into the steaming water pool — which resembled more of a jacuzzi — ridding his body of the black goo, slowly revealing his figure.

The first thing Liam noticed was how defined his muscles now looked. He could even see the striations that ran across his arms and chest.

His frame grew stronger and sturdier, while his skin grew a shade purer, making him seem even paler than he was.

In addition, he felt his senses surge in sharpness.

Moreover, his skin and flesh was in a constant tense state. He was still lean and slim, but having more muscle mass didn't exponentially increase one's strength when tempering the body.

At the same time, Liam felt the 'Ora' reserves within his figure increase in capacity substantially.

"I can fight Rank-2 magical beasts now. I don't think Lloyd can underestimate me now, either. I can also express the full strength of my Sun & Moon arts."

A wide grin appeared on Liam's face. In his mind, those mountainous hurdles and walls on his path grew a bit smaller.

"First things first, I'll need to start the Throes of Anguish tempering method, then I'll test this body out."

Liam finished with his bath and entered right back into the cave, cleaning out the filth from within.

Liam had already studied the technique's requirements which didn't take long.

The technique simply required him to scrape off parts of his skin and flesh, while absorbing 'Ora' into them in a specific pattern. This had to occur on every single patch of skin on his body, even under the toenails and crown jewels.

Due to the regenerative properties, the body would go back to normal in a few minutes after the process was complete, and the flesh would grow back.

The skin was the main way the body was going to advance, since wounds accumulating on it would turn into nourishment.

He took out his Night Blades and started undressing.

He began with enveloping his mental energy around his body to assess how deep to cut, then used the edge of the blades to rub away the skin, starting with his right foot.

Small amounts of blood started to flow and stain the stone floor, revealing a fleshy interior.

A sharp stinging sensation grew on his foot, but it wasn't enough to break his focus.

Instantly, he started to absorb 'Ora' into the bloody patch of skin, manipulating it just the way the technique instructed.

Due to his constant training and daily cultivation, his control with the world essence had grown smoother.

A thin yellow membrane formed around the wound, causing the blood to stop flowing, and at a closer sight, healing the flesh itself.

Liam was slightly amazed at the sight, yet it only lasted a moment before he continued skinning parts of himself.

'If I go too slow, the 'Ora' membrane that formed on my skin will dissipate and bring me back to square one. Only when the membrane covers my entire body will it finally start regenerating.'

It took him another hour to completely skin both of his feet, including the flesh under the toenails, while constantly forming the 'Ora' membrane at the same time.

Beads of cold sweat continued to flow down his face and body, falling down and diluting the blood accumulated on the cave floor. His face was paler than usual, but his focus was unwavering.

Three hours passed.

If one could see the inside of a certain cave, they'd be incredulous to the lump of skinned flesh that sat cross legged while a thin yellow membrane almost enveloped his entire figure, making it glow.

Liam's nerves were screaming in sheer agony, and even the air around his body caused him pain. Still, he pushed himself to cut the last patch of flesh.

'A little more!'

Eventually, the membrane completely converged around his bloodied muscles, causing his body to glow even brighter, while the previously mangled skin was slowly starting to regrow at a rapid rate.

By the end, Liam's body turned into its original form, and his skin felt like it was stuffed with a honey-like substance.

He let out a long deep breath and fell on the ground, uncaring of the blood and other liquids sticking to his figure. All around him, pieces of his own skin stacked on one another.

'Finally.'

He let out another sigh of relief, before popping one of the weaker revitalization pills in his mouth.

Finishing another bath, Liam wore his usual clothing, before heading to the mission room to accept a job.

His eyes scoured the numerous posters.

'I can always fight against Rank-2 beasts later. Escort missions take too long. Preferably, I'd like to test my new battle prowess against actual cultivators.'

Liam's eyes fell on a mission that fit his needs perfectly.

'Slavers elimination.'

His irises lit up as he read the job description.

'Perfect.'