I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

Another day of training has passed, and dragging their tired and sore bodies, the young masters and ladies headed to their dormitories.

As we approached the small building, we saw that familiar, petite figure practicing her stance in the open space, tossing and catching stone weights.

"Xinxin, what kind of physical strength do you have? How do you still have the energy to do this?" Yinuo was the first to come to Anxin's side.

An Xin put the stone lock on the ground and took the towel from her neck to wipe her sweat: "I have no choice. I need to exercise to warm up my body and sweat so that I can better absorb the body-strengthening ingredients in the medicinal bath!"

"You want to take a medicinal bath?" Qi Mingxuan stopped and looked at the little girl whose face was flushed from exercise.

"It's not just me~ I've already discussed it with Master Chen. If any of you want to take a medicinal bath, then let's go together!" An Xin smiled expectantly when she saw that everyone had arrived.

"Can we all go?" Gu Shuohan asked doubtfully. "Isn't it only formal disciples or those who cultivate their bodies who can apply for medicinal baths?"

They had been cultivating here for ten days, and had learned most of the temple's rules and regulations, as well as the basic knowledge of the Xuanmen (Taoist sect). Furthermore, through the past few days of basic pharmacology classes, they had learned that the medicinal herbs for body-refining baths were extremely precious. Given that everyone's cultivation level and constitution were different, the absorption effects varied, making each bath unique and requiring adjustments to the ingredient ratios. Therefore, they understood even more how difficult it would be for Master Chen to agree to prepare body-refining baths for all of them at once, and they were deeply curious about how An Xin would persuade Master Chen.

"Hey~ I've already made arrangements with Master Chen, and we'll only be bothering him a few times, it's no big deal. Sigh~ Are you guys coming or not?"

“Great! This is a rare opportunity for us outer disciples, so of course we have to go!” Lei Yao was the first to speak up.

"Okay, hurry up and grab your toiletries and changes of clothes. After your bath, just rinse off over there and come back to rest." An Xin heard that the medicinal bath would cause pain all over the body, just like the pain of the bone marrow cleansing treatment. So it was questionable whether everyone could even endure soaking for an hour and then wash up and go home. She shook her head and added, "Hurry up, we'll meet here at 7:50 to go to Jishilou together."

The group moved quickly, grabbed the items, and came over.

On the way, An Xin earnestly and seriously explained to them the benefits and necessity of physical exercise, as well as the pain of medicinal bath exercise, and hoped that everyone would persevere.

These were all pampered young masters and ladies who had never experienced hardship. Even though they had undergone various forms of training in martial arts and other sports, compared to the excruciating pain they were enduring, all of that was insignificant. Whether they could persevere was what An Xin was least confident about.

"Yes, Xinxin, I know, it really hurts. I had been practicing Qi cultivation for a while, but I couldn't guide the spiritual energy to flow through my meridians. Later, my master said that my meridians were blocked, and if they weren't cleared, I wouldn't be able to make any progress, which would greatly hinder my future cultivation. So I also soaked in the water for seven days. It really hurt, a sharp pain, a dull pain, a throbbing pain. But later, when my meridians were clearer, the pain lessened. On the last day, I was able to successfully guide the spiritual energy to circulate throughout my body, and that's why my master and uncle-master didn't let me continue."

"Get ready, it will hurt more than this." An Xin patted Wei Ran's back, and then said to the others, "You guys will probably say something similar to what your senior brother said at the beginning: first open up your meridians to achieve the purpose of spiritual energy circulation, and then you will start to temper your body like us, first the skin and flesh, then the internal organs, then the tendons and blood, and finally the bones and marrow."

"It sounds a bit creepy, but what is a real man like me? Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are destined for them, and will first test their minds, strengthen their bodies, and starve them." Lei Yao patted his chest. "When I was a kid, I learned Sanda (Chinese kickboxing). Getting kicked and beaten was just basic training. My dad always said that."

"I hope so. I'm afraid I'll be in too much pain to take care of you all. Here, everyone, have a bottle of energy water. If you really can't hold on any longer, just take a sip!" As they approached Jishilou, An Xin took the water bottles out of her bag and distributed them to everyone.

"Knock knock knock..." An Xin knocked on the door of the medicine bath room. "Uncle Chen, we're here."

As the door was pushed open, a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted out. The sudden "attack" startled everyone. Master Chen, covered in sweat, called out, "You're all here? Come in quickly, don't let the medicinal aroma and heat escape."

Stepping into the medicinal bathhouse, the warm yellow light was hazy and indistinct due to the misty air, and the strong smell of medicine was enough to make one feel pungent and pungent.

"This room has two rows of eight medicinal bath cubicles. To make my operation easier, the four of you who are practicing Qi Induction are in this row. The medicine is the same for you. I'll record your individual situations later. Ah Ran, this one, yes, the first cubicle in this row is yours. Junior Nephew, the last one is yours~"

When Master Chen spoke to An Xin, his tone suddenly softened, startling everyone else.

An Xin is a good boy who "understands what he's saying," and he quietly slipped a white jade porcelain bottle into An Xin's hand. Stroking the little bottle, Master Chen grinned from ear to ear.

"Find your own cubicles, change into your bath clothes, and hurry up! I'll be back in half an hour."

The group changed their clothes and slowly entered the large wooden tub.

There's a stool-like protrusion on the side of the tub, so when you sit on it, the medicine just covers your shoulders. The bottom of the tub has a heating and bubbling ring, which serves two purposes: firstly, to maintain a constant water temperature, and secondly, to continuously generate bubbles to prevent the medicine from settling or becoming unevenly distributed.

At first, the group simply felt the water was very hot, and the bubbling water made it feel like a jacuzzi at home. Perhaps some even found it quite pleasant, but after a while, some people started shouting.

"Damn it, even if it hurts, it's not that painful!" Lei Yao cursed, venting his anger at the pain.

"Shut up... You say it hurts, and it hurts even more!" Fang Yinuo's voice followed.

"Ino... I'm sorry... I was just venting... venting!" Renault's voice was already broken.

"Everyone, just bear with it. If you really can't stand it, just drink some energy water! Remember, after drinking the energy water, you must focus your mind and introspect. Try your best to feel the spiritual energy in your meridians. When you encounter any obstacles, concentrate your mental energy and spiritual energy to break through them together. Once you break through the obstacles, it won't hurt so much, and you can quickly smooth out your meridians."

After An Xin finished speaking, she didn't receive a single reply. She thought that everyone was probably enduring the pain to the point of not daring to make a sound. Thinking about her first experience of undergoing the "Marrow Cleansing" procedure, she couldn't help but shudder.

Fifteen minutes later, muffled groans began to come one after another. An Xin could no longer care about others at this point; her skin felt like it was being burned, and the medicine seemed to be squeezing into her pores, bringing even more stinging pain. At this moment, she took out the spiritual liquid and drank a whole bottle in a few gulps. As the spiritual liquid entered her body, it radiated warmth from the inside out, soothing the burning pain on her skin.

Taking advantage of the moment when the pain subsided slightly, An Xin closed her eyes, focused her mind, and circulated the spiritual fluid within her body, guiding it through her meridians and continuously widening them in preparation for incorporating more spiritual fluid in the future.

Her skin felt hot again, and the circulation of the elixir soothed her at the same time. New skin cells continued to grow, and the old skin began to peel off.

Master Chen entered the medicinal bathhouse and was quite surprised not to hear the familiar wails.

He entered each room to observe and found that they were all guarding their spirits. He nodded and left the medicine bathhouse without lingering.

Aoyama Family (Group of 6)

Sunlight illuminates the mountain peaks, creating a purple haze: These outer disciples are very talented and hardworking. Today is their first time soaking in a medicinal bath to strengthen their bodies and loosen their meridians, and they didn't complain of pain at all. Instead, they were all focused on maintaining their spirit!

Zou: Where is my little apprentice?

Sunlight on the mountain peaks creates purple smoke: My little junior nephew, she didn't cry out in pain, she must have been guarding her spirit. I saw her skin peeling off but she didn't cry out, she's really so good at enduring pain.

Hai Li Quan You: Huh? My little girl's skin is peeling? Did you use too strong a dose? Who peels their skin on their first body-training session?

Zou: So she didn't make a sound?

Sunlight illuminates the mountain peaks, creating a purple haze: Don't worry, she hasn't made a sound. I was also worried there might be a problem. I looked at her face, and apart from being a little red, everything else was fine, and her expression was very calm.

Hai Li Quan You: That's good. Oh dear, then her morning workout might have to be canceled. Old Chen, don't make the medicine for tomorrow night too concentrated! You need to take it gradually.

The majestic hill: Are all these outer disciples going to train their bodies? Are they working that hard?

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth: I haven't taught my junior apprentice yet. Do I have a class tomorrow?

……

Another half hour passed.

Master Chen returned to the medicinal bathhouse and took notes for everyone.

After they came out of the shower, they were asked in detail about the process of the medicinal bath and how they felt.

These children were a pleasant surprise to him; everyone had made progress, and Wei Ran had even entered the middle stage of Qi Refining. Among them, An Xin was the most satisfying, as she had almost completed the 'forging' of her skin.

—Looks like we can increase the intensity for them tomorrow.

After bidding farewell to Master Chen, the group silently returned to their dormitory.

Seeing that everyone was silent, An Xin knew they hadn't recovered from the pain yet. So she gently said to them, "It hurt a lot, didn't it? But you will definitely gain something from it. Drink some energy water before bed to relieve the pain and help you sleep! Also, your senior brother has broken through a small level today, congratulations!"

"Xinxin, how are you today? This must be your first time taking a medicinal bath to strengthen your body, right? My skin felt a burning sensation just now, but it wasn't as painful as when spiritual energy expands your meridians. How about you? Does it hurt?" Wei Ran looked at An Xin with heartache, remembering his own pain, wondering how such a well-behaved and gentle girl could endure such pain.

"Look!" An Xin rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arm in the light. Her arm was as smooth and lustrous as the finest jade, so delicate that no pores were visible. Her fair, pinkish skin was like that of a newborn baby, a thin, flawless layer. "This skin is brand new!"

"!!!"

"Really, at first it felt like I was being burned alive, and I couldn't help but drink energy water. When the pain subsided, I did the same as you, guarding my mind, circulating my spiritual energy throughout my body, and constantly expanding my meridians. Later, my skin started to peel off, which was very painful, but new skin grew wherever the spiritual energy reached. After several cycles, my skin was like this, and I knew whether the skin refining was over."

"...Xinxin...you..." She spoke so casually, but everyone was suffering, so who would think that the experience was so easy? Fang Yinuo's eyes were filled with tears, and she wanted to comfort her with heartache, but she didn't know what to say.

Yes, although Xinxin is exceptionally talented and cultivates at an astonishing speed, she has suffered far more than we have. What right do I have to compare myself to her? I should take her as my goal!

“If you all persevere, you may also experience what I just described. The effects may not be as extreme as mine, but the process may take longer. Please be mentally prepared.” An Xin was still smiling, showing no sign that she had just gone through the painful process of peeling and regeneration.

Qi Mingxuan, Gu Shuohan, Lei Yao, and Wei Ran were completely speechless, only knowing that the girl before them possessed superhuman willpower. A sense of admiration welled up within them, and they even strengthened their resolve, vowing to persevere no matter how painful it might be. If a girl like An Xin could do it, what reason did they, as men, have not to?