The moment Lin Xuan's body sank into the golden spring, the world around him fell into silence.
Then the pain came.
It didn't build slowly. It arrived all at once, like a dam breaking. The golden water surged into his body—not as liquid, but as violent, overwhelming energy that forced its way into every inch of his flesh.
Fragments of memory surfaced in his mind.
His past life.
His death.
The moment everything he had built was destroyed.
The images overlapped, distorted and chaotic, yet each one carved deeply into his consciousness. Even in that half-conscious state, his body reacted instinctively. His teeth clenched, his muscles tensed, resisting something invisible that threatened to tear him apart.
One thought remained clear.
If he couldn't endure this… then this time, he would truly die.
The system responded instantly.
[Quest in progress…]
[Primordial Physique awakening initiated]
[Body reconstruction cycle: 1/120]
A violent tremor ran through him.
His muscles tore apart from within, fibers snapping and reforming at the same time. His bones creaked under unbearable pressure, as if something was grinding them down and reshaping them.
A sharp gasp escaped his throat as his fingers curled, desperately trying to grasp onto something—anything—to anchor himself.
"Haah…!"
The sound was rough, broken.
Before the first cycle could settle, the second began.
[Cycle: 2/120]
His blood heated instantly, rushing through his veins like molten metal. His heart pounded violently, each beat echoing like a hammer striking steel.
"Ugh…!"
Then came the third.
The fourth.
The fifth.
Each cycle destroyed him.
And rebuilt him.
Again.
And again.
Outside the spring, Zhao Tian stood motionless, his gaze locked onto the violently surging water. The calm in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by something far sharper.
"…What is this?" he muttered.
The spring had completely changed. Golden light surged upward in waves, distorting the air and shaking the ground beneath his feet.
This wasn't absorption.
This wasn't cultivation.
It was transformation.
Within the spring, Lin Xuan's consciousness flickered between clarity and darkness.
By the twentieth cycle, his body had been broken and reforged so many times that pain itself began to blur.
By the fortieth, the destruction became structured. His muscles no longer tore chaotically—they reformed denser, stronger, more refined.
By the sixtieth, his bones began to change.
A deep cracking echoed from within him, not from damage, but evolution. His skeletal frame compressed, then expanded, becoming smoother, harder—almost metallic in nature.
The system continued coldly.
[Cycle: 60/120]
[Bone structure upgrading…]
Lin Xuan's fingers dug into the stone beneath the water as he forced himself to remain conscious.
"…Keep going…" he muttered hoarsely.
His voice was barely there, but his will held firm.
The seventy-fifth cycle struck harder than the rest.
A surge of energy shot into his spine and exploded outward like lightning. His entire body arched as a strangled cry tore from his throat.
"AGH—!"
His vision turned white.
But he didn't collapse.
He endured.
Outside, Zhao Tian unconsciously took a step forward.
His instincts were screaming.
Danger.
Whatever was happening inside that spring… was no longer something he could ignore.
Within the golden light, the cycles continued relentlessly.
Eighty.
Ninety.
One hundred.
By now, Lin Xuan's body had completely transformed. His muscles were no longer ordinary flesh—they had become compact, layered with terrifying strength. His bones gleamed faintly beneath his skin, refined beyond anything a Body Strengthening cultivator should possess.
The system's voice echoed again.
[Cycle: 100/120]
[Body approaching limit…]
Lin Xuan's breathing slowed.
Not because the pain had lessened—
—but because his body had adapted to it.
His fingers slowly unclenched, then tightened again as the final cycles approached.
"Just… a little more…"
The last twenty cycles came like a storm.
Each one stronger than the last.
Each one pushing him to the absolute edge.
His organs were reinforced.
His blood refined.
His bones compressed to their limit—then expanded with terrifying density.
Around him, the golden water began to fade, its energy completely drawn into his body.
[Cycle: 120/120]
Everything stopped.
For a single moment—
Silence.
Then a deep, resonating pulse spread outward from his body.
The system spoke one final time.
[Primordial Physique – Initial Awakening Complete]
[Body Grade: Heaven-Grade Artifact]
Outside, Zhao Tian's pupils shrank.
He felt it clearly.
The presence within the spring had changed completely.
The violent energy was gone.
Replaced by something heavier.
Stable.
And far more dangerous.
The golden light faded.
Water dripped softly.
A figure rose from within the spring.
Lin Xuan opened his eyes.
A faint golden glow flickered within them before slowly disappearing.
He inhaled deeply.
The air felt different.
Lighter.
Clearer.
He clenched his fist.
The sound that followed was sharp and dense—like metal compressing under pressure.
Power surged through his body.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
Perfectly refined.
"…So this is the Primordial Physique," he murmured.
His voice was calm, but carried undeniable weight.
Zhao Tian stared at him.
For the first time—
his expression turned completely serious.
"…What did you just become?"
Lin Xuan looked at him, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"This?"
He stepped out of the spring slowly, water dripping from his body, his movements calm and unhurried
"…Just someone who won't lose again."