The m air was crisp, carrying the st of freshly turh and sawdust as Feiyin walked through the vilge. Pine Vilge was still rec from the attack, but with time and effort, the wounds it had suffered were slowly healing. The people had e together, as they always did, to rebuild what had been lost.Feiyin had finished his m training and decided that today, he would take the opportunity to i with the vilgers more—to observe, to learn, and to refine his uanding of osciltions. Now that his inner sense had awakened, he was determio master its use, especially if he wao hide his strength from others.The first thing he o do was establish a baseline.His own strength had grown to a point where his perception of himself was vastly different from before. He could no longer use his past self as a reference. Instead, he would o observe others—those weaker than him, those stronger, and those who had yet to step into cultivation at all.As he walked through the vilge, he made a scious effort to listen—not just with his ears, but with his entire being.He could hear the chatter of merts setting up their stalls, the rhythmic hammering of wood as houses were repaired, the ughter of children pyihe well. Each person, eaent, carried its own frequency.If he wao ceal his true power, he first o uand how the ordinary felt.His first stop was near a group of vilgers w on rebuilding a colpsed se of feng. Among them was Old Man Zhao, a retired carpenter who had lived in Pine Vilge for as long as Feiyin could remember. He was a regur mortal, with no cultivation to speak of.“Feiyin, you’re up early,” the old maed, wiping his forehead. “e to help an old man put up some pnks?”Feiyin smiled and nodded. “If you don’t mind.”Zhao handed him a wooden beam, and Feiyin deliberately trolled his strength, ensuring that he carried it as a normal, untrained six-year-old would. It took effort—not physically, but mentally—to hold back what was now instinct.As he worked alongside the vilgers, he paid close attention to how they moved.Their motions were natural, unenhanced by irength. Their breathing was steady but unrefined, dictated only by exertion. Their steps had no deliberate trol over weight distribution, uhose who trained in bat.It was all… softer, less precise, more human.Feiyin focused, letting his inner sense expand subtly, tuning into the minute vibrations of Old Man Zhao’s body—his heartbeat, his slow but deliberate movements, the faint tremor in his hands from age.‘This… this is how an ordinary person moves.’The trast between himself and Zhao was vast, but now that he saw it, he could begin replig it.When the fence was finally standing again, Zhao patted his shoulder. “Good work, boy. You’ve got strong arms for ye.”Feiyin only smiled. ‘If only you knew.’He tinued his observations throughout the day.At the market, he found Auntie Luo, a woman ie thirties who had only partially trained in body tempering before stopping to focus on her family. Her strength was above an ordinary mortal’s, but below someone like Sun Ke, who had fully tempered his body and opened meridians.Her movements were different from Zhao’s—more banced, more deliberate. Her steps carried a faint strength, but it was dispersed throughout her body rather than trated like a trained fighter.As Feiyin helped her carry sacks of rice to her stall, he studied her closely.‘She breathes deeper than Old Man Zhao, but her pace isn’t trolled. It’s stronger but still unrefined. She holds weight well, but there’s no precise energy behieps.’He focused on her osciltions, memorizing the frequency of someo her level.‘This is the strength of someone who tempered their body but never advanced. If I match this… I pass off as someone barely at the threshold of body tempering.’It was a start.Later iernoon, he found himself he militia training grounds, where he saw Sun Ke and a few others sparring.Sun Ke had just stepped into the Meridian Opening Realm, making him a perfect subject for Feiyin’s study.From the sidelines, Feiyin observed carefully.Sun Ke’s stance was grounded, his footwork carrying a sense of stability that Auntie Luo cked. His movements were sharper, deliberate, and purposeful, his strikes carryi beyond simple muscle strength.But what Feiyin focused on most were his osciltions.They were faster, denser, trolled. His irength wasn’t wild like an untrained body tempering cultivator—it flowed properly, following the opened meridians in his body.‘So this is what a freshly advanced Meridian Opening cultivator looks like.’If he wao fake his level, he would o closely mimic this frequenot just in appeara in prese wasn’t just about hiding his strength.It was about learning how to appear as something else entirely.He took a deep breath and slowly began adjusting his own irength flow, loosening his stance, and dispersing his power evenly throughout his body.Theook a siep forward—matg the frequency of a body tempering cultivator.Suill in the middle of his spar, didn’t notice.But Jiang Hu did.The older man, casually watg the training session from the side, suddenly flicked his gaze toward Feiyin. His eyes narrowed slightly, studying him with silent curiosity.Feiyin froze internally but kept his expressioral.Jiang Hu was one of the most experienced members of the militia. His instincts were sharp, honed from years of battle experience. If anyone could see through him, it would be him.A tense moment passed.Then, Jiang Hu smirked. “Kid, y to learn how to move properly?”Feiyin exhaled, f an easy grin. “Is it that obvious?”Jiang Hu ughed. “It’s good to focus on the basics. Keep at it.”He turned back to watch the sparring, leaving Feiyin with a rag heart.‘I o be even more precise.’As the day wound down and Feiyin walked home, he let his thoughts settle.Today had been fruitful.He had observed three different levels of people.Each of them moved differently, carried different frequencies, and exuded different levels of presend now, Feiyin could begin replig them.His gift had always been osciltions.Now, it would bee his greatest on—not just in battle, but iion.If he could truly master this…Then one day, no matter how powerful he became—No one would ever be able to see through him unless he let them.—The evening had settled into a quiet hum, the vilge bathed in the warm glow of nterns as Feiyin and his father sat on the wooden porch of their home. The st of fresh tea lingered in the air, brewed by Mei Liao before she left them to their discussion.Feiyin leaned against the wooden railing, his firag absent patterns along the surface as he turned his thoughts inward. His body had reached perfe in the Body Tempering Realm, every fiber of his being hoo its utmost potential. His strength had reached the 10,000 kg limit, his irength harmohrough his ans, his senses sharpeo near-perfe. His inner sense had developed naturally as a result of his full-body refi, granting him a deeper uanding of his own body.Yet, even with all of this… he was still at the threshold of something greater.“So, how do I begin?” Feiyin finally asked, breaking the fortable silence. His gray eyes flecked with amethyst flickered toward his father, determination burning within them.Cai Feng, seated beside him, exhaled slowly before setting his cup down. His calloused hands rested on his knees, his gaze turning distant for a moment before he met Feiyin’s eyes.“Meridian Opening is unlike Body Tempering,” he began. “Your foundation is built, but now you must opehs that will allow Essence Qi to flow through you. This process… it is painful. More painful than any training you’ve undergone so far.”Feiyin nodded, unbothered. He had already expected as much.Cai Feng tinued, his deep voice steady yet firm.“The meridians are the unseen pathways within your body—veins of energy that remain sealed until forcefully opened. But there is a method to their awakening. You ot open them randomly. You must start from the periphery and work inward, from your limbs to your core. This is the safest and most effit way.”Feiyin listened ily, engraving each word into his mind.“The first 33 meridians lie within your limbs—ys and arms. These form the foundation of energy circution in movement and strength. They will be your first step.”Cai Feng tapped his own leg, as if emphasizing the point. “Most cultivators, even talented ones, struggle to open these quickly. The limbs are the furthest from the dantian, meaning they require more ford trol to awaken. But ohey are opened, you will noti immediate increase in both physical power and agility.”“How much?” Feiyin asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.Cai Feng smirked. “Every set of 33 meridians grants a signifit increase in irength. The first set will elevate your power by 3,300 kg.”Feiyin’s breath hitched slightly. That was a massive increase. Even just o of meridians would push his strength to over 13,000 kg.But Cai Feng wasn’t fihe sed 33 are located in your torso—your chest, back, and abdomen. These meridians ect directly to your vital funs, reinf your enduraability, and internal energy trol. Once opehey grant another 6,600 kg of irength.”Feiyin ched his hands. “That would bring my total to… 19,600 kg.”“Correct. But it doesn’t stop there.”Cai Feng’s expression grew somber, his eyes darkening slightly as he leaned forward.“The final 33 main meridians reside deep within your viscera—the ans themselves. These are the hardest to open, as they require areme level of irength trol. They also e with the highest reward. Opening them will grant you another 9,900 kg of irength.”Feiyin swallowed.That meant that once he reached the te stage of Meridian Opening, he would possess 29,500 kg of raw irength.‘That is… beyond what I imagined.’Yet, his father’s words did not stop there.Cai Feng’s gaze sharpened. “Beyond these 99, there are 7 more. These are known as the Final Meridians. They reside at key vergence points in the body, stabilizing and perfeg the flow of energy. Eae enhances your effi cirg energy, rather than increasing raw power.”“And they still grant some strength?” Feiyin asked.“Yes, but only 500 kg per meridian, bringing your total to an even 33,000 kg. The true value of these st meridians, however, is in how they enhance your Essence Qi when you finally step into the Qi densation Realm. They act as perfect duits, allowing your energy to flow at its peak efficy.”Feiyin exhaled slowly.Everything made sense now.It was astounding.Cai Feng folded his arms. “Each meridian you open will baptize your body with the World’s Essence Qi, fortifying your flesh and reinf your pathways. It is an act of rebirth with every step. But you must pace yourself. If you try to open too many too fast, the strain could cripple you.”Feiyin nodded firmly. He had no iion of rushing through something so important.“You have done everything correctly so far,” his father tinued, pride evident in his tone. “Your foundation is perfect. With your level of trol, your progress through this realm will be faster than most. But do not grow pt. Even with a perfect body, the process will test you.”Feiyi his father’s gaze with unwaveriermination. “I’m ready.”Cai Feng chuckled. “Not yet. We will begin properly in the ing days. Until then, start preparing yourself. Get used to cirg your irength through your limbs. Strengthen your e to your meridians, even before they are opehis will ease the process.”Feiyin nodded. He uood. The more he synized with his meridians now, the less resistance he would face wheime came to force them open.His father rose from his seat, stretg slightly.“O thing, Feiyin.”Feiyin looked up, attentive.Cai Feng’s expression turned serious. “The number of meridians you opeermines your future. There are many who stag 33. Even fewer push to 66. And only the truly extraordinary reach 99. If you truly wish to reach your peak, you must aim for all 106.”A pause.Then, a slow, knowing smirk formed on Feiyin’s lips.“You’re saying that as if I ever po stop halfway.”Cai Feng burst into ughter, ruffling his son’s hair.“Good. The’s see how far you’ll go.”