"Speak! Speak!"
The crowd joined in, urging him on.
Yu Shaojie's face burned with humiliation. He had intended to use two Body Tempering Pills—unique to his family—to overpower Lou Mengyu right here. But Qin Yang had...
Shooting a venomous glare at Qin Yang, Yu Shaojie roared, "I, Yu Shaojie, am a toad trying to eat swan meat! Happy now?"
He made to storm away through the crowd.
"Wait!" Qin Yang blocked his path.
"What?" Yu Shaojie's fists clenched.
Qin Yang extended a finger, his voice soft. "Two more times."
Face crimson, Yu Shaojie squeezed his eyes shut and bellowed:
"I, Yu Shaojie, am a toad trying to eat swan meat!"
"I, Yu Shaojie, am a toad trying to eat swan meat!"
With a final kick to the cafeteria door, he stormed out.
Qin Yang surveyed the crowd. Every gaze had transformed—no one dared challenge him now.
"Hunter Demon List third rank? Impressive." Qin Yang shook his head lightly.
Not a soul in the hall would underestimate him again.
"Come. Time for your Body Tempering." Qin Yang swept up Lou Mengyu in one fluid motion. Her surprised gasp echoed as they slowly departed.
"I'm purifying her body. What are you doing here?" Qin Yang glared at Jin Wanshan, then grabbed the panda from Lou Mengyu's arms by the scruff of its neck and tossed it to Jin Wanshan.
"You two enjoy yourselves."
He left behind a speechless Jin Wanshan and a growling panda.
"Do you think Qin Yang is actually at the Zongshi Realm?"
"That fourth-order Body Tempering Pill can't be faked!"
"The Zongshi Realm... Since we entered Celestial Academy, the highest cultivation realm we've seen is the Qi Sea Realm's peak..."
"Does this mean Qin Yang is the first prodigy of Celestial Academy?"
Earlier, they'd been ashamed to be in the same cohort as Qin Yang, but now they took pride in him. Their change of heart was as swift as turning a page.
"This magical flying ship is impressive!" Qin Yang followed Lou Mengyu to her room, observing the passing scenery with detached interest. He wondered if he should acquire something similar...
"Keep the Body Tempering Pill for yourself. How will you help me?" Lou Mengyu blocked the doorway, trapping Qin Yang.
Each room on the magical flying ship was equipped with an independent isolation array. Without the owner's permission, no one could enter.
"Can the world's body tempering techniques compare to mine?" Qin Yang snapped his fingers, a flame igniting at his fingertips.
Lou Mengyu's eyes brimmed with curiosity, then shifted to astonishment and disbelief.
The flame's color abruptly changed. What had been warm now carried an indescribable quality.
"Ice flame? Burning ice? Or frozen fire?" Lou Mengyu asked.
Qin Yang fell silent for a moment before responding, "I'm here to show you what true ice and fire tempering means! Techniques that can alter your true qi's properties, granting you true mastery over this power."
"Wouldn't that make us demonic beasts?" Lou Mengyu inquired.
"What's wrong with that?" Qin Yang countered.
Lou Mengyu pondered this. There seemed nothing inherently wrong with it—rather, it held tremendous benefits!
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's begin!" Qin Yang chuckled mischievously, shoving Lou Mengyu inside and slamming the door shut behind him.
"W-what do you think you're doing?" Lou Mengyu demanded, crossing her arms defensively.
Qin Yang wore an expression that clearly suggested... nothing good.
"Ahem, of course it's to temper your body!" Qin Yang said with a serious expression, his tone solemn. "First, take off all your clothes. All of them, not a single piece left on."
"Huh?" Lou Mengyu cried out, her cheeks flushing crimson.
"Then I won't temper my body!" Lou Mengyu declared.
"Don't you want to become stronger?" Qin Yang asked. "Only true strength comes from within. If you were as strong as me, you'd never need to worry about your parents. Your fate would be firmly in your own hands."
Lou Mengyu hesitated, but the thought of stripping naked...
"It's not like you haven't..." Qin Yang began, then abruptly stopped himself.
Lou Mengyu's hand shot up, her eyes blazing with anger as she glared at Qin Yang.
"Still so modest? If you're too embarrassed, I'll do it myself..." Qin Yang finished, lunging forward without warning.
"What are you doing? Get off! No!" Lou Mengyu struggled desperately, her back turned to Qin Yang.
But in an instant, Qin Yang had stripped her clothes completely.
Her shapely curves... ahem!
Qin Yang composed himself and said, "Come, get on the bed!"
Lou Mengyu didn't dare turn around, her neck flushed crimson as she avoided looking at Qin Yang.
"What are you thinking? Body tempering requires complete undress. Otherwise, cold qi can't disperse properly. It'll accumulate under your skin, clogging pores. Worse still, your delicate skin might develop frostbite patches..."
"That's just the minor consequence!" Qin Yang continued, "The major risk is meridian blockage. Not only would you fail to temper your body, but you'd severely damage your constitution!"
Lou Mengyu's face burned even hotter. She let out a soft gasp, her eyes darting away from Qin Yang's lecherous grin and predatory gaze. How could she have imagined such things?
Qin Yang added, "This is merely cold-ice tempering. With flame-heat tempering, your entire body would erupt in blisters..."
Lou Mengyu's slender frame shuddered at the mere thought.
Qin Yang held two Body Tempering Pills, frowning as he examined them. Having directly copied both the pill refining technique and formula, he understood these pills intimately.
Body tempering proved far more complex than he'd imagined. Even with the pills, significant side effects remained. This was precisely why Qin Yang intended to temper Lou Mengyu himself—he could mitigate these risks.
Moreover, only one type of tempering could be chosen! Should a cultivator consume both cold-ice and flame-heat pills, perfect absorption of each pill's power would still leave catastrophic latent dangers.
Qin Yang, who had directly tempered his body through the Dragon Jade devouring demonic beasts, didn't share these concerns.
"You'll have to choose between the power of frost or flame," Qin Yang said. "Whichever you pick, I'll craft perfect cultivation methods and martial techniques for you. Your strength will be unmatched."
"I choose the power of frost!" Lou Mengyu declared.
"Then come here quickly!" Qin Yang patted the bed.
Lou Mengyu moved with delicate steps, each movement cautious. She seemed to feel Qin Yang's burning gaze, as if his eyes could scorch her skin, roaming over every inch of her delicate form.
"Face me!" Qin Yang demanded, his eyes fixed on her smooth back.
"No!" Lou Mengyu had already made tremendous concessions. How could she...
"How can I help you temper your body if you won't face me?" Qin Yang chuckled mischievously.
With visible effort, Lou Mengyu turned around, but her hands already covered her vital points. Yet the waves of her curves were too vast to contain, impossible to conceal completely.
The attempt at concealment only made her more alluring.
Qin Yang laughed heartily, and with a flick of his divine will, his fire-dog-burnt clothes shattered into pieces.
"Ah!" Lou Mengyu gasped repeatedly, squeezing her eyes shut.
Qin Yang stuffed a Frost Tempering Pill into Lou Mengyu's mouth, then took hold of her hands. Channeling frost true qi, he began tempering her body.
All concealment vanished, leaving her completely exposed.