Chapter 53 Copper Muscles and Iron Bones Part 1

Immortal Cage - Chapter 53 Copper Muscles and Iron Bones Part 1

Sultry, humid.

The scorching heat filled the stone room where Yu Lie was, causing droplets of water to fall from the ceiling.

Crack!

Yu Lie was drenched in sweat, his bare feet wet. With a hammer and tongs in hand, he worked diligently in his stone room as if forging iron.

A bright red fire pit occupied nearly a third of the stone room, with layers of charcoal stacked inside, arranged in a Bagua formation.

Yu Lie stirred the top layer of charcoal with the tongs, set down the hammer, then scooped a ladle of murky liquid from a water tank and poured it over the fire pit.

Hiss! A foul-smelling mist rose from the fire pit, turning into a grayish mist and burning fiercely.

Yu Lie's face was steamed by the evaporating mist, feeling a burning sensation on his face and a foul smell in his nostrils.

What he poured was not ordinary liquid but a potent fire liquid made of horse urine mixed with donkey blood, necessary to reach the temperature required to melt gold and iron.

Fortunately, in Heishui Town, there was a type of burning material called Beast Charcoal. Each piece was carved with the shape of a beast's head or skeleton, a type of stone charcoal that could reach the temperature needed for transformation, the main fuel for the town's blacksmiths.

During the burning of Beast Charcoal, it needed to be repeatedly doused with a special liquid to burn properly without producing toxic fumes.

However, the smell produced after pouring horse urine mixed with donkey blood was unpleasant and irritating to the eyes. Many Daoist apprentices in the town suffered from eye diseases due to this, squinting their eyes all day.

Yu Lie stared with reddened eyes, observing the color of the flames in the fire pit shifting from bright red to bluish-purple.

After a moment, he thought, "The elixir is ready, the fire is burning brightly, it's time to begin!"

Yu Lie gritted his teeth, removed his lower garments, stood bare by the fire pit, took a pottery jar, and scooped out a pale golden ointment, applying it all over his body meticulously.

He applied the ointment carefully, covering every exposed part of his skin, from eyelids, ears, groin, to the top of his head and soles of his feet.

Once fully covered, Yu Lie's whole body shimmered with a golden hue, resembling a bronze statue, radiating a dark golden light.

This ointment was a transformation ointment that Yu Lie had spent a large sum to purchase from the Alchemy House, mixed with half a piece of spirit stone, finely ground and prepared for transformation.

The ointment had the effects of promoting tissue regeneration, heat resistance, and only with its application could Yu Lie enter the fire pit for transformation without risking his life even in case of failure.

Next, Yu Lie took a deep breath and smashed the pottery jar into the fire pit.

Boom!

A purplish-blue flame surged, the pottery jar shattered, the Beast Charcoal rolled, and the residual spirit stone powder inside the jar significantly increased the temperature of the fire pit.

Yu Lie's eyes reflected the flames, "Success or failure, it all depends on what comes next!"

He held his breath, stepped into the fire pit, and walked step by step towards the center.

The scorching sensation enveloped Yu Lie, feeling like his skin was being peeled off, every part of his body in pain.

And this was with his robust constitution and the protection of the ointment.

If it were an ordinary Daoist apprentice or without the ointment, they would have screamed in pain, unable to endure, fearing for their lives, greatly weakening their transformation power.

Enduring the pain, Yu Lie reached the center of the fire pit, standing on a lotus-shaped iron plate hammered from pig iron.

The iron lotus flower glowed red, the hottest spot in the fire pit.

As Yu Lie stepped on it, despite the ointment's protection, he heard the sizzling sound of his feet burning on the iron plate, like roasting meat on a grill.

Nevertheless, Yu Lie showed no sign of stepping back, instead, he lowered his body, kneeling on the iron lotus flower, increasing the contact with the high temperature.

There was a crucial point to note in this step.

The Daoist apprentice had to kneel, not sit cross-legged or squat, keeping their legs together tightly to prevent their groin from touching the iron plate completely!

Otherwise, the groin being burned by the iron plate could easily scorch the apprentice's external kidneys, leading to irreversible regret. Of course, for apprentices without external kidneys, this consideration was unnecessary, and they could choose any posture.

After sitting down, Yu Lie was immediately enveloped in the purplish-blue flames.

His vision blurred, feeling as if poisonous snakes were licking his body, extremely painful.

The pale golden ointment on his body glowed under the burning, making him appear like a piece of iron or gold being heated in a furnace.

Yu Lie could clearly feel the pure and scorching spiritual energy eroding his body.

Every inch of his skin was undergoing continuous destruction and repair, his muscles trembling.

But the immense pain spread all over Yu Lie's body.

At this moment, Yu Lie couldn't bear it any longer and let out a low growl, "Pain! Pain, pain..."

Compared to this excruciating pain, his previous experience in the oil cauldron and sea of fire in the Daoist Scripture Hall was child's play, merely a test.

Yu Lie suddenly realized that the previous trials in the Scripture Hall, the four tests of the millstone, oil cauldron, knife mountain, and sea of fire, might be related to the current transformation process, allowing Daoist apprentices to experience the "Copper Muscles and Iron Bones" transformation process in advance and test their potential.

Yu Lie had easily passed the four tests back then, indicating his great potential for transformation now.

Therefore, in the fire pit, despite his low growls, Yu Lie's body remained steady, enduring the scorching without any fear.

The Beast Charcoal burned, flames roared.

After a full half hour, Yu Lie, like a bronze statue, knelt motionless in the center of the iron lotus flower.

Due to the prolonged kneeling, the lotus petals had pierced his legs, blood flowing out, instantly charred, making the iron lotus flower mottled.

Another half hour passed.

After enduring a full hour of roasting, Yu Lie suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of joy in them.

During this hour, he not only suffered torment and pain but also absorbed the spiritual power and properties of the medicine.

At this moment, Yu Lie could feel that every inch of his skin had been polished, no longer as sensitive as before, easily hurt by a touch!

However, the transformation was not complete yet. The previous hour of roasting was just a warm-up.

The transformation of Copper Muscles and Iron Bones required more than just roasting the skin; the bones also needed to undergo tempering!

The next step was crucial, determining the success or failure of the transformation, and the most dangerous step where Daoist apprentices were most likely to die or be severely injured!

Facing this step, even Yu Lie, who was confident, couldn't help but frown, his hands trembling slightly.

But as he looked around at the dimming fire pit, he knew he had no time to hesitate.

In the next moment, Yu Lie composed himself, closed his eyes again, and placed his hands on top of his head.

A slippery sensation ran through his fingers, feeling excellent.

Before the transformation of Copper Muscles and Iron Bones, Daoist apprentices not only needed to bathe with incense but also had to clean their bodies, shave their hair, and remove all body hair, leaving not a single strand behind.

Otherwise, the hair would obstruct the application of the ointment, hinder the smearing, and thereby affect the absorption of the medicinal power.

Moreover, after the Daoist steps into the fire pit, they must endure long-term roasting, even if their body is tough, it will still be burnt to a crisp. It's better to deal with it early rather than leave it be.

At this moment, Yu Lie appeared with his whole body hairless, his skull shining like a peeled egg, smooth and clean, not even a hint of stubble visible.

He rubbed his own head, and suddenly claws grew out of his hands.

With a sharp sound, a stream of blood immediately flowed down from the top of his head, evaporating due to the high temperature, emitting a stench.

Yu Lie's face twisted, both hands raised above his head, veins bulging.

On top of his head, a large wound appeared, exposing the skull.

Yu Lie was actually alive, peeling his own scalp.

Roar!

The intense pain made Yu Lie roar again, his features ferocious, resembling a mad demon.

However, even after peeling his scalp, his body did not move at all, his back straightened even more, and he reached out his hand, steadily pulling down a mechanism beside him.

Just above Yu Lie's head, there was a jar filled with boiling fire oil, constantly bubbling.

As the mechanism was pulled down, the jar containing the mixed fire oil and half a spirit stone immediately dropped, dripping onto Yu Lie's head.

Sizzle!

The sound of oil frying and splashing rang out, emitting a burnt fragrance, despite Yu Lie's firm mind, his body was violently trembling, swaying back and forth.

With even louder cries of agony, the stone room echoed.

First, roasting the body in the fire pit, then pouring oil on the skull, these two steps are the standard transformation process of Copper Muscles and Iron Bones!

The former utilizes high temperatures to forcefully drive the medicinal power of the spirit stone into the Daoist's skin, muscles, and tendons, refining the whole body.

The latter involves peeling the skin, starting from the skull, using fire oil to burn the bones, and then forcing the remaining half of the spirit stone's medicinal power into the Daoist's bones.

Moreover, the latter is not a one-time affair, as the skull is just a part of the human bones, Yu Lie had to continue to expose his fingers, elbows, sternum, knees, and even the spine... all the bones that can be exposed, one by one receiving the oil shower.

Among these bones, the hand bones and spine are closely related to the blood vessels and meridians, a slight mistake could lead to severe bleeding or damage to the meridians, requiring extreme caution during the process, any deviation could easily lead to failure, even causing partial paralysis.

According to the Daoist scriptures, this step is best done by a master, and the Daoist can also take Ma Fei spirits and other substances to numb their senses, reducing resistance.

Otherwise, if the Daoist's will is not firm, or their techniques are not precise, the likelihood of failure is high.

However, Yu Lie was in a place like Blackwater Town, without a master, he dared not spend money to ask for help, after all, once he died on the stage, all his possessions would belong to others.

Such incidents were not uncommon in Blackwater Town, leading to many Daoists who were qualified for the Copper Muscles and Iron Bones transformation but hesitated and dared not proceed.

Unlike Yu Lie, he not only dared to be ruthless to himself but also trained in the alchemy room for months.

Now, when it came to him, his actions were both ruthless and precise, peeling when he said he would peel, cutting when he said he would cut, without touching the flesh or breaking the bones.

And without using Ma Fei potions, he could easily absorb the medicinal power in the fire oil, and maximize the effects of the transformation.

The sound of sizzling echoed in the fire pit.

Yu Lie tried not to treat his body as his own, slowly peeling off the skin, drenched in boiling fire oil.

Crackle, sizzle!

The tin liquid in the oil can dripped down, burning as it touched his body.

As the oil accumulated more and more, Yu Lie's body became greasy, covered in flames, the heat causing his iron lotus seat to begin melting.

When the charcoal in the fire pit was about to burn out, the central iron lotus flower began to flicker. A white light appeared, igniting the entire iron seat, slowly closing up, bit by bit.

These iron petals shaped like lotus flowers were not ordinary iron, but mixed with special metals like lead and mercury, capable of burning all kinds of materials and herbs.

At this temperature, it was finally ignited, marking the crucial moment of the Copper Muscles and Iron Bones transformation.

With the surging heat, the stone room rippled like breathing, the flames on Yu Lie's body changed from bluish-purple to pure purple, the air inside the room distorted from the burning.

In the poisonous smoke, intense fire, and fire oil,

Yu Lie still buried his head, continuing to work on his skin and bones.

As the end approached, he became more determined not to make any mistakes in the transformation process, needing to remain calm.

If someone were present in the stone room, they would see his movements as calm and unhurried, as if he were just washing his clothes by the river, leisurely.

Yu Lie had become numb to the pain.

After a while,

The iron lotus flower completely closed, enveloping Yu Lie's entire body in the flower bud, as if he were placed in a furnace.

The furnace fire surged higher, roaring to the top, causing cracks to appear on the stone room ceiling, with bits falling down.

Next, the iron lotus flower petals would wither in three batches, gradually falling off, enough to nurture for three days and nights, transferring all the medicinal power, leaving nothing behind, into Yu Lie's body.

The longer this process persisted, the stronger the tempering effect Yu Lie would receive, making his skin, muscles, and bones tougher.

The stone room fell silent, only the sound of flames burning could be heard.

...

Time passed.

One day passed, two days passed, three days passed.

For a full three days and nights, the iron lotus flower finally fell apart, shattered into pieces, revealing Yu Lie inside.

In the fire pit, Yu Lie still knelt with his head bowed, as if in prayer.

Open!

In the dim stone room, Yu Lie suddenly opened his eyes, a look of joy in his eyes.

He laughed and recited:

"Peel the skin, scrape the bones, only then can the golden lotus be planted in the fire.

Burn the tail, pour the oil, finally achieve Copper Muscles and Iron Bones Skin!"

His muscles were distinct, copper-cast and iron-forged, all the flames on his body had been extinguished, darkness surrounded him, covered in white ash.

But around Yu Lie, the temperature remained scorching, as if there was still a fire burning.

Yu Lie's blood and qi were like a furnace, burning and surging endlessly!

At this moment, Yu Lie had completed the Copper Muscles and Iron Bones transformation, his blood and qi like a furnace, his skin tough, from now on he would no longer fear blades and arrows, as if he were wearing a suit of armor.

With just one shout, he could disperse ordinary wandering spirits, crush evil spirits, and demonstrate the power of a Daoist.

If he were to die, burying his body in the ground, it would not decay for thirty years, making it excellent material for refining zombies.