Chapter 30: Advances in Body Cultivation

After a large hearty meal, they start making final preparations. These include getting ready to return to Dong Kyu and, most importantly, to watch over Master Lee as she pushes herself to achieve Body like Iron.

As part of this process, Master Lee instructs them all in the spells for elemental fire and ice and minor healing. She then has them practice the spells outside the cave in the clearing. Once Ki Jung is happy with their abilities to cast and control the spells, she explains what she needs them to do. Similar to what she had done to push them through to Body like Stone, she will have them using a combination of fire and ice to push the process along. The difference being that they would actually be encasing her body in ice and fire alternatively. The intensity will depend on their observations. Unlike natural ice, elemental ice can reach temperatures that are capable of killing within seconds. She is placing her life in their hands, and they know it. Everything set up and ready, she gives them the rest of the day to enjoy themselves.

That evening they enjoy a lovely meal, practice Aikido, and follow that up with one hour of Blessed Qi arts. Then they head to bed early. They will be getting started early the next day.

Unlike her students, Ki Jung is up all night, laying the formation plates out, followed by meditation. She continues meditating while they eat breakfast. Once they were done, two of them will begin the task of watching over her and encasing her in fire and ice, while the third rests. For the first two hours, Phong Ahn and Min Joon on watch, while Chanming rests. At the two hour mark, Chanming replaces Min Joon. two hours later, Min Jung switches out with Phong Ahn. This rotation continues for the next three days.

The disturbing part of the process begins at the twelve-hour mark when the pain finally causes Master Lee to start screaming. In spite of the feelings of terror they feel for what they were doing, they know they must not stop. Stopping would do more harm than they could bear. It could kill her, or worse, it could cripple her for life if they stopped now. So, they push on.

At some point, Phong Ahn discovered she could reduce the sounds of the screams with Qi. It isn’t something she does knowingly, at first. It came about through intent and a strong desire to reduce the sounds of pain. The other two think something has gone wrong when the volume of the screams decreases abruptly. While they are frantically trying to figure out what is wrong, Phong Ahn is trying to understand what she’d done.

With a bit of trial and error, she figures it out and explains to them what she had done. Soon, all of them can replicate it. This leads to further testing the boundaries of Qi. Soon, they are able to link to Master Lee and monitor her condition directly. This gives them a better gauge to use as they encase her in ice or flames.