Chapter Twenty: The Hundred Refinements Tower

Night fell.

After dinner, Lorain was summoned by Instructor Haimu. When he arrived at Haimu’s office together with Mikaera, he saw Haimu holding a thick tome and saying, “Lorain, you’re here?”

“Yes, what did you summon me for, Instructor?”

“Come here.”

Haimu pointed toward a device nearby and said, “Go over there and punch with full strength. Let me see how strong your physical power has become now.”

“Yes, Instructor!”

Loran stepped forward, took a deep breath, tensed his entire body, and suddenly punched the padded surface of the strength-testing machine. With a “thud,” dust flew into the air as the instrument’s needle jumped repeatedly before finally settling at a certain point. Mikayla smiled slightly and said, “Master Haimu, Loran’s current strength has reached 350 kilograms.”

“Correct.”

Haimu opened the roster and said, “Loran, your physical strength currently ranks first among hundreds of students in the Crimson Cage.”

Loran was taken aback: “Who’s in second place?”

“Rodney. His strength has reached 335 kilograms!”

Haimu smiled meaningfully and continued, “The third place goes to a student from Class Five with a physical strength of 330 kilograms. Fourth place is 320 kilograms, and fifth place is 318 kilograms. These students are all slightly stronger than you in raw physical power. However, without exception, each of them possesses stellarenergy. Once they amplify their abilities with stellarenergy, both their strength and speed will far surpass yours. Therefore, if you face any of these outstanding students, you’ll stand no chance at all.”

Luolan frowned slightly, remaining silent, knowing full well that what Haimu said was true.

“Now, there’s a path laid out before you.”

Haimu nodded and said, “I can help temper and strengthen your physical body, allowing you significant progress in this area. The precious materials required for this process can also be requested by me from the upper ranks of the Crimson Castle—but only if you’re willing. This kind of training demands enduring pain beyond ordinary limits, and there may even be life-threatening risks. Are you willing?”

Loran clenched his fists, looked at Haimu with clear eyes, and said, “I’m willing. I’ll do anything if it means becoming stronger!”

“Good!”

Haimu nodded with a smile: “Go make preparations. In one hour, Mikayla will come to take you to the castle’s secret chamber.”

“Yes!”

……

An hour later, Mikaela returned to the student dormitory area, taking not only Lorain but also Rodney. When Rodney saw Lorain, he was slightly surprised, then politely nodded in greeting, which Lorain naturally returned with a nod.

Shortly afterward, the two boys followed Mikaela through the Crimson Castle. After walking for about five minutes, they entered a castle hall and then proceeded into an underground corridor. The place was heavily guarded—castle guards stood along both sides of the passage, each one a Grand Knight of considerable strength.

“Screeeeak~~~”

A heavy iron door slowly opened, revealing dim lights ahead, under which numerous black vessels, resembling furnaces, were arranged inside the chamber. Instructor Haimu was already standing there, his voice deep as he said, “You’ve arrived!”

“Instructor!”

The two youths stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Instructor Haimu asked, “Do you know where you are?”

“Ba Lian Tower.”

Rodney said in a low, confident voice: “This is the best place in the entire Star Source Empire for tempering physical strength, and it’s the main reason I was willing to participate in the Blood Cage training.”

“Good, as long as you understand.”

Haimu smiled slightly and said, “That’s right. This place was indeed once called the Hundred Refinements Tower—a place to temper and forge one’s physical body through countless trials. Here, your physical constitution will be forcibly enhanced. We’ll use the finest materials to refine and strengthen your bodies. Luolan, your physical strength is slightly stronger than Rodney’s, so the materials and dosage of medicinal agents prepared for you will also be greater. Be mentally prepared. Also, once inside the refining furnace, do not use stardust energy to resist the absorption of the medicine. When you can’t bear it anymore, press the red button inside, and someone will release you immediately.”

“Yes, Instructor!”

“Go now.”

……

Mikaela led Luolan forward along the corridor for dozens of meters, finally stopping in front of a black furnace. She turned to a robed figure beside it, who resembled a sorcerer, and said, “This is Luolan.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The middle-aged man in black robes nodded and said, “The formula for this furnace consists of 1000 milliliters of Bloodfiend Beast’s blood, 1500 milliliters of Bluewood sap, three jin of Jade Dragon Grass, and five jin of Earthworm Root. Please review it, sir.”

Mikaela carefully examined the formula, then turned to Lorain and said, “Alright, take off your clothes and go in. I’ll be observing your condition here the whole time. If you can’t bear it, just press the button or call me directly—either is fine. Relax your body and let it absorb and adapt to the environment inside the furnace.”

“Okay, thank you, Instructor Mikaela.”

“Go on quickly.”

Loran began to take off his shirt, revealing well-defined, powerful muscles. Despite his young age, he had trained his body to be exceptionally healthy and strong. As he glanced around, he noticed that dozens of other students inside the Hundred Refinements Tower were also undergoing physical training—clearly, this opportunity wasn’t available to everyone. On Loran’s bedside table lay a beast manual containing detailed entries on various monstrous creatures, including the Red-Scaled Beast: a third-rank monster whose blood would spontaneously combust into ash within five minutes of its death. This meant that its blood had to be extracted immediately after the beast was killed, making the substance extremely valuable.

Even in Ailan City, very few families could afford to use the blood of a Chi’jia Beast as a cultivation material—it was simply too extravagant in a sense.

“Shhh…”

Loran climbed into the furnace and quietly sat down. Immediately, a viscous liquid enveloped him, carrying with it the stench of monster blood mixed with a strong herbal scent. The liquid rose to about his waist. Shortly after Loran settled in, a series of “drip, drip” sounds echoed, followed by a sizzling noise from beneath the furnace as heating began. In no time, the medicinal aroma grew increasingly intense, and the monster’s blood started vaporizing, forming wisps of bloody mist swirling around him. Soon, Loran could no longer see outside through the small glass window.

A continuous “hissing” sound filled the air. When the temperature inside the furnace reached a critical point, Loran was overwhelmed by an intense, searing pain. The medicinal substances and beast blood filling the confined space aggressively penetrated every pore of his body. His skin felt as if it were catching fire, and a sharp sensation surged straight to the top of his head, nearly forcing a scream from him.

He clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and struggled to hold on.

Such an opportunity to temper the body was extremely rare—even noble youths from the city rarely had access to it—so Lorran valued it all the more. He deeply understood one truth: only by becoming stronger could revenge ever be possible.

“Ahh…”

In less than ten minutes, a young boy’s voice rang out in the distance, signaling surrender, followed by his instructor’s disappointed words: “Only lasted less than ten minutes? What a waste. I misjudged you…”

Loran took a deep breath, his body drenched in cold sweat from the intense pain, but instead of merely enduring it, he followed Mikaela’s instructions—relaxing his entire body and allowing himself to adapt to and embrace the environment inside the furnace. In an instant, it felt as if every pore had opened wide, letting the medicinal essences and beast blood energy continuously seep into his body, sending waves of burning sensations across every inch of his skin.

Half an hour later, more than ten additional students gradually gave up as they could no longer endure.

At this moment, Lorain’s entire body was as red as if it were on fire. The medicinal effect was no longer limited to the surface of his skin—it had penetrated deep into his muscles, flesh, and bones. He felt as though every muscle in his body was being tempered. As he slowly exerted himself, he could faintly sense waves of scorching energy beginning to gather within his body, creating an overwhelming urge to release it.

After a while, he had already endured inside the furnace for over an hour.

Around him, one furnace after another opened, and the students inside tumbled out, disheveled and battered. Some were even bleeding from their mouths and noses. If they continued to hold on, their bodies would no longer be able to withstand the strain and might completely collapse.

But Lorain still persisted, relying on sheer willpower to endure the corrosive effects of the medicinal energy and the immense power within the beast’s blood ravaging his physical body. At times, the pain brought him close to unconsciousness. Yet each time, the image of Grand Knight Gray’s sneering face flashed through his mind. He hated that man with every fiber of his being, and consequently, he longed to personally cut down every single Hunter Knight. His entire village, all his loved ones, had perished in that massacre.

Two hours later.

The medicinal ingredients and beast blood inside the furnace began to thin out. At this moment, Lorann’s entire body turned bright red, appearing as if bleeding from every pore—extremely terrifying. It felt as though fire raged within him; every inch of skin, every cell was fiercely burning. Wave after wave of faintness came crashing down like a storm. Lorann knew he had reached his limit.

“Button…”

In the instant before losing consciousness, he reached out and pressed the life-saving button. With a loud “clang,” the iron door swung open. Mikaela immediately reached in and pulled Lorann out of the furnace, shouting urgently, “Lorann! Wake up! Wake up!”

When Luo Lan opened his eyes, Instructor Haimu was already there, along with several other instructors from different classes—all of them Earth Knights.

“Coach Hai Mu…”

Luo Lan gritted her teeth: “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold on any longer.”

But Hai Mu’s lips curled upward: “No, you’re the last one to leave the furnace. Right now, put on your clothes and follow me! Mikaela, prepare warhorses for me and Lorain!”

“Yes, Instructor!”

……

Under the starlight, Hai Mu and Luo Lan walked out of the Hundred Refinements Tower and mounted their horses.

“Commander, where are we going?”

Luo Lan frowned, his body still burning with an intense sensation, as if his physical form was on the verge of exploding. But he had no idea what to do, so he could only ask his commander.

“To the Beast Valley.”

Instructor Hai Mu tossed a steel sword to Luo Lan and said, “Hurry up. You must run a round trip through the Beast Valley within three hours. Otherwise, don’t bother coming to find me again.”

“Yes, Instructor!”