Seven days after releasing those three loose cultivators from the Baizhen Pavilion, the sea wind off the Eastern Sea carried a warmth unlike any that had come before.

I sat cross-legged at the edge of the jade spirit pool, the spiritual energy within me churning like a tide lashed by a hurricane, battering relentlessly against the barrier of the Seventh Layer under the guidance of the Tide Saint Body Art. The Sea-Sea-Sea-Suppressing Jade Pendant radiated a soft blue light against my chest, resonating in strange harmony with the Spirit Eye waters in the pool below, so that every circulation of energy was accompanied by the dull, rhythmic pulse rising from the sea-eye at the bottom of the ocean.

"Ha."

I exhaled a long breath of stale air. What touched the tip of my tongue was no longer plain water vapour, but something threaded through with wisps of golden spiritual energy. This was the sign before a breakthrough — the barrier of the Seventh Layer, battered by the ceaseless force of the tides, had developed hairline fractures spreading across its surface like a spider's web. The old geezer's voice stirred in my mind, carrying his customary mockery: "Greenhorn, you're finally showing some promise. Keep bottling it up any longer and your dantian will start growing seaweed."

I ignored his jibe and focused every scrap of my attention on guiding the spiritual energy. The meteorite iron anvil in my palm suddenly grew faintly warm, its dark-gold runes shimmering against the blue light of the jade pendant, forming an invisible bridge that drew the water-attributed spiritual energy of heaven and earth into my body in an unbroken stream. A soft pop sounded — like an eggshell cracking — and the spiritual energy in my dantian surged violently, forming a raging torrent that shattered the final barrier in an instant.

Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully breaking through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement! Current cultivation: Eighth Layer, Qi Refinement. Proficiency in the Tide Saint Body Art has risen to 35%. Water-attribute spell potency increased by 110%.

The moment the system chime faded, the world before my eyes seemed to be redefined. The spirit water in the jade pool was no longer a simple liquid — it was a living community composed of countless spirited water elements. I could almost see the trajectories of water molecules leaping in the sunlight, and sense the moisture content carried by every strand of sea breeze.

"Good lad." Elder Kai's voice drifted from the doorway of the wooden cottage. He was holding a string of freshly caught spirit fish, their tails still flicking and scattering beads of spiritually-charged water. "Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement — three days faster than I expected."

I rose to my feet and stretched my limbs. Every bone and muscle felt charged with a strength I had never known before. Having broken through to the Eighth Layer, my body's ability to sense and command spiritual energy had climbed by more than one full tier — even the faint breeze that stirred beneath my footsteps as I walked seemed to dimly draw the surrounding moisture along with it.

"Elder Kai." I walked over to him and looked at the spirit fish in his hand. "The eyes on these fish shine with spiritual energy — a species that only appears once in a century, I'd wager?"

Elder Kai smiled and passed the fish to me. "You've got a good eye. These are Tide-Watching Fish — they only appear when the tides converge. Consider them a tonic for you. Though from the look of you, your mind isn't really on the fish. Are you scheming something extraordinary again?"

I took the fish, and the jade pendant in my palm suddenly flared hot once more. A bold idea had begun to take shape in my mind. Having broken through to the Eighth Layer, I could sense clearly that my physical body was no longer keeping pace with the growth of my spiritual energy. The core disciples of the Baizhen Pavilion at the Foundation Establishment stage would come looking for me sooner or later. Spiritual cultivation alone would likely be insufficient to hold them off. Perhaps... I could try tempering my body with tidal force, and bring my physical strength up to Foundation Establishment level first?

"Elder Kai, I have an idea." I drew a deep breath. "I want to try tempering my body with tidal force — to bring my physical strength in line with my spiritual cultivation, and reach at least the standard of early Foundation Establishment."

At those words, the float on Elder Kai's fishing rod plunged sharply beneath the surface. He didn't notice. He only stared into my eyes. "Tempering your body? With tidal force? Do you know how dangerous that is? Tidal force is fierce and unyielding beyond measure. Never mind you at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement — even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would risk being torn to shreds if they made the slightest mistake."

The old geezer's voice turned grave as well. "Greenhorn, have you got a fever? Body tempering with tidal force is a method only ancient great cultivators dared attempt. Your body right now is like a paper lantern — one hit from tidal force and it tears clean through. That said... if you're truly set on trying, this system can help you guide the spiritual energy to shield your meridians. Whether your body can withstand it — that depends entirely on your own fortune."

Seeing Elder Kai's look of concern and the system's rare solemnity, I found my resolve only strengthening. I thought of Jade Lin and River. I thought of the cold, vicious eyes of those people from the Baizhen Pavilion. I clenched my fists. "I know the danger. But I have no other choice. The Baizhen Pavilion won't let me go, and they won't spare my family either. I have to grow stronger — faster. As fast as I possibly can."

Elder Kai was silent for a long time — long enough for the fishing line to be pulled taut into a full arc. He slowly reeled in the rod, removed a struggling spirit fish from the hook, then drew an old, unadorned jade vial from inside his robe. "This is a Blood Nourishing Pill, refined from deep-sea spirit coral and thousand-year pearl oyster. It restores injuries quickly. If you don't fancy becoming fish food, take it with you."

I received the jade vial. It was smooth and warm in my hand. A faint medicinal fragrance drifted from within — merely breathing it in sent a wave of warmth flowing toward my dantian. "Thank you, Elder Kai."

"What are you thanking me for?" Elder Kai waved a hand and re-baited his hook. "If you're going to die, die out at sea. Don't die at my Wave-Listening Dwelling and dirty my place."

Over the next three days, I didn't leave the premises. I stilled my mind and devoted myself to studying the method of tidal body tempering. According to the information transmitted through the Sea-Sea-Sea-Suppressing Jade Pendant, the key to tidal body tempering lay in drawing the tide inward, yielding softness to overcome hardness. One needed to move at the Zi Hour, when tidal force was at its peak, to rouse the power of the sea-eye, while simultaneously forming a protective shell within the body using one's own spiritual energy — guiding the tidal force to temper every inch of muscle and bone.

On the fourth day, at the Zi Hour, the Eastern Sea welcomed its great tide, right on time. I stood at the edge of the cliff. Elder Kai sat far behind me at the front of the wooden cottage, an alcohol gourd cradled in his hands, watching me without so much as blinking. The old geezer's voice arose in my mind: "Are you ready? When the Zi Hour strikes, the tidal force from the sea-eye will reach its peak. I'll help you lock the meridians in place. Everything after that depends on yourself."

End of Chapter 33: Seven Days After the Tide