Desire of the demon

In this world, martial arts were divided into two realms: the Realm of Body Refining and the Realm of Internal Energy, each further divided into three sub-realms.

The Realm of Body Refining consisted of:

1. Skin Tempering

2. Bone Tempering

3. Internal Organ Tempering

The Realm of Internal Energy, on the other hand, comprised:

1. Internal Energy Beginner

2. Internal Energy Master

3. Internal Energy Grandmaster

Everyone was born with some internal energy within their body. However, without the proper techniques, this energy was useless. Only ancient martial families possessed the secret arts to harness it. But to safely wield internal energy, one had to pass through all three stages of body refining. Skipping this process and using internal energy directly could crippled and rupture your body entirely, leading to a fate worse than death.

Li Huo, however, had a different idea. He planned to use his internal energy to temper his skin, bones, and organs all at once, bypassing the entire Body Refining Realm and directly reaching the Internal Energy Beginner stage.

It was a risky move. The risk was immense, but the reward, the reward—was far greater. And Li Huo had never been one to run away from danger if he did he wouldn't have survived all those years when his cultivaton was crippled.

Without hesitation, he began. At first, he controlled only a small amount of internal energy, enough to prevent catastrophic damage if something went wrong. As he became more accustomed to it, he increased the flow. Step by step, he refined his skin, bones, and finally, his internal organs—the most delicate and dangerous part. He was extra cautious here, fearing any mistake could be fatal.

To his relief, nothing went wrong. After what felt like hours, he had successfully reached the Internal Energy Beginner Realm.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he checked the time—half-past midnight. He sniffed the air and winced at the stench of sweat. Without delay, he took a shower and collapsed into bed, falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

---

Wake up!!!

Li Huo groggily opened his eyes looked at the time and squinted at the annoying screen hovering above him. He muttered irritably, "What do you want? It's only 7 AM. Why are you waking me up so early?"

"Someone's been ringing your doorbell for the past 5 minutes."

Li Huo's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh right, the uniform and toiletries should be delivered today, He sighed and dragged himself out of bed.

He opened the door to find a very impatient attendant, her fist raised as if she was about to pound on the door again. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd have broken it down had he waited any longer.

"Are you Li Huo?" she asked, her tone clipped.

"Yes, miss, that's me."

"Here are your uniforms and other essentials. If anything gets torn or you need more supplies, notify the administrative office, and they'll take care of it."

"Thank you," he replied, taking the items.

The attendant thrust a large bag of uniforms and toiletries into his arms and walked away picking her large bag filled with supplies of other students,her impatience clear in every step.

"Looks like you made her late," the screen teased.

"Whatever," Li Huo shrugged, closing the door behind him. Since he was up, he figured he might as well get dressed.

The academy uniform was simple—a black tracksuit. After changing, he headed to class. He would have skipped the class if attendance wasn't mandatory.

When he entered the classroom, he chose a seat in the middle-right corner. As students trickled in, he noticed Sha Li, the chatterbox, heading straight toward him. Sha Li plopped down beside Li Huo and immediately launched into conversation.

"Hey man, how was your night? I swear, those beds are incredible! I've never slept in something so comfortable. If it weren't for class, I would've stayed in bed until noon!"

Li Huo simply nodded along, not minding Sha Li's endless stream of words. Just before class started, Sister Hua, their instructor, entered the room, slapping the podium loudly to grab everyone's attention.

"Listen up! From today, your training begins. You will learn how to kill, how to utilize your martial arts in battle, and what to do in life-or-death situations. Nothing else matters here."

She let the weight of her words settle before continuing. "Since it's your first class, I'll introduce you to the realms of martial arts and the principles behind them."

---

"Any questions?" Sister Hua asked after her introduction.

A hesitant hand went up from the middle of the room.

"Teacher, you said internal energy is present in us since birth, and that certain techniques allow us to utilize it. If internal energy helps reinforce our body, why don't we use it directly to strengthen ourselves bit by bit? Wouldn't that give us more strength overall?"

Sister Hua's said softly ,"Who asked that?"

A student stood up slowly, looking nervous, as if expecting to be scolded for asking a foolish question. "M-my name is Cong Min, teacher."

Hua Rong nodded. "It's a good question, Cong Min. But the problem is that controlling internal energy is extremely difficult. Most internal energy beginners injure themselves just trying to wield it."

She paused for effect, letting the weight of her words sink in. "That's why there are the three stages of Body Refining. If an internal energy practitioner suffers backlash, their tempered body can handle it. There have been attempts to use internal energy directly, as you suggested. Do you know how many people survived?"

Cong Min leaned forward, intrigued. How many?"

"None." Sister Hua's voice was solemn.

Cong Min sucked in a sharp breath and quickly sat down, his earlier curiosity replaced by fear.

"Alright, let's move on," Sister Hua said, breaking the tension. "We're heading to the training grounds next, where you'll receive your martial arts techniques and start honing your combat abilities."

On the training grounds, the students performed basic exercises and were handed their first martial arts techniques. Sister Hua walked them through the details, and the afternoon passed in a blur of training. By noon, classes were dismissed.

---

Days passed in monotonous routine, and soon, a month had flown by.

That night, Li Huo lay in bed, staring at the calendar. "One more year," he muttered to himself, "and the portal to the cultivation world will open. Then I can continue my journey."

As he was about to drift off to sleep, a cacophony of screams shattered the quiet night. Explosions echoed in the distance, shaking the dorm.

"What the hell is happening?" Li Huo shot out of bed and ran to the balcony. The sight that greeted him was straight out of a doomsday movie—chaos and destruction everywhere.