Chapter 232: The Academy’s Body-Tempering Pool

Chapter 232: College Body Refining Pool

"The counter is for storing personal items. Everyone can place their belongings on the counter to avoid loss or water damage."

"The Marrow Cleansing process is continuous. I'll give you ten minutes to consider whether to participate and to take care of any personal or work matters. That's all I have to say. The countdown begins."

After Ji Fu finished speaking, she glanced at the clock on the wall and started timing.

"Grandpa, you've just recovered from your illness. Can you handle soaking in the bath?" Wen Yu was worried about his grandfather's health. Manager Ji said there'd be some discomfort during the process, and he feared his grandfather couldn't endure it.

"Why not? Your grandpa's in great shape," Wen Dalun shot him a glance and said, "As for you, you sit in the office all day without seeing sunlight. Your skin doesn't even have a bit of sun on it. You should worry about yourself."

Wen Kaihou added, "Kid, don't sell us short just 'cause we're older. Our physical fitness is no worse than you young folks."

None of the 15 members gave up their spots. After hearing Ji Fu's speech, some immediately removed their valuables and bags and placed them on the counter, while others took out their phones to inform their families that they'd be busy for a while and unreachable.

Ten minutes later, they split into two groups and entered the left and right body refining pools respectively. Not everyone was comfortable being completely open with strangers, so after entering the pools, they changed into uniform single-layer garments in the changing rooms, then entered the body refining pools one by one, like dumplings into a pot.

The water in the body refining pool was dark green, infused with various Spiritual Plants and medicinal herbs, including Bone Spirit Grease, Coiling Dragon Vine, thousand-year Polygonum Multiflorum, thousand-year Ginseng, Blood Essence Grass, and Yin-Suppressing Herb.

At first, the people in the pool had time to chat with each other. But soon, as their bodies absorbed the medicinal effects, the herbs began to take effect. They went from slight discomfort to gritting their teeth in pain, and finally to crying out.

The first to call for help and get out was Zhang Jinmei from the women's section. At just 17 years old, she was the youngest among today's members.

Zhang Jinmei's face was flushed red. She had been soaking in the pool for half an hour, with sweat beading on her forehead like soybeans. She shouted to the safety officer on the shore, "Sister, I can't do it anymore... I gotta get out..."

Seeing that she truly couldn't hold on, the safety officer Yue Hui whipped a white silk ribbon from her sleeve, wrapped it around Zhang Jinmei's waist, pulled her out of the pool, and then helped her behind a screen for the next step.

Next came soaking in medicinal baths. Behind the screen were six wooden barrels, arranged for the six female members: Zhang Jinmei, Qian Nanqing, Du Shuyi, Shen Qinqin, Dong Dongmei, and Zhou Bing.

The medicinal effects in the barrels were stronger than those in the pool, but because they contained Numbing Frost Herb, the pain was less intense than in the pool.

Going from super painful water to less painful water numbed the body to some extent, and Zhang Jinmei stopped crying out.

Even though she was weak, Zhang Jinmei smiled and thanked the safety officer, "Thank you, sister."

Yue Hui smiled back and said, "You're welcome."

The second person to tap out in the pool was Zhou Bing, who was also pulled ashore by Yue Hui with the silk ribbon. The last to be pulled out was Dong Dongmei.

Dong Dongmei was a middle-aged woman, a well-known businesswoman from J City, with close business ties to He Xiwen. He Xiwen had recommended the Xuehe Mall to her, and she fell in love with it after visiting, becoming the top spender on the customer list.

Simply put, she loved collecting jewelry, and the pricey pieces at Xuehe Jewelry were her favorites.

Over in the men's pool, there were nine members: Chen Daojiang, Wen Dalun, Wen Yu, Wen Kaihou, Xue Kaisheng, He Xiwen, Hu Yuchun, Yu Yuande, Wu Jinyong, and Professor Cen, Cen Jing.

The one who lasted the shortest in the pool was Wen Yu, while the longest was Chen Daojiang. Because Xuehe knew Chen Daojiang was a cultivator, they went straight to a cultivation-level body refining formula for his wooden barrel bath, making him the standout among the guys and the one who suffered the most physically later on.

While others were kinda enjoying it during the barrel bath, he gritted his teeth to keep from yelling out in pain.

His face was in agony, but his heart was overjoyed.

This was true Marrow Cleansing!

Chen Daojiang fainted from the pain amidst his joy.

Safety officer Xiao Yang stepped forward to check Chen Daojiang's condition. He nodded and gave a fair assessment, saying, "This Human Cultivator is Teacher Huang's senior disciple, right? He's a bit stronger than Teacher Huang, but still weak, but his willpower and stamina are decent."

Over an hour later, with the awakening incense doing its thing, everyone gradually woke up.

A nasty stench filled the area behind the screen.

Du Shuyi frowned, "Huh? What's that smell? It's like rotten food, so gross!"

Shen Qinqin wrinkled her nose in disgust, "It's really foul! I can't stand it."

"Ah! My body's covered in a layer of black gunk. I'm so dirty." Zhou Bing raised her hand to smell it and nearly threw up her breakfast. The stench was coming from her own body.

No, it wasn't just her—it was all the members present.

She looked around and saw that everyone in front and behind, in the barrels, was covered in a thick layer of black gunk.

Yue Xia pushed aside the curtain, stepped in with a professional smile, and said, "Dear members, don't worry. The gunk on your bodies is a normal part of Marrow Cleansing. It means the junk in your bodies has been flushed out. Please head ten meters over to the bathroom area. There are single-person showers with your names on them where you can clean yourselves."

"The clothes and toiletries in the bathrooms are brand new. You can take them with you after washing."

"Also, you can wash and keep the robes you're wearing, or if you don't want them, just toss them into the bamboo basket in the bathroom." Although these clothes were stained with grime from the Marrow Cleansing, they could be cleaned and disinfected with a spell for reuse, avoiding waste.

Ten meters away was a row of bathrooms with fifteen single rooms. Currently, six were in use, each labeled with the names of these members. They entered according to their names.

The bathrooms had shower facilities, toiletries, and seasonally appropriate uniforms in their sizes.

These were all prepared by the staff while they were soaking in the body refining pool. The men's bathroom on the opposite side was similar, except the men received pants while the women received skirts.

As they showered, they felt an unprecedented comfort in their bodies, as if they had brand-new bodies—flawless, healthy, and beautiful. This beauty wasn't cookie-cutter but their personal best.

Looking at themselves in the mirror, they were filled with joy and excitement, waving their arms in delight.