Refined Beyond Flesh

"Refined Beyond Flesh" follows Elias Thorne, a destitute courier in the industrial cultivation city of Whitebrand. Born without cultivation abilities in a world where power determines worth, Elias lives a desperate existence until a mysterious system implants itself in his mind during a moment of weakness. The "Body & Will Refinement System" subjects Elias to brutal trials that reshape his body through controlled suffering, gradually granting him enhanced physical abilities. After defeating a debt collector in combat, Elias discovers he possesses a dormant bloodline trait called the Mnemonic Meridian, allowing him to absorb and replicate physical movements at an accelerated rate. As Elias begins investigating his newfound abilities, he learns he's descended from the Memory Walkers—an ancient civilization of "mind-thieves and soul-benders" who were hunted to extinction for their ability to extract, store, and transfer memories. Through a recovered memory crystal, Elias discovers that his ancestor, Kaelen Thorne, encoded their civilization's knowledge into their bloodline and issued a cryptic warning about the System not being what it appears. With both the debt collectors' Brass Tiger Sect and a mysterious organization called the Hidden Hand pursuing him, Elias is forced to flee into Whitebrand's underworld, embarking on a journey to understand his awakening abilities and uncover the truth about the System's real purpose.