Chapter 285: Beginning Bone Tempering
Martial Arts Calendar, Year 2046. March 4th.
Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, Tenth Academy, Villa District.
In the Martial Arts Room of one of the villas.
Wan Ming, tall and handsome, endured the tearing, burning pain spreading across his skin.
"AHH!!"
As he roared in pain, beads of sweat dripped from his body, and his hands, clutching a towel, trembled uncontrollably.
Two hours later, he had fallen into a daze.
’That really hurt!’
Wan Ming was still shaken. Every time he took a potion, it was sheer torture.
Haaaah!
As he exhaled, mysterious blue patterns surfaced on his skin. It felt as if countless streams of water were rushing through his body, and the sound of their flow slowly washed away his fatigue.
’But I’ve finally broken through to the Fourth Realm of Bone Cultivation!’
’So this is what the Fourth Realm feels like. It’s completely different. My mastery over Flowing Water seems to have reached a new level, too.’
Flowing Water and Power surged through Wan Ming’s body. The rush of strength filled him with joy; he had broken through to the Fourth Realm faster than he’d expected.
If he had to name a reason, it was probably because of Lin Qi—that catfish had stirred the waters and given everyone a sense of crisis.
So, he pulled out his phone and called someone.
BEEP!
A screen materialized in front of him, displaying a pretty face.
It was the face of an expressionless girl. Her features were beautiful, but her aura was ice-cold.
"What is it?"
"Song Qing, I’ve broken through to the Fourth Realm of Bone Cultivation. Don’t tell me you, the fifth-ranked student, still haven’t broken through?"
Wan Ming’s face was plastered with a smug, boastful smile.
The girl on the screen was Song Qing, ranked fifth overall in the Tenth Institute. She had always been one step ahead of him, an obstacle he could never seem to surpass.
The expression on Song Qing’s face remained unchanged. "Congratulations, then. Unfortunately for you, I broke through yesterday. Exactly one day ahead of you."
With that, she hung up, giving Wan Ming no chance to reply.
"Huh?"
The smile on Wan Ming’s face instantly froze. He was filled with indignation. ’Just one day! If I had known, I would have used the Jade Skin Ointment yesterday!’
Suddenly, he thought of Lin Qi and immediately sent him a message.
[Wan Ming: Lin Qi, I broke through to the Fourth Realm today. I’m the sixth person in the Tenth Academy to do so. Just wanted to share the good news with you.]
[And by the way, how’s your progress coming along!?]
...
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Villa 01 in the Azure Sky Sixth Institute.
BZZZT!!
Just as Lin Qi confirmed his identity and accepted a package from the deliveryman, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He pulled it out and saw the message from Wan Ming.
A strange expression crossed his face. The more he interacted with Wan Ming, the more amusing he found him.
He looked at the message. ’Is Wan Ming trying to show off to me?’
He had to admit, the geniuses of the Tenth Academy cultivated remarkably fast.
So far, six of them had already broken through to the Fourth Realm. By April, all of them would probably reach the Fourth Realm of Bone Cultivation.
In contrast, Deans like Ao Feng would likely need until May to break through to the Fourth Realm.
Then, he sent a simple reply to Wan Ming.
[Lin Qi: Congrats. But my luck’s been pretty good, too. I’ve also broken through to the Fourth Realm.]
On the other end, Wan Ming shot up from his seat, his expression changing drastically.
"He broke through, too?"
"Lin Qi actually broke through to the Fourth Realm as well?"
"How did he do it?"
Wan Ming started to panic. He had felt a sense of crisis when Lin Qi entered the top nine geniuses, but deep down, he never thought Lin Qi could actually surpass him.
But now, just like that, Lin Qi had caught up.
He shuddered, feeling a pressure as heavy as a mountain descend upon him. All his previous joy vanished in an instant.
’What a freak!’
’If I don’t work harder, he’s really going to leave me in the dust.’
Spurred by this thought, Wan Ming immediately resumed his cultivation.
...
Back in the Martial Arts Room, Lin Qi looked at Wan Ming’s reply. It was very simple, just a single question mark:
"?"
There were no other messages. Clearly, the news of his own breakthrough had rattled him.
’Based on Wan Ming’s message, my Qi and Blood Value should now rank among the top six, possibly even in fifth place.’
Lin Qi made a quick mental comparison and realized he had advanced again. It seemed he had unknowingly surpassed Wan Ming.
He put away his phone and turned his attention to the three metal boxes in front of him.
The first contained a large assortment of miscellaneous cultivation resources.
The second metal box held five vials of Spiritual Potion, which he carefully put away.
He then opened the last one, a black metal box about the size of a gift box.
BEEP.
He pressed a button on the side, and the top of the box slid open automatically, revealing five vials of potion secured inside.
The transparent test tubes contained a dark greenish-gray liquid.
This was the potion used specifically for the Fourth Realm of Bone Cultivation—Bone Tempering Liquid.
’Time to see what this Bone Tempering Liquid can do!’
Lin Qi took out a vial, uncapped it, and drank the gray liquid in one gulp.
The Bone Tempering Liquid tasted unremarkable, even a little bitter. As soon as it hit his stomach, it began to take effect.
Streams of heat flowed from his stomach, bypassing his organs and surging directly into his bones.
Then, his bones began to heat up. As time passed, it felt as if every single bone was being forged in a small furnace.
Amidst the heat, Lin Qi didn’t feel pain, but rather a strange, tingling numbness.
Feeling the changes in his skeleton, Lin Qi knew the Bone Tempering Liquid was working.
The sensation was most pronounced in the bones of his limbs, which grew noticeably hot.
This reminded Lin Qi of the Bone Cultivation realm. The human body has 206 bones, divided into three parts: the skull, the torso, and the limbs.
Each part has a different number of bones, and the refinement process follows a specific order: from the limbs to the torso, and finally to the skull.
These also corresponded to the three minor stages of the Fourth Realm: early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage.
Once all three parts were fully refined, one would reach the peak and could prepare to break through to the Fifth Realm.
Haaaah...
Lin Qi exhaled, feeling the heat in his limbs. He immediately began to practice his Fist Technique, moving his joints and skeleton to work in tandem with the Bone Tempering Liquid and maximize its effects.
BANG! BANG!!
His sinews and bones hummed in unison as his muscles exerted power, his body vibrating like a finely-tuned machine running at high speed.
His Power surged like the torrential waters of the Yellow River, its flow almost rivaling that of his own blood.
HUMMM!
Lin Qi felt the Power circulating, especially within his joints. The tingling numbness intensified, and the vibrations of his Power accelerated the refinement of his bones.
It was like a dull blade being slowly ground on a whetstone, its sharpness gradually emerging.
’This is the feeling!’
Lin Qi’s Fist Technique became more and more fluid. Amidst the intense, vibrational refinement, he felt the circulation of his Power and deepened his control over it.
His strength rose steadily.
[You have consumed Bone Tempering Liquid. The bones of your limbs have been thoroughly refined. Qi and Blood Value +0.5]
[You have executed Tiger Form Fist. The vibrating circulation of Power in your bones has accelerated their refinement. Qi and Blood Value +0.5]
[... Qi and Blood Value +0.5]
...
An hour later.
POW—
Feeling his body’s fatigue, Lin Qi exerted his strength one last time. He struck out with Tiger Claw Power channeled to his fingertips, unleashing a condensed burst of Power that cracked the air and sent out a ripple.
[You have consumed Bone Tempering Liquid. In conjunction with Tiger Form Fist, the bones of your body have been significantly improved. Qi and Blood Value breakthrough. Qi and Blood Value +7]
[You have practiced Tiger Form Fist. Your mastery of Power has reached a new level. Fist Technique +3%]
[Qi and Blood Value: 105 → 112]
[Fist Technique: Tier Three 55% → Tier Three 58%]
...
Lin Qi withdrew his fist, allowing the surging Qi Blood in his body to calm down. As his aura relaxed, a tide of exhaustion washed over him.
Haaaah...
Panting heavily, he looked at the information on the golden panel. He was especially pleased to see his Qi and Blood Value had increased by a full 7 points.
’The first time you use any resource, your body has no resistance, so the effects are always the strongest.’
’My Qi and Blood Value actually shot up by 7 points the first time I took Bone Tempering Liquid. That’s even higher than I expected.’
Lin Qi looked at his Qi and Blood Value. In just two or three days, it had not only broken past 100 but had shot all the way up to 112.
He was delighted by his rate of progress.
Looking at the four remaining vials of Bone Tempering Liquid on the ground, he felt he could probably push his Qi and Blood Value to 120 within half a month.
Once he entered the Otherworld and learned an Intermediate Source Energy Technique, his Qi and Blood Value would increase even faster.
Thinking of this, he began to look forward to the trip to the Otherworld in half a month.
...
Time passed slowly.
「Ten more days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Lin Qi had returned to his peaceful cultivation routine, though there was still no word from his teacher, Mu Hong.
Lin Qi would occasionally tag along with Jiangtao, Guan Mountain, and Wang Qiufeng to audit Liu Ran’s lectures.
Although Liu Ran’s specialty was Saber Technique, he still benefited greatly from her instruction.
On this day, March 15th, one month after the start of the semester...
Azure Sky Sixth Institute, Cangjing Building, fourth floor—Liu Ran’s combination office and classroom.
Liu Ran, whose tanned skin and leopard-like aura radiated power, swung her Miao Blade in a series of fluid motions.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The wind from her blade swirled around her, and her rampant Power was so palpable that the surrounding students could clearly feel its release and circulation.
At the very end, she swung her blade one last time, unleashing a slash of tangible blade energy that left Lin Qi and the others in awe.
"Alright, that’s all for today’s class."
As Liu Ran spoke, the students began to pack up and leave.
Then, she saw Lin Qi about to leave and subconsciously asked:
"Lin Qi, it’s been eleven days. Have you managed to achieve Power Separation yet?"
As soon as she said this, the students who were about to leave all stopped in their tracks.
Even Ding Danxuan, the Dean of the Sixth Institute’s second-years, looked over with curiosity. It had been about twelve days since Lin Qi had first started attending the class.
That was about the same amount of time it had taken her to grasp Power Separation.
Jiangtao, standing nearby, couldn’t help but chime in:
"Professor, Brother Qi already learned how to fuse Power and Source Energy back in the Third Realm."
"As for Power Separation, he achieved that a long time ago!"
Even though he wasn’t the one being praised, saying it out loud gave him an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Seeing the astonished look on Professor Liu Ran’s face made him feel even better.
"He already achieved it? That fast?"
"Didn’t you hear? Lin Qi could already fuse Power and Source Energy in the Third Realm. After breaking through to the Fourth Realm, mastering Power Separation must have been a piece of cake for him."
"He probably managed it in just three or four days!"
"That’s just outrageous! What a monster!"
A series of sharp intakes of breath could be heard in the room.
Ding Danxuan was also exceptionally shocked. ’He mastered the fusion of Power and Source Energy in the Third Realm?’
’Doesn’t that mean he could achieve Power Separation almost instantly?’
An inexplicable sense of defeat washed over her.
’What does that make me, who took thirteen and a half days to achieve Power Separation?’
’Useless?’
...