Chapter 39 - 32: First Grade
Meanwhile, with the Mosquito Avatar.
It was currently latched firmly onto the back of a huge, savage monster.
Its sharp proboscis was frantically drawing out the monster’s viscous, scorching blood, which teemed with astonishing energy.
The avatar’s current [Paralysis] skill was only Level 4.
Ordinarily, a toxin of this level should have been almost completely ineffective at paralyzing the pain receptors of a monster whose strength was comparable to a First-Grade Martial Artist.
However, these monsters born from the blood rain seemed to be nothing more than pure incarnations of destruction and devastation!
They possessed not a shred of rationality—only a primal brutality that drove them to devour living things.
They didn’t deliberately destroy buildings, merely wandering aimlessly through the blood-drenched city. Only when they smelled the aura of a living being would they erupt in a frenzied, bloodthirsty assault.
Therefore, the monster was currently like a colossal, unfeeling puppet!
It was completely unaware of the tiny mosquito on its back, which was frantically plundering its life essence!
’This was a dream come true for the Mosquito Avatar!’
’It could drink its fill without any restraint!’
[Qi and Blood +0.5!]
[Qi and Blood +0.5!]
[...]
Another surge of violent Qi and Blood flooded into his main body!
Lin Yi’s body shuddered again. The Qi and Blood roiling through him grew even more intense, and the veins beneath his skin bulged like earthworms. Sweat instantly soaked his clothes, steaming in the cold air of the shelter.
He forcefully circulated his Bone Tempering Skill, guiding this power to impact his bones.
[Bone Tempering]: 1 (52%), 205 (0%)!
53%... 54%... 55%!
Like a wild horse breaking free from its shackles, his Bone Tempering progress began to skyrocket, driven by the frenzied torrent of Qi and Blood!
...
Time passed in silent Refinement.
Finally—
With a final shudder,
The enormous monster beneath the Mosquito Avatar was drained of its very last wisp of life-essence-filled Qi and Blood!
Its flesh and bones, once as solid as rock, became like a sand sculpture weathered over billions of years the instant they lost all support from their life energy.
Under the downpour of blood rain, it silently dissolved into a pool of scarlet sludge, which was then diluted by the rain and washed away, disappearing completely.
The Mosquito Avatar didn’t pause for a moment. Its slender antennae twitched, and its [Tracking] skill activated instantly, precisely locking onto the trail of another dense life aura in the air.
Like the cruelest and most efficient hunter in the night, it tore through the curtain of rain and shot off at extreme speed, pouncing toward the next abundant source of energy!
It was like a tireless, unstoppable plundering machine, frantically absorbing the life essence of one monster after another.
The moment one monster was sucked dry and turned to dust, it would immediately lock onto the next target.
Amidst this endless hunt and consumption, its own abilities were also rapidly evolving and growing:
[Flight Proficiency +1!]
[Stealth Proficiency +1!]
[Paralysis Proficiency +1!]
[Tracking Proficiency +1!]
The proficiency of the Mosquito Avatar’s various skills was rapidly increasing during this hunt.
And at this moment, inside the solid, cold shelter,
Lin Yi had firmly seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The vast Qi and Blood provided by his Mosquito Avatar was like an inexhaustible energy source, allowing him to madly advance his great work of Bone Tempering with unprecedented efficiency.
60%... 70%... 80%...
His concept of time seemed to blur.
He maintained the sitting posture of the Bone Tempering Skill, his body as motionless as a boulder. Only the thick, bloody mist on his skin roiled restlessly, a clear sign of the violent energy storm raging within him.
This long Refinement continued for nearly eight hours.
At his current Cultivation speed—calculated at 1% of Bone Tempering progress every ten minutes—that was 6% an hour!
During these full eight hours of arduous, single-minded Cultivation, which he pursued as if starved,
the Refinement progress of Lin Yi’s first torso bone finally climbed to an astonishing... 99%!
He was just one step away from Perfection!
At this very moment!
As he guided his focus to complete one more cycle of Bone Tempering!
HUM!
A clear, resonant chime seemed to ring out from the depths of his soul!
The last trace of stagnation was completely broken through!
Countless Qi and Blood runes were perfectly etched and branded onto that rib!
The progress bar instantly jumped, freezing at—
100%!
The first torso bone had reached Great Success in its Refinement!
An indescribable sense of solidity, power, and self-control erupted from that fully refined rib bone, instantly spreading through his entire body!
The feeling was exceptionally clear, heralding a brand-new realm.
The First-Grade Martial Artist Realm!
Lin Yi had finally, truly stepped through this door!
The next moment, a tyrannical, scorching aura, tinged with a primal savagery, erupted from him like an invisible shockwave!
In the blink of an eye, it swept through the entire shelter.
Everyone in the room was hit by the blast of Qi and Blood.
"What’s going on?!"
"Such a strong Qi and Blood fluctuation!"
"Is that Lin Yi? What happened to him?!"
The entire shelter instantly fell deathly silent!
All the students were stunned by the sudden, terrifying aura, and they stared in horror at Lin Yi in the corner.
Lin Yi had been cultivating for a full eight hours this time. After so long, the other students had grown used to it, almost numb to the sight. They could only sigh and think, ’Geniuses really are hardworking,’ before ignoring him again.
But now, everyone’s expressions had changed drastically. They stared in disbelief at the young man who was bathed in blood, his aura as violent as a volcano!
"Lin! What’s going on?!" Luo Qian, who was right next to him, paled at the sudden impact. His heart pounded, and the exclamation burst out of him.
He felt as if he were being watched by an invisible beast, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes. A faint gleam of Qi and Blood essence seemed to flash in their depths before fading, leaving them profound and calm.
A reassuring smile appeared on his face, and his voice was steady and strong. "Luo, don’t worry. I just reached a critical point in my Bone Tempering, so my Qi and Blood got a little turbulent. I’m fine. Better than fine, actually."
As he spoke, he pulled up his system panel to check—
[Host]: Lin Yi.
[Realm]: First-Grade Martial Artist.
[Qi and Blood]: 22.0/22.0.
[Bone Tempering]: 1 (100%), 205 (0%).
[Spirit]: 1.0.
’I’ve finally broken through to become a First-Grade Martial Artist!’
Lin Yi was filled with emotion, his heart surging with boundless excitement.
Luo Qian sized Lin Yi up and down with suspicion and uncertainty. The lingering, almost suffocating pressure of his Qi and Blood was far from ordinary.
"That surge of Qi and Blood just now... was terrifying! Lin, did you just take that legendary one-billion-yuan ’Dragon Blood Potion’? Damn, the consortium behind you... just how much of their fortune did they spend on you?!"
No matter what he guessed, he could never have imagined that Lin Yi had actually achieved Perfection in his Bone Tempering and broken through to become a First-Grade Martial Artist in just two days.
He didn’t even dare to consider that possibility.
Lin Yi just smiled and didn’t bother to explain.
"Luo, there are some things I can’t explain in detail right now. Just keep watch for me. I need to continue my Cultivation."
"Still... still cultivating?!" Luo Qian’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He gestured at his communicator. "You’ve been doing Bone Tempering for eight straight hours! Even a body made of iron couldn’t take this kind of abuse! I know you want to get stronger, but haste makes waste, man! If your body collapses, all the talent in the world won’t do you any good!"
His tone was filled with concern and anxiety, terrified that Lin Yi would collapse from the high-intensity Cultivation.
A warmth spread through Lin Yi’s heart. He nodded solemnly. "Don’t worry, Luo. I know my limits. I wouldn’t joke around with my own life."
He knew Luo Qian was genuinely looking out for him, and he committed this friendship to memory.
But as his gaze swept over the heavy alloy door of the shelter, Lin Yi’s eyes became incomparably resolute.
’The Red Moon has only been here for eight hours!’
’There are still a full sixteen hours of cataclysmic chaos to go!’
’This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!’
’If I don’t seize this chance to have my Mosquito Avatar frantically devour the Qi and Blood of the monsters spawned by the blood rain, using it to temper my bones and enhance my Martial Dao foundation, then once it’s gone...’
’I’ll have to wait more than five agonizing months for the next Red Moon!’
’This chance is fleeting. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever!’
With that thought, Lin Yi said no more. He closed his eyes again and began the Refinement of his second bone.