Chapter 32 - 25: Sponsorship
Lin Yi held his breath, his mind completely immersed in the profound `Bone Tempering Skill`.
For over an hour, he mulled over every word and phrase, deducing and comprehending its meaning.
He continued until every intricate detail was firmly etched into his mind, flowing without the slightest hesitation.
Only then did he slowly exhale a long, turbid breath, his taut nerves relaxing slightly.
The `Bone Tempering Skill` was markedly different from the "Seven Step Stance Technique" he had previously practiced.
The "Seven Step Stance Technique" was like an external martial art. During `Cultivation`, it required practicing in a standing stance, emphasizing standing like a pine, moving like the wind, and having a stance as steady as a mountain.
The `Bone Tempering Skill`, on the other hand, was more like an `Inner Cultivation Heart Method`. Its core was to circulate `Qi and Blood` for `Bone Tempering`. Therefore, one had to sit cross-legged during `Cultivation`, achieving `Spiritual Unity` and allowing for no disturbances.
The two methods—one external, one internal—were as distinct as night and day.
After confirming that all his preparations were foolproof, Lin Yi focused his mind, his gaze turning sharp and intent.
His back was as straight as a sword, palms resting lightly on his knees, as he began his first official `Cultivation` session of the `Bone Tempering Skill`.
The human torso has 51 bones, which can be broken down further: 26 vertebrae (7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 1 sacrum, 1 coccyx), 24 ribs, and 1 sternum!
Lin Yi was just beginning his `Cultivation` and wasn’t yet proficient. He knew the dangers of a first attempt, so he naturally wouldn’t choose the vertebrae.
After all, if something went wrong during `Cultivation` and his vertebrae were damaged, the consequences would be dire—paralysis at best, death at worst!
So, he chose the uppermost rib on the left side of his chest. This way, even if he was unlucky and something went awry, a fractured rib wouldn’t be life-threatening. The risk was undoubtedly the lowest.
Afterward, Lin Yi no longer hesitated. He began to operate the `Cultivation Technique`. A searing current of energy rose from his `Dantian`, surging along a mystical path within his body. Under the precise guidance of his will, it crashed into the chosen rib, beginning a repeated cycle of scouring, forging, and `Refinement`!
Time passed, second by second.
In the `Cultivation Room`, only Lin Yi’s steady, deep breaths and the low hum of `Qi and Blood` surging deep within his bones could be heard.
He was completely immersed in the strange sensation of `Bone Tempering`, as if he could hear the faint buzzing from the collision of `Qi and Blood` against bone.
A full `Great Cycle` was now complete.
It had taken exactly one hour.
The moment the cycle reached `Perfection`, a powerful wave of weakness, like a cold tide, washed over him!
The immense consumption of `Qi and Blood` made his vision suddenly go black as stars burst before his eyes. The intense dizziness almost made him lose his balance.
His heart clenched. Not daring to delay, he immediately forced the `Cultivation Technique` to a halt.
He fought through the discomfort and immediately summoned the system panel in his mind—
[Qi and Blood]: 7.0/10.12.
[Bone Tempering]: 1 (1%), 205 (0%).
He had consumed 3 points of `Qi and Blood` to increase the progress on one bone by 1%.
His `Qi and Blood` limit had increased by 0.12!
HISS!
Lin Yi’s heart shook, his eyes glued to the data.
He quickly calculated in his head.
’A 1% progress increases my Qi and Blood limit by 0.12. At this rate, if I successfully temper a single bone completely, my Qi and Blood limit will soar by 12 points!’
This far exceeded the 10-point average for `Martial Artists` that Chen Zhenguo had mentioned!
’It seems my body’s potential... is even better than I thought! At the very least, it’s better than most ordinary people!’
Lin Yi was overjoyed.
If he finished tempering one bone and entered the `First-Grade Martial Artist` realm, his `Qi and Blood` would be 22 points—more than double that of someone at `Martial Disciple Perfection`!
And if he tempered all 51 torso bones... reaching `First-Grade Martial Artist` `Perfection`... his `Qi and Blood` would reach a staggering 622 points!
That was over sixty times that of a `Senior Martial Disciple`!
’The gap is enormous!’
However, his euphoria was doused by a splash of cold reality.
’The `Qi and Blood` consumption is too high!’
’At this rate, I’ll need a full 300 points of `Qi and Blood` to finish tempering one bone and officially break through to become a `First-Grade Martial Artist`!’
’That’s equivalent to the total `Qi and Blood` of thirty `Martial Disciples` at the `Perfection` stage!’
’Accumulating Qi and Blood... is so incredibly difficult!’
Lin Yi’s brow furrowed, a heavy feeling creeping into his heart.
Without abundant resources, accumulating such a massive amount of `Qi and Blood` was next to impossible.
Just like now, with his `Qi and Blood` value having plummeted to 7.0, it would probably take a full day of hard work practicing the "Seven Step Stance Technique" just to recover to his maximum.
What did this mean?
It meant that without external aid, he could only practice the `Bone Tempering Skill` once a day at most, barely advancing one bone’s progress by 1%.
To officially break through to the coveted `First-Grade Martial Artist` realm...
’It will take a full hundred days!’
This conclusion brought a suffocating pressure down on Lin Yi.
A hundred days of effort... there were too many variables. He couldn’t afford to wait!
’I have to get the Mosquito Avatar into action as soon as possible!’
A thought became incredibly clear and firm in his mind.
’I have to find a First-Grade Demon Beast and drain its Qi and Blood to replenish my own! Otherwise...’
He clenched his fists.
’It’s absolutely impossible for me to break through in a short time on my own!’
Just as he stood up, preparing to assume the "Seven Step Stance Technique" stance to recover his `Qi and Blood`—
BEEP!
A soft sound broke the silence of the `Cultivation Room`.
The communication device on the wall lit up, and Chen Zhenguo’s steady, gentle voice came through. "Lin Yi, are you busy? If you’re not at a critical point in your `Cultivation`, I’ll come in."
Lin Yi quickly composed himself and replied, "Principal, I’m not busy. Please come in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy alloy door slid open silently.
Chen Zhenguo walked in with a calm stride.
His gaze swept over Lin Yi’s slightly pale face and his just-risen posture. He asked with concern, "You were...?"
Lin Yi shook his head slightly and explained, "I just attempted the `Bone Tempering Skill`. The `Qi and Blood` consumption was a bit high, so I was about to practice my stance work to recover."
Chen Zhenguo smiled knowingly upon hearing this, with the understanding of someone with experience. "Relying on stance work alone to recover `Qi and Blood` is like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water. If you want to temper your bones quickly, you can’t do it without a solid foundation of resources."
As he spoke, he took out a small, lustrous `Jade Bottle` from his clothes and handed it over. "Here, take this."
Lin Yi accepted the `Jade Bottle` with both hands. It felt smooth and warm to the touch. He looked at Chen Zhenguo with some confusion. "Principal, this is...?"
"You’re attempting to break through to the `Martial Artist Realm`; how could the school just stand by and do nothing? Of course we have to give you our full support!" Chen Zhenguo’s tone was gentle yet solemn. "It’s just that the school’s resources are also limited. We could only squeeze out these 10 `Bone Tempering Pills` for you. I hope you don’t find it too shabby."
"`Bone Tempering Pills`?!" Lin Yi’s eyes lit up, and he quickly thanked him. "Thank you, Principal! Thank you so much!"
As a student aspiring to become a `Martial Artist`, he was naturally well-versed in the market for `Pills`.
A regular `Qi Blood Pill` cost three thousand `Huaxia Coins` each and was very effective for `Cultivators` in the `Martial Disciple Realm`.
But for an ultimate `Martial Disciple` who had already begun `Bone Tempering`, it wasn’t much help.
This `Bone Tempering Pill`, however, was a precious `Pill` tailor-made for ultimate `Martial Disciples` to break through their bottlenecks, with a market price as high as ten thousand `Huaxia Coins` each!
In other words, the `Pills` in this small `Jade Bottle` were worth one hundred thousand!
"You’re the face of our school. It’s only right that the school’s resources are directed toward you."
Chen Zhenguo waved his hand, his smile filled with gratification and expectation.
He then adopted a serious tone and advised:
"However, Lin Yi, although this `Bone Tempering Pill` is a great aid for `Bone Tempering`, you must remember the common knowledge about `Pills`!"
"First, all medicine is partly poison. If you take too much in a short period, toxins will accumulate in your body faster than they can be expelled, which will harm your foundation. Second, the human body develops a tolerance to `Medicinal Power`. If you take them too frequently in a short time, their effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
"Normally, taking three a day is the absolute limit, and that’s under ideal conditions."
Lin Yi nodded solemnly, engraving the principal’s warning in his mind. "I understand, sir. Thank you for the reminder."
A sense of urgency still lingered in his heart, and he couldn’t help but probe, "Principal, you have a wealth of experience. In your opinion, roughly how many `Bone Tempering Pills` will I need to successfully break through to the `Martial Artist` realm?"
Chen Zhenguo pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"If you had chosen to temper the bones of your lower or upper limbs, based on my experience and your innate talent, I would estimate that around twenty pills would be a safe bet."
"But now... you’re tempering the much more difficult and complex torso bones. As for how many you’ll need to break through..."
"I can’t say for sure."
He changed the subject, his smile holding a hint of understanding and encouragement.
"However, I heard your `Qi and Blood` increased by nearly 1.0 in just two days. You must have signed a contract with a powerful financial conglomerate, right? In that case, don’t worry about saving resources for them—use everything you can! Breaking through is the top priority!"
Lin Yi gave an awkward smile and said nothing.
His `Qi and Blood` had increased by 1.0 in two days, and everyone at school assumed he had signed with a conglomerate and secured resource backing.
There was no other explanation.
But the key was...
’I didn’t sign anything!’
’I don’t have any money!’
It was just that this matter involved the `Mosquito Avatar`, so he couldn’t very well explain.
"Alright, I won’t keep you from your `Cultivation`." Seeing that Lin Yi didn’t want to elaborate, Chen Zhenguo patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.
The heavy alloy door closed again, and the vast `Cultivation Room` returned to silence, leaving Lin Yi alone.
He looked down at the warm `Jade Bottle` in his hand, took a deep breath, and uncorked it.
A strange, refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air, pure and rich.
He carefully tipped out a `Pill` the size of a longan.
The `Pill` was a warm, milky white, its surface shimmering with a faint, jade-like luster. The pill patterns were fine and dense, a clear sign that it was no ordinary item.
Lin Yi raised the `Pill`, about to put it in his mouth.
At that very moment—
He suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
An extremely bold and unprecedented idea arose in his mind.
’When the human body absorbs the power of a Pill, the process is far from perfect. There’s always some loss; it’s impossible to absorb all the Medicinal Power! A lot of the essence is definitely wasted during the conversion and absorption process!’
Lin Yi was now meticulously calculating every sliver of his resources, treating them as precious treasures. How could he tolerate such waste?
’After breaking its limit, the Mosquito Avatar’s ’Blood Sucking’ ability is no longer restricted to just absorbing Qi and Blood... so could it...’
A fervent light suddenly erupted in his eyes as he stared intently at the precious `Bone Tempering Pill` between his fingers.
’Could it... directly absorb the vast Medicinal Power from this Pill?!’