Chapter 30 - 23: Bone Tempering Skill
Lu Donghai practically burst through the door of the principal’s office.
"Principal! Principal! Incredible news! The best news ever!" Lu Donghai’s voice cracked with excitement, his usual composure completely gone. "Lin Yi! Lin Yi’s Qi and Blood value... it’s reached 10.0! A peak Martial Disciple!"
Behind a large desk, the gray-haired principal, Chen Zhenguo, was hunched over, reviewing documents. He jerked his head up at the words, and the fountain pen in his hand CLATTERED onto the tabletop.
An astonishing light instantly erupted from his deep-set eyes. His sharp gaze locked onto Lin Yi as if it were a physical thing.
"Lin Yi?" Chen Zhenguo’s voice held a barely perceptible tremble. He pushed his chair back, stood up, and hurried around his desk. "Is it true?"
"It’s absolutely true, Principal!" Lu Donghai jumped in, his face flush with uncontrollable excitement. "The entire class saw it with their own eyes! The final stable value displayed on the Qi and Blood detector was 10.000!"
Chen Zhenguo took a deep breath, walked over to Lin Yi, and sized him up with a burning gaze.
Even this old principal, known for his unshakeable calm, couldn’t hide his excitement at this moment.
He reached out and clapped Lin Yi heavily on the shoulder, the force so great that Lin Yi felt himself sink slightly.
"Excellent! Good lad! You’ve truly brought honor to our Yang City No. 1 High School!" Chen Zhenguo cheered, so thrilled that even the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out.
There were a total of four Martial Arts High Schools in Yang City.
The other three high schools had all seen students successfully break through into the First-Grade Martial Artist Realm.
But Yang City No. 1 High School—despite its halo as the "Number One High School in the City" and its pride as a breeding ground for top students—had somehow failed to produce a single true Martial Artist.
It had become a thorn in Chen Zhenguo’s side.
Every time he attended a meeting at the Municipal Education Bureau, the subtle glances and sarcastic tones from his three old rivals buzzed in his ears like flies, making him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Whenever he recalled their taunts, he would grind his teeth in frustration. The feeling of being stifled was almost unbearable.
Now, with Lin Yi having reached the peak of a Martial Disciple and on the verge of becoming a Martial Artist, he could finally hold his head high.
"Hahaha! Our Yang City No. 1 High School is finally going to have a Martial Artist!" Chen Zhenguo’s previous gloom was swept away as a heroic spirit surged within him, making him feel ten years younger. But then, a flicker of caution crossed his mind. He looked at Lin Yi with a fiery gaze. "No, this matter is too important. Lin Yi, I need to see your Qi and Blood value with my own eyes to be at ease! Let’s test it again right now. Is that a problem?"
Beneath the immense surprise was a sliver of instinctual unease.
A Qi and Blood value of 10.0!
This was the true threshold of the Martial Dao!
He had to confirm it with his own eyes to finally put his anxious heart to rest.
If this was just the students getting carried away and it all turned out to be for nothing, his old bones couldn’t take that kind of disappointment.
Lin Yi’s expression was calm. Without a hint of hesitation, he nodded and replied, "No problem, Principal."
"Let’s go!"
Chen Zhenguo gave a sharp wave of his hand and strode forward, with Lu Donghai and Lin Yi close behind.
The three of them walked briskly, a sense of fiery urgency in their steps, as they quickly left the principal’s office and headed straight for the familiar Qi and Blood testing room.
It was the same old procedure.
The switch was flipped, a low hum started, and the sensor patch touched his skin.
Soon, the result appeared on the detector.
Staring at the brightly lit Qi and Blood value of 10.0...
Chen Zhenguo’s worries completely vanished. He let out a long, silent sigh of relief, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
When his gaze focused on Lin Yi again, it was filled with undisguised admiration and earnest anticipation.
"Lin Yi, you’ve done very well! You haven’t failed the school’s investment in you! Tell me, what do you need? The school’s resources are at your full disposal! Qi Blood Pills? Supplementary medicinal herbs? More time in the Cultivation Room? Just say the word!"
Lin Yi bowed slightly, his tone calm but firm.
"Thank you, Principal! Thank you, Teacher Lu! What I need most right now is to apply for the Bone Tempering Skill to break through to the Martial Artist Realm."
"Haha, of course!" Chen Zhenguo laughed, completely unsurprised. "Your Qi and Blood have reached the initial human limit. The next step is the Refinement of your muscles and bones—a complete transformation to break through and become a Martial Artist! This is the inevitable path!"
After his laughter subsided, he turned to Lu Donghai, the homeroom teacher beside him, and gave decisive instructions.
"Xiaolu, you can head back to your class. From now on, Lin Yi no longer needs to attend regular lessons with Class 12-1."
Seeing the flash of astonishment in Lu Donghai’s eyes, Chen Zhenguo explained in a heartfelt tone:
"If he can truly break through and become a Martial Artist, the content of the regular classes will be of little help to him. Continuing with them would only waste his precious time and talent!"
He felt that having Lin Yi continue with his regular classes, where he would learn little, was a waste of his talent.
Besides, the top students from the other three high schools had already broken through to the Martial Artist Realm, with the latest one having done so three months ago.
Lin Yi was only now starting his sprint toward becoming a Martial Artist; he was already quite far behind.
’As the principal, I have to personally make up for this lost time!’
Lu Donghai instantly understood the principal’s deeper meaning. His astonishment quickly turned to agreement and solemnity. He immediately straightened his back and replied, "Yes, Principal! I understand!"
Then, with a mix of complex and gratified emotions, he turned and left, heading toward the classroom for Class 12-1.
Meanwhile, Chen Zhenguo personally led Lin Yi back to his spacious and somewhat austere principal’s office.
He strode to a safe embedded in the wall on one side of the office, entered a complex password, and then performed fingerprint and iris verification.
The heavy alloy door slid open silently, revealing a few ancient, thread-bound books and several specially-made USB drives inside.
Chen Zhenguo carefully took out one of the USB drives, which gleamed with a silvery metallic luster, and handed it solemnly to Lin Yi.
"Take this, Lin Yi. This is Yang City No. 1 High School’s treasured ’Basic Bone Tempering Skill’. Although it’s a standard version, it has been repeatedly verified by numerous Martial Dao masters. It is well-balanced and exceptionally stable, making it the most suitable foundational Cultivation Technique for the path of a Martial Artist!"
Lin Yi accepted the USB drive with both hands. The cold metal felt cool in his palm, yet it seemed to carry a searing weight.
He knew with perfect clarity that this small USB drive held the key to the path of the Martial Dao.
"Thank you, Principal!" Lin Yi said with sincere gratitude.
"Don’t mention it. You’ve earned this!"
Chen Zhenguo waved his hand, his expression suddenly turning serious.
"However, Lin Yi, Bone Tempering is no trivial matter! It is the first step in forging your muscles and bones, a complete transformation. The process is exceedingly dangerous. The slightest mistake could result in a damaged foundation at best, or disability and even death at worst!"
"To ensure your safety, from now on, you will conduct your Cultivation in my private Cultivation Room. It’s equipped with a top-of-the-line Energy Stabilization Device and an emergency medical life support system! If any signs of your Qi and Blood spiraling out of control or any other danger appear during your Cultivation, the system will intervene immediately, and I can also rush over to help at a moment’s notice!"
Lin Yi was now the apple of the old principal’s eye; naturally, he had to ensure Lin Yi’s breakthrough was completely safe.
An ordinary Martial Artist’s Bone Tempering required them to channel their own Qi and Blood to impact their bones. The process was agonizing and demanded immense focus. It truly required a quiet room, a stable environment, and an expert Guardian to prevent their Qi and Blood from going out of control.
But... Lin Yi was different!
’He has the heaven-defying cheat that is his Mosquito Avatar!’
’The Qi and Blood fed back to him from his avatar’s hunts is incomparably pure, gentle, and controllable. He doesn’t need to actively guide it or struggle to circulate it at all!’
’With just a single thought, he can command this Qi and Blood as easily as moving his own limbs, precisely impacting and tempering the target bones!’
’Its efficiency and safety far surpass traditional Bone Tempering methods!’
However, Lin Yi could clearly feel the concern in the principal’s words, so he nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern, Principal. I will be extremely cautious."
Chen Zhenguo nodded in satisfaction and continued:
"Before you begin your Cultivation, there are some things you must commit to memory!"
"Condensing Qi and Blood, tempering bones with blood energy... this process itself is a massive drain on your own Qi and Blood!"
"Once you begin practicing the Bone Tempering Skill, your maximum Qi and Blood will gradually increase as you temper your body. This means your body’s potential is growing."
"But at the same time, the actual amount of Qi and Blood stored and circulating within you will plummet due to the immense consumption from the Refinement! And this drop is often staggering!"
Hearing this, Lin Yi frowned slightly and asked, "My Qi and Blood... will drop?"
This was different from what he had imagined.
"Of course it’s consumed!"
Chen Zhenguo raised his voice, his expression grave.
"Bone Tempering is using your own powerful Qi and Blood to repeatedly hammer, permeate, and nourish every bone in your body, just like forging steel! This requires a massive amount of Qi and Blood as a source of nourishment and power! Do you think that consumption is small?"
"Let me give you a more direct analogy..."
"Right now, you have a peak Qi and Blood value of 10.0. After you complete one session of Cultivation with the Bone Tempering Skill, your body’s potential will be stimulated, and your maximum Qi and Blood might rise to 10.1 or even slightly higher. But because you’ve used up a large amount of Qi and Blood to temper your bones, at that moment, the actual, usable amount of Qi and Blood remaining in your body might have plummeted to... around 9.0!"
"At this stage, you must stop! Be patient! You have to replenish your nutrition, rest, regulate your breathing, and even use Qi Blood Pills to let the consumed Qi and Blood fully recover and refill to the new maximum—10.1. Only after that will your body be in a state to support your next Bone Tempering Cultivation session!"
"Therefore, on the path of Cultivation, you must never be greedy for quick success! After every Bone Tempering session, you must patiently wait for your Qi and Blood to fully recover to its peak state before attempting the next round! This is an ironclad rule!"
Chen Zhenguo’s words were resolute as he stared intently at Lin Yi.
"If you ignore your body’s deficit and force yourself to cultivate continuously, it’s like draining the pond to catch the fish! The consequence will inevitably be a deficiency of Qi and Blood, a shaken foundation, and even severe, irreversible internal injuries that will completely sever your future on the Martial Dao! Understand?"
Lin Yi carved every one of the principal’s warnings into his heart and nodded seriously again. "Principal, I understand! I will be sure to remember your teachings!"
Seeing Lin Yi’s humble acceptance of his guidance and his calm reply, Chen Zhenguo felt even more delighted, the admiration in his eyes growing stronger.
He then raised a core question that would determine the first step of Lin Yi’s Bone Tempering journey:
"Very good. In that case, Lin Yi, which part of your skeleton do you plan to prioritize for Refinement to achieve your breakthrough?"