Chapter 162 - 95: Second Grade
The place was already bustling with voices and brilliantly lit.
On the massive round table, an exquisite array of delicacies gave off an enticing aroma and dense Spiritual Qi.
To express his gratitude, Wang Yiming had definitely spared no expense this time.
The most eye-catching dish was a platter of golden-brown, crispy ribs sizzling with oil. It was the choicest cut from a Third Grade Demon Beast, the "Red Flame Bull," and the Fire Attribute energy contained within its meat could be felt from a great distance.
Beside it was a basin of thick, milky-white, and fragrant soup. The main ingredient was the tenderest belly meat of a Second Grade Water Element Demon Beast, the "Green Wave Silver Scale Fish."
There were also stir-fried Jade Bamboo Shoots, a Spirit Plant that grew in places with dense Spiritual Qi, and flash-fried Dragon Beard Iron Sparrow Tongue, the ingredients of which were taken from a peak First Grade Agile Type flying Demon Beast...
Even the most ordinary-looking dish of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, upon closer inspection, had a gentle luster flowing across its leaves. It was clearly no common item.
Among this table of impressive dishes, even the cheapest one probably cost tens of thousands of Huaxia Coins!
A rough estimate put the cost of Wang Yiming’s thank-you banquet tonight at no less than two or three million!
However, this was an expense that would be astronomical for an ordinary person.
For Wang Yiming, a Martial Artist who had graduated from Demon City Martial Arts University and reached the Fourth Grade Realm, it was not a small sum, but it was one he could absolutely afford.
Besides, he was genuinely grateful to his alma mater for extending a helping hand.
Lin Yi sat in a corner, facing a table full of delicacies, and began to eat heartily without reservation.
He was truly famished.
He had spent the day fighting his way through the perilous mountain forest and ancient tomb, his nerves stretched taut, with no time to eat properly.
Now that he could relax, his stomach was completely empty.
He ate with focused speed, yet without appearing crude, replenishing his body’s much-needed energy.
Cups clinked and conversation flowed.
The teachers and elders discussed what they had seen on their trip, exchanged cultivation insights, and asked with concern about Wang Yiming’s progress in Demon City.
The private room was filled with a harmonious and lively atmosphere.
Time passed amidst cheerful talk and laughter.
「Two in the morning.」
The banquet, where both host and guests had enjoyed themselves to the fullest, finally came to an end.
"Principal, teachers, I’ll be heading back first," Lin Yi said, politely bidding farewell to Chen Zhenguo and the other instructors.
"Alright. Be careful on your way and get some good rest," Chen Zhenguo nodded.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Lin Yi took a cab back to his small home in the tenement building.
He didn’t start his Cultivation immediately. Instead, in a rare moment, he moved a chair out onto the cramped balcony.
He sat there quietly, watching the scenery outside and feeling the cool breeze.
’Too much happened today.’
When he faced that Fifth Grade Corpse General today, he had truly, viscerally felt the aura of death!
’That feeling of powerlessness, like an ant before absolute strength... It’s still so vivid, as if it’s happening right now.’
’I’m still too weak!’
’Get stronger!’
’I have to get stronger!’
’I’ll start my seclusion tomorrow. I won’t come out until I’ve used up all the Bone Tempering Pills and broken through to the Second Grade Realm!’
Lin Yi made up his mind.
’This time, no matter what, I won’t change my plans halfway through.’
During the dinner tonight, he had already asked Chen Zhenguo for leave in person.
With his current strength and progress, it wouldn’t matter if he temporarily skipped the school’s regular academic courses.
At this moment, strength was his one and only pursuit.
...
「Five days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Over these five days, Lin Yi had become a reclusive battle junkie. He never stepped out his front door, having entered a state of frantic, secluded cultivation.
His tiny rented room was filled with the faint smell of sweat, the lingering scent of Pills, and the odor of takeout containers.
His life was compressed to the bare essentials—
he relied on takeout for food, and aside from handling his biological needs and getting necessary sleep, he poured all his time and energy into selfless Cultivation.
It was as if he was completely cut off from the outside world.
Spearmanship training was his foundation and could not be neglected.
Every day, without fail, he would set aside a full two hours to practice his basic spearmanship.
The rest of his time was dedicated to the great cause of Bone Tempering!
One by one, the precious Bone Tempering Pills had their Medicinal Power precisely drained by the Mosquito Avatar, then converted into a pure, surging torrent of Qi and Blood that continuously flowed back into Lin Yi’s body.
He could clearly feel each surge of Qi and Blood washing over his bones like molten lava, bringing an indescribable sensation of soreness, swelling, numbness, and itching—the process of his bones undergoing Refinement by the Medicinal Power, constantly growing tougher and stronger.
He was in pain, yet exultant—a perfect description of the moment.
Finally!
As the Medicinal Power of the very last Bone Tempering Pill was completely drained by the Mosquito Avatar and transformed into a warm current that flowed into Lin Yi’s body, his arduous, secluded Cultivation, which had lasted for five whole days, finally came to a pause.
A total of two thousand five hundred Bone Tempering Pills had been completely consumed!
Although it had taken slightly longer than he had anticipated, the rewards were immense, enough to drive any Martial Artist mad with envy!
[Qi and Blood]: 671.44/671.44.
[Bone Tempering]: 59 (100%), 1 (24%), 146 (0%).
At this moment,
Lin Yi had successfully tempered fifty-nine bones!
That’s right. Not only had he refined the fifty-one torso bones to flawless Perfection, but he had also gone a step further and refined the eight carpal bones of his right hand!
This meant that he had officially stepped into the realm of a Second-Grade Martial Artist!
His strength had taken a qualitative leap!
Lin Yi’s choice to refine his upper limb bones before his lower limb bones in the Second Grade was a well-considered one.
Everything was for the sake of comprehending the incredibly powerful "Overlapping Waves Intent"!
He knew full well that to master the Overlapping Waves Intent, he first had to master the power-generating technique of the Tenth Layer of Power Storage.
And the Tenth Layer of Power Storage placed a terrifying burden on the arms, requiring one to compress and stack their entire body’s strength to its limit before unleashing it in an instant.
Therefore, he had decisively chosen to prioritize the Refinement of his upper limb bones.
This would make the bones and muscles of his arms stronger and more capable of withstanding this violent force.
This way, he would get twice the result with half the effort when cultivating the Tenth Layer of Power Storage, and reduce the risk of backlash.
Now, the total amount of Qi and Blood in his body had reached an astonishing 671.44 points!
This power surged and roared within him as if a humanoid beast lay dormant inside, so powerful that it didn’t seem human at all!
One must understand that for an ordinary Senior Martial Disciple, reaching a Qi and Blood value of 10.0 was already their limit.
Lin Yi’s current Qi and Blood was more than sixty times theirs!
What a terrifying gap!
Through this session of Refinement, Lin Yi also keenly noticed the differences brought about by Bone Tempering in different parts of the body.
Refining one torso bone directly increased his Qi and Blood limit by 12 points, a significant effect.
Refining one upper limb bone, however, only increased the Qi and Blood limit by 6 points.
However, he was even more delighted to discover the huge benefit of refining his torso bones ahead of time.
After the Refinement of his torso bones reached Perfection, the difficulty of refining his upper and lower limb bones plummeted, and the efficiency doubled!
Previously, it would take two minutes to achieve 1% progress in Refinement.
Now, it only took a single minute!
The speed had doubled!
This meant his future Cultivation speed was bound to advance by leaps and bounds.
The Bone Tempering Pills were gone, and he had achieved the Second Grade Realm.
Lin Yi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging sense of power within him.
He began to calmly think about his next steps:
’My first goal is, of course, to cultivate the two powerful Martial Arts Realms, "Overlapping Waves Intent" and "Fast Gun Intent," as quickly as possible. This is the key to improving my combat strength.’
’Second, and the most pressing issue—’
’I’m out of Pills!’
’Without blood packs or resources, trying to maintain this rocket-like Cultivation speed is just a pipe dream.’
’Looks like I have to send the Mosquito Avatar to the Taihang Mountain Range to absorb the Qi and Blood of the Demon Beasts there for my Bone Tempering Cultivation!’
Lin Yi made his decision, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Just then—
"BUZZ!"
The communicator he had placed on the table suddenly vibrated, letting out a harsh buzz.
A new message had arrived.
Lin Yi picked it up and saw that the sender was, of all people, the Principal!
The content was concise and urgent: "Return to school at once!"
Lin Yi’s brow furrowed instantly, a trace of doubt rising in his heart.
’When I asked for leave, I made it clear to the Principal not to disturb my seclusion unless it was something of utmost importance.’
’And now the Principal himself has sent an urgent summons...’
DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG!
Before he could think it through, the communicator went crazy. It started vibrating manically again.
The notification tones came in a continuous stream!
Several more messages arrived in succession.
He quickly scrolled through them.
There was one from his homeroom teacher, Lu Donghai.
One from Teacher Zhang Quan.
And one from Luo Qian.
Without exception, they all told him to return to school quickly.
"Just what in the world happened at the school?"
Lin Yi didn’t dare to hesitate for a second!
He shot to his feet, the Qi and Blood in his body surging slightly, kicking up a gust of wind.
Snatching the Owl Dragon Long Spear that was leaning against the corner of the wall, his figure shot out the door like an arrow loosed from a bow.