13: Chapter 13 Iron Bone Realm, Achieved!

Three days after becoming a Third-Rank Apothecary, Jiang Hanzhou was in his new independent cottage, preparing for his Breakthrough to the Iron Bone Realm.

"Whew, I didn't expect that after my fate reached the third stage, my flesh and blood would actually regenerate again."

He sat upright on the bed, gazing at the daylight outside the window, sighing with emotion.

He originally hadn't wanted to pursue the limit of his Qi and blood. But who knew that ever since his 【Late Bloomer】 fate had advanced to the third stage, and his various Aptitudes had improved, his Qi and blood had slowly overflowed from his skin, flesh, and bones. In less than a month, it had completely replenished the thirty percent of Qi and blood he had been lacking.

If not for his ability to restrain his breath, he would likely have exposed his situation.

Therefore, he had not rushed to make his Breakthrough, only setting out to do so today.

"Then, let's begin."

He exhaled a breath of turbid air and looked at the large bowl of improved Nine-Nine Warm Sun Broth before him, picked it up, and drank it in one go.

The medicinal soup entered his belly, like igniting a furnace that had long been ready within his body.

The Qi and blood, originally as calm as a deep pool, suddenly boiled!

Jiang Hanzhou immediately activated his Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength, his mind sinking into his body, guiding the majestic medicinal power and overflowing Qi and blood to surge toward the bones throughout his body.

At first, it was a gentle infiltration, like spring water seeping into arid land, making his bones feel slightly warm.

But as the Cultivation Technique deepened, that warmth quickly turned into a scalding heat, which then transformed into dense yet powerful "waves," beginning to rhythmically strike and beat against every inch of his bones!

"Crack... crackle..."

A fine sound, like spring ice cracking, emanated from deep within his body.

That was not the sound of bones breaking, but the sign of old material being scoured and shaken.

Under the tempering of the Qi and blood waves, layered upon layer, the color of his bones began to change visibly to the naked eye.

The original ivory whiteness quickly faded, replaced by a deep ash-gray. The texture seemed to be cast from refined iron, its density increased dramatically, yet its weight seemed unchanged, instead faintly revealing an implication of solidness and durability.

Iron Bone Realm!

However, the changes did not stop.

Those bones that had reached the "Iron Bone" level, under the still surging waves of Qi and blood and the nourishment of the medicinal power, actually continued to transform!

The ash-gray luster did not solidify; instead, from the deepest part of the bones, a point of golden light quietly sprouted, like a spark starting a prairie fire, spreading rapidly.

First the great Dragon of his spine, then the long bones of his limbs, followed by his ribs, phalanges... all two hundred and six bones in his body were successively imbued with a layer of pale golden radiance!

That gold was not dazzling, but warm and restrained, yet it exuded an indescribable toughness and nobility.

The texture of his bones improved once more; upon knocking them, there seemed to be a clear sound of metal clashing, and from deep within the bone marrow, warm currents flowed, bursting with vitality.

Meanwhile, as the qualitative change of his bones was completed, the Qi and blood energy that had been overflowing throughout his body and had nowhere to settle finally found a home.

They no longer wandered aimlessly but, under the guidance of the Cultivation Technique, condensed strand by strand.

Qi and blood turned into liquid!

Wisps of pale golden mist were extracted from his flesh and blood, converging into streams within his Meridians, and finally settling into his Dantian.

Inside his Dantian, one drop, two drops, three drops... pale golden, crystal-clear liquid like amber quietly formed, slowly rotating, emitting pure and majestic energy fluctuations.

That was the highly condensed essence of Qi and blood, the core of a Martial Artist in the Iron Bone Realm, and the Foundation for impacting higher Realms in the future!

"Gold Bone... it's actually Gold Bone!"

Jiang Hanzhou's mind was shaken violently.

The Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength had once vaguely mentioned that the Iron Bone Realm was not the end; above it were higher levels of bone tempering, which, according to one's Foundation and Opportunity, could be divided into three grades: "Iron Bone," "Gold Bone," and "Jade Bone."

Iron Bone was merely the entry level, where bones were as hard as refined iron, providing great strength and defense.

Gold Bone went a step further; the bones contained a faint golden nature, not only indestructible but also capable of spontaneously nourishing Qi and blood, with astonishing recovery abilities, providing immense benefits for future Cultivation.

And the legendary Jade Bone was already transcendental; the bones were warm like jade, clear inside and out, possessing various miraculous properties.

He never expected that, relying on the solid Foundation and Perfect Qi and blood brought by his third-stage fate, added to the powerful boost from the improved Nine-Nine Warm Sun Broth, he would jump over the Iron Bone threshold in one go and enter the Gold Bone level!

At this moment, pale gold flowed across his bones, and his bone marrow surged like warm plasma. More than ten drops of liquid Qi and blood had condensed in his Dantian, slowly circling.

With every movement, not only did his strength increase several-fold, but he felt his entire body was harmonious and unified, his bones like golden beams and jade pillars supporting his entire body, with no trace of weakness or stagnation.

His skin, membranes, and muscles, attached to them, also seemed to have been tempered and fed back, becoming increasingly tough and powerful.

It was unknown how much time had passed; the white steam in the room gradually dissipated, and the pale golden radiance on his bones slowly retracted, leaving only a deep, ancient bronze-like, indestructible texture.

Jiang Hanzhou slowly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light passing through his pupils before returning to calmness.

He exhaled a long breath of turbid air; the breath was like an arrow, shooting three feet away before slowly dissipating.

Feeling the brand-new strength within his body, as well as the "Gold Bone" Foundation that far exceeded his expectations, the corners of Jiang Hanzhou's mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Iron Bone Realm, achieved.

And it was a one-step ascent, with Gold Bone forged!

Jiang Hanzhou was overjoyed; he knew that as long as he continued step-by-step, he would have the ability to control his own fate.

But an accident arrived suddenly.

His days after the Breakthrough had been regular and fulfilling.

Every day he would Cultivate the Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength, practice two graded Martial Skills, and also practice several ordinary Martial Skills to increase the years required for his fate.

But suddenly, a piece of news was like an ice pick, piercing through the superficially calm daily life of the Water Dock.

"Have you heard? Upstream at 'Black Fish Shoal,' three fishing boats from our Water Dock, along with the people on them, are all gone!"

In the cafeteria, the well-informed Zhou Dazui had a pale face, his voice kept extremely low, yet he couldn't stop trembling.

"It was done by that bunch from 'Over-River Dragon'! Damn it, it must be revenge! Revenge for our Water Dock raiding one of their outposts a while ago!"

"Sixteen people... not one came back. Wang Er, Shi Dunzi's cousin, Li Tietou... they were all on the boat."

Li Tietou.

Jiang Hanzhou's hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.

That man who slept in the bunk next to him, straightforward in nature, loud-voiced, who would say in a muffled voice, "I think Han Zhou has ambition."

The news was quickly confirmed.

It wasn't an encounter with wind and waves; it was a cold-blooded massacre.

Broken boat planks and a small amount of bloody clothing were washed back downstream to the Water Dock, with obvious traces of knife and axe slashes on them.

The River Bandits even arrogantly painted a twisted Dragon pattern in blood on a tattered sail.

The reaction of the Canglang Water Dock was fast and cold.

The wharf was under martial law, the River Patrol Squad's patrol frequency was doubled, and Dock Master Dock Master threw a huge tantrum in the council hall, smashing a pear wood table.

Everyone was silent as cicadas in winter, all thinking that a larger storm of blood was coming.

However, two days passed.

Apart from strengthening precautions, the Water Dock took no substantial retaliatory action.

At the Medicinal Cuisine Hall, Jiang Hanzhou personally heard a small leader of the River Patrol Squad who had come to collect medicine complaining to Pharmacist Qu Fengchun.

"Old Qu, it's not that the brothers are afraid of death. It's the higher-ups... sigh!" The small leader poured himself some cold tea, lowering his voice, "Over at 'Over-River Dragon,' they sent someone to deliver a message, returning seventy percent of the precious medicinal materials they robbed from us last time, along with a sum as a 'gift of apology.' They also guaranteed that they would never touch the Water Dock's merchant ships again... The Dock Master and several Elders discussed it for a night, meaning that... right now the relationship with the Three Rivers Estuary Patrol Inspection Division and the White Dragon Gang is delicate, so it is not suitable to make a big fuss."

Pharmacist Qu Fengchun stroked his beard, and after a long time, sighed: "So the lives of those Fishermen were just thrown away for nothing?"

A trace of unnaturalness flashed across the small leader's face, his voice even lower:

"The Dock said they would give each family five taels of silver as compensation... As for the Fishermen, if we need more, we can just recruit more young men with good water skills. In this world, human lives... are worthless."

Worthless.

The three words, like three rusted knives, slowly stirred into Jiang Hanzhou's heart.

He remembered Li Tietou's simple smile when he talked about saving money for his son to practice martial arts in the future.

He remembered Shi Dunzi's cousin, that silent youth who always shared the largest fish with others.

He remembered all of them, carrying fishing nets on the wharf, facing the morning mist and cold wind, walking toward the river, their spines bent by life but still struggling.

In the calculations, their lives were only worth five taels of silver.

That afternoon, Jiang Hanzhou asked for leave, used his Apothecary waist token to leave the Water Dock, and according to the address he had inquired about, found the home where Li Tietou had settled in the shantytown outside Flying Fish City.