70: Chapter 70 Mastery of Meat Refining and the Attention of Academy Mentors

The early morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the dormitory curtains, casting dappled shadows on the carpet.

Lin Qi opened his eyes, awakening from his meditative state.

He stood up, feeling his body as light as a feather.

As he took a step forward, the weight of his foot landing on the floor caused the hard composite material to emit a heavy, muffled thud.

This contradictory sense of lightness and weight signaled that his control over his Physical Body had reached a new height.

Lin Qi walked to the bathroom and took off his sweat-soaked tank top.

The youth in the mirror had not become bulky; instead, his muscle lines were more restrained.

His originally bronze skin had lost its roughness, taking on a warm, jade-like luster.

This was a sign of Qi and blood being restrained and returning to simplicity after reaching Major Achievement in Flesh Refining.

Explosive power lurked beneath every inch of skin, yet it appeared smooth and natural.

Beep beep.

The communicator on his wrist rang.

Lin Qi glanced down; it was an urgent notification from the Academic Affairs Office.

"Student Lin Qi, please proceed to the top-floor conference room of the Administration Building at nine o'clock sharp. The school leadership has important matters to discuss."

Lin Qi turned off the projection and casually grabbed a towel to wipe his face.

He changed into a clean school uniform and slung his faded white backpack over his shoulder.

Though he still wore the look of an ordinary student, the airflow generated as he walked gave passing students an inexplicable sense of pressure.

On the top floor of the Administration Building, the conference room doors were tightly shut.

Lin Qi pushed the door open and entered.

The spacious office was filled with the powerful figures of Longya Academy.

Sitting in the main seat was the Principal, flanked by the Vice-Principal and several senior professors with graying hair.

Elder Mo sat on a single-seater sofa in the far corner, holding his paint-chipped red thermos, slowly blowing on the steam.

He looked like an insignificant bystander, but before the Principal spoke, he would always subconsciously glance at him.

"Lin Qi, sit," the Principal said, pointing to the chair opposite him.

Lin Qi pulled out the chair and sat down, his expression indifferent.

The Principal's gaze lingered on Lin Qi for a long time, his tone filled with wonder.

"Although your data panel still shows you're LV.1 and without any professional skills, this Physical Body... is simply a work of art."

"The Principal overpraises me; I just practice diligently," Lin Qi replied.

"Practicing diligently doesn't produce this kind of effect," a biology professor wearing thick glasses chimed in.

He stared at Lin Qi's neck, his eyes gleaming with the fervor of a research fanatic.

"Your muscle density is already three times that of a strength-type professional of the same Rank. This doesn't conform to the law of conservation of energy."

"Student Lin Qi, can you explain your power-delivery technique?" another professor asked, turning on a recording pen.

Lin Qi thought for a moment and said, "Actually, it's very simple. It's just breathing."

"Breathing?" The professors looked at each other.

"Through a specific breathing rhythm, I trigger vibrations in my internal organs, and then mobilize the muscle fibers of the entire body from the inside out."

As Lin Qi spoke, he demonstrated a session of abdominal breathing.

His abdomen swelled slightly, followed by a low sound like rumbling thunder.

That was his internal organs resonating.

"This technique places an extreme load on the body. Without a powerful physique, one would suffer internal bleeding in the first second."

The professors recorded rapidly, leaving only the sound of pen nibs scratching against paper in the conference room.

"Well then, regarding your blood..." the biology professor suddenly stood up.

He pulled a transparent sampling tube from his pocket, his eyes eager.

"We hope to collect a small sample of your blood for gene sequence analysis. This would have epoch-making significance for Ancient Martial Arts research."

Lin Qi didn't speak; he turned to look at Elder Mo in the corner.

Elder Mo set down his thermos and coughed.

"I have already sealed his blood samples; they are classified as top-level academic secrets."

Elder Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable power.

"You want them? Fine. Go to the Vice-Principal's office to file an application, then submit an A-level security confidentiality agreement, and wait for a three-month review period."

The biology professor's face stiffened, and he awkwardly retracted the sampling tube.

"Elder Mo, we are also doing this for the development of the school."

"The school's development isn't achieved by draining the blood of its students," Elder Mo snorted.

Seeing this, the Principal quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Alright, we'll discuss the blood matter later. We called Lin Qi here today primarily to determine your treatment."

The Principal took out a document and pushed it toward Lin Qi.

"In view of your outstanding performance in the Deep Trial, the school has decided to exceptionally grant you the status of 'Special Elite Student.'"

"Specific benefits include: unlimited use of credits, priority supply of all Cultivation resources within the academy, and the right to use an independent research lab."

Lin Qi scanned the document; these conditions were even more generous than he had expected.

"And the price?" Lin Qi asked.

The Principal smiled and pointed at Elder Mo.

"You need to join a project led by Elder Mo—the 'Old Era Martial Arts Renaissance Plan'."

"Nominally, you are a research subject, but in reality, you are the core partner of this project."

Lin Qi's heart stirred.

This was exactly the cover he needed.

With this identity, any shocking martial arts he displayed in the future could be attributed to the "project research."

"I accept." Lin Qi signed his name on the document.

After the meeting ended, the crowd dispersed.

Elder Mo stood up and beckoned to Lin Qi.

"Come with me. I'll take you to see your 'new home'."

The two passed through the back door of the Administration Building and entered a hidden elevator.

The elevator went all the way down, finally stopping at the third basement level.

This was the private research area in the deepest part of the academy, with walls made entirely of high-strength alloy steel plates.

Elder Mo pushed open a heavy iron door, revealing a room filled with various strange instruments and yellowed ancient books.

The air was thick with the scent of old books and a faint medicinal fragrance.

Elder Mo walked to the desk and turned around, his cloudy eyes suddenly becoming sharp.

"Achieved Major Achievement in Flesh Refining?"

Lin Qi didn't intend to hide it and nodded. "Just had a Breakthrough."

"Are you feeling the Bottleneck of 'Bone Forging'?" Elder Mo asked again.

Lin Qi showed a look of surprise.

"Indeed. After reaching Major Achievement in Flesh Refining, I tried to guide the essence into my bones, but the periosteum is like a layer of iron shell; the energy simply cannot penetrate it."

Elder Mo gave a cold laugh and pulled a dust-covered ancient book from the top shelf.

He tossed it casually; the book traced an arc through the air and landed in Lin Qi's hands.

"Ordinary essence naturally won't go in. The human skeleton is the foundation of life, and it is the most stubborn."

"If you want to forge your bones, sheer practice isn't enough; you need to 'take medicine'."

Elder Mo pointed at the book, his tone becoming serious.

"And it's the kind of potent medicine where a slight mistake could kill you."

Lin Qi looked down at the ancient book in his hands.

On the cover, four bold and powerful characters met his eyes.

"Dragon-Tiger Bone Forging Pill."

Lin Qi flipped to the first page, and the text on it made him frown slightly.

"The Materials listed here... seem quite hard to find?"

Elder Mo leaned against the desk and slowly took a sip of tea.

"They're hard to find outside, but in Longya Academy, there is one place that definitely has them."

"Where?"

"The back mountain, the waste disposal area."