20: Chapter 2: The Demon-Suppressing Department, Moon Shadow Martial Arts Hall

Bone Tempering is different from other forms of cultivation; it requires tempering the bones and very careful manipulation of Qi and Blood Power.

After all, Zhou Bai had just broken through to the Third Rank, and his bones were still relatively fragile. If he wasn't careful, they could easily be damaged by the powerful Qi and Blood Power.

Time passed slowly, and soon, the night was over.

Zhou Bai's first Bone Tempering was finally complete, and some black grime appeared on the surface of his body.

This black grime was exactly the impurities from within Zhou Bai's body.

"Bone Tempering is not easy; it actually took me ten hours!"

Zhou Bai slowly opened his eyes, a deep light flickering within them.

"However, this Bone Tempering is indeed quite effective!"

Zhou Bai clenched his fists.

He felt his body become much lighter, and the flow of Qi and Blood Power became much smoother.

Although his Qi and Blood Power hadn't increased, its potency seemed to have risen significantly out of thin air.

"For the second Bone Tempering, I need to wait until my Qi and Blood Power reaches at least 700 cal!"

Zhou Bai stood up and felt the Qi and Blood Power within his body.

Bone Tempering also required the support of Qi and Blood Power.

Moreover, Bone Tempering becomes more difficult each time. If one's Qi and Blood Power is insufficient, they cannot complete the Bone Tempering, which would cause significant damage to the body and delay their martial arts progress.

Therefore, even top martial arts geniuses would be extremely cautious during Bone Tempering.

Furthermore, Bone Tempering counted as deep learning. Zhou Bai's learning points had increased by 3 points over the night. Combined with his hard work studying with Zhao Shiyu, Zhou Bai's learning points had now reached 400.

"Alright, since I've completed one round of Bone Tempering, I should wash up and rest for a bit. Then, I'll accumulate 60 learning points to learn Grandmaster Yingyue's S-rank movement martial skill, Phantom Sky Travel!"

Zhou Bai murmured to himself.

S-rank movement martial skills provided a significant boost to combat power, allowing Zhou Bai to have more options in battle.

Then, Zhou Bai went into the bathroom to wash up before leaving the dormitory.

...

Meanwhile, at Yuehua University.

On the edge of Moon Lake, within a hidden thicket.

"Damn it, I am an outstanding student of Yuehua University's E-sports Club. If you attack me, our school's instructors won't let you get away with it!"

In the thicket, a young man who had been beaten black and blue, his body covered in wounds, let out a painful wail, his eyes filled with fear and anger.

This young man was exactly Ma Hai from Yuehua University's E-sports Club.

"Bang!!!"

In the thicket, two figures wearing black robes and silver masks were repeatedly kicking the young man.

Ma Hai was kicked back and forth like a ball.

Although their strikes weren't fatal, they caused Ma Hai immense pain. His flesh felt as if it were being pounded by a giant hammer, and his entire body felt like it was about to fall apart.

"Who on earth are you? Why are you targeting me? How did I offend you?!"

After ten minutes, Ma Hai finally couldn't take it anymore. He no longer dared to make threats and instead asked why they were targeting him.

"Heh, think carefully yourself about what you did that you shouldn't have!"

The masked figure sneered, silently continuing to kick Ma Hai.

Hearing this, Ma Hai's mind raced, recalling everything he had done recently.

But recently, because of the exchange competition with Qingcheng University, he hadn't really done anything; he had been preparing at the E-sports Club the whole time.

"Big brother, I... I didn't do anything I shouldn't have. Please, big brother, enlighten me..."

The pain in his body had caused Ma Hai to lose his ability to think clearly, so he hurriedly asked.

"Oh, right, it's about what you were planning to do!"

The other masked man said indifferently.

"What I was planning to do!"

Ma Hai's pupils constricted. He was planning to find Zhou Bai and use some extreme methods to make the Double S-rank Talent Junior College Student, Zhou Bai, a means to gain followers for himself.

Was it Zhou Bai? But Zhou Bai was just a mere Vocational College Kid...

Wait, could it be...

"You, you were sent by Zhou Bai's sister... Damn it, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're from Magic Martial Arts. Our Yuehua..."

Ma Hai seemed to have realized something and then spoke in a low voice.

"Bang!!!"

However, before Ma Hai could finish, the masked man beside him stepped on Ma Hai's chest, looking down at him from above.

"Open your dog eyes and look! What is this?!"

The masked man took out a black token engraved with two ancient seal script characters and said coldly.

"Evil Suppression... the Evil Suppression Token. You're people from the Evil Suppression Department... I... I..."

Seeing the token the masked man produced, Ma Hai broke out in a cold sweat, his speech becoming stuttered.

The Evil Suppression Department was a mysterious department in the Xia Country that specifically dealt with matters related to evil gods. Once the Evil Suppression Token appeared, all rules had to step aside.

"I received a report that someone said you've been consorting with people from the evil cult. Confess and be treated with leniency; resist and be treated with severity!"

The masked man said indifferently while stepping on Ma Hai's chest.

"Consorting with the evil cult? How is that possible? I've been at Yuehua University the whole time..."

Ma Hai's face became incredibly unsightly.

This was clearly nonsense; it was just an excuse to deal with him.

At the same time, a deep, profound chill rose in Ma Hai's heart.

Just who was this sister of Zhou Bai's that she could even influence the omnipotent Evil Suppression Department...

Thinking of this, Ma Hai felt immense regret. He shouldn't have...

"Heh, that's not for you to decide. Since someone reported it, we naturally have to investigate thoroughly. We won't let a single fish slip through the net. Come with us quietly..."

The masked man sneered and then dragged the trembling, terrified Ma Hai away from Yuehua University.

...

"Is this the Martial Arts Alliance? Even just a branch is so grand!"

In a bustling street in Qing City, Zhou Bai looked at the alliance ahead, which resembled a massive park, and thought to himself.

The Martial Arts Alliance had branches in every city. Its leader was the Xia Country's Martial Saint Ling Tian, the country's anchor, who had countless legendary tales in the Xia Country.

He was also the pride of countless humans in the Xia Country.

Within the Martial Arts Alliance, there were trading centers, martial arts halls, cultivation rooms... anything related to martial arts could be found here.

This included all sorts of top-tier cultivation resources, but those weren't things ordinary people could afford.

After wandering around for a bit, Zhou Bai headed to the Moon Shadow Martial Arts Hall.

The Moon Shadow Martial Arts Hall was the martial arts hall of Grandmaster Yue Ying.

If a college student achieved the perfection certification for the B-rank Shadow Step at the Moon Shadow Martial Arts Hall, they could receive authorization from the hall to learn the S-rank Martial Skill Phantom Sky Travel for free.

For other martial artists, if they achieved perfection in Shadow Step, they could also learn Phantom Sky Travel at a 90% discount, which was 150 trillion star coins.

For many martial artists, this was also a significant opportunity.

Grandmasters in the Xia Country were top-tier martial arts experts, transcendent figures capable of founding their own sects.

Many Grandmasters had established their own martial arts halls.

Grandmaster Yue Ying was a relatively famous Grandmaster in the Xia Country because her S-rank Martial Skill was easier to obtain compared to others.

Additionally, Grandmaster Yue Ying was a female Grandmaster with extraordinary charm and outstanding looks, so she also enjoyed very high popularity in the Xia Country.

"Little brother, are you also here to learn Shadow Step? You've come to the right place. I know a Golden Body Realm expert who has studied Shadow Step for many years and has already taught several college students who reached perfection in it!"

Before he even entered the Moon Shadow Martial Arts Hall, a dark-skinned young man with a buzz cut spoke to Zhou Bai.

"Right now, this course is heavily discounted. It's not ten billion; you can take it home for just five billion. When the time comes, you can learn the S-rank Martial Skill for free, and your martial arts path will surely be even smoother..."

...