39: Chapter 39 Number of Bone Tempering Attempts, A Young Girl's Thoughts

"Eight times, nine times... Bone Tempering has actually reached such a level!"

Hearing Shen Ninger's words, Zhou Bai let out a deep breath of murky air.

He had considered that those top-tier prodigies, backed by powerful backgrounds, would have terrifying advancement speeds.

He hadn't expected that Qin Hao had already reached the ninth, or was even pushing for the tenth Bone Tempering.

Generally speaking, a Third-Rank Martial Artist can attempt to advance to the fourth rank after three Bone Temperings.

The more times one undergoes Bone Tempering, the higher the difficulty; however, it makes the physique and foundation stronger, further unleashing a martial artist's potential.

During the era of ancient martial arts, undergoing seven Bone Temperings at the third rank meant one's potential had been developed to a terrifying degree—they were peerless, invincible prodigies rare in the world.

But now, after many years of martial development, the existence of numerous genetic medicines, Breathing Techniques, and various powerful Qi and Blood treasures has made Bone Tempering much easier.

For a prodigy who reaches seven Bone Temperings, their Qi and Blood flow through their body almost completely. The efficiency of their Qi and Blood circulation reaches a startling level, resulting in a massive boost to their overall strength.

Therefore, seven Bone Temperings is a dividing line. Most prodigies will break through to the fourth rank after seven or perhaps eight Bone Temperings.

The resources and time required for subsequent temperings are too great; not every prodigy has that kind of capital.

As for ten Bone Temperings, it was the first time Zhou Bai had even heard of it.

"Thinking about it is useless. Let's continue hunting fierce beasts and accumulate more points!"

Zhou Bai took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

Although those ace freshmen from the Top Ten were very strong, Zhou Bai didn't care too much.

Possessing the system, as long as he followed the steps, he could reach the peak one step at a time.

Surpassing them was merely a matter of time.

"Alright, Brother Zhou Bai, let's go!"

Seeing Zhou Bai snap out of those thoughts so quickly, a flicker of surprise flashed in Shen Ninger's eyes.

Then, Shen Ninger began using her talent to search for more fierce beasts.

Soon, Shen Ninger found a place where many third-rank fierce beasts gathered, allowing Zhou Bai to harvest a significant amount of points again.

The appearance of the point rankings also made many prodigy martial artists in the Dou Xing Forest lose their composure.

In particular, the points of those ace freshmen at the top of the rankings made them feel despair just by looking at them.

They couldn't imagine how they had obtained so many points in such a short period of time.

This staggering number of points stimulated many of the prodigy martial artists.

Because the more points they had, the more red marrow potions they could exchange for once the qualifiers ended.

And this red marrow potion could be used before the third round of the elimination tournament.

In other words, the number of points would, to a certain extent, affect the final ranking.

Thinking of this, the remaining prodigies became even more aggressive, wanting to acquire more points to prepare for the third round.

Due to this behavior, the rate at which prodigies were eliminated increased significantly once again.

...

In a bloody grove within the Dou Xing Forest.

An incredibly pure girl with exquisite features held a cyan longsword, constantly fighting the surrounding fierce beasts.

A dense power of frost emanated from the girl's body, and every sword strike carried the profound power of ice crystals.

Under the impact of the girl's powerful ice crystal energy, the speed of the surrounding beasts slowed down considerably.

However, there were simply too many beasts. The girl had sustained many injuries, her Qi and Blood Power was largely depleted, and her face had turned incredibly pale.

Squelch!!!

Before long, the sharp claws of a third-rank wolf beast directly pierced through the girl's abdomen.

"Have I reached my limit?"

Gu Qingyao's consciousness became blurred, and her life force completely dissipated.

Then, her body vanished from the grove.

When Gu Qingyao opened her eyes again, she was already in the virtual reality pod.

Gu Qingyao slowly rose from the virtual reality pod, still immersed in the fierce battle in the Dou Xing Forest just now.

"If I had worked a little harder, could I have done better?"

Gu Qingyao looked at her ranking of 26th, her face filled with a sense of unwillingness.

"Qing Yao, you're already very impressive. It's just that those freaks are too abnormal!"

Beside her, another S-rank Prodigy Cadet who had also been eliminated comforted Gu Qingyao.

Gu Qingyao took a deep breath. Indeed, she had burned herself out this time.

Even if she were to start over, she couldn't have done any better.

"Qingya, where's Ninger? Why don't I see Ninger?"

After a moment, Gu Qingyao composed her thoughts and asked Su Qingya beside her.

"Ninger is still in the qualifiers!"

Su Qingya replied slowly.

"Huh? Ninger? Still in the qualifiers?"

Hearing Su Qingya's words, Gu Qingyao was slightly stunned.

She knew Shen Ninger's talent and strength; in a harsh environment like the Dou Xing Forest, she shouldn't have been able to last long at all. Encountering any random third-rank fierce beast would have been enough to eliminate her.

How could she possibly last longer than herself...

"Yeah, Ninger is really lucky. She latched onto a powerhouse. She'll probably cruise her way into the elimination tournament!"

Su Qingya said with some envy, her gaze fixed on the screen showing Shen Ninger.

"A powerhouse?"

Gu Qingyao looked at the screen.

She immediately saw Shen Ninger in the Dou Xing Forest, talking and laughing with a handsome young man; their relationship seemed quite intimate.

"That's... Zhou... Zhou Bai... that Vocational College student, Zhou Bai..."

Seeing her best friend so close to the ex-boyfriend she had abandoned, Gu Qingyao was completely stunned.

How did these two get together...

"Vocational College? Qing Yao, don't look down on this Junior College Student. He's the super dark horse of this Battle of the Dawn. His point ranking has entered the Top Ten; he's incredibly fierce..."

Su Qingya took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

Then, Su Qingya placed a tablet displaying the point rankings in front of Gu Qingyao.

"Wait, Zhou Bai's ranking has risen again. He's directly in eighth..."

Gu Qingyao looked at the screen. Ranked tenth was indeed Qingnao Academy, Zhou Bai...

"Zhou Bai, he... is ranked eighth in points..."

Seeing the point total behind Zhou Bai's name—a number she couldn't even hope to reach—Gu Qingyao felt as though it was difficult to breathe...

...

In the Dou Xing Forest, Zhou Bai held the blood shadow battle saber, slaughtering a group of third-rank fierce beasts.

After days of continuous combat, Zhou Bai's battle experience had become much richer.

Golden Dutian Divine Thunder was attached to the blood shadow battle saber, and every strike would precisely take the life of a third-rank beast.

Before Zhou Bai, these third-rank beasts were like paper, crumbling at a touch.

"Keep it up! Go, Brother Zhou Bai! We've entered the top 20!"

Not far away, Shen Ninger cheered Zhou Bai on while snacking on melon seeds.

Swish swish swish!!!!

A moment later, as a violent flash of lightning passed, the last third-rank beast in the area was slain by Zhou Bai's Thunder-Breaking Saber Technique.

"You've worked hard, Brother Zhou Bai. Here, have some fruit!"

After the battle ended, Shen Ninger hurried to Zhou Bai's side, taking out fruit she had picked not long ago to feed him.

At the same time, she thoughtfully wiped away his sweat and gently massaged his body, looking every bit like a devoted little maidservant.

...