11: Work hard to cultivate bones, a piece of news

Returning to his room, after settling all affairs, he laid out several Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills on the table: the Great Boundless Ocean Skill, the Seven-Colored Treasure Bottle True Force, the Spirit Demon Five Animal Play, the Badao Technique, and Shadow Shifting.

Currently, he was at the Peak of the Skin Refining Stage, and next, he would begin bone refining. All three cultivation methods could refine bones. The Great Boundless Ocean Skill utilized the power of water to temper bones, requiring one to find rapid currents, waterfalls, or ocean tides, using the force of the water's impact, combined with medicinal liquids, to temper the bones throughout the body.

The bone-tempering method used in the Seven-Colored Treasure Bottle True Force was even more extreme, involving a special acupuncture technique, plus extremely painful hammering and tempering of the entire body's bones.

The Spirit Demon Five Animal Play was the most unique; one Cultivation Technique was actually five boxing methods: Serpent Demon Skin Refining Fist, Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, Spirit Crane Spreading Wings Fist, Spirited Monkey Art Boxing, and Mantis Unification Fist.

Chen Cuo did not plan to Cultivate all three Cultivation Techniques simultaneously. He intended to first Cultivate the Spirit Demon Five Animal Play to Perfection. The other two Cultivation Techniques had very good effects, and he would Cultivate them slowly in the future. The Great Boundless Ocean Skill produced Boundless True Qi, and came with a Martial Skill called Layered Wave Slash. The Seven-Colored Treasure Bottle True Force could purify and compress True Qi, and also came with a Martial Skill called Seven-Colored Divine Needle.

Subsequently, Chen Cuo further improved the accompanying medicinal soup recipes and began practicing the Spirit Demon Five Animal Play. First, he started with the Serpent Demon Skin Refining Fist. This fist technique was the entry-level of the Five Animal Play. The snake-form boxing was cunning and treacherous, full of variations. As the boxing stance changed, Chen Cuo felt as if his entire body's skin was infinitely stretched, and the skin and muscles seemed to be separated by a sharp blade, allowing the Qi and blood throughout his body to flow very easily.

Now, Chen Cuo possessed the talent of 'Fist and Foot Mastery.' After a single initial practice, the Serpent Demon Skin Refining Fist successfully reached entry-level.

'Serpent Demon Skin Refining Fist proficiency +1.'

Very good. Chen Cuo looked at his body, feeling a slight change in his skin, but the effect was too small to be obvious.

Spirit Demon Five Animal Play (Snake Form: Serpent Demon Skin Refining Fist 1/1500)

Fate Points: 26

After reading the panel information, Chen Cuo gave a wry smile: "Time to grind again."

Time flew by, and three months passed in a flash. Chen Cuo, once again immersed in Cultivation, paid no heed to any external matters.

Anyway, the monthly payment was submitted on time, and the rest of the money was used by Gu Pang and the other two to buy various Cultivation resources for him.

He didn't feel any heartache about the money, which also made his Cultivation progress remarkably fast. Chen Cuo practiced Swordsmanship every morning and cultivated several main Cultivation Techniques in the afternoon. After three months of continuous, diligent effort, he finally reached the Lian Gu Realm.

[Chen Cuo]

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 22 / ∞

Cultivation: Lian Gu Realm

Skills: Six Harmonies Saber (Body and Saber as One), Badao Technique (1365/3000), Shadow Shifting (2400/5000), Basic Knife Technique (Saber Affinity), Basic Fist Technique (Fist and Foot Mastery), Complete Culinary Arts (Culinary God), Complete Painting Records (Painting Mastery), Liu's Brewing Recipe (221/500), Calligraphy Records (Calligraphy Mastery), Basic Medicinal Herb Identification Compendium (Basic Medicinal Herb Knowledge), Incense Making Skill (80/100)

Cultivation Techniques: Unnamed Cultivation Method (True Spirit Undying), Iron Sand Palm (Invincible Iron Palm), Iron Body Skill (Iron Body), Great Boundless Ocean Skill (300/8000), Seven-Colored Treasure Bottle True Force (450/7500), Spirit Demon Five Animal Play (Snake Form: Serpent Demon Skin Refining Fist 1500/1500, Tiger Form: Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist 1500/1500, Crane Form: Spirit Crane Spreading Wings Fist 253/2000.)

Fate Points: 23

"It's truly luxurious. This is all the result of my hard work. Not only do I have talent, but I'm also so diligent, achieving such accomplishments is what I deserve."

This was truly the best birthday gift! Chen Cuo had been Transmigrated for over two years now. Back then, his mother died of illness, and the original body also died of resentment. After Transmigrating, he lived day to day, lacking food and clothing, relying solely on his strenuous efforts to gain his current strength and status. His resolve had long become incomparably firm.

Spending three months, he successfully gained entry into the three major Cultivation Techniques. The Spirit Demon Five Animal Play, which he primarily Cultivated, had already brought the snake and tiger form boxing to Perfection. The crane form boxing was only cultivated a small part, and his body already felt a severe burden. At least before entering the Lian Zang Realm, he needed to rest for a period; combining work and rest was the Righteous Path.

In fact, when the snake and tiger forms of the two boxing methods reached Perfection, the System had prompted him that he could Awaken a talent, but Chen Cuo felt this was not appropriate. His intuition told him that if all five boxing methods reached Perfection, and he Awakened this talent after entering the Acquired Realm, the reward would be greater.

As for the other two Cultivation Techniques, Chen Cuo temporarily only cultivated them to basic entry due to the lack of necessary Cultivation conditions. Regarding the two Martial Skills, Shadow Shifting, as a movement Martial Skill, the ability to escape must naturally be practiced more. It is estimated that if one specializes in this method, it could reach Perfection in two weeks if fast. As a movement Martial Skill, once used, it can instantly shift position, and after Perfection, it can even generate afterimages in place, while the true body has already teleported more than ten meters away.

Badao Technique, as a Saber Martial Skill, is different from Six Harmonies Saber. It is not a pure Saber technique, but a skill for nurturing Saber momentum, a killing move focused on sudden attacks.

It contains two stances: one is Hidden Saber Stance, and the other is Badao Slash.

As the name suggests, Hidden Saber Stance is the art of hiding the saber. The saber body is hidden within the body, and the saber momentum is contained within the body. The body's sheath is the saber's sheath, and the True Qi within the body can be used to nurture the saber momentum.

When performing Badao Slash, the power depends on the duration of nurturing. The longer the duration, the stronger the power. Its first strike is the strongest strike. When one strike is unleashed, heaven and earth mourn, ghosts and gods are shocked, and all flowers wither.

In short, his strength had undergone earth-shattering changes. The current him could defeat two versions of himself from two months ago. As for people like Fan Ming or the bandit leader, a casual saber strike could cleave them to death.

"Why hasn't Ding Xiang brought food yet today?" Chen Cuo was somewhat puzzled. Usually by this time, Ding Xiang would have already delivered the meal.

Martial Artist refine essence into Qi, and this essence and Qi come from food. There is no concept of fasting. Perhaps those in the Innate Realm can absorb the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth to live, but Chen Cuo currently cannot do that.

The energy he consumed daily from practicing martial arts was extremely high, requiring a large amount of food. However, eating his own medicated meals all day made everything taste like medicine, which was very unappetizing. So, for the past month, Ding Xiang would deliver meals to Chen Cuo every noon, and the meals were custom-made at Si Hai Tea House.

It was already a quarter past noon, and Ding Xiang had not yet arrived. Chen Cuo didn't know what had happened, so he could only end his seclusion and go out to check.

Chen Cuo casually grabbed one of his subordinates and asked, "Where are your three leaders? Where are they now?"

The man said in surprise, "Boss, you're out of seclusion? Leader Gu and Leader Hong were called away by people sent by the Big Boss. I don't know about Leader Ding; I haven't seen her since early morning."

"Called away by the Old Man? Do you know what it's about?"

The subordinate scratched his head and shrank his body, saying, "I don't know about that. The people who came were fierce, and the two leaders told us not to disturb you for now."

"Alright! Get lost." Chen Cuo lightly kicked his subordinate and continued towards Ding Xiang's courtyard, planning to check the situation first.

Upon entering the courtyard where Ding Xiang lived, Chen Cuo did not sense anyone's presence. Ding Xiang was not home, nor was she invited away by the Old Man with Gu Pang. He didn't know where she had gone, and Chen Cuo felt a premonition of something bad.

"Boss, you're out of seclusion! Why are you here at Ding Xiang's place? Where is she?" It was Gu Pang and Hong Feng who pushed the door open and saw Chen Cuo in Ding Xiang's courtyard. The fatty then asked casually.

"I don't know either; I'm looking for her too. Never mind, it should be nothing. You first tell me why the Old Man called you!"

"Boss, this matter..."

The fatty, like a storyteller in a tea house, eloquently recounted the events.

Wuya Prefecture has four major Guard Cities: Southeast, Northwest. Wuya Prefecture, in Qian Country, is strategically important terrain, originally a place of contention for military strategists. So, from an unknown dynasty, four Guard Cities were established to protect the State City's defenses.

The Guard City Chen Cuo was in was West Guard City. The entire prefecture of Wuya Prefecture belonged to the southern part of Great Qian, which was the Southern Barbarian territory, separated from the Hundred-Eyed Prefecture to the direct west by the Wuya Mountain Range.

Though called a mountain range, it was actually a continuous stretch of high mountains and hills, spanning thousands of miles, filled with fierce beasts, Mountain Spirits, countless rare treasures, and even legends of Immortals residing within.

Even Acquired Realm Martial Artists who entered often met with a gruesome end.

West Guard City, where Chen Cuo was located, was the closest large city to the Wuya Mountain Range. Further west, there was a small county town called Xining County, named after the meaning of 'peace in the west.'

The barren mountains around Xining County were also named by the locals, such as Hengduan Mountain, Funiu Mountain, and Qingniu Mountain.

But the areas further in were collectively referred to as the Wuya Mountain Range, a place even old hunters who lived in the mountains dared not venture deep into.

The Old Man had originally sent people to invite Chen Cuo, but the messenger heard that Chen Cuo was in seclusion. Cultivation seclusion was not something to be disturbed casually. As a favored person in the Old Man's eyes, Chen Cuo's presence even led to a raise in wages for all of the Old Man's subordinates. Of course, the messenger dared not offend him, so he had to invite Gu Pang and the other two instead.

The matter began in Funiu Mountain. It turned out that a hunter recently saw a living Mountain Spirit, a chubby baby with a red flower bud on its head. As soon as it saw the hunter, it immediately burrowed into the ground and disappeared.

It was exactly like the Mountain Spirit in legends. A Mountain Spirit was also a ginseng, but a Spiritual Ginseng, at least a three-thousand-year-old Spiritual Ginseng that had encountered a special fortune.

This matter was initially known by the Vajra Sect, but somehow it spread to Wuya State City, immediately attracting the attention of the largest Martial Forest force in Wuya Prefecture, the Martial Alliance.

This was simply because the existence of a Mountain Spirit was practically a living Immortal Treasure. Even great Cultivators in the Innate Realm would go mad. Chen Cuo had once heard of that Innate Cultivator, who was the current Sect Leader of the Martial Alliance, Han Nao. He immediately ordered all Martial Forest forces in Wuya Prefecture to search for the Mountain Spirit. Whoever could find it, Han Nao promised to exchange it for a Cultivation Technique that could be cultivated to a Realm beyond Innate.

Thus, the entire Martial Forest of Wuya Prefecture went mad, and the Vajra Sect also went mad.