118: Chapter 118 Copper Skin and Iron Bones

Not a single snowflake touched his body.

Not only did they not touch him, but within three feet of his body, the snowflakes turned into water vapor as soon as they floated down. His whole person was like a large white steamed bun fresh out of the steamer, puffing out heat.

His skin had a bronze luster, and his muscles were clearly defined—not exaggerated, but looking incredibly tough.

“Hah!”

Chen Mo gave a low growl, and his bones crackled like popping beans.

He suddenly stomped his foot.

The ground trembled, and the surrounding snow was jolted into the air. Before it could land, it was dispersed by the heatwave erupting from his body.

【Ding!】

The familiar panel in his mind popped up.

【Hunyuan Iron Cloth Skill: Perfection】

【Obtained Trait: Copper Skin and Iron Bones (Difficult for mundane iron to injure, 30% Counter-shock)】

【Cost Paid: Ten years of lifespan deducted.】

Chen Mo looked at the panel, his mouth twitching.

This crappy Cultivation Technique really was trading life for defense.

If it were anyone else practicing to this stage, half their hair would probably have turned white. Ten years of life—for an ordinary person, that was jumping straight from their prime into old age.

But he didn't care.

He even felt a bit like laughing.

“Ten years? No big deal.”

Chen Mo sat cross-legged on the snow, not minding the cold.

He closed his eyes, formed a strange mudra with his hands, and began chanting.

It wasn't some proper scripture; it sounded obscure and jarring, like two stones rubbing together.

Great Sun Tathagata Marrow Cleansing Incantation.

This was given by that Old Monk.

As the scripture was chanted, the bronze color on Chen Mo's body slowly faded, replaced by a faint golden-red.

The blood in his body began to surge, the sound as loud as a bellows. Deep within his bone marrow, it felt as if a small sun had exploded, and a heat current rushed up his spine all the way to the top of his head.

The bit of Origin Qi consumed by practicing the Iron Cloth Skill just now was instantly replenished, with quite a bit even overflowing.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

The snow beneath his buttocks completely melted away, revealing the dark muddy ground, which was still smoking.

Half an hour later.

Chen Mo opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of white mist. This breath condensed without dispersing, like a sharp sword, shooting straight out for three meters before vanishing.

“Comfortable.”

He stood up and stretched his neck.

He opened the panel again.

【Name: Chen Mo】

【Lifespan: 18/150】

【Cultivation Technique: Great Sun Tathagata Marrow Cleansing Incantation (Major Achievement 89%)】

One hundred and fifty years.

This lifespan was almost catching up to a thousand-year-old turtle.

The ten years deducted just now didn't even make a ripple in the face of this fifty-year increase.

Moreover, this Marrow Cleansing Incantation didn't just add lifespan; it also boosted attributes.

Chen Mo clenched his fists. The sense of power was overwhelming. Before, he could punch a cow to death; now, he felt he could turn a cow into meat paste. His agility had also improved; the way he stood up just now, his body felt as light as a feather.

“Is this the joy of a life-spending player?”

Chen Mo mocked himself and casually picked up the standard-issue long saber from the weapon rack.

The blade was ice-cold.

But the moment he gripped the hilt, his temperament changed.

Just a moment ago, he was like a steaming blacksmith; now, he was as cold as a block of ice.

【Fierce Wind Saber Technique: Perfection (99%)】

【Obtained Trait: Saber Intent (Suppression)】

Although he hadn't broken through the final Bottleneck yet, that “Aura” was already there.

Chen Mo didn't move.

He just stared at a large bluestone used for pressing pickles in the corner of the courtyard wall.

His gaze sharpened.

Without the saber even leaving its scabbard, an invisible pressure surged forward.

Although stones can't speak, if that were a person, they would probably be suffocating under this Aura right now, their limbs turning weak.

This was “Aura.”

When experts clash, they don't even need to strike; one look can make you lose half the match.

“With my current strength, if I face that White Lotus Sect Protector again...”

Chen Mo estimated.

Without needing an ambush or risking his life, he could slice off that guy's head and kick it like a ball within ten moves.

“The foundation is laid; next is building the tower.”

Chen Mo sheathed his saber, put on his thickened cotton robe, and returned to the room.

A charcoal brazier was burning in the room, making it much warmer.

He poured himself a cup of hot tea and sat at the table to start planning.

The Bone Forging Realm had reached its end.

Next step: Meridian Unblocking.

The Tongmai Realm was a major hurdle in martial arts.

The twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians were as congested as the Second Ring Road during morning rush hour. To clear them, practice alone wasn't enough; one needed medicine.

meridian unblocking pill.

This thing was the key.

But the problem was, the key wasn't in his hands.

Chen Mo dipped his finger in tea and drew a circle on the table.

“City Lord's Mansion.”

Only the City Lord's Mansion in Qingyang City held the main ingredients for the meridian unblocking pill. This item was a strategic resource, with very little annual production.

The lion's share was divided among the Four Great Families, and the remaining scraps flowed into the black market or the military merit exchange.

To get his hands on it, there were three paths.

First, go out of the city to hunt Monsters.

Bring back the Monster's Inner Core or special parts to exchange.

Chen Mo shook his head and crossed it out.

Outside the city right now was a meat grinder. With heavy snow sealing the mountains, the Yao Beasts' eyes were turning green with hunger, and they were coming out in packs to forage. Add to that the Bandits and the remnants of the White Lotus Sect, and it was a chaotic mess.

Although he had grown much stronger, he wasn't yet strong enough to sweep through everything. If he encountered a Peak Tongmai Realm Yao Beast or got ganged up on, even his 150-year lifespan might be forfeited there.

Not worth it.

Second, the black market.

Chen Mo touched his chest.

A stack of Silver Notes was tucked there. The one thousand taels given by Ye Zhiqiu, plus the extra he'd squeezed out during this period, amounted to nearly one thousand five hundred taels.

It sounded like a lot, but in the black market, the price of a meridian unblocking pill had been driven up to three thousand taels, and even then, there was no supply.

Even if he could afford it, whether he could bring it back alive was another question. He had seen plenty of cases of “robbing the robber.”

Crossed out.

Third, wait.

Ye Zhiqiu had promised to give him one next year.

Although Ye Zhiqiu was a calculating woman, since she had made this promise, she would likely follow through to keep him as her hired muscle.

“Then I'll wait.”

Chen Mo wiped the water stains off the table.

“Play it safe. No rush.”

Anyway, he had a long lifespan now and could afford to wait.

For the next two months, he would first grind the Great Sun Tathagata Marrow Cleansing Incantation to Perfection to further improve his physical constitution.

When spring came next year and he got the meridian unblocking pill, he would break through the gate directly.

However...

Chen Mo frowned.

He realized he had a weakness.

A serious lack of balance in his skills.

His current methods were too singular.

Defense relied on his body (Iron Cloth Skill + Five Animal Frolics for healing), and attack relied on basic strikes (Fierce Wind Saber Technique).

Against ordinary opponents, he could just brute-force his way through.

But if he met someone with agile movement or long-range methods, he would be a sitting duck.

“Short legs.”

This was a big problem.

He couldn't catch up to people, and he couldn't outrun them.

Then there were his attack methods. While the Fierce Wind Saber Technique was powerful, it was a broad and open style, lacking explosive power and the kind of lethal hidden moves.

“I need to find two new skills.”

Chen Mo made up his mind.

A Movement Technique for escaping and chasing.

An explosive-type attack technique, preferably something that could catch people off guard or provide an instant burst of output.

Whether it was fist techniques, finger techniques, or Hidden Weapons, any would do.