Guided by the unique techniques of the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body, the vitality and blood within his body mobilized once again, circulating along a specific trajectory.
The medicinal efficacy of the Bone Nourishing Pill activated, continuously nourishing and transforming his bones. Unexpectedly, even without breaking through the Bone Gate, he began tempering his skeleton in an entirely different manner.
This miraculous change greatly encouraged Chen Yuan. Brimming with motivation, he continued practicing the first stage of the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body’s Body Refining moves. Bolstered by his 52 Comprehension, he could master even a Cultivation Technique like this without a teacher. Through repeated exploration, he gradually grasped the essence of the movements.
[Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body First Stage (Elephant Bone): 1/1000]
"I finally mastered the first stage!"
He rejoiced at his previous decision. If he hadn’t raised his Comprehension, he might not have succeeded even after two or three days of grueling practice.
The enhancements brought by the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body were highly noticeable. With merely a thousandth of the progress completed, he could already feel his body improving. His flexibility and strength were both growing. The greatest advantage of tempering his bones ahead of time was that once he achieved the Copper Skin stage, breaking through the Bone Gate would be incredibly easy. It essentially magnified the Bone Nourishing Pill’s efficacy dozens of times over. He would be able to replicate the instantaneous breakthrough he had experienced at the Skin Gate.
While the pill’s effects still lingered, Chen Yuan poured his full concentration into practicing the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body, striving to push the medicine to its absolute limits. Once he had to switch back to medicinal broth, the results wouldn’t be nearly as impressive.
Before long, night fell, and the bright moon rose high into the sky.
Chen Yuan only ended his cultivation late into the night, just before shift change. The progress for the first stage of Elephant Bone halted at four. The Bone Nourishing Pill’s effects were still active and would likely last another day.
At this rate, he would achieve Elephant Bone Perfection in just over half a year, which aligned perfectly with the start of the martial exams. That was, of course, assuming he had an endless supply of Bone Nourishing Pills.
Chen Yuan exhaled softly.
"No need to rush. Once I break the Bone Gate and my vitality thoroughly penetrates every bone in my body, I can work on both aspects simultaneously. The speed shouldn’t drop," he thought. "By the time I forge Iron Bones and achieve Elephant Bone Perfection, I’d like to see who dares to claim they’re invincible."
The following day brought heavy frost and biting winds.
Chen Yuan’s austere martial training routine returned to normal, with all three of his Cultivation Techniques steadily improving. After the Bone Nourishing Pill’s effects faded, he began brewing medicinal broth that cost one tael of silver a serving, continuing his Elephant Bone practice.
He currently earned eighteen taels of silver a month. Selling his three Bone Strengthening Pills fetched another six taels, bringing his baseline income to twenty-four taels. With the extra three taels sponsored by Fang Minghai, his monthly total came to twenty-seven taels of silver. If he tightened his belt, he could still afford the fifteen taels of silver required for a month’s supply of medicinal broth.
He hadn’t spent much of the twenty-odd taels he looted from the Golden Saber Sect, and General Manager Li had rewarded him with another twenty taels. A savings pool of forty taels of silver was more than enough to cover his current martial training expenses.
A few days later, at the Huo Courtyard.
Chen Yuan continued to practice his Rocky Pile Skill to build up his vitality. He typically reserved his Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body training for the Medicinal Garden to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
During a rest break, he chatted with Xue Anping about recent events. Of the five who had originally arrived together, only the two of them remained.
"Chen Yuan, the little sparring tournament between the nearby Martial Arts Academies and Martial Arts Halls ended yesterday," Xue Anping said. "Xu Heng completely stole the show. With his Bone Gate strength and having achieved Great Success in Manifest Force, no Martial Artist from our batch is a match for him. Most didn’t even have the qualifications to challenge him. He really won a lot of face for our Huo Courtyard."
Xue Anping laughed, his expression beaming with shared pride.
Chen Yuan exhaled and said softly, "It hasn’t even been six months, and he’s already reached Great Success in Manifest Force. Who could possibly compete with that? There are barely any other peers who have broken the Bone Gate. It’s a completely unfair fight. A Grade B-Plus Root Bone is truly terrifying."
Even though Chen Yuan’s attribute panel had been working hard to push both his Root Bone and Comprehension to Grade C-Plus, the gap between them was only widening. Right now, he was falling behind by an entire minor Stage in both Body Refining and technique. He really needed to play the long game.
Xue Anping paused, then added, "You have a point. Speaking of our batch, our old acquaintance Yu Yan also broke the Bone Gate recently. But when he went up against Xu Heng, he was defeated in less than ten exchanges. Word is, his face turned completely green. Ah, to think there’s such a massive gap between Grade B-Plus and Grade B-Minus."
Chen Yuan nodded. Since Yu Yan had reached the Bone Gate, he decided to use him as his immediate benchmark. His own Root Bone wasn’t far off now, and his Comprehension was perhaps even superior. With the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body bolstering him, the tides of strength were already shifting.
Surpassing Yu Yan within three months shouldn’t be difficult. He would demonstrate what a true comeback looked like.
"Although Yu Yan lost to Xu Heng, he’s still considered a top talent," Xue Anping continued. "The Gu Family values him highly. In fact, his wedding date with Third Miss Gu, Gu Wantong, has already been set. I think it’s in a month or two."
Xue Anping currently split his time between running errands for the Gu Family and training at the Huo Courtyard, so he was quite well-informed about Yu Yan’s affairs.
Chen Yuan hummed in acknowledgment. "Breaking the Bone Gate means his wings are finally growing full. It’s a smart move to marry early and secure those ties permanently."
Even though Yu Yan had pushed him out of the Gu Family, it wasn’t a deep-seated blood feud. It certainly wasn’t worth killing him over. While Chen Yuan wasn’t overly magnanimous, he wasn’t petty either. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble. Out of respect for the Gu Family, as long as Yu Yan didn’t provoke him again, they could just go their separate ways in peace.
Xue Anping clicked his tongue. "Chen Yuan, I have to admit, Gu Wantong is quite the beauty, and she’s well-educated and reasonable. Yu Yan is truly favored by the heavens. He’s thriving in both the Martial Dao and romance. It’s enough to make anyone jealous."
A hint of envy flashed in his eyes as he spoke.
Chen Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle. "Just focus on your training, Anping. Once you comprehend Manifest Force and become an official Martial Artist, finding a decent girl won’t be difficult."
Being at that hot-blooded age, Xue Anping was instantly reinvigorated. He took a deep breath and threw himself back into practicing his Heart Intent Six Harmonies Fist.
Chen Yuan shook his head and resumed his own training. At this stage in his life, women would only slow down the speed of his fists.
...
Inner City, Fang Family.
Inside the Council Hall, Patriarch Fang, Fang Zhengde, sat at the head seat, his brows tightly furrowed and his expression solemn. The surrounding seats were filled to capacity with direct Fang Family descendants, as well as highly contributing Stewards and Tributors.
This family meeting had been called out of sheer necessity. Over the past few months, the Fang Family’s situation had grown increasingly dire. They had reached a point where cross-department coordination was strictly required just to weather the storm.
The Fang Family had originally built their fortune on mining, controlling several rich mines around Qingyuan County. They usually took care to maintain good relations with the four major families, ensuring a smooth and peaceful operation for years.
However, a few months ago, the He Family—who also started in the mining trade—suddenly rose in prominence. A number of experts emerged from their ranks, causing their ambitions to swell. They began issuing frequent provocations, intent on laying claim to the Fang Family’s mines.
Naturally, the Fang Family refused to yield. They tried appealing to the four major families to mediate, but the doors were shut in their faces. Most likely, the He Family had already bribed them. This escalated into an all-out war of attrition between the two families. They fiercely competed in every possible sector: prospecting, extraction, transportation, and sales.
As a result, the Fang Family gradually lost ground. Unable to outcompete the surging He Family, they were forced to burn through their reserves just to survive.
Naturally, this emergency meeting also addressed the matter of family members sponsoring and recruiting outstanding disciples from various Martial Arts Halls and Martial Arts Academies.
Fang Zhengde spoke in a deep voice: "Everyone, it is time to put our sponsored disciples to use. We’ll soon find out if they are true talents or useless hacks. I expect your eye for talent won’t disappoint me."
His implication was clear: it was time to put their investments to the test. The incompetent would be kicked out, and the capable would be heavily utilized.
Among the attendees, Fang Minghai narrowed his eyes slightly.