Shortcut! Iron Bone Stance!

The next morning, a staff member from the Martial School arrived as promised. Besides handing over a bank card with 180,000 yuan, they also brought a cultivation technique.

Last night, Lu Jue lay on his hospital bed, carefully considering which technique to use to strengthen his head's defenses.

Techniques like the "Iron Head Skill" were simple and direct, but too limiting. His head wasn't fragile; it was just slightly weaker compared to the rest of his body. Compared to ordinary students his age, it was already a hundred times tougher.

Instead of specifically strengthening his head, Lu Jue wanted to improve his overall defense while also addressing its weakness.

After some searching, he quickly found a technique online that seemed to fit his needs: "Iron Bone Stance."

Legend had it that this technique was a secret passed down by a Grandmaster Li. Later, this Master of Hardening Arts suffered a devastating loss, and the technique fell into the wrong hands. After more than twenty years, the complete version was long lost, and what was available on the market was only a shortened version.

This technique was quite niche, with its philosophy emphasizing "Primarily Medicine, Secondarily Techniques."

Cultivators primarily used medicinal baths to allow the medicinal properties to penetrate their bones, supplemented by specific movements to guide the properties deeper into the skeletal structure. Through gradual accumulation, one could achieve Perfection.

Its advantage lay in its clear and controllable cultivation path. As long as one underwent the medicinal baths, the medicinal properties would definitely be absorbed by the body. Effort would yield results, unlike techniques that relied purely on comprehension and hard training, which could sometimes stall for months with little progress.

However, its drawbacks were equally prominent. The accompanying medicinal ingredients were quite expensive, and progress was slow, lacking the Sudden Enlightenment Rapid Mastery aspect. To reach Great Accomplishment, one would not only need to invest a massive amount of money but also a considerable amount of time.

According to one netizen's account, they persisted with medicinal baths twice daily for a full seven years before barely managing to cultivate "Iron Bone Stance" to Great Accomplishment, spending over a million yuan just on medicinal packs!

Lu Jue analyzed that the root cause of the slow progress was the low efficiency of medicinal absorption through medicinal baths, which was far inferior to consuming Pills.

Even for those with exceptional talent, absorbing six-tenths of the medicinal properties was the limit. Of that six-tenths, perhaps only half would truly benefit the bones. Ordinary people's efficiency was even lower.

In essence, for 10,000 yuan worth of medicinal ingredients, the portion that truly converted into strength might be less than 3,000.

But Lu Jue didn't mind. He had a system. He only needed to use the medicinal baths to get the technique to an introductory level. After that, he could obtain energy through eating and directly achieve Rapid Mastery and Perfection for the technique!

For others, cultivating "Iron Bone Stance" was a long and arduous journey with huge investments and slow returns.

But for Lu Jue, it was an undeniable Shortcut!

Not only could he use cheaper food instead of medicine, but he could also maintain a 100% absorption rate!

Therefore, he contacted Su Li overnight, used his Technique Authority, and borrowed "Iron Bone Stance."

Ignoring the dissuasion of the medical staff, Lu Jue quickly completed his discharge procedures. After leaving the Martial School, he immediately headed to the market and found a reputable old-fashioned medical hall.

Although "Iron Bone Stance" was relatively niche, as a rare Bone Forging Technique among common techniques, some well-off Martial Artists who favored Hardening Arts would still choose it to solidify their foundations.

As soon as Lu Jue handed over the prescription, the shop owner understood and directly presented three options: "Young man, you're here for 'Iron Bone Stance,' aren't you? Jishitang has three medicinal formulas prepared. Please take a look."

Lu Jue examined them carefully. The first was the standard formula, exactly as recorded in the technique, costing 300 yuan per dose.

The other two were optimized versions, and their prices naturally increased accordingly.

The owner enthusiastically introduced, "To be honest, one of our physicians has dedicated eight years to researching 'Iron Bone Stance' and has developed these two optimized formulas, which have received rave reviews."

"This first Optimized Formula can significantly alleviate the pain of medicinal properties entering the body, costing 400 yuan. The second scientifically enhances the medicinal efficacy, and with long-term use, there's hope for Great Accomplishment within seven years."

Hearing the explanation, Lu Jue clicked his tongue inwardly.

Even using the cheapest medicinal pack, twice a day would cost 600 yuan, totaling over 200,000 yuan annually!

Persisting for seven years with the hope of Great Accomplishment...

Too expensive! Too slow!

But fortunately, all he needed was the "key" to successfully get started.

"No need, just the standard formula, two doses!" Lu Jue stated decisively.

The owner's enthusiasm undiminished, he continued to recommend, "Young man, this is your first time cultivating 'Iron Bone Stance,' right? We have a dedicated medicinal bathhouse in our establishment. The ordinary room costs only 100 yuan per use, and there are dedicated staff to prepare the medicine, which can save you a lot of time and effort."

Lu Jue's heart stirred slightly at the suggestion.

He didn't have a large bathtub at home to perform a complete medicinal bath. The environment of a professional medicinal bathhouse and the medicine preparation service would indeed save him a lot of trouble, allowing him to focus more on dealing with the medicinal impact.

The cost of 100 yuan was acceptable.

"Alright, I'll use the ordinary medicinal bathhouse," Lu Jue agreed with a nod.

The owner's smile widened, and he immediately called over an apprentice: "Take this guest to room 208, prepare the Medicine Pot, and brew the medicine according to the formula provided by the guest."

Lu Jue followed the apprentice through the back hall, filled with a rich medicinal aroma, to a clean and tidy stone room.

In the center of the room was a heavy cypress bathtub, with a dedicated stove and Medicine Pot beside it. The apprentice efficiently started the fire and poured in the medicinal ingredients with practiced movements.

Twenty minutes later, the Medicinal Soup was ready. The deep brown liquid bubbled in the tub, emitting a pungent yet strangely fragrant odor.

The apprentice adjusted the water temperature, bowed respectfully, and withdrew, closing the door behind him.

Lu Jue shed his clothes and stepped into the bathtub.

The scalding medicinal liquid instantly enveloped his entire body, and a tingling sensation of prickling pain immediately struck, more intense than he had anticipated.

But this level of pain was entirely negligible to him.

"The main characteristic of this technique is that as long as you undergo the medicinal bath, you will definitely gain something. It's easy to get started, difficult to reach Great Accomplishment, and reaching Perfection is as hard as ascending to heaven."

"According to online guides, most people start to feel something after bathing with the second medicinal pack. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll get started today!"

With his mind made up, he no longer had any distractions. He immediately calmed his mind, focused inward, and silently recited the medicinal infusion principles of "Iron Bone Stance" in his heart. He relaxed all his muscles and fully guided the medicinal properties to impact his bones.

After using the first medicinal pack, Lu Jue took a two-hour break before continuing with the second medicinal pack.

At 4 PM, Lu Jue clearly felt a certain "threshold" within his body shatter.

Simultaneously, lines of text appeared in his mind:

[Deducting other losses, focusing on the optimal cultivation path, Iron Bone Stance requires an additional 227 days to reach Perfection.]

[Time required for Rapid Mastery based on the Host's current physical strength: 1 hour and 30 minutes!]

[Energy Requirement Difficulty: 3]

[Activate Rapid Mastery?]