Fabricating Bone Refining Ranks

"Bone Refining has its subtleties; it is divided into ranks..."

Although Xu Yan's question about Bone Refining had caught him off guard, Li Xuan did not panic in the slightest.

After all, he had written web novels in his previous life, so he was no slouch at making things up. These days, the chicken soup stewed with Nine-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma had strengthened his memory and sharpened his mind. Before long, he had thought of how to fabricate an answer.

"Today, your master will give you a detailed explanation of Bone Refining.

"Bone Refining is an exceedingly important foundation. It cannot be treated carelessly, for it concerns the strength of one's martial path. As the saying goes, if the bones are not sturdy, the body cannot be strong..."

Li Xuan's mind spun at high speed as he began fabricating things in an orderly fashion.

His theories came one after another, captivating Xu Yan. He nodded repeatedly, sometimes wearing a look of sudden enlightenment.

So Bone Refining has so many subtleties. Good thing Master always teaches me to calm my heart and still my qi, never to be impatient. Otherwise, if I had rushed into Bone Refining without knowing these intricacies, would I not have cut off my own martial future?

Xu Yan sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, I must heed Master's teachings. I cannot be hasty. I must be steady and comprehend more!

The more he listened, the more profound he found the Bone Refining stage. Once Bone Refining was complete, his strength would surely multiply several times over.

My Skin Tempering has reached great accomplishment, and I am about to complete it. After completing Skin Tempering, I must settle myself for a while and carefully comprehend the path of Bone Refining before beginning it. I must not act with undue haste!

Xu Yan made up his mind.

After making up a whole string of explanations, Li Xuan had kept an eye on Xu Yan's expression. Seeing how earnestly he listened, Li Xuan was quite satisfied. He nodded approvingly and said, "Disciple, remember this well: starting slowly in cultivation does not mean you will remain slow in the future.

"Just as when building a tower, the foundation is of utmost importance. If the foundation is not firm and the base is unstable, it will not withstand wind and rain and can easily collapse. Cultivation is the same. Chasing speed in the early stages instead strangles your own upper limit and strangles the future of your martial path...

"Throughout the ages, how many cultivated at lightning speed in the beginning and appeared to be prodigies, only for their foundations to prove unstable later on? Their progress slowed, and some even reached their limits, unable to advance another inch."

Li Xuan had said this to comfort Xu Yan. Though Xu Yan had yet to sense his qi and blood, there was no need to pursue speed during the foundation-building stage. A solid foundation was what mattered.

Yet Xu Yan was invigorated by his words. Master is warning me that although my cultivation speed cannot compare to those Ancient Prodigies, as long as my foundation is solid, I will surely rise later and surpass them!

Master has placed great hopes upon me. I absolutely cannot disappoint him!

I must lay a solid foundation and surpass those Ancient Prodigies!

Xu Yan was deeply moved. Respectfully, he said, "Master, rest assured. This disciple will remember your teachings. I will be neither hasty nor impetuous, will build a firm foundation, and will never disappoint you!"

Li Xuan nodded with gratification. "It pleases me that you understand your master's painstaking intentions!"

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I've fooled him again. Even if he fails to sense qi and blood for one or two months, he should be able to keep his composure, right? Besides, after drinking chicken soup stewed with Nine-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma, my body has grown stronger. His body should grow stronger too. He'll surely think it's because of cultivation.

But lies can only deceive someone for so long, especially when it comes to cultivation. Only Xu Yan has such a poor head on his shoulders. I still need to figure out an escape plan. This fellow has a powerful background.

Having steadied Xu Yan's mindset, things would be much easier from here. He only needed to let him continue cultivating.

There was still plenty of time before the one-year deadline.

"Master, you said Bone Refining is divided into ranks. What are the particulars?"

Xu Yan asked respectfully.

"Yes, that's right. Bone Refining is divided into ranks."

Li Xuan froze inwardly. He had nearly forgotten that he had promised to make up Bone Refining ranks.

*Make Bone Refining sound more difficult. Xu Yan cannot even sense qi and blood, nor can he achieve Skin Tempering. Bone Refining, which is even harder, will be even more beyond his reach.

*When he fails to cultivate successfully for a long time, he will retreat before the difficulties, think his talent is lacking, and take the initiative to leave, feeling ashamed of Master's efforts in nurturing him...

*If I give him another chance afterward—for example, tell him that if he has children, they can come and try to see whether they can enter the sect—then he'll see a glimmer of hope. If he cannot cultivate himself, he can have his children do so...

That way, the chance of being exposed will be even lower, and I can also obtain another sum: the apprenticeship gift from his future children...

He had already deceived him once, so he did not care about deceiving him a second time.

Li Xuan thought that once this matter was over and he had successfully left the small mountain village, he would hide in the Wu Kingdom. Then the likelihood of ever seeing Xu Yan again would be infinitesimal.

With Xu Yan's apprenticeship gift, he could live a somewhat better life in the Wu Kingdom.

He straightened his expression and said solemnly, "The path of Bone Refining has four ranks: bones refined like iron, bones refined like copper, bones refined like gold, and bones refined like jade..."

Xu Yan looked excited. "Iron Bone, Copper Bone, Golden Bone, and Jade Bone—are those the four stages of Bone Refining?"

Li Xuan shook his head. "No! These are four Bone Refining ranks. They represent the upper limit of one's martial path, as well as the strength of one's own power."

"Iron Bone is where most ordinary martial artists stand after refining their bones. Qi and blood temper the skeleton until it is hard as iron. Ordinary blades cannot cut through it. Of course, Iron Bone is merely ordinary, and its martial upper limit is not high.

"Copper Bone is stronger than Iron Bone. Its bones are like copper; even after death, they will not decay for a thousand years. Once one has refined Copper Bone, one's foundation is already deep, and one's martial upper limit is higher. This counts as above-average talent.

"Only after refining Golden Bone can one be considered a prodigy!"

When Li Xuan reached this point, his expression became solemn. "Every Ancient Prodigy refined Golden Bone!"

Xu Yan grew excited, his eyes shining as he asked, "Master, how does one refine Golden Bone?"

Seeing his gleaming eyes and his exuberant expression, Li Xuan was somewhat speechless. Did this fool actually think he could refine Golden Bone?

I made all this up!

Thus, he said in a deep voice, "Calm your heart and still your qi. Do not be so impatient!"

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan hurriedly restrained his excitement and sat upright with a solemn expression.

"Once Golden Bone is achieved, even if one dies and is buried underground for ten thousand years, the bones will remain golden and resplendent. They are sturdier than steel. Yet throughout the ages, among those able to refine Golden Bone, there has not been one in ten thousand."

Li Xuan said gravely, "When I say one in ten thousand, I mean one in ten thousand among the many prodigies!"

"Master, do prodigies also have ranks?"

Xu Yan asked curiously.

"Of course!"

Li Xuan nodded. "Just as beauties—though all are beauties—still differ from one another, so too do prodigies!"

Xu Yan suddenly understood. "I get it. Just like Chunxiang Tower in Donghe Commandery: the top courtesan is already a rare beauty, but the flower queen is even more beautiful!"

Li Xuan gave him a strange look, grinding his teeth inwardly. As expected of a rich young master—he must have visited plenty of pleasure houses.

Damn it, I want to go too!

"Master, this disciple was merely making an analogy. This disciple has never been there!"

Noticing Li Xuan's strange gaze, Xu Yan immediately said awkwardly with an embarrassed laugh.