Xu Yan Refines His Bones (Please Bookmark and Follow)

Chapter 8: Xu Yan Refines His Bones (Please Bookmark and Follow)

The sky was beginning to brighten as a ray of morning sunlight passed through the village's narrow lanes and shone upon Xu Yan as he trained.

As usual, Xu Yan had risen before dawn to cultivate. At this moment, his heart was surging with excitement. As his qi and blood circulated, at a certain instant, his skin membrane tightened and emitted sharp popping sounds, like steel strings drawn taut in an instant.

His skin membrane suddenly gave him a sense of perfect roundness, without the slightest flaw.

His strength had grown greater, and his qi and blood had risen as well.

Skin Tempering was complete!

"Twenty days. It took me twenty days to finally complete Skin Tempering. Though I am still far inferior to the Ancient Prodigies, I can be considered prodigy-class!"

"As long as I forge Golden Bones, I definitely won't be weaker than the Ancient Prodigies!"

Xu Yan was overwhelmed with excitement. Raising his hands, he clenched both fists and felt the power within his body.

Even barehanded, he was now nearly unafraid of blades and swords!

Facing a hundred alone would be no problem!

And this was merely the completion of Skin Tempering, only the most basic stage of the foundational realm!

"I'll settle myself today. Tomorrow, I'll begin Bone Refining!"

Xu Yan ended his cultivation, shouldered a hoe, and went to tend the vegetables and feed the chickens. He needed to relax his mind and prepare for tomorrow's Bone Refining.

He kept his master's teachings firmly in mind: work and rest must be balanced, and one had to remain steady and patient!

After getting up and washing, Li Xuan stepped out of the house and was surprised to discover that Xu Yan was not cultivating.

Since becoming his disciple, this was the first morning Xu Yan had not been training!

What's going on? Has he given up?

Impossible. He was still cultivating so diligently yesterday. How could he suddenly give up?

From what Li Xuan had learned of Xu Yan these past days, the boy was single-minded to a fault, and did not seem particularly quick-witted. There was no way he would suddenly give up.

Li Xuan went to look at the chicken coop. The chickens had just been fed, and from afar, he saw Xu Yan hoeing weeds in the vegetable garden.

So he walked over.

"Master!"

Xu Yan respectfully bowed.

"Mm, not bad. You're able to calm your heart and settle your mind, keeping the vegetable garden in such orderly condition..."

Li Xuan glanced at the garden, somewhat surprised. All the weeds had been cleared away, and the vegetables were thriving, even better than when he had planted them himself!

"It is all thanks to Master's excellent guidance!"

Xu Yan said with a simple, honest grin.

"Why did you come to weed the garden so early today?"

Li Xuan had come to ask why he had not cultivated this morning.

For now, it seemed Xu Yan had not given up.

"This disciple follows Master's teachings. I must balance work and rest, settling myself in preparation for the hard cultivation ahead."

Xu Yan replied respectfully.

Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief. Sure enough, he had not given up. He was simply relaxing his mind before continuing to cultivate and sense his qi and blood.

How could someone so single-minded give up so easily?

Thus, he revealed a gratified smile and said, "I am pleased that you possess such awareness!"

Xu Yan immediately grew excited, secretly thinking, Sure enough, it was the right choice not to hurriedly begin Bone Refining right after completing Skin Tempering. Settling myself and relaxing my tightly wound mind is the true path of cultivation!

"Maintain a good state of mind. Be neither arrogant nor impatient, and you will surely achieve something!"

Li Xuan offered a few words of encouragement before turning and leaving.

He took a stroll around the village. Since the last elderly villager had passed away, all the houses in the village had fallen into ruin.

He had converted several houses into chicken coops, while the rest had become overgrown with weeds.

How did Xu Yan pass through Evil Fiend Forest? Was it simply luck? Did he happen to avoid the tiger Fierce Beast?

I can't remain trapped in this village forever. I have to find a way out, and the breakthrough lies with Xu Yan...

Li Xuan pondered inwardly.

"I'm a transmigrator, yet I'm miserable enough that I can't even leave the beginner village!"

Li Xuan let out a sigh.

The next day.

Before dawn, Xu Yan got up to cultivate.

"Qi and blood seep into the bones and temper them... It is slightly different from Skin Tempering, but not too different. My goal is Golden Bones. Only by forging Golden Bones can I stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ancient Prodigies."

Xu Yan's gaze was firm.

"Though Master does not say it aloud, he surely hopes that I can forge Golden Bones. Only by standing shoulder to shoulder with the Ancient Prodigies can I be worthy of becoming Master's successor!"

"As for Jade Bones, Master said they cannot be achieved through persistence and talent alone... I will do my utmost. If I can forge Jade Bones, I will surely surpass the Ancient Prodigies!"

Jade Bones were far too difficult to achieve, and could not be attained through talent and persistence alone. Thus, Xu Yan's foremost goal was to forge Golden Bones!

Xu Yan circulated his qi and blood and began seeping it into his bones. At first, the process was extremely slow. Then, at a certain moment, every bone in his body seemed to be bitten by ants, numb and itchy, unbearably uncomfortable!

"My qi and blood have seeped into my bones. They're being tempered, and yet this is how it feels!"

Xu Yan gritted his teeth and endured.

"No wonder Master said forging Golden Bones depends on talent, persistence, and willpower. Bone Refining is already like this at the very beginning. Once I reach Golden Bones and my qi and blood seep into my marrow, the feeling will surely be even more unbearable!"

His bones felt numb and itchy, as though ants were crawling over them. Sweat appeared on Xu Yan's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and persisted. His gaze remained unwavering. No matter how unbearable it became, he would endure.

Fortunately, as his qi and blood continued to seep in and he made it through the initial stage, the numb, itchy sensation of ants crawling over his bones began to fade.

What followed was a sense of his bones being tempered, similar to tempering the skin membrane, though far more difficult.

The progress of qi and blood seeping into and tempering his bones was incredibly slow. It remained on the surface of his bones, unable to penetrate any deeper.

Only then did Xu Yan understand that Bone Refining was far more difficult than he had imagined.

No wonder those who could forge Golden Bones were so rare.

Li Xuan emerged from the house and immediately saw Xu Yan cultivating. He could not help nodding. Sure enough, someone so single-minded would not speak lightly of giving up.

His attitude was being maintained rather well!

From the corner of his eye, Xu Yan saw his master nod, and his heart was instantly stirred with determination.

Master must be acknowledging my persistence in enduring the pain of Bone Refining!

Persist! Persist! No matter how great the pain, I must endure it. I will never give up!

Xu Yan encouraged himself inwardly.

He continued tempering his bones. As his qi and blood kept seeping in, more and more qi and blood covered his bones and continuously tempered them. The sensation of ants crawling over him had disappeared.

But in its place came a feeling like sand grinding against his bones.

Sweat poured from Xu Yan's forehead, but he clenched his teeth, made no sound, and continued enduring the tempering.

He did not know how much time had passed. The sensation of sand grinding against his bones grew stronger and stronger, and Xu Yan felt that he was nearly unable to bear it any longer.

Beads of sweat dripped continuously from his forehead.

Li Xuan, reclining in a chair beneath a tree, looked up at the time, then glanced at Xu Yan.

"It's almost time for lunch. What is going on with this disciple today? Did he lose track of time? He should be cooking!"

Thus, Li Xuan said, "All right, go make lunch. It's getting late!"

Xu Yan's heart shook upon hearing this. He began to end his cultivation, and the sensation of sand grinding against his bones gradually vanished.

He was deeply moved. Master must have seen that I had reached my limit, so he is telling me to rest for a while.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan ended his cultivation and replied respectfully.

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