Crimson Sun Acceleration

The night was deep, and the sound of snoring rose and fell within Class C Room Seven.

Zhao Hu lay sprawled on his bed, saliva drooling from the corner of his mouth. He muttered incoherently in his sleep, seemingly showing off the "astonishing" progress he had made in his cultivation during the day. The scrawny youth, Li Gou Er, was curled up in the corner of the bed, his breathing light. As for the cold, hard-faced youth named Shi Feng, he remained in his seated position against the wall, his breathing long and steady, as if he too were cultivating.

Li Yuan lay on the hard wooden bed near the door. The straw mat beneath him was rough and abrasive, but he remained completely oblivious to it.

His consciousness was entirely immersed in the world within his body, a realm governed by the Crimson Sun.

The Crimson Sun Tempering Method he had discovered during the day had shown him a shortcut, but it had also brought new problems—an extremely high demand for mental control and the consumption of Crimson Sun Qi and Blood.

Like the most stingy of stewards, he carefully guided the Crimson Sun in his Sea of Qi, separating wisps of pale gold Qi and Blood, each thinner than a strand of hair, and precisely "pierced" them into the skin and membranes of his arms.

This was a process that consumed an immense amount of mental energy. He had to be fully focused, controlling the intensity of every wisp of Qi and Blood, the depth of their penetration, and the duration of their stay. If he were the slightest bit careless, the overly scorching Qi and Blood would burn his fragile skin, but if the intensity were insufficient, the effect would be minimal.

At first, progress was slow. It was like trying to drill holes into dense leather with a sewing needle—difficult and laborious.

But as time passed, his proficiency in this delicate control improved. At the same time, he discovered that the skin tempered by the Crimson Sun Qi and Blood not only became tougher, but also seemed to develop a faint "affinity" for subsequent Qi and Blood penetration, causing the resistance to gradually decrease.

The dead of night was the perfect time for cultivation.

He cast aside all distracting thoughts and poured his entire focus into this silent tempering. Inch by inch, point by point, he guided the Crimson Sun Qi and Blood with his intent, like the most patient craftsman, repeatedly hammering and refining the skin of his arms.

He could clearly "see" internally that in the areas where the Crimson Sun Qi and Blood flowed, the structure of his skin was undergoing subtle and miraculous changes. The fibers were becoming denser, arranging themselves with more order, and their toughness was increasing significantly. A solid feeling, as if he were covered by an invisible film, was becoming clearer and clearer.

He did not know how much time had passed, but when the first crow of a rooster drifted in from outside the window, Li Yuan finally slowed and stopped his cultivation.

He opened his eyes. In the darkness, his gaze was clear and bright, without a hint of fatigue.

He gently raised his arm, looking at it by the faint light of dawn filtering through the crack in the door. The skin of his arm looked the same as usual; it did not shimmer with a metallic luster like Instructor Chen's, but when he touched it with his fingers, he could feel an astonishing elasticity and toughness, as if what lay beneath was not flesh and blood, but a resilient, air-filled pouch.

He pressed his fingers together like a blade and scraped his fingernail hard against his arm!

If this had been before, such an action would have been enough to leave a bloody mark. But now, only a faint white line appeared on his skin, which quickly vanished.

Not enough yet, Li Yuan judged internally. This was only the preliminary strengthening; there was still a gap between this and the realm described in the Iron Body Technique: "skin and membranes tough, impervious to the strikes of ordinary clubs." But at this rate, in at most two or three days, the skin on his arms would be fully formed!

If this efficiency were to become known, it would be enough to shock the world.

He checked his Sea of Qi. A night of tempering had consumed about one-third of his Crimson Sun Qi and Blood. An obvious sense of hunger surged from his abdomen.

The growth of the Crimson Sun and this high-efficiency tempering method demanded too much energy.

He glanced at the empty wooden bowl in the corner of the room that belonged to him. The meager blood-food provided by the martial arts hall for their two daily meals was simply not enough to replenish such a massive consumption.

His gaze inadvertently swept over the wooden barrel in the center of the room, from which wisps of heat were still rising—it was the medicinal bath provided uniformly by the hall every evening to assist in the practice of the Iron Body Technique.

The other three had clearly already used it; the color of the medicinal liquid in the barrel had become very pale, with only a small amount left at the bottom.

Li Yuan's heart stirred.

He rose silently and walked to the wooden tub. The medicinal liquid inside was turbid, emitting a faint scent mixed with several herbs, its spiritual energy extremely weak.

He extended a finger and dipped it into the cool medicinal liquid.

His consciousness triggered "Crimson Sun".

A faint suction force emerged from his fingertip.

In an instant, the previously calm liquid seemed to have been struck by a pebble; ripples radiated outward from his fingertip! The thin medicinal power remaining in the liquid, as if pulled by an invisible force, surged frantically toward his fingertip!

"Smelt" activated!

The moment that faint, impure medicinal power touched his fingertip, it was instantly refined and purified by the Crimson Sun Power. The impurities were stripped away, leaving only the purest trace of energy, which flowed along his meridians into his body and merged into his Crimson Sun Qi and Blood!

Although this energy was extremely faint, far inferior to the flesh and blood of Fierce Beasts, even a mosquito's leg is still meat! Moreover, this medicinal power seemed to have a faint effect on nourishing his meridians and alleviating the fatigue after cultivation.

In just a few breaths, the remaining medicinal power at the bottom of the tub was completely sucked dry, and the liquid turned into completely turbid water.

Li Yuan withdrew his finger, felt the almost negligible replenishment within his body, and shook his head. A drop in the bucket.

But this method had undoubtedly opened a window for him. If there were sufficient, higher-quality Medicinal Baths...

He returned to the bed, lay back down, and thoughts raced through his mind.

The martial arts hall's regular supplies were far from enough. He had to find a way to obtain more resources within the framework of the martial arts hall.

As the sky began to brighten, the other three in the room woke up one after another.

Zhao Hu stretched, proudly patted his thick arms, and boasted to Li Gou Er and Shi Feng, "Hey, Fatty here feels his skin has gotten thicker! At this rate, for the small examination in half a month, I might be able to charge into a Class B Room!"

Li Gou Er looked at him with envy and stammered, "Brother Zhao is truly amazing..."

Shi Feng remained silent, simply tidying up his bed.

Zhao Hu's gaze fell on Li Yuan, who had just sat up. Seeing his calm expression and no signs of active Qi and Blood from recent cultivation, he couldn't help but sneer, "Hey, you newcomer, how's your training going? Don't end up unable to even stay in a Class C Room; that would be truly shameful!"

Li Yuan raised his eyelids, glanced at him indifferently, and without answering, got out of bed, picked up his wooden bowl, and prepared to head to the Dining Hall.

His silence was seen by Zhao Hu as guilt and cowardice.

"Hmph, a loser is a loser!" Zhao Hu spat disdainfully, then beckoned to Li Gou Er and swaggered out the door.

Li Yuan walked at the end, watching Zhao Hu's self-righteous back view with calm, ripple-free eyes.

A frog at the bottom of a well, how could it know the ambitions of a swan?

His path was not something such a mediocre person could fathom.

Feeling the constant "Crimson Sun" within his body and the solid strength contained beneath the skin of his arms, Li Yuan's pace was steady and firm.

The acceleration had only just begun.