After confirming that he had cleaned up the battlefield, Li Bufan did not dare delay in the slightest. He immediately turned and raced at top speed toward the battlefield where the tiger and Black Bear had fought.
The cold wind swept snowflakes against his face, still faintly warm from the recent fight, bringing bone-piercing chill but also clearing his mind. His heart still pounded powerfully—not from fear, but from the exhilaration of surviving a calamity and turning the tables, as well as his craving for the abundant resources soon to be his, resources enough to change his path in martial arts!
Before long, the wrecked battlefield came into view. The massive corpses of the Tiger and Black Bear lay silently in the snow. Their blood had long since congealed, staining a broad swath of snow dark red, while the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood.
Such a strong scent would inevitably draw other fierce beasts—or even more terrifying things—if it lingered too long!
Li Bufan's gaze sharpened. Without hesitation, he swiftly removed all the weights from his back, keeping only the newly seized, sharper short-handled hatchet and his hunting knife. He took a deep breath, rolled his arms to loosen the soreness left by his earlier burst of exertion and tension, then began the most arduous "butchering of an ox" he had undertaken since arriving in this world.
Time was pressing. He could not possibly take the entire tiger and Black Bear with him, so he had to make choices.
He set his sights first on the most valuable parts.
"Tiger bones are the most precious, especially the main spine and the large bones of the limbs. They contain the strongest vitality and blood!" Recalling the knowledge he had learned from Doctor Liu and the Herbal Compendium, Li Bufan brought down his knife with precision along the joints. Crack! Crack! The teeth-grinding sound of bones breaking echoed through the forest. Fortunately, he had reached Perfection of Skin Refining, and his strength surpassed that of ordinary people. Though it took effort, he could still manage it.
He carefully extracted each thick tiger bone and laid them atop a huge bearskin spread beside him. Next came the bear gallbladder, another treasure worth a fortune. He carefully separated it with his hunting knife and stored it in a leather waterskin. Then came the two enormous bear paws and four tiger paws, all great tonics that were immensely beneficial for a warrior tempering their body.
Next were the prime cuts that were easier to carve. He selected places such as the tiger's back and the bear's spine, where the muscle fibers were thick and vitality abundant. Chunks of dark-red lean meat were sliced away, each weighty in his hand, as though brimming with vast energy.
He did not overlook treasures among the organs either, such as the tiger's penis and the bear's heart, wrapping them separately in a piece of hide.
Throughout the process, Li Bufan remained intensely focused, moving as quickly and accurately as he could. The frigid air itself seemed about to be heated by his boiling vitality and hurried breaths. Sweat seeped from his brow, only to be chilled at once by the cold wind.
It took nearly half a shichen before he finished carving out the most valuable parts of the two giant beasts. Though he regretted leaving behind the enormous bodies and heads, there was nothing he could do. He divided all his gains into two large bundles, binding them tightly with tough bearskin and vines. One was exceptionally heavy, containing mostly tiger bones and bear meat; the other was somewhat lighter, but still stuffed to bursting.
After testing their weight, Li Bufan could not help baring his teeth. This was far heavier than he had expected. Yet his gaze remained firm, without the slightest thought of giving up.
"I have to take them! These are the provisions I need to break through into Muscle Tempering! They are the foundation stones on the road to becoming stronger!"
He slung the heavier bundle over his back and lashed it down securely with vines. He then used a thick branch as a shoulder pole for the other bundle. The immense weight instantly bent his waist slightly and drove his feet deep into the snow.
"Ha!" he shouted lowly. His vitality and blood surged through his body, and the strength of Perfection of Skin Refining supported him as he took his first step.
The journey back to the cave became extraordinarily difficult. He had traveled lightly on the way here, but now he bore a mountain on his back. Every step left a deep footprint in the snow. His muscle fibers protested with aching soreness, while his vitality drained sharply. He had no choice but to repeatedly employ the exertion techniques of the Spirit Monkey Three Leaps—not to increase his speed, but to distribute his stamina more efficiently, adjust his center of gravity, and keep himself moving beneath this crushing load.
The forest was silent except for his heavy breathing and the crunch of snow beneath his feet. He did not dare take a straight route. Instead, he deliberately detoured, using the complicated terrain and old snow tracks not yet fully covered to confuse any possible pursuers.
Fortunately, perhaps because the weather had grown increasingly gloomy and cold, or perhaps because the lingering scent of his battle with the gray-clothed man had frightened off other creatures, he encountered no trouble along the way.
At some point, fine grains of snow began drifting from the sky. They gradually grew larger, until they became goose-feather snowflakes. The falling snow fluttered everywhere, quickly dyeing the mountain forest pure white.
Li Bufan looked up at the sky. Rather than worry, a trace of relief appeared on his face.
"Good snow! Heaven truly is helping me!"
This heavy snowfall would be enough to conceal the tracks left by his dragging heavy loads, and it would swiftly cover and erase the bloodstains and traces at both battlefields—the tiger and Black Bear site, as well as the place where he had fought. That Wu Ershijiu would likely not be discovered until spring came the following year and the snow melted.
The snowstorm also made travel more difficult, but Li Bufan gritted his teeth. Relying on the strengthened stamina and willpower he had gained after his breakthrough, he moved step by step, resolutely making his way toward the cave he remembered.
When the familiar cave finally appeared in his sight, Li Bufan nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Relying almost entirely on his last thread of will, he dragged the two incomparably heavy bundles and staggered inside.
Rumble!
He dropped the burden from his shoulder with a dull thud, then slumped to the ground beside it, leaning against the icy stone wall and gulping down breath after breath. His white exhalations were as thick as clouds. Outside, the heavy snow had already sealed off the mountains. The world was a vast expanse of white, thoroughly wiping away every trace of his return.
After resting for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, Li Bufan finally caught his breath. The cave was much warmer than outside, though it was still cold. He quickly lit a fire to maintain his body temperature and roast some tiger and Black Bear meat.
Struggling to his feet, he first concealed the cave entrance with stones, ensuring it would be difficult to spot from outside. Then, after starting the fire, he began taking stock of his harvest.
Looking at the two huge bundles of bloody yet vitality-rich "treasure" on the ground—especially the pile of thick tiger bones—Li Bufan's eyes brimmed with excitement and anticipation.
"With these... I have enough for the cultivation requirements of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique! It may even be possible to go a step further!"
He hesitated no longer. His most urgent task was to convert these resources into tangible strength as quickly as possible! Only by breaking through into Muscle Tempering would he have greater power to protect himself in these mountains and forests, and only then could he face the threats that might arise!
He picked up his hunting knife and cut off a large chunk of the darkest, finest-grained lean meat from the tiger's hind leg, along with a bear paw.
He set them over the fire separately to roast. Once they were nearly done, he cut the meat into small pieces, took a deep breath, and began chewing them directly.
The intense gamey stench he had expected did not fully appear. Instead, a faint, strange warmth spread through his mouth as he chewed, and the meat even carried a slightly sweet flavor. Moments after it entered his stomach, an obvious heat began spreading from his belly through his limbs and bones. His entire body felt warm, even faintly feverish!
"What powerful vitality and blood energy!" Startled and delighted, Li Bufan hurriedly ate it all. This time, the warmth it supplied was even more domineering.
After consuming several catties of tiger and Black Bear meat in succession, he felt as though he had swallowed a furnace. Vast vitality and blood energy ran wild through his body, reddening his skin and filling him with inexhaustible strength, leaving him almost restless.
"Now!"
Li Bufan did not dare slacken. He immediately moved to a relatively spacious area in the center of the cave and assumed the opening stance of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique.
The core of this Muscle Tempering technique, which he had obtained from Eldest Miss Lin, lay in imitating the stretching, leaping, pouncing, and frolicking of spirit apes. Through specific movements, it drew, compressed, and tempered the muscles throughout the body. Combined with a unique breathing method, it guided vitality and blood deep into the muscle fibers for profound tempering and nourishment, allowing muscle strength, flexibility, explosive power, and the body's capacity to contain vitality and blood to undergo a qualitative leap.
"Breathe... in... out..."
Li Bufan adjusted his breathing, sank his awareness into his body, and began guiding the surging hot current of vitality and blood born from the tiger and Black Bear flesh according to the diagrams and movements of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique.
The first movement: Spirit Ape Stretching Its Arms. He slowly extended both arms to either side, like an ape stretching its limbs. He felt the pull through the muscles of his back, shoulders, and arms as vitality and blood flowed toward those regions, bringing faint soreness and burning heat.
The second movement: Savage Ape Shaking the Tree. Imitating an ape exerting force to ram into something, he tilted his body sideways and suddenly drove his shoulder forward. His vitality and blood instantly gathered in the muscles of his shoulder and chest, creating a faint tremor.
The third movement: Spirit Ape Tumble. His body twisted and folded with flexibility, tempering the core muscles of his waist and abdomen...
The fourth movement...
At first, his movements were still somewhat awkward, and his guidance of vitality and blood was not especially smooth. Under the dual stimulation of vitality and blood and the movements themselves, his muscles sent back all manner of sensations—soreness, numbness, swelling, pain—far deeper and more complicated than the simple washing of vitality and blood over his skin during Skin Tempering.
But the Heaven Rewards Diligence fate silently activated once more. Insights and understanding of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique flooded into his mind, mutually confirming and merging with the actual sensations in his body.
His movements gradually became smoother and more natural. His guidance of vitality and blood also grew increasingly precise, efficiently delivering the continuous heat generated in his abdomen to the muscle groups that needed tempering.
The muscles throughout his body seemed to come alive. Suffused with vitality and blood, they wriggled and trembled faintly as they underwent profound strengthening and transformation. Beneath his skin, the outlines of his muscles seemed to grow clearer and tighter.
Outside the cave, heavy snow swirled while the cold wind howled. Within, Li Bufan sweated as though drenched in rain, heat steaming from his body. Every movement stirred the sound of wind, while the faint hum of circulating vitality and blood could be heard.
He cultivated tirelessly. Whenever he was hungry, he cut off tiger and Black Bear meat, roasted it, and ate it. Whenever he was thirsty, he grabbed a handful of clean snow and stuffed it into his mouth. When exhaustion overwhelmed him, he rested briefly against the stone wall. The moment his strength recovered even slightly, he threw himself back into cultivation.
He smashed small openings in the tiger bones with stones and sucked out their fragrant marrow. He swallowed the bear gallbladder in portions, its bitterness twisting his face, but what followed was a powerful clear current merging into his vitality and blood...
Time flew by amid his frenzied cultivation.
One day, then two...
He could clearly feel his strength steadily growing. His body became ever lighter and more agile, while his control over his muscles reached a new height. The muscle fibers throughout his body grew tougher, and the total amount of vitality and blood they contained nearly doubled!
By the evening of the third day, he had finished the last piece of tiger heart and sucked clean the marrow from the final tiger bone.
He felt the vitality and blood within him had filled to a critical threshold. The muscles throughout his body were sore and burning, as though every fiber yearned for a complete transformation and release!
A sharp light burst from Li Bufan's eyes. He knew the time had come!
He assumed the stance of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique once again. This time, however, his movements were no longer slow and tempering—they became swift and violent! Like a true savage ape roaring and displaying its might in the mountain forest!
Vitality and blood surged and roared through his body, madly battering the deep barriers of his muscles!
Boom!
It was as though an invisible barrier had been thoroughly shattered!
A sensation of power far greater than before instantly flooded every part of his body like a rising tide! His muscles shook violently, contracting and expanding as they became denser and tougher! His bones gave off faint crackling sounds, as though they too could now withstand greater force.
The vitality and blood around his body boomed loudly before gradually settling down, becoming more vigorous and condensed, like mercury and thick slurry, deeply stored within every inch of tempered muscle.
An unprecedented sense of fullness and power filled both body and mind.
Li Bufan slowly withdrew from the technique and exhaled a long breath of stale air. The breath shot outward like an arrow for more than a foot before slowly dispersing.
He clenched his fists and felt the surging power within him. With a casual punch, the air actually gave a faint explosive crack!
"Muscle Tempering... achieved!"
[Heaven Rewards Diligence] Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique, Beginner, (12/500)
Moreover, nourished by the great tonic effects of the tiger and Black Bear flesh, tiger bones, and bear gallbladder, he had directly stabilized his realm and even taken a small step forward within Muscle Tempering!
He walked to the cave entrance and pushed away the concealing stones. The snow had stopped at some unknown time. Outside, the world was clad in silver, and heaven and earth lay utterly still. The crisp air he drew into his lungs carried the freshness of the aftermath of snow.
Li Bufan looked at his still fair fist, which now contained terrifying power, and his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's.
This journey through the mountain forest could be said to have reached a modest but satisfying completion.
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