Cultivation Energy Stone

Lyu Zhen, who had been waiting at the entrance, paid Lyu Fengrou no attention at all.

He stared at Su Yi with delight, as though he had found a treasure, and asked, "You're Su Yi? You've achieved Marrow Like Mercury? Come on, let's have a good talk."

Su Yi nodded, feeling a little uneasy. Something about this seemed off. Weren't they just supposed to take a bit of his bone marrow?

The look on Lyu Zhen's face made Su Yi's skin crawl.

Could you imagine an old man gazing at you with tender affection?

Suppressing his discomfort, Su Yi answered respectfully, "Hello, Grandmaster! I have indeed reached Major Achievement in Bone Marrow Tempering."

Lyu Zhen had an old-fashioned temperament, so Su Yi couldn't act flippantly around him. Not that he was a flippant person to begin with.

Grandmaster?

At the form of address, Lyu Zhen shot Wu Kuishan a disdainful glance.

But Su Yi's manner was proper, and he was a junior. Lyu Zhen couldn't help nodding.

In his eyes, Feng Rou was a junior, Duo'er was a junior, and Su Yi was a junior.

As for Wu Kuishan?

That man was a scheming scoundrel!

"Come talk with me first. We'll do an examination afterward."

Lyu Zhen took Su Yi by the arm and led him toward his office, paying no heed to Wu Kuishan or Lyu Fengrou.

He could see his daughter anytime. This was the first Third Rank warrior with Marrow Like Mercury he had ever met.

As for Wu Kuishan, he could go wherever he pleased! If he hadn't brought such a treasure today, Lyu Zhen would have mocked the scheming scoundrel again.

The moment he took Su Yi's hand, Lyu Zhen noticed that its weight was indeed unusual. Delighted, he began fussing over him.

Su Yi shook his head helplessly. He just wanted this over with so he could borrow some Credit Points and slip away.

The couple left behind exchanged a glance and shook their heads. The old man always got like this when he was doing research or came across something that interested him.

They had grown used to it over the years. They also knew better than to speak unless the old man asked them something; interrupting his train of thought would make him irritable.

Before long, Lyu Zhen brought Su Yi to his office and pressed him into a chair.

Seated there, Su Yi looked around. The office was large, with many shelves packed with documents and books.

Apart from those, there was only a desk and a few chairs. It was a simple space.

Lyu Zhen took out a blank file to make notes and asked, "Su Yi, when did you discover you could temper your bone marrow?"

Su Yi chose his words before answering. "About eight days ago."

"Eight days ago. That would be September tenth!"

Lyu Zhen noted the date and continued, "How did you discover it?"

"I was practicing Standing Meditation and tried it on a whim. It worked right away."

Su Yi's answer was entirely earnest.

Lyu Zhen frowned slightly. He had tried it on a whim, and that was enough?

It made no sense. Still, if Su Yi had succeeded, there had to be a reason.

Perhaps it was his constitution. Lyu Zhen extended his mental power toward Su Yi.

Hm? What abundant vitality! At least a thousand calories. Ordinary Third Rank warriors couldn't break through the 999-calorie limit.

Even among those who had undergone Third Bone Tempering, the few he had seen break that limit at Third Rank had all been at Third-Rank Peak. Every one of them had a special body-tempering method or some fortunate encounter.

Su Yi was only at Third Grade Mid Stage. Tempering his bone marrow would raise his vitality ceiling, but he had broken the limit without even undergoing the transformation of Third-Rank High Stage. His meridians, constitution, muscles, and skin had to be exceptionally strong.

Su Yi felt uncomfortable, as though someone were peering into him.

His expression tightened. Only he and Lyu Zhen were in the office.

Wu Kuishan and Lyu Fengrou had stayed outside.

Then Lyu Zhen had to be probing him with mental power. Su Yi thought for a moment. Since the man wanted to understand him, he might as well learn a little more.

He focused and began trying to intercept Lyu Zhen's mental power.

The interception was feeble. Their mental power differed enormously, and Su Yi was nowhere near as adept at using it as Lyu Zhen.

Yet even that faint resistance made Lyu Zhen's expression change.

"Mental power!"

Lyu Zhen stopped writing and looked up in surprise. "You can actually sense mental power."

Su Yi's use of it was crude, but a Third Rank warrior could sense mental power?

Wu Kuishan knew about Su Yi's mental power breakthrough, but he hadn't told anyone. Su Yi was still too weak.

"Yes. I've been able to since my Breakthrough to Third-Rank."

He had been able to sense mental power as soon as he reached Third Rank? Was he born with that gift?

Then again, perhaps that made sense. Without something special about him, he probably couldn't have tempered his bone marrow.

Without mental power to guide the process, the first thing he could temper shouldn't be his bone marrow. It should be his skull.

His skull?

Lyu Zhen paused. Could Su Yi temper his skull?

Puzzled, Lyu Zhen asked him.

Su Yi shook his head. He probably wouldn't be able to temper his skull until the Tempering Method had undergone Optimization for the fifth time.

Lyu Zhen felt a little relieved by the answer.

Someone a step ahead was a genius. Someone too far ahead was a monster. Though in Lyu Zhen's mind, Su Yi was already close.

With his naturally powerful mental power, Su Yi stood a far better chance of becoming a grandmaster than an ordinary Sixth-Rank Warrior.

Add Marrow Like Mercury, and he was surely invincible among those of the same rank. Killing opponents above his rank wasn't out of the question, either.

It was a good thing he couldn't temper his skull. If he could do that too, then after closing his three gates and achieving Mental Manifestation, he might break through to Eighth Grade rather than Seventh Grade.

"What does tempering your bone marrow feel like?"

"It itches and hurts! It drives me crazy wanting to scratch it when I can't reach it!"

That was different from how grandmasters tempered their bone marrow. Was it because he was doing it ahead of time?

After tempering their skulls, grandmasters underwent a natural transformation. They completed Bone Marrow Tempering in a single day and achieved a Golden Body.

Su Yi still had to temper his bones one by one. The difference was considerable.

"How long does it take you to temper the marrow of one bone?"

"With enough vitality, about an hour. I spent seven days in the Energy Room to finish tempering the bones I've reached so far.

"I've used up all my resources. I don't even have what I need to start tempering my spine."

Su Yi sounded helpless.

Seven days in the Energy Room? Lyu Zhen knew about Magic Martial Academy's Energy Room. At ten Credit Points an hour, it wasn't cheap for a freshman. Seven days came to 1,680 Credit Points.

He also caught Su Yi's implication: the boy wanted resources. That wasn't out of the question.

Normally, Lyu Zhen wouldn't indulge someone burning through resources just to save time.

But this was for Bone Marrow Tempering, and Su Yi's mental power was unusually strong. He was a grandmaster prospect through and through.

Investing in such a prospect made sense, especially when he was one of their own juniors.

Lyu Zhen patted Su Yi on the shoulder and pressed an Energy Stone into his hand. "This is a Cultivation Energy Stone. It'll be enough to finish tempering your spine."

Su Yi had mixed feelings. He had hoped to secure some help, but Lyu Zhen had simply handed him an Energy Stone.

He weighed it in his palm. It was about fifty grams. Even a basic Energy Stone cost one Credit Point per gram, and a Cultivation Energy Stone cost thirty times as much.

The stone in his hand was worth roughly 1,500 Credit Points.

After a moment's hesitation, Su Yi said earnestly, "Grandmaster, I can't accept this. I was planning to borrow some Credit Points from my teacher."

He placed the Energy Stone on the desk.

He truly hadn't meant to take Lyu Zhen's resources. Doing that on their first meeting would leave a terrible impression. He had only brought up his shortage to lay the groundwork for borrowing Credit Points from Wu Kuishan later.

Lyu Zhen picked up the Energy Stone and put it back in Su Yi's hand. He smiled warmly. "What, you can take Wu Kuishan's resources but not mine?

"You've already called me Grandmaster. I'd be embarrassed to take back something I've given you."

Su Yi was at a loss. He didn't know whether to accept it or refuse.

Seeing his dilemma, Lyu Zhen chuckled. "Then consider it a loan. Pay me back after you become a grandmaster."

Huaxia's grandmasters weren't particularly wealthy, but a single Cultivation Energy Stone was hardly a painful expense.

As a researcher, he received top-tier benefits and even owned shares in a few pill companies.

He could treat it as a first-meeting gift for a junior. He liked Su Yi: the boy was young, exceptionally talented, and spoke and carried himself well.

If only he had been Feng Rou's disciple. Then calling Lyu Zhen Grandmaster would have been even more fitting.

Su Yi relaxed and quietly accepted the Energy Stone. As though making a promise, he said, "I'll definitely pay you back!"

With this Energy Stone, he could reach Third-Rank High Stage quickly. The Underground Cave held plenty of resources; he could fight for them. Once he broke through, he would be nearly invincible against Fourth Grade warriors. As long as he survived, he could obtain plenty.

He might even be able to take on a Fifth Grade warrior, though he would need to practice his Battle Art more and gain better control of his vitality.

Since breaking the thousand-calorie limit, his control over his vitality had slipped again. It would probably slip further after his next breakthrough.

Lyu Zhen had told him to repay the resources after becoming a grandmaster. By then, Su Yi would have no shortage of them.

And if he died, he died!

He wasn't some protagonist. His death wouldn't be surprising, and death would settle the debt.

Su Yi still held the Underground Cave in deep awe. Tempering his bone marrow didn't mean he could roam it unchecked.

High Rank warriors aside, a few Fifth Grade warriors would be enough to send him fleeing for his life.

If a Sixth-Rank Warrior hunted him down, his chances of escape would be slimmer still.

Su Yi warned himself over and over not to grow arrogant.

The warriors in the Underground Cave weren't fools. They moved in groups and set ambushes.

Lyu Zhen burst out laughing at Su Yi's earnest promise and nodded his agreement.

Whether Su Yi paid him back didn't matter much. What he liked was the boy's attitude.

His impression of Su Yi improved even further.

But was Wu Kuishan really the right person to teach such a promising young man?

It would be a shame if Su Yi picked up Wu Kuishan's scheming ways.

He would have to ask Feng Rou to look after the boy and guide him.