Iron Bone Realm Attained

One month.

Late at night, in the secret chamber of Deliverance Studio.

The oil lamp was like a bean, and under its dim, yellowish halo, Chen Mo sat cross-legged, thin white mist steaming from his body.

That was not sweat, but the breath expelled after the cold yin within his body intertwined with the residual scorching heat.

Scattered on the floor before him were some dark red crystal shards, though they had lost all luster, appearing like charcoal ash burned to nothing.

The last Red Sun Blood Crystal had also been exhausted.

Chen Mo slowly opened his eyes.

The gray decay that had previously lingered in his pupils had dissipated, and in the depths of his eyes, there was now a touch of cold sharpness.

He extended his palm and slowly curled his five fingers.

"Clack..."

A teeth-grinding sound of bone friction rang out in the air, filled with a texture of hardness.

The contours of the finger bones beneath his skin were clearly more rigid.

He looked down at his arms.

Although he remained lean on the outside—even more gaunt due to the near-masochistic hard training of the past month—and his complexion remained an unhealthy pale, he could clearly feel that the major bones wrapped within his muscles had undergone a heaven-turning, earth-shattering change.

They were no longer fragile, easily broken mortal bones, but iron bones forged through a thousand hammerings.

Bone-tempering like iron!

The first level of the Mystic Yin Bone-Tempering Method was complete!

Chen Mo's thoughts stirred, and the Moonlight Treasure Mirror manifested in his consciousness:

[Name: Chen Mo]
[Remaining Lifespan: Approximately 271 days] (Rate of Yin Sha erosion significantly reduced)
[Root Bone: Grade C Lower-tier → Grade C Mid-tier (Weak Yin Meridian affinity, bone strength significantly increased)]
[Cultivation Methods]:
Nether Paper-Crafting Art - Incomplete (Third Layer)
Mystic Yin Bone-Tempering Method (First Level)
[Mystic Yin Sha Bone (Initial Success)]:
Trait 1: [Hard as Cold Iron]
Trait 2: [Yin Sha Affinity/Resistance]
Trait 3: [Spontaneous Vitality]
[Current Status]:
Qi and Blood: Moderately deficient.

Feeling the unprecedented sense of power within his body, he knew that even without using any arts, his body alone—now that it had been initially tempered—could easily keep three or five strong men at bay.

If he were to coordinate with his paper puppets, his combat power would be worlds apart from the sickly, weak state he had been in a month ago.

The pity was that his resources were exhausted.

Three Red Sun Blood Crystals had supported him in completing the first level of cultivation; the results were significant, but it also exposed the extravagance of this cultivation method.

Without a supreme yang treasure like the Red Sun Blood Crystal to harmonize, tempering bones with Yin Sha alone would be no different from seeking one's own death.

And Red Sun Blood Crystals were clearly not common goods; the three that Lei Tiger had hoarded were likely obtained through painstaking effort.

"I must go to the Ghost Market as soon as possible!"

Chen Mo clenched his fists, his knuckles emitting a faint metallic ring once more. "Not only must I search for resources for further cultivation, but I must also find a way to increase my lifespan."

Although the hidden danger of the Yin Sha power had been brought under control, his lifespan had not recovered much.

Two hundred-odd days would pass in the blink of an eye.

Chen Mo stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling his body much lighter.

With every movement, he felt full of strength; the weakness that had previously caused him to pant and suffer heart palpitations at the slightest exertion had vanished.

"Bang!"

He attempted to throw a punch at the wall of the secret chamber.

With a dull thud, the wall vibrated slightly, and dust rained down.

His fist felt no pain; the recoil was easily absorbed by his hardened bones.

Looking at the skin on his knuckles, there wasn't even a red mark.

"Very good." Chen Mo nodded.

This was only the first stage; if he could train to the third stage of the Mystic Yin Sha Bone, he might truly possess the legendary strength to lift a tripod.

By then, even when facing the vigorous martial artists of the Inspection Bureau, he would not necessarily lack the power to fight back in close-quarters combat.

"Those who were watching have finally left. Although it's highly suspicious to go out now, I cannot waste any more time."

After practicing the Paper Crafting technique to the third level, his senses had become far sharper.

As early as a month ago, he had detected signs of being watched, and by more than one group.

Over these past few days, those groups had finally given up.

What he lacked most right now was time.

He could not wait! And he did not want to wait any longer!

Chen Mo collected the Blood Crystal shards and put them away, leaving five hundred silver dollars for backup, while stuffing everything else into his pack.

One thousand silver dollars, plus the remaining gold bars, jewelry, and opium, weighed over forty kilograms, feeling heavy in his hands.

Chen Mo carried the heavy pack, his brows slightly furrowed.

Taking so much cash and gold directly to the docks was no different from a child carrying gold through a marketplace.

"I need a secure way to conceal this."

His gaze fell upon the half-finished paper figures and horses in the corner of the secret room, and an idea took hold.

In less than an hour, several large, authentic-looking paper sacrificial offerings lay on the floor: a particularly thick and sturdy House-Guarding Paper General, a tall pack horse with a slightly bloated belly, and two chests that looked packed to the brim with gold and silver.

From the outside, they appeared to be ordinary funeral supplies, just with slightly rougher craftsmanship and sturdier materials.

Only the weight would reveal the anomaly, but who would go around weighing such unlucky items?

He hid the remaining dozens of silver dollars and other small items on his person, and tucked the Wraith Fluff and Resentful Bone into specially made inner pockets.

Finally, he crafted two palm-sized Stealth Paper Puppets.

These puppets consumed very little energy and had almost no combat capability.

Their purpose was not to fight, but to provide early warning and interference.

If anyone attempted to forcibly destroy these offerings, the puppets would send him a faint warning and could self-ignite if necessary.

Once prepared, Chen Mo changed into a set of worn black cloth work clothes.

He donned a bamboo hat and masked his face once more, making himself look like a pale-faced assistant from a paper shop.

It was already evening, and the sky was growing dark.

Chen Mo remembered a ship that ran the night route to Jin City; the ticket was inexpensive, one silver dollar per person.

If carrying cargo, it cost anywhere from two to ten silver dollars.

He pushed an old flatbed cart fitted with a wooden frame, secured the House-Guarding General, the horse, and the gold and silver chests firmly onto it, and covered them casually with a tattered straw mat.

Liu Shoucai of the Longevity Coffin Shop was puffing on his long-stemmed pipe at the entrance of his shop. Seeing Chen Mo's setup, his eyes lit up. "Yo! Little Chen! Is this... a big job? Going on a long trip?"

Chen Mo stopped the cart and slightly raised the brim of his hat, revealing his pale lower face, and nodded at him. "Yes, a regular customer in Jin City ordered these. They're in a rush, so I'm delivering them."

"Jin City?" Liu Shoucai smacked his lips, looking up and down at the large items on the cart, especially the sturdy House-Guarding General, and clicked his tongue twice.

"Not bad, kid! This craftsmanship is starting to look like Old Chen's back in the day! This General is quite imposing!"

He walked over and patted the General's leg as if casually, the heavy feedback making his eyebrows twitch, but he didn't think much of it, assuming Chen Mo had just pasted extra layers of paper to make it feel solid.

"Just trying to make a living," Chen Mo replied briefly, not wanting to say more.

Just then, the curtain of the funeral clothing shop next door lifted, and Widow Li stepped out with a dustpan to dump ashes.

Seeing Chen Mo, her footsteps faltered, and a slightly complex expression appeared on her face.

"Brother... Brother Chen." Widow Li's voice was thin and carried a hint of hesitation.

Chen Mo turned and gave her a slight nod. "Auntie Li."

Widow Li walked up a few steps, looked at the cart, then at Chen Mo's seemingly straighter back, her lips moving a few times before she whispered, "Are you going to Jin City? It's a long way, be careful."

"Is your travel money enough? You didn't have to be in such a rush to pay me back..."

Chen Mo waved his hand, cutting her off. "You're too kind, Auntie Li. It was the right thing to do."

In the original owner's memories, although Widow Li was struggling herself, she had secretly helped him with porridge and meals a few times, totaling about one or two silver dollars.

"About Jin City, I heard a peddler say a while back that there's a group of strange people wandering the docks and the slums, claiming to worship some moon. They don't look like good people."

"You must stay far away from them." What she said was clearly more specific than what Boss Zhao had mentioned.

Worshiping the moon? Chen Mo's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged as he nodded again. "Thank you, Auntie Li. I'll keep that in mind."