Bone-Deep, Human and Demon

The next morning.

The sky was clear and bright, with a gentle breeze blowing.

Two grey sparrows chirped as they landed on a treetop, huddling close to one another affectionately.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a sound like a thunderclap rang out. The two sparrows stiffened instantly and plummeted straight down from the branch.

However, they did not hit the ground; instead, they were caught by a pair of fleshy palms.

The palms rubbed the two sparrows for a moment, and they regained their vitality.

Once recovered, the sparrows tried to flap their wings and fly away, but no matter how hard they kicked or struggled, they could not take flight, as if they were firmly adhered to the palms.

"Muscles and bones resonating with the sound of thunder—interesting."

Beneath the tree, Yan Ming's voice rang out, filled with slight surprise and curiosity.

He first glanced at Chen Zhuo's fist, then fixed his gaze on the two sparrows in his palm.

Chen Zhuo plopped down opposite him and began devouring a fragrant, meaty steamed bun.

The two sparrows remained in his other hand, seemingly curious as they inspected his palm, trying to figure out why they could no longer fly.

"This is called 'Sparrow Cannot Fly,' also known as 'Bird Cannot Cross'."

Chen Zhuo explained as he ate.

He had tried it on a whim, never expecting to actually pull off the legendary feat of Yang Luchan from his past life.

"A fine 'Sparrow Cannot Fly'."

Yan Ming appeared to be observing the sparrows, but his gaze was fixed intently on Chen Zhuo's palm.

From what he had just witnessed, every time the sparrows kicked, the muscles in Chen Zhuo's palm produced subtle contractions and tremors; this was the true secret behind "Sparrow Cannot Fly."

The four great barriers of body tempering are Skin Refining, Tendon Forging, Bone Entry, and Blood Exchange.

Only after reaching Bone Entry, when skin, tendons, and bones are thoroughly integrated, can one control their muscles with such meticulous precision.

He himself could certainly achieve this, of course.

But Chen Zhuo... during the Morning Assembly yesterday, he was only at Tendon Forging.

It had only been one night.

Just one night.

Bone Entry in a single night...

His little junior brother had already brought him enough surprises, but it seemed this surprise was constantly being rewritten.

"A mere bottle of fake blood was enough to push you to Bone Entry?"

Yan Ming scrutinized Chen Zhuo while popping a peeled egg into his mouth, but after one bite, he felt today's egg tasted exceptionally bad.

It was a bit sour.

So much so that he had no desire to chew, swallowing the egg whole.

"Just a final push, that's all."

"Oh..."

Chen Zhuo smiled and flicked his hand upward. The two sparrows immediately fluttered into the air, circled him twice, and then vanished from sight.

After finishing three large meat buns, Chen Zhuo heard Yan Ming say:

"Listen, since you have such astonishing aptitude, it must not be wasted. The matter of Blood Exchange must be slowed down."

"Why?"

Chen Zhuo looked at Yan Ming. Seeing the grave expression on his face, he straightened his back and listened intently.

Yan Ming said, "The true wonder of the Five Desires Demon Soup does not lie in replenishing your body's blood and stamina, but in solidifying your foundation."

"To build a tall tower, one must first lay the foundation. Blood Exchange is the bedrock that will span your entire martial path."

As he spoke, a thin layer of blood-colored light seemed to emerge in Yan Ming's eyes.

In an instant, the blood light spread to his cheeks and gradually engulfed his entire body.

Yan Ming's whole frame was wrapped in layers of crimson light, looking like a human torch.

"Blood energy??"

Chen Zhuo's pupils constricted; his body felt as if it were being scorched by a raging fire.

Even with the thickness of his skin, he could feel a faint, stinging pain.

"Before body tempering, even if you practice the most powerful martial arts, the gap won't be particularly obvious. Only at the step of Blood Exchange does the true beginning start."

Yan Ming retracted his surging blood energy and explained, "This is the blood energy condensed after gathering five types of true blood. You already possess a trace of the Tiger Demon's true blood within you; it is not too late to find the other four before proceeding with the exchange."

Chen Zhuo nodded and opened his mouth, but hesitated, leaving his words unsaid.

"If you have something to ask, then ask. Don't be so wishy-washy."

Yan Ming frowned.

"Senior Brother, is it possible for someone to undergo blood replacement repeatedly?"

Chen Zhuo's situation was fundamentally different from everyone else's.

The "Ten Thousand Laws Spontaneous Generation" on his proficiency panel destined him to keep advancing indefinitely within the Body Tempering realm.

He pondered for a long time, trying to phrase the question in different ways.

"Impossible."

Yan Ming shook his head with certainty. "Even the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra, which was hailed as the number one body-tempering manual of the previous dynasty, cannot allow someone to undergo a second blood replacement."

"Blood replacement is a metamorphosis, a leap in life; it is not as simple as you imagine. You will naturally understand the specifics when the time comes for your own blood replacement."

I can...

Chen Zhuo glanced at Yan Ming, but the thought only circled in his mind and never reached his lips.

Collect five types of true blood before replacing it? That was entirely unnecessary.

With the power of Ten Thousand Laws Spontaneous Generation, he could begin the blood replacement process even with just one type of true blood.

If others replaced it once, he would simply replace his blood five times.

"There is one situation... where one could potentially replace their blood multiple times, or even theoretically, infinitely."

Yan Ming spoke up suddenly, prompting Chen Zhuo to ask curiously, "What situation?"

"Shedding all human blood and replacing it entirely with demon blood."

As Yan Ming said this, his eyes flickered as if recalling something, and he quietly clenched his fists.

"If that happens, can they still be considered human?"

Chen Zhuo pondered for a moment before speaking.

Yan Ming sneered, "Blood is the essence of a person. Once the blood is completely altered, they can naturally no longer be called human."

"Demon-human?"

Chen Zhuo thought of these two words and couldn't help but shiver.

"Whether you call them demon-humans or human-demons, they are ultimately neither human nor demon. Once they replace their blood with demon blood, their nature will inevitably change drastically, giving rise to boundless delusions."

Yan Ming looked deeply at Chen Zhuo and said, "Such demon-humans are not tolerated by heaven and earth and are a taboo for Blade-Catchers. In the future, if you ever see one..."

"Kill them on sight."

Feeling the sudden surge of killing intent, Chen Zhuo felt a chill in his heart.

He recalled the intense, overwhelming murderous intent he felt when he first bathed in the Demon Soup.

If someone were to truly replace their blood with this demon blood...

"I'm heading to the kitchen; don't dawdle, come over soon."

Yan Ming dropped this sentence and hurried away.

The moment he turned his back, his face turned deathly pale.

He quickly pressed down on his trembling hands, said nothing more, and strode out of the small courtyard.

[Training Method: Iron Cloth Shirt: 162/200 (Minor Achievement)]

A night of non-stop training had brought remarkable progress to Chen Zhuo's Iron Cloth Shirt.

Correspondingly, his realm had naturally reached the Bone-Infiltration stage.

After reaching Bone-Infiltration, his muscles and bones resonated in unison, producing a thunderous vibration capable of knocking birds from the sky, and he could now execute the ultimate technique, "Bird Cannot Cross."

In his past life, he would have been considered a master of national martial arts.

But now, it was far from enough.

Chen Zhuo looked up at the sky and slowly drew his saber.

"Time is short; I should practice combat techniques."

Since he began martial arts, the progress of his combat techniques had always relied on fighting and killing.

[Combat Technique: Zhengyang Blade Technique (Incomplete): 1/50 (Perfection)]

Glancing at the panel, Chen Zhuo pulled the saber from the table.

The long blade sliced through the air, emitting a sharp hum.

"I wonder if the Zhengyang Blade Technique can be completed once it reaches perfection?"