Grade A Bone Structure (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Chen Yuan's guess was spot on.

As soon as Xue Anping approached, he spoke candidly: "Brother Chen, you know the Gu Family's four-month deadline is approaching. I'm not as capable as you; I only have a forty percent chance of success. I was hoping you could lend me some silver. How about a nine-out-thirteen-in interest rate?"

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment before replying: "I will lend you enough silver to buy a Blood-Qi Pill. If you succeed in your breakthrough, we'll stick to the nine-out-thirteen-in rate. If you fail, I won't charge you any interest."

Xue Anping let out a breath and smiled: "Many thanks for your generosity, Brother Chen. I will certainly do my utmost to breach the gate."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "Give it your all. I hope you can make the breakthrough."

At a nine-out-thirteen-in rate, that still amounted to over a mace of interest; even the smallest mosquito has meat on its bones.

Xue Anping grunted in acknowledgment, then seemed to recall something: "Brother Chen, earlier today, someone came to Huo Academy to seek apprenticeship, claiming to be your friend."

Chen Yuan was taken aback and raised an eyebrow: "What was his name? What was the outcome?"

Xue Anping shook his head: "Master Huo checked his bones and found he lacked the aptitude for martial arts, so he sent him away. As for his name, I believe it was Zhang Tieniu."

Chen Yuan was stunned, followed by a wave of melancholy.

He recalled the days several months ago when he worked as a dock laborer at Hengjiang Wharf, sweating profusely. In his few moments of leisure, he would sit on the wooden planks of the pier, staring blankly at the river surface, shimmering and dyed red by the setting sun.

Zhang Tieniu would sit beside him, his eyes bright as he said that once he saved enough money, he would definitely learn martial arts.

Chen Yuan had held the same expectation, silently saving his coins.

For them, martial arts was the only path to changing their fate.

Back then, he never would have imagined that just four or five months later, their life trajectories would diverge so drastically.

He had now become an entry-level martial artist, having achieved minor success in the Skin Realm, earning over a dozen taels of silver a month—dozens of times what he used to make hauling cargo at the docks.

Yet Zhang Tieniu, who had finally saved enough money, didn't even possess the qualifications to begin training.

It was to be expected, after all; even Sun Shun, who was eliminated in the first month, had been a standout chosen from over a dozen youths.

Sun Chengjie sighed.

Comparing himself to this friend of Chen Yuan's, he realized he was already quite fortunate.

Being able to stand here practicing punches, and even having the chance to touch upon the Skin Realm, already put him ahead of many his peers.

He still wanted to keep standing here.

Chen Yuan sighed softly: "He is indeed my friend. It's a pity."

After leaving the Chen Family in Lotus Lane, he had never seen Zhang Tieniu or Liu Dachun again.

Even within the same city, without a deliberate effort to search, the probability of a chance encounter was slim.

But even if they were to meet now, Chen Yuan wouldn't know what to say.

A pot of murky wine to celebrate a reunion? In the end, there was an invisible barrier between them.

After resting, Chen Yuan continued to practice his stance, while Xue Anping and Sun Chengjie dared not slack off.

The sun rose and the moon fell; time flowed eastward like the surging river, never to return.

Chen Yuan's daily routine shifted slightly; he no longer needed to wake up early because he now had a reason to stay up late.

His efficiency in cultivating blood-qi had improved, and he no longer needed to waste time on trivial tasks like patrols.

He usually practiced martial arts in the open space beside the medicinal garden, living a quite leisurely life.

They had encountered wild beasts—tigers and leopards—which were quite ferocious.

However, Chen Yuan and Liu Hong would hide behind the iron fence; Chen Yuan would thrust with his long spear while Liu Hong fired arrows. Both the spear tips and arrowheads were coated in paralyzing toxin, ensuring the beasts never left alive.

Afterward, they could add to their meals, lighting a bonfire under the jungle sunset to roast meat—a truly pleasant experience.

Tiger skin, tiger bone, tiger whip, and the surplus tiger meat could all be sold for money, serving as a nice extra income.

But such events were not common; generally, tigers were quite vigilant and agile, making them difficult to kill.

Overall, the guard duty proceeded in an orderly fashion.

At Huo Academy, both Sun Chengjie and Xue Anping were attempting to breach the gate as the final deadline approached.

The final result was cruel and realistic.

Xue Anping succeeded in his breakthrough, becoming a Skin Realm martial artist. Given his comprehension, there was a high probability he would grasp Clear Force, and becoming an entry-level martial artist was just around the corner.

The interest was secured.

Sun Chengjie, however, failed. His resources were inferior, and his comprehension was lacking—it was within expectations. Fortunately, he had consumed the Blood Qi Pill, which helped him withstand the backlash of blood-qi, preventing any damage to his foundation.

If he could continue pouring money into his training, he might still have a chance to breach the gate.

But in his situation, having lost the Gu Family's sponsorship, he could only exit the stage in dejection.

That is the reality of the world: for the same endeavor, some have countless opportunities, and if they fail, they simply start over.

Some people, however, must consider whether this is the only opportunity they will ever have in their lives.

Sun Chengjie was clearly the latter.

Chen Yuan saw Sun Chengjie off, just as he had done for Zhang Shi previously.

Before they parted, Sun Chengjie forced a smile and said, "Brother Chen, you must keep going. I will repay those three taels of silver as soon as possible."

Chen Yuan patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "No rush. There is plenty of time ahead; take care of yourself."

His back gradually disappeared around the street corner.

With this, the first phase of the martial arts training for the eight people sponsored by the Gu Family came to an end.

Two were eliminated, one died, and one was expelled.

Yu Yan, Gao Mingchang, Cao Yan, and Xue Anping successfully passed the assessment and could remain at the Gu Family to work.

Chen Yuan shook his head to clear his mind and returned to Huo Academy to continue his training.

As for Xue Anping's successful breakthrough, it caused no ripples. After a simple congratulation, only Tao Ping followed the custom and gifted him a Blood-Qi Pill.

It lacked the brilliance of Xu Heng breaking through the Skin Realm in a month and a half, and it lacked the shock of Chen Yuan, with his Grade D-Upper aptitude, breaking through both Clear Force and the Skin Realm in two and a half months.

Just a few days later, another major event occurred at Huo Academy.

Xu Heng, who had been quietly cultivating in the inner courtyard for two months, had silently succeeded in his breakthrough, becoming a Bone Realm martial artist!

From the time he entered Huo Academy to now, only four months had passed.

When Xu Heng appeared in the outer courtyard, the fellow disciples all crowded around him, their congratulations ringing out incessantly.

The gifts presented by the senior brothers and sisters of higher realms were, at the very least, on the level of Bone-Strengthening Pills.

The entry-level martial artists couldn't even afford a decent gift.

Chen Yuan didn't worry about a gift, as he had no intention of giving one.

Xu Heng was his senior brother; there was no reason for a junior brother to give a gift when a senior brother made a breakthrough. It was already generous of him not to ask for a red envelope.

Yet, he was secretly startled by Xu Heng's progress.

His own aptitude was also Grade C-Upper, but he had only just reached the minor completion of skin refinement a few days ago, while Xu Heng had already broken through the Skin Realm.

Most likely, he had broken through at the limit of skin refinement—the Copper Skin stage.

Grade B-Upper aptitude—truly terrifying!

"Junior Brother Chen, what are your thoughts?" Fang Minghai asked with a smile.

Chen Yuan gave a wry smile. "Senior Brother Xu has heaven-sent talent. To break through to the Bone Realm in four months—I am ashamed to compare myself to him."

During this period, due to the sponsorship, he had grown close to Fang Minghai, often sparring together to hone his mastery of Six Harmonies Mind Boxing.

This Senior Brother Fang was quite tragic; he had already achieved minor completion in muscle refinement, yet he had been stuck at the peak of Clear Force for many years, unable to grasp Dark Force.

As he put it, enlightenment was something mysterious and elusive. Some people had decent aptitude but could never grasp Dark Force in their entire lives, and even Clear Force was a struggle.

Not to mention the even more difficult Transformation Force.

Huang Yan, a star pupil of Master Huo in his early years, had been stuck at the Dark Force stage for over a decade.

Fang Minghai smiled. "Grade B-Upper aptitude is indeed the cream of the crop for this generation, but compared to Grade A aptitude, it still falls quite short."

Chen Yuan frowned slightly and asked, "Senior Brother Fang, are you saying there is someone with Grade A aptitude in our generation?"

Fang Minghai shook his head slightly.

"Not in this one. The highest aptitude in your Martial Examination batch was Grade B-Upper. However, in the previous batch, there was someone with Grade A aptitude."

"At the time, he broke through to the Bone Realm in less than three months and grasped Dark Force in four. It caused a sensation. He eventually suppressed all his peers in the Martial Examination, took first place in one fell swoop, and was unrivaled in his brilliance—far more stunning than Xu Heng."

"He is now in his mid-twenties and is already a notable powerhouse in Qingyuan County. Since you serve in the Li Family, you should know who I am talking about, right?"

Chen Yuan had naturally heard of him. "The Young Master of the Li Family, Li Qingshan. I have heard people speak of him, but I have never had the chance to meet him."

This Li Qingshan was absolutely a prodigy; his talent was enough to leave Qingyuan County and head to the more prosperous prefectural city.

Chen Yuan was not in a hurry, though. He was not even eighteen yet. By the time he laid low until he was twenty-five...

Grade A aptitude? What kind of inferior spiritual root is that? Get lost!