Bone Tempering Realm! Du Busi's Concern!

As seasons turned and years passed.

A year and a half had gone by in the blink of an eye since Hu Liena returned to Spirit City and they waved farewell.

After Du Busi deliberately showed the Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect the size of his "fist," this mountain forest became a sanctuary no one dared disturb.

Over the past year and a half, Lu Xiao had completely returned to his monotonous yet disciplined training routine.

Day after day, he practiced the Body Sect's Innate Secret Technique, tempered his muscles and bones, and soaked in medicinal baths without interruption.

Over the past year, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had sent countless portions of Whale Rubber and all manner of rare heavenly treasures!

Most of these top-grade resources went to Lu Xiao, while the rest supported Xiao Wu's cultivation.

Every few days, Ning Rongrong and Hu Liena would send letters. Between the lines were stories of sect life, insights from cultivation, and the lingering longing the girls could not hide...

Inside the Bamboo Building, wisps of heaven and earth energy swirled about, enveloping the entire structure.

Lu Xiao sat cross-legged on a bamboo mat, his eyes tightly shut and his aura steady and restrained.

After years of tempering and accumulation, the Innate Secret Technique he cultivated had reached the threshold of a bottleneck.

Now was the perfect moment to break through!

Buzz—!

The meridians throughout Lu Xiao's body suddenly trembled. The Bloodline Power that had lain dormant within him surged forth, racing through his meridians and washing over his limbs, bones, internal organs, and entrails.

Within his sea of consciousness, his Body Martial Soul shone brilliantly, its hazy yet imposing phantom floating in the void.

Pale golden patterns quietly emerged upon it. At first, they were fragmented, faint, and shapeless, like newly formed fine lines that could vanish at any moment.

As the Bloodline Power and Soul Power within him frantically merged and surged, those patterns rapidly solidified, spread, and connected.

Following the paths of the body's meridians, they ran along the phantom meridian network, passing through his chest and abdomen, extending into his limbs, and winding between his muscles, bones, and flesh.

The pale golden meridian patterns completely covered the Martial Soul phantom, each one corresponding to an actual meridian within Lu Xiao's body.

A closer look would reveal flecks of purple-black and emerald-green light scattered throughout those meridian patterns.

Every pulse of his body's blood and every tremor of his meridians were precisely reflected upon the Martial Soul phantom!

This was the sign that the Innate Secret Technique had entered the Bone Tempering Realm!

The human body possessed two hundred and six bones. The Bone-Tempering Realm required all two hundred and six of them to be repeatedly forged and tempered, not an inch overlooked and not a single bone omitted.

Outside the Bamboo Building.

In the nearby woods, Xiao Wu, who had been cultivating, suddenly opened her eyes and stared toward the Bamboo Building in surprise.

"Lu Xiao is about to break through!" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, her heart filled with delight.

Du Busi stood amid the bamboo grove, looking in Lu Xiao's direction with a gratified smile.

Time slowly passed, and half an hour vanished in an instant.

Lu Xiao opened his eyes. Two sharp gleams flashed and disappeared, while the Bloodline Power around him suddenly rose to another level, his physical foundation as solid and profound as a mountain.

At the same time, the Soul Power within him naturally reached level thirty!

"I've finally entered the Bone-Tempering Realm!" he murmured, a faint smile rising at the corners of his lips.

Creak—

The Bamboo Building's wooden door was gently pushed open.

Sunlight filtered through layers of bamboo leaves, scattering fragmented golden rays across Lu Xiao's upright figure.

He stepped out of the Bamboo Building and immediately saw the two figures waiting in the woods.

Xiao Wu hurried over, her pink eyes brimming with joy as she carefully examined him. "Lu Xiao, you finally broke through!"

Lu Xiao nodded lightly. "Mm. More than a year of hard cultivation wasn't wasted after all."

Du Busi sensed the change in his aura, and his eyes were full of gratification.

"Your Soul Power has broken through to level thirty, and your physical foundation is solid and stable, without the slightest trace of instability. You have done exceptionally well."

Du Busi's voice was low and weighty, carrying a trace of praise. Then his tone turned serious. "Disciple, you must pay close attention to your body's condition while cultivating."

"Although the ultimate power attribute of the Golden Dragon Martial Soul is powerful, it also has its drawbacks, particularly in cultivation speed. Once your cultivation surpasses level thirty, your cultivation speed will decline sharply."

"However, Soul Masters with ultimate attributes are far more powerful than Soul Masters of the same level. The slowing of cultivation speed is meant to reinforce the body's ability to withstand ultimate attributes."

Lu Xiao was only eight years old! Yet his Soul Power had already reached level thirty!

Such talent was exceedingly rare even across the countless ages of Douluo Continent—monstrous beyond measure.

Even in the Body Sect's history, no one could be found who matched Lu Xiao in cultivation speed!

For an ordinary Soul Master to exceed level twenty at eight years old was already proof of extraordinary talent.

But the more dazzling Lu Xiao became, the heavier Du Busi's concern grew.

Over the past year, Lu Xiao had been too steady, too relentless, and too determined to improve at every step!

With Du Busi's protection, Lu Xiao's greatest obstacle now was himself!

What Du Busi feared most was not that Lu Xiao's cultivation would slow, but that his state of mind would destroy him!

Naturally, Lu Xiao understood Du Busi's meaning and nodded solemnly. "This disciple understands!"

Du Busi nodded, looked at the two of them, and said slowly, "Pack your belongings. After today, we will leave Notting City."

Notting City was small and had limited resources. It could no longer keep up with Lu Xiao's cultivation needs.

This time, Du Busi planned to take them traveling across the continent, searching for rare heavenly treasures to temper Lu Xiao's bones while also honing his temperament.

Lu Xiao and Xiao Wu were both slightly stunned. Though they felt some reluctance, they soon came to terms with it and answered in unison, "Yes!"

The two turned and hurried back to the Bamboo Building where they had lived for two years to pack their bags.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

By the ancient bluestone road at the foot of the mountain, Du Busi was already waiting quietly.

"Master, we're ready." Lu Xiao and Xiao Wu approached side by side.

The sky was high, the clouds were light, and the ancient road stretched far into the distance.

The three figures gradually faded away, ultimately disappearing silently at the end of the forest, unnoticed by anyone.

That night, the Dean of Notting returned to his office.

An envelope fell from above his door, and the Dean of Notting instinctively picked it up.

On it were four words: "For the Dean's Personal Attention."

The dean grew even more puzzled. He carefully inspected the doors and windows, but they were all intact, with no sign of an intruder. It was clearly delivered from afar by an expert, leaving no trace behind.

He immediately opened the envelope and pulled out two neatly folded sheets of paper.

The first sheet contained only a few concise lines.

It explained that Du Busi had left with Lu Xiao and Xiao Wu, and asked him to inform Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Hu Liena of Spirit Hall of their departure!

Holding the two sheets of paper, the dean felt a tumult of emotions.

After calming himself, the Dean of Notting turned his gaze to the second sheet.

It was a handwritten medicinal formula. The handwriting was neat and plain, and the ingredients were all common herbs found throughout the continent. They were not rare at all; one could even call the formula crude and simple.

A line of small writing was added at the side: "I shall not forget the kindness shown over these two years. This crude medicinal bath formula is offered in return for the academy's protection. It can help students below the Soul Master rank to clear their meridians and may be provided throughout the academy."

Looking at the handwriting, the Dean of Notting felt deep respect. He solemnly bowed toward the back mountain.

"Thank you, Senior, for this generous gift! Notting Academy shall remember this kindness forever!"