Body Tempering Fourth Layer

Lu Lin's fingertips brushed over the many "antiques" as if at random, and he finally confirmed that the thing that had stirred the Martial Dao Melting Furnace was half of an old bronze mirror, battered beyond recognition, its edges covered in verdigris. Within it lay a rather dense store of spiritual energy.

Without letting anything show, he casually picked up the half bronze mirror, then added a crooked old pottery bowl along with it and said, "Same old rule. Two items, two taels of silver."

"Aiyo, little brother, that really won't do this time!" The Thin Monkey stallholder shook his head like a rattle-drum. "I paid through the nose to get this batch of goods. Two taels of silver? I'd lose my whole family fortune! These two pieces, ten taels at the very least!"

His shrewd eyes spun in their sockets. He had long since seen that Lu Lin was not simply buying these things back as decorations. They must have some special use for him; otherwise, why would he come a second time? How could an old slicker like him let a chance to raise the price slip by?

"Ten taels? Too high." Lu Lin shook his head calmly and put the items straight back where they had been. "To be honest, these things are of some small use to me, but they're not worth that price. Forget it." With that, he turned as if to leave.

He was still thinking there might be a third and fourth transaction. If he was easily squeezed this time, the prices would only become more absurd in the future.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't be in such a hurry, little brother. The price can be discussed, discussed..." Seeing Lu Lin leave so decisively, the Thin Monkey stallholder immediately thought he had judged wrong and hurriedly called out to stop him.

After a round of verbal thrusts and parries, they finally settled on three taels of silver for the two items.

After packing up the two pieces of "junk," Lu Lin slowly left the market.

He found a restaurant that looked quite imposing and booked a secluded private room.

After shutting the door tight, Lu Lin immediately took out the half-broken bronze mirror.

Detected low-grade spiritual energy. Can be exchanged for four years of bitter cultivation. Exchange?

Four years!

A sharp gleam burst from Lu Lin's eyes.

Exchange!

A surge of energy far more vast than that of an Inferior Spirit Stone instantly flooded into his sea of consciousness, and the broken bronze mirror in his palm turned into a handful of utterly spiritless debris.

Remaining cultivation time: eleven years.

Immediately after, he took out the secret manual of the Iron Elephant Body with great care and began to read it with full concentration.

The Iron Elephant Body was divided into twenty-four forms, imitating the posture of the demonic beast "iron elephant." Once mastered, one's fleshly body would be as tough as an iron elephant's, difficult for ordinary blades and swords to wound, and possessed of boundless strength.

Only after all twenty-four forms were mastered could qi and blood run through the body, allowing one to formally step into the first layer.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he had already committed the contents of the art to memory.

On the Martial Dao Melting Furnace panel, a new line appeared.

Martial Dao Art: Iron Elephant Body (not initiated)

"Let's begin!" Lu Lin's eyes were filled with anticipation. With a thought, he poured one month of cultivation time into it.

You are already a martial artist at the third level of Body Tempering, with broadened horizons and a solid foundation. Re-cultivating other martial arts yields twice the result with half the effort. After one month of bitter cultivation, you have successfully cultivated the Iron Elephant Body to the eighteenth form.

His progress far surpassed when he had first cultivated the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art!

Continue pouring it in!

In the second month, you successfully mastered all twenty-four forms of the Iron Elephant Body. Your qi and blood initially condensed, and you formally stepped into the first layer. Your physical strength increased somewhat.

"My strength has indeed increased, but it didn't increase by a full three hundred jin." Lu Lin carefully sensed the changes in his body.

Ordinarily, cultivating the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art to the first layer, which was the first level of Body Tempering, allowed one to possess three hundred jin of strength; the second level granted six hundred jin, and the third level reached the tremendous strength of one thousand jin.

Now that he had also cultivated the Iron Elephant Body to the first layer, the total amount of qi and blood within him had become even more robust, but the increase in pure strength was around two hundred and fifty jin.

He estimated that his current strength was roughly around one thousand two hundred and fifty jin.

Clearly, at the same level, the strength increase brought by the Iron Elephant Body was slightly inferior to that of the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art.

Continue!

In the third month, lacking medicinal pills to assist you, you can only rely on food and the faint energy between heaven and earth. Your progress is slow, and your qi and blood increase slightly.

In the fourth month, your qi and blood increase slightly...

One year later, through your unremitting effort, the Iron Elephant Body finally breaks through, stepping into the second layer.

In the second year, progress is slow. Your qi and blood rise gradually...

In the third year, you continue accumulating...

In the fourth year, after another three years of bitter cultivation, the Iron Elephant Body breaks through once more, successfully entering the third layer!

Remaining cultivation time: seven years.

Lu Lin found that the cultivation time required for the Iron Elephant Body was indeed shorter than that of the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art. Though the increase in strength was smaller, it was easier to cultivate. Which was better and which was worse was truly hard to say.

He carefully sensed himself and estimated that his strength at this moment was already close to one thousand eight hundred jin!

This was almost comparable to a fourth-level Body Tempering martial artist who specialized in the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art (two thousand jin of strength).

"There are still seven years left. Let's do it in one vigorous push!" He once again guided cultivation time to pour in.

Another three years pass, and you have cultivated the Iron Elephant Body to the peak of the third layer. Your qi and blood surge like the tide, beginning to seep on their own into the muscles and tendons throughout your body, tempering your skin membrane and fascia.

In the fourth year, your qi and blood continue to seep through and temper you. The strength of your muscles and tendons rises steadily, but a qualitative change has yet to occur...

[After seven years of unflagging bitter cultivation, under the endless seepage and tempering of blood qi, your sinews and muscles finally underwent an astonishing transformation, becoming as tough as hundred-forged refined iron. Iron Elephant Body has officially stepped into the fourth layer!]

He had broken through!

Lu Lin let out a long breath, feeling the blood qi inside him surge and roar, incomparably vigorous, flowing without obstruction through his toughened sinews, muscles, and meridians.

With the slightest exertion, blood qi seeped out through his body, causing a faint scarlet sheen to rise over his skin.

"My current strength is probably around twenty-seven hundred jin, almost approaching the fifth layer of cultivating the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art!" Delight stirred in his heart. In just a few hours, his strength had undergone an earth-shaking change!

"Pity my cultivation time has run out. Otherwise, I might have forged ahead in one breath and mastered the first killing move of Iron Elephant Body." He felt a trace of regret.

Any martial arts technique, once cultivated to the fourth layer, would give rise to a unique killing move.

The killing move of Iron Elephant Body was called [Savage Elephant Charge]. It gathered blood qi and the power of sinew and muscle into both fists through a special method, and the instant it erupted, it was like a savage elephant madly charging forward, its power extremely fierce and tyrannical.

Once cultivated to the seventh layer, it could give rise to a second killing move, fusing the power of blood qi, sinew and muscle, and bone. It was even more complex, and its might even more terrifying.

The Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art naturally had corresponding killing moves as well, and their power was even greater.

Lu Lin looked out the window. The sky was already nearing dusk, and the setting sun had dyed the clouds at the horizon blood-red.

It was still early. There were nearly two hours left before he was to pick up the goods at the hour of Hai (around nine at night).

He summoned the waiter and ordered another table of sumptuous food and wine, enjoying it while quietly experiencing the newly gained, majestic power inside his body.

At the same time, in a secluded courtyard somewhere in Blood Baleful City.

A figure slipped inside without a sound. This person was actually one of the eleven traveling with Lu Lin—Shi Xiao.

He quickly walked up to a burly man in the courtyard whose face carried a fierce air, bowed slightly, and said in a low voice, "Brother Leopard."

The burly man turned around, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. "Oh? Another fat sheep has come knocking?"

"That's right. This time, it's a big fat sheep!" Shi Xiao hesitated slightly, then said, "At the hour of Hai, we're going to Lingyuan Pavilion to pick up two packages. Inside are large quantities of Blood Qi Pills and Tendon Refining Pills!"

"Blood Qi Pills and Tendon Refining Pills?!" A thick light of greed instantly burst from the burly man's eyes, and even his breathing grew a few degrees heavier.

"After we get the packages, we'll return to the Demonic Sect stronghold, passing through that secluded alley by Taihua Workshop..."

Shi Xiao said.

"Good. Go back and continue moving with them. Don't let them discover any flaws..." The burly man lowered his voice, the greed within it already turning into icy killing intent. "Then, we'll make our move in that alley by Taihua Workshop. Leave not a single one alive!"

"Among the people traveling this time, the highest cultivation is only the sixth level of Body Tempering, and there are only three of them. With your strength, Brother Leopard, taking them down will be absolutely foolproof. But after the matter is done, you must fulfill what you promised me." Shi Xiao gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry. Once it's done, we'll immediately withdraw from Blood Baleful City. As for your family, I'll keep my promise as well and set them free."

Brother Leopard smiled and patted Shi Xiao on the shoulder.