Bone Tempering Realm

"It's watching me? Devouring my power?" Fang Gang's voice was like a frigid wind from the depths of hell, and icy killing intent instantly filled the room.

He stared at the pitch-black Yin line writhing along his arm, its red-tipped end seeming to "watch" him, as the dragon-elephant qi and blood within him erupted!

The blazing Qi and Blood Furnace spun madly, and Savage Elephant Power roared! Veins bulged beneath his bronze skin like coiling dragons, radiating a scorching, violent aura!

Struck hard by that supremely yang and rigid force, the pitch-black Yin line immediately twisted violently. The red dot at its end flickered erratically as it let out a soundless shriek!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

His qi and blood clashed fiercely with the Yin line, like a branding iron searing ice! Agonizing pain struck, but Fang Gang's eyes were as savage as a wounded beast's, and he did not retreat a single step!

"Brother! Don't force it! This Yin line has fused with the resentment of the Green Zombie and the Mirror Ghost. It's already close to the Fierce Soul Grade! Come back to the Bureau with me! The research institute might have a way to suppress it!"

Chen Tao shouted anxiously. Seeing black qi continuously rising from Fang Gang's arm and intertwining with his scorching qi and blood made his heart pound in terror.

"Suppress it?" Fang Gang suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with pure brutality. "I don't need to suppress it! I want it... dead!"

He hesitated no longer! 187 Evolution Points! This was his only capital for getting rid of this parasite clinging to his bones!

"Add points! Constitution! Put them all into Constitution!" Fang Gang roared inwardly! The core of the Bone Tempering Realm was tempering the bones. A stronger physique was the foundation for bearing power and breaking through realms!

Ding! Consumed 187 Evolution Points! Constitution +187! Current Constitution: 17.5 → 204.5 (???)!

Rumble—!!!

An indescribably terrifying torrent of energy exploded completely within Fang Gang's body!

This time, it was no longer a stream of heat. It was as though hundreds of millions of stars had ignited simultaneously deep within his marrow! The sound of his sinews and bones ringing was no longer like muffled thunder, but like heavenly thunder exploding within him!

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

A dense barrage of bone-popping sounds, enough to make one's scalp go numb, rang wildly from every joint and every inch of marrow throughout his body! It was as though countless invisible sledgehammers were madly hammering and tempering all 206 of his bones with strength and frequency beyond all limits!

His body visibly grew taller!

His already bulging muscles became denser and more restrained, yet their contours conveyed an even more terrifying sense of power!

The bronze color of his skin instantly faded, replaced by a peculiar luster as warm as jade yet harder than refined steel!

A vast feeling of heavy, solid power, as though it could bear mountains, erupted from his straight, spear-like spine!

Ding! Constitution has broken through its limit, triggering a transformation of sinews and bones!

Realm breakthrough: Bone Tempering Realm (Early Stage)!

Bone Tempering Realm traits: Bone density, strength, and toughness greatly increased! Power transmission efficiency doubled! Total qi and blood volume and quality surged! Countershock force increased!

Strength +100! Agility +15! Qi and Blood Furnace (Blazing)! Suppression against Yin and evil entities greatly increased!

The system panel instantly refreshed:

Host: Fang Gang

Realm: Bone Tempering Realm (Early Stage)!

Strength: 24.5 → 124.5 (Savage Elephant Tramples the Earth)

Constitution: 204.5 (Jade Bones Newly Formed)

Agility: 5.9 → 20.9 (Chasing Wind, Pursuing Lightning)

Spirit: 1.1 (Tenacious)

Cultivation Art: True Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art (Mastery 0/1000)

Available Evolution Points: 0

Status: Unknown Yin Energy Erosion (B+-grade)

His strength had increased tenfold! His Constitution had broken two hundred! His Agility had doubled! Initial Bone Tempering achieved!

"Roar—!!!" Fang Gang threw back his head and let out a roar that sounded inhuman!

A terrifying soundwave, mixed with a qi-and-blood shockwave as scorching as magma, violently spread outward!

The rotting furniture in the room, the glass shards covering the floor, and even the dust on the walls were all violently blown away by the raging airwave! The entire old dormitory building seemed to tremble!

"Holy shit!!" Chen Tao and the team members behind him were blasted backward again and again, crashing into the corridor walls. Their faces were filled with horror, as though they had seen a ghost! No, this was more terrifying than seeing a ghost!

They watched as Fang Gang grew taller, his skin gleaming like jade, his aura like that of a humanoid ferocious beast awakening!

Meanwhile, the pitch-black Yin line on Fang Gang's arm let out an utterly miserable, soundless wail beneath the terrifying impact of his breakthrough and the Qi and Blood Furnace erupting into its "Blazing" state!

Sizzle—!!!

It was like pressing a red-hot branding iron viciously onto ice!

Thick, viscous black qi frantically leaked from the Yin line! The pitch-black line visibly grew thinner and dimmer!

The nascent dark-red "resentful eye" at its end, which had only just formed and carried a sense of peering, was like a snowball tossed into a furnace. It instantly warped, melted, and collapsed!

"No!!!" It was as if a venomous shriek from the depths of hell rang out within Fang Gang's soul!

Ding! High-intensity masculine qi-and-blood impact detected! Unknown Yin energy core (nascent Resentful Eye) has been forcibly annihilated!

Unknown Yin Energy Erosion intensity greatly weakened! Threat level reduced to C+ (Fierce Ghost-level)!

Remaining Yin line imprint (unconscious residue)!

On his arm, the pitch-black Yin line that had covered his forearm and once looked as vicious as a living creature had now been reduced to a faint gray mark like an old scar. The unnerving red dot at its end had completely vanished! Though a trace of cold Yin still lingered, it had lost its vitality and no longer posed a threat!

It worked!

Fang Gang slowly lowered his arm, sensing the terrifying power within him surging like a great river, heavy as mountains!

Initial Bone Tempering complete! Jade bones shone! Savage Elephant Power flowed through his sinews and bones, and with the slightest movement, the air let out a boom as though unable to bear the strain!

The defense and vitality brought by his Constitution made him feel like a humanoid fortress! His Agility granted him ghostlike speed!

He casually clenched his fist, and his knuckles crackled explosively, as though he had crushed the air itself! He looked at the arm bearing that faint gray mark, his eyes cold with contempt for all things.

"The source? The Red Wedding Dress? Combing hair?" Fang Gang turned, his gaze stabbing into the still-shaken Chen Tao like tangible blades. "Where is it?"

Chen Tao shuddered under his gaze and answered instinctively, "I... I don't know! Uncle Wang only reported that it was on the lowest level of the morgue... the exact location is unknown! That place is a restricted zone, the energy readings are chaotic, and our people can't get in..."

Fang Gang narrowed his eyes. The morgue's lowest level... It looked like he had to make another trip. But before that...

With a thought, he opened the system shop. His Evolution Points had fallen to zero, but the delivery for the "Vajra Indestructible Divine Art" should be arriving soon.

"Brother! You... what you did just now... was that a breakthrough?"

Chen Tao finally found his voice. Looking at Fang Gang's jade-like skin and terrifying aura, even his voice trembled. "Bone Tempering? You... you're a body cultivator?! And... and you broke through?!"

A body cultivator? In the Special Affairs Bureau's records, that was synonymous with exhausting effort for little reward and a low ceiling!

But this bald brute before him had blown up a Green Zombie with one punch, shattered the Mirror Ghost with one roar, and instantly broken through to drive back a Fierce Soul Grade Yin line... How the hell was that a low ceiling? He was clearly a humanoid tyrannosaur!

"Body cultivation is very strong." Fang Gang's answer was concise, his tone carrying unquestionable confidence.

He strode outside with steady steps. Every time his foot landed, the ground let out a dull groan, as though unable to bear his weight.

"Wait! Brother!"

Chen Tao hurried after him. His gaze had completely changed this time, filled with reverence and eagerness. "Brother Fang Gang! Earlier, I failed to recognize greatness when I saw it! On behalf of the Linjiang City Special Affairs Bureau Field Operations Team, I formally invite you to join us! Special consultant! Freedom of action! Priority resources! As long as you can deal with these ghostly things, name your terms!"

Fang Gang did not stop walking, and his voice remained cold. "No time."

"Don't say that!"

Chen Tao panicked and jogged after him. "Brother! No matter how strong you are alone, your intelligence is limited! Our Bureau has the most complete files on anomalous incidents! We have the research institute's latest analyses! And... payment! Killing ghosts comes with bonuses! The more you kill, the higher the reward! All cash! Or if you want rare metals, special medicinal herbs... as long as the Bureau has it, everything is negotiable!"

Fang Gang's steps paused slightly. Intelligence? Bonuses? Rare resources? That was somewhat interesting.

He needed Evolution Points, which meant he needed to keep hunting powerful evil entities. Intelligence was indeed crucial. Money and resources could also improve his life and let him buy more "secret manuals."

Seeing Fang Gang pause, Chen Tao's eyes lit up. Knowing there was a chance, he quickly struck while the iron was hot and took out a specially made black metal badge and a heavy phone. "This is a temporary consultant badge and an encrypted satellite phone! Your permissions have already been activated! You can access our internal incident-sharing platform! Take them first! Think it over! It doesn't matter if you don't join—consider it making a friend! We can share intelligence and cooperate in killing ghosts! The bonuses will still be counted!"

Fang Gang glanced at the badge and phone. After a brief pause, he reached out and took them. There was no reason to refuse free intelligence and money.

"If you get any news about the Red Wedding Dress, notify me immediately." Leaving behind those words, he did not linger. His figure flashed, his speed erupting as he vanished around the stairwell corner like a ghost, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded Special Affairs Bureau agents.

Chen Tao looked in the direction Fang Gang had disappeared, then lowered his head to look at Uncle Wang's corpse on the ground and the bloodstained wooden comb. He let out a long breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and then broke into wild delight.

"We struck it rich! We really found a treasure this time! A Bone Tempering Realm body cultivator! One punch blew up a Green Zombie! One roar shattered a Mirror Ghost! A humanoid ferocious beast! Report it! Report it to headquarters immediately! Codename... his codename will be 'Bright King'! Yes! The Bald Bright King!"

Excitedly, he picked up his encrypted phone and was about to dial when the personal phone in his pocket vibrated.

It was a text notification:

Hello, Cainiao Post Station! The package you purchased online, "Vajra Indestructible Divine Art (Carefully Edited Illustrated Edition)," has been collected. Thank you for using our service! Free shipping for 9.9 yuan. May you achieve great mastery in your divine art!

Chen Tao: "???" Vajra Indestructible? This tough guy brother... bought a secret manual online?? For 9.9 yuan???

Fang Gang raced through the streets before dawn, as fast as lightning.

He rubbed the Special Affairs Bureau badge and phone in his pocket, feeling the vast power of his newly attained Bone Tempering Realm within him.

The gray mark on his arm still retained a trace of coldness, reminding him of the threat deep within the morgue.

"Red Wedding Dress... combing mirror..." A cold gleam flickered in Fang Gang's eyes. "Wait for me."

He sped up, his destination clear—the rented apartment! The delivery for the "Vajra Indestructible Divine Art" should already be lying at his door!

Ding! The host is about to come into contact with a new cultivation art: "Vajra Indestructible Divine Art" (pirated edition). Convert it?