Body Tempering Peak, Preparations Before Departure

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Name: Chen Yu

Realm: Body Tempering Ninth Layer

Cultivation Methods: Star-Treading Stance, Misty Step (Proficient), Thunder Extreme Saber (Perfected Stage), Blood Battle Nine Transformations

Talents: [Perseverance], [Blade Technique Grandmaster (Purple)], [Martial Dao Supreme Bone (Purple)], [Movement Prodigy (Green)]

, [Fortune's Blessing (Green)], [Keen Perception (Blue)], [Gluttonous Factor (Blue)], [Exceptional Memory (Yellow)], [Thought Imprint (Yellow)]

Talent Forging: None

Additional Feature: (Activation Requirement: Copy three Green-Quality Talents, 0/3)
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Martial Dao Supreme Bone was Chen Yu's second Purple-Quality Talent.

Its quality stood shoulder to shoulder with [Blade Technique Grandmaster], so its effects were naturally not to be underestimated.

His cultivation speed was two hundred times that of an ordinary person. One day of cultivation nearly equaled an ordinary person's gains from an entire year, far exceeding Chen Yu's expectations.

However, the resources it consumed were likewise increasing by the day.

After all, even martial arts still more or less followed the law of conservation of energy. Terrifying martial talent likewise required massive martial resources to sustain it.

In just a few days, Chen Yu had burned through all his savings, spending everything on Qi-Blood Reagent to aid his cultivation.

The gains were equally astonishing.

Three days before Martial University began.

"Body Tempering Peak, achieved!!!"

Chen Yu abruptly stopped, feeling the incomparably abundant power within his body, unable to contain his delight.

A punching force of ten tons, with an instantaneous burst speed of fifty meters per second!

Twelve days, from the Body Tempering Ninth Layer to the Body Tempering Peak—this was the Martial Dao Supreme Bone!

"Those efforts weren't wasted!" Chen Yu lightly punched toward the air before him, and a string of sharp tearing sounds exploded. "Hiss! Hiss!"

Body Tempering Peak was already the natural limit of the human body.

Beyond this point, one could only continue increasing martial strength through the power of qi and blood.

This was the Blood Exchange Realm.

Qi and blood also had their limits. After reaching the Ninth Layer of the Blood Exchange Realm, one had to select a suitable Source Force Cultivation Method, absorb Heavenly Source Force, and break through the body's Stellar Apertures.

At that point, one's combat power could rise again. One could even survive in the vacuum of space using physical strength alone.

"Twelve days, from the Body Tempering Ninth Layer to the Body Tempering Peak. And this is only a purple-quality Martial Dao Bone."

"So Lao Fang wasn't fooling me when he said that among the Human Race, there were prodigies who could break through an entire realm in a single day."

Chen Yu could not help but feel deeply moved.

The Martial Dao Supreme Bone was naturally among the best of the best on Crimson Radiance Star. There might not even be one in a century.

But among the vast Human Race, or even within the Demon Mountain Starfield alone, there were probably quite a few.

One could imagine how terrifying the talents of those prodigies capable of participating in the Battle of Myriad Stars—and even ranking among its best—must be!

The day before Chen Yu was due to leave for Huaying Martial University, Fang Xiong took the initiative to visit him.

"Body Tempering Peak already?"

Fang Xiong looked Chen Yu over from head to toe, his tone filled with surprise.

This time, he was truly taken aback.

Every time he saw Chen Yu, this kid seemed able to bring him another surprise.

Before, it had been saber talent that did not lose to his own. Now, it was a cultivation speed that was no less impressive than his.

He was practically a younger copy of Fang Xiong.

"Nothing special, nothing special. I can't compare to those top geniuses in the Battle of Myriad Stars." Chen Yu scratched his head and answered modestly.

"Tch, give you an inch and you take a mile!" Fang Xiong chuckled, then asked, "Since you've reached Body Tempering Peak, I assume you've already begun trying to cultivate Blood Battle Nine Transformations. How does it feel?"

At the mention of Blood Battle Nine Transformations, Chen Yu's expression grew far more serious. Just as Fang Xiong had said, he had already begun attempting the path of Qi-Blood Limit Breaking.

"For now, it feels fairly easy. If my estimate is right, I should reach Firstfold Limit Break within a month."

Chen Yu spoke uncertainly, voicing his assessment.

Of course, one month was only his estimate. Once he entered Martial University and received that ten-million Red Radiance Coin investment, he should be able to do it even faster.

He was simply far too short on resources now.

The Martial Dao Supreme Bone, together with the terrifying digestive efficiency granted by the Gluttonous Factor, could both accelerate the pace of Limit-Breaking.

"Then it seems your martial talent really is quite good." Fang Xiong nodded.

Reaching Firstfold Limit Break within a month was already an extremely frightening pace. Not many people in Crimson Radiance Star's history had managed it.

However, he had not come today to inspect Chen Yu's cultivation progress, but to give him a reminder.

"Chen Yu, your Aperture Opening and cultivation have been smooth sailing lately. I imagine you're feeling extremely proud of yourself. Or rather... arrogant."

Fang Xiong stood with his hands behind his back, his tone carrying a hint of wistfulness.

"Arrogant?" Chen Yu murmured quietly.

It would naturally be impossible to say he felt none of that. After all, in just three months, he had crushed all the geniuses of River City.

Even martial geniuses from places such as the Imperial Capital had been easily defeated by him during the Martial Exam.

But the arrogance he displayed was mostly to fit the persona of a Martial Arts Madman. That way, it would not seem abrupt when he challenged others to fights in the future.

"This isn't criticism." Fang Xiong shook his head. "Arrogance and confidence are only one step apart. Geniuses have always been arrogant."

"If you want to become a true powerhouse, this kind of arrogance is essential."

"You need to believe in yourself without reservation. Only then can you cut through thorns and briars on the martial path and advance valiantly."

"Teacher, what do you mean?" Chen Yu did not understand what Fang Xiong was trying to say.

"You can be arrogant, but at crucial moments, you must know what to give up." Fang Xiong ignored Chen Yu and continued.

"People have limits, and martial talent has limits as well."

"With Qi-Blood Limit Breaking, every turn is another world. Each additional turn increases the difficulty by several times."

"Although Ninefold Limit Break can forge an invincible foundation, the talent and resources it requires are immense. Many geniuses exhaust their entire lives over it, wasting away their best years."

"If they had given up earlier, those geniuses might have gone higher and farther."

Only then did Chen Yu finally understand.

Fang Xiong was reminding him in advance not to pursue the path of Qi-Blood Limit Breaking too excessively.

"Don't worry, Teacher. I know what I'm doing." Chen Yu smiled.

It was normal for Fang Xiong to have such concerns.

Although the talent Chen Yu had displayed was extremely powerful, rare even in the history of Crimson Radiance Star,

compared to the geniuses beneath this starry sky, there was still a vast gap.

But his talents were not fixed. Every battle against a strong opponent was a process of transformation for him. Ninefold Limit Break was not impossible.

"Kid, my limit back then was Limit Break Fourth Turn. Your talent isn't much different from mine, so you can use that as a reference."

Seeing this, Fang Xiong did not continue persuading him. Instead, he recounted his own past as a point of comparison for Chen Yu.

"Back then, I swept through Crimson Radiance Star's younger generation. I was just as young and hot-blooded, but I ended up wasting a full three years pursuing Limit Break Fifth Turn—three of the most crucial years of my life."

"So I don't want you to become the next me."