Breakthrough! Early Third Tier!

The meeting ended.

The attending officers filed out in succession.

Each time they passed the end of the long table, they instinctively softened their footsteps.

This was the purest form of respect the military held for the strong.

Lin Yuan remained seated.

Zhao Dingbang did not hurry to leave either.

"Colonel Lin."

"How have you been feeling these past few days?"

Only after the last staff officer left the room and pulled the door shut behind him—

Zhao Dingbang lifted the teacup before him and asked Lin Yuan.

He was not a true martial artist yet, so he could not see through Lin Yuan's true strength at all.

"The benefits of the Spiritual Energy Tide are still there."

"My cultivation speed has improved quite a bit compared to before. There are no problems."

Lin Yuan answered calmly.

"That's good."

"The higher-ups have high hopes for you, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"If you need anything, just come to me."

"As long as the Southwest Military Region can handle it, you'll get the green light."

Zhao Dingbang was very satisfied with that answer.

Right now, Lin Yuan was the stabilizing pillar of the entire Southwest Military Region.

As long as nothing happened to Lin Yuan, they would have confidence in facing the coming Beast Tide.

"Commander."

"There actually is something I need to trouble the military region with."

At Zhao Dingbang's words—

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately spoke.

"Go ahead."

Zhao Dingbang straightened up at once, his expression turning serious.

"I need a new spear."

"The heavier, the better. Preferably one that can withstand high-intensity True Qi infusion."

Lin Yuan made his request.

Zhao Dingbang froze for a moment.

He remembered that Lin Yuan's current weapon was already a custom high-carbon steel spear made by a military factory.

It weighed a full eighty pounds.

An ordinary soldier would struggle even to lift it.

"Is your current weapon not suitable?"

Zhao Dingbang asked in confusion.

Lin Yuan nodded helplessly.

"As my strength has broken through—"

"That spear feels like I'm holding a toothpick."

"When I unleash the Overlord Spear at full force, the shaft visibly bends and deforms."

"I'm afraid the weapon won't be able to take it in real combat and will snap outright."

At that—

Zhao Dingbang's heart pounded wildly.

An eighty-pound high-carbon steel spear was being treated like a toothpick?

Just how terrifying had this kid's physical strength become?

"No problem!"

"I'll personally keep an eye on this."

"At the latest, I'll get you several suitable weapons within three days!"

Soon—

Zhao Dingbang came back to his senses and agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you, Commander."

After leaving the command center—

Lin Yuan returned directly to his Exclusive Cultivation Room.

He did not practice the Overlord Spear or the Broken Rock Fist.

For the next stretch of time—

He would devote himself fully to breaking through the barrier of the Third-Tier Stage!

First Order Skin Tempering, Second-Tier Stage Flesh Tempering.

These two realms tempered the body's surface defenses and muscle explosiveness.

As long as one was willing to endure hardship and had sufficient resources, one could eventually get through them.

But the Third-Tier Stage was different.

Third-Tier Stage Bone Tempering.

It required guiding violent True Qi deep into the body's most vital core: the bones.

The process was extremely dangerous.

The slightest mistake could cause the True Qi to lose control, shattering the bones and turning one into a cripple for good.

Lin Yuan closed his eyes and cast aside every distracting thought.

The Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula began to circulate.

True Qi surged along a specific route toward his limbs and bones.

The dense spiritual energy of the outside world poured frantically into his body through every pore, replenishing his rapidly depleted True Qi.

The room was terrifyingly quiet.

Only Lin Yuan's heavy breathing could be heard.

Along with a teeth-grinding series of cracking sounds.

They came from his bones repeatedly breaking and rapidly reforming under the relentless scouring of True Qi.

The first day.

Lin Yuan maintained his cross-legged posture, his entire body looking as though he had been fished from the water.

The blood vessels beneath his skin bulged high, as if they might burst at any moment.

The second day.

The pain gradually became numb.

The thunderous cracking sounds inside him slowly blended into one continuous roar.

A faint metallic sheen began to appear over the surface of Lin Yuan's bones.

Late on the third night.

Lin Yuan's tightly shut eyes suddenly flew open.

It was as though two streaks of cold lightning shot from his pitch-black pupils.

He abruptly rose to his feet.

The bones throughout his body erupted with crisp pops like bursting beans.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

An overwhelmingly powerful aura, far beyond the Peak Second-Order Stage, exploded outward from him in all directions.

Even the thick alloy walls gave a faint tremor.

He had succeeded!

Early Third Tier!

Bone Tempering Realm!

Lin Yuan exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

The stream of air shot two meters away as though it were tangible before gradually dispersing.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands.

Then clenched them hard.

A chillingly crisp sound rang out between his finger bones.

There was not the slightest sense of sluggishness.

The bones throughout his body were like alloy steel forged a hundred times over.

Not only had his defense skyrocketed, but his muscles' explosive force had received a terrifying boost as well.

Now—

Even if he stood still and allowed an Early Second Tier Ferocious Beast to bite him—

The thing that would break would definitely be the Ferocious Beast's teeth.

The next moment—

Lin Yuan moved his mind.

A transparent screen appeared before him.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence System]

[Host: Lin Yuan]

[Strength: Early Third-Tier Martial Artist]

[Cultivation Method: Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula, Third Layer (Entry Realm 2%)]

[Martial Techniques: Broken Rock Fist (Minor Mastery Realm 92%), Wandering Dragon Step (Minor Mastery Realm 96%), Overlord Spear (Minor Mastery Realm 94%)]

[Treasures: None]

Looking at the data on the panel—

The corners of Lin Yuan's mouth lifted slightly into a satisfied smile.

Everything was proceeding according to plan, even somewhat faster than he had anticipated.

The Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula had successfully entered the third layer.

That meant the quality of his True Qi had undergone another transformation.

It was purer and more destructive.

Although his three martial techniques had not yet broken through to the Mastery Realm—

They were only one final step away from the threshold of breakthrough.

Supported by powerful Third-Tier Stage True Qi—

If he used these three Third-Order Martial Techniques in actual combat now, their power would absolutely be several times greater than before.

"Time to leave seclusion."

Lin Yuan put away the System Panel and strode toward the sealed alloy door.

He pressed the switch.

Amid a hissing release of pressure from the air valves—

The heavy door slowly slid apart to either side.

In the corridor outside—

Zhao Dingbang was pacing back and forth anxiously.

"You finally came out, kid."

Hearing the door open—

Zhao Dingbang quickly walked over and looked Lin Yuan up and down.

Perhaps it was an illusion.

But he felt that Lin Yuan's demeanor seemed to have changed again.

He was more composed, and even more unfathomable.

Simply standing before Lin Yuan—

Zhao Dingbang felt an inexplicable sense of pressure.

That had absolutely not been the case a few days ago.

"Commander, did something happen for you to be waiting here?"

Seeing Zhao Dingbang acting somewhat unusually—

Lin Yuan's expression turned grave as he hurriedly asked.

"Come."

"I'll take you somewhere."

At Lin Yuan's words—

Zhao Dingbang immediately reined in his wandering thoughts.

Excitement appeared on his face as he led Lin Yuan toward the depths of the Underground Base.

A moment later—

The two arrived at a spacious underground weapons laboratory.

The moment they entered, a strong smell of motor oil and the cold, harsh aura unique to metal washed over them.

On the long table in the center of the laboratory—

Five custom metal spear cases were neatly arranged.

Zhao Dingbang stepped forward and personally lifted the lid of the first gun case.

A long spear, silver-gray from tip to shaft, lay quietly inside.

The shaft bore no unnecessary ornamentation, exuding an extremely minimalist violence.

"Colonel Lin."

"Come take a look at these treasures."

"This is the basic model."

"The main material is aerospace-grade tungsten steel, mixed with a certain proportion of titanium alloy."

"It weighs three hundred and twenty jin."

"It is extremely hard and exceptionally resilient. It can definitely withstand the violent impact of True Qi."

"..."