Protector Tianji

Three days remained before leaving for the Five Elements Sect.

The Star Tower stronghold.

"Night Ghoul, this is Protector Tianji."

Cheng Yang looked at the man wearing a chicken mask before him, cupped his fists in salute, and said, "Protector Tianji."

"I heard Tower Lord Lian say that you are uniquely gifted. You have practiced martial arts for less than a full year, yet you have already forged your gold bones?" Protector Tianji's gaze pierced from behind the mask, landing on Cheng Yang with a scrutinizing quality.

"Yes, Protector Tianji." Cheng Yang nodded.

The words had barely fallen when one of Protector Tianji's hands had already rested upon Cheng Yang's arm.

A wisp of internal energy seeped in from his palm, probing like an extremely fine needle into Cheng Yang's meridians.

Cheng Yang only felt a sharp pain transmitting from his arm—a tingling sensation that was not intensely violent, but enough to make him instinctively tense his muscles.

That wisp of internal energy roamed a circle across the surface of the bone in his arm, much like testing the texture and thickness of a piece of stone.

A moment later, Protector Tianji withdrew his hand, his tone carrying a trace of unsuppressible shock: "It truly is gold bones..."

With no background or resources, born in a small county like Qinglin County, someone had actually managed to forge gold bones within a year.

Protector Tianji had seen no few geniuses—those from the prefectural city, the main tower, and direct descendants of various great aristocratic families and sects—yet those people's gold bones were piled up using massive amounts of resources and guidance from famous teachers, whereas this young man before him seemed to rely entirely on himself.

This talent was absolutely the most exaggerated he had ever seen.

"Tower Lord Lian, your