Breakthrough to the Mid Bone Tempering Realm

Besides cultivating for more than ten hours every day, Lin Fan did not keep himself wound too tightly. After all, he would have to cultivate like this for several months. The later one's realm, the longer each breakthrough required.

On the western side of Sunset Glow Courtyard stood an elegant study, which Su Yuanshan had specially arranged for the two of them. Several books were placed on the shelves within. Since Lin Fan had fused with the previous owner's memories, reading the writing of this world posed no problem at all.

These books included not only martial arts manuals, such as cultivation methods that were roughly ten or twenty percent more efficient than the Azure Cloud Method. However, Lin Fan was already accustomed to the Azure Cloud Method, and with his thousandfold cultivation effect acceleration, he had no interest in that extra ten or twenty percent. Switching cultivation methods would take time as well. He might as well cultivate directly to the Late Bone Tempering Realm and be done with it.

There were also books on Artifact Forging and all sorts of other arts. There were far more of them than what Lin Fan could buy from bookstores outside. After all, these were the collected books of a martial arts force, so their contents were naturally more extensive. The shelves also held miscellaneous books, such as records of mountains and rivers from various regions, amusing tales from the martial world, old accounts of former dynasties, and even many written records concerning grudges between martial sects. There were even some books unsuitable for children. Of course, Lin Fan would not read those kinds of books.

There was no helping it. Only when he occasionally felt his strength growing too quickly, to the point where he could faintly sense that he was losing control over it, would he pause his cultivation and read for about half an hour.

Under the thousandfold cultivation effect acceleration, Lin Fan's efficiency in reading and learning surpassed that of others by countless times. Reading a book once was almost equivalent to others reading it a thousand times. Every bit of its content was firmly engraved in his mind. Things like various arts—though he did not cultivate them now, it would not be too late to memorize them first and practice them when he had the time.

Lin Fan decided that cultivation would remain his foundation. Even a fully armed Bone Tempering Realm martial artist was almost incapable of defeating a Bright Force Realm expert with nothing at all. With every breakthrough in realm, a martial artist's strength, defense, endurance, explosive power, reaction speed, healing ability, and countless other capabilities would undergo a tremendous leap. Even if low-level martial artists could barely make up for a gap in one aspect using certain arts or treasures, it was exceedingly difficult to make up for the gaps in every aspect.

The value of cultivation realms in this world was extremely high. Those arts could only serve as support. Besides, once his realm and cultivation became higher, he would learn those arts much faster as well.

Sunlight streamed through the carved lattice windows of the study, falling across the room and onto the pages. Lin Fan sat leaning against a wooden desk, a scroll spread before him, easing the tension in his mind after days of cultivation.

Mao Mao would often sneak in after him. Seeing that Lin Fan did not chase him away, he would curl up by Lin Fan's feet, a glistening golden lump curled into a furball beside him. Lin Fan could not help sighing. He really was becoming more and more like a little dog.

Outside the courtyard, Lin Ruoruo's voice could sometimes be heard reciting the basic cultivation formulas, accompanied by Su Qingwei's gentle guidance and instruction. Lin Ruoruo and Su Qingwei cultivated the same method, both using the Su Family's martial arts technique, which was much more efficient than Lin Fan's Azure Cloud Method.

The previous owner had not intended to practice martial arts. He had merely happened to memorize the Azure Cloud Method, the most widely circulated cultivation method in the Zhao Kingdom, which had saved Lin Fan a few taels of silver when he first arrived at Small Mountain Village.

Lin Ruoruo's martial bone aptitude was not particularly good. Martial bone aptitude could only be tested after one reached their teens, when their bones had basically finished developing. Before then, the body's bones were still growing rapidly, so any results would be inaccurate.

However, Lin Fan was confident that once either Su Qingwei or Lin Ruoruo cultivated Inner Qi, he could simply activate a cultivation effect acceleration of tens of thousands of times and pour the vast amount of Inner Qi he cultivated into their bodies through empowerment. Raising their realms to the Qi Force Realm, or even the Innate Realm, was not impossible. Of course, only he could even entertain such a method. Other martial arts experts found it harder than climbing to the heavens to cultivate even a trace of Inner Qi, and they had to save it to break through to higher martial arts realms. How could they be as lavish as Lin Fan?

Lin Fan walked out of the study. In the courtyard, Su Qingwei wore a plain-colored long dress, her figure gentle and lovely, her face soft and beautiful, patiently guiding Lin Ruoruo in her training. A breeze stirred the strands of hair by her temples, and the years were peaceful and serene. Yet Lin Fan knew that he still could not relax. His cultivation absolutely could not stop.

Nearly a month passed. Under a thousandfold cultivation effect acceleration every day, Lin Fan's muscles and bones endured the refinement and strengthening of the Azure Cloud Method day after day. Finally, on this day, the muscles and bones throughout his body rang in unison, the sound spreading through the entire small courtyard. It was as though an unparalleled Ferocious Beast had risen to its feet, its bones grinding together within its body.

He had reached the Mid Bone Tempering Realm.

The rumbling of his muscles and bones was not confined to Sunset Glow Courtyard. The sound pierced through the courtyard walls before gradually fading away.

However, Su Yuanshan was a Late Bone Refinement Realm expert with exceptionally sharp hearing. He could clearly distinguish sounds that others could not hear. At this moment, Su Yuanshan and Madam Su were seated in the main hall chatting when they suddenly heard a faint humming of joints coming from the direction of Sunset Glow Courtyard within the Su Residence.

Su Yuanshan's brows shot up, and he abruptly sat upright, astonishment appearing in his eyes. "That disturbance... it came from Sunset Glow Courtyard! This is—this is the resonance of muscles and bones when one breaks through the Bone Tempering Realm!"

"What? Lin Fan was already at the early Bone Refinement Realm before. In only one short month, he broke through again? Has he already reached the Mid Bone Tempering Realm?" Though Madam Su had not heard the disturbance, she instantly understood upon hearing her husband's words.

The couple did not delay. They immediately rose to their feet and hurried toward Sunset Glow Courtyard with two guards.

Within Sunset Glow Courtyard, Lin Fan stood on the bluestone ground of the courtyard. His aura had settled steadily, and the unusual sounds from his muscles and bones had gradually calmed, but when he circulated his cultivation, the stronger oppressive presence emanating from his body still spread tangibly through the air.

Su Qingwei stood beneath the corridor by the courtyard, gazing at Lin Fan within it, unable to hide the delight in her eyes. Lin Ruoruo's eyes shone brightly. Though she did not understand what had happened, she stared at her brother with worship filling her eyes. Even Mao Mao, the golden giant rat, bristled all his golden fur, pacing back and forth around Lin Fan and squeaking without pause.

Su Yuanshan hurried in from outside the courtyard and approached Lin Fan. His gaze carefully examined him as he attentively sensed the martial aura circulating around him. Only after a long while did he let out a deep breath, undisguised joy in his voice. "It truly is the Mid Bone Tempering Realm!!"

Having lived for more than half his life, he naturally understood that reaching the Mid Bone Tempering Realm steadily at Lin Fan's age, with such cultivation speed, was something only those legendary First-Grade Bone Aptitudes could achieve, and only with rare heavenly treasures and martial arts pills to accompany them.

But Lin Fan having a First-Grade Bone Aptitude was one thing. Either he possessed some martial arts treasure brought from the family in the Capital City that increased his cultivation speed, or he had some other secret.

The vast world held all manner of strange things. Apart from bone aptitude, some people also had a greater affinity for certain cultivation methods, allowing them to cultivate much faster. But regardless, Lin Fan had now become husband and wife with Su Qingwei, so this was good news for the Su Family.

In truth, Su Yuanshan also knew that with his own bone aptitude, even if he obtained some treasures, they could not let him soar to the heavens in a single step. At most, they would increase his hopes of breaking through to the Bright Force Realm. Having lived for more than half his life, he had long since taken lightly whether he could break through to a higher realm and no longer clung to it.