Bone Like Iron, Tendons Like Cords, Perfect Bone Tempering Realm

Gao Fei ignored the Rat Demon that had been sent flying and rushed toward Liu Chief Constable.

The other Rat Demons immediately blocked his path.

"He can't die yet. The Great Immortal likes his blood meals alive."

Hearing that, Gao Fei felt a little sympathy for this fellow who had sold out humanity.

Not long after betraying them, he had become someone else's food. He might as well have stayed hidden in the city; he would have lived longer that way.

The Demon Race regarded people like this the way humans regarded free-range chickens raised at home.

Gao Fei did not stop. With a feint, he charged straight ahead.

No matter how good a feint was, it was useless without strength to back it up.

He was now at the Perfect Skin Tempering Realm, and his defense was formidable. These Rat Demons were not strength-focused fighters—they could be hit.

Four Rat Demons blocked his way, attacking almost simultaneously.

Their targets were viciously tricky: his knees, crotch, ankles, while another leaped up to strike his face.

At that moment, Gao Fei too experienced the feeling of having his crotch threatened.

Time was limited. There were still more than a dozen Rat Demons around them; he could not afford to drag this out.

He could only use his left hand to shield his crotch, shift the rest of his body slightly to evade the vital spots, and swing his saber with his right hand, sending the leaping one flying with a slash.

The remaining three Rat Demons slammed straight into him.

Sharp pain flared in his feet, thighs, and the back of his left hand in rapid succession.

The pain did not slow Gao Fei down. He quickly reached Liu Chief Constable. While Liu was still despairing over becoming a blood meal, Gao Fei snatched the bead from his hand and ran back.

When the Rat Demons saw that Gao Fei had neither killed anyone nor fled, but merely seized something before turning back, they did not even give chase. They simply watched.

Only Liu Chief Constable remained sitting there in disarray. The pain in his crotch made it hard enough to stand, let alone escape.

Before Gao Fei could reunite with Lu Xiaoliu, Zhang Constable spoke first.

"Why didn't you run? That was such a good opportunity."

Gao Fei smiled. "How could I run when you're all still here?"

Yet what he thought was: I don't know this place or even the roads. How am I supposed to run? Besides, all these Rat Demons are Merit Points. How could I let them go?

"My lord! You're so kind."

Lu Xiaoliu's effeminate voice instantly created a gap between the three people who had been standing close together.

"Keep watch for me. I'm closing my eyes for a moment to think about something."

"Alright!"

Gao Fei did not wait for their reply. He silently recited in his heart.

System, use all Merit Points on Iron Shirt.

In the first year, supplemented by the spiritual energy within the Spirit-Absorption Realm Demon Core, your realm became increasingly refined, and all injuries on your body fully recovered.

...

In the eighteenth year, under the demonstration of the technique, you entered the True Return Realm, and your strength increased.

In the twenty-fifth year, using the Beast Core, your Iron Shirt returned to its true simplicity and entered the True Return Realm.

Your muscles throughout your body returned to the appearance of the Mid Skin Tempering Realm, but your defense did not weaken—instead, it greatly increased. Your entire body had no weaknesses, and you could alter the shape of some flesh and blood.

In the twenty-seventh year, you mastered a method of changing your appearance through flesh and blood. You called it "Disguise Art." Regrettably, you could not change your height or build.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the Beast Core in his hand. Its color had not changed much, so it could still be used. He carefully tucked it back into his robes.

"Alright. When I charge in a moment, follow me. Remember, I won't stop for any one of you."

He swept his gaze around, then looked at the large spear in Lu Xiaoliu's hand.

"You're just getting in the way with that. Give it to me."

He sheathed his Tang Saber, snatched the large spear in passing, turned, and charged forward.

After taking several great strides to build momentum, he unleashed Yaksha Probes the Sea. Ignoring the attacks of the several large Rat Demons before him, he struck directly at the smallest one.

The one-inch spear tip stabbed straight into its abdomen, plunging in by a third in an instant.

He hooked it upward, then brought the spear down in a vertical chop—Mount Tai Crashes Down.

The Rat Demon was smashed from the air into the ground, buried more than an inch deep in the earth, blood pouring from its seven orifices.

System notification: Killed a Bone Tempering Realm Rat Demon. Merit Points +35

"Screech screech screech!"

"Get them! Break their limbs..."

"I was going to let you enjoy your final days in comfort. I didn't expect you to cherish them so little."

Honey Rat roared and hurried after them. Apart from two Rat Demons left behind to guard Liu Chief Constable, every other Rat Demon surrounded the three of them.

Gao Fei's spear was like a dragon as it pierced through another Rat Demon, carrying it with him as he smashed it into the other Rat Demons closing in.

Phoenix Nods. With a flourish of the spear, he shook off the Rat Demon skewered on it along with its blood.

Then he began sweeping left and right, each strike sending a Rat Demon flying.

From the beginning until now, Gao Fei had received three system notifications.

Including the first one, his Merit Points had reached 75.

Although Gao Fei had not killed many, not a single Rat Demon could remain standing after receiving even one move from him. Every one of them was sent flying in a single blow.

By now, the three had broken out of the encirclement. Gao Fei ran a short distance, then looked back.

Zhang Constable and Lu Xiaoliu were still about five zhang away, while the Rat Demons were more than ten zhang behind.

There was enough time. Good thing he had learned a Bone Tempering Realm technique early on.

He took out the Spirit-Absorption Realm Demon Core from his robes.

"System, use 50 Merit Points on the Bone Tempering technique, Purple Tendon Bone-Tempering Art."

...

In the third year, you became familiar with bone-tempering methods. You used qi and blood to shake your tendons and bones, allowing blood qi to seep into them and nourish them from within outward... You began to enter the art.

...

In the eighteenth year, the density and resilience of your tendons and bones increased, and you reached minor accomplishment. Nourished by the spiritual energy within the Beast Core, you entered the Mid Bone Tempering Realm.

In the thirty-eighth year, your bones faintly took on the color of sunken iron. When your joints moved, they seemed to ring with the sound of metal and stone.

The technique reached major accomplishment, and you entered the Late Bone Tempering Realm.

In the forty-sixth year, your bones completely turned metallic in color, and the sound of metal and stone became clear.

The technique reached perfection. Nourished by the spiritual energy in the Beast Core, you entered the Perfect Bone Tempering Realm.

In the fiftieth year, you sensed that beyond the Bone Tempering Realm lay another Ultimate Realm.

He looked at the Demon Core in his hand. More than half of its blood-red color had faded. After carefully putting it away, he spoke again.

System, use 20 Merit Points on Form-Intention Fist.

In the first year: Form-Intention Fist emphasized this: better to advance with a single thought than halt with a single thought. The body stayed compact, hands and feet rose and fell in short, swift motions, fists traveled in straight lines, and the art emphasized inch-force penetrating the body.

Your proficiency greatly increased, and you could already use it in actual combat.

In the twelfth year, Form-Intention Fist reached minor accomplishment. Your tendons and bones sang in unison, and you entered Bright Force. The force of a single punch flowed without interruption, doubling its striking power.

(Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force, and the Astral Force Realm were merely martial skill realms, merely techniques for exerting force. This happened to show that in a low-martial world, bodily strength did not increase much, so techniques were developed to their utmost limit.)

In the fifteenth year, you discovered that the force exerted afterward required the cooperation of the internal organs. There was no way to practice it, so you could only familiarize yourself with Bright Force and attempt to integrate it into weapons.

In the twentieth year, your True Return Realm saber and spear techniques became more powerful after incorporating Bright Force.

His consciousness returned.

He casually threw a punch. Its force was roughly four thousand jin, and with Bright Force, it doubled.

"Heh heh!"

Gao Fei planted his spear upright and revealed a cruel smile as he watched the Rat Demons chasing after him.

This time, the increase in strength was not as great as it had been in the Skin Tempering Realm, but it gave him a sense of solidity.

Previously, he had felt like a sponge covered in leather. Now, he had become a spring mattress, with tendons and bones supporting both his explosive force and defense.

"Why are you standing here? Run!"

"My lord, go first! Don't worry about me!"

As Zhang Constable and Lu Xiaoliu passed where Gao Fei stood, they each tugged at him.

But he did not move at all.

"You go first. This chance may only come once."

Their previous breakout had only succeeded because the Rat Demons had been careless.

If they tried again, Gao Fei could escape, but these two would be in grave danger.

The two exchanged a glance and did not linger.

"I'll wait for you at the city gate!"

"Me too!"

Seeing the lingering looks in their eyes, Gao Fei felt a chill run over his whole body.

"Get lost. Don't look at me like that—especially you, Lu Xiaoliu!"