By the time the morning light crested the courtyard wall, Yi Yang had already been standing in the little courtyard for an hour.
The circulation route of the Horizontal Refinement Martial Extremity Body was highly unusual. Rather than following a full circuit, he divided his Inner Energy into strands and fed them into the gaps between his skin, muscles, and bones.
As Yi Yang cultivated, the numbers on his cultivation panel kept ticking upward.
[Horizontal Refinement Martial Extremity Body, beginner: 2140/3000]
With the sixtyfold boost, his progress in this superior body-hardening art was absurdly fast.
At this rate, he would reach the beginner level tomorrow. When that happened, his physical defenses would rise another notch. Even a direct hit from someone at the same stage of the Inner Qi Realm might not break his skin.
After completing the final circulation route within his body, Yi Yang slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, opened his eyes, and gazed at the rosy morning sky.
The morning air carried the coolness of dew into his lungs. He rolled his shoulders and neck, thoroughly satisfied with the faint sense of resilient toughness across his skin.
"Grandpa, breakfast is ready."
Jiang Yuexin's voice came from the kitchen, followed by the soft clink of bowls and chopsticks and the bubbling of porridge in the pot.
Yi Yang withdrew his Inner Energy. The thoughtful look on his face gave way to warmth as he turned toward the stone table, looking just like an ordinary old man.
Jiang Yuexin came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with two bowls of plain rice porridge, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a few pieces of pickled radish.
Breakfast could hardly have been simpler.
"The porridge is thick today."
Yi Yang sat down, picked up his spoon,