Spectacularly Wrong

For martial artists, bronze skin and iron bones was already an immensely impressive attainment.

High-grade bronze skin and iron bones marked a prodigy who was practically one in ten thousand.

And indestructible vajra?

In Qingyun Town, it was already the stuff of legend, a sign of exceptional talent in the martial arts.

Yet Zhang Teng dismissed it with contempt.

What was the most outrageous part?

Mu Qingyue could sense it.

Zhang Teng's disdain was not an act.

He genuinely believed, from the bottom of his heart, that indestructible vajra was nothing special, merely a paltry trick.

That realization made an inexplicable, stifling frustration rise in Mu Qingyue's heart.

The indestructible vajra she looked up to with awe.

In someone else's eyes, it was merely an insignificant trick.

Had he been boasting, that would have been one thing. The trouble was, he seemed to truly believe it.

At that thought.

Mu Qingyue could not help challenging him.

"Indestructible vajra is a paltry trick? Zhang Teng, aren't you talking a little too big?"

Zhang Teng froze, then hurriedly apologized. "Sorry... I meant no offense."

"It's just that indestructible vajra was an accidental by-product of my cultivation. And it isn't particularly useful to me."

Zhang Teng spoke with utter sincerity.

Only now, after using heaven-and-earth spiritual power to temper his body, had he discovered something.

Tempering his Dao body was a process of continuously strengthening his physical body.

By his reckoning, his physical strength would match indestructible vajra by his third Dao body tempering at the latest.

Moreover, the strength of his Dao body was merely a side benefit of the tempering process.

What was the core of tempering the Dao body? Deepening his knowledge and understanding of heaven-and-earth spiritual power.

Thus, Zhang Teng genuinely felt that indestructible vajra was of very limited use.

For now, it might be somewhat useful.

But as he continued tempering his Dao body, indestructible vajra would become utterly useless.

Looking at Zhang Teng's sincere expression, Mu Qingyue suddenly had an unbelievable thought.

Could the immortal cultivation school really be that powerful? Did they truly think nothing even of indestructible vajra?

At that thought, Mu Qingyue could not help asking.

"Could the immortal cultivation school have a method for attaining indestructible vajra?"

"No, it doesn't!" Zhang Teng answered honestly.

"I had already cultivated high-grade bronze skin and iron bones before. While cultivating immortality, I accidentally broke through to indestructible vajra."

At those words, a gleam flashed through Mu Qingyue's eyes.

Why did the Central Hall care so much about new schools?

Because new schools might offer something martial artists could learn from.

If the immortal cultivation school could help martial artists attain bronze skin and iron bones and indestructible vajra.

Then it would absolutely have an enormous impact on the martial arts of Azure Cloud City...

Mu Qingyue hurriedly asked.

"Can the Immortal Cultivation Method help martial artists break through to bronze skin and iron bones? Or help martial artists who already have bronze skin and iron bones comprehend indestructible vajra?"

"Uh..."

For a moment, Zhang Teng actually did not know how to answer.

If I said no, that wouldn't really be wrong, would it?

After all, the Immortal Cultivation Method had nothing whatsoever to do with the martial arts.

But saying yes wouldn't really be wrong either.

For someone who could get started with the Immortal Cultivation Method, cultivating bronze skin and iron bones would be all too easy. Even indestructible vajra would be easy.

But if someone could truly get started with the Immortal Cultivation Method, who would bother cultivating bronze skin and iron bones? Who would bother cultivating indestructible vajra?

Who would pick up sesame seeds only to throw away a watermelon?

At that moment.

Zhang Teng looked at Mu Qingyue, and a strange feeling arose within him.

The understanding of martial artists... seemed as far removed from that of immortal cultivators as heaven was from earth.

"So it can't?" Seeing Zhang Teng's reaction, Mu Qingyue seemed a little disappointed.

"It's not that it can't," Zhang Teng explained. "It's just that anyone who can get started with the Immortal Cultivation Method wouldn't bother cultivating bronze skin and iron bones or indestructible vajra."

"Why?" Mu Qingyue asked in confusion.

Everyone knew that foundations were extremely important. With a solid foundation, one's future in the martial arts would hold countless possibilities.

Why did martial artists hold bronze skin and iron bones and indestructible vajra in such high regard?

Because attaining them meant laying a strong martial foundation!

"For us immortal cultivators, getting started requires comprehending the Breath-Absorbing Art. Once we comprehend it, we begin tempering our Dao bodies."

Zhang Teng spoke calmly.

"Master said that the foundation of Dao body tempering is nine temperings. Each completed tempering brings a transformation of the Dao body."

Mu Qingyue said nothing, simply listening quietly with an expression of humble eagerness to learn.

"If the first tempering succeeds, then in terms of physical strength alone, it's roughly equivalent to a martial artist reaching blood refining qi gathering in body refining."

"If the second tempering succeeds, it's roughly equivalent to cultivating bronze skin and iron bones on top of that foundation."

As soon as Zhang Teng reached this point, astonishment flashed through Mu Qingyue's eyes, and she immediately asked.

"What about the third tempering?"

"It's equivalent to indestructible vajra!"

At Zhang Teng's words, Mu Qingyue was left somewhat dazed.

She had long since recognized that this school of immortal cultivators was far from ordinary.

But Zhang Teng's description shook her profoundly.

Three temperings were equivalent to indestructible vajra?

Then what about four temperings?

What about nine?

Everyone knew that the firmer a martial artist's foundation, the greater the promise of their future martial path.

Mu Qingyue found it somewhat hard to believe, so she could not help asking.

"For you immortal cultivators, after breath absorption and the nine temperings, what realm comes next?"

A trace of yearning flashed through Zhang Teng's eyes.

"Master said the next realm is dao-method wielding!"

"What is dao-method wielding?"

"The dao-method wielding realm is incomparably profound," Zhang Teng explained. "I don't know much about it yet."

Hearing this, Mu Qingyue looked puzzled.

She could not help asking, "During your nine temperings, do you immortal cultivators have any power within your bodies similar to true qi?"

Zhang Teng smiled and nodded.

"Of course. We use heaven-and-earth spiritual power to temper our bodies. After each greater celestial circuit of body tempering, our bodies resonate with heaven-and-earth spiritual power. Every inch of flesh contains heaven-and-earth spiritual power, though we can't use it yet."

At those words.

Mu Qingyue felt that in the early stages of this so-called nine-tempering realm, they could not even project true qi outside their bodies... In that respect, they seemed inferior to martial artists.

She had absolutely no idea.

Her comparison of their realms was completely... wrong, and spectacularly so.