Stealing Knowledge

Lu Ren took the Qi Tempering Body Strengthening Art and began to flip through it.

This Qi Tempering Body Strengthening Art was divided into four layers, and cultivating all four layers to completion meant reaching perfection.

The first layer: Qi Nourishing Body Tempering!

The second layer: Steel Bones and Iron Sinews!

The third layer: Shatter Iron Rebirth!

The fourth layer: Glazed Golden Body!

After reading the introduction to the secret manual, Lu Ren was completely astonished.

The reason why the Qi Tempering Body Strengthening Art was classified as a Human Tier Low-grade Martial Skill was not due to its weak power, but because the first layer, Qi Nourishing Body Tempering, was extremely difficult to cultivate.

This difficulty wasn't about being hard to grasp, but about requiring a vast amount of time to circulate the spiritual energy within the body's Spiritual Apertures throughout the entire body, tempering it repeatedly.

The so-called Qi Nourishing was similar to nurturing health.

Without at least ten years, it was difficult to cultivate it successfully.

A normal Martial Artist would not spend over a decade cultivating a Human Tier Low-grade Body Tempering Martial Skill just to achieve Qi Nourishing Body Tempering.

However, if this martial skill could be cultivated to the Glazed Golden Body stage, one would be invincible among peers. Even the most powerful martial skills would find it difficult to break through the Glazed Golden Body.

"The true value of this martial skill definitely exceeds five hundred thousand!"

Lu Ren muttered to himself.

Currently, if he cultivated normally, he could still spend over a hundred and ten years in the Nameless Treasure Pagoda. He decided to start cultivating this Body Tempering Martial Skill and learn it secretly.

As long as he could cultivate this Body Tempering Martial Skill to the introductory level, he would be able to continue cultivating it slowly from then on.

Lu Ren began to read the secret manual and started cultivating according to the methods described within.

Lu Ren communicated with the spiritual energy of his seven Spiritual Apertures, circulating it throughout his entire body, washing over him repeatedly.

With each circulation, Lu Ren felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, incredibly comfortable.

However, due to the excessive consumption of spiritual energy, the high-grade Spirit Rice Lu Ren consumed was ten times the usual amount, even more terrifying than cultivating the Explosive Spirit Secret Art.

As he was washed over again and again, viscous grime seeped out from his pores.

According to the secret manual, this was the impurities within the body. If all the impurities were expelled, one would have cultivated the first layer, Qi Nourishing Body Tempering!

Lu Ren spent a full ten years, relying on the spiritual energy replenished by the high-grade Spirit Rice, circulating it countless times within his body, finally reaching the Qi Nourishing Body Tempering stage.

At this moment, Lu Ren felt his body become slightly lighter, and he had lost a bit of weight. His skin had become smooth and lustrous, tough and dense, as if it couldn't be broken by knives or swords.

Lu Ren leaped up, soaring a full zhang into the air.

"Although my body is lighter, its strength has greatly increased, and my power has also surged!"

Lu Ren nodded inwardly. In terms of pure physical strength, even a normal Martial Artist in the Spirit Stream Realm could not compare to him.

Currently, the high-grade Spirit Rice could still support him in cultivating for another twenty-odd years, so Lu Ren decided not to continue. Moreover, with his current cultivation, he couldn't cultivate the second layer, Steel Bones and Iron Sinews.

After leaving the Nameless Treasure Pagoda, only one second had passed in the outside world. Lu Ren returned the secret manual to the elder guarding the pavilion.

"Lu Ren, a Human Tier Low-grade Body Tempering Martial Skill is a rare find. If you don't want it, I might sell it to someone else one day!"

The elder guarding the pavilion said with his eyes closed, shaking his head.

"This martial skill is too difficult to cultivate. Elder, you should keep it for someone else!"

Lu Ren refused.

The elder guarding the pavilion suddenly stood up and stared at Lu Ren in disbelief. He found that Lu Ren had become somewhat different, though he couldn't quite pinpoint how.

"Are you sure you don't want it?"

The elder guarding the pavilion asked again.

Lu Ren shook his head. Now that he had secretly cultivated this martial skill to an introductory level, why would he spend money unnecessarily?

"How about this, I'll sell it to you for four hundred thousand?"

Lu Ren shook his head again.

"I'll sell it to you for three hundred thousand?"

Lu Ren smiled and shook his head again.

"Twenty thousand, I'll sell it to you!"

The old man guarding the pavilion gritted his teeth and said with great reluctance.

In his opinion, this martial skill manual was definitely worth more than two hundred thousand.

"Elder, you should still keep it for someone destined for it!"

Lu Ren smiled. Just as he was about to leave, the old man guarding the pavilion grabbed his shoulder. For a moment, all his strength felt as if it were sealed, and he couldn't move at all.

"Elder, what do you mean by this?"

Lu Ren frowned.

"Tell me, why don't you want this Body Tempering Martial Skill?"

The Pavilion Elder said, "Your bloodline is trash; this Body Tempering Martial Skill is most suitable for you to cultivate slowly!"

Lu Ren smiled and said, "Elder, to tell you the truth, a few years ago I received guidance from a master who taught me a Body Tempering Martial Skill, and it is precisely this Qi Tempering Body Strengthening Art!"

"Impossible!"

The Pavilion Elder shook his head and said, "This Qi Tempering Body Strengthening Art was obtained by this old man in a secret realm. It is a martial skill truly passed down from a thousand years ago. Besides this old man, no one else can cultivate it!"

Lu Ren extended his arm, his skin tough, like fine silk, shimmering with a faint luster.

"Qi Nourishing Body Tempering!"

The Pavilion Elder was stunned on the spot, his eyes showing shock, and he was speechless for a long time.

This martial skill's first layer requires a lot of time to cultivate. If the first layer is cultivated, the subsequent three layers can be easily cultivated once one's cultivation level increases.

This Lu Ren, only sixteen or seventeen years old, has already reached Qi Nourishing Body Tempering. His future achievements are absolutely limitless!

Is he trash, or a genius?

"Elder..."

Lu Ren's words directly interrupted the Pavilion Elder's thoughts.

The Pavilion Elder coughed and said with a dry laugh, "Lu Ren, may I ask how long it took you to reach the level of Qi Nourishing Body Tempering?"

"It took a few months!"

Lu Ren replied.

He couldn't possibly say that he spent ten years, and moreover, to achieve Qi Nourishing Body Tempering, one must open Spiritual Apertures. It has only been three to four months since he opened his first Spiritual Aperture.

"Only a few months? How is that possible?"

The old man guarding the pavilion was so shocked his eyeballs almost popped out.

However, considering the time, it hasn't been long since Lu Ren opened his Spiritual Apertures. Could it be that Lu Ren's cultivation speed is so fast because he is a Person of Divine Enlightenment?

But that doesn't make sense!

Qi Nourishing Body Tempering requires a lot of time to circulate spiritual energy throughout the body. Haste makes waste; circulating too quickly will not achieve the effect of nourishing qi.

Furthermore, those with lower bloodline talent have more impurities in their bodies, thus taking longer.

How did he achieve Qi Nourishing Body Tempering in just a few months?

"Elder, if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave!"

Ignoring the Pavilion Elder's shock, Lu Ren turned and left.

"This Nameless Treasure Pagoda has many miraculous uses at critical moments!"

On the way back, Lu Ren thought to himself.

Returning to his courtyard, Lu Ren wielded the Fire Spirit Sword and practiced his swordsmanship to his heart's content. Because his body had become stronger, the power of his swordsmanship had increased significantly.

"Now that I have reached the level of Qi Nourishing Body Tempering, my strength has increased considerably. Combined with the spiritual energy from my seven Spiritual Apertures, I can unleash power that can likely defeat Martial Artists who have opened eight Spiritual Apertures!"

Lu Ren was overjoyed. With such strength, he was filled with confidence for his trip to the Tuoshe Cave Mansion.

Only Martial Artists in the Aperture Opening Realm could enter the Tuoshe Cave Mansion. Even if he encountered Martial Artists who had opened eight Spiritual Apertures, Lu Ren would not take them seriously.

If the disciples of the Three Great Sects dared to cause him trouble, he would kill them one by one without mercy.

For the next few days, Lu Ren ate and slept, slept and ate. After years of hard cultivation in the pagoda, he didn't mind wasting a few days.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

On the peak of a giant mountain in the inner sect of the Qingyun Sect, Yun Qingyao, dressed in cultivation attire, held a long sword and swung it continuously, her voice like thunder.

Yun Qingyao had a slender figure and appeared delicate, yet every sword strike was extremely sharp and piercing.

"Wind Sweeps Clouds!"

Yun Qingyao let out a soul-stirring cry. The long sword in her hand stirred continuously, like a fierce wind, striking a large mountain.

Boom!

The great hall was smashed to pieces.

Yun Qingyao sheathed her sword and nodded, saying, "I've finally created the fifth form. If my disciple can cultivate this move, her strength will increase significantly!"

Thinking of this, she turned and headed towards Tianzi Mountain!

Arriving at the mountainside of Tianzi Mountain, Yun Qingyao looked at Lu Ren's courtyard and thought to herself, "My disciple must be cultivating diligently. Since he has decided to go to the Tuoshe Cave Mansion, he should be improving his strength to the maximum!"

Thinking of this, Yun Qingyao's lips curved slightly.