Mo Hong went on a long journey. Several days later, he returned with a weary face and a large bundle.
After that, a strong medicinal smell often drifted through the inner courtyard. Whenever Chen Tie passed through, he occasionally checked on Zhang Long. The medicinal smell in his room was even stronger, but his complexion was much better than a few days before. His condition seemed to have improved.
Presumably, Mo Hong had paid a tremendous price to treat Zhang Long.
But when Chen Tie occasionally glanced at Mo Hong, he saw an anxiety that would not leave his brow. Zhang Long's recovery was probably not going well.
A trace of excitement showed on Chen Tie's face as he practiced martial arts in the subway basement.
Since he was now the only one cultivating there, Chen Tie also practiced other arts besides the Fierce Tiger Fist and Fierce Tiger Stance Art.
"Almost there. Third layer of the Resounding Viscera Blood Scripture, break through!"
[Resounding Viscera Blood Scripture Third Layer (1/300)]
A scalding torrent surged through his body, seeping into his bones, fascia, and every inch of flesh and skin. The blood and Qi that had lain hidden within him swelled violently, like a flood crest pouring into a dry riverbed, filling his limbs and every part of his body.
Beneath his skin, blood-red vessels faintly rose into view. His heart beat like a war drum, each beat pumping out even more vigorous vitality.
"My blood and Qi have increased considerably, and they circulate faster too. Too bad this art only has three layers."
Chen Tie calmed himself and continued practicing. The day soon came to an end.
"Sure enough, my guess was right. With more blood and Qi in my body, my progress in martial arts has sped up a little too."
For the next dozen or so days, Chen Tie cultivated alone in the basement.
He practiced the Fierce Tiger Fist Art and Fierce Tiger Stance Art over and over, then entered the iron cage to face the enormous tiger, constantly tempering his martial will.
As time passed, Chen Tie clearly felt his force steadily penetrating his bones. It no longer remained solely in his flesh and skin, but pressed inward.
During his previous cultivation, his force had always lingered between his flesh and skin, nourishing only the surface of his sinews and bones. It was quickly depleted, making it ill-suited to explosive attacks or prolonged battles.
Now, however, a qualitative transformation arrived.
Chen Tie sank his body and gathered his Qi. His surging blood and Qi rushed inward like rivers flowing backward. No longer confined to his flesh and skin, all of it frantically penetrated and pressed inward.
His immense internal force pierced through layer after layer of flesh and blood, like countless fine needles of refined steel stabbing hard into the tough membranes around his bones.
"Humm-!"
Every bone in Chen Tie's body trembled at once, a fine, dense resonance ringing throughout his limbs and body.
A deep, fundamental, boring pain erupted. His force invaded the gaps within his bones, crushing the old impurities and dry, stagnant grime accumulated over the years.
Faint, crisp cracks sounded without end-the sound of his bones' structure being forcibly reshaped and compacted.
The instant his force entered his bones, agonizing pain erupted inside Chen Tie.
It was as though scalding iron sand had been forced into his marrow, with countless sharp barbs grinding and tearing inside his bones.
Every bone in his body endured the scouring of his force, and a tearing torment came from the gaps between them.
This was force washing the bones: using one's own force as the cleansing medium to repeatedly wash away impurities and reshape the substance of the bones.
Agony spread from his marrow through his entire body. Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes, and his limbs trembled slightly beyond his control. Chen Tie clenched his teeth, nearly biting through the tip of his tongue.
The heart-piercing pain nearly overwhelmed his mind. The image of a fierce tiger lying low and gathering its strength immediately surfaced in his thoughts. Though it was only a trace of embryonic true intent, he still held fast to his mind, keeping his blood and Qi from running wild.
Chen Tie steadied his breathing and continued guiding his circulating force, scouring and washing the insides of his bones again and again.
The impurities and accumulated grime hidden within his bones slowly dissolved beneath the repeated scouring of his force.
The tiny, loose pores within his bones filled with pure force, blood, and Qi, their substance gradually growing dense and hard.
The barrier between his muscles and bones was dissolving. Previously, exerting strength meant his flesh and skin pulling on his bones; now, his force was rooted in his bones, and the bones themselves could hold surging blood and Qi.
After a bout of swelling pain that reached deep into his marrow, an almost imperceptible muffled sound came from within him.
He had reached the bone forging realm!
His force had fully entered his bones!
His blood and Qi had thoroughly washed his bones!
The agony of bone washing slowly receded, replaced by a solid, weighty strength growing from within his bones.
Chen Qing slowly eased out of his stance and exhaled a long breath of turbid air tinged with a faint bloody smell.
Chen Tie felt the total amount of blood and Qi within him increase enormously. With his flesh and skin as the surface and his bones as the roots, his blood and Qi no longer floated merely within his flesh and skin, but lay deep inside his bones, harboring latent potential.
He raised his hand and slowly clenched his fist. His bones trembled slightly, and a sensation of solid, weighty strength burst from his palm. With a gentle clench, even the surrounding air seemed to sink slightly.
"So this is the bone forging realm. It really is much stronger!"
Chen Tie hurriedly checked his proficiency.
[Fierce Tiger Fist Greater Mastery (245/300)] [Fierce Tiger Stance Art Perfection (1/400)][Resounding Viscera Blood Scripture Third Layer (40/300)] [Supple Bone Palm Lesser Mastery (188/200)] [White Crane Stance Art Lesser Mastery (40/200)]
Chen Tie was immediately thrilled and planned to tell Mo Hong, but he soon restrained the impulse.
Zhang Long's experience was a warning. He should wait a little longer. It would not be too late to tell Master Mo once his strength had stabilized.
"Looks like I need to put more effort into improving the White Crane Stance Art. It's time to put the White Crane Fist Art on the agenda too."
Chen Tie calmed himself and spent some time adapting to his vastly increased strength. He practiced the Fierce Tiger Fist again, and as the wind from his punches swept past, the loose stones on the ground trembled.
The enormous tiger in the iron cage opened its eyes wide. How had this little human suddenly become stronger? Like that old man, he was not to be provoked.
Looking at the enormous tiger with its head drooping, Chen Tie lost interest as well and slowly walked out of the basement.
He happened to meet Xu Da in the outer courtyard.
"Junior Brother Chen, I remember you're fifteen, right?"
"Yes, Third Senior Brother. Why do you suddenly ask?"
Xu Da said meaningfully, "People from ordinary families are already married at your age. I happen to have a younger female cousin who's fifteen too. How about I introduce you? She's a very innocent girl, so you'd better treat her well."
Chen Tie was at a loss for words. "Third Senior Brother, you haven't even married yourself, yet you're already arranging things for me. This will affect your martial heart."
Xu Da rubbed his nose and said, "Actually, my family has already arranged a marriage for me. I'll invite our fellow disciples over for the wedding feast when the time comes."
"Third Senior Brother, are you serious?" Chen Tie asked in surprise.
"I know my own martial talent. The flesh refining realm is probably as far as I'll go. Perhaps I can reach flesh refining perfection in this lifetime, but bone forging is beyond my hopes. I'd be better off starting a family early and focusing on the family business."
Chen Tie froze slightly, unsure what to say.
Xu Da patted his shoulder. "Martial talent and the foundations of the body are both determined by Heaven. If I keep stubbornly hammering away at it, I'll only waste my blood and Qi and end up riddled with injuries and illness in old age."
"Third Senior Brother, you must have thought about this for a long time before making this decision," Chen Tie said quietly.
"Yes." Xu Da nodded, his gaze returning to Chen Tie with a trace of hope. "The martial path is perilous. You saw what happened to Zhang Long with your own eyes. Your martial heart is firm; perhaps you can achieve something greater. Take good care of yourself, and never advance too recklessly."
Xu Da turned and left. His departing figure was composed, yet it also held a trace of the desolation of letting go of his martial pursuits.