Chen Tie left the inner courtyard and passed the room where Zhang Long was recovering. He was about to push the door open when he heard faint sounds from inside and stopped.
Inside the room.
Mo Fang sat beside the bed, holding a bowl of medicine, her voice gentle. "Here, the medicine is ready. Drink it while it's hot."
Zhang Long gazed at his beloved, so close before him, his eyes holding the vulnerability of someone gravely injured, along with a trace of attachment he could hardly relinquish. Through days of bedridden torment, his only comfort had been her presence by his side.
Zhang Long cautiously raised his hand, wanting to gently clasp the small hand holding the bowl to soothe the unease and pain in his heart.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch her wrist.
A flicker of panic and inner struggle crossed Mo Fang's face, and her motion of feeding him the medicine stopped.
The light in Zhang Long's eyes dimmed, and his hand froze in midair.
Mo Fang merely held the bowl a little farther forward and said evenly, "Drink the medicine first."
Zhang Long's hand slowly fell, his fingertips trembling slightly. His heartful of anticipation burst like a bubble in an instant. His chest felt stifled, countless thoughts pressing against his throat, yet he lacked even the strength to question her.
A brief silence.
Zhang Long's hoarse voice carried unwillingness and restraint. "I'm only injured. Once I recover, I can still..."
Mo Fang's thoughts rose and fell, caught between the ties of their past affection and considerations of her future prospects. She tried to soften her tone.
"Junior brother, don't overthink it. Drink your medicine first."
Zhang Long remained silent for a long time before finally nodding gently. He slowly reached out to take the bowl and tilted his head back slightly. The bitter, pitch-black medicine slid down his throat into his stomach.
Outside the room, Mo Hong had appeared behind Chen Tie at some point.
The two exchanged a glance and left in tacit understanding.
Inside the hall, Mo Hong sat upright before a table, his expression calm, sorrow lingering between his brows.
"Master Mo, how are Junior Brother Zhang's injuries?"
Mo Hong fell silent for a moment before saying heavily, "They can't be healed."
"We can only keep his life out of danger and restore an ordinary physique, allowing him to live as an ordinary person."
"As for martial arts, that's no longer possible."
Mo Hong opened his mouth, about to speak, when his gaze inadvertently returned to Chen Tie.
His eyes abruptly fixed, his pupils contracting slightly, and the regret on his face turned into utter astonishment.
Mo Hong looked Chen Tie up and down. The disciple before him kept his entire presence deeply contained, without the slightest outward show of force, yet faintly revealed a solidity born of sinews and bones resonating together.
"You..."
Mo Hong raised a hand to point at Chen Tie, his voice carrying excitement he could hardly conceal.
"You broke through?"
"You reached the Bone Forging Realm?"
Chen Tie cupped his hands. "Yes, Master Mo."
Mo Hong stepped forward, raised his callused palm, and clapped Chen Tie heavily on the shoulder, once, then again.
As his palm landed on Chen Tie's shoulder, he could clearly feel the bone force concealed beneath that skeletal frame, steady and solid, without the slightest falsehood.
His voice trembled slightly as he exclaimed three times in succession:
"Good! Good! Wonderful!"
"I thought... this generation of the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall would fade away, with no light on the road ahead." Mo Hong heaved a long sigh, tears swimming in his eyes. "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that, at a time like this, you would quietly break through to Bone Forging!"
The genius disciple upon whom the martial hall had placed such high hopes had his martial path severed. Mo Hong had thought there was no hope left for this generation of disciples.
Who could have imagined that a disciple who normally trained hard in silence, never drawing attention to himself, would quietly cross this difficult threshold?
"Keeping a low profile is a good thing."
"Heaven hasn't sealed off everyone's path." Mo Hong gazed at him, his voice choked. "Remember this: carefully safeguard this foundation in martial arts."
He turned and took a handwritten booklet from a wooden cabinet. Its pages had yellowed, its edges rubbed smooth from repeated handling. On its cover was written-Fierce Tiger Internal Refining Chapter.
Chen Tie accepted the booklet.
"Master Mo, what is this?"
Mo Hong began to explain.
"This is the martial hall's true inheritance!"
"Today, you broke through to Bone Forging. Your bone force has taken shape, your Qi and blood have increased greatly, your body's resistance to blows has grown stronger, and prolonged fighting is no trouble either. On the path of external arts, you've more or less reached the end."
"But did you know? Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, and Bone Forging are all external refining. They all belong to the mortal realms."
Chen Tie's eyes lit up, excitement showing on his face.
So this was the inheritance kept at the very bottom of the chest. I knew being able to learn all the cultivation methods for a little silver didn't quite make sense.
"Master Mo, do you mean there are realms above Bone Forging?"
Mo Hong nodded slightly.
"External refining cultivates the body; internal refining cultivates the breath. All the countless hardships of external refining ultimately only temper the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones. The true leap in martial arts lies in internally refining a breath of Qi."
"This Fierce Tiger Internal Refining Chapter draws upon the fundamental essence of a fierce tiger lying low to gather momentum, its five organs surging. When a fierce tiger fights to kill, it doesn't rely solely on sharp claws and hard bones. Its five organs churn, a single breath of Qi courses through its body, and only then does its explosive power suffice to tear its prey apart. This cultivation method emulates that principle, tempering the five organs and harmonizing Qi and blood to nurture a wisp of Inner Qi unique to martial artists within the internal organs."
He reached out and lightly tapped the manual's cover, outlining the divisions of martial realms.
"The first three stages of martial arts-Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, and Bone Forging-are all foundations. They temper the fleshly body, accumulate the brute strength of flesh and blood, and condense bone force. They represent the limit of mortal martial practitioners."
"Above Bone Forging lies the realm of true martial artists-the Inner Qi Realm."
"If you cannot cross into Inner Qi, you will remain trapped within the brute strength of the flesh for life. Your cultivation has a ceiling, your lifespan is limited, and an injury can cripple you."
Chen Tie was shaken and listened intently.
Mo Hong sighed softly. "If Zhang Long were in the Inner Qi Realm, his current injuries would be of little consequence."
"All a mortal martial practitioner's strength depends on flesh, blood, and bones. Once the sinews and bones rupture and the body is damaged, the martial path is severed."
"Previously, I intended to teach Zhang Long this Fierce Tiger Internal Refining Chapter once he reached Bone Forging, helping him enter the true martial realm of Inner Qi."
At this point, Mo Hong's eyes filled with regret.
"Today, I pass on the martial hall's true supreme art to you. You are now my second final disciple!"
Mo Hong's gaze burned, his tone filled with expectation and solemnity.
"For ordinary martial artists, Bone Forging is the ceiling. Without a method of internal refining, they can never condense Inner Qi in their lifetimes and remain trapped in the mortal realms until death."
"Now that you have succeeded in Bone Forging, you are the only person in the martial hall besides me to have reached this realm. You possess an excellent foundation for bearing Inner Qi and tempering your five organs."
Chen Tie held the manual against his chest and bowed deeply, his voice carrying excitement he could hardly conceal. "Thank you, Master, for passing on the martial hall's crowning cultivation method! This disciple will train diligently and live up to your great expectations."
"Good, good, good."
Mo Hong smiled, much of the worry between his brows dissipating.
Chen Tie looked up at his master, a question arising in his heart, and could not help asking, "Master, since this Fierce Tiger Internal Refining Chapter is so wondrous, you must have entered the Inner Qi Realm long ago, right?"
At this, Mo Hong gently shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"No."
"When I was young, I fought others in martial contests and mortal combat, leaving old injuries in my internal organs. Back then, I became stuck at the peak of Bone Forging. Even with the cultivation method in my hands, my five organs could not withstand the nourishment and circulation of Inner Qi, and I was never able to condense that breath of Inner Qi."
He raised a hand and gently pressed it against his chest, as though touching an old pain from years past.
He looked at Chen Tie, who held the manual against his chest, his expression solemn. "Your five organs are intact, and you have achieved Bone Forging. Study the Fierce Tiger Internal Refining Compilation diligently, and walk to the end of this road that your master never managed to set foot upon."
"Yes, Master!"
Chen Tie respectfully cupped his hands.