According to the theory provided by the system, the strongest known substance for tempering bones was called cosmic origin stone. It was difficult to find in an already formed universe; it generally existed outside formed worlds and was the foundation of worlds, the primordial substance from which universes were born.
If Li Xingkong could get his hands on an origin-stone-level substance during the tempering stage, he could even bring about the birth of a universe within his body while beginning Qi Refining.
Such power was unimaginable to the current Li Xingkong. He simply couldn't imagine how powerful an ability it would be if every cell in his body were to develop into a world.
Of course, that was far too distant for Li Xingkong at his current stage.
For now, he could only use substances already available on Earth to temper his bones.
Even so, the strength of bones tempered this way would already be enough to defy the heavens. In terms of hardness, he could eat diamonds like candy; in toughness, pressure resistance, corrosion resistance, and other basic chemical properties, they could all reach an extremely high level.
On Earth, he could hardly think of any way to destroy one of his fully tempered bones.
More importantly, tempered bones not only had extraordinary physical properties but were also biologically active, meaning they could regenerate and repair themselves.
So, after Qi Refining, Li Xingkong's very nature was already close to breaking away from humanity.
With only one mote of Spiritual Qi at present, Li Xingkong's bone tempering wasn't progressing very quickly. Even though he set aside time for it every day, he had only managed to temper about 60 percent of his first bone so far.
There was a reason he had chosen a bone in his spine as the first.
The spine contained the most powerful stem cells in the human body. A person could grow from a fertilized egg into a biologically complete human being, and every organ and structure throughout the body evolved from these stem cells. Thus, as long as these stem cells were fundamentally tempered first, the effects of tempering would carry over as they evolved on their own.
That was much faster than tempering his bones one by one. As his cells underwent metabolism, his body could naturally transform into a tempered one.
Setting foot on the path of cultivation meant paying attention to the Dao and the method; one needed both.
Tempering the whole body, expanding the qi sea, and building the meridians throughout the body: these were the Dao of the Qi Refining stage, its foundation.
His integration with his digestive system and the crude version of grain abstention he had currently achieved were a kind of method, an application of it-a technique developed based on his body's current stage.
For Li Xingkong at his current stage, his techniques were still lacking in many respects. Traditional cultivators would usually begin by finding one technique each for attack, defense, and escape, so they could fight, withstand attacks, and run away. These were cultivators' usual means.
But Li Xingkong's situation was different. In the world he currently inhabited, he was the only cultivator.
The world's overall level of civilization was also high, and its legal system was relatively sound. That gave him more room to choose his techniques.
Compared with traditional attacks and defenses, techniques that would let him live more conveniently in modern society were his first choice.
So his first choice was grain abstention. This technique made obtaining energy much more convenient and could save him a considerable expense.
Once he mastered it, he wouldn't even need to eat. What use would money be to him then?
For his next technique, Li Xingkong planned to choose an eye technique for observation and investigation. If it could see into people's hearts, that would naturally be even better.
While Li Xingkong was still mulling it over, the bald man had already come out of the inn's kitchen with the prepared beef.
It had to be said that there were plenty of wild animals on Prisoner Continent, and meat really was cheap. For an ordinary price, the bald man had brought out a piece of meat much larger than Li Xingkong had expected.
"Boss, the way you run this place, it's a wonder you haven't gone out of business."
Li Xingkong speared a piece of meat with his fork and stuffed it straight into his mouth.
"Hardly anyone comes by my place all day. It'll go bad if I leave it, so you might as well have it all."
Since someone had finally come, the bald man dragged over a chair and sat down beside him. It was clear that staying in a place like this alone left him feeling a little lonely.
"Mind if I have some too? I'll knock a little off your bill."
The bald man stared at the food on the table. How uncomfortable would it be to just talk and not eat?
"Sure, let's eat together."
Li Xingkong gave him a piece. This guy didn't seem like a businessman at all. What kind of shopkeeper did this...
"Where did you come from, young man?"
The bald man made himself right at home, sitting down and tucking in. The way he acted, it was as though he were the one treating Li Xingkong to the meal.
"I haven't had anything to do lately, so I wanted to try hiking across Prisoner Continent. I only left Freedom City a few days ago. I was lucky to come across your place today."
Hearing that Li Xingkong intended to hike across Prisoner Continent, the bald man gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Now that's badass. Prisoner Continent has plenty of large wild animals, not to mention quite a few venomous creatures. Making it all the way here really is badass."
Whether Li Xingkong was telling the truth or not, he had come on foot rather than driving. Even if he had only come from Freedom City, he was no ordinary person. At the very least, he had to be on Bear Grylls's level.
Over drinks and meat, the two got to talking, and before they knew it, they had finished the whole meal. Li Xingkong no longer had much of a limit on his appetite; even if another whole cow were brought out, he could eat it.
The meal left a mess behind, and Li Xingkong felt much more relaxed.
Just as he was about to pay the bill and stay the night, there was a commotion outside.
Li Xingkong was quite curious. The chances of two groups of people coming to a place like this in one day were fairly slim.
The inn door was shoved violently open, sending the bell on it flying. Three travel-worn thugs strode in.
The thugs looked around the inn and, upon spotting Li Xingkong, gave him several careful once-overs. Then their leader strode forward and kicked the bar counter, producing a clattering crash. It looked as though quite a few things had been knocked over.
The other thugs didn't stand idle either. They looked around at their surroundings, and when they saw Li Xingkong, there was a hint of contempt in their eyes.
"Where's the boss? Get out here!"
With no response from the inn, the thug in the lead grew even more arrogant. He thought the owner was scared.
It was no wonder someone who ended up like this wasn't very bright. Of the people who dared open a business in a place like this, how many could be pushovers?
"Hey, got customers?"
The bald owner's voice came from the kitchen, and the men all turned to look.
The owner walked out of the kitchen. He had heard the earlier commotion clearly, so naturally he hadn't come out empty-handed. He carried a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun.
"You little shits need something?"
Just seeing the owner and his gear made the thugs tremble, and they huddled closer together.
When the owner reached the thug in the lead, the obvious difference in their heights left the thug feeling a little breathless.
In front of the owner, he looked like a little chick.
"N-no, nothing. I just came for a meal."
When faced with someone clearly much stronger than oneself, knowing when to back down was a basic survival skill. As for face, staying alive mattered more than anything.
"Lord Morgan of Freedom City gave orders to look for a person like this on the nearby roads. We just came to let you know. There's a bounty of 200,000 if you spot him."
The thug pulled out his phone with a trembling hand. On its screen was a photo of Li Xingkong.
In this day and age, when a city's institutions were operating at full speed, finding information on someone wasn't difficult.
Li Xingkong had been watching from the side, perfectly content, but when they said that, it turned out they were looking for him again.