After Yuan Da and the others withdrew from the Primordial Qi Pavilion, the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi surging inside began to grow denser at an astonishing rate.
As the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi rolled, it made a deep sound like muffled thunder.
This time, even Gao Yu, Lin Zhao, Luo Yan, and Lü Xiao, the standouts among those who had completed three rounds of bone tempering, grew extremely solemn. Beneath their skin, it looked as though countless worms were wriggling about.
It was a sign that the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi was running out of control inside their bodies.
They had no better way to deal with it. They could only circulate their Qi Refining Arts to the utmost, then painstakingly absorb and refine the Primordial Qi inside them, breath by breath.
In a corner of the Primordial Qi Pavilion, Lu Ming sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Although Lu Ming's Divine Ability realm was lower than everyone else's here, the overwhelming refining speed of his sub-heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone easily made up the difference.
The Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi in the Primordial Qi Pavilion is growing more and more violent... Even my sub-heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone is starting to feel a little strained.
As Lu Ming refined the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi pouring into his body with all his might, he also sensed the state of his Divine Ability Bone.
At this rate, he might be able to hold on for another half an incense stick's worth of time.
That's enough, too. This incense stick's worth of time has been more effective than a High-Grade Bone Refining Pill!
Lu Ming was very satisfied with the result. He could feel that his progress in his second round of bone tempering had advanced by a large margin.
Buzz!
Just as Lu Ming was feeling perfectly content with his gains, he suddenly sensed a faint movement from his Divine Ability Bone.
Lu Ming swept his senses over it, and his heart jolted.
It was... the mysterious Fire Lotus Mark known as Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus.
Unsteady flames flickered across the Fire Lotus Mark. The Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi roaming wildly through his body seemed to be seized by an irresistible force, and then, under Lu Ming's somewhat astonished gaze, it was all sucked into the Fire Lotus Mark, devoured and refined in an instant.
This Fire Lotus Divine Ability can actually refine Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi too, and it's who knows how many times more efficient than the Thunderfire Furnace...
After swallowing the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, wisps of dense flame rose from the petals of the Fire Lotus Mark.
The flames swayed and drifted down onto the flecks of gold on his Divine Ability Bone. As the flames burned, the golden flecks began to melt away, bit by bit.
As the golden flecks on the Divine Ability Bone melted, wisps of fragmented glazed light rose from them, eventually flowing into the five Glazed Heavenly Lights circling the bone.
And as more and more golden flecks were refined, a sixth streak of glazed radiance faintly began to take shape beside the fifth Glazed Heavenly Light.
Six Glazed Heavenly Lights!
Although the sixth Glazed Heavenly Light was extremely dim and faint, looking as though it might dissipate at any moment, it still whipped up towering waves in Lu Ming's heart. It meant that his sub-heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone had grown stronger once again!
Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus's Bone-Tempering Divine Power has activated again!
For the past few days, Lu Ming had been trying to activate Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus's power to temper the grade of his Divine Ability Bone, but had received no response. He had never expected this pleasant surprise now.
It seems my own Divine Ability Primordial Qi was still too weak to meet the requirements for activating Bone-Tempering Divine Power. Now, because a large amount of uncontrollable Primordial Qi has poured into my body, it has awakened the Fire Lotus's Bone-Tempering Divine Power.
At that thought, an excited Lu Ming hesitated no longer. He completely relaxed his body and actively drew the vast Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi surging through the Primordial Qi Pavilion into himself in an unending stream.
With his sub-heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone refining it and the Fire Lotus absorbing it as well, no matter how violently the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi poured in, it was almost always refined completely in an instant.
While things grew easier for Lu Ming, the others in the Primordial Qi Pavilion were having an especially hard time.
Lü Xiao, Gao Yu, Lin Zhao, and Luo Yan all showed pained expressions. Blisters even began to rise on their skin, making for a bizarre sight.
The four opened their eyes in alarm. Unable to endure any longer, they scrambled to their feet and hurried out of the pavilion.
Only after leaving the Primordial Qi Pavilion did the abnormalities on their skin gradually subside.
They looked into the pavilion and saw Wang Chen still holding on inside. All of them immediately wore somewhat complicated expressions.
This fellow really is strong. It looks like he's probably not far from condensing a Divine Ability Dharma Mark and becoming a Great Divine Ability Practitioner. Even Lü Xiao of the Red Sand Hall could not help sighing inwardly. In terms of strength, Wang Chen truly was the strongest of the young disciples of the four halls, and presumably was little inferior even to the direct descendants of the Li and Yan Divine Ability clans.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Lü Xiao's expression changed sharply, and disbelief spread across his face. Inside the Primordial Qi Pavilion, besides Wang Chen, he had spotted another figure in the corner!
And that was... Lu Ming of the Thunderfire Hall?!
*???*
Lü Xiao could not help rubbing his eyes hard, wondering if it was an illusion.
"Lu Ming? How is he still in there?!" But while Lü Xiao was still doubting his eyes, Lin Zhao also cried out in astonishment beside him.
"How is that possible?" Even Luo Yan of the Mountain Moving Hall widened his eyes, looking as though he had seen a ghost.
Even standouts like them, who were on their third round of bone tempering, had only barely managed to hold on until now. Hadn't they said Lu Ming had only opened his bone not long ago?
Gao Yu, on the other hand, quickly recovered from her shock. Folding her arms across her chest, she said smugly, "Lu Ming has a high-grade Divine Ability Bone. What's so strange about him holding on until now?"
At those words, the expressions on the faces of Lü Xiao, Lin Zhao, and Luo Yan froze.
"What did you say?! Lu Ming has a high-grade Divine Ability Bone?!" Lü Xiao's eyes turned red in an instant. Jealousy surged up like a tide, utterly beyond his control.
Gao Yu glanced at him and mocked, "Why else would he have been able to hold on in the Primordial Qi Pavilion until now?"
Lü Xiao's eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing grew heavier. Lin Zhao and Luo Yan were also stunned. A high-grade Divine Ability Bone-that was the kind of talent they dreamed of having.
"So what if he has a high-grade Divine Ability Bone? Can your Thunderfire Hall afford to raise a second person with one?" Lü Xiao forced the words through gritted teeth, his voice distorted by jealousy.
"A high-grade Divine Ability Bone would probably make him ten times stronger than you even with a little casual nurturing." Gao Yu's red lips curled slightly as she shot back with equal scorn.
Lü Xiao's expression darkened. "Then at next month's hall gathering, I'd like to see just how brilliantly your prodigy with a high-grade Divine Ability Bone can shine."
Gao Yu narrowed her eyes and gave a cold snort, but did not argue with him any further. In one month, even with a high-grade Divine Ability Bone, Lu Ming was probably unlikely to catch up to Lü Xiao, who had completed three rounds of bone tempering.
Still, it was only a matter of time.
Lü Xiao knew that perfectly well too, which was why he only dared speak of next month.
He feared that if he named a longer span, Lu Ming really would catch up to and surpass him.
After Gao Yu, Lü Xiao, and the others had also left the Primordial Qi Pavilion, the two inside continued to stubbornly endure the increasingly overbearing "Primordial Qi infusion."
Another half an incense stick's worth of time nearly passed like this.
Having reached his limit, Wang Chen struggled to his feet. He glanced at Lu Ming, his expression shifting, because Lin Zhao had already told him that Lu Ming had a high-grade Divine Ability Bone.
When Wang Chen stood up, Lu Ming could not help sighing helplessly in his heart in the corner and muttering, "All show, no stamina, and he calls himself the strongest disciple of the four halls' younger generation? That's it?"
He could have continued enduring on his own, but that would have been too conspicuous. This level of endurance was somewhat beyond the limit a high-grade Divine Ability Bone could reach.
If that happened, his sub-heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone might be exposed.
Forget it. I've had my fill this time anyway. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough.
So when Wang Chen stood up, Lu Ming rose to his feet as well.