Hongxiu's Closeness

He glanced at the excited Tie Shan and Tie Zhu, then turned a contemptuous gaze on Dongfang Yueming. "Without enough resources to support you or heavenly treasures to temper your bones, what good is a cultivation technique alone? Won't it all come to nothing in the end? Resources are what determine how far you can go in martial arts!"

Zhou Tong's words were meant to discourage Tie Shan and Tie Zhu, but even more so to take a veiled jab at Dongfang Yueming. In his view, no matter how talented Dongfang Yueming was, without a background or resources, the Flesh Refining Realm would be the end of his road.

Dongfang Yueming's expression remained calm, but he thought to himself, Resources? For me, points are everything. As long as he had enough points, he could quickly master cultivation techniques and advance through realms!

Seeing that Dongfang Yueming was impervious to his words, Zhou Tong lost interest and could no longer be bothered to pretend. He snorted coldly, turned, and walked away, leaving a parting remark: "I'm going to regulate my breathing!"

He had already made up his mind. Once they reached the post, he would immediately enter seclusion and use the resources he had brought to break through to Lesser Bone Tempering! He wanted to gain the strength to crush Dongfang Yueming as soon as possible and repay today's "humiliation" a hundredfold!

Just then, the bronze gong in the distance rang out again.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

"Rest here for half an hour! Tend to the injured and recover your strength! In half an hour, the train will depart on time for its final destination-the Black Stone Fortress!" The voice of the gray-clad staff member carried throughout the temporary camp.

After Zhou Tong swept away, the atmosphere eased somewhat.

Hongxiu, however, was in no hurry to regulate her breathing. Instead, she swayed gracefully over to Dongfang Yueming's side again, bringing with her a delicate, orchid-like fragrance. She leaned in close, almost pressing against his arm, her breath as fragrant as orchids:

"Young Dongfang~"

Dongfang Yueming found her sudden closeness a little strange and instinctively tried to put some distance between them. Wasn't Miss Hongxiu being a little too warm toward him?

Hongxiu, however, seemed not to notice his discomfort. Instead, she moved a little closer and lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear. Her beautiful eyes gleamed with curiosity as she asked softly, "Young man, tell me the truth... have you already reached the perfection stage of the Flesh Refining Realm?"

Dongfang Yueming was slightly startled! How did she know? But on second thought, his performance just now had indeed gone beyond the usual bounds of Greater Flesh Refining, so it wasn't too surprising that she had seen through him.

After a moment's thought, he nodded, admitting it.

"Hee-hee-hee..." When Hongxiu saw him admit it, she let out a delicate laugh like the ringing of silver bells, and her eyes shone even brighter. "I knew it! Perfect mastery of a movement technique alone couldn't let you kill an intermediate mortal beast in an instant with such effortless ease! That strength and grasp of timing are far beyond what an ordinary person at the greater stage can match!"

She paused, then admitted with a touch of pride and a trace of barely perceptible emotion, "I hope you won't laugh at me, young man, but I've had a few fortunate encounters myself and barely managed to cultivate the first level of Flesh Refining Perfection-Mighty Bull's Strength."

Dongfang Yueming understood. So that was it. No wonder she had been able to notice some clues. But... he wasn't at Mighty Bull's Strength. He had long since surpassed Dragon Elephant's Force and reached the legendary Heaven-Splitting Body!

Hongxiu sighed softly, a trace of helplessness in her voice. "Still, Zhou Tong wasn't wrong about one thing. Resources really are far too important. Especially after reaching Flesh Refining Perfection, taking even one more step forward is as hard as climbing to the heavens! Without piling up a vast amount of resources, who knows how many years of arduous cultivation it would take?"

She looked at Dongfang Yueming, her gaze carrying a hint of "I understand you." "Young man, you reached Flesh Refining Perfection at such a young age. Your talent is truly astonishing! I suppose you came all the way to this dangerous Beast Defense Frontier despite the hardships for the sake of the legendary 'Dragon Elephant's Force' too?"

She continued on her own, "There's no end to the mortal beasts here, and their flesh, blood, sinews, and bones are all excellent cultivation resources. They're especially effective for martial artists below the Marrow Cleansing Realm. I came this time to take a chance too, to see if I can use the resources here to raise my 'Mighty Bull's Strength' to the level of 'Dragon Elephant's Force.'"

When she finished, she looked at Dongfang Yueming expectantly, as though she had found a kindred spirit.

Hearing this, Dongfang Yueming gave a faint, composed smile and shook his head. "That's not the whole reason I came here."

For some reason, the calm smile with a hint of mystery made Hongxiu's heart inexplicably skip a beat when she saw it, as though something had gently plucked at it.

"Oh?" Hongxiu was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected Dongfang Yueming to answer that way.

She had thought that every genius who reached Flesh Refining Perfection came to the Beast Defense Frontier with the ultimate goal of striving for the more powerful "Dragon Elephant's Force," or even the legendary "Heaven-Splitting Body." Yet he said that wasn't the whole reason? Then what else had he come for?

Curiosity sprouted like vines in Hongxiu's heart, and her gaze unconsciously took on a questioning look and an even greater interest as she watched Dongfang Yueming.

She instinctively smoothed the hair at her temples and lifted her chest slightly, inadvertently displaying all the charm of a mature woman. Her voice grew even softer and more alluring. "Then what did you come here for, young man?"

It had to be said that Hongxiu was a true beauty. She was already exceptionally lovely, and now that she was deliberately displaying her allure, the charm in her shifting gaze and the temptation of her slightly parted red lips stirred even Dongfang Yueming's heart. He had to admit that the woman before him was indeed very enticing.