Chapter 101 - 96: Marrow Transformation (Part 2)
Chapter 101: Chapter 96: Marrow Transformation (Part 2)
After a Martial Artist achieves Great Success in Marrow Transformation, their lifespan is extended, their strength surges, and their power multiplies. It’s all thanks to this process.
Without it, the human body is too fragile; trying to achieve Qi Sensing would be nothing but a fool’s dream.
Of course, the Marrow Transformation stage is exceedingly difficult. It’s a realm that truly requires an immense amount of time to grind through. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the saying: ’Bone Forging is like climbing a mountain, but Marrow Transformation is like ascending to the heavens.’
In other words, if Bone Forging is climbing a mountain, then Marrow Transformation is as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Though it’s a bit of an exaggeration, the true difficulty certainly isn’t that immense.
But it still illustrates that Marrow Transformation is extremely difficult.
In his room, Fang Yue assumed the White Tiger Fist Form, his eyes closed and his breathing even.
Feeling the Secret Medicine gradually take effect within him, his muscles tensed, and it felt as if all the blood in his body was boiling.
In an instant, he felt a surge of energy and blood.
He also felt a tingling numbness in his bones.
This was the telltale sign that the Secret Medicine was working.
Fang Yue immediately began performing the Fist Technique, guiding and circulating the power within his body.
~~~~~~~
Hoooo...
An hour later, Fang Yue let out a long sigh of air.
He slowly withdrew his fists and stood still.
’Looks like I still haven’t reached the entry stage of Marrow Transformation. Was the Secret Medicine not potent enough?’
During his hour of cultivation, Fang Yue had performed the White Tiger Fist to refine the medicine’s potency.
According to the description of the White Tiger Fist, an ordinary person should be able to temper their marrow and enter the initial stage of the Marrow Transformation realm on their very first attempt.
However, just now...
Fang Yue had felt he was on the very cusp of Refining Strength into Marrow.
But that tiny difference was all that stood in his way, leaving him at Bone Forging Perfection.
He glanced at the text floating before him.
Sure enough, the Cultivation Technique section still read ’Perfection of the Bone Forging Pass’.
This took Fang Yue by surprise.
’My Talent should be much better than that of an ordinary Martial Artist. How could I fail to achieve Refining Strength into Marrow and reach the entry level for the White Tiger Fist in the Bone Marrow Transformation Realm on my first try?’
’I’ll try again.’
Fang Yue immediately consumed another dose of the Secret Medicine.
Then, he began to practice the White Tiger Fist.
「Half an hour later.」
Fang Yue slowly stopped. By now, he was soaked from head to toe.
Even then, sweat continued to pour from his skin.
’Refining Strength into Marrow... so this is what it feels like?’
Fang Yue felt an invisible power constantly boring into each and every one of his bones, a transformation that caused a torrent of sweat to pour from his skin.
It was very similar to the Fist Technique’s description of entering the Marrow Transformation realm.
Just then, Fang Yue’s gaze sharpened.
Lines of text materialized before his eyes.
[Cultivation Technique: White Tiger Fist (Marrow Transformation) (Entry)]
Sure enough, the Cultivation Technique section had changed to Marrow Transformation.
’My strength seems to have increased, and my physical fortitude has improved as well.’
After carefully assessing his physical condition, Fang Yue walked out into the courtyard.
The Bright Moon now hung high in the sky.
Its cool, clear light cascaded down.
Fang Yue let out a low roar and suddenly threw a punch.
CRACK!
The air instantly cracked.
The punch actually created a sonic boom.
This was a sign of his immense increase in power. Before, it would have been impossible for Fang Yue’s punches to produce such a sound.
Yet now, he could create a sonic boom.
’The Marrow Transformation Pass truly lives up to its name.’
Fang Yue’s face flushed red from the force of the punch.
Not only had his power skyrocketed, but his speed and agility had also improved dramatically.
’And this is just the entry stage of Marrow Transformation. What will it be like when I reach Great Success...’
Next, Fang Yue went to test his strength on the Stone Locks in the courtyard, but he found that the heaviest one was only five thousand jin.
His strength had already exceeded five thousand jin before his breakthrough, so there was no way to measure his current limits with it.
By this point, the night was already deep.
Fang Yue decided not to test it further. It wouldn’t be good to make a huge racket and wake his parents.
He quickly washed up and went to bed.
~~~~~~
「Three days later.」
Fang Yue headed into the mountains at dawn.
After his breakthrough into Marrow Transformation, Fang Yue’s strength was even greater.
Naturally, his appetite had grown as well.
Perhaps because he hadn’t been to the mountains in a while, the path he usually took was now choked with wildly overgrown weeds.
If not for his excellent memory, Fang Yue wouldn’t have even recognized the old path.
There are no paths in this world to begin with; they are made by walking.
He walked past the front range of the mountain and crossed the ’line’ separating dawn and dusk. That familiar, chilling sensation washed over him once more.
’Hmm? There’s water here? It’s just like it was before...’
Before long, Fang Yue came across a small lake.
It was a lake dozens of yards across, formed by a waterfall cascading from the cliff face ahead.
Whenever Fang Yue came to these mountain woods, this was where he would get his water.
In the past, wild beasts used to come here to drink as well.
If he ran into any, it meant an extra gain for him.
As time went on, however, Fang Yue rarely encountered any other beasts here.
Perhaps the animals had reached a tacit agreement, treating this place as the territory of some ’Fierce Beast’ and deeming it too dangerous to enter for a drink. As a result, hardly any beasts came here anymore.
’So, the inside and outside of this mountain are actually like two different worlds?’
Fang Yue was reminded of the legend Fang Hu had told him the first time he’d entered the mountains.
He had dismissed it as a myth back then, but now, he wasn’t so sure.
After all, how long had it been?
It didn’t make sense for the area outside the mountain to be suffering from such a severe water shortage while the inside remained flush with it.
He couldn’t figure it out, so he decided not to dwell on it.
In any case, the world was already growing more and more mysterious in Fang Yue’s eyes. One more enigma didn’t make much of a difference.
~~~~~~
HUFF... HUFF...
"To think, the last water vein would be here... so close to ’their’ territory."
"I’d better repair this vein as soon as possible. If it attracts any nasty things, this won’t be fun at all."
Hui Hengli looked at the small, nearly dry pond beside him, where only a patch of damp earth remained.
He glanced at the sky, then at the surrounding mountain terrain, muttering under his breath. He walked in fits and starts, veering left and right, forward and back.
Soon, he stopped in front of a large stone.
"Heh, they even used an Earth Elemental Stone to anchor the formation. Were they afraid they hadn’t cut off the water vein thoroughly enough?"
Hui Hengli chuckled. An Earth Elemental Stone was a fine prize; this trip wouldn’t be a complete waste after all.
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as salvaging a bit of profit from what was supposed to be a thankless, loss-making chore.
Gleefully, Hui Hengli wrapped his arms around the massive boulder and heaved with all his might.
The boulder, which weighed well over ten thousand jin, was actually lifted into his embrace.
ROAR—
But at that very moment, an enraged roar shattered the silence.
A Black Shadow, reeking of decay, suddenly shot out. It was a leopard, about ten feet long.
The leopard was incredibly fast. Before its roar had even faded, it was already upon Hui Hengli.
It opened its gaping, foul-smelling maw and lunged, aiming to tear him apart.
"You’re courting death!"
Faced with such an assault, an ordinary person would stand no chance. Even a typical Martial Artist would find it difficult to escape with their life.
Unfortunately for the beast, its opponent today was Hui Hengli.
Hui Hengli simply tossed the boulder aside and flicked out a leaf-shaped Jade Slab.
The Jade Slab streaked through the air like a beam of light, vanishing in a flash.
The next moment, the attacking leopard froze mid-lunge. A thin line of blood appeared on its neck, and its head tumbled to the ground.
The cut was so clean, perhaps from the sheer sharpness of the blade, that blood only began to trickle from the leopard’s neck a moment later.
"Hmph. A mere beast, not even demonized, and it dares to throw its life away like this."
The corners of Hui Hengli’s mouth turned up as he stroked the short beard on his chin.
He then turned to retrieve the Earth Elemental Stone he had tossed, only to see that the boulder had rolled right to the edge of a cliff.
"Damn it! I was so busy showing off I completely forgot about that!"
He had been so focused on his dramatic toss that he’d forgotten there was a cliff nearby. Of all the directions he could have thrown it, he had to pick the one towards the cliff.
Hui Hengli immediately dashed for the boulder, but he was a step too late.
The boulder tumbled over the edge.
"Damn my luck! I was so close!"
Hui Hengli peered down the cliff, which was at least a thousand meters high. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see where the boulder had landed.