Chapter 65: Bone Tempering Mastery

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Bone Tempering Mastery

With the case settled, and thanks to the cooperation with the Demon Suppression Bureau, Lu Ming felt much more relaxed. At the very least, he no longer needed to conduct night stakeouts in person.

"Ayuan, let’s have a drink tonight," Lu Ming said, taking out some liquor.

"I’ll stick to tea." Lu Yuan raised his teacup and clinked it against his father’s glass.

He understood what Lu Ming meant. This was the first time father and son had teamed up. He could finally help out, making the occasion feel extraordinarily significant.

"With you around from now on, I can finally breathe a little easier," Lu Ming said, letting out a long sigh. Heaven knew how much pressure he had been under since his own father passed away unexpectedly. After persevering for over a decade, his son had finally grown up and could hold his own.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Wei Huiling glared at Old Lu. It sounded like he was jinxing himself.

"Ah, my mistake, my mistake.

"From now on, our father-son duo will sweep across the world and become invincible.

"We will build a great career in the Jade Capital and make a name for the Lu Family!" Lu Ming quickly corrected himself, his tone high-spirited and full of lofty ambitions.

"You already have quite the reputation in the Jade Capital. Among the Chief Constables of the Eight Major Sub-offices, there are probably fewer than two whose investigative skills can surpass yours," Lu Yuan corrected.

"Yes, you’re right. In fact, based solely on investigative ability, there is at most one person better than me. Just one!" Lu Ming held up a single finger. As for exactly who that person was, it didn’t matter.

"So you just focus on investigating the cases. Leave the martial reputation to me," Lu Yuan said with a smile. The Sub-offices only handled minor cases at the lowest level. To truly make a name for oneself in the Jade Capital, one had to be at least a Fifth-Grade Powerhouse.

"Heh, you brat. Talk to me when you can actually beat your old man in a fight," Lu Ming scoffed, taking a sip of his liquor. Even if he gave the kid another three to five years, Lu Yuan wouldn’t be a match for him.

"We’ll see about that," Lu Yuan said, downing his tea in one gulp. Anyone could brag. He preferred to let the facts speak for themselves!

"Eat your food!" Wei Huiling reminded them.

The next day, Lu Ming arrived at the Government Office.

"Mr. Lu, something happened last night!" a constable quickly reported.

"What’s the situation?" Lu Ming’s expression instantly changed.

"The Wood Puppet we brought back yesterday was snatched away, and they even killed our two brothers who stayed behind to guard it!" the constable said with red eyes.

BANG!

Lu Ming clenched his fist so hard the air popped.

"Those scoundrels! How dare they?

"Come, follow me to take a look!"

Today, Lu Yuan had only one goal: achieving Bone Tempering Mastery.

He had already consumed four Bone Tempering Pills. Under the effects of his Extreme Tempering Method, the results were equivalent to other Martial Artists taking at least twelve pills, or tempering their bones for two to three years.

Lu Yuan’s skeleton had already undergone a massive transformation. The texture was finer, the density higher. His bones were several times harder and far more resilient! If one could see them with the naked eye, they would notice the color gradually changing from a milky white to a jade-like translucent quality.

His True Gang was also much purer than it had been at the beginning—far more powerful and easier to control. It could now more easily permeate and nourish his bones. However, he was still just a hair away. Once he broke through the final layer, the True Gang would be able to smoothly reach his bone marrow, nourishing it and initiating its evolutionary metamorphosis.

Thus, Lu Yuan took his fifth Bone Tempering Pill early in the morning. After cultivating at home for a while, he felt it wasn’t enough. He ran over to the Demon Suppression Bureau and went straight to Jiang Hongfei.

"Jiang Hongfei, quick, let’s fight another round!"

"I am not fighting you!" Jiang Hongfei refused decisively. He had no money left, and more importantly, he didn’t want to lose again.

"I won’t charge you money today!" Lu Yuan offered, lowering his standards.

Jiang Hongfei shot him a side-glance. "Who do you think you are?

"Get lost!"

"You’re just a defeated opponent. What’s with the arrogance?" Lu Yuan turned away dismissively.

"You..." Jiang Hongfei clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in anger.

"Young Master Su, how about a spar?" Lu Yuan asked, walking up to Mu Lingche.

Mu Lingche lifted his eyelids slightly. "You? I could shatter every bone in your body with a single punch."

Lu Yuan’s eyes instantly lit up. He shook his head. "I don’t believe it."

"I know what you’re plotting." Mu Lingche ceased his martial exercises. "I am not Jiang Hongfei. Under my fists, you’ll only find a dead end; there is no chance of you walking away unscathed."

He had seen through Lu Yuan’s trick long ago—borrowing the force of an opponent’s punches to temper his bones. This method was extremely perilous. One careless move could result in shattered bones, requiring a lengthy recovery. In more severe cases, it could directly lead to crippling injuries or even permanent paralysis.

"If I’m crippled, I’ll consider it my own fault," Lu Yuan said stubbornly, gritting his teeth.

"Brother Lu, don’t be impulsive!" Liu Zhi hurriedly tried to dissuade him. It was incredibly foolish to risk his own future like this. Why go to such lengths?

"I have no time to play with you," Mu Lingche said, still shaking his head. In his eyes, Lu Yuan was only fit to be a lackey, an attendant. How could a master ever spar with an attendant? In two words: not worthy!

"Heh, fine." Lu Yuan turned his head and swept his gaze across the training grounds. He didn’t spot a single suitable candidate.

Chen Qiang would have been the best choice, but unfortunately, he wasn’t here today. Han Li was absent, Liu Zhi’s cultivation was too weak, and Yu Qiuyang’s punching power lacked sufficient force. He would just have to train by himself.

"Help me dig a hole," Lu Yuan said, looking at Liu Zhi.

"Why dig a hole?" Liu Zhi was puzzled.

"Just do it." Lu Yuan went to find two iron shovels. The two of them began digging into the earth right then and there.

Scoop by scoop...

Jiang Hongfei watched with a very strange look in his eyes. Just what was this kid trying to do? Dig a hole to practice martial arts? Or was he planning to bury himself?

Mu Lingche also couldn’t help but pay slight attention. Honestly, Lu Yuan was the strangest person he had ever met. He was far from ordinary; his thought process was completely different from everyone else’s. However, the kid had grown rapidly in just a few short days, enough to catch his eye. His progress could even be described as astonishing.

He thought, "Perhaps I should cooperate with him a bit..."

Yu Qiuyang clenched his fists, thinking, "Lu Yuan!" He didn’t care what Lu Yuan was trying to do. He only had one thought: sooner or later, he would defeat Lu Yuan and give him a ruthless beating. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn’t even mind crippling the bastard.

As Eighth-Grade Martial Artists, their work efficiency was incredibly fast. In less than half an hour, a deep pit measuring two meters long, two meters wide, and two meters deep was completely dug out. Lu Yuan then uprooted four ironwood stakes and placed them in the four corners. Only then was the task complete, and he began his cultivation.

BAM!

THUD!

First, he used his fists to pound the four earthen walls until they were solid and hard, and then...

BANG BANG BANG!

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Lu Yuan began swinging his fists forcefully, pounding against the dirt walls, utilizing the rebounding Shock Force to temper his bones. Dirt possessed an excellent characteristic: it naturally dissipated force. It was relatively soft and malleable, ensuring the rebound was not overly rigid. When combined with his own Gang Qi, Lu Yuan could utilize this to the maximum extent, adjusting the force however he pleased.

THUD!

Lu Yuan ruthlessly stomped his foot downward, causing the dirt to immediately cave in by half a foot. The powerful, yet soft Shock Force rebounded into his legs, tempering his bones while his True Gang flooded in to nourish them.

If he wanted to use heavy force, he struck hard. If he wanted to lessen the impact, he hit lightly, easing off just enough. He was entirely in control!

Lu Yuan trained with immense joy and enthusiasm. As a result, the ground within a ten-meter radius continuously trembled in tandem with his strikes.

Jiang Hongfei, Mu Lingche, Yu Qiuyang, Liu Zhi, and the others couldn’t help but step further away to avoid the disturbance. It was a peculiar training method. They had no idea how effective such a method would be for Lu Yuan. Judging by the fact that he hadn’t climbed out yet, it probably yielded some results.

In reality, the results were more than just good. Lu Yuan could only describe himself as extremely satisfied. Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Aside from the stellar effectiveness, there was another hidden benefit: outsiders wouldn’t be able to gauge his progress. This made him feel much more at ease and comfortable.

As the Shock Force tempered him and the True Gang nourished him, Lu Yuan’s skeleton underwent further transformation, until finally...

POP!

A layer of periosteum was breached. His True Gang smoothly permeated through it, nourishing the bone marrow within.

Bone Tempering Mastery!