Chapter 144 - 90: Corpse Fire

Chapter 144: Chapter 90: Corpse Fire

When others undergo Bone Tempering, it’s a delicate, time-consuming process. They carefully transform their Qi and Blood into a gentle stream to slowly nurture, permeate, and nourish their bones, terrified that a single misstep might cause fundamental damage.

The process is slow and methodical.

But Lin Yi’s Bone Tempering?

It was simple, brutal, and utterly shocking!

He couldn’t care less about gentle nourishment. Instead, he violently drove a massive volume of Qi and Blood, brutally compressing, battering, and ramming it into the target bone!

The bone was crushed to the point of bursting?

It cracked?

Its very internal structure was damaged?

Lin Yi didn’t care in the slightest!

And why would he?

Because his body held a miraculous Spiritual Essence!

This treasure was like a Source of Life, radiating a cool, immense vitality.

With a single thought, no matter how gruesome the cracks or how minute the internal damage to his bones, that pure life energy would surge forth. Like the finest divine elixir, it would instantly smooth over the wounds, restoring them completely in a flash!

In fact, through this repeated cycle of "destruction" and "repair," his bones grew ever denser and more resilient.

This was Lin Yi’s absolute, unrivaled advantage!

It was a heaven-defying cheat that others couldn’t even dream of possessing!

Therefore...

As long as he had an unending supply of Qi and Blood Energy...

...the Refinement of the 206 bones in his body would proceed without any obstacle, without the slightest pause!

’After this tomb expedition is over, I’ll go back, take all two thousand of those Bone Tempering Pills, and immediately apply for a hunting mission from the school! Yes, I’ll just say I want to hone my marksmanship through real combat!’

A fiery glint flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes.

To others, a treacherous land teeming with Demon Beasts was Hell. To him, however, it was a golden highway to the pinnacle of power!

Just then, on the Tracking map sent back by his Mosquito Avatar, a scarlet dot of light, representing the energy of a Second-Grade Demon Beast, suddenly flared to life in the bushes several dozen meters ahead of the group.

And it was rapidly approaching the team!

Lin Yi understood immediately but said nothing to warn the others.

First, the existence of his Mosquito Avatar was his greatest secret; he had no way to explain his source of information.

And second...

The team included six Fourth-Grade Martial Artists, including Principal Chen Zhenguo, and ten Third-Grade Martial Artists!

A mere Second-Grade Demon Beast?

Before such a powerhouse lineup, it was nothing more than a free meal, an easy kill. It wasn’t worth his concern in the slightest.

Sure enough.

The team had only advanced another ten or so meters when that dense patch of bushes began to shake violently!

"HSSS!!!"

Along with a hair-raising hiss, a brilliantly colored giant serpent, as thick as a bucket, suddenly shot out!

The scales on its triangular head bristled as its cold, slitted pupils locked onto the group. Its forked, scarlet tongue flickered menacingly. It opened its cavernous maw, baring terrifying fangs, and lunged like a multi-colored lightning bolt at the people in the lead!

A ferocious Demon Qi instantly filled the air!

However, its attack was doomed to fail.

"Hmph! Vile beast, you seek death!"

A cold snort boomed like a clap of thunder!

Chen Zhenguo, standing at the very front of the group, didn’t even turn his head. With a mere flick of his wrist, the long saber at his waist was unsheathed, though no one had seen him draw it!

SHIIING!

A blinding flash of the blade, faster than the eye could follow, tore through the air like a streak of silver lightning and was gone.

SQUELCH!

A sickening, wet sound of a blade slicing through flesh followed.

The menacing, brilliantly colored serpent froze rigid in mid-air. Then, starting from its head and following a perfectly straight line, its massive body was cleaved precisely in two!

Foul-smelling blood and viscera sprayed across the cold snow like a splash of ink, staining a large patch crimson.

The two halves of the corpse slammed onto the ground, still twitching violently.

With a light flick of his wrist, Chen Zhenguo shook off the few drops of viscous blood clinging to his blade. His movements were so clean and crisp it was as if he had merely swatted a fly.

He didn’t even glance at the serpent’s corpse on the ground, his voice as sharp as his blade.

"The blood of a Demon Beast will attract more of its kind. If you don’t want to be worn down and killed by an endless stream of them, then you will all stay sharp and move at full speed! Our objective is the ancient tomb, not getting bogged down by these brutes! Move out!"

No further words were necessary. The threat of death and the principal’s powerful presence made everyone instantly pick up the pace.

The thud of heavy footsteps quickened, and the group shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, swiftly navigating the rugged mountain path.

Their objective was crystal clear: the ancient tomb of the Master of Wangwu Mountain. There was no room for delay.

Lin Yi, positioned in the middle of the group, kept pace with steady strides.

Along the way, they were assaulted by two more waves of Demon Beasts: once by a pack of incredibly fast wind wolves, and another time by a massive, iron-skinned mountain boar.

But the outcome was never in doubt.

The teachers in the group didn’t even need to bother Chen Zhenguo.

A few Third-Grade teachers worked together, and in a flurry of flashing blades, they swiftly dispatched the attacking Demon Beasts. The creatures couldn’t even slow the group’s advance.

’The principal had me join the team mainly so I could witness a real, bloody battlefield and build some nerve. But with so many experts around, I don’t even get a chance to make a move. I’m basically just a tourist at this point...’

Lin Yi mused, and an idea began to take shape.

’In that case... Mosquito Avatar, go!’

The Mosquito Avatar, which had been hovering about ten meters above the group and following them like a silent Ghost, instantly shot into action!

VMMMM!

With a nearly imperceptible hum, the Mosquito Avatar became a blur that the naked eye could barely follow as it suddenly broke away from the group.

It weaved through the forest at a speed far greater than before.

After breaking its flight barrier, its new supersonic speed came with more than just velocity; it also provided a finer control over the airflow, allowing it to effortlessly dodge stray branches and hidden insects.