Longevity by Grinding Skills

In the evening, Xu Yunfan sat cross-legged on the well platform in the center of the courtyard.

The last rays of the setting sun cast down upon him, stretching his shadow long and thin.

He closed his eyes, concentrating his spirit. The Blood Qi within him surged like a great river, climbing up his spine vertebra by vertebra.

His spine trembled slightly, emitting faint KAKA sounds, as if countless tiny iron hammers were striking his bones.

’You have grasped the subtle connection between Bone Training and breathing. As you adjust your breath, allowing each exhalation and inhalation to drive the vibration of your bones, Blood Qi circulates back and forth among them. The strength and resilience of your bones are tempered, and your Skill Level in the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter has significantly increased.’

’...’

In the dead of night, an utterly exhausted Xu Yunfan sat cross-legged. He formed the Linn Character Seal with his hands before his chest and silently recited the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell.

One Hour later, Xu Yunfan opened his eyes and looked at the flood of skill level increase notifications that had been scrolling across his vision all day.

The Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter, Flying Leg, Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer, and Linn Character Technique all had skill level notifications. The Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter had the most, while the Linn Character Technique only had a few scattered here and there.

"Wonderful!"

The immersive feeling of his Skill Level rising through cultivation was addictive. If not for the fact that his Pure Yang Qi Skill could only take him as high as a Grand Martial Master of the Outer Three Harmonies, he wouldn’t be so desperate to join a Sect.

Once you reached the Outer Three Harmonies Realm and became a Grand Martial Master, you could forget about becoming a disciple. You might as well find a place and establish your own sect.

What Sect would accept a Grand Martial Master of the Outer Three Harmonies? Among the dozen or so Sects in Qingzhou, some of the weaker ones had Sect Leaders who were merely Grand Martial Masters of the Outer Three Harmonies. Fei Qi, the Sect Leader of the Thunderous Waves Sect, was also only at the Outer Three Harmonies Realm.

If you joined, would you be the Sect Leader, or would he?

For the next few days, Xu Yunfan basically didn’t leave his courtyard. He temporarily set aside his other Martial Arts training to focus entirely on the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter. His Skill Level increased by more than ten points each day.

As his Cultivation Realm improved, and with his Great Mastery of Tendons and Skin, the effects of his Bone Training became more and more pronounced.

Reaching Great Mastery of Bone Cultivation within a month would be more than enough time.

Half a month later, on a rare trip out after finishing his training, Xu Yunfan had just walked out of the Changfeng Tavern, full and satisfied, when he came face to face with a thin, filthy beggar reeking of a foul stench. The beggar was wandering aimlessly, a vacant look in their eyes, and pedestrians were covering their mouths and noses, hurrying to get out of the way.

He glanced at the beggar and walked past, but then his expression flickered. He turned to look at the beggar’s retreating back.

"Brother Su?"

The beggar’s body trembled upon hearing Xu Yunfan’s voice. They turned around woodenly and looked at the tall, sturdy man before them, who carried a long-handled Jar Gold Hammer and an Iron Box on his back. The beggar’s gaze traveled upward, and upon recognizing the face of the one who had called their name, their lips quivered, and they burst out crying with a loud "WAAAH!"

"Brother Xu!!!"

It was none other than the tomboy from the Su Family of Beiye City, Su Shiyu.

After bringing Su Shiyu back to his courtyard, he boiled a bucket of water for her to wash up. Once she was clean and had changed into a spare set of his clothes, Xu Yunfan saw a now slender and pretty Su Shiyu peeking timidly at him from behind the door.

Xu Yunfan was a little exasperated. "Brother Su, why are you looking at me like that?"

Su Shiyu was a little surprised. "You’re not surprised that I’m a girl?"

"...Everyone in Beiye City knows you’re the young lady of the Su Family, Su Shiyu."

Hearing this, Su Shiyu’s expression was a mixture of resignation and dejection. She had thought her disguise was perfect, never expecting to be seen through so easily.

Seeing Su Shiyu remain silent, Xu Yunfan asked, "Why were you in such a state just now?"

Although the Su Family couldn’t be called fabulously wealthy, with Jiyun Mountain of Beiye City at their back, they were considered prosperous and had a fine reputation in the city.

Su Shiyu’s face fell, and she explained the whole story.

It turned out that ever since the Divine Gilded Mace appeared at the Thousand Buddha Temple, nearly every expert in Yanbei Dao had been heading there. Even the Great Zhou Imperial Court had specially dispatched a troop of four hundred Royal Guards, led by a Blood Exchange General.

Beiye City had become a hornet’s nest, swarming with experts. Disputes between various sects and families stirred up a storm, and though the Thousand Buddha Temple was famous, its strongest members were only at the Blood Exchange Realm. How could they possibly withstand the influx of so many masters?

The major families in the city had long since been forcibly occupied by these experts. The Su Family had it the worst. A Blood Exchange Realm expert from the Demon Dao came to their door and took up residence in their estate. One day, when a dish wasn’t to his liking, he fabricated an accusation and began killing wantonly. She was sent out of the city by her father amidst the chaos. Now she was all alone, with no knowledge of the Su Family’s current fate.

Yet the Great Zhou Imperial Court turned a blind eye. The Government Office cowered like quails. Even the Profound Armor Royal Guard didn’t lift a finger when they heard the news from the city, merely stating that it wasn’t under the military’s jurisdiction.

Such behavior was appalling.

Xu Yunfan shook his head slightly, making a silent judgment. He turned to look at Su Shiyu, whose eyes were red from crying and filled with hatred. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Miss Su, if you don’t mind, you can stay in the room next door for now."

Hearing this, Su Shiyu, now in dire straits, was naturally willing. She quickly thanked him.

After a pause, Su Shiyu performed a deep bow. "Thank you, Brother Xu. After I’ve rested for a few days, I plan to go to the Jade Capital to seek refuge with my uncle."

Xu Yunfan nodded. "Since you have a goal, Miss Su, I am naturally happy for you."

To be honest, back at the Changfeng Tavern in Beiye City, Su Shiyu had spent several hundred taels of silver just treating him to meals. She was a generous person, so if he could help her out, Xu Yunfan naturally wouldn’t refuse.

As for helping her get revenge, however, Xu Yunfan felt he was powerless to help.

Experts of the Blood Exchange Realm were known as venerable figures in the Mortal World. Masters of this Realm were already considered top-tier in the current age. He was no match for them; going after them would be suicide.

’If she can wait, I could lend a hand after I reach the realm of a Supreme Grandmaster of Qi Cultivation.’

In the following days, Xu Yunfan wasted no time. He continued to cultivate the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter, and as his Skill Level progressed, the days passed one by one.

Nine days later, Xu Yunfan stood in the courtyard. He took a deep breath, and the muscles of his chest and abdomen suddenly rippled like waves. His latissimus dorsi muscles, like living pythons, writhed under his skin, tracing a ferocious path as they ground their way inch by inch across his spine.

This was a Dharma Gate that relied purely on the power of muscles and tendons to rub against and strengthen the bones. Every movement sent a numbing, itching, and aching pain throughout his entire body.

"KRAK!"

His shoulder blade suddenly let out a grating sound that set his teeth on edge.

Xu Yunfan gritted his teeth, the veins on the side of his neck bulging.

He could clearly feel his trapezius muscles turning into two iron brushes, scraping back and forth from his shoulder blades toward his arm bones. Every inch of bone let out a mournful cry as if unable to bear the load, yet amidst the excruciating pain, it began to exude a lustrous, jade-like sheen.

The muscles in his legs suddenly tensed like bowstrings. The fibers of his quadriceps bulged, beginning to vibrate at a high frequency like zither strings. His kneecaps emitted a dense series of PI-PA sounds, as if a thousand silver needles were darting back and forth within his marrow.

A bestial growl escaped Xu Yunfan’s throat as his ten fingers dug deep into the earth.

Just then, a notification suddenly popped up in his vision.

’Your Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter has reached Great Mastery.’