Su Mansion, Inner Courtyard, the main chamber.

Su Yu sat cross-legged on a cushion, regulating his breath until his mind was as serene as a calm lake. He took a deep breath, grabbed the Purple Jade Bone-Washing Flower from the brocade box—its faint, cold aura chilling the air—and, along with its deathly-white, bone-like root, chewed and swallowed it in just a few bites.

The moment it entered his stomach, a blast of icy energy erupted in his abdomen, surging madly up his spine and spreading to every bone in his body. Then, the chill seemed to transform into countless tiny, venomous ants, burrowing into his marrow and beginning to bite and tear viciously!

"HISS...!"

Su Yu’s body shuddered violently. His muscles instantly tensed like iron, his face turned as pale as a sheet, and veins bulged on his forehead like writhing earthworms. Beads of cold sweat, mixed with black impurities expelled from his body, oozed from his pores.

This pain was not skin-deep; it was the true agony of a dull blade scraping against bone!

It was as if an invisible, coarse steel file was scraping away, inch by inch, the impurities that had accumulated on his bones over many years, forcibly scouring away the graying stains of mediocrity.

Every second of this ordeal felt like a year, a pain that pierced his very soul.

But Su Yu clenched his jaw, refusing to make a sound. Even as he bit through his lip, drawing blood, not a single scream escaped his throat.

He sat cross-legged, like a stone statue enduring torture, guarding his mind and circulating his Qi and Blood, allowing the domineering, cold energy to ravage and reshape his body from within.

Only by enduring the unendurable can one achieve the unachievable!

Su Yu’s willpower shone through at this moment. This inhuman agony was forging his originally low-grade Root Bone, tempering and changing it bit by bit.

「Some time later.」

The icy energy in his body finally dissipated, replaced by an unprecedented feeling of clarity and openness.

Su Yu’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them for a brief moment. He rose and rushed out the door to the courtyard well. With one hand, he lifted a wooden bucket full of ice water and poured it over his head with a great SPLASH.

The ice water washed away the filth from his body, revealing resilient skin beneath that was as smooth and flawless as white jade.

"Amazing!"

Su Yu stretched his body casually.

CRACKLE! POP!

A series of sharp cracks, like popping soybeans, echoed from his bones. The sound was no longer dull and muffled as before, but had the crisp, ringing quality of jade striking gold. His body felt as if an immense burden had been lifted, so light he felt he could float away on the wind.

’I wonder if my Root Bone has reached mid-grade or upper-mid grade! I’ll test it with the White Ape Fist!’

Su Yu walked excitedly to the center of the Martial Arts Arena and began to practice the White Ape Fist.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The wind from his fists howled, his movements fluid and agile.

Before, when he practiced his fist arts, he always felt blockages within his body, obstructing the flow of his Qi and Blood. But now, its circulation was noticeably smoother.

[White Ape Fist Skill Level +15]

’An extra 5 points of Skill Level!’

’Before, even with the help of pills, I only gained 10 points per set. Now that my Root Bone is better, my efficiency has shot up by fifty percent!’

He didn’t stop, continuing to practice set after set.

One set, two sets, five sets... ten sets!

In the past, he would have been fatigued after the tenth set, his meridians aching and swollen, making it difficult to continue. But now, even after ten sets, he still had energy to spare!

Only after finishing the fifteenth set did fatigue finally set in, his Qi and Blood unable to sustain him any longer.

’This is my limit!’

Su Yu brought his practice to a halt, a sharp glint in his eyes.

’So, with the help of pills, my daily limit was ten sets of White Ape Fist, gaining 10 Skill Level points each time. Now, with my improved Root Bone, I can manage fifteen sets for 15 points each. My training speed for the White Ape Fist has more than doubled!’

’A person’s Root Bone is just too important. No wonder the world values it so highly! With the same resources, someone with a good Root Bone absorbs them faster, recovers more quickly, and has a higher ceiling. Sigh...’

He walked to the well and washed his face.

’If it weren’t for my Heart Monkey Clarity Trait doubling my Skill Level gains for the White Ape Fist, I would have been left in the dust by someone like Chen Fan with his Top-Grade Root Bone.’

’But now, even when he’s fully recovered, his cultivation speed won’t be a match for mine!’

Su Yu’s gaze fell upon the status panel he had summoned.

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Fist (First Layer) (Skilled 6725/7000)

’In two more days, my White Ape Fist should break through to the Minor Success Realm. Then I’ll be able to open my Second Acupoint!’

...

「Black Stone City, Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall.」

Xiong Wu sat upright in a Grandmaster’s Chair, rolling two new Iron Galls in his hand. They made a steady CLACK, CLACK sound as he fixed his gaze on his disciple, Sun Yan, who stood below.

Sun Yan was bare-chested, revealing lean, iron-hard muscles. However, his chest was still wrapped in thick bandages, and his slightly pale face betrayed his weakness.

"Disciple, how are your injuries healing?" Xiong Wu asked in a low voice.

Sun Yan rubbed his large, shiny bald head and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "Thank you, Master, for getting the Dragon and Tiger Pill from the Hall Master. My injuries are seventy percent healed. In less than two months, I will be fully recovered! Then, using the residual power of the Dragon and Tiger Pill, I’m confident I can push through and achieve Third Acupoint Perfection in one go!"

"Mm, good."

Xiong Wu nodded in satisfaction. Although his disciple was domineering and conceited, his talent was undeniable. Among the younger generation of Black Stone City’s Outer City, no one could compare to him, save for Cui Wanhe.

At the thought of Cui Wanhe, Xiong Wu’s expression darkened. "I have two pieces of news for you. First, a few days ago during a mission with the Law Enforcement Team, Cui Wanhe broke through to the Flesh Refining Realm. He single-handedly slew an Anomaly that was comparable in strength to the Flesh Refining Realm!"

"The Flesh Refining Realm?"

Sun Yan grinned, baring a set of stark white teeth. There was no fear in his eyes, only a blazing, fanatical will to fight.

"I knew it! I knew he’d broken through to the Flesh Refining Realm. At the last Martial Examination, he shattered my Iron Armor defense in three strikes. His Qi and Blood must have already reached Third Acupoint Perfection back then, otherwise I wouldn’t have been so outmatched! If we were in the same realm, how could I have lost so badly!"

Xiong Wu nodded. ’This disciple of mine has always been utterly fearless, thinking himself the greatest under heaven. He’s not even afraid of Cui Wanhe.’ Such a personality was both a blessing and a curse.

He then changed the subject, his tone turning bone-chillingly cold. "The second matter... concerns that Su Yu."

Hearing that name, the battle lust in Sun Yan’s eyes instantly morphed into tangible killing intent. The very air around them seemed to drop in temperature.

"A while ago, in the ring, Su Yu killed Song Qingya—who was trying to avenge Sun Shi—in three punches."

"Now, his fame as a genius in Black Stone City has reached new heights!"

A muscle in Sun Yan’s face twitched, his smile twisting into a ferocious sneer. "Good, good, good! The brat has some nerve! To kill Song Qingya, it seems he’s already reached First Acupoint Perfection!"

"But you call that a genius? He’s nothing but trash!"

Sun Yan cracked his thick, bear-like neck. "A genius, is he? Fine. I’ll tear him limb from limb on the stage and smash his skull while he’s still breathing! Then I’ll take his head and offer it up in Sun Shi’s memory!"

Xiong Wu’s expression remained calm as he said coolly, "Ring duels, except in special cases, are typically spars between those of the same realm. You won’t get a chance to take revenge openly. That Su Yu isn’t an idiot. Why would he ever agree to face you?"

At these words, Sun Yan’s face fell. But he knew his master’s character; he wouldn’t bring it up for no reason. "Master, what’s your plan?"

A cunning, calculating glint flashed in Xiong Wu’s eyes as he said:

"That Su Yu has a bit of a reputation in the city now, and he has that old bastard Qin Fangqiong backing him. The chances to kill him openly are dwindling. But I have already made arrangements... A Martial Artist from Huaisi County to the north, with a cultivation at Second Acupoint Perfection, has recently drifted into Black Stone City."

"I’ve already arranged it. After the New Year, as soon as Su Yu dares to leave the city for a mission, that man will kill him, posing as a bandit. No one will ever trace it back to the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall!"

Sun Yan’s anger subsided slightly, but he was still displeased. "Killing him with a borrowed knife? That’s letting him off too easy. I’d rather crush his throat with my own two hands."

"Su Yu is nothing but a slightly more energetic monkey; he’s not worth your time. Your top priority now is to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm!"

"The Flesh Refining Realm represents the true core power of Black Stone City—those are the people who hold real authority! If you reach the Flesh Refining Realm, you’ll also have a chance to rejoin the Law Enforcement Team!"

Hearing this, Sun Yan once again rubbed his shiny bald head, his eyes filled with a savage light.

"Then I’ll do as you say, Master!"