Longevity by Grinding Skills

The Celestial Cicada Force was incredibly profound. When trained to the Great Success stage, exerting force caused one’s bones to vibrate like the chirp of a cicada, allowing for bursts of new power and Stacked Force.

He had already trained his skeleton to the level of Iron Bone, but now, unified by the Celestial Cicada Force, it had actually improved by a noticeable margin.

With his existing foundation of Great Mastery of Bone Cultivation, he would be able to train the Celestial Cicada Force to the Great Success stage very quickly.

Suddenly, a cold glint flashed from within the shadows of the trees.

A Silver Needle shot out from the nearby woods. The hairs on the back of Xu Yunfan’s neck bristled, yet he allowed the needle to strike his Jade Pillow Acupoint.

He made no attempt to dodge, simply letting the Silver Needle hit its mark.

CLINK!

His muscles merely tensed. With his Copper Body Skill at the Great Success stage, his skin instantly took on a bronze sheen, and the fascia beneath it rippled like a wave, shattering the Hidden Weapon into three pieces on impact.

The instant the Silver Needle struck with a crisp sound, Xu Yunfan was already moving. As he turned, the arch of his foot crushed the bluestone beneath. His powerful thigh muscles unleashed terrifying leaping power, and his body shot forward like a tiger uncaged. He plunged headfirst into the jungle, slamming his shoulder into a cypress tree thick enough for a man to wrap his arms around, forcing a sickening groan from the trunk.

He snapped several more man-thick trees as he charged, his large hand shooting out to pin a small, slender figure that was hastily retreating.

The next instant, a cold light flashed. Xu Yunfan’s eyes narrowed as he tilted his head slightly. His hand, like an iron pincer, clamped down on Chu Xuan’s wrist. The girl cried out as her pained hand opened, revealing a Poisoned Dagger glinting with a sinister blue light.

"A Sharp Blade Level weapon. Fifth Senior Sister, your greetings are becoming quite lavish."

"Ow!"

Tears welled in her eyes, and she tilted her neck back at a perfectly calculated, vulnerable angle.

"Junior Brother, you’re hurting me."

Even as she spoke, her fingernails, dyed with Impatiens Juice, stealthily jabbed at the web of Xu Yunfan’s thumb. Xu Yunfan didn’t move, merely watching impassively as the long, sharp nails struck his hand and snapped, drawing another cry of surprise from Chu Xuan.

Xu Yunfan’s gaze turned icy as he stared down at Chu Xuan, pinned immobile beneath him. ’With my Copper Body Skill at the Great Success stage, I don’t need to fear ordinary Mortal Artifacts. But if it’s a sharp blade, and wielded by a Martial Artist of the same Realm...’

’It could easily pierce my defenses. And though my muscles would clamp down on the blade an instant later, who knows if it’s been coated in poison?’

’Chu Xuan is only a First-Level Martial Artist, so it’s not a major concern, but still...’

Meeting Chu Xuan’s pitiful gaze, Xu Yunfan grinned. A cold snort escaped his nostrils as he tightened his grip, producing the faint sound of cracking bone.

He leaned down, looking at Chu Xuan, so close now that he could see the panic starting to surface on her face.

’This woman has interfered with my training no less than five times this past month, and I’m sick of it. Her attempts weren’t fatal, but they were utterly revolting.’

"Fifth Senior Sister, why is Master’s surname Chen, while yours is Chu?"

"Because she is Master’s adopted daughter."

Ning Wuque’s voice came from nearby, as calm and gentle as ever, tinged with a scholarly air.

Xu Yunfan’s eyes narrowed, and he released Chu Xuan.

’Ning Wuque is also a Third Level Martial Artist. Without my Gilded Mace, I’m not confident I can subdue him in one move. And trying to kill him at all costs would cause too much of a commotion.’

’It’s not worth it. And it’s even less worth it to reveal a Divine Weapon like the Gilded Mace just to kill him. The disturbance would be even greater.’

He watched Chu Xuan scramble up and hide behind Ning Wuque, her expression pitiful enough to stir anyone’s heart. Ning Wuque sighed, looking as if he were placating a child.

"Our Fifth Junior Sister never learns her lesson. She’s quite mischievous. Don’t mind her, Junior Brother."

Ning Wuque smoothed the wrinkles on Chu Xuan’s sleeve. Sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves illuminated his pale, scholar-like face.

From within his seemingly frail chest came a heartbeat like a rolling drum—the unique sound of a Third Level Martial Artist’s surging qi and blood.

Xu Yunfan slowly straightened his body. His Bone Training had brought his height to nearly six-foot-six, forcing him to look down slightly to meet Ning Wuque’s gaze.

"First Senior Brother, you’d better keep a close eye on Fifth Senior Sister. It’d be a real shame if she were to go to the privy at night, or perhaps go down the mountain and accidentally twist an ankle, break a leg, or snap an arm. Having to spend the rest of her life in bed... that would be terrible, wouldn’t it?"

Chu Xuan’s face went pale. The threat was so blatant that no one could mistake its meaning.

"Senior Brother, listen to him!"

The smile was now gone from Ning Wuque’s face.

"Junior Brother, am I to take those words as a threat?"

Xu Yunfan chuckled. "How could that be? I’m merely reminding our Senior Sister to be careful. The paths are slippery when it’s dark. Now, I must return to my training, so I won’t keep First Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Sister from your reunion."

With that, he slowly moved past Ning Wuque, brushing his shoulder as he went. He walked out of the forest and headed toward the training grounds.

Ning Wuque turned and watched Xu Yunfan’s retreating back, his eyes, tinged with a cold light, fixed on the Iron Box that never left the man’s person.

The Iron Box was a new one, different from when he’d arrived, forged from brand-new Refined Steel.

Then he turned to Chu Xuan, his face showing a trace of exasperation.

"Junior Sister, I know you mean well, but it’s not good to create a rift between us martial brothers. If word of this reaches Master, he’ll only say that I, as First Senior Brother, have been derelict in my duty to keep everyone in line."

Chu Xuan pouted. "That big oaf is no junior brother of ours. He showed up out of the blue, suddenly presenting Junior Martial Uncle Liu’s Token to become a disciple. Who knows where he got it, or what his true purpose is for joining our Celestial Cicada Sect."

She paused for a moment before letting out a soft huff.

"Maybe he’s here to compete with you for the Ultimate Skill, the Celestial Cicada Robe! Other than you, First Senior Brother, I don’t want anyone else becoming the Sect Leader of the Celestial Cicada Sect, especially not some guy with a shady past. And to top it all off, Dad actually seems to like him."

At Ning Wuque’s side, Chu Xuan reverted to her girlish pouting. Her thoughtless words, however, caused Ning Wuque’s eyes to turn cold. As she continued to prattle on, completely unaware, his frigid gaze locked onto her, unblinking.

"..."

Xu Yunfan crushed the last piece of the Snake Gall between his teeth, letting the bitter bile burst in his mouth before swallowing it without a change in expression.

This Snake Gall strengthened one’s sinews and bones, a rare natural tonic. It was a Thunder Serpent Gall, from a unique species of serpent raised by the Celestial Cicada Sect, and was potent enough to be extremely beneficial even to the Constitution of a Third Level Martial Artist.

For the past month, he had received one Snake Gall to consume every single day. This treatment made Second Senior Sister, Lin Hanyi, so jealous her eyes burned red. Every time she saw him, she would stare at him without blinking.

The way she stared, as if she wanted to skin him alive and swallow him whole, sent a shiver down his spine.

Lin Hanyi had been raising the Thunder Serpents for over a decade, and in all that time, she had only managed to raise three or four hundred of them. Now, Xu Yunfan had consumed thirty in a single month. Her heart was bleeding.

These creatures were part of the Sect’s foundation!

An ordinary disciple could improve their Constitution and drastically increase their training efficiency just by consuming a single one.

And here was Xu Yunfan getting one every day. Not even Ning Wuque received such treatment.

Despite this, Lin Hanyi carried out Chen Tiangang’s orders to the letter, without the slightest deviation.

In a secret chamber behind the Ancestral Hall, three hundred and sixty diagrams of a Force Movement Atlas were carved into the rock walls. In the deepest part of the chamber, a set of White Bones, pierced by iron chains, was frozen in a grotesque posture, its spine arched backward.

"Wrong!"

Chen Tiangang’s cane suddenly struck him across the lower back. "Your shoulder blades must vibrate like a cicada’s wings!"

The thud of the steel cane striking flesh continued for the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense. Then, at the very moment Xu Yunfan finally unleashed a wave of Spiral Force, his hand touched a stone Stele in front of him.