Longevity by Grinding Skills-Chapter 58: Start of Spring
’While studying the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter, you discovered many records that contradicted your previous learning. For a time, your mind was in chaos, and you didn’t know what to do.’
’...’
’You have completely fathomed the essence of the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter. Your mind has become clear, and you have gained a deeper understanding of the Bone Training Dao.’
As the final system notification surfaced in his mind, Xu Yunfan felt a sudden clarity, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
The Attribute Panel prepared to display an update.
The Brocade and Silk in his hands trembled slightly. The once-abstruse characters upon it began to squirm like living things. The unique coded language of the Iron Armor Sect gradually became clear in his eyes, as if an invisible barrier had been silently lifted.
"So that’s how it is..."
He murmured under his breath, his fingertips gently stroking the intricate patterns on the Brocade and Silk.
In that instant, the mysteries of the "Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter" were revealed in their entirety. The deep meaning hidden between the lines rushed into his heart like a surging river.
The cryptic passages that had once left him completely baffled now illuminated his thoughts like a bright lamp.
Every verse of the incantation seemed to resonate with the Blood Qi in his body. Faintly, he could even feel a subtle tremor coming from deep within his bones.
Xu Yunfan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Iron Bridge Pass: with bone as the foundation and qi as the guide, transform rigidity into softness, and transform softness into form..."
He silently recited the General Outline from the Brocade and Silk, feeling the Blood Qi throughout his body begin to boil. It was as if an invisible bridge was being erected within him, connecting all his limbs and bones.
It began to gradually seep into his bone marrow.
’You have been initiated into the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter.’
’Iron Bridge Pass: 0/500 (Initiate)
Special Effects: Bones as Hard as Stakes, Bone-shaking Force, Hard Bone Unloading Power’
Upon initiation, all three special effects of the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter were for tempering the bones. The effect was like an Iron Hammer forging steel, penetrating straight to the marrow.
’CREAK, CREAK...’
His ears were filled with the strange sound of the bones in his body tightening like bowstrings.
The slightest bend of a finger sent a series of sharp CRACKLES through his joints, like the surface of a frozen lake suddenly fracturing in the dead of winter.
As he digested the cultivation memories that had appeared in his mind out of thin air, Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but wince.
In those memories, every time he practiced the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter, he had to apply a Secret Medicine all over his body, activate his Blood Qi, and then circulate it to seep the medicine’s power into his bones.
The stinging pain of the medicinal oil seeping into his muscles like a living thing; the numb, itching sensation deep in his marrow, like crawling ants, as he circulated his Blood Qi; the lesson of sharp pain in his ribs if his breathing rhythm was off by even half a beat...
The pain he experienced in these memories was exceptionally vivid, as if he were truly there, suffering without the slightest reprieve.
The frequency of Blood Qi circulation, its flow patterns, and the accompanying breathing techniques all had their own specific methods and crucial points. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
’If it were anyone else trying to cultivate this Martial Art,’ he thought, glancing at the Brocade and Silk on the table, ’without a master’s guidance and the corresponding Secret Medicine, it would be utterly impossible to succeed.’
His tendons and skin had already reached Great Success—Tendons Like Threads and skin like tough leather. Now, even his bones had begun to solidify like iron stakes, crossing the initial threshold.
He pushed open the window to face the last of the light snow. The wind of Beiye City, laced with ice shards, scraped across his cheeks, but it could no longer make him shiver in the slightest.
’Next year, when the snow melts and spring returns, I’ll leave Beiye City and find a Sect to join. This place is too small. I want to see what comes after the Outer Three Harmonies.’
’As for where to go, I’ll have to discuss it with Lv Yi. That old hand in the Mortal World has traveled far and wide for decades; he’s bound to have unique insights.’
’Before that, maybe I can pay a visit to the Thousand Buddha Temple.’
Late at night, he formed the seal for the Linn Character Technique and chanted the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell, performing his Meditation and Cultivation over and over.
Although he had yet to be initiated and grasp its true essence, every time he cultivated, a notification about his rising Skill Level in the Linn Character Technique would pop up in his vision.
’This failure to be initiated is really starting to bother me.’
Every time he visualized the Linn Character Technique and chanted the heart spell, a blurry human figure would naturally begin to form in his mind. But a stagnant, gray, misty feeling always shrouded his Spirit Platform, making it feel like he was watching a fire through a veil, unable to touch the True Intent.
It was just so frustrating.
’On the Skill Level panel, the Linn Character Technique is the only thing I haven’t been initiated into.’
This had him scratching his head in frustration; it just didn’t feel right.
Half an hour later, Xu Yunfan was mentally exhausted. Lying in bed, a tide of weariness engulfed his consciousness, and he fell into a deep sleep.
In the days that followed, Xu Yunfan’s life fell into a strict routine. He would practice the Flying Leg in the morning, drill the Cloak Hammer at noon, temper his bones with the Iron Bridge Pass technique in the evening, and perform Meditation and Cultivation on the Linn Character Technique late at night.
Out of the twelve two-hour periods in a day, he spent nearly seven immersed in Cultivation. Aside from eating, drinking, and sleeping, Xu Yunfan trained like a crazed Ascetic Monk.
At least, that’s how it looked to the outside world.
But to Xu Yunfan, who had the Attribute Panel, he was enjoying himself immensely, completely lost in the process.
With his Flying Leg at Great Success, he was Racing Like a Fierce Horse. The nest of sparrows that had frozen on the eaves yesterday could no longer keep up with the afterimage he left behind at seventy percent of his top speed.
With his Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer at Great Success, he brandished the Jar Gold Hammer, its movements creating a vicious whirlwind. A powerful gale swept through the courtyard, tossing the falling snow back into the air before it could even touch the ground.
Occasionally, someone curious would hear the commotion from over the wall and climb up to peek. They would see the hammer’s shadow thrashing about like a red python, and more often than not, they would be so frightened their legs would tremble.
On this day, spring began.
Lv Yi arrived at his door, carrying a jug of wine.
The bare-chested Xu Yunfan put down the Jar Gold Hammer in his hand. Steam was rising from his entire body, and a thick mist, born from evaporating sweat, swirled around his torso and arms.
He drank a ladleful of cooled boiled water from the table and went to open the door.
The moment he opened the door, Lv Yi’s voice rang out.
"Whoa, that’s a lot of heat."
Elder Lv fanned himself with his hand and sidled into the courtyard.
Xu Yunfan smiled. "What brings you here today? Oh, and you brought wine! How rare!"
Elder Lv snorted softly and placed the wine jug on the stone table in the corner.
"Today’s the beginning of spring. I noticed you haven’t been out and about for days, so I came to check on you."
"The beginning of spring?"
Xu Yunfan paused, instinctively turning his head to look.
The first drop of water fell from an icicle on the eaves.
In springtime, the earth revives, and all living things begin to flourish.
Winter was coming to an end.
’So, it’s already the beginning of spring.’
Xu Yunfan was a little dazed. Counting the days, he realized he had been here for half a year already.
After tidying himself up a bit, he sat down to eat and drink with Lv Yi for a while. Only after setting down his cup did Xu Yunfan let out a breath.
"Winter is finally over."
Lv Yi, who spent his days at his street stall, naturally understood what Xu Yunfan meant.
He gave Xu Yunfan a slightly surprised look and said, "A lot of people don’t make it through the winter. Now that spring has returned, the hardest days are finally behind us."
Lv Yi caressed his wine cup. "Wuzhou is in chaos. The rebel forces have gathered like wildfire. They’ve amassed two hundred thousand troops in Changyi, the Wuzhou State City. They’re just waiting for the ice and snow to melt before they attack Changyi. This whole affair has brought immense suffering to countless common people."
"Not many of Wuzhou’s refugees have made it to Beiye City, and most of those who do can’t survive. The prominent families in the city are providing relief by handing out gruel, and shacks have been set up outside the walls. The city’s Governor, Jiang Huaiseng, is a benevolent man and has implemented various policies to help."
At this, Lv Yi let out a long sigh.
"It’s hard. So, so hard! At the Chaotic Burial Mound west of the city, they’ve dug no fewer than twenty large pits to bury the bodies."
