Deep in the night.

Baisha Town, Bai Family Ancestral Mansion.

The east wing was brightly lit, steam swirling through the air.

Bai Yuan sat upright in a large wooden tub, the room filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs.

Liu Qingshan had finally found the several medicinal ingredients he needed. The large wooden tub wasn’t for a medicated bath, but for a self-made dietary therapy recipe; he was stewing himself as if he were an ingredient.

"Brother Yuan, do you need more water?"

Xiao Qiaoniang asked from the side, her voice full of concern.

Bai Yuan nodded slightly.

He looked at the panel.

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Profession: Demon Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer, Cook]

[Skills: Cooking (Master), Knife Skills (Skilled), Tracking (Master), Archery (Expert), Tiger and Crane Form (Skilled), Blood Tiger Saber (Skilled)...]

[Enhancement Points: 63]

He had been saving up enhancement points for some time, all for this day.

’Add the points!’

[In the sixteenth year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber, you use its Evil Qi to temper every bone in your body. Your strength increases immensely.]

...

[In the twentieth year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber, your saber skills become increasingly refined. Your bone strength far surpasses that of an ordinary Martial Artist.]

...

[In the twenty-fifth year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber, you forge your bones with Evil Qi. Your strength surges, and now, even a blade cannot break your bones.]

Just as Bai Yuan was leveling up his Blood Tiger Saber, the water in the large wooden tub turned murky at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The medicinal potency in the water was absorbed by him in an extremely short time, neutralizing the evil energy of the Blood Tiger Saber.

Bai Yuan’s eyes flew open, and he took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing within them.

The old man had been right. Tempering his bones with Evil Qi had indeed brought him great rewards. The speed and power behind his blade were now several times greater than before.

More importantly, his survivability had increased tremendously.

The words on the panel, "even a blade cannot break your bones," were particularly eye-catching. With this level of bone strength, he would have a decisive advantage in battle, even when trading injuries.

In one-on-one mortal combat, the slightest advantage could decide life and death.

’Following the old man’s advice to linger a while longer at the Bone Forging Pass was an extremely wise choice.’ He couldn’t help but admire the old man’s insight even more; such vision and knowledge were second to none in all of Qinghe County.

His strength had improved so quickly thanks in part to his Master-level Cooking skill.

It was precisely this pot of medicinal soup that allowed him to ignore the side effects of the Blood Tiger Saber.

A strange expression gradually came over Bai Yuan’s face.

’He realized his ’cheat’ seemed to be more effective when cultivating heretical techniques.’

Seeing that Bai Yuan was alert again, Xiao Qiaoniang asked with a concerned expression.

"Brother Yuan, how is it?"

"I’m fine."

Bai Yuan smiled and shook his head. While he was upgrading his Blood Tiger Saber, Xiao Qiaoniang had been constantly helping change the water, and her clothes were long since soaked with sweat.

"Sister Qiao, thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Qiaoniang raised the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her cheek and just gave a faint smile. She was happy to be able to do something for Bai Yuan.

...

「Early the next morning.」

Bai Yuan went to Huwei Arts Hall as usual.

Although Old Xue was a man who disdained formalities, there was no harm in paying one’s respects early.

Just past 7 a.m., he arrived at Old Xue’s small courtyard in the deepest part of the Martial Arts Hall.

"This disciple greets you, Master."

Bai Yuan bowed respectfully.

This time, he also met another of Xue Gui’s True Disciples, Ma Dingjun.

This Senior Brother Ma was not an Yijin Pass Martial Master, but to have become one of Old Xue’s True Disciples, he must have had something special about him.

The reason Ma Dingjun was highly regarded by Old Xue was because he was born with immense strength. This gave him a huge advantage in battle; ordinary Bone Forger Martial Masters couldn’t withstand more than a few of his strikes before having to beg for mercy.

In terms of life-or-death combat, aside from the three Yijin Martial Masters at the Martial Arts Hall, no one was his match.

Ma Dingjun was a robust man, eight feet tall with muscles like rock, an intimidating sight to behold.

"Junior Brother Bai, long time no see."

Ma Dingjun said in a booming voice.

All the disciples of Huwei Arts Hall knew that this Senior Brother Ma was a martial arts fanatic. His mind was simple, but for that very reason, Ma Dingjun was extremely well-liked in the Martial Arts Hall.

Bai Yuan cupped his fists in salute. "Greetings, Senior Brother Ma."

Just as the two were sharing a moment of brotherly harmony—

Xue Gui suddenly spoke up.

"Dingjun, you will spar with Bai Yuan."

"And you, boy, don’t you dare hold back. Show me your full strength!"

The second sentence, of course, was for Bai Yuan.

Since joining the Martial Arts Hall, Bai Yuan had never once fought. Ma Dingjun was very curious about the true combat prowess of his young junior brother.

He was a battle-hungry person by nature, and his fighting spirit instantly ignited.

The corners of Bai Yuan’s mouth lifted slightly. Since Old Xue had spoken, he had no reason not to fight.

He was also very curious just how strong his Blood Tiger Saber had become.

It wasn’t easy to find an opponent like Ma Dingjun, and today was the perfect opportunity.

Ma Dingjun said in his deep, heavy voice,

"Junior Brother, I won’t be holding back."

"Then I ask Senior Brother to draw his blade."

As soon as these words were spoken, both Old Xue and Ma Dingjun raised an eyebrow.

Influenced by their grandmaster, the Black Evil Elder, although Old Xue had never successfully practiced the Blood Tiger Saber, he and his three True Disciples all practiced saber techniques. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

And what Ma Dingjun practiced was precisely Old Xue’s unique ultimate technique—the Horse-Cutting Saber!

Hearing Bai Yuan’s words, Ma Dingjun didn’t stand on ceremony. He pulled a great saber from his back that was a full seven chi long. The blade itself dwarfed Bai Yuan, weighed a hundred jin, and could only be wielded by someone like Ma Dingjun, born with Divine Power.

Bai Yuan looked at Ma Dingjun’s great saber, and the fighting spirit in his heart burned even hotter.

The Firewood Cutting Saber appeared in his hand.

Ma Dingjun let out a low shout, swinging the great saber over his head.

CHOP!

The Horse-Cutting Saber followed a path of pure, fierce power, a perfect match for Ma Dingjun. This strike could cleave not just a horse, but even an elephant in two.

The Firewood Cutting Saber in Bai Yuan’s hand also moved.

His saber was not as powerful as Ma Dingjun’s, but it was faster.

CLANG!

A sharp ring echoed as the Firewood Cutting Saber and the giant saber collided in midair.

Ma Dingjun felt a massive force travel up his arms, and he was knocked back several steps by the impact.

In contrast, Bai Yuan hadn’t moved a single step!

Watching from the side, Elder Xue’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Bai Yuan’s strength was naturally no match for Ma Dingjun’s, yet in that exchange of blows just now, he had firmly gained the upper hand.

’Because that wasn’t one strike, but three!’

Elder Xue couldn’t help but sit up straight. This disciple of his, who had only been in the Martial Arts Hall for two years, was truly exceeding his expectations.

Ma Dingjun bent his knees slightly and took a deep breath.

A horizontal sweep!

Bai Yuan didn’t dodge or retreat. A strange, scarlet glint appeared on the edge of his Firewood Cutting Saber.

Seeing this, Elder Xue’s pupils contracted violently.

’That’s the unique Evil Qi of the Blood Tiger Saber.’

’He actually managed to cultivate Evil Qi!’

The shock in Elder Xue’s heart was beyond measure. The surprises Bai Yuan had given him today were truly a bit much.

The Firewood Cutting Saber and the giant saber collided once more.

This time, the giant saber was split in two down the middle by the Firewood Cutting Saber.

Bai Yuan’s figure shot forward, appearing a foot in front of Ma Dingjun in the blink of an eye, the Firewood Cutting Saber already aimed at his throat.

"Senior Brother Ma, I was lucky."