Steward lui steadied himself and said :

  The Heaven-Crushing Bone Pill was a forbidden core medicine, forcing qi violently into the bones while skipping the usual stabilization and refinement steps. Its effect was explosive: bone density surged, raw power and impact control skyrocketed instantly—but misuse could lead to internal fractures, marrow collapse, or permanent deformation. Each pill cost 2,000 taels and was often traded for multiple golden leaves; the black market whispered, “One pill for kings. Two pills for ghosts.” To mitigate the dangers, Blood-Marrow Ignition Paste could be applied along the spine and major bones, stimulating marrow regeneration after violent forging, reducing the risk of death—but the process brought extreme pain and fevers lasting days, at a price of 400 taels per application. In emergencies, Ashbone Stabilizing Powder could halt bone vibration and marrow bleeding, preventing death though not fully repairing the damage, costing 250 taels per dose.

  Overall, the steward said calmly, “Young Master, a single dose will cost three thousand taels, counting the additional payments required for those in the middle.” Chen Mo calculated inwardly. Three thousand taels per dose. He hoped the silver he carried would suffice. Lifting his gaze to Steward Lui, he said evenly, “Make arrangements for fifteen doses. How long will you need to gather the goods?” Lui was no longer shocked. His thoughts were consumed by survival, not profit, even in the face of such a massive transaction. After a brief pause, he replied, “My lord, I will need at least ten days.” “Done,” Chen Mo said. He produced a bundle of silver notes, counted out forty five thousand taels, and placed them in Lui’s hands. Lui froze, staring at the staggering sum. Chen Mo’s voice hardened. “I will be watching you. If I sense anything unusual, if you attempt to move your family, then do not blame me for being ruthless. I will return for the goods in ten days, at this same hour.” With that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving Steward Lui standing alone in the courtyard, silver in hand, unable to move

  Capital City Shenglong

  Li Yuxue had just finished her morning training when a maid approached, bowing slightly and informing her that her uncle wished to see her. She made her way toward the inner courtyard and entered the main hall, only to find that her uncle was not alone. Seated at the main seat was another elder—Elder Zhou Henge, head of the Alchemy Department of the Silver Crane School. Li Yuxue halted in surprise, her mind racing. How could the renowned Elder Zhou Henge be here?

  Her uncle’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Yuxue’er, come quickly and pay your respects to the Senior.”

  Li Yuxue bowed gracefully. “Li Yuxue pays respects to Senior Zhou.”

  Elder Zhou Henge’s eyes twinkled. “Good, good. Your niece is not only talented but beautiful as well…”

  Li Shao smiled fondly. “Li Yuxue is sixteen this year, and her future is limitless… it is a pity what happened to our martial hall,” he sighed.

  Zhou Henge waved a hand dismissively. “Yes, but no need to worry. With our guidance, little Yuxue will not only excel in her martial arts training, but if fate allows, she may one day ascend to become an immortal. Little Yuxue, come, sit here.”

  Elder Zhou Henge looked at her gently and spoke, “Little Yuxue, I know you may resent this old man for what happened to the school and to your father. I do not blame you. That calamity was completely unprovoked, and even I survived only by sheer luck. That being said, blood debts must be repaid, and you, little Yuxue, will be our hope.”

  Li Yuxue steadied her breathing and bowed slightly. “I understand, Senior. I will do my best.”

  Zhou Henge nodded. “You need not worry about resources. Everything will be provided; you will lack nothing. Most importantly, you must prepare for the immortal recruitment. If you are chosen, then those who wronged you will have nowhere left to hide.”

  Gathering her courage, Li Yuxue asked, “May Senior tell me why our martial hall was attacked and exterminated?”

  Zhou Henge sighed, the sound heavy with old wounds. “What else but greed? City Lord Xu Haoran coveted a treasure he mistakenly believed to be in our possession.”

  Li Yuxue’s eyes widened. “City Lord Xu?!”

  “Yes,” Zhou Henge replied calmly. “Yet the school never had what he sought.”

  “What treasure?” she asked.

  “A spiritual item usable by innate masters for cultivation,” Zhou Henge said. “Such items are exceedingly rare in the mortal world. However, the one who truly obtained it was someone you knew very well.”

  Li Yuxue froze. “Me? I knew such a person?”

  “A boy named Chen Mo,” Zhou Henge said quietly. “I believe you are familiar with him.”

  For a brief moment, Li Yuxue was taken aback, then anger surged through her chest. “Him? That traitor. No wonder his wanted posters even reached the capital.”

  Zhou Henge observed her closely. “How was your relationship with that boy?”

  Li Yuxue hesitated. “I… I worked with him for a short time before he vanished with stolen resources. We chased him into the mountains, but it was futile. He was always quiet and seemed harmless, meticulous even. I never knew what he was thinking.”

  “And yet,” Zhou Henge said softly, “he caused such a disaster.”

  Li Yuxue clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms. Rage and grief twisted together in her heart. That boy was one of the reasons her father was dead and her life shattered.

  Zhou Henge continued, watching every shift in her expression. “The boy is suspected to be at the middle stage of Muscle Refining now. He was active in Jian City recently, committing a series of robberies and crimes, yet he has not been caught.”

  Li Yuxue was truly shocked this time. Middle-stage Muscle Refining? Impossible. Just months ago, he had only been at early Skin Refining. Such progress was unheard of. She herself was struggling to break into late Skin Refining, and she was already considered a genius.

  “Nothing is confirmed yet,” Zhou Henge concluded. “But if he ever tries to contact you, you must inform us immediately.”

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  Not long after, Elder Zhou Henge departed. His visit had been a test—to see if Li Yuxue could be a link to tracking Chen Mo—but their connection was shallow, and the attempt proved fruitless. Despite his disappointment, he instructed a few of his trusted aides to keep discreet watch over her, just in case. After all, the girl herself had remarkable potential; she could one day be chosen by the immortals, and ensuring her safety now was a prudent investment.

  Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Commander Qi’s frustration deepened with each passing hour, yet he gritted his teeth and pressed on with the costly search. Meanwhile, Chen Mo prepared for his visit to Steward Liu. He had long since infiltrated the city, expertly disguised as a beggar, and had been keeping a careful watch on Liu’s courtyard. Tonight, he intended to meet the man, hoping the encounter would go smoothly—and, most importantly, without any unexpected complications.

  Night fell, and Chen Mo melted into the shadows, keeping a careful watch until every light in Steward Liu’s courtyard went out. By dawn, Liu emerged from his room, pacing nervously. Chen Mo had thoroughly inspected the surrounding area and was certain it was safe. Without a sound, he appeared before Liu.

  Liu froze for a moment before steadying himself: “Young Master…”

  Chen Mo’s gaze was sharp: “Is everything ready?”

  Liu lifted a wooden box, carefully prepared, and handed it over. Chen Mo examined it meticulously.

  “Good. I hope you didn’t tamper with anything. Remember, your survival is tied to mine.”

  Sweat beaded on Liu’s forehead. “How could I dare, my lord? I could never.”

  Chen Mo’s voice was cold but measured: “I hope so. I’ll have someone inspect the goods. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but one can never be too careful.”

  “Rest assured, my lord, the goods are 100% authentic,” Liu replied.

  Chen Mo gave a curt nod. “We will see. Stay put; I will still need you for more transactions. As for the pressure from the government, it will ease soon—don’t worry.”

  With that, he vanished, slipping into a remote alley. Securing the goods, he wore his bamboo hat and made his way to a small pharmacy he had scoped out earlier. Posing as a merchant selling wares, he presented the pills to the shopkeeper. After a careful inspection, the shopkeeper offered only 500 taels. Chen Mo, though merely using the sale as a pretense, was taken aback at such a lowball attempt. Calmly, he retrieved the goods and feigned anger, pretending to storm out.

  When night fell once more, Chen Mo slipped silently out of the city, vanishing into the darkness with his precious haul.

  The mountains were empty, wind howling through jagged peaks as Chen Mo stripped himself of comfort, leaving only earth, sky, and the raging power within. He crushed the Heaven-Crushing Bone Pill between his teeth and swallowed, and immediately a searing fire erupted down his spine, qi hammering through every bone with merciless intensity. The Blood-Marrow Ignition Paste, smeared along his spine and joints, hissed like molten iron, stabilizing the marrow and preventing collapse, while Ashbone Stabilizing Powder coated his palms and feet, absorbing the mortal backlash of each movement. From the first day, he crawled through narrow canyons, leapt across ravines, struck tree trunks and cliffs, every strike a test, every step a battle against the agony coiling within him. The pain deepened with each passing day; bones screamed, marrow shifted, and joints popped violently as qi forced itself through channels too raw, too fast for mortal tolerance. Storms raged, cold cut to the bone, yet he pressed on, striking rocks and trunks, leaping from cliffs, twisting and contorting as his skeletal structure slowly fused with the molten qi. By the fourth day, the circulation of power within his bones was unmistakable; each limb moved with effortless coordination, each strike reinforced by marrow and bone. Trees splintered, stones cracked, and the earth bore witness to his relentless forging. By the fifth day, faint jade veins appeared along his bones beneath the skin, movements no longer exhausting but extensions of raw force. On the sixth day, the breakthrough approached: bones and marrow sang in harmony, qi fused into marrow and skeleton, and when he struck a massive cliff with a casual swing of his fists, shockwaves tore through the air, small boulders flying in every direction, yet he staggered not, his body a living weapon. Exhausted and trembling, Chen Mo collapsed on the mountain floor, alive but transformed—the six days of unorthodox refinement, the forbidden Heaven-Crushing Bone Pill, the Ignition Paste, and Ashbone Powder had pushed him to the terrifying threshold of Bone Forging Stage

  After wrestling with the lingering aches, Chen Mo summoned his panel and examined his realm column.

  Realm: Bone Forging (Initial) 45/900

  A genuine smile spread across his face. The progress was real, tangible, and worth every torment he had endured. Rising to his feet, he turned back toward the secluded lake he had been using as his refuge. The cool water would soothe his battered body, and a long rest awaited him, a brief reprieve before the next grueling step in his journey.

  Another month slipped by, and Chen Mo, with unyielding perseverance, managed to refine three more sets of the forbidden medicine. Each refinement was a trial by fire; the agonizing pain never relented, and his body stubbornly resisted the violent surges of qi forced into his bones. Every pill tore through him like molten iron, yet the torment only fueled his determination. When the suffering finally subsided, the results spoke for themselves. Chen Mo gained another 120 points, pushing his Bone Forging progress to 165/900, a testament to both his pain and his relentless will.

  Calculating in his mind, Chen Mo realized that it would take roughly another month and a half to break through to the Bone Forging Middle Stage. To reach the peak of Bone Forging, he would need at least another six months of relentless effort. Time pressed heavily on him, and with the Immortal Recruitment looming ever closer, Chen Mo felt the weight of urgency settle deep in his chest—every day wasted now could mean the difference between survival and irrelevance.