The next day, Stirling swapped the Malice-Breaking orb with Derek in a lounge. In return, he got four statue fragments.

  Derek was a law-abiding smuggler. He didn't ask Stirling where the Malice-Breaking orb came from, nor did he try to raise the price. This made Stirling joyful.

  Stirling thought about using a Soul-Stealing Potion to take the fragments from Derek. However, he decided against it. He saw it as a long-term deal and didn't want to be greedy for a quick gain.

  Each statue fragment adds about nine months to Stirling's life. So, four fragments would give him over three years. After subtracting about six months of lifespan costs for enhancing the orbs, Stirling gained two and a half years of lifespan.

  He could get only three or four pieces of the statue this month. This made Stirling think back to the sudden wealth he had felt when he had got the Pathos statue.

  "When will another Romeo come?"

  Stirling sighed heavily.

  August 22nd, the fall equinox.

  That night, all 206 bones in Stirling's body were finally forged. He stood in the room, Aether-blood flowing from him like the Amazon River. His skin rippled rhythmically, like ocean waves. With each breath, white streams of energy escaped his nostrils, fading just half an inch from his body.

  Stirling felt a surge of energy. It flowed through him, connecting every bone. An uncontrollable urge rose from his feet to his head. An idea hit him. He twisted his waist, reached out, and launched the first move of King Kong Boxing.

  With this punch, Stirling's bones cracked. Inside him, he felt faint sounds of dragons roaring and tigers howling. A wisp of white energy burst from his fist, dissipating only half a foot away from his body.

  "Is this the rudimentary form of Virl force?"

  "No, that's not right. Virl force is formless and intangible; it's not this white color at all. This is likely just heat coming from his skin as his energy and blood flow increase!"

  Stirling raised an eyebrow. He dragged back his fist and stood up, feeling a bit disappointed.

  In the past few days, he practiced King Kong Boxing hard. He even spent his spare time studying the visualization diagrams. However, his progress in this fist technique was slow, barely hitting the minor mastery stage.

  The first technique, like a samurai's skill level, has three stages: minor mastery, major mastery, and perfection.

  Only when you reach major mastery and internal visualization can the fist's power flow through the skin, muscles, and bones. This directs aether and blood to the viscera.

  There are two ways to address the current slow progress.

  The first option is to begin anew. He can relearn the techniques of the Deity Worship Cultivation. This uses malice to boost the viscera and create Virl power. Therefore, the level of the fist technique does not need to be considered.

  Stirling lacks a blueprint for the Deity Worship Cultivation, and his time is running out. Even if he were to start over, it would be fraught with difficulties and new potential risks. For example, if Master Kim discovers it, he might be immediately expelled from the dojo.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The second option, naturally, is to find a way of achieving straight mastery of the boxing. This method doesn't let him grow with malice head-on, but it's safer and more traditional.

  Right now, Stirling is in the side room. He paces back and forth, thinking about the pros and cons of the two methods.

  After a moment, Stirling decides. He plans to use the second method to cultivate the viscera once he has enough lifespan left.

  Early the next morning, Stirling finds Master Kim. He hopes to see the cultivation method of the viscera refining stage for reference.

  Master Kim agreed to this request without delay. Stirling had been doing bone-forging exercises for over a month. He pulled a copy of the from his room and handed it to Stirling.

  Stirling could read it only once, as per custom. Master Kim told him not to look again, urging him to understand the main ideas. Otherwise, giving up caused by fear of difficulty would only dampen his enthusiasm for martial arts.

  Stirling, as a matter of course, had no objections. He sat down at the stone table and began reading the copy.

  An hour later, Stirling got up, closed the book, and reviewed its contents. He then returned it to Master Kim.

  Stirling rushed back to his room. While his memory was fresh, he grabbed a quill pen. He began writing a simpler version of the on white paper.

  Looking at the thin sheet of paper before him, Stirling gave a wry smile.

  He had the technique in hand, but his lifespan couldn't keep up. This was a case of having a treasure mountain but being unable to enter. Fortunately, everything was now ready, only lacking the final push.

  On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the wind was icy.

  Stirling sat cross-legged on his bed that night, as usual. He held a fragment in his right hand and refined it.

  Yesterday, as planned, he exchanged four more pieces of the divine statue from Derek. Now, only one piece remains.

  The fragment in Stirling's hand shook with every breath. Fine cracks kept forming on its surface, looking like it might crumble to dust and disappear.

  In an instant, Stirling felt a sharp "crack" in his body. His spine twisted like a dragon rising from the sea. Blood gushed from his bone marrow, flooding his eight extraordinary meridians.

  Feeling the odd change in his body, Stirling's eyes flew open. Surprise flickered across his face. He murmured, "Bone Barrier Limit, broken."

  The next moment, all of Stirling's Aether-blood flowed back to his heart. The pure energy transformed from refined malice surged through his viscera. Stirling inexplicably recalled the "Viscera Circulation Method" he had read that day. With a thought, he guided this energy to his kidneys as instructed.

  As soon as the energy hit his kidneys, Stirling felt warmth there. It was like ants crawling, but not itchy. Instead, he felt very comfortable.

  [Your cultivation level has broken through; lifespan +10 years]

  [Remaining lifespan: 14 years and 258 days]

  Holy crap!!!

  Stirling, still adjusting to his body changes, suddenly saw a notification pop up. He was surprised and couldn't help but gape.

  Stirling stood there dazed for a moment. Then, he finally understood what had just happened.

  He broke through his cultivation level, so his lifespan has increased!

  Stirling just reached the peak of his Bone Barrier Realm. The energy from the malice-refining technique surged into his kidneys. This marked his first step into the Viscera Refining Stage in a malice-refining act!

  However, this Viscera Refining Realm had only the level of cultivation. It lacked Virl force. Since it wasn't malice, no malice force had formed at all. Therefore, it could only be considered half a Viscera Refining Realm.

  "It's said that entering the Blood Boling can add 30 years to one's lifespan. This Viscera Refining Realm adds 10 years to one's lifespan, no problem!"

  Stirling then remembered the rumor that a samurai's lifespan would increase with each breakthrough in the later stages of cultivation. He was ecstatic and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

  With this, the lifespan problem that had been troubling him had been alleviated. Tonight was the perfect opportunity to cultivate Virl force! Stirling jumped out of bed, lit the oil lamp, and thought about how to improve his skills in King Kong Boxing.

  After a moment, Stirling decided. He grabbed the small bottle of hematopoietic pills from the side room. Then, he took a quill pen and ink before sitting at the table.

  Stirling first wrote "Generate Virl power-force, Compatibility" on the bottle. Then, he focused on the small porcelain container.

  [The required lifespan for current enhancement is 20 days. Enhance?]