He no longer lingered, almost sprinting back to his dormitory.
It was an extremely spartan single room, with nothing but a hard bed and a desk. The air even carried a faint smell of mildew, highlighting the occupant's predicament.
But none of that mattered!
"Bang!"
Dongfang Yueming slammed the door shut with his backhand, even bolting it, as if to cut off the entire world.
He eagerly sat cross-legged on the bed, took a deep breath, and his consciousness instantly sank into his mind. His eyes burned as he stared at the newly appeared Cultivation Technique entry!
"Cultivation Technique: Basic Skin Tempering Method (0/1, Not Initiated)"
"Points: 1000"
"Now!"
"Add points!!"
Dongfang Yueming roared in his heart!
Buzz!
With just 1 point consumed, a faint but incredibly clear warm current suddenly rose from his Dantian, flowing like a trickling stream, rapidly coursing through his limbs and bones, especially the surface of his skin! An extremely subtle tingling sensation spread, as if a long-dormant machine had finally begun to operate!
The information on the panel instantly refreshed!
"Cultivation Technique: Basic Skin Tempering Method (0/3, Initiated)"
"Points: 999"
He had initiated it! He had really initiated it! The Qi and blood sensation that others might need days or even weeks of arduous Cultivation to achieve, for him, was but a thought away!
"Not enough! Far from enough!" A sharp glint burst forth in Dongfang Yueming's eyes!
"Continue adding points!!"
Boom!
3 points vanished! The warm current suddenly became turbulent and surging, like a rushing stream, wildly circulating within him according to the route of 《Qu Pi Jue》! A noticeable burning sensation came from his skin, his pores opened, as if something was about to be squeezed out!
"Cultivation Technique: Basic Skin Tempering Method (0/5, Minor Achievement)"
"Points: 996"
The toughness of his skin was visibly increasing! His formerly ordinary skin now seemed to possess an indescribably dense quality!
"Still not enough!!" Dongfang Yueming felt the changes within his body, his Battle Intent soaring!
"Add it for me!!"
Whoosh!
5 points burned away! The warm current of Qi and blood within him almost transformed into a rushing river!
A faint sheen of oil appeared on the surface of his skin. With a light press, it felt like pressing on tough leather! Power! He clearly felt his basic strength also rise with the tide!
"Cultivation Technique: Basic Skin Tempering Method (0/10, Major Achievement)"
"Points: 991"
"Perfection! Let me rush to Perfection in one go!!"
Dongfang Yueming almost roared out loud, slamming down his final thought!
Thump!!
10 points transformed into the most majestic torrent of energy, exploding within him like a volcanic eruption!
Qi and blood surged like a tide, frantically washing over every inch of his skin! He could even hear faint crackling sounds within his body, like popping beans! Beneath his skin, an invisible, tough membrane seemed to be rapidly forming and solidifying! A layer of black, greasy Impurities with a fishy smell even seeped out from his body surface!
"Cultivation Technique: Basic Skin Tempering Method (Perfection)"
"Points: 981"
It was done!
Dongfang Yueming suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint shining within them!
He looked down at his hands. His skin was still delicate, but it contained an unprecedented tough texture.
He lightly clenched his fist, his knuckles popping, and a sense of power far exceeding before filled his entire body! He could clearly perceive that his skin's defensive power and resistance to blows had increased by at least several times!
"This is... Skin Tempering Perfection!" He felt the transformative change, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards!
"Qin Rushuang said, one month to initiate... those who consider themselves Geniuses, perhaps ten days to half a month..."
"And I, Dongfang Yueming, from getting the Cultivation Technique to Skin Tempering Perfection, how long did it take? Only a short tea's time!"
This was his confidence!
One month later, Gao Hu?
He was nothing!
An unprecedented surge of powerful confidence filled Dongfang Yueming's chest, almost making him want to let out a long howl to the sky!
However, at this moment, he frowned slightly.
He could feel that his skin seemed capable of further strengthening, and the effect of the Qi and blood tempering seemed not to have reached its true limit.
But... on the panel, after "Basic Skin Tempering Method," it was already marked "Perfection," and he could no longer invest points to upgrade it.
"It seems... the word 'Basic' indeed limited its upper limit," Dongfang Yueming mused, "To go further in the Skin Tempering Realm, or rather, to lay a more solid Foundation for the Body Tempering Realm, I'm afraid I'll need a more Advanced Cultivation Technique..."
But he quickly suppressed this thought.
One must eat bite by bite, and walk step by step!
First, convert the current advantage into real strength!
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Dongfang Yueming did not revel in the joy of his Breakthrough for too long. He quickly opened the old but internet-connected terminal in his dormitory, his fingers flying as he began to browse the internal website of the United University Martial Arts Academy.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated. He needed a more comprehensive understanding of the Martial Dao path to better plan his future.
Soon, he found a detailed introduction to the Body Tempering Realm in the "Martial Dao Common Sense" section of the website.
"Six Stages of Body Tempering: Skin Tempering, Flesh Refining, Bone Forging, Tendon Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, Blood Exchange!"
A line of eye-catching large characters entered his vision, clearly indicating the foundational path of mortal Martial Dao.
Dongfang Yueming's gaze was sharp as he carefully read every word.
Skin Tempering was just the first step, aimed at strengthening skin toughness, enhancing basic defense, and the capacity to carry Qi and blood.
And after Skin Tempering, came Flesh Refining! Through specific methods, one tempers muscle fibers, enhancing strength, explosiveness, and endurance!
After that, Bone Forging strengthens bones, Tendon Transformation improves flexibility and speed, Marrow Cleansing purifies the Physique, Blood Exchange stimulates the potential of Qi and blood... step by step, refining the mortal Physical Body to its extreme!
He continued to read, and soon discovered a description that particularly caught his attention:
"...Generally speaking, once a student Cultivates the Basic Skin Tempering Method to Major Achievement, they can begin preparing to Cultivate Flesh Refining methods. However, ancient texts record that the Dao of Skin Tempering does not end at Perfection. Depending on the depth of Qi and blood tempering and the toughness of the skin membrane, Skin Tempering Perfection can also be subdivided into different levels. The more widely known ones are: Ox-Hide Realm, Shi Pi (Stone Skin) Realm, Jade Skin Realm! Ox-Hide is tough, Shi Pi (Stone Skin) is heavy, and Jade Skin is flawless! The deeper the Foundation, the greater the future potential..."
Dongfang Yueming's eyes narrowed, and he subconsciously felt the condition of his skin. Tough, full of power, but it seemed... not enough!
"At my current level, am I only at the lowest Ox-Hide Realm Perfection?" he pondered, "No wonder I felt like I could still improve, but the Basic Skin Tempering Method had already reached its limit..."
His gaze instantly became incredibly resolute!
"Since I know there are higher levels, how can I, Dongfang Yueming, be satisfied with a mere Ox-Hide Realm?! If I'm going to do it, I'll do it to the extreme! Jade Skin! I must reach the Jade Skin Realm!"
The pursuit of the extreme was not just for greater strength, but more importantly, for the future! The firmer the Foundation, the further one could walk on the future Martial Dao path!
Of course, there was also a very practical reason—
Dongfang Yueming continued to browse the "Cultivation Technique Exchange" area of the website and soon found the exchange conditions for the 《Basic Body Tempering Method》.
"《Basic Body Tempering Method》, required for exchange: 120 contribution points!"
And the Basic Skin Tempering Method he had seen before only required 20 contribution points for exchange!
"It's indeed much more expensive..." Dongfang Yueming frowned slightly.
In this academy, and even in the entire world of Martial Artists, the hard currency was not federal credits, but contribution points!