The next day.
[Source Energy]: 179.33
Jiang Ning got out of bed, glanced at his panel, and then closed it.
He clenched his right fist, drawing in the strength from his surroundings. His internal energy surged, roaring like a thunderstorm crashing against the waves of the sea.
The power of his vitality struck through his body's muscles and bones.
"The transformation is complete!" A hint of joy flashed between his brows.
He stepped outside.
He quietly took a deep breath, and his body immediately became light and agile.
Then, with a sudden leap, he soared into the air like a white crane gliding on the wind. His figure traced a graceful arc over the tall courtyard wall, crossing several hundred meters in the air before slowly landing on a rocky beach.
If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would undoubtedly praise him.
"Such an excellent body technique!"
This was the result of the Five Animal Fist's limit break from yesterday.
Five Animal Fist was not only a foundational martial technique, capable of refining vitality and strengthening the body, but it also involved the ability to harness power and enhance strength.
The techniques included agile movement, mental tranquility, and methods for brief hovering and changing direction mid-air.
The crane form in Five Animal Fist was the one that dealt with hovering and changing direction in mid-air.
Now, after the second limit break of the technique, the originally flawed pentagon-like technique had become a true pentagonal technique.
Using the crane form, Jiang Ning was able to glide smoothly through the air like a white crane.
Even if he were to fall from a thousand-meter-high cliff now, as long as he maintained his breath, he would land like a white crane without injuring himself.
He arrived at the rocky beach.
The surface of the lake was now covered with a thick layer of ice, and it was unusually quiet, only the howling cold wind could be heard from a distance.
Jiang Ning looked up at the sky.
Although the sky was still early and slightly dim, he could already see the clouds covering the sky.
"It seems like it's going to be another bad day!" Jiang Ning shook his head, then took a light breath, slowly exhaling.
After adjusting his state, he began practicing his punches again.
His body moved like a roaring tiger in the mountains.
Roar
The vitality within him surged, and as his energy circulated, a sound similar to a tiger's roar echoed.
During this full-force practice, the movements and sounds were far beyond what he had done before.
The tiger's roar from his body even overpowered the howling cold wind.
A moment later, his stance changed again, turning into the bear form.
When he stomped his foot down:
Boom
The rocks, weathered by years of wind, rain, sun, and tides, exploded, with countless fragments flying in all directions.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
Every piece of stone that scattered produced sharp, explosive sounds as they cut through the air.
If an ordinary person were nearby, they would instantly be pierced through by these shards and die on the spot.
Practicing with all his might, Jiang Ning felt more and more comfortable.
His energy surged around his body, continuously cleansing every part of him.
At the same time, each change in his stance drew in the dormant Five Elements energy, strengthening the essence of his internal organs.
By practicing the fist technique and drawing in the Five Elements energy from the surroundings, Jiang Ning gradually understood why the Five Elements Spirit trait was so capable of breaking the limits of the internal organs.
Perhaps the human body does indeed have limits.
After all, the body is just flesh and blood, a mortal form.
This is the same with martial arts.
Along the way, aside from relying on oneself, external aid is essential.
For example, in the beginning, in the Ninth Rank Skin Grinding stage, without an external aid like grinding ointment, a normal martial artist would never reach the level where their skin is as tough as copper.
Like his current level, the Sixth Rank of Martial Arts, Bone Forging Realm.
Without external assistance, such as consuming rare metals, it would be impossible to forge real "iron bones."
Thus, the human body naturally has its limits, as it is made of flesh and blood and requires external help.
The same goes for the internal organs.
Without drawing in the Five Elements energy from the world to strengthen the internal organs, it would be impossible to break the limits of the body's organs.
At this point.
His stance changed again.
His body moved like an ape, flipping and leaping with incredible lightness.
At the same time, the fire began to ignite in the world around him, burning on the hard, cold rocks.
Anyone who saw this would undoubtedly be amazed.
How could there be a fire in stone?
This fire came from the special trait Jiang Ning had recently mastered.
[Mastery of Fire and Water]: Mastering the true essence of water and fire, one can freely control ninety-nine percent of the water and fire in the world.
With this trait, even in the early morning, with the sky cold and the ground frozen near the Luo River, he could still summon fire from thin air.
Once the fire was ignited, the Fire Element energy in the world surged immediately.
Jiang Ning immediately felt the Fire Element energy entering his heart, slowly strengthening his heart.
Not long after.
[Five Animal Fist Experience +3]
After completing his set of punches, Jiang Ning stood still, collecting his fists.
"Steel bones forged, the body has completely transformed!"
"In just one night, my physique has improved by a full ten percent!"
He muttered to himself, nodding slightly.
After practicing the fist technique, he had completely grasped the changes brought about by the physical transformation and fully understood the strength it provided.
The most significant improvement after the transformation was the strength of the muscles, tendons, and skin.
Next, the enhancement of vitality came second.
After feeling the changes in his body, Jiang Ning's mood, which had soured due to the gloomy weather, gradually improved.
Now that his physical transformation was complete, he could begin the second step: Bone Forging.
With this thought in mind, Jiang Ning turned and left.
As he returned to the courtyard, he saw snowflakes gently falling from the sky.
"This is..." He paused for a moment, shaking his head. "Looks like it's going to snow again! I guess I can't expect clear weather today. In such weather, I'll have to temporarily set aside my efforts to accumulate internal energy for health cultivation."
"Fortunately, practicing the Five Animal Fist still helps strengthen my internal organs. The stronger my internal organs, the more vitality I can condense!"
"Once my internal energy cultivation breaks through and my vitality undergoes qualitative changes, it will condense like a fierce storm."
"With my vast amount of internal energy, I will surely stand out even among the Fifth Rank!"
Thinking about this first point, Jiang Ning's heart felt much calmer.
He then entered the house.
With the temperature already below freezing at night, any water left outside would turn to ice.
Water for washing was drawn from a deep well and stored indoors.
After washing up inside, Jiang Ning wiped his face and immediately felt refreshed.
When he opened the door again, he noticed that the light snowfall had grown heavier. The courtyard, which had been cleared earlier, was now covered by a thin layer of snow.
It was easy to imagine that with the intensity of the snowfall, it wouldn't be long before the entire courtyard would be covered in snow.
He walked to the large tree in the courtyard.
Jiang Ning slightly closed his eyes and focused on his inner vision.
In an instant.
The two hundred and six bones in his body appeared before his eyes.
At a glance, he could see that the bones, which had once been a dull white, were now a glossy silver color.
At this point, if one were to remove a bone from his body, its color would resemble ordinary refined iron.
"It's time for the second step!" Jiang Ning silently murmured.
With a thought, the vitality in his body instantly transformed into thirteen small hammers.
Given his current mental strength, thirteen small hammers were still his limit.
The next moment.
Clang
His body shook, and a series of metallic clanging sounds echoed from within. The sound was crisp and sharp, with a penetrating force.
With each strike, Jiang Ning's breath became slightly disordered.
After a breath, his chaotic breath returned to normal.
Then, with each powerful hammer strike, a heavy impact rang out from within Jiang Ning's body.
It was like a fierce storm, with the sound continuous and unending.
After completing one hundred and eight hammer strikes, a full cycle of Bone Forging was completed. Jiang Ning suddenly opened his eyes.
He raised his hand, and a white jade bottle appeared in his grasp.
Inside the bottle was the Mystic Bone Pill that Lin Qingyi had obtained for him earlier.
To forge the Mystic Bone, it was necessary to consume a certain amount of mysterious iron after completing Bone Forging.
In the early stages of martial arts, ancestors had chosen to ingest mysterious iron sand at this step.
The mysterious iron sand, when ingested, could be absorbed into the bones thanks to the martial artist's powerful digestive ability.
This is also why there are legends that powerful martial artists could swallow molten iron or copper pills.
Because in the past, many martial artists did indeed do this.
Now, after so many years of development, this step has become much simpler.
The size of a broad bean, the Mystic Bone Pill, contained enough Mystic Iron Essence.
The Mystic Iron Essence was far more effective than swallowing mysterious iron sand.
The next moment.
A few Mystic Bone Pills, the size of broad beans and completely black, rose into the air from the bottle.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
The pills flew directly into his mouth, passing through his throat and falling into his stomach.
As the outer coating of the Mystic Bone Pill dissolved, fine strands of energy began to emanate from the pill.
Unlike the silver strands from the Iron Bone Pills, the strands from the Mystic Bone Pills were black.
Dark as ink.
"This must be the Mystic Iron Essence!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Next, he saw the black strands of energy that had dispersed from the Mystic Bone Pills heading toward the bones that had just undergone Bone Forging.
When the black strands touched his bones, they silently fused into them.
In the blink of an eye.
The five Mystic Bone Pills that had entered his stomach were fully digested and absorbed.
"Is that not enough?" Jiang Ning felt the changes within his body, and he was immediately surprised.
He still remembered that a few days ago, when he first performed Bone Forging, he had only absorbed five Iron Bone Pills and had reached the absorption limit.
Now, after absorbing five Mystic Bone Pills, he still felt that it wasn't enough!
In the next moment.
Jiang Ning opened his eyes and stretched out his right hand, and a jade bottle containing Mystic Bone Pills appeared in his palm.
Then, a black Mystic Bone Pill, the size of a broad bean, flew out of the bottle and directly entered his throat, falling into his stomach.
After a moment.
"Finally enough!" Jiang Ning sighed in his heart and slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, the familiar sense of satisfaction returned to his heart.
"The last time I completed a full cycle of Bone Forging, I reached the absorption limit after taking five pills!"
"This time, even though it's the same Bone Forging cycle, I had to absorb six pills to reach the limit!"
"From what I know, for ordinary martial artists, the amount of Iron Bone Pills and Mystic Bone Pills required is essentially the same, with the same absorption limit!"
"This means the difference must be coming from me!"
Jiang Ning muttered to himself, and as he spoke, he seemed to have had an epiphany.
Could it be due to the increase in experience from the Five Animal Fist these past few days and the growth of my vitality?
As this thought rose in his mind, he was certain of his guess.
Because, apart from this possibility, he couldn't think of another reason.
"If that's the case, it means my Bone Forging efficiency has improved compared to a few days ago!"
A smile appeared on Jiang Ning's face.
He walked to the lake.
With ease, he stepped through the ice layer.
Once submerged in the water, Jiang Ning immediately felt his physical stamina and vitality, which had been depleted by the Bone Forging process, rapidly recovering.
He had just been standing under the tree for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
After completing a full cycle of Bone Forging, with one hundred and eight strikes, the powerful impact made even him feel his body grow weak and numb.
Each strike would vibrate his internal organs and bones.
So, despite the short duration, the energy consumption was immense, and the damage to his body was considerable.
Normally, martial artists at his level would only be refining one bone during Bone Forging.
But he was refining thirteen bones at once.
This meant that the consumption and impact on his body were thirteen times greater.
Moreover, as his vitality grew stronger, while each hammer strike became more effective, the impact on his body also increased.
Such an immense, such a powerful impact.
Normally, after completing a Bone Forging session, one would need a long rest and nourishing medicine before attempting another round of Bone Forging.
Based on Jiang Ning's understanding, he knew that most martial artists at the Sixth Rank would need several months, or even a full day, to rest and recover before they could attempt a second round of Bone Forging.
This long recovery time made Bone Forging efficiency rather poor.
Many martial artists would take a long time to fully complete their Bone Forging.
However, in Jiang Ning's view, even those with natural talent and those with exceptionally strong bones and physiques could not compare to him.
Because as long as he was in the water, he could absorb certain substances from the water to rapidly recover from any physical damage.
In no time, he would be back to his peak state.
Moreover, with his vast vitality and powerful mental strength, his Bone Forging efficiency had reached an unimaginable level.
In the lake.
Jiang Ning quietly enjoyed the process, letting the water nourish his body.
At the same time, he observed the thirteen bones he had just tempered.
After absorbing the Mystic Iron Essence, the thirteen bones, which had been emitting a silver light, gradually began to show black threads.
The black threads were the external manifestation of the bones absorbing the Mystic Iron Essence.
Once all of his two hundred and six bones had fully turned black, becoming as dark as black jade, he would have truly completed the second stage of Bone Forging: Mystic Bone.
Mystic Bone, once achieved, would be several times stronger than Iron Bone.
From his understanding, a martial artist who had achieved Mystic Bone could face off against three or even five Iron Bone martial artists without falling behind.
This was the change in strength after achieving Mystic Bone.
The physical body is a whole.
Any enhancement in one area would make the whole body stronger, rather than just focusing on a single point or part.
Every step in martial arts is merely a matter of refining different aspects!
Meanwhile.
Someone was already on their way to Luoshui County, following the will of the gods.
The destruction of the divine fetus had caused great pain to the deity, weakening its condition.
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