103: Chapter 103 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Fifty-One)

The night breeze, carrying the lingering warmth of Lieyang Peak, passed through the carved lattice windows of Tingyang Courtyard, stirring up a faint, tinkling sound of metal.

When Chu Shi pushed open the courtyard door, his muscles and bones were still aching from the aftermath of the inheritance.

Over the course of the afternoon, the vast knowledge of three Earth-tier inheritances had washed over his consciousness and physical body like a tidal wave.

If not for the immense willpower he had accumulated over several lifetimes, combined with the soul cultivation technique he had inherited first, his mind would likely have been overwhelmed long ago.

Therefore, upon returning, he did not head straight to the cultivation room as he usually did, but instead prepared to get some proper rest.

After all, this kind of exhaustion deep within his consciousness could not be soothed simply by meditating and regulating his breath.

Chu Shi fetched water from the spiritual spring in the courtyard, washed up briefly, and then lay down on the bed fully clothed.

Outside the window, the shadows of the reddish-gold pine trees swayed gently in the moonlight; he closed his eyes, and his breathing soon became long and steady, leading to a dreamless night.

The next morning, the first ray of the morning sun broke through the sea of clouds and spilled over the peak of Lieyang Peak.

The golden-red morning light shone through the lattice windows onto the floor, making the fire-attribute metal energy floating in the air clearly visible, drifting slowly like tiny, fragmented stars.

The moment the sunlight fell, Chu Shi opened his eyes; his sleepiness had completely dissipated, and he felt refreshed and invigorated.

He sat up from the bed, washed up briefly, and sat down in a chair.

Tapping his fingertips gently against his brow, he began to map out the path ahead.

The preliminary preparations for the Apprenticeship Ceremony had basically begun, and he had already visited everyone on his side that needed a personal invitation.

For now, he had nothing left to do.

Next, he needed to consider his cultivation plan for the twenty-seven days remaining until the ceremony.

No, that wasn't right; he had to come out of seclusion three days early to handle any unforeseen circumstances.

In that case, the time he had left for undisturbed cultivation was, at most, only twenty-four days.

After pondering it over, Chu Shi looked at the three Earth-tier inheritances in his mind and quickly formed a plan.

He decided that the first thing to do was to switch his main cultivation technique.

After all, the Great Sun Body Refining Technique used to temper his physical body during the Body Tempering Realm had already been cultivated to perfection, leaving no room for further improvement.

Now that he had officially stepped into the Iron Skin Realm, he naturally had to switch as soon as possible to the Earth-tier inheritance that was perfectly suited to his Blazing Sun Body: the Blazing Sun Body Casting Method.

As his fingertips brushed over the faint yet pure strand of true energy in his dantian, Chu Shi's gaze tightened slightly.

The Body Tempering Realm was merely the threshold for mortals to enter the martial path; it was nothing more than using techniques to grind away the impurities of the mortal body, allowing it to barely withstand the erosion of metal energy.

But the Iron Skin Realm was different; this was the true watershed of the metal martial path.

From this point on, a cultivator could directly absorb and refine metal energy from the world, converting it into their own true energy, achieving the ability to project true energy outside the body, shatter the wind with a fist print, and cut through the air with a sword gleam.

It was also from this realm that the paths of cultivators at the same level completely diverged.

Some focused on tempering true energy and studying lethal martial arts.

Others dedicated themselves to polishing their physical bodies, walking the path of body refinement where strength breaks through all laws.

As for him, possessing the Blazing Sun Body and having obtained body refinement inheritances like the Blazing Sun Body Casting Method and the Great Sun Vajra Body, he naturally had to take the most difficult and peak path of body refinement.

Having made up his mind, Chu Shi stood up, straightened his robes, and pushed the door open to leave.

On both sides of the mountain path of Lieyang Peak, the needles of the thousand-year-old pine trees had long since turned reddish-gold; when the wind blew, they emitted a crisp sound of metal clashing.

The air flowing through this world never contained any gentle world energy, but rather metal energy that carried sharpness and corrosiveness.

It could cause living beings to evolve, but it could also cause them to fall into chaotic metalization, turning them into monsters that only knew how to kill.

The sages of the human race had spent thousands of years carving out an orderly path of metal martial arts in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and every step he took was trodden upon the bones of his predecessors.

Chu Shi collected his thoughts and continued walking without stopping, soon arriving at the Internal Affairs Hall at the foot of Lieyang Peak.

The hall, cast from black iron, was solemn and majestic, with intricate energy-gathering arrays carved into the beams and pillars; people came and went within, all sect disciples there to exchange resources or collect their benefits.

As soon as Chu Shi stepped through the door, a young figure in a green shirt behind the counter immediately looked up, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"Cousin!"

Chu Ming quickly walked out from behind the counter, his face full of enthusiastic smiles, and pulled Chu Shi toward a quiet corner, fearing that they might be surrounded by others if he were even a step slower.

The two stood still, exchanged a few brief pleasantries, and the topic turned to the Chu family banquet from a few days ago.

Chu Ming said with a smile that after Chu Shi left, his parents had praised him repeatedly to the elders of the family, and even the few notoriously strict great-uncles in the clan had repeatedly praised the Chu family for producing a true dragon.

At this point, Chu Ming's voice suddenly lowered a few degrees, his eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, and he leaned in closer to whisper:

"However, Cousin, not everyone likes you. Do you remember Great-Uncle Chu Hongye from Third Grandfather's branch at the banquet that day? He had a conflict with Uncle in the past over the clan's mines. I went to the latrine halfway through and heard him muttering to someone in the cubicle; his words were full of jealousy, and he even cursed that the higher you climb, the harder you'll fall. You should be careful when you see him in the future."

Upon hearing this, Chu Shi's expression remained calm, and he only nodded slightly.

Rubbing the identity token at his waist with his fingertips, he said calmly, "I understand, thank you for the reminder."

Yet, his heart didn't ripple in the slightest.

Having reincarnated several times, he had seen too many of these petty, underhanded schemes.

Without any substantial actions, only daring to hide in the shadows and mutter curses, they weren't even qualified to be on his mind.

Moreover, Chu Ming's words were just one side of the story; he naturally wouldn't harbor any thoughts about a clan elder just based on a few pieces of gossip.

Seeing his calm expression, Chu Ming secretly admired his cousin's composure and didn't say anything more about the matter, turning instead to smile and say, "Cousin, is there something you need to do today? Anything I can help with, I certainly won't hesitate."

"There is indeed something I need your help with." Chu Shi didn't beat around the bush and directly unhooked the identity token from his waist and handed it over.

"I was in seclusion for three months previously and didn't collect the Core Disciple benefits for the last two months. I've come to collect them all together, including this month's."

"That's a small matter!" Chu Ming took the token and patted his chest in agreement. He turned and returned behind the counter, embedding the token into the array slot on the black iron counter.

With a soft "hum," the array patterns on the counter lit up instantly.

Golden-red light flowed over it, and within an instant, the verification was passed.

Chu Ming tapped his fingertips on the array disc a few times, transferring the contribution points.

Chu Shi took back the token and swept it with his divine sense. When he saw the fifteen thousand contribution points lying inside, he raised his eyebrows slightly and looked up at Chu Ming, "Why is it fifteen thousand? By my calculation, it should be nine thousand. A Core Disciple in the Body Tempering Realm receives a monthly stipend of three thousand contribution points. Two months of uncollected benefits is six thousand, plus this month's three thousand, which makes exactly nine thousand."