159: Chapter 159 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (107)

The five of them had all been prodigies in the past and clung to their status as seniors.

Since Chu Shi joined two and a half years ago, they had not taken the initiative to visit him.

Even though he was the Peak Master's direct disciple, because he lived on the same hillside and was in the same Iron Skin Realm as them, they harbored a sense of self-importance and reserve.

They knew Chu Shi's talent was peerless, but out of pride, they never took the initiative to visit and build a relationship, maintaining only a distant, nodding acquaintance.

However, the seven days of pressure, the Peak Master's personal protection, and the top-tier Copper Bone aura that had just erupted completely shattered all their reserve and misjudgments.

In just two and a half years since joining, he had crossed two major realms: Body Tempering and Iron Skin.

The commotion from this breakthrough was also terrifyingly intense, far exceeding the usual Copper Bone transformation.

At this moment, no one held onto their airs as seniors anymore.

"He succeeded! Junior Brother Chu has truly broken through to the Copper Bone Realm!" Su Lingyue's eyes were filled with amazement, her voice carrying undisguisable shock.

"Seven days to break through, with the Peak Master personally guarding him, and it looks like the most difficult Bronze Secret Bone... We, the prodigies of our generation, have actually been left far behind by Junior Brother." Shen Yan sighed softly, his eyes filled with nothing but sincere admiration.

Zhao Kuo's expression was complex, but then he smiled with relief: "In the past, we relied on our seniority and, out of pride, never visited. Now it seems our perspective was too narrow. Such a peerless prodigy is worth us taking the initiative to befriend and discuss the Dao."

The group nodded one after another, chatting in low voices outside the courtyard, their expressions eager as they quietly waited for Chu Shi to come out of seclusion.

Inside the cultivation room.

The majestic life pressure slowly retracted, settling entirely into his flesh and blood, and the restless metal energy completely returned to order.

Afterward, with another full hour of regulating his breathing, Chu Shi completely polished his brand-new Copper Bone, stabilizing his foundation.

Immediately, Chu Shi slowly stood up and walked out of the cultivation room.

The moment he stepped out, his life field quietly spread, and he instantly sensed the five familiar auras outside the courtyard.

Pausing slightly, a flash of knowing amusement crossed Chu Shi's eyes.

He understood what was going on.

Then, with a thought, Chu Shi pinched an incantation, removing the protective formation of the Tingyang Courtyard.

With a soft "creak," the courtyard gate slowly opened.

The five people outside heard the sound and looked over, their eyes lighting up when they saw the young man walking out.

Chu Shi now stood tall and slender, his features handsome and refined.

His entire demeanor was gentle and profound; while appearing ordinary, his muscles and bones concealed the divine might of immortal metal. Every gesture carried a heavy pressure that far exceeded that of ordinary martial artists in the same realm.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Chu! Breaking through to the Copper Bone Realm and ascending to a new realm of martial arts!"

Shen Yan was the first to cup his hands and smile in congratulation, his attitude humble and sincere, with no trace of his former self-importance.

The other four also stepped forward, cupping their hands to greet him one by one, their words eager and sincere.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother, on achieving the Copper Bone; the martial path is full of promise!"

"A heaven-defying breakthrough in seven days; Junior Brother's talent truly leaves us in the dust!"

After the congratulations, the group presented the gifts they had prepared long ago.

There were metal energy ores for tempering muscles and bones, precious medicines for stabilizing one's realm, and merit jade tokens accumulated from sect missions—all practical resources tailored for a martial artist's cultivation.

Chu Shi accepted them all calmly, cupping his hands slightly with a gentle and modest tone:

"Many thanks to all Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters for your kindness. If you don't mind, please come in for a chat."

Afterward, he turned to the side and gestured, politely inviting them into the courtyard.

After entering, the group moved to the blue stone table beside the spirit spring and took their seats.

In the courtyard, the spirit spring gurgled, a clear breeze blew through, and the scenery was elegant and quiet.

Chu Shi took the opportunity to bring out a set of jade tea sets, drawing fresh water from the spirit spring to brew spirit tea.

Boiling water entered the cups, the tea fragrance curling up, clear and long-lasting, diluting the sharp metal energy remaining after the breakthrough, and the atmosphere became increasingly warm and harmonious.

"The courtyard is humble; I hope all Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters will forgive me." Chu Shi smiled and apologized.

"Junior Brother is joking. The Tingyang Courtyard is quiet and elegant, far more comfortable than our own residences." Su Lingyue smiled, completely shedding her former aloofness.

The group sat around chatting, the topics endless.

Some curiously inquired about the mysteries of the Bronze Secret Bone, asking about the gap between it and ordinary pure copper Copper Bone.

Some enthusiastically invited Chu Shi to team up in the future to go down the mountain to perform sect missions and collect cultivation resources.

Tang He, who had a lively personality, even joked, offering to play matchmaker for the young prodigy and introduce female cultivators with great talent and beauty in the sect.

For a time, the courtyard was filled with laughter and was extraordinarily lively.

Chu Shi responded with a smile, unhurried and composed, gentle and polite.

Facing everyone's teasing and curiosity, he remained calm and composed, though he was also left somewhat speechless by the barrage of questions.

When the chatting paused, Chu Shi took the opportunity to speak, actively taking over the conversation:

"Thanks to the kindness of all Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, I have no way to repay you. However, if you don't mind, since I was lucky enough to cultivate the Bronze Secret Bone this time, I do have some insights from the breakthrough that I can share with you all."

As his words fell, the courtyard instantly fell silent.

The five of them sat upright and focused, their eyes full of solemnity and expectation.

They were all stuck at the breakthrough threshold for a long time, each with their own shackles.

Some had not polished their three hundred and sixty strands of true energy to perfection; some had a restless state of mind and could not withstand the backlash of the transformation; some lacked blood and energy foundation and were unable to support the tempering of the Copper Bone; and some had weak souls and could not control the chaotic metal energy during the breakthrough process.

Especially Zhao Kuo, who desperately wanted to cultivate the Bronze Secret Bone but never knew the specific process and risk control, and was full of concerns.

Being able to receive personal instruction from Chu Shi, a prodigy who had successfully cultivated the secret bone, was an immense opportunity for them.

A moment later, seeing no objections,

Chu Shi spoke slowly and clearly, every word a piece of hard-won experience verified by himself.

"All Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters have been stuck at the peak of the Iron Skin Realm for many years, delaying your breakthrough, which is nothing more than a lack of essence, energy, spirit, material reserves, and state of mind control. Regarding these, I have some humble opinions."

"For the Copper Bone transformation, the foundation is paramount. The three hundred and sixty strands of true energy in the Iron Skin Realm must be polished to be smooth and flawless, without a single bit of stagnation. This is the root of the breakthrough; if the foundation is not solid, the transformation will surely collapse."

"Secondly is the control of the physical body. During the breakthrough, you must use your life field to precisely guide the metal energy to infiltrate the bones section by section."

"Proceed step by step; you must never be greedy for speed, otherwise, the turbulent metal energy will risk shattering your bones."

"Furthermore, there is spirit and will. The pain of reshaping bones and blood is not something ordinary people can endure. You must use methods to calm the mind and guard the spirit to stabilize your soul, and use an extremely strong will to withstand the backlash throughout the process. If your mind collapses, the whole situation will fall apart."

"Finally, there is the replenishment of resources. Casting bones with alloys requires the blending of multiple metals, and the proportions cannot be off by even a fraction."

"During the breakthrough, the consumption of blood, energy, metal energy, and soul is extremely terrifying. You must have enough top-tier blood and energy precious medicines, as well as massive amounts of origin stones, to provide full support throughout the process, only then can you land safely..."

At this point, Chu Shi laid out every detail—material arrangement, metal energy neutralization, secrets of pure gold blending, pain tolerance, state of mind stabilization, and resource proportioning—without reservation.

The five of them listened extremely carefully, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes suddenly enlightened, and the shackles and doubts that had been accumulated in their hearts for a long time were all resolved one by one.