188: Chapter 188 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (136)

The next morning.

The sky was just beginning to brighten. Faint morning light leaked in through the gaps in the vines at the cave entrance, casting dappled light spots on the damp cave walls.

The campfire had long since burned down to dark red embers, leaving behind only a faint, barely perceptible warmth.

Chu Shi opened his eyes; there was not a hint of sleepiness in his gaze.

The biological clock cultivated over several lifetimes of martial arts practice was more accurate than any timer; the moment the sky broke at dawn, he was already completely awake.

He turned his head to scan the two people beside him. Qiu Feng was sprawled out on the dried grass, a bit of uncleaned grease still staining the corner of his mouth, his breathing loud enough to shake the sky.

Qiu Yang was curled up near the cave entrance, holding his sword, his brows slightly furrowed, maintaining a trace of vigilance even in deep sleep.

Chu Shi did not make a sound. He pressed his fingertips against the ground and rose silently, his footsteps as light as a falling leaf, walking straight to the deepest corner of the cave to sit down.

This place was furthest from the two, and the metal Qi was relatively dense, making it the most suitable place for focused bone tempering.

His fingertips reached into his Storage Pouch, taking out four items in sequence: a translucent, pearly-white cold marrow jade ganoderma with faint cold mist at its roots, a small piece of bright yellow pure gold, several metal ingots of various types, and one hundred Low Grade Origin Stones, neatly arranged in a row beside him.

Without any unnecessary preparation, Chu Shi pinched the cold marrow jade ganoderma with his fingertips and placed it into his mouth.

The ice-cold medicinal power melted the moment it entered his mouth, sinking down his throat and into his Qi Sea, carrying a refreshing chill that instantly swept away the fatigue remaining from the night before.

Immediately after, he pressed his palms against the metal ingots and circulated the technique of the Blazing Sun Body Casting Method, causing the blood and Qi throughout his body to slowly boil.

Visible particles of various metals peeled off the surface of the ingots, flowing through his palms and into his body, merging with his scorching True Origin to transform into wisps of fine, gold-mercury-like liquid that slowly sank down his Meridians toward his lower limbs.

The sixty-two bones of his lower limbs that he was currently tempering were now stuck at the sixth metatarsal bone.

The golden-red True Origin, wrapped in pure metal Qi, washed over the surface of the bone again and again. Each infiltration added a layer of heavy, dark golden luster to the originally pearly-white bone.

Aching, pain, and a slight numbness spread from the soles of his feet, feeling incredibly torturous, yet simultaneously carrying a sense of reassurance as his strength slowly grew.

Chu Shi closed his eyes and focused, his mind sinking completely into the texture of his bones. All external movements were blocked out, leaving only the sound of his True Origin circulating back and forth.

He did not know how long this state lasted before a very light rustling sound suddenly came from the direction of the cave entrance.

Chu Shi's mind stirred slightly. He lifted his eyelashes and cast a wisp of his gaze over, seeing Qiu Feng sitting up while rubbing his eyes, his mouth wide open. Just as he was about to yawn, a hand reached over from the side and covered his mouth tightly.

It was Qiu Yang. He had also just woken up, his eyes still a bit hazy, but upon catching sight of Chu Shi in the corner, surrounded by a golden-red glow, he instantly woke up for the most part and hurriedly held his brother down.

He made a silent "shh" mouth gesture at Qiu Feng and nodded his chin toward Chu Shi's direction.

Qiu Feng's eyes widened. He looked in that direction, immediately stifled his yawn, and nodded repeatedly.

Afterward, the two of them, acting like thieves, hunched over and climbed up from the dried grass, their footsteps lighter than a cat's, and began to clean up the mess from the previous night.

They gathered the iron skewers into one pile, wrapped the leftover bones in leaves and stuffed them into their Storage Pouch, covered the charcoal ash on the ground with a thin layer of soil, and even tidied up the oil-stained dried grass.

"How long has Senior Brother Chu been cultivating?" Qiu Feng whispered into Qiu Yang's ear while squatting on the ground and raking through the charcoal ash.

"It was just dawn when we woke up; it looks like it's been nearly an hour, right? No wonder his cultivation is so high at such a young age; it turns out he's been grinding while we were sleeping."

"As long as you know." Qiu Yang also lowered his voice to reply, then raised his hand and slapped the back of his head with a force that was neither heavy nor light, hitting exactly on the 'Dragon' horn that had just subsided.

"Hurry up and clean. You were the one who slept the soundest, like a pig. After we finish cleaning, let's also hurry up and Cultivate. Don't let Senior Brother Chu look down on us."

Qiu Feng clutched the back of his head with an unconvinced look, his lips moving quickly as he lowered his voice even further: "You say that as if you didn't just wake up yourself... who was snoring last night?"

"You're still talking?" Qiu Yang glared and made a gesture to raise his hand again.

Seeing this, Qiu Feng subconsciously shrank his neck and hurriedly dodged to the side while holding a bundle of dried grass, though his movements remained light without making a sound.

The brothers made faces and messed around for a moment, and before long, they had cleaned the cave until it was spotless, as if everything from the previous night had been nothing more than a dream.

Once they were done, the two did not dare to delay. They each found a corner neither too far nor too close to Chu Shi and sat down, carefully taking out their own cultivation supplies from their Storage Pouches.

The two brothers were also tempering special secret bones in the Copper Bone Realm, though they were of a slightly inferior quality: White Copper Bone.

The metal ingots they took out were white tin and pure copper, and they only dared to cut off a small piece of the cold marrow jade ganoderma, fearing that they wouldn't be able to handle using too much at once.

Afterward, the two brothers exchanged a look and simultaneously closed their eyes to circulate their energy.

Pale white metal particles slowly wrapped around their palms; compared to the solid, tangible golden radiance surrounding Chu Shi, they appeared much thinner.

While circulating his technique, Qiu Yang quietly lifted his eyes to glance at Chu Shi not far away. Seeing that the other party remained completely motionless, his golden Qi as steady as a mountain, he secretly admired him, then hurriedly composed his mind and focused on his cultivation.

Days passed in such an unhurried manner. The cave became a temporary base for the three of them. Most of the daytime was spent in cultivation, and by evening, they would rotate to keep watch at the cave entrance, taking the opportunity to scout the movements in the outer perimeter.

Qiu Feng's roasting skills were indeed no boast; every day, he would find different ways to sprinkle various crushed Spiritual Plants into the meat, and even Chu Shi ended up enjoying the benefits of his culinary desires.

Chu Shi's bone tempering progress was also advancing steadily. With the reinforcement of two cold marrow jade ganodermas, plus the assistance of Origin Stones and metal ingots, the bones of his lower limbs were being dyed dark gold one by one.

His blood and Qi had also become much more robust; with a casual movement, one could hear a light sound like metal and stone clashing from between his bones.

The progress of the Qiu brothers was also not small. Although the tempering of the White Copper Bone was a step slower, with the medicinal power of the cold marrow jade ganoderma supporting them and no external disturbances, the Foundations of the two had become quite solid, and they were one step closer to the Copper Bone Realm Mid-Stage.

After spending a long time together, the three gradually lost their initial restraint. Occasionally, during breaks in cultivation, they would chat with Chu Shi about gossip within the Four Seasons Holy Land.

The campfire inside the cave burned and went out, and the daylight outside darkened and brightened. In the blink of an eye, two full months had passed.

This evening.

The sunset light outside the cave bathed the forest leaves in a warm red, and dappled light spots flickered on the damp stone walls through the gaps in the vines.

The golden-red mist surrounding Chu Shi slowly receded like a tide, sinking back into the depths of his bones through his pores.

He slowly opened his eyes, a faint, dark golden light flashing in the depths of his pupils. He clenched his fingers into a fist, feeling that the bones of his lower limbs were as solid as if cast, the muffled sound of metal and stone clashing hidden beneath his muscles.

Of the sixty-two bones in his lower limbs, he had already tempered up to the forty-first, and the threshold of the Middle Stage peak was within reach.