Chapter 55: Talent: Copper Skin Iron Bones

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Talent: Copper Skin Iron Bones

’The effect is indeed minimal.’

Chen Yue understood, but he wasn’t disappointed. This sliver of fundamental effect was exactly what he wanted.

Next, Chen Yue devoted all his remaining time to practicing his various Cultivation Techniques: the Circulation of the Celestial Cycle for his Vast Firm Essence Technique, the concussive tempering of his Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, the agile maneuvers of his Vertical Cloud Thousand Layer Step, and the preliminary Visualization attempts for his newly acquired Heart Nourishing Technique...

Chen Yue partitioned his time with utmost efficiency. The addition of the Heart Nourishing Technique made his schedule even tighter, but he didn’t feel the slightest bit tired. Instead, he felt a fulfilling sense of exhilaration.

His only regret was that a day had only twelve hours instead of twenty-four.

Darkness descended. As day gave way to night, the clock struck midnight.

[Daily Settlement]

[Consumed Bone-Enhancing Pill, slight bone enhancement]

[Diligently practiced Heart Nourishing Technique, Heart Nourishing Technique Experience +53]

[Consumed Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, slight Marrow Cleansing and Bone Forging]

[Consumed Antitoxic Pill, slight poison resistance increase]

...

[Talent: Copper Skin Iron Bones (1/278)]

When Chen Yue’s gaze swept over the bottom of the panel and he saw the new line of text, his eyes lit up.

A new Talent!

’But...’

’The Iron Bones comes from the Bone-Enhancing Pill, but where did the Copper Skin come from?’ Chen Yue’s eyes scanned the panel, finally landing on the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield.

’If anything could produce the effect of copper skin, it would have to be this Cultivation Technique.’

The Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield had indeed made his skin increasingly tough, but the effect hadn’t yet penetrated to his bones. ’Could it be that the addition of the Bone-Enhancing Pill is what unlocked the Copper Skin Iron Bones Talent?’

’And why are the Experience Points 278? It’s not a round number.’

Chen Yue looked at the Experience Points for the Talent, a flicker of doubt in his mind. Immune to Hundred Poisons had been a neat 100 points, but this Copper Skin Iron Bones was 278...

’Is it related to my continuous consumption of Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, which are constantly improving my aptitude?’

Chen Yue couldn’t be sure of the exact reason, but one thing was certain: this new Talent was far more difficult to acquire than Immune to Hundred Poisons.

Based on consuming one Bone-Enhancing Pill per day, it would take a full 278 days, nearly nine months. And that didn’t even account for the difficulty of obtaining the ingredients for the pills or the possibility of developing a resistance to them.

「Time flowed like water within the quiet walls of the Chen Mansion. Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

On the surface, Youlin County was calm and peaceful, as if the previous turmoil had been nothing but a dream. But beneath this tranquility, the oppressive atmosphere grew heavier.

Chen Yue was well aware of the undercurrents in the outside world, but he had no time to spare for them. He poured his entire Heart Spirit into the frenzied tide of his own cultivation. Ten days of arduous training yielded remarkable results.

First was the newly acquired Talent, [Copper Skin Iron Bones]. Chen Yue’s earlier guess had been correct; the slight Marrow Cleansing and Bone Forging effect from the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills also acted as a catalyst for this Talent’s progress.

After he consumed a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill and a Bone-Enhancing Pill at the same time, the midnight settlement showed that the experience for [Copper Skin Iron Bones] increased by 1 point, while its upper limit decreased by 1 point.

’All told, that’s an increase of 2 points in one day.’

At this rate, he could fully form the Copper Skin Iron Bones Talent in less than five months!

And while the Talent had yet to fully manifest, its benefits were already beginning to show.

Chen Yue could clearly feel his skin becoming denser and tougher. When he pressed on it, it felt as though an invisible, resilient membrane had formed beneath the surface.

The strengthening of his bones was more subtle, but the increase in his strength was tangible.

His strength, which had begun to stabilize after reaching Minor Success in the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield and Great Success in the Vast Firm Essence Technique, had seen another distinct and noticeable improvement over these ten days.

With every movement, his Qi Blood surged more smoothly, and power was transferred more efficiently. It was as if the fundamental framework of his body was being quietly reinforced and upgraded.

But what Chen Yue anticipated most was his progress in Cultivation.

Under the dual effects of the Vast Firm Essence Technique and the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, Chen Yue’s Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. On the panel, the experience bar for [Refining Flesh Realm (834/875)] was nearly full.

He would break through to the Bone Forging Realm in the next day or two!

Chen Yue could already feel the Qi Blood in his body swelling to a critical point. A faint, tingling heat emanated from deep within his bones—a precursor to the imminent qualitative change.

...

In the small courtyard, Chen Yue stood silently, his aura retracted, as if he had become one with his surroundings.

In the next instant, his figure suddenly blurred. Three Chen Yues appeared simultaneously, each taking a step forward in a different direction—left, center, and right.

These were not afterimages, but the Illusionary Body Technique, a skill that could only be executed when one’s speed and self-control, brought about by the Vertical Cloud Thousand Layer Step, reached their peak.

Although they weren’t true clones, they were enough to deceive the eye in the heat of battle, creating the perfect opportunity for a killing blow.

For a moment, the courtyard seemed to be filled with Chen Yue’s elusive figures. The sound of his robes cutting through the air was continuous, yet it was strangely impossible to pinpoint his exact location.

SWISH!

All the illusions vanished abruptly, like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water. Chen Yue’s figure reappeared in his original spot, his breathing steady, as if he had never moved at all.

Only a few fallen leaves, swept up by the rapid airflow, were still slowly drifting to the ground, proving that the incredible scene moments ago had not been an illusion.

Vertical Cloud Thousand Layer Step (Perfection 7/6133).

This exceedingly high-level Body Technique, thanks to Chen Yue’s unremitting training and the root bone enhancement from the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, had finally entered the Perfection Realm of practice!

Its speed, agility, unpredictability, and adaptability to complex terrain had all reached a new height.

If Chen Yue were to face the Bone Forging Realm expert from that night again, he could achieve an invincible position with his Body Technique alone.

Chen Yue looked ahead and casually plucked a common poplar leaf that was drifting down before him.

Pinching the leaf’s stem between his index and middle fingers, Chen Yue gave his wrist a seemingly casual flick. The vast power of his Vast Firm Essence Technique, combined with the highly integrated force of his muscles and bones from achieving Minor Success in the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, was instantly transmitted to his fingertips.

CHFF!

With a nearly inaudible sound of tearing air, the dry leaf transformed into a faint yellow line, shooting out and striking the trunk of an old poplar tree several yards away.

SMACK!

The dry leaf itself couldn’t withstand the immense force and exploded into dust the moment it made contact with the bark.

However, where the trunk had been hit, a long, thin gash with edges as smooth as if cut by a knife appeared, the wood shavings curling slightly outward.

Even a plucked leaf or flower could become a deadly weapon!

The Meridian Bone-Piercing Nail, originally not a profound Hidden Weapon Technique, had been elevated to such a terrifying level of power in Chen Yue’s hands, all thanks to his incredible base strength. He had turned something mundane into something magical.

Of course, the foundation for such power still lay in the all-around improvement of Chen Yue’s own strength.

The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills he constantly consumed were like the most precise carving knife, continuously sculpting and improving his root bones.

Now, whenever Chen Yue executed his various Cultivation Techniques, he felt an indescribable smoothness.

He would subconsciously make minuscule adjustments to the details of many moves. These adjustments seemed insignificant, but they made the execution of the moves feel more natural and better suited to his current physical state, often increasing their power by a sliver as a result.

This was likely one of the hidden benefits of having good root bones: a deeper understanding and control over one’s own body, and a more profound synergy with and optimization of the essence of his Cultivation Techniques.

No wonder those born with superior root bones could practice any Cultivation Technique with such ease and fluency.

Finally, there was the profound Heart Nourishing Technique.