Something's wrong with this demon.

The mountains and forests are quiet and secluded, with the occasional chirping of birds.

The sun rose slowly, and before we knew it, it had climbed high into the sky.

Inside the cave, Luo Qingchen was still practicing the Rock Step.

He stood with his knees bent and arms crossed, his entire body as still as a rock.

His clothes were soaked through and clung tightly to his skin. His muscles were twitching uncontrollably, aching to the point of numbness.

His vision began to blur, and his body felt as if it no longer belonged to him.

But he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Just as he was about to faint, his body finally went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

"call--"

"call--"

He was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, as if he had just escaped death.

If the Rock Step is this difficult, I wonder how the "Mountain Embracing Fist" is?

With trembling hands, he turned the pages of the book and looked at another set of martial arts techniques—the Embracing Mountain Fist.

Take a short rest.

He stood up from the ground, enduring the soreness, and began to slowly practice the Baoshan Fist, move by move.

After practicing only twice, he felt a stinging pain all over his body, as if countless sharp embroidery needles were constantly pricking him, making him hiss in pain.

But he didn't stop; enduring the pain, he began practicing for the third time.

He knew that this was a process of tempering his entire body.

Gradually, he became more skilled and could execute the moves accurately without looking at the pictures in the book.

Once, twice, three times...

Outside the cave, the bright light gradually dimmed.

Before I knew it, the sun had fallen from the sky to the horizon.

A day passes in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, after finishing the last round of Baoshanquan, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground, like a dying fish, opening his mouth wide and breathing heavily.

His skin was bright red, as if on fire, and he looked as if he had been pulled out of the water, his whole body soaking wet.

The pain didn't subside; it felt like countless ants were burrowing into my body, constantly biting and tearing at me...

He gradually regained some strength as the sun was about to set.

At this moment, he noticed a new line of small text appearing after the first health bar in his body: [Flesh Refinement: 1/100]

Is this part of the cultivation process?

He just started cultivating today, and his current level is only the entry-level "Flesh Refining". The numbers below may indicate that only by cultivating "Flesh Refining" to 100/100 can he break through to the next level - Bone Strengthening!

However, the result of a whole day of cultivation today is only a pitiful 1?

If one continues to cultivate at this pace, I fear...

wrong!

He suddenly slapped his forehead, realizing he had almost forgotten something extremely important—the medicinal bath!

The Demon-Slaying Sect's techniques require more than just cultivation; they also need medicinal baths as an aid.

Even his "master" often needs medicinal baths during his cultivation, let alone him now that he has just started and his physique is at its weakest.

Without medicinal baths, even physical training would be difficult, let alone breaking through to the later stage of bone strengthening.

"The book says the main ingredients for the medicinal bath are fresh blood and magic stones..."

He frowned slightly.

He has no shortage of blood, as for magic stones and other ingredients...

"Oh, right!"

A sudden inspiration struck him.

His "master" would always empty the remaining contents of the bathtub after each medicinal bath.

According to Zhang Dashan, there were still some medicines left in the bucket, but they were no longer of any use because the most important part, the blood, had already been absorbed by the master.

Because of the lack of fresh blood, Zhang Dashan always treated the remaining contents of the bucket as garbage and threw them away.

In everyone's eyes, the bucket contained only waste and was utterly useless.

However, for someone who has no shortage of blood, those waste materials might be repurposed to help him cultivate!

Thinking of this, he immediately perked up and got up to leave the cave.

Last night, that "master" must have drained all the blood from Yang Ming's body. He must be preparing a medicinal bath today, otherwise all that blood would be wasted.

Therefore, he must seize the opportunity tonight.

Only through a medicinal bath can one cultivate quickly and gain a chance to survive.

He had to catch up with Zhang Dashan as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, he might only be skinned alive and used to make medicine.

Outside the cave, night had fallen.

The entire mountain forest was plunged into darkness.

When he dragged his heavy steps back to the main cave, a familiar and pungent smell of medicinal juice wafted from the depths of the cave!

He suppressed his emotions, carefully considered his words, and walked inside.

Deep inside the cave, firelight flickered.

On the rock-built stove, a large pot was boiling water.

In the corner, Tian Feng was taking a medicinal bath with his eyes closed in a wooden tub about half his height. Judging from the expression on his face, he seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.

"Master."

Luo Qingchen stopped at the cave entrance and respectfully asked, "Senior Brother is still cultivating outside. Does Master have any instructions?"

Tian Feng kept his eyes closed and didn't speak immediately. After a moment, he finally asked, "With the blood that was just spilled last night, do you have the strength to do anything now?"

Luo Qingchen lowered her head and said, "I rested for a day and feel somewhat stronger."

Tian Feng slowly opened his eyes and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. After a while, he said, "I didn't realize you were in such good health."

Luo Qingchen's heart tightened, and she said, "This disciple is not as strong as my senior brother, but I am also eager to do things for my master."

Tian Feng slowly closed his eyes again and said, "It's good that you're feeling well. I'm about to break through, and I may need more blood in a few days. Take good care of yourself during this time. If you can get through this, I'll take you back to the sect."

"Thank you, Master!"

Luo Qingchen immediately showed a look of deep gratitude.

He certainly wanted to return to the Demon-Slaying Sect as soon as possible, because only there could he repair the Ten Soul Banner.

If more than a month passes, the Ten Soul Banner may be completely destroyed, and the sister's soul will also be reduced to ashes.

He would never allow such a thing to happen!

"If you have the strength, after I finish my medicinal bath, pour the dregs from this bucket into the cave on the right."

At this moment, Tian Feng spoke again.

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingchen was overjoyed and quickly replied respectfully, "Yes!"

Tian Feng stopped talking and continued taking the medicinal bath with his eyes closed.

As time passed, Luo Qingchen grew increasingly anxious. If Zhang Dashan returned, the plan might change.

At this moment, Tian Feng finally opened his eyes and came out of the wooden tub.

Luo Qingchen suppressed her anxiety and waited until the other person was dressed before bowing her head and walking over to start moving the wooden bucket.

However, the wooden barrel filled with medicine was very heavy.

He used all his strength to move even a tiny bit, and immediately began to breathe heavily from exhaustion.

Tian Feng sat down in front of the fire, his face expressionless, and said in a calm tone, "If you can't move it, wait for your senior brother to come back and move it."

Luo Qingchen quickly replied, panting, "This disciple can do it."

As he spoke, he immediately gritted his teeth and began to move again.

Although his muscles ached terribly and his arms and legs began to tremble again, he still tried his best to move little by little.

He must hold on!

This wasn't just moving a bucket, it was moving his life!

After finally managing to reach the cave entrance, they heard familiar footsteps outside.

His heart sank immediately.

Zhang Dashan emerged from the darkness and saw him struggling to move the wooden bucket. He paused for a moment, then quickly walked past him into the cave. He knelt down in fear and said, "Master, please forgive me. I was so engrossed in my cultivation that I missed the time."

Tian Feng didn't blame him, and asked, "How's your cultivation going?"

Zhang Dashan raised his head, his eyes shining brightly, and said, "Master, I feel like I'm about to break through! Today during my cultivation, my entire body felt no pain, and I felt full of power. I estimate I'm only one step away from breaking through to the Strong Bone stage!"

Luo Qingchen looked at him.

Tian Feng kept his eyes closed, his tone calm and even: "Three months has passed quickly. Starting tomorrow, you should focus on your cultivation. I will also be in seclusion for a few days. If there's anything I need, I'll instruct your junior brother Luo to do it."

Zhang Dashan quickly replied, "Thank you, Master! I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Tian Feng didn't say anything more.

Zhang Dashan got up to take his leave, went to the cave entrance, looked at Luo Qingchen, and smiled faintly: "Thank you, Junior Brother Luo. This bucket is too heavy, let me carry it."

Having said that, he wrapped his arms around the wooden bucket, his muscles bulging slightly, and easily lifted the bucket, heading towards the cave on the right.

Luo Qingchen's pupils contracted, and she followed behind.

"Thump!"

The wooden barrel was placed in the corner of the cave.

Zhang Dashan gripped the top edge of the wooden tub with both hands, preparing to pour out the remaining medicinal liquid. He turned to look at Luo and smiled, "Junior Brother Luo, you're still too weak. You should go and get some rest."

Just as she was about to pour it out, Luo Qingchen quickly said, "Senior Brother, can we not pour out the medicinal liquid in this bucket yet? I want to use it to take a bath."

Zhang Dashan paused for a moment upon hearing this, stared at him for a few moments, and then suddenly burst out laughing: "Junior Brother Luo, the medicinal liquid in this bucket has already been absorbed by Master, leaving only waste. There are even dregs excreted from Master's body in it. Are you sure you want to use it for a bath?"

Luo Qingchen nodded and sighed, "I'm too weak to even lift this wooden tub. I'm afraid that if Master asks me to do something again, I won't do it well and will anger him. So, I want to soak in the remaining medicinal liquid to see if it can make my body a little stronger."

Zhang Dashan chuckled and released his grip, reminding him, "Junior Brother Luo, this junk won't make you stronger. You're too weak; using this stuff for a bath will likely do more harm than good. But if you insist, here you go, so no one can say your senior brother isn't taking care of you."

Luo Qingchen said sincerely, "Thank you, Senior Brother. I know you mean well, but I really want to give it a try."

Zhang Dashan smiled and said, "Alright, try it. Just remember to pour it out later. I need to go cultivate, so I won't keep you company any longer."

Having said that, he left the cave.

Luo Qingchen waited a while longer before taking off her clothes and eagerly getting into the tub.

The medicinal liquid in the bucket had cooled down, and the previously strong and pungent smell had become extremely mild. The dark brown water had turned into a slightly cloudy color.

Clearly, most of the useful medication inside has already been absorbed.

Luo Qingchen closed her eyes and soaked for a while before slowly loosening her grip on her left hand.

In his palm, he held a thin, sharp stone shard.

Just as he was about to cut his wrist and let blood drip in, his expression suddenly changed, and he quietly closed his five fingers again.

Zhang Dashan returned silently through the door and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Luo, how are you feeling? The water must be getting cold, right? Would you like me to add some hot water?"

As he spoke, he walked to the wooden tub with a smile and reached out to touch the water inside.

As he touched the water, he gently sniffed, as if he were smelling something.