From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Li Zhengxin was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"interesting."

Manager Feng didn't know what he meant by "interesting," but he didn't dare to ask.

"You don't need to worry about Cao Yan's matter," Li Zhengxin said. "Keep an eye on Shen Yue. Find out everything you can about his swordsmanship, hidden weapons, and footwork, and hand it over to Lin Yan."

Li Zhengxin took a small white porcelain bottle from the drawer and placed it on the table.

"Send this to Lin Yan."

Manager Feng recognized the bottle. It contained "Bone-Regenerating Pills" made by the palace alchemists, which were specially used to treat bone injuries. Ordinary martial artists who lost an arm or leg only needed to take one pill to reconnect the broken bone. However, there were three pills in this small bottle.

"Your Highness," Steward Feng said in a low voice, "isn't this medicine a bit too expensive...?"

"It's alright, the person is more valuable than the medicine, just send it over."

"Yes."

Manager Feng accepted the order and left.

……

When Steward Feng arrived at the courtyard, Lin Yan was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) and dozing off.

Chen was sitting at the door doing needlework when she saw Steward Feng about to enter the inner room, so she stood up to stop him.

Steward Feng quickly cupped his hands in greeting, "Madam, His Highness has asked me to deliver some healing pills to General Lin."

Chen then stepped aside.

Manager Feng entered the room, placed the white porcelain bottle on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), uncorked it, and a bitter medicinal fragrance wafted into his nose, waking Lin Yan up.

"His Highness said that the general's injury cannot be delayed," Steward Feng said. "The opponent for the next match has been confirmed as Shen Yue, the commander of the Divine Machine Battalion. This man is at the mid-stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, and he is even stronger than Zhao Wuji. His Highness instructed the general to make sure he recovers fully from his injury. As for Shen Yue's information, I will send it over in a few days."

Lin Yan poured out a pill, and a line of text appeared in his mind.

[Feedback: Bone-Regenerating Pill, a superior grade two medicine, of excellent quality, with the medicinal effects of bone regeneration and unblocking meridians.]

Lin Yan glanced at Steward Feng with some suspicion.

A second-grade superior elixir? Is the Crown Prince really that kind? Could it be a poisonous pill?

Manager Feng noticed Lin Yan's worry and said, "General Lin, this pill is a bone-healing pill made by the imperial alchemy workshop. It is non-toxic and harmless, and is extremely rare. Please feel free to take it."

"Indeed, if the Crown Prince wanted to kill me, he wouldn't need to go to such lengths." Thinking of this, Lin Yan rubbed the pill a few more times. The [Bone Identification] skill panel didn't give any new information before he put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it.

The medicine quickly took effect, and a warm sensation rose from his dantian, flowing through his limbs and meridians. Lin Yan felt a tingling sensation at the broken bone, and the pain lessened considerably.

"Please thank Your Highness for me," Lin Yan said.

Manager Feng bowed and withdrew.

……

For the next three days, Lin Yan really didn't get out of bed.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go down; it was that Old Meng had locked the door from the outside and given the key to Chen.

Ms. Chen hung the key on her waist and sat by the door doing needlework, refusing to open the door for anyone who came.

Xiong Kuo arrived and stood outside the door, calling out, "Madam, the general's sword needs sharpening."

Without looking up, Chen said, "The whetstone is in the kitchen."

Sun Dayong arrived: "Madam, the general sent me to fetch the bowstring."

Chen didn't even look up: "The bowstring is in the storeroom."

Lin Xiu squatted by the door, writing on the ground with a twig. Suddenly, she looked up and asked, "Mother, when will my brother be able to come out?"

"Come out once you're healed."

"When will his injury heal?"

Chen paused for a moment, holding the needle, but did not answer.

Lin Yan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), feeling utterly bored.

He went through the first and second parts of the incomplete breathing exercise in his mind again and again, and dissected every detail of the three matches over and over again.

He memorized every move and technique of Ma Cheng's Iron Palm, Liu Wu's military swordsmanship, and Zhao Wuji's Shadowless Kick. He had analyzed them using the "Shallow Imitation" method and reviewed them using the "Aura Observation" method.

Ma Cheng's Iron Palm technique has a very direct power path, making it easy to predict.

Liu Wu's swordsmanship has too many gaps between moves, and it's not quite suitable for me.

The biggest weakness of Zhao Wuji's Shadowless Kick is not in the leg, but in the shoulder. As long as you watch his shoulder, you can predict the direction of his kick.

It's only been a short time, and someone like Zhao Wuji has already appeared. It seems I underestimated the heroes and valiant men of the capital.

Lin Yan closed his eyes and circulated his true energy according to the method of the second part of the incomplete breathing manual.

The three meridians converge and return to the Qi Sea.

The cultivation method in the second part is completely opposite to that in the first part.

The previous section was about practicing the Ren, Du, and Chong meridians separately, and finally converging them in the lower abdomen (Dantian) for a powerful burst.

The next part is about merging, separating the three paths that have already merged, and letting the true qi return from the chest and dantian back to their respective positions in the three paths, sinking into the sea of ​​qi.

He had been practicing this method ever since he got the second part, but he hadn't been able to get it going smoothly.

Each time the true qi separates into the three paths, a small portion gets stuck in the meridians, causing blockages.

These blockages are not noticeable under normal circumstances, but they will surface during high-intensity battles, affecting the ability to exert force.

Lin Yan tried to circulate his true energy separately along the three pathways of the Ren Meridian, Du Meridian, and Chong Meridian.

The true qi of the Ren meridian rises, passing through the Tanzhong and Tiantu points, and reaching the Chengjiang point.

The true qi of the Du meridian flows downward through the Mingmen, Changqiang, and to the Huiyin.

The true qi of the Chong meridian sinks into the five internal organs and six bowels.

Three paths, three streams of true energy, each operating independently without interfering with the others.

He used to get stuck at this stage, but today, for some reason, his internal energy flowed much more smoothly than before.

After 【Viewing the Mountain】 advances to 【Observing the Qi】.

Lin Yan's perception of the internal energy was many times more refined than before.

He can "see" every trajectory, every node, and every slight fluctuation of the true energy flowing through the meridians.

He knew exactly where the blockages were and where the flow was slow.

After taking the Bone-Regenerating Pill, some of its medicinal power dispersed into the meridians, like fresh water being added to a dried-up riverbed. The stagnant Qi that was originally stuck in the acupoints also began to move.

Lin Yan focused his mind on the most severely blocked area, the Tanzhong acupoint on the Ren meridian.

There was a clump of stagnant true energy stuck in the Tanzhong acupoint, like a stone blocking the middle of a river.

He used his mind to guide his inner energy to slowly break through the blockage.

The first time, it didn't clear.

On the second try, it loosened.

Lin Yan didn't rush to use brute force. Instead, he condensed his true energy into the shape of a thin needle and slowly drilled it into the center of the blockage. He precisely controlled the direction of his true energy, and a crack appeared in the middle of the blockage.

On the third strike, Lin Yan took the opportunity to pour his true energy into the crack he had previously torn open. The blocked true energy dispersed, traveled upwards along the Ren meridian, passed Tian Tu, reached Cheng Jiang, and then sank down to merge into the Qi Sea.

The chest cavity is open.

Lin Yan didn't stop. He pressed his advantage and continued to attack the Mingmen acupoint on the Du meridian and the Qihai acupoint on the Chong meridian.

In one afternoon, he cleared away three blockages, and his cultivation level reached the Great Perfection of the True Qi Realm.

[Skill: Basic Body Forging (Rough) (1000/1000) → Basic Body Forging (Slightly Advanced) (1/2000)]

[Effects: Increases the speed of Qi circulation, reduces meridian blockages, and accelerates the recovery of Qi and blood]

Lin Yan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

My chest still hurts, and the broken ribs are still a little itchy, but I feel much better than I did this morning.

He tried moving his right arm and was able to lift it. Although it still hurt a little, it was much better than before.

On the fourth day, when Old Meng came to change the dressing, he paused for a moment when he opened the door.

Lin Yan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his clothes neatly arranged, with a knife beside him, as if he were waiting for someone.

Why did you get out of bed?

When Lin Yan came out, Old Meng's face immediately darkened.

"I've been sitting on the kang all day," Lin Yan said. "I didn't even get out of bed; I just sat up and moved around a bit."

Old Meng examined his wounds and felt his pulse, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Your ribs... are growing so fast."

"Isn't it better to be faster?"

"It's not that it's bad, it's abnormal. For an ordinary person with such a severe injury, even with bone-healing pills, it would take ten days to half a month for the wound to heal. You've only had it for four days, and the cut has already started to heal. What kind of constitution do you have?"

Lin Yan did not answer, but simply smiled slightly at Lao Meng.

Old Meng gave him a deep look, and wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

Day 9.

The day before the semi-finals.

Manager Feng delivered Shen Yue's information to Lin Yan.

A thick stack of papers, detailing everything from Shen Yue's background, resume, and teachers to a detailed breakdown of every martial art he had ever used.

Lin Yan spent half an hour reading it and then placed the paper on the table.

Shen Yue, 42 years old, Commander of the Divine Machine Battalion, mid-stage of the Transformation Realm, his internal Dharma form is the Bone-Penetrating Nail.

In his early years, he was a wandering swordsman. Later, he joined the army, starting as a centurion and rising step by step to the rank of commander. He was highly skilled in martial arts.

Later, Shen Yue joined the Third Prince's team. With the Third Prince's support, he switched to spiritual cultivation and made rapid progress. In just ten years, he condensed his Qi and transformed into a physical form.

His swordsmanship is derived from the "Broken Door Saber" of the martial arts world, which is fierce and swift, but what is truly terrifying is his hidden weapon.

It's clearly stated in Manager Feng's file:

Shen Yue's hidden weapon was not the common dart or throwing knife, but something called a "bone-piercing nail," three inches long, about the thickness of a chopstick, made of pure steel, and coated with poison.

He usually hides the bone-piercing nails in his sleeves, and he strikes them with incredible speed, throwing three or five at a time, specifically targeting people's joints and eyes.

The rules of the martial arts competition stipulate that "intentional killing is not allowed," but whether injuring someone with a hidden weapon counts as intentional killing is a very vague definition.

As long as they don't kill you, no one will say anything even if you cripple you.

Lin Yan reviewed the information again, memorizing every habitual movement, every path of force exertion, and every possible angle of attack of Shen Yue.

"General."

Steward Feng stood at the door, and respectfully asked Lin Yan, "His Highness asked me to ask you a question: are you confident about tomorrow's competition?"

"No," Lin Yan said.

This was Lin Yan's first time fighting against a spiritual cultivator, and he was truly unsure of himself.

Manager Feng paused for a moment, then said, "Then you..."