Chapter 23: Breaking Through Barriers, Finally Achieving Jade Bones

The fire-maned wolf was incredibly strong, far surpassing any normal beast.

Xu Yan felt enormous pressure, and at that moment he felt his blood boil, elevating him to a transcendent state.

His blood circulated around his body, his strength growing continuously.

Boom!

He charged again, engaging in intense combat with the fire-maned wolf.

As the fight continued, his blood boiled more fiercely. At one moment, tangled together, they rolled across the ground.

His body was unknowingly kicked countless times by the wolf's hind legs while his hands gripped the wolf's enormous biting jaw, his own legs kicking the body of the wolf.

Both man and beast rolled on the ground, kicking and thrashing at each other.

Bang!

Suddenly, Xu Yan crashed into a large tree. He roared furiously, grabbed the wolf's two sharp fangs, and flung the beast against the tree with all his might.

The fight had reached a fever pitch, and it was then that Xu Yan felt the barrier of his bones loosen amid the relentless consumption and squeezing of his blood.

At one moment, it seemed there was a crack, and the barrier shattered.

His blood surged instantly, and his bones continued to be tempered.

"Think you're the only one who can bite?"

Xu Yan grabbed the fire-maned wolf's fangs, flung it to the ground, and despite its limbs flailing against him, bloodshot eyes wide, he bit fiercely into the neck of the wolf that was exposed.

Plop!

A mouthful of fur.

Xu Yan spat out the fur and continued biting.

At this moment, the wolf grew frantic, struggling violently, its limbs mercilessly beating Xu Yan. The pounding sounds were incessant, and Xu Yan even felt his bones vibrating with each hit.

He pinned the fire-maned wolf down firmly, switched positions, and pressed his legs against the wolf's forelimbs, continuing to bite at its throat.

Bite after bite, at one moment, with a plop, he tore through the skin at the wolf's throat, and blood gushed out.

A strand of fresh blood entered his mouth and, in an instant, Xu Yan felt his blood boil as if he'd taken a potent tonic, and his whole body relaxed.

The speed of his bone tempering accelerated at this moment.

Xu Yan's eyes brightened, and he positioned himself atop the fire-maned wolf, pinning it to the ground while continuously tearing at its throat.

At this point, the wolf's limbs flailed upward, twisting and struggling while emitting terrified whines, but to no avail.

As the bone refinement began, Xu Yan's blood grew stronger, and his power increased.

He did not know how many times he bit, but at one moment, with a plop, blood sprayed out as he punctured a major artery.

Xu Yan greedily continued to devour the wolf's blood, which was like sweet dew, his eyes showing excitement.

As the blood entered his mouth, it quickly turned into vital energy, speeding up the pace of the bone refinement.

His bones became more and more translucent, bringing him one step closer to the perfect jade bone.

In a desperate burst, the fire-maned wolf broke free from Xu Yan's grip and tried to escape.

But Xu Yan was not about to let his prey escape; he pounced aggressively, punching and kicking, tearing and biting, until the fire-maned wolf finally collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, covered in wounds.

"Can't waste this, it's a treasure for bone refinement!"

Xu Yan pounced again, greedily continuing to suck the blood from the fire-maned wolf. His blood boiled and the speed of his bone refinement greatly increased.

The blood was nearly drained, and at this moment, Xu Yan was in a transformative phase.

He hurriedly stood, beginning to practice his cultivation.

His blood swirled around his bones like dragons, and his marrow became translucent, undergoing some kind of metamorphosis.

It seemed to merge comprehensively, without any gaps.

Boom!

Energy surged wildly, and Xu Yan felt layers of sticky old blood bursting forth from his entire body, completely covering him.

A radiant glow shone through his body, creating an extraordinary vision around him.

Jade bones formed!

Xu Yan's bones turned crystal clear like jade, flawless without a single imperfection—moist, smooth, these impeccable jade bones seemed naturally embedded with intricate, mysterious patterns.

The surge of energy and blood was not only explosive but purer, deserving of the term 'impeccable energy blood.'

Moreover, new energy and blood were constantly being born, growing stronger by the moment, the losses from the battle had long been regained.

At this moment, if Xu Yan were to encounter the Flame Mane Wolf again, the fight wouldn't be as fierce and difficult—as with just three punches and two kicks, he might be able to kill the Flame Mane Wolf.

"I feel like I've transcended, as if I've stepped beyond the realm of mortals," Xu Yan said, clenching his fists, his face filled with excitement.

Only upon forming jade bones did he deeply realize the power and mystery within.

"My Martial Arts foundation has surpassed that of ancient prodigies, I've formed jade bones!"

Impeccable jade bones, eternal through ages!

Even if he were to die now, his bones, enduring countless years, would not only refrain from decaying but would instead become increasingly crystalline and turn into a treasure of the Domain.

This was the might of jade bones, truly surpassing the mortal realm.

And now that he had tempered his jade bones, his path in Martial Arts was wide open, unmatched in his level!

After the excitement, Xu Yan looked at the mutilated corpse of the Flame Mane Wolf and his expression turned into one of pain.

"The hide of the Flame Mane Wolf has been torn and shattered by me, it's ruined and can't be skinned to present to Master," he lamented.

"Master must have already known where the opportunity for me to form jade bones lay, right within the Flame Mane Wolf—he had already paved the way for my Martial Arts!"

The more Xu Yan thought about it, the more moved he felt.

Glancing at the bloodstains covering his body, Xu Yan decided not to return to the little mountain village but to go home, taking the opportunity to find another high-quality Jade Ruyi for his master.

Xu Yan picked up the battered corpse of the Flame Mane Wolf with one hand and found the horse, placing the corpse on the horse's back.

However, the horse, frightened by the scent of the Flame Mane Wolf, went weak in the knees. Only after Xu Yan stimulated his energy blood to mask the scent of the Flame Mane Wolf, the horse reluctantly began to move under his intimidation.

"The flesh of the Flame Mane Wolf is a great supplement, perfect for Viscera Refinement. Now that I've formed jade bones, my Viscera Refinement is nearly complete."

"I'll strive to complete Viscera Refinement within three months!"

Xu Yan was filled with fighting spirit; the entrance to Martial Arts was not far away!

He would eventually become a genuine Martial Arts cultivator, all mockery and disdain would be completely swept away.

He intended to show those people that frogs at the bottom of a well could not know the vastness of the Domain!

And he himself had already stepped into that vast Domain, while they still harbored delusions at the bottom of the well!

…

Li Xuan stood on the hillside, gazing at the path Xu Yan had taken, sighing deeply—his foolish disciple had not returned for five days after leaving.

And he had no idea if Xu Yan had managed to safely cross through the Malevolent Woods or if he had been eaten by some ferocious beast.

Although he had concocted a fictional Cultivation Technique to deceive Xu Yan, it was impossible to say there hadn't been any attachment after all this time together.

Li Xuan was quite pleased with Xu Yan as a disciple.

Alas, he was not a reclusive expert.

This was a deception, doomed to not end well, even if Xu Yan remained unaware; Li Xuan couldn't keep deceiving indefinitely.

No deception in this world remains undiscovered forever.

His only hope was that after a year, there would be no complications and they would part amicably.

Perhaps Xu Yan would be left with the regret of once having an opportunity that he could not seize because of his lack of talent.

And for Li Xuan, he would still be revered in his disciple's heart as the master.

Thus, that could become the best conclusion of this master-disciple relationship.