11

"While what you said is true, it's still missing some key information." The man's tone grew serious as he began to explain further.

"As you might have guessed, the realms of martial artists are divided into nine grades. The Ninth Grade is the beginning, and the First Grade is the highest." He paused briefly, letting his words sink in before continuing.

"You can't just start refining muscles and immediately step into the realm of martial artists. It's a gradual process that requires both time and effort." His eyes shifted to Lin Kai, who understood that the man was subtly pointing out his own brief three-month journey.

"Most people start around the age of twelve. Before then, the muscles aren't developed enough, and the body won't be able to endure the training. That's why twelve is considered the ideal age to begin—when the body is still growing but can withstand the strain."

"After that," he sighed, "comes the process of reaching the peak of ordinary human potential. To do this, one must consume foods or medicines rich in energy to support their body. Some achieve this in months, while for others, it takes years."

He glanced at Lin Kai and added, "No one can reach the peak of human strength in just three months, especially not starting at sixteen." His words were clearly a reference to Lin Kai, whose eyes narrowed slightly as he took them in.

"Once you've consumed enough precious medicines and rich meats, and your body reaches its physical limit, that's when muscle refining truly begins, marking the start of a martial artist's journey."

The more Lin Kai listened, the more he realized the so-called Martial Hall had been a complete scam. It made sense now—why he hadn't seen any progress after three months of hard practice, why none of the true martial artists trained there. It all fell into place, and with it came a growing fury. He had spent his entire fortune, only to be swindled. His eyes darkened as he silently vowed that once he reached an unfathomable level of power, he would make those bastards pay back every last coin.

Unaware of Lin Kai's inner turmoil, the man continued.

"Once you've reached the physical limit of an ordinary person, muscle refining begins in earnest. This involves constant tempering with valuable treasures and herbs. When a person's strength reaches 500 pounds, they are considered a Ninth Grade martial artist."

"But that's only the beginning. You have to keep refining until you hit your personal limit. For some, that limit is 700 pounds. For others, it's 800 or even more, with rare individuals reaching over 1,000 pounds. The greater your strength at this stage, the smoother your martial path will be."

He paused, giving Lin Kai a moment to digest all of this. Minutes passed in silence before the man spoke again.

"After reaching your limit in muscle refining, the next step is bone refining."

Lin Kai's ears perked up at these words. His panel had indicated that he was in the Eighth Grade (though it also listed 'false'), so he was eager to understand the true difference between himself and a genuine Eighth Grade martial artist.

"Unlike muscle refining, bone refining is far more dangerous. It requires constant tempering in extreme conditions. Some martial artists train under waterfalls for months, while others use intense heat to strengthen their bones. Everyone has their own method, but the goal is the same: when your bones develop a metallic sheen, you've successfully entered the Eighth Grade."

"And just like muscle refining, the results of bone refining vary from person to person."

"I see." Lin Kai nodded. He couldn't see inside his own body, but he felt certain that he had reached the limit of the Eighth Grade. Yet, the glaring issue remained—despite his progress, he couldn't fully access his strength. He wanted to ask how he compared to a true Ninth Grade martial artist, but he held his question for now, waiting for the man to finish.

"The Seventh Grade involves skin refining," the man continued. "As with muscles and bones, you must temper your skin to toughen it."

He didn't elaborate further, leaving Lin Kai deep in thought. After a moment, the man noticed his hesitation.

"Looks like you have a question," he said with a smile.

"Um..." Lin Kai hesitated briefly before asking, "Why do we refine muscles, bones, and then skin? Why can't we just start with bones?"

"Oh!" The man's smile widened as he nodded approvingly. "Good question."

"The simple answer is: the earlier processes build up to the later ones. You can't start with bone refining because the body has to first surpass the limits of ordinary humans. The extreme conditions required to refine bones—whether it's intense heat or freezing water—would be impossible to withstand without first building up the muscles."

He chuckled before continuing, "Now, let's say someone got lucky and managed to refine their bones without refining their muscles first. Even then, they would still be considered a mortal, not a martial artist."

"Huh?!" Lin Kai's eyes widened in disbelief. He thought he had misheard. How could someone who had already refined their bones still be considered a mortal? It didn't make sense.

The man seemed to anticipate his confusion. "Refining your bones doesn't increase your raw strength. If someone who has only refined their bones fought against someone who has refined their muscles, the muscle refiner would win easily."

*Bang

The man's words hit Lin Kai like a clap of thunder, shaking the very core of his beliefs. Up until now, he had thought he was stronger than a Ninth Grade martial artist. But now, he realized he had been deluding himself. He was like a frog at the bottom of a well, completely unaware of the vast sky above him.

This revelation dealt a heavy blow to his self-esteem. It was as if he had been rudely awakened from a pleasant dream.

"Each step has its own purpose and advantage," the man explained. "The Ninth Grade is all about raw strength, while the Eighth Grade offers increased resistance to blunt force. In the Seventh Grade, after refining your skin, you become nearly invulnerable to sharp weapons."

"Although a muscle refiner would have an advantage in a fight against a bone refiner, they wouldn't be able to kill them. In fact, if they aren't careful, they might even hurt themselves from the rebound force."

"I see." Lin Kai's understanding deepened. Things weren't as straightforward as he had originally thought. He wasn't weaker than a Ninth Grade martial artist; he simply needed to refine his muscles. Unlike others who might take months or even years, Lin Kai had a unique advantage—he could absorb things... He just needed to find the right one to absorb.

"Now comes the sixth grade," the man's voice deepened, his tone carrying an air of solemnity.

"The most dangerous step between the ninth and first grade. This is the realm where one begins to refine their organs—from the liver, kidneys, and heart to the eyes, ears, and nose. The more organs a person refines, the greater their advantages. It's often called the 'transition realm.' You can either stop after refining just one organ and move on to the next grade, or you can choose to refine as many organs as possible, granting yourself extreme abilities. The decision is yours."

His words weighed heavily, and Lin Kai could feel the gravity of what he was saying.

"The fifth grade is refining your blood," the man continued, his tone suddenly more brisk, as if he wished to move on quickly. "It's also the only grade where a person's innate abilities awaken, determined by the quality of their bloodline."

He cut off the explanation almost abruptly, clearly uninterested in discussing this realm further.

Lin Kai wanted to ask more but could sense that the conversation had shifted. Reluctantly, he kept his curiosity in check.

"The fourth grade is called 'recasting.' At this stage, one's body undergoes a complete rebirth, transforming on a fundamental level." The man paused, his gaze distant. After that, he just went silent.

"That's it?" Lin Kai blurted out after waiting for what felt like an eternity, his curiosity gnawing at him. He wanted to know more about the higher realms—the third, second, and first grades. But the man merely shook his head with a smile, clearly unwilling to say more.

Lin Kai's frustration built up. He was on edge, feeling as though he had been left hanging just when things were getting interesting.

"It's not always wise to know too much, little friend," the man said with a knowing smile, stretching his limbs before shifting his focus back to the scenery before them.

Lin Kai mulled over the conversation, trying to figure out what the man's intentions were. In the end, he decided not to push further on the topic of the realms. Instead, he took a deep breath, following the man's gaze into the distance before asking a different question that had been troubling him.

"Why me?"

"Huh?" The man looked confused, clearly caught off guard by the abrupt shift in conversation.

"Why share such valuable knowledge with me?" Lin Kai rephrased his question, narrowing his eyes. "I'm just a servant. If you wanted to talk, I'm sure there are better choices."

This was the one thing Lin Kai couldn't wrap his head around. He could somewhat understand the man mentioning the library earlier, but this? Why spend all this time sharing precious insight with him?

For a brief moment, paranoia crept in. Had the man somehow discovered that Lin Kai had already refined his bones? If so, that might explain why he was paying attention to him. But if not, then what was the reason?

The more Lin Kai thought about it, the deeper his confusion grew. He simply had to ask.

"Well, because you're pleasant to look at," the man replied nonchalantly as if that were the most obvious reason in the world.

"Wait, that's it?" Lin Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this man serious?

"That, and none of the other servants dare to speak with me. And... I'm bored." The man's tone was casual, each word landing in Lin Kai's ears like the most ridiculous answer imaginable.

"I..." Lin Kai stammered, lost for words. All of the overthinking, the layers of complexity he had built up in his mind... and this was the reason? He almost wanted to laugh at himself for assuming there was more to it.

Without showcasing any of his hidden abilities, Lin Kai was still just another servant in the Ji family. The man before him, someone whose strength seemed immeasurable, didn't need any grand reason to talk to him.

Lin Kai shook his head and let out a hollow laugh. He glanced at the man, then at the peaceful scene of the Ji family estate spread out before them. Silence settled between them once more, as they quietly watched the world before them.