C3 Tempering the Skin Top Level Martial Cultivator!!

In the lower right corner of the mental display, Xu Renli's personal details emerged.

Host: Xu Renli

Level: High-Level Martial Cultivator (Successfully tempered skin on the face, neck, chest, abdomen, both arms, and left leg; right leg skin +?)

Vitality: 820cal

Spirit: Unknown

The journey of human cultivation involves progressively strengthening the body's organs. Martial Cultivators refine their skin, Martial Masters hone their flesh and blood, Grand Martial Masters fortify their internal organs, and Martial Ancestors solidify the bones throughout their body.

Since suffering severe injuries a year ago, Xu Renli's cultivation level plummeted. The refined essence of his flesh, blood, and organs dissipated, leaving him as vulnerable as an ordinary person, necessitating a fresh round of tempering.

"Beep! Eldest disciple Mu Yueqi's Vitality +1cal, magnified tenfold and bestowed upon you, totaling 10cal!"

"...Bestowed upon you, tenfold Vitality, +10cal!"

By the afternoon's end, Mu Yueqi had transferred a total of 50cal of Vitality to Xu Renli, boosting his Vitality to 860cal.

As night fell, the starry sky twinkled above, and the chorus of insects echoed from outside.

Within a bamboo hut, Mu Yueqi lay under a thin blanket on a somewhat stiff bamboo bed, inhaling the subtle, refreshing scent characteristic of fresh bamboo.

She was on a video call with her best friend, holding the communicator in her hands.

"Jiaojiao, just look at me. My face is still swollen... Wuuu, I took Hei Tieta as my master and trained for four hours this afternoon... No, I mean I was on the receiving end of a beating for a solid four hours!"

"Hei Tieta really doesn't hold back, does he?"

On the phone's screen, a girl in bunny pajamas lounged on a bed strewn with pink plush toys, her laughter tinged with schadenfreude.

"Boss Qi, you said that guy was a Martial Ancestor, right? You still dare to badmouth him? Aren't you worried about a Martial Ancestor overhearing?"

Mu Yueqi scoffed dismissively.

"Pfft! He's a has-been Martial Ancestor. Rumor has it Hei Tieta survived an onslaught from several Evil Demons—guy's got some serious luck... And now, he's apparently not even up to the level of a Martial Master."

"He's not even a Martial Master? So, he's a Martial Cultivator, right?"

"Exactly."

Jiaojiao's eyes twinkled with mischief as a scheme took shape in her mind.

"Boss Qi, your Vitality is at 85cal, and you're on the verge of advancing to Martial Cultivator status... Why not use this chance to swindle that guy's legacy from him? Like a battle skill, a secret technique, or a Divine Weapon. Once you've become a Martial Cultivator, you can give him a good thrashing and get some payback. How about that idea?"

Mu Yueqi paused, taken aback.

She swept a cautious glance around, then stealthily tucked her phone into the folds of her blanket, speaking in a hushed tone.

"Jiaojiao, that doesn't seem right. He is my master, after all, my elder... But tell me, where should I hit him to really let off some steam?"

"The face! Pummel his face into a pig's head!"

"Okay."

"Giggle..."

In a different bamboo hut.

Xu Renli was wide awake, sitting cross-legged on his bamboo bed, his gaze unwavering.

"Use the power of Qi and blood to temper the skin on my right leg!"

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his right leg, turning the skin a fiery red as if it were being scorched by flames.

Yet his expression remained stoic, not even a furrow in his brow.

For Xu Renli, who had risen from Martial Disciple to Martial Ancestor, enduring injuries was just part of over a decade of combat life.

This minor pain was trivial, barely more than a tickle to a child.

The tempering of his right leg's skin continued for about ten minutes.

"50cal of Qi and blood consumed, right leg skin successfully tempered!"

Xu Renli's robust muscles now glowed with an otherworldly sheen, from his face down to his chest, abdomen, and limbs – his entire body's skin had been tempered!

He was a top-tier Martial Cultivator!

"Did it actually work? This is unbelievable!"

Xu Renli leapt to his feet, pacing the room with renewed vigor. The year-long slump he'd been in vanished in an instant.

What he'd achieved in just one afternoon was on par with a week's worth of training!

Earlier that day, he had delved into the Grandmaster System and discovered he could use Qi and blood to directly temper his skin. Without hesitation, he gave it a try.

I never thought it would actually succeed!

Currently, Mu Yueqi's strength is still too weak.

She practiced all afternoon and only increased her Vitality by 5cal. Once she becomes a Martial Cultivator, and eventually a Martial Master, the Vitality she'll be able to give back will surely be in the hundreds, if not thousands—a colossal amount!

In other words, this is at least several times faster than Xu Renli's own cultivation speed!

A faint starlight fell upon Xu Renli's determined face, his eyes shining even more brilliantly than the stars themselves.

"With this incredible rate of cultivation, I'll surely rise to the rank of Initial Martial Master in less than a month!"

"Next month, I can take on another disciple, which will result in an explosive increase in feedback. With that, the possibility of returning to my former peak doesn't seem out of reach!"

"Xielin, Brave, Hai Jian... I, Xu Renli, vow to utterly destroy you!"

Xu Renli was brimming with hope and great expectations for the future.

The next morning, at five o'clock.

In the woods, birds woke up, chirping melodiously as they greeted each other, inquiring about the insects they had for breakfast.

Dressed in a black vest and gray cloth shoes, Xu Renli glided in through the window like a specter.

Whoosh!

His bamboo sword, swift as lightning, struck the head burrowed in the blankets.

"Ah!"

Mu Yueqi let out a shriek.

Her hair in disarray, she rubbed her reddened, swollen eyes and peered out from under the covers, bleary-eyed. Seeing Xu Renli, her eyes rounded with alarm.

"Master, this is unseemly... Why have you barged into my room? Ah, I need to call the—"

"Time to cultivate."

Xu Renli's face was stoic.

"Cultivate?"

Mu Yueqi grabbed her phone from the nightstand, checked the time, and began tearing at her hair, nearly driven mad.

"It's only 5:25 a.m. I haven't even finished my beauty sleep!"

Even if she had to cultivate, did it have to be this early? Most people don't start work until eight.

"Of the twenty-seven female martial cultivators I know, there are seventeen Martial Masters, nine Grand Martial Masters, and one Martial Ancestor. In my youth, I joined three Martial Masters on a mission deep into Barbarian Tribe territory to gather intelligence. Sadly, they..."

"What happened to them?"

Mu Yueqi's face was a picture of bewilderment.

"It was before the break of dawn when we were ambushed by high-level warriors from the Barbarian Tribe. I was jolted awake and managed to flee on my own. But they... they were in no rush."

"One insisted on applying makeup, while the other two were set on getting their beauty sleep. As a result... they were captured by the Barbarian Tribe experts, methodically sliced into fifty-six pieces, then skewered and roasted over flames, seasoned with spices. That peculiar flavor... it's hauntingly memorable."

Ugh!

Mu Yueqi's lovely face contorted, and she retched right there and then.

Could her master have actually consumed fellow humans?

Monster!

Hei Tieta had to be a monster!

Within a mere minute, Mu Yueqi had composed herself and was standing neatly in the clearing before the bamboo forest. Her face still bore traces of unease as she cast a glance full of terror and dread towards Xu Renli.

"Today, we'll continue with live combat. Draw your sword!"

Of course, Xu Renli had decided to up the ante from yesterday's training.