Da Xuan Martial Saint

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Chen Yue stayed in Xu Hongyu's courtyard for a long time.

It wasn't until past noon that Chen Mu quietly left.

However, before he could return to his own residence, just as he had stepped out of the eastern main courtyard, a figure who seemed to have been waiting for a long time approached him. Dressed as a steward, he was advanced in years, and was in fact the Yu Family's old housekeeper.

"Young Master Chen, this old servant has been waiting for you for quite a while. The master has said that the northern courtyard is no longer suitable for your stay, so we've arranged a new residence for you in the east. It's a bit more spacious and has been cleaned thoroughly. If it's not to your liking, you're welcome to choose another,"

the old housekeeper said, the age-weathered face wearing a kind smile.

As an elder who had served the previous generation's head of the Yu Family, he had watched the children from the fourth and even the third generations of the main lineage grow up. He felt comforted that Xu Hongyu had found a suitable husband.

When he last saw Chen Mu, he thought the young man had a good temperament and behavior, albeit not the topmost in talent. However, he didn't expect Chen Mu to have grasped the artistic conception, which indeed made him a well-matched partner for Xu Hongyu.

"Thank you for the trouble, Elder Yu."

Chen Mu nodded slightly.

Although his marriage with Xu Hongyu wouldn't be settled anytime soon, it really wasn't appropriate to continue living in the previous two-section northern courtyard. In fact, he had considered whether or not to move out of the Yu residence, but the environment in the Inner City was somewhat unique.

Virtually every habitable area was occupied by one of the four great families or their vassal families. So, aside from the Yu Family compound, there really wasn't another place to go within the vast Inner City, unless he went to the Outer City District or built his own manor outside the city, but those options were out of the question.

Although staying within the Yu compound felt oddly like 'moving in with the bride's family,' as Yu Zuyi had said, such concerns were put aside in the Martial World, especially during extraordinary times. He also definitely wouldn't limit his future to just Yu City or this region. Regardless of where he was, it would only be a temporary residence.

Whether he would become a lone wanderer who roamed the lands or a lord who ruled over a territory, Chen Mu hadn't considered; such thoughts were far beyond his current reach. Anticipating things a step or two ahead was prudent, arranging strategies ahead of time. But pondering dozens of steps ahead was mere fanciful speculation, meaningless.

A short while later.

Chen Mu followed the old housekeeper to the new eastern residence, located behind East Main Street in a duplex nested courtyard. It was much larger than the previous one, big enough to require at least a dozen servants for daily maintenance and care.

And this place was not too far from the main Eastern residence, as it was part of the core area of the Yu family's compound. The neighbors tended to either be direct descendants of the Yu family or valued collateral members.

"Some staff from the outer courtyard have been prepared for Young Master. You can purchase maids and matrons for the inner courtyard, or instruct Xiao He to select some people; you would likely trust those she chooses,"

said the old housekeeper with a smile after leading Chen Mu on a tour.

The servants for the outer courtyard were of little concern, but as the maids and attendants of the inner courtyard would be close personal servants, random arrangements were not suitable. It was better for Chen Mu to make the selections personally.

After surveying the inner courtyard, Chen Mu pondered briefly, then decided there was no need to employ additional staff; the three maids Wang Ni, Ku'er, and Le'er would suffice. He didn't need much attendance, and more people could even lead to troubles.

What followed was the move.

As it was all within the grounds of the Yu residence, the relocation wasn't considered a major transitional move and didn't require selecting an auspicious day. Chen Mu didn't have many possessions to transfer, which were moved to the new residence before long.

"So, is the marriage between Brother and Sister Hongyu settled?"

Chen Yue, naturally, followed the move to the new house. As the new residence was a duplex nested courtyard with several inner courtyards, she had one to herself. After settling in, she ran to Chen Mu's room and blinked at him with inquisitive eyes.

"Yeah."

Chen Mu was organizing his room when he heard Chen Yue's query and smiled, "Weren't you always concerned about who your future sister-in-law would be? Now you finally know, right?"

Chen Yue glanced at Chen Mu, then muttered softly, "Sister Hongyu is wonderful, but... what about Xiao Ru?"

She had grown as close to Yu Ru as sisters. She knew Yu Ru might not have had feelings for Chen Mu initially, but after Xu Hongyu inquired about the marriage and visited the South City District, Yu Ru became somewhat preoccupied with thoughts of Chen Mu.

Now, ironically, Xu Hongyu, who might have intended to arrange a marriage between Yu Ru and Chen Mu, was marrying him herself. This left Yu Ru out in the cold, and Chen Yue didn't know what Yu Ru's feelings would be upon hearing the news.

Chen Yue's murmuring also reached Chen Mu's ears.

Or rather, that may have been exactly why she murmured, to give voice to Yu Ru's unspoken concerns.

"Xiao Ru... she's still young,"

Chen Mu paused for a moment, then continued.

He was quite calm about it; after all, he had always felt more brotherly towards Yu Ru. Moreover, Xu Hongyu treated Yu Ru almost no different from a real sister, and he would naturally protect Yu Ru a lot in the future.

As for Xu Hongyu, he figured she might struggle to break the news to Yu Ru.

Thinking this, Chen Mu couldn't help but chuckle to himself. After all, he wouldn't be the one to help in explaining; it was Hongyu who initially didn't consider him, only wanting to arrange a girl from the Yu family for him.

Finally.

After tidying up the room, Chen Mu looked at Chen Yue, saying, "Alright, enough about that. I'm off to practice my martial arts."

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Chen Yue stuck out her tongue and left Chen Mu's courtyard.

After sending Chen Yue away, Chen Mu came to the cluttered room next to the entrance of his courtyard. Inside the room, there was a burning stove. Chen Mu approached the stove, took out various herbs one by one, and placed them into the stove following the sequence from the Bone Tempering Method's prescription.

Compared to the Tendon Changing Technique, the Bone Tempering Method has fewer types, but it's slightly more complicated. It not only requires the internal consumption of Bone Tempering Pills and the external application of medicinal baths for bone tempering, but also the practice of a set of fist techniques to refine the bones, which would allow the medicinal power to be better absorbed.

Tiger Demon Bone Tempering Fist.

This was what Chen Mu meticulously researched while watching the furnace.

The entire Bone Tempering Method, also known as the Tiger Demon Bone Tempering Technique, is considered one of the best methods for bone tempering. It was created based on the fourth-rank beast 'Tiger Demon'. One of the medically powdered ingredients used for bone tempering was the Tiger Demon Marrow, which was also quite expensive. With Chen Mu's current wealth, purchasing it was a bit painful.

After all, that large piece of Flame Jade could not be readily liquidated, and the actual amount of money he had at hand was only a few ten thousand Silver. The value of a portion of Tiger Demon Marrow cost several hundred Silver pieces alone. With this prescription, the monthly expenses would almost reach nearly ten thousand Patterned Silver.

Poor in literature but rich in martial prowess—it's indeed true.

Actually, there were also Bone Tempering Methods that were a bit cheaper and simpler, but when compared to the Tiger Demon Bone Tempering Technique, they were somewhat inferior. Presently, Chen Mu certainly wouldn't choose a practice method that was of lesser quality.

"Bone Tempering Realm, just like before, is divided into Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and Perfection."

"And similar to Skin Toughening and Body Refinement, the Bone Tempering Realm also has a limit. Although this part is not detailed in the Tiger Demon Bone Tempering Technique, I have seen it described in the Da Xuan Martial Canon. It's said that if one cultivates the Bone Tempering Realm to its limit, one could cultivate 'Jade Bone'.

The bones would be flawless and crystal clear as jade, and even if one's body were to lie in the wasteland, exposed to wind and sun, the bones could remain intact and undecayed for a thousand years!"

A glint of light flickered in Chen Mu's eyes.

The bones of ordinary people after death, if not processed and buried, would quickly decay to dust. Only those at the Bone Tempering Realm would have bones that could exist for an extended period after the body decays.

However, to achieve the level of being undecayed and immortal for a thousand years, one must practice the Bone Tempering Realm to its limit and transform the bones into Jade Bone.

Yet.

For ordinary people to achieve that step is extremely difficult. Among all those in the Bone Tempering Realm, the ones who could cultivate Jade Bone were one in ten thousand, and reaching this level inevitably meant stepping into the Five Viscera Realm!

Whether a martial artist could step into the Five Viscera Realm is greatly related to their own Qi-Blood. Generally, the younger they were and the more abundant their Qi-Blood, the easier it would be to break through the Five Viscera Realm; the converse would make it more difficult.

Usually, after reaching the age of thirty-five, the likelihood of stepping into the Five Viscera Realm would greatly decrease, and by the age of forty, it would be nearly impossible to enter the Five Viscera Realm.

Yet, accumulating Qi-Blood requires time.

Either constantly hunting monsters, consuming the Blood Essence of beasts, and then refining and solidifying it to improve one's Qi-Blood, or like Chen Mu, methodically cultivating each Realm to its limit, solidifying one's Qi-Blood to the extreme.

The vast majority of martial artists in the world often have no choice but to choose the former path and cannot take a path like Chen Mu's because refining any realm to its ultimate limit is extremely hard. Unless one has a special physique, it often requires a lot of time, typically three to five years or even seven to eight years.

If so, one might delay the progress of Body Refining and ultimately fail to cultivate Bone Tempering, let alone step into the Five Viscera Realm.

"In the state of Yu City, there are always some individuals born with Copper Skin in each generation, but those born with Copper Skin and robust flesh, and the physique of Vajra, are extremely rare. Only once in a long while one will appear, and they are usually recruited by the Seven Profound Sect."

"Only those who can refine Skin Toughening and Body Refinement to the limit with just a bit of Cultivation are qualified to spend extra time at the Tendon Changing or Bone Tempering stage, attempting to reach the realms of Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound or Jade Bone."

Chen Mu contemplated in his heart.

In the state of Yu City, these individuals are very rare. His practicing of Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound alone could surpass the ordinary Bone Tempering Minor Achievement, comparable to Bone Tempering Major Achievement.

But for inheritors of great sects like the Heavenly Sword Hehuan and Blood Concealment Mysterious Technique, their top talents naturally possess both gifts and aptitudes far above countless others. What they compete in is the depth of each Realm.

After all, as the Martial Canon states, whether Skin Toughening, Body Refinement, Tendon Changing, and Bone Tempering—the Four Realms—can be cultivated to the limit not only affects the difficulty of entering the Five Viscera Realm but also significantly influences the martial artist's strength after stepping into the Five Viscera.

In Yu City, those who can step into the Five Viscera Realm are already extraordinary individuals, so these differences in strength aren't very significant.

However, when looking at a whole state or even several states, among the inheritors and prodigies, as well as those capable of reaching even higher levels, these foundations and depths become overwhelmingly important.

"All right."

Chen Mu put down the booklet in his hand and turned his gaze towards the furnace, where he saw that the pot for boiling medicine had already produced a grey substance that looked like mercury.

Chen Mu picked up the medicine pot and went into the room on the west side of the courtyard, and walked all the way to the most interior part, where he was separated by several partitions into a windowless, dimly lit silent chamber. This was the practice room he had set up, which was usually off-limits to anyone.

He quickly got undressed.

He took out a Bone Tempering Pill and swallowed it.

Then he plunged his hand into the medicine pot and scooped out a handful of the mercury-like, silver-grey liquid while it was still hot, feeling extremely thick, almost like an ointment.

Without any pause, Chen Mu quickly applied this viscous silver-grey ointment inch by inch to specific parts of his body according to the illustrations in his memory. Soon his entire body, apart from a few uncovered parts, was covered as if he had turned into a grey wax statue, motionless.

From every inch that was applied, white vapor rose.