Chapter 107: Chapter 86: The Story of School Head Lu
“How is it?”
Soon, Dean Lu Mingrong ceased his practice and stood up, his face not showing any sign of exertion, instead, it was flushed with vitality.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuan said, “The strength is vigorous, and the energy permeates the whole body. When a punch is thrown, the bones resonate together. If I’m not mistaken, the Bone Tempering Method cultivated by School Head Lu is very unique. It has progressively enhancing effects. Initially, it does not show its power, but as time passes, the bone tempering becomes increasingly potent. Otherwise, it would be impossible to withstand such a vigorous punch.”
“You… can see all this?” Lu Mingrong revealed a look of surprise.
His Bone Tempering Method, even City Lord Yu Longqing had endlessly praised, which showed its fearsomeness. However, this secret manual also had a fatal flaw – it required a very long time. For example, when Patriarch Chen Xiao was in the Muscle Membrane Realm, he was already in the Jade Bone Realm. When reaching the Viscera Realm, he was still in the Jade Bone Realm…
Now, the other party had also reached the Peak of Jade Bone Realm, but he was still… in the Jade Bone Realm!
It was as if he had died in this realm. Not to mention others, just being at the pinnacle level had trapped him for ten years… It had been thirty years since he first entered the early stage of this realm!
Because of this, he felt that breaking through was difficult and hopeless.
Not expecting that after performing just one set of fist techniques, Teacher Zhang had noticed it and spoke with pinpoint accuracy, even the usually composed Lu Mingrong found it somewhat incredible.
Zhang Xuan continued, “The benefits of this cultivation method are significant. It can temper all bones in the body altogether and reach an unimaginable state, unmatched at the same level. However, the downside is also very clear, the joints of the body can become stiff if not practiced properly. You need to soak in medicinal water for at least two hours a day to relieve it…”
Lu Mingrong’s body jerked.
If it was just surprise before, now it was fear.
Everyone knew that his bones were as hard as steel, that he in the Jade Bone Realm could withstand a blow from someone in the Divine Soul Realm, but they didn’t know that he had to soak in medicinal water for a long time every day to maintain his mobility.
This symptom had been worsening over the years. In order not to be discovered, he seldom accepted disciples and often cultivated in seclusion, claiming to be trying to break into the Divine Soul Realm, but in fact, he was just trying to manage his condition.
Earlier, when Wu Yunzhou and others discovered Zhang Xuan’s talent, and had Teacher Zhou Xu call on him, he was soaking in medicinal water.
“Just now, your fists were full of power, but noticeably less agile. From this, I can see your condition is already severe. If you don’t find a way to adjust, advancing beyond Jade Bone Realm is almost impossible!”
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
It wasn’t the cultivation method that was flawed, but during his practice, Dean Lu Mingrong made a deviation that caused his joint cartilage to solidify completely.
“This…”
Clutching his fists tightly and after a moment, Lu Mingrong bowed deeply to the ground, looking earnest, “I beg Teacher Zhang to help me. If you can indeed resolve this hidden danger and help me break through, I will immediately offer you the Destiny Plate.”
Previously he might have doubted the other party, feeling that a young and seemingly conceited man might not be correct. But now, he faintly felt that there was a real possibility of resolving his hidden danger!
After all, the most skilled physicians of Baiyan City hadn’t noticed anything amiss in his condition, but this person, just by having him perform a few punches, understood clearly and precisely as if he had been by his side for over a decade. It would be false to say he wasn’t shocked.
“If you want my help, there are two things you need to know in advance.”
Zhang Xuan said, “First, I need to know why your cultivation went wrong! As the Dean of Baiyan Academy and a teacher, you would have recognized something was off after practicing this cultivation method for decades. Why did you still continue performing it?”
“I…”
Lu Mingrong fell silent.
Zhang Xuan continued, “Second, I need to see this Bone Tempering cultivation technique. Only by knowing where the fault lies and how it went wrong can I pinpoint the problem, diagnose it correctly, and resolve the hidden danger. If you can’t do these two things, then I’m afraid I can’t help.”
Even the Library of Heaven’s Path, which could see through all flaws, wasn’t omnipotent without knowing where the error in his cultivation method occurred; it too couldn’t resolve the problem.
Furrowing his brows, Lu Mingrong did not hastily respond.
Whether it was the error in his cultivation or the Bone Tempering Method, both were his deepest secrets, and he was reluctant to reveal them. But the other party was right; without an explanation, not even the most skilled physician could cure him.
“This cultivation technique is available on the third floor of the academy’s Book Collection Vault. Any elder can practice it, but in hundreds of years, only I managed to master it…”
After some thought, Lu Mingrong sighed, took a book from his chest, and handed it over, saying, “It doesn’t hurt to let you see it. However, learning it is not so easy.”
“Thank you for understanding!”
Zhang Xuan nodded, and as his fingers touched the book, he inwardly exclaimed, “Flaws.” The next moment, hundreds of books containing Heavenly Mandate Vital Energy in the Library of Heaven’s Path quickly converged to form a single book.
His eyes fell on the cover—”Tidal Marrow Tempering Method.”
With a thought, the flaws of the cultivation technique instantly entered his mind, allowing him to fully understand it.
In just a brief moment, the man before him had completely mastered the cultivation technique he had practiced for decades. With no reservations left, Lu Mingrong explained, “As for why it went wrong, it was a moment of impulsiveness when I was young. It’s been so long, there’s no harm in telling you.”
“About forty years ago, a prodigy emerged in Baiyan City, ranking first in the Source Pool evaluation for a century. Starting his practice, he made rapid progress. In just half a year, he broke through Accumulative Phase, successfully charged into Physique, reached the pinnacle of Viscera Realm within five years, and entered the Jade Bone Realm within six!”
“At 24, he became unmatched among his peers, and even among the ten cities around, he was among the top three. He was unmatched in glory at the time… attracting countless people’s attention and admiration.”
“This…”
Zhang Xuan expressed his admiration, “I didn’t expect School Head Lu to be so talented. No wonder he can manage an entire school…”
Lu Mingrong shook his head, “The genius isn’t me, but City Lord Yu Longqing!”
“Huh?” Zhang Xuan was startled.
As he wondered, Lu Mingrong continued, “Back then, my talent was quite ordinary. I didn’t have much of a reputation in the school either. When I was the same age as City Lord Yu Longqing, I was only at the primary stage of the Fascia Realm. Few paid attention to me, I was a nobody! It wasn’t until I went to Huaiyuan Mountain for a trial and encountered danger that I was saved by a girl from a clan.”
“She was beautiful, gentle, and very naive, treating me very well, always putting me first… During our time together, I gradually fell for her.”
“But at that time, I was poor, with no family or power backing me. I was not among the best teachers in the academy. Yet, I really liked her and was willing to give my all.”
Saying this, Lu Mingrong fell into contemplation, “She said… to be together, at the very least, I needed to reach the peak of the Viscera Realm and have ten million as a dowry, only then could our social standings match. So, I practiced day and night, partook in the most dangerous trials, and slew the most ferocious Primordial Beasts, all to improve myself faster and accumulate the resources needed for the proposal…”
“Four years later, I had prepared everything and had finally reached the peak of the Viscera Realm. Just when I was planning to propose, I discovered that while she was flirting with me, she was also living together with someone else…”
“Ah, this…”
Zhang Xuan was stunned.
No wonder he didn’t want to talk about it. After all that effort of four years, it amounted to nothing but failure…
“Could it be…”
A light bulb went off, and Zhang Xuan realized, “The person she was with, was it City Lord Yu Longqing?”
A young hero, with unparalleled talent, it would be normal to be outshone.
“Of course not!”
Dean Lu Mingrong replied, “If it had been him, knowing I couldn’t compete, I would have accepted it. But it was a cowardly and pathetic young man who used to follow me on trials, whom I helped by letting him pass the assessments and hunt, his cultivation was only at the Physique Realm, Fourthfold of Source Pool Realm, not noticeable in a crowd…”
“Then…” Zhang Xuan blinked.
If he was not as excellent as you, why did she choose him?
Lu Mingrong replied, “I was also puzzled and wanted to ask her, but she refused to see me and deliberately avoided me!”
Zhang Xuan speculated, “It seems she must have had her reasons, either due to her family or something else…”
Lu Mingrong nodded, “Yes, that’s what I thought too. It’s a pity her family had great influence and I couldn’t meet with them. I could only force my way in, and at that time, my strength was far from sufficient, so I… resorted to using a secret art to forcibly break through to the Jade Bone Realm!”
“This Bone Tempering Method you saw requires gradual effort to grow stronger, but back then, I was too eager to find her and paid no heed to this, directly using brute force to temper my body…”
Zhang Xuan sighed.
He had mastered this Tidal Marrow Tempering Method and naturally understood its flaws.
A bit of training, powerful and astonishing, but in haste, it could easily cause the joints to ossify and once set, it would be too late for regrets.
Unless one could break through to the Divine Soul Realm, using the power of the soul to slowly nurture oneself, it might take ten, twenty years to resolve this issue, otherwise, one shouldn’t expect it in this lifetime.
But… having cultivated wrongly, the state of mind had been affected, making it incredibly difficult to break through to Divine Soul.
“The reckless cultivation allowed me to possess immense strength within the Jade Bone Realm. Relying on raw strength, I forced my way into her family and finally met with her…”
Lu Mingrong’s face turned deathly pale, clenching his fists involuntarily.
Zhang Xuan couldn’t help speculating, “Could it be… she was already seriously ill, bedridden, and that’s why she kept putting off meeting?”
“No!”
Lu Mingrong turned and looked at him, his eyes full of sorrow, “She had already borne that man’s child… and had given birth! Moreover… the child was already three and a half years old!”
“???”
Zhang Xuan was stunned on the spot.
Thought it was a love story, but it ended up being a firm cuckold…”
“Wait!”
Suddenly, Zhang Xuan realized, “You mean, you prepared for four years to be worthy of her, while she and that weaker guy had a child who’s three and a half years old?”
(Updates to follow, at noon at 12 PM and in the evening at 6 PM)