The first round of tempering lasted about half an hour.
When the medicinal power finally settled, Lin Yuan felt his whole skeleton heating up slightly, as if it had been reforged.
【Bone Tempering: Round 1 Complete】
He took a few breaths and picked up the second pill.
The second round was more than twice as painful as the first.
The medicinal power seeped deeper into the bones. He could clearly feel a change happening inside—they were becoming denser, harder, and more capable of withstanding the impact of power.
【Bone Tempering: Round 2 Complete】
The third pill.
【Bone Tempering: Round 3 Complete】
The fourth pill.
【Bone Tempering: Round 4 Complete】
By the fifth pill, Lin Yuan's hands were shaking.
Not out of fear, but because the pain from the first four rounds had accumulated, and his body was nearly numb.
But he still swallowed the fifth pill.
This round was completely different from the previous four.
The medicinal power no longer flowed evenly through his body; instead, it seemed to come alive, precisely converging on every weak point in his skeleton.
The gaps and corners that hadn't been tempered in the first four rounds were all filled during this one.
The moment the last gap was permeated by the medicinal power, Lin Yuan's entire skeleton let out a slight resonance.
Buzz!
The sound wasn't loud, yet it vibrated the window glass.
【Bone Tempering: Round 5 Complete】
Lin Yuan opened his eyes and clenched his fists.
It was different.
Completely different.
He could feel his bones had become a much sturdier foundation, capable of carrying more ability energy.
If his body had been a small stream before, it was now at least a river, with more than double the water flow capacity.
He glanced at the system panel and found that while the upper limit of his lightning ability hadn't changed, the speed of the energy flow had significantly increased.
This meant that at the same ability level, he could now unleash more power than before.
Previously, through his own insights, Lin Yuan's lightning ability had already broken through to Tier 1, Level 4.
With five rounds of tempering, combined with his Tier 1, Level 4 lightning ability and the assistance of the space-time system, he was confident he could go head-to-head with any opponent below Tier 2.
But Lin Yuan had no intention of stopping.
Five rounds weren't enough.
He wanted nine. Or even—
Ten Rounds as One.
Over the next four days, Lin Yuan's life entered a near-frenzied rhythm.
Hunting monsters in the wilderness during the day to earn Ability Points and money.
Returning to his small house at night, using the earned money to buy more Bone Tempering Pills, upgrading them to Peak Grade with Ability Points, and then gritting his teeth to push through round after round.
On the sixth day, he completed the sixth round of bone tempering.
This round cost him three Peak Grade Bone Tempering Pills, and the consumption of medicinal power was more than the first five rounds combined.
After the tempering ended, a faint silver luster emerged on the surface of his entire skeleton, as if it had been plated with a thin film.
Seventh day, seventh round.
After four Peak Grade Bone Tempering Pills, his bones turned from silver to pale gold.
Meanwhile, his lightning ability broke through to Tier 1, Level 5.
On the eighth day, he tried to charge for the eighth round.
He failed.
The medicinal power suddenly dissipated halfway through the infiltration. Not only did he fail to complete the tempering, but the backlash also made him cough up blood.
Lin Yuan lay on the ground for half an hour before he could recover.
The system prompt was concise.
【Bone Tempering: 7 Rounds】
【Tip: Attempting the 8th round requires a more stable foundation. It is recommended to upgrade your lightning ability to E-rank before trying again.】
Upgrade lightning to E-rank.
Lin Yuan checked his Ability Points balance.
He had practically lived in the wilderness these past few days.
Killing from morning till night without even taking a break at noon. He drank from streams when thirsty and chewed on dry rations when hungry.
The monster hunters on the outskirts of the wilderness would now actively avoid him—not out of fear, but because they were afraid he would snatch all the monsters.
This madman killed more monsters in a day than a squad did in a week.
【Ability Points: 647】
Upgrading lightning from F-rank to E-rank required 500 points.
Lin Yuan didn't hesitate.
“Upgrade.”
【Consumed 500 Ability Points. Lightning ability upgraded from F-rank to E-rank.】
【Ability level increase detected. Lightning ability power increased by 40%, energy reserve increased by 50%.】
A surge of power, far more violent than any previous breakthrough, exploded within him.
The lightning ability throughout Lin Yuan's body surged wildly. The originally thread-like lightning became thick and solid, crackling all around him.
He could feel that his lightning ability had undergone a qualitative change.
At F-rank, the lightning he released could only briefly paralyze monsters and required spear techniques to be lethal.
Now, just the electric arcs dancing at his fingertips were enough to turn a Tier 1, Level 1 monster into charcoal.
More importantly—the lightning “anchor” was more stable.
The sensing range of his space-time ability had expanded from a five-meter radius to ten meters.
Ninth day.
Using his E-rank lightning ability, Lin Yuan swept through an area deep in the wilderness that he hadn't dared to approach before.
That place was occupied by a group of Tier 1, Level 8 to Level 9 Iron-spined Boars. They had thick hides and were extremely aggressive; ordinary hunters didn't dare get close.
He spent the whole day picking them off one by one.
By the time he finished for the evening, his Ability Points balance was back to 312, and his wallet had gained another ten thousand plus Huaxia coins.
Then he returned to the city and went straight to the Ability User Association, sweeping all the low-grade Bone Tempering Pills off the counter—twelve in total.
The female clerk's look toward him had changed.
“Are you... sure you want this many?”
“I'm sure.”
Back at the small house, Lin Yuan upgraded all twelve low-grade Bone Tempering Pills to Peak Grade, which cost 600 Ability Points.
For the missing portion, he made another trip to the wilderness and killed three Tier 1, Level 9 monsters overnight to make up the difference.
Then he swallowed the pill for the eighth round of bone tempering.
This time, there was no failure.
The medicinal power of the Peak Grade pill flooded deep into his bones, and fine patterns began to appear on the pale gold bone surface.
They weren't cracks, but natural bone patterns, each one containing astonishing power.
【Bone Tempering: Round 8 Complete】
Lin Yuan stood up and rolled his shoulders. His whole skeleton let out a series of crisp pops.
He could feel his strength, speed, reflexes, and even the flow of his energy reaching a whole new level.
But it wasn't enough.
The ninth round.
He swallowed the remaining four Peak Grade Bone Tempering Pills all at once.
The pain this time exceeded the sum of all previous temperings.
His consciousness blurred countless times in the agony, but he pulled through each time relying on his last shred of willpower.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
The sky outside changed from black to deep blue, then from deep blue to white light.
When the first ray of morning light shone into the room, Lin Yuan opened his eyes.
Deep in his pupils, a golden bone pattern flashed and vanished.
【Bone Tempering: Round 9 Complete】
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