“The net of law is vast and sparse, yet nothing slips through.”
“Within the net of law, all are but flies and insects.”
Lu Ming mumbled, repeating Lu Jin's words. Although he did not quite understand what they implied, he could faintly feel the absolute suppression and control contained within them.
Because he knew that those so-called flies and insects probably even included Divine Ability Masters like Lu Jin.
Yet, Lu Jin's previous god-like posture draped in the Divine Ability Feather Robe had already given him a massive shock. In comparison...
One could see how abyssal and immeasurable the might of a Grandmaster truly was.
“You are still far from that level, so there is no need to know too much in detail.”
Lu Jin smiled at Lu Ming, pulling the topic back. “Let's pause your Flame Blade practice for today. Your current internal primordial energy is sparse, so it's not suitable to temper for too long. Otherwise, the fire energy will corrode your bones, which will instead affect your foundation.”
“However, you can try out the effects of the Bone Refining Pill now.”
Lu Ming felt a bit unsatisfied, but he still followed Lu Jin's advice. He could clearly feel that his right palm was exceptionally hot, and his flesh and bones were faintly stinging with a burning pain—the result of practicing the Flame Blade too frequently.
He took out a high-grade Bone Refining Pill. The pill was perfectly round, its surface patterned with golden light flecks, emitting a faint, exotic fragrance.
Lu Ming sat cross-legged on a nearby stone platform and popped the high-grade Bone Refining Pill directly into his mouth.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, it dissolved into surging medicinal power, roaring through his body like a torrent before finally gathering above the Divine Ability Bone inside him, resembling a mass of crimson mist.
Countless crimson specks of light showered down, landing on the Divine Ability Bone and bringing a hot, tingling sensation.
“What majestic medicinal power! Its tempering effect is far superior to cultivating divine abilities.” Lu Ming felt with pleasant surprise that under the tempering of the Bone Refining Pill's power, his Divine Ability Bone became extremely active, and a faint, strange rumbling echoed softly within him.
Sure enough, “popping pills” was always the most obvious way to boost one's strength.
The five bands of Glazed Heavenly Light wrapping around the Divine Ability Bone also began to flow at this moment, swirling the medicinal power to accelerate the Divine Ability Bone's absorption.
Before he knew it, one shichen had passed.
The mist of medicinal power above the Divine Ability Bone had grown somewhat thinner.
“This high-grade Bone Refining Pill's power is too immense and pure. Even with my Sub-Heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone, it will take a full day to completely absorb it...”
“But as expected of a high-grade Bone Refining Pill, its tempering effect on the Divine Ability Bone is unimaginably powerful. This single shichen is probably worth two days of normal cultivation. If I absorb the power completely, I can probably complete a tenth of my bone refinement progress.”
“The only trouble is these pill impurities...”
Lu Ming turned his mind's eye to his Divine Ability Bone. He could see that as the medicinal power of the Bone Refining Pill continuously merged into it, microscopic, almost imperceptible crimson medicinal spots faintly appeared on its surface.
These medicinal spots were impurities contained within the pill. If they were not cleared after absorption was complete, they would accumulate over time and turn into pill poison, corroding his foundation.
For many divine ability practitioners, clearing medicinal spots and impurities was a time-consuming and troublesome task.
Buzz!
Just as Lu Ming was pondering how to quickly dissolve these pill impurities, he suddenly felt his Divine Ability Bone tremble slightly. Scanning it with his mind, he was astonished to see the mysterious fire lotus imprint on his Divine Ability Bone slowly emitting a fiery glow.
The firelight was slightly brighter than before, rapidly spreading across the Divine Ability Bone.
Lu Ming's heart jolted violently. He watched with his own eyes as the firelight flowed, and the medicinal spots formed by the pill impurities that had seeped into his Divine Ability Bone instantly turned into faint black smoke, completely dissipating.
“The pill impurities have been eliminated?!”
Lu Ming was filled with astonishment. This fire lotus imprint actually possessed the miraculous effect of refining and clearing pill impurities?
After his astonishment, joy quickly welled up in Lu Ming's heart. With this effect of refining impurities and expelling pill poison, didn't it mean he could use Bone Refining Pills without any restraint, without having to spend effort and time to resolve the hidden dangers of pill impurities?!
In that case, combined with the speed at which his Sub-Heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone absorbed pills, Lu Ming felt... his bone refinement progress would be absolutely terrifying.
At this thought, Lu Ming opened his eyes.
“Little Ming, how was the bone-tempering effect?” The three men—Lu Jin and the others—had been guarding Lu Ming for the past shichen. Seeing him open his eyes, they quickly asked.
“It should take about a day to completely absorb the medicinal power of this high-grade Bone Refining Pill,” Lu Ming replied.
“Tsk.”
Lu Jinglei clicked his tongue and said enviously, “What an incredible Sub-Heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone. This absorption speed is way better than that ungrateful wolf Zhang Yue. I remember when he first used a Bone Refining Pill, it took him three whole days to fully absorb the power.”
“You, who took five whole days just to absorb a single mid-grade Bone Refining Pill, have the face to mock others?” Lu Jin scolded, showing no face to his son.
Lu Jinglei could only pull a resentful face.
Lu Jin turned his gaze back to Lu Ming, his expression instantly softening as if performing a face-changing act. “Once you completely absorb the power of this Bone Refining Pill, you must remember to purge the pill impurities that have seeped into your Divine Ability Bone before you can continue using more Bone Refining Pills.”
Lu Ming scratched his head. “Grandfather, the pill impurities have already been completely cleared.”
The three of them were stunned. “What did you say?”
So Lu Ming explained the miraculous effect of the mysterious fire lotus.
Hiss!
All three of them took a sharp breath of cold air.
“It can even clear the pill impurities that have seeped into the Divine Ability Bone?” Lu Jinglei's rough and fierce face was filled with shock.
Lu Jin pondered, “This mysterious fire lotus can even temper and upgrade the grade of a Divine Ability Bone, so refining away the impurities that have seeped into the bone isn't too out of line.”
Lu Qingyan muttered, “Doesn't that mean Ming can use Bone Refining Pills one after another without stopping?”
The three of them exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes. Lu Ming could absorb a high-grade Bone Refining Pill in a single day, and now he didn't even have to worry about the erosion of pill impurities. He really could consume Bone Refining Pills without any restraint. If so, his bone refinement progress would reach a terrifying speed.
However, in the next moment, Lu Qingyan snapped back to reality and poured a bucket of cold water over their excitement with a bitter smile.
“One high-grade Bone Refining Pill a day...”
“I don't think we can afford to support that.”
Lu Qingyan's words caused the smiles on Lu Jin's and Lu Jinglei's faces to gradually fade. The price of a single high-grade Bone Refining Pill was five hundred grains of heavenly gold sand, while the monthly income of their Thunderfire Hall was only a bit over a thousand grains of heavenly gold sand—barely enough to purchase two.
Even if they emptied all their current savings, they probably wouldn't be able to support him for many days.
“Damn it! It's all because of that ungrateful wolf eating up all the savings our Thunderfire Hall accumulated over the years. What a beast!” The hot-tempered Lu Jinglei cursed with an ugly expression.
The Thunderfire Hall originally had some savings, but in order to fully support Zhang Yue's High-grade Divine Ability Bone cultivation over the years, they had been practically drained dry. Otherwise, they wouldn't be in such tight financial straits now.
“Stop talking about this useless nonsense.”
Lu Jin frowned. He lit his pipe and took a deep drag. His weathered, aging face was partially obscured by the rising smoke, but eventually, his calm and resolute voice drifted out. “Little Ming's high-grade Bone Refining Pills cannot stop. First, take out all the usable savings in the hall and buy as many as we can. Also, the Inscription Condensing Pills needed for your own cultivation will be suspended for a while.”
Hearing this, Lu Ming quickly said, “Grandfather, switching to mid-grade or low-grade Bone Refining Pills should be about the same, right?”
Lu Jin shook his head and said in a heavy voice, “Pills of the same type build up resistance. If you take too many, the effects will gradually worsen. Naturally, we must use the best.”
“You don't need to worry about family matters. Just focus on your cultivation.”
Looking at the old man's serious and resolute face, Lu Ming could only remain silent. At this moment, he felt the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders grow even heavier.
Lu Jin was placing all of his hopes on him.
Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei had no objections to the old man's decision. After all, they both knew Lu Ming's potential. As long as they got through this most difficult period, the entire Thunderfire Hall would rise along with him.
“I heard that the new Ward Master of Qingyuan Ward will take office within the next few days. In that case, next month's Divine Ability Hall Meet should be held on schedule. If we can recruit a batch of new members at the meet, it should help relieve this urgent crisis.” Lu Jin tapped his pipe, letting the ashes fall as a thoughtful look appeared on his aging face.
The annual meet was personally hosted by the Ward Master of Qingyuan Ward, who was appointed by the Territory Master's Estate of the Great Luo Territory, serving as the nominal supreme ruler of the entire Qingyuan Ward.
With the official backing, newcomers within the jurisdiction of Qingyuan Ward who wanted to step onto the Path of Divine Abilities would gather, looking to join their preferred Divine Ability Hall to cultivate.
For the various Divine Ability Halls in Qingyuan Ward, this was an annual event that could not be missed, because the number of new members recruited on this day was worth more than half a year of normal recruitment.
For a Grade 3 Divine Ability Hall like their Thunderfire Hall, the annual fee for a single member was two hundred grains of heavenly gold sand. As long as they could recruit fifty people, the Bone Refining Pills Lu Ming needed for his next two bone refinements could be supplied in a timely manner.
However...
Lu Jinglei knit his brows and said, “Right now, the news of Zhang Yue leaving the Thunderfire Hall is spreading like wildfire in Qingyuan Ward. Everyone outside is saying our Thunderfire Hall is short-sighted. There is clearly that woman's hand pushing behind this. Under these circumstances, our recruitment at this year's meet will probably be heavily affected.”
Lu Jin's withered hand stroked his pipe as his calm, aging voice rang out deeply.
“No matter how big the impact is, we must do our best to fight for Little Ming's cultivation resources. If all else fails, I will take a trip into the depths of the Black Rain Zone. I am a Divine Ability Master, after all. Can I really not even afford to support my own grandson's cultivation?”
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