Kill The Old Ones!

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About two months passed since the White Haven Clan’s visit...

The clan received no additional trouble from them, unlike what some people thought. Things were peaceful and quiet, so back to usual business they went, which is just what the clan wanted.

However, those who participated in the fight did feel motivated in their practice, especially after seeing Ren’s display of power. Nobody had to urge them; they were inspired to work harder. They wanted to look as cool and awesome as Ren, and for young adults, that’s more than enough to spur them on.

Meanwhile, the source of this change returned to his usual routine. He cycled around his home, the training hall, the apothecary hall, and the clan’s martial hall and back. And at night, he continued enriching his combat experience in the Challenger’s Rise.

He was so focused that he literally never thought about the White Haven Clan again. He just did his thing and focused on his own improvement.

And that focus shows and produces results.

Because now, Ren had expelled the impurities on his flesh completely. This meant that he’s at the perfected level of the Muscle Forging Stage, which is just one step away from the Bone Forging Stage.

Ren’s chakra flow was smoother and richer than ever. His chakra seed’s sprout was vibrant and healthy; each vein pulsed rhythmically whenever chakra flowed in them; there was no obstruction whatsoever. It uses half of the chakra he produces for its own nourishment, and the other half is sent to the young chakra root network connected to his body for his own use.

That young root network had grown too; it sprouted and branched off a couple of times, spreading and establishing a deeper connection to his body, which allowed him to use chakra to flush out more impurities from his flesh, making him stronger and more durable.

If anybody inspects his young chakra root network and the quality of his chakra seed, they’d probably praise him because he had the healthiest and liveliest chakra seed, sprout, and root network compared to his peers.

His foundation wasn’t just a cut above the rest; it literally couldn’t get any better than this.

And that’s good because this is literally what Ren wanted. It’s what he worked so hard for. This is the foundation to become truly peerless.

Because of his hard work, Ren could mobilize and use twice as much chakra compared to those at the same level as he was, given that they too have a common grade martial physique.

The glow his body emits that indicates that his chakra was charged is brighter and more vibrant compared to others. Some might even mistake him for a bone-forging martial artist.

At his current level, Ren could indeed compete against a Bone Forging martial artist, but only the early to mid-level, though. But although he couldn’t defeat somebody at the late level, at the very least, he could run.

This was thanks to the Limitless Martial Physique, by the way. That’s why Ren worked so hard to keep it.

Normally, others in his level would do their best to push for a breakthrough. Entering the Bone Forging Stage will not only elevate their strength; it will also give them qualifications to apply for a dungeon license so that they can start dungeon diving.

Dungeon exploration is like having a completely different world opening up to them. It’s a call for adventure with promises of riches and treasures galore. Furthermore, it’s expected out of them.

Everyone would certainly go as soon as they can. After all, dungeon exploration was an integral part of a martial artist’s life. Martial arts itself was invented for this.

And Ren wanted to go too, that’s for sure. This isn’t something he could escape from anyway. But he’s not in a hurry.

Ren wasn’t blind to the fact that his practice speed was fast.

It took him one day to go from uninitiated to Foundation Strength level. It took him a month to go from the Foundation Strength stage to the Muscle Forging stage. And now, three months later, he’s about to make another breakthrough to the Bone Forging stage.

For comparison...

A common grade 1 student might spend a whole week to go from untrained to the 1st stage of martial arts practice, then about two to three months to go from the 1st to the 2nd stage. From 2nd to 3rd would take them about a year of consistency and discipline.

Of course, this is without supplements. With the help of supplements, they could potentially save some time.

That’s why it’s normal for Bone Forging martial artists to start at around 17 or 18 years old before starting their dungeon exploration.

Ren’s progress is fast. Really fast. This kind of speed is like having an epic grade martial physique, which is specifically geared to increase the training speed.

It was unusual, but not really unheard of. Even if it were discovered that Ren only had a common grade martial physique, some would probably think that he overdosed himself on potions to make swift progress and would dismiss him.

That’s fine. Let them misunderstand him. He doesn’t care about their opinion anyway. He knows the truth of his situation, and that’s enough.

But of course, the real reason why Ren couldn’t rush was because of the Limitless Martial Physique demanding perfection from him in every step of the way. That’s the main reason.

To not lose the 2× bonus on every breakthrough, Ren could only relent.

But again, this is fine. Ren wasn’t in a hurry, and nobody in the clan was hurrying him either. Even as he pursued perfection in his every breakthrough, his practice speed was already fast.

Nobody was expecting him to make this much progress this fast. They don’t need to remind him to practice harder since Ren is way more demanding of himself than they are. They don’t need to remind him to take care of his foundations too because his efforts could be seen at a glance.

So, with a relaxed mind and no additional fanfare, Ren continued on with his days in the clan, cycling through his daily routine as monotonous as it was.

Even though he had gotten some level of fame and reputation within the clan, nobody bothered him too much. Whether it’s out of respect or because Mikel ordered them not to, Ren couldn’t say, but he’s glad to be left to his devices anyway.

At most, they were smiling more when they saw him, which brought him closer to the clan. Now, Ren could truly say that he had a sense of belonging here. They’re no strangers to him anymore.

It started off as another usual day for Ren when the moment finally came...

Amidst his practice, he felt his entire body buzzing and his chakra flow stagnating just a little bit as if it were confused all of a sudden. Then, his bones began releasing a faint fluctuation that sent a strange sensation to his brain.

Ren’s eyes flashed as he recognized the sign. But he didn’t do anything differently. Instead, he focused on his movements and his stances; he cycled through them as if nothing was wrong, and he sure didn’t indicate any signs of stopping.

Within his body, his chakra flowed smoothly. They moisturized his flesh, nourishing him continuously. His chakra was so rich that his flesh reached its natural saturation, and the excess began overflowing to his bones.

When this happened, his bones absorbed the chakra like a starved beast. It yearned for more after the first sip, and that’s why Ren’s chakra flow began stagnating. It’s reacting to the call and attraction coming from his bones that it’s threatening to redirect its course.

But Ren fought to prevent that from happening. He willed his chakra to flow according to its natural course, deigning to ignore the call of his bones.

Ren wasn’t doing this to suppress his breakthrough. He’s doing it to make sure that nothing goes wrong. This isn’t the way to breakthrough bone forging perfectly.

He must not let his chakra go off course. Instead, it should be his chakra seed that should listen and answer this call. The seed must create new roots that connect to his bones directly for a direct chakra supply instead.

That’s why he’s forcing his chakra to go about its usual route and ignore the call.

This was a challenge that every martial artist must wrestle with upon reaching this stage. They can’t allow their chakras’ control to slip because if they did, their young root network won’t develop the way it should, and that would cripple their future.

Obviously, it sounds easier to say it than to do it. But Ren was prepared. He had been honing his control every day and never relaxed.

Even as the yearning of his bones got stronger, his chakra flow remained in order, ignoring that call altogether.

It was when the call finally reached the chakra seed that it finally reacted. New roots emerged and immediately extended to his bones. Not all of them, but enough to quell the demand.

When these new roots settled, that’s when Ren relaxed his reign over his chakra flow and allowed it to take a new course.

That’s also when his breakthrough began...