Chapter 125: I Am a Disciple of Hong Ming—Time to Settle Debts!

Chapter 125: I Am a Disciple of Hong Ming—Time to Settle Debts!

In the Bone Tempering Cultivation Realm, Vital Force seeps from the organs into the bones, allowing practitioners to temper three major regions: the hand bones, leg bones, and spine. Once one crosses this threshold, their bones become rock-solid—impervious to clubs or rods, and even capable of leaving marks on ordinary weapons. To put it bluntly, their tempered bones transform into deadly weapons. A single finger could kill as effortlessly as reaching into a pocket.

Typically, martial cultivators prioritize tempering either their hands or legs first, as these areas are easiest to refine. Yet even this process demands years of relentless cultivation. Many view the Bone Tempering Realm as a watershed moment because some cultivators spend their entire lives failing to complete this stage. Even the simplest hand bone tempering takes years—yet Su Chen had achieved it in less than a day.

When Hong Qi clashed with Su Chen earlier, he’d sensed something impossible: Su Chen had already entered the Bone Tempering Realm! Just yesterday, Su Chen was a mere Visceral Reformation cultivator. Now he’d leapt to Bone Tempering. How? Hong Qi’s expression shifted between shock and suspicion, his eyes boring into Su Chen as if trying to pierce through his secrets.

“There’s definitely a major secret behind this. Otherwise, he couldn’t have advanced so quickly!” Hong Qi’s mind raced, his gaze sharpening with greed. No matter how Su Chen broke through, this was a monumental discovery—one he couldn’t let slip away. “But even with Bone Tempering,” he sneered, “you’re still no match for me.”

“Bone Tempering?!” Cai Liuliu and the others gasped. Hong Qi’s words sent shockwaves through them.

“So Ding Xiaoyou is a Bone Tempering expert!” Cai Liuliu stared at Su Chen, suddenly understanding why his strength had skyrocketed. But realization struck like lightning: Hong Qi implied Su Chen had just recently entered Bone Tempering. Which meant he’d been Visceral Reformation before—yet somehow reversed the odds to challenge a fully realized Bone Tempering Jie Tai expert? The absurdity left Cai Liuliu staring at Su Chen like a monster.

Su Chen said nothing. His body now brimmed with Vital Force. Unlike ordinary Bone Tempering cultivators, he hadn’t focused on individual bones—his Iron Shirt technique had tempered all his bones simultaneously: hands, legs, and spine. His power had multiplied exponentially.

His eyes blazed with battle hunger. No more words—only action.

With a roar, he lunged like a panther, closing the distance in an instant. The two clashed in a blur of fists and explosions of force.

“This is fun!” After a dozen exchanges, Su Chen howled. His bones still ached from the impact, but this was heaven compared to Visceral Reformation—back when a single blow from Hong Qi would’ve shattered him. Now, he could fight freely, relentlessly.

“What a freak! How did he temper his bones? All three regions at once?” Hong Qi’s shock deepened with every strike. Most cultivators focused on one area, but Su Chen’s entire skeleton radiated power. Even Hong Qi, seasoned as he was, had never heard of such a method. “This is my chance! His secret could be my greatest breakthrough—I must have it!” His eyes glinted with madness.

Sensing Hong Qi’s rising frenzy, Su Chen hesitated only briefly before doubling his assault. Around them, the inn crumbled into dust. Their raging Vital Force slashed through the air like blades, forcing everyone outside. Even Cai Liuliu strained to track their movements, his face a mix of awe and dread.

“Father, Hong Risheng has woken!” Cai Xiaoyue suddenly cried.

Cai Liuliu’s heart sank. The commotion had roused Hong Risheng inside the inn. With no time to stop him, Cai Liuliu feared for Su Chen if the two Hong experts teamed up. “I must help Ding!”

But as he moved, Cai Xiaoyue grabbed his arm. “Look!” Ahead, Hong Risheng lay unconscious again—Su Chen had struck him mid-fight. Even Hong Qi had flinched, momentarily fearing Su Chen meant to kill. Seeing Hong Risheng only stunned, Hong Qi relaxed—then roared with renewed ferocity.

His body erupted with the sound of crackling bones as his Jade Bone power surged. Jade Bone was the pinnacle of bone tempering—a perfect, crystalline structure formed only after fully refining hands, legs, and spine. Its emergence boosted Vital Energy production, eliminating decay and elevating strength to new heights.

Su Chen’s gaze pierced Hong Qi’s skin, revealing a jade-like skeleton beneath.

“Again!” Hong Qi bellowed, accelerating like a bullet. He struck with a fist that cleaved the air, trailing a radiant beam of force.

Su Chen’s eyes flashed. Vital Force surged as he braced—his bones couldn’t match Hong Qi’s, but his Vital Force was equal. Hong Qi, though, only grew more excited. The more Su Chen poured out, the more tantalizing his secret became. Yet after dozens of exchanges, Hong Qi’s energy began to wane, while Su Chen’s flowed endlessly, like an inexhaustible tide.

Hong Qi’s expression darkened slightly.

“This stalemate won’t work—I won’t just fail to capture him, but my Vital Force will keep draining, leaving me vulnerable. I can’t afford to drag this out. Time to end this.”

Hong Qi resolved quickly. After battling this long, it was time to finish things.

“Do you remember?”

Just as Hong Qi prepared to strike, Su Chen’s voice suddenly cut through.

“Remember what?”

Hong Qi didn’t slow his movements but shot Su Chen a puzzled glance.

“He’s called Hong Ming.”

Su Chen ignored Hong Qi’s question, instead stating a name.

Hong Qi blinked, momentarily confused. He couldn’t recall who that was.

Su Chen continued, voice softening. “A man whose life you once destroyed.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Hong Qi snapped, growing impatient.

Su Chen lifted his gaze. “I’m his disciple.”

“And what?”

“Exactly—time to send you to him.” Su Chen smiled faintly.

The flicker of unease in Hong Qi’s gut vanished as Su Chen’s sharp cry rang out: “You poisoned me?!”

“Poison?”

Hong Qi froze, his movements faltering. What poison? He felt nothing—

Now!

Seizing the split-second opening, Su Chen’s hidden Sleeve Hidden Blade flashed into view. The blade’s brilliance would haunt Hong Qi forever.

A dazzling arc slashed toward him, shattering Hong Qi’s world into fragments.

“Agh!”

The strike grazed him, narrowly missing a fatal Severing Strike as Hong Qi barely dodged. But the damage was immense—his left cheek split open, the wound carving diagonally down to his chest, flesh peeling like a ravine.

Hong Qi roared in pain, glaring venomously at Su Chen. “You dare trick me?!”

He’d fallen for it—Su Chen’s deception had cost him dearly. The agony of the wound paled next to his humiliation. This scar was a disgrace he’d never tolerate.

Rage overrode reason. The memory of Su Chen’s treasures vanished, replaced by a single thought: Kill him!

Su Chen, meanwhile, remained eerily calm. Like a predator stalking prey, he waited.

“Die!”

Hong Qi charged, Vital Force raging. Every strike aimed to kill. Su Chen evaded carefully, avoiding direct clashes. He intended to wear Hong Qi down.

“You can dodge—but what about them?”

Hong Qi shifted targets to Zhu Yan’s group, still retaining enough sense to pressure Su Chen.

Su Chen paused, frowned, then smiled.

“Poisoned again?” he bellowed.

“You think I’ll fall for it twice?” Hong Qi sneered, but his confidence wavered as Vital Energy and Force slowed unnaturally.

“Actually, this time I poisoned you.”

Su Chen’s voice barely registered before his blade struck like lightning.

“F*!”

Blood spewed after a brief delay—a testament to his hardened Jade Bone. Even Draw Cut Art couldn’t kill him outright, but the Crane Feather Saber had severed his neck’s meridians.

Hong Qi slumped, alive but broken.

“D-dead?”

Cai Liuliu and the others stared, stunned. Only when his body hit the ground did they believe it.

Finally, Su Chen exhaled. Victory, but at what cost?

“Vice Leader!”

Hong Risheng awoke, panic-stricken at the sight of Hong Qi’s corpse. Su Chen silenced him with a palm strike, sparing him out of debt to Qin Xue.

“Clean up,” he ordered, dragging Hong Risheng into the Courtyard of Shadows.

Cai Liuliu’s group entered, still dazed by the reality of Hong Qi’s death.

Later, healing his wounds, Su Chen confronted Hong Risheng. The fight had cost him—bones shattered despite Vital Force.

“Give me the Xuan Yuan Qu’s follow-up techniques,” Su Chen demanded.

“No!” Hong Risheng refused instantly. “Hong Clan’s secret. I’d rather die.”

“Give me the techniques, or your family dies with you.”

Hong Risheng paled. After a tense pause, he agreed: “The first four layers—but no secret methods.”

Su Chen nodded. The Progress Panel confirmed honesty.

“Take his body,” he told Hong Risheng.

Zhu Yan handed over spoils—Vital Energy Pills and silver—but hesitated as Hong Risheng approached.

Su Chen collected the loot. “Everything you carry too,” he ordered.

Hong Risheng stiffened but complied.

“Let him go,” Su Chen said, ignoring Zhu Yan’s unspoken question.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end