I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 90 - 89: The Third Realm of Foundation Establishment, Bone Marrow Forging 97%

Chapter 90: Chapter 89: The Third Realm of Foundation Establishment, Bone Marrow Forging 97%

"Yes!"

Chu Fan took a deep breath. The nine wisps of Qi Blood Power in his body surged like mighty rivers converging, gathering entirely in his right fist.

He didn’t use the Twelve Forms Fist. He just threw a straight punch, smashing it against Cao Feng’s fist!

BANG—!

The moment their fists collided, a violent burst of Force erupted, making the air hum.

Chu Fan stumbled back seven steps before steadying himself, leaving deep footprints in the ground!

But Cao Feng stood firm as a boulder, his body unmoved.

Yet at that moment, the expression on Cao Feng’s face completely froze!

His pupils contracted sharply, and his once-steady gaze was now a tempest of shock—

The Qi Blood Power in Chu Fan’s punch was solid, surging, and ferocious... something absolutely impossible for the Blood Nourishing Realm!

"Nine wisps of Qi Blood Power... perfectly fused as one..."

Cao Feng’s voice trembled as he stammered, "You... you actually stepped into the Blood Refining Realm?!"

He snapped his head up, his gaze as sharp as lightning, as if trying to see right through Chu Fan.

Fifty days!

From a complete novice to the Blood Refining Realm!

What kind of talent was this?

His nephew, Cao Yan, and his niece, Li Qingxue, were already considered astonishingly talented.

But compared to Chu Fan, they still fell far short!

"Haha... Good!"

Cao Feng suddenly burst into laughter and clapped a hand on Chu Fan’s shoulder, unable to suppress his joy. "Fifty days... only fifty days! From Entry-Level to the Blood Refining Realm... A prodigy, a true prodigy!"

Unable to contain his excitement any longer, he turned and hurried into the house, his steps almost frantic.

A moment later, he came out holding several items and all but shoved them into Chu Fan’s hands—

A worn, ancient booklet with yellowed pages and frayed corners—it was the secret manual for the Bone Marrow Forging Realm.

A white jade porcelain bottle, smooth to the touch, held a dozen or so peanut-sized elixirs that emanated a peculiar fragrance. The name ’Leopard Embryo Muscle-Enhancing Pill’ was inscribed on the bottle.

And a prescription for a medicinal bath, covered in the names of herbs. The ink was old, yet as clear as the day it was written...

"Good! Good! Good!"

Cao Feng said "Good" three times, an unrestrained smile spreading across his face. He looked at Chu Fan with a gaze so intense it was like he was examining a peerless treasure. "Chu Fan, you truly... you surprise me again and again!"

He carefully instructed him on how to take the elixirs and the precautions for the medicinal bath, his tone exceptionally solemn.

Finally, as if remembering something, Cao Feng’s expression grew serious. "About Zhou Ye," he said, "are you sure you don’t need me to step in? That kid uses his uncle’s influence to give new members a hard time."

Chu Fan calmly put the items away, his gaze as steady as still water. "Thank you, Master Cao. I can handle it myself."

Cao Feng gazed at the calm confidence in his eyes—a maturity that belied his age—and finally nodded in satisfaction. "The medicinal ingredients needed for Bone Marrow Forging are far more precious than those for Blood Refining... Is the money from the Huang Family still enough? If not, come find me."

"I haven’t used much of it yet. Thank you, Master Cao," Chu Fan replied respectfully.

After a moment of silence, he added, "Today, when I went to Cyan Wood Hall to see Master Zhou, I saw him practicing. His Fist Momentum was powerful and heavy, yet when his fist landed on the wooden stake, it didn’t shake or sway, and the ground didn’t crack. But in the end, the stake itself shattered with a crash... I was wondering, what kind of Fist Technique is that?"

"That’s not a Fist Technique," Cao Feng said, shaking his head. "That’s the fifth stage of Martial Arts Foundation Establishment, or you could call it the fifth realm of Foundation Establishment—the Entering the Realm of Strength."

"The Entering the Realm of Strength?" Chu Fan’s expression flickered with interest.

He was already familiar with the five stages of Foundation Establishment: the Blood Nourishing Realm, the Blood Refining Realm, the Bone Marrow Forging Realm, the Bone Tempering Realm, and the Entering the Realm of Strength.

But he knew very little about the specifics of the latter two stages.

"The fifth stage, the Entering the Realm of Strength, is crucial."

Cao Feng’s tone was grave. "It not only marks the complete mastery over one’s Qi Blood Power, but it also lays the foundation for the future ’Mortal Transformation’."

"This stage is the key to undergoing Mortal Transformation and truly stepping through the gates of the Martial Dao."

"But you don’t need to think about that too much right now." Cao Feng’s tone shifted as he urged him earnestly, "Your top priority at the moment is to pour all your energy into your cultivation and break through to the Bone Marrow Forging Realm!"

"Yes, I understand." Chu Fan pondered for a moment, then asked, "The other day, I heard you mention that Senior Sister Qingxue and Senior Brother Cao Yan have both undergone Mortal Transformation. Does that mean... Master Zhou of Cyan Wood Hall hasn’t yet?"

Cao Feng chuckled at his question. "Mortal Transformation? How could it be that simple?"

"Among all the Incense Masters of the Seven Stars Gang, not a single one has reached that stage. Only Hall Masters and above are true Martial Artists who have undergone Mortal Transformation."

"That Zhou Tianci is considered quite talented among the Incense Masters. He has already reached the late stage of the Entering the Realm of Strength. He’s... only one step away from Mortal Transformation."

’I never expected that Li Qingxue’s and Cao Yan’s strength was already comparable to a Hall Master’s!’

’No wonder Zhou Ye didn’t dare to make a peep even when she threatened to kill him.’

’I’m afraid even Incense Master Zhou Tianci would have to bow his head to them!’

He didn’t ask any more questions. After a respectful bow, he turned and left the small courtyard.

Cao Feng watched his retreating figure, the smile lingering on his face for a long time. The shock and awe remained in his eyes as he murmured to himself, "Talent even greater than Cao Yan and Qingxue... Unbelievable, truly unbelievable!"

"To think I almost turned a genius like him away, not once, but twice..."

He stared blankly at the courtyard gate for a long while before letting out a long sigh, his heart filled with gratification. "To think that I, Cao Feng, have languished for half my life, unfulfilled and frustrated... But now, to have found such a fine disciple, this life... is without regret!"

...

Life after becoming a disciple of the Seven Stars Gang was not as tense and busy as Chu Fan had initially imagined.

He was assigned to work under Zhou Ye, and his task was simple enough—patrol Xingning Street with another person once every three days, with each patrol lasting no more than a couple of hours.

The job wasn’t demanding, but it always came with a bit of unexpected "excitement"...

Because he had severely injured several members of the Blood Saber Sect when he saved Zhao Hu, Chu Fan had long since been targeted by them.

Thus, whenever he appeared on Xingning Street, trouble would follow.

In just twenty days, he had already fought with members of the Blood Saber Sect on Xingning Street five times!

Zhou Ye and Sun Zixuan were furious.

Although Xingning Street had always been chaotic, with constant friction between the Seven Stars Gang, the Blood Saber Sect, and the Iron Armor Sect...

...it was rare to see someone like Chu Fan, who got into a fight every single time he patrolled.

Zhou Ye had a massive headache over it.

Even Incense Master Zhou Tianci felt rather helpless...

Gang friction was inevitable, but most of it was over benefits—fighting for territory or profits. At least those fights had a reason.

But Chu Fan’s entanglement with the Blood Saber Sect was a purely personal grudge. There was nothing to be gained, win or lose.

On the contrary, he had dragged Sun Zixuan and the others into getting ganged up on several times, and they had nearly been killed on Xingning Street.

Who could stand that?

Chu Fan’s skills were extraordinary; he was always the one chasing down and beating up members of the Blood Saber Sect.

But Sun Zixuan and the others had little real combat experience and poor coordination...

While Chu Fan was over there thrashing members of the Blood Saber Sect, other members of the Blood Saber Sect were over here pinning them down and beating them half to death.

Chu Fan, for his part, fought to his heart’s content.

But they were the ones getting beaten so badly by the Blood Saber Sect that they couldn’t even get up.

In the end, it reached Zhou Ye’s ears. Seeing his subordinates limping around, he was so angry he nearly coughed up blood. With no other choice, he had to find someone to take over Chu Fan’s patrol duties.

From then on, although Chu Fan was still technically on the duty roster, he no longer had to patrol Xingning Street.

This suited Chu Fan just fine.

This way, he could save nearly six hours every seven days to devote entirely to his cultivation!

Today, it was his turn to be "on duty" again.

Sun Zixuan had sent someone early in the morning with a message: someone else had been arranged to patrol in his place, so he should just rest at home.

So, Chu Fan stayed home to cultivate in peace, preparing to break through to the next stage.

By noon, he had just finished chopping firewood in the courtyard when Mrs. Zhang came out to tell him that the medicinal herbs had finished simmering.

Chu Fan walked into the kitchen, lifted the pot of medicinal soup that had been brewing for several hours with both hands, and steadily poured it into the wooden tub already prepared in his room.

After testing the temperature, he undressed and sank into the medicinal liquid.

The water in the tub wasn’t scalding, yet Chu Fan clenched his jaw tightly, the veins on his temples throbbing faintly!

’It’s been twenty days...’

Ever since he got the prescription from Master Cao and gathered the ingredients, he had endured this "searing" medicinal bath once a day for a full twenty days!

’But it was all worth it...’

[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment, Third Realm. Bone Marrow Forging: 97%]

’The Bone Marrow Forging Realm... I’ll break through any day now!’