Chapter 84: Obstinate Pursuit

“That brute actually has such a remarkable past? He dared to challenge the City Lord’s estate—certainly no ordinary man.” He had formed a hunting party in Yuanjiang City, most likely with the intention of protecting his hometown.

Xiao Nan suddenly understood.

Zhang Shu’s face was etched with sorrow, and he nearly beat his chest in regret. “What a pity, what a pity… If only he hadn’t left the Martial Academy back then, he might have reached the Grandmaster rank by now…”

Xiao Nan almost wanted to laugh. This world was peculiar—anyone even slightly formidable was described as having the potential to become a Grandmaster. The Grandmaster realm must truly be extraordinary.

But if one actually asked what made the Grandmaster so exceptional, neither the schools nor the common folk could give a clear answer. Perhaps those who knew thought there was no need to say, and those who didn’t wouldn’t benefit from asking.

After all, no one could explain to an old farmer whether the emperor truly plowed his fields with a golden hoe.

“So, what grade is your third grandfather now?” After all this talk, seeing that Zhang Shu still hadn’t gotten to the point, Xiao Nan felt a bit frustrated.

“He broke through to the fifth grade before the New Year.” The wooden-faced youth’s eyes were alight with excitement, as if he had been longing to boast about this. Xiao Nan hadn’t asked, so he’d been holding it in for quite a while.

“That’s the fifth grade—Marrow Cleansing, the second stage of Bone Tempering! The entire bone marrow is purified, the bones gleam like jade, and his strength exceeds six thousand catties. Impressive, isn’t it? With such power, he ranks among the very best in Yuanjiang City. Even Ouyang Ming, the City Lord, wouldn’t dare put on airs in front of him. Everyone is guessing that although the two are of the same rank, the City Lord is no longer a match for my third grandfather.”

Fifth grade.

Xiao Nan muttered to himself—that was truly formidable.

Though the school never mentioned the seventh-grade Grandmaster realm, it did speak of the first six grades.

The lower three grades focused on external refinement—muscles, bones, and skin—to push the body to its utmost limits.

The middle three grades progressed from the external to the internal, achieving fundamental transformation in subtle ways: the fourth grade refined the organs, the fifth cleansed the marrow, and the sixth changed the blood.

A martial artist at the fifth grade would have bones as lustrous as jade—almost indestructible. Compared to the third grade’s steel-hard bones, this was a significant leap, hence the term “second stage of Bone Tempering.”

Reaching the sixth grade and completing blood transformation was marked by the ability to make one’s blood flow with a fragrant aroma, rolling like pearls, thick and viscous as mercury. If injured, the blood shed had no stench but instead a faint fragrance. The entire body would be free of impurities—pure and whole.

Truth be told, when Xiao Nan first heard of these realms, it was like reading an ancient, cryptic text.

In his previous life, these were the stuff of legends, found only in picture books.

This was already beyond what could be called human.

As for the progression of vitality and strength from grade one to grade six, it wasn’t simply a steady ascent—there were leaps at certain stages.

At the third grade, Bone Tempering, the increased durability of the skeleton led to a sudden surge in strength—up to three thousand catties at its peak.

The fourth grade, with its reinforced organs, could unleash five thousand catties—a direct leap of two thousand.

Upon completing the fifth grade, Marrow Cleansing, even those with average physical endowments could reach seven thousand catties.

Zhang Yi had only just entered the fifth grade, but could already manage six thousand. His innate talent and physique must be quite impressive—above average.

As for those who completed the sixth-grade blood transformation, their strength reached nine thousand catties, and those with exceptional talent could even reach ten thousand.

That was already superhuman.

Yet such strength was still below Grandmaster. What was the realm above Grandmaster like? What vistas did it hold?

Though Xiao Nan had never heard anyone describe it precisely, he had picked up a few rumors—there were indeed realms beyond.

Whether from books in his past life or from what he’d seen and heard in this one, it was clear: the first six grades were all about forging the body, what could be called refining essence into energy. In other words, they were all foundational stages.

After all, there were still the upper three grades looming above.

In fact, Xiao Nan suspected even the upper three were not the true limit.

The reason was simple: despite the strength of technological weapons, for special reasons, they could defend but not attack.

Yet the empire of old had even considered launching an expedition…

They wanted to invade another world, seize vast lands, and claim boundless resources.

Without some hidden power at their disposal, what gave them the confidence to entertain such thoughts?

After so many years of contact, news of the other side’s deities was certainly no secret before the expedition.

So the only possibility was that they believed they had experts on par with gods.

Yet reality was harsh—gods, too, came in varying degrees of power.

Some so-called divine beings were merely creatures with a thin trace of divinity in their bloodlines—beasts that a skilled expert could easily crush.

But other gods were as generous as the sea, as awe-inspiring as a prison—utterly beyond mortal comprehension.

Fragmented bits of knowledge from past and present wove together in Xiao Nan’s mind, forming a more complete picture.

Much remained unclear, but he already knew what he needed to do.

First, forget about all that for now.

He needed to fill his belly—he was starving.

…

A foolish rabbit darted past, the grass rippling in its wake.

Xiao Nan’s eyes lit up.

Without even drawing his sword, he lunged forward, tapped the rabbit lightly on its head to knock it out, and picked it up.

“This can’t be a rabbit—it’s as plump as a piglet, must weigh thirty catties,” Xiao Nan exclaimed with delight.

Though rabbit meat did little to optimize the body and contained scant vital energy, at least it could stave off hunger.

“There are even bigger ones,” Zhang Shu said with a goofy grin. “There’s running water over there—I’ll take care of it. Roasted rabbit is delicious.”

“Wait a moment.”

Xiao Nan pulled out a bottle from his pack, made an incision in the hefty gray rabbit, collected a small vial of blood, and drank it in one gulp.

A faint warmth spread from his stomach. He could feel a wave of energy gently stir within him, only to quickly settle down again.

“Rabbit blood’s useless—it won’t increase your vitality. Of course, it’s not harmful either… Good to fill your belly, but no help for cultivation.”

Zhang Shu burst out laughing. “Only the blood of fierce beasts contains strong vital energy—the stronger the beast, the more potent the energy.”

He glanced around and added, “In these ten-mile meadows, toward White Fang Forest, there are some bloodthirsty wolf-beasts that come to hunt. The other animals—rabbits, sheep, deer, antelope—are all herbivores that live by the water, just food.”

After eating half the roasted rabbit, and feeling no discernible change in his body, Xiao Nan felt a twinge of disappointment.

Seeing Zhang Shu still wolfing down meat, Xiao Nan stood up. “I’ll go take a look over there,” he said, indicating the direction of White Fang Forest.

“Don’t,” Zhang Shu’s face turned pale with fright. He even forgot his rabbit meat and hurried after Xiao Nan.

“Bloodthirsty wolf-beasts usually hunt alone, but they’re very strong. To hunt one, you generally need a party of three.”

“Didn’t you say a bloodthirsty wolf only has the strength of a first-grade martial artist?”

“That’s just enough to not get eaten. They’re vengeful. If you don’t kill one outright, it’ll follow you like a shadow, haunting your every step. Sneak attacks, ambushes—they’re a real menace.”

A three-person hunting party—Xiao Nan was reminded of Han Zhang and his companions. He supposed Zhang Shu meant one person to control from a distance, one to face the beast head-on, and another to strike at vital points.

“It’s really dangerous. Fierce beasts are nothing like people. Even at the same grade, their thick hides and tough flesh make them much harder to kill than martial artists.”

Seeing that Xiao Nan’s pace didn’t slow, Zhang Shu chattered incessantly as he hurried after him.