Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill

Chapter 289: Chapter 160: Supreme Dragon’s Might

Chen Cheng had an excellent memory. He clearly remembered everything that had happened since he had crossed over into this world.

Back then, he was just a lowly Prison Guard, struggling to survive in a slum like Locust Tree Lane in the Ruyi District.

In a time of peace, his abilities would have been enough to support the Chens’, and their lives would have grown more prosperous by the day.

He could have spent this life free from want, with wives and concubines, surrounded by children and grandchildren, living a carefree and happy existence.

But this world was too chaotic. He constantly had to face all sorts of dangers, both seen and unseen. It was as if an invisible hand was pushing him forward, step by step.

From the South City Prison, to the Ruyi Square Sub-Department, to the Lishui Sub-Department, and then to the Demon Suppression Department.

He had gone from a humble Prison Guard to a Purple-clothed Guard of the Demon Suppression Department. It seemed like a meteoric rise, a path of boundless glory.

But in reality, his situation hadn’t changed much. In fact, the dangers he faced had only become more severe.

All of this was undoubtedly driven by the roiling, unseen momentum of the world.

In this great, surging tide, he was still like a stray duckweed, his life as fleeting as a mayfly’s. He could be mercilessly crushed at any moment, vanishing without a trace.

After a long moment of contemplation, Chen Cheng’s expression turned serious. "I am cultivating the Martial Dao to control my own destiny and live according to my own will."

"Oh?" Mr. Zheng nodded slightly, seeming unsurprised by Chen Cheng’s answer. After all, what Martial Artist who was cultivating the Martial Dao wasn’t full of bluster, always proclaiming, "My fate is my own, not for the heavens to decide!"

"If you were to live according to your own will, what would you do then?" Mr. Zheng asked.

Chen Cheng was taken aback. The question was like asking someone in his previous life what they would do every day after achieving financial freedom. It was genuinely difficult to answer.

"Probably just eat, sleep, and eat some more," Chen Cheng ultimately chose to follow his heart and replied with a smile.

After all, if he could live according to his heart’s desires, what else was there to pursue? Besides, even if he were to ponder this question, he’d have to actually reach that point first.

"Hahaha..." Mr. Zheng roared with laughter upon hearing this. "You kid, you’re certainly honest!"

As he spoke, he suddenly shook his head and remarked with emotion,

"I thought you were going to spout some grand principles, like: to establish a mind for heaven and earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to carry on the lost teachings of past sages, and to create peace for all generations.

I never expected it to be so simple!

Interesting, truly interesting!

You, kid, are no ordinary man after all!"

Chen Cheng asked in surprise, "I have no such ambition. Why would I not be an ordinary man?"

Mr. Zheng’s expression grew serious as he said slowly, "What you seek is simply to live according to your own will. But in this chaotic world, how can that be achieved?

Forget a chaotic world; even in an era of peace and prosperity, there are countless rules and restrictions. To achieve what you want is incredibly difficult.

Therefore, you, kid, have ultimately chosen the most difficult path of all. How could you possibly be an ordinary man?

The road is hard, the road is hard indeed. This long talk with you has been quite rewarding for me."

As Mr. Zheng spoke, he turned and walked toward the study door. Without any visible action from him, the door slowly opened. After his tall figure passed through, it slowly closed again.

Everything seemed perfectly natural, completely ordinary.

Watching this scene and sensing the faint, almost imperceptible fluctuations of a Realm, Chen Cheng’s clear eyes gradually deepened in thought. frёewebnoѵēl.com

’Even a brilliant Martial Arts expert like Mr. Zheng can’t help but lament that the road is hard. I can’t even imagine how powerful the true experts of this world must be!’

’I’m still not strong enough!’ fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

With that thought, Chen Cheng picked up the Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Technique Secret Manual and began to study it in detail.

’Time waits for no one. Rather than lamenting the gap between myself and the powerful, I should take action, cultivate step by step, and strive to become stronger!’

The cultivation of a Bone Forging Technique was a direct continuation of the Skin Grinding Technique and the Muscle Strengthening Technique.

It still relied on Bone Tempering Pills to temper the physique. The various Bone Forging Techniques were still supplementary, serving to help the body’s bones better absorb and refine the medicinal power of the Bone Forging Elixirs, thereby strengthening them.

However, the cultivation of a Bone Forging Technique was also markedly different from the Skin Grinding and Muscle Strengthening Techniques.

Beneath the bones lay the body’s vital marrow. When using a Bone Forging Technique to cultivate the bones, absorbing and refining the power of Elixir Pills could easily allow the elixirs’ toxins to seep into the marrow, thereby damaging the body’s very foundation.

Therefore, cultivating a Bone Forging Technique had to be done with extreme caution. Even the explanations in the Bone Forging Technique Secret Manual were exhaustive, providing detailed descriptions for every single bone.

The human skeleton is composed of 206 bones, including those of the skull, torso, upper limbs, and lower limbs.

Of course, this is just the general case. In fact, at birth, the human body has far more bones—a total of 270.

As a person develops, some of the cranial bones in the skull and some of the hip bones in the lower limbs gradually fuse together.

Whether it’s the 270 bones at birth or the 206 that result from fusion during development, the specifics vary from person to person. No two people are the same.

This gave rise to the concept of "root and bone." Those with exceptional root and bone often had naturally strong bones that had fused together to near perfection. Such a skeletal structure was the most suitable for cultivating Bone Forging Techniques.

In the Martial Arts Realm, a perfectly fused skeleton was known as Innate Copper Skin and Iron Bone. By cultivating a Bone Forging Technique, it was highly possible to develop the legendary Flawless Venerable Jade Bone.

Such bones represented the pinnacle of cultivation in the Bone Forging Realm. They were far harder than gold or iron, and could even remain uncorrupted for a thousand years after death.

Those with Innate Copper Skin and Iron Bone were one in ten thousand. Most people had Acquired development, where their bone count, shape, and density were either average or approaching perfection. These were the ones considered to have mid-tier, high-tier, or superior root and bone.