Chapter 168 - 114: Exploration

Chapter 168: Chapter 114: Exploration

This barrier was the gateway to the Iron Bone Realm.

Xu Mo recalled the moment he broke through to the Cowhide Realm. Back then, it wasn’t just about accumulating enough qi and blood. More importantly, he had grasped the "intent" of having skin as taut as a drum, which allowed everything to fall into place, letting him step into the Cowhide Realm.

As Xu Mo drove his qi and blood to assault the barrier, he repeatedly asked himself, ’Intent... So what is the ’intent’ of the Iron Bone Realm?’

Xu Mo had hit a bottleneck a few days ago. The energy he gained from his daily Qi Collection no longer strengthened his qi and blood. Instead, it fused into his limbs and his entire body, nourishing every inch of his flesh and every piece of bone.

At first, Xu Mo had been somewhat confused, but after calm reflection, he realized it might not be a bad thing. In fact, it was probably a sign.

"Iron Bone, Iron Bone..." Xu Mo muttered to himself. "It doesn’t literally mean turning bones into blocks of iron. That’s just the superficial appearance, the result."

Xu Mo’s consciousness followed the energy as it merged deep into his body, carefully sensing the changes taking place.

The energy from his qi and blood was constantly solidifying his foundation and strengthening the very core of his vitality. It made his muscle fibers denser and his fascia more resilient. Most importantly, it seemed to be awakening the dormant potential within his bones in an extremely slow yet determined manner.

’The Cowhide Realm focuses on ’Defense.’ It’s an external defense, where qi and blood fill the skin and membranes to form a powerful buffer that absorbs and repels attacks.’

’Then perhaps the core of the Iron Bone Realm lies in ’Bearing’ and ’Issuing’?’

Xu Mo’s thoughts gradually grew clearer.

’Bearing means to support. It’s not just about withstanding external attacks, but also about handling the immense power you yourself unleash. As the body’s framework, the skeleton must be strong and resilient enough to support power output beyond its normal limits without causing injury to oneself. This is a strength that radiates from the inside out; it’s the cornerstone of power.’

’Issuing means to erupt, to penetrate. In the Iron Bone Realm, power permeates the tendons and bones. With a single movement, they resonate in unison, unleashing a piercing, destructive force. It’s no longer just the defense of the skin or the brute force of muscles. Instead, you twist your entire body’s strength into a single cord and unleash it instantaneously through bones harder than steel.’

Xu Mo thought of the members of that Superpower User team, the ones whose bodies took on a rocky or metallic sheen. Their strength wasn’t just in their tough skin; it was as if their entire physical structure had been enhanced, allowing them to both bear and unleash astonishing power.

’My previous cultivation focused on my qi and blood and on tempering my skin and membranes, but I neglected to have my qi and blood saturate my bones at the deepest level.’

’The ’intent’ of the Iron Bone Realm... perhaps it’s a stability rooted in the earth, a toughness capable of bearing immense weight, a piercing power that is contained within before erupting outward. It’s not simple hardness, but rather like refined steel, possessing both hardness and resilience. It is the perfect union of force and bone.’

Now that he understood the way forward, Xu Mo’s focus sharpened. He no longer rushed to forcibly assault the barrier. Instead, he adjusted his breathing and the circulation of his qi and blood. He imagined himself transforming into a towering mountain, his foundations sunk deep into the earth, unmoving against the wind and rain. Then he imagined himself as a powerful bow drawn taut, all his strength pulled inward and compressed within his bones and sinews, held but not yet released. Once unleashed, the power would be earth-shattering.

Immersed in this state, Xu Mo felt the circulation of his qi and blood become more restrained and profound. It no longer crashed about violently as before. Instead, it flowed slowly like warm magma, continuously seeping into and nourishing every inch of his skeleton, merging with it on a deeper level.

The formless barrier was still there, but Xu Mo was no longer anxious. He had found the right path. All that remained was patient, grinding work. Or perhaps... he still needed a catalyst, a trigger that would allow this contained power to erupt completely and undergo a qualitative transformation.

Catalyst... Trigger...

As those two words swirled in his mind, Xu Mo remained immersed in his comprehension of ’Bearing’ and ’Issuing’. He imagined his power as telluric fire, surging and accumulating beneath hard rock, ultimately searching for an opening to burst through with earth-shattering force.

At this thought, Xu Mo felt his taut body become like a layer of rock compressed to its absolute limit. An irrepressible urge drove him to condense all his will and all his qi and blood into his right fist. Xu Mo hadn’t consciously mobilized his power; instead, his body, like a fully drawn bowstring, followed that profound, mysterious insight and violently struck forward with a punch.

BOOM!

A deep, thunderous sonic boom echoed within the fortress. The punch hadn’t struck a physical object—it had only hit the air—but it triggered a visible disturbance in the airflow. The air in front of him seemed to be violently compressed and displaced, forming a momentary ripple.

The ripple slammed violently into the concrete inner wall several meters away, letting out a dull THUD.

The power of this punch far surpassed that of Xu Mo’s usual all-out attacks.

However, after throwing the punch, the expression on Xu Mo’s face was not one of joy. Instead, he instantly turned pale, and his body swayed uncontrollably. He felt light-headed and staggered, as if he had drastically overexerted himself.

Xu Mo immediately steadied himself and used Introspection to carefully examine the changes within his body.

This examination made Xu Mo’s brow furrow tightly.

His once abundant and vigorous qi and blood had actually diminished after that single punch. By a rough estimate, nearly one-twentieth of it was gone.