This time, Master Kim didn't stop Stirling; instead, he smiled meaningfully, his eyes narrowing.

  "Seven, everyone has own secrets. Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one can harm you." Master Kim said, then tapped his finger on the table.

  Stirling followed Master Kim's finger and saw the steaming teacup. He grasped the concept immediately. Next, he picked up the teacup, half-kneeling and holding it above his head.

  Master Kim then took the teacup, had a small sip, and gestured for Stirling to stand up and speak.

  "Since you've become my disciple, a gift is necessary. I observe that your energy is abundant, and your eyes are bright. You don't seem to crave desire. If you had not, Yearning's malice would have blocked you from breaking this barrier."

  "After the skin-resurfacing process comes bone forging, which practice method I have here. Wait for me."

  Master Kim asked Stirling to stay in the hall for a moment, then went into a side room.

  When Master Kim emerged, he was carrying a book in one hand and a small bottle in the other.

  "This is my family's bone-forging manual. This bottle holds hematopoietic pills." Master Kim said, handing the two items to Stirling.

  Stirling took the items and surveyed them. He noticed that the book's cover clearly stated "Kim's Bone-Forging Method." A thought struck him: does this bone-forging method have something to do with Kim's boxing?

  Sure enough, Master Kim continued: "This bone-forging method and the skin-resurfacing method are basically the same. Seven, you must memorize them here today. No taking them out, no recording and sharing!"

  "As you command."

  Master Kim nodded, then added:

  "After using the hematopoietic pill, avoid Yearning's malice for the next two weeks. If not, your vital energy and blood may be harmed, weakening your foundation. This makes it hard to break through the bone barrier!"

  "Well noted," Stirling replied.

  "Hmm, have you encountered any problems after practicing for so long?" Master Kim asked.

  Stirling hesitated a little about what to ask upon hearing this.

  There were questions for sure, quite a few, but the one he was most curious about was the worship of the gods.

  "Master, I have a long-standing problem. The worship of the gods seems not very strong. Why does it make Saxon feel suffocated?" After a long while, Stirling finally asked.

  "Heh, quite the boast. Looks like you have beaten some god-worshippers before?" Master Kim chuckled, then shook his head, saying: "God-worshippers, what's terrifying isn't their strength, but their sheer numbers and improvement speed."

  "As well, samurai can worship gods at any time. Once they get a high-level divine statue, they can break through shackles without sweat. This extends their lifespan a lot. Do you understand how tempting that is for a samurai on the verge of death?"

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  "Back then, Ince, the chief samurai of the Saxon Empire, had exceptional strength, unparalleled in the world. He pushed the savages north of the Dubal Mountains, driving them back ten thousand miles. This achievement set the stage for the Saxon Empire. Alas, only three years after the calamity, ten wind riders rose in Saxon by worshipping a divine statue, the same level as Ince!"

  "Do you know what that means? These wind riders were older men who never thought they would reach the next level. They accepted their fate. But then, because of the calamity, they worshipped the god, then entered the wind rider realm and felt renewed!"

  "After worshipping the god, their character changed drastically. Perhaps not humans already. In the end, the worshipping wind riders surrounded and killed Ince in the Despair Forest. It's lamentable that this Saxon chief samurai met such an end!"

  Master Kim's expression turned somber as he spoke, lost in thought.

  "Um, Master, what is this Wind Rider Realm?" Stirling, seeing Master Kim's troubled expression, asked with caution. Sure enough, Master Kim frowned upon hearing this.

  "As a matter of course, the power of an immortal. You've only entered the house of martial arts. Do not have your head in the clouds! Remember, when a tree falls, everyone hears a loud crash. But when a tree grows, it is silent. Seventh, avoid distracting on unrelated matters except your development. Now that you've broken through the skin barrier, you don't need to attend the morning class anymore. Memorize the Bone Forging Method and get back to practicing hard!"

  Master Kim glared at Stirling, then walked off. He was about to head to the front yard to give Figo some instructions.

  Stirling watched Master Kim's retreating figure and couldn't help but curl his lip.

  "Wind Rider is nothing. Give me enough lifespan, and I can even create Thor's battle skills."

  Stirling sat at the stone table, secretly complaining. He opened the book and memorized it.

  In fact, it's less about memorizing details and more about understanding the general idea. Stirling just needed to remember the main points and write them down on paper later. It didn't need to be too exact, since the enhancing ring would automatically fill in the gaps and optimize it. Half an hour later, Stirling had nearly memorized the booklet. He got ready to write it down while it was still fresh in his mind.

  However, as Stirling moved down the corridor and into the front courtyard, all eyes were on him at once. Their gazes were fixed intently.

  Surprise, jealousy, shock, and anger—Stirling read these mixed emotions in their eyes. This left him puzzled why he had become the focus at that moment.

  Right then, Figo called out to Stirling, "Seven!"

  Hearing this unfamiliar address, Stirling understood in no time.

  "Senior brother Figo," Stirling bowed and said.

  "From now on, you can call me Six." Figo smiled broadly and walked towards Stirling.

  "Master told me you don't need to come during the day anymore. Be careful anyway; night watch is a hard job."

  Stirling replied, "Thanks for your reminder, sixth senior brother."

  "Hmm," Figo patted Stirling's shoulder. Then, he went back to the courtyard to check on the others' practice.

  Stirling glanced at the group in the courtyard. They were practicing, but spaced out. Many of them seemed to want to say something but then hesitated.

  Stirling kept going. He stepped out of the gate and left the training ground.

  Having returned early today, Stirling had eaten a bowl of hot noodles on the way.

  This thick noodle soup with black pepper suited Stirling's taste well. It was cheap, so many people were sitting at the stall enjoying it.

  "Hey, has The Gray Specter gone mad lately? It was just a few days ago since they collected protection money!" A diner shook his head and spoke.

  "Yeah, too frequently, how are we going to do business?" Another person echoed, shaking their head in dissatisfaction.

  "The Gray Specter gang?" Upon hearing this word, Stirling immediately pictured Marshall.

  According to Joe Mosley, Marshall's father was the vice head of the underground gang, The Gray Specter. But this was the first time Stirling had heard the name from other residents.

  "The Gray Specter gang has been recruiting a lot and collecting protection fee. They're doing this to pay the members' wages!" A diner said.

  "Recruiting again? Are they about to clash with another gang?" someone asked.

  "I don't know about that, but The Gray Specter is the only powerful force in this outer city. No other gangs can rival them lately."

  The others all shook their heads.

  "Sigh, at this rate, I don't know if we can even gather the money for Yearning's pill later. Anyway, who cares?"

  "In this chaos world, dying in a sexy dream is pretty good."

  Stirling listened to the discussion without interrupting. He finished his noddle, tossed a few copper coins on the table, and left.