It took longer than expected to temper the torso.Especially the spine .After finishing with the torso he continued by tempering the skull this part he tempered it thorough.Headbutt was also a skill .When fighting for your life every part of your body is a weapon. There are even People who temper their mouths ( jaws ,teeths and tongue) and use them in battle although rare they have managed to created techniques to help them .
Finishing tempering his bones a bronze hue covers every inch of his bones ,and the final refinement began the bones crack then mend this is the most dangerous and painful moment.The most scary part is ones the process begins you cant stop it all you can do is grit your teeth and provide as much essence as you can absorb .From outside Xiao long was shaking and sweating profusely,his body was full of cracks but they was no bleeding,this went of for a few hours then small pieces of bones began to be excreted from the cracks those were the unrefined bones.After all of them were dislodged out his bones began to reform and mend this time all he felt was like someone was caressing him making him moan .
Clenching his fist he could feel the strength coursing through his bones , making him want to go and find the monkey but when he remembered it's toying gaze a cold chill rans down his body making him abandon that thought.
" I should find a high quality pool and refine my meridians ones, even if I enter the third layer it will be hard to find a pool that good without any clues,' he thought.Then it clicked " I can just enter the Battle tower and exchange winners merits for clue" .
The battle tower was also an exchange hall .As long as you won a battle against a cultivator of the same realm you get 10 points for bone refinement realm ,and additional 10 for each meridian tempered .
They are a total of 12 primary meridians and 2 extraordinary meridian.Those can only be found by luck as they are also known as the hidden meridians , they must first be located then opened and lastly tempered.They are special since one's tempered they offer a cultivator tripple their total strength.
Strength in body tempering realm is measured in catties.
Bone tempering can offer up to 500 cattties.
Each meridian tempered can offer an additional 200 catties.
Skin tempered offers additional 1000 catties.
So if you are lucky and temper those two meridians your strength may match a cultivator at the early Qi refining realm .
Back to Xiao long ,he began to hunt down down asuras for blood crystals ,the hunt was thrilling as he gathered a few hundred crystals .Each crystal is a size of a human eyeball so he just tied them with a piece of cloth he found .
Next he began to search for an array formation lucky for him he met with a few clan disciples who knew of its general direction saving him some time.
Finding the formation all he had to do was power it up with crystals.Throwing 20 inside the formation eye nothing happened he added another 50 still nothing .
"Why does every thing have to be so complicated " he complained as the added 100 lighting up a third of the formation he threw another 200 completely powering up the formation but not before cursing the formation master who set up the array.
Stepping on the platform a light surrounds him and the next second he finds himself inside a hall.
" Dammit" he cursed as he felt his stomach turned upside down.If they is one thing he hated about teleportation formation is the dizziness it caused a person if not careful it incites one to puke even poop depending on your mental fortitude.
" Welcome Young master " an attendant greets him making him regain focus.He salutes back.
" How much will it cost to enter the first layer ?" he asked .
" 50 blood crystals for everyone in the asura realm " the attendant answered.
" And how many merit points for clues to high quality pools?"
" 100 merit points ,the elders asked that I inform you that 5 golden pools have formed in the third layer"
" What! " Xiao long was shocked .A golden pool was a unique pool formed by merging of more that 10 high quality pools, it was rare since it require the birth of a Blood merging fruit.So you can imagine his shock to here that 5 appeared at the same time.
" How much merit points ?" he asked.
" 1000 " he answered ,you could see he was ashamed.For Xiao long to get that number of merit points he will have to either defeat 100 bone tempering beasts or 10 Beast with strength of a complete meridian tempering cultivator.
Xiao long glares at him " it was the grand elders instructions" the attendant decided to sell out the culprit.
" Damn that old geezer" he cursed loudly.
Gritting his teeth the handed over the entrance fee 50 crystal ,and was given a token .
Crashing it he was transported into the battle tower ,first layer ( body tempering layer) .
The tower is were all the criminals and beasts the clan have captured over the years are kept, they are used for battle training.
The only rule in this tower is kill! kill! kill!.
If a criminal managed to kill 5 disciples their crimes are forgiven.In here disciples are a highly sought out commodity by both the criminals and the beasts .Most criminals are devil cultivators( they use blood for cultivation) and the beasts ( use flesh ) .
The minute Xiao long entered he landed in a battle between two beasts a wolf and a bull.
A few moments ago the wolf was taking a beating of a lifetime from the bull .It was ready to Risk mutual destruction when a this ant appeared in the middle .
As Xiao long looked at these beast he wondered if he used all his luck in his past life .He kept finding himself is perilous situation every now and then.
When the wolf lookedsat Xiao long all its saw was it's chance at defeat that damned bull .If it refined the little human it's cultivation will increase .
But when the bull looked at Xiao long all it saw was an ant blocking its way .
When Xiao long looked at the beasts all he saw were merit points.The bull charged at him while the wolf pounced at him. Glancing at both beasts Xiao long scoffed as he wondered " It seems they think I am a soft persimmon" punching the bulls head it paused mid charge as it's skull cracked open spilling brains every where .The wolf had already closed the gap ,it opened its mouth ready to bite a chunk of his neck when it witness the fate of the bull ,a chill ran down its spine as Xiao long turned around kicking it's stomach it growled in pain as it rolled down the ground,Xiao long didn't give it time to get up as he smacked it's back pinning it at the ground .It began whimpering in pain but the little brute didn't care grabbing it head he yanked it up separting it with spine.
A few spectating beasts that were waiting for the two beast to fight till they were weakened then take advantage of their injuries scattered as they watched their deaths .
Killing the bull got him 40 points while the Wolf 20 points .Beast have stronger physiques, but before they unlock their memory inheritance they are disadvantaged at the early stages of cultivation.
First they must awaken their intelligence and that happens at the third level of cultivation.The first two levels they just absorb food and refine their bloodline their awaiting to pass the bloodline tribulation trial where the unlock their ancestral inheritance.Ones they unlock their inheritance the surpass humans in the same cultivation level.