Elder Qin sighed heavily as he heard Li Yun. "That's where the difficulty comes in. The moment you entered the fourth floor of the Combat Pagoda, the upper echelons of the sect learned everything about you. The announcement was supposed to be made at that moment, but they didn't do it because they thought you weren't worthy enough for such recognition."
He added with narrowed eyes, "In fact, they didn't even want to promote you to core disciple status. If not for one of the hidden supreme elders speaking in your favor, you might not have even been given the core sect badge."
Li Yun clenched the badge tightly when he heard Elder Qin, his expression turning grim. He couldn't believe he had almost been stripped of his core disciple status.
"Is it because of my bone frame?" he asked, clearly displeased.
"Precisely," Elder Qin nodded, looking out the only window in the room. "A bone frame is the most important part of a martial artist, and I believe you've heard this many times. It doesn't change the fact that it's true. There's a reason why humans without a bone frame are considered mortal in the cultivation world." He sighed deeply.
"What reason?" Li Yun asked seriously.
Elder Qin contemplated for a moment before replying, "That, I won't tell you. It's still too early for that. Just know that a bone frame is what allows a martial artist to unleash their strongest combat power."
He added mysteriously, "There will come a time when you'll face an obstacle you can't overcome—a realm you can't reach—a level that everyone with a bone frame can access, but you alone can't. At that time, you'll understand the importance of a bone frame for a martial artist. If that day ever comes, find me."
Li Yun frowned deeply after hearing Elder Qin's explanation. His expression became more serious with each passing second. He had always believed that a bone frame was merely a foundational requirement for cultivation, something every martial artist needed to begin their journey. But now, Elder Qin's words hinted at something far more profound.
'Maybe that's why Father and Mother were so disappointed when I was found to have no bone frame,' he thought, his expression darkening.
"Then isn't this badge useless to me?" Li Yun asked, holding up the core sect identity badge.
"In a way, it's indeed useless," Elder Qin said lightly. "But it's only useless in the core sect. The status of a core disciple can give you unimaginable benefits in the outer and inner sects if you know how to use it effectively."
Li Yun nodded. Even if it had its limits, he wasn't planning on giving it up.
"So, have you chosen your two martial arts?" Elder Qin asked.
Li Yun shook his head. "I want a movement technique and a body-strengthening technique, and I have a high-grade and a top-grade human rank token."
"A movement technique and a body-strengthening technique?" Elder Qin pondered for a moment before taking out a book. It appeared rather old but well-preserved.
"This is a top-grade human rank movement technique called Phantom Mirage Step. It's one of the best movement techniques at the human rank." Elder Qin explained as he handed Li Yun the technique.
Li Yun read through it briefly before storing it in his storage ring and handing over the top-grade token in exchange.
Elder Qin took the token and said, "You better not disappoint me with that technique."
"Elder Qin, I will try my best to master it," Li Yun replied humbly.
"About the body-strengthening technique..." Elder Qin pondered, rubbing his chin before recalling something. "I have one, but it's missing some important parts." He took out a worn and torn book, its cover yellowed and brown, showing its age.
"It's called Titan's Cauldron Forging Technique," Elder Qin said, handing the book to Li Yun. "It was originally a profound-rank technique with four stages, but unfortunately, I only have the first stage."
Li Yun skimmed through the book. As Elder Qin had said, the Titan's Cauldron Forging Technique was designed to have four stages to forge a powerful body, but the book only contained the first stage, called Cauldron of Bronze Bones.
After reading the contents, Li Yun sighed in relief.
'It should be strong enough to allow me to use the first stage of Heaven Raging Chaos Art without much backlash,' he thought, feeling secretly pleased that he had finally found something to counter the drawbacks of his technique.
He knew the first stage alone might not be enough to completely eliminate the risk of injury, but it would prevent him from going into bloodlust mode immediately after using Raging Heaven.
And that was all he needed at the moment—a way to use Raging Heaven without relying too much on blood.
"It's good, Elder Qin. I'll take it," Li Yun said with a smile, storing the technique away and handing over the high-grade human rank token.
Elder Qin smiled as he accepted the token.
"Elder Qin, I'm very grateful for your help," Li Yun said, standing up and bowing respectfully.
"Haha, just show the sect that you have what it takes to be a once-in-a-generation genius," Elder Qin laughed.
"Elder Qin, I will not disappoint you," Li Yun said.
"Let me give you a piece of advice," Elder Qin said, his expression turning serious. "There have been records of the past ten geniuses who entered the fourth floor of the Combat Pagoda on their first try. They received generous rewards and went on to become influential figures in the Azure Cloud Region."
He added solemnly, "Since you, too, have entered the fourth floor on your first try, many people in the sect have their eyes on you—on the rewards you obtained from the Combat Pagoda."
Li Yun's expression turned cold upon hearing Elder Qin's warning. At that moment, he realized he had been carrying a ticking time bomb with him all this time, one that could explode at any moment, bringing him down with it.
He understood the cruelty of the world, something his parents had warned him about many times. It was a realm where only the strong survived, where talent and power reigned supreme. The weak were crushed, and the unprepared fell by the wayside.