Iron Eater: Second Rank

Available slots for absorbing metal traits: 2

Absorbed traits: Molded Embryo (White)

Current consumption slot 1: Raw Iron (Edibility 28.1/100%)

Current consumption slot 2: Nine Nether Evil Iron (Edibility 6%/100%)

"The edibility of Calamity Iron increases very slowly, it's not that it's completely stagnant, it's just as slow as a tortoise."

Feng Mu thought irritably:

"As expected, I knew there was no way the edibility of Calamity Iron could increase faster than Raw Iron. A single bite increasing by 5% was just my misconception at that time."

Now Feng Mu came to his senses, realizing where the problem was.

Raw Iron is like a bowl of thin porridge; though each bowl increases edibility slowly, it digests quickly. After practicing Body Refining Skill a few times, his stomach is empty, ready to consume more porridge.

Each bowl isn't large, but he could have one whenever he wanted.

Calamity Iron is like a military compressed bar; a single piece increases edibility significantly but digests very slowly. One night of Body Refining Skill practice, and his stomach remains full.

You'd think you only ate a meal, but in reality, that meal could sustain you for a month.

In a full week, the edibility of Calamity Iron only increased from 5% to 6%, meaning the digestion amount for the week was barely enough to replenish just 1% of Calamity Iron.

If Feng Mu doesn't consume Calamity Iron, letting his stomach digest the entire 5% reserve, it would take five whole weeks, one meal sustaining a month indeed.

This is still the result of Feng Mu drawing blood to apply a buff for himself daily; otherwise, he suspects the edibility of Calamity Iron would genuinely remain unmovable.

Consequently, even the edibility growth of Raw Iron became slower because his stomach was always half-full, compressing his daily intake of Raw Iron.

He had to eat more food to neutralize the effects of Calamity Iron + Raw Iron internally, preventing himself from mutating into a Calamity Corpse upon awakening.

Originally, Feng Mu thought it would take no more than ten days or half a month to absorb the traits of Calamity Iron. In reality, calculating it, it might take 100 months, over ten years?

The gap between expectation and reality was too great for Feng Mu to bear.

He must find a way to ensure Calamity Iron doesn't progress slower than Raw Iron, at least not lagging so far behind that he can't see its shadow.

Otherwise, collecting Calamity Iron early would have no practical value; Feng Mu would have no choice but to painfully replace Calamity Iron out of the consumption slot.

He couldn't afford to infinitely slow down the progression rate of Iron Eater due to the sluggish growth of Calamity Iron.

After practicing Body Forging Exercise several times more, Feng Mu sighed deeply, placed the half-piece of Calamity Iron back into the iron box, and hid it under the loose tiles under the TV cabinet.

Feng Mu felt inevitably disappointed inside: "It's like a game where you pick up Divine Armor early on, limited by your character level, you can only look but not use it, making you anxious enough to scratch your head, wishing to use the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow modifier."

Unfortunately, reality doesn't have a one-click upgrade modifier; Feng Mu could only grit his teeth and set a final deadline for himself.

He thought: "Two weeks, at most two weeks, to find a way to accelerate Calamity Iron; otherwise, he would have no choice but to painfully shelve it."

To solve the issue, Feng Mu planned to approach the following ideas.

1. Body Forging Exercise might not match Calamity Iron's intensity; a different Martial Arts might be needed.

2. Continue seeking solutions from the Calamity Corpse Sect; although their research direction probably isn't his desired path, they might indeed be the world's deepest organization studying Calamity Iron. By analogy, he might obtain some solutions from them?

3. It might not be the strength issue of Body Forging Exercise but rather a compatibility issue.

After all, his current understanding of [Edibility] comes entirely from Raw Iron; he believed [Body Forging Exercise] could enhance digestion rate because fatigue and pain consume food and energy. Is it possible that his understanding is too superficial, and there is a deeper reason?

Such as, [Raw Iron] and [Body Forging Exercise] just match well with each other? They have great compatibility?

Just like martial art practice involves not only the Root Bone Value but also an implicit compatibility.

That is, some people are particularly suited for practicing certain martial arts, feeling like the martial art was tailor-made for them, the moves they perform being even more powerful than those described in the manual.

Just like [Molded Embryo] is particularly compatible with [Crane Claw Skill].

According to this idea, he needs to find a martial art compatible with Calamity Iron, but how to find it?

4. If the above three ideas are wrong, then the only option is blindly, hoping for luck.

But in any case, Feng Mu only left himself two weeks of trial and error time, without giving himself space for fantasies, starting the countdown from this moment.

Feng Mu might not even realize that his character also seemed like it had been reshaped and molded like a bone; he'd lost the indecisiveness inside the bone, gaining the hard cold decisiveness like iron.

To a certain extent, without comparing the strength of traits, merely conceptually, the trait of Raw Iron might be the most suitable initial trait for Feng Mu.

Molded Embryo molds the bone, also "the bone."

Feng Mu paused practicing Body Forging Exercise. Since Calamity Iron's progress was temporarily halted, he no longer rushed to increase the edibility of Raw Iron, preparing to spend time on two new martial arts.

Yes, exactly the two manuals Ma Bin offered.

One Second-Grade Palm Technique "Heart Shattering Palm."

One Third Grade Pile Skill "Ox Demon Force."

The entry to the Second-Grade Palm Technique isn't difficult; Feng Mu didn't waste time this week, practicing diligently each night at home, yielding good results.

He had now just begun to grasp the essence, feeling that it was just a thickness of window paper away from breaking through.

He thought: "Tonight's the night."

Three hours later.

Feng Mu sneered coldly, feeling the knowledge of fists and legs infused into his mind, that thin layer of window paper was punched through by him.

[Basic Boxing (Intermediate) → Basic Boxing (Advanced) → Basic Boxing (Perfection)]

[Basic Leg Technique (Intermediate) → Basic Leg Technique (Advanced) → Basic Leg Technique (Perfection)]

[Remaining General Skill Proficiency: 22080]

The mind suddenly had memories of 20 years of arduous practice of basic boxing; each move, because of its simplicity, radiated a sense of clean and swift, with a foundation unbelievably solid.

With a mere thought, Feng Mu's fists and legs moved crisply and directly; it lacked power but had an innate quality, like practicing these basics until they became instinct.

Simultaneously, with 20 years of fist and leg skills, Feng Mu's understanding increased significantly even if his Root Bone comprehension was poor.

At the very least, the mere entry of Second-Grade Palm Technique [Heart Shattering Palm] couldn't block him.

[Heart Shattering Palm · Beginner (1/300)]

"This is truly accumulating gradually and unleashing suddenly." Feng Mu felt deeply rewarded, seemingly understanding the true meaning of martial arts from this day-to-day punching and kicking.

Behind every barrier breakthrough was his decades-long monotonous accumulation.

Although those memories were instantaneously infused, the tactile feeling in those memories was authentic, the lengthy monotony was genuine, and most importantly, the consumed proficiency values were utterly real.

Therefore, Feng Mu realized there was no shortcut; no cheating, everything was nothing more than the most genuine effort and reward!

"Who can be like me, repeatedly practicing martial arts for decades with dedication? I'm truly too diligent; I've redefined the limits of hard work."

Feng Mu's eyes moistened, moved by his own efforts.

[You possess an incredibly solid foundation, managing to enter Heart Shattering Palm in just one day.]

[You tirelessly focused on comprehending Heart Shattering Palm, achieving modest success three years later.]

[Ten sleepless and relentless years passed, your comprehension attained another level, reaching the Great Success Realm.]

[You crazily obsessed over Heart Shattering Palm; thirty years in, you refined it to the theoretical perfection of this martial art.]

Feng Mu glanced at the moving second hand on the wall clock, feeling a sense of disconnection.

Though only a few seconds had passed in reality, he had practiced for 30 years in an empty world, possessing an unrivaled soul in enduring loneliness.

A fresh icon appeared in the skill bar [Heart Shattering Palm · Perfection]

[Current Remaining General Skill Proficiency: 17280]

Feng Mu closed the panel, not managing to see that small fleeting message box.

[Your extraordinary mental fortitude shocked the system, slightly increasing your inheritance level...]

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