Bronze bones

Natasha instantly perked up and murmured: "If I don't have a woman in my heart, my cultivation speed will become faster than light?"

Although she didn't really understand, she expressed her gratitude.

"I understand, thank you!"

"Teacher, I am going to practice!"

"Ok, go ahead."

Matthew slightly nodded with some doubts in his heart.

'Did she really understand? Or did she just decide to turn herself into a nun that only cares about practicing? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything?'

Natasha came to the place where she always practices, before starting to practice, she analyzed what Matthew had said to her to her best ability.

After a long time, her eyes lit up as she seemed to understand something, and she declared to herself:

"Teacher is right. Only after experiencing setbacks can one become better!"

"As long as I have no one in my heart, my cultivation speed will become divinely fast."

"I understand the teacher's deep meaning, by a woman in my heart, he meant feelings love and such, this things are distracting thoughts."

"Women of my generation should be self dependent and cut off all distracting thoughts!"

"As long as I can get rid of all my distracting thoughts, my heart will be steadier, my mind will become clearer, thus leading to better understanding, and my cultivation speed will definitely be faster!"

After saying this, she did not delay any further, she sat cross legged, her mana started to circulate, and the bone refining began.

She no longer needed to exercise her body in order to mobilize her mana, so she could do it while sitting down.

Natasha suddenly had a flash of inspiration in her mind:

"By telling me that once I get rid of the woman in my heart, my speed of practicing will increase, was he reminding me that I have not fully understood the method of bone refining?"

"If I have really understood the essence of the method, then why is my bone refining process so slow?"

"The teacher repeatedly emphasized 'enlightenment' and the importance of understanding 'intention'."

"First, I have to throw away all distracting thoughts, and keep my mind clear."

After a few moments of silent meditation, she continued.

"Then I have to understand the changes in, and brought about by my mana…"

"Find the essence of bone refining… This is must be what the teacher meant!"

At this moment, Natasha thought about it for a while, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that every word and deed of Matthew contained a profound and deep meaning.

"The methods used by the teacher are different after all, he focuses on understanding… and always reminds me to understand more!"

"Is this what he meant by teaching the way but not the method?"

Realizing that she was becoming distracted, Natasha quickly dispelled her thoughts and refocused on carefully feeling her own mana, and the changes in her bones.

She gradually entered a state where she forgot everything in the world, even herself.

After some time passed, she understood something.

"There is something wrong here… mana circulation is slow, it's penetration is not deep enough, the tempering is not strong enough… I should make some adjustments."

"The speed of bone refining has become faster… Sure enough, the teacher was reminding me that I have not mastered the essence of bone refining!"

"I finally understand! This is the real method of bone refining!"

At a certain moment, Natasha felt that her mana was flowing very smoothly, the speed of bone refining was greatly increased, and her mana was also strengthened during the bone refinement.

"If there is no woman in my heart, then my speed of cultivation will be faster than light. The teacher did not deceive me!"

Natasha was extremely excited.

"If I continue at this rate, I will be able to make some solid progress in five or six days!"

"Golden bones, here I come!"

"I definitely won't fall behind any of those so called supreme geniuses!"

As she immersed herself in her practice, Natasha forgot the flow of time, and before she knew it, it was already dusk.

The village had begun to darken.

Matthew looked at Natasha who was still practicing, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.

'Why was has she been sitting cross legged for such a long time? Did she think of a new way to try sensing mana?'

'Most importantly, why had she forgotten the time?! If you don't feel hunger, do you think I also won't feel it?!'

Matthew planned to ask her to stop and go make dinner, but then he remembered her depression during the day.

"Forget it, she was just dumped so it is normal for her to feel uncomfortable."

"I'll let her grieve in her own way, and not disturb her. I'll give her a treat and personally cook today."

After sighing, Matthew went to make dinner by himself.

…

Half a month later.

Since Natasha had come back, Mathew had resumed his leisurely life during this half month period.

With Natasha doing all the chores, he did not have to worry.

The chickens were getting fatter and fatter, and a new batch of chicks had been hatched.

They even raised a few hares.

Although he had lied to Natasha about the mage stuff, it can't be said that he taught her nothing, with all the life skills she learnt, she would be set for life if her family ever went bankrupt.  

In the past half month, Natasha had been practicing even harder.

She would do the physical exercises while mobilizing mana for half a day, and practice while meditating for another half.

Even though he didn't know why Natasha started meditating, Matthew admired her perseverance, so he found it hard to discourage her.

He could only give her a few words of encouragement from time to time!

Little did he know that Natasha had already entered the bronze bone refining stage.

For Natasha, the past half month of practice was really like receiving divine help.

She understanding of the bone refining method repeatedly increased, and the tempering speed was an exponential curve.

Every word of encouragement given by Matthew was overly analyzed by her, and after some brainstorming, she would become enlightened.

The way she mobilized and used mana was fundamentally changed many times, and the speed at which she tempered her bones would increase accordingly

During this time, the image of Matthew in her heart was no longer that of a simple reclusive mage, but of an unpredictable and super strong expert.

"Teacher is really unfathomable!"

"He has broken away from the traditional and ordinary methods of teaching, instead of simply imparting methods, he imparts a way of thinking which increases the student's understanding"

"He teaches the true 'meaning' of practicing, instead of showing a rigid shape!"

"Growing vegetables, cooking, raising chickens, raising rabbits…it might seem like ordinary chores at first, but it can relax my mind after practicing and let me return to the state of an ordinary person instead of being tense."

"During this process I will be close to nature and my control and understanding over mana will increase slowly."

"As mage, how could one be aloof and distant from mature?"

"No wonder the teacher looks like an ordinary person. This must be what he meant when he said, 'returning to nature, and becoming one with the way…"

"His realm must be very high!"

Natasha sighed in her heart, when will she reach that kind of level?

"I have tempered my bones to the bronze bones, and I am one step closer to the golden bones. I should be able to go a step further and attain golden bones in another half a month, right?"

"Well, it might not be that easy, since the teacher said going from bronze bones to gold bones is not something that just anyone can do."

"When I finish tempering my copper bones, I should go back and see if I can get some more five elements flowers, it would be best if they are from an older tree!"

Natasha made up her mind to finish tempering the copper bones and go home to see if she could find something to accelerate the process of tempering gold bones.

Ten days later.

The bronze bones were completed tempered, and Natasha's next step was to temper golden bones.

Unfortunately, she felt unable to proceed as if she had reached the limits of bone refining.

"Is this the 'bottle neck' the teacher spoke of?"

She remembered that at this stage, she could only rely on talent, perseverance and persistence.

The most important thing being enlightenment!

"I can only go and get some precious medicine to try to increase the chance of breaking through."

Natasha was going to go home again to look for something to help her practice.

Matthew stood at the door, looking at Natasha practicing in the distance, and he fell into deep thought.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but he always felt like Natasha had become a little different.

She seemed to be a bit ethereal but not at the same time, like a flower that was blooming in, but unstained by, mud.

"This silly girl, can't really achieve something and become a mage, right?"

Taken aback by this thought, Matthew laughed at his own stupidity.

"No! It's absolutely impossible. I made this all up. Even if there mana and mages exist in this world, how can one become a mage by practicing my nonsensical method?"

"It must just be that she has become fit and healthy from exercising during these days!"