Chapter 363 - 360: Xuanwu True Skill: Entry Level
Chapter 363: Chapter 360: Xuanwu True Skill: Entry Level
Zhou Jin accepted it, rose to his feet, and addressed Wan Zhongshan.
"Master Wan, this matter is now concluded. I must return to the Sect to report, so I’ll take my leave."
Wan Zhongshan quickly said, "Elder Zhou, you’ve come from so far. I have prepared a humble banquet, I hope..."
"There’s no need." Zhou Jin interrupted with a wave of his hand. "Master Wan, I appreciate the thought. Farewell."
With that, he turned and strode out of the hall, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Wan Zhongshan stood where he was, gazing in the direction Zhou Jin had left, unmoving for a long time.
A mixture of anger, exhaustion, and helplessness played across his face.
After a long while, he heaved a long sigh, turned back to his desk, and slowly sat down.
Outside the window, the sun was setting, and twilight enveloped the magnificent building.
...
「A few days later, Qingxuan Sect.」
Elder Zhou passed through the mountain gate, walking along the familiar bluestone path toward the True Inheritance Courtyard.
Inside courtyard number thirty-five, Fang Han was in his Quiet Chamber cultivating the Profound Wind Technique.
When he heard Qiu Lan announce that Elder Zhou was visiting, he quickly stopped his cultivation, straightened his robes, and went out to greet him.
In the living room, Elder Zhou sat upright in a chair, his expression calm. He gave a slight nod when Fang Han entered.
"Nephew Fang."
"Elder Zhou." Fang Han bowed. "You’ve come in person, Elder. Does this mean there’s a resolution to the previous matter?"
Zhou Jin pointed to a large wooden box on the table and spoke.
"The Ten Thousand Treasures Building has made its amends."
Zhou Jin briefly recounted how Wan Zhongshan had interrogated Wan Yuntian, broken both his legs, stripped him of his title as Young Master of the Tower, and finally paid fifty million taels of silver in compensation.
"Wan Zhongshan entrusted me with delivering these 50 million taels to you as compensation."
Zhou Jin pushed the wooden box containing the silver notes toward Fang Han.
"Fifty million taels?"
Fang Han’s heart leaped.
Even though he had expected the Ten Thousand Treasures Building to pay dearly this time, this figure still far exceeded his expectations.
He picked up the wooden box and opened it. It felt heavy in his hands. A quick scan revealed that each note had a denomination of one hundred thousand taels—a full five hundred of them.
He still had 8.07 million taels left on his system panel. Adding these fifty million taels, his wealth now approached sixty million taels.
He was already more than halfway to the one hundred million taels required to unlock the next level of Talent Amplification.
Of course, these 50 million taels were all in silver notes. To deposit them into the system panel, he would first have to convert them into physical assets.
"Thank you, Elder Zhou. Thank you, Sect, for seeking justice on my behalf."
Fang Han put away the silver notes and clasped his hands in a solemn salute.
Zhou Jin shook his head slightly. "No need to thank me. This is what you deserve. However..."
He paused, his gaze landing on Fang Han’s face, his tone carrying a hint of warning.
"A man like Wan Zhongshan, who has been in charge of the Ten Thousand Treasures Building for so many years, is by no means an easy person to deal with."
"This time, he personally broke his son’s legs and paid fifty million taels. It seems sincere, but it’s hard to say if he bears a grudge in his heart. You must be more careful in the future."
A chill went down Fang Han’s spine, and he nodded.
"This disciple understands."
’It would be stranger if a man like Wan Zhongshan didn’t harbor any resentment.’
’After all, he personally ruined his own son’s future and paid such an enormous sum.’
’No matter how thorough he appeared on the surface, deep down, he probably already sees me as a thorn in his side.’
’However, I don’t need to worry too much.’
’No matter how powerful the Ten Thousand Treasures Building is, it’s just a chamber of commerce. They wouldn’t dare to openly move against a True Inheritor of the Qingxuan Sect.’
’As for any underhanded methods, I’ll handle whatever comes my way. My strength, which grows rapidly every day, is the source of my confidence.’
Zhou Jin offered a few more words of advice before getting up to leave.
Fang Han personally saw him to the courtyard gate. After watching Zhou Jin depart, he turned and returned to his Quiet Chamber.
He carefully hid the fifty million taels of silver notes in a secret compartment, planning to convert them into physical assets later to deposit into the system panel.
’What a windfall.’
However, he didn’t dwell on this unexpected fortune for too long.
’Improving my strength is what’s fundamental.’
’The only reason I received so much compensation is because I’m strong, a Celestial Pride True Inheritance of the Qingxuan Sect, and valued by the Sect.’
’Anyone else would never have received this much.’
He composed himself and began his daily cultivation routine.
...
「A few days later, in the courtyard.」
Fang Han held an extremely bizarre posture, his body twisted at an angle unimaginable for an ordinary person. The muscles all over his body were taut, and veins subtly squirmed beneath his skin.
Ever since returning to the Sect, he had spent a great deal of time each day practicing the Xuanwu True Skill, a Grandmaster Level Body Hardening Technique.
He continuously refined and absorbed the vast blood-qi essence contained within the Blood Essence Pills he had exchanged a large number of Contribution Points for, using it to temper his tendons, bones, and skin.
He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the threshold of the Entry Level.
Guided by the Xuanwu True Skill’s unique Cultivation Method, the blood-qi in his body surged and roared through his meridians like boiling lava, scouring every inch of his muscles and bones.
Every breath was accompanied by a subtle tremor in his muscles, as if countless invisible hammers were striking and compacting his body.
Sweat had long since soaked his green robes, dripping continuously from his temples and sideburns, spreading into large, dark patches on the ground beneath him.
Time passed quietly as he lost himself in his cultivation.
An unknown amount of time passed—
HUMMM...
A hum that only Fang Han could perceive, originating from the very depths of his life force, suddenly resonated from within his body.
It wasn’t the vibration of Inner Qi, but a resonance of his blood-qi, tendons, bones, skin, and even his internal organs, all at once!
In the next instant, the speed at which the blood-qi coursed through his body suddenly increased severalfold!
The surging blood-qi was like a river that had burst its banks, frantically scouring his body with unprecedented ferocity.
Every fiber of flesh, every tendon and bone, every inch of skin was repeatedly tempered, compacted, and strengthened by this violent torrent.
An indescribable, marvelous feeling, as if he were being completely reborn, washed over him.
Fang Han could even clearly "see" his muscle fibers growing thicker and tougher.
The density of his bones was rapidly increasing, emitting faint CRACK sounds, as if an invisible force were constantly compressing and forging them.
Beneath his skin, the membrane that was originally difficult to see with the naked eye was also thickening and tightening at an astonishing rate, like donning a layer of invisible soft armor.
His internal organs were enveloped by a gentle yet immense power. Every beat, every contraction, became stronger and more stable.
This all-encompassing enhancement came so swiftly, so domineeringly.
In a very short time, his physical strength had undergone a qualitative leap at a speed visible to the naked eye.
An unknown amount of time passed—perhaps just a dozen breaths, perhaps the time it takes for an incense stick to burn—
The violent torrent of reinforcement finally began to subside.
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes.
For an instant, a restrained golden glint flashed in the depths of his eyes before disappearing.
He gently clenched his fist.
CRACK.
His knuckles popped loudly, the sound deeper and more powerful than before. He hadn’t used a shred of Inner Qi; it was purely physical strength.
An unprecedented sense of power, as if he could shake mountains, filled his entire body.
He slowly stood up and stretched his limbs.
A series of fine, crisp popping sounds, like roasting beans, erupted from all the joints in his body.
’So this is the physical strength one gets after reaching the Entry Level of the Xuanwu True Skill?’
Fang Han muttered to himself, his gaze falling upon his own hands.
Those hands were still long and fair, not much different from before.
But he could clearly feel the terrifying power they now contained.
He walked to one side of the courtyard, where a Spirit Iron Block used for testing was placed.
This metal was incredibly hard, a fine material for crafting Middle and Low-grade Weapons. Ordinary swords and sabers couldn’t even leave a shallow scratch on it.
Fang Han took a deep breath. Without using any Inner Qi, relying purely on physical strength, he threw a punch at the Spirit Iron Block.
BANG—!
A muffled bang resounded.
A deep Fist Seal had appeared on the Spirit Iron Block.
Fang Han retracted his fist and looked down. Not even a red mark was left on his knuckles.
A look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
That punch, using only physical strength without any Inner Qi, was already so astonishingly powerful.
If he had used it in conjunction with his Inner Qi, the power would have been explosive.
’I wonder what my defense is like now?’
With a thought, Fang Han took a Short Sword from his robes.
It was a Top-grade Weapon he had acquired from a previous seizure. Although not as sharp as the Cloud Splitting Sword, it was sharp enough to easily pierce the protective Inner Qi of an ordinary Martial Artist.
He took a deep breath, gripped the Short Sword, and placed its tip against his left arm.
He didn’t use any Inner Qi for defense, relying solely on his body’s physical defenses.
Then, he slowly applied pressure.
Even when he used his full strength, the tip of the sword still couldn’t pierce his skin. It felt as if he were pressing against a mesh made of some extremely sturdy alloy, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.
’A normal Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist probably couldn’t even break my skin,’ Fang Han estimated.
With his current physical defense, even if he let a Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist attack him freely, it would be difficult for them to injure him.
Only the top-level genius Martial Artists among the Late-Fourth Grade, those who cultivated profound Martial Techniques and possessed dense Inner Qi, would have a chance of breaking through his defense and actually hurting him.
’My physical strength is around one hundred thousand jin.’
Based on the damage to the Spirit Iron, Fang Han roughly estimated his current strength.
’My current physical strength should have reached 100,000 jin.’
’One hundred thousand jin of brute force... what does that even mean?’
With his physical body alone, he was already strong enough to contend with an average Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist.
If he combined it with the Inner Qi from his Profound Wind Technique, his power would be even more terrifying.
’As expected of a Grandmaster Level Technique!’
Fang Han marveled inwardly.
The Xuanwu True Skill truly lived up to its name as a Grandmaster Level Body Hardening Technique. Although difficult to cultivate, just reaching the Entry Level had brought about a complete transformation in him.
And this change had brought him an enormous boost in power.
He now possessed the sharp offense of the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting, the tough defense of the Xuanwu True Skill, and the phantom-like speed of the Wind and Cloud Escape. With these three combined, he no longer had any weaknesses.
His overall strength had skyrocketed once again.
If he were to face Duan Wuya again, he was confident he could kill him before Duan Wuya even had a chance to use his Escape Secret Technique.