Chapter 365 - 362: Monster
Chapter 365: Chapter 362: Monster
’First place is probably impossible, but I might be able to compete with Yun Muyao for second.’
Fang Han came to a conclusion.
Even with an additional 100,000 jin of physical strength, it would be highly unlikely he could catch up to Luo Yuntian, who was ranked seventh on the Celestial Pride List. But catching up to Yun Muyao, ranked sixteenth, was a possibility.
But of course, that was out of the question.
The strength he had just displayed was more than enough. There was no need to lay all his cards on the table.
After all, he was already a thorn in the Netherworld Pavilion’s side. If he wanted to ensure his own survival, he needed to keep enough trump cards in reserve.
He turned, and to the astonishment of the disciples in the square, began to walk away.
No one had the courage to approach and talk. The crowd automatically parted to form a path, watching him walk further and further away, finally disappearing around a bend in the mountain path at the edge of the square.
Only after Fang Han’s figure had completely vanished did the discussions in the square finally erupt.
"Too terrifying... How long has it been? He only joined the Sect two years ago, right?"
"Two years, from an ordinary disciple to third on the overall list... That speed is simply unheard of!"
"Do you think Senior Brother Luo was this fierce back in the day?"
"From what I know, Senior Brother Luo only reached the top of the overall list in his sixth year after joining. He wasn’t as ridiculous as Senior Brother Fang Han!"
"So you’re saying Senior Brother Fang Han’s Talent is even greater than Senior Brother Luo’s?"
"Watch your mouth! You can’t just say things like that. But... Senior Brother Fang Han’s Talent truly is terrifying."
The discussions were filled with shock, admiration, and envy.
The news spread like it had grown wings, rapidly disseminating from the square to every corner of the Sect.
Inheritance Hall, Tingyu Hall, Law Enforcement Hall, the Twelve Courtyards... Whether it was disciples in the middle of Cultivation, Stewards handling official business, or even some Elders in secluded cultivation, they all soon heard the news.
"Fang Han is third on the overall list? How could he possibly be third on the overall list so quickly?"
"It’s absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes. With one sword strike, his rank jumped directly from sixth to third!"
"Senior Brother Kuang Tu is thirty-eighth on the Celestial Pride List! Doesn’t that mean Fang Han..."
Similar conversations were taking place everywhere.
For ordinary disciples, this news was indescribably shocking.
Third on the overall list meant that among the thousands of disciples in the Qingxuan Sect, only two people were definitively stronger than Fang Han. He now stood at the pinnacle of the Sect’s disciples.
As for those who had been surpassed by Fang Han, the news left a complex, indescribable taste in their mouths.
...
In the True Inheritance Courtyard, within a quiet and secluded villa.
Su Yuwei, ranked sixty-third on the Celestial Pride List, stood alone in the courtyard. She wasn’t wearing her True Inheritance Robe, but a simple white dress. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her face was elegant and beautiful.
At this moment, a faint hint of shock was visible in her eyes.
After a long silence, she sighed softly.
"I’ve been surpassed, just as I expected..."
She whispered to herself, her voice nearly inaudible.
At the beginning of the month, the Celestial Pride List was updated. Fang Han was ranked fifty-fifth, while she was sixty-third.
From that moment on, she knew that this junior brother, who had joined the Sect much later than her, was already stronger than she was.
But knowing it was one thing; actually seeing Fang Han’s name appear above her own was another matter entirely.
It was an indescribable feeling.
It wasn’t jealousy, but a bitter reluctance to accept it.
Being able to get on the Celestial Pride List, she considered herself a genius, but compared to this junior brother Fang Han, the gap in their Talent was plain to see.
"What a monster..."
She shook her head and turned to walk back into her house.
...
At Chen Wuhen’s villa.
Chen Wuhen had never liked extravagance. His courtyard contained only a stone table, a few stone stools, and a clump of green bamboo in the corner. That was all.
At this moment, he was sitting on a stone stool, holding an ancient book.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up at the attendant who was hurrying over.
"What is it?"
"Senior Brother Chen, news just came in. Senior Brother Fang Han tested at the Overall Martial Arts Stele today, and his rank rose to... third."
The attendant’s voice was cautious, and he secretly observed Chen Wuhen’s expression.
Chen Wuhen’s movements paused slightly.
He put down the ancient book, his gaze falling upon the clump of green bamboo in the courtyard. He was silent for a moment.
"Third?!"
He repeated the number softly, a faint smile slowly appearing at the corners of his mouth.
The smile was extremely faint, tinged with bitterness.
"What a terrifyingly talented junior brother."
He quickly composed himself, at least on the surface, and waved his hand, saying:
"You may go."
The attendant didn’t dare ask any more questions and retreated with a bow.
Only Chen Wuhen remained in the courtyard.
He picked up the ancient book again, his eyes fixed on the page, but he didn’t turn it for a long time.
Ever since he had started paying attention to Fang Han, Fang Han’s progress had never paused for a single moment.
Every time people thought he had hit a bottleneck, he would shatter everyone’s expectations with an even more astonishing feat.
He had long anticipated being surpassed, but he never imagined it would happen so quickly.
After being surpassed, he actually felt a sense of relief. He had finally been surpassed; he no longer had to worry anxiously about when it would happen.
A teasing smile couldn’t help but appear on his lips.
"Senior Brother Luo, Senior Sister Yun, the pressure is on you now!"
...
Deep within the True Inheritance Courtyard was a sprawling, elegantly designed villa.
This was Kuang Tu’s residence.
Unlike Chen Wuhen’s simplicity, Kuang Tu’s villa exuded a coarse and bold aura.
There were no exquisite rockeries or potted plants in the courtyard, only massive bluestones scattered about randomly.
These bluestones were covered in deep Fist Seals and palm marks, as if silently recounting their master’s daily Cultivation.
At this moment, Kuang Tu was standing before the largest of the bluestones.
He had a burly build, broad and muscular, with a chiseled, square face. Beneath his thick eyebrows, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s.
Just by standing there quietly, he emanated an oppressive aura that made it hard for others to look at him directly.
An attendant’s voice, tinged with nervousness, sounded from behind him.
"Senior Brother, Fang Han went to test for the overall list today. His rank... rose to third."
Kuang Tu said nothing.
He just stared at the bluestone in front of him, at the Fist Seal he had just left on it, and didn’t move for a long time.
Third.
His current rank on the overall list was precisely third.
Fang Han rising to third meant... he had been pushed down to fourth.
Pushed down by a junior brother who had only joined the Sect for two years.
Silence.
A long silence.
The attendant stood behind him with his head bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly.
He knew this Senior Brother Kuang Tu’s temperament all too well: arrogant, domineering, and refusing to admit defeat. Now that he had been surpassed, he would surely...
"Heh."
A soft chuckle suddenly escaped Kuang Tu’s lips.
The attendant was stunned. He looked up and saw a smile on Kuang Tu’s square face.
The smile was somewhat complex.
There was the bitterness of being surpassed, the surprise at a successor’s rise, but more than that, there was... excitement?
"Interesting."
Kuang Tu turned and strode toward another bluestone in the courtyard. He raised his right fist and threw a sudden, heavy punch!
"BOOM!"
With a deafening crash, the bluestone, which was as tall as a person, was shattered into pieces by his punch, sending shards of rock flying.
Kuang Tu pulled back his fist, stared at the fragments of rock, and grinned.
"Fang Han, I’ll let you hold on to third place on the overall list for now."
He turned and strode toward his house.
"I’ll be taking it back very soon!"
...
At Yun Muyao’s residence.
At this moment, Yun Muyao was sitting by the window, a Sword Manual in her hand.
The morning sun filtered through the window lattice, casting a faint, warm golden glow upon her white gauze robes.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a maid’s voice.
"Senior Sister Yun, True Inheritor Fang Han tested for the overall list today. His rank rose to third."
The fingers with which Yun Muyao was turning the page paused slightly.
She didn’t look up, but an almost imperceptible ripple flickered in her eyes.
Third.
That rank was now just one step away from her own.
"I know."
Her voice was as cold as ever, betraying no emotion.
The maid bowed and retreated.
The room fell silent once more.
Yun Muyao’s gaze fell back upon the Sword Manual in her hand, but she didn’t turn a page for a long time.
The same Fang Han who had needed her to save him just a few months ago now had a rank second only to her own.
Although she had already held a very high opinion of this junior brother, it seemed she had still underestimated him.
It seemed the day she would be surpassed was not far off.
She didn’t dwell on it. She just gently closed the manual and walked to the window.
She gazed in the direction of Fang Han’s residence within the True Inheritance Courtyard.
"Pressure, is it...?"
She whispered to herself, her voice as light as a murmur on the wind.
Her eyes were still cold, but a new light, one that had never been there before, now flickered within them.
That light was called fighting spirit.
...
At the mountain’s peak, in the Sect Leader’s Hall.
Chen Tianyuan stood before the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant, gradually darkening sky.
Behind him, a Steward was bowing and reporting the day’s events.
"Fang Han is third on the overall list?"
Chen Tianyuan’s voice was calm, betraying no joy or anger.
"Yes, Sect Leader," the Steward said respectfully. "True Inheritor Fang’s rank on the overall list jumped directly from sixth to third, surpassing Kuang Tu, Chen Wuhen, and Su Yuwei."
Chen Tianyuan was silent for a moment, then a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.
The smile was extremely faint, yet it carried a hint of gratification and a touch of sentiment.
"Just two years..."
He whispered to himself.
Two years after joining the Sect, to go from an ordinary disciple to third on the overall list... such a growth rate was a rare sight even in the several hundred-year history of the Qingxuan Sect.
The disciple who had seemed so ordinary when he first joined had now grown to a point where the entire Sect had to take notice.
"Has there been any reaction from Luo Yuntian?"
He suddenly asked.
The Steward was taken aback for a moment, then said, "From True Inheritor Luo’s side... no news has arrived yet. However, given True Inheritor Luo’s temperament, I imagine..."
He trailed off.
Chen Tianyuan nodded slightly.
He was, of course, well aware of Luo Yuntian’s temperament.
Composed, reserved, never one to show off, but deep down, he possessed an unyielding pride.
Fang Han’s rise might not fluster him, but it would certainly put some pressure on him.
Pressure creates motivation.
For a prodigy like Luo Yuntian, an opponent who could pressure him was perhaps more valuable than any resource.
"You may leave."
Chen Tianyuan waved his hand.
The Steward bowed and retreated.
Only Chen Tianyuan remained in the hall. He stood before the window, his hands clasped behind his back.
In his gaze, there was gratification, sentiment, and also a faint trace of anticipation.
As the Sect Leader, he was pleased to see such a disciple emerge from within the Sect.