Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

'A Spine Spike Demon Wolf.'

The name flashed through Fang Han's mind.

This Demon wasn't one that had transformed from an ordinary wolf; it was a creature born as a Demon.

According to the Sect's records, an adult Spine Spike Demon Wolf was typically as strong as a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist. The more powerful ones could even rival Upper Three Grades Martial Artists.

They were incredibly fast. The row of spikes on their backs served not only for defense but could also be launched as projectiles, making them almost impossible to guard against.

Judging by its aura, the one before him hadn't reached the level of the Upper Three Grades, but its strength was definitely top-level among the Middle Three Grades.

As if sensing Fang Han's presence, the Spine Spike Demon Wolf's eyes shot open.

They were a pair of dark golden eyes with vertical pupils, radiating undisguised brutality and ferocity.

It abruptly rose, its massive body turning toward Fang Han's position. A low growl rumbled in its throat, and the row of spikes on its back trembled slightly. It had clearly entered a combat stance.

Seeing that he had been discovered, Fang Han shot out from the shade of the trees and landed steadily on the edge of the rocky slope.

The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath, its dark cyan blade glinting with a subdued luster under the mottled sunlight.

"ROAR—!"

The Spine Spike Demon Wolf let out a deafening roar. Kicking off with all four paws, its huge body shot toward Fang Han like a bolt of dark silver lightning.

It moved so fast that it left only a blurry afterimage.

Its sharp claws tore through the air with a piercing shriek, aimed straight for Fang Han's head.

Fang Han's eyes narrowed. He executed the Wind and Cloud Escape, his body drifting several feet to the side like a wisp of smoke, just in the nick of time.

"SWISH—!"

The claws grazed the corner of his robes and slammed into a half-man-high boulder behind him.

"CRACK!"

The boulder shattered on impact, sending fragments of rock flying.

Its first attack having missed, the Spine Spike Demon Wolf's massive body twisted unnaturally in mid-air, its long, thick tail whipping around like a steel lash.

Fang Han lightly tapped the ground with his toes, his body rising several feet again to evade the sweeping strike.

At the same time, he swung the Cloud Splitting Sword, sending a condensed cyan Sword Qi hurtling through the air, aimed straight at the Spine Spike Demon Wolf's waist.

"CLANG—!"

The Sword Qi struck the Spine Spike Demon Wolf, producing a loud noise like metal striking metal.

Its dark silver fur was incredibly tough. The Sword Qi only left a shallow white mark, failing to even break the skin.

The Spine Spike Demon Wolf landed, spun around, and pounced again.

This time, the bone spikes on its back suddenly lit up. Three ghastly white spikes detached from its body, transforming into three streaks of white light that shot toward Fang Han in a triangular formation.

They were even faster than its own pounce.

Fang Han's expression remained unchanged. He pushed the Wind and Cloud Escape to its limit, his body twisting and turning rapidly within a small area as the three bone spikes grazed past the fabric of his clothes.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The spikes slammed into the woods behind him, and three ancient trees, each so thick it would take several people to encircle, exploded into splinters.

Fang Han seized the brief opening after the Spine Spike Demon Wolf had launched its spikes and shot forward.

The cyan light on his Cloud Splitting Sword flared violently.

He pushed the Sword Momentum of his Great Success Level Nine Swords of Sky Splitting to its peak, madly gathering and compressing seventy percent of his Wind Momentum onto the blade's edge.

He struck out with his sword!

For this strike, he didn't use his 100,000 jin of physical strength, but the power from his Late Stage of Fourth Grade Inner Qi combined with the Great Success Sword Momentum was already astonishing enough.

The sword light condensed into a single line of cyan brilliance, tearing through the air with a sharp, ripping sound.

The Spine Spike Demon Wolf sensed the threat from this strike. Its dark golden pupils constricted, and it tried to dodge.

But the distance was too short; it was too late to evade.

It only had time to turn its body slightly, causing the sword that had been aimed at its heart to land on its shoulder blade instead.

"PFFT—!"

Unlike the weakened Detached Sword Qi, the power in this strike was highly concentrated. It broke through the tough, dark silver fur and sliced into flesh and blood.

Fresh blood splattered.

The Spine Spike Demon Wolf let out a piercing shriek. Its massive body staggered backward, a wound so deep the bone was visible on its shoulder blade, blood gushing out like a spring.

But its ferocity did not diminish; instead, it was completely enraged.

Ignoring its injuries, it charged forward madly once more, its claws, fangs, and spikes all unleashed in an offensive squall like a torrential storm.

Fang Han remained calm and unhurried. He executed the Wind and Cloud Escape, his figure flickering unpredictably as he weaved through the barrage of attacks.

From time to time, he would strike with his Cloud Splitting Sword, adding a new wound to the Spine Spike Demon Wolf's body with every blow.

After more than ten exchanges, the Spine Spike Demon Wolf was covered in wounds. Blood soaked its dark silver fur, and its movements had clearly slowed.

Fang Han seized an opening, shot forward, and thrust his sword into its throat.

"PFFT—!"

The sword tip entered its throat and exited through the back of its neck.

The Spine Spike Demon Wolf's huge body froze, the ferocious light in its dark golden pupils rapidly dimming.

Then, its enormous body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Fang Han sheathed his sword and stood, panting slightly.

Among Fourth Grade Demons, this Spine Spike Demon Wolf's strength wasn't weak; it was comparable to a Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist.

'Panel.'

He scanned his surroundings, then used the Spirit Smelling Technique to sense the area. After confirming no one was around, he mentally summoned his system panel.

A translucent screen of light appeared before his eyes:

[Host: Fang Han]

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Stepping Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 64x (Level 7 Amplification requires 10,000,000 silver)]

[Body Hardening Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Wealth: 58,070,000 silver]

Looking at his wealth of over 58,070,000 silver, a flicker of satisfaction passed through Fang Han's eyes.

Before leaving the Sect, he had already gradually converted the fifty million taels in silver notes he received as compensation from the Ten Thousand Treasures Building into physical assets and deposited them all into the system panel.

Now, he was only a little over forty million short of the one hundred million silver—or one million gold—needed to unlock the next Level 8 Talent Amplification.

'Let's see how much this Demon is worth.'

Fang Han's gaze fell on the Spine Spike Demon Wolf's corpse, and a thought formed in his mind.

'Deposit.'

In an instant, the massive Demon Corpse vanished as if wiped away by an invisible hand.

The wealth value on the system panel jumped.

[Wealth: 58,070,000 silver → 58,570,000 silver]

'Five hundred thousand silver!'

Fang Han's brow twitched, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

A top-level Middle Three Grades Demon was actually worth five hundred thousand silver.

That was much higher than he had expected. It seemed he had underestimated how valuable Demon corpses were.

'Continue the hunt.'

Joy welled up in Fang Han's heart. He sheathed his sword, and with a flicker of his body, he sped off in the direction of the next Demon aura he sensed.

The mountain wind whistled through the gaps in the trees, carrying a damp, foul smell.

Fang Han's figure was like smoke as he flashed through dense patches of forest, speeding toward the next Demon aura he had sensed.

A few miles away, an enormous, pitch-black python was coiled on a huge boulder by a stream, swallowing a muntjac deer.

The python's body was as thick as a barrel, its scales shimmering with a cold, dark light. Its vertical pupils were dark gold.

Sensing Fang Han's approach, it suddenly reared its head, its forked tongue flicking in and out as it let out a HISSING warning.

Fang Han didn't pause. The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath, and he struck.

The sword light was like a bolt of cyan silk. Though launched second, it arrived first, reaching the giant python the very instant it raised its head.

"PFFT—!"

The giant python's enormous body was sent flying, snapping several trees as thick as bowls.

A deep gash on its body had nearly cut it in two.

The giant python shrieked and tried to struggle, but Fang Han's second strike had already arrived.

The sword light flashed, and the python's head was severed.

'Deposit.'

With a thought, the python's corpse vanished.

[Wealth: 58,570,000 silver → 58,820,000 silver]

'Two hundred fifty thousand.'

This Python Demon was clearly weaker than the previous Spine Spike Demon Wolf. After all, he had killed it in just two moves. Getting 250,000 silver for it was quite good.

Fang Han nodded slightly and set off again.

...

The sun climbed higher, and the mist in the forest had long since dissipated.

Fang Han's figure weaved through the mountain forest. Every time he stopped, another Demon fell to his Cloud Splitting Sword.

A boar-like Demon, the size of an ox with tusks like spears, had its head pierced through from the side by his sword.

A giant lizard covered in barbs, with thick, tough skin and the ability to spit venom, had its spine severed by his sword after he circled it for more than ten moves using the Wind and Cloud Escape.

A giant, snow-white ape of immense strength, whose fists pounded the ground like war drums, was tied down by his Swordsmanship and finally killed with a sword to the heart.

A Demon resembling a giant scorpion, with a venom-laced stinger and incredible speed, was outmaneuvered by his superior Body Technique. He circled behind it, cut off its poisonous tail with one strike, and then beheaded it.

...

With every Demon that fell, Fang Han would deposit it.

His wealth steadily increased.

58,920,000.

59,270,000.

59,730,000.

60,210,000.

...

The afternoon sun filtered through the dense canopy of leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Fang Han stood at the edge of a cliff, panting slightly.

Within two hours, he had slain seven Demons, all of the Middle Three Grades. Two of them were as strong as Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artists.

The cost was that, while killing each Demon didn't consume much Inner Qi, the cumulative toll of seven Demons had depleted more than half of his Profound Wind Technique's Inner Qi.

'I need to rest.'

Fang Han concealed his aura. He activated the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill, suppressing his life force and presence to their absolute minimum.

He found a hidden cave, its entrance concealed by vines, sat down cross-legged, and consumed two True Spirit Pills.

The Elixirs entered his stomach and dissolved into a gentle Medicinal Power that flowed through his meridians.

Fang Han closed his eyes and focused. He slowly circulated the Profound Wind Technique, guiding the Medicinal Power to convert into Inner Qi and replenish what he had consumed.

A little over two hours later, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them before disappearing.

His Inner Qi was restored.

'Continue.'

He rose to his feet, darted out of the cave, and once again activated the Spirit Smelling Technique at full power, searching for the auras of Demons.

...

The sun began to set, painting the horizon a warm gold.

Fang Han stood in a ravaged forest clearing, the massive corpse of a Bear Demon before him.

This Bear Demon was quite powerful, comparable to a Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist. Its hide was as thick as iron armor, and its strength was astonishing. It had taken him more than thirty exchanges to finally slay it.

'Deposit.'

With a thought, the Bear Demon's corpse vanished.

[Wealth: 64,500,000 silver → 65,020,000 silver]

'Sixty-five million.'

Fang Han's gaze swept over the number on his system panel, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

In a single day, his wealth had increased by nearly seven million silver. Such a rate of earning was simply outrageous.

However, this was all thanks to his current strength, which could be considered the absolute peak among Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artists.

If he had come deep into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range for Demon Hunting to earn money before reaching this level, he probably would have been devoured by a powerful Demon, with not even his bones left behind.

'Time to rendezvous.'

Fang Han concealed his aura, got his bearings, and executed the Wind and Cloud Escape, speeding toward the rendezvous point.

His figure melted into the deepening twilight and soon vanished from sight.