Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 388: Chapter 385: Rewards Doubled

Chen Wanjun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the forest in silence for a long time.

He turned, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said in a deep voice,

"Make camp here. Rest for the night."

Everyone acknowledged the order and began to busy themselves.

The tents were quickly pitched, and the bonfires were lit.

Unlike the night before, the atmosphere tonight was clearly much more relaxed.

Although the casualties had been heavy, they had, at least, made it out alive.

Those fallen sect members would also be brought back, their souls to return to their homeland.

Fang Han sat by a bonfire, watching the dancing flames in silence.

Yun Qianyue sat beside him, equally silent.

The night wind brushed past, carrying the scent of the mountain forest and a faint chill.

Fang Han raised his head and looked at the night sky.

Countless stars dotted the sky, just as they always did.

’The path of the Martial Dao is never smooth. Surviving today doesn’t guarantee safety tomorrow.’

’Only by constantly growing stronger can I walk further down this path.’

He retracted his gaze and closed his eyes.

Inside his body, the Profound Wind Technique slowly circulated.

Inner Qi rushed through his meridians, more than twice as fast as before.

The threshold to the Late-Stage Fourth Grade Limit seemed another step closer.

The night deepened.

The bonfires gradually died out, and the camp fell silent.

Only the occasional cry of a night bird and the faint sound of wind from the distant forest echoed softly in the night sky.

「Early the next morning」

The thin mist had not yet dissipated, but the camp was already bustling with activity.

Disciples from the various sects took down their tents, packed their belongings, and boarded the carriages parked at the edge of the camp one after another.

The coffins carrying the bodies of the fallen were carefully lifted onto special wagons and covered with white cloths. The atmosphere was solemn.

Fang Han stood by the Qingxuan Sect’s convoy, his gaze sweeping over the white-shrouded coffins—twenty-one of them, arranged neatly on three carriages.

Beside him, Yun Qianyue stood quietly, her bright eyes above her purple veil fixed on the coffins, not saying a word.

Li Feng clutched his long saber, his expression even colder and sterner than usual.

"Let’s go."

Chen Wanjun’s voice rang out.

Everyone boarded the carriages one by one.

Fang Han took one last look at the mist-shrouded mountain range, then turned and stepped onto a carriage.

The carriage curtain fell, cutting off the view outside.

The wheels rumbled as the convoy, which had lost nearly twenty percent of its disciples, headed toward the Qingxuan Sect.

Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was heavy.

Luo Yuntian sat upright with his eyes closed, his face calm and unreadable.

Kuang Tu leaned against the carriage wall, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, lost in thought.

The folding fan in Chen Wuhen’s hand was no longer waving; he simply held it quietly.

Su Yuwei’s eyes were downcast, her face devoid of expression.

Fang Han didn’t speak either.

The monotonous sound of hooves and wheels echoed as the scenery outside slowly receded.

「Three days later.」

The imposing mountain gate of the Qingxuan Sect finally appeared at the edge of their vision.

The convoy slowly came to a halt, and everyone disembarked.

In the square before the mountain gate, a Steward who had already received the news was waiting with his men.

"Vice Hall Master Chen."

A middle-aged Steward came forward and bowed with his hands clasped, but his gaze couldn’t help but drift toward the coffins.

Chen Wanjun nodded slightly and said in a heavy tone, "Take them back to the Sect first. See that they are properly laid to rest."

"Yes, sir."

The middle-aged Steward acknowledged and waved for his men to carry the coffins through the mountain gate.

Fang Han followed the others through the mountain gate, walking inward along the familiar bluestone path.

The disciples they passed along the way stared at their clearly depleted ranks with mixed expressions—surprise, confusion, and a hint of unease.

’News like this can’t be hidden forever.’

Within half a day, news of what had happened in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range had spread throughout the Sect.

Twenty-one disciples from the top two hundred of the overall rankings had fallen. This number was like a giant boulder dropped into a calm lake, causing a massive uproar.

In front of the Inheritance Hall, a few disciples gathered, discussing in low voices.

"Did you hear? The Sect lost twenty-one people on this Demon Hunting trip..."

"Twenty-one? Doesn’t that mean one out of every five people who went..."

"I heard they were ambushed by Demons at night. If Vice Hall Master Chen and the others hadn’t fought to the death, the losses would have been even greater."

"How could something like this happen?"

At the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, a few resting disciples were also talking about it.

"Twenty-one... and they were all elites from the top two hundred of the overall rankings..."

"I never expected something like this to happen."

In the Dining Hall, some disciples had lost their appetite, gathering in twos and threes with grave expressions.

"Disciples in the top two hundred are the backbone of our Sect. To lose twenty-one all at once..."

"Some of those who died... I knew them. I even did a mission with one of them last year..."

Inside the main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall, several Stewards were organizing scrolls, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words in heavy tones.

When the news reached the various courtyards and halls, the Stewards and Elders who heard it all fell silent.

For the Qingxuan Sect, the loss of twenty-one disciples from the top two hundred of the overall rankings was a blow that could not be ignored.

Discussions echoed throughout the Sect, not ceasing for a long time.

「Courtyard No. 35.」

When Fang Han stepped through the courtyard gate, Qiu Lan was already there to greet him with the courtyard attendants.

"Senior Brother, you’re back."

Qiu Lan’s voice was as respectful as ever, but her eyes lingered for a moment on Fang Han’s tattered green robe, a flash of worry in them.

Fang Han nodded slightly and walked straight inside without another word.

He crossed the courtyard and entered his room.

He unfastened his Cloud Splitting Sword and placed it on the sword rack, then set his satchel aside.

"Senior Brother, the hot water is ready."

Qiu Lan’s voice came from outside the door.

Fang Han answered and pushed open the door to the bathroom.

The bathroom was neat and tidy. In the center stood a large wooden tub, steaming, with a few fragrant medicinal leaves floating on the surface.

He shed his robes and stepped into the tub.

Warm water submerged his body, enveloping him completely.

The exhaustion from days of travel and the tension from the battles in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range seemed to melt away bit by bit in the warm water, seeping out from every inch of his body.

He closed his eyes, leaned against the side of the tub, and let the warmth seep through his skin and into his bones.

As for the wounds on his body, they had already scabbed over during the three-day journey, so he didn’t need to worry about infection.

Time passed slowly.

After an unknown amount of time, Fang Han finally opened his eyes and rose from the tub.

He changed into clean undergarments and returned to his bedroom.

The bed was already made, the blankets soft and dry, carrying the faint scent of having been aired in the sun.

Fang Han lay down and closed his eyes.

The moment his mind relaxed, the accumulated exhaustion washed over him like a tide, quickly drowning him.

He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

「The next day.」

Morning light streamed through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the floor.

Fang Han opened his eyes and lay quietly for a moment, feeling the abundant energy within his body.

The exhaustion from the long journey was finally swept away after fourteen to sixteen hours of deep sleep.

He got up, washed up briefly, and changed into a clean green robe.

Just as he walked out of the bedroom, the sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Qiu Lan hurried over, bowed, and said, "Senior Brother, a disciple from the Law Enforcement Hall has come with a message. He says Vice Hall Master Chen requests your immediate presence at the Law Enforcement Hall."

Fang Han nodded slightly. "I understand."

He walked out of the courtyard and headed toward the Law Enforcement Hall along the familiar bluestone path.

The disciples he passed along the way still stopped to bow to him.

But now, their gazes held more curiosity than usual, wondering what Fang Han and the others had encountered in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

Fang Han wasn’t in a particularly good mood and quickened his pace.

The main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall was as solemn and imposing as ever. After being announced, a disciple on duty led him to a side hall.

There were already seven people in the hall.

Luo Yuntian sat on a chair to the upper left, his face calm and his aura composed.

Kuang Tu sat below him, his burly frame completely filling the pearwood chair. Seeing Fang Han enter, he glanced up and gave a slight nod.

Chen Wuhen sat across from Kuang Tu, still holding his folding fan, but he wasn’t waving it. It rested quietly on his lap.

Su Yuwei, dressed in a plain white long dress, had a cold expression. When Fang Han came in, her gaze lingered on him for a moment before shifting away.

Liu Ruyan, Wang Miao, and Yang Zhe were sitting on the other side. They all nodded in greeting when Fang Han entered.

Including Fang Han, there were exactly eight people.

The eight disciples from the top ten of the Qingxuan Sect’s overall rankings who had been on the Demon Hunting mission in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range were all present.

Fang Han took a seat in an empty chair, nodding a greeting to Luo Yuntian and the others.

After what had happened, no one was in the mood to talk, so they all just nodded in response.

A short while later, the sound of steady footsteps came from outside the hall.

The eight of them looked toward the entrance.

A figure strode in.

It was Chen Wanjun.

He was wearing a dark cyan casual robe today, not his Elder Robe, but his commanding presence was still so intense that one dared not look at him directly.

All eight of them rose to their feet, clasped their hands, and bowed.

"Vice Hall Master Chen."

Chen Wanjun nodded slightly, gesturing for everyone to sit.

He walked to the head seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the eight of them, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Everyone’s here."

He got straight to the point, without any unnecessary pleasantries.

"I’ve called you here today to inform you of something."

The eight of them exchanged glances and waited quietly for him to continue.

Chen Wanjun continued,

"Regarding the Demon Hunting operation in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, although we were ambushed by Demons at night and suffered considerable losses, the eight of you performed exceptionally. You slayed many Demons and served with merit by protecting your fellow disciples."

He paused, then continued,

"In light of the danger of this mission and your outstanding performance, the Sect has decided—to increase the previously promised reward from one minor merit to two minor merits."

As soon as he said this, an undeniable flash of surprise and delight appeared in the eyes of the eight people in the hall.

Minor merits. These were even more precious than Contribution Points.

Contribution Points could be exchanged for Elixirs, Weapons, and ordinary Cultivation Techniques, but the truly top-level resources—Grandmaster Level Techniques, Rare Elixirs, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and the like—all required merits to be redeemed.

Three minor merits could be combined into one major merit, and one major merit could be exchanged for a Grandmaster Level Technique.

The originally promised one minor merit was already an extremely generous reward.

Now, it had been doubled to two minor merits.

This reward could only be described as bountiful.

Luo Yuntian and the others couldn’t help but feel happy, but they didn’t let it show. After all, given what had happened, it was inappropriate to appear overly pleased.

A wave of joy also rose in Fang Han’s heart.

’Now the reward has been doubled to two minor merits.’

’Adding the two minor merits I’ve saved up, I now have four. That’s enough to combine into one major merit with one minor merit left over.’

’This means my current merits are enough to redeem a Grandmaster Level Technique.’