Chapter 393 - 390: Fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List
Chapter 393: Chapter 390: Fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List
The densely packed, fly-head-sized characters; the impossibly complex diagrams of human figures demonstrating Sword Techniques; the lines tracing the meridians that marked the flow of Inner Qi—
Everything appeared clearly, without the slightest blur.
Word by word, page by page, he reviewed the entire Sword technique in his mind from beginning to end.
And again.
A third time.
Only when he was certain that every word, every diagram, and every meridian path was deeply etched into his mind, with nothing omitted, did he slowly open his eyes.
A contemplative gleam flashed through his eyes.
Grandmaster-level Swordsmanship and top-level Swordsmanship were indeed fundamentally different.
The top-level Swordsmanship, the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting, focused on the control and application of "Wind Momentum."
From ten percent at Entry Level, to thirty percent at Minor Achievement, to fifty percent at Mastery, to seventy percent at Great Success, and finally to one hundred percent at Perfection—
Every step was an improvement in one’s comprehension of "Momentum."
But the core of cultivating a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique like the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique was no longer "Momentum," but "Intent."
Intent was a deeper level of comprehension and resonance with the Power of Heaven and Earth.
If one cultivated a Fist Technique, the resulting Intent would be called Fist Intent.
If one cultivated a Saber Technique, the resulting Intent would be called Saber Intent.
If one cultivated Swordsmanship, the resulting Intent would be called Sword Intent.
...
To reach the Entry Level of a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique like the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, one must, on the foundation of one hundred percent Wind Momentum, comprehend a sliver of "Sky Splitting Sword Intent," which belonged to a branch of the wind attribute.
Fang Han stood in the courtyard, his brow slightly furrowed.
Even though his Talent in the Sword Dao far surpassed ordinary people, and even though he had achieved Perfection in the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting, with one hundred percent Wind Momentum completely under his control, when faced with the concept of "Intent," he still felt as if a thick wall stood in his way.
It was something he couldn’t see or touch.
’No wonder the grandmasters of old created top-level Swordsmanship as a transitional step.’
’If a disciple who had never encountered the Sword Dao tried to directly cultivate a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique, they probably wouldn’t even understand the first page, let alone comprehend Intent.’
Even for a talented disciple in the Sword Dao who had cultivated a Top Grade Sword Technique, if they didn’t have a top-level Sword Technique as a transition and failed to achieve one hundred percent Perfection in their mastery of Momentum, the difficulty of leaping directly to "Intent" would be staggering.
The transition from "Momentum" to "Intent" wasn’t just a quantitative accumulation, but a qualitative leap.
This single step had blocked the path of countless brilliant prodigies.
Fang Han took a deep breath, suppressing the complex thoughts in his mind.
’Thinking about it is useless. In the end, it all comes down to the sword.’
He raised his hand and gripped the hilt of his sword.
CLANG—
The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath, its dark cyan blade shimmering with a subdued light under the sun.
He didn’t immediately execute any Sword Techniques. Instead, he stood holding the sword, closed his eyes, and focused his mind.
In his mind, the Heart Method of the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique slowly flowed.
It involved not only the Transformations of the Sword Techniques and the pathways for Inner Qi, but also an exposition on "Intent" and its resonance with the Power of Heaven and Earth.
After a long while.
He opened his eyes.
The Cloud Splitting Sword thrust forward.
The thrust was neither fast nor slow. He was simply mimicking the first Sword Technique illustrated in the manual’s diagrams.
The tip of the sword cut through the air, leaving a faint trail.
But that was all.
There was no phenomenon of tearing space, no profound resonance with heaven and earth.
Just a sword thrust.
Fang Han withdrew his sword, his brow furrowed slightly.
’That’s not right.’
He adjusted his breathing and thrust again.
’Still not right.’
A third thrust.
A fourth.
A fifth.
...
In the courtyard, the gleam of his sword flashed.
Fang Han practiced the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique over and over again.
At first, his movements were very clumsy.
After all, it was a completely new style of Swordsmanship, and a Grandmaster-level one at that. The complexity of its techniques and the subtlety of its Transformations far surpassed the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting by an unknown magnitude.
Whenever he made a mistake, he would stop, recall every detail from the diagrams in his mind, and then try again.
Once, twice, three times...
After an unknown number of attempts, his movements finally began to grow fluid.
The initial clumsiness gradually faded.
In its place came a sense of smoothness.
Although that smoothness still held a hint of deliberate effort, it was a world of difference compared to his initial awkwardness.
The moon rose, and the night deepened.
Fang Han never stopped.
He practiced the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique again and again, moving from clumsy to fluid, from halting to coherent.
He finally withdrew his sword and stood still only when the night was at its deepest.
He was breathing lightly, fine beads of sweat dotting his temples.
But his eyes remained bright.
’The Sword Techniques are mastered now.’
’From the initial clumsiness to the current fluidity, I can now execute the entire sequence without any hesitation.’
’But that’s all.’
He recalled the feeling from just a moment ago.
The Sword Techniques were fluid, the Inner Qi circulated smoothly—everything seemed perfect.
And yet, when he thrust his sword, it still did nothing more than tear through the air.
There was no Intent.
None of that profound resonance with heaven and earth.
"Intent..."
Fang Han muttered to himself, his voice drifting away on the night wind.
’This step is truly difficult.’
He had already cultivated the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting to Perfection, with one hundred percent of Wind Momentum under his complete control.
His Swordsmanship Talent was astonishing, enhanced by the Sword-shaped Grass and amplified one hundred and twenty-eightfold.
But he still found the transformation from "Momentum" to "Intent" to be exceedingly difficult.
"Comprehending Intent is truly not something that can be done overnight!"
Fang Han’s expression was calm, showing no signs of impatience.
The further one progressed on the Martial Dao, the more difficult it became.
He had understood this point long ago.
As a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique, the difficulty of reaching the Entry Level for the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique was far beyond that of the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting.
The leap from "Momentum" to "Intent" was a qualitative one.
How many brilliant prodigies had been stopped by this single step?
’If I could truly achieve enlightenment on my first try, now *that* would be strange.’
"I’ll take it slow."
Fang Han sheathed his sword, ending his Cultivation for the night.
Days passed, and the feeling of spring grew stronger.
The young buds on the ancient trees in the courtyard had grown into lush green leaves that swayed gently in the wind.
Fang Han’s life fell into a very regular pattern.
Every morning, he would first cultivate the Profound Wind Technique.
After that, he would cultivate the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique.
Next was the Cultivation of the Xuanwu True Skill.
After improving his Body Hardening Talent with the Golden Flame Sacred Lotus, the results of his physical conditioning became noticeably better.
Then, he would practice the Wind and Cloud Escape.
Several months had passed since he had reached Mastery in this Body Technique. Now, it was not far from reaching Perfection.
When night fell, he would sit quietly to regulate his breathing, conserving his Essence and building his strength.
Day after day passed, as tranquil as still water.
But Fang Han could clearly feel himself growing stronger.
His Inner Qi was increasing, his Swordsmanship was deepening, his physical body was strengthening, and his Body Technique was advancing.
The progress he could feel every day gave him a sense of peace and stability.
...
「On the morning of the second day of the month.」
A thin mist, like a veil of gauze, enveloped Qingxuan Mountain.
Inside Courtyard No. 35, Fang Han sat cross-legged in his Quiet Chamber, his aura as calm and condensed as still water.
A soft knock came from outside the door.
"Senior Brother, the new editions of the Celestial Pride List and the Martial Artist Ranking booklets have arrived."
It was Qiu Lan’s voice, as respectful as ever.
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, the sharp glint within them restrained.
"Come in."
Qiu Lan pushed the door open and entered. She was holding the booklets, which still gave off the faint scent of fresh ink, in both hands. She respectfully placed them on the low table beside Fang Han, then bowed and retreated.
Fang Han picked up a booklet and turned to the section for the Celestial Pride List.
His gaze swept up from the bottom of the list.
The thirty-sixth position was now occupied by a different, unfamiliar name.
His gaze continued upward.
Thirty-fifth, thirty-fourth, thirty-third...
Finally, at the fifteenth position, he saw that familiar name—
"Fifteenth Place: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect)."
Fifteenth. He had surpassed Senior Sister Yun Muyao, who had been ranked sixteenth.
And in a single jump, he had climbed a full twenty-one places.
He was fairly satisfied with this ranking. Closing the booklet, he got up and walked out of the Quiet Chamber.
...
The morning mist enveloped Qingxuan Mountain like a light veil. The plants and trees lining the mountain path were adorned with crystalline dewdrops, which refracted the early morning sun into tiny glimmers of light.
A crowd had long since gathered in front of Tingyu Hall.
The second day of each month, the release date for the new Celestial Pride List and Martial Artist Ranking, always drew many disciples who came to wait early in the morning.
Today was no exception; in fact, it was even more lively than usual.
"They’re here, they’re here!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone’s gaze snapped toward the hall’s interior.
Several servant disciples from Tingyu Hall walked out carrying stacks of newly printed booklets. The scent of fresh ink had not yet dissipated and drifted on the morning breeze.
"Give me one!"
"I want one too!"
The servant disciples were completely swarmed before they even had a chance to set down the booklets.
Disciples who managed to buy a booklet eagerly flipped it open, their eyes going directly to the Celestial Pride List page and scanning from the bottom up.
A moment later, a gasp that could not be suppressed was heard.
"Fif... Fifteenth?!"
"Senior Brother Fang Han is fifteenth?!"
"How is that possible? Wasn’t he thirty-sixth last month?"
"He jumped twenty-one places at once?!"
Cries of astonishment and discussion erupted like a flood breaking through a dam, instantly sweeping over the area in front of Tingyu Hall.
Those disciples who hadn’t bought a booklet yet heard the commotion and pushed forward even more anxiously, desperate to get their hands on one and see for themselves.
"Let me see! Let me see!"
"Don’t push! Don’t push!"
In the crowd, a disciple who had bought a booklet was surrounded. The thin booklet in his hands now seemed like the most precious treasure in the world.
Everyone’s eyes fell on the page. There, in the fifteenth position, a name and sect were strikingly printed—
Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect).
"It really is fifteenth..."
Someone murmured, their voice filled with disbelief.
"Senior Sister Yun was sixteenth, so doesn’t this mean Senior Brother Fang Han has surpassed her?"
"Senior Sister Yun is now seventeenth on the Celestial Pride List! Not only was she surpassed, but she was pushed down to seventeenth!"
"Fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List after just over two years in the sect... That kind of speed is simply unheard of."
Amid the crowd, there was astonishment, envy, and sighs of emotion.
Those disciples who had been in the sect for many years now had mixed feelings.
As for the disciples who had joined the sect in the same year as Fang Han, they were utterly speechless.
Two years ago, they were all new disciples standing at the same starting line.
Two years later, Fang Han was already fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List, while most of them hadn’t even broken into the top two hundred of the main ranking.
"Being in the same generation as Senior Brother Fang Han, I don’t know if we’re lucky or unlucky."
Someone sighed under their breath.
These words spoke to what many people were feeling in their hearts.
Having such a fellow disciple was an honor, but the unattainable gap between them also left one feeling inevitably disheartened.