Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 408: Chapter 405: Breakthrough to Third Grade

’Time to continue my Cultivation!’

Swallowing two more True Spirit Pills, Fang Han closed his eyes.

Inner Qi surged through his body as he compressed and refined it.

Following the breakthrough Magic Gate of the Profound Wind Technique, he fiercely assaulted the invisible barrier outside the acupoint between his brows time and time again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

With every impact, the bottleneck’s barrier trembled noticeably.

Under the 256-fold Root Bone Talent Amplification, this barrier was far less sturdy than it would be for others.

As he continued his assault, fine cracks began to appear on the bottleneck’s barrier.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Fang Han relentlessly continued his assault, tireless.

Finally, at a certain moment—

CRACK!

A clear shattering sound, originating from the very depths of his life’s source, echoed crisply in his perception, like ice breaking in spring.

The invisible barrier before the acupoint between his brows shattered with the sound!

The vast Inner Qi, long accumulated, surged like a flood from a broken dam, joyfully pouring into the newly opened acupoint.

In an instant, the aura around Fang Han’s body erupted like a volcano, skyrocketing wildly!

Its strength was countless times greater than that of the Late Stage of Fourth Grade.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, the very air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Including the newly opened one between his brows, the nineteen connected acupoints formed an unprecedentedly complex and efficient Inner Qi circulation system.

The speed and volume of his Inner Qi flow increased dramatically. Its color deepened, its texture becoming as viscous as mercury. The sense of power it brought as it circulated was more than ten times greater than when he was at the Late Stage of Fourth Grade.

A wondrous feeling of complete transformation, of a leap in his level of existence, washed over him.

’Early Third Grade, done!’

Fang Han slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, a gleam of dark, almost black, cyan light flashed in the depths of his pupils before vanishing.

He gently clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a series of crisp, crackling pops.

Feeling the Inner Qi in his body, which was now countless times purer, a faint smile touched his lips.

Third Grade.

A Realm that was once impossibly distant was now beneath his feet.

And it had only taken a few short hours from the moment he touched the bottleneck to his actual breakthrough.

If those Martial Artists who had been stuck at this stage for years, decades, or even a lifetime were to find out, one could only imagine their reaction.

’A newly opened Divine Treasure...’

Fang Han focused his mind, sensing the new Divine Treasure that had appeared in his body.

With the opening of the acupoint between his brows, a brand-new Divine Treasure had also been unlocked.

With a slight shift of his will, he tried to activate this Divine Treasure.

The next instant—

An unprecedented, wondrous sensation emerged from deep within his brow.

The sensation was unlike his five senses—it couldn’t be seen, heard, or smelled, yet it was sharper and more direct.

It was as if an invisible ripple was spreading outward from the center of his brow.

The scene within the Quiet Chamber was presented in his mind in a way he had never experienced before.

It wasn’t an image seen with his eyes, but a more three-dimensional and clearer perception.

The position of the meditation cushion, the texture of the walls, the wisp of green smoke rising from the incense burner in the corner, the subtle fluctuations of light filtering through the window—

Everything was clearly discernible, as if he were seeing it with his own eyes.

’Expand.’

Fang Han’s will shifted again, and the invisible ripple spread farther out.

It passed through the walls of the Quiet Chamber and into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, the bamboo grove’s branches and leaves swayed gently in the spring breeze, and the trembling of every single leaf was perfectly clear.

Qiu Lan was whispering with two maids under the veranda. Their movements, expressions, and even the subtle curve of their lips were as clear as if he were watching them in person.

A sparrow flew past outside the courtyard wall. The frequency of its wing beats, the subtle vibrations of its feathers rubbing against the air—all of it was captured by his perception.

He continued to expand it.

Ten zhang.

Twenty zhang.

Thirty zhang.

Fifty zhang.

A fifty-zhang radius unfolded clearly in his mind.

Courtyard after courtyard was arranged in an orderly fashion. Some people sat quietly in Cultivation, some practiced Martial Techniques in their yards, and others leaned against windows, reading.

He could even "see" into Luo Yuntian’s distant courtyard, where Luo Yuntian was sitting cross-legged in his Quiet Chamber, his aura heavy and condensed.

’He must be trying to break through the Third Grade bottleneck. I heard he’s been stuck at this Realm for a year already.’

’I’ve reached my limit!’

As he tried to expand it further, Fang Han felt a faint sense of fatigue from his brow.

He knew he had reached the limit of his range. Fifty zhang must be his current maximum.

With a shift of his will, he retracted the invisible perception, and the Quiet Chamber returned to normal.

’Spiritual Perception! This must be the Spiritual Perception mentioned in the books!’

Fang Han opened his eyes, an unconcealable joy flashing within them.

This newly opened Divine Treasure allowed him to perceive his surroundings with spiritual power.

This perception was sharper and more direct than the five senses, and it was unaffected by light or obstacles.

If he had possessed this ability back in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, that giant python hiding underwater would never have been able to escape his notice.

’This ability’s greatest benefit is as an early warning system.’

Fang Han muttered to himself, immediately thinking of how to best utilize this Spiritual Perception.

Although its range was far smaller than that of the Spirit Smelling Technique, it was more precise and wasn’t hindered by obstacles, making it undoubtedly more suitable as an early warning tool.

He stood up and stretched his limbs.

Having broken through to the Early Third Grade, his Inner Qi had undergone a qualitative change, and even his physical body seemed to have been nourished by this transformed qi, becoming tougher.

He walked to one side of the Quiet Chamber, where a Spirit Iron Block was placed for testing.

He took a deep breath. Without using the Sword Momentum of the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting, he simply swung his sword casually.

With a flash of sword light, the Spirit Iron Block was sliced in two, offering almost no resistance.

The power was several times greater than when he was at the Late Stage of Fourth Grade.

He sheathed his sword and pushed the door open, walking out of the Quiet Chamber.

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the branches of the ancient trees in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

A spring breeze blew past, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, refreshing the spirit.

He stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, feeling an indescribable sense of ease and satisfaction.

...

The night was deep, but the grand hall in the depths of the Netherworld Pavilion was brightly lit.

Li Wushang stood before a window with his hands behind his back, his brows tightly furrowed as he gazed out at the heavy darkness.

He had been standing there for a long time, motionless as a statue.

A soft knock sounded at the hall’s door.

"Come in."

Li Wushang turned around.

"Vice Pavilion Master Li, is there a reason you’ve summoned me so late?"

Yin Wugou strode in, walked up to Li Wushang, and cupped his hands in a salute.

"News just came in."

Li Wushang took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Yin Wugou.

Yin Wugou took it, his eyes sweeping over the writing.

A moment later, his pupils contracted sharply, and his expression turned extremely ugly.

"Miao Li, Lin Sen... they’re dead?"

His voice was low, filled with suppressed shock and anger.

Miao Li and Lin Sen were disciples on the Netherworld Pavilion’s Celestial Pride List. Although not at the top of the list, they were still among the foremost of the Netherworld Pavilion’s True Disciples, both at the Late Stage of Fifth Grade Cultivation.

Now, their names on the Celestial Pride List had turned gray, a clear sign of their deaths.

"There’s more."

Li Wushang’s voice was still level, but beneath its calm surface lay an indescribable chill.

"Meng Xian was gravely injured and barely managed to escape. He is now recuperating in the Pavilion. According to him, he was ambushed by Luo Yuntian, a True Inheritor of the Qingxuan Sect."

"Two other True Inheritors were also ambushed. Though they were lucky enough to escape, they too suffered serious injuries."

Yin Wugou’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the letter.

Although he had immediately suggested recalling all True Inheritors who were away, the Qingxuan Sect’s retaliation had come too quickly.

Those disciples were still on missions when the recall order was issued. By the time they received the news, it was too late.

"Qingxuan Sect..."

Yin Wugou gritted his teeth, his voice filled with fury as he spoke the name.

"I expected them to retaliate, but I never thought they would be so fast and so ruthless," Li Wushang said in a low voice.

Yin Wugou took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and looked up to meet Li Wushang’s gaze.

"Vice Pavilion Master Li, it’s not the Netherworld Pavilion’s style to take a beating without fighting back. Since the Qingxuan Sect dared to kill our True Inheritors, they must pay the price."

His voice was firm and resolute, filled with unquestionable determination.

"I suggest we immediately organize our forces to retaliate against the Qingxuan Sect and show them that the Netherworld Pavilion is not to be trifled with."

Li Wushang nodded slightly, a flicker of approval in his deep eyes.

"I was thinking the same thing."

He paused before continuing.

"However, we must carefully plan our retaliation. Since the Qingxuan Sect dared to make a move, they must be prepared. A rash move could lead us right into their trap."

Yin Wugou nodded. "Vice Pavilion Master Li is absolutely right. In my opinion, we should..."

Before he could finish, another soft knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Li Wushang said, his brow slightly furrowed.

A Steward in black robes pushed the door open, hurried to Li Wushang, bowed, and presented a letter with both hands.

"Vice Pavilion Master Li, we just received a distress call from True Inheritor Yin Huang. He was ambushed by a Steward from the Qingxuan Sect while on a mission. He is currently being pursued, his situation is critical, and he requests immediate reinforcements from the Sect."

The moment he heard the name "Yin Huang," Yin Wugou’s face turned deathly pale.

Yin Huang.

That was his own nephew, the only son of his deceased brother, the child he had watched grow up.

He spun around, snatched the letter, and his eyes flew across the words.

A moment later, his expression had become absolutely thunderous.

"’Yin Huang, you have to be alright...’"

He whispered the name, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Elder Yin..."

Li Wushang looked at Yin Wugou, his brow furrowed. He was, of course, aware of the relationship between Yin Wugou and Yin Huang.

Yin Wugou didn’t wait for Li Wushang to finish.

He tucked the letter into his robes and gave Li Wushang a cupped-hand salute.

"Vice Pavilion Master Li, Yin Huang is trapped. I must go rescue him immediately. We can discuss retaliating against the Qingxuan Sect after I return."

Before his voice had even faded, he had already turned and was striding out of the hall.

"Elder Yin!"

Li Wushang called out.

"Yin Huang’s Cultivation is not weak. With his strength, even if he’s no match for a Qingxuan Sect Steward, he should be able to hold out for some time without issue. You must calm down..."

"Vice Pavilion Master Li."

Yin Wugou’s voice was low but held an unyielding resolve.

"Yin Huang is my brother’s only bloodline. I cannot let anything happen to him."

He said no more. With a flicker of his figure, he disappeared into the night outside the hall’s door.

Li Wushang watched the rapidly retreating figure, his brows locked tight.

With Yin Wugou’s Second Grade Cultivation, he ranked in the upper-middle tier among the Netherworld Pavilion’s Elders.

Even if something unexpected happened on this trip, like encountering one of the Qingxuan Sect’s stronger Elders, he should still be able to escape.

Yet, for some reason, he felt a faint sense of unease.

The unease was faint, almost imperceptible, but it clung to him like a deep-seated affliction, impossible to shake off.

"’Perhaps I’m overthinking it.’"

Li Wushang muttered to himself and shook his head.

He turned and walked back to the window, standing with his hands clasped behind him.

Outside, the night was still deep. The moonlight was obscured by clouds, casting the world into darkness.

But that thread of unease still lingered in his heart, refusing to dissipate.