Chapter 440 - 437: Wind God Step
Chapter 440: Chapter 437: Wind God Step
The sun was shining brightly, and the plants on either side of the mountain path swayed gently in the breeze. A few leaves occasionally drifted down, spinning in the light.
The disciples he encountered along the way stopped to bow as Fang Han approached.
Their gazes held awe, admiration, and a shared sense of pride.
Fang Han responded with a slight nod, never breaking his stride.
Before long, the imposing silhouette of the Library Pavilion appeared in his view.
With its flying eaves and bracketed cornices, it exuded an ancient charm, glowing with a soft luster in the afternoon sun.
He stepped into the pavilion and ascended the familiar, spiraling wooden staircase.
The handrail, polished smooth and warm by countless hands, gave off a faint scent of wood.
His steps were steady yet swift, and he soon reached the fourth floor.
At the entrance to the fourth floor, Elder Mo’s familiar figure was still leaning against the sandalwood desk, engrossed in an ancient scroll.
Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting a faint, warm golden sheen on his graying hair and beard.
Hearing footsteps, he slowly looked up. Seeing it was Fang Han, a trace of warmth flickered in his world-weary eyes.
"Fang Han, you’ve come."
Elder Mo set down his scroll, his voice old yet resonant.
"Elder Mo."
Fang Han took a few steps forward and bowed respectfully.
Elder Mo nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Fang Han for a moment as an imperceptible flash of approval appeared in his eyes.
’Every time this boy comes, his aura is more condensed than the last.’
’He reached the top of the Celestial Pride List in just over two years after joining the Sect. Such Talent is truly unprecedented in the Qingxuan Sect’s several-hundred-year history.’
"What brings you here today?"
"Replying to the Elder, this disciple has come today hoping to exchange for a Grandmaster-level Body Technique that suits me."
Fang Han straightened up, his speech steady.
"A Grandmaster-level Body Technique?"
Elder Mo pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.
"The Qingxuan Sect has a total of five Grandmaster-level Body Techniques. Of those, two are compatible with your Wind Attribute."
Fang Han felt a surge of joy and waited for the Elder to continue.
"The first is called the Cyan Cloud Step."
Elder Mo began, his voice calm.
"This Body Technique emphasizes two words: ’elusive movement.’ Cultivated to Perfection, your form becomes like the wind and your movements like the clouds—erratic and unpredictable, making it difficult for an opponent to pinpoint your true location."
"In battle, you can use feints to create openings and confuse the real with the illusory, leaving your opponent unable to use even a fraction of their full strength."
Fang Han nodded slightly but didn’t commit immediately.
Elder Mo glanced at Fang Han and continued,
"The second is called the Wind God Step."
"Unlike the Cyan Cloud Step, this Body Technique emphasizes one word: ’speed.’ Its swiftness is considered top-level among all Grandmaster Body Techniques."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"For prolonged entanglement in battle and confusing opponents with illusions, the Cyan Cloud Step is superior. However, for long-distance sprints, battlefield maneuvering, and life-saving escapes in critical moments, the Wind God Step has the edge."
"The choice depends on your priorities."
Fang Han fell silent, thinking.
The Cyan Cloud Step, a Grandmaster-level Body Technique, was suited for augmenting combat and could greatly enhance his strength.
However, after experiencing danger several times before, he realized that a Body Technique that significantly boosted his chances of survival was more important than one that simply enhanced his strength.
After all, only the living have a future. Once you’re dead, nothing else matters.
Therefore, the speed and escape potential of the Wind God Step better suited his needs.
Besides, the Wind God Step merely leaned more toward survivability; it wasn’t as if it couldn’t be used in a fight after he cultivated it.
"Elder Mo, this disciple chooses the Wind God Step."
He looked up to meet Elder Mo’s gaze, his voice firm.
Elder Mo nodded slightly and said,
"Wait here for a moment."
He turned and walked toward the stairs leading to the upper floors, his figure quickly disappearing around the corner.
The fourth floor was quiet, with only the occasional birdsong from outside the window and the faint sound of distant bells.
Fang Han stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the verdant mountain forest outside the window.
A moment later, footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs.
Elder Mo descended slowly, holding a manual with a pale cyan beast-hide cover.
The manual was about two fingers thick. There was no writing on the cover, only a few lines that seemed casually drawn yet held a profound mystery, resembling the traces of wind or the afterimage of a fleeting figure.
"This is the Wind God Step."
Elder Mo handed the manual to Fang Han and recited the Sect’s rules as was customary.
"Grandmaster Level Techniques are of great importance. According to Sect regulations, they may only be read in designated areas within the pavilion. You are not allowed to take them out, and private transcription is strictly forbidden."
"This disciple understands."
Fang Han accepted the manual with both hands, feeling its slight weight and the smooth, warm texture against his palms.
He found a seat by the window, took a deep breath to clear his mind, and fixed his gaze on the pale cyan manual resting on his lap.
He opened the first page.
His eyes were met with densely packed, fly-head-sized characters, supplemented by several extremely complex, humanoid Stepping Technique Atlas diagrams.
The characters were archaic and profound, each sentence containing deep principles of Body Technique cultivation.
The diagrams’ lines intertwined and spiraled, depicting the circulation route of a Cultivator’s Inner Qi during movement, the placement of their feet, and the angle of their body’s turns.
’It really is profound!’
Fang Han’s gaze slowly swept over the first line of text.
As expected, the Grandmaster-level Body Technique was incredibly profound.
Its step variations and the key points of Inner Qi circulation were countless times more complex than those of the top-level Body Technique, the Wind and Cloud Escape.
If a disciple who had never encountered an advanced Body Technique were to face such profound content, they would likely find it as inscrutable as a heavenly scripture, with no idea where to begin.
However, he was no ordinary disciple.
His one-hundred-and-twenty-eight-fold Stepping Talent Amplification gave him a comprehension of Body Techniques far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Furthermore, having reached Perfection in the Wind and Cloud Escape had laid an incredibly solid foundation for him.
The combination of these two factors meant that while he found this Grandmaster-level Body Technique profound, it was not incomprehensible.
His gaze continued down the page as his mind gradually became immersed.
The characters were no longer mere symbols in his eyes; they transformed into moving trajectories that flickered, intertwined, and took shape in his mind.
The diagrams were no longer static lines; they transformed into moving figures that practiced, transformed, and deduced the technique within his consciousness.
Time passed unknowingly.
Outside the window, the daylight faded from bright to dim yellow.
Fang Han remained seated, perfectly still.
His eyes scanned the thick manual, page by page.
He lingered on each page for a long time.
On the fourth floor, there was only the faint, occasional rustle of a page being turned.
Finally, Fang Han turned the last page.
He closed his eyes and slowly went through the entire Wind God Step manual in his mind, from beginning to end.
The incantations, the diagrams, the key points of Inner Qi circulation—he had clearly memorized everything, with no omissions.
He opened his eyes, an unconcealable flash of joy within them. He had successfully and completely understood and memorized this Grandmaster-level Body Technique.
Getting to his feet, he walked over to Elder Mo and returned the manual with both hands.
"Thank you, Elder. This disciple has finished comprehending it."
Elder Mo took the manual, a complex light flashing in his aged eyes.
’Half a day. It took him only half a day to fully comprehend a Grandmaster-level Body Technique.’
’This boy’s Talent in the dao of Body Techniques is also this astonishing.’
He nodded slightly and, without saying more, just said softly,
"You may go."
"This disciple takes his leave."
Fang Han bowed, turned, and descended the stairs.
His green robes swayed slightly as his footsteps faded into the distance.
...
By the time he returned to Courtyard 35, the sun had already sunk below the distant mountains, leaving only a final streak of dark gold on the horizon.
Qiu Lan came forward to greet him. "Senior Brother, dinner is ready."
Fang Han nodded.
After dinner, Fang Han eagerly went to the open space in the courtyard where he usually practiced.
The evening wind rustled through the bamboo grove, and a few leaves spun down in the twilight.
"Wind God Step."
He stood in the center of the open space, closed his eyes, and let the Heart Method of the Wind God Step flow through his mind.
The incantations, the stepping techniques, the key points of Inner Qi circulation—everything appeared clearly, without the slightest bit of haze.
He went through the entire Body Technique in his mind from beginning to end, word for word.
Again.
A third time.
Only when he was certain that every word, every diagram, and every route for his Inner Qi was deeply engraved in his mind with nothing missed did he slowly open his eyes.
’I can begin.’
He took a deep breath and began his attempt to cultivate it.
Like the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, the Wind God Step was also divided into five realms: Entry Level, Minor Achievement, Mastery, Great Success, and Perfection.
To reach the Entry Level of the Wind God Step, there was one crucial prerequisite: comprehending the Wind Realm.
This was exactly the same as the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique.
In fact, the Wind Sword Intent and the Wind Realm were, in essence, the same thing.
The former was the name for the Wind Attribute’s realm as applied to swordsmanship, while the latter was the general term.
Since he had already comprehended the Wind Sword Intent, he had naturally comprehended the Wind Realm as well.
’Even though I’ve grasped the Wind Realm, reaching the Entry Level for the Wind God Step won’t happen overnight!’
Comprehending the Wind Realm didn’t mean he could immediately reach the Entry Level of the Wind God Step.
The Wind Realm was just the prerequisite, the key to opening the door.
But after the door was opened, learning how to walk that new path still required using the Wind Realm as a tool to comprehend, understand, and master the unique Force Manipulation Method and step Transformations of the Wind God Step.
The Wind Realm was like a mathematical formula, and the Wind God Step was a complex math problem.
He had learned the formula, but he still needed to spend time figuring out and practicing how to use it to solve the problem.
’Still, there are naturally benefits to having mastered the Wind Realm in advance.’
The greatest benefit of having already comprehended the Wind Realm was that it saved him the time needed to comprehend it in the first place.
And that period of time was the longest and most difficult part of the process.
Now, he had already completed it.
All that remained was the patient work of using the Wind Realm to aid his comprehension of the Wind God Step and bring it to the Entry Level.
’The time needed to reach the Entry Level of the Wind God Step will definitely be far shorter than the time it took for the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique.’
Fang Han focused his mind and began to practice according to the Wind God Step’s Cultivation Method.
He took the first step.
His figure drifted forward several meters.
The movement was awkward, far from the fluid grace he had when using the Wind and Cloud Escape.
The placement of his feet, the circulation of his Inner Qi, the posture of his body—every aspect felt unfamiliar.
He stopped, recalled the details in the diagrams, and tried again.
This time, it was slightly better than before.
But it was still awkward.
He didn’t grow impatient, trying again and again.
Once, twice, three times...
After countless attempts, his movements finally began to grow smooth.
The awkwardness gradually faded, replaced by an embryonic fluidity.
Although this fluidity still carried a hint of deliberate effort, it was a world of difference compared to his initial stumbling.