Chapter 554 - 550: Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, Great Success
Chapter 554: Chapter 550: Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, Great Success
Fang Han took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.
"SHING—"
The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath.
The dark cyan blade shimmered with a restrained luster in the morning light.
He didn’t deliberately pursue power or try to draw upon the Wind Realm. He simply and naturally brandished his sword, pouring forth the enlightenment from his heart.
He thrust his sword.
The thrust was very slow.
So slow that every inch of its movement was clearly visible. So slow that as the tip of the sword cut through the air, you could even see the faint ripples of displaced air.
But the instant he completed the thrust—
"HUM..."
A soft hum, audible only to him, suddenly rang out.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it was as if something that had been dormant for a long time had abruptly awakened.
Immediately after, an indescribably terrifying aura erupted like a volcano.
The aura was incredibly sharp, carrying with it a frightening Tearing Realm, as if it could rip anything and everything to shreds.
At that moment, his Wind Sword Intent underwent a qualitative transformation.
It was no longer the slightly crude concept from the Mastery Realm, but had become profound and harmonious.
The cyan-gold luster on the blade suddenly changed, transforming into a sharpness so tangible it was almost transparent.
Wherever the sword tip passed, the air silently split open, leaving a fissure several dozen feet long.
The fissure was as clear as a cut from a blade through paper, and it lingered for a long time.
A sword mark, also several dozen feet long, appeared out of nowhere on the obsidian ground. Its edges were as smooth as a mirror, as if polished repeatedly by an invisible blade.
Furthermore, an invisible Spiritual Shock erupted from him, spreading out in all directions.
"VMMMM—"
Under the covered walkway beside the Cultivation Field, Qiu Lan was arranging a tea set with two other maids.
The invisible Spiritual Shock suddenly struck her. She felt a massive jolt in her mind, and her consciousness went blank for a moment.
The celadon teacup she was holding fell to the ground with a CLATTER, shattering into pieces.
Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Her legs gave way, and she nearly lost her balance, only managing to stay upright by grabbing a pillar of the walkway.
The two maids with weaker cultivation were in an even worse state.
One collapsed to the ground, the rag in her hand tumbling aside; the other fell flat on the walkway, her face as white as a sheet.
In the canopy of an old tree, a few birds resting on the branches suddenly let out short, mournful cries.
They were not wounded and had no visible injuries, but their bodies suddenly went rigid.
Their pupils instantly dilated, and they fell straight from the branches, landing on the ground without another sound.
—Their souls had been shattered by the Spiritual Shock contained within the Sword Intent.
Fang Han’s expression changed slightly, and he quickly reined in his Sword Intent.
The terrifying aura receded like a tide, and the courtyard, which had been thrown into chaos by the shockwave, returned to silence.
Leaning against the pillar, Qiu Lan gasped for air, the back of her robes soaked through with cold sweat.
She looked up toward the Cultivation Field, her eyes filled with terror.
"Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, Great Success."
Fang Han sheathed his sword and stood tall, slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air.
The tangible sharpness on the blade swirled for a moment before finally subsiding.
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the mess in the courtyard.
Under the walkway, Qiu Lan and the two maids were pale, clearly not yet fully recovered from the Spiritual Shock.
He walked over and stopped in front of Qiu Lan.
"Are you all right?"
Qiu Lan shook her head, her voice still trembling slightly.
"Senior Brother, what was that just now...?"
"I had a breakthrough in my swordsmanship and didn’t control it well. You got caught in the aftershock."
Fang Han said.
Qiu Lan’s mouth fell open. ’Senior Brother’s strength... he’s gotten stronger again.’
’And so, so much stronger than before.’
"Congratulations on your great progress in swordsmanship, Senior Brother!"
She bowed, her voice filled with sincere joy.
The two maids behind her hurriedly bowed as well, their eyes shining with a mixture of awe and adoration.
"Congratulations on your great progress in swordsmanship, Senior Brother!"
Fang Han nodded slightly. His gaze swept over the shattered teacup on the walkway as he said, "Clean this up. From now on, when I’m in cultivation, don’t come near the Cultivation Field."
As his power grew, even the unconscious ripples of energy he released during cultivation were more than Qiu Lan and the others could withstand.
This was despite the fact that, with the help of the elixirs he had given them, Qiu Lan and the other maids had already broken through to become Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists.
If they had been ordinary maids, the outcome would have been even worse.
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Qiu Lan replied, and she and the other two maids hurriedly began to clean up.
Fang Han turned and walked back into the center of the Cultivation Field, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
He carefully savored the changes brought by reaching the Great Success Realm in the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique.
Its power was more than ten times greater than it had been at the Mastery stage.
Just as he had expected, with a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique, each new realm of mastery increased its power by more than tenfold.
From Entry Level to Minor Achievement, Minor Achievement to Mastery, and Mastery to Great Success—
each breakthrough was a qualitative leap.
If his swordsmanship at the Mastery Realm was a river, then his swordsmanship now was a mighty torrent like the Yangtze.
The difference between the two was plain to see.
’If I were to face Qi Zhen again...’
Fang Han muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
If he encountered the Tiejiang Gang Leader, Qi Zhen, again, he wouldn’t need to use so many moves.
A few sword strikes at most would be enough to severely injure the Late Stage of First Grade Gang Leader.
This was the confidence that came from having the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique at the Great Success Realm.
’I wonder if I can contend with Breaking Through Martial Artists now?’
A flicker of light passed through Fang Han’s eyes.
Breaking Through Martial Artists were beings who stood above the First Grade but below the Grandmaster Realm.
For each of the Three Gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit they broke through, their combat power would undergo a qualitative change.
In all of Qingyang County, there were no more than twenty Breaking Through Martial Artists.
Each one stood at the pinnacle of power below the Grandmaster Realm.
He closed his eyes, silently assessing his current combat strength.
Early Stage of Second Grade cultivation, the Wind God Step at the Mastery Realm, 300,000 jin of physical strength, plus the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique at the Great Success Realm—
’Against a martial artist who has only broken through the first gate, I should be able to put up a fight.’
Fang Han opened his eyes, a trace of satisfaction in them.
This judgment wasn’t born from blind confidence.
He had been able to defeat the Late Stage of First Grade Qi Zhen before, and now that his strength had increased more than tenfold, contending with a Breaking Through Martial Artist was not impossible.
"In all of Qingyang County, there are no more than twenty Breaking Through Martial Artists."
Fang Han muttered to himself, his voice echoing softly in the quiet Cultivation Field.
"In other words, not counting Grandmasters, my current combat strength is enough to rank in the top twenty of the county."
The thought left him in a bit of a daze.
Not even three years after starting, the boy who once struggled just to rank in the Sub-Branch was now standing at the apex of power in Qingyang County, second only to the Grandmasters.
Even he himself was astonished.
’The Sky-Splitting Sword Technique is at Great Success. I’m only one step away from Perfection!’
Fang Han’s focus returned to his swordsmanship.
He had been cultivating the Grandmaster-level Sword Technique, the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, for just over a year, and he had already reached the Great Success Realm.
Such speed was unbelievable, even to him.
In comparison, the progress of his cultivation seemed much slower.
He was currently only at the Early Stage of Second Grade.
Although this level of cultivation was unparalleled among the younger generation, the gap was enormous when compared to the speed of his swordsmanship progress.
’I absolutely cannot miss this year’s Earth Core Stone Milk.’
Fang Han muttered to himself.
His swordsmanship cultivation had progressed so rapidly because he had consumed four stalks of Sword-shaped Grass, raising his innate Swordsmanship Talent from one to eleven.
Combined with the 256x Swordsmanship Talent Amplification, he was able to achieve his current progress.
As for his Root Bone, however, it had only been improved by a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure once.
Even with the same 256x amplification, his cultivation speed still lagged behind his swordsmanship because his innate talent in that area was lower.
Therefore, he absolutely could not miss out on the Sect’s share of Earth Core Stone Milk this year.
He reined in his thoughts and gripped his sword hilt once more.
"SHING—"
The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath, its dark cyan blade shimmering with a restrained luster in the morning light.
He took a deep breath and channeled his Wind Sword Intent again.
He thrust his sword.
The sword light was like a silk thread, tracing a barely perceptible arc in the morning glow.
Wherever the sword tip passed, the air silently split, leaving a fine, stable fissure that did not dissipate.
Wielding the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique at the Great Success Realm, his movements were fluid and harmonious, executed with perfect control.
The sharp intent, which seemed to tear through everything, made the very air in the Cultivation Field feel somewhat stagnant.
He practiced over and over, each strike becoming a fraction more harmonious, a fraction more fluid than the last.
Flashes of sword light crisscrossed the Cultivation Field like sudden bolts of lightning, incomparably fierce.
New, intersecting sword marks were added to the obsidian ground.
He continued until the sun reached its zenith, shining directly down and brightly illuminating the entire Cultivation Field.
Only then did Fang Han sheath his sword and stand, slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air.
His forehead was beaded with sweat, and the back of his cyan robe was soaked through, clinging to his skin.
But his eyes were astonishingly bright.
Sheathing the Cloud Splitting Sword, he turned and walked out of the Cultivation Field.
Outside the Cultivation Field, Qiu Lan was already waiting.
Seeing Fang Han emerge, she quickly came forward and said,
"Senior Brother, lunch is ready."
Fang Han nodded slightly, went to the side hall, sat down at the dining table, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat slowly.
Qiu Lan stood beside him with her hands clasped, ready to serve.
...
At noon half a month later, the autumn sun shone through the ornate window of the side hall, casting fragmented patterns of light and shadow on the green brick floor.
Fang Han sat at a table laden with a sumptuous feast.
He picked up a piece of stir-fried seasonal vegetables with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly as he listened to Qiu Lan, who stood beside him, softly recounting recent events from the outside world.
"Senior Brother, ever since the Tiejiang Gang hit a wall at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, their campaign to absorb the other major powers has slowed down considerably."
Qiu Lan relayed the news she had gathered.
"It’s not that the Tiejiang Gang has given up, but rather that the remaining major powers, having learned from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s example, have all taken the initiative to seek refuge with the Seven Sects to protect themselves."
Fang Han’s hand, holding a teacup, paused mid-air as a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Most of the notable major powers in Qingyang County now have a patron to rely on."
Qiu Lan continued.
"Some have pledged allegiance to Vajra Temple, some to the Overlord Blade Sect, and others to the Lingyun Sword Sect and Tingyu Building. Our Qingxuan Sect has also had a few powers come to our door recently, expressing their desire to join us."
Fang Han set down his teacup, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile.
"The Tiejiang Gang intended to absorb these powers to strengthen itself, but instead, they just ended up doing all the work for the Seven Sects."
"Exactly."
Qiu Lan nodded, her voice tinged with a bit of emotion.
"The Seven Sects should thank the Tiejiang Gang. If they hadn’t been so aggressive, those major powers wouldn’t have sought patronage so decisively."
Fang Han was silent for a moment, then took a sip of his tea and asked,
"What was the Tiejiang Gang’s reaction to the major powers pledging allegiance to the Seven Sects?"