Chapter 584 - 580: Great Success in Wind God Step
Chapter 584: Chapter 580: Great Success in Wind God Step
「A few days later.」
Fang Han had just finished lunch in the side hall. As he was about to get up and head to the Cultivation Field in the rear courtyard, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside.
Led by a servant, a young man wearing the Disciple’s Robe of the Sect Leader’s Hall strode into the side hall. He bowed to Fang Han, his voice tinged with respect.
"Senior Brother Fang, the Sect Leader requests your presence at the Sect Leader’s Hall."
Fang Han set down his teacup, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly.
’The Sect Leader is summoning me?’
’The Tiejiang Gang has been annihilated and Yan Wuji has been executed. Nothing major has happened in the county recently. Why would the Sect Leader summon me at a time like this?’
"Did the Sect Leader say what this is about?"
Fang Han asked.
The disciple lowered his head and replied,
"I do not know. The Sect Leader only ordered me to deliver the message."
Fang Han nodded slightly and asked again,
"Who else has the Sect Leader summoned besides me?"
"Senior Brother Luo is also summoned."
the disciple answered.
’Luo Yuntian?’
Fang Han’s confusion deepened. ’He’s summoning both Luo Yuntian and me at the same time? This feels stranger and stranger.’
He didn’t ask any more questions, just nodded.
"Understood."
He straightened his robes, hung the Cloud Splitting Sword from his waist, and followed the disciple out of the courtyard gate.
Before long, a familiar figure appeared around the corner of the stone steps ahead.
Luo Yuntian was dressed in a deep cyan True Inheritance Robe, a longsword hanging from his waist, his expression serene.
Hearing footsteps, he turned and gave Fang Han a slight nod.
"Senior Brother Fang."
"Junior Brother Luo."
Fang Han returned the courtesy with a cupped-fist salute and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
"Junior Brother, do you have any idea why the Sect Leader has summoned us?"
Luo Yuntian shook his head, a trace of confusion also visible in his calm eyes.
"I don’t know. But for the Sect Leader to summon both of us at once, it must be something important."
Fang Han didn’t ask anything further.
The two of them walked along the bluestone path toward the mountain’s peak.
The ancient trees on both sides of the mountain path rustled in the cold winter wind, and a few withered leaves spiraled down onto the stone steps.
The imposing silhouette of the Sect Leader’s Hall soon appeared at the end of their path.
Seeing them arrive, the disciples on duty at the hall’s entrance quickly stepped aside to let them pass.
Fang Han and Luo Yuntian stepped into the hall.
Sandalwood incense curled through the air inside. Chen Tianyuan was seated on the large chair at the head of the hall, holding two gilt-edged invitations.
Hearing their footsteps, he looked up, his gentle eyes falling upon the two of them.
"Disciple Fang Han."
"Disciple Luo Yuntian."
The two took a few steps forward and bowed in salute.
"Greetings, Sect Leader."
"No need for formalities. Sit."
Chen Tianyuan waved his hand, stood up, and walked over to them, handing each of them one of the gilt-edged invitations.
Fang Han and Luo Yuntian each stepped forward to accept one, then took seats on the pearwood chairs below.
Fang Han looked down at the invitation in his hand.
The envelope was made from some kind of fine-textured animal hide. Its gilt patterns shimmered with a dark luster under the hall’s lights, a testament to its exquisite craftsmanship.
He broke the seal and took out the letter inside.
The text on the page was concise and formal, inviting him to a Martial Arts Assembly for the younger generation. The location was stated in two striking words—
Imperial Capital.
Fang Han’s gaze lingered on those two words for a moment before he lifted his eyes to look at Chen Tianyuan.
Luo Yuntian finished reading the invitation at almost the same time, and a hint of surprise also appeared in his calm eyes.
"Sect Leader,"
Fang Han began.
"This Martial Arts Assembly is...?"
Chen Tianyuan picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, and set it down before speaking slowly.
"This Martial Arts Assembly is held once every five years, hosted by the Royal Family of the Great Chu Dynasty. Invitations are sent to the top ten on the Celestial Pride List from each of the One Hundred and Eight Counties. Both of you are among the invited."
Fang Han fell silent.
Though he was curious about the Imperial Capital, traveling tens of thousands of miles just to participate in a Martial Arts Assembly didn’t seem worth it.
’Wouldn’t it be better to spend that time cultivating in the Sect?’
He placed the invitation on his lap and said with a cupped-fist salute,
"Sect Leader, I... am not particularly interested in participating in this competition."
Luo Yuntian also nodded slightly, his voice steady.
"The same goes for me."
Chen Tianyuan waved his hand and said unhurriedly,
"Don’t be so quick to decide. Hear me out first."
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over their faces.
"The rewards for this competition are extremely generous. Anyone who participates, even if they don’t pass the first round, will receive one stalk of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures as a prize. You can even choose the type to a certain extent. If you can advance to the final rounds..."
His voice grew slightly more intense.
"Grandmaster Martial Arts, Spiritual Weapons, and even Elixirs more precious than the Celestial Essence Pill are all among the rewards."
’The rewards are... that generous?’
Fang Han, who had been so resistant just a moment ago, couldn’t help but feel tempted.
Setting aside the absurdly lavish rewards for the final rounds, just the participation prize of a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure was already highly appealing.
Although Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures had a price, they were often unavailable for purchase, as few were willing to trade them for gold and silver.
Therefore, even with a price tag, they were often regarded as treasures that couldn’t be measured by mere wealth.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Luo Yuntian.
Luo Yuntian’s expression was still serene, but an almost imperceptible flicker of emotion flashed through his usually steady eyes.
He was clearly tempted as well.
No one would be unmoved by the prospect of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could improve their Talent.
Chen Tianyuan took in both of their reactions, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"The competition is set for March of next year, so there are still three or four months. You don’t need to decide right away."
He leaned back in his chair, his voice gentle yet tinged with gravity.
"Go back and consider it carefully. If you decide to participate, come and inform me then."
Fang Han and Luo Yuntian stood up.
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"We will take our leave."
The two bowed, then turned and exited the Sect Leader’s Hall.
The cold wind outside brushed against their faces, carrying the unique chill of deep winter, but it couldn’t blow away the thoughts weighing on their minds.
...
A few days later, in the afternoon, it began to snow.
At first, it was just fine flurries, but it gradually became a heavy snowfall, the large flakes falling silently and blanketing the green tiles and white walls of the True Inheritance Courtyard in a thin layer of crystalline white.
The bamboo forest rustled in the wind and snow. A few leaves, unable to bear the weight, shook off a clump of snow, only to be quickly covered by new flakes.
"SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!"
In the Cultivation Field, Fang Han was practicing the Wind God Step.
His figure, clad in a green robe, moved silently through the curtain of snow. His feet landed on the Obsidian floor without stirring so much as a speck of dust.
Not only was he incredibly fast, but he didn’t leave a single footprint on the snow-covered ground.
The falling snowflakes continuously covered the places he had just passed, making it seem as if no one had ever been there.
’Still not quite there.’
Fang Han stopped, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
His Wind God Step was still at the Mastery Realm, some way off from reaching Great Success.
In contrast, his Sky-Splitting Sword Technique had long since reached Great Success and was not far from Perfection.
He knew the reason for this great disparity very well—
his Swordsmanship Talent had been improved by consuming four stalks of Sword-shaped Grass, while his Body Technique Talent had only been enhanced by a single horn from a Howling Moon Spirit Deer.
"The Martial Arts Assembly..."
Fang Han murmured the name aloud.
Just by participating, he could receive a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure as a reward, and even choose its type.
If he placed well, he could get even more.
’If I could obtain several Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that improve Body Technique Talent, the cultivation speed of my Wind God Step would surely catch up to my Sky-Splitting Sword Technique.’
At this thought, he focused his mind and activated the Wind God Step once more.
His figure moved silently through the curtain of snow, the Wind Realm permeating every subtle point of his Body Technique.
With every turn of his Step Technique, the essence of becoming one with the wind grew more and more harmonious.
At a certain moment—
as Fang Han was cultivating, a flash of insight suddenly struck his mind.
The inspiration came without warning, like a bolt of lightning streaking through the dark night, illuminating a patch of dense fog.
A previously unconsidered key to better integrating the Wind Realm into his Body Technique suddenly became clear in his mind.
"So that’s how it is!"
Fang Han’s footwork abruptly changed.
In that instant, the Wind Realm and his Body Technique merged in a way they never had before.
"OMMM—"
A soft hum that only he could perceive resonated from deep within his body.
In the next instant, his speed surged dramatically!
He was so fast that even he was caught off guard.
He had been more than ten zhang from the edge of the Cultivation Field, but this sudden burst of speed sent his body flying like a bolt of cyan lightning across the distance, nearly causing him to crash into the opposite wall.
"Wind God Step, Great Success."
Fang Han came to a halt, standing in the snow.
A flicker of unconcealable joy flashed through his eyes.
’I finally broke through.’
He took a deep breath and pushed the Wind God Step of the Great Success Realm to its limit.
"WHOOSH—"
The green-robed figure flickered rapidly across the Cultivation Field.
From the eastern wall to the western corner took but an instant.
The distance of over twenty zhang seemed to vanish beneath his feet, so fast it was like teleportation.
He weaved back and forth across the field, sometimes darting like lightning, other times stopping and starting abruptly, his turns completely fluid.
A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the Obsidian ground, yet he still didn’t leave a single footprint.
After a good while, Fang Han finally stopped.
He now had a clear understanding of his current top speed.
"With my current speed, few even among Breaking Through Martial Artists could match me," Fang Han muttered to himself.
Most Martial Artists, when choosing between Martial Techniques and Body Techniques, tended to prioritize techniques that enhanced Attack Power, unlike him, who advanced both in tandem.
The proficiency of those Breaking Through Martial Artists in Body Techniques was generally far inferior to their skill in Martial Techniques.
But he had progressed in both Body Technique and Martial Technique equally, prioritizing neither.
Now that his Wind God Step had broken through to Great Success, with his speed, even if he couldn’t defeat a Martial Artist who had broken through two or even three times, he could still retreat with ease.
In the evening, Fang Han finished his day’s Cultivation and returned to the Warm Pavilion, which was heated by a charcoal fire.
Qiu Lan knocked softly on the door, her voice coming from the other side:
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister Yun Qianyue is here to visit."
Fang Han immediately got up and strode toward the courtyard gate.
Outside the gate, Yun Qianyue stood quietly in the twilight.
Today, she wore a moon-white, short fox-fur jacket. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with fine silver fox fur that stirred gently in the cold wind.
Below, she wore a pale cyan, heavy satin long skirt, its hem embroidered with a few sparse winter plums in silver thread. A matching palace cord was tied at her waist, accentuating her slender and willowy figure.
Her face was still veiled with a light purple gauze, revealing only a pair of clear, cool eyes.
She was a peerless beauty.