Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

"What? They were pushed out of the top ten?"

Fang Han’s gaze flickered. He hadn’t even grown strong enough to challenge the rankings, and they had already changed.

’There really are a lot of geniuses in my batch of disciples.’

He asked,

"Who are the two who took their places?"

"It’s Ji Hao, who was ranked eleventh, and Lu Xing, who was twelfth. Their Cultivation was already at the Late Stage of Ninth Grade, so in terms of Cultivation, they weren’t any worse than Han Yi or Gao Yuan. With a small breakthrough, they immediately surpassed Han Yi and Gao Yuan."

Xiao Chen explained, his tone tinged with emotion.

"The competition in the courtyard is so fierce. You really can’t relax for even a moment."

Fang Han nodded. The competition within the courtyard was indeed more intense than he had imagined.

"Has anything else happened?"

"Of course. As far as I know, among our batch of new disciples, five who were originally at the Middle Stage of Ninth Grade have broken through to the Late Stage of Ninth Grade over the past month. There are a lot more at the Late Stage of Ninth Grade in the courtyard now than when we first started."

Xiao Chen’s voice grew serious.

"Five people broke through from the Middle Stage to the Late Stage of Ninth Grade in just one month?"

Fang Han felt a chill in his heart.

’My own Cultivation has grown, and I’ve reached the Middle Stage of Ninth Grade, but the others haven’t been standing still either. Five people have already reached the Late Stage of Ninth Grade.’

Although it was highly likely that these people were already on the cusp of the Late Stage—which was completely different from his own solid advancement from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage of Ninth Grade—it still showed that the new disciples from his batch were not to be underestimated.

"It seems a lot has changed in the courtyard this past month."

Fang Han collected himself and said calmly.

"Yeah, a lot has changed."

Xiao Chen sighed, then suddenly spoke mysteriously.

"Oh, right. Something also happened in the Sect that concerns you."

"Something that concerns me?"

Fang Han was confused. ’I’m just a new disciple. How could I possibly be connected to anything happening in the Sect?’

"It’s about Senior Brother Wang Miao. His rank on the Celestial Pride List has gone up again! From ninety-fifth to ninety-third!"

Xiao Chen said with a hint of vicarious pride.

"He’s ninety-third now?"

Ignoring Xiao Chen’s teasing about his "acquaintance" with Wang Miao, Fang Han’s face showed his astonishment.

The competition for rankings in the Sub-Branch was already extremely fierce, but the competition on the Celestial Pride List was ten, even a hundred times more intense.

Even after successfully getting on the Celestial Pride List, Wang Miao was still able to climb the ranks at a considerable pace.

That rate of progress was truly astonishing.

He couldn’t help but glance in the direction of Wang Meng’s residence. ’Her pride is probably going to swell even more.’

"Senior Brother Wang Miao is truly a role model for our generation."

Xiao Chen said admiringly.

Just then, the servant finished cleaning the room.

Fang Han said to Xiao Chen, "Thanks for the news, Brother Xiao Chen. I’m going to tidy up my room a bit. We can talk later."

"Alright, I’ll let you get to it."

Xiao Chen nodded and took his leave.

Fang Han watched Xiao Chen’s retreating back, his gaze growing calm once more.

’Things in the courtyard were in flux, and the competition for rankings was fierce, but for now, those weren’t his most pressing concerns.’

’His most pressing concern was how to eliminate that venomous snake, Zhao Qianjun, who was hiding in the shadows.’

He walked slowly to the window, pushed it open, and looked toward the Yin Courtyard.

Sunlight shone on his calm face, but within his dark eyes, a cold glint of sword light seemed to flash and disappear.

After spending several more days in the Sub-Branch, Fang Han followed a strict daily routine: cultivating the Xunfeng Technique to strengthen his Inner Qi, and repeatedly honing the Martial Techniques he had mastered to fully familiarize himself with and integrate his newfound strength.

When he felt he had reached his peak condition, Fang Han decided to act.

One early morning, Fang Han pushed open his door. The first light of dawn fell upon his impassive face.

He straightened his cyan Disciple’s Robe, strapped the Cyan Blade Sword to his waist, and walked out of the Sub-Branch with a steady gait.

His gaze swept around casually. In the distance, the servant Li Shan was holding a broom, distractedly sweeping the ground, but the corner of his eye was glued to Fang Han.

Fang Han sneered inwardly but appeared oblivious, heading straight for the Task Hall.

Almost as soon as Fang Han’s figure disappeared around a bend in the road, Li Shan immediately dropped his broom and hurried, almost frantically, toward the Yin Courtyard.

...

「In the Yin Courtyard, inside Room B-13.」

Zhao Qianjun, who had just woken up, was straightening his clothes in front of a copper mirror.

Over a month of fruitless waiting had left him extremely agitated, and a hostile aura festered between his brows.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

The knocking was rushed.

"Who is it?"

Zhao Qianjun’s brow furrowed. He walked impatiently to the door and opened it.

"Senior Brother Zhao, that Fang Han... Fang Han went to the Task Hall again!"

Outside, Li Shan was panting, his face a mixture of sycophantic eagerness and urgency.

"He went... to the Task Hall?"

A flicker of joy appeared in Zhao Qianjun’s heart, but it quickly turned to doubt.

The two missions Fang Han had accepted before—one was a group mission, and the other was located within the Sect itself—had given him no opportunity to strike.

’It’s not going to be like the last two times, is it? Another mission with no openings?’

His eyes flickered as thoughts raced through his mind.

He was truly afraid that Fang Han would take another internal Sect mission, like guarding the Beast Garden, leaving him excited for nothing once again.

"Damn it, this kid is as slippery as an eel!"

Zhao Qianjun cursed under his breath, his expression wavering.

’Should I go or not?’

’If it’s another wasted trip, it’ll just be more frustrating. But if I don’t go, what if Fang Han accepts an off-site mission this time? Wouldn’t I miss a golden opportunity?’

He thought about the fifty thousand taels of silver Lin Yaotian had given him, most of which he had already squandered, and the handsome reward Lin Yaotian had promised afterward. In the end, he suppressed his doubts.

"I’ll go take a look!"

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Qianjun grabbed the longsword from his table, flung open the door, and strode briskly toward the Task Hall.

...

The Task Hall was as bustling as ever.

Fang Han blended into the crowd, his eyes carefully scanning the rows of wooden mission plaques.

He deliberately avoided missions that required group collaboration or had destinations in crowded, conspicuous places. He specifically looked for solo missions with a moderate travel distance and a decent number of Contribution Points.

His goal was clear: to create a "suitable" environment for Zhao Qianjun to make his move, while also ensuring the mission itself wasn’t overly dangerous.

After searching for a moment, his gaze landed on a relatively new wooden plaque:

"Mission: Escort a package to the Chu Family in Qinghe City.

Issuer: True Disciple, Chu Feng.

Requirement: One disciple. Must be cautious and reliable. Delivery within three days.

Reward: One hundred Contribution Points.

Note: Item must be handed personally to Chu Yunshan, the Patriarch of the Chu Family. It cannot be given to anyone else."

’True Disciple Chu Feng...’

Fang Han’s heart stirred.

The disciples of the Qingxuan Sect were divided into two types: ordinary disciples and True Disciples.

Compared to ordinary disciples, the treatment of True Disciples was vastly superior.

Not only did they have their own private courtyards and dedicated servants, but they were also allocated special Cultivation Resources that were normally reserved for those at the Elder level.

However, becoming a True Disciple was not easy. The Qingxuan Sect had a total of the Twelve Courtyards, each with over a hundred disciples. Only those who ranked in the top thirty among so many people could obtain the status of a True Disciple.

As expected of a True Inheritor, he was offering a reward of one hundred Contribution Points for a six-day round trip mission. Compared to other similar missions, this was clearly much more generous.

"This is the one!"

Fang Han decided to take this mission on the spot, not just because the reward was generous, but because it was a solo mission—one that could lure Zhao Qianjun out.

"Steward, this disciple, Fang Han, would like to accept the escort mission posted by True Inheritor Chu Feng."

Without further hesitation, Fang Han walked up to the registration desk, stated the mission he wanted to accept, and handed over his Identity Jade Token.

"Take this voucher to the True Inheritance Courtyard and find True Inheritor Chu to receive the item."

The Steward inspected the Jade Token, finished the record-keeping, and handed Fang Han a voucher stamped with a special seal.

"Thank you, Steward."

Fang Han took the voucher and turned to leave the registration desk.

Just as he turned, he caught a glimpse of Zhao Qianjun’s figure in the distance out of the corner of his eye.

The man was pretending to look around for a suitable mission, but his gaze kept darting toward him. He had clearly overheard the conversation with the Steward.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

A flash of uncontrollable ecstasy crossed Zhao Qianjun’s face, but he quickly suppressed it, averting his gaze to pretend to look at a nearby mission plaque.

Fang Han sneered inwardly. With a placid expression, he gripped the voucher and walked straight out of the Task Hall.

’The fish has taken the bait.’

...

Following the directions on the voucher, Fang Han arrived at the True Inheritance Courtyard.

The environment here was serene, with individual courtyards scattered among the mountain forests, far more impressive than the row houses of the Sub-Branch.

The residential and Cultivation areas for the Qingxuan Sect disciples were divided into the Twelve Courtyards, named after the twelve Earthly Branches. These were for ordinary disciples.

Above them were the True Inheritance Courtyard for True Inheritors, the Deacon Courtyard for Stewards, and the Elder Courtyard for Elders.

Finding the courtyard marked with the name "Chu Feng," Fang Han knocked on the door ring.

A moment later, a servant in grey robes opened the door, his expression respectful.

Fang Han stated his purpose and presented the voucher.

"Senior Brother, please wait a moment. I will go inform the True Inheritor."

The servant said with a bow after inspecting it.

Before long, the servant returned and led Fang Han into the courtyard.

The courtyard was elegantly arranged with rockeries, flowing water, and rare flowers and plants, showing the owner’s refined taste.

In the living room, Fang Han met the True Disciple named Chu Feng.

Chu Feng appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He wore a deep cyan True Inheritor Disciple Robe embroidered with silver cloud patterns. His face could be considered handsome, but his brows carried an obvious air of cold arrogance.

He had a high-bridged nose, thin lips, and eyes as sharp as an eagle’s. When he scanned Fang Han, it was with a condescending, scrutinizing gaze, as if sizing up a tool.

"You’re the Junior Brother who accepted the mission?"

Chu Feng’s voice was flat, carrying a sense of detachment.

"Yes. I am Junior Brother Fang Han. Greetings, True Inheritor Chu."

Fang Han cupped his fists in a salute, his attitude neither servile nor overbearing.

Chu Feng gave a slight nod, seemingly too lazy to even speak an extra word.

He casually picked up a flat, foot-long object wrapped tightly in oilcloth from the tea table beside him, along with a letter sealed with wax, and handed them over.

"This item and this letter must be personally delivered into the hands of Chu Yunshan, the Patriarch of the Chu Family in Qinghe City. Be careful on the journey. There must be no delays, and absolutely no peeking."

Chu Feng instructed apathetically.

"I understand. I will not fail this trust."

Fang Han accepted the items with both hands. They felt slightly heavy and hard to the touch—not like a wooden box, but more like an iron one.