Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Lin Yaotian was hard-pressed to defend himself, narrowly dodging one deadly strike after another. Wounds quickly accumulated on his body, staining his robes red with blood.

A chill had already settled in his heart.

He already had a hard time winning against Fang Lingyuan alone. Now, with the addition of the even more powerful Fang Han, whose swordsmanship was exceptionally cunning and ruthless, he stood no chance at all!

The shadow of death loomed over him, more palpable than ever before.

"It’s over, Lin Yaotian."

Fang Han’s voice was icy. His sword flashed like a comet, suddenly accelerating as it pierced through the flurry of sword shadows, thrusting ruthlessly toward Lin Yaotian.

Simultaneously, the glint of Fang Lingyuan’s saber cut off all of Lin Yaotian’s escape routes.

"SQUELCH!"

"Argh..."

The Cyan Blade Sword pierced cleanly through Lin Yaotian’s throat, while Fang Lingyuan’s long saber slashed viciously across his chest.

Lin Yaotian’s body trembled violently, his movements freezing completely. His Broadsword slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a CLANG.

He struggled to turn his eyes, gazing at the grim-faced Fang Han before him. His lips quivered as if trying to form words, but only bloody froth bubbled forth.

His eyes were filled with a sense of absurdity, indignation, and a sliver of profound regret.

Perhaps, in the final moments of his life, he finally regretted ever provoking the Fang Family, and ever provoking this monstrous youth.

Finally, the light in his eyes faded completely. His tall frame collapsed like a felled giant, crashing heavily backward and kicking up a cloud of dust.

The current Patriarch of the Lin Family, Lin Yaotian, a Middle Stage of Seventh Grade Martial Artist, was dead!

With Lin Yaotian’s death, resistance throughout the Lin Mansion rapidly dwindled. Seeing that their Patriarch and Core Elders had all been slain, the morale of the surviving Lin Clan Members completely collapsed.

Leaning on his long saber to support himself, Fang Lingyuan panted softly. He stared at Lin Yaotian’s corpse, a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes that was quickly replaced by grim resolve.

He raised his head, looking out at the burning Lin Mansion where the sounds of battle were fading, and bellowed in a deep voice:

"Purge the remaining enemies and take control of the Lin Mansion! From this day forward, Liangshui City will no longer have a Lin Family!"

Fang Han stood beside Lin Yaotian’s corpse, the night wind whipping his robes about with a sharp flutter.

In the firelight, his face remained serene, but deep within his eyes, cold stars seemed to twinkle.

An hour later, the sounds of slaughter within the Lin Mansion had completely ceased.

A thick stench of blood, mixed with smoke and the smell of burnt flesh, hung in the cold night air, nauseatingly persistent.

The Lin Family’s grand residence, once brilliantly lit and heavily guarded, had now been reduced to a deathly silent Chaotic Scene.

Amidst the rubble and ruined walls, corpses were strewn everywhere. Blood soaked the bluestone pavers, taking on a dark, somber hue in the flickering torchlight.

Aside from a few servants and maids who, terrified beyond measure, had fallen to their knees to beg for mercy and were now being held under guard, everyone else in the Lin household—every member of the Lin Clan, every person with a cultivation base who dared to resist—had been put to the sword.

Fang Lingyuan stood in the center of the courtyard. His xuan-colored martial attire was spattered with blood, and his breathing was slightly labored, yet his gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s.

His gaze swept across the residence, freshly baptized in blood and fire, as he issued orders in a deep voice.

"Elder Fang Tu, take a team to remain at the Lin Mansion. Take inventory of the vaults, secure the main thoroughfares, and guard against any opportunists trying to stir up trouble."

"Elder Fang Yuan, quickly bring those skilled in medicine to treat our wounded disciples. As for the fallen... see to it their remains are properly collected."

"Elder Mingde, Elder Zhen Shan, proceed immediately with the plan. Take our elite forces and raid the Lin Family’s mines, shops, and storehouses both inside and outside the city. Annihilate their remaining guards and assume complete control!"

"Yes!"

The four Core Elders acknowledged the order in unison. Their faces were weary, but etched with the grim excitement that follows a triumphant battle.

They quickly gathered their teams and, like arrows loosed from a bow, vanished silently into the deep night of Liangshui City, descending upon the Lin Family’s various assets.

The Fang Family had acted swiftly and covertly, but how could the intense sounds of battle from the direction of the Lin Mansion and the pervasive stench of blood possibly escape the notice of Liangshui City’s other nearby factions?

The residences of the three great families—the Yue, He, and Sun—were all roused shortly after the Fang Family’s operation began.

The three Patriarchs were all shaken from their sleep. They ascended to high vantage points to gaze toward the Lin Mansion, their faces grave with shock and uncertainty.

’The Fang Family moved against the Lin Family? How dare they?!’

Yue Xiong, Patriarch of the Yue Family, was a tall man with coarse features. His thick brows were now knitted tightly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He knew that the Fang and Lin Families were evenly matched. A head-on conflict could only end in mutual ruin.

’Fang Lingyuan has always been a prudent man. Why would he make such a reckless move?’

’It makes no sense... Fang Lingyuan is no fool. He must have an ace up his sleeve for this... but what could it be?’

He Wen, Patriarch of the He Family, was a lean, middle-aged man with the appearance of a scholar and a three-stranded beard. He currently had no mind to toy with the two Iron Galls in his hand, his brow deeply furrowed as he muttered to himself.

"Quickly! Send more scouts! I need to know what’s happening at the Lin Mansion! How many people did the Fang Family deploy? What is the state of the battle?"

Patriarch Sun Mang restlessly twisted the Jade Ring on his thumb, his agitation palpable.

The scouts dispatched by the three families moved like ghosts through the shadowy streets and alleys of Liangshui City. They tried desperately to approach the Lin Mansion district but were completely blocked by the sentries and hidden checkpoints the Fang Family had long since established, preventing them from getting a clear view.

They could only infer a few alarming conclusions from the sounds of battle, which grew sparse before falling silent, and from the blockade, which had only intensified rather than weakened.

When the Fang Family’s elites split into several groups and, reeking of bloodlust, descended on the Lin Family’s assets across the city, the three Patriarchs received urgent reports almost simultaneously.

In that moment, their suspicion peaked, then morphed into utter shock!

’The Fang Family not only assaulted the Lin Mansion but also had enough strength left over to launch simultaneous attacks elsewhere. What does that imply?’

’It means the battle at the Lin Mansion is likely... over? And that the Fang Family won?!’

"How is this possible?!"

Yue Xiong slammed a palm onto the stone railing beside him, and the hard bluestone instantly spiderwebbed with cracks.

He couldn’t comprehend how two evenly matched powers could have settled the fight in such a short time—and with such a one-sided result, no less.

He Wen paced rapidly about his study, hands clasped behind his back. His mind raced, repeatedly comparing the top-tier combatants of the Fang and Lin Families, but he could find no logical explanation. Finally, he could only let out a long sigh.

’The Fang Family... they must have an ace in the hole we know nothing about!’

Sun Mang, on the other hand, collapsed back into his Grandmaster’s Chair, his voice carrying a faint, imperceptible tremor.

He had a foreboding sense that the heavens over Liangshui City were about to change.

Soon, more concrete news arrived as if on wings, reaching the ears of the three Patriarchs.

The Lin Mansion had been completely seized by the Fang Family. The Lin Family’s core figures—including Patriarch Lin Yaotian, Instructor Elder Lin Shan, Guard Elder Lin Yan, and Law Enforcement Elder Lin Ying—were all dead!

The Lin Family Martial Artists guarding their various assets had been either killed or had surrendered. The Lin Family’s important properties, scattered inside and outside Liangshui City, were being seized by the Fang Family at an astonishing rate.

The Lin Family, which had stood on equal footing with the Fang Family and dominated Liangshui City for decades, had truly collapsed overnight, utterly erased from existence.

Shock!

Unparalleled shock washed over Yue Xiong, He Wen, and Sun Mang.

The three men sat deep within their respective manors, completely silent. The initial, incredulous horror on their faces had faded, replaced by a profound gravity and a confusion that would not fade.

They couldn’t for the life of them understand it. By what means had the Fang Family annihilated the Lin Family, whose overall strength was no less than their own?

’What was that hidden ace?’

An enormous question hung over their heads, leaving them restless and on edge.

With the Lin Family’s fall, the vast power vacuum and immense wealth they left behind were like a succulent piece of meat, its tempting aroma naturally stirring the avarice of the three Patriarchs.

Yue Xiong’s eyes glinted as he unconsciously tapped his fingers on the table, weighing his options.

’If we could seize the opportunity to take one or two of the Lin Family’s profitable mines or shops, the Yue Family’s power would soar.’

A map of Liangshui City lay spread before He Wen. His gaze lingered on the locations of the Lin Family’s shops in the most prosperous districts—shops that raked in gold daily. A sharp light glinted in his eyes, a clear sign of the fierce debate raging within him.

Sun Mang went so far as to summon his clan’s accountants, having them rapidly calculate the immense profits they could reap by absorbing a portion of the Lin Family’s assets. His fingers trembled slightly with excitement.

However, this burning greed was quickly extinguished.

The Fang Family’s lightning-fast methods and the formidable strength they’d displayed—far exceeding any of their estimates—hung like an invisible sword over the heads of the three Patriarchs.

That unknown, terrifying power capable of annihilating the Lin Family so swiftly forced Yue Xiong, He Wen, and Sun Mang to cool their heads.

Risking a grab for those assets would likely bring them no benefits. Worse, it would provoke the Fang Family at the height of their power and could bring annihilation upon their own clans.

In the end, at almost the same moment, the three Patriarchs painfully suppressed their greed and came to the same decision.

They issued a strict decree: no clan member was to interfere in the matter of the Lin Family’s assets in any way. Violators would be punished severely under clan law, without exception!

Compared to potential gains, the survival and stability of their families were far more important.

...

「The next morning.」

News of the Lin Family’s overnight annihilation at the hands of the Fang Family struck Liangshui City like a bolt from the blue.

The city’s common folk, minor families, and various factions were all left dumbstruck by this sudden, monumental shift in power.

In teahouses and taverns, on street corners and in alleyways, everyone was discussing the topic with feverish shock and disbelief.

"Did you hear? The Lin Family... is gone! Wiped out by the Fang Family!"

"Heavens! How is that possible? They were fine yesterday! How could the entire situation change overnight?"

"The Lin Family deserved it. I heard they were always causing trouble for the Fang Family, even using dirty tricks in secret..."

"Now Liangshui City is going to be dominated by the Fang Family alone!"

Speculation and rumors ran rampant, enveloping the entire city in an atmosphere of shock and unrest.

And as some of the Fang Family Martial Artists who had participated in the previous night’s raid, in their excitement, inevitably let a few details slip to their acquaintances, even more shocking news began to circulate.

"Do you know why the Fang Family was able to win? I heard it’s because of the Fang Family’s Qilin’er who joined the Qingxuan Sect—Fang Han!"

"Right! I heard that too! The Fang Family’s Qilin’er... he’s already a Seventh Grade Martial Artist!"

"Seventh Grade?! My god! How old is he? He only joined the Qingxuan Sect a year ago, right? This... this is simply a monster!"

"Exactly! I heard he single-handedly killed several of the Lin Family’s Elders last night. Even Lin Yaotian was killed by him and the Fang Family Patriarch, Fang Lingyuan, working together!"

"So that’s it! The Fang Family has produced such a young Seventh Grade Martial Artist. No wonder they could annihilate the Lin Family in a single move!"

Fang Han’s name, along with the astonishing revelation that he was a Seventh Grade Martial Artist, swept through the city like a fierce gale, unleashing a new and even more powerful wave of shock.

A Seventh Grade Martial Artist under twenty years old!

This was a miracle unprecedented in the history of Liangshui City!