Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

The night was deep and utterly still. The only sound was the occasional, distant chirping of insects outside the window, adding to the profound quiet.

Inside Room C-7, Fang Han sat cross-legged on his bed and began to attempt cultivating the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique.

In the beginning, his Inner Qi met with much resistance as he guided it along the unfamiliar and minuscule meridian pathways described in the manual.

The flow of his Inner Qi was labored, like he was slogging through a thorny thicket. Every time it reached a critical juncture, he felt an intangible resistance that prevented it from circulating smoothly.

Far from being concealed, his aura actually pulsed. The impeded flow of his Inner Qi caused it to spill out in distinct fluctuations, which were especially clear in the silent night.

Fortunately, with his sixteen-times Secret Technique Talent Amplification, his aptitude for Secret Techniques far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

Every time an error occurred in his Inner Qi circulation, his mind could instantly pinpoint the problem.

He could determine whether he was using the wrong amount of Inner Qi or stimulating the meridian nodes incorrectly.

He would then quickly adjust, guiding his Inner Qi to strike at those blockages with greater precision.

Try, fail, adjust, try again...

The cycle repeated endlessly, monotonous yet requiring intense focus.

Gradually, with repeated practice, he grew more familiar with the complex route, and his Inner Qi began to flow more smoothly.

The initial feeling of awkwardness gradually faded. The Inner Qi was like a stream that had found its proper riverbed, flowing more and more naturally.

「Several hours later.」

When the moon’s shadow tilted west and the chill in the room was at its peak, Fang Han guided his Inner Qi, circulating the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique.

HUMMM...

An incredibly faint resonance, seeming to originate from the very depths of his soul, vibrated through him.

The aura of a Seventh Grade Martial Artist, which had been naturally emanating from him due to his cultivation, suddenly receded like a tide, pulling inward.

His skin temperature even seemed to drop slightly, drawing closer to that of his surroundings.

His entire being seemed to transform into a lifeless stone, a piece of dead wood.

As he sat there quietly, it would be nearly impossible to detect his presence without a careful probe of one’s Spiritual Sense.

’I’ve reached the Entry Level of the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique.’

Fang Han carefully examined his current state.

At the Entry Level, the Breath Concealment Effect of the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique was already apparent. It was enough to conceal the majority of his aura, making it difficult for an ordinary Martial Artist to detect him.

’The effect is decent, but... it’s not enough.’

Fang Han shook his head slightly.

The Breath Concealment Effect at the Entry Level was roughly equivalent to using high-quality Concealing Breath Powder. It could fool a Martial Artist like Zhao Qian, who only had a crude grasp of Tracking Secret Techniques and hadn’t yet achieved any real depth in them.

But against a Martial Artist who had mastered Tracking Secret Techniques, this level of concealment would likely fail to hide his trail completely; his residual aura would still be caught.

’I’ll need to cultivate the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique to at least Minor Achievement to be confident my residual aura won’t be found.’

’To be truly safe and avoid being tracked by experts, I’d best cultivate the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique to the Mastery Realm.’

Fang Han pondered to himself.

Even with his sixteen-times Secret Technique Talent Amplification and an aptitude for Secret Techniques far beyond ordinary people, it would be no easy task to cultivate the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique to Minor Achievement in a short time.

To say nothing of the higher Mastery Realm.

’My progress has to be faster!’

A trace of determination flashed in Fang Han’s eyes.

Targeting Chu Feng’s subordinates seemed to be the most efficient way to quickly amass a large fortune and unlock higher Talent Amplification.

But this course of action was extremely risky. A high-level Breath Concealment Secret Technique was key to ensuring his safety and hiding his tracks.

’Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’ll just have to invest more!’

His mind made up, he didn’t hesitate and silently called out in his thoughts.

’Panel.’

A translucent screen of light quietly unfolded.

[Host: Fang Han]

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]

[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]

[Stepping Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]

[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 16x (Level 5 Amplification requires 100,000 silver)]

[Wealth: 837,000 silver]

’Activate Level 5 Amplification!’

Focusing his intent, Fang Han’s gaze fell on the "Level 5 Amplification requires 100,000 silver" option next to [Secret Technique Talent Amplification].

In an instant, the amount of wealth on his panel decreased by 100,000 silver.

[Wealth: 737,000 silver]

The text in the [Secret Technique Talent Amplification] row blurred for a moment before sharpening:

[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]

’Thirty-two times Secret Technique Talent Amplification, activate!’

There were no earth-shattering phenomena. Instead, Fang Han felt as if every insight and essential principle of the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique in his mind had been tossed into an invisible furnace, where they were tempered, purified, and sublimated at an unprecedented rate.

Many subtle points that had once seemed obscure and required repeated pondering now became crystal clear with a mere flicker of his thoughts.

A much deeper understanding of the Secret Technique’s essence bloomed within him.

’Thirty-two times Secret Technique Talent... it’s really on another level!’

Fang Han suppressed the ripple in his heart, closed his eyes again, and once more threw himself into the cultivation of the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique.

The circulation of his Inner Qi became increasingly fluid and free. His control over concealing and managing his aura became exquisitely microscopic.

His cultivation efficiency more than doubled!

...

In the days that followed, the pace of Fang Han’s life grew even more intense.

His daily cultivation regimen, which already included the Xunfeng Technique, the Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword, and the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step, now had one more addition: the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique.

His time was partitioned even more precisely, leaving him with almost no leisure.

He rose before dawn, sitting cross-legged to cultivate his Inner Qi. His Fengshi Acupoint, already ninety percent full, was rapidly filling to capacity.

At sunrise, he would be in a forest clearing, his figure flitting about like a ghost as he practiced the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step, experiencing the Xuan mystery of "Transforming Solid into Void, Melt into the Wind."

In the afternoon, he cultivated the Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword.

Sword light flashed. The treacherous killing moves of the Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword bloomed with a biting cold light in the clearing. His understanding of its three essences—"cunning, lethal, and fast"—deepened daily.

From evening until late at night was the time for cultivating the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique.

With the terrifying boost from his thirty-two times Secret Technique Talent, his progress with this Breath Concealment Secret Technique advanced by leaps and bounds.

The circulation of his Inner Qi in those complex meridians became increasingly smooth, and his control over his own aura continuously improved.

His surrounding aura was concealed more and more thoroughly, and his presence continued to diminish.

’It won’t be long now. The Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique should break through to Minor Achievement soon.’

However, the first signs of a breakthrough came not from the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique, but from his cultivation, which had long been approaching its bottleneck.

On a morning at the end of the month, at that darkest, coldest hour just before the dawn.

Inside Room C-7, Fang Han sat cross-legged on his bed as usual, his mind focused as he circulated the Xunfeng Technique.

His Middle Stage of Seventh Grade Inner Qi was vigorous and vast. Aided by his Root Bone, which had been improved by the Earth Core Stone Milk, and the thirty-two times Root Bone Talent Amplification, his cultivation speed was astonishing.

The newly opened Fengshi Acupoint, after this period of hard cultivation, was already more than ninety-nine percent full of Inner Qi, and the feeling of it being about to burst was incredibly clear.

When another surge of newly refined Inner Qi flowed into the Fengshi Acupoint like a hundred rivers returning to the sea—

BUZZ!

The Fengshi Acupoint trembled lightly, having reached its limit.

The Inner Qi spontaneously and violently charged toward the next barrier—the Dazhui Acupoint!

BOOM!

The torrent of Inner Qi slammed into an invisible but incredibly tough barrier, emitting a dull roar that only Fang Han himself could perceive.

This was the bottleneck to the Late Stage of Seventh Grade!

However, this barrier, which would take an ordinary Middle Stage of Seventh Grade Martial Artist a great deal of time and perhaps even the aid of Elixirs to break through, seemed incredibly fragile before Fang Han’s Root Bone, which had been enhanced by Earth Core Stone Milk and boosted by a thirty-two times amplification.

Fang Han’s mind was as calm as an old well. He continuously circulated the Xunfeng Technique, guiding the vast Inner Qi in his body to wash over the barrier in steady, tireless waves.

The bottleneck trembled violently, and fine cracks spread across it at a visible rate.

After just a short while—

CRACK!

A clear cracking sound, originating from deep within his body, echoed.

The bottleneck to the Late Stage of Seventh Grade was broken!

The vast Inner Qi that had been building up for so long instantly crushed all obstacles and, with an unprecedented joyous momentum, madly poured into the newly opened Dazhui Acupoint.

In that instant, the aura around Fang Han’s body surged dramatically!

Including the Dazhui Acupoint, the nine opened acupoints now formed a more complex, vast, and efficient system for circulating Inner Qi.

The speed and volume of his rushing Inner Qi increased sharply. Its color grew deeper and more condensed, almost an inky cyan, and the feeling of power it generated as it flowed far surpassed that of the Middle Stage of Seventh Grade.

His bones let out a series of soft, dense pops. His blood surged like a great river’s tide, and his internal organs felt as if they were being washed and nourished by a new vitality, their functions further enhanced.

With the opening of the Dazhui Acupoint, a new Divine Treasure was also unlocked. The effect of this Divine Treasure was "Inner Qi recovery."

With this Divine Treasure unlocked, his Inner Qi recovery speed soared, greatly enhancing his endurance in battle.

’Late Stage of Seventh Grade... I made it.’

Fang Han slowly opened his eyes. A gleam of deep cyan light swirled in their depths before vanishing.

He gently clenched his fist, feeling the increasingly vast and surging Inner Qi flowing like mercury through his body, along with an unprecedented clarity in his mind. The corners of his mouth curled up into a slight, irrepressible smile.

"The timing is perfect."

Fang Han muttered to himself, an obvious hint of joy at the corners of his lips.

His cultivation breakthrough had come at the perfect moment. Today was the end of the month, the key day when the next month’s Contribution Points rewards would be determined based on rank.

Without any delay, he got out of bed, tidied himself up a bit, picked up his Cyan Blade Sword, and pushed the door open.

His steps were steady as he walked straight toward the massive plaza where the Overall Martial Arts Stele was located.

The closer he got to the plaza, the more disciples he encountered, and the more mixed and powerful their auras became.

Those who could appear here were, at the very least, high-ranking disciples from the Twelve Courtyards. Many of them carried the sharp edge of long-honed experience. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Compared to the internal rankings of the Sub-Branches, the competition for the overall list was undoubtedly more intense and cruel.

Here, the slightest slackening would see you overtaken by those who came after, and your rank would plummet.