Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

As Fang Han stepped into the wide, open plaza paved with White Jade, the colossal Overall Martial Arts Stele came into view.

The towering stele shimmered with a gentle, jade-like luster. The dense array of names etched upon it silently spoke of competition and rankings.

His gaze went straight to the upper part of the stele’s face, where he quickly found his own name.

However, the number before his name was not the "ninety-five" he remembered, but—"ninety-seven"!

’I dropped two places...’

Fang Han’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Compared to his ninety-fifth place rank from last month’s test, he had fallen two spots.

Evidently, someone else’s strength had improved over the past month, surpassing his.

The competition on the overall list was clearly far more intense than within the Sub-Branch. It was like rowing a boat upstream; if you didn’t advance, you fell behind.

Any bit of slacking could lead to a drop in rank.

Standing at the end of the line for the test, Fang Han waited with a calm expression.

Ahead of him, disciples periodically stepped forward to be tested, causing the Martial Arts Stele to flash with light and the rankings to shift, eliciting waves of gasps, some of amazement and some of regret.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it was Fang Han’s turn.

He walked forward slowly and stopped about ten feet before the massive stele, immediately drawing many stares.

Every disciple in the top one hundred of the overall list was a prominent figure among the Twelve Courtyards, their every move watched with great interest.

"Look, it’s Fang Han!"

"Which Fang Han? He looks so young."

"Fang Han from the Sub-Branch. He made it onto the list for the first time last month and shot straight to ninety-fifth place!"

"His first time on the list... and he reached 95th place?"

A low murmur of discussion spread through the crowd, and many looked on with expressions of curiosity and astonishment.

Fang Han seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter. His mind was serene as he slowly raised the right hand that held his sword.

SHING!

The Cyan Blade Sword left its sheath with a clear, ringing cry.

A powerful Inner Qi at the Late Stage of Seventh Grade surged from his nine apertures, pouring unreservedly into the blade. A faint cyan glow of Inner Qi flowed across the sword, emitting tyrannical fluctuations of aura.

With a flick of his wrist, Fang Han unleashed the Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword at the Minor Achievement Level!

The flash of his sword was unpredictable and mysterious, carrying with it a peerlessly sharp intent to kill.

The full power of the Swordsmanship at the Minor Achievement Level was on display.

The Sword Momentum stirred the air, creating a low moan. The air around the blade’s edge seemed to grow thick and distorted.

HISS—!

The tip of the sword transformed into a bolt of cyan lightning that tore through the void, striking the smooth face of the Martial Arts Stele at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

BOOM!!

A deep, violent boom erupted.

The entire Overall Martial Arts Stele burst into brilliant light, instantly capturing the attention of every disciple in the plaza.

The face of the stele vibrated intensely, and ripples spread out wildly with unprecedented magnitude.

Before Fang Han’s name, the number representing his rank began to jump frantically!

Ninety-seven... ninety-five... ninety-three... ninety-one... ninety...

The numbers jumped so fast it was dazzling. In an instant, they broke past the ninety mark, and the momentum didn’t slow in the slightest!

Finally, under countless shocked gazes, the jumping number abruptly froze—

Eighty-seven!

The light gradually faded, and the Martial Arts Stele returned to its tranquil state.

Fang Han’s name now rested prominently in the eighty-seventh position on the overall list!

The entire plaza fell into a brief, deathly silence.

It was followed by an explosive uproar and the sound of sharp intakes of breath!

"Eighty-seven! His rank jumped by ten places!"

"I remember his rank was ninety-fifth during last month’s test. From ninety-fifth to eighty-seventh in one month? How... how is that possible?"

"He’s so young, yet he’s not only cultivated a Top Grade Sword Technique to Minor Achievement, but his Cultivation has also reached the Late Stage of Seventh Grade! How on earth does he cultivate?"

"He’s a monster!"

The faces of everyone present were etched with utter shock.

In the top one hundred of the overall list, advancing even a single rank was extremely difficult. Yet, Fang Han had jumped eight places in a month. Such a rate of progress was beyond many people’s comprehension.

Within the crowd, some well-informed disciples began whispering information about Fang Han to their companions.

"So that’s Fang Han from the Sub-Branch? He only joined the Sect a little over a year ago, and he’s already at eighty-seventh on the overall list!"

"I heard... he has some bad blood with Senior Brother Chu Feng from the Celestial Pride List."

"He offended Senior Brother Chu Feng? What a shame!"

After learning of the conflict between Fang Han and Chu Feng, a look of apprehension and distance flickered in the eyes of most disciples. They averted their gazes and stopped paying him much attention, clearly wanting to avoid trouble.

However, a small portion of the disciples looked at Fang Han with something more than just shock—a complex, indescribable emotion.

They whispered among themselves.

"With such Talent, if he doesn’t meet an untimely end, his future is likely..."

"Senior Brother Chu Feng may be on the Celestial Pride List, but this junior brother’s potential is nothing to scoff at!"

"With the potential this junior brother has shown, it’s not impossible that he could one day join Senior Brother Chu Feng on the Celestial Pride List!"

These voices were quiet, but they represented a subtle shift.

At the very least, some people were beginning to think that Fang Han might not be completely without the potential to contend with Chu Feng.

Fang Han slowly sheathed his sword, seemingly deaf to the huge clamor behind him.

He looked up, his calm gaze sweeping over the number "eighty-seven" on the stele’s face.

’Eighty-seventh on the overall list. I wonder how many Contribution Points I’ll be rewarded with this time.’

He turned, parted the crowd, and walked away with a steady gait, leaving behind a group of onlookers with complicated feelings.

...

At the beginning of the month, the early morning sun shone through the latticed windows, casting its light on the bluestone floor of the Sub-Branch’s Inheritance Hall.

Disciples arrived one after another, taking their seats as was customary.

An intangible tension and an undercurrent of emotion surged through the air. Almost every disciple’s gaze, whether intentionally or not, drifted toward the quiet, green-robed figure seated near the front—Fang Han.

Shock, awe, disbelief, curiosity, and even a hint of hidden jealousy... all sorts of emotions were woven into their gazes.

Even Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, who were seated not far away, were no exception.

Yun Qianyue was still dressed in purple, her face covered by a light veil, her posture as elegant as a winter plum blossom.

But at this moment, when her bright eyes, visible above the veil, swept over Fang Han, a faint ripple that she couldn’t suppress flickered in the depths of her pupils.

Her slender hands, resting on her lap, unconsciously tightened into fists.

This past month, she hadn’t slacked off in the slightest. Both her Cultivation and Swordsmanship had improved, and her rank on the overall list had risen by a full five places.

However, the extent of Fang Han’s improvement had far exceeded her expectations.

’To still be able to improve so quickly after entering the top one hundred of the overall list, rising eight places in one month...’

’Although his improvement was only three places more than mine, the difficulty of doing so was far greater.’

’After all, that was the fiercely competitive top one hundred of the overall list.’

An unprecedented pressure quietly settled upon her heart.

Li Feng sat with a long saber in his arms, the lines of his grim face drawn tight. His eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, were fixed on Fang Han’s back, as if trying to see right through him.

The aura around him was even more condensed and sharp than a month ago; he had clearly made a breakthrough as well.

But right now, his eyes burned not with pride, but with a more intense battle intent that was almost bursting forth, along with a trace of resentment at being left so far behind.

Fang Han’s rate of progress was like a heavy hammer, viciously pounding on his pride.

The whispers in the hall also mostly revolved around Fang Han.

"Eighty-seventh on the overall list... Last month he was only ninety-fifth..."

"Jumping eight places in one month, and in the top one hundred at that... It’s unheard of!"

"Li Feng and Yun Qianyue’s Talent is already terrifying enough that we can’t even hope to catch up, but his Talent is even more frightening than theirs!"

Huang Ling’er, Shi Meng, and the other top-ranking disciples of the Sub-Branch looked at Fang Han’s back with complex, unreadable expressions. There was admiration, envy, and also a deep sense of powerlessness.

The gap, it seemed, was only growing wider.

Fang Han sat still in his spot, his eyelids slightly lowered, ignoring all the gazes and discussions around him.

He was already used to it.

Not long after, the sound of steady footsteps came from outside the hall.

Elder Chen Xuan, surrounded by a group of Stewards, walked slowly into the hall.

Today, Elder Chen Xuan had a ruddy complexion, and an unconcealable look of satisfaction graced his features.

His gaze swept over the entire hall, pausing on Fang Han for a moment. The admiration and satisfaction in his eyes were practically overflowing, and even the hand stroking his beard seemed a little more sprightly.

Although he had already learned through his channels that Fang Han’s rank had risen to eighty-seventh, seeing him in person and feeling that even more condensed aura, he still couldn’t suppress the joy in his heart.

’This boy has given me another huge surprise!’

Wu Hao and the other Stewards followed behind Elder Chen Xuan. When their gazes passed over Fang Han, they couldn’t help but smile and nod slightly.

With such a genius emerging from the Sub-Branch, they, as Stewards, also shared in the glory.

Once everyone was seated, Steward Wu Hao stepped forward with a register in hand and began calling names in order for them to receive their Contribution Points.

The first name called was, without a doubt, Fang Han.

"First place, Fang Han."

Countless gazes instantly focused on Fang Han, so intense they could almost set him on fire.

His expression serene, Fang Han slowly rose and walked steadily to the front of the hall.

"Your rank has improved again. Congratulations."

Steward Wu Hao took Fang Han’s Identity Jade Token and swiped it over an inkstone-like device, which flashed with a faint light.

As he handed it back to Fang Han, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Thank you, Steward."

Fang Han accepted the Jade Token with both hands, bowed, and returned to his seat.

The moment he sat down, he eagerly infused a sliver of Inner Qi into his Identity Jade Token.

The number on the Jade Token clearly appeared—1570!

Before this, he only had 90 Contribution Points left on his Identity Jade Token.

This meant he had received a total of 1480 Contribution Points as a reward this month!

The basic benefits and rewards for ranking first in the Sub-Branch were 330 points.

That meant his rank of eighty-seven on the overall list had earned him a reward of 1150 Contribution Points!

One thousand one hundred and fifty points!

This was an enormous sum of Contribution Points, enough for him to redeem another Top Grade Cultivation Technique.

Although he knew he would get a decent amount of Contribution Points, receiving this many was still a huge surprise.

The Sect was truly generous when it came to allocating resources to its top-level disciples.