Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

"Yes, Senior Brother! I’ll go right away!"

Song Xiang understood the gravity of the situation and dared not delay, departing at once.

"Get up! Now that I know about this, I won’t just stand by and do nothing."

Chu Feng looked down at Huang Shiren, who remained kneeling as if clutching at his last straw of hope, and said coldly.

"Once Steward Zhou arrives, we will leave for Baiyun City immediately. I want to see who is so audacious as to move against my people!"

To Huang Shiren, these words were like music from the heavens. He immediately kowtowed several times.

He then shakily climbed to his feet. A bit of color finally returned to his face, though his eyes remained filled with terror and anxiety.

Chu Feng looked out the window, his eyes cold as ice.

’The matter with Fang Han will have to wait. For now, I must first drag out this thief who dared to provoke me and make an example of him!’

...

The night was inky black, dotted with a smattering of stars.

Beside the main road to Mo City, a small town named Luoxia lay sleeping in the night. The only lights were a few scattered flickers in the darkness, like the eyes of a hibernating beast.

Inside the town, in a street-facing room on the second floor of an ordinary inn called the Ping’an Inn, the flame of an oil lamp flickered like a bean, casting a dim, yellow light.

Fang Han sat cross-legged on the bed, wide awake.

Over the past day or so, he had robbed the Huang Family, returned to the Sect, and immediately accepted a mission to rush to Mo City. His mind had been stretched taut the entire time; he’d barely had a moment’s rest.

Now, having stopped for the night in a small town along the main road to Mo City, he could finally relax.

’It’s time for an upgrade.’

Fang Han called up the system panel in his mind, and a translucent screen quietly materialized before his eyes.

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

[Wealth: 1,587,000 silver]

’Of all my Talents, Root Bone Talent is the most important!’

His gaze fell on the option next to [Root Bone Talent Amplification]: "Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver." A look of determination flashed in Fang Han’s eyes.

Compared to the other Talents, Root Bone Talent directly affected the fundamental speed of his Inner Qi Cultivation. It was the cornerstone for raising his Cultivation Realm, making it the highest priority.

’Activate Level 6 Root Bone Talent Amplification!’

Fang Han focused his mind and made the selection.

In an instant, the wealth value on the panel plummeted by one million silver.

[Wealth: 587,000 silver]

Meanwhile, the text in the Root Bone Talent row blurred for a moment before sharpening into focus.

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 64x (Level 7 Amplification requires 10,000,000 silver)]

’A sixty-four-fold Root Bone Talent Amplification!’

No world-shaking phenomenon occurred, but the anticipation in Fang Han’s eyes didn’t fade.

He knew the system’s amplification was just that—an amplifier. It didn’t fundamentally change his Root Bone.

He would only be able to feel the amplified effect when he was cultivating.

’I’ll cultivate and see how it feels!’

Fang Han consumed a Peiyuan Pill, closed his eyes, centered his mind, and began circulating the Xunfeng Technique.

The moment he activated the Cultivation Technique, the effect was instantaneous!

The medicinal essence of the Peiyuan Pill was rapidly refined into Inner Qi, which then began to grow at a visible rate.

It flowed as fast as a gushing spring, surging without end.

The rate of his Inner Qi growth had at least doubled compared to when he had the thirty-two-fold amplification!

With his Inner Qi growing at least twice as fast, the newly opened Dazhui Acupoint was filling at a visible rate.

’At this rate, I can fill the Dazhui Acupoint with Inner Qi in half a month, at most!’

Fang Han concluded.

At his current Cultivation speed, it would take half a month at most to fill his Dazhui Acupoint with Inner Qi.

By then, he would have reached the peak of the Late Stage of Seventh Grade and would be touching the bottleneck to the Sixth Grade.

The Sixth Grade was a massive watershed within the Inner Qi Realm, separating the Middle Three Grades from the Lower Three Grades.

Once he broke through to the Sixth Grade, his Inner Qi would transform, his strength would skyrocket, and the increase would far surpass any he had experienced before. His status would also become completely different.

Even within a major sect like the Qingxuan Sect, a Sixth-Grade cultivator was qualified to serve as a Steward, sent out to manage one of the Sect’s properties or businesses.

And he was only half a month away from that step.

That’s right. Just half a month!

The bottleneck between the Late Stage of Seventh Grade and the Sixth Grade—the one separating the Lower Three Grades from the Middle Three Grades—was far more difficult to overcome than any previous bottleneck between Great Realms.

However, with a 64-fold Root Bone amplification, he didn’t believe the bottleneck between the Late Stage of Seventh Grade and the Sixth Grade could hold him back for long.

’I’ll keep cultivating!’

Fang Han completely lost himself in the wonderful state of his skyrocketing cultivation efficiency, forgetting everything, including himself.

Outside the window, the night deepened and the air grew colder, but the room felt like its own small, warm world.

The only sounds were his long, steady breaths and the low hum of Inner Qi surging through his body.

...

On the main road not far from the Huang Mansion in Baiyun City, three figures were using Body Techniques to race through the night.

They were Chu Feng, Zhou Kun, and Huang Shiren.

After several hours of continuous travel, Chu Feng and Zhou Kun, with their high Cultivation, showed no signs of fatigue.

Huang Shiren, however, had dark circles under his eyes and looked utterly exhausted.

He had used his Body Technique to rush all the way to the Qingxuan Sect with almost no rest, and now he was rushing back with Chu Feng and Zhou Kun. He was truly at his limit.

Chu Feng glanced at the middle-aged steward beside him, Zhou Kun, whose face was lean and eyes were sharp. "Steward Zhou, thank you for your trouble," he said.

"Nephew Chu, you’re too kind. Baiyun City is Qingxuan Sect territory. For this thief to act so brazenly is a great disrespect to our Law Enforcement Hall."

"Besides, this matter concerns the forces under your command, Nephew Chu. Naturally, I will do my utmost."

Zhou Kun’s words were laced with the clear intention of currying favor.

While Baiyun City was indeed Qingxuan Sect territory, the Sect generally wouldn’t intervene unless something truly egregious occurred.

A simple theft certainly didn’t qualify as "truly egregious." If not for his desire to get on Chu Feng’s good side, he never would have come.

"As for the thief, rest assured. I will definitely hunt him down!"

He spoke with ringing confidence.

He had specialized in Tracking Techniques for many years and had cultivated a Low-Grade Scent Tracking Secret Technique to the Perfection Level. When it came to tracking ability alone, he was second to none in the Law Enforcement Hall.

Chu Feng’s personal invitation was the perfect opportunity to showcase his skills and deepen his connection with this True Inheritor on the Celestial Pride List.

Chu Feng gave a slight nod and said nothing more, but a cold glint flashed deep in his eyes.

’Daring to move against my subordinates... I’ll make that thief pay dearly.’

By the time the group arrived in Baiyun City, had the City Guard open the gates, and entered the Huang Mansion, it was late into the night.

The mansion was brightly lit, but an oppressive, fearful atmosphere hung in the air. The butler, having been alerted ahead of time, was waiting to greet them.

With no time to rest, the three followed an impatient Huang Shiren directly to the entrance of the secret chamber hidden beneath the Patriarch’s bedroom.

"This is it... It’s all gone... It’s all gone!"

Huang Shiren pointed at the dark entrance to the stairs, his voice on the verge of tears and the muscles in his face twitching.

"Calm yourself."

Zhou Kun’s expression was solemn. Holding an oil lamp, he started down the stairs.

The others remained outside while Chu Feng and Huang Shiren followed him down into the secret chamber.

The secret chamber was cavernously empty. All that remained were the faint indentations where chests once stood and the lingering scent of moisture-proofing herbs.

Zhou Kun stood in the center of the secret chamber and closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath, then began to circulate the Low-Grade Scent Tracking Secret Technique he had cultivated to the Perfection Level: the [Spirit Smelling Technique].

Under the stimulation of his Inner Qi, the fine meridians around his nasal passages grew warm. His sense of smell was instantly magnified more than ten times, allowing him to search for any unusual scent molecules in the air.

The scent of dust, of mildew, of the moisture-proofing herbs, the lingering auras of Huang Shiren and the others who had just been here...

All sorts of scents flooded his senses, but there was one thing missing: the strange, unfamiliar scent of an intruder.

’How can this be?’

Zhou Kun’s brow slowly furrowed. The confident expression on his face faded, replaced by a look of shocked disbelief.

Refusing to accept it, he pushed his Secret Technique to its absolute limit, sifting through the air again and again like the finest of sieves.

And yet, the result was the same.

Other than their own scents, the chamber was unnervingly clean, as if the thief were an incorporeal, formless entity. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The thief hadn’t left behind a single scent that didn’t belong to the three of them!

"This... how is this possible?"

Zhou Kun’s eyes snapped open, filled with utter disbelief.

’My [Spirit Smelling Technique] is at the Perfection Level. Ordinary breath concealment methods could never fool it, unless...’

’Unless the culprit cultivated an extremely high-grade Breath Concealment Secret Technique and had reached a profound level of mastery.’

’At least a Middle-Grade technique, and they must have reached Minor Achievement or an even higher Realm!’

At this thought, Zhou Kun’s heart sank.

"Steward Zhou, how is it? Have you found anything?"

Huang Shiren asked, noticing the odd look on Zhou Kun’s face. His voice was trembling but filled with hope.

Zhou Kun took a deep breath, forcing down the turmoil in his heart. He managed a slightly awkward smile as he shook his head at the waiting Chu Feng and Huang Shiren. "Nephew Chu, Patriarch Huang, the situation is... tricky," he said in a low voice. "The thief is exceptionally cunning and used an incredibly advanced Breath Concealment Secret Technique. I can’t smell even the slightest trace of a lingering scent."

"What? No lingering scent?"

Huang Shiren looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. He swayed, his face turning deathly pale.

"Even you can’t track him?"

Chu Feng asked, his brows furrowed.

Hearing the faint disappointment in Chu Feng’s question, Zhou Kun’s forehead broke out in a light sweat. "Nephew Chu, don’t worry," he said hurriedly. "Scent tracking may have been countered, but I am also skilled at tracking physical traces. I will find a trail!"

With that said, he wasted no time and immediately activated another Secret Technique: the [Insightful Observation Technique].

This technique could temporarily enhance his eyesight, allowing him to perceive the most minute of traces.

As he channeled Inner Qi into his eyes, a nearly imperceptible glint flashed in Zhou Kun’s pupils. His vision sharpened instantly, becoming several times clearer.

His hawk-like gaze swept over every corner of the floor and walls.

Sure enough, on the dust-covered floor near where the chests had been, he spotted several incredibly faint outlines of footprints, almost blending in with the dust!

The footprints were very light, indicating the intruder possessed exceptional Qinggong, but they weren’t entirely untraceable.

"There are tracks!"

Zhou Kun’s spirits lifted as he pointed to the ground.

"They’re faint, but there are definitely footprints here left by an outsider!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Shiren looked at Zhou Kun with renewed hope, as if he had just grasped another life-saving straw.

Chu Feng felt a wave of relief, and a flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes.