Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

"Early Stage of the Second Grade."

Inside the Quiet Chamber, Fang Han slowly opened his eyes.

A strand of azure-gold light swirled deep within his eyes before slowly receding.

He gently clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a series of crisp cracks. As he felt the far more condensed Inner Qi within him, a faint smile graced his lips.

Including the newly opened Tinggong Acupoint, the twenty-two connected acupoints now formed a more complex and efficient system for circulating his Inner Qi.

The speed and volume of his Inner Qi surged. It became deeper in color and as viscous as mercury, and the sense of power it generated as it flowed far surpassed anything he had felt before.

’Enhanced hearing.’

Fang Han carefully took stock of the newly unlocked Divine Treasure.

With the opening of the Tinggong Acupoint, a brand-new Divine Treasure had been unlocked: enhanced hearing.

With this Divine Treasure unlocked, the sounds of the world became clearer than ever before.

The subtle rustle of a leaf touching the ground outside the window, Qiu Lan’s hushed instructions under the eaves of the porch, the distant murmurs of disciples conversing on the mountain path, the gurgling of the stream washing over pebbles beyond the sect gate, and even the crisp CRUNCH of a squirrel gnawing on a pinecone in the woods far away—

Innumerable sounds flooded into his ears in distinct layers, as if strung together by invisible threads.

Listening closely, he could even discern the faint, lingering trace of fear at the end of Qiu Lan’s words.

He stood up, stretching his slightly sore muscles, and pushed the door open.

Under the porch eaves, Qiu Lan was bent over, cleaning up a shattered teapot. She quickly straightened up when she saw him emerge.

"Senior Brother, just now..."

Qiu Lan’s voice still carried a hint of lingering fear.

"I had a breakthrough."

Fang Han gave a slight nod.

"It seems I startled you."

Qiu Lan shook her head, the fear in her eyes already replaced by delight.

She bowed in congratulations, her voice filled with sincere joy. The other two maids approached from the porch. Though their faces were still pale, they followed suit and bowed as well.

Their fates were tied to Fang Han’s; they rose and fell with him. The stronger he became, the happier they were.

’This is enough to rank among the upper echelons!’

Fang Han nodded, returned to the Quiet Chamber, and once again sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion.

Early Stage of the Second Grade.

Compared to the Late Stage of the Third Grade, the purity of his Inner Qi had risen to a new level, and his strength had naturally grown along with it.

With his current combat strength—combined with his Mastery Realm Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, Mastery Realm Wind God Step, and Minor Achievement Realm Xuanwu True Skill—he could now rank among the upper echelons of even First Grade Martial Artists.

Likely, only a "Breaking Through Martial Artist"—one who had breached one of the Three Gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit—could reliably overpower him.

And if he factored in the Wind Shocking Sword, his Low-Grade Spiritual Soldier... he could even put up a fight against a Breaking Through Martial Artist.

’Unfortunately, it’s impossible to continue improving my Cultivation as quickly as before!’

Fang Han’s gaze fell on the nearly empty jade bottle of Celestial Essence Pills, and his brief joy was replaced by another emotion.

There were barely any left in the bottle.

Elixirs like Celestial Essence Pills, obtained from ancient ruins, were irreplaceable. Each one used was one gone forever, with no way to replenish them in the modern era.

Once these last few were gone, he would have no choice but to settle for the next best thing: exchanging his contribution points with the Sect for Earth Spirit Pills to aid his Cultivation.

Although the Medicinal Power of Earth Spirit Pills was considerable, the difference compared to Celestial Essence Pills was plain to see.

His Cultivation speed would inevitably slow.

’If I could just improve my Root Bone Talent, I might be able to maintain my current Cultivation speed.’

Fang Han considered other ways to increase his Inner Qi Cultivation speed.

With his current five great contribution points, he had more than enough to exchange for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could improve his Root Bone.

The problem was, the last time he had visited the treasury, Elder Han Qing had explicitly stated that the Earth Core Stone Milk had already been completely claimed.

To get any, he would have to wait until the Sect received this year’s allotment of new Earth Core Stone Milk, and even then, there was no guarantee how much the Sect would receive.

Even with his five great contribution points, he couldn’t get any right now.

At dusk, the setting sun bathed the bamboo forest of Villa Thirty-Five in a warm, golden light.

Fang Han had just finished his daily Cultivation and was eating in the side hall when a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard gate.

Qiu Lan hurried into the side hall and bowed. "Senior Brother, a disciple from the Sect Leader’s Hall is here to see you. He says he has an urgent message."

Fang Han put down his chopsticks, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

It was already late. For the Sect Leader’s Hall to send someone at this hour was unusual. He nodded slightly.

"Let him in."

A few moments later, a young man in the Disciple’s Robe of the Sect Leader’s Hall strode into the side hall. He gave Fang Han a respectful bow and spoke quickly.

"Senior Brother Fang, the Sect Leader summons you to the Sect Leader’s Hall immediately. He has an urgent matter to discuss."

Fang Han didn’t ask any questions. He simply nodded, set down his bowl and chopsticks, and followed the disciple out of the courtyard.

Dusk had fallen. The ancient trees lining the mountain path rustled in the evening wind as the last vestiges of twilight were slowly swallowed by the night.

His pace was unhurried, but his mind was racing. ’What could have happened for the Sect Leader to summon me at this hour?’

The imposing silhouette of the Sect Leader’s Hall soon came into view.

The disciple on duty at the hall entrance went inside to announce his arrival. Upon receiving permission, the disciple stepped aside to let him pass.

Fang Han gave a slight nod and stepped into the hall.

Lamps were already lit within the hall.

Chen Tianyuan was seated at the head of the hall, holding an open invitation. A rare, solemn expression was etched on his face.

Hearing the footsteps, he looked up, his gentle gaze landing on Fang Han.

"Disciple Fang Han greets the Sect Leader."

Fang Han took a few steps forward and bowed.

"Dispense with the formalities. Sit."

Chen Tianyuan waved his hand, placing the invitation on the table beside him.

Fang Han took a seat in a pearwood chair below the main seat, his gaze lingering on Chen Tianyuan’s face for a moment.

Although the Sect Leader’s expression was as composed as ever, an unusual emotion was clearly suppressed beneath his calm demeanor.

It wasn’t anger, nor was it worry. It was something deeper—a gravity that felt like the calm before a storm.

"The chaos in Songquan County is over."

Chen Tianyuan said slowly, after taking a shallow sip from his teacup.

He paused and set the teacup down, his voice taking on a rare, heavy tone.

"However, from the time the Grandmaster’s Tomb was discovered until now, many Martial Artists have been lost. Among them were no fewer than five First Grade Martial Artists."

Fang Han’s pupils constricted.

Losing even one First Grade Martial Artist was a crippling blow for any top-level power.

To think that the chaos in Songquan County had resulted in the loss of five First Grade Martial Artists.

It was easy to imagine how devastating the casualties in Songquan County had been.

"Has the force behind the forger surfaced?"

Fang Han asked, voicing a question that had been weighing on his mind.

Chen Tianyuan shook his head, a rare flicker of helplessness in his gentle eyes.

"No. This faction is extremely cautious. They never once showed their hand."

"The various powers in Songquan County sensed their presence and sent people to investigate, but every lead went cold. It’s as if those involved vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind."

His voice grew heavy, laced with a wariness he seemed reluctant to even admit to himself.

"To this day, we still don’t know who this faction is, what their objectives are, or why they chose to stir up trouble in Songquan County."

Fang Han’s brows slowly knitted together.

A faction capable of causing such a storm in Songquan County, only to retreat without leaving a single trace, was no ordinary small-time group.

His intuition told him their intentions were sinister and their ambitions vast.

But as the Sect Leader had said, there was far too little information. He couldn’t assemble the complete puzzle, let alone predict their next move.

A brief silence fell over the hall, broken only by the occasional crackle of the candle flames.

Just then, the voice of the disciple on duty announced from outside the hall:

"Sect Leader, True Inheritor Luo Yuntian and True Inheritor Yun Muyao are here."

Fang Han was taken aback. The Sect Leader had summoned not only him, but Luo Yuntian and Yun Muyao as well.

Chen Tianyuan’s voice, now somewhat lighter in tone, cut through Fang Han’s thoughts.

"Let them in."

The doors to the hall were pushed open gently, and two figures entered, one after the other.

Luo Yuntian was dressed in his usual dark cyan robes, his expression serene and his gait steady. The aura around him was even more condensed than it had been months ago; clearly, his recent period of secluded cultivation had paid off.

Yun Muyao followed behind Luo Yuntian, dressed in a green long dress with a white veil obscuring her face, revealing only a pair of eyes as clear and cold as a winter pool.

Her jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, held loosely in place by a White Jade Hairpin. Her aura remained as cold and aloof as a plum blossom on a snow-capped peak.

"Disciple Luo Yuntian."

"Disciple Yun Muyao."

The two stepped forward and bowed in unison.

"We greet the Sect Leader."

"Dispense with the formalities. Be seated."

Chen Tianyuan gestured for them to sit.

Luo Yuntian and Yun Muyao took the empty seats beside Fang Han.

Luo Yuntian turned his head and gave Fang Han a slight nod of acknowledgment.

Yun Muyao’s cold eyes rested on Fang Han’s face for a moment before she, too, gave a slight nod.

Fang Han returned the gesture by clasping his hands, his sense of surprise deepening.

’I originally thought the Sect Leader summoned me just to announce the end of the chaos in Songquan County.’

’But since he also summoned Luo Yuntian and Yun Muyao, this couldn’t just be about Songquan County.’

’The Sect Leader must have summoned the three of us for another, more important reason.’

Chen Tianyuan took another sip of his tea. Setting the cup down, his gaze swept slowly across the faces of the three disciples.

After a moment of silence, he spoke, his voice now graver.

"I summoned the three of you today because the Sect has received a most unusual invitation."

"An unusual invitation?"

Luo Yuntian raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Chen Tianyuan.

"Precisely."

Chen Tianyuan nodded and picked up an invitation from the table. It was crafted with gilded foil, and it shimmered with a dark golden luster in the candlelight, clearly made with great care.

"This invitation is so unusual that I have decided to attend in person."

Chen Tianyuan paused, his gaze once again sweeping over the three of them.

"And when I go, the three of you will accompany me."

A flicker of curiosity appeared in Luo Yuntian’s eyes. He asked, his voice steady but tinged with confusion,

"What kind of faction’s invitation would require the Sect Leader himself to attend?"

Chen Tianyuan didn’t answer right away.

He unfolded the invitation, his eyes lingering on it for a moment before he slowly looked up.

His scholarly face grew more serious, and his voice took on a somber weight.

"The invitation... is from the Tiejiang Gang."

"The Tiejiang Gang?"

Luo Yuntian’s brow furrowed slightly. The name was familiar to him.

It was a major power within Qingyang County. While it lacked the profound heritage and resident Grandmaster of one of the Seven Sects, it was still ranked among the foremost of the major powers and wielded considerable influence in the county.

’What business could the Tiejiang Gang have that would warrant sending out such an invitation?’

Chen Tianyuan’s voice rang out again, and this time, each word struck the hearts of Fang Han and the two True Inheritors like a heavy hammer.

"The invitation is for a Grandmaster Banquet."