Chapter 545 - 541: The Tiejiang Gang’s Plot
After playing his part as a negotiator, Fang Han put the matter aside and dedicated himself once more to his Cultivation.
With his current strength, he was unrivaled among the younger generation. Even among the older generation, very few could defeat him.
But a nagging sense of urgency lingered in his heart, preventing him from relaxing in the slightest.
The feeling was indistinct, like a tiny thorn buried deep in his heart. It didn’t hurt, yet it was impossible to ignore.
He always had the feeling that something was happening, or about to happen.
Driven by this unease, he never slacked off in his Cultivation.
Every morning, without fail, he cultivated the Cyan Profound Technique.
While the Medicinal Power of an Earth Spirit Pill wasn’t as potent as that of a Celestial Essence Pill, his 256x Root Bone Talent Amplification still allowed for considerable growth in his Inner Qi.
Azure-gold Inner Qi surged endlessly through his meridians. Each Circulation of the Heavens brought a subtle but steady increase.
In the mornings, he practiced the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique.
His Sword Intent erupted. The Cloud Splitting Sword in his hand became a streak of pale cyan light. Wherever the blade passed, the air tore open with silent, fine cracks.
The crisscrossing sword marks on the Obsidian floor grew denser by the day, varying in depth. Some were as fine as a hair, others an inch wide.
In the afternoons, he tempered his physical body.
He had already finished the jerky made from the Grandmaster Demon. Now, he used the Vajra Pills he had exchanged for at the Sect Treasure Vault to aid his Cultivation.
The Medicinal Power from the Vajra Pill coursed through his body, following the pathways of the Xuanwu True Skill and seeping into his muscles, bones, and skin.
A faint, dark-golden luster flowed beneath his skin. The feeling of extreme, condensed weightiness grew more pronounced with each passing day of his Cultivation.
In the evenings, he practiced his Body Technique.
After reaching Mastery in the Wind God Step, his speed had become astonishing.
His green-robed figure flitted silently across the Cultivation Field like a true gust of wind, turning without pause and landing without disturbing a single speck of dust.
At night, he contemplated Ghost Shadow.
After reaching the Entry Level with this Grandmaster-level Breath Concealment Secret Technique, his Breath Concealment Ability was already far beyond what it used to be.
But the Entry Level was just the beginning. To truly become undetectable even to a Grandmaster, he needed to advance the Secret Technique to a higher Realm.
...
「A few days later.」
Morning light filtered through the window lattice of the side hall, casting bright patterns of light and shadow on the blue-brick floor.
Fang Han sat at a table, with several small side dishes and a bowl of steaming Blood Rice before him.
Qiu Lan stood nearby with her hands clasped. When she saw Fang Han put down his chopsticks, she took a step forward and spoke softly,
"Senior Brother, I went to Tingyu Hall this morning and gathered some news."
Fang Han picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down before looking up at Qiu Lan. "Speak."
Qiu Lan said, "The Tiejiang Gang has annexed several more influences."
Fang Han’s hand, which was holding his teacup, paused.
Qiu Lan continued,
"One major influence, five middle-tier influences. The major one was the Bronze Elephant Sect, and the five middle-tier ones were the Flying Cloud Sect, the Clear Wind Sect, Wild Goose Manor, Golden Saber Hall, and the Green Bamboo Gang."
Fang Han frowned slightly.
The Bronze Elephant Sect... That was the Sect of Han Wei, who was ranked thirty-third on the Celestial Pride List. They were a major influence on par with the Iron Fist Sect and held considerable sway in the county.
Although the five middle-tier influences couldn’t compare to the Iron Palm Gang, they were still long-standing, deeply-rooted powers that dominated their own territories.
’To think they’d follow in the footsteps of the Iron Fist Sect so quickly and be annihilated.’
Qiu Lan continued,
"The people at Tingyu Hall say the Tiejiang Gang is utterly ruthless. Among those six influences, there were almost... no survivors."
"No survivors?"
Fang Han’s expression tightened.
"Yes."
Qiu Lan’s voice was low and heavy.
"From the top down, everyone was exterminated, regardless of their Cultivation level. The strongholds of all six influences are now nothing but ruins."
The side hall fell into a brief silence.
Fang Han tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, making a soft, rhythmic sound.
Every time he heard news of the Tiejiang Gang, that vague sense of unease in his heart intensified.
The feeling was baseless, without any evidence—just an intuition, a primal instinct for danger.
He remained silent for a moment, suppressing the thoughts churning in his mind. "Is there anything else?" he asked.
Qiu Lan replied, "There is one more thing, also related to the Tiejiang Gang."
Fang Han looked up.
Qiu Lan said,
"The Red Flame Sect, a top-level influence in Donglu County, suspects the Tiejiang Gang is connected to the death of their First-Grade Elder, Meng Zhao. They sent people to demand an explanation, but the Tiejiang Gang denied any involvement, and a conflict broke out."
Hearing this, Fang Han found it secretly amusing.
’First, the Red Flame Sect suspected Longquan Manor of killing Meng Zhao, and now they’ve turned their suspicions to the Tiejiang Gang.’
’To suspect the wrong target twice in a row... their luck really is terrible.’
’Still, it wasn’t surprising.’
’The Tiejiang Gang obtained a Grandmaster Technique from the Grandmaster’s Tomb in Songquan County and produced a Grandmaster of their own. You could say they were the biggest beneficiaries of all that chaos.’
’The Red Flame Sect’s First-Grade Elder, Meng Zhao, died in Songquan County while searching for a Grandmaster’s Tomb. Since the Tiejiang Gang’s Grandmaster Technique also came from a Grandmaster’s Tomb in Songquan County, it made sense for the Red Flame Sect to be suspicious.’
"What was the outcome of the conflict?" Fang Han asked.
"The people at Tingyu Hall said the Red Flame Sect didn’t get the upper hand," Qiu Lan said.
"It wasn’t their Grandmaster, Yan Wuji, who represented the Tiejiang Gang—just the Gang Leader and some Elders. Even so, the Red Flame Sect still couldn’t get what they wanted."
’They really couldn’t... gain an advantage?’
Fang Han’s expression grew even more grave.
It was one thing for major influences like the Iron Fist Sect and the Bronze Elephant Sect to fall, but the Red Flame Sect was a top-level influence. The fact that they couldn’t gain an advantage over the Tiejiang Gang, even without their Grandmaster making an appearance, was astonishing.
’The Tiejiang Gang’s strength has once again surpassed my expectations. They’re not just approaching the level of the Seven Sects; they’re already on par with them.’
After breakfast, Fang Han put down his bowl and chopsticks and rose, heading toward the Cultivation Field in the rear courtyard.
The morning sun had fully risen, bathing the entire Cultivation Field in a pale golden light.
The Obsidian-paved ground gleamed with a profound luster in the sunlight, the crisscrossing sword marks upon it clearly visible.
Fang Han came to a stop in the center of the clearing, closing his eyes to focus his mind.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword.
"SHIING—"
The Cloud Splitting Sword slid from its sheath. Its dark-cyan blade shimmered with a subdued light in the morning sun.
He didn’t rush to strike. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused, slowly reviewing the Heart Method of the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique in his mind.
The Transformations of the Sword Techniques he knew by heart, the methods for circulating Inner Qi, the fusion of the Wind Realm with his attacks—it all unfolded in his mind as clearly as a painted scroll.
Then, he opened his eyes and thrust, his blade imbued with Wind Sword Intent.
The light from his sword was as fine as silk, tracing a nearly invisible arc through the morning air.
Wherever the tip of his sword passed, a fine, silent crack appeared in the air, lingering for a long moment before fading.
He withdrew his sword, and struck again.
A second strike, a third, a fourth.
His sword moved faster and faster, beams of light crisscrossing the Cultivation Field like sudden bolts of lightning, incomparably sharp.
He wielded his Wind Sword Intent to its absolute peak. The sharp, tearing force it exuded seemed to make the very air in the Cultivation Field stagnate.
New scars appeared among the crisscrossing sword marks on the Obsidian floor.
Two hours.
Four hours.
Fang Han practiced tirelessly, each strike becoming more seamless and fluid than the last.
’I’m not far from the next Realm!’
Only when noon arrived did Fang Han finally withdraw his sword, slowly exhaling a murky breath.
He could clearly feel his understanding of this Swordsmanship deepening at an astonishing rate.
The threshold of the Great Success Realm was close at hand.
’It’s only been just over a month since I broke through to the Mastery level.’
Even Fang Han himself was a little surprised.
Advancing through each Realm of a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique was extremely difficult; it was common to spend several years, or even decades, on a single breakthrough. Yet in just over a month, he was already showing signs of another one.
’A Cultivation speed like this could only be described as absurd.’
’It has to be because of the Sword-shaped Grass and the Wind Jade.’
His rapid progress wasn’t just due to his 256x Swordsmanship Talent Amplification. It was also because he had consumed a total of four stalks of Sword-shaped Grass, which had improved his base Swordsmanship Talent.
Among the five Talents amplified by his panel, his Swordsmanship Talent was, without a doubt, the strongest.
Combined with the Wind Jade’s enhancement to his Wind Attribute perception, it was no wonder his Cultivation speed was so fast.
’Ten more days, at most.’
Fang Han muttered to himself.
He withdrew his gaze and turned, walking out of the Cultivation Field.
Behind him, the sun cast his long, green-robed shadow across the Obsidian floor, where it intertwined with the crisscrossing sword marks until they were nearly indistinguishable.
...
The night was as black as ink. Deep within the Tiejiang Gang headquarters, in a secret chamber,
Candlelight leaped from a bronze lampstand, casting two flickering shadows upon the rough stone walls.
Yan Wuji sat on the stone chair at the head of the chamber. His gray robes held a dull sheen in the flickering light.
His weathered face was expressionless, but his cloudy yet profound eyes held a faint, sharp glint in the candlelight.
Qi Zhen stood beside him, hands at his sides, his posture deferential.
"Supreme Elder."
Qi Zhen began, his voice low, as if afraid of being overheard.
"We just received a piece of intelligence. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion intends to align itself with the Qingxuan Sect and seek their protection."
Yan Wuji tapped his fingers twice on the stone armrest, producing a dull, thudding sound.
"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is surprisingly decisive. For a major influence to choose dependency so quickly..."
His voice was old and flat, echoing softly in the secret chamber.
Qi Zhen frowned.
"We were planning to move against the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, but I didn’t expect them to be so quick to seek protection from the Qingxuan Sect. It will be much harder to act now."
Yan Wuji looked up, a cold glint flashing in his cloudy eyes before vanishing.
"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion has been in business for many years; their wealth is staggering. If they align with the Qingxuan Sect, it would be a tremendous boon for them. We cannot allow that to happen."
His voice remained flat, yet it carried an air of absolute certainty.
"We must eliminate them before they can secure that allegiance."
Qi Zhen started, then frowned, a hint of hesitation on his face.
"Supreme Elder, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion has already declared its intent to align with the Qingxuan Sect. If we move against them now, we will undoubtedly offend the Qingxuan Sect."
He paused, his voice dropping even lower.
"The Qingxuan Sect is a top-level influence with its own Grandmaster, after all. If this incident creates bad blood between them and our Tiejiang Gang, I fear—"
"Fear what?"
Yan Wuji cut Qi Zhen off, his cloudy eyes betraying no emotion.
"On the contrary, this is the perfect opportunity to test the Qingxuan Sect’s resolve."