Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

CLANG, CLANG...

As the men from the Tiejiang Gang retreated, the guards and Honored Guest Elders of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, who had long since reached their breaking point, could no longer hold on.

They dropped their weapons and collapsed on the spot.

Gasping for breath, they were overwhelmed by the feeling of having narrowly escaped death.

Even the two First Grade Martial Artists, Lan Daoxing and Shen Cangsong, were no exception. They had fought Qi Zhen and Han Kui, both of whom were stronger, and had sustained serious injuries.

Leaning against a broken stone pillar, Lan Daoxing gasped for breath.

The wound on his left shoulder was still seeping blood and his face was ashen, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

He gazed at Fang Han’s back, at the young man standing with his sword, and his heart churned with an indescribable mix of emotions.

’Qi Zhen, a Late Stage First Grade master, was actually no match for this young man.’

’And this young man was only twenty years old.’

’He had lived for over fifty years and had seen many prodigies of stunning talent, but he had never seen anyone like Fang Han.’

"Pavilion Master Lan."

Fang Han sheathed his sword, turned, and walked over to Lan Daoxing.

"How are your injuries?"

Lan Daoxing snapped out of his daze and hurriedly pushed himself up from the pillar. He cupped his hands in a salute, his voice hoarse but sincere.

"Young Master Fang, I will never forget the debt I owe you for saving us."

Fang Han shook his head slightly and steadied Lan Daoxing.

"There’s no need for that, Pavilion Master Lan. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion has chosen to align with the Qingxuan Sect. Naturally, we won’t stand by and watch the Tiejiang Gang bully you."

His attitude was exceptionally courteous. ’After all,’ he thought, ’this man might become my father-in-law one day.’

Lan Daoxing straightened up, his gaze lingering on Fang Han’s face for a moment. At that instant, a thought that had been nagging at him for a long time finally solidified.

He had long been aware that his daughter, Lan Yuexin, was smitten with Fang Han.

He hadn’t been entirely supportive of the idea. From what he knew, Fang Han’s heart already belonged to another. ’How could the daughter of the Pavilion Master of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion share a husband?’ he had thought.

But today, after witnessing Fang Han’s strength and potential, that lingering resentment had vanished into thin air.

’An outstanding young man like Fang Han is a rare find, perhaps only seen once a century.’

’For my daughter to secure such a fine match is a great blessing in itself. What does it matter if she has to share a husband?’

...

「The next morning, at the crack of dawn.」

Chen Wanjun and his three companions appeared outside the ruins of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

They had traveled through the night. Their robes were stained with dust, and their faces showed signs of fatigue.

Their steps faltered when they saw the rubble and ruined walls of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, where its guards were already cleaning up the aftermath.

"A battle... already happened here?"

Han Qing spoke in a low voice.

Chen Wanjun strode quickly into the ruins.

Fang Han was standing in the center of the ruins, speaking in a low voice with Lan Daoxing.

His green robes were dusted with dirt, but his aura was steady, showing no signs of injury.

"Fang Han."

Chen Wanjun approached, his eyes scanning Fang Han. Only after confirming he was unharmed did he ask,

"There was a battle here. Was it an attack by the Tiejiang Gang?"

Fang Han turned and cupped his hands in a salute to Chen Wanjun.

"Vice Hall Master Chen, the Tiejiang Gang did indeed attack, but they have already retreated."

Chen Wanjun’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

"How did they retreat?"

He didn’t believe the name of the Qingxuan Sect alone could force the Tiejiang Gang—a group with a Grandmaster backing them—to retreat.

"After I injured the Tiejiang Gang’s leader, Qi Zhen, he led his men away."

Fang Han’s voice was calm, as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary fact.

At these words, Chen Wanjun’s steps faltered.

Han Qing, Chen Tie, and Jin Han also stopped in their tracks, their gazes unanimously falling on Fang Han.

"You injured Qi Zhen?"

Jin Han was the first to speak, her voice hoarse with disbelief.

Qi Zhen, the Gang Leader of the Tiejiang Gang. According to their most recent intelligence, his Cultivation had reached the Late Stage of First Grade.

’Fang Han could injure Qi Zhen, a master at the Late Stage of First Grade?’

"Elder Jin, I would not make such a bold claim lightly."

Fang Han met Jin Han’s gaze, his voice steady.

"Qi Zhen was indeed injured by me, which is why he retreated with his men."

Jin Han fell silent.

She recalled how, just a few months ago, when she and Fang Han were on a mission together, his combat strength, while impressive, was only on par with a Second Grade Martial Artist.

’Now, even Qi Zhen of the Late Stage of First Grade was no match for him.’

’This rate of progress...’

Chen Wanjun was silent for a moment. His gaze rested on Fang Han for a long time before he finally spoke, his voice tinged with emotion.

"It seems we’ve all underestimated you."

"You’re too kind, Vice Hall Master Chen."

Fang Han shook his head slightly.

Chen Wanjun said no more, merely turning to survey the ruins.

...

For several days, the ruins of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion headquarters had been bustling with activity since the early morning mist began to lift.

Fang Han stood by a remaining pillar of a pavilion, his gaze sweeping over the rubble.

In the days following the Tiejiang Gang’s retreat, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion had pulled in manpower from its various branches. They cleared the debris, collected the bodies, and repaired the damaged walls in a busy but orderly fashion.

Lan Daoxing’s injuries were healing faster than he had expected.

After Qi Zhen’s retreat that day, Lan Daoxing must have taken some kind of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, as color returned to his ashen face at a visible rate.

Now, only a few days later, Lan Daoxing could walk freely. The wound on his left shoulder had scabbed over, and his movements showed little sign that he had been injured.

"As expected of one of the top three merchant guilds in the Commandery City. They certainly have plenty of good things for his injuries to heal so quickly."

Chen Wanjun’s voice came from beside him.

Fang Han turned his head to see Chen Wanjun standing on the other side of the pillar, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes, bright as morning stars, were fixed on Lan Daoxing in the distance, who was directing his subordinates to clean up the wreckage.

"When it comes to wealth, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion is likely richer than even some of the major powers,"

Fang Han said.

Chen Wanjun nodded slightly but said no more.

Han Qing, Chen Tie, and Jin Han stood a short distance away, each lost in their own thoughts.

They had been guarding the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for the past few days in case the Tiejiang Gang returned. Fortunately, there had been no sign of them since their retreat, so it had been a quiet few days.

「Another day passed.」

The morning light pierced the thin mist, coating the ruins of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in a pale gold.

Lan Daoxing had changed into a deep blue brocade robe with a matching silk sash tied at his waist. He looked much more spirited than he had a few days prior.

He walked up to Fang Han and the others, cupped his hands in a salute, and spoke in a voice that was hoarse yet steady.

"I have troubled all of you to stand guard these past few days, and for that, I am deeply grateful. My injuries are no longer serious, so I can now set off for the Qingxuan Sect to pay my respects to Sect Master Chen."

"You’re too kind, Pavilion Master Lan."

Chen Wanjun returned the salute.

"In that case, let’s set off."

The group left the ruins of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, departed from the Commandery City, and followed the main road toward the Qingxuan Sect.

Although Lan Daoxing’s injuries had mostly healed, he had not yet fully recovered, so their traveling pace wasn’t very fast.

...

The stone door of the secret chamber slowly closed behind Qi Zhen, shutting out the dim lamplight from the corridor.

Yan Wuji sat on the stone chair at the head of the room, his gray cloth robe gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

He held a yellowed scroll in his hands, intently focused on it. He heard the sound of the stone door closing but didn’t look up.

"You’re back."

His voice was old and flat, as if stating the most ordinary of facts.

Qi Zhen walked forward and bowed.

"Supreme Elder."

His voice was hoarse, laced with suppressed exhaustion.

Catching the scent of blood, Yan Wuji lowered his scroll and looked up.

When he got a clear look at Qi Zhen, his turbid yet profound eyes paused for a moment.

Qi Zhen’s dark gold brocade robe was stained with large patches of dried blood. The fabric at his left shoulder was torn open in a long gash, revealing a bandaged wound beneath.

His right arm hung at his side, its movements clearly stiff.

The robes at his waist and thigh were also torn in several places.

Although his wounds had been treated, it was obvious they were serious.

Yan Wuji’s gaze lingered on Qi Zhen’s wounds for a moment, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"You were seriously injured?"

His voice was still flat, but a hint of surprise was slowly surfacing beneath the calm.

"Yes. I sustained some injuries during the operation."

Qi Zhen straightened up, meeting Yan Wuji’s gaze.

Yan Wuji was silent for a breath, then tapped his fingers twice on the stone armrest.

"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion headquarters only has two First Grade Martial Artists, Lan Daoxing and Shen Cangsong. With your and Han Kui’s strength, it should not have been difficult to take them down."

His voice was quiet, but it held a scrutinizing edge.

"What happened?"

Qi Zhen took a deep breath and recounted the events of the night the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was attacked, holding nothing back.

He described breaking into the Hundred Treasures Pavilion headquarters, Lan Daoxing and Shen Cangsong’s desperate resistance, and how the situation had turned in their favor, bringing them to the brink of victory—

—and then Fang Han’s appearance. He told of how the young man had blocked his attack with a single sword strike, how they had fought for dozens of rounds, and how he had ultimately been defeated and seriously wounded by Fang Han, forcing him to order a retreat.

His account was concise and clear, without embellishment or omission of key details.

Yan Wuji listened in silence.

When he heard that Fang Han had blocked Qi Zhen’s attack, his brow twitched slightly.

And when he heard that Fang Han had fought fiercely with Qi Zhen and ultimately wounded him severely, a trace of unconcealable astonishment finally appeared on his weathered face.

"Fang Han?"

He spoke slowly, his voice now carrying a grave tone.

"He was the one who injured you?!"

"Supreme Elder, that boy concealed his true strength at the Grandmaster’s banquet."

Qi Zhen’s voice was hoarse, tinged with a fear he was reluctant to admit even to himself.

"His true Cultivation is already at the Early Stage of Second Grade, and his combat power far exceeds it. I was no match for him."

"At the Grandmaster’s banquet, although I could tell the boy was hiding some of his strength, I never imagined he was hiding this much," Yan Wuji said after a long silence.

He stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the stone wall of the secret chamber.

The candlelight cast his thin shadow onto the rough wall, stretching it long.

At the Grandmaster’s banquet, when Fang Han sparred with Yang Yuan, his keen eyes had naturally seen that Fang Han was holding back.

But he had assumed Fang Han was, at most, concealing his strength by two or three Minor Realms. He never expected—

—that the boy had hidden the strength of nearly two entire Great Realms.

’Early Stage of Second Grade, yet with enough combat power to suppress Qi Zhen at the Late Stage of First Grade.’

’Such Talent, such combat power...’

"Supreme Elder."

Qi Zhen’s voice, tinged with urgency, came from behind him.

"That boy, Fang Han... his growth rate is too astonishing. If we don’t eliminate him now before he’s fully developed, he will become a grave threat to our Tiejiang Gang in the future."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower.

"I make this bold request... I implore the Supreme Elder to personally act and eliminate this boy."