Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

The prayer beads in Hui Ming’s hand stilled. His half-lidded eyes opened a sliver, revealing a clear and profound light.

He did not speak, only let out a soft sigh.

"Not necessarily."

Gu Changqing spoke.

His voice was aged and flat, as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary fact.

Shen Mo turned his head, his gaze falling on Gu Changqing.

Hui Ming opened his eyes as well. He looked at Gu Changqing, his clear eyes filled with inquiry.

"There’s still one person who hasn’t returned."

Gu Changqing’s gaze was still fixed on the valley, his cloudy eyes betraying no emotion.

Shen Mo froze for a moment, then seemed to recall something.

His gaze swept over the dozen or so figures in the valley. Indeed, one person was still missing—the young man sent by the Qingxuan Sect.

"Donor Gu, are you speaking of that Fang Han from your sect?"

Hui Ming spoke.

His voice was peaceful, carrying a composure unique to a monk.

"Precisely."

Gu Changqing nodded slightly.

"It seems Donor Gu is quite confident in this disciple of yours."

A very faint smile appeared on Hui Ming’s lips.

The smile was so light it was almost imperceptible without close inspection, yet it carried a hint of understanding.

Gu Changqing was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke.

"I wouldn’t call it confidence."

His gaze fell in the direction Fang Han had left, where the forest was vast and the mist was thick.

"It’s just that this boy is extremely accomplished in Tracking Secret Techniques. In terms of tracking ability, few in Qingyang County can compare. Still, whether he can track down that Grandmaster Demon remains to be seen."

Hui Ming nodded slightly and said no more. He lowered his eyelids again, slowly flicking the prayer beads in his hand.

Shen Mo stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the direction Fang Han had left. A thoughtful glint flickered in his placid eyes.

The mountain wind brushed past, rustling the leaves of the ancient trees.

The figures of the three Grandmasters flickered in and out of view in the mottled light, like three ancient statues that had stood there since time immemorial, completely merged with the forest.

...

「Deep within the dense forest.」

SWOOSH!

Fang Han’s figure was like a wisp of invisible wind, silently passing through the ancient trees and scattered rocks.

After reaching Minor Achievement in the Wind God Step, his speed was astonishing, yet he moved without making a sound, like a true gust of wind blending into the vast mountain forest.

His brow was slightly furrowed.

Within the perception of his Thousand-Mile Soul Lock, the faint aura of the Grandmaster Demon flickered in and out of existence.

Sometimes it became a bit clearer, as if it were just ahead; other times it faded, almost disappearing completely from his perception.

Every time the aura faded, Fang Han had to stop and push his Thousand-Mile Soul Lock to its limits, recapturing that faint, almost nonexistent wisp of an aura from the vast sea of auras.

The Grandmaster Demon’s Concealing Breath methods were stronger than he had expected.

This Demon was not only cunning but also extremely cautious.

The aura it left behind was already so faint as to be almost nonexistent, and it was further concealed by some method, like a speck of dust falling into the vast ocean. If he hadn’t brought his Thousand-Mile Soul Lock Cultivation to the Realm of Perfection, it would have been impossible to track it this far.

Ten miles.

Dozens of miles.

A hundred miles.

Fang Han’s figure moved silently through the dense forest. Although the aura was faint, it never completely vanished, like an invisible thread pulling him ever forward.

"Hm?"

After traveling hundreds of miles, Fang Han’s steps suddenly faltered.

In the perception of his Thousand-Mile Soul Lock, the aura that had been so faint it was almost nonexistent suddenly grew a little clearer.

The clarity wasn’t strong, but it was real—

Like a lamp originally wrapped in layers of black cloth, a corner of which had suddenly been lifted, letting a faint but real glimmer of light escape.

’Could it be?’

Fang Han’s heart began to beat a little faster.

He didn’t rush forward. Instead, he stopped and pushed his Thousand-Mile Soul Lock to its full power, carefully discerning the changes in the aura.

A moment later, he confirmed his judgment—it wasn’t an illusion.

The aura was indeed growing stronger. Though still faint, it was more than a notch clearer than before.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the faint tremor in his heart, and moved again.

This time, his speed was faster than before, yet he was even more cautious.

The Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill was constantly running at full power, suppressing his own aura to the absolute minimum.

And as he moved forward, the aura grew stronger and stronger.

Fang Han could even faintly sense the violence and coldness contained within the aura.

He traveled for several dozen more miles.

’Found it?!’

Fang Han’s figure came to an abrupt halt, landing on the branch of an ancient tree.

His pupils contracted slightly, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

A few miles away, he sensed an extremely dangerous aura.

Not a residual aura.

It was a living aura, one that was actively being emitted.

The aura was so faint it was almost nonexistent, yet it was utterly terrifying—cold, violent, and deep as an abyss, carrying a pressure that made one’s very soul tremble.

It was like an ancient beast hibernating in the abyss. Though it had retracted its fangs and claws, the instinctual pressure of an apex predator still sent a chill down Fang Han’s spine.

’A Grandmaster Demon!’

Fang Han’s breath nearly stopped at that moment.

He held his breath, and the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill began to operate with unprecedented intensity.

The aura around him was completely erased as if by an invisible hand. His heartbeat grew slow and long, and his skin temperature blended with the environment.

He became like a piece of dead wood, a lifeless stone.

His gaze fell several miles away, in the direction the aura was coming from.

Vaguely, he could see a hidden mountain hollow a few miles away.

The hollow was surrounded by steep cliffs, with dense woods and thick mist inside.

Sunlight, filtered through layers upon layers of leaves, was shattered, casting mottled and dim shadows on the ground.

The aura was coming from deep within that hollow.

’It probably hasn’t noticed me!’

Fang Han remained motionless, like a lifeless statue.

His senses were locked tightly onto the location of the aura, his mind highly focused, perceiving every minute change in it.

Steady.

Deep.

No unusual fluctuations.

A moment later, the tension in his heart eased slightly.

The Grandmaster Demon probably hadn’t discovered him.

If it had, its aura would never be this stable.

Huuu—

Fang Han slowly let out a breath.

He didn’t act rashly, still maintaining his motionless posture.

Only after confirming there were absolutely no changes in the aura did he lift his right hand with extreme slowness.

With a flicker of his thoughts, he took out a palm-sized slip of paper and a charcoal pencil encased in a thin bamboo tube from his Storage Ring.

The paper slip had been prepared before he set out; its material was flexible and not easily torn.

The charcoal pencil was encased in a thin bamboo tube, its tip sharpened very fine, making it easy to write small script.

Fang Han spread the paper slip on his palm and quickly wrote on it with the charcoal pencil.

His movements were extremely light and steady, making no sound. The charcoal pencil glided across the paper, leaving behind a message in small, clear script—

"Grandmaster Demon found. Location: approximately 120 miles northwest of Cyan Cliff Mountain, in a mountain hollow..."

After writing, he put the charcoal pencil back into his Storage Ring and took out an exquisite bamboo cage from his robes.

The bamboo cage was woven from thin strips of bamboo, palm-sized. Inside, a bird with light blue feathers lay quietly. It had a sharp beak, slender claws, and a pair of lively, intelligent eyes.

This was the message bird that Su Wan had distributed to everyone.

Fang Han folded the slip of paper into a thin strip and carefully tied it to the messenger bird’s leg with a very fine thread.

His movements were still extremely light and steady, making no sound.

After tying the note, he cupped the bird in both hands and gently tossed it upward.

The bird flapped its wings and flew up silently, weaving through the gaps in the leaves and branches, soon disappearing over the horizon.

Fang Han watched the bird disappear, then slowly withdrew his gaze.

He did not leave, remaining motionless on the branch of the ancient tree.

The Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill ran at full power, suppressing his aura to the absolute minimum.

His Thousand-Mile Soul Lock’s perception remained active, sensing the still-stable and deep aura of the Grandmaster Demon.

Now, he just had to wait for the Grandmaster Powerhouses to arrive.

...

「In the mountain valley.」

The dozen or so trackers were scattered about, sitting on green stones and fallen logs near the valley entrance. Some had their eyes closed in meditation, some were talking in low voices, and others were silently polishing the weapons in their hands.

The atmosphere was heavy, as if an invisible dark cloud was pressing down on them.

"Everyone, although we failed to track the Demon this time, it wasn’t a complete loss."

Su Wan put away the seven or eight jet-black scales in her hand. Her gaze swept over the crowd, and her gentle voice broke the silence.

"At least we’ve learned its methods—using its scales as bait to disperse its aura and lure trackers in the wrong direction."

The gray-robed elder shook his head, his voice low:

"Elder Su, what’s the use of knowing its methods? If we can’t find its hiding place, it’s all empty talk."

Tang Jun said sullenly:

"That beast scattered its aura in all directions, and it’s impossible to tell which is real and which is fake. We chased for hundreds of miles only to find scales. We didn’t even see a shadow of it."

"Such methods are beyond what ordinary Tracking Techniques can decipher."

The blind woman tapped the ground lightly with her bamboo staff, her voice hoarse:

"I’ve been tracking for decades and have never seen such a cunning Demon. It actually attaches its own aura to its scales and has birds and beasts carry them off in all directions."

"We followed the auras, but in reality, we were chasing those birds and beasts, not the Demon itself."

Su Wan fell silent.

Which of these tracking experts present hadn’t been immersed in this art for decades? This failure had clearly been a major blow to them.

Luo Qi stood with his hands behind his back on a protruding green stone, his expression cold, not saying a word.

His terrifying eyes stared out at the vast mountain forest beyond the valley, the gloom deep within his pupils almost solidifying.

The gray-robed elder sighed:

"More than a dozen of us set out together this time, yet we were all made fools of by that beast. If word gets out, we’ll become a laughingstock."

Tang Jun said:

"Being a laughingstock is a secondary concern. As long as that Demon isn’t eliminated, Qingyang County will never know peace. The fact that we can’t even find a trace of it is what’s truly frustrating."

Su Wan sighed softly.

As the person in charge of this search, the burden on her shoulders was heavier than anyone else’s.

A Second-Grade Elder from Tingyu Building had fallen to that Demon’s claws. If she couldn’t make good use of the clue this Second-Grade Elder had paid for with his life, she wouldn’t be able to face the Sect Leader back at the Sect.

Just then, the faint sound of flapping wings came from the valley entrance.