Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

The Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger’s movements grew slower and heavier.

The light in its pair of dark golden, vertical pupils dimmed.

It no longer dodged, no longer defended. It just attacked, attacked, and attacked again with wild abandon—as if pouring the last of its life force into the three humans before it.

Finally.

"PSHHH—!"

The ancient longsword in Gu Changqing’s hand suddenly lit up. A pale cyan radiance flared as he slashed out.

This single strike condensed his entire life’s comprehension of the Sword Dao.

The sword light, like a rainbow, pierced through the Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger’s ferocious assault, sliced across its throat, and kicked up a spray of dark red, bloody mist.

"BOOM—!"

At almost the same instant, Hui Ming’s Demon-Slaying Pestle smashed down on the Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger’s head.

A brilliant golden light shone, like a full-force blow from a wrathful Vajra.

The Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger’s head was knocked violently to the side, and the sound of its skull shattering was clearly audible.

"PFFT—!"

The ancient longsword in Shen Mo’s hand thrust forward, lightly tapping the Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger over its heart.

An invisible Power penetrated its scales and flesh, then exploded within its heart.

The Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger’s massive body suddenly stiffened.

The light in its dark golden, vertical pupils flickered violently several times, like a candle in the wind.

It opened its mouth, trying to let out one last roar, but could only manage a low, hoarse growl that seemed squeezed from the depths of its chest.

Then, its enormous body crashed to the ground.

The ground trembled and dust flew. Dark red blood gushed out from under it, quickly staining a large patch of earth.

The cunning Grandmaster Demon that had mobilized other Demons to plague Qingyang County, the one that had left the tracking experts of the Seven Sects helpless—the Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger—was dead.

The world-shaking pressure that had filled the ravine finally dissipated completely.

’The siege was a success!’

Fang Han stood atop a giant tree, his robes whipping in the residual shockwave that swept over from the distance.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. With a flicker of his body, he drifted like a wisp of smoke toward the ravine, which was now utterly unrecognizable.

At Fang Han’s speed, the distance of several miles was covered in no time.

The sight before him made him pause.

The entire ravine looked as if it had been repeatedly kneaded by an invisible giant hand. The low mountains were flattened, the forest was reduced to dust, and the ground was crisscrossed with gullies, the deepest of which were dozens of feet deep.

The massive body of the Ink-Scaled Demon Tiger lay silently amidst the rubble and splintered wood, its dark red blood pooling beneath it into a small puddle.

The three Grandmasters stood by the demon tiger’s corpse, conversing in low voices.

Hearing the faint sound of robes cutting through the wind, the three of them turned their heads at the same time.

Seeing it was Fang Han, a peaceful smile touched Hui Ming’s clear eyes, and the prayer beads in his hand paused slightly.

"Our success in cornering this beast is all thanks to Donor Fang for tracking down its lair."

His voice was deep and benevolent, like the tolling of a bell echoing in an ancient temple.

He pressed his palms together and gave Fang Han a slight nod, the admiration in his eyes unconcealed.

"I am quite curious. All the others involved in the tracking failed. How did Donor Fang distinguish the beast’s true trail from all the false auras?"

"Replying to you, Master, the Demon was indeed cunning. It attached its aura to its scales and had birds and beasts carry them off in all directions."

Fang Han stopped dozens of feet away and bowed to the three Grandmasters before straightening up.

He paused, organized his thoughts, and continued.

"However, its cleverness was its undoing. By trying so hard to conceal its own aura, it inadvertently made itself stand out among the many false trails, thus exposing its position."

"Incredible."

Shen Mo spoke.

The Supreme Elder of Tingyu Building, a man with a plain face, stood with his hands behind his back. His eyes, as placid as an old well, rested on Fang Han, and a rare, faint smile touched the corners of his mouth.

"To find the true body amidst a confusing array deliberately laid by a Grandmaster Demon... that is truly an incredible tracking skill."

His voice carried a hint of admiration.

"When I received your message, Nephew Fang, I doubted its authenticity. It seems now that I was the one with a narrow view."

Fang Han quickly cupped his hands in a salute.

"Senior, you overstate it. I was just—"

"No need to be modest."

Shen Mo waved his hand, cutting Fang Han off.

His plain face showed little expression, but his tone had grown more serious.

"Your skill in tracking is indeed unmatched in Qingyang County. It is the Qingxuan Sect’s good fortune to have a disciple like you."

Gu Changqing stood to the side with his hands behind his back, having not spoken a word.

But as Shen Mo spoke these words, a barely perceptible smile flashed through his cloudy eyes.

Hui Ming withdrew his gaze from Fang Han and turned to the massive demon tiger’s corpse.

"As for this beast’s corpse, what do you two plan to do with it?"

Shen Mo’s eyes swept over the demon tiger’s corpse as he pondered for a moment.

"This demon tiger is a Grandmaster Demon; its entire body is a treasure. Its scales can be refined into a High-Grade Defensive Magical Weapon, its tendons and bones can be used in medicine, and its flesh and blood contain vast amounts of vital Essence, which is highly beneficial for a Martial Artist’s Cultivation."

"In my opinion, we should divide the corpse into three parts. The three of us will each take one back to our Sects. What do you think?"

Hui Ming nodded slightly. "I was thinking the same."

Gu Changqing also nodded. "Agreed."

The three immediately set to work.

Shen Mo held his ancient longsword and began cutting up the demon tiger’s corpse. His movements seemed casual, yet they were incredibly precise.

The body of the Grandmaster Demon, harder than metal, was easily carved apart under his sword, as if he were the legendary butcher Pao Ding carving an ox.

Before long, the entire demon tiger’s corpse was divided into three portions, each weighing several thousand pounds.

Tendons and bones, scales, flesh and blood—the three portions were divided with extreme evenness.

As a reward, Fang Han also received a small piece. Though small, it still weighed a good few hundred pounds.

Shen Mo tied his portion with grass vines, then turned to look at Fang Han.

"Nephew Fang."

Fang Han was slightly taken aback and cupped his hands.

"Senior, what are your instructions?"

"There are still more than a dozen trackers waiting for news in the valley. The three of us must return to our respective Sects immediately to properly handle this demon tiger’s corpse, so we cannot stay long."

Shen Mo said.

"Could you go to the valley in our stead and inform them that the Demon has been eliminated and the mission is over?"

Fang Han nodded in agreement. "I was just about to do that. Please rest assured, Senior."

"We’ll be troubling you, then."

Shen Mo gave a slight nod.

The three Grandmasters lingered no longer. They hoisted up their portions of the Grandmaster Demon’s corpse, unleashed their respective Body Techniques, and transformed into three faint, barely perceptible streams of light, streaking away in different directions.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the vast, wild forest.

After confirming the three Grandmasters were long gone, Fang Han had a thought, and a sheet of oilcloth appeared in his hand. He carefully wrapped the meat in the cloth, then placed the bundle back into his Storage Ring.

’Even a Grandmaster Powerhouse might not possess a Storage Ring like this.’

He had understood the principle of not flaunting one’s wealth ever since he arrived in this world, especially for a treasure coveted even by Grandmaster-level powerhouses.

’Time to head back.’

He determined his direction, and with a flicker of his body, he unleashed the Wind God Step.

He fully activated the Grandmaster-level Body Technique, which was at the Minor Achievement Realm, and his speed was astonishing.

The scenery on both sides flew backward as the wind howled in his ears.

He made no effort to muffle his movements; there was no longer any need to hide his tracks.

「Half a day later, at the valley entrance.」

Some people were talking in low voices, some were resting with their eyes closed against the rocks, and some were repeatedly wiping the weapons in their hands—an unconscious action born from anxiety.

Fang Han’s figure shot out from the dense forest and landed at the mouth of the valley.

Almost everyone looked up at the same time.

"True Inheritor Fang!"

Su Wan was the first to stand up, her clear eyes filled with a mix of urgency and anticipation.

She hurried forward and asked.

"What did the three Grandmasters say? The Demon you mentioned in your message, was it a Grandmaster Demon?"

Fang Han met her gaze and nodded slightly.

"The Demon was indeed a Grandmaster Demon, and it has already been eliminated by the three Grandmasters working together."

A brief silence fell over the valley.

The thin, gray-robed old man shot to his feet, the fingers stroking his beard trembling slightly.

Tang Jun, with an animal-hide pouch hanging from his waist, let his jaw drop. The tough flesh on his face twitched, and he let out a long breath.

The blind woman tapped the ground lightly with her bamboo cane. Her eyes, covered by a black cloth, turned in Fang Han’s direction, and a smile slowly formed on her lips.

Then, suppressed sighs of relief and gasps of amazement erupted almost simultaneously.

The dozen or so tracking experts all had different expressions, but they all conveyed the same emotion—immense relief.

For days, news of Demon attacks on villages and towns throughout the county had been pouring in, with new casualty numbers reported daily.

As Martial Artists who specialized in tracking, they knew a Grandmaster-level Demon was stirring up trouble from behind the scenes, yet they couldn’t even find a trace of it. The frustration and helplessness they felt were palpable.

Now, the dark cloud that had been hanging over everyone’s heads had finally dissipated.

"You... you really found it?"

Tang Jun came back to his senses, his voice still laced with disbelief.

He looked Fang Han up and down as if he were looking at something incredible.

"That Demon used its scales as decoys, scattering its aura in all directions. The dozen of us chased for hundreds of miles and only found scales, not even a shadow of the real thing. You... how on earth did you tell the difference?"

Fang Han glanced at Tang Jun. Although the man had a rough appearance, his eyes held only pure curiosity and admiration, not a hint of jealousy.

So, he briefly repeated what he had told Master Hui Ming earlier.

After listening, everyone looked at each other in stunned silence.

The logic wasn’t complicated once explained, but to pick out that one nearly non-existent trace of aura from among dozens of others... one could only imagine the difficulty.

They knew in their hearts they were incapable of such keen perception.

"A truly formidable youth."

The gray-robed old man slowly uttered four words. The initial suspicion and scrutiny on his wrinkled face had vanished, replaced by a heartfelt sigh of admiration.

The others didn’t speak, but the disdain in their eyes had long since disappeared.

Not a single person present dared to underestimate Fang Han because of his age ever again.

Amidst the rustling murmurs, someone’s gaze drifted inadvertently to the side.

There, Elder Luo Qi of the Netherworld Pavilion stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression gloomy.