Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

’The Grandmaster Demon is dead. It’s time to put the treasure hunt in Wangxi County on the agenda!’

Suppressing his excitement, Fang Han considered his plans for the near future.

The Grandmaster Demon was dead. Although the Demon threat in Qingyang County wasn’t completely eradicated, without the Black-Scaled Demon Tiger pulling the strings, the remaining Demons were just disorganized remnants. The Seven Sects and the County Army would handle the cleanup.

He didn’t need to worry about it.

What he needed to do now was increase his strength and attain combat power comparable to a First Grade Martial Artist as soon as possible.

Then, he would set out for Wangxi County to seek the location marked on the Treasure Map.

’Should I focus everything on improving my Swordsmanship, or my Body Hardening?’

Before today, Fang Han had planned to focus entirely on his Swordsmanship. He wanted to achieve a breakthrough as quickly as possible to gain the combat power of a First Grade Martial Artist.

But now, he had another option: focus on his Body Hardening. A breakthrough in Body Hardening could also grant him strength comparable to a First Grade Martial Artist.

A breakthrough in either Swordsmanship or Body Hardening would undoubtedly elevate his combat power to the level of a First Grade Martial Artist.

’I’ll stick with a breakthrough in Swordsmanship!’

After a moment of consideration, Fang Han decided to stick to his original plan. He would achieve his breakthrough through Swordsmanship to gain power comparable to a First Grade Martial Artist.

His reasoning was that reaching Minor Achievement in Body Hardening would likely take a month.

In contrast, he estimated that with his Swordsmanship Talent—improved by four stalks of Sword-shaped Grass—and the 256x Swordsmanship Talent Amplification, he could achieve a breakthrough in his Swordsmanship in half a month at most.

To gain the strength of a First Grade Martial Artist as quickly as possible, choosing the faster path of Swordsmanship was the natural choice.

With his mind made up, Fang Han wasted no more time thinking about it.

He stood up, stretched his slightly stiff limbs from sitting for so long, and pushed open the door of the Quiet Chamber.

Outside, it was the dead of night.

Moonlight, like liquid silver, spilled over the bamboo grove in the courtyard, dyeing the green leaves a ghostly white.

...

「Five days later.」

In the early morning, Fang Han stood in the center of his expanded backyard Cultivation Field, his eyes closed in concentration.

The morning light slanted in from over the eastern wall, bathing the entire Cultivation Field in a pale golden hue.

The Obsidian-paved ground gleamed with a profound luster under the light, crisscrossed by countless sword marks of varying depths.

The Cloud Splitting Sword hung at his waist. He didn’t rush to draw it, instead keeping his eyes closed as he ran through mental deductions.

The principles of the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique flowed slowly through his mind.

Over the past five days, he had devoted most of his time to practicing his Swordsmanship.

Every morning, without fail, he would cultivate the Cyan Profound Technique, consume a Celestial Essence Pill, and guide his Inner Qi through a full Circulation.

The period from morning until early afternoon was dedicated entirely to the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique.

The latter half of the afternoon was for practicing the Wind God Step.

As for the evenings, he would consume jerky made from the flesh of the Grandmaster Demon and cultivate the Xuanwu True Skill in his Quiet Chamber.

The time spent on his Swordsmanship practice had increased dramatically, and the results were just as astonishing.

He could clearly feel his Swordsmanship drawing closer and closer to the bottleneck before Mastery.

It felt like a veil as thin as a cicada’s wing separating him from a much vaster world of the Sword Dao.

All it would take was a gentle poke to break through.

He opened his eyes.

CLANG—

The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath, its dark cyan blade glinting with a restrained light in the morning sun.

Fang Han thrust his sword forward.

The thrust wasn’t fast; in fact, it was extremely slow. The tip of the sword moved forward inch by inch, as if pushing against something invisible and incredibly heavy.

But the moment the thrust was executed—

the faint ripples in the air became clearer than ever before.

The ripples no longer vanished in a flash. They condensed and lingered, like a true, transparent sword scar made of air, hovering where the blade had passed.

The instant the sword tip stopped, the transparent scar abruptly expanded outward.

HISS—

A very faint, sharp sound was heard.

A new sword mark appeared out of nowhere on the Obsidian ground, which was several times harder than steel.

It was an inch deep, its edges as smooth as if they had been repeatedly polished.

Fang Han retracted his sword and stood still, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes as he gazed at the mark.

’Soon,’ he muttered to himself.

He could feel that the bottleneck to Mastery had become so thin it was almost nonexistent.

’Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after. In any case, it won’t be long.’

He sheathed the Cloud Splitting Sword and turned to walk out of the Cultivation Field.

As he stepped out of the backyard Cultivation Field, Qiu Lan was already waiting under the covered walkway.

"Senior Brother."

Qiu Lan came forward and offered him something with both hands.

It was an invitation card made with gold foil stamping. On the cover, the three large words "Grand Opening Celebration" were written in an elegant, flowing script.

In the bottom right corner was a small, delicate seal, its design a blooming peony.

"Someone just delivered this invitation," Qiu Lan said.

Fang Han took the invitation, a slight arch in his brow.

As the number one on the Celestial Pride List and the top-ranked disciple of the Qingxuan Sect, he received many similar invitations every month. Most were from prominent families and merchant guilds within the county, hoping for an opportunity to curry favor with him.

He always refused such social obligations.

He opened the invitation, his gaze falling on the signature.

There, written in a neat, graceful script, was a familiar name—

Lan Yuexin.

Fang Han’s movements paused for a fraction of a second.

Qiu Lan, observing his expression from the side, asked tentatively, "Senior Brother, should I refuse it as usual?"

Fang Han closed the invitation and remained silent for a beat.

"Prepare a congratulatory gift."

He tucked the invitation into his robes.

"I will attend tomorrow."

Qiu Lan was slightly taken aback, but she quickly bowed and agreed. Inwardly, however, her thoughts began to race.

’Senior Brother usually does nothing but cultivate or go on missions. He rarely accepts these kinds of invitations. Invitations like this are always rejected outright. Why did he agree this time?’

She secretly guessed that this Lan Yuexin must have an unusual relationship with her Senior Brother.

Fang Han didn’t explain.

He put away the invitation, his thoughts drifting to the secret deal between the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the Qingxuan Sect.

Qingxuan City lay at the foot of the Qingxuan Sect, and most of the businesses within it had intricate ties to the sect. For the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to open a branch here was by no means a simple commercial expansion.

’It must be related to when the Hundred Treasures Pavilion secretly provided the Qingxuan Sect with intelligence on the Netherworld Pavilion’s procurement teams outside the county. This is part of that secret deal.’

The Qingxuan Sect’s tacit approval for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to open a branch in Qingxuan City was both a reward for their past assistance and a signal of their intent to deepen the cooperation between them.

「The next morning, on East Street in Qingxuan City.」

The front of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s Qingxuan City branch was already decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Two newly cast bronze lions were draped in red silk, and above the entrance hung an ebony plaque. The three gilded words "Hundred Treasures Pavilion" shone brilliantly in the morning light.

Carriages and horses thronged the entrance like a weaver’s shuttle, and guests arrived in an endless stream.

Many nearby factions had sent representatives with congratulatory gifts. Some were old customers with business ties to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, others were local merchants hoping to build connections, and many came out of respect for the mysterious steward behind the Pavilion.

Lan Yuexin stood at the entrance to welcome guests, dressed in an aquamarine long-dress. Her black hair was styled into a flowing cloud bun, with a jade hairpin that swayed with her movements.

With a gentle smile on her face, she greeted each guest with pleasantries, her demeanor poised and graceful, showing not a hint of panic.

The Elder sent by the Qingxuan Sect to show support had also arrived. He was an Elder from the Pill Hall.

Dressed in a deep cyan Elder Robe, he stood on the steps with his hands behind his back. After exchanging a few words with Lan Yuexin, he was escorted into the Inner Hall.

A short while later, Fang Han arrived.

He had changed into a clean, Silver-Striped Cyan Robe today. With the Cloud Splitting Sword at his waist, he strode calmly through the bustling crowd to the entrance.

Lan Yuexin was speaking with the patriarch of a merchant family who had come to offer congratulations when she caught sight of the cyan-robed figure out of the corner of her eye. Her words faltered slightly.

She gave the patriarch an apologetic smile, said, "Please excuse me," and turned to greet Fang Han.

"Young Master Fang Han, you’ve come."

Her voice held a more genuine warmth than when she had been greeting the other guests, and her bright eyes lingered on Fang Han’s face for a moment.

"Congratulations on your grand opening, Miss Yuexin. How could I not attend?"

Fang Han cupped his hands in a slight bow and took a Brocade Box from his sleeve, handing it to her.

It was the gift he had asked Qiu Lan to prepare—a three-hundred-year-old snow ginseng. While not exceptionally rare, it was still a presentable gift.

Lan Yuexin accepted it with both hands, passed it to the Maid behind her, and gestured to the side.

"This way, Young Master."

Fang Han nodded slightly and followed the Maid’s guidance into the pavilion.

The very moment Fang Han stepped through the doors of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, several gazes froze in a private room on the second floor of a restaurant across the street.

Four men were seated in the private room, all of them influential patriarchs of merchant families in Qingxuan City.

The man in the center was about fifty, with a slightly dark complexion and a neatly trimmed handlebar mustache. He was Sun Maocai, the proprietor of "Jishi Hall," the city’s largest medicinal herb emporium.

To his left sat a portly old man in a dark red brocade robe, Qian Wanjin, the proprietor of "Jinyu Workshop."

To his right was a slender, middle-aged scholar toying with a folding fan. This was Liu Shiyuan, the proprietor of the "Wenyuan Pavilion" bookshop.

The last man, with a rugged and capable face, was Feng Tie, the owner of "Tiefeng Armory," the largest weapons shop in the city.

"Proprietor Sun, are we just going to sit here and watch while the Hundred Treasures Pavilion has its grand opening?" Feng Tie was the first to speak.

"Watch?"

Sun Maocai lifted his teacup for a small sip, his tone confident.

"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is one of the top three merchant guilds in the county. They’re thriving and are indeed a powerful force. However, Qingxuan City is our territory. How can we let an outsider walk all over us?"

"Exactly. This afternoon, we’ll proceed as planned. First, we’ll spread some rumors that the medicinal ingredients sold by the Hundred Treasures Pavilion are shoddy and their ages are falsified,"

Qian Wanjin stroked his beard, his eyes dark.

"Then we’ll have some of our men cause a scene at their counters, claiming their gold and jade are impure. After a few disruptions like that, let’s see how they can possibly establish themselves in Qingxuan City."

"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is one of the top three merchant guilds in the county, after all. Isn’t this a bit risky?" Liu Shiyuan said, a little worried.

"Who in Qingxuan City doesn’t have connections? Jishi Hall is backed by Elder Tu Baichuan, the Dean of Shen Courtyard, and Jinyu Workshop is patronized by Elder Yan Lv."

Sun Maocai set down his teacup, a dismissive sneer appearing on his dark face.

"As the saying goes, ’Even a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake.’ The Hundred Treasures Pavilion may have a reputation in the county, but here in Qingxuan City, on our turf, even a dragon has to lie low."

Qian Wanjin was about to nod in agreement when his gaze inadvertently swept past the window, just in time to catch sight of the cyan-robed figure at the entrance of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

His words died in his throat.

"What is it?"

Sun Maocai followed his gaze and saw a young man exchanging pleasantries with Lan Yuexin at the entrance.

The young man wore a Silver-Striped Cyan Robe, a dark cyan longsword hanging at his waist, and his face was exceedingly young.

Sun Maocai’s pupils contracted sharply.

Although he had never met this person face-to-face, he had seen his portrait.

The number one on the Celestial Pride List, the First True Inheritor of the Qingxuan Sect, Fang Han.

The previously confident atmosphere in the private room froze in an instant.

"Is that... Fang Han?"

Feng Tie’s voice was laced with disbelief.

Liu Shiyuan stood up directly, moved closer to the window, and took a careful look.

After confirming the identity of that young face, he slowly sat back down in his chair. Already somewhat uneasy, his expression now showed deep apprehension.