I Can Strengthen Everything

The aura around him suddenly skyrocketed!

Climbing ever higher!

"Haaaah..."

Fang Xing slowly opened his eyes and let out a long, stale breath. A look of pure satisfaction washed over his face as he took in the changes to his body.

’True Gang Fifth Layer, and I went all the way to the Fifth-Layer Extreme in one go. Not bad.’

Feeling the vast and powerful Pure Gang Qi within him, Fang Xing felt a profound sense of fullness.

The Nirvana Golden Core had not disappointed him.

Not only had it shattered the barrier to the Fifth Layer, but it had also pushed him all the way to the True Gang Fifth Layer Extreme in a single burst.

This single step had saved him at least half a year of arduous cultivation.

In fact, even six months of hard cultivation might not have achieved such a result.

The Golden Gang Seed inside him had grown even more powerful!

It emanated a powerful aura.

’I wonder what kind of flower my Gang Seed will condense when it reaches its limit...’

Fang Xing looked at the Gang Seed in his Dantian, his heart filled with curiosity.

The True Gang Realm: condense a Gang Seed, strengthen the Gang Seed, and bring the Gang Seed to Perfection!

After pushing oneself to the absolute limit, the most crucial step arrives.

Three Flowers Gathering at the Top!

Shattering the Gang Seed to condense the Three Flowers is how one becomes a Martial Arts Grandmaster and steps into the True Essence Realm.

’I won’t dwell on it. It’s still a long way off, anyway...’

Pushing the thought aside, Fang Xing stood up.

It was far too early to be considering Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

Shattering the Gang Seed to condense the Three Flowers sounded easy, but this particular Dragon Gate was even more treacherous and fraught with danger.

Failure to break through would not only cause one’s Cultivation to regress but would also damage the meridians, making it impossible to recover one’s peak strength for years.

Becoming a Martial Arts Grandmaster was no easy feat.

Failing the attempt just once meant you would likely never get another chance in your entire life.

Unless one had the help of some rare Marvel of Heaven and Earth or a Miracle Elixir, there was little hope for a second attempt.

Even he couldn’t claim a one hundred percent chance of success.

’But even if I were to fail, for me, it would just mean a period of recuperation.’

’As for resources... as long as I’m strong enough and can hunt for enough Enhancement Points...’

’I’m confident I could even brute-force my way through!’

Besides, he wouldn’t rashly attempt to cross the Dragon Gate unless he was over ninety percent confident.

Every Dragon Gate was like an insurmountable chasm.

He preferred to get it right on the first try!

’I’ve completed the Refinement of the Nirvana Golden Core, but I wonder when it will actually trigger...’

Fang Xing gazed out the window as the thought flashed through his mind.

’I can’t just go looking for death on purpose.’

’If the Nirvana fails to activate, I’ll be totally screwed.’

’If you don’t court death, you won’t die.’

Even though he had completed the Refinement of the Nirvana Golden Core and integrated it into his body, gaining a single chance at Nirvana, it would only trigger in a moment of absolute desperation.

He couldn’t precisely gauge where that activation threshold was.

It was possible that having even a single breath left would prevent the Nirvana from activating—he couldn’t guarantee how that thing worked.

Pulling his gaze back, Fang Xing called up his status panel with a thought.

Name: Fang Xing

Cultivation: True Gang Fifth Layer!

Enhancement Level: Six-Star (23%)

Enhancement Points: 8,542.

’And just like that, I’m completely wiped out...’

Fang Xing sighed, looking at the panel.

’It’s not enough!’

’Enhancement Points come quickly, but as my Cultivation increases, maintaining this rapid growth and high combat strength requires a ton of resources.’

’Enhancement Points were still in short supply.’

’Once the Martial Dao Tournament is over, I should be able to move on to the next phase of the plan...’

The thought flashed through Fang Xing’s mind.

He had come out this time to relax.

After he returned, there was sure to be a much larger operation.

Although Hong Miaojin hadn’t said so explicitly, he could guess one or two things.

To him, slaying Demons and Monsters was the greatest opportunity of all!

There was no faster way to improve than by reaping Demons and Monsters.

Closing the panel, Fang Xing stepped out of the room.

The sun was bright, the sky a brilliant blue.

’When will I be strong enough to roam freely across the seas? There must be even more Demons and Monsters in the great ocean...’

Fang Xing gazed at the clear sky.

Compared to the land, there were just as many, if not more, Demons and Monsters in the sea.

However, the seas were fraught with peril. Even with his current strength, he would be considered nothing special in the vast South Sea.

If a Demon Emperor were to appear, he would have no choice but to flee for his life.

’I’ll go for a walk. It should be even more lively today.’

Leaving the courtyard, Fang Xing headed straight out of Celestial Star Manor.

The countdown was down to one day. Tomorrow was the official start of the Martial Dao Tournament.

After leaving Celestial Star Manor, Fang Xing went into the city to take a look around.

A constant stream of people flowed through the streets.

As far as the eye could see, there was a veritable sea of people, a mass of bobbing heads.

With the grand martial arts gathering drawing near, more and more people were showing up in Celestial Star City.

Seeing the dense, dark sea of heads, Fang Xing chose to steer clear.

It was too crowded, and he couldn’t be bothered to shove his way through the throng.

A short while later, he arrived at a viewing platform on the island.

Looking at the Divine Statue of the Sea God in the distance, Fang Xing could sense the potent Power of Incense emanating from it.

In the end, however, he suppressed the impulse in his heart.

Although the Power of Incense was tempting, the risks were even greater.

Besides, this was a gathering place for masters, and he had no desire to be singled out.

"Fang Xing?"

Just then, an uncertain voice called out from behind him.

Fang Xing turned to look, and a figure in a purple robe came into view.

Nangong Qing!

Fang Xing looked at the nearby figure, his face a mask of astonishment.

And seeing Fang Xing, Nangong Qing was equally stunned.

Their gazes met.

It was as if time froze in that instant.

Nangong Qing closed the distance in a single stride, coming to a stop before him.

"It really is you, kid! Haha! I didn’t expect to see you here."

Nangong Qing was beaming.

Fang Xing broke into a smile as well.

He was happy to see Nangong Qing, too.

Back in the Jiang Province Observatory, Nangong Qing had looked out for him.

"Uncle Qing, long time no see," Fang Xing said with a wide smile.

Nangong Qing looked at him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah, it’s been over a year already since you left Jiang Province. But I’ve heard all about what you’ve been up to. You’ve really made a name for yourself, kid!"

"Impressive!"

Fang Xing smiled faintly. "It’s just a title. It doesn’t mean much."

Nangong Qing rolled his eyes. "A title that countless people would kill for, you mean."

Fang Xing just smiled and said nothing.

Nangong Qing studied him carefully for a moment, then his pupils contracted.

’True Gang Fifth Layer... The last time the Jianghu Times reported on him, his Cultivation was at the True Gang Fourth Layer, wasn’t it?’

Sensing Fang Xing’s aura, Nangong Qing’s heart gave a jolt.

Ever since Fang Xing had appeared on the Hidden Dragon List, he had been following it closely.

He paid attention every time the Hidden Dragon List was updated, and the last update had been just over a month or two ago.

In just one or two short months, the change had been this staggering!