Foundation

Fang Xuan woke from his earlier state and felt that his strength had increased noticeably.

Fang Xuan knew his own strength well. Previously, he could barely draw an eighty-jin bow, but now his strength had increased by more than twofold.

That was downright astonishing.

The Tenth Level of Body Refinement had long been common knowledge throughout the Great Li Dynasty. Crossing from the Technique Realm into the Suppleness Realm could increase one's strength, but at most by a hundred jin. Those with exceptional talent might gain a little more, but only to a limited extent. Yet Fang Xuan had gained more than two hundred jin of strength.

Fang Xuan's face lit up with wild delight. He understood that this was the benefit of his increased foundation.

For a mouse to double its strength and for an elephant to double its strength were entirely different concepts.

"Good, good, good! I never expected my Golden Finger to be this effective. The next realm is the Divine Strength Realm. Once I reach it, I'll possess several thousand jin of strength. I wonder whether, with my foundation, I'll be even stronger then?" Fang Xuan said excitedly.

Though excited, Fang Xuan did not lose himself in it. The earlier realms were easy enough to break through, but the Divine Strength Realm was somewhat difficult.

Several thousand jin of strength was One Horse Strength in the Profound Yellow Great World. To reach the Divine Strength Realm, one needed vast amounts of food and medicinal pills for nourishment.

"No rush. Take it slowly."

Two hours of cultivation had left Fang Xuan somewhat exhausted, though his spirits remained high. He went straight to the well, rinsed himself with cold water, then returned to his room to rest.

The next morning, he rose by force of habit and hurried toward Myriad Phenomena Garden.

Ever since learning that this was the Eternal Life Great World, Fang Xuan had never once slacked off in his training.

This world was far too terrifying. Without strength, one could not even control one's own fate.

Just thinking about those demonic cultivators made his scalp tingle. To cultivate divine abilities or refine magical artifacts, they slaughtered hundreds of thousands of mortals on a whim. Some fiends even massacred entire worlds.

Fang Xuan was not the earliest to arrive at Myriad Phenomena Garden. That familiar white figure was already standing in the center, continuously throwing punches at the Blue Granite.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every muffled impact seemed to strike against everyone's hearts. Her stamina was endless; the longer she fought, the more spirited and formidable she became.

Accompanied by firecracker-like cracks through the air, palm prints appeared one after another on the Blue Granite, which was as hard as raw iron.

Fang Xuan unconsciously swallowed. The excitement of breaking through the previous night was extinguished as if by a bucket of cold water.

The gap was simply too great.

If that palm struck him, broken muscles and bones would be the least of it. His internal organs would probably be shattered outright.

Still, Fang Xuan did not belittle himself. One day, he would stand above All Heavens and look down upon all living beings.

He found an open spot and began his training for the day.

Rather than training strength as usual, he began to display the power of the Pine Crane Longevity Fist after entering the Suppleness Realm. Even the simplest move, Crane Claw Imprints Sand, could break an enemy's muscles and bones with a single grasp.

The Suppleness Realm focused more on practicing techniques. To enter the Divine Strength Realm, one needed to consume large amounts of food and medicinal pills for nourishment.

There was no need to worry about that. As the foremost great clan in Dragon Abyss Province, the Fang Family provided different treatment for disciples at every stage of cultivation. It was not something those scattered martial artists of the jianghu could compare to.

"Fang Xuan, why do I feel that the Pine Crane Longevity Fist you're practicing is different from yesterday?" Fang Hong asked in confusion, having appeared beside him at some point.

Fang Xuan withdrew his stance and stood straight, smiling. "How is it different?"

"I can't explain it. It just feels more lively. That White Crane Spreads Wings move just now felt as though there really were a white crane standing in front of me," Fang Hong said.

"Haha, you have a good eye."

Fang Hong suddenly seemed to realize something. His eyes widened, and his face filled with disbelief as he cried out, "You... you... you couldn't have... How is that possible? It hasn't been long at all. How could you be this fast?"

Perhaps Fang Hong had spoken too loudly. Giant Spirit Hand Fang Tong, who was not far away, frowned and rebuked, "Fang Hong, Fang Xuan, what are you two doing? Making such a racket—have you no sense of propriety?"

In the past, Fang Hong would have cowered like a quail after being reprimanded by Giant Spirit Hand Fang Tong. Today, however, Fang Xuan had shocked him so much that he lost all restraint. He shouted, "Uncle Tong, look at Fang Xuan! He seems to have reached the Suppleness Realm!"

Giant Spirit Hand Fang Tong was also taken aback. His gaze fixed on Fang Xuan, and the next instant, he stepped forward. In a flash, he crossed dozens of paces while reaching out to seize Fang Xuan's arm.

Crane Claw Imprints Sand.

Fang Xuan was all too familiar with this technique, but neither its power nor execution was anything he could compare to.

In an instant, Fang Xuan's ten toes gripped the ground. The two great muscles near his shoulder blades trembled, his spine rose like a great dragon, and his arms swept before his chest.

Immortal Crane Shakes Feathers.

Giant Spirit Hand Fang Tong's right hand was knocked aside, while Fang Xuan used the opportunity to leap back dozens of paces.

Giant Spirit Hand Fang Tong's eyes lit up. He laughed heartily. "Good lad! The strength of your waist, legs, bones, back muscles, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and palms has become one. Your qi and blood are harmonized, hard and soft balanced together. Good, good, good! You truly have reached the Suppleness Realm. Not bad, not bad at all."

Their brief exchange had already drawn the attention of everyone else in Myriad Phenomena Garden. When they heard that Fang Xuan had reached the fourth level of Body Refinement, the Suppleness Realm, they were all deeply shocked.

Two months ago, Fang Xuan had only just entered the Technique Realm. Yet in such a short time, he had crossed into the Suppleness Realm again. This... this was far too fast.

Well, it wasn't that fast.

Compared to Big Sister, he was still a little slow.

But he couldn't be compared to Big Sister. Big Sister was a monster.

Fang Xuan also put on a bashful expression and chuckled.

Fang Hong excitedly threw an arm around Fang Xuan's shoulders and asked enviously, "Fang Xuan, how did you do it?"

"I don't know either. Last night before going to sleep, I practiced a round of boxing in the courtyard. Then I suddenly remembered what Uncle Tong had taught before, and that was it," Fang Xuan said.

"And that was it?"

"And that was it."

"You didn't eat any heavenly treasures?"

Smack!

Giant Spirit Hand Fang Tong slapped Fang Hong on the back of the head and scolded with a laugh, "Instead of practicing properly, you're always thinking about heavenly treasures. Where would there be so many such things for you to eat? Get back and train. Fang Xuan, come with me."

"Yes."

Everyone watched Fang Xuan follow behind Giant Spirit Hand Fang Tong with envy. They knew he was going to report to the family head and, incidentally, receive his subsequent cultivation resources.

Having cultivated to the Suppleness Realm, even if he could not enter the Yuhua Sect to cultivate immortal arts, he would still be assigned to some cushy, well-paid post when sent out in the future.

"Enough staring. Since Fang Xuan can enter the Suppleness Realm, so can we. Hurry up and train!" Fang Yan called out loudly to the gathered onlookers.

Afterward, he returned to his own spot and continued practicing. As for Fang Qingxue, dressed in white, she had remained immersed in her own world from beginning to end, indifferent to everything that had just happened.