Treasure Saber!!

Zhou Hai shook his head,

"Senior Brother, I've heard about this too, but I don't know the details."

"When I asked my father about it before, he seemed deeply evasive and only told me not to ask any further."

"This matter may not be simple, but I heard my father say that they only target people with no family or ties. So, Senior Brother, you shouldn't worry too much."

Fang Chen's brows drew tightly together,

As expected, this wasn't a simple case of people going missing!

But the seriousness of the matter was somewhat beyond his expectations. He hadn't thought that even Zhou Hai would be unable to find out any more specific information.

The waters here seemed far too deep.

Zhou Hai's reassurance did nothing to ease Fang Chen's vigilance.

For now, they only captured people with no family or ties and fabricated disappearances. This could only mean that they didn't want to make too much noise.

But what about later?

Who could guarantee that the people behind this wouldn't also target those with families?

He was still too weak...

Fang Chen let out a soft sigh and stopped chatting, throwing himself into practicing the Tiger Subduing Fist.

Only ever-increasing proficiency could give him a sense of security!

An entire afternoon passed in the blink of an eye.

Fang Chen looked at the panel, thoroughly satisfied.

Next, he was going to follow Zhou Hai to collect the treasure saber!

The two walked along while chatting and soon arrived at a large weapons shop,

It was three or four times larger than the weapons shop Fang Chen had visited before.

Zhou Hai introduced it with a smile: "This is the largest weapons shop under the Three Rivers Gang. Besides supplying weapons to some gang members, it also sells to outsiders."

Fang Chen nodded and walked inside.

The shopkeeper immediately came over and first saluted Zhou Hai beside him,

"Young Gang Leader!"

Then he turned to Fang Chen and cupped his hands. "You must be Young Master Fang. The treasure saber has already been prepared for you."

With that, the shopkeeper turned around.

He lifted a sheathed saber from a rack covered in thick felt and carefully carried it over.

Fang Chen accepted it and gently ran his palm over the scabbard.

The scabbard was made of thick ebony, glossy with oil, and exuded a steady, restrained aura.

He slowly drew the blade.

"Shing—"

A low yet exceptionally clear metallic scrape rang out, carrying a cold, hard quality.

The blade was fully revealed.

Sharp! Cold!

That was Fang Chen's first impression.

Then he gave it a light swing and found the saber somewhat light in his hand.

It was extremely well suited to the Gale Saber Technique!

Fang Chen was delighted. It truly was a treasure saber! He cupped his fists toward Zhou Hai once more.

"Thank you, Junior Brother!"

Zhou Hai waved his hand and said with a smile:

"I'm glad you like it, Senior Brother."

Time passed quickly, and it was already the fifth day since the wager had been established!

Today, he could train the Gale Saber Technique to minor mastery! The Tiger Subduing Fist should be about there too!

The closer he got to this point, the less he could afford to rush.

Fang Chen still arrived at the martial academy early and continued practicing martial arts with full concentration.

After some time,

Tiger Subduing Fist proficiency +1!

By then, quite a few other disciples had also arrived at the martial academy.

Today, Fang Chen noticed that their discussions were unusually loud!

After all, tomorrow was the final day of the wager, and some disciples could no longer wait to watch Fang Chen make a fool of himself!

In a corner, several disciples were indeed discussing Fang Chen.

"How strange. Why is Fang Chen still so calm even now? That doesn't make sense..."

"It really is absurd. Isn't he completely afraid of being beaten by Senior Brother Wang? It's true that the wager says he won't be beaten to death, but Senior Brother Wang might not be able to control his strength. It'd be easy for him to accidentally beat Fang Chen to death!"

"I think he's already been scared witless. He has no idea what to do, so he can only comfort himself by practicing martial arts nonstop."

"He might've even deceived himself, thinking he really has what it takes to break through!"

Hearing this, the many disciples burst into laughter.

They didn't care at all whether Fang Chen would hear their words.

After all, in their eyes, even if Fang Chen wasn't beaten to death, his body would certainly be crippled.

Fang Chen would never again have the possibility of practicing martial arts, and thus would pose no threat to them!

Jiang Qiutong, standing nearby, also sighed helplessly when she heard this.

"I originally thought this Fang Chen would be somewhat different. In the end, he's just another vulgar person who cares about saving face. Someone like him won't go far in martial arts."

"I really was overthinking things before. I even thought his martial heart was as tenacious as mine."

Jiang Qiutong shook her head, unwilling to waste another thought on Fang Chen.

The crowd's discussions did not make Fang Chen stop practicing.

He only knew that by tomorrow, these voices would all become different.

"Fang Chen, tomorrow is the last day. Are you ready to be beaten by me?"

At that moment, Wang Yanshan suddenly walked over, his tone laced with mockery.

"You don't really think you can break through, do you?"

Fang Chen glanced at his panel, estimated the situation, and then said disdainfully, "Don't rush. Tomorrow morning, you'll know just how useless you are."

Wang Yanshan burst out laughing and turned to the disciples in the martial academy.

"Fine! Everyone heard that, right? Remember to come early tomorrow. If you arrive late, you won't get to enjoy watching me beat Fang Chen!"

Some disciples sighed sympathetically, some egged him on, and some shook their heads in speechless silence...

In the distance, Song Ming was also sneering.

"What should we have this Fang Chen do tomorrow?"

Song Ming was already thinking about what to do after winning the wager. He didn't believe Fang Chen had any chance left.

What everyone failed to notice was this:

Hong Decheng was watching Fang Chen practice his punches from afar.

"This kid... his qi and blood are abundant, his movements flow seamlessly, and there's faintly qi and blood swirling over his skin. He really is close to breaking through."

"Why is he so certain about when he'll break through? Or are those with exceptional comprehension simply able to do this?"

"It's just that I don't know whether he can actually break through..."

Despite the endless discussions around him, Fang Chen did not stop practicing martial arts.

The day was soon coming to an end.

Fang Chen continued practicing the Tiger Subduing Fist, fully focused.

The sky gradually darkened, and the disciples left one after another.

As they watched Fang Chen's diligent figure practicing martial arts and thought of the situation he would face tomorrow,

They suddenly found Fang Chen inexplicably pitiful.

At the end of the day, Fang Chen was just like them. His talent was lacking, so he could only make up for it with hard work.

But the disciples understood that reality was cruel.

With neither the right foundation nor sufficient resources, what could one achieve through hard work alone?

They had once practiced martial arts as diligently as Fang Chen, believing that diligence could make up for clumsiness.

But hadn't they ultimately accepted reality all the same?

Watching Fang Chen's figure practice martial arts, they couldn't help feeling that he was both pitiable and pathetic.

Fang Chen, however, knew nothing of their thoughts. He only knew that he was close to breaking through!

He finished another round of the Tiger Subduing Fist.

Tiger Subduing Fist proficiency +1

Fang Chen looked at the panel excitedly.

Martial Arts: Tiger Subduing Fist (Beginner 299/300); Gale Saber Technique (Beginner 145/150)

Just one more round, and the Tiger Subduing Fist would reach minor mastery!