Precious Saber!!

Zhou Hai shook his head.

"Senior Brother, I've heard about this matter too, but I'm not very clear on the details."

"When I asked my Dad earlier, he seemed to be deliberately vague and just told me not to ask too many questions."

"This matter might not be simple, but my Dad told me they only target those without relatives or friends, so Senior Brother, you probably don't need to worry too much."

Fang Chen's brow furrowed.

So it really wasn't a simple missing persons case!

But the severity of the situation was a bit beyond his expectations. He hadn't expected even Zhou Hai couldn't get more specific information.

The water here seemed too deep.

Zhou Hai's words of comfort didn't make Fang Chen relax his guard.

Currently, they were only targeting people without relatives or friends and faking missing person reports. This only indicated they didn't want to attract too much attention.

But what about later?

Who could guarantee that the people behind this wouldn't target those with families as well!

Still too weak...

Fang Chen sighed lightly and stopped chatting, throwing himself into practicing the Tiger Subduing Fist.

Only continuously increasing proficiency could bring him a sense of security!

An afternoon passed in a flash.

Fang Chen looked at the panel, feeling quite satisfied.

Next, he was going to get the precious saber with Zhou Hai!

The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived at a large weapon shop, three to four times bigger than the one Fang Chen had visited before.

Zhou Hai smiled and introduced, "This is the largest weapon shop under our Three Rivers Gang. Besides supplying some weapons to gang members, we also sell them to others."

Fang Chen nodded and walked in.

The shopkeeper immediately walked over and first bowed to Zhou Hai beside him.

"Young Gang Master!"

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

With that, the shopkeeper turned.

He picked up a sheathed long saber from a rack covered with thick velvet and carefully brought it over.

Fang Chen took it and gently brushed his palm over the scabbard.

The scabbard was made of heavy ebony, lustrous and oily, exuding a steady and restrained aura.

He slowly drew the blade out.

"Ching—"

A low yet exceptionally clear sound of metal friction echoed, carrying a cold and hard texture.

The blade was fully revealed.

Sharp! Cold!

This was Fang Chen's first impression.

Then he swung it lightly. The saber felt somewhat light in his hand, perfect for the Whirlwind Blade Technique!

Fang Chen was delighted. It truly was a precious saber! He clasped his hands towards Zhou Hai again.

"Thank you, Junior Brother!"

Zhou Hai waved his hand and said with a smile, "As long as Senior Brother likes it."

Time passed quickly, and it was already the fifth day since the wager was made!

Today, the Whirlwind Blade Technique would reach minor accomplishment! The Tiger Subduing Fist should be about the same!

The closer it got to this point, the more he couldn't rush.

Fang Chen still arrived at the martial arts school early, continuing to focus on practicing martial arts.

After a while, [Tiger Subduing Fist Proficiency +1]!

At this moment, many other disciples also arrived at the martial arts school.

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

After all, tomorrow is the last day of the bet, and some disciples can't wait to see Fang Chen make a fool of himself!

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

"How strange, why is Fang Chen still so calm now? That shouldn't be..."

"It's really absurd. Isn't he afraid of being beaten by Senior Brother Wang at all? Although the bet stipulated that he wouldn't be killed, Senior Brother Wang might not be able to control his strength and could easily kill him by accident!"

"I think he's already scared out of his wits and has no idea what to do, so he's just trying to comfort himself by practicing martial arts non-stop."

"Or maybe he's fooling himself, thinking he actually has the ability to break through!"

Upon hearing this, many disciples burst into laughter.

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

After all, in their eyes, even if Fang Chen wasn't killed, his body would surely be crippled.

Fang Chen would never be able to practice martial arts again, and to them, he would pose no threat!

Jiang Qiutong, standing nearby, sighed helplessly upon hearing their words.

"I thought this Fang Chen would be different, but it turns out he's just a vulgar person concerned with saving face. People like him won't get far on the Martial Path."

"I was overthinking it before, thinking he had a firm martial heart like me."

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

The discussions of the crowd did not stop Fang Chen from practicing.

He only knew that tomorrow, these voices would sound different.

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

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

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

Fang Chen glanced at his panel, made a quick estimation, and then said dismissively, "Don't rush. Tomorrow morning, you'll know just how useless you are."

Wang Yanshan laughed heartily and turned to the disciples in the martial arts school.

"Alright, did everyone hear that! Remember to come early tomorrow. If you're late, you won't get to see me beat up Fang Chen!"

Some disciples sighed with pity, some egged him on, and some shook their heads in silence...

From a distance, Song Ming sneered.

"What should I make Fang Chen do tomorrow after I win?"

Song Ming was already thinking about what to do after winning the bet, not believing for a moment that Fang Chen had any chance.

And what everyone didn't notice was, Hong Decheng was watching Fang Chen practice his punches from afar.

"This kid... his Blood Essence is abundant, his movements are fluid, and there's a faint aura of Blood Essence lingering on his skin and membranes. He's indeed close to breaking through."

"Why is he so certain about the timing of his breakthrough? Or is it that those with exceptional comprehension can do this?"

"I just don't know if he can actually break through..."

Despite the endless chatter, Fang Chen did not stop practicing.

The daytime was quickly drawing to a close.

Fang Chen continued to practice the Tiger Subduing Fist with intense focus.

As dusk settled, the disciples began to leave.

They looked at Fang Chen's diligent practice and then thought about the predicament he would face tomorrow.

For a moment, they actually felt a strange sense of pity for Fang Chen.

After all, Fang Chen, like them, lacked talent and could only rely on diligence to compensate.

But the disciples understood that reality was cruel.

With poor aptitude and insufficient resources, what could mere diligence achieve?

They too had practiced diligently like Fang Chen in the past, believing that hard work could make up for lack of skill.

But in the end, didn't they all accept reality?

Looking at Fang Chen practicing, they couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow and pity.

Fang Chen, however, was oblivious to their thoughts. He only knew that he was close to breaking through!

He finished another round of Tiger Subduing Fist.

[Tiger Subduing Fist Proficiency +1]

Fang Chen looked at his panel with a hint of excitement.

[Martial Arts]: Tiger Subduing Fist (Initiation 299/300); Whirlwind Blade Technique (Initiation 145/150)

Just one more practice, and Tiger Subduing Fist would reach minor accomplishment!