Breaking Through the Pass

"Trouble's come knocking again!"

Watching the Zhou Eldest Daughter humble herself, Fang Yuan felt utterly speechless inside.

When someone bows low, they seek something. This pair of Zhou siblings, enduring their pride to come today, were likely here for more than just an apology.

"Young Layman!"

Sure enough, Zhou Wenwu spoke next: "Our father is gravely ill. I wonder if the Young Layman could come take a look? Even if nothing can be done, my Zhou family, from top to bottom, will be grateful for your great kindness!"

Old Master Zhou was already on the brink of death. At this point, Zhou Wenwu begging Fang Yuan was like a desperate man grasping at straws.

"Oh, that's strange."

Fang Yuan was somewhat surprised: "With your family's connection to the Gui Ling Sect, didn't you ask them for help?"

"How could we not?"

Zhou Wenwu gave a bitter laugh: "The sect's physicians have seen him too, but they couldn't even name the illness. According to them, if Father's condition were as simple as it appears on the surface, it would never have reached this state... But unfortunately, the Sect Leader recently gained an excellent disciple and took her out to travel, visiting a certain Pill Master friend... Sigh... fate and timing..."

"I see!"

Fang Yuan's brow twitched slightly, then he spread his hands: "But I have only shallow medical skill. Even if I went, it would be useless!"

He cast a deep glance at the siblings: "I am powerless regarding your father's matter. My apologies. This humble valley is poor and cold; I won't keep you two guests."

With that, not waiting for the Zhou siblings to reply, he left them standing at the valley entrance and walked back leisurely.

"Second Brother... he..."

Only after Fang Yuan's figure vanished did Zhou Wenxin erupt: "Too... too arrogant, don't you think?"

"Hmm, the feeling he gives me is very strange..."

Zhou Wenwu stared toward the valley, a glint of eagerness in his eyes, but he ultimately held himself back: "This valley gives me a dangerous feeling... heavier than last time..."

"Could he really be a Spirit Scholar?"

Zhou Wenxin shuddered.

"No! It's different!"

Zhou Wenwu shook his head, a trace of dejection in his expression.

Truth be told, even with a family head serving as an Outer Sect Steward of the Gui Ling Sect, the Zhou family was hardly top-tier among the nearby clans.

Even worse, after their pillar fell, the clan members were in constant panic. At this point, even the Lin family, which had produced a beloved disciple of the Sect Leader, was beginning to overshadow them.

"Is my Zhou family... destined to decline like this, fading into obscurity?"

The mountain wind blew, making Zhou Wenwu shiver...

"Oh? They left?"

Not long after, Fang Yuan, who was practicing his palm strikes on a sandbag, received a report from the Flower Fox Ferret.

This Spiritual Beast had grown increasingly intelligent. It could mostly understand what he said and express meaning through some Limbs and Body language.

Fang Yuan estimated its intelligence was not far off from that of an ordinary ten-something-year-old child.

"The Zhou family matter is a muddy mess. If Old Master Lin wants to wade in, let him wade in himself..."

Fang Yuan let the thought turn in his mind, then set it aside and began preparing a meal.

Since he started practicing Martial Arts, his daily food needs had grown enormous. Fortunately, the Hidden Valley had plenty of stored grain to meet his needs.

Especially the Pearl Jade Crystal Rice, a top-grade item that greatly replenished vitality, firmly supporting Fang Yuan's consumption.

The night was hazy, and the moon gradually climbed into the starry sky.

Within the Hidden Valley, the sound of palm strikes continued unabated.

Sweat beaded on Fang Yuan's forehead, but he seemed oblivious, practicing the Black Sand Palm with meticulous precision.

In his heart, he had a vague premonition that this Martial Art would break through today!

"The first gate of the martial path is the Opening Gate. Only by breaking this gate can one become a true martial artist!"

The lingering taste of the Pearl Jade Crystal Rice's smooth, gentle flavor seemed to remain in Fang Yuan's mouth. A surge of heat rose from his abdomen, merging into his Limbs and Bones, forming a torrent.

"Inhale... exhale..."

"Inhale... exhale..."

With long, deep breaths, Fang Yuan felt strands of power gathering within him. The torrent raged, about to breach some barrier.

"Black Sand Palm!"

Suddenly, he shouted, and his right palm shot out.

Bang!

The sandbag burst apart, black medicinal sand scattering everywhere.

And In an instant, Fang Yuan felt a long-standing barrier within him shatter!

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, followed by a surge of warmth flooding his entire body, making him feel as if he had undergone a baptism from head to toe.

"The first gate of the Golden Lock Heavy Tower... finally achieved!"

Fang Yuan clenched his fists and roared up to the sky.

The first three gates of the Golden Lock Heavy Tower—Open, Rest, and Life—constituted the first minor realm in martial arts. Even if one failed to break through, it would never harm the practitioner, and success brought its own enhancements.

Basically, even an ordinary person, if they obtained the secret manual and practiced diligently day after day, accumulating effort over time, could potentially achieve the three-gate accomplishment.

But Fang Yuan had broken through the first gate in just a few days—this aptitude was already quite impressive.

It wasn't just talent; it was also the solid foundation laid over eighteen years!

After all, the Pearl Jade Crystal Rice and other precious fruits and vegetables hadn't been eaten for nothing.

"So... this is what it feels like to be a martial artist?"

Fang Yuan stood still, then looked at his own hands.

After breaking through one gate, he immediately felt an improvement in all his abilities, as if a layer of shackles had been torn away.

"For specific data, I still need to check the Attribute System!"

With a glance from the corner of his eye, the attribute panel appeared:

"Name: Fang Yuan Essence: 1.1 Qi: 1.1 Spirit: 1.5 Age: 18 Cultivation: First Gate of Martial Arts Skill: Black Sand Palm [First Layer] Specialties: Medical Skill [Level One], Planting Skill [Level Three]"

When he focused on the skill, an explanation of Black Sand Palm flashed through his mind:

"Black Sand Palm [First Layer]—An external cultivation technique. When mastered to perfection, the palm becomes as hard as steel, with enough power to shatter gold and break jade. A total of five layers, with the ability to attach a poison effect. Currently at the first layer."

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit all increased by 0.1?"

Fang Yuan pondered for a moment. "No... in terms of Divine Essence, there might also be the effect of the Heart-Questioning Tea..."

He roughly understood that this attribute represented his Physical Quality, and it would inevitably become more difficult as it increased.

Adding 0.1 to a base of 1.0 versus 1.4 were two completely different concepts and levels of difficulty.

"Breaking through and becoming a martial artist means a comprehensive improvement in physical quality?"

Even so, Fang Yuan was overjoyed.

"Most importantly, I've finally solidified Black Sand Palm into a skill!"

As long as this technique was recognized by the attribute panel, he could improve it mechanically through proficiency—the benefits of which were naturally indescribable.

Otherwise, if every martial art required insight and bottleneck breakthroughs, Fang Yuan reckoned he still had some distance to go before becoming one of those legendary martial geniuses who broke through at will.

"Unfortunately... I still can't see the proficiency bar, otherwise it would be much more intuitive..."

Fang Yuan sighed.

But then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed an empty progress bar appearing behind Black Sand Palm.

This progress bar looked somewhat blurry and only appeared when he stared at it with full concentration. If he let his attention waver even slightly, it would vanish.

"Is this... an original function? Or does this attribute table grow with my progress, unlocking more abilities?"

Fang Yuan understood that this progress bar was the so-called proficiency bar.

But since Black Sand Palm had just advanced, it was naturally at 0%. He then checked Medical Skill and Planting Skill, finding that Medical Skill had unknowingly reached about 70-80% completion, not far from its next upgrade. Planting Skill was also past halfway, confirming that obtaining Spiritual Fertilizer and planting spiritual seeds greatly aided the improvement of Planting Skill.

"Excellent. With this proficiency tracker, future improvements will be much more intuitive!"

After breaking through the shackles and stepping onto the true martial path, Fang Yuan felt his energy surging, all previous fatigue swept away. Driven by his excitement, he began a new round of training.

"Black Sand Palm!"

After practicing the set of palm techniques, Fang Yuan found a wooden plank to use as a target to test his power.

Unfortunately, when the Black Sand Palm struck, it only left a shallow, almost invisible mark, indicating that his skill in this area was still quite shallow.

"Attribute panel!"

In the attribute panel, the progress bar representing Black Sand Palm's proficiency had increased by a tiny amount—less than one ten-thousandth when quantified.

"Does this mean that if I practice it ten thousand more times, without needing any insight or bottleneck breakthroughs, I can advance to the second layer?"

The joy on Fang Yuan's face grew wider.

Of course, he also knew that this might be because Black Sand Palm itself was a relatively crude martial art.

At higher levels, he would likely need to meet certain conditions to fully complete the progress bar.

It was just like back when the Planting Skill was at Level Two—one had to obtain a spirit seed to break through to Level Three.

But compared to those martial artists stuck at a bottleneck for years or even decades without making any progress, this was already a tremendous improvement.

"Whether it's the attributes or the progress bar, everything is visible and tangible. As long as I work hard, there will always be a trace of progress!"

Fang Yuan sighed: "What virtue or ability do I possess? To be granted the fortune of the dream world and to enjoy such great blessings?"

Hard work brings rewards!

For many people, this is already something to be yearned for but unattainable.

Not to mention the Gold Finger of the attribute panel, along with the experience of an entire lifetime in the dream.

"One day, I will unravel this mystery!"

Fang Yuan's eyes were deep as he made up his mind.

Even with a stroke of luck, one must not assume that fate is on their side and become fearless from then on.

Since he enjoyed such great blessings, he should instead be all the more trembling with fear, as if treading on thin ice.

Right now, he had an urgent craving for power and ability, wanting to stand higher and see farther, so as to understand everything that had happened to him.

"The road is long and far—I will search high and low!"

In the night, the youth chanted to the moon, his face resolute. Beside him, a Flower Fox Ferret silently stared at this scene, half-understanding.