Half a Year

With ample funds, Shen Fan no longer had to go out and earn money. With a stable environment, he no longer had to worry about getting caught up in fights.

And so, Shen Fan devoted himself to practicing martial arts at the Martial Hall.

The Startling Swan Art soon broke through to mastery, and his realm advanced to the Blood Condensation Realm. He could now project his qi and blood beyond his body, greatly strengthening his offensive abilities.

Then Shen Fan spent all his silver on martial arts manuals from the Martial Hall, buying them frantically. He had long since outgrown the beginner-level techniques; the weakest he bought were third-rate, and he even purchased two second-rate manuals.

Moreover, since the Martial Hall's income was poor, it had halved the price of its manuals to attract disciples. That meant Shen Fan could buy twice as many manuals for the same amount of money!

After spending two hundred taels of silver, Shen Fan had acquired two second-rate manuals and ten third-rate ones. In the end, he had only a few dozen taels left in case of emergencies.

And so, Shen Fan plunged headfirst into the ocean of martial arts, training diligently every day.

Two months after Shen Fan broke through to the Blood Condensation Realm, Li An, who had been following him, successfully entered Skin Refining and became his junior brother in truth.

Shen Fan took fairly good care of this junior brother of his.

And he never held anything back when teaching him.

They ate together, rested together, and practiced martial arts together. Their relationship grew ever closer, until they seemed like true brothers.

But only Li An understood that he wasn't worthy of being Senior Brother Shen's brother. He was always chasing after Shen Fan, giving it everything he had, yet all he could do was watch Shen Fan go farther and farther ahead!

Shen Fan was the idol he would pursue for the rest of his life.

Shen Fan had no idea what Li An was thinking. Although he considered Li An a friend, he couldn't possibly know everything about him.

Most of the time, Shen Fan was immersed in his own world.

Day after day, another half year passed in the blink of an eye. At last, Shen Fan had mastered every martial arts manual he had acquired!

When he opened his Attribute Panel, it was a magnificent sight!

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 27 (Martial Dao Prodigy)

Lifespan: 260

Martial Arts: Savage Bull Fist (Mastery), True Combined Strength (Mastery), Three Yuan Art (Mastery), Ape Strike Technique (Mastery), Thousand Mechanisms Hand (Mastery), Iron Shirt (Proficient), Startling Swan Art (Mastery), Great River True Scripture (Mastery), Sea Wave Fist (Mastery), Evergreen Cultivation Method (Not Initiated)...

Realm: Viscera Refining

Half a year of arduous training had finally brought him to the Martial Hall's highest level.

His mastery of all those techniques had granted him eighty years of lifespan and four points of aptitude.

In the later stages, third-rate techniques could no longer increase his lifespan or aptitude, and even second-rate techniques added very little.

That meant low-level techniques were no longer of much use to him. They could only broaden his repertoire and deepen his foundations.

His lifespan had reached the astonishing age of 260 years, far surpassing the limit of an Innate Martial Artist. As for the lifespan of those in even higher realms, Shen Fan didn't know.

His aptitude had reached 27 points. Though he was still rated a Martial Dao Prodigy, Shen Fan knew that an aptitude of 27 was at least five times greater than one of 20!

The further he advanced, the more terrifying the gains from each additional point of aptitude became.

But he had reached the Martial Hall's limit. Shen Fan knew that if he wanted to continue improving, he would have to leave the Martial Hall and seek out better techniques!

The Hall Master surely had first-rate techniques, but Shen Fan had no intention of taking them, much less stealing them by force.

After all, the Martial Hall had raised him. He owed it a debt of gratitude.

Standing beneath an old pagoda tree, Shen Fan quietly considered his future.

In the distance, the sun rose in the east. The warm morning light spilled across the land and over his face, stirring something in his heart.

"It's time to leave..."

Shen Fan sighed and made his decision.

In truth, the Martial Hall's situation had grown worse and worse over the past six months. The benefits for its disciples had dwindled, and many had already slipped away in secret.

Insufficient income bred resentment among the disciples, so many left, further weakening the Martial Hall. Without enough force to back it up, the Martial Hall's territory and businesses shrank, and its income plummeted even more.

And so the Martial Hall had fallen into a vicious cycle, declining step by step until it finally vanished from Laiyang City.

That must have been what City Lord Huang Ling had anticipated from the beginning!

The Martial Halls' strength kept declining, but there was one exception: Kaishan Martial Arts School.

Over the past six months, Kaishan Martial Arts School and the City Lord's Mansion had been interacting with increasing frequency. They were practically in the same bed.

Members of the two factions even addressed each other as brothers whenever they met.

To anyone with a discerning eye, Kaishan Martial Arts School had clearly thrown in its lot with the City Lord's Mansion long ago.

And that was indeed the case. Chang Yuchun had secretly pledged himself to Huang Ling long ago. The main reason he had kept the name Kaishan Martial Arts School was to recruit disciples from the other Martial Halls!

That was right. The benefits at Kaishan Martial Arts School hadn't diminished; they had only grown more enticing, naturally drawing more and more people to join.

The other three great Martial Halls were envious when they saw this. They thought that since the Four Great Martial Arts Schools shared a common bond, joining Kaishan Martial Arts School might not be such a bad decision.

And so, over the past six months, the number of disciples at Kaishan Martial Arts School had nearly doubled, a stark contrast to the desolation at the other Martial Halls.

As for stopping them, that was even more impossible. With the City Lord's Mansion backing Kaishan Martial Arts School, who would dare actually lay a hand on them?

Besides, the leaders of the various Martial Halls were still in seclusion. With no one to lead them, the others could only watch it all unfold in silence.

All they could do was hope that their Hall Masters would enter the Innate realm, so they could instantly reclaim everything they had lost!

Shen Fan soon sought out Steward Zhang, Zhang Yunhu, who was in charge of the disciples' affairs.

Seeing how much older Steward Zhang looked after just half a year, Shen Fan couldn't help sighing. He composed himself, then said, "Steward Zhang, I wish to leave the Martial Hall. Please grant me permission!"

Zhang Yunhu glanced at Shen Fan and remained silent. Over the past six months, he had heard too many similar words and seen too many promising juniors off.

"Even you're leaving?" Zhang Yunhu sighed.

"Go on, then. Go to Kaishan Martial Arts School. The conditions there really are excellent," Zhang Yunhu said listlessly.

But Shen Fan replied, "You've misunderstood, Steward Zhang. I'm not joining them. I just want to go out and test myself, to see this new world!"

Zhang Yunhu's weary frame straightened abruptly. He raised his head and studied Shen Fan carefully, sensing no sign that the young man was lying.

"Do you know what you're saying? Once you leave Laiyang City, no one will protect you!"

"Do you know how chaotic the world outside is? Warlords wage war, bandits are everywhere, and human lives... are truly no more than blades of grass!"

"This disciple understands. But I'm still young, and I feel I have to go out and test myself!"

Looking at Shen Fan's resolute eyes, Zhang Yunhu suddenly felt that once this young man went out, he would be a hidden dragon breaking free from the depths, soaring straight into the heavens.

For the past six months, he had been buried in trivial affairs and had no time to look after this disciple, whom he had once regarded highly.

Looking at Shen Fan, he suddenly felt old.

"Enough, enough. If you want to go, then go! Take this bottle of Qi and Blood Elixirs as a gift from the Martial Hall. May your path in martial arts flourish!"

Zhang Yunhu chose to support him. He vaguely remembered sensing that this disciple had reached Bone Forging. By now, he must have reached the peak of Bone Forging!

If so, he truly had the strength to go out and make his way in the world.

This bottle of Qi and Blood Elixirs should help him break through to the Blood Condensation Realm sooner. It was the last thing I can do for him.

Shen Fan hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he accepted the bottle of elixirs.

For some reason, Steward Zhang made him feel the familiar warmth of an elder.

With a small bundle on his back, Shen Fan took one last look at the gate behind him, then left without looking back.