Half a Year

With ample funds, Shen Fan no longer needed to go out to earn money. With a stable environment, he no longer had to worry about conflict.

Just like that, Shen Fan practiced martial arts in the martial arts hall with peace of mind.

The Startling Swan Art soon broke through to the Great Completion stage, and his realm followed suit, breaking through to the Blood Condensation realm. With the ability to project his Qi and blood, his offensive capabilities were greatly enhanced.

Then, Shen Fan used all his silver to frantically purchase martial arts manuals from the hall. He no longer looked at entry-level ones; the worst he bought were third-rate, and he even purchased two second-rate manuals.

Moreover, because the martial arts hall's income was poor, they had halved the price of their secret manuals to attract disciples. This 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 manuals. In the end, he only had a few dozen taels left for emergencies.

Just like that, Shen Fan dove headfirst into the ocean of martial arts, practicing tirelessly every day.

Li An, who followed him, successfully stepped into the Skin Refining stage two months after Shen Fan reached Blood Condensation, becoming his true Junior Brother.

Shen Fan took good care of this Junior Brother.

He never held back when it came to teaching him.

The two ate together, rested together, and practiced together. Their relationship grew closer and closer, as if they had become true brothers.

But only Li An understood that he was not worthy of being Senior Brother Shen's brother, because he was always chasing after Shen Fan's footsteps, trying his best only to watch Shen Fan walk further and further away!

Shen Fan was the idol he would spend his whole life pursuing.

Shen Fan was unaware of Li An's thoughts. Although he treated Li An as a friend, he could not possibly understand everything.

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

Day after day, half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and Shen Fan finally practiced all the martial arts manuals in his possession to the Great Completion stage!

Pulling up his attribute panel, one would find it had become incredibly luxurious!

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 27 (Martial Dao Prodigy)

Lifespan: 260

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

Realm: Organ Refining

This half-year of hard training finally brought his realm to the top tier of the martial arts hall.

With all his techniques at Great Completion, they granted him eighty years of lifespan and 4 points of aptitude.

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

This indicated that low-level cultivation techniques were no longer of much use to him; they could only serve to enrich his repertoire and strengthen his foundation.

His lifespan had reached a terrifying 260 years, far exceeding the limits of a Xiantian Martial Artist. As for the lifespans of martial artists at higher realms, Shen Fan did not know.

His Aptitude had reached 27 points. Although it was still rated as a Martial Dao Prodigy, Shen Fan knew that this 27-point Aptitude was at least five times better than a 20-point Aptitude!

The further one progressed, the more terrifying the improvement gained from each additional point of Aptitude became.

However, he had basically reached the limit of what the martial arts school could offer. Shen Fan knew that if he wanted to continue improving, he would have to leave the school and seek out better cultivation techniques!

Although the School Master certainly possessed first-class techniques, Shen Fan had no designs on them, nor did he wish to resort to trickery or force.

After all, the school had nurtured him, and he owed them a debt of gratitude.

Standing beneath an old locust tree, Shen Fan quietly pondered his future.

In the distance, the sun rose in the east, casting warm morning light across the earth and onto his face, stirring a sense of trepidation in his heart.

It is time to leave...

Shen Fan sighed and made his decision.

In truth, the situation at the martial arts school had been deteriorating over the past six months. The benefits for disciples had dwindled, and many had already slipped away in secret.

Insufficient income led to disciple dissatisfaction, and as many left, the school's strength was further weakened. Without sufficient martial force, the territory and businesses held by the school shrank, and income plummeted even further.

Thus, the school fell into a vicious cycle, sliding step by step until it would eventually vanish from Laiyang City.

And this, presumably, was what City Lord Huang Ling had anticipated from the start!

The strength of the martial arts schools was growing weaker, but there was one exception: the Kaishan Martial Arts School.

Over the past six months, the Kaishan Martial Arts School and the City Lord's Mansion had been interacting with increasing frequency; they were practically joined at the hip.

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

To any discerning eye, it was clear that the Kaishan Martial Arts School had likely defected to the City Lord's Mansion long ago.

And the facts were indeed as they appeared. Chang Yuchun had secretly pledged allegiance to Huang Ling long ago. The reason he still kept the name of the Kaishan Martial Arts School was primarily to absorb disciples from other schools!

Indeed, because the benefits at the Kaishan Martial Arts School had not decreased—but had instead become increasingly attractive—it naturally drew more and more people to join.

When people from the other three great martial arts schools saw this, they were naturally envious. Thinking that the four great schools were all of one branch, they felt that joining the Kaishan Martial Arts School seemed like a decent decision.

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

As for stopping them, that was even more impossible. With the City Lord's Mansion standing behind them, who would dare to actually take action?

Moreover, the leaders of the various martial arts schools were still in seclusion. Without anyone to lead them, the others could only watch this scene unfold in silence.

These people could only hope that their master would be able to step into the Xiantian realm, as that would instantly allow them to recover everything they had lost!

Shen Fan soon sought out Steward Zhang Yunhu, who was in charge of managing disciple affairs.

Looking at Steward Zhang, who had aged significantly over the past six months, Shen Fan couldn't help but sigh. He composed himself and spoke up, "Steward Zhang, I wish to leave the martial arts school. Please grant me your permission!"

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

"Are you leaving too?" Zhang Yunhu sighed.

"Go on then, go to Kaishan Martial Arts School. Their conditions are indeed very good!" Zhang Yunhu said listlessly.

But to his surprise, Shen Fan replied, "Steward Zhang, you have misunderstood. I am not planning to join them; I simply wish to go out and explore, to see this new world!"

Zhang Yunhu's weary body suddenly straightened. He raised his head and looked at Shen Fan carefully, feeling that the person before him had no intention of lying.

"Do you know what you are saying? Once you leave Laiyang City, there will be no one left to protect you!"

"Do you know how chaotic the world outside is? Warlords are fighting, bandits are rampant, and human life is truly as cheap as grass!"

"This disciple understands, but I feel that I am still young, and I must go out and forge my own path!"

Looking at Shen Fan's determined eyes, Zhang Yunhu was struck by the feeling that once this youth went out, he would surely be like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, destined to soar into the sky.

For the past six months, he had been bogged down by trivial matters and had been unable to manage this disciple, whom he had once held in high regard.

Looking at Shen Fan, he suddenly felt a sense of old age creeping upon him.

"Fine, fine, if you must go, then go! Take this bottle of Qi and Blood Elixir as a parting gift from the school. I wish you prosperity on your martial path!"

Zhang Yunhu chose to support him. He vaguely remembered that he had sensed this disciple's strength reaching the Bone Forging realm some time ago; compared to now, he must be at the peak of Bone Forging!

Since that was the case, he certainly had the strength to go out and venture into the world.

Giving him this bottle of Qi and Blood Elixir should help him break through to Blood Condensation faster. This was the last thing he could do for him.

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

For some reason, he felt a familiar sense of elder-like care from this Steward Zhang.

Carrying a small pack on his back, Shen Fan took one last look at the gate behind him, then turned and left with firm resolve.