Sword Art at Great Accomplishment, Tenth Place

"If the silver were stolen..."

After the excitement subsided, Fang Han began to fret over gains and losses. Though this was the Fang Clan residence and theft was unlikely,

he had never seen so much silver in either this life or his previous one. With so much silver sitting in his room, he could not help but worry.

"Recharge."

Taking a deep breath, Fang Han deposited seven hundred taels of silver into the System Panel, leaving only seventy-seven taels for emergencies.

The System Panel immediately changed.

[Host: Fang Han]

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 4x (Level 3 amplification requires 1,000 silver)]

[Sword Art Talent Amplification: 4x (Level 3 amplification requires 1,000 silver)]

[Possessed Wealth: 700 silver]

"Now I don't have to worry about it being stolen!"

Seeing the seven hundred taels lying within the System Panel, Fang Han finally let out a complete sigh of relief.

Once silver entered the System Panel, let alone bandits or thieves, even he himself could not take it back out.

Because the System Panel could only accept deposits, not withdrawals.

"Five taels a month... that'll take more than three years..."

Fang Han calculated silently.

At present, he was still short two hundred and twenty-three taels of the one thousand taels required to activate Level 3 Talent Amplification.

He received five taels of monthly allowance each month. Under normal circumstances, it would take more than three full years to scrape together that sum.

Naturally, he was unwilling to wait that long, and began considering ways to obtain silver more quickly.

"Clan rewards?"

The thought flashed through his mind, only for Fang Han to dismiss it at once.

The previous two generous rewards had been exceptions among exceptions. He had only received them because he had won great face for the clan at crucial moments. Such opportunities could be encountered but not sought, and could not be relied upon as a regular source.

"The Martial Dao Stele's top ten..."

Fang Han thought of the rewards for the Martial Dao Stele's top ten.

Ordinary Inner Hall disciples could only receive five taels of silver each month, but the top ten on the Martial Dao Stele were different.

Once one entered the Martial Dao Stele's top ten, one would not only receive a personal Martial Dao Room and no longer need to share a training ground with other Inner Hall disciples, but would also receive generous monthly rewards.

Moreover, the higher the ranking, the richer the rewards.

If he could enter the Martial Dao Stele's top ten, he would surely greatly shorten the time needed to accumulate silver.

"With my current strength, if I take the Martial Dao Stele test, entering the top twenty shouldn't be a problem. But there should still be quite a gap between me and the top ten."

Fang Han calmly assessed himself.

There was currently a gap between him and the top ten, but it was not an insurmountable one.

"If I can raise my realm to Tendon Refining Late-Stage, or break through with the Breeze Sword Art to the realm of Great Accomplishment..."

Fang Han estimated that whether he raised his realm to Tendon Refining Late-Stage or broke through with the Breeze Sword Art to Great Accomplishment, either would greatly improve his ranking and bring him into the top ten.

And entering the top ten was currently his most likely way to increase his monthly income.

With his goal clear, Fang Han cast aside all distracting thoughts and began his daily frenzied training.

In the days that followed, the Inner Hall disciples at the Martial Arts Arena made a surprising discovery.

Fang Han, who had just defeated Lin Jiao, become famous throughout Liangshui City, and been praised by outsiders as the Fang Clan's "Qilin Child," had not grown the slightest bit lax or complacent. Instead, he trained even harder than before.

Time slipped away quietly.

More than ten days later, as Fang Han practiced the "Breeze Piercing Forest" move, one he had long since committed to heart, in a corner of the Martial Arts Arena, a sudden change occurred!

The instant the sword tip thrust out, the air seemed to be sucked dry in an instant. A highly condensed burst of force silently left the blade.

"Hiss—!"

Like cold lightning splitting the sky, it left a clear, straight sword mark on the hard bluestone slab more than a zhang away, over an inch deep.

Compared with the nearly powerless burst of force he had produced when his sword art was at Proficiency, this one possessed considerable might, enough to threaten a martial artist in the Flesh Refining Realm.

Of course, what mattered most was that this burst of force was unaffected by the sword's length, making it impossible to guard against.

"Breeze Sword Art at Great Accomplishment!"

Light shone in Fang Han's eyes. With the power of this burst of force, his Breeze Sword Art had surely advanced from Proficiency to Great Accomplishment.

"More than a month!"

Fang Han made a quick calculation in his heart. Advancing his sword art from Proficiency to Great Accomplishment had taken more than a month.

It seemed somewhat long, but considering how difficult it was to advance one's sword art realm, it was in fact astonishingly short.

Fang Xue, ranked second on the Martial Dao Stele and hailed as a sword art genius, had taken more than half a year to raise her sword art from Proficiency to Great Accomplishment.

As for ordinary Inner Hall disciples, even by the time they entered the Inner Hall at sixteen and left it at twenty, their sword arts often had still not reached Great Accomplishment.

"That burst of force actually left an inch-deep mark in bluestone. Great Accomplishment—this is definitely sword art at Great Accomplishment!"

"My heavens, how long has it been? How long did he take to go from Proficiency to Great Accomplishment?!"

"Senior Sister Fang Xue is praised as a sword art genius, yet she took more than half a year to go from Proficiency to Great Accomplishment, didn't she? Fang Han... took just over a month?"

"A monster... he's simply a monster!"

The Martial Arts Arena instantly erupted. Every Inner Hall disciple who witnessed the scene, whether newly admitted or from earlier classes, drew a sharp breath.

They understood all too well how difficult it was to advance in sword art realm. A speed like Fang Han's was something they had never heard of!

"Worthy indeed of fourfold Sword Art Talent Amplification. It allowed me to advance my sword art from Proficiency to Great Accomplishment in just over a month!"

Feeling the unprecedented smoothness and responsiveness of the longsword in his hand, as well as the razor-sharp burst of force that had just flickered from its tip, Fang Han's heart surged with emotion.

Fourfold Sword Art Talent Amplification was truly heaven-defying.

His burning gaze turned toward the courtyard where the Martial Dao Stele stood.

"It's time to see whether the current me can squeeze into the top ten!"

Once the thought arose, he no longer hesitated. Carrying this Refined Iron Sword used for practice, he strode toward the Martial Dao Stele Courtyard.

"Is Fang Han going to the Martial Dao Stele?"

"Quick, follow him! Great Accomplishment sword art combined with Tendon Refining Mid-Stage—his ranking is definitely going to soar!"

"Top ten... he might be challenging the top ten!"

The atmosphere in the Martial Arts Arena was instantly set ablaze. Numerous Inner Hall disciples immediately set aside their training and followed Fang Han.

Those with quick minds realized that today might witness a dramatic upheaval in the rankings, and hurried to notify the top ten disciples who possessed their own Martial Dao Rooms.

By the time Fang Han arrived before the Martial Dao Stele, quite a few disciples had gathered behind him to watch the spectacle.

Without the slightest hesitation, he extended his index finger and steadily wrote the two characters "Fang Han" upon the cold jade surface of the stele.

Then his gaze instantly became incomparably focused and sharp.

"Breeze Piercing Sun!"

The Breeze Sword Art at Great Accomplishment erupted with full force.

The sword light was no longer a simple streak, but transformed into an extremely condensed white stream of light that seemed capable of piercing through all things.

The power of Tendon Refining Mid-Stage flooded forth without reservation. The sword tip tore through the air with a shrill sound like silk being ripped apart, striking the center of the Martial Dao Stele with fierce force.

"Bzzzz—!!!"

The Jade Stele shook violently, its light flashing with extreme brilliance. The entire courtyard seemed to tremble faintly with it.

Everyone's hearts rose into their throats as their gazes locked tightly onto the stele's surface.

The number behind "Fang Han" began to leap wildly, soaring all the way upward.

Fifty... forty... thirty... twenty... fifteen... eleven... Finally, the light faded, and the number settled at tenth place!