Astonishment

"Top ten! My heavens, Fang Han had charged straight into the top ten!"

"Fang Hong, who was tenth... had been pushed down!"

"A newcomer to the Inner Hall... actually made it into the top ten?!"

The courtyard instantly erupted. Exclamations, gasps, and incredulous discussions rose and fell one after another.

Like a colossal boulder plunging into a deep pool, it stirred towering waves within the Fang Clan's Inner Hall.

Whether they were newcomers to the Inner Hall or disciples who had entered in previous years, each of them looked at Fang Han as though he were a monster.

Those who could enter the Inner Hall had all been recognized by the clan as possessing talent in martial arts. Every one of them considered themselves a genius.

Yet the talent Fang Han displayed made them feel ashamed of their own inferiority.

The uproar in the Martial Dao Stele Courtyard, sparked by Fang Han's sudden charge into the top ten, had yet to subside.

"Tap, tap—"

Several figures with deep, steady auras and firm footsteps entered the courtyard in succession. They were precisely the Inner Hall disciples ranked in the top ten, drawn here by the commotion.

Their gazes immediately landed on the Martial Dao Stele, whose glow had not yet fully faded.

When they saw the two words "Fang Han" sitting high in tenth place, varying degrees of astonishment appeared on their faces.

"Tenth?"

Fang Mei, ranked ninth, raised her delicate brows slightly, a trace of surprise passing through her cool eyes.

Only at the end of last year had she pushed Fang Hong down to tenth, so she naturally knew the strength required to hold that rank. Fang Han's rate of advancement was simply terrifyingly fast.

"He had already entered the top ten..."

Fang Xue, Fang Hao, and the others ranked even higher also regarded him with greater scrutiny.

This disciple had entered the Inner Hall less than half a year ago, yet he could already stand alongside them in the top ten?

His talent was likely even more terrifying than the rumors outside claimed.

"Eleventh...?"

At that moment, however, one person in the crowd wore an exceptionally ugly expression, his face so livid it seemed water might drip from it.

He was Fang Hong, the former tenth-ranked disciple whom Fang Han had forcibly squeezed down to eleventh.

At the end of last year, Fang Mei had only just pushed him from ninth to tenth, and he had already been bottling up a bellyful of frustration.

And now, he could not even keep tenth place. He had actually been kicked down by a newcomer who had only recently entered the Inner Hall!

His fists clenched tightly, his knuckles giving off soft cracking sounds from the force. A fierce humiliation and unwillingness burned through his heart like poisonous fire.

"Now that Fang Hong has been pushed out of the top ten, I wonder how he feels..."

"This will be a good show!"

The disciples' eyes swept back and forth between Fang Han and Fang Hong. The atmosphere in the courtyard immediately became subtle and tense, and even the whispers fell quieter.

Everyone sensed something was coming, their gazes focusing on Fang Hong.

"Slap, slap—"

Sure enough, beneath countless watching eyes, Fang Hong suddenly gritted his teeth and began walking toward Fang Han, one heavy step at a time.

The air seemed to freeze. Some disciples even held their breaths, sensing that a conflict was about to erupt.

Yet the expected clash did not occur.

Fang Hong stopped when he was still several steps away from Fang Han.

"..."

Fang Hong's expression shifted uncertainly. His chest heaved violently several times, but in the end, he forcibly suppressed the rage that had nearly burst from his chest.

He was no fool. The Fang Han before him was no longer an ordinary Inner Hall disciple.

The importance the clan's higher-ups placed on him could be seen from the two generous rewards and Elder Fang Yuan's attitude.

If he were to clash head-on with him over the rankings now, the one who ultimately suffered would most likely be himself.

"Don't think this is secure!"

With that thought, Fang Hong gave a heavy snort and shot Fang Han an extremely complicated look.

There was anger in that gaze, and unwillingness, but even more than that, there was a helpless, stifled frustration.

After leaving behind those words, he strode forward abruptly, brushing past Fang Han.

He headed straight for the Martial Dao Stele and stopped before it.

He would test again!

Having his rank stolen humiliated him. He wanted to test again and seize tenth place back.

"They actually didn't come to blows!"

"Is Fang Hong going to... take it back?"

Quiet discussions rose in the courtyard. Everyone, including the top ten disciples, watched Fang Hong.

He took a deep breath and pressed his palm heavily against the cold stele surface. The two words "Fang Hong" appeared.

Then he exhaled with a shout. Every muscle in his body swelled as his strength erupted with a boom.

A powerful ultimate move of his fist technique smashed viciously into the Martial Dao Stele like a cannonball.

Boom!

The muffled sound was like a giant drum being struck. The Jade Stele's radiance flared brilliantly and flickered violently. Clearly, he had not held back in the slightest and had even surpassed his usual performance!

I have to take it back!

Fang Hong stared fixedly at the stele surface, his eyes full of hope and tension.

Light flowed, and the number after the words "Fang Hong" began to flicker.

But in the end, the number did not change. It remained fixed on that glaring rank—eleventh!

Silence. A deathly silence.

"His rank didn't change?!"

The color instantly drained from Fang Hong's face. His pupils dilated as he stared in disbelief at that utterly unmoving rank.

He had given it everything he had. He had even felt that, fueled by anger, he was in better form than ever before, yet he still... could not reclaim tenth place!

Enormous disappointment and an even deeper shame than before poured over him like ice water, leaving his entire body cold.

He felt as though all the gazes around him had turned into silent mockery, lashing viciously at his dignity.

His face went from green to white, then flushed red from white. He suddenly lowered his head and shoved his way through the crowd in utter disarray.

Staggering, he rushed out of the Martial Dao Stele Courtyard without looking back, vanishing from everyone's sight.

An anticipated conflict ended abruptly in such a sigh-inducing manner, leaving the watching Inner Hall disciples greatly surprised.

But the shock Fang Han had brought was far from over.

Before long, an instructor reported the news of Fang Han rising to tenth place to Elder Fang Yuan.

"What? Tenth?!"

Elder Fang Yuan, who was handling affairs in the Quiet Room, suddenly paused mid-stroke as he stroked his beard, an extremely astonished expression appearing on his face.

He knew that, given the talent Fang Han had displayed, entering the top ten was inevitable. Yet he had never imagined that day would come so quickly!

After all, from the time Fang Han entered the Inner Hall until now, it had not even... been half a year!

"Less than half a year, from early Flesh Refining to Tendon Refining Mid-Stage, mastery of swordsmanship, tenth place on the Martial Dao Stele..."

Elder Fang Yuan muttered to himself, the surprise in his eyes gradually turning into irrepressible amazement and wild joy.

"This boy... Every time I think I have already thought highly enough of him, he always brings an even greater surprise!"

After pondering for a moment, he instructed the instructor who had come to report the news.

"According to the rules, immediately allocate the monthly resources for tenth place and the access rights to Grade A No. 10 Martial Dao Room to Fang Han."

"Yes, Elder!"

The instructor answered respectfully and hurried away.

Elder Fang Yuan paced to the window and looked toward the Inner Hall Martial Arts Arena. His gaze was deep, and a gratified smile touched his lips.

"Little fellow, the road ahead is long. I look forward to seeing how far you can go..."