Tendon Refining Late-Stage

Having satisfied his curiosity, Fang Han returned the booklet to Fang Lin. After thanking him, he headed back to his Grade A No. 10 Martial Dao Room.

The heavy Iron Wood door reinforced with metal shut behind him, completely sealing out the noise and discussions from outside.

Every morning before he arrived, servants would light sandalwood incense inside the Martial Dao Room.

He drew a deep breath. The faint sandalwood fragrance in the air had a calming effect, allowing him to quickly settle his mind.

He first cultivated the Stance Training art, Crane Stance. Under the Fourfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, terrifying surges of blood and qi poured forth from within his body as he practiced.

They circulated through his body along a specific route like vast rivers, scouring and tempering the sinews throughout his body.

After finishing his Stance Training, he began practicing the Breeze Sword Art.

Gripping the Azure Edge Sword, he swung it again and again.

Under the Fourfold Sword Art Talent Amplification, every swing brought him numerous insights, each one a deeper exploration of the path of the sword.

His sword art at the Great Mastery stage became ever more seamless, while the force of his qi grew increasingly condensed.

Time flew by amid his concentration, and more than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, as Fang Han practiced his Stance Training, the blood and qi within him suddenly became like wild horses breaking free of their reins, its surging momentum abruptly intensifying.

The sinews throughout his body emitted faint metallic twangs as though they could no longer bear the strain, like the strings of a powerful bow stretched to their limit.

A sense of strength far more powerful and condensed than when he had broken through to the Tendon Refining Mid-Stage erupted like a volcano that had been suppressed for ages!

"Buzz—!"

A low yet thunderous roar came from within his body. The speed of his blood and qi circulation, the resilience of his tendons, and the explosive power of his muscles all surged to an entirely new level in an instant.

His physical constitution underwent a leap-like transformation in an extremely short time, powerful strength flooding every part of his body.

"Tendon Refining Late-Stage, achieved!"

Fang Han slowly withdrew his stance, feeling the surging power within him. A sharp gleam shone in his eyes.

"From Tendon Refining Mid-Stage to Late-Stage, it only took one month..."

Fang Han silently calculated in his heart, quite satisfied with this speed.

The farther one progressed in cultivation, the more difficult it became. In the Tendon Refining Realm, every minor breakthrough required a great deal of time to temper one's sinews.

Breaking through from Tendon Refining Mid-Stage to Late-Stage in a single month was absolutely enough to make people gasp in horror.

It might not have been the fastest. Those geniuses on the Prodigy Ranking likely cultivated no slower than he did, perhaps even faster.

The Fourfold Root Bone Amplification could not guarantee that his talent would rival those true geniuses.

But in Liangshui City, even Lin Jiao, hailed as the Lin Family's Qilin Child, was certainly far inferior to him in cultivation speed.

"If I faced Lin Jiao again now, I could probably defeat him within three moves!"

Fang Han clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked crisply. A powerful confidence rose naturally within him.

Whether in martial skills or cultivation realm, he now surpassed Lin Jiao across the board. Three moves should be enough to defeat him.

If Lin Jiao dared challenge him again, Fang Han would definitely make him question his very life.

However, after losing to Fang Han twice in succession, Lin Jiao likely would not have the courage to challenge him again anytime soon.

During their second exchange, Fang Han had clearly sensed that Lin Jiao had suffered quite a blow.

"I wonder how much my ranking can rise now?"

With his breakthrough in realm, Fang Han was certain that his ranking on the Martial Dao Stele would rise again.

He simply did not know how far it could advance.

Once the thought arose, it became impossible to suppress.

He straightened his clothes, pushed open the door to the Martial Dao Room, and strode toward the Martial Dao Stele Courtyard.

"Fang Han is going to the Martial Dao Stele again!"

Fang Han's appearance immediately drew the attention of the Inner Hall disciples along the way.

By now, he was the focus of the Inner Hall. Every move he made was closely watched.

Seeing him head straight for the Martial Dao Stele, many disciples immediately realized what he intended to do. They stopped cultivating and silently followed after him.

The news spread swiftly like a stone dropped into still water.

"He's actually going to the Martial Dao Stele again? How long has it even been since he rose to tenth? Did he break through again?"

"Quick, let's go see!"

Before the Martial Dao Stele, quite a few disciples who had rushed over upon hearing the news soon gathered, their burning gazes fixed on the figure walking toward the Jade Stele.

Fang Han seemed oblivious to the commotion behind him.

He extended a finger and calmly wrote his name upon the cold, smooth stele surface. Then his gaze sharpened, and he raised his sword into its opening stance.

The strength of the Tendon Refining Late-Stage poured into the blade without reserve, while the Breeze Sword Art at the Great Mastery stage was driven to its utmost limit.

"Breeze Piercing Sun!"

The sword light was no longer a flowing ribbon. Instead, it seemed to transform into an incomparably condensed azure bolt of lightning that tore through the sky, striking the Martial Dao Stele with an ear-splitting shriek!

"Boom!!!"

The Jade Stele erupted with brilliant light and shook violently. Its humming rang out without end, and the entire Courtyard seemed to tremble with it.

Everyone's hearts rose into their throats as their eyes locked firmly onto the stele's surface.

The number behind the name "Fang Han" began to change.

"Ten... nine... eight..."

At last, the light gradually faded, and the number settled steadily upon a position that made everyone's breathing stop.

Seventh place!

"Se... seventh?!"

"He shot straight up to seventh?!"

"From tenth to seventh, jumping three places in one go! How... how is that possible?!"

After a moment of dead silence, an earth-shaking uproar swept through the entire Courtyard like a tidal wave. Every disciple who witnessed the scene wore an expression of utter shock.

Once one entered the top ten of the Martial Dao Stele, advancing even a single rank was extraordinarily difficult. Yet Fang Han had unexpectedly advanced three places in one breath.

And most terrifying of all, it had been less than a month since Fang Han entered the Martial Dao Stele's top ten!

Such horrifying improvement had completely surpassed the bounds of their understanding.

The news seemed to grow wings as it spread at lightning speed.

Very soon, it reached Fang Mei, who was cultivating in her private Martial Dao Room.

"Fang Han is seventh?!"

The longsword in Fang Mei's hand trembled slightly. For the first time, obvious astonishment and distraction appeared on her cool, detached face.

She had expected Fang Han to catch up eventually, but she had never imagined that day would come so swiftly, so fiercely!

She had cultivated bitterly for a year before painstakingly rising from tenth to ninth, only for Fang Han to effortlessly surpass her and push her back down to tenth.

An enormous sense of defeat seized her in an instant.

"I've been surpassed?"

Fang Rui, whose seventh-place position had been taken by Fang Han, wore an even more bitter smile.

Not long ago, he had remarked that Fang Han's strength was enough to enter the top twenty, and he had been amazed by Fang Han's potential.

Yet Fang Han's potential had exceeded even his expectations. Barely more than a month had passed, and he, the one ranked seventh, had already been overtaken.

Almost at the same time, Fang Xue, Fang Hao, and even Fang Hong, who had always held steady at first place, all received the news one after another.

"Seventh?"

Fang Xue's sword hand froze in midair. She looked in the direction of the Martial Dao Stele Courtyard, ripples appearing in her clear, cold eyes.

Fang Hao smashed a fist into the solid Wooden Dummy, producing a dull boom as his brows knitted tightly.

Fang Hong slowly finished his cultivation and opened his eyes. A faintly sharp glint flashed through their depths before they returned to the stillness of an ancient well. Yet the aura around him seemed to grow a little more profound and heavy.

Fang Han, a newcomer who had entered the Beginner stage less than half a year ago, had already stormed into the Inner Hall's most elite small circle with the force of a comet striking the moon.

And his momentum had not yet faded; his ascent remained astonishingly fast.

The entire Inner Hall became noisy because of Fang Han's test result.

As for Fang Han, standing at the center of the storm, he returned to his private Martial Dao Room with a slight curve at the corner of his lips.

"Seventh... I wonder how many resources I'll receive at the end of the month?"

He murmured softly, his eyes full of anticipation for the reward.

After all, the monthly rewards determined how long it would take him to gather one thousand taels and activate the Level Three Amplification.

"Knock, knock—"

Fang Han, immersed in thought, was startled awake by a knock at the door.

Hearing it, he frowned slightly.

As a place for cultivation, the Martial Dao Room was not somewhere people would casually come to disturb. But if someone did disturb him, something had to be the matter.

He pulled open the heavy door. Outside stood a Fang Clan servant with an anxious expression.

"Young Master Fang Han, forgive the interruption. Your parents are currently waiting outside the Inner Hall entrance. They said they have an urgent matter to discuss with you."

Before Fang Han could speak, the Fang Clan servant had already delivered the message respectfully in a rapid voice.