Bottleneck

After taking stock of the battlefield and packing up the goods belonging to the Fang Clan merchant caravan, along with the gold, silver, and valuables seized from the mountain stronghold, Fang Han and the others escorted the spoils and set off for Liangshui City.

There was no need to travel at full speed or conceal their tracks. The journey back was far easier than the journey there.

"Everyone performed quite well!"

As they traveled, the elders looked at Fang Han and the other Inner Hall disciples with approval in their eyes.

With these disciples around, the Fang Clan's future was secure. They would not have to worry that, after the older generation passed on, the younger generation would be unable to hold up the clan.

In fact, it was not impossible for the clan to become even more prosperous than it was now and rise to greater heights.

By the time they arrived at Liangshui City, it was already evening.

Outside the gates of the Fang Clan residence, torches blazed brightly. Clan Head Fang Lingyuan had actually come in person, leading several senior clan members to welcome them.

"You have worked hard. This battle has raised the prestige of our Fang Clan and intimidated petty scoundrels. Every one of you is a meritorious contributor to the clan!"

Fang Lingyuan's voice rang out loud and clear, a gratified smile on his face.

His gaze swept over the group, lingering especially on Fang Han and the other younger disciples as he nodded slightly.

Exterminating the Black Snake Bandits had not only recovered their losses and restored the clan's honor, but also greatly deterred the forces in and around Liangshui City that harbored ill intent. Its significance was immense.

"It was only our duty!"

Fang Han and the others saluted in unison.

After a brief word of appreciation, everyone dispersed to rest.

After traveling continuously and fighting fiercely, even martial artists felt a measure of fatigue.

Fang Han returned to his small courtyard and briefly told his parents what had happened. He glossed over the dangerous parts and mentioned only the resounding victory, lest they worry.

The next day, Fang Han threw himself back into his daily cultivation.

Inside Grade A No. 10 Martial Dao Room, he shut out all distractions and immersed himself once more in cultivating the Crane Stance.

Under fourfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, his qi and blood surged like a dragon, washing over and tempering the sinews throughout his body again and again as he advanced toward deeper levels of the Tendon Refining Realm.

During a break in cultivation, he went to visit his eldest uncle, Fang Ye.

His eldest uncle's injuries had recovered well, and his complexion had improved considerably. Upon learning that the Black Snake Bandits had been wiped out, he was so excited that he repeatedly cried out in praise. The pent-up gloom in his heart was finally completely swept away.

Several peaceful days passed like this.

That day, just as Fang Han finished cultivating, someone lightly knocked on the door of the Martial Dao Room.

When he opened it, he found a clan servant standing outside, holding a heavy wooden box.

"Young Master Fang Han, this is your share of the wealth obtained after the clan exterminated the Black Snake Bandits. The Clan Head ordered me to deliver it to you."

The servant respectfully handed over the cloth-wrapped package.

Fang Han accepted it. It weighed heavily in his hand, and he estimated there to be around a hundred taels.

After closing the door, Fang Han opened the wooden box. Inside were indeed ten ten-tael ingots of Snowflake Silver, exactly one hundred taels.

"One hundred taels..."

Fang Han was already quite satisfied with this hundred-tael gain.

For this operation, the clan had deployed dozens of martial artists, including five elders of the Inner Qi Realm.

They had been the main force in exterminating the Black Snake Bandits. Elder Fang Tu in particular had breached the stronghold gates and fought the strongest Ninth Grade Late-Stage Inner Qi Realm leader alone, earning tremendous merit. Naturally, he would receive the largest share of the spoils.

The wealth seized was likely insufficient, and the clan might even have subsidized part of it themselves.

For Fang Han to receive one hundred taels was already an excellent gain.

"Only fifty-three taels left before I reach a thousand taels!"

Fang Han could not suppress the excitement in his heart.

His previous gains, combined with the hundred taels from this operation, left him only fifty-three taels short of his thousand-tael goal.

At the rate of twenty taels per month, he would only need three months to gather that sum.

The actual time should be even shorter.

After all, he had now risen to seventh place on the Martial Dao Stele, so the silver reward he received each month should increase as well.

At the end of the month, Fang Han received his monthly resources for ranking seventh on the Martial Dao Stele as scheduled.

A servant respectfully delivered two wooden boxes into Grade A No. 10 Martial Dao Room.

Fang Han opened one of them. Inside were still two white-and-blue porcelain bottles, each containing Blood Vitality Pills the size of longans, twenty in total, their medicinal fragrance rich and potent.

This was the same as the reward for tenth place.

However, the number of silver ingots in the other wooden box had changed. It was no longer twenty taels, but a full thirty-five taels of Snowflake Silver!

"Thirty-five taels!"

Satisfaction appeared in Fang Han's eyes. As expected, the reward had increased along with his ranking.

His monthly silver income had risen from twenty taels to thirty-five taels, further shortening the time needed to gather a thousand taels.

"Recharge."

After confirming that the door to the Martial Dao Room was locked from within, Fang Han directly chose to recharge.

The thirty-five taels of silver vanished, replaced by changes on the System Panel.

[Host: Fang Han]

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 4x (Level 3 Amplification requires 1000 silver)]

[Sword Art Talent Amplification: 4x (Level 3 Amplification requires 1000 silver)]

[Possessed Wealth: 982 silver]

"I already have 982 taels!"

Fang Han stared fervently at Possessed Wealth, immense anticipation filling his heart.

Since he was about to gather a thousand taels and feared an accident might occur, he had deposited every bit of silver in his possession into the System Panel.

982 silver was all the silver he had now.

He only needed eighteen more taels to reach a thousand. Next month, he would certainly gather a thousand taels of silver and unlock Level 3 Amplification.

He had never considered asking his parents. Since he lived with them, they knew his income and expenses well. There was simply no way to explain how over a thousand taels of silver had been spent, only for him to need to ask them for money instead.

Borrowing from other Inner Hall disciples was even less feasible. After all, he had received eight hundred taels in clan rewards altogether. It was impossible for such a large sum to be spent in such a short time.

Anyone might lack money, but he alone could not possibly lack money.

"Continue cultivating!"

Taking a deep breath, Fang Han suppressed his surging emotions and threw himself back into cultivation.

Talent Amplification was important, but effort was equally indispensable.

Talent without diligence would inevitably lead to limited achievements.

Time slipped away quietly amid Fang Han's focused cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, another half month passed.

That day, Fang Han circulated the Crane Stance as usual. Under fourfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, his vast qi and blood roiled and surged, repeatedly cleansing the tendons throughout his body as his physical constitution steadily strengthened.

Buzz!

An invisible yet incomparably tough barrier suddenly appeared.

With the appearance of this barrier, his continuously strengthening physical constitution came to an abrupt halt, unable to advance another inch.

"I've encountered the bottleneck between Tendon Refining and Bone Refining!"

Fang Han understood at once. The reason his physical constitution could no longer improve was that he had encountered the bottleneck between Tendon Refining and Bone Refining.

Only by breaking through this bottleneck and advancing into Bone Refining could he cast off these shackles and allow his physical constitution to continue growing stronger.

He continued cultivating, but even by the end of the day's cultivation, he still had not broken through that bottleneck.

"The bottleneck for breaking through to Bone Refining is actually so much harder than the one for breaking through to Tendon Refining!"

Fang Han raised his brows slightly.

The Tendon Refining bottleneck had barely presented an obstacle under his continued cultivation, and he had broken through it quickly.

Yet after a full day of cultivation, he still had not broken through the Bone Refining bottleneck.

This showed that the Bone Refining bottleneck was far more difficult than the Tendon Refining bottleneck.

This was only natural.

Skin, flesh, tendons, bones—the Four Basic Realms of martial cultivation. Bone Refining was the final realm, the beginning of shedding one's mortal frame and exchanging one's bones. The difficulty of its bottleneck was far beyond that of the previous three realms.

Even with his astonishing fourfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, he had been unable to break through this hurdle in one stroke.

"No rush. With my fourfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, breaking through this bottleneck definitely won't take too long!"

Though somewhat surprised, Fang Han was not flustered. His eyes remained calm and deep.

The bottleneck might be solid, but he had complete confidence in his fourfold Root Bone Talent Amplification.

Even the bottleneck for breaking through to Bone Refining would never be able to stop him for long.