Perhaps... There Is Hope

Inside Pine Wave Pavilion, Clan Head Fang Lingyuan was practicing calligraphy. Seeing Fang Yuan barge in so flustered, he frowned slightly.

"Elder Fang Yuan, what has you in such a hurry?"

"Clan Head, that boy Fang Han has broken through to the Bone Refining Realm!"

Elder Fang Yuan's voice trembled slightly with lingering excitement as he eagerly reported the news.

"What? He broke through... to the Bone Refining Realm?"

Fang Lingyuan's hand froze abruptly around the brush. A drop of thick ink splattered onto the rice paper, instantly bleeding into a large blot.

Yet he did not notice it at all. He abruptly looked up, unprecedented brilliance bursting from his eyes.

"Is that true?!"

"Absolutely true!"

Fang Yuan's tone was firm and decisive.

Fang Lingyuan slowly set down his brush and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock and excitement in his heart. He paced twice through the study, his gaze turning unfathomably deep as he said,

"Half a year, from the Flesh Refining Realm to the Bone Refining Realm... With such talent, perhaps... he has hope of reaching that place's Beginner stage standard..."

Upon hearing the pronoun "that place," Elder Fang Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

The wild joy on his face instantly turned into utmost solemnity and anticipation, and he unconsciously lowered his voice.

"Clan Head... does Fang Han truly have hope of joining that place?"

Though the Fang Clan held an exceptional position in this little patch of Liangshui City and was one of the Five Great Families,

compared with that place the Clan Head spoke of, it was like a firefly before the bright moon—utterly incomparable.

"There is a strong possibility. If it truly happens, then our Fang Clan's prosperity for the next hundred years will genuinely be within reach!"

"Elder Fang Yuan, you must pay close attention to this matter. You must help him grow smoothly!"

Fang Lingyuan nodded heavily, unprecedented hope gleaming in his eyes.

"Yes, Clan Head! This old man understands!"

Elder Fang Yuan solemnly accepted the order, the flush of excitement on his face lingering for a long while.

That place was the "Holy Land" every family dreamed of sending its descendants into. If Fang Han successfully joined it, the benefits the Fang Clan could gain would be beyond measure!

The rise of the Fang Clan would be just around the corner!

A few days later, after breakfast, Fang Han prepared to leave home for the Martial Hall.

"Han, wait a moment."

His mother, Lin Wan, called out to Fang Han as he was about to leave.

"Mother, what is it?"

Fang Han looked at Lin Wan in confusion.

"Tomorrow is your maternal grandfather's sixtieth birthday. Remember to take the day off."

Lin Wan reminded him.

"Don't worry, I remember."

Fang Han nodded.

After arriving at the Martial Hall, Fang Han went straight into his Grade A No. 10 Martial Dao Room and began that day's training.

As for asking Elder Fang Yuan for leave, it was still too early. He planned to go ask at noon, during lunch.

Time flew by in training, and several hours soon passed.

"My cultivation speed has slowed by quite a lot!"

Having finished his Stance Training, Fang Han slowly drew in his stance, his brows faintly furrowing.

Several days had passed since he broke through to the Bone Refining Realm, and he could clearly feel that his cultivation speed had slowed considerably compared to before.

This was normal.

The further one progressed in cultivation, the harder it became to improve. As the final realm of the Four Basic Realms of martial arts, the Bone Refining Realm was far more difficult to cultivate than the preceding three realms.

Even with the fourfold boost to his Root Bone Talent, his cultivation speed had inevitably slowed.

Of course, this slowness was only relative to himself. Compared to ordinary Inner Hall disciples, or even the top ten disciples on the Martial Dao Stele, his cultivation speed remained extraordinarily fast.

"Still, soon enough. Next month, I'll be able to activate the third-tier boost!"

Thinking of the third-tier Root Bone boost he would be able to activate next month, Fang Han's furrowed brows relaxed.

By his estimate, activating the third-tier Root Bone boost would double the multiplier once again, reaching an astonishing eightfold.

Under such an astonishing eightfold Root Bone boost, his cultivation speed would surely become faster again.

The next day, after taking leave from the Martial Hall, Fang Han changed into a brand-new azure brocade robe and left the Fang Clan estate in a Fang Clan carriage with his parents and younger sister.

Today was his maternal grandfather Lin Chengde's sixty-second birthday. By all rights, he had to go offer birthday congratulations.

His maternal grandfather lived in the east of the city and ran a century-old cloth shop. The family could be considered comfortably well-off.

But after his younger uncle Lin Hai took over the cloth shop, his management skills proved far inferior to his father's, and the business worsened year by year.

As the family fortunes declined, his maternal grandfather's birthdays had gradually become increasingly quiet over the past few years.

They had originally thought this year would be as quiet as before. Yet when they reached the alley where his maternal grandfather lived, they found quite a few lavishly decorated carriages parked at its entrance.

The usually somewhat tranquil alley was bustling with carriages and pedestrians today.

The moment they entered the courtyard gate, a noisy, lively atmosphere rushed over them.

More than a dozen Eight Immortals tables had already been laid out in the courtyard, filled with guests.

Fang Han found many of the faces rather unfamiliar. Some were distant relatives they had not kept in contact with for many years, while several others looked like prominent wealthy merchants from the city.

"Oh, Sister, Brother-in-law, you're finally here!"

His younger uncle Lin Hai came forward with a glowing face. There was none of his usual timidity in his voice; instead, he seemed high-spirited and full of vigor.

His gaze immediately fell upon Fang Han, carrying unconcealed eagerness and pride.

"Han is here too! Quickly, come inside. Your grandfather was just talking about you!"

Not long ago, the family cloth shop's business had been declining day after day, worrying him so much that his hair was nearly turning white.

But ever since word spread of his nephew's genius, the cloth shop's business had swiftly improved, becoming even more profitable than during its most prosperous days.

He knew all of this had been brought about by this nephew, and naturally felt immensely grateful.

Upon entering the inner hall, his maternal grandfather Lin Chengde sat in the seat of honor, dressed in a festive dark-red brocade robe patterned with longevity characters, accepting the bows of his children, grandchildren, and guests.

The smile had not left his usually stern face all day, and even his wrinkles had smoothed out.

"Your grandson Fang Han wishes Grandfather blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea and a lifespan as enduring as the Southern Mountains!"

When Fang Han's family stepped forward to offer their birthday wishes and present their gifts, nearly every gaze in the courtyard focused on them.

"Good, good! Get up, get up!"

As Lin Chengde urged the four of them to rise, he personally helped Fang Han up and firmly patted him on the shoulder, his eyes brimming with gratification and pride.

"Han has truly made something of himself!"

He knew perfectly well why this year's birthday celebration was far livelier than previous years: it was all because of his grandson Fang Han.

Sure enough, praise and flattery soon arose from all around, all concerning his grandson Fang Han.

"So this is Young Master Fang Han? Truly handsome and gifted, with extraordinary bearing!"

"The Fang Clan's Qilin Child indeed lives up to his name!"

"Old Brother Lin, you truly have an excellent grandson! He is destined to become an incredible great figure someday!"

Those relatives and business partners who rarely kept in contact also crowded forward to strike up conversations, their tones incredibly warm, as though they had always been Fang Han's family's closest friends and relatives.

His father Fang Zheng and mother Lin Wan stood to one side, basking in the envious gazes of the crowd. Their faces glowed with pride, and they stood tall and straight.

Even the young Fang Ying seemed to feel this honor, her little face flushed red with excitement.

The atmosphere at the birthday banquet was unprecedentedly lively. Cups were raised and exchanged, while laughter and chatter rang out without end. Fang Han's presence was undoubtedly the most dazzling halo of the entire celebration.

The banquet did not end until dusk.

Fang Han and his family bid farewell to his maternal grandfather's family, boarded their carriage, and began the journey home.

Inside the carriage, his younger sister had grown sleepy and fallen asleep. His parents spoke softly about the day's birthday banquet, filled with emotion.

Had Fang Han not made something of himself, today's birthday banquet would never have been so lively. Human warmth and coldness truly changed with one's fortunes.

Meanwhile, Fang Han was calculating his cultivation plan after returning to the Inner Hall, intending to make up for the day of time he had wasted.

He did not become intoxicated with pride because of all the fawning today.

He understood very clearly that all this fawning was because of the potential he had displayed.

If one day he could no longer display such potential, the fawning would drift away, perhaps even turning into venomous mockery.