Breakthrough to the Flesh Refining Realm

Whoosh!

The longsword pierced the air, trailing a cold, crystalline gleam.

Fang Han's gaze was focused. Recalling the postures from the sword art diagrams, he stepped forward half a pace with his left foot, twisted his wrist, and slowly thrust out with the move, "Breeze Brushing Willow."

His movements were practiced; it was clear he had put in hard work, yet that was the only praiseworthy thing about them. They possessed none of the grace and agility a breeze should have.

The sound of the blade cutting through the air was sluggish and heavy, utterly lacking the lightness of a passing breeze.

Clearly, in terms of mastery, he had only reached the Beginner stage among the five levels: Beginner stage, Minor Accomplishment, Proficiency, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection.

Taking over a year to learn a basic martial skill to the Beginner stage did not mean he was exceptionally useless.

In fact, most of the disciples who had begun training alongside him were at much the same level. Very few had reached Minor Accomplishment beyond the Beginner stage.

It could only be said that in this world, mediocre aptitude was the norm, while geniuses were always scarce.

If everyone were martial artists and everyone were geniuses, there would not be sayings such as, "All other pursuits are lowly; only martial artists stand high."

Again and again.

Sweat slid down his temples and dripped onto the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.

Fang Han shut out all distractions, focusing solely on the sword in his hand.

If his talent was ordinary, then he would make up for it with sweat, with effort, and bridge the gap in talent through hard work.

Effort still offered the possibility of reward. Without effort, he truly would gain nothing at all.

Five cycles of sunrise and sunset passed.

Several more figures disappeared from the Martial Arts Arena. A few disciples who knew there was no hope for them quietly left in silence.

The discussions had gradually shifted from initial surprise to numb familiarity.

A stifling tension filled the air, mingling the dejection of those who had given up with the anxiety of those who persevered.

Fang Han was one of the silent perseverers.

He appeared punctually every day. After drinking that bowl of scalding Blood-Qi Soup, he immersed himself in the tempering of the Crane Stance.

Each time he assumed the stance, he gave it his all, squeezing the potential granted by his doubled Root Bone Talent to its utmost limit.

The blood and qi within his body grew more vigorous with each passing day, its rushing currents more mighty and imposing.

The sensation of his skin membrane being tempered also grew stronger by the day.

That bottleneck membrane which had obstructed him for two months became thinner and more fragile beneath the day-and-night assaults of his ferocious blood and qi.

A premonition that power was about to burst from its cocoon grew clearer and stronger in his heart.

It was another morning.

Fang Han tipped back his head and drained the last mouthful of medicinal soup. The familiar scorching sensation erupted in his abdomen, instantly setting his entire body ablaze.

"Crane Stance!"

Fang Han instantly sank into Stance Training.

At the urging of his will, the vast blood and qi accumulated within him over several days erupted like volcanic lava that had been suppressed for far too long.

A heat flow far more violent and scorching than usual surged forth, roaring toward the skin membrane throughout his body, which had long since been tempered to its limit, with the force of withering all in its path!

Pain!

The excruciating pain from this cleansing far surpassed anything before.

It was as if countless red-hot needles were piercing his skin membrane at once, and as if a heavy stone mill were grinding over him again and again.

Yet he clenched his teeth tightly, veins bulging on his forehead as sweat streamed out like a brook. His body remained as steady as a boulder while he pushed his Stance Training to its absolute limit.

His will locked onto that membrane on the verge of breaking, and all his blood and qi became iron hammers crashing against it.

"Rumble—!"

At the instant the agony reached its peak and his mind became intensely focused—

Within Fang Han's body, it seemed an invisible floodgate was completely smashed apart by that irresistible torrent.

A dull hum, like thunder rolling from the depths of the earth, suddenly reverberated from within his body.

The sound was not loud, but it carried a solid sense of power and clearly spread across the silent Martial Arts Arena.

Fang Han's entire body shook violently!

The skin membrane around his body, taut to its limit, suddenly contracted inward, as though clenched tight by a colossal force.

Then, an indescribable sensation of power—tougher and more vast than ever—exploded from the depths of his skin membrane like a flood bursting through a breached dam, instantly coursing through his entire body.

Skin and flesh fused, strength flowed through his whole body!

In that contraction and release, his formerly taut skin membrane seemed to have completed a complete transformation.

A new and abundant strength filled every inch of his muscles.

Fang Han abruptly opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed through them, carrying the wild joy and keenness of one who had broken free of shackles.

"Fang Han broke through... to the Flesh Refining Realm?!"

At that moment, every gaze in the Martial Arts Arena was drawn to Fang Han as if by a magnet.

The disciples still struggling bitterly, far from the Flesh Refining Realm, instantly erupted with irrepressible envy, even jealousy.

Their eyes burned as they stared fixedly at Fang Han, as though they wished to sear the state of his breakthrough into the depths of their minds.

Fang Han... that ordinarily quiet, mediocrely talented branch-family disciple, had actually broken through at the very last moment.

It was like casting a massive stone into a pool of despair, stirring enormous waves and even more complicated emotions—If he could do it, did I still have a sliver of hope?

"He actually broke through in the final month!"

On the high platform, Instructor Fang Zhen's sharp, hawk-like eyes fell upon Fang Han for the first time.

A trace of surprise flickered across his usually impassive face as his brows lifted almost imperceptibly.

He had seen Fang Han's diligence, but he had his own judgment of Fang Han's Root Bone Talent.

In his view, Fang Han was the sort of disciple who had "done his utmost, but whose limit ended here."

That Fang Han had broken through to Flesh Refining before the final deadline was beyond his expectations.

"He barely broke through in the final month. Though he passed the family assessment, his talent is limited!"

Among the disciples in the arena who had long since entered the Flesh Refining Realm and possessed robust auras, their bearing carried a trace of superiority.

Their gazes merely swept across Fang Han briefly before shifting away with indifference.

Surprised? Somewhat.

Did they care? Not in the slightest.

Breaking through only just before the final deadline of the major examination merely meant he had barely retained his qualification to remain in the Martial Hall.

Compared to outstanding figures like them, who had broken through long ago and had even begun advancing toward the Tendon Refining Realm, Fang Han's small progress was like fireflies before the bright moon. They were not on the same level at all.

They withdrew their gazes without the slightest ripple on their faces, as though what had just happened were a trivial matter, and continued focusing on their own cultivation, calm and assured.

"Huu—"

Fang Han slowly withdrew from his practice, feeling the unceasingly surging new strength within him. The stability and toughness brought by the fusion of skin and flesh were unprecedented.

He raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting those complicated looks.

Whether it was envy, jealousy, indifference, or disregard, none of it could shake the resolve in his heart at that moment.

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a soft crack.

He had achieved a breakthrough to the Flesh Refining Realm within a month. As for the road of the martial artist, it had only just begun.