A few days later.
Fang Han had just finished lunch in the Side Hall and was about to get up to go to the Cultivation Ground in the backyard when he heard a series of slightly hurried footsteps outside the courtyard gate.
Led by a Servant, a young man dressed in the robes of a disciple of the Sect Master's Hall strode into the Side Hall, bowed respectfully to Fang Han, and spoke with a hint of deference in his voice:
"Senior Brother Fang, the Sect Master requests your presence at the Sect Master's Hall."
Fang Han put down his Teacup, his eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly.
The sect leader summoned him?
With the Iron River Gang destroyed and Yan Wuji executed, nothing major has happened in the county recently. What could the sect leader want to see me about at this time?
"Did the sect leader say what it is about?"
Fang Han asked.
The disciple lowered his head and replied:
"This disciple is unaware; the sect leader only instructed this disciple to come and deliver the message."
Fang Han nodded slightly and asked again:
"Who else did the sect leader summon besides me?"
"And Senior Brother Luo too."
The disciple replied.
Luo Yuntian?
Fang Han's doubts deepened. The fact that he and Luo Yuntian were summoned simultaneously was increasingly strange.
He didn't ask any more questions, he just nodded:
"Knew."
He straightened his robes, hung the Cloudsplitter Sword at his waist, and followed the disciple out of the courtyard.
Before long, a familiar figure appeared at the corner of the stone steps ahead.
Luo Yuntian wore a dark blue robe of True Disciple, with a long sword hanging at his waist, and his face was calm.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around and nodded slightly to Fang Han:
"Senior Brother Fang."
"Junior Brother Luo."
Fang Han returned the greeting with a cupped hand and walked alongside him.
"Junior brother, do you know why the sect leader summoned you this time?"
Luo Yuntian shook his head, a hint of doubt appearing in his calm eyes:
"I don't know, but the sect leader summoning both of us at the same time must be no small matter."
Fang Han didn't ask any more questions.
The two walked along the bluestone path towards the mountain peak.
The ancient trees on both sides of the mountain path rustled in the cold winter wind, and a few withered leaves swirled and fell onto the stone steps.
The majestic outline of the Sect Master's Hall soon came into view at the edge of the horizon.
Upon seeing the two arrive, the disciples guarding the temple gate quickly stepped aside to make way for them.
Fang Han and Luo Yuntian stepped into the hall.
The air inside the hall was filled with the Sandalwood Incense. Chen Tianyuan sat upright in a large chair at the head of the table, holding two gold-embossed letters in his hands.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gentle eyes falling on the two of them.
"Disciple Fang Han."
"Disciple Luo Yuntian."
The two stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
"Greetings, Sect Master."
"No need for formalities, please sit."
Chen Tianyuan waved his hand, stood up, walked towards the two men, and handed them the two gold-embossed letters.
Fang Han and Luo Yuntian each stepped forward to receive the gifts and sat down on the pear wood chairs at the lower end.
Fang Han looked down at the letter in his hand.
The cover was made of a fine-textured animal hide, and the gold foil patterns shimmered with a dark luster under the lights in the hall, demonstrating extremely exquisite craftsmanship.
He broke the seal and took out the inner pages.
The text on the inner page was concise and solemn, essentially inviting him to a Martial Arts Tournament for the younger generation; the location was clearly stated in two words—
The Imperial Capital.
Fang Han's gaze lingered on those two words for a moment, then he raised his eyes and looked at Chen Tianyuan.
Luo Yuntian also finished reading the letter at almost the same time, and a hint of surprise also appeared in his calm eyes.
"Metropolitan."
Fang Han asked.
"What is this Martial Arts Tournament?"
Chen Tianyuan picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, and then slowly said after setting it down:
"This Martial Arts Tournament is held every five years and is hosted by the Great Chu Dynasty. Invitations are extended to the top ten of the 108 counties' Prodigy Ranking, and both of you are among those invited."
Fang Han remained silent.
Although he was somewhat curious about the Imperial Capital, it was not worthwhile to travel tens of thousands of miles to the Imperial Capital just to participate in a Martial Arts Tournament.
Wouldn't it be better to use this time to cultivate within the sect?
He placed the letter on his lap, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:
"Sect Master, this disciple has... little interest in participating in this competition."
Luo Yuntian nodded slightly, his voice steady:
"The same applies to disciples."
Chen Tianyuan waved his hand and said calmly:
"There's no need for you to make a decision right away; let me finish."
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the two faces.
"The rewards for this competition are extremely generous. Everyone who participates, even those who don't make it past the first round, will receive a rare and precious medicinal herb as a reward, and will even have some opportunity to select the type of herb. If you can advance to the final few rounds..."
His voice rose slightly.
" Grandmaster Martial Art, Spirit Weapon, and even Danyao more precious than the Heaven Origin Pill are all contained within."
"The reward is... so generous?"
Fang Han, who had initially been extremely resistant, couldn't help but feel a little tempted.
Leaving aside the extravagant rewards in the final rounds, the rare and precious materials offered as participation prizes alone are extremely attractive.
Although rare and precious materials have a price, they are often in short supply, with few people willing to exchange them for gold and silver.
Therefore, although rare and precious materials have a price, they are often regarded as things that cannot be measured by gold or silver.
He caught a glimpse of Luo Yuntian out of the corner of his eye.
Luo Yuntian's expression remained calm, but a barely perceptible ripple flashed across his usually composed eyes.
They were clearly quite interested.
No one could resist the allure of rare and precious materials that can improve one's natural talents.
Chen Tianyuan took in their reactions, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"The competition is scheduled for next March, so there are still three or four months. You don't need to rush to make a decision."
He leaned back in his chair, his voice gentle yet tinged with seriousness.
"Go back and think it over carefully. If you're interested in participating, let me know."
Fang Han and Luo Yuntian stood up.
"Yes, Sect Master."
"This disciple takes his leave."
The two bowed and turned to leave the Sect Master's Hall.
The cold wind outside the palace brushed against their faces, carrying the chill unique to the depths of winter, but it could not dispel the thoughts in their hearts.
A few days later, it started snowing in the afternoon.
At first, it was just fine snowflakes, but gradually it turned into heavy snowfall, falling softly and covering the green tiles and white walls of True Transmission Courtyard with a thin layer of shimmering white.
The bamboo grove rustled in the wind and snow. A few bamboo leaves, unable to bear the weight, shook off a clump of snow, only to be quickly covered by new snowflakes.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
In the Cultivation Ground, Fang Han was practicing the < Wind God Step >.
The figure in the green robe moved silently through the snow, his footsteps landing on the obsidian ground without disturbing a speck of dust.
Not only was it extremely fast, but it also left not a single footprint on the snow.
The falling snowflakes continued to cover the area he had just passed, as if no one had ever set foot there.
"It's still not quite there."
Fang Han stopped moving, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
The Wind God Step technique is still at the level of the Proficiency Realm, and is still some distance from Greater Accomplishment.
In contrast, the < Void-Sundering Sword Manual > has already Greater Accomplishment and is not far from the Perfection Realm.
He knew perfectly well why there was such a large gap.
The Sword Art Talent was improved by consuming four Sword-Shaped Grass, while the Body Movement Talent was improved by consuming only one dose of Howling Moon Spirit Deer antler.
" Martial Arts Tournament..."
Fang Han murmured the name.
Simply by participating, you will receive a rare and precious plant as a reward, and you can also choose the type of plant.
If you rank well, you can receive multiple awards.
If one can obtain multiple rare and precious materials that can improve one's Body Movement Talent, the cultivation speed of < Wind God Step > will surely catch up with < Void-Sundering Sword Manual >.
With that thought, he composed himself and activated the Wind God Step once more.
His figure moved silently through the snow curtain, the Wind Concept permeating every subtle aspect of his Body Movement.
With each turn and step, the essence of blending with the wind became increasingly harmonious.
At some point --
Fang Han, who was cultivating, suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
The inspiration came without warning, like a bolt of lightning suddenly flashing across the dark night, illuminating the fog clearly.
Regarding how to better integrate the Wind Concept into his Body Movement, a previously unthinkable key suddenly became clear to him.
"I see!"
Fang Han's footwork suddenly changed.
The Wind Concept and the Body Movement merged and blended together in an unprecedented way at this moment.
"Buzz--"
A soft hum, perceptible only to himself, resonated from the depths of his body.
In the next instant, his speed suddenly increased dramatically!
It happened so fast that even he was caught off guard.
Originally, he was still more than ten feet away from the edge of the Cultivation Ground. With this sudden movement, his figure was like a streak of blue lightning, sweeping straight across the distance of more than ten feet and almost crashing into the opposite wall.
" Wind God Step, Greater Accomplishment."
Fang Han stopped and stood in the snow.
A fleeting, barely concealed joy flashed across his eyes.
We've finally broken through.
He took a deep breath and fully activated the Wind God Step, which was at its Mastery Realm.
"Whoosh--"
The figure in the green robe flashed rapidly across the Cultivation Ground.
From the east wall to the west corner, it only takes a moment.
The distance of over twenty zhang seemed to vanish into thin air beneath his feet, moving as fast as teleportation.
He moved nimbly around the field, sometimes darting like lightning, sometimes stopping and starting abruptly, with no hesitation in his movements.
A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the obsidian ground, yet not a single footprint was left.
After a long while, Fang Han finally stopped.
I have a clear understanding of my current fastest speed.
"At my current speed, even among Barrier-Breaking Martial Artist, few can match me."
Fang Han muttered to himself.
Most martial artists tend to prioritize martial arts techniques that enhance offensive capabilities over Body Movement, rather than pursuing both simultaneously like he did.
The Body Movement of those Barrier-Breaking Martial Artist was mostly far inferior to their martial arts skills.
He, on the other hand, developed both his Body Movement and martial arts skills simultaneously, without prioritizing either one.
Now that he has Greater Accomplishment the Wind God Step, with his speed, even if he can't defeat a martial artist who has broken through the barrier twice or even three times, he can easily retreat.
In the evening, Fang Han finished his daytime cultivation and returned to the warm Warm Pavilion with a charcoal fire burning.
Qui Lan gently knocked on the door, her voice coming through the door:
"Senior brother, Senior Sister Yun Qianyue has come to visit."
Fang Han immediately got up and walked quickly towards the courtyard gate.
Outside the courtyard gate, Yun Qianyue stood quietly in the twilight.
Today she was wearing a Moon-White fox fur short coat, with fine silver fox fur trim on the collar and cuffs, which fluttered slightly in the cold wind.
Her lower body was clad in a light blue satin long skirt, the hem of which was embroidered with a few sparse plum blossoms in silver thread, and a matching palace sash was tied around her waist, outlining her slender and graceful figure.
Her face was still veiled by that pale purple gauze, revealing only a pair of clear, cool eyes.
She was an absolute beauty.