The < Wind God Step > technique has only recently reached the Greater Accomplishment Perfection Realm stage and is still some distance from being fully mastered; it will be difficult to make another breakthrough in the short term.
Having only recently comprehended the < Great Void Wind God Sword >, it's not something that can be Beginner stage in a short time.
In terms of Horizontal Training, the < Black Tortoise True Art > requires painstaking effort and cannot be mastered in a short period of time.
After much thought, I believe the most promising area for a breakthrough is still cultivation.
During the nearly one-month journey to the Imperial Capital, due to the limited space in the carriage, he spent most of his time cultivating the < Azure Profound Art >.
The Internal Qi within his body is now not far from the Second Grade Late Stage.
If one can break through to the Second Grade Late Stage within this period, there will be only one small realm difference between them and the First Grade.
At that time, it's hard to say whether Qin Yuan, Lin Qingyin, and Chu Jinghong, the three most recognized as having the best chance of winning the Martial Arts Tournament, will be able to win. However, the other geniuses who have just entered the First Grade are not incapable of fighting.
After all, there was only a small difference in skill level, and he was extremely confident in his martial arts skills. Even if the opponent was a genius among geniuses, he could often fight across several small realms.
"That's settled then."
Fang Han made a decision: he would focus all his efforts on improving his cultivation and strive to break through to the Second Grade Late Stage before the Martial Arts Tournament began.
Back in his room, Fang Han closed the door and took out a Cloth Pouch.
The Cloth Pouch contained the spoils of war obtained after killing Lei Zheng and his two companions.
Having traveled with Luo Yuntian and the Azure Profound Sect Deacon, he couldn't conveniently Recharge these items to his System Panel, since it was difficult to explain how the items could disappear into thin air before someone's eyes.
Now that I'm alone, I can finally handle it.
The more than 15 million taels of silver notes obtained cannot Recharge into the System Panel. To Recharge, they can only be exchanged for gold, silver and other valuable items.
For him now, 15 million taels of silver notes are not a lot, and even if Recharge into the System Panel, it is far from enough to unlock the Level Nine Amplification.
He decided to keep the 15 million taels of silver notes for daily use and stored them directly in his Storage Ring.
His gaze fell on the remaining items.
Several jade bottles, several bottles of Danyao, and a longsword inlaid with a blue gemstone.
He picked up the bottles of Danyao, uncorked them, and examined them one by one.
Two bottles are for healing injuries, one is for restoring Internal Qi, and the other two are Danyao to aid cultivation. Although their quality is not as good as the Heaven Origin Pill, they are comparable to the Earth Spirit Pill.
" Recharge."
Fearing the pills might be poisonous and he dared not use them himself, Fang Han concentrated his mind, and several bottles of Danyao along with the jade bottle disappeared simultaneously, turning into tiny specks of light that dissipated into the air.
The numbers on the System Panel then changed.
[ Possessed Wealth: 210,000 gold → 240,000 gold]
"Thirty thousand gold coins."
Fang Han's gaze lingered on that line of numbers for a moment, and he was fairly satisfied.
A few bottles of Danyao are worth 30,000 gold coins, which is already quite good.
He then picked up the longsword.
The sword is long and narrow, with a cold, gleaming edge. A thumb-sized blue gem is inlaid in the guard, reflecting a faint blue light in the candlelight.
It feels slightly heavy in the hand, and the quality is excellent; it is High Grade among Low-grade Dharma Weapon.
However, he already possesses the Cloud -Cloudsplitter Sword, a low-grade Low-grade Dharma Weapon, and even the Wind- Windshock Sword, a low-grade Low-grade Spirit Weapon, so keeping it is useless. He can only choose to Recharge.
" Recharge."
The longsword and its scabbard vanished as specks of light.
This time, the numbers on the System Panel changed much more noticeably.
[ Possessed Wealth: 240,000 gold → 300,000 gold]
"Sixty thousand taels of gold."
After all, it's a Low-grade Dharma Weapon weapon, so its value is even higher than those few bottles of Danyao.
A slight smile appeared on Fang Han's lips.
Aside from the 15 million taels of silver notes, the Danyao and the sword alone added 90,000 gold to his wealth, increasing his Possessed Wealth from 210,000 gold to 300,000 gold.
Three hundred thousand gold coins. There are still nine million seven hundred thousand gold coins short of the ten million gold coins needed to unlock the next Level Nine Amplification.
This is a number that's far off, but it's better than nothing.
Fang Han shook his head, stopped thinking about it, closed the System Panel, sat cross-legged on the bed, and prepared to begin cultivating his Internal Qi.
However, he did not rush to cultivate his Internal Qi. Instead, he sat quietly for a while to calm his mind completely.
Outside the window, a gentle night breeze rustled, and the faint sound of dogs barking drifted from afar.
After a moment, feeling calmer, Fang Han took out a jade bottle from his Storage Ring.
He uncorked the container, poured out a longan-sized, warm-colored Earth Origin Pill, and put it in his mouth.
The Danyao melted upon entering the mouth, transforming into a warm yet powerful medicinal force that slid down the throat into the abdomen, then spread outwards, surging throughout the limbs and bones.
"Splash--"
Fang Han closed his eyes, and the < Azure Profound Art > slowly began to circulate.
The azure-gold Internal Qi surged through the meridians like a mighty river, capturing and refining the medicinal power of the Earth Origin Pill bit by bit, transforming it into strands of pure Internal Qi that flowed into the meridians and then poured into the Acupoints — Earth Granary Acupoint —which was not yet filled with Internal Qi.
Within the Earth Granary Acupoint, the Internal Qi had already filled to over 90%, and the feeling of swelling and fullness was clearly perceptible.
With each cycle of circulation, the Internal Qi increases at a visible rate, steadily progressing towards a state of fullness.
Time slipped away silently.
Outside the window, the moon rises and sets, the sun rises and sets.
Fang Han stayed at his residence and did not go out.
It would be impossible not to be curious about the most prosperous Imperial Capital of the Great Chu Dynasty.
He wanted to see the majestic city walls, to browse the shops that were rumored to be filled with countless treasures, and to witness the grandeur of this magnificent city.
But he knew even better what was most important right now.
The Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin, and every bit of improvement in his strength could help him go further in the tournament.
Explore the Imperial Capital; there will be plenty of opportunities later.
Cultivation is the real matter.
At dawn, he sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating the < Azure Profound Art > to absorb the medicinal power of the Earth Spirit Pill and transform it into Internal Qi.
In the morning and afternoon, he also spent most of his time meditating and increasing his Internal Qi.
He had used that Cultivation Ground paved with blue bricks twice, but only practiced the Sword Technique a few times before stopping, since his current focus was not on Sword Technique, but on cultivation.
Only when the night is deep will he stop cultivating, fall into a deep sleep, and quickly recover from the fatigue accumulated throughout the day.
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.
That morning, Fang Han sat cross-legged on the bed as usual, circulating the < Azure Profound Art >.
The medicinal power of the Earth Origin Pill is being refined, and the azure-gold Internal Qi is surging like a river in the meridians.
Within the Earth Granary Acupoint, the Internal Qi had already reached over 99%, and the feeling of fullness and distension had reached its peak.
As another cycle of Internal Qi flows into the Earth Granary Acupoint.
"Buzz--"
A slight tremor, perceptible only to Fang Han, emanated from within the Earth Granary Acupoint.
This acupoint was finally completely filled at this moment, with no gaps left.
The overflowing Internal Qi spontaneously surged towards the next Acupoints — Hundred Convergences Acupoint).
However, the instant the Internal Qi touched the Hundred Convergences Acupoint, an invisible barrier suddenly appeared, firmly blocking the flowing Internal Qi from entering.
"The bottleneck at the Second Grade Late Stage."
Fang Han was fully aware that he had encountered the bottleneck of the Second Grade Late Stage.
He remained calm and focused, compressing and condensing his internal Internal Qi into surging torrents that, following the breakthrough method of the Azure Profound Art, fiercely attacked the barrier outside the Hundred Convergences Acupoint.
It was just a bottleneck in a minor realm, and I believed I would be able to break through it soon, which is exactly what happened.
"Boom--"
Upon the first impact, the barrier began to shake noticeably.
Fang Han remained calm, guiding his Internal Qi for another surge.
"Snap!"
A crisp, cracking sound, originating from the depths of life itself, like spring ice suddenly breaking, resounded clearly in his perception.
The invisible barrier blocking the Hundred Convergences Acupoint shattered instantly.
The pent-up Internal Qi, like a torrent finding its outlet, joyfully surged into the newly opened Hundred Convergences Acupoint.
"Boom--!"
In an instant, Fang Han Han's aura surged dramatically.
Including Hundred Convergences Acupoint, the twenty-three Acupoints that have been connected have formed a more complex and efficient Internal Qi circulation system.
The speed and volume of the Internal Qi flow increased sharply, the color became deeper, and the texture became as viscous as mercury. The sense of power brought about by its flow far exceeded that of the Second Grade Mid-Stage.
A wonderful feeling, like being reborn, welled up in my heart.
" Second Grade Late Stage, achieved."
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, a glint of cyan-gold light flashing in them before slowly receding.
He clenched his fist lightly, and his knuckles crackled crisply.
Feeling the increasingly vast and powerful Internal Qi within his body, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"A newly discovered Divine Treasury..."
Fang Han calmed his mind and focused on the newly opened Acupoints in his body— Hundred Convergences Acupoint.
With the opening of this Acupoints, a brand new Divine Treasury is also revealed.
With a slight thought, he tried to utilize this Divine Treasury.
The next moment--
An unprecedented sense of clarity welled up from the depths of my mind.
Neural responses become sharper than ever before, and thinking and reaction speeds are greatly enhanced.
The world before him seemed to slow down, as if it were playing in slow motion.
It wasn't that the outside world had slowed down, but rather that his reaction speed had increased.
"Neural reaction speed increases."
Fang Han muttered to himself, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
This Divine Treasury possesses the ability to enhance nerve reaction speed.
In combat, this means that the opponent's movement speed will appear slower to him, making it an extremely useful Divine Treasury ability.
He closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then opened them, getting up from the bed.
"Breaking through from the Second Grade Mid-Stage to the Second Grade Late Stage should increase one's strength several times over."
Fang Han silently estimated in his mind.
This was only a minor breakthrough, and the increase in strength was limited, unlike the qualitative leap that occurs when breaking through to a major realm.
However, even a several-fold increase would be enough to elevate his strength to a level comparable to a martial artist who Break Three Passes.
After all, his strength had already surpassed that of a martial artist who had broken through two levels, and he was not far from Break Three Passes.
Now, with several times the enhancement, it should be enough to fight against a warrior who Break Three Passes.