Fang Han stood still in the middle of the wilderness.
Sunlight streamed down from the sky, casting a long shadow over him. He took a deep breath.
Within his body, the Dark Green Internal Qi of the < Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture > began to surge and circulate.
The immense Internal Qi of the Second Grade Late Stage cultivator circulated without reservation, surging and roaring through his meridians like a river.
The physical strength of 300,000 jin was mobilized simultaneously, and the muscles and bones resonated.
He gripped the hilt of the Cloudsplitter Sword with his right hand.
"Clang--"
The sword's cry, like a dragon's roar, was clear, melodious, and instantly resounded throughout the entire wilderness.
The Wind Sword Intent erupted without reservation.
This time, the intensity of the Wind Sword Intent far surpasses that of the past.
The pale blue light on the sword suddenly surged.
The light was solidified, carrying a terrifying sharpness that seemed capable of tearing everything apart.
The air around the blade, illuminated by this radiance, silently cracked with fine, dark lines.
It was as if space itself trembled slightly under the sharpness of this sword.
Fang Han poured all his power— his Internal Qi, physical strength, and the Wind Sword Intent —into the Cloudsplitter Sword.
Then, he unleashed the < Great Void Wind God Sword > and slashed down with it.
"Call out--!"
This sword strike had no fancy variations; it was simply a single, straightforward slash.
But the moment the sword struck—
A terrifyingly pale blue Sword Qi burst forth from the blade.
The Sword Qi was ten zhang long, condensed like a solid substance, and presented a pale blue color that was almost transparent.
At the edge of the Sword Qi, the air was torn open with dark cracks.
The crack lingered, emitting a low, sharp wailing sound, as if even space itself was groaning in pain under this sword strike.
Where the Sword Qi passed--
The ground cracked open silently.
The crack was as smooth as a mirror, its depth unfathomable, extending forward from Fang Han's feet and stretching straight into the distance.
Wherever it passed, whether it was mud, gravel, weeds, or those huge rocks scattered in the wilderness, some as large as houses—
They were all split open from the middle, and the cut surfaces were as smooth as mirrors.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no deafening roar.
Only that one Sword Qi, refined to its extreme, silently tore everything apart and severed everything.
The Sword Qi surged forward until—
Hundreds of feet.
The pale blue Sword Qi energy gradually faded and finally dissipated in the sunlight.
Where the Sword Qi dissipated, the cracks in the ground stopped abruptly.
From Fang Han's feet to the end of the crack, a straight fissure hundreds of feet long stretched across the wilderness like a hideous scar.
The cleaved rocks had such smooth edges that they could reflect a person's image.
Several startled birds flew over the crack, but they couldn't withstand the remaining Sword Intent and silently split in two, falling into the depths of the crack without making a sound.
Fang Han sheathed his sword and stood there, gazing at the terrifying crack that stretched for hundreds of feet, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"About fifteen times."
He murmured to himself, his voice echoing softly in the silent wilderness.
Based on the destructive power of this attack, he was able to roughly judge the extent of the increase in his strongest combat power.
Compared to when the < Void-Sundering Sword Manual > Perfection Realm, the strongest combat power increased by about fifteen times after Beginner stage the < Great Void Wind God Sword >.
Fifteen times.
Originally, his combat power had already reached the peak of Break Three Passes levels, and now it has increased by 15 times.
This means that his current combat power has already surpassed the limit of a martial artist who Break Three Passes, and is now approaching the level of a grandmaster.
Qin Yuan, Lin Qingyin, and Chu Jinghong —those three top geniuses who left him far behind at the Martial Arts Tournament —their strongest combat power was only at this level.
"If someone possesses this level of skill at the Martial Arts Tournament..."
Fang Han gently clenched his fist, his gaze falling on the hundreds-of-foots-long crack.
If he had already mastered the Beginner stage the < Great Void Wind God Sword > during the Martial Arts Tournament, he would not have been defeated so easily by Qin Yuan's earth-shattering strike.
Even if we ultimately lose, we will never lose in such a humiliating way.
He sheathed his sword and stood with his hands behind his back in the wilderness.
A gentle breeze blew by, stirring up fine dust from the ground.
The crack, hundreds of feet long, cast a deep shadow in the sunlight, like a medal etched on the earth.
"But..."
After a long while, the surprise on Fang Han's face gradually faded, replaced by a hint of contemplation.
The sword strike he just unleashed consumed nearly one-fiftieth of his Internal Qi.
It didn't sound like much, but upon closer inspection, it made his heart sink slightly.
One-fiftieth.
In other words, with his current cultivation level at the Second Grade Late Stage, he can only unleash a maximum of about fifty sword strikes.
In actual combat, the consumption of Internal Qi must also take into account the movement of the Body Movement and the Internal Qi support during defense. The number of sword moves that can actually be used for offense is probably only thirty or forty.
He only has a few dozen moves to his name!
"The more powerful the attack, the greater the consumption of Internal Qi..."
Fang Han muttered to himself, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
These few dozen moves are more than enough to deal with opponents of significantly lower strength.
A few moves are enough to crush them; it wouldn't even take dozens of moves.
However, if they encounter opponents of the same level, such as Qin Yuan and Chu Jinghong, whose combat power surpasses even those Break Three Passes and are on par with grandmasters.
With only a few dozen moves, victory is virtually impossible.
Once Internal Qi is exhausted, one is left at the mercy of others.
" My Internal Qi cultivation has seriously affected my ability to perform!"
Fang Han slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and withdrew his gaze from the crack.
No matter how strong Sword Technique is, without sufficient cultivation to support it, it is like a tree without roots or water without a source, and will eventually be difficult to sustain.
His current situation is like a divine weapon that can cut through iron like mud, but is fitted with a wooden handle as thin as a hair.
Although it can injure the enemy, it may break on its own at any time.
From this perspective, choosing the < Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture >, a mid-grade Middle-Grade Artistic Conception cultivation technique that can accelerate the cultivation of Internal Qi, instead of choosing the currently scarce Middle-Grade Artistic Conception Body Movement, was undoubtedly a correct choice.
His Internal Qi is his biggest constraint right now!
"From now on, the focus of cultivation should be on Internal Qi."
Fang Han muttered to himself, a resolute glint in his eyes.
While the breakthrough in his Sword Technique delighted him, it also made him more acutely aware of his shortcomings.
His cultivation level at the Second Grade Late Stage has become his most serious constraint.
He needs a higher level of cultivation and more abundant Internal Qi to truly unleash the fifteen-fold increase in combat power.
Fang Han turned around and strode towards the direction of the Azure Profound Sect.
Behind them, the crack, hundreds of feet long, stretched silently in the sunlight, like a mark etched on the earth.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after he left, several Break the Wind came from the southeast.
Four martial artists who happened to be nearby were startled by the terrifying commotion and cautiously approached the wilderness.
The leader was a burly man in his forties with Fourth Grade Late Stage cultivation level.
He was followed by three companions, all of whom were at or around the Fourth Grade in cultivation.
"Brother Zhou, what do you think that commotion was just now?"
A tall, thin man asked in a low voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
The burly man surnamed Zhou did not answer, but continued walking with a solemn expression.
suddenly--
His steps suddenly stopped.
The three people behind him couldn't stop in time and almost bumped into his back.
Just as she was about to ask a question, her gaze went past his shoulder and looked ahead, and the words caught in her throat.
Across the wilderness, a fissure hundreds of feet long stretched across the land.
Stretching straight into the distance, it resembles a hideous scar slashed by an invisible giant blade.
Wherever the crack passed, those huge rocks, some as large as houses, scattered in the wilderness, were all split open.
The fracture surface is as smooth as a mirror, gleaming with a cool luster in the sunlight.
"What... what is this?!"
The tall, thin man gasped in shock, his face turning deathly pale instantly.
The burly man surnamed Zhou swallowed hard, his gaze following the crack forward, growing increasingly alarmed with each step.
He was Fourth Grade Late Stage martial artist, and he believed that a full-force strike could create a crack several meters long in the ground.
But the crack in front of us was hundreds of feet long, and its cut was smooth and flat, as if it were not cutting through hard earth and rock, but a piece of soft tofu.
What made him even more uneasy was the lingering, faint, yet sharp, intent in the air.
The sharpness was extremely faint, yet it caused a layer of fine particles to appear on his skin, as if countless invisible needles were gently pricking his entire body.
"Even if this wasn't left by a grandmaster, it was left by a powerful individual who was extremely close to being a grandmaster!"
The burly man surnamed Zhou's voice was hoarse and dry, filled with barely suppressed horror.
"Grandmaster?!"
The three people behind him gasped simultaneously.
"Run!"
Without further hesitation, the burly man surnamed Zhou turned and left, his pace several times faster than when he arrived.
The other three, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly followed.
The four figures quickly disappeared into the forest, not daring to even look back.
Azure Profound Sect, No. 35 Annex.
When Fang Han returned to the courtyard, it was already afternoon.
After lunch and a short rest, he went to the Quiet Room.
Wisps of smoke curled from the Sandalwood Incense burner, their delicate fragrance mingling with the warm afternoon air, slowly circulating in the Quiet Room.
Fang Han sat cross-legged on the futon, not immediately beginning his cultivation, but instead mentally reviewing his upcoming cultivation plan.
" Sword Technique, Body Movement, Horizontal Training, internal energy cultivation, and secret arts."
Fang Han muttered to himself, quickly weighing the priorities in his mind.
In terms of Body Movement, the < Wind God Step > has reached Perfection Realm and cannot be improved further. There is no need to invest any more time in it until a higher-grade Body Movement is obtained.
In terms of Sword Technique, the power of the < Great Void Wind God Sword > is already extremely strong, so strong that even the Internal Qi cannot keep up, so it is not the most urgent matter.
In terms of Horizontal Training, the < Black Tortoise True Art > is currently only at the Minor Success Stage and is still some distance from the next stage. It is sufficient to continue practicing step by step.
Regarding secret techniques, the < Nether Guide > and < Shadowveil > techniques are ultimately only auxiliary means. Under the current circumstances, the practice of these two secret techniques can be suspended.
"And internal energy..."
A resolute glint flashed in Fang Han's eyes.
Cultivating Internal Qi is the most fundamental of all.
No matter how strong Sword Technique is, without sufficient cultivation to support it, it is like a tree without roots or water without a source.
"From today onward, dedicate one hour each day to cultivating the < Great Void Wind God Sword >, one hour to cultivating the < Black Tortoise True Art >, and the rest of the time to cultivating the < Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture >."
Having made up his Fang Han no longer hesitated. He took out a jade bottle from his Storage Ring, uncorked it, poured out two Earth Spirit Pill, and put them into his mouth.
The Danyao melted instantly upon entering the mouth, its gentle yet powerful medicinal force spreading throughout the abdomen and reaching every part of the body.
"Splash--"
He closed his eyes, and the < Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture > slowly began to circulate.
Dark Green Internal Qi surged through his meridians like a mighty river, capturing and refining the medicinal power of the Earth Spirit Pill bit by bit.
It transforms into strands of pure Internal Qi, which flow into the meridians and then infuse the Hundred Convergences Acupoint, which is not yet filled with Internal Qi.
With a 512-fold Root Bone Talent Amplification, the growth rate of Internal Qi reached an unbelievable level.
With each complete cycle of the body's energy circulation, the Internal Qi will experience a significant increase.