In a clearing in the mountains, Fang Han sat quietly on a rock, looking from afar as though he were lost in a daze.
Yet within his mind, the figure of his Martial Soul tirelessly practiced the Nine Flood Dragon Palms again and again.
Who knew how much time had passed before Fang Han slowly opened his eyes.
His bright gaze fixed on the Panel before him:
[Forged to Excel] [Name: Fang Han] [Age: Twenty-Three] [Bone Structure: Inferior (Can Cultivate)] [Comprehension: 100] [Realm: None] [Martial Art: Gale-Breaking Fist (Mortal Grade)] [Proficiency: 233/500, entry] [Martial Art: Nine Flood Dragon Palms (Mortal Grade)] [Proficiency: 1/500, entry] [Talents: Unyielding Practice (Never Regress), Rising Talent (Comprehension Increase)]
The Nine Flood Dragon Palms had directly reached entry on the Panel, making his pupils contract slightly.
"After merely half an hour, the Martial Soul actually practiced this palm technique straight to the entry realm!"
"This Martial Soul's effect is far too outrageous!"
Fang Han muttered to himself, the shock in his heart beyond words.
But upon thinking it over, it was only normal for the Martial Soul to achieve such a thing.
After all, the speed at which the Martial Soul practiced palm techniques in his mind was more than ten times that of his physical body training martial arts!
Half an hour was enough for the Martial Soul to practice the palm technique hundreds of times!
If word of this got out, the martial artists of the entire Azure Cloud City would probably be stunned.
Fang Han took a deep breath, suppressing the surging waves in his heart as he began carefully comprehending the mysteries of the Nine Flood Dragon Palms.
The entry-level palm technique had already formed complete moves and methods of exerting force in his mind.
He rose to his feet and swung his palms while contemplating the technique. His two palms fluttered like flood dragons emerging from the water, their force fierce and domineering.
After completing one set of palm techniques, a notification appeared on the Panel:
Nine Flood Dragon Palms Proficiency +1
"Now that I have the Martial Soul, I can try training my fists with my body while practicing palm techniques in my mind..."
A sharp glint flashed in Fang Han's eyes. "From now on, I can practice two martial arts at once, or even several at the same time. My training efficiency will rise severalfold, even dozens of times over."
This was the truly terrifying aspect of the Martial Soul!
As he headed toward the foot of the mountain and returned to Mud Bay Alley, quite a few people had already gathered at the entrance.
Fang Han slowed his pace and walked through the crowd.
"I heard Zhou Dabao's death was the Black Tiger Gang's doing?"
"Yeah. The Dragon King Gang and the Black Tiger Gang have been fighting for two or three years. It's perfectly normal for Zhou Dabao to die at the Black Tiger Gang's hands."
"If you ask me, Zhou Dabao had it coming! He relied on the Dragon King Gang to lord it over us in Mud Bay Alley, collecting River God offerings with such an ugly appetite. He deserved to die!"
"Shh, are you tired of living, shouting nonsense that loudly? The Dragon King Gang has sent people again. Keep that big mouth shut, or they'll hear you and drag you off to offer river lanterns!"
Fang Han kept walking, passing through the discussions with an unchanged expression.
With the Black Tiger Gang standing in front and drawing all the firepower, no one would suspect him now.
However... Fang Han frowned slightly.
The death of one Zhou Dabao was utterly insignificant to the Dragon King Gang. In the blink of an eye, they could send someone else to replace him.
For the lowly people living in Mud Bay Alley, without Zhou Dabao, there would still be Li Dabao or Wang Dabao.
The moment Fang Han returned to his doorway, he saw someone standing in his small courtyard.
The man was in his thirties, ordinary-looking, with a faint smile on his face as he spoke with his mother, Chen Cui.
Seeing the Dragon King Gang emblem on the man's left sleeve, Fang Han immediately guessed that he was likely Zhou Dabao's replacement.
"The Fang Household still owes five taels in River God offerings. Will you pay now, or wait a few more days?" the man asked with a smile.
This time, Fang Han did not hesitate. Pretending to be in great pain, he reluctantly took out five taels of silver and handed them to the Dragon King Gang man.
Zhou Dabao had just died, and if his family refused to pay the River God offering, it would be stranger if the Dragon King Gang did not grow suspicious.
Still, losing five taels of silver for nothing hurt no matter how he looked at it.
If he went to Wei Zixiong to buy Blood-Qi Pills with five taels of silver, he could get fifteen pills.
Fifteen Blood-Qi Pills were about enough for him to train the Gale-Breaking Fist to the Major Accomplishment realm.
Thus, everything remained peaceful until three days later.
Flood Peak Martial Arts Academy.
More than forty Outer Court apprentices stood quietly on the training grounds.
Today was the day of the Ten-Day Minor Examination, and it was also the first Ten-Day Minor Examination Fang Han had participated in since joining the academy.
"Fang Han, are you nervous?"
Li Daniu stood beside Fang Han and asked in a low voice.
"Not really."
Fang Han answered softly, though all his thoughts were fixed on the Panel before him:
[Forged to Excel] [Name: Fang Han] [Age: Twenty-Three] [Bone Structure: Inferior (Can Cultivate)] [Comprehension: 103] [Realm: None] [Martial Art: Gale-Breaking Fist (Mortal Grade)] [Proficiency: 76/1000, Minor Accomplishment] [Martial Art: Nine Flood Dragon Palms (Mortal Grade)] [Proficiency: 360/500, entry] [Talents: Unyielding Practice (Never Regress), Rising Talent (Comprehension Increase)]
Over these three days, he had trained without cease and directly pushed the Gale-Breaking Fist's proficiency to the Minor Accomplishment realm.
At the same time, he had trained his fists a hundred times on three occasions, triggering [Rising Talent] and gaining another 3 points of comprehension.
His gaze fell upon the Nine Flood Dragon Palms' proficiency, and Fang Han could not help shaking his head inwardly, silently thinking:
I've only just realized that the Martial Soul isn't invincible either. After the Nine Flood Dragon Palms reached entry, the Martial Soul could only practice it around a hundred times per day.
Beyond a hundred times, my brain would grow groggy and sleepy, and no matter what, I couldn't rouse my spirits.
It seems that while the Martial Soul's ability is incredibly powerful, what it consumes is my mental strength. If my mental strength could remain abundant forever, then the Martial Soul could practice martial arts without rest until reaching Perfection.
But the greatest pity is that when the Martial Soul practices palm techniques, it cannot train fists a hundred times to trigger [Rising Talent] and increase comprehension points.
If the Martial Soul could also trigger [Rising Talent] and grant additional comprehension points, then my martial arts training efficiency would become even more terrifying!
"Fang Han, and you said you weren't nervous? You've been spacing out this entire time."
"Come on, stop spacing out. Let me tell you who ranked near the top in the previous Minor Exams."
Li Daniu lightly nudged Fang Han with his elbow, then pursed his lips toward the front of the crowd, signaling him to look.
"See that tallest one? His name is Cao Xuan. He was born with brute strength, and his Gale-Breaking Fist has already reached Minor Accomplishment.
"The short-haired one beside him is Sun Ping. His footwork is very agile, and his fist techniques are solid too.
"And that dark-skinned fellow is called..."
Fang Han followed Li Daniu's gaze and committed each of those names and faces to memory.
The top ten Outer Court apprentices in the Ten-Day Minor Examination would all receive Blood-Qi Soup rewards from the academy.
The higher one ranked, the greater the share of Blood-Qi Soup they would receive, with five bowls being the most.
A trace of interest flashed through Fang Han's eyes.
What he lacked most right now were resources that could increase his martial arts training efficiency.
Blood-Qi Pills were too expensive. He could consider them when he had money to spare, but during ordinary training, it was impossible to consume one Blood-Qi Pill a day.
If he could obtain Blood-Qi Soup through the Minor Exam, that would be a free gain. He would not need to spend a single coin.
Fang Han pondered silently. With his current Minor Accomplishment in the Gale-Breaking Fist, securing a spot in the top ten of the Minor Exam should not be difficult.
He simply could not rank too high. Ranking too high would draw attention, making it easy for others to target him and inviting unnecessary resentment.
"Fourth or fifth place should be about right. I'll reveal a little of my strength first, then slowly improve later."
With that, Fang Han had a plan in mind.
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