Chapter 250 - 249: Breakthrough to Fifth Grade
Chapter 250: Chapter 249: Breakthrough to Fifth Grade
’This effect... is worthy of an Earth Spirit Pill!’
Fang Han was inwardly shaken.
The rate at which the Earth Spirit Pill generated Inner Qi was more than three times that of a True Spirit Pill!
At this terrifying cultivation speed, the Inner Qi in his Zhangmen Acupoint, which was already near overflowing, filled up at a visible rate.
In the time it took for an incense stick to burn—
HUM!
The Zhangmen Acupoint trembled lightly, emitting a clear sensation of being full to bursting. It could no longer hold any more Inner Qi.
The Inner Qi spontaneously surged toward the next acupoint—the Qichong Acupoint—but was blocked by an invisible barrier outside it.
He had reached the bottleneck of the Fifth Grade!
’I’ll push through in one go and attempt a breakthrough!’
A sharp glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes. Far from stopping, he focused even more intently on guiding the vast Inner Qi within his body.
Like a tireless tide, wave after wave crashed steadily and continuously against the invisible yet tough barrier.
His powerful Root Bone made his bottleneck much weaker than that of other Martial Artists.
This was a barrier that an ordinary Sixth Grade Martial Artist would need to spend a great deal of time and resources to even have a chance of breaking. Before him, though it seemed solid, it was not unshakable.
The bottleneck trembled violently, sending out ripples as fine cracks began to spread across it.
「An hour later.」
CRACK!
A shattering sound, originating from deep within his body and clearer than when he had broken through to the Sixth Grade, rang out!
The Fifth Grade bottleneck was broken!
The vast Inner Qi, which had been accumulating for so long, instantly crushed all obstructions and, with an unprecedented joyous rush, poured madly into the newly opened Qichong Acupoint.
In that instant, the aura around Fang Han’s body skyrocketed!
The thirteen opened acupoints, now including the Qichong Acupoint, formed an even more complex, vast, and efficient system for circulating Inner Qi.
The speed and volume of his Inner Qi flow increased sharply. Its color became deeper, almost jet-black, and its texture grew thick like paste. The sense of power it brought as it circulated far surpassed that of the Late Stage of the Sixth Grade—it was a qualitative leap.
And as the Qichong Acupoint was opened, a new Divine Treasure was also unlocked: "Tide Surge."
Fang Han felt a slight warmth in his Dantian and Qi Sea as an indescribable sense of vastness and explosive power quietly integrated into his Inner Qi circulation system.
Once this Divine Treasure was activated, his Inner Qi could erupt in an instant, like a tidal wave.
The total output and speed of his Inner Qi over a short period would be greatly enhanced, making the power of his Martial Techniques stronger and his explosive force even more astonishing!
’Fifth Grade, I’ve made it!’
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes. A trace of dark, cyan light swirled in their depths before quickly fading.
He felt utterly delighted as he sensed the completely transformed Inner Qi within him—now more vigorous, surging, and qualitatively sublimated—and the immense explosive power it held, like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
As far as he knew, out of the thousand-plus disciples in the Sect, only the top ten had broken through to the Fifth Grade so far.
He had become the eleventh disciple among them to do so.
...
「Over the next few days.」 Fang Han’s life was simple and disciplined.
He cultivated the Profound Wind Technique in the mornings and evenings to consolidate his newly achieved Early Stage Fifth Grade Cultivation and continue increasing his Inner Qi.
In the forenoons, he practiced the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting, and in the afternoons, he practiced the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step.
His breakthrough to the Fifth Grade had resulted in a qualitative leap in his Inner Qi’s quality and quantity, which also benefited his Martial Technique cultivation.
When it came to Martial Techniques, a higher Grade wasn’t always better; it had to correspond with one’s own cultivation. Even if you gave a Lower Three Grades Martial Artist a top-level swordsmanship technique, their Inner Qi wouldn’t be able to meet its cultivation demands.
It was like a 1.5-volt battery from his past life. It could supply power to an appliance, but it couldn’t actually make it run.
As a top-level swordsmanship, the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting had extremely high requirements for Inner Qi quality. Supported by his Fifth Grade Internal Qi, his practice now went much more smoothly.
With his 128-fold Swordsmanship Talent Amplification, his progress advanced by leaps and bounds.
That afternoon, Fang Han was practicing the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step in his courtyard. His figure moved like wind and lightning, leaving a trail of elusive afterimages within the small space.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard, followed by the voice of his maid, Qiu Lan, tinged with respect and caution.
"Sir, a disciple from the Law Enforcement Hall wishes to see you. He says he has an important matter to report."
"The Law Enforcement Hall?"
Fang Han’s movements paused. He slowly relaxed his stance, his brow furrowing slightly.
’What business would a disciple from the Law Enforcement Hall have with me?’
’Could Chu Feng be up to his old tricks again?’
’But I’m a True Disciple now. Even if Chu Feng is a highly-regarded True Inheritor on the Celestial Pride List, it should be difficult for him to use the Law Enforcement Hall to openly suppress me anymore.’
"Show him in."
Fang Han suppressed his doubts and instructed Qiu Lan.
"Yes."
A moment later, a young disciple wearing the Law Enforcement Hall’s Disciple’s Robe, with sharp features and bright eyes, walked into the courtyard led by Qiu Lan.
Upon seeing Fang Han, he quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Law Enforcement Hall disciple Zhao Ming greets True Inheritor Fang!"
"Junior Brother Zhao, there’s no need for such formality. Why is the Law Enforcement Hall looking for me?"
Fang Han looked at him calmly and asked directly.
Zhao Ming glanced around, took a step forward, and lowered his voice.
"True Inheritor Fang, Elder Zhou Jin has ordered this disciple to come and inform you. You are to proceed immediately to the main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall. A Sect assignment is being issued."
His tone carried a hint of subtle flattery.
"A Sect assignment?"
Fang Han’s heart skipped a beat. ’Another assignment? Could Chu Feng really be behind this?’
He looked at Zhao Ming and asked.
"Junior Brother Zhao, do you know what the mission is?"
"Reporting to the True Inheritor, this disciple’s position is too low. I am not aware of the specific details of the mission," Zhao Ming said, shaking his head.
"However, you are not the only one who has been summoned, True Inheritor. As far as I know, many senior brothers and sisters in the top 100 of the overall list, and even some disciples ranked in the one to two hundreds, have received the notice."
"Even disciples ranked in the one to two hundreds were conscripted?"
A flicker of surprise passed through Fang Han’s eyes.
’An assignment of this scale is no ordinary mission. It’s definitely not something Chu Feng could arrange on his own.’
’It seems this mission is a unified operation at the Sect level.’
"Thank you for telling me, Junior Brother Zhao."
Fang Han, now with a better understanding, nodded at Zhao Ming.
"You’re too kind, True Inheritor. This is just my duty," Zhao Ming said, inwardly delighted that Fang Han’s attitude was so affable. He felt his small gesture of goodwill was well worth it.
"I will go at once."
Fang Han delayed no longer. After a word to Zhao Ming, he turned and went back to his Quiet Chamber to tidy up and hang the Flowing Wind Sword at his side.
He left his courtyard and headed directly for the Law Enforcement Hall.
Arriving at the Law Enforcement Hall, he could see from a distance that a large crowd of disciples had already gathered in the plaza before the main hall. It was a dense mass of people, numbering close to a hundred.
The auras of these disciples varied in strength; there were Eighth, Seventh, and Sixth Grade members present.
A few of the auras even made Fang Han, who had just broken through to the Fifth Grade, feel a faint sense of pressure.
They were the few from the Sect’s Celestial Pride List.
Fang Han’s arrival attracted a lot of attention.
His reputation in the Sect had recently soared, especially after he shot up to sixteenth on the overall list at the beginning of the month. No one dared to underestimate him.
Many disciples nodded at him, their gazes filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and even a trace of awe.
Fang Han’s expression was calm as his gaze swept over the crowd, where he saw several familiar faces.
Yun Qianyue, Li Feng, Shi Meng, and Huang Ling’er, the four top disciples from the Sub-Branches, were all there.
He even saw Chu Feng!
Chu Feng stood at the front of the crowd with several other True Disciples who had powerful auras.
Sensing Fang Han’s gaze, he shot him a cold glance before turning away, a hint of frigid caution deep in his eyes.
Fang Han understood. ’It seems Zhao Ming wasn’t exaggerating. This Sect assignment is massive.’
He walked silently over to stand beside Yun Qianyue and the other three, waiting for what would happen next.
More disciples continued to arrive, and the number of people in the plaza soon exceeded one hundred.
Everyone conversed in low voices, guessing the reason for this mission. The atmosphere felt somewhat tense.
About the time it takes an incense stick to burn later, once everyone had arrived, the heavy doors of the Law Enforcement Hall’s main hall slowly swung open.
Several figures strode out. The one in the lead had a stern face and eyes as sharp as a falcon’s. It was none other than the Law Enforcement Hall’s Elder Zhou Jin, with whom Fang Han had crossed paths once before.
Following behind him were several Law Enforcement Hall Stewards with unfathomably deep auras.
Elder Zhou Jin’s gaze swept across the crowd like lightning. The once-buzzing plaza instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"I have summoned you all here for an important Sect assignment."
Elder Zhou Jin’s voice was low, yet it reached every person’s ears clearly.
"After several months of secret investigation, the Sect has confirmed the existence of multiple factions practicing Demon Skills within the Qingxuan Sect’s sphere of influence!"
As soon as he said this, a low uproar erupted across the plaza.
Demon Skills!
Those two words seemed to hold a magical power, causing the expression on every disciple’s face to change.
Realization dawned on Fang Han as well.
’So that’s what this is about!’
He had previously wondered why the Sect had made no major moves after he reported that Zhou Tong of Yellow Leaf City was practicing a Demon Skill.
It turned out the Sect hadn’t been idle at all. They had been conducting a more thorough and in-depth investigation in secret, and only now were they ready to launch a thunderous strike!
"This operation aims to purge these Demon Dao remnants and maintain peace within the Sect’s sphere of influence!"
Elder Zhou Jin’s tone was resolute, carrying a grim, murderous aura.
"You are all the elites of the Sect. Today is the day you serve the Sect!"
"You will now be divided into ten teams, each with over ten members, led by a high-ranking True Disciple or a Steward. You will be dispatched to different targets to carry out the purge!"
"Now, we begin forming the teams!"
Elder Zhou Jin said no more and began to read out a list of names.
The disciples whose names were called stepped out of the crowd and gathered behind their designated team leader.
"Team Three! Leader: Yang Zhe. Members: Fang Han, Yun Qianyue, Li Feng...!"
Hearing his name, Fang Han stepped forward and came to a stop behind a tall young man with a stern face and a powerful aura.
This was the True Disciple ranked tenth on the overall list, Yang Zhe!
Among the top ten disciples, he was the only one who had reached the Fifth Grade besides the nine on the Celestial Pride List.
He was once considered a promising candidate for the Celestial Pride List, but he had ultimately failed to make it.
"Junior Brother Fang."
Yang Zhe glanced at Fang Han, gave a slight nod in greeting, and then returned his gaze to the front, his eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.
As for Yun Qianyue, Li Feng, and the others, he merely gave them a passing glance and paid them no further attention.
Soon, the ten teams were formed.
Elder Zhou Jin then announced some rules of engagement and other important points, particularly emphasizing the need for ruthlessness against cultivators of Demon Skills.
"If discovered, kill on sight, no questions asked!"
"Move out!"
At Elder Zhou Jin’s command, the ten teams, led by their respective leaders, left the plaza and descended the mountain.
Fang Han’s group, Team Three, had a total of twelve members, including their leader, Yang Zhe.
The weakest among them were on the level of Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, making their lineup formidable.