Chapter 166: The Path to Grandmaster

At present, the clues available were far too few to uncover the truth. Fang Han could only suppress the tangled thoughts in his mind for the time being.

'The gathering point of the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth is off limits for now. If I insist on going again, I'll only draw another siege from the Grandmasters.'

'With my current strength, I can still contend with a single Grandmaster. But if I have to face two or more Innate Grandmasters at once, then even with the endless vitality provided by Verdant Wood Invocation, death would be inevitable.'

Still, this trip had not been without gains. At the very least, his clash with the Grandmasters had given him a clear understanding of the strength possessed by that realm.

'Fortunately, I've already reached the Astral Qi realm. I'm only one step away from advancing to the Innate realm.'

'For the time being, I'll cultivate on my own. Once the attention dies down, I'll return to absorb more Xuanhuang Qi.'

Fang Han suddenly recalled the battle with the Grandmasters not long ago.

'It's said that upon becoming an Innate Grandmaster, one may witness an ancient illusionary realm and awaken a divine ability. I wonder whether an Otherworldly Celestial Demon like me has the same opportunity.'

His brief exchange with a Grandmaster had also planted another idea in his mind.

'The Imperial Fist is, after all, only the standard killing art used by Great Qian's military. Below the Grandmaster realm, it may be unrivaled. But looking across the world, which Grandmaster isn't an unparalleled genius? Trying to suppress them with the Imperial Fist alone is no longer enough.'

'My goal is to dominate this world's martial path and become the martial artist most revered beneath heaven. Only then can I continuously harvest Xuanhuang Qi.'

'Verdant Wood Invocation and the Imperial Fist alone cannot accomplish that.'

'Perhaps by following the Qian Emperor's example and becoming the pioneer of lifespan borrowing, it could be achieved. But if I'm merely an ordinary Grandmaster, I'm afraid I won't possess the qualifications to negotiate terms with this world's Heavenly Dao.'

'A divine ability that belongs solely to me...'

Over the following days, Fang Han studied an enormous amount of historical records and martial literature. He also paid personal visits to numerous Grandmasters.

In the end, he reached a conclusion.

A Grandmaster's martial divine ability was nothing more than a rudimentary prototype when it first awakened.

Only through endless combat and slaughter could it continue to evolve toward perfection.

Every life-and-death battle against an opponent of the same realm brought a small but meaningful improvement in one's understanding of their divine ability.

There had never been a divine ability that was born invincible.

If one could use their own divine ability to defeat every opponent beneath heaven...

Then that divine ability would naturally become the greatest in the world.

'It seems... I still have to fight.'

'Then with these bare fists, I'll smash open a road that reaches the heavens.'

Having realized this, Fang Han abandoned the idea of seeking shortcuts in cultivation.

Through Wen Ye's connections, he successfully obtained from the Martial Arts Association a roster containing nearly every martial artist at the Astral Qi realm and above.

Beginning with Astral Qi realm martial artists, Fang Han challenged them one after another according to the list.

He did not seek victory or defeat.

He sought only battle.

With the inexhaustible vitality flowing through his body, no matter how grievous the injuries he sustained in each life-and-death struggle, he would recover completely within half an hour.

The moment he healed, he immediately rushed toward the next opponent on the list without pause.

Fang Han also understood that such a recovery speed was far too shocking.

To conceal the truth, he deliberately disguised himself under three additional identities.

Each identity specialized in one of the Imperial Fist's ultimate killing moves: Ascending the Throne, Razing the Imperial Court, Establishing the Cauldron, and Royal Inspection.

Naturally, whenever a battle reached its climax, similarities in his techniques occasionally revealed flaws.

But Fang Han did not particularly care.

So long as his identity as an Otherworldly Celestial Demon remained hidden and did not attract another Grandmaster siege...

Everything else was insignificant.

If anyone became suspicious of his seemingly inexhaustible stamina and secretly came to investigate...

Fang Han did not mind using them as whetstones to further temper his martial path.

The facts soon proved that improving himself through sparring with martial artists did not attract the Heavenly Dao's attention.

Thus, as one full year passed since Fang Han had descended into this martial world...

After yet another overwhelming victory over a Astral Qi realm martial artist, enlightenment suddenly dawned upon him.

The gate to Grandmaster... was already within reach.

Yet how exactly he should take that final step, the one that would allow him to break free of his cocoon and transform into a butterfly, still required the right opportunity.

Looking back over the past year, nearly every Astral Qi realm martial artist beneath heaven had been swept aside by him.

In the beginning, their battles had been evenly matched. Most of his victories had come from enduring his opponents through the boundless vitality of Verdant Wood Invocation.

But during the latter half of the year, as his martial will became increasingly tempered and his instincts for close-quarters combat reached astonishing heights, ordinary Astral Qi realm martial artists were completely outclassed.

Those capable of surviving even two exchanges against Fang Han had become exceedingly rare.

And every one of them possessed the potential to become a Grandmaster.

Realizing that ordinary sparring could no longer help him cross the final threshold, Fang Han stopped wandering in search of opponents and quietly returned home to Tianmu City.

Ying was still faithfully waiting there.

Even though Fang Han had been away for more than half a year, his room remained spotless, cleaned every single day.

"Master, you've returned."

Ying knelt on the ground as before, her devotion as unwavering as ever.

To her, whether it was one year, ten years, or even a hundred years...

Made no difference at all.

"I'm staying this time."

"I won't be going anywhere for a while."

"I intend to rest properly."

Fang Han spoke calmly.

Hearing this, joy immediately appeared on Ying's face.

For the next several days, Fang Han completely emptied his mind.

He no longer thought about becoming the strongest beneath heaven or gathering Xuanhuang Qi.

It was as though he had forgotten everything.

Each day, he simply lounged lazily in the courtyard, watching clouds drift across the sky.

Unfortunately, those peaceful days lasted only a few days before they were abruptly shattered.

"It should be here!"

One day, a noisy commotion suddenly arose outside the courtyard.

"Young Master Fang gave the order. Not a single member of the Fang family is to be spared!"

"The eldest grandson of the Fang family, Fang Lie's older brother, sure made us search long enough!"

"I heard the kid never liked martial arts and spent his days as a useless playboy. Hmph. Just as expected. If he'd shown even the slightest bit of ambition, the Fang family wouldn't have fallen into such misery."

"Oh, come on. If you ask me, maybe Fang Han's old way of living was actually the wiser choice. The Fang family brought this disaster upon themselves because Fang Lie beat up our young master while studying in the Eastern Capital."

"Exactly. Of all the people he could've offended, he just had to provoke Young Master. Who in the Eastern Capital doesn't know that Grandmaster Lu treasures the son he struggled so hard to obtain?"

"I'd say the Fang family is doomed this time. What a pity. They used to be one of the great families."

"That's right. Grandmaster Lu isn't merely a Grandmaster himself. His senior brother and one of his disciples have also entered the Grandmaster realm."

"Three Grandmasters from a single lineage. Who could possibly afford to provoke them?"

"Grandmaster Lu doesn't even need to say a word. Plenty of people are eager to curry favor by handling matters for him."

"The funniest part is that Fang Lie spent a fortune hiring martial artists to protect his family. What good did it do? The moment they learned he'd offended Grandmaster Lu, every last one of them ran away with their tails between their legs."

As the voices drew closer and closer...

The courtyard gate was kicked open with a single blow.

Fang Han slowly opened his eyes.

'What was destined to come... has finally arrived.'

'Lu Feng.'

'A lineage with three Grandmasters...'

A sudden realization flashed through Fang Han's mind.

His path toward becoming a Grandmaster... lay precisely here.