Chapter 104: Chapter 103: Great Success in Startled Swan Step, Changes in the Rankings

Fang Han leaned against an ancient tree, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cool cover of the *Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship* manual.

The dark, almost black material glinted faintly under the sparse light filtering through the forest.

He didn’t begin practicing immediately. Instead, he slowly opened the book again, his calm gaze sweeping over the calligraphy-like script and the complex diagrams.

He had long since memorized the general Heart Method. Now, he was focused on studying the details of Inner Qi circulation and the secrets of power generation for the Nine Sword Techniques.

He read through the manual several times until he was sure that every diagram, every mantra, and even every marked Qi circulation point was seared into his mind like a brand. Only then did he slowly close the book and tuck it into his robes.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh, grassy air, Fang Han stood up and drew his Cyan Blade Sword.

He didn’t rush to execute a single technique. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused, mentally rehearsing the entire process of the first technique, "Returning Wind and Shadow," several times.

From generating force in his feet, to twisting his waist, to extending his arm, and making minute adjustments with his wrist.

Finally, his Inner Qi would coil around the blade like a thread, as if the wind itself were wrapping around the sword...

After a long moment, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them before disappearing.

He swung the Cyan Blade Sword, his movements so slow they were almost frozen.

He was feeling the awkwardness and resistance as his Inner Qi traveled through his meridians along the unique pathways of the Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship.

Compared to the smooth flow of the Xunfeng Swordsmanship, this new path for Qi Circulation felt exceptionally strange and awkward due to its unfamiliarity.

Once, twice, three times... He temporarily abandoned speed, focusing only on the precision of his movements and the circulation of his Inner Qi.

An entire day passed in this state of focused practice.

Not until the setting sun stretched the shadows of the trees long and the light in the woods grew dim did Fang Han finally sheathe his sword.

Sweat beaded on his brow, his breathing was slightly ragged, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

For the entire day, aside from when he ran out of Inner Qi and meditated to recover it, he had been practicing the Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship.

He possessed an Eightfold Swordsmanship Talent and a solid foundation from his Perfection Level Xunfeng Swordsmanship.

But after a full day of arduous training, he had failed to reach the Entry Level of Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship. He hadn’t even quite achieved basic "form mimicry."

’No wonder the summary described its cultivation difficulty as extremely high...’

Fang Han muttered to himself, but his face showed no sign of discouragement.

The difficulty was within his expectations; he had already prepared himself for the possibility of not reaching the Entry Level in one day, or even several.

Middle Grade Sword Techniques were inherently harder than Low Grade Sword Techniques, and Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship was considered one of the most difficult even among its peers.

If he had reached the Entry Level after just one day of cultivation, that would have been abnormal.

He rubbed his sore, aching arm, his gaze growing even calmer.

The harder it was to practice, the more astonishing its power would be once mastered. This only made him look forward to it more.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Fang Han appeared in the forest clearing once more.

He still began with the most basic technique, "Returning Wind and Shadow," repeating yesterday’s practice.

His speed was still not fast, but with each strike, his sword was a fraction more precise than the day before, and the circulation of his Inner Qi was a thread smoother.

He constantly adjusted the rhythm of his breathing and power generation, trying to grasp the knack of it.

However, when night fell once more and he stopped, sweat pouring down like rain, he still had not reached the Entry Level of Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship.

The barrier to the Entry Level was exceptionally tough.

The third day, the fourth day... Fang Han’s life fell into a strict routine.

In the morning, he would meditate and cultivate the Xunfeng Technique to improve his Inner Qi Cultivation.

Afterward, once he completed his necessary patrols in the Beast Garden, he would pour all his energy into the cultivation of Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship.

He was completely focused, fully immersed in his exploration of the Sword Dao.

It was as if the outside world had ceased to exist. The Sub-Branch rankings, the progress of other disciples, even Zhao Qianjun’s furtive spying from the shadows—he temporarily pushed it all to the back of his mind.

In his eyes, there was only the sword in his hand and the profound, unpredictable Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship.

Time trickled by, measured in sweat and perseverance.

At noon on the fifth day, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled spots of light on the leaf-strewn ground.

Fang Han was practicing a transitional variation of the technique, "Returning Wind and Shadow." His body spun like the wind, the tip of his sword tracing an uncanny arc.

Just as his Sword Momentum was about to fade but had not yet vanished, he seemed to have a flash of insight. The strand of pale green Inner Qi in his body suddenly condensed and accelerated in an unprecedented way, surging out through his meridians.

"CHII—!"

An extremely faint, yet unusually sharp sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

At the tip of the Cyan Peak Sword, the pale green glow of Inner Qi solidified.

It was no longer a diffuse aura of Qi, but a Wind Blade extending from the tip of the Cyan Peak Sword.

The blade’s edge swept past a few falling leaves nearby.

Though the leaves were not touched, they silently split in two, the cuts as smooth as a mirror.

Fang Han’s movements came to a sudden halt. He held his striking pose, his eyes shining.

He slowly withdrew his sword and looked down at the leaves split in two on the ground, a surge of joy welling up in his heart.

’I’ve reached Entry Level!’

He savored the feeling of that last moment.

His Inner Qi had been highly condensed, as if it had truly formed an incomparably sharp "Wind Blade" extending from the sword’s tip.

The wind from his sword had become sharper, carrying with it a rending quality.

’Just at the Entry Level, the sheer destructive power of Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship is probably not much weaker than the Xunfeng Swordsmanship was at the Great Success Stage!’

Fang Han was stunned as he compared the Entry Level Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship to his Xunfeng Swordsmanship.

The Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship at just the Entry Level was already comparable to the Xunfeng Swordsmanship at Great Success. If he cultivated it to Minor Achievement, its power would likely surpass the Xunfeng Swordsmanship at Perfection.

And if he cultivated it to Mastery, Great Success, or even Perfection... its power would be unimaginable!

’As expected of a swordsmanship lauded as top-level among Middle Grade Sword Techniques for its power!’

Fang Han couldn’t help but marvel aloud. The power of the Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship had not disappointed him.

Of course, commensurate with the terrifying power of Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship was its astonishingly high cultivation difficulty.

Even with his Eightfold Swordsmanship Talent and the foundation from his Perfection-level Xunfeng Swordsmanship, it had still taken him a full five days to barely reach the Entry Level.

To subsequently reach Minor Achievement, Mastery, Great Success, or even the Realm of Perfection would not be something he could accomplish in a short time. The time and energy required would be immense.

’It’ll be hard to rely on Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship for a qualitative leap in strength in the short term!’

Fang Han judged calmly.

Although Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship was powerful, its cultivation difficulty was extremely high. Having just reached Entry Level, advancing further to Minor Achievement was definitely not something he could do in a short period.

’In contrast, I’m more likely to see results with the Startled Swan Step!’

A thoughtful look appeared in Fang Han’s eyes.

It had been over a month since his Startled Swan Step reached Mastery, and in that time, his progress with it had been extremely fast.

He had a feeling that his Startled Swan Step was not far from reaching Great Success.

And while improving his Step Technique didn’t directly increase his Attack Power, it would greatly enhance his mobility, evasion, and pursuit capabilities.

For him, who still needed to be constantly vigilant against the potential threat of Zhao Qianjun, this kind of improvement was crucial. In some situations, it was even more practical than an increase in Attack Power.

’Looks like I need to adjust my cultivation focus!’

After weighing his options, Fang Han adjusted his subsequent cultivation focus.

He still set aside time each day to cultivate the Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship, but he devoted more of his time and energy to practicing the Startled Swan Step.

His days in the Beast Garden were peaceful and fulfilling.

In the blink of an eye, his one-month guarding mission was nearing its end.

「On the final day, at dawn.」

Fang Han was practicing the Startled Swan Step in an open, grassy area at the edge of the Beast Garden.

His figure flickered like a phantom, a startled swan’s fleeting shadow, leaving behind afterimages on the grass that were difficult to track.

He channeled Inner Qi to his feet, sensing the subtle changes in the airflow across his body, chasing the ultimate smoothness of "Riding the Wind."

At a subtle moment during a sharp change in direction, as his toes lightly tapped a blade of grass and his body was about to feint but hadn’t yet...

The pale green Inner Qi in his Dantian seemed to find some profound nodal point on its own and surged forth.

From beneath his feet, a gentle yet powerful lifting force seemed to materialize out of thin air.

"SWOOSH—!"

His speed abruptly increased by thirty percent, and in an instant, he appeared three zhang away.

He landed without a sound, not disturbing even a speck of dust.

’Startled Swan Step... Great Success!’

Fang Han stopped, panting slightly, but his eyes shone with a brilliant light.

Feeling the ceaselessly flowing Inner Qi in his body and the unprecedented lightness and power in his feet, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.

On the last day of his Beast Garden mission, his Startled Swan Step had advanced to Great Success.

And because this Low Grade Step Technique had reached Great Success, his overall strength had once again increased significantly.

He could advance to attack or retreat to defend. Facing potential dangers, his confidence had grown that much more.

’It’s time...’

Fang Han gazed in the direction of the Yin Courtyard, where Zhao Qianjun resided. Deep in his eyes, a frigid glint flickered past.

He couldn’t let that venomous snake, Zhao Qianjun, continue to spy on him from the shadows any longer.

He needed to accept a mission that would take him away from the Sect, proactively create an opportunity, lure the snake from its hole, and eliminate this hidden danger.

The next day, Fang Han went to the Beast Garden’s administration office to hand over his mission.

Steward Zhang inspected the Beast Garden and, after confirming that everything was in order, processed the proof of mission completion for him.

As for Contribution Points, there were none, of course, as he had already taken them in advance.

He packed his simple belongings, bid farewell to the Beast Garden where he had spent the last month, and set off on the road back to the Sub-Branch.

After being vacant for a month, Room C-7 was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Fang Han pushed open the door and was met with a gust of dusty air.

He put down his luggage, walked into the courtyard, and called over a passing servant, instructing him to help clean up.

While he was waiting for the servant to clean, a familiar voice called out.

"Fang Han? You’re back from your mission!"

Fang Han turned to see Xiao Chen walking over from the other end of the corridor.

He hadn’t seen Xiao Chen in a month, and his aura had grown slightly more condensed.

It wasn’t just him who had grown; Xiao Chen was no exception. Anyone who could join the Qingxuan Sect amid this year’s fierce competition was bound to have decent Talent.

"Brother Xiao Chen."

A smile touched Fang Han’s face as he clasped his hands in greeting.

"You were gone for a whole month. You missed a lot of excitement."

Xiao Chen walked closer, sizing Fang Han up as he spoke.

"Oh? And what interesting things have happened in the courtyard this past month?"

Fang Han asked with a slight smile.

"Heh, quite a few!"

Xiao Chen grew animated, lowering his voice as he spoke.

"First off, the Martial Arts Stele rankings have changed quite a bit. Han Yi, who was ninth, and Gao Yuan, who was tenth, were both knocked down. They’ve fallen out of the top ten now."