Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Revealing the Edge

After he finished speaking, Fang Han headed for the dining hall.

Inside the dining hall, Fang Han ate his breakfast in silence.

More eyes than usual were on him, and whispers filled the air. Evidently, news of his clash with Chu Feng had spread like wildfire.

Fang Han paid them no mind, simply focusing on his food to replenish his energy.

After breakfast, Fang Han changed his original plan of practicing his Swordsmanship and headed straight for the wide, open White Jade Plaza at the center of the Sub-Branch.

The clash with Chu Feng had made him realize something. While Chu Feng wouldn’t dare openly violate the Sect rules to harm him directly, his status as a True Disciple and his network of connections meant there were countless ways to suppress him and cause trouble from the shadows.

He had to increase his standing within the Sect as quickly as possible to make these potential problems disappear before they could even form.

And the fastest way to increase his standing was to achieve a dazzlingly high rank on the Martial Arts Stele and attract the attention of the Sect’s Elders.

’My whole plan has been thrown into chaos!’

Fang Han felt a sense of resignation. Plans could never keep up with reality.

His batch of disciples was hailed as the most talented in recent years.

Those in the top ten not only had Cultivation at the Late Stage of Ninth Grade or higher, but had also cultivated at least one Low Grade Martial Technique to a level nearing the Perfection Level.

In terms of their Martial Technique Realm alone, they were only a slight step below him. Even so, he currently had no confidence that he could break into the top ten.

He had originally planned to challenge the Martial Arts Stele only after his strength could guarantee him a spot in the top ten. But now, the situation was forcing his hand, and he decided to act early.

He needed to display enough value to be noticed by the Sect, rendering any of Chu Feng’s clandestine attempts at suppression useless.

There were already quite a few disciples active on the plaza in the early morning.

Some practiced their Martial Techniques alone, their Palm Wind whistling through the air.

Others gathered in twos and threes, resting and chatting in low voices.

...

When Fang Han’s figure appeared at the edge of the plaza, the once noisy square instantly fell much quieter.

Gaze after gaze focused on him, filled with a mix of curiosity, scrutiny, pity, and schadenfreude.

Many were curious. What was this disciple who had just offended the True Disciple, Chu Feng, planning to do here at the plaza?

Ignoring the stares, Fang Han walked with steady steps directly to the towering, thirty-foot-tall, pure white Martial Arts Stele.

He stopped before it, letting out a long breath as he closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

A few breaths later, his eyes snapped open, a faint cyan glint flashing deep within them.

SHING—!

The Cyan Blade Sword shot from its scabbard. Its blade caught the morning sun, reflecting a cold, sharp light.

His Middle Stage of Ninth Grade Inner Qi surged, pouring entirely into the blade.

At the same time, the Wind Momentum he had grasped from reaching the Perfection Level in Xunfeng Swordsmanship was activated to its absolute peak.

VMMMM—

The blade trembled, letting out a strange hum.

A whirlwind seemed to materialize out of thin air in the plaza, the air currents rapidly converging and swirling around the sword in Fang Han’s hand.

The air around the blade blurred and warped, radiating a sharp intent that felt like it could tear anything apart.

"That’s... Momentum?"

"Wind Momentum! He’s actually mastered Wind Momentum!"

"He actually trained a Low Grade Sword Technique... to the Perfection Level?"

A wave of suppressed gasps immediately swept through the plaza.

Having been in the Qingxuan Sect for several months, these disciples’ horizons had expanded considerably.

They could naturally recognize it. This was clearly "Momentum," something one could only begin to grasp after cultivating a Low Grade Martial Technique, at minimum, to the Perfection Level.

Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, Fang Han slashed out.

The strike was so fast it left only a faint cyan afterimage.

The sword’s light, like a gale rending the sky, carried an unstoppable and fierce decisiveness as it slammed onto the surface of the white stele.

BOOM!

A deep, soul-shaking boom echoed out.

The surface of the Martial Arts Stele erupted in brilliant light, and ripples of energy spread out rapidly.

On the face of the stele, Fang Han’s rank—which had dropped to seventy-eighth place due to his long absence from testing—began to leap upward frantically.

Seventy-eighth... sixty-fifth... fifty-second... forty-first... thirtieth... twenty-fifth... nineteenth...

Finally, the number shot up one last time and froze—

Eighteenth!

In a single attempt, he had jumped a full sixty places!

From seventy-eighth place, he had skyrocketed to eighteenth!

Silence!

A deathly silence!

Every disciple in the plaza stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, looking in disbelief at the dazzling new rank on the Martial Arts Stele.

A jump of sixty places in one go! He had actually jumped a full sixty places!

In the fiercely competitive Sub-Branch, advancing even a single rank was incredibly difficult. One could only imagine the difficulty of such a monumental leap.

Furthermore, the Wind Momentum he had just displayed made it clear to everyone that, in terms of comprehension of Martial Techniques, Fang Han had already surpassed many of the disciples in the top ten.

"Eigh... eighteenth?"

"Wind Momentum... He’s actually mastered Momentum!"

"Besides the top ten... there was another monster like this among us?!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"And he never showed any sign of it before..."

"No wonder he dared to turn down the True Disciple, Chu Feng. So this was the source of his confidence!"

After a brief silence, an even greater uproar erupted in the plaza.

The way everyone looked at Fang Han changed completely, shifting from pity and contempt to profound shock and awe.

In the Martial Arts World, strength reigned supreme. The power and Talent Fang Han had just displayed were enough to earn everyone’s respect.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the Sub-Branch at an astonishing speed.

"Did you hear? Fang Han challenged the Martial Arts Stele and shot up to eighteenth place in one go!"

"He’s also mastered Wind Momentum! His comprehension of Martial Techniques is high enough to be ranked among the very best!"

"My god, it’s only been a few months since he joined! How did his rank improve so much? How does he do his Cultivation?"

"Now we’ve got a show to watch! It won’t be so easy for the True Disciple, Chu Feng, to suppress him now!"

"The Sect would never sit by and watch a genius like him get suppressed for no reason!"

Amid their shock, many disciples began to re-evaluate the likely outcome of the conflict between Fang Han and Chu Feng.

Fang Han wasn’t entirely defenseless. The Talent he displayed was a powerful Protective Talisman in itself.

Wang Meng also heard the news in her own residence, and for the first time, an expression of unconcealable shock appeared on her beautiful face.

"Eighteenth place... Wind Momentum..."

she repeated in a low voice, her eyes filled with disbelief. ’Being able to raise his rank to eighteenth is enough to prove Fang Han has extraordinary Talent. I clearly underestimated him.’

She finally understood why Fang Han had the confidence to refuse Chu Feng.

’With talent like that, he certainly has the right to be proud.’

However, she soon shook her head again. ’The power and influence of a True Disciple are vast and deeply rooted. This move might allow Fang Han to protect himself for now, but his path forward will still be fraught with hardship.’

She still didn’t believe Fang Han could contend with Chu Feng.

...

「In the Elder Courtyard, within a quiet and secluded garden.」

The Sub-Branch Dean, Elder Chen Xuan, was sitting at a stone table, sipping fragrant tea.

A Steward stood before him, reporting on the earlier conflict between Fang Han and Chu Feng.

"Elder, that Fang Han is arrogant and relies on his talent. He’s been causing trouble not long after joining, even clashing with the True Disciple, Chu Feng. This behavior cannot be encouraged."

the Steward said in a low voice, his tone laced with disapproval of Fang Han.

Chen Xuan gently blew the foam from his tea. His face was impassive, but a flicker of displeasure crossed the depths of his eyes.

As the Dean of the Sub-Branch, he disliked nothing more than his disciples causing trouble, especially when it involved a True Disciple.

His opinion of Fang Han, a disciple he barely remembered, instantly soured.

Although he didn’t fear Chu Feng, there was no need to offend a True Disciple with significant potential over a common disciple.

’As long as Chu Feng’s subsequent actions aren’t too excessive,’ he decided, ’I’ll turn a blind eye. Letting that Fang Han suffer a little might temper his character.’

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard. Another Steward rushed in, a look of alarm on his face.

"Elder, Elder!" the Steward said urgently.

Chen Xuan frowned and set down his teacup. "One after another," he said irritably. "What is it now?"

The Steward caught his breath and said hurriedly, "It’s Fang Han! He just challenged the Martial Arts Stele!"

"He challenged it. So what? What’s all the fuss about?"

Chen Xuan said dismissively.

"But... his rank jumped from seventy-eighth place all the way to eighteenth! He jumped sixty places in a single attempt!"

The Steward’s voice trembled with excitement and shock.

"What?!"

Chen Xuan shot to his feet, the indifference on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by utter astonishment.

"He jumped sixty places in a single attempt? Are you sure you saw that correctly?"

A jump of sixty ranks at once was a rare event in the history of the Twelve Courtyards. Without exception, the handful of individuals who had accomplished such a feat went on to achieve great things.

’This Fang Han actually possesses that kind of Talent?’

"It’s absolutely true! Many disciples in the plaza saw it. However, his rank from the entrance test was sixty-ninth. It only dropped because he hadn’t been tested in a long time. His actual increase in rank is fifty-one places!"

the Steward affirmed.

The first Steward, standing nearby, was also stunned. He muttered subconsciously, "Even a fifty-one-place increase is incredible. This... could the boy have been deliberately hiding his strength, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal it?"

Hearing this, a flicker of doubt also crossed Chen Xuan’s eyes.

’If he really was hiding his strength, then this Fang Han is far too calculating. The growth he’s displayed wouldn’t be genuine, and that would be meaningless.’

’The true prodigies of history made tangible, rapid progress; they didn’t hide their strength only to reveal it all at the end.’

"Go to the archives and retrieve Fang Han’s entrance file!"

Chen Xuan ordered the second Steward.

"Yes, sir!" The Steward didn’t dare to delay and quickly turned to leave.

A short while later, the Steward returned, holding a dossier.

Chen Xuan took the dossier and quickly unfurled it, his sharp gaze scanning the contents.

"Liangshui City’s Fang Family... branch disciple... age eighteen... bone age at entry assessment: eighteen. Cultivation: Early Stage of Ninth Grade. Martial Technique: Low Grade Sword Technique at the Great Success Realm..."

After finishing the dossier, Chen Xuan’s brow gradually relaxed, the doubt in his eyes replaced by a hint of pleasant surprise.

Fang Han came from a small family in Liangshui City. That was correct. In the eyes of an Elder like him, the Fang Family—one of the five great families of Liangshui City—was still just an insignificant clan.

His entrance assessment results were barely a pass; he had almost failed to qualify.

’Someone who almost failed the assessment couldn’t possibly have been hiding his strength. This means Fang Han’s current growth rate is genuine.’

’The reason for this rapid growth must be that, coming from a minor family, he gained access to better Cultivation Techniques and Cultivation Resources after joining the Sect. His Talent was fully unleashed, causing his strength to grow explosively.’