Chapter 119: Chapter 118: No Match, Truly No Match

’I really made it into the top ten!’ 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Fang Han slowly sheathed his sword. His expression was calm, but he was in an excellent mood. He had shot all the way up to seventh place in one go.

This was even higher than he had anticipated. No one in the top ten was a pushover, so managing to rank seventh was a pleasant surprise.

Most importantly, he had achieved his goal. By successfully entering the top ten, he would now be able to receive extra rewards.

The beginning of the month was almost here. Once he received his extra reward, he would be able to increase his Stepping Talent to a sixteen-fold amplification.

He headed back to his residence. The disciples he passed subconsciously made way for him, watching him leave with complicated expressions.

Meanwhile, news about him spread like wildfire, sweeping through the entire Sub-Branch at an astonishing speed.

"Did you hear? Fang Han challenged the Martial Arts Stele and broke into the top ten! He’s ranked seventh now!"

"He shot straight into the top ten? Is that for real?"

In her own residence, Wang Meng also heard the news from a female disciple trying to curry favor with her.

"Seventh?"

For the first time, a dazed expression appeared on her usually cool and detached face.

Seventh place...

The young man from that minor family in Liangshui City, the one she had once dismissed as "ordinary," had actually come this far.

Her mind couldn’t help but conjure the image of her brother, Wang Miao—the brother she had always looked up to, the one she saw as her goal.

An absurd, uncontrollable thought surfaced: ’Could Fang Han... possibly rank on the Celestial Pride List in the future, just like my brother?’

But she quickly stamped out the thought as soon as it arose.

She shook her head lightly.

’The Celestial Pride List? That’s reserved for the most monstrously talented prodigies in all of Qingyang County.’

’Fang Han is talented, but for him to reach my brother’s level... it’s ultimately just too difficult.’

She admitted that Fang Han was extremely talented, but she still didn’t believe he could make it onto the Celestial Pride List.

Yet, deep down, a sliver of doubt she refused to even acknowledge had been cast like a stone into a lake, sending out faint ripples.

...

「Elder Courtyard, Chen Xuan’s Residence.」

Steward Wu Hao strode into the courtyard, a look of unconcealable shock and delight on his face.

Chen Xuan was sitting at a stone table, savoring a cup of freshly brewed fragrant tea while perusing an ancient text.

Seeing Wu Hao’s expression, he set down his teacup and asked calmly, "What is it?"

"Elder, Fang Han... he just challenged the Martial Arts Stele," Wu Hao said, his voice laced with excitement.

"Oh?" Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, showing little surprise. "And what is his rank?"

"Seventh! He shot up from twenty-fourth place straight to seventh!" Wu Hao said, taking a deep breath for emphasis.

The hand stroking his beard paused, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Even with his usual composure, he couldn’t help but be stirred by this news.

To jump seventeen places in a single month, breaking into the top ten to claim the seventh spot...

This rate of progress was even greater than he had anticipated.

"This boy... he truly hasn’t disappointed me."

Chen Xuan spoke slowly, his tone even, but the almost imperceptible curve of his lips betrayed his inner satisfaction.

It had been worth opposing the True Inheritor Chu Feng for the boy’s sake.

’This investment,’ he thought, ’is already proving to be worthwhile!’

"Continue to keep an eye on him, but don’t interfere too much. Just let him develop naturally."

After giving the instruction, Chen Xuan picked up his teacup again, his gaze returning to the ancient text as if he had just been told of some trivial matter.

But Wu Hao knew that the Elder’s estimation of Fang Han had surely risen even higher.

He bowed respectfully and quietly withdrew.

In the courtyard, the fragrance of tea swirled in the air. Chen Xuan’s gaze, however, was no longer on the pages of his book. It was fixed in the direction of the Sub-Branch, a hint of imperceptible anticipation in his eyes.

...

There was a subtle undercurrent of restlessness in the Inheritance Hall at the start of the month, more so than on the fifteenth.

This was because, by convention, the start of the month was not only a day for lectures from the Elders and Stewards, but also the time when the monthly Sect benefits and Martial Arts Stele ranking rewards were distributed.

’It’s like payday in my past life,’ he thought. ’The day when the whole company was on edge.’

Fang Han stepped into the hall and found a seat near the front.

Many gazes, both overt and subtle, fell upon him. The reason was obvious: his rank had risen to seventh, meaning he would receive a Contribution Point bonus this month in addition to the basic benefits.

His expression was placid and his eyes were slightly downcast, as if he hadn’t noticed a thing.

Xiao Chen leaned over, his voice low and tinged with awe.

"Fang Han, have you heard? Huang Ling’er, the one ranked third, broke through to the Early Stage of Eighth Grade."

’She broke through to the Early Stage of Eighth Grade?’

Fang Han was slightly surprised. His gaze flickered toward a charming figure in the crowd, distinguished by a yellow hair accessory.

Huang Ling’er was whispering and laughing with a female disciple beside her. Sensing her closely, Fang Han could tell her aura was indeed more condensed and powerful than before.

Xiao Chen continued.

"But her rank is still third. Yun Qianyue and Li Feng haven’t been slacking either; they’ve both entered the Middle Stage of Eighth Grade one after another, so the top three rankings are unchanged."

Hearing this, a solemn look flashed in the depths of Fang Han’s eyes.

’I’m improving quickly, but so are the others, especially the top three.’

’If I want to catch up to these top-level geniuses, I have to keep working hard without the slightest bit of complacency.’

"Silence!"

Steward Wu Hao stood at the front of the hall holding a roster. His voice cut clearly through the air, quelling the quiet chatter.

His sharp gaze swept over the crowd as he announced loudly.

"Now, according to last month’s final rankings on the Martial Arts Stele, step forward to receive this month’s Contribution Points."

The disciples below instantly perked up. The moment they had been waiting for had arrived.

"First place, Yun Qianyue."

Yun Qianyue, her expression cold and her face hidden by a purple veil, stepped forward slowly and presented her Identity Token.

Steward Wu Hao took it, swiped it over a device resembling an inkstone, and handed it back to her.

Yun Qianyue accepted the Identity Jade Token that Steward Wu Hao returned, gave a slight nod, and stepped back.

"Second place, Li Feng."

Li Feng, clutching his long saber, stepped forward with cold eyes and a steady gait. After receiving his monthly Contribution Points, he too gave a slight nod and retreated.

"Third place, Huang Ling’er..."

...

"Seventh place, Fang Han."

When Steward Wu Hao called out his name, a small stir went through the hall.

Dozens of eyes swiveled in unison to fix upon Fang Han, their expressions a mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, envy, and apprehension.

Fang Han remained calm as he strode forward under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

He could clearly feel several particularly sharp gazes coming from among the top-ten disciples.

Shi Meng, ranked fourth, stood with his arms crossed, a scrutinizing look on his rugged face.

Liu Suifeng, ranked fifth, had cold and proud eyes, but beneath that pride was a hint of gravity.

The usual fire in the eyes of Yan Hongyu, ranked sixth, was also tempered with a new solemnity.

Fang Han’s rise had shattered the established order of the top ten, meaning the future competition for resources would only grow more intense.

This fellow disciple, who had progressed at a divine speed since joining, would now be their rival.

’I can’t compete. I really can’t compete!’

Lu Xing, once ranked tenth but now pushed down to eleventh, watched Fang Han’s back with a helpless, bitter smile.

If Fang Han had only just barely scraped into the top ten, he might still have had the will to contend for his spot.

But since Fang Han had shot all the way to seventh, the gap in their strength was obvious. He had been completely and utterly outclassed.

He turned his gaze to Ji Hao, who now held the tenth spot, and the fighting spirit in his eyes rekindled.

If he wanted to get back into the top ten, Ji Hao was now the one he needed to surpass.

"Well done. Keep up your diligent cultivation, and guard against arrogance and impatience."

As Steward Wu Hao swiped Fang Han’s Identity Jade Token on the special device and handed it back, he offered a few words of gentle encouragement.

"Thank you for your guidance, Steward. I will remember it."

Fang Han accepted the Jade Token with both hands. Channeling a wisp of Inner Qi into it, he saw the number displayed on it change to "360."

’Last month, my Contribution Points reached 230 after finishing my tasks, but it dropped to 220 because I had someone exchange for another bottle of Peiyuan Pills.’

’This month’s basic benefit is 30 points, and the reward for seventh place is 110. Added to what was left over, I now have a total of 360 Contribution Points.’

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.

’If I convert these Contribution Points into resources, it’ll be enough to gather the silver taels needed to unlock the Level 4 Amplification for my Stepping Talent.’

After receiving his reward, Fang Han stepped back into the crowd as the other disciples took their turns.

Once all the disciples had received their points, Elder Chen Xuan walked in slowly, followed by the various Stewards. The lecture officially began.

During the lecture that followed, Fang Han could clearly feel their gazes on him more often, both during Elder Chen’s guidance on cultivation and Steward Liu Chong’s detailed analysis of swordsmanship.

When they reached a critical point in their explanation, they would even deliberately slow their speech, their eyes glancing his way as if to confirm he was following along.

This unspoken special attention drew many envious looks from the other disciples.

Fang Han knew full well this was the natural consequence of his increased value. He felt no pride, but instead grew even calmer, focusing intently on absorbing the content of the lecture.

When the lecture ended, the disciples began to disperse.

Fang Han quickened his pace to catch up with Xiao Chen, who was about to leave.

"Xiao Chen."

"Fang Han? What’s up?" Xiao Chen stopped and looked at him, puzzled.

Fang Han hesitated for a moment before getting straight to the point.

"I’d like to ask you for a favor. Could you go to the Pill Hall and exchange for three bottles of True Spirit Pills on my behalf?"

As he spoke, he began to transfer the Contribution Points from his Identity Jade Token to Xiao Chen.

The True Spirit Pill was a supplementary elixir several times more potent than the Peiyuan Pill and an excellent aid for the cultivation of Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists. However, it was also extremely expensive. A single pill cost ten Contribution Points, meaning a bottle of ten cost a hundred.

Xiao Chen was stunned for a moment before realization dawned. He understood Fang Han’s concern; clearly, Fang Han was worried about being deliberately given a hard time again.

He completed the transfer with Fang Han. Staring at the extra three hundred Contribution Points now on his own Jade Token, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement and joke,

"Tsk, tsk. Three bottles of True Spirit Pills... that’s three hundred Contribution Points! Fang Han, the perks of being in the top ten really are something else. You’re willing to splurge on elixirs like these just for cultivation? What a big spender!"

Fang Han just smiled, not explaining that he wasn’t exchanging for the True Spirit Pills to use for cultivation, but for another purpose. He only said,

"I appreciate the help, Xiao Chen."

"It’s a small thing. Wait for me to get back."

Xiao Chen patted his chest confidently, then turned and headed toward the Pill Hall.

Fang Han, for his part, returned to the Sub-Branch to wait.

About half an hour later, there was a knock on his door.

"Here. Three bottles of True Spirit Pills, thirty pills in total. Go ahead and count them."

Fang Han opened the door to find Xiao Chen, who handed him a cloth pouch.