"Senior Brother! This... this has to be that brat Fang Han! He’s holding a grudge and set this whole thing up to frame us!"

Song Xiang exclaimed anxiously.

He didn’t believe it was a coincidence that Fang Han, tasked with the investigation, just happened to uncover one of their subordinates.

"Zhou Tong cultivated the Demon Skill known as the Blood Demon Skill. The Law Enforcement Hall used a secret technique to detect the lingering Demon Qi on him. The evidence is ironclad, and he has personally confessed to the village massacre!"

Chu Feng’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, filled with a rage suppressed to its absolute limit.

"A D-Demon Skill?"

Song Xiang’s pupils constricted. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and his lips trembled, unable to utter another word.

Cultivating a Demon Skill, slaughtering a village, murdering disciples of the Qingxuan Sect... Any single one of these was a grave sin!

’Zhou Tong actually did it? And he got caught?’

Chu Feng glanced at his devastated expression. A flicker of disgust crossed his eyes, but it was overshadowed by the humiliation and fury of being thoroughly slapped in the face by Fang Han.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his roiling emotions, and his voice grew colder still.

"Because Zhou Tong, the one who cultivated a Demon Skill, belongs to my faction, even I was summoned by the Law Enforcement Hall for questioning and was reprimanded over this!"

Although the Sect did not find him to be directly involved with the Demon Skill, the Zhou Family was, after all, under his influence.

After such a scandal, as a True Inheritor, he couldn’t escape accusations of poor judgment and failure to properly manage his subordinates.

For someone as proud as him, this was undoubtedly a significant blow.

"Then... what about the rest of the Zhou Family? How will the Sect handle them? Senior Brother, can you... can you try to pull some strings and save them?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xiang’s heart sank to the depths, and he asked in a trembling voice.

The annual tribute from the Zhou Family was extremely lucrative. If they were to be wiped out, the financial loss would be immense.

"The other members of the Zhou Family were found to be uninvolved with the Demon Skill."

A cold light flashed in Chu Feng’s eyes, his tone carrying an almost cruel calm.

Song Xiang had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief.

But Chu Feng’s next words plunged him into an icy abyss.

"However, when Fang Han moved to arrest Zhou Tong, Zhou Tianxiong and five of the Zhou Family’s Core Elders attempted to harbor the criminal and assault a Sect Disciple. Fang Han killed them on the spot!"

"The Zhou Family’s core leadership is now completely gone, their assets have been seized for assessment. They exist in name only. There’s no point in saving them."

"What?!"

Song Xiang snapped his head up, his face contorting with utter shock and rage.

"Zhou Tianxiong and the others... are all dead? Fang Han killed them? How dare he?!"

"How dare he?"

Chu Feng repeated the question, his voice laced with a teeth-grinding fury.

"The evidence is ironclad. Zhou Tianxiong and his men resisted first. Why wouldn’t he dare? Under the laws of the Sect, the killings were completely justified!"

"’Completely justified,’ indeed!"

Song Xiang growled, his fists clenched tightly.

He could almost picture it: Fang Han, Cyan Blade Sword in hand, standing atop the ruins of the Zhou estate, a cold, mocking smirk on his face.

This wasn’t carrying out a mission; it was a blatant abuse of his position, an act of naked revenge!

Revenge for all the times they had suppressed him. Revenge for the malicious task Elder Tu Baichuan had forced upon him.

He had used the blood of their own subordinates to deliver a resounding slap to their faces.

A deathly silence descended upon the study, broken only by the sound of their two heavy, suppressed breaths.

The sandalwood incense burned down. The last wisp of smoke curled and dissipated, adding to the suffocating atmosphere.

Having lost an important source of revenue and been humiliated within the Sect, Chu Feng’s heart seethed with a burning rage.

And all of this was because of Fang Han—a boy he had initially dismissed as insignificant!

An unknown amount of time passed before Chu Feng slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they held nothing but an abyssal chill and grim resolve.

He looked at Song Xiang, who was still trembling with rage, and spoke coldly.

"The matter of the Zhou Family ends here. Do not mention it again. A rotten fruit is best discarded as soon as possible."

His voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it was laced with a chilling killing intent.

"Fang Han... must be eliminated as soon as possible. The boy is growing too quickly, and his disposition and methods are ruthless. If we let him continue to develop, he will become a dire threat!"

"Senior Brother, Fang Han earned Great Merit for this. He’s riding a wave of momentum, and he has that old scoundrel Chen Xuan protecting him. I’m afraid ordinary methods won’t be able to touch him. Perhaps we should hold off for now..."

Song Xiang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his roiling anger.

"I have my own plans. You’re dismissed."

Chu Feng raised a hand, cutting him off. His gaze seemed to pierce through the many halls of the Sect, landing on the distant Sub-Branch.

"Yes, Senior Brother..."

Although Song Xiang was reluctant, he saw that Chu Feng had made up his mind and dared not say more. He bowed and silently withdrew from the study.

...

The next morning, Fang Han slowly opened his eyes.

Back in the Sect, with the threat from the mysterious man gone, Fang Han had slept soundly and peacefully.

He folded his blankets, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began his unshakeable daily routine of Inner Qi Cultivation.

As he cultivated, his Inner Qi began to grow at a visibly rapid pace.

His Root Bone, already improved by the Earth Core Stone Milk and now boosted by the 32x Root Bone Talent Amplification, gave him a level of talent that was frankly absurd.

Even the prodigies on the Qingxuan Sect’s Celestial Pride List would likely pale in comparison when it came to Root Bone Talent alone.

A long time later, he concluded his Cultivation, slowly retracting his energy. A faint azure glint in his eyes subtly faded away.

He pushed open the door and took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air, feeling the lively flow of Inner Qi through his body. His Cultivation at the Middle Stage of Seventh Grade felt even more stable.

After a simple breakfast in the dining hall, he headed straight for the Library Pavilion.

His Wind Shadow Step had reached the level of Perfection, with no room for further improvement.

To advance his movement skills, enhance his survivability, and improve his ability to launch surprise attacks, acquiring a Top Grade Body Technique had become imperative.

Fortunately, the previous mission had rewarded him with 1,000 Contribution Points, giving him enough to acquire one. Otherwise, he would have had to find a way to borrow them.

His steps were steady as he traversed the cool bluestone path of the early morning. Soon, the majestic seven-story ancient pagoda of the Library Pavilion came into view.

Fang Han did not stop on the first or second floors, but went straight up the wooden stairs to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor remained tranquil, the scent of sandalwood wafting through the air.

Behind the counter, Elder Mo, whose hair and beard were completely white, was engrossed in an ancient tome.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his head. His gentle gaze fell upon Fang Han, and an almost imperceptible flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Fang, what brings you here today? Are you looking to acquire a new Cultivation Technique?"

Elder Mo set down his tome and asked with a gentle smile.

’I know his relationship with Chu Feng, the True Inheritor on the Celestial Pride List, is terrible,’ he thought. ’But so what? At the end of the day, Chu Feng is still just a disciple. He has no authority over me, an Elder.’

Fang Han took a few steps forward and bowed respectfully:

"Elder Mo, I’ve come today because I wish to acquire a Wind Attribute Top Grade Body Technique."

"A Top Grade Body Technique?"

The hand Elder Mo was using to stroke his beard paused. The surprise in his eyes deepened as he carefully sized up Fang Han before speaking slowly.

"To acquire a Top Grade Body Technique, it’s best to have already mastered your Middle Grade Body Technique to the Realm of Perfection. It makes the transition much more effective. Your Wind Shadow Step... don’t tell me you’ve already...?"

"Yes, Elder. I have already cultivated Wind Shadow Step to Perfection."

Fang Han replied calmly.

Although he had his suspicions, hearing Fang Han confirm it himself still sent an undeniable tremor of shock through Elder Mo.

He had guarded the fourth floor of the Library Pavilion for many years and had seen countless geniuses, but those like Fang Han were exceedingly rare. To have mastered both a Middle Grade Sword Technique and a Middle Grade Body Technique to the Realm of Perfection within a single year of joining the Sect was almost unheard of.

The few who had accomplished such a feat were now all legendary figures in Qingyang County, seated high upon the Celestial Pride List!

Elder Mo took a deep breath to calm the storm in his heart. When he looked at Fang Han again, his gaze held an unprecedented level of gravity and expectation.

He thought he had already estimated the boy’s talent highly, but it was clear now that he had still underestimated his monstrous aptitude.

"Excellent! Truly excellent!"

He exclaimed in praise, a genuine smile spreading across his face. As the elder of the Library Pavilion, his greatest hope was to see such prodigious talents emerge within the Sect.

"Since you’ve already reached that level of mastery, you are indeed qualified to cultivate a Top Grade Body Technique."

He paused in thought, a considering glint in his eye, before speaking slowly.

"In cultivating the Wind Shadow Step, you’ve grasped the dual essence of ’Speed’ and ’Variation.’ Your foundation is solid."

"In that case, I shall recommend one for you. It is extremely difficult to cultivate, but if mastered, its power is among the very best of all Top Grade Body Techniques: the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step!"

"The Flowing Wind Shadowless Step?" Fang Han’s eyes narrowed as he listened intently.

"That’s right."

Elder Mo nodded and explained in detail.

"This Body Technique was created by a grandmaster of our Sect. Its essence lies in ’Transforming Solid into Void, and Melting into the Wind.’"

"At Minor Achievement, your form becomes like the flowing wind, elusive and hard to grasp, and your speed increases dramatically. At Great Success, you can create afterimages while moving at extreme speeds, deceiving the eye and achieving something close to short-distance teleportation."

"And if you can master it to the realm of Perfection... your form will become ethereal and unpredictable, like a shadowless wind. You can come and go without a trace. It is the ultimate technique for both survival and assassination!"

Elder Mo’s voice was tinged with admiration.

"However, its requirements are extremely high. It demands a deep comprehension of Wind Momentum and a superb foundation in body techniques. Furthermore, the Inner Qi circulation paths are incredibly complex and unorthodox. As a result, very few in the Sect choose this technique, and those who achieve any success with it are even rarer."

"But I can see you have an extraordinary talent for body techniques. Perhaps you could be the one to attempt it."

Fang Han listened in silence, his eyes burning with fervent interest.

The description of the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step was exactly what he wanted!

High difficulty, but also immense power.

With his 32x Stepping Talent Amplification, difficulty was the one thing he didn’t fear.

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Mo. I want to acquire the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step!"

Fang Han said at once, without a hint of hesitation.

"A bold choice. It will cost you 1,050 Contribution Points."

Seeing Fang Han’s decisiveness, the admiration in Elder Mo’s eyes deepened as he smiled.

Fang Han presented his Identity Jade Token with both hands.

Elder Mo took the token and swiped it over an inkstone-shaped device on the counter. With a faint flash of light, 1,050 Contribution Points were deducted. The number on the Jade Token instantly dwindled from 1,260 to a mere 210.

Then, Elder Mo turned and retrieved a dark cyan casket from a hidden compartment on a shelf marked with the character for "Wind." The material was neither gold nor jade, and felt cool to the touch. He solemnly handed it to Fang Han.

"This is the original manual for the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step. It contains an appendix with notes from previous masters. You are not to copy it or share its contents, and you must return it within half a month."