The next day, Fang Han was calm and unhurried, cultivating just as he always did.

After a full day of cultivation, the bottleneck became increasingly fragile.

Finally.

CRACK—!

An extremely faint, crisp sound, one that seemed to originate from the depths of his soul, erupted without warning.

The resilient barrier that had held him back for a day finally crumbled under the impact of his accumulated power, shattering piece by piece.

BOOM—!

With the obstruction gone, his long-pent-up, immense qi and blood erupted like a primordial flood bursting through a dam. It let out a roar far mightier than his breakthrough to Refining Tendons as it instantly surged through his limbs and torso, rushing madly toward the two hundred and six bones of his body!

CRACK! POP! CRACK! POP!

A series of pops, as rapid as frying beans yet deeper and more resonant, exploded continuously from deep within Fang Han’s bones.

It was as if each bone was being shattered by a tremendous, invisible force, only to be instantly reforged and condensed into a stronger state.

An unprecedented sense of power, solidity, and weight instantly filled every corner of his body.

The strength, density, and resilience of his bones underwent an earth-shattering transformation!

’Early Stage of Bone Refining, achieved!’

A glint of light flashed in Fang Han’s eyes like lightning. His aura suddenly grew dense and heavy, making him seem like a bronze statue rooted to the spot.

He slowly raised his arm and clenched his fist.

POP!

The air in his palm was instantly crushed, creating a low pop. His strength was far greater than it had been in the Late Stage of Refining Tendons.

With just a thought, he took an ordinary step forward without exerting any force.

THUD!

The sound of his footfall was surprisingly deep and heavy, as if the entire floor of the Martial Arts Room had trembled slightly in response.

He even left a deep footprint in the stone-paved floor.

’I’ve finally entered the last of the Basic Four Realms!’

Feeling the transformative power within him and a physical strength that far surpassed his previous limits, a pleased smile slowly formed on Fang Han’s lips.

The Basic Four Realms were Skin, Flesh, Tendons, and Bone. He had now officially entered the final realm.

Once he cultivated to the Late Stage of this realm, the next step would be to generate Inner Qi within his body and become a Ninth Grade Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist.

If he could reach that stage, he would be qualified to become an Elder in the Fang Family.

’After breaking through to the Inner Qi Realm, one’s status and position rise dramatically. However, breaking through to the Inner Qi Realm is no easy feat!’

From what Fang Han knew, the bottleneck between the Bone Refining Realm and the Inner Qi Realm was more difficult to overcome than all the major and minor bottlenecks of the Basic Four Realms combined.

It was common for people to be stuck for several years. For those with lesser talent, a lifetime could pass without any hope of a breakthrough.

Many Martial Artists in the Fang Family, and even in the other four great families of Liangshui City, were stuck at this stage.

Even with his fourfold Root Bone amplification, he knew that breaking through this bottleneck wouldn’t be easy when the time came.

The fact that he hadn’t been able to break through the bottleneck from Refining Tendons to Bone Refining in a single attempt was proof enough.

’Fortunately, I’ll soon have the one thousand silver I need to activate the Level 3 Root Bone Amplification...’

Confidence surged within Fang Han at the thought of the impending activation of his Level 3 Root Bone Amplification.

If the Level 3 Root Bone Amplification was truly eightfold, as he suspected, it would grant him an eightfold Root Bone Talent.

He was confident that with such a talent, he would be able to easily break through the bottleneck between the Bone Refining and Inner Qi Realms.

’Even if I don’t improve my rank, I’ll still have the one thousand silver I need by next month.’

’But I’ll need plenty of silver in the future, so the higher my rank, the better!’

Fang Han pushed open the heavy wooden door of the Martial Arts Room and strode toward the courtyard of the Martial Arts Stele.

Along the way, some of the Inner Hall Descendants who were cultivating saw Fang Han heading straight for the Martial Arts Stele.

They were stunned at first, but then, as if realizing something, their eyes lit up with disbelief.

"Fang Han is going to the Martial Arts Stele again?"

"How long has it been since he broke through to the Late Stage of Refining Tendons? Don’t tell me... he broke through again?!"

"Was it his Swordsmanship or his Realm this time?"

"Quick, let’s go watch!"

Many of the descendants abandoned their cultivation, their hearts filled with shock and curiosity as they followed behind Fang Han.

A crowd of descendants who had heard the news gathered once again before the Martial Arts Stele.

"Fang Han."

He reached out his finger and steadily carved his name onto the cold Jade Stele.

Then, his eyes narrowed. The immense qi and blood from the Early Stage of Bone Refining erupted from within him, and he poured it into a Fine Iron Sword he had taken from a nearby weapons rack.

He executed his Great Success Realm Qingfeng Swordsmanship to its absolute limit. The gleam of his sword was no longer a simple flash of lightning but had transformed into an incredibly condensed streak of white light that looked as if it could tear through space itself!

"Gentle Breeze Piercing the Sun!"

HUMMMMM—!!!

The instant the tip of his sword struck the Jade Stele, the entire Martial Arts Stele began to tremble and hum far more violently than the last time.

A dazzling light flared, illuminating the entire courtyard!

Everyone’s heart was in their throat as they stared intently at the surface of the stele.

"Seven... six... five... four."

Finally, under the gazes of countless shocked onlookers, the number came to a resolute stop at fourth place!

"F-Fourth?!"

"He shot straight to fourth?!"

"Bone Refining! He definitely broke through to the Bone Refining Realm! How long has it been?! How long did it take him to get from the Late Stage of Refining Tendons to the Early Stage of Bone Refining?!"

The courtyard fell silent for an instant, then erupted into a deafening uproar.

Every descendant who witnessed the scene, whether they were new or from a previous generation, had a look of utter disbelief on their face.

Fang Han had once again jumped three places in a single go, landing at fourth rank, behind only Fang Hong, Fang Xue, and Fang Hao.

At the edge of the crowd, Fang Lin’s mouth hung wide open.

He stared at the glaring number "four" on the stele. As he sensed the dense, heavy Momentum that Fang Han now radiated, a presence far beyond what he’d had before, a cold chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

Beyond his shock was a sense of endless relief.

’Thank goodness... thank goodness I mended our relationship when I did...’

He muttered under his breath, a fine layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back.

If he were still opposing Fang Han, he couldn’t even imagine the immense pressure he would be under.

"We’ve been surpassed?!"

Upon hearing the news, the expressions of the three top-ten descendants whom Fang Han had just surpassed turned extremely ugly.

The fruits of their years of bitter cultivation had been surpassed by Fang Han in just half a year.

The difference in their Talent was enough to make one despair.

"He’s already fourth!"

Even the expressions of Fang Xue and Fang Hao, who had always held a firm grasp on the top three spots, turned completely grave.

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Xue’s cold eyes, and her fingers tightened slightly around the hilt of her sword.

Fang Hao, meanwhile, snorted coldly, his aura fluctuating and revealing his inner turmoil.

They felt an unprecedented pressure, the intense sense of crisis that comes when a newcomer closes in at a terrifying speed, threatening to surpass them at any moment!

"Excellent! What a kid! To break through to the Bone Refining Realm so quickly! The heavens are smiling on our Fang Family, truly smiling on our Fang Family!"

Elder Fang Yuan, who had been keeping a close watch on Fang Han, soon received the news of his breakthrough to the Bone Refining Realm, and an irrepressible joy spread across his face.

He could no longer contain his excitement. Casting aside his usual composure, he turned and hurried toward Songtao Pavilion, where Patriarch Fang Lingyuan resided.