Even Fang Han, who was long accustomed to being the center of attention, felt a little uneasy under so many "scorching" gazes.

He didn’t linger in the training grounds, instead heading for his Martial Arts Room.

Behind him, the intense stares followed him, lingering long after he had passed.

Only when the heavy door of the Martial Arts Room swung shut behind him was he finally cut off from the outside world’s clamor and adoring gazes.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Han calmed himself, swallowed a Qi Blood Pill, and began his daily, unwavering cultivation of the Crane Form Pile Skill.

Under the Eightfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, his qi and blood surged like a dragon, letting out a low roar as it efficiently tempered the bones throughout his body.

With every passing second of this highly efficient tempering, his body grew stronger.

’It’s been over a month!’

Several hours later, Fang Han finished his Pile Skill cultivation for the day and exhaled a breath of foul air.

More than a month had passed since he broke through to the Late Stage of Bone Refining.

During that month, apart from leaving for family missions, he had spent all his time cultivating in the Inner Hall, never once slacking off.

With the Eightfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, his growth over the past month had been astonishing. Even so, he still hadn’t touched the Late Stage Bone Refining Limit.

This made it clear just how much accumulation was required to go from the Late Stage of Bone Refining to the Bone Refining Limit.

No wonder Fang Hong was still stuck in the Late Stage of Bone Refining, unable to even touch the Late Stage Bone Refining Limit, despite having reached that realm over a year ago.

’Next, let’s see how much of a boost the Eightfold Swordsmanship Talent Amplification gives my comprehension...’

Walking to the weapons rack, Fang Han took down the Cyan Blade Sword that had been his companion for months, a sense of anticipation rising within him.

SWOOSH—

He assumed the opening stance of Xunfeng Swordsmanship, his eyes instantly becoming focused and sharp.

He immersed his mind in the Swordsmanship and executed the first strike.

An unprecedented, marvelous sensation washed over him—a sudden, profound enlightenment!

Previously, under the fourfold Swordsmanship Talent Amplification, his comprehension of Swordsmanship was already extremely fast. Many of its subtleties had come to him naturally, as if a channel being carved by water.

But now, under the terrifying boost of the Eightfold Swordsmanship Talent, that feeling underwent a qualitative leap!

In his mind, everything about Xunfeng Swordsmanship was no longer just "clear"—it had become "transparent."

The power-generation techniques of every Sword Technique, the subtle pathways of qi and blood circulation, the opportune moments for transitioning between moves, even the Sword Momentum...

Countless key points that had once required repeated practice and contemplation to even vaguely grasp were now like pearls wiped clean of dust. They blazed with a brilliant light of their own, presenting themselves with perfect clarity in the lake of his mind.

With a single thought, all sorts of profound insights gushed forth like a spring, welling up endlessly in his mind.

The Cyan Blade Sword in his hand seemed to take on a life of its own. Its trajectory became smoother and more fluid, while his grasp of speed, power, and timing all optimized and improved at a terrifying rate.

SWISH SWISH SWISH—!

The gleam of his sword flashed across the room, and the whistling wind it stirred grew ever sharper and more piercing.

Fang Han was completely immersed in this unprecedented state of "enlightenment," losing all sense of self and his surroundings.

In the past, his cultivation had been a process of "learning" and "groping in the dark."

Now, it was more like "verification" and "sublimation."

The Eightfold Swordsmanship Talent had elevated his understanding of the Sword Dao to an unbelievable level.

He couldn’t help but become lost in it, completely forgetting the passage of time.

「More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

One day, Fang Han was in his Martial Arts Room, cultivating Xunfeng Swordsmanship.

SWISH, SWOOSH—

A sharp light flared in his eyes, like cold lightning streaking through the void.

The Sword Techniques in his hands had reached the Mastery Realm. They were as swift as lightning and utterly unpredictable, carrying a piercing edge that seemed capable of tearing through anything.

Suddenly, he felt a spark of inspiration—a stroke of insight.

The qi and blood in his body suddenly surged in an incredibly profound way, pouring into his hands.

The Cyan Blade Sword let out an unprecedentedly clear hum. The air at its tip violently twisted and compressed, coalescing into an impossibly dense, azure streak of light that looked as if it could pierce the void itself.

"Xunfeng Breaks Void!"

VMMMM—!!!

The thrust was earth-shattering.

It was as if a fierce gale had suddenly erupted within the Martial Arts Room, sending waves of air rolling.

’Xunfeng Swordsmanship has reached Great Success!’

Fang Han slowly sheathed his sword. He felt the surging power within him and the perfect, fluid control he had over the longsword, as if it were an extension of his own arm. An irrepressible smile of delight touched his lips.

He had cultivated Xunfeng Swordsmanship—a graded Swordsmanship with a cultivation difficulty far exceeding Basic Swordsmanship—to the level of Great Success.

He was now only one step away from the final stage: Perfection.

’If I were to fight Lin Ao again now, I probably wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even in a head-on clash!’

Feeling the power of his Great Success Xunfeng Swordsmanship, confidence swelled in Fang Han’s heart.

He had defeated Lin Ao before, but he had relied on the phantom-like speed of his Great Success Gale Step.

In a direct confrontation, his Power of Attack had been slightly inferior to Lin Ao’s.

But now that his graded Swordsmanship, Xunfeng Swordsmanship, had reached Great Success, the boost to his Power of Attack was immense.

He was confident that his Power of Attack was no longer weaker than Lin Ao’s. If they were to fight again, he would surely defeat him with even greater ease.

’The time it took to go from Mastery to Great Success... was even shorter than the time it took to go from Minor Achievement to Mastery!’

Fang Han calculated the time it had taken him to go from Mastery to Great Success, and even he found it incredible.

Before, it had taken him over a month to go from Minor Achievement to Mastery.

This time, he had gone from Mastery to Great Success in just one month.

Whether for a Martial Technique or a cultivation Realm, the difficulty of advancement was supposed to increase the further one progressed.

But for him, it was the opposite. The time he spent on a later stage of mastery was even shorter than the time he spent on an earlier one.

’It’s all because of the Eightfold Swordsmanship Talent Amplification!’

Fang Han knew that this rate of progress completely defied common sense.

The cause was clearly the increase of his Swordsmanship Talent Amplification to eightfold.

At noon, the Inner Hall’s dining hall was bustling with activity.

Amidst a sea of awed and curious gazes, Fang Han walked to his usual seat, and a servant immediately brought over his meal.

"Did you hear? Sun Qing, one of the Six Heroes, was defeated!"

"What? Sun Qing, one of the Six Heroes... defeated? Who beat him? Was it one of the other Six Heroes?"

"No, I heard it was some outsider kid. They say he doesn’t look that old, but he’s terrifyingly strong. Even Sun Qing, one of the Six Heroes, was no match for him!"

"An outsider kid? Where’d he come from? How can he be that strong?"

"I don’t know, just that he’s not from our Liangshui City. I heard he’s staying at the best inn in town, the ’Guest Welcoming Building,’ and even boasted that he’s going to challenge all of our Six Heroes of Liangshui one by one!"

He had only just sat down when the discussion from several disciples at the next table drifted over, their voices filled with excitement and disbelief.

The hand Fang Han was using to hold his chopsticks paused slightly.

Because he had displayed strength on par with the original Five Heroes, the Five Heroes of Liangshui had become the Six Heroes.

He knew Sun Qing’s strength. While not the strongest among the Six Heroes, he was a genuine Martial Artist at the Late Stage of Bone Refining.

His Saber Technique was fierce and domineering; an ordinary Martial Artist at the Late Stage of Bone Refining would find it nearly impossible to win against him.

’And he was defeated by an outsider kid?’