Leaving Songtao Pavilion, Elder Fang Yuan was still visibly excited. He took several deep breaths to compose himself before turning to Fang Han, his gaze filled with satisfaction.

"Follow me."

He led the way, guiding Fang Han through several heavily guarded courtyards until they reached a quaint, ancient-looking pavilion.

The pavilion’s plaque bore the two words "Library Pavilion," written with powerful, elegant strokes that carried the weight of ages.

Stepping inside, they found the first floor lined with towering bookshelves filled with countless volumes. A number of Fang Family Martial Artists were quietly browsing through them.

Elder Fang Yuan didn’t linger, heading straight for the wooden staircase to the second floor.

An old man with a profound aura stood guard at the top of the stairs. Upon seeing Elder Fang Yuan, he gave a slight nod and stepped aside to let them pass.

In stark contrast to the spacious first floor, the second floor was noticeably smaller. Only a few scattered purple sandalwood shelves were sparsely arranged, holding a mere dozen or so books. The room felt empty and desolate.

However, when Fang Han’s gaze fell upon those books, his eyes immediately sharpened.

The materials of these books were clearly different from those downstairs; some were yellowed, ancient leather scrolls, while others were Jade Scrolls bound with special silk thread.

The ink of the characters on their covers was dark and profound, and seemed to faintly shimmer with light. Clearly, none of them were ordinary items.

Each one was placed with great care inside its own Brocade Box or Jade Box, a testament to its extraordinary value.

"Stored here are the Grade-Entering Martial Arts that the Fang Family has spent over a century and paid a great price to collect. This is the true foundation of our family."

Elder Fang Yuan’s voice echoed softly on the silent second floor, tinged with an almost imperceptible sigh.

He slowly walked over to a wooden shelf and carefully took down a Purple Sandalwood Box.

Opening the box revealed a thread-bound volume of a deep azure color, made from some sort of beast hide. On the cover were three ancient seal characters: *Pure Yuan Skill*.

"Now that you’ve broken through to the Inner Qi Realm, you’ve taken the *Crane Form* as far as it can go. From now on, your Inner Qi Cultivation must switch to this technique."

Elder Fang Yuan handed the volume to Fang Han, his expression solemn.

Fang Han accepted it with both hands. It felt surprisingly heavy.

He flipped through the pages, scanning them carefully, and discovered it was a Low Grade Inner Qi Technique.

As far as he knew, beyond the basics, Cultivation Techniques were divided into Low, Middle, and Top Grades.

’With the Talent I’ve displayed, if the family truly had a higher-grade technique, there’s no way they’d withhold it from me.’

’The most likely possibility is... the Fang Family’s best Inner Qi Cultivation Technique is only a Low Grade one.’

Elder Fang Yuan seemed to read his mind and spoke slowly, "It’s not just the Fang Family. The highest-grade Inner Qi Cultivation Technique practiced by the other four great families in Liangshui City is also only Low Grade."

His voice was level, yet it revealed a rather harsh reality.

"Middle Grade techniques and above are exceedingly rare and precious. They are all firmly controlled by the truly great Sects and Great Families, far beyond the reach of families like ours, holed up in a small place like Liangshui City."

"What’s the actual difference between techniques of different Grades?"

Fang Han looked up, his gaze calm as he met Elder Fang Yuan’s eyes.

"A world of difference."

Elder Fang Yuan uttered four words, his tone heavy.

"The higher the Grade, the faster you can cultivate Inner Qi. More importantly, you can refine Inner Qi that is of higher quality—purer and more condensed. In a battle between those of the same Realm, it’s a simple matter for someone with high-quality Inner Qi to crush an opponent with low-quality Inner Qi."

"It is precisely because we are limited by the Skill Level of our techniques that the strongest members of our five great families, even after a lifetime of effort, can at best reach the Seventh Grade Inner Qi Realm. This is also one of the main reasons the Patriarch is so eager for you to join the Qingxuan Sect."

"Only there will you have the chance to access more profound legacy techniques and see a much wider world."

Fang Han fell silent, the pads of his fingers tracing the slightly rough pages of the *Pure Yuan Skill*. A powerful desire to join the Qingxuan Sect, one of the seven great transcendent powers, suddenly blazed within him.

It would determine how far he could walk on the path of the Martial Dao.

After parting ways with Elder Fang Yuan in front of the Library Pavilion, Fang Han took the *Pure Yuan Skill* and headed straight back to the Class A-10 Martial Arts Room.

He shut the door, sealing away the clamor of the outside world.

He sat in silence for a moment to clear his mind, then slowly opened the *Pure Yuan Skill* and began to study it meticulously, line by line.

According to the manual, the Inner Qi Realm was divided into nine Grades, with Ninth Grade being the lowest and First Grade the highest.

Seventh through Ninth Grade were known as the Lower Three Grades, Fourth through Sixth as the Middle Three Grades, and First through Third as the Upper Three Grades. The gap in strength between each Grade was immense.

The cultivation process in the Inner Qi Realm was, in essence, a process of continuously strengthening one’s Inner Qi and using it to break through the body’s hidden apertures.

Each successfully opened aperture would raise one’s cultivation by a minor rank, unlock one of the body’s Divine Treasures, and grant the cultivator a unique ability.

For example, upon first entering the Ninth Grade, he had opened the Dantian and Qihai Acupoints. The Divine Treasure he unlocked was called "Long Breath," which granted him stamina and endurance far surpassing that of a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist, enabling him to fight and run for much longer periods.

’This is a lot more complex than the *Crane Form*!’

Fang Han read the *Pure Yuan Skill* from cover to cover three times. Only after confirming he had memorized all its essentials—the circulation pathways and the methods for channeling Inner Qi—and had thoroughly understood them, did he finally close the volume and set it aside.

He sat down cross-legged and entered a meditative state. Following the method described in the *Pure Yuan Skill*, he guided the faint yet nimble wisp of Inner Qi from his Qihai Acupoint to slowly circulate along a specific pathway within his body.

’The Inner Qi is growing so slowly!’

After one full Circulation of the technique, Fang Han carefully sensed the change within his Dantian. His Inner Qi had grown by a sliver, but it was an incredibly minuscule one.

’Even with my eightfold Root Bone Talent, the growth of my Inner Qi is this slow after just one Circulation!’

He finally had a true appreciation for why the strongest experts of Liangshui City’s five great families could never advance past the Seventh Grade.

The limitations of a Low Grade Cultivation Technique were like invisible shackles, firmly capping the potential of every cultivator who used it.

He was confident that his eightfold Root Bone Talent would allow him to shatter these shackles and surpass the Seventh Grade, but it would inevitably take a considerable amount of time.

’Joining a transcendent power like the Qingxuan Sect to obtain a higher-grade Inner Qi Cultivation Technique seems absolutely necessary.’

’I wonder if Qi Blood Pills are still helpful for Inner Qi Cultivation?’

Fang Han took the Porcelain Bottle of Qi Blood Pills from within his robes and tipped out a single, lustrous, longan-sized pill.

He popped the Qi Blood Pill into his mouth, immediately calmed his mind, and began to cultivate according to the method in the *Pure Yuan Skill*.

One slow Circulation completed.

Fang Han opened his eyes, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The Qi Blood Pills weren’t completely useless for cultivating in the Inner Qi Realm, but their effect was minimal—nowhere near as significant as it had been in the Bone Refining Realm.

"Qi Blood Pills are of extremely limited help for cultivating in the Inner Qi Realm," Fang Han murmured to himself. They simply weren’t suitable for assisting his cultivation now.

’There must be other elixirs to aid cultivation in the Inner Qi Realm.’

...

「The next day.」

As soon as Fang Han stepped into the Inner Hall, a servant approached to inform him that Elder Fang Yuan had summoned him. He immediately headed for the Elder’s Quiet Chamber.

Sandalwood incense smoke curled languidly through the Quiet Chamber.

Seeing Fang Han enter, Elder Fang Yuan set down his teacup. He glanced over the young man and nodded slightly.

"Have you begun cultivating the *Pure Yuan Skill*? Now that you’ve just entered this Realm, if you encounter anything you don’t understand, don’t make your own assumptions. You must come and ask me promptly."

"Yes, Elder. I’ve already begun my cultivation. So far, I haven’t run into any problems with the technique itself."

Fang Han answered respectfully. After a moment’s hesitation, he added,

"It’s just... I tried using Qi Blood Pills to aid my practice, but I found the effect was negligible."

"Qi Blood Pills are elixirs used to aid cultivation in the Basic Four Realms. Their effect on nurturing Inner Strength is naturally much diminished."

Elder Fang Yuan showed no surprise at his words. He explained in a calm, measured tone,

"Cultivation in the Inner Qi Realm has its own corresponding elixirs. This is called an ’Inner Qi Pill.’ It is an elixir specifically designed to fortify one’s foundation and aid in Inner Qi Cultivation."

As he spoke, he took a White Jade Bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Fang Han.

The bottle felt smooth and warm to the touch, and it was far more refined than the Porcelain Bottle that held the Qi Blood Pills.

"This bottle contains ten pills, which is your monthly stipend. Inner Qi Pills are difficult to refine, and their ingredients are even rarer. A single pill costs ten taels of silver on the market, and even then, they’re often unavailable. You must use them wisely."

Fang Han accepted the Jade Bottle with both hands. It was cool to the touch.

He uncorked the bottle, and an elegant, refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately wafted out. It was a stark contrast to the potent aroma of the Qi Blood Pills.

Inside the bottle were ten perfectly round elixirs of a milky-white color, each seeming to contain a faint, inner luminescence.

"Thank you, Elder," Fang Han said gratefully.

"Go. Cultivate diligently. Do not disappoint the family, and more importantly, do not let your own Talent go to waste."

Elder Fang Yuan waved his hand, his voice full of expectation.

Back in the Martial Arts Room, Fang Han sat down cross-legged.

He took out an Inner Qi Pill and placed it in his mouth.

The Inner Qi Pill melted the moment it touched his tongue. It wasn’t a searing heat, but a gentle, warm current that spread through him like a spring stream, rapidly assimilating into his body.

He immediately began to circulate the *Pure Yuan Skill*.

As his Inner Strength flowed through his body along the technique’s prescribed pathways, the gentle Medicinal Power was rapidly absorbed and refined.

His previously slow-growing Inner Qi now seemed to be injected with new vitality, and its rate of growth suddenly became obvious.

’My Inner Qi is growing twice as fast!’

When the Circulation was complete, Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

After taking the Inner Qi Pill, the growth rate of his Inner Qi was nearly double what it was before. Its effect was far beyond anything the Qi Blood Pills could offer.

"The path of cultivation is truly paved with resources," Fang Han whispered, gently stroking the smooth Jade Bottle in his hand.

He then closed his eyes once more and focused on his cultivation, unwilling to waste even a shred of the elixir’s Medicinal Power.

The room once again fell silent, the only movement being the faint, soundless stir of air caused by the circulation of his Inner Qi.