Free Web NovelChapter 209: Chapter 208: Sixth Grade, Profound Wind Technique
In the following days, Fang Han’s life became exceptionally disciplined. He poured nearly all his energy into his cultivation.
At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, he would already be sitting cross-legged on his bed, his mind focused as he circulated the Xunfeng Technique.
With a sixty-four-fold amplification to his Root Bone Talent, he cultivated Inner Qi at an astonishing speed.
His body was like a bottomless pit, furiously devouring the pure Medicinal Power of the Peiyuan Pills and converting it into Inner Qi.
Within the newly opened Dazhui Acupoint, his Inner Qi accumulated at a visible rate, rapidly filling to the brim.
In the mornings, he focused on practicing the Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword.
SWISH SWISH SWISH—
As his sword flashed, the aura of its enigmatic Realm deepened. A sharp, murderous intent condensed around it, refusing to dissipate, and its power increased rapidly.
With a sixty-four-fold amplification to his Swordsmanship Talent, his speed of comprehending this Top Grade Sword Technique reached an inconceivable level.
The myriad subtle transformations within the Sword Techniques, the crucial points of Inner Qi circulation, and the profound mysteries of combining them with Wind Momentum—
—all the abstruse points he once had to mull over for the slightest insight now became crystal clear with a mere flicker of thought.
It was as if he were in a constant state of epiphany, his cultivation efficiency was absurdly high!
The afternoons were reserved for practicing the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step.
Compared to the rapid advancements in his Cultivation and Swordsmanship, his Step Technique—while improving far faster than that of ordinary Martial Artists, or even geniuses like Yun Qianyue and Li Feng—
—still progressed at a noticeably slower pace.
After all, the amplification for his Root Bone and Swordsmanship was 64x, while the amplification for his Body Technique was only 32x.
He wasn’t impatient, however.
’This slowness is only temporary. Once I have enough money, I’ll naturally raise the amplification for my Body Technique.’
At night, he would again meditate for Qi Cultivation, consolidating his gains from the day. And so the cycle continued.
With such high-intensity, focused cultivation, time seemed to fly by.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days slipped by.
One morning, as Fang Han was cultivating the Xunfeng Technique, his expression suddenly shifted. He felt a strange, swelling sensation from the Inner Qi surging through his body.
The Inner Qi within his Dazhui Acupoint had filled to its absolute limit and could hold no more.
The overflowing Inner Qi spontaneously and powerfully surged toward the next major acupoint—the Jianliao Acupoint!
BOOM!
The torrent of Inner Qi slammed into an invisible yet incredibly tough barrier, producing a dull roar.
This was the bottleneck between the Late Stage of Seventh Grade and the Sixth Grade!
This bottleneck was the great chasm separating the Lower Three Grades from the Middle Three Grades. Its resilience far surpassed the bottlenecks between the Late Stage of Ninth Grade and the Eighth Grade, and the Late Stage of Eighth Grade and the Seventh Grade.
Countless Martial Artists were stuck at this point for their entire lives, unable to break through.
This was the very step where Zhou Tong had gotten stuck, the reason he had despaired and resorted to cultivating a Demon Skill.
However, Fang Han’s Root Bone had been improved by the Earth Core Stone Milk and was now amplified by a terrifying sixty-four-fold Root Bone Talent. His aptitude had reached an astonishing level.
To him, this barrier—a seemingly impenetrable wall for ordinary Martial Artists—was solid, but not unbreakable.
His mind was perfectly calm, like the still water of an ancient well. He continued to circulate the Xunfeng Technique, guiding the vast, river-like torrent of Inner Qi within him to assault the barrier, wave after relentless wave, with a stable yet ferocious rhythm.
The bottleneck trembled violently, sending out ripples. Tiny cracks began to spread across its surface, slowly but surely.
Several hours later, as the high sun cast its rays into his room—
CRACK!
An incomparably clear shattering sound, seeming to originate from the very core of his being, resounded from within Fang Han.
The bottleneck to the Sixth Grade was broken!
The vast Inner Qi he had been accumulating for so long instantly crushed all obstacles, pouring furiously into the newly opened Jianliao Acupoint with an unprecedented, exultant force.
In that instant, the aura around Fang Han exploded outward!
With the addition of the Jianliao Acupoint, a total of ten acupoints were now fully connected, forming a more complex, vast, and efficient system for circulating Inner Qi.
The speed and volume of his circulating Inner Qi increased dramatically. Its color deepened and condensed, becoming an almost inky-blue.
It was as viscous as mercury, and the sense of power it generated as it flowed far surpassed that of the Late Stage of Seventh Grade. This was a qualitative leap.
His bones let out a rapid series of pops, growing even more resilient.
His blood rushed like a surging river tide, and his organs felt as if they were being cleansed and nourished by a newfound vitality.
And with the opening of the Jianliao Acupoint, a new Divine Treasure—"Skillful Hand"—was unlocked.
Fang Han felt a slight warmth in his hands as an indescribable sense of dexterity and control seeped into the very muscles and tendons of his fingers and wrists.
It was as if an invisible Spiritual Energy had been injected into them, instantly raising his hands’ coordination, stability, and control over minute forces by several levels.
Unlocking this Divine Treasure granted one’s hands a dexterity and precision far beyond the ordinary.
When enhanced by Inner Qi, his fingers could move as if they had wings. When practicing Martial Techniques that required exquisite Finger Technique, Wrist Technique, or agile and unpredictable Transformations, his results would be doubled with half the effort.
The Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword, with its unpredictable and varied Sword Techniques, was exactly this type of Martial Technique!
’Sixth Grade. I made it!’
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, a streak of deep, azure light flashing within them before vanishing.
He gently clenched his fist, feeling the powerful, surging Inner Qi within him, which had undergone a complete qualitative transformation.
Sensing the unprecedented dexterity in his hands, he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling into a subtle smile.
Reaching the Sixth Grade meant he had officially joined the ranks of the Middle Third-Grade Martial Artists. His strength had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
Within the Qingxuan Sect, this level of Cultivation was enough to qualify for the position of Steward.
’Time to consolidate my realm.’
After briefly familiarizing himself with his newfound power and dexterous hands, Fang Han resumed his cultivation to consolidate his new realm at the Early Stage of Sixth Grade.
However, after cultivating for a short while, he frowned slightly.
He could clearly feel that since his Cultivation had broken through to the Sixth Grade, his Inner Qi had become extremely condensed and pure, its power greatly enhanced.
But in turn, the amount of Medicinal Power from elixirs and the time required to condense a single wisp of new Sixth Grade Internal Qi were far greater than what he needed at the Seventh Grade.
The rate of Inner Qi generation—in other words, his cultivation speed—had slowed down dramatically!
’So it’s just as they said... ’
A flash of understanding lit up Fang Han’s eyes as he recalled something Elder Chen Xuan had once taught in the Inheritance Hall.
When a Martial Artist entered the Middle Three Grades, their Inner Qi underwent a qualitative change, becoming far purer and more condensed than it was in the Lower Three Grades.
This brought a surge in strength, but it also made accumulating more Inner Qi increasingly difficult.
Each step forward required a manifold increase in both time and resources.
This was a fundamental law of the Martial Dao, and no one was an exception.
There were two ways to remedy this situation.
First, one could take higher-quality supplementary elixirs with more potent effects.
Second, one could practice a higher-Grade, more efficient Inner Qi Cultivation Technique.
’I’m earning over a thousand Contribution Points in rewards every month now. That’s more than enough to support upgrading to a higher-Grade Elixir and Cultivation Technique.’
After calculating what he could afford, Fang Han quickly made a decision.
’Resources are meant to be used to increase one’s strength. There’s no point in being stingy.’
After consolidating his Cultivation, he wasted no more time. He rose, left his residence, and headed straight for the Library Pavilion.
His first priority was to exchange his points for a Top Grade Inner Qi Cultivation Method.
He had already been considering it, but the slowdown in his cultivation speed after reaching the Sixth Grade solidified his decision.
With steady steps, he walked along the stone path and once again ascended to the fourth floor of the Library Pavilion.
Behind the counter, Elder Mo was still engrossed in a scroll. He lifted his gaze at the sound of footsteps.
When he saw it was Fang Han, a flicker of surprise crossed his gentle eyes, quickly replaced by a faint smile.
"Fang, you’re back again?" Elder Mo asked. "What are you looking to exchange for this time?"
He noticed that the aura around Fang Han was deeper and more condensed, faintly different than before, and his interest was piqued.
"Elder Mo," Fang Han said, bowing respectfully, "I would like to exchange for a Wind Element Top Grade Inner Qi Heart Method. I was hoping for your guidance."
Elder Mo didn’t immediately give a recommendation, asking the question instead.
"Judging by your aura, you must have reached the Sixth Grade, haven’t you?"
It’s generally impossible to determine a Martial Artist’s Cultivation Realm when they aren’t fighting, but that’s not an absolute rule.
A high-Realm Martial Artist with keen senses can still make a rough judgment.
"Yes, Elder Mo."
Fang Han didn’t hide it; there was no need. To compete for a higher ranking and obtain the Sect’s generous rewards, he would have to reveal his strength eventually anyway.
"Good lad."
His suspicion confirmed, the smile on Elder Mo’s face grew even wider.
"Just over a year since you joined the sect, and you’ve already reached the Sixth Grade. With progress like this, even the top few on the Sect’s Celestial Pride List probably can’t compare!"
His tone was full of unconcealed admiration. He pondered for a moment, then picked up a dark red-covered ledger, flipped to a page, and showed it to Fang Han.
"Since you’ve built your foundation on the Xunfeng Technique, which is rooted in the Wind Element, I’ll recommend this one: the Profound Wind Technique."
"This technique was created by a grandmaster of our Qingxuan Sect. While it’s not one of our ultimate arts, it is one of the very best among Top Grade Cultivation Techniques."
"It’s a well-balanced technique. The Inner Qi it cultivates is pure and long-lasting, and it particularly excels in speed and explosive power. It will complement your Flowing Wind Shadowless Step and Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword perfectly. The exchange price is one thousand two hundred Contribution Points."
Fang Han considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"I’ll exchange for this technique. Thank you for your trouble, Elder."
He trusted Elder Mo’s recommendation, and the price was within his means.
He took out his Identity Jade Token and presented it with both hands.
Elder Mo took it and swiped it over an inkstone-shaped device. A faint light flashed, and 1,200 Contribution Points were deducted.
He then turned, and from a hidden compartment on a shelf labeled with the character for "Technique," he retrieved a bluish-green box that was neither gold nor jade and handed it solemnly to Fang Han. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"This is the manual for the Profound Wind Technique. It includes an appendix with insights from our predecessors. Do not copy it or show it to others. It must be returned within half a month."
"I understand. Thank you, Elder!"
Fang Han accepted the box with both hands. It was surprisingly heavy. The care with which it was stored showed just how precious this manual was to the Sect.
After leaving the Library Pavilion, Fang Han didn’t return to his residence. Instead, he turned and headed for the Pill Hall, located halfway up the mountain.
With his Cultivation Technique settled, the next step was to get better elixirs.
The Pill Hall was busy with disciples, and the air was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.
"Steward, I’d like to exchange for three bottles of True Spirit Pills," Fang Han said, walking straight to the elixir exchange counter and addressing the On-duty Steward.
