Chapter 446 - 443: Middle Stage of Third Grade

Chapter 446: Chapter 443: Middle Stage of Third Grade

The hall was brightly lit, but the light couldn’t dispel the oppressive atmosphere, which was so stagnant it felt almost tangible.

Li Wushang had been standing before the window for a long time, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out at the deep darkness of the night.

He was waiting.

Waiting for news.

This time, the Netherworld Pavilion had used an attack on a Qingxuan Sect transport team as bait to lure Fang Han into a trap, where two Second-Grade Elders lay in wait to kill him.

To ensure the operation was foolproof, they had even borrowed the Spirit-Hiding Pearl from the treasure vault to block Fang Han’s Perception Secret Technique.

Two Second-Grade Elders ambushing a mere Early Third Grade Fang Han—it should have been foolproof.

And yet, for some unknown reason, a faint sense of unease lingered in his heart.

That unease had started yesterday, coiling in his mind, impossible to shake off, like a deep, persistent rot.

"Vice Pavilion Master."

The voice of Steward Liu Jin, tinged with caution, came from outside the hall door.

Li Wushang turned, his gaze falling upon the tightly shut doors of the hall.

"Come in."

His voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

The doors were pushed open gently.

Liu Jin walked in quickly and stood at the foot of the dais with his head bowed. Without looking up, he held a letter in both hands, raising it above his head.

"Vice Pavilion Master, an urgent report," he said, his voice kept low.

Li Wushang’s gaze fell on the letter.

The wax seal was stamped with the Netherworld Pavilion’s unique dark flame insignia.

He took it and broke the seal.

As the paper unfolded, he saw that the handwriting was messy and rushed, clearly written in a state of extreme urgency.

As Li Wushang’s eyes scanned the first line, his expression changed slightly.

He continued reading, and the pupils of his deep, dark eyes slowly constricted.

The knuckles of the hand holding the letter turned white from the force of his grip.

"How... could this be?"

In a fit of extreme rage, a terrifying aura erupted from him, causing Liu Jin, who stood with his head bowed at the foot of the dais, to shiver uncontrollably.

The letter drifted from his hand, twirled in the air, and landed softly on the floor.

On the paper were only a few lines of text—

"Elders Song Shu, Zhou Yuan, and Tu Hong never arrived at the rendezvous. A search along their last known path led to the discovery of all three of their bodies in a forest..."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Liu Jin stood with his head bowed, not daring to make a sound, even suppressing his breathing to the barest minimum.

He could feel a suffocating pressure emanating from Li Wushang.

The pressure was like a physical mountain, crushing him until he could barely breathe.

"Three Elders..."

Li Wushang spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and trembling with suppressed emotion.

"Two of them were Second Grade... and they were all wiped out..."

He spun around abruptly and slammed his palm down on the desk behind him.

BOOM—!

The heavy desk, made of ironwood, shattered on impact. Wood splinters flew everywhere as the inkstone, brush rest, and books scattered across the floor.

"QINGXUAN SECT—!!!"

Li Wushang’s voice echoed through the great hall, laced with bone-deep hatred and unrestrained fury.

His chest heaved violently, his face twisted into a nearly demonic snarl.

Second Grade.

They were the backbone of the Netherworld Pavilion, the cornerstones that supported the entire Sect.

The entire Netherworld Pavilion only had thirteen Second-Grade Elders.

Yin Wugou was ambushed and killed. That was one loss.

Ma Yuan was intercepted and killed. That was another.

Now Song Shu and Zhou Yuan were also lost—

Of the thirteen Second-Grade Elders, four were now gone, leaving fewer than ten.

Fewer than ten.

The number spun in his mind like a dull knife, sawing away at his heart with every turn.

"Qingxuan Sect... What a fine Qingxuan Sect!!"

He ground out the name through clenched teeth, each word seemingly dipped in poison.

Veins bulged on his face and his eyes were bloodshot. Where was even a trace of his usual calm and sinister composure?

Liu Jin stood at the foot of the dais, his body rigid, not daring to move an inch.

He had followed Li Wushang for many years and had never seen the Vice Pavilion Master lose his composure like this.

The face that was usually as calm as still water was now a mask of fury and madness.

The only sounds in the hall were Li Wushang’s ragged gasps and the soft rustle of settling wood splinters.

A long time passed.

A very long time.

Li Wushang’s breathing gradually calmed.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

When he opened his eyes again, the fury had receded from them like an ebbing tide, replaced by a deep killing intent so profound it was almost tangible.

"Four Second-Grade Elders..."

he muttered to himself, his voice as hoarse and chilling as the winter wind rattling through dead branches.

"All told, we have lost a total of four Second-Grade Elders!"

He turned and stood before the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

Outside, the night was still deep. The moonlight was obscured by clouds, casting the world in darkness.

His silhouette seemed a little more stooped than usual.

...

「Several days later, early in the morning.」

A thin mist veiled Qingxuan Mountain like a light gauze, the upturned eaves of the mountain halls appearing and disappearing within it.

In the Quiet Chamber of Courtyard No. 35.

Blue smoke curled up from a Sandalwood Incense Burner, its faint fragrance mingling with the cool morning air.

Fang Han sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes slightly closed, his aura as still as water.

He poured a Yunling Pill from a Jade Bottle and put it in his mouth.

The Elixir dissolved the moment it entered his mouth, transforming into a warm stream of Medicinal Power that slid down his throat into his stomach, then spread throughout his entire body.

’Cyan Profound Technique.’

Fang Han focused his mind, and the cyan-gold Inner Qi within his body began to slowly circulate.

The Medicinal Power of the Yunling Pill flowed through his meridians, where it was continuously absorbed and refined by his Inner Qi, transforming into wisps of pure, cyan-gold Inner Qi. This new energy flowed into his Qi Sea before being channeled toward the Yintang Acupoint.

More than two months had passed since he broke through to the Third Grade.

For over two months, he had cultivated diligently every day, never once ceasing the accumulation of his Inner Qi.

His 256x Root Bone Talent Amplification allowed his Cultivation speed to far surpass that of ordinary people.

After more than two months of accumulation, the Inner Qi in his Yintang Acupoint had finally reached Perfection today.

He could already sense the bottleneck leading to the Middle Stage of Third Grade.

’Today is the day I break through to the Middle Stage of Third Grade.’

Fang Han took a deep breath, suppressed the faint ripple of excitement in his heart, and submerged his entire consciousness into his body.

His Inner Qi surged through his meridians as he continuously compressed and condensed it, forming it into sharp "drills."

Following the breakthrough method of the Cyan Profound Technique, he fearlessly slammed these drills, again and again, into the barrier that was as thin as a cicada’s wing.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each impact made the qi and blood in his body roil slightly.

Under the repeated assaults, more and more cracks appeared on the barrier, growing denser with each strike.

Two hours.

Four hours.

Fang Han charged relentlessly, tirelessly.

Finally, at a certain moment—

KRA-CHA!

A clear cracking sound, originating from the very depths of his being, echoed in his perception as sharp and crisp as the breaking of spring ice.

The formless barrier between the Yintang Acupoint and the next acupoint shattered!

The vast Inner Qi he had accumulated for so long surged like a bursting dam, flooding joyfully into the newly opened channel and pouring into the next acupoint—the Shenmai Acupoint.

In that instant, the aura around Fang Han erupted, skyrocketing like a volcano!

Its strength far surpassed that of the Early Third Grade.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, even the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Including the Shenmai Acupoint, the twenty now-unblocked acupoints formed a more complex and efficient system for circulating Inner Qi.

The speed and volume of his rushing Inner Qi increased sharply. Its color deepened, and its texture grew viscous like mercury. The sense of power it generated as it flowed was far beyond that of the Early Third Grade.

A wondrous sensation of being completely reborn, as if his very level of existence had leaped forward, washed over him.

’Middle Stage of Third Grade, complete!’

Fang Han slowly opened his eyes.

For an instant, a faint golden glint seemed to flash in the depths of his pupils before vanishing.

He gently clenched his fist, and his knuckles emitted a series of crisp CRACKS.

Feeling the Inner Qi in his body, which was now immeasurably purer than in the Early Third Grade, a faint smile touched the corners of his lips.

’My Inner Qi is much purer,’

he muttered to himself, carefully savoring the changes the breakthrough had brought.

Compared to the Early Third Grade, the quality of his Inner Qi at the Middle Stage of Third Grade was a significant improvement.

It was more condensed, purer, and the sense of power it generated as it circulated far surpassed what he had before.

’A newly opened Divine Treasure...’

Fang Han focused his mind, sensing the newly unblocked acupoint inside him—the Shenmai Acupoint.

With the opening of the Shenmai Acupoint, a brand-new Divine Treasure had also been unlocked.

With a flicker of his thoughts, he began to perceive the changes this Divine Treasure had brought him.

The sensation wasn’t an increase in strength or speed, but a kind of... endurance.

’To be precise, it’s stamina.’

Fang Han savored the feeling, a sense of understanding dawning on him.

The ability of this Divine Treasure was to grant its user astonishing stamina.

Whether in sustained combat or a long-distance sprint, his physical exertion would be greatly reduced, and his endurance would be massively enhanced.

With this kind of stamina, it would be futile for anyone to try and wear him down with sheer numbers.

’Now that my Cultivation has improved, it’s time to begin that plan.’

Fang Han muttered to himself.

Since he first revealed his Talent, he had been targeted by the Netherworld Pavilion multiple times. Their relentless attacks had inspired a plan for revenge.

To plunder the Netherworld Pavilion’s businesses.

And turn the Netherworld Pavilion’s wealth into fuel for his system panel.

This idea had been on his mind for a long time.

The Netherworld Pavilion and the Qingxuan Sect were as incompatible as fire and water. The two sides were constantly clashing, fighting both openly and in the shadows throughout the commandery.

And his own feud with the Netherworld Pavilion was a blood debt that could never be resolved.

Quite a few of the Netherworld Pavilion’s True Inheritors, Stewards, and Elders had already died by his hand.

The Netherworld Pavilion was desperate to eliminate him, so naturally, he had no reason to be courteous to them.

’My strength was insufficient before. Making a move rashly would have been too risky.’

Fang Han’s gaze was as calm as still water.

With his previous strength, he could hold his own against a Second Grade Martial Artist, but he would have struggled against one of the best among them.

Now that he had broken through to the Middle Stage of Third Grade, his Inner Qi was purer, and his strength had risen to a new level.

Even if he faced a Martial Artist at the Late Stage of Second Grade, he was confident he could rely on the speed of his Wind God Step to escape with ease.

He now had sufficient strength. It was time to begin the plan.

’As for the danger of encountering a First Grade Martial Artist...’

Fang Han pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

The entire Netherworld Pavilion had only a handful of First Grade Martial Artists, and each of them was stationed at an extremely important location that they would not easily leave.

He just had to avoid those most critical businesses to mitigate the risk of encountering a First Grade Martial Artist.