Chapter 523 - 519: Cashing in the Harvest

Chapter 523: Chapter 519: Cashing in the Harvest

Fang Han did not resist.

He knew the three-day time limit was up.

His vision began to spin. The golden light grew brighter and brighter, gradually swallowing his entire field of view as his consciousness plunged into a brief moment of chaos.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the familiar, empty grand hall.

The dome and four walls were paved with grayish-white stone. Inlaid within them, Luminous Pearls cast a cold, eternal glow, projecting his solitary shadow onto the polished stone floor.

"I’m back."

Fang Han didn’t linger in the grand hall.

He took one last look at the empty cavern, then turned and strode out through the passage he came in by, carefully erasing his tracks along the way.

Since there was more than one Treasure Map, it was only a matter of time before others would find their way to this Treasure Storage.

Staying here would only invite unnecessary complications.

The heavy cliff wall slowly descended, then slowly rose again.

Without looking back, Fang Han pushed his Wind God Step to its limits as soon as he was out of the valley, speeding away from the Treasure Storage.

After running for dozens of miles in one breath, Fang Han finally stopped in a hidden cave.

He blocked the entrance with a large boulder before sitting down cross-legged and calling up the system panel.

[Host: Fang Han]

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 gold)]

[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 gold)]

[Stepping Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Body Hardening Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Current Wealth: 2,700,000 gold]

’That’s enough to activate Level 8 Amplification for two Talents...’

Fang Han’s gaze swept back and forth between the Stepping Talent and Body Hardening Talent entries, his mind already made up.

As for his Secret Technique Talent, the Thousand-Mile Soul Lock and Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill he currently cultivated had both reached Perfection. He couldn’t advance them any further, and he didn’t have any higher-grade Secret Techniques to practice.

Even if he increased the amplification multiplier for his Secret Technique Talent, it would be useless.

On the other hand, his Body Technique and Body Hardening techniques were far from Perfection, making them the most pressing areas to boost with a higher amplification multiplier.

’Activate Level 8 Stepping Talent Amplification.’

Fang Han’s eyes fell on the Stepping Talent entry, and he chose to activate the Level 8 Amplification.

[Current Wealth: 2,700,000 gold → 1,700,000 gold]

His wealth decreased by 1,000,000 gold, and the Stepping Talent Amplification changed.

[Stepping Talent Amplification: 128x → 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 gold)]

’Activate Level 8 Body Hardening Talent Amplification.’

Next, Fang Han’s gaze shifted to the Body Hardening Talent entry, and he chose to activate the higher-level amplification.

[Current Wealth: 1,700,000 gold → 700,000 gold]

His wealth decreased by another 1,000,000 gold, and the Body Hardening Talent Amplification changed.

[Body Hardening Talent Amplification: 128x → 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 gold)]

’700,000 gold left.’

Fang Han’s eyes lingered on his current wealth.

With 700,000 gold remaining, he was only 300,000 short of another Level 8 Amplification, which wasn’t too far off.

However, the only one left to upgrade to Level 8 was his Secret Technique Talent, and since he had no subsequent techniques to learn, there was no need to improve it for now.

His next task was to aim for ten million gold and start accumulating wealth for the higher-tier Ninth Level Amplification.

But the thought of the 10,000,000 gold required for the Ninth Level Amplification made him feel immense pressure. Where on earth could he get such a huge fortune?

’I wonder how much of a change the increased amplification for my Body Technique and Body Hardening will bring?’

With a flicker of his thoughts, the translucent system panel vanished from his sight.

He pushed aside the boulder at the cave entrance and stepped into the open space outside.

He stood in place, closing his eyes to focus for a moment. The Heart Method of the Wind God Step slowly flowed through his mind.

The incantations, steps, and key points of Inner Qi circulation that he already knew by heart now felt unprecedentedly clear as he recalled them.

His figure blurred into motion.

SWOOSH—

His moon-white figure transformed into a streak of light so faint it was nearly imperceptible.

There was no sound of wind breaking, no rustle of clothes, and even his afterimage was too faint to be seen.

Like a wisp of true wind, he shuttled silently across the clearing. One moment he was brushing past the eastern wall, the next he was veering toward the western corner. His turns were seamless, his movements utterly silent.

The feeling of smoothness was far beyond anything he had experienced before.

If cultivating the Wind God Step before was like struggling upstream in a raging river, where every step required immense effort to fight the current’s resistance, then now, it was as if the river had suddenly changed course to flow with him, and every step he took was naturally pushed forward by the current.

The fusion of his Wind Realm and Body Technique had become more harmonious, more natural.

’At this rate of cultivation, Mastery isn’t far off!’

Fang Han came to a halt, standing still once more, a flash of joy in his eyes.

With the enhanced Wind Realm he had gained from mastering the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique as a foundation, his cultivation speed for the Wind God Step was already extremely fast.

Now that his cultivation speed had increased again, pushing the Wind God Step from Minor Achievement to Mastery at this exaggerated pace would not take long at all.

’Time to check the changes to my Body Hardening.’

After steadying his breath, Fang Han took out a piece of dried Grandmaster Demon meat from his Storage Ring.

The jerky was dark red with a fine texture. Even though it was dried, it still exuded a majestic and heart-pounding aura of qi and blood.

He put the jerky in his mouth and chewed it carefully.

Although the meat was dry, it wasn’t tough or stringy. Instead, it had a unique chewiness, and with every bite, wisps of qi and blood essence flowed out, sliding down his throat and into his stomach.

After swallowing one piece of jerky, Fang Han didn’t stop, taking out a second, and then a third.

He ate several pieces in a row until the warm aura of qi and blood in his stomach felt so dense it was about to overflow. Only then did he stop.

’Xuanwu True Skill.’

Fang Han took a deep breath, his body twisting slightly into the strange posture he knew by heart.

His muscles tensed, his bones emitting a series of faint CRACKING sounds. Guided by the Cultivation Technique, the torrential flood of qi and blood in his body surged through his meridians, into his muscles, bones, skin, and membranes, into his internal organs, and into every inch of flesh that needed to be tempered.

The effect of the upgrade was immediate and obvious.

His already extremely fast cultivation speed skyrocketed again, easily doubling what it was before, if not more.

The increase in cultivation speed brought by the Talent was never linear; it was exponential.

The amplification multiplier had doubled, but the resulting boost to his cultivation speed was far greater than a simple two-fold increase.

’At this rate, in just a few more days at most...’

Fang Han silently estimated his progress.

Before, he was confident he could push the Xuanwu True Skill to Minor Achievement within a month.

Now, that time had been drastically shortened.

In a few days at most, or perhaps even less, he would be able to touch the threshold of Minor Achievement.

While the doubled Body Hardening Talent Amplification was a major factor, his accumulation of practice over the past days was also indispensable.

Ever since leaving the Qingxuan Sect, he had never slacked off on his Body Hardening Technique cultivation, even while traveling.

Every evening when he found a place to rest, he would take the time to circulate the Xuanwu True Skill, using the Grandmaster Demon jerky to aid in tempering his physical body.

Only during the three days in the Secret Realm, fraught with danger, had he been unable to focus and forced to set it aside temporarily.

This accumulation, combined with the doubled Body Hardening Talent Amplification, was what gave him the confidence to break through to Minor Achievement in a matter of days.

More than two hours later, Fang Han slowly withdrew his skill.

The bulging muscles all over his body gradually relaxed, and his twisted posture returned to normal.

He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air. The breath was dense and did not disperse, shooting out like an arrow for over a foot and tracing a faint white arc in the dim forest clearing.

’Next up is the Secret Technique Fruit!’

Having experienced the changes brought by upgrading his Body Technique and Body Hardening Talent Amplifications, Fang Han took out the Secret Technique Fruit from his Storage Ring.

The fruit was about the size of a walnut and was pitch-black all over. A dark light seemed to flow across its surface, making it resemble a black gemstone.

A rich, unusual fragrance wafted from it, and with every breath, it felt as if a ball of aroma was surging through his nostrils and into his lungs.

Although the Thousand-Mile Soul Lock and Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill he currently cultivated had both reached Perfection with no room for further advancement, and the Sect had no higher-level Secret Techniques for him to practice, this didn’t mean he wouldn’t be able to find one in the future.

The Ancient Ruins where he had found the Treasure Map could be entered more than once. He would have other chances to go in, and it wasn’t impossible that he could obtain a higher-grade Secret Technique inheritance from the Secret Realm.

Therefore, it was still necessary to consume the Secret Technique Fruit and improve his Secret Technique Talent.

CRUNCH—

Fang Han no longer hesitated and popped the Secret Technique Fruit into his mouth.

The flesh of the fruit was completely different from that of an ordinary fruit. It melted the moment it entered his mouth, transforming into a stream of icy, profound energy.

This energy didn’t slide down his throat into his stomach. Instead, it spread out from his mouth like countless extremely fine, ice-cold threads.

It penetrated his flesh and blood, pierced his muscles and bones, and seeped into every corner of his body and limbs.

The icy sensation wasn’t unpleasant; on the contrary, it was strangely comfortable.

It was like suddenly submerging himself in a cold spring on a scorching summer day; every pore on his body seemed to open up in an instant.

Fang Han closed his eyes, allowing that icy, profound energy to flow slowly through his body.

Time passed quietly in the silence.

After an unknown amount of time, the icy sensation gradually faded, receding from his limbs like an ebbing tide, leaving behind an unprecedented clarity.

’The first time you take it has the best effect. After this, my innate Secret Technique Talent has improved by several times, at least!’

Fang Han opened his eyes, and a faint glimmer of light seemed to flash in their depths before vanishing.

He tried to recall information related to Secret Techniques in his mind, and a distinct change occurred.

If cultivating Secret Techniques before was like looking at the world through a thin veil—clear enough to see, but always somewhat hazy—then now, it was as if a corner of that veil had been lifted, and his vision had become clearer, more transparent.

BZZZ—

Standing in the clearing outside the cave, Fang Han activated the Thousand-Mile Soul Lock.

He pushed the Tracking Secret Technique, which was at the Realm of Perfection, to its limit, extending his senses to the auras in the air.

Within a ten-mile radius, the aura of the grass and trees, the faint stirrings of crawling insects and ants, the gurgling sound of a distant stream—

—everything entered his perception, perfectly distinct and layered.

But unlike before, a new kind of understanding emerged in his heart.