The final results of the Seven Sects Competition spread like wildfire through Qingyang Commandery City, as if they had grown wings.
The city’s teahouses and restaurants were buzzing with noise, the focus of every discussion revolving around the recent grand competition.
"Have you heard? The top spot in this year’s Seven Sects Competition has changed hands!"
"What? Tingyu Building isn’t number one anymore? Which Sect could have possibly managed that?"
"It was the Qingxuan Sect! Their new Entry Level disciples this year are truly incredible!"
On the second floor of the Drunken Immortal Tower, several lavishly dressed rchants were gathered around a table, talking animatedly.
"The duel between the Qingxuan Sect’s disciple Fang Han and Tingyu Building’s number one disciple, Mo Chen... Tsk tsk, that was a real nail-biter! I was right there in the stands!"
"Everyone thought Fang Han was going to lose, but who could have guessed? He relied on his Swordsmanship and Body Technique, both at the Mastery Level, to wear down Mo Chen, who had already cultivated a Middle Grade Martial Technique to Great Success!"
A portly rchant took a sip of tea and clucked his tongue in amazent.
"Fang Han... I heard he’s only ranked third in the Qingxuan Sect, right? And he actually beat Mo Chen, the number one from Tingyu Building? How is that possible?"
Soone else at the table was skeptical.
"It’s absolutely true!"
Another person interjected, their eyes shining.
"The coordination between Fang Han’s Body Technique and Swordsmanship was just too exquisite. He managed to hold on until the very mont Mo Chen’s Inner Qi faltered, then won with a single strike!"
Soone sighed in admiration.
"Tsk tsk, incredible! The na Fang Han is going to be famous throughout the Commandery City. And then there’s Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, I hear they’re exceptionally talented too... This batch of new Entry Level disciples from the Qingxuan Sect is just sothing else!"
Similar conversations were playing out in teahouses and restaurants all over, like the Hundred Flavors Building, Qingming Pavilion, and Gathering Pavilion.
The nas Fang Han, Yun Qianyue, and Li Feng were ntioned, mulled over, and marveled at ti and again, alongside the stunning achievent of the Qingxuan Sect suppressing Tingyu Building to seize the top spot.
The Qingxuan Sect, an existence that hadn’t always been the most dazzling among the Seven Sects, was now enjoying a surge in fa and unparalleled glory thanks to the stunning performance of its new Entry Level disciples.
...
In the western part of Qingyang Commandery City, inside the Qingxuan Villa, a lively scene was unfolding.
As dusk fell, the villa’s main hall was brightly lit, filled with a jubilant and fervent atmosphere.
Attending the banquet, besides Fang Han and the others, were the Stewards and disciples of the villa.
Elder Chen Xuan’s face was a rare shade of red. His usually stern brow was relaxed as he raised his cup and looked around at everyone at the table.
"In this Seven Sects Competition, the Qingxuan Sect was able to overco all rivals and seize the top spot. Your contributions were indispensable! I, this old man, offer a toast to all of you!"
"You’re too kind, Elder!"
Fang Han, Yun Qianyue, Li Feng, Huang Ling’er, and Shi ng all rose to their feet, raising their cups in unison. Their voices were loud, and their faces were all flushed with excitent.
The cups didn’t contain strong liquor, but a special dicinal drink from the Sect. It was slightly sweet and relieved fatigue, but drinking it now felt more intoxicating than the finest wine.
"Elder, we really beat Tingyu Building! Thinking about it now, it still feels like a dream!"
Huang Ling’er’s cheeks were flushed red, her big eyes curved into crescents.
"I feel like I’m dreaming too!"
Shi ng said with an honest smile, his gaze pointedly shifting to Fang Han and Li Feng with admiration.
Li Feng remained as silent as ever, though the corners of his stern lips seed to lift almost imperceptibly. He tilted his head back and downed the dicinal drink in one go.
Fang Han raised his cup and gestured to Shi ng with it.
Elder Chen Xuan’s kind gaze swept over each disciple, lingering on Fang Han for a mont before he nodded and said,
"Well done. Especially you, Fang Han. Overcoming a powerful enemy in the final match was a monuntal achievent."
Fang Han quickly said with humility, "You praise too much, Elder. This was the result of everyone’s collective effort."
Elder Chen Xuan stroked his beard and smiled, the approval in his eyes deepening. "Neither arrogant nor impetuous. Very good."
The celebration feast lasted for nearly two hours. Many disciples ca forward to toast Fang Han and the others, and the atmosphere was lively and harmonious.
The tension and exhaustion from the long days of competition gradually lted away in this shared joy and glory.
After the banquet ended, everyone returned to their own rooms to rest.
Fang Han returned to his room. The silence inside was a stark contrast to the boisterous noise from the hall just monts before.
Outside, the moonlight was like water, spilling its clear radiance across the floor through the window lattice.
Although he had drunk so of the dicinal drink, his mind was exceptionally clear, and he didn’t feel the least bit sleepy.
Every scene, every move, every technique from his dayti bout with Mo Chen on the stage replayed clearly in his mind.
The extre pressure of being on the razor’s edge of life and death, the terrifying oppression from his opponent’s Great Success Level Martial Technique... All these experiences were seared deep into his soul like a brand.
He knew that this kind of experience was a precious "treasure" that could push his Martial Techniques to the next level.
As the thought crossed his mind, he decided not to force himself to sleep. He picked up the Cyan Blade Sword from the side of the table, pushed open the door, and walked into the courtyard.
The courtyard was empty, and the moonlight was perfect.
A cool breeze swept past, carrying the fresh scent of the courtyard’s plants and blowing away the last vestiges of his fatigue.
He stood in the courtyard and slowly closed his eyes. He didn’t imdiately start practicing his swordsmanship; instead, he first replayed the fierce battle from earlier in the day from start to finish in his mind.
Every choice to dodge, block, or counterattack, along with its successes and failures; the circulation and consumption of his Inner Qi under extre conditions...
All sorts of details surfaced one by one, and he mulled over and analyzed them repeatedly.
Gradually, he entered a mysterious state of being, oblivious to both himself and the world around him.
The Cyan Blade Sword in his hand seed to sense its master’s state of mind and let out a soft, faint hum.
"SHING—"
The blade left its scabbard, tracing a cold, sharp arc of light under the moon.
With a flick of his wrist, Fang Han naturally began to execute the Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship.
At first, the Sword Montum wasn’t swift. He just moved slowly, as if reviewing the basic trajectory of the Sword Techniques.
But as ti went on, the combat insights in his mind grew clearer and gradually rged with his Sword Techniques.
The speed of his sword began to increase, and a wind stirred by the blade began to rise.
He wasn’t simply repeating the forms; he was integrating the insights from the life-and-death struggle of the day into every single technique.
How to exert force more effortlessly and efficiently?
How to maintain the precision of his Sword Techniques during high-speed movent?
How to make the union of Inner Qi and Sword Montum more seamless and perfect?
How to better guide and control the omnipresent "wind"?
All sorts of epiphanies flooded his mind and were expressed through the sword in his hand.
The glint of his sword grew faster and more agile, until his entire person had transford into a blurry cyan shadow.
The wind from his sword howled, no longer a simple sharp whistle, but a low hum that seed capable of tearing everything apart.
The airflow in the courtyard was completely stirred up, swirling rapidly around him and kicking up the fine dust and fallen leaves on the ground to form a small, visible vortex.
He was completely imrsed in the wonderful feeling of rapid improvent, oblivious to the outside world.
The Inner Qi in his body surged endlessly, perfectly synchronized with his Sword Techniques and Body Technique. The insights about the "wind" in his mind were clearer than ever before.
Then, in a single instant.
"VMMMM!"
The Cyan Blade Sword let out an unprecedentedly clear, long cry. The body of the sword vibrated violently as the surrounding airflow converged madly, compressing and condensing upon the blade’s edge!
At the tip of the sword, the air seed to be completely torn, forming a faint but clearly visible ripple of distortion.
A "Montum" far more majestic, more condensed, and more incomparably sharp than that of the "Mastery" Level, erupted forth with a BOOM!
"SHRRIIIP—!"
He slashed out. The speed was so fast it surpassed the limits of visual perception. All that could be seen was a thin, pale cyan line splitting the air, as if it had briefly sliced the moonlight itself in two.
Where the sword wind passed, a large patch of fallen leaves on the ground was silently split in half, the cuts as smooth as a mirror.
Fang Han’s figure ca to a sudden halt. He stood holding his sword, breathing lightly, but his eyes erupted with an incredible, brilliant light.
’The Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship has reached the Great Success Realm!’
After experiencing the life-and-death battle that had pushed him to his absolute limits, and the natural culmination of his recent insights, he had broken through the bottleneck that had plagued him for so long. He had pushed this incredibly difficult-to-practice Middle Grade Sword Technique to the Great Success Realm.
His comprehension and control of "Wind Montum" had leaped directly from thirty percent to fifty percent.
Its power had more than doubled!
He slowly sheathed his sword, feeling the still-unsettled hum of the blade and the much closer connection he now had with the airflow of the world around him. His heart was filled with joy.
If he were to fight Mo Chen again now, he was confident that with his Great Success Level Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship, even if he couldn’t win easily, it would absolutely not be the difficult and dangerous victory it had been during the day!
Just as Fang Han sheathed his sword and stood quietly, savoring the new feeling brought by his Great Success Swordsmanship, a slender figure stood silently in the shadows of the courtyard’s corridor, having watched for an unknown amount of ti.
Yun Qianyue was not in her Disciple’s Robe, but a purple dress with a purple veil covering her face, allowing her to almost blend into the shadows.
Above the purple veil, her eyes, as cold as a winter pond, clearly reflected the image of Fang Han standing in the courtyard with his sword. Deep within her pupils, ripples of emotion suddenly stirred.
She too had been unable to sleep and had intended to take a walk, but was unexpectedly drawn in by the sharp Sword Montum in the courtyard as soon as she reached the corridor.
She had witnessed the entire process of Fang Han’s practice, and had personally seen the shocking mont his Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship broke through from "Mastery" to "Great Success" in such a short period of ti!
The majestic Wind Montum and the terrifying sharpness that tore through the air when he executed that final slash were absolutely not sothing the Mastery Level could possess!
’He actually broke through to... Great Success!’
Yun Qianyue murmured to herself, her cold eyes filled with complex, indescribable emotions.
She had been exceptionally talented since childhood, regarded as a once-in-a-generation genius of the Yun Family, carrying expectations comparable to those placed on her older sister, who was ranked eighteenth on the Celestial Pride List.
Since entering the Qingxuan Sect, she had always held the top spot in the Sub-Branch. Her Cultivation and Swordsmanship were far ahead of her peers, and she naturally had her own pride.
Even when Fang Han had erged as a dark horse and quickly risen into the top three, she was surprised but still confident she could keep him suppressed.
But now, that confidence was facing an unprecedented blow.
Under the stimulating pressure of the Seven Sects Competition, Fang Han’s Cultivation had broken through to the Middle Stage of Eighth Grade, putting him on par with her.
And now, his Swordsmanship Realm had also caught up, reaching the Great Success Realm just like her!
This rate of improvent was simply terrifying!
’Is this... what pressure feels like?’
Yun Qianyue muttered softly to herself.
Ever since joining the Qingxuan Sect, Fang Han had been like a Gemstone with its rough exterior peeled away, revealing an increasingly dazzling radiance.
Even for soone as cold and detached as her, soone who had never known what pressure was since she began her martial path, she now felt a real, heavy pressure.
This pressure didn’t stem from jealousy, but from the unwillingness and sense of urgency that ca from a powerful expert’s instincts.
An unwillingness to be approached and even surpassed so quickly, and a sense of urgency that her own progress seed slow in comparison.
She stood silently in the shadows, the moonlight outlining her slender figure, her purple veil fluttering gently in the breeze.
"..."
After a long while, Yun Qianyue took one last deep look at the figure in the courtyard, who seed to still be savoring the afterglow of his breakthrough. The ripples in her eyes gradually cald, transforming into a look of even greater determination.
’Pressure is also motivation.’
’I, Yun Qianyue, have never feared a challenge, and I will certainly not admit defeat so easily.’
She turned quietly, her purple-clad figure disappearing into the deep shadows of the corridor. Her steps were silent, but they carried a reignited determination.
In the night sky, the moon was as cool as water, and the stars were scattered about, silently watching the struggles and advancents of the world’s Martial Artists.
Fang Han seed to sense sothing. He looked up in the direction of the corridor, but saw only the empty moonlight, with nothing out of the ordinary.
He collected his thoughts and once again imrsed himself in contemplating his Great Success Swordsmanship.
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