At a certain point in his cultivation.

The Yamen Acupoint was filled with Inner Qi that was pure, condensed, and a deep azure so dark it was almost black.

The surging Inner Qi spontaneously charged toward the next crucial acupoint—the Zhubin Acupoint.

HUM...

A dull thrum that only Fang Han could perceive emanated from within his body.

The torrent of Inner Qi crashed into an invisible yet incredibly tough barrier. An unseen wall seemed to surround the Zhubin Acupoint, firmly blocking the rushing Inner Qi.

This was the bottleneck to the Fourth Grade!

He continued to cultivate.

In the Middle Three Grades, breaking through each minor realm was exceptionally difficult. The difficulty of these bottlenecks was comparable to that of crossing a Great Realm in the Lower Three Grades.

And for a major breakthrough like advancing from the Fifth Grade to the Fourth Grade, the solidity of the bottleneck and the difficulty of overcoming it increased exponentially.

It was common for ordinary Martial Artists to be trapped at this stage for years, decades, or even their entire lives, unable to advance a single step.

However, with a terrifying one-hundred-and-twenty-eightfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, and his current state of unleashed potential...

This seemingly indestructible bottleneck... didn’t seem so indestructible after all.

Every impact from his Inner Qi caused it to tremble violently, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Time flowed by silently amidst his quiet cultivation.

Outside the cave, Night Owls hooted and wild beasts howled, but none of this could distract Fang Han in the slightest.

His entire focus was immersed in the struggle against the invisible barrier within his body.

After an unknown amount of time, perhaps around midnight, the aura around his body suddenly jolted.

Then, like a dam full of floodwater finding a release point, all of his Inner Qi condensed and launched a final, ferocious assault on a single point of the bottleneck.

CRACK!

A crisp shattering sound, originating from the very depths of his life’s essence, echoed clearly in his senses like the cracking of spring ice.

The invisible barrier blocking the Zhubin Acupoint shattered in response!

The vast Inner Qi, which had been accumulating for so long, surged like a bursting dam, joyfully flooding into the newly opened Zhubin Acupoint.

In that instant, his aura skyrocketed as if strapped to a rocket!

Including the Zhubin Acupoint, the sixteen connected acupoints now formed a more complex, efficient, and massive system for circulating Inner Qi.

The speed and volume of his rushing Inner Qi surged. Its color deepened to a near-black, and its texture grew as viscous as mercury. The sense of power it generated as it flowed was more than ten times greater than when he was at the Late Stage of Fifth Grade.

A wondrous feeling of complete renewal, of a leap in his level of existence, washed over him.

Fourth Grade, achieved!

With the opening of the Zhubin Acupoint, a new Divine Treasure—"Hidden Force"—was also unlocked.

He felt a new level of enlightenment in his use of Inner Qi. With a mere thought, he could convert his Inner Qi into a subtle, insidious, and highly penetrating Power.

If he were to strike an opponent, it could easily penetrate their surface defenses and strike their internal organs, causing severe internal injuries.

If he had already unlocked this Divine Treasure when he fought Yin Huang, the injuries Yin Huang sustained would have been far from minor.

Even if he had still been at Late-Stage Fifth Grade Cultivation, he was confident he could have kept Yin Huang there permanently.

’I really did it, broke through to the Fourth Grade in one go!’

Fang Han slowly opened his eyes. A glint of light, deep azure and nearly black, swirled in their depths before vanishing, leaving his pupils looking even more profound.

He gently clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a crisp, cracking sound.

He felt the vast and powerful Inner Qi within him, so much greater than before.

He finally understood why Chu Feng and Yin Huang, whose comprehension of Martial Techniques was far inferior to his own, possessed greater raw destructive power.

Fourth Grade!

Though only one step above the Late Stage of Fifth Grade, it was a qualitative leap within the Middle Three Grades.

The total volume of Inner Qi had surged, and its density was on a completely different level.

As it circulated, it flowed like mercury—dense and heavy. The sense of power it contained had increased by more than tenfold.

The newly unlocked "Hidden Force" Divine Treasure also added a subtle and insidious dimension to his use of power.

Power that could penetrate the body and directly injure internal organs—it was more than enough to be a key, decisive killing move.

’With my current strength, if I run into Yin Huang again...’

A glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes as he instantly began running calculations in his mind.

Even without relying on hit-and-run tactics with his Body Technique, if he fought head-on, he was extremely confident that he could permanently finish Yin Huang—not just repel him—by relying on the powerful foundation of his Early Stage of Fourth Grade Inner Qi, supplemented by the wonders of "Hidden Force" and his Mastery Level in the *Nine Swords of Sky Splitting*.

This surge in strength brought with it absolute confidence.

However, this confidence didn’t go to his head.

On the contrary, the sharpness in his eyes was quickly replaced by calm and caution.

’Yin Huang is no fool. After his first ambush failed, he should know that he can’t handle me alone.’

’If his wicked heart hasn’t changed and he tries again... it definitely won’t be just him showing up.’

Fang Han’s thoughts raced as he quickly analyzed the situation.

In terms of strength, he no longer feared Yin Huang. In fact, if Yin Huang were to encounter him again, there was a high probability he would die at Fang Han’s hands.

But after the first failed ambush, if Yin Huang were to strike again, it definitely wouldn’t be just him alone.

Even with his formidable strength, facing a group attack would put him in a bad position.

The most correct choice now was to abandon his travels and return to the Sect as soon as possible.

His mind made up, he no longer hesitated.

He rose to his full height and stretched his limbs. A series of fine, crisp cracks echoed from his joints as he took a step out of the cave.

By now, the sky was bright. The mist in the mountain forest had not yet completely dispersed, and the chirping of birds was crisp and clear.

SWOOSH!

Fang Han got his bearings, then executed the *Wind and Cloud Escape* at the Minor Achievement Level. His figure instantly transformed into a faint, imperceptible wisp of green smoke, melting into the morning mist of the mountain forest.

Where he passed, the grass and trees barely stirred. Not a speck of dust was disturbed. It was as if he had merged with the wind, leaving no trace as he sped toward the Qingxuan Sect.

...

Just as Fang Han decided to return to the Sect, his figure disappearing among the towering mountains...

...in a remote mountain hollow within Qingyang County, numerous simple yet sturdy shacks and stone caves were haphazardly built against a steep cliff face, forming a settlement unknown to ordinary people—the Qingyang Black Market.

This place was a chaotic mix of all sorts, a gathering spot for vagrants, criminals, and desperate fugitives who traded in many illicit goods.

The air was filled with a strange odor—a mixture of earth, mildew, cheap tobacco, and the faint, intermittent smell of blood.

Sunlight struggled to fully penetrate the deep hollow, making the place feel somewhat gloomy even during the day.

A figure dressed in gray martial attire, wearing a wide-brimmed conical hat and a black cloth covering their face, walked with slightly hurried steps through the crooked, narrow passages.

Ignoring the scrutinizing, greedy, or malicious gazes from all sides, the figure went straight to a seemingly inconspicuous shop in the depths of the black market.

The shop had no sign. Its storefront was dilapidated, and the two wooden doors were ajar, revealing the dim light within.

The masked person paused for a moment, as if confirming something, then pushed the door open and entered.

The light inside the shop was even dimmer. A single oil lamp burned, its flame the size of a bean, barely illuminating a clerk dozing on the counter and a pile of indistinct junk in the corner.

Hearing the door creak, the clerk groggily lifted his head, revealing a young face that held a slickness and weariness beyond its years. He mumbled with sleepy eyes:

"Who’s there? Buying or selling?"

The masked person lowered their voice, which came out a bit hoarse. "I’m looking for your Shopkeeper. I want to discuss a big deal."

The clerk yawned, rubbed his eyes, and sized up the masked person. Seemingly sensing that the newcomer’s aura was strong and that they weren’t just some troublemaker, he lazily shouted toward the back room.

"Boss, a customer’s here! Says they’ve got a big deal!"

After shouting, he flopped back down on the counter and paid them no more mind.

The masked person stood quietly and waited. From under the conical hat, their eyes warily scanned the dim shop, and their fingers twitched unconsciously inside their sleeve.

Before long, the cloth curtain to the back room was swept aside, and a figure emerged.

He was a man of about forty, not tall and even a bit scrawny. He wore a faded brown short jacket, revealing two lean arms covered in all kinds of scars.

His face was long and narrow with high cheekbones, and his complexion was a sallow yellow that rarely saw the sun. The bags under his eyes were heavy, but his eyes themselves were unnervingly bright, holding a cold, appraising look, as if sizing up merchandise.

Most striking was the vicious scar on his left cheek, running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth. It twitched with his lazy expression like a centipede crawling on his face, adding to his ferocious aura.

This was the Shopkeeper of this store, a notoriously vicious man in the black market known as Gou the Third. His real name was unknown.

Gou the Third let out a long yawn, a thin blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and walked carelessly behind the counter.

He leaned against it, his gaze sweeping over the masked person. His tone was lazy and dismissive, as if he were still hungover.

"What’s this big deal? Spit it out. My time is precious, so don’t waste it with trivial matters."

The masked person was, in fact, Gong Xing.

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calmer, but a slight tremor was still difficult to hide completely.

"I... would like to ask for the Shopkeeper’s help... to kill someone."

"Kill someone?"

Gou the Third sneered, as if this were the most common thing in the world, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

"Name, identity, Cultivation. The price depends on the goods."

Gong Xing paused as if he had made up his mind, and then spoke in a low voice, enunciating each word clearly.

"From the Qingxuan Sect. Fang Han."

"Oh, from the Qingxuan Sect... Who?!"

Gou the Third’s lazy figure suddenly went rigid. He didn’t even notice the blade of grass falling from his mouth onto the counter.

He snapped his head up, his once-sleepy eyes now shooting out a sharp glint of light. Like two cold daggers, they stared intently at the shadows under Gong Xing’s hat.

It was as if he wanted to pierce through the black cloth and see his true face. The ferocious aura on his sallow face suddenly became incredibly sharp.

"Who did you say you want to kill? Fang Han of the Qingxuan Sect?! That Celestial Pride True Inheritance?!"

His voice unknowingly rose a few pitches, tinged with disbelief and a faint, almost imperceptible trace of alarm.

The clerk dozing in the corner of the shop was jolted wide awake by the commotion. He looked over in horror and instinctively shrank his neck.