News of Fang Han’s massive rank increase seemed to grow wings, spreading rapidly throughout the Qingxuan Sect.

"Have you heard? Senior Brother Fang Han’s rank on the Celestial Pride List has gone up again!"

"Eighty-first! My god, he jumped eight spots at once! That’s terrifyingly fast!"

"Tsk tsk, he’s already ranked eighty-first on the Celestial Pride List. At this rate, it’s not entirely impossible he’ll surpass First Senior Brother Luo Yuntian in the future!"

In the dining hall, the Inheritance Hall, outside the Disciple Residences... similar gasps of shock and discussion could be heard everywhere.

The words of the many disciples were filled with awe and admiration for Fang Han.

"This boy’s talent is of the highest caliber. His future is limitless."

"It is the Sect’s great fortune to have such a disciple."

Even some Stewards and Elders, when speaking in private, couldn’t help but mention the matter, their words full of praise.

In comparison, the news of Wang Miao’s three-spot rank increase, while sparking some discussion, seemed rather dim under the dazzling light of Fang Han’s eight-spot jump. It failed to cause much of a stir.

The attention of most disciples was captured by Fang Han’s even more astonishing progress.

...

Wangze City, an unremarkable small city within Qingyang County.

In a superior room of an inn, Wang Miao, dressed in a simple blue robe, sat on a wooden chair by the window. Beside his hand rested a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

He slowly closed the newly purchased volumes of the Celestial Pride List and Martial Artist Ranking, the smell of fresh ink still lingering. His fingertips unconsciously caressed the gold-stamped words, "Celestial Pride List."

The market street outside was bustling, and his gaze drifted to the pedestrians and carriages below.

The corners of his mouth slowly curved upward, a smile that was seven parts understanding and three parts indescribable bitterness.

’Eighty-eighth place.’

’Compared to last month, my rank has risen by three spots.’

’It’s enough to prove that my previous words weren’t empty boasts. In terms of true strength, I was indeed stronger than my Celestial Pride List ranking suggested.’

’My rank hadn’t improved simply because I had no recent combat records. After traveling and fighting others, it rose just as I predicted.’

A jump of three spots at once should have been enough to satisfy him, given his temperament.

However, when his gaze swept over Fang Han’s rank on the list, his joy was like a pebble tossed into a lake.

It created a single ripple before quickly sinking beneath deeper waves.

’He actually jumped to eighty-first!’

’I jumped three spots, but Fang Han jumped eight, all the way to eighty-first. He’s far surpassed me now.’

’A month ago, my strength might have indeed been greater than Fang Han’s.’

’But now, a month later, I’ve surely been surpassed.’

What truly shocked him was Fang Han’s untouchable, breakneck pace of improvement.

’I trained bitterly and endured trials just to painstakingly advance three spots, yet Fang Han seems to ride the wind, crossing in a single step a distance others can’t hope to cover.’

"What absurd talent!"

Wang Miao muttered to himself, his voice barely audible in the quiet room.

He wasn’t one to belittle himself. To even make it onto the Celestial Pride List meant his talent was one in ten thousand.

But compared to Fang Han, the gap was like a stream next to a great river. Though both were flowing water, the difference was like that between clouds and mud.

He wasn’t jealous of Fang Han’s talent, but a little envy was unavoidable.

"Living in the same era as you... I don’t know whether to feel fortunate or frustrated."

Wang Miao picked up the cold tea and took a small sip. The cool liquid slid down his throat, bringing a sliver of clarity.

After the bitterness, his eyes once again filled with composure and resolve.

’The path of the Martial Dao is long and arduous. There’s always a higher mountain. Envy is pointless. I just need to stay true to myself and advance with courage.’

...

Beneath the same night sky, inside a Quiet Chamber in Yin Huang’s Villa at the Netherworld Pavilion.

BANG!

With a dull thud, a corner of the sturdy ironwood tea table was crushed, and wood splinters rustled to the floor.

Yin Huang gripped the book, his knuckles white from the force. Muscles twitched on his handsome yet sinister face.

His gaze was fixed on the eighty-first spot on the Celestial Pride List. That name was like a red-hot branding iron, searing him so intensely that the corner of his eye twitched.

"Fang! Han!"

The two words were practically forced from between his teeth, filled with irrepressible rage.

’Eighty-third! I actually dropped a spot!’

’And Fang Han didn’t just surpass me—he shot straight to eighty-first!’

’In my opinion, during the ambush on the main road, even though I retreated, it was a strategic withdrawal, not a defeat!’

’Fang Han just used his bizarre Body Technique to run circles around me. What right does he have to be ranked above me?’

In truth, his judgment was partially correct.

Based on his fight with Yin Huang alone, Fang Han’s rank would have only risen to eighty-second at most.

The reason he was able to reach eighty-first was thanks to his killing of Gou the Third, a notorious assassin at the Late Stage of Fourth Grade.

But few knew of this battle, so naturally, Yin Huang was unaware of it as well.

’Rankings aren’t everything. The next time we meet...’

Yin Huang took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the rage in his heart.

The shame of being surpassed gnawed at his heart like a venomous insect, making him see Fang Han as a target he must utterly crush underfoot.

He needed more power. He needed an undeniable victory to wash away this humiliation.

The air in the Quiet Chamber grew even colder.

...

In the Quiet Chamber of Villa 35, Qingxuan Sect.

Fang Han sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his aura like a deep pool—profound and unfathomable.

After a morning of cultivation, his Early Stage of Fourth Grade cultivation base was steadily improving, advancing toward a higher Realm.

Slowly, he ceased his practice. A glint of deep, almost black, cyan light swirled in the depths of his eyes before vanishing.

He didn’t rise immediately as he usually did. Instead, he calmed his mind again and began cultivating the Spirit Smelling Technique.

The Spirit Smelling Technique was the very reason he had been able to discover that Chu Feng was a Demon Skill cultivator, return to the Fang Family in time, and successfully stop Chu Feng from making a move against them.

’This Secret Technique has proven quite useful. It can play a crucial role at key moments, so I’ve decided to spend more time on its cultivation.’

HUMMM—

As he recited the incantation, a mystical world of scents unfolded before his sense of smell.

In an instant, the world inside and outside the Quiet Chamber presented itself to his perception in a completely different way.

The air was no longer a void.

The lingering scent of sandalwood, the smell of cattail rushes, the faint dampness of the grey bricks, the extremely subtle aroma given off by the circulation of his own qi and blood...

Countless previously ignored scents, as if unveiled, became clear and distinct, flooding his senses.

From further away, he could smell the earthy tang of the courtyard soil and the freshness of morning dew on the flowers and grass.

He could even smell the subtle mix of grains and medicinal herbs from the kitchen, where the maid Qiu Lan had risen early to prepare breakfast...

All of it crossed the distance to be captured by his sense of smell.

Fang Han’s mind was highly focused, like the finest sieve, rapidly distinguishing, categorizing, and discarding useless interference.

At the Minor Achievement Level, the Spirit Smelling Technique could already discern what ordinary people could not.

But what Fang Han sought was the ability to instantly lock onto a single specific, perhaps faint yet crucial, scent among the myriad of others.

Time passed quietly as Fang Han remained completely immersed in this unique form of cultivation.

His nostrils flared slightly as his mind expanded and contracted, following the source, strength, and nature of the scents.

His sensitivity to smells steadily increased, and his speed of differentiation grew faster and faster.

An unknown amount of time passed—perhaps a moment, perhaps an eternity. When the first bright ray of sunlight finally pierced the window lattice and illuminated the Quiet Chamber—

HUMMM...

An extremely faint hum, one that only Fang Han himself could perceive, resonated from deep within his body.

It was as if some invisible barrier had been abruptly shattered!

The scents of the surrounding world suddenly became layered and distinct, clearer than ever before!

Each scent seemed to possess its own unique "color" and "shape."

It was no longer a blurry perception, but a stream of information that could be precisely located and analyzed.

Moreover, the range of his sense of smell had expanded to an exaggerated degree.

’Spirit Smelling Technique, Mastery!’

Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, a clear light seeming to flash in their depths before disappearing.

He took a light breath. The scent information carried by the countless particles in the air flowed into his perception like a gentle stream, swiftly analyzed, free of its former chaotic feeling.

’The Spirit Smelling Technique at the Mastery Level... its tracking ability has undergone a qualitative transformation.’

Understanding dawned on Fang Han.

’From now on, when I track by scent, my efficiency and success rate will be in a completely different league.’

He pushed open the door to the Quiet Chamber. The slightly cool morning air, carrying the fresh scent of the courtyard’s plants, rushed into his lungs.

The maid, Qiu Lan, had already prepared breakfast: plain congee, simple side dishes, and a few exquisite pastries, all neatly arranged.

It was simple, yet not simple at all, for every ingredient used was something an ordinary person could never afford, or had perhaps never even seen before.

"Senior Brother," Qiu Lan said, bowing respectfully.

"Mm."

Fang Han nodded slightly and sat down to eat, his movements unhurried.

After finishing breakfast and resting for a short while, Fang Han went to an open space in the courtyard.

CLANG!

The newly bought Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath. Its pale cyan blade seemed to flow with a restrained brilliance, glinting with a grim chill in the morning light.

The Spiritual Energy of the Low Grade Magical Soldier gave him a feeling of perfect compatibility when he gripped it, as if it were an extension of his own body.

SHH SHH SHH—

He began to practice the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting.

Each thrust was accompanied by a subtle, strange sound of tearing air.

Gradually, his sword sped up, its glinting light transforming into cyan flashes, crisscrossing the courtyard.

A sharp Sword Momentum filled the air, forcing the courtyard’s plants to bow low and making the air whine as if being cut.

It had been a month since he had reached the Mastery Realm with this top-level Swordsmanship.

He hadn’t slacked off in the slightest during that month.

With his Swordsmanship Talent improved by the Sword-shaped Grass, and under the terrifying one hundred and twenty-eightfold boost, his understanding of swordsmanship deepened by the day.

He could feel that he wasn’t far from reaching the next realm of the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting—Great Success.

At most, it would take a few more days for him to break through naturally.

At that time, the power of his Swordsmanship would surely rise to another level.

For the entire morning, Fang Han was immersed in practicing and comprehending his Swordsmanship.

He only sheathed his sword when the sun was nearing noon.

There was sweat on his brow, but his eyes were bright and sharp.

In the afternoon, the sun wasn’t scorching, as it was already October.

Fang Han then switched to practicing the Wind and Cloud Escape.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

In the courtyard, Fang Han’s figure was like a ghost or a phantom, leaving behind afterimages as he moved with profound and unpredictable steps.

The Wind and Cloud Escape at the Minor Achievement Level made his speed and agility far surpass those of his peers. Combined with his Swordsmanship, he was nearly impossible to defend against.

Unfortunately, it had only barely reached Minor Achievement, a significant gap compared to his Swordsmanship.

If it could match his Swordsmanship, or even come close, his overall strength would undoubtedly multiply.

Compared to the rapid progress of his Swordsmanship, his Body Technique’s improvement seemed much slower.

Although it also enjoyed the one hundred and twenty-eightfold boost, his Stepping Talent hadn’t been improved by Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures like the Sword-shaped Grass, as his Swordsmanship Talent had been. Its starting point was ultimately a notch lower.

To this day, his Wind and Cloud Escape had only barely reached the Minor Achievement Realm.

This was only a result of a breakthrough he’d had under immense pressure during his life-and-death battle with Chu Feng in Liangshui City.

Otherwise, he would probably still be stuck at the Entry Level.

’If only I could find some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to improve my Stepping Talent, like the Howling Moon Spirit Deer Antlers...’

The thought flashed through Fang Han’s mind during a break in his cultivation.

According to the Sect’s secret records, the antlers of a Howling Moon Spirit Deer had a miraculous effect on improving one’s Body Technique Talent. Unfortunately, the creature had been extinct in Qingyang County for over a hundred years, and its tracks were nowhere to be found.

Perhaps his only hope of obtaining it was to look beyond Qingyang County.

The thought came and went, and he quickly suppressed it.

’The person who hired Gou the Third to assassinate me hasn’t been found yet. Now is really not a good time to leave the Sect, let alone Qingyang County.’

Just then, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Qiu Lan entered the courtyard to report.

"Senior Brother, a disciple from the Law Enforcement Hall has come with a message. He says that Elder Zhou Jin requests your presence at the Law Enforcement Hall."

Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Qiu Lan entered the courtyard and reported.