Chapter 78: Half a Month! Advancement in Martial Arts!
In half a month, he reached “Xiaocheng”!
Not only that, his sword and fist also approached perfection.
No wonder they say inner strength is the foundation of martial arts!
Truly, a profound inner force had an incredible positive effect on all other training.
Previously, though he practiced Beiming Shengong, his energy was still shallow. Even at Wuliang’s Langhuan, it wasn’t remarkable. But once he absorbed those energies, his foundation became terrifyingly strong, and every skill thereafter benefited immensely.
By now, Fang Han’s martial arts had truly taken shape!
He had profound inner strength, practiced external skills, and possessed peerless lightness techniques.
Compared to half a month ago, he was vastly stronger!
At the very least, if he faced Duan Yanqing again, he could confidently stand undefeated.
As for victory—or even killing him—that was uncertain until a real fight.
The martial world was like this.
Skill in techniques, depth of energy, mastery of movement—all mattered, but so did countless other factors.
Terrain, mood, state of body—any of these could affect the outcome.
Thus, there were no rigid hierarchies to compare, no defined “levels” like some system.
In fact, whether in his first life simulation or this second, Fang Han had never once heard of martial artists in the jianghu using such defined ranks.
Terms like “not even first-rate,” or “a second-rate fighter”—the former was just an insult, the latter merely a vague compliment. None represented actual codified realms.
As for “zongshi” (grandmaster), that was simply a title of respect for someone who founded a martial lineage or became a towering figure of the martial world.
Sometimes, even local elders of standing might be called so politely, but the title’s weight varied greatly.
There was no such thing as clearly defined stages where others would gasp in awe, crying out:
Gasp! So young, yet already at the grandmaster realm! Too terrifying—he must not be allowed to live!
Or:
A mere houtian (post-heaven) fighter dares challenge xiantian (pre-heaven)?!
Such dramatics never occurred.
In the jianghu, to judge another’s strength, one either relied on personal discernment or their reputation.
But those could easily be misleading. Trusting only such measures could land one in disaster.
Take Fang Han himself—he looked like a man in his twenties or thirties. Unless he acted, who would guess he wielded such terrifying power?
Not everyone had his “plot foresight cheat,” allowing him to roughly know the strengths of “famous” figures.
And even then, sometimes appearances were deceiving, forcing one to rely solely on eye and instinct.
The most straightforward method remained: stop talking, just fight.
Fight, and you would know who was stronger.
Fang Han judged that, with his current skills, he stood among the finest within Dali and Song.
Because of this confidence, he now set his sights on Dali City—to involve himself in the Tianlong Temple incident, hoping to seize the Six Meridians Divine Sword.
Had he not by chance traded with Duan Yanqing for the Yiyang Finger, given the might of the Tibetan lama Jiumozhi and the monks of Tianlong Temple, he would have been more cautious.
But now that he possessed Yiyang Finger, capable of unleashing his immense inner strength, he naturally felt ambitious, even greedy.
If he played his cards right, it was not impossible to succeed.
Having prepared thoroughly, Fang Han no longer intended to linger in Myriad Tribulations Valley.
That day, he made ready to bid farewell and depart.
🍃
As the mistress of the place, Gan Baobao naturally had to see her guests off.
“Master Fang, Miss Cheng, the road ahead is long and arduous. Please take care.”
Knowing they were headed toward Dali City, Gan Baobao couldn’t help but feel complicated emotions. After saying those words, her eyes shifted toward Mu Wanqing, and she sighed silently.
During this half a month, her niece had likely been completely captured by that Master Fang…
And now she was also going to travel alongside them.
Zhong Ling was extremely reluctant to part, saying:
“Big Brother, Sister Cheng, you must come visit me and play in the future!”
Cheng Lingsu was quite fond of this little darling. She gently smoothed down Zhong Ling’s slightly messy hair, smiling warmly as she said:
“Of course, I’ll come play with you in the future.”
Zhong Ling nodded, then looked expectantly at Fang Han. When she saw him also nod his head slightly, she finally lit up with joy, giggling hehe, her dimples showing. She was like the blossom of a flower bud, her cheeks flushed red without a touch of makeup—utterly adorable.
Then she turned to Mu Wanqing, saying:
“Sister Mu, you too! Ling’er will miss you~”
As she spoke, she blinked playfully.
Ever since that day when she realized something wasn’t right, she had been secretly paying attention.
And then…
She couldn’t understand it, but she was deeply shocked!
In her heart, a faint thought arose:
So it can be like this!?
🍃🍃🍃