It was the end of the month, early morning before the sky had brightened.

Inside Room C-7, Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, ending the four hours he had spent on Inner Qi Cultivation.

A faint cyan glint deep within his pupils quietly faded.

Sensing the ceaselessly flowing Inner Qi in his meridians—far more vigorous and condensed than it had been half a month ago—the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift into the faintest of smiles.

Half a month had passed since he consumed the Earth Core Stone Milk, and its effects were nothing short of heaven-defying.

The newly opened Weijing Acupoint was now nearly seventy percent full. It wouldn’t be long before it was completely filled with Inner Qi, allowing him to break through to the Late Stage of Eighth Grade.

Such a rate of Cultivation was unbelievable, not just to his peers, but even to Fang Han himself at first.

Every time he sensed the Inner Qi within him, he couldn’t help but feel a ripple of excitement at his tangible progress.

’Today’s the end of the month. I should go test myself at the Martial Arts Stele.’

Fang Han muttered to himself.

He estimated that with his Middle Stage of Eighth Grade Cultivation and his Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship at the Great Success Realm, his Power of Attack should be enough to surpass Li Feng and take the second-place rank.

This meant that the Contribution Points he received at the beginning of next month would increase by forty.

Although he currently possessed a "huge sum" of over two thousand Contribution Points, the wealth required to unlock higher amplification multipliers was astronomical. He could never have too many Contribution Points.

After a quick wash and a change into a clean, cyan Disciple’s Robe, Fang Han pushed open his door and headed straight for the dining hall.

A few disciples were already in the dining hall this early. Fang Han got his food, found a quiet corner to sit, and ate in peace.

Once he felt full, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up, walking toward the White Jade Plaza in the center of the Sub-Branch.

The closer he got to the plaza, the more disciples he encountered. Clearly, many shared his intention to test the results of their Cultivation at the end of the month.

When Fang Han stepped into the plaza, his gaze suddenly focused.

Standing before the towering Martial Arts Stele was a cold, stern figure with a saber in his arms—it was none other than Li Feng!

Li Feng must have just arrived. He stood about ten feet from the stele, his eyes slightly closed as he adjusted his state.

The aura around him was even more condensed than it had been half a month ago, faintly exuding a sharp intent, like a cold saber about to be unsheathed.

’Li Feng is here too...’

Fang Han’s heart tensed.

Li Feng’s appearance at this moment was no coincidence. He must have felt his strength had improved and come to test it.

’Surpassing Li Feng to take second place probably won’t be as easy as I thought.’

He observed Li Feng impassively.

A few breaths later, Li Feng’s eyes snapped open, a sharp light flashing within them like electricity. The long saber in his arms was instantly unsheathed!

SHING!

The flash of the saber was like a cold bolt of lightning splitting the sky. A frigid aura emanated from the blade, seeming to freeze the very air around it.

An incomparably fierce and resolute Saber Momentum spread out, causing the disciples standing too close to subconsciously take half a step back.

Li Feng exhaled sharply and swung the saber down!

BOOM!!

Amid the deafening roar, the Martial Arts Stele erupted in a brilliant flash of light, so blinding that many had to squint.

Ripples spread violently across the stele’s surface. The number after Li Feng’s name flickered rapidly before finally settling on "2."

"What a terrifying strike!"

His rank hadn’t changed; he was still second. But a wave of hushed gasps rippled through the crowd of watching disciples.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the might of Li Feng’s strike was far greater than during his last test!

The cold intent and condensed Saber Momentum imbued in the blade were clearly on a completely different level than before.

His failure to surpass Yun Qianyue wasn’t because Li Feng hadn’t improved much, but because the strength of the person at the top of the list remained as unfathomable as a bottomless, icy pool.

’Li Feng’s Saber Technique... has reached Great Success!’

Fang Han’s expression turned grave, the last trace of wishful thinking in his heart vanishing.

Li Feng’s Saber Technique had reached Great Success. On top of that, he had been at the Middle Stage of Eighth Grade for a long time and was likely approaching the Late Stage of Eighth Grade Cultivation. Fang Han might not be able to surpass him for second place after all.

"..."

Li Feng sheathed his saber, seeming neither surprised nor disappointed by his rank on the stele.

He turned, his gaze meeting Fang Han’s. The faintest flicker of emotion passed through his cold eyes.

Guessing Fang Han’s intentions, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stood in the plaza, holding his saber, intending to watch Fang Han’s test.

"Fang Han is here too!"

The surrounding disciples also noticed Fang Han’s arrival. The crowd automatically parted to form a path, and all eyes focused on him.

Some kept their distance, not wanting to offend Chu Feng, the Celestial Pride True Inheritance. Others were simply curious about Fang Han’s strength.

Fang Han, who had shone so brightly in the Seven Sects competition and was now ranked third in the Sub-Branch, how would he perform in this test?

Could he shake Li Feng’s second-place position?

Fang Han didn’t hesitate. He met the crowd’s gazes and walked with steady steps to the Martial Arts Stele.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, and his gaze instantly became focused and sharp.

SHING—!

The Cyan Blade Sword flew from its scabbard, its body shimmering with a faint light.

Inner Qi from the Middle Stage of Eighth Grade surged unreservedly from his five acupoints, pouring entirely into the sword.

At the same time, he pushed his Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship, which had reached the Great Success Realm, to its absolute limit.

VMMMM—!

The sword’s blade trembled slightly, emitting a strange hum.

With Fang Han at the center, the air currents in the plaza began to gather and swirl wildly, letting out a low whistle.

The air around the blade became highly distorted and compressed. A Wind Momentum—far grander, more condensed, and carrying the intent to tear everything apart—coiled around it, seeming to bend the very light at the sword’s edge.

The sword had not yet been swung, but the Wind Momentum it stirred already caused the expressions of the watching disciples to change.

Li Feng’s arms, holding his saber, also tightened slightly without him realizing it.

Just as Fang Han’s sharp eyes could tell that Li Feng’s Saber Technique had reached Great Success, Li Feng’s sharp eyes could naturally see that Fang Han’s Swordsmanship had also reached Great Success.

Now!

A sharp glint erupted in Fang Han’s eyes as he slashed out with his sword!

The strike was too fast for the naked eye to follow.

All that could be seen was an afterimage—a fusion of highly condensed cyan Inner Qi and fierce Wind Momentum—that struck the smooth surface of the Martial Arts Stele like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky.

KABOOM—!!!

A muffled, violent explosion erupted, like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.

The Martial Arts Stele flashed with an intense light, so brilliant it momentarily outshone the rising sun, bathing the entire White Jade Plaza in a stark white.

The stele’s surface vibrated intensely, ripple-like waves spreading out madly as if it had sustained an unimaginably heavy blow.

Fang Han’s name, ranked third, began to flicker!

Three... Two!

The number shot up and stopped at—Two!

He had surpassed Li Feng, taking second place!

"Second place... Fang Han surpassed Li Feng!"

"Both of their Martial Techniques are at the Great Success Level, but Li Feng has been at the Middle Stage of Eighth Grade for a long time. He might even be close to the Late Stage."

"Logically, Li Feng should have been stronger. How could Fang Han’s Attack Power be higher?"

"It must be related to the Martial Technique. I heard the Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship that Fang Han practices is considered a top-level Middle Grade Sword Technique. At the same Realm, its power should be greater!"

"My god, first it was Huang Ling’er, and now even Li Feng has been surpassed!"

"He’s been here for just over half a year, and he’s shot up from the bottom to second place in the Sub-Branch! What kind of monster is he?"

Cries of amazement, sharp intakes of breath, and helpless muttering mingled together.

The gazes on Fang Han were filled with utter shock and complex emotions.

This disciple, who had been here for less than a year, had come from behind to claim the second-highest position in the Sub-Branch!

If he hadn’t offended Chu Feng, a True Inheritor on the Celestial Pride List, they would have been more than happy to approach and befriend him.

"..."

Li Feng stood his ground, still holding his saber, his cold face unreadable.

But his sharp, blade-like eyes were fixed on Fang Han’s name on the stele, and a cold flame seemed to dance in the depths of his pupils.

He said nothing, only giving Fang Han a deep look. His gaze held scrutiny, but also a blazing battle intent that had just been ignited.

Then, he turned, parted the crowd, and strode away, his back as straight and proud as ever.

Fang Han slowly sheathed his sword and let out a soft breath.

Looking at his second-place rank on the stele, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

’I guess you could call it... a narrow victory!’

He knew in his heart.

Li Feng had broken through to the Middle Stage of Eighth Grade a long time ago. With his Talent, he had probably already touched the threshold of the Late Stage of Eighth Grade. Combined with his Saber Technique at Great Success, his Power of Attack was definitely extremely high.

His ability to surpass Li Feng was not only due to his rapid increase in Cultivation and his Weijing Acupoint being seventy percent full, but likely owed even more to the fact that the Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship was a top-tier Middle Grade Sword Technique.

The combination of these two factors was what allowed him to edge out Li Feng in the Attack Power test.

And it was likely only by a hair’s breadth.

He ignored the commotion and the various gazes behind him and left the plaza.

His rank was now second, which meant he would receive the second-place benefits at the beginning of next month.

As for first place, that would still take some time.

After all, Yun Qianyue was already at the Late Stage of Eighth Grade.

Furthermore, her Martial Technique had long since reached Great Success, and might even be close to Perfection.

When Yun Qianyue first joined the sect, she had already cultivated a Middle Grade Sword Technique to the Mastery level. With her Talent, it was highly likely she had made such progress in over half a year.

...

「Early morning, the beginning of the twelfth month.」

The air was biting cold, enough to turn one’s breath to frost.

The bluestone paths of the Qingxuan Sect’s Junior Courtyard were covered in a thin layer of white frost, which crunched softly underfoot.

Fang Han, dressed in a cyan Disciple’s Robe, walked with steady steps into the Inheritance Hall.

Seeing Fang Han enter, the disciples inside the Inheritance Hall looked at him with complex, unreadable expressions.

Admiration, awe, distance, curiosity... all sorts of emotions swirled together. Because of Chu Feng, the True Inheritor, no one dared to easily approach and speak to him.

Fang Han found a seat near the front, lowered his gaze, and waited quietly for things to begin.

"Silence!"

Steward Wu Hao’s voice echoed clearly throughout the hall, silencing the low hum of chatter.

His gaze swept across the room as he began to call people forward in order of rank to receive their Contribution Points.

"First place, Yun Qianyue."

Yun Qianyue, her face covered by a purple veil and her posture elegant, walked slowly forward to receive the generous reward for first place.

Her aura was as cold and remote as the moon, profound and difficult to fathom. She had clearly gained perfect control over the surge of Inner Qi from her breakthrough to the Late Stage of Eighth Grade.

"Second place, Fang Han."

Under everyone’s gaze, Fang Han rose and walked steadily to the front of the hall.

Steward Wu Hao took Fang Han’s Identity Jade Token, swiped it across an inkstone-like device, and handed it back as it flashed with a faint light.

Fang Han accepted the Jade Token with both hands, bowed, and returned to his seat.

He infused a trace of Inner Qi and glanced at the Jade Token. The number on it had changed to "2560."

This month’s basic stipend was 30 points, and the reward for second place was 250 points, for a total income of 280 points.

Added to his previous balance of 2,280 points, his total now reached 2,560 Contribution Points!

’That’s equivalent to 51,200 taels...’

Fang Han calculated silently, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the warm, smooth surface of the Jade Token.

If he converted these Contribution Points into resources and ’recharged’ them into the system panel, it would be enough to bring his "Owned Wealth" to one hundred thousand taels, meeting the condition to unlock the Level 5 Amplification for his Root Bone Talent.

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation.