'What if the silver gets stolen...?'
After the initial excitement, Fang Han grew anxious. Although this was the Fang Mansion and a theft was unlikely,
he had never seen so much silver in either of his lives. Having such a huge sum just sitting in his room inevitably made him worry.
'Deposit,'
Taking a deep breath, Fang Han deposited seven hundred taels of silver into the system panel, leaving only seventy-seven taels for emergencies.
The system panel immediately changed.
[Host: Fang Han]
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 4x (Level 3 Amplification requires 1000 silver)]
[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 4x (Level 3 Amplification requires 1000 silver)]
[Current Wealth: 700 silver]
'Now I don't have to worry about it being stolen!'
Seeing the seven hundred taels of silver sitting safely in the system panel, Fang Han finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Once silver entered the system panel, not even he could retrieve it, let alone robbers or thieves.
The system panel only allowed deposits, not withdrawals.
'Five taels a month... it'll take over three years...'
Fang Han calculated silently.
He was still short two hundred and twenty-three taels from the one thousand needed to unlock Level 3 Talent Amplification.
He received a monthly stipend of five taels. Under normal circumstances, it would take him more than three years to save up that amount.
Naturally, he was unwilling to wait that long and began to think of ways to earn silver quickly.
'A family reward?'
The thought flashed through his mind but was quickly dismissed by Fang Han.
The last two generous rewards were exceptions to the rule, earned only because he had brought great honor to the family at critical moments. Such opportunities were once-in-a-lifetime and could not be relied upon as a regular source of income.
'The top ten on the Martial Arts Stele...'
Fang Han thought of the rewards for being in the top ten on the Martial Arts Stele.
Ordinary Inner Hall Descendants only received a monthly stipend of five taels of silver, but the top ten on the Martial Arts Stele were different.
Once in the top ten, not only would he get his own exclusive Martial Arts Room, no longer needing to share the training grounds with other Inner Hall Descendants, but he would also receive generous monthly rewards.
And the higher the rank, the richer the reward.
If he could break into the top ten, he could drastically reduce the time needed to accumulate silver coins.
'With my current strength, if I were to test myself at the Martial Arts Stele, getting into the top twenty should be no problem. But I'm still some distance away from the top ten.'
Fang Han calmly assessed himself.
There was a gap between him and the top ten, but it wasn't insurmountable.
'If I can raise my Realm to the Late Stage of Muscle Refining, or break through to the Great Success Realm with my Qingfeng Swordsmanship...'
Fang Han estimated that either raising his realm to the Late Stage of Muscle Refining or achieving Great Success in Qingfeng Swordsmanship would significantly boost his rank into the top ten.
And getting into the top ten was his most viable method of increasing his monthly income at the moment.
...
With his goal clear, Fang Han cast aside all other thoughts and began to train like a madman every day.
In the following days, the Inner Hall Descendants on the training grounds discovered something astonishing.
Fang Han, who had just defeated Lin Jiao and made a name for himself in Liangshui City, lauded by the outside world as the Fang Family's "Qilin'er," had not become the least bit complacent. On the contrary, he was training even harder than before.
Time quietly slipped by.
More than ten days later, as Fang Han was practicing the long-mastered "Gentle Breeze Through the Forest" in a corner of the training grounds, something unexpected happened!
The moment the tip of his sword thrust forward, the air seemed to be sucked away in an instant. A silent, extremely condensed stream of Qi Force shot out from the blade.
SHIING—!
Like a cold bolt of lightning splitting the sky, it left a clear, inch-deep, straight gash on the hard stone slab about ten feet away.
Compared to the weak Qi Force produced at the Mastery level, the power of this stream was already quite considerable, enough to threaten a Martial Artist in the Flesh Refining Realm.
Of course, the most crucial part was that this Qi Force was not limited by the sword's length, making it incredibly difficult to defend against.
'Great Success in Qingfeng Swordsmanship!'
A glint appeared in Fang Han's eyes. With this level of Qi Force, his Qingfeng Swordsmanship must have advanced from Mastery to Great Success.
'It took over a month!'
Fang Han did a quick mental calculation. It had taken him just over a month to advance his swordsmanship from Mastery to Great Success.
This might seem like a long time, but considering the difficulty of advancing a swordsmanship realm, it was actually extremely short.
Fang Xue, the swordsmanship genius ranked second on the Martial Arts Stele, had taken more than half a year to advance her swordsmanship from Mastery to Great Success.
As for ordinary Inner Hall Descendants, they would enter the Inner Hall at sixteen and often leave at twenty without ever having achieved Great Success in their swordsmanship.
"The Qi Force actually left an inch-deep mark on the stone! Great Success, this is definitely Great Success Swordsmanship!"
"My heavens, how long has it been? How long did it take him to go from Mastery to Great Success?!"
"Senior Sister Fang Xue is hailed as a swordsmanship genius, and it took her over half a year to go from Mastery to Great Success, right? But Fang Han... it's only been a little over a month?"
"A monster... he's simply a monster!"
The training grounds erupted in an uproar. All the Inner Hall Descendants who witnessed the scene, whether new or old, gasped in shock.
They were all deeply aware of how difficult it was to advance one's swordsmanship realm. Fang Han's speed was simply unheard of!
'A 4x Swordsmanship Talent Amplification is truly worthy of its name, allowing me to advance from Mastery to Great Success in just over a month!'
Feeling the unprecedented harmony with his sword and recalling the sharp Qi Force that had just erupted from its tip, Fang Han's heart surged with excitement.
A 4x Swordsmanship Talent Amplification was truly heaven-defying.
His gaze burned as he looked toward the courtyard where the Martial Arts Stele was located.
'It's time to see if I can squeeze into the top ten!'
The moment the thought occurred, he no longer hesitated. Grasping the Fine Iron Sword he used for practice, he strode toward the Martial Arts Stele courtyard.
"Is Fang Han going to the Martial Arts Stele?"
"Quick, follow him! With Great Success Swordsmanship and the Middle Stage of Muscle Refining, his rank is definitely going to skyrocket!"
"The top ten... he might be aiming for the top ten!"
The atmosphere on the training grounds was instantly ignited. Numerous Inner Hall Descendants immediately stopped their cultivation and hurried to follow Fang Han.
Some of the more quick-witted ones, realizing they might witness a major shift in the rankings today, rushed off to inform the top-ten disciples who had their own private Martial Arts Rooms.
By the time Fang Han arrived before the Martial Arts Stele, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered behind him.
Without a moment's hesitation, he extended his index finger and calmly wrote the two words "Fang Han" on the cool surface of the jade stele.
Instantly, his gaze became incredibly focused and sharp.
"Gentle Breeze Piercing the Sun!"
He unleashed the full power of his Qingfeng Swordsmanship at the Great Success Realm.
The gleam of his sword was no longer a simple ribbon of light, but a white stream so condensed it seemed capable of piercing through anything.
Pouring in the full force of his Middle Stage of Muscle Refining, the tip of his sword tore through the air with the sharp, ear-piercing sound of ripping silk, fiercely striking the center of the Martial Arts Stele.
VMMMM—!!!
The Jade Stele trembled violently, flashing with an incredibly intense light. The entire courtyard seemed to shudder.
Everyone's hearts were in their throats as they stared intently at the surface of the stele.
The number next to the words "Fang Han" began to jump wildly, soaring upward.
Fifty... forty... thirty... twenty... fifteen... eleven... Finally, the light subsided, and the number settled at the tenth position!