Chapter 161: Chapter 160: 32x Amplification

The distribution of rewards lasted for about half an hour. Once all the disciples had received their rewards, Elder Chen Xuan slowly stepped forward.

His gaze swept over the disciples present, and he spoke in a voice that was calm yet naturally authoritative.

"The end of the year is upon us. The Sect will begin its New Year holiday on the twenty-fifth of this month, lasting until January fifteenth of next year."

"During this time, the Inheritance Hall, Task Hall, Library Pavilion, and other facilities will be closed. Disciples may arrange their own time, whether to return home and visit family or to remain in the Sect and cultivate."

As soon as he spoke, a low murmur of commotion rippled through the hall, and an air of excitement and restlessness began to spread.

For these disciples, who had been away from home for nearly a year, the New Year holiday was undoubtedly a long-awaited event. Looks of eager anticipation appeared on many faces.

’The New Year holiday...’

Fang Han’s eyes flickered, and a sense of anticipation bloomed in his heart.

He had been away for nearly a year, and he, too, was starting to feel homesick.

The lecture continued for several more hours before finally concluding.

The disciples gradually dispersed, many forming groups to discuss traveling home together for the holiday as a clamor began to rise.

Fang Han followed the crowd out of the Inheritance Hall. Instead of returning to his quarters, he headed straight for the Pill Hall, located on the mountainside.

His pace was a little more rushed than usual. After all, he would soon have enough silver coins to unlock the Level 5 Amplification.

A faint, medicinal fragrance permeated the air inside the Pill Hall.

Perhaps because it was the first day of the month—when all the courtyards distributed their stipends and rewards—the Pill Hall was bustling with a large number of disciples.

Fang Han queued up at a counter. After a short wait, it was his turn.

The person on duty behind the counter was a female disciple he didn’t recognize, likely a new recruit brought in to help with the pre-holiday rush at the Pill Hall.

Upon seeing Fang Han, the female disciple immediately smiled and asked,

"What elixirs can I get for you, Junior Brother?"

"Thank you, Senior Sister. I’d like to trade for five bottles of True Spirit Pills, one bottle of Clear Heart Pills, one bottle of Hundred Herbs Pills..."

Fang Han had already planned this out. He didn’t trade all his points for True Spirit Pills as he usually did; instead, he got a variety of elixirs with different effects.

After all, if he only got True Spirit Pills, the sheer quantity would be rather conspicuous.

"Five bottles of True Spirit Pills, at one hundred contribution points each, comes to five hundred points. One bottle of Clear Heart Pills, two hundred points. One bottle of Hundred Herbs Pills, three hundred points... for a total of two thousand four hundred Contribution Points."

The female disciple quickly calculated the required Contribution Points.

When she found the total came to two thousand four hundred Contribution Points, she couldn’t help but give Fang Han a surprised look.

It wasn’t often she saw a disciple who could spend so many Contribution Points at once. It was especially surprising coming from a junior brother who looked so young, meaning his strength—and thus his ability to earn Contribution Points—was likely limited.

"Please wait a moment, Junior Brother. I’ll go get the elixirs for you."

Fang Han handed over his Identity Jade Token. The female disciple took it, deducted the Contribution Points, and handed it back with a smile.

A moment later, the female disciple returned. She carefully placed a dozen or so Porcelain Bottles of various sizes into a sturdy cloth bag and handed it to Fang Han.

"Junior Brother, all the elixirs you ordered are here. Please check to make sure everything is in order."

Fang Han took the bag. It was heavy in his hands, and the blended, refreshing fragrance of the herbs was pleasing to the senses.

He opened the Pill Bottles one by one, examining them carefully. Once he confirmed there was nothing wrong with the elixirs inside, he cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks and said,

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Sister."

With that, he picked up the bag, turned, and strode quickly out of the Pill Hall.

Back in Room C-7, Fang Han firmly shut the door behind him and slid the bolt home.

He placed the cloth bag on the table and took out the Porcelain Bottles in succession.

The pearly white Porcelain Bottles of True Spirit Pills, the pale-green ones for Clear Heart Pills, the emerald-green ones for Hundred Herbs Pills... a whole collection of them was spread across the table, emitting faint glows of various colors and an alluring medicinal aroma.

’System Panel.’

Fang Han summoned the system panel, and a translucent screen of light silently materialized before him.

[Host: Fang Han]

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 16x (Level 5 Amplification requires 100,000 silver)]

[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 16x (Level 5 Amplification requires 100,000 silver)]

[Stepping Talent Amplification: 16x (Level 5 Amplification requires 100,000 silver)]

[Wealth: 51,975 silver]

’Begin conversion.’

Fang Han’s eyes burned with intensity. He picked up a bottle of True Spirit Pills and focused his mind.

WHOOSH!

The Porcelain Bottle vanished instantly, and the wealth value on his panel jumped.

[Wealth: 53,975 silver]

He converted the other four bottles of True Spirit Pills in succession.

[Wealth: 55,975 silver]

[Wealth: 57,975 silver]

[Wealth: 59,975 silver]

[Wealth: 61,975 silver]

Fang Han continued without pause, converting all the elixirs. The wealth value on his panel leaped rapidly before finally settling.

[Wealth: 99,975 silver]

99,975 silver. He was only twenty-five silver short of one hundred thousand.

’Convert.’

Already prepared, Fang Han took out twenty-five silver and converted them. The wealth value jumped again.

[Wealth: 100,000 silver]

’I finally have 100,000 silver!’

Fang Han let out a long, slow breath.

One hundred thousand silver was an enormous sum of money. To scrape it all together, he had poured in nearly everything: the silver coins from his missions, the Contribution Points from Sect rewards, and the Contribution Points earned from completing tasks.

The entire process of earning the money had been incredibly difficult, and he couldn’t help but feel a little emotional about it.

But that feeling was immediately replaced by a powerful sense of anticipation. His gaze burned as he looked at the system panel.

Root Bone, Swordsmanship, Step Technique—as for which of the three talents to apply the Level 5 Amplification to, there was no need to even consider it.

Although his Swordsmanship and Stepping Talents were also very important, the most critical one was, without a doubt, his Root Bone Talent, which determined the speed of his Cultivation.

For a Martial Artist, Cultivation is the foundation of everything!

’Activate!’

Fang Han took a deep breath. He focused his mind on the option after Root Bone Talent that read, ’Level 5 Amplification requires 100,000 silver,’ and mentally commanded it to activate.

Instantly, the wealth value on his panel dropped to zero.

Meanwhile, the text in the Root Bone Talent Amplification row blurred for a moment before sharpening again.

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]

Unlike when he had consumed the Earth Core Stone Milk, there was no obvious physical change.

There was no warm current, no cooling sensation, no expulsion of impurities. It was as if nothing had happened at all.

But having been through this several times before, Fang Han knew he would feel the change in his cultivation speed as soon as he started his Inner Qi Cultivation.

The system’s amplification didn’t directly alter his physical aptitude; it was more like an ’efficiency amplifier’ that worked on the cultivation process itself.

Its effects would only truly manifest during Cultivation.

It completely defied logic.

Then again, things like systems were illogical by their very nature.

And it was thanks to this illogical nature that the benefits he’d gained from the Earth Core Stone Milk far surpassed those of Yun Qianyue and the others.

In just half a month, he was already not far from reaching the Late Stage of Eighth Grade.

"A thirty-two-fold amplification!"

Fang Han muttered to himself, his voice laced with unconcealable excitement.

After consuming the Earth Core Stone Milk, his Cultivation speed had already been absurdly fast.

Now, the amplification multiplier for his Root Bone Talent had doubled, from sixteen-fold to thirty-two-fold.

He could already predict that his Cultivation speed was about to skyrocket once again.

He couldn’t wait to start cultivating and experience the speed of Inner Qi Cultivation with a thirty-two-fold Root Bone amplification.

’Time to experience this thirty-two-fold Root Bone Talent Amplification!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fang Han swallowed a Peiyuan Pill.

He immediately sat cross-legged on his bed, cleared his mind of all distractions, and began his Cultivation of the Xunfeng Technique.

The moment he began his Cultivation, he immediately felt a difference.

Before, the growth rate of his Inner Qi had already been absurdly fast, but this time, it was even more outrageous.

Inner Qi was generated as easily as squeezing water from a sponge.

Before he had even completed a single Circulation, his Inner Qi had already visibly increased.

By the time one full Circulation was complete and the Inner Qi settled into his acupoint, it had grown by a visibly significant amount.

"Forty strands!"

Fang Han directed his senses to his Weijing Acupoint and discovered that a single Circulation had generated a full forty strands of Inner Qi.

Forty strands!

After taking the Earth Core Stone Milk, one Circulation had generated twenty strands of Inner Qi.

And now, that amount had doubled again, reaching an astonishing forty strands.

At this rate of Cultivation, he should be able to touch the bottleneck of the Late Stage of Eighth Grade in just a few more days and attempt a breakthrough.

’Keep cultivating!’

Fang Han closed his eyes, began circulating the Xunfeng Technique again, and immersed himself once more in his Cultivation.

...

Several days slipped by quietly as Fang Han focused completely on his arduous Cultivation.

One morning, as the first faint light of dawn broke through the deep chill.

Inside Room C-7, Fang Han sat cross-legged on his bed, his aura calm and condensed, like an old monk in deep meditation.

Within his body, the Xunfeng Technique circulated.

With the thirty-two-fold Root Bone Talent Amplification, his Inner Qi was growing at nearly every moment.

The pale-green Inner Qi flowed like a gushing stream, coursing joyfully between the five acupoints he had already opened. It cycled over and over, and with each completed Circulation, the Inner Qi would condense and grow a little stronger.

His Weijing Acupoint had long been filled to the brim with Inner Qi, and the feeling of pressure grew increasingly distinct.

Then, in a single, unbidden moment, as another surge of new Inner Qi poured in, the Weijing Acupoint seemed to reach its absolute limit.

The Inner Qi spontaneously surged toward the next barrier—the Shenshu Acupoint.

HUM!

A deep hum that only Fang Han could perceive reverberated within his body.

The torrent of Inner Qi slammed into an invisible barrier. The walls of the Shenshu Acupoint acted like a dam, holding back the surging power.

’I’ve touched the bottleneck for the Late Stage of Eighth Grade!’

A faint smile touched the corners of Fang Han’s lips.

Just as he had expected, it had only taken a few days to fill the remaining thirty percent of his Weijing Acupoint and touch the bottleneck of the Late Stage of Eighth Grade.

This kind of Cultivation speed was like riding a rocket. It was an unprecedentedly wonderful feeling.

’I’ll keep going. I’ll aim to break through to the Late Stage of Eighth Grade today!’

Fang Han’s mind was calm, showing no sign of impatience.

He continued to circulate his Cultivation Technique, steadily guiding his Inner Qi to wash against the barrier in wave after relentless wave, just like the tide.