Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Wind Shadow Step at Great Success, Chu Feng Returns

...

The entire plaza fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned by the power and phenomenon of that perfect sword strike, their mouths agape but unable to make a sound.

CLANG—

Yun Qianyue’s cold expression remained unchanged, as if that world-shattering sword strike had nothing to do with her.

Sheathing her sword, she turned, her purple robes fluttering. Under the gazes of the disciples—filled with reverence, adoration, and even obsession—she departed gracefully, never having spoken a single word from beginning to end.

Only after her figure vanished at the end of the plaza was the silence broken by a tsunami-like uproar!

"Per... Perfection! Yun Qianyue’s Swordsmanship has definitely reached Perfection!"

"No wonder she’s firmly at the top of the list. With such Swordsmanship and Cultivation, who among her peers can possibly contend with her?"

Gasps of amazement and fervent discussions rose and fell, and looks of utter, incredulous shock were etched on everyone’s faces.

’The Realm of Perfection... It’s even stronger than I imagined!’

Fang Han stood his ground, his gaze calm as he watched the direction Yun Qianyue had disappeared, but his heart was far from tranquil.

Great Success and Perfection. They might seem like just one Realm apart, but in reality, they represent two completely different levels of comprehension of a Martial Technique’s essence.

And the difference in power was, naturally, as vast as the heavens and the earth.

Under the condition of having the same Cultivation and practicing the same Swordsmanship, the destructive force a Martial Artist with a Middle Grade Sword Technique at Perfection could unleash was often several times greater than that of a Martial Artist whose technique was at Great Success.

’The gap is bigger than I expected!’

Fang Han muttered to himself.

Yun Qianyue’s Swordsmanship had already reached Perfection, while his was still a long way off. The gap between them was even wider than he had anticipated.

It seemed that catching up to and surpassing Yun Qianyue would take longer than he had thought.

...

Time flew, and the chill of winter deepened.

In the forest clearing behind the Sub-Branch, a thick layer of fallen leaves had long since covered the ground. Dampened by the occasional winter rain, they felt dull and soft underfoot.

More than half a month had passed since he had broken through to the Late Stage of Eighth Grade.

With his Root Bone improved by the Earth Core Stone Milk and amplified by his terrifying thirty-two-fold Root Bone Talent, his daily increase in Inner Qi could be described as advancing by a thousand miles a day.

The newly opened Shenshu Acupoint was rapidly accumulating Inner Qi, and more than half of it was already filled with pure, pale-blue Inner Qi.

At this rate, the barrier to the Seventh Grade Realm was not far off.

However, the thing closest to a breakthrough for him right now wasn’t his Cultivation, but his *Wind Shadow Step*.

During the Seven Sects competition, although he had focused most of his energy on improving his Cultivation and *Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship*, the series of high-intensity arena battles—especially the life-or-death struggle against Mo Chen—had still served to temper his Body Technique exceptionally well.

After a month of Cultivation since returning to the Sect, he could clearly feel that his *Wind Shadow Step* was separated from the Great Success Realm by only a thin layer of window paper, ready to be pierced at any moment.

In the afternoon, a bitter wind rustled, sending fallen leaves dancing. Faint snowflakes began to drift down.

After lunch and a short rest, Fang Han returned to the secluded clearing and, with single-minded focus, resumed his Cultivation of *Wind Shadow Step*.

He banished all distracting thoughts, his mind completely immersed in the communion between his feet and the omnipresent "wind" between heaven and earth.

He felt every subtle change in the airflow, adjusting the frequency and intensity of the Inner Qi flowing through specific meridians.

Turning back again and again, changing direction again and again, accelerating again and again...

The circulation of Inner Qi in his body and the execution of his Step Technique gradually reached a state of perfect, seamless harmony.

In a certain moment.

HUMMM!

It was as if the Inner Qi in his body and his feet had produced a wondrous resonance. The airflow beneath his feet suddenly became exceptionally tame and responsive.

A Wind Momentum far more vast and concentrated than what he had at the Mastery level erupted into existence!

The faint currents of air that had merely coiled around his feet to aid his speed now swelled explosively, transforming into two invisible ribbons of wind. They not only drastically reduced air resistance but also seemed to push his body forward from behind.

His speed instantly skyrocketed!

SWOOSH—!

His figure blurred in an instant, leaving behind a solid, clear afterimage as his real body appeared more than a hundred feet away, as if he had teleported.

As he moved, the air around him let out a low whimper, like the whisper of a wind god.

"*Wind Shadow Step*... I’ve reached Great Success!"

Fang Han slowly came to a halt beneath an old tree. He felt the unprecedented lightness and explosive power in his legs, as well as the intimate, seamless connection with the surrounding airflow—as if it were an extension of his own limbs. An irrepressible light of joy burst forth from his eyes.

He carefully savored his current state.

The Wind Momentum he could now summon with his legs had impressively reached the "five-tenths" level, the same as his Great Success Level *Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship*.

His movement speed, directional agility, and environmental adaptability had all doubled compared to the Mastery Level. Furthermore, moving was now more effortless, and his changes in direction were more unpredictable and difficult to track.

’With another Great Success Level Middle Grade Body Technique, my strength is sure to rise...’

A slight curve touched the corners of Fang Han’s mouth.

Although the Martial Arts Stele only tested one’s Power of Attack, achieving Great Success in *Wind Shadow Step* wouldn’t directly improve his ranking.

But he knew deep down that the improvement this Great Success Body Technique brought to his overall strength was no less than when his *Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship* had broken through to Great Success.

In a real battle, a profound Body Technique could often determine life and death.

In his fight against Mo Chen, despite his Martial Techniques being inferior, the reason he was able to defeat a stronger opponent was precisely because he relied on his Body Technique.

SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH!

He practiced in the forest for a while longer, familiarizing himself with the brand-new experience that the Great Success *Wind Shadow Step* provided. Only when the sun began to set did he contentedly cease his practice and return to his residence.

「At the same time, at the majestic mountain gate of the Qingxuan Sect.」

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow from the massive stone memorial arch. The Mountain Guard Disciples stood ramrod straight, their gazes sweeping vigilantly over their surroundings.

Suddenly, a black dot on the main road in the distance rapidly grew larger, resolving into a figure speeding toward them.

The newcomer wore the unique Cloud Pattern Brocade Robe of a Qingxuan Sect True Disciple. He had a tall, straight posture and a handsome face, but his brow was marked by an air of lingering arrogance. It was none other than Chu Feng!

He had been away on a lengthy but extremely lucrative Sect mission and had only just returned today upon its successful completion.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Chu!"

Recognizing Chu Feng, the Mountain Guard Disciples hurriedly bowed, their expressions respectful with a hint of awe.

This was the most prominent new prodigy in the Sect, a figure ranked on the Celestial Pride List. No one dared to be disrespectful.

Chu Feng’s expression was cold and arrogant. Without breaking stride, he passed straight through the mountain gate and strode quickly up the stone steps toward the True Inheritance Courtyard, where the True Disciples resided.

Having been away for several months, he needed to quickly catch up on the recent situation within the Sect—especially regarding certain matters that were on his mind.

「A short while later, in the living room of Chu Feng’s private courtyard in the True Inheritance Courtyard.」

Chu Feng had changed into a comfortable set of casual clothes and was seated in the master’s chair of purple sandalwood at the head of the room. He held a steaming cup of tea, gently blowing away the foam on its surface.

Below him, Song Xiang stood with his head slightly bowed, a perfectly obsequious smile on his face.

"Senior Brother Chu, you’ve finally returned! This is the profit share from the shops under your name for the past few months. This junior brother has been keeping it safe, just waiting for you to return so I could present it."

As he spoke, Song Xiang held a finely crafted Purple Sandalwood Box with both hands and carefully placed it on the tea table next to Chu Feng.

Chu Feng glanced at it casually, set down his teacup, and reached out to open the lid.

Inside the box were neat stacks of brand-new silver notes, each with a denomination of one thousand taels. A rough glance revealed at least several hundred notes, with a total value of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

Fang Han had gone through countless hardships and overcome numerous obstacles just to scrape together the one hundred thousand taels of silver needed to activate his Level 5 Talent Amplification.

Yet he, as a True Disciple, had to do nothing, and this immense wealth was naturally delivered to him.

This was the naked rule of a world where Martial Artists reigned supreme: strength was everything.

As long as one possessed sufficient strength and status, wealth and resources would endlessly flow their way.

Conversely, without enough strength to protect it, even if one mastered superb skills like Alchemy or Artifact Refining and earned great wealth, they would ultimately be working for others, forced to give up the majority of their profits to seek the protection of the strong.

"While I was away, did anything of note happen in the Sect? In particular... that Fang Han. How has he been lately?"

Chu Feng pushed the box aside with a blank expression, as if it contained nothing more than a few stacks of waste paper. He then turned to Song Xiang and asked, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable weight.

"Replying to Senior Brother Chu, the Sect has been mostly quiet. Regarding Fang Han, this little brother followed your instructions and tried to suppress him by persuading the Dean to withhold his monthly benefits and ranking rewards."

Hearing this, Song Xiang bent his waist even lower before continuing.

"However, Elder Chen Xuan of the Sub-Branch was unyielding and resolutely protected Fang Han, so I was unsuccessful."

"Chen Xuan?"

Chu Feng’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

’That old fool. He’s just a Dean-Elder, yet he dares to defy me time and again, protecting that brat who doesn’t know his own limits.’

He snorted coldly. "This Chen Xuan sure is meddlesome."

Song Xiang observed his expression and knew Chu Feng was displeased, but after a moment’s hesitation, he steeled himself and spoke.

"Senior Brother Chu, in this junior brother’s opinion, for the time being... it’s probably not a good idea to continue openly suppressing Fang Han."

"Oh?" Chu Feng raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as he looked at Song Xiang. "Why is that? Don’t tell me that in the few months I’ve been gone, this Fang Han has managed to turn the world upside down?"

His tone was tinged with disdain and doubt.

Song Xiang swallowed hard, the pressure on him doubling, but he quickly explained:

"Senior Brother, please understand. Just last month, the Sect took first place in the Seven Sects’ competition for new disciples, achieving the best results we’ve seen in years. And Fang Han participated in that competition!"

"The Seven Sects competition? First place?"

The hand Chu Feng used to hold his teacup paused slightly, and a look of clear astonishment appeared on his face for the first time.

As a True Inheritor, he naturally understood the significance of the Seven Sects competition and knew all too well that the Tingyu Building had dominated the top spot in this event for years.

Although the Qingxuan Sect wasn’t weak, snatching victory from the hands of the Tingyu Building was exceedingly difficult.

’The Sect actually managed to do it while I was away on a mission?’