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...

Of course, He Feifan also saw the process of Qin Fang purchasing that ancient painting, but he automatically ignored it...

Although He Feifan was born into a prestigious family, he had no great interest in antiques, and the He Family wasn't lacking in such things, so he naturally didn't care about them.

Moreover, he couldn't discern the true secret within the painting, so naturally, he paid even less attention to it... and just skipped over it.

After obtaining what he needed, He Feifan returned to his master Kawasaki Ichirō and briefly reported the situation to him, to give him a psychological head start.

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated."

He Feifan might be a bit narrow-minded, but he leaves no stone unturned in his tasks, hoping to have everything within his grasp that he might encounter, so he doesn't end up scrambling at the last minute with no chance even to pray for miracles...

Originally, he hadn't planned on investigating Qin Fang much, mainly because he knew Qin Fang went to see Yu Zheng, assuming that Qin Fang would invite Yu Zheng to step in.

But after watching videos of Qin Fang in action, He Feifan suddenly thought Qin Fang might handle matters himself... This conclusion was evident from the multiple near-certain kills Qin Fang delivered, showcasing Qin Fang's absolute confidence in his gambling skills, so much so that after watching these videos, He Feifan felt he might genuinely be no match for Qin Fang.

But that didn't matter, He Feifan wasn't too concerned, after all, he had already persuaded his master Kawasaki Ichirō to intervene, and as Qin Fang had just offended Kawasaki Ichirō, tomorrow's gambling contest was destined for Kawasaki Ichirō to show no mercy to Qin Fang.

...

Qin Fang didn't pay attention to what He Feifan thought about these matters; he rushed back to the hotel immediately, and Young Master Liang also left midway, leaving only a contact number through which he could be called at any time.

Back at the hotel, Tang Feifei and her companions had not yet returned, and there was only Qin Fang alone in the room. He did a simple check to ensure that no one was eavesdropping...

Despite the fact that they were staying in a five-star hotel, in a presidential suite, it couldn't guarantee that no one with intentions wouldn't deliberately make certain arrangements.

Qin Fang was obviously unwilling to be spied on needlessly and did a thorough check, confirming that there was no abnormality, only then did he take out the ancient painting, carefully unfurling it, and observed the artwork.

"Discovered Qinggong Manual: Snow Traversing Step, would you like to cultivate it?"

Qin Fang fixed his gaze on the image within the painting, his eyes unmoving; the painting itself was quite ordinary, though the expected prompt sounded in Qin Fang's mind.

The Qinggong manual hidden in this ancient painting, for other martial artists, required self-realization, and whether it could be realized depended on one's comprehension.

Those with good comprehension could naturally grasp this set of movement techniques, but for those with poor comprehension, it was like having a treasure mountain but not being able to find the path to climb it.

This was a special method the Snow Mountain Sect used to control the dissemination of this key secret technique, Qinggong being always highly treasured and controlled even by the ancient large sects, just as the Shaolin Temple and Kunlun would do...

Yet the Snow Mountain Sect's method was even more obscure...

Unfortunately, this method was very effective for most people, as nearly no one could see through the painting, but Qin Fang could not only see through it, he could directly cultivate it without intentionally comprehending it.

"Cultivate!"

Qin Fang naturally had no hesitation and immediately chose to cultivate it. He came back precisely for this Qinggong manual and even skipped his first opportunity to confront Kawasaki Ichirō directly.

"Congratulations, you have acquired the skill: Snow Traversing Step!"

With Qin Fang's consent, the system's feedback came instantly, and in Qin Fang's skill panel, a new cultivation technique appeared.

"Snow Traversing Step: Second-grade Qinggong movement technique… When cultivated to a higher level, one can be as light as a swallow and traverse snow without leaving a trace!"

Flipping through the skill panel, Qin Fang found the Snow Traversing Step and simply checked its description, which wasn't much but was rather useful.

"Second-grade Qinggong movement technique?"

Seeing this grade, Qin Fang was slightly taken aback, appearing somewhat surprised, as if it was his first time seeing the grade of this cultivation technique.

Thinking of this, Qin Fang immediately opened his other skill panels and directly checked the National Arts skills, discovering that the Xingyi Fist within also had a grading, but... Qin Fang's Cai's Xingyi Fist was only a sixth-grade technique, whereas the Wu Family's Tiger Fist's Tiger's Rush was categorized as a fifth-grade technique.

"It seems these ancient sects can become leaders in the martial world not only due to their deep foundations but also this grading of cultivation techniques is a very crucial factor..."

Techniques have levels, and this is something Qin Fang anticipated.

When facing off against experts of equal strength, they may not necessarily end in ties. Though personal status matters, the grade of one's technique plays a significant role.

Using a six-grade technique versus a three-grade or two-grade technique presents a vast difference. Even in the same realm, the higher the technique's grade, the more explosive the power, naturally resulting in greater prowess...

"Seems I'll have to find a way to acquire higher quality techniques from now on, otherwise... one day I'll surely suffer a big loss!"

Understanding this point made Qin Fang increasingly aware of where his disadvantages lay.

He may rely on his own strength to withstand martial arts experts now, but there are few true masters around. Yet, having eliminated Tang Nan, he's already embroiled with the Tang Sect experts. Once they appear, Qin Fang is likely to suffer.

Even with system assistance, he wouldn't be killed—at least escaping would be easy, especially enhanced with Snow Traversing Step.

But the problem is, if he encounters such experts, he might be defeated due to underestimation, possibly without even a chance to escape.

Thus, Qin Fang mused that if he ever had the opportunity, he'd try to acquire more higher-grade techniques. He couldn't always rely on the same few moves; that definitely wouldn't work.

However, those are matters for the future. Now, Qin Fang's focus remained here and now, having just obtained the coveted light body technique, Snow Traversing Step—no wonder he's thrilled.

"Let's try it out..."

With such a light body technique in hand, not personally testing it would be senseless. Moreover, practicing more is the foolproof way to progress in Qinggong; more proficiency is key!

Before truly cultivating Snow Traversing Step, it seemed incredibly mysterious. Since Qinggong defies natural laws, it's almost as if the body defies Earth's gravity. This is quite unscientific!

Yet logic follows reality, and after witnessing Monk Wukong's Reed Crossing River technique, Qin Fang realized such scientific-defying techniques do exist, having seen it firsthand.

Now, having acquired this technique himself, naturally he must try it personally...

First, he familiarized himself with the flow sequence of True Qi through meridians and acupoints in Snow Traversing Step, and upon understanding, Qin Fang began to initiate it slowly.

A breath centered in the Dantian, gathering an extraordinary force, soon led his robust True Qi to circulate via this new path.

Shortly, Qin Fang felt his limbs seemingly immersed in a curious warmth, his body feeling increasingly light.

Swish~~

This sensation intensified, filling Qin Fang with a desire to soar. A gentle movement, a light step, and instantly he turned into a rapid, light shadow, darting forward.

Witnessing Qin Fang become a flowing light, swiftly rushing from one corner of the room to another, nearly hitting the ceiling.

If not for his quick reflexes to make adjustments before impact, he might have faced an unfortunate incident.

"Tsk tsk, impressive..."

After this attempt, Qin Fang refrained from further testing due to the near-accident, which left him slightly apprehensive—he didn't want to try that again.

However, despite this outcome, he felt quite satisfied.

"Pity the space is a bit small here, truly restricting its full potential..."

He was somewhat vexed that Snow Traversing Step rightly deserved its reputation as a second-grade secret Qinggong technique. Even as a beginner, Qin Fang exhibited notable prowess, anticipating even greater feats through deeper cultivation...

"I wonder which is more powerful, Snow Traversing Step or Reed Crossing River..."

Aware that techniques have grades, both being Qinggong techniques, Qin Fang couldn't resist comparing his against Monk Wukong's Reed Crossing River technique.

He was merely a novice, far from reaching proficient levels, and the space size here was inadequate to unleash Snow Traversing Step's full power.

In contrast, Monk Wukong had cultivated Reed Crossing River for much longer, advancing beyond proficient levels. His skill has truly transcended, becoming almost instinctual.

Confronting Monk Wukong's Reed Crossing River with his current Snow Traversing Step, Qin Fang would likely suffer defeat. Even if Snow Traversing Step might bear a higher grade than Reed Crossing River, comparing them at mismatched proficiency levels is a tall order...(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) and cast your recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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