Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Combat Power Increase

Fang Chen carefully read through the lease agreement and the several attached letters of commitment. The contents were nothing more than promising to respond to the Liuyun Society’s collective actions or missions during specific periods and to maintain the club’s reputation. The requirements were not harsh and left reasonable room for negotiation.

He readily signed his name and pressed his fingerprint.

With the procedures complete, he finally received the High Martial Realm Combat Suit and the longsword named the "Flowing Cloud Cyan Blade Sword."

The sword’s blade was long and slender, dark cyan in color with faint cloud patterns flowing across its surface. The hilt was wrapped in non-slip, sweat-absorbent Exotic Beast hide. It felt solid in his grasp. With just a slight infusion of True Qi, a smooth resonance rippled through it, making it vastly superior to his previous ordinary longsword.

He embedded the Spiritual Crystal Stones into the grooves of the Combat Suit and the longsword.

With a faint flash of light, the Crystal Stones connected to the Energy Circuit woven into the lining of the Combat Suit, and a warm fluctuation of Spiritual Energy slowly diffused outward.

There was no need to test the sword. Simply standing there with the blade in hand, feeling the comprehensive defensive enhancements from the Combat Suit and the smooth surge of True Qi within the longsword, Fang Chen could clearly tell that his combat strength had definitely risen by another tier!

He was itching for action, wishing he could find a place to test everything out right this instant.

"Don’t be in such a hurry, Junior Brother Fang," Fan Yutong stopped him with a smile. She turned around and took out a flat, black wooden box from another locked cabinet. It was about the size of a Go board box, its surface polished to a perfectly smooth finish.

"This is your ’Outstanding Freshman Benefit.’ Normally, we would need to conduct a simple assessment of internally recommended freshmen before issuing this. But this year..." She winked playfully. "Who else could possibly compare to you? I noticed you didn’t have much interest in Cultivation Techniques or Elixirs, and you already have a Weapon. This set should be perfect for you."

Fang Chen took the wooden box, finding it quite heavy. Opening the lid, he saw hundreds of dark, shuttle-shaped awls arranged neatly inside, gleaming with a cold metallic light. Each one was about the size of the first joint of a thumb, with an incredibly sharp tip and subtle grooves at the tail end to allow for an easy finger grip.

He picked one up. It was cold, hard, and dense to the touch—definitely not ordinary iron or stone.

"These are Black Profound Bone-Piercing Awls," Fan Yutong introduced. "Naturally, their grade can’t compare to your Flowing Cloud Cyan Blade Sword, but this set is custom-made. They’re forged from an alloy mixed with a small amount of Wuxuan Iron Powder. They are hard, sharp, and possess a certain Qi Breaking effect.

"If you were to buy them individually with money, this single box would cost no less than one or two million."

She looked at Fang Chen with a knowing gleam in her eyes. "During the martial exam, I suffered enough under your Hidden Weapon techniques. You accurately interrupted my attempts to gather True Qi several times.

"Those ordinary pebbles ultimately limited your performance. But these Black Profound Bone-Piercing Awls, combined with your Hidden Weapon techniques and True Qi infusion, will increase your Piercing power, speed, and destructive force by at least forty percent compared to when you used stones!"

Fang Chen rolled a Bone-Piercing Awl between his fingers, feeling its solid texture against his fingertips. With a slight Force Application, the awl seemed to hum faintly, as if yearning to tear through the air.

This was indeed the most suitable medium for his Finger-Tapping Divine Techniques at the moment!

"Come on, I’ll take you to test them out!" Fan Yutong’s interest was piqued as well.

The two left the building and crossed more than half of the academy campus. After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at a secluded clearing in the back mountains of the academy.

The area was filled with jagged rocks and towering ancient trees. It was clearly a testing ground tacitly approved by the academy, as various old and new marks scarred the ground and the distant cliff walls.

"Let’s do it here. Go all out and give it a try," Fan Yutong said, pointing to a solid, heavy blue-gray boulder that stood as tall as a person.

Fang Chen had long been unable to wait. He steadied his stance, held his breath in absolute concentration, and pinched a Black Profound Bone-Piercing Awl between his index and middle fingers.

The True Qi within his body instantly circulated and compressed according to the Transcendence Technique of the Finger-Tapping Divine Techniques. An imperceptible ripple surfaced at his fingertips.

"Go!"

WHOOSH!!!

An extremely sharp and fleeting howl abruptly echoed as the air was torn asunder! Before the sound even faded, the dark Bone-Piercing Awl transformed into a blurred black line, shooting out at a speed invisible to the naked eye!

THWIP!

It was a soft sound, not the explosive impact one would expect. Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the Bone-Piercing Awl sank into the hard blue-gray boulder without the slightest resistance, leaving only a tiny, deep hole in its wake.

Immediately after, more than ten meters behind the boulder, the trunk of a hardwood tree as thick as a bowl trembled violently. Wood chips flew into the air as a perfectly clear hole was pierced straight through it! The residual force of the Bone-Piercing Awl carried it forward for dozens of more meters until it buried itself deeply into a farther rock wall, leaving only a tiny bit of its tail end exposed.

The entire process was swift, accurate, and ruthless to the extreme. Its Piercing power was simply terrifying!

The smile on Fan Yutong’s face instantly froze. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her small mouth fell open. After a long moment, she finally gasped, "My God... this... this Piercing power... If you had these things during the martial exam, I’m afraid I would have had several see-through holes in my body by now, wouldn’t I?!"

The might Fang Chen displayed with this single strike far exceeded her understanding of a True Martial Realm Martial Artist’s Hidden Weapon methods. "Are you... are you really only in the True Martial Realm?"

Fang Chen was also very satisfied. The material of the Black Profound Bone-Piercing Awls was indeed extraordinary. Not only did it perfectly bear his vigorous True Qi and exquisite Finger Power, but its inherent sharpness and Qi Breaking characteristics amplified the destructive power by far more than forty percent! Coupled with his current strength, the power had likely doubled!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he shifted his gaze to the Flowing Cloud Cyan Blade Sword in his hand.

The longsword was unsheathed, emitting a clear ring like a dragon’s cry. Sword in hand, Fang Chen moved, executing Basic Sword Techniques with effortless grace.

Thrusting, pointing, lifting, sweeping, chopping, slashing... The sword light was as smooth as flowing water and drifting clouds, tracing cyan arcs through the air. The Sword Qi was contained rather than exposed, yet it caused the surrounding air currents to swirl faintly.

After adapting to its feel, his gaze sharpened, locking onto the boulder that had just been pierced through. His True Qi surged explosively into the blade. The cloud patterns on the Flowing Cloud Cyan Blade Sword seemed to come alive, and its cyan light flared brilliantly!

"Slash!"

With a low shout, Fang Chen did not close the distance. Instead, he swung the sword down diagonally from afar! A condensed, almost tangible ray of cyan Sword Qi, about a foot wide, shot out from the blade. It tore through the air with a piercing howl, striking the boulder with the force of a thunderbolt!

BOOM!!!

The boulder, previously pierced silently by the Bone-Piercing Awl, exploded violently under the sheer might of this Sword Qi! Countless fragments of rock, carried by the residual shockwaves of the Sword Qi, shot out in all directions amidst a cloud of dust.

When the dust settled, only scattered debris of varying sizes remained in the original spot, their cross-sections as smooth as glass.

Fan Yutong was completely dumbfounded. She subconsciously took a half-step back, staring at Fang Chen—who stood with his sword, his Aura perfectly steady—as if looking at a monster.

"This... is this Sword Qi?" Her voice was a little dry. "Junior Brother Fang, tell me honestly, are you really... only in the True Martial Realm? With your True Qi condensation and the power of your Sword Qi, I’m afraid many senior students who just stepped into the Yellow Tier of the High Martial Realm wouldn’t necessarily be much stronger than you, right?!"

Fang Chen returned the sword to its sheath, and the cyan glow faded. A modest smile appeared on his face as he waved his hand. "You flatter me, Senior Sister Fan. It’s just that I took advantage of a good Weapon and slightly more condensed True Qi. If I were to actually face senior students in the High Martial Realm, I would still fall far short in terms of experience, level of Martial Skills, and sustained combat capability."

Fan Yutong patted her chest to catch her breath. She looked at Fang Chen with a complex gaze—marvelling, envious, and even feeling a hint of defeat. Ultimately, it all dissolved into a smile of anticipation.

"Alright, don’t be modest. Your strength is absolutely in a league of its own among this batch of freshmen. Come on, we’ve tested everything out. It’s time to head back. I reckon it won’t be long before other clubs, and even some older students in the academy, start taking notice of you."

After seeing Fang Chen off, Fan Yutong returned to the Liuyun Society. She went back to the same office as before and walked up to Li Su.

Li Su put down his work and looked at her. "How did it go?"

"Hehe." Fan Yutong giggled without saying a word, taking out the Recording Crystal in her hand. "Senior Li, you’ll know once you see for yourself."

Seeing her acting so mysteriously, Li Su didn’t delay. He immediately placed the crystal onto the nearby observation device. Soon, a projection appeared on the wall.

...

"This..." Li Su couldn’t sit still after watching only half of it. "This is the True Martial Realm?"

Before Fan Yutong could respond, he muttered to himself, "That’s right, it’s impossible for anyone to break through to the High Martial Realm on their own. It seems you’ve rendered a great service to our club, Yutong.

"I’ll take the liberty of making a decision. The two hundred Club Points originally promised to you will be changed to...

"Three hundred points!"

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