"Let me take a look!"

"Let me feel it too!"

"I'll test it!"

In the back courtyard, six senior disciples gathered around Han, eager to see the results. It didn’t take long before they reached their conclusion.

Meridian Realm!

"As expected," Shen Long clapped his hands excitedly. "When you made your move earlier, I could tell something was different."

"Meridian Realm already? How many days has it been?" Shen Long asked, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.

"Four days," Han replied casually.

Bai Ruoyue squeezed Han’s shoulder, a mix of surprise and admiration in her eyes. "That’s quite... impressive," she commented with a touch of disbelief.

"I’ve just been overtaken by my little junior brother," Shen Yu said, stunned. It had happened too quickly for her to process. She had thought this day would come eventually, but not so soon.

"Sister Six, our realms are still the same," Han remarked to Shen Yu, trying to ease her mood.

"Your realm may be the same, but your power? That’s a different story," Shen Yu shook her head. "You're a freak of nature. I’m not sure even Fourth Brother or Fifth Brother could match you."

Su Chang’an and He Feng were both at the Minor Meridian Realm, so Shen Yu’s words held some truth. As for their Third Brother, Zhang Yuantao, who had been at the Major Meridian Realm for months and was heading toward perfection, his strength was beyond comparison to most.

He Feng laughed, "Looks like we don’t have any more warriors at the Body Realm in the Taibai Sect."

Everyone laughed, but soon, Zhang Yuantao’s expression grew serious.

"Little Junior Brother’s breakthrough is a cause for celebration, but with his talent, other martial halls and families will likely take notice," Zhang Yuantao said, his tone grave.

"They wouldn’t dare!" Bai Ruoyue frowned. "Even if my father isn’t around, Taibai Martial Hall isn’t something they can easily control."

"If they dare to show up, they’ll regret it," she added, her voice laced with determination.

"I’ve been wanting to test my strength at the Bone Refining Realm," she muttered, but she seemed unbothered by the challenges from other martial halls.

"Are the leaders of other forces all at the Bone Refining Realm?" Han asked, curious.

"Yes," Bai Ruoyue nodded. "The leaders of both the Tenglong and Kuangdao Martial Halls, as well as the heads of the three major families, are all at the Bone Refining Realm."

"This realm requires the refining of all 206 bones, a process that consumes a lot of time but makes the practitioner immensely powerful. Even in a county city, a Bone Refining Realm expert is considered a grandmaster."

Han had heard of this before. In some areas, even the Internal Organs Realm was a rare sight, but Black Cloud Town boasted experts in the Bone Refining Realm, thanks to the blessings of Black Mountain and Cloud River.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"So Tenglong and Kuangdao both have Bone Refining Realm vice-hallmasters..." Han mused. "Why doesn’t Taibai have any?"

"The Tenglong and Kuangdao Martial Halls have been around for decades, and their scale is indeed much larger," Zhang Yuantao explained. "Although they are called martial halls, they’ve essentially begun to shift into sect-like organizations."

"Once someone joins their apprentice ranks, it’s hard to leave, and most are bound to the hall for life."

Han now realized that the other two martial halls had different methods compared to Taibai. Their transformation into sect-like structures was something he hadn’t expected.

Bai Ruoyue snorted, "What’s so impressive about having more people? My father turned away Bone Refining experts who wanted to join Taibai Martial Hall."

"Why?" Han asked.

"My father just wanted to focus on training disciples. He didn’t want to get involved in other matters. Those who came to him just wanted to leverage his strength to gain more benefits," Bai Ruoyue explained, her pride evident.

She suddenly seemed a little smug, "With my father’s strength, no matter how many people the other halls recruit, it won’t matter. There’s a fundamental difference!"

Han silently nodded. Bai Ruoyue had mentioned before that her father, Bai Tian, was one of the strongest people in Black Cloud Town.

It seemed that he was more powerful than the leaders of the other martial halls and family heads.

However, Han couldn’t help but feel that his master was quite mysterious. There was something different about his thinking compared to others in Black Cloud Town. He wondered what his master had experienced during his travels in his youth...

"Little Junior Brother, tell me about what happened in Qinghua County," Bai Ruoyue asked with curiosity.

Han cleared his throat. Now, he had a great story to tell.

In an animated retelling, Han described his heroic feats—investigating the Tiamu Sect in the slums and plotting an assault from behind enemy lines.

As Han spoke, news of his return and the defeat of two Major Body Realm experts spread quickly. Martial artists from all over had witnessed his power, and now, Han’s legendary status could no longer be hidden.

His name echoed through Black Cloud Town.

A Legend in the Making

"A single sword strike to defeat two opponents, with no room for them to fight back..."

Tenglong’s Long Tianchong’s eyes deepened.

"If my guess is right, this Han should already have reached the Major Body Realm."

"Master is insightful!"

When the news reached the Kuangdao Hall’s Master, Xie Lei, he was stunned for a moment before sighing in admiration.

"To defeat two opponents so easily—if he was only at the Minor Body Realm, Long Tianchong would probably be using his own head as a soccer ball."

"Heroes emerge in youth. How is it that Bai Tian’s disciple is so lucky?"

"Perhaps back then..."

"Perhaps I should’ve left Black Cloud Town like Bai Tian did, instead of staying behind to inherit my father’s legacy—Kuangdao Martial Hall."

The news of Han’s abilities had spread far and wide, and even though he was still in the Body Realm, it had reached the ears of leaders from every faction.

Upon learning the details, they all couldn’t remain calm. Together, they whispered:

"Terrifying!"

...

By the time Han finished recounting his adventures in Qinghua County, with just a touch of embellishment, he was exhausted.

"Little Junior Brother, you're truly a hero of the young generation," someone exclaimed.

"I don’t deserve that," Han replied modestly.

"Little Junior Brother, why don’t you perform some secret martial arts for me? I want to see how you’re progressing," Bai Ruoyue urged.

"Sure."

Han activated his transformative abilities, summoning the power of the Sea-covering Jiao Demon Soul, a technique that perfectly balanced both form and spirit.

Bai Ruoyue’s eyes lit up. This technique, in Han’s hands, had a unique flair. Even she hadn’t been able to replicate the same effects.

"Meridian Realm... strengthening the tendons and refining the true energy," Bai Ruoyue said thoughtfully.

"In this realm, you need to refine your tendons to be as strong and resilient as possible, allowing for greater explosive power and speed."

"You also need to expand and strengthen your meridians, ensuring the smooth flow of true energy, making your body stronger."

"True energy is a mysterious force. Sometimes, when gravely wounded, a single breath of true energy can keep you alive."

"When you reach the stage where your meridians resonate like strings, you’ll have achieved the Major Meridian Realm."

"It took me two years to reach this stage, Little Junior Brother. You should..."

"Be fast."

"I won’t disappoint your expectations, Senior Sister!"

"..."

As midnight passed, Han once again entered the secret realm.

[Martial Path Seed: Fang Tian's Halberd Technique]

[With martial skills as the foundation, manifest the might of the Fang Tian Halberd, unmatched in battle]

"..."

"Hey, what are you doing?"