Martial Arts: My talent multiplier increased

Fang Yuan stopped practicing the "Crane Form" stance, his palms supporting his knees as he gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently.

His gaze swept across the vast training ground, where the Fang family disciples were seen sweating and practicing on the bluestone slabs.

Some people's punches were like whistling winds, while others had steady stances. The surging aura of their blood and qi could be felt even from several feet away—that was the mark of the Body Refining Realm.

Seeing this, a hint of envy flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes.

Sixteen years!

It's been a full sixteen years since I transmigrated here!

From his initial high spirits to now being worn down by reality, Fang Yuan feels as if a huge rock is lodged in his chest.

He started learning martial arts at the age of six and never slacked off.

However, his progress in martial arts was as slow as a tortoise crawl, even lagging behind the Fang family disciples who were a year or two younger than him.

Fang Yuan knew in his heart that his martial arts talent was very mediocre and that he was destined to achieve nothing on the path of martial arts.

But he was unwilling to give up just like that.

This is because it is a world where martial arts are revered, and martial arts is the only shortcut to upward social mobility. Ordinary people can only remain subordinate to others and be at the mercy of others for their entire lives.

As a member of a collateral branch of the Fang family, he was already of low status and was ostracized everywhere. Without martial arts skills, all that awaited him was being abandoned by the family and struggling to survive at the bottom of Liangshui City with his parents and four-year-old sister, Fang Ying.

"Fang Yuan."

A cold shout suddenly rang out, like a thunderclap in one's ears.

Fang Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, snapping him out of his daze. He turned around and saw Instructor Fang Yuanshan striding towards him, his towering figure exuding an intimidating aura, his gaze filled with disappointment.

"Are you aware of the new rules that have just been established in the tribe?"

Fang Yuanshan's voice was devoid of warmth, sounding particularly jarring in the silent training ground: "The assessment will be held in ten days."

"Ten days?"

Fang Yuan was jolted, as if struck by lightning, his blood seemingly freezing in an instant.

He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Instructor, didn't you say there was still a month left?"

"The Fang Family Martial Arts Hall does not tolerate useless people."

Fang Yuanshan snorted coldly, his voice growing increasingly harsh. "The clan's resources are limited and can only be reserved for disciples with sufficient talent. Ten days from now, anyone who has not reached the Flesh Refining Realm will be immediately expelled from the Martial Hall, and their monthly supply of Qi and Blood Soup will be terminated."

Expel him from the martial arts hall and abolish the Qi and Blood Soup!

These two pieces of news were like two sharp knives, piercing Fang Yuan's heart.

The Qi and Blood Soup is the foundation of cultivation for the disciples of the Fang Family Martial Arts Hall. Without the nourishment of this soup, it is extremely difficult to break through to the Body Refining Realm on one's own.

Being expelled from the martial arts hall meant that he was completely cut off from the path of martial arts, and from then on he became an ordinary person who could not protect his parents or his younger sister, let alone gain a foothold in this world where martial artists are respected.

The surrounding youths whispered among themselves, their gazes fixed on Fang Yuan, some with sympathy, some with schadenfreude, but mostly with indifference.

"Fang Yuan has been stuck at the Skin Refining Realm for the past two years. How could he possibly break through to the Flesh Refining Realm in just ten days?"

"It's pitiful, but that's fate. Who told him to have such poor talent? He was born into a collateral branch and didn't have the aptitude for martial arts."

"Luckily, I just broke through to the Body Refinement stage last week, otherwise I would have been in trouble with this assessment."

Hearing the whispers, Fang Yuan clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, but the pain couldn't suppress the despair in his heart.

He was well aware of his situation. He had already reached the Skin Refining Realm, but no matter how hard he cultivated day and night, his blood and qi could not break through the shackles of his skin and flesh. He could not even touch the true peak of Skin Refining, let alone the Flesh Refining Realm where skin and flesh were united and power flowed throughout the body.

In ten days, let alone a breakthrough, even if he were given a hundred days, without the right opportunity, he would only stagnate.

That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself.

Fang Yuanshan uttered four words, then turned and walked towards the center of the training ground, leaving Fang Yuan standing alone.

The assessment is being conducted ahead of schedule, with a ten-day deadline.

His path in martial arts seems to have come to an end.

Fang Yuan walked out of the training ground in a daze, the stone pavement under his feet feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

The Fang family mansion covers a vast area, with the side courtyards located in the most remote corners. Along the way, all one sees are the main family's sons looking spirited and high-spirited. They are either holding weapons or carrying elixirs, resources that the side family's sons wouldn't even dare to dream of.

He quickened his pace, wanting only to return to that small courtyard as soon as possible. Only there could he feel a touch of warmth and temporarily forget the pressure and despair of the martial arts hall.

As soon as the courtyard gate was pushed open, a small figure rushed towards them, her soft, sweet voice filled with joy: "Brother, you're back!"

Fang Ying had two pigtails sticking up in the air, and her little red jacket made her face look rosy. Her big, watery eyes were full of dependence. She opened her short arms to hug his legs and looked up at him.

The despair in Fang Yuan's eyes faded slightly upon seeing his sister.

He crouched down, rubbed his sister's head, and forced a smile: "Good girl, Xiaoying."

"Brother, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Fang Ying, with her keen senses, noticed his odd behavior and touched his cheek with her small hand, asking in a soft voice.

Fang Yuan felt a pang of sadness and hugged his sister tightly, saying, "Brother is fine, I'm just a little tired from practicing."

At this moment, the parents came out of the house.

The mother, Meng Wan, was wearing an apron, her hands still stained with vegetable juice, while the father, Fang Lin, was carrying a hoe, clearly having just returned from the small vegetable garden in the backyard. Upon seeing Fang Yuan, their smiles vanished instantly, replaced by worry.

They had naturally heard the news of the assessment being brought forward, and it had already spread like wildfire throughout the Fang family.

"son."

Fang Lin put down his hoe, walked up to him, and said in a low voice, "We've heard about the rules of the Martial Arts Hall."

Fang Yuan hugged his younger sister, nodded, his throat tightened, and he couldn't speak.

"Ten days... is there really no hope at all?"

Meng Wan's voice choked with sobs. She watched her son train day and night, his hands calloused layer upon layer, yet he remained stuck at the Skin Refining Realm. Her heart ached. "If you're expelled from the Martial Hall, what will become of you..."

She didn't dare say what came next, but every word pierced Fang Yuan's heart.

Expelled from the martial arts hall, he became a discarded son of the Fang family. As a member of a collateral branch, he already had a low status and no martial arts skills to rely on. In the future, even the servants in the Fang family could bully him, let alone protect his family.

"I will try my best." Fang Yuan gritted his teeth and uttered four words, but even he knew that this was just self-deception.

In ten days, with mediocre talent and no resources, breaking through to the Body Refining Realm is simply a pipe dream.

Dinner was eaten in unusual silence. There was only a plate of green vegetables and a bowl of brown rice porridge on the table. This was the daily routine of a collateral branch family, a far cry from the medicinal cuisine served in the martial arts hall.

Fang Ying was very well-behaved, taking small bites of rice and occasionally putting a piece of green vegetable into Fang Yuan's bowl: "Brother, eat some vegetables, so you'll have the strength to practice your skills."

Fang Yuan looked at the vegetables in his bowl, his eyes welling up with tears. He shoveled a mouthful of rice down his throat, swallowing all the bitterness.

No matter what, he couldn't give up. For his parents and his sister, he would fight with all his might, even if there was only a sliver of hope.

After dinner, Fang Yuan returned to his small room, which was empty except for a wooden table and a chair with a missing corner.

He lay on the earthen bed, Fang Yuanshan's words echoing repeatedly in his mind. The ten-day deadline felt like a death knell, suffocating him.

He was unwilling to accept that after traveling through sixteen years, he was destined to live a mediocre life.

Am I just supposed to watch my parents and sister suffer along with me?

"If I had talent, if I had resources, I wouldn't be in this situation!"

Fang Yuan clenched his fists, his heart filled with resentment and anger.

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind:

[Ding! Host's strong obsession with martial arts has been detected. The Talent Enhancement System has been officially activated!]