Martial Arts: My talent multiplier increased

Half an inch.

The bronze cauldron hovered half an inch off the ground. Fang Hao's face turned a deep liver color, the veins on his neck bulged like earthworms, his arms trembled violently, and he felt as if he were being crushed under a mountain.

One breath.

Two breaths.

"boom!"

The bronze cauldron crashed back to the ground, shattering the stone slab and sending debris flying. Fang Hao staggered back two steps, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead and down his chin.

But his eyes were full of smugness.

Half an inch, two breaths.

This achievement is already a significant lead among disciples in the early stages of the Body Refining Realm.

"good!"

A burst of cheers erupted from the host family's side, with Fang Cheng and Fang Yong leading the applause, followed by several other members of the host family cheering.

"Senior Brother Fang Hao is awesome!"

"Half an inch! Two breaths! This achievement is probably beyond even the mid-stage of the Body Refinement Realm!"

Fang Hao straightened up, clasped his hands slightly in greeting, and maintained a composed demeanor, but couldn't help glancing at Fang Yuan out of the corner of his eye.

The meaning of that one glance couldn't be clearer. You saw it; that's power.

Fang Yuanshan nodded, wrote down the score on the bamboo slip, and said calmly, "Fang Hao, three thousand jin cauldron, half an inch off the ground, held for two breaths. Excellent."

On the viewing platform, Fang Zhengkun nodded slightly, and the Third Elder, Fang Shoude, said in a low voice, "Fang Hao is a good kid. Given time, he is likely to break through to the Bone Refinement stage."

Fang Yuanshan flipped through the list on the bamboo slips, his gaze sweeping over the remaining few names before finally settling on the last one.

"Fang Yuan."

The noise in the training ground seemed to have been choked by an invisible hand, and the sound suddenly diminished.

All eyes turned to them again.

Fang Hao had just returned to the queue when he heard this name, and his turning motion faltered for a moment. He didn't rejoin the queue, but stood still, arms crossed, facing the direction of the bronze cauldron.

Fang Yuan stepped out from the end of the queue.

His pace was the same as before, neither fast nor slow, his footsteps clear and even, as if he were taking a stroll in his own yard, rather than walking towards a bronze cauldron weighing three thousand catties.

He stopped in front of the cauldron.

Fang Yuan looked down at the bronze cauldron.

The animal patterns on the cauldron gleamed with a dark copper-green hue in the afternoon sunlight. The three legs of the cauldron were thick and round. When Fang Hao put the cauldron down, he smashed two stone slabs, and cracks spread out from the legs like a spider web.

Fang Yuan squatted down and grabbed the beast's ears with both hands.

A cool touch came from his palm; the surface of the bronze cauldron was rough, covered with pits etched by the passage of time. He adjusted his grip, tightening his fingers.

There were no unnecessary movements, no pre-announced shouts, and not even a deep breath.

He simply lowered his waist slightly.

The body's Qi and blood were mobilized in that instant.

The blood and qi, enhanced by twice the natural talent, merged with the flesh-refining foundation honed over eight days of repeated training. The heat surged from the dantian, flowed into the waist and spine, then split into the arms, finally converging on the ten fingers.

The Qi and blood in the meridians are not flowing, but being flushed.

Fang Yuan suddenly exerted his strength.

"Heh!"

A deep, furious roar burst from deep within his throat.

The bronze tripod trembled.

All three legs leave the ground at the same time.

One inch.

Two inches.

Three inches!

A bronze cauldron weighing three thousand catties was lifted three inches off the ground!

Fang Yuan's legs were slightly bent, his back was taut like a bow, and the muscle lines on his forearms were clearly visible, but his face did not turn red.

His expression could even be described as calm.

The first breath.

The cauldron was suspended steadily at a height of three inches, without moving an inch.

The second breath.

Fang Yuan's arms began to tremble slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but the cauldron still did not fall.

The third breath.

The cauldron swayed slightly.

Fang Yuan let go.

"boom!"

The bronze cauldron crashed heavily back to the ground, this time shattering twice as many stone slabs as Fang Hao had done. The fragments flew everywhere, landing at the feet of the nearest disciple.

Fang Yuan straightened up, took a step back, and his breathing became slightly heavier, but he quickly calmed down.

There was no sound in the training ground.

No one spoke.

Fang Cheng stared wide-eyed, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground. Fang Yong's eyes were wide like saucers, and his hand was gripping the hem of his clothes, his knuckles white.

The cheers from the host's children were gone.

The tension among the collateral relatives had also disappeared.

Everyone's expression froze at the same moment: the moment Fang Yuan let go.

Three inches. Three breaths.

Fang Hao was half an inch away, taking two breaths.

The gap isn't just a little bit; it's an overwhelming one.

Fang Yuanshan's hand trembled slightly on the bamboo slip. He stared at Fang Yuan for several breaths before lowering his head and putting pen to paper. His hand was steady, but the strokes were three times heavier than before.

"Fang Yuan, the 3,000-jin cauldron is three inches off the ground. Hold this position for three breaths."

Fang Yuanshan raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Fang Yuan's face, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Far exceeding the standard."

The silence in the training ground was finally broken when those four words were spoken.

"Three inches! He lifted it three inches!"

"Fang Hao only cut it by half an inch, while Fang Yuan cut it by three inches—that's a six-fold difference!"

"He held on for three more breaths, and he let go on his own at the last moment; he didn't give up! Did you see that? His face didn't even change much before he let go!"

"What kind of monster is this...? Just ten days ago, he was only at the Skin Refining Realm, how can his blood and energy be this terrifying?"

The excitement of the collateral descendants was almost uncontrollable; several of them had tears in their eyes. It wasn't sadness, but an emotion that had been suppressed for too long and was suddenly released.

Fang Ping stood on the stone steps at the exit of the training ground. He had been eliminated and was no longer qualified to stay in the training ground, but he did not leave. He just squatted on the stone steps and watched.

At this moment, his hands were clenched tightly on his knees, his lips were pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were glistening with tears.

Three inches.

What this achievement means is clear to everyone who has practiced martial arts.

Both being at the early stage of the Body Refining Realm, Fang Yuan's blood and qi were far more robust than "excellent" could describe; it was a physique that surpassed his level.

Fang Ping's nose stung with tears. The scene of Fang Hao crushing the Power Pill in public and threatening the collateral descendants a few days ago was still vivid in his mind. The frustration and helplessness he felt were now completely overturned by Fang Yuan using the three thousand catties of bronze cauldron.

On the viewing platform, the Third Elder Fang Shoude's hand froze in mid-air. He had just been about to pick up a teacup, but now he was completely still, the teacup hovering at his lips.

The First Elder, Fang Shouye, stood up immediately.

"Three inches?" His voice was two octaves higher than usual. "Early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm, lifting a 3,000-jin cauldron three inches off the ground?"

Fang Zhengkun sat in the center, his expression still unreadable, but he stopped fiddling with the two fingers that were twirling the pattern on his sleeve.

"interesting."

Fang Zhengkun uttered three words in a very soft voice, so soft that only the two elders beside him could hear them.

Fang Shouye turned to look at him, hesitating to speak.

Fang Zhengkun didn't say anything more, but leaned back in his chair and looked at Fang Yuan, this time for several times longer than before.

In the center of the training ground, Fang Hao stood still.

His arms were still crossed over his chest, in the exact same posture as before.

But his fingertips dug into the flesh of his arm, and all ten fingernails turned white.

Half an inch.

Three inches.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

These numbers kept swirling in his mind, and each time they did, his temples throbbed.

Fang Hao's expression remained unchanged, even maintaining a faint expression, but only he knew what lay beneath that expression.

Fang Cheng leaned closer, his voice low: "Brother Fang Hao..."

"Shut up."

Fang Cheng immediately closed his mouth.

Fang Yuanshan put away the bamboo slips, walked to the center of the training ground, and looked around the entire area.

"The second strength test is over."

His voice deepened, and his gaze swept across the faces of each of the students who had passed the test.

"The last item. Practical sparring."

A servant behind Fang Yuanshan brought over a wooden box containing neatly arranged bamboo sticks, each with a name engraved on it.

"The practice sessions are conducted by drawing lots, with pairs of students forming teams and the winners advancing."

Fang Yuanshan opened the wooden box and paused for a moment.

"in addition."

His gaze swept across the entire room, lingering for a moment on Fang Hao and Fang Yuan respectively.

"The winner of each round has one opportunity to challenge anyone, regardless of opponent or skill level."

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the training ground suddenly became tense.

Take the initiative to challenge anyone, regardless of the opponent.

This means that even if you draw a weaker opponent, you can still challenge the strongest person directly after winning.

Conversely, it also means that you can be nominated by anyone who wins the game.

There was nowhere to hide.

The children took turns drawing lots. The bamboo slips were drawn from the box, and the paired names were read aloud by Fang Yuanshan on the spot.

Fang Yuan's opponent was a member of the main family, at the early stage of the Body Refining Realm, with average strength.

Fang Hao's opponent was also in the early stage of the Body Refinement Realm, but was obviously weak, almost an easy question.

Fang Hao walked back to the queue from the wooden box, holding the bamboo stick between his fingers, without looking at the name on the stick.

His gaze swept across half the training ground, through the gaps between a dozen people, and fixed on the back of Fang Yuan's head.

Fang Cheng stood behind him and followed his gaze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Fang Hao's lips moved, his voice so low that only Fang Cheng could hear it.

"No need to wait for the lottery."

Fang Cheng was taken aback.

Fang Hao snapped the bamboo skewer in half, and the fragments fell through his fingers.

"After winning the first match, I immediately picked him."