Martial Arts: My talent multiplier increased

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their gazes darting back and forth between the tall figure on the stage and the unconscious Fang Hao lying in the rubble below. Their minds were blank, unable to process what was happening.

Fang Cheng swallowed hard, the sound unusually clear in the deathly silence, startling even himself.

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

In the area for collateral relatives, someone shouted first.

It is a square stone.

He squatted on the ground, covering his mouth with both hands for several breaths, then suddenly dropped his hands and squeezed out a distorted roar from his throat.

"We won!"

The sound was like a match being thrown into a pot of oil.

The area inhabited by the collateral branches of the family instantly erupted in chaos.

"Fang Yuan won!"

"He won! He really won!"

"Fang Hao has been ousted! Fang Hao from the main family has been ousted!"

A dozen or so offspring jumped up, shoving and shaking each other, some shouting at the top of their lungs until their voices cracked, others grinning with tears streaming down their faces, unaware of it.

It's been suppressed for too long.

The collateral branch had been suppressed in the Fang family's martial arts hall for so long that everyone had forgotten what it felt like to win.

At the edge of the training ground, Fang Lin's legs could no longer support him.

This honest man from a collateral branch of the family, who had lived an honest life, bent his knees and slowly slid down the pillar, landing hard on his backside. His mouth was open, as if he wanted to say something, but his lips trembled for a long time without uttering a single word.

Meng Wan threw herself onto her husband's shoulder, clutching his collar tightly with both hands, burying her head in the crook of his neck, sobbing uncontrollably. It wasn't sadness, but the uncontrollable outpouring of emotions that came from a string that had been stretched for too long suddenly snapping.

Fang Lin raised his hand and patted his wife's back, his palm moving clumsily, one pat after another, his own eyes reddening.

He had spent most of his life growing vegetables and maintaining a straight back, but now, leaning against the cold pillar, looking up at his son's back on the martial arts stage, his nose stung with tears.

On the other side, the atmosphere was completely different for the host's children.

Fang Cheng's face flushed red and then paled as if he'd been slapped, his hands hanging limply at his sides, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably. Fang Yong was even more decisive, taking two steps back and hiding himself in the crowd, not daring to even lift his head.

The other members of the main family looked at each other, no one spoke, but their expressions conveyed the same message.

It’s over.

Fang Hao lost, to a collateral branch. Just ten days ago, they had mocked him as a good-for-nothing.

On the viewing platform, Third Elder Fang Shoude finally noticed that the teacup in his hand was broken. The cooled tea dripped down between his fingers, staining his brocade robe with dark watermarks. He glanced down, loosened his grip, and the broken porcelain shards clattered to the ground.

The First Elder, Fang Shouye, sat upright in his chair, his back as if welded shut, unable to move. His lips moved a few times, but he only managed to utter two words.

"……monster."

Fang Zhengkun sat in the center, his expression remaining unchanged.

But his gaze shifted from Fang Yuan once to Fang Hao in the pile of rubble below the stage, paused for a moment, and then returned to Fang Yuan.

In that brief pause, a very faint thing flashed in his eyes, it was hard to tell whether it was regret or scrutiny.

On the stage.

Fang Yuanshan squatted down beside Fang Hao, placing two fingers on Fang Hao's pulse on the side of his neck. The pulse was weak but steady; although his qi and blood were exhausted, his meridians were not broken, and his bones were not shattered. He had simply been knocked unconscious.

Fang Yuanshan stood up and glanced at Fang Yuan on the stage.

The boy stood in the center of the training platform, his training clothes tattered as if snatched from a dog's mouth, with no fabric left on his left shoulder, revealing a large patch of swollen, purplish-red flesh. His chest, ribs, and arms were covered with bruises of varying depths, and the blood he had wiped from the corner of his mouth earlier had seeped out again, hanging on his chin.

But he stood there, his back ramrod straight.

Fang Yuanshan's Adam's apple bobbed.

Having taught at the martial arts academy for ten years, he had seen geniuses from the main family whose talent far surpassed others, as well as those from the side branches who gritted their teeth and persevered through hardship. He had witnessed countless sparring matches and assessments, but he had never seen a fighting style like this before.

Use your own body as bait, wear down your opponent by taking hits, and learn, correct, and adapt in the process of being hit, and finally launch a fatal counterattack when your opponent is exhausted.

This playing style requires three conditions.

First, its blood and qi recovery speed far exceeds that of other cultivators at the same level.

Second, extremely strong resistance to blows and pain tolerance.

Third, a rationality that chills to the bone.

Twenty punches landed on his body, each one a real blow. Anyone would be in so much pain that they would lose their sense of judgment. Fang Hao's punches were not just fancy moves; they were the full force of his Body Refinement Realm cultivation.

From the first punch to the twentieth punch, Fang Yuan was always observing, always adjusting, and always waiting.

He could even accurately calculate the rate at which Fang Hao's vital energy was being depleted during the intervals between being hit.

This cannot be explained by courage alone.

This is about mindset.

Fang Yuanshan took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the entire audience.

The eyes of hundreds of people in the entire training ground all fell on him.

The cheers from the collateral descendants gradually subsided, the main family members held their breath, and the elders on the viewing platform leaned forward slightly.

Everyone was waiting for Fang Yuanshan's judgment.

Fang Yuanshan's gaze swept across the entire room, slowly moving over each and every person.

The master's sons had ashen faces.

Those offspring from the collateral branches, their eyes red with tears.

The elders on the viewing platform had different expressions on their faces.

Finally, his gaze returned to Fang Yuan behind him.

"This battle."

Fang Yuanshan's voice deepened, as if it were squeezed out from the deepest part of his chest.

"Fang Yuansheng!"

As soon as the two words were spoken, there was another commotion on the side branch, but Fang Yuanshan immediately raised his right hand and pressed it down.

The training ground fell silent once more.

Fang Yuanshan didn't rush to continue. He remained silent for a few moments, seemingly considering his words. But when he spoke again, his voice was louder than ever before.

"This assessment consists of three tests: the realm verification—flawless; the strength test—far exceeding the standard; and the combat sparring—defeating the stronger opponent with the weaker one."

With each comment he made, his tone grew heavier.

"Based on the overall evaluation, Fang Yuan ranks first in this assessment!"

These words struck the training ground and resonated in everyone's ears.

The collateral descendants could no longer contain themselves, and their cheers nearly lifted the roof off. Fang Shi squatted on the ground, howling until his voice became hoarse.

Fang Yuanshan waited a moment, until the cheers subsided, before continuing to speak. His voice wasn't loud, but every word clearly reached the ears of everyone present, including those on the viewing platform.

"Fang Yuan has been in the Martial Arts Hall for two years. Before that, his talent was considered mediocre by everyone, including me."

He paused.

"But today's sparring session showed me something, something more important than talent."