Martial Arts: My talent multiplier increased

Fang Yuanshan's tone remained completely calm throughout.

But it is precisely because there is no heat that the oppressive feeling is even more suffocating.

I'm not arguing with you, I'm telling you—you're wrong.

The squad leader's hand, gripping the document, stiffened slightly. His lips moved twice, as if he were chewing on a rebuttal, but he never uttered a word.

Because every word Fang Yuanshan said was correct.

The procedure is indeed flawed. Without the official verification stamp of the medical authority, this whistleblower material is legally worthless.

This part wasn't in the script Li Jue gave him.

The silence lasted for nearly ten breaths.

The air at the entrance was almost frozen. The dozens of onlookers were even deliberately holding their breath, afraid of breaking this extremely tense balance.

In the end, the squad leader took a half step back.

This half-step back was extremely stiff, as if something inside the bone had snapped off with a crack.

"In that case, we'll withdraw for now."

He put the document away and tucked it into his pocket.

The four city guards turned and lined up, their steps still neat, but their speed was noticeably two beats faster than when they came.

After taking three steps, the squad leader stopped.

Turning around, his gaze passed over Fang Yuanshan's shoulder and landed directly on Fang Yuan's face.

"Young Master Fang."

The lines taught by Li Jue.

"The documents will be completed. Please be prepared to undergo further investigation."

After saying that, he turned around and didn't linger.

The sounds of footsteps and armor plates colliding gradually faded away and disappeared at the alley entrance.

The doorway was quiet for a few moments.

Then, as if someone had opened a floodgate, a buzz of discussion poured out from all directions.

Fang Yuanshan did not leave in a hurry.

He glanced down at Fang Yuan beside him.

Fang Yuan stood very straight. His face showed neither the relief of surviving a disaster nor the anger of being cornered at his doorstep.

It was just very calm.

It was like something expected, just going through the expected process.

Fang Yuanshan had seen far too many young people who panicked when cornered. But when this sixteen-year-old boy stood before the city guards and exposed the flaws in the documents, his tone was more composed than that of most adult martial artists he had ever met.

"Thank you, Instructor Fang." Fang Yuan cupped his hands in thanks.

Fang Yuanshan waved his hand.

He didn't say any high-sounding platitudes. His attitude spoke for itself.

I'm standing here today not out of sympathy for Fang Yuan.

It was because the fact that external forces broke into Fang's home and arrested people crossed his bottom line.

Fang Yuanshan only cared about two things in his life—the rules of the martial arts hall and the reputation of the Fang family.

"Your stance training instruction is quite good." Fang Yuanshan put his hands behind his back and lowered his voice slightly. "With me here, they can't interfere in matters within the Martial Arts Hall."

After saying that, he turned and left.

His steps were steady, just as heavy as when he came.

Fang Yuan watched Fang Yuanshan's figure disappear on the steps of the training ground.

This was the first time Fang Yuanshan had publicly stood by his side since the day of the assessment.

Last time it was an "impeccable" evaluation; this time it's the physical barrier of a mid-stage Bone Refining Realm martial artist.

The proportions are completely different.

Fang Yuanshan is not an elder and does not participate in family politics, but no one can shake his position in the Martial Hall. With his words as a guarantee, at least within the Fang family, Fang Yuan's stance training business is a solid block.

Fang Yuan withdrew his gaze and turned to walk into the courtyard.

As he passed through the crowd, he saw Fang Shi.

Fang Shi stood behind a pillar, his expression extremely complex. He seemed about to rush over and say something, but was intimidated by Fang Yuan's expressionless face.

Fang Yuan did not stop.

He knew what was going to happen next.

The city guards' path was blocked, but the squad leader's parting words were not casual remarks—"The documents will be completed"—which shows that Li Jue has not given up, but just needs time to go through the proper procedures.

Next time, there won't be any program vulnerabilities.

Fang Yuan entered the room and closed the door.

He sat at the table for a moment, his mind racing.

Li Jue's three-pronged approach—spreading rumors, using the city guards, and resorting to force. The rumors were largely blocked by Chief Zhao and Old Man Chen, while the city guards were forcefully repelled by Fang Yuanshan.

The third option is force.

The breathing sound of the Bone Refining Realm cultivator outside the wall has been heard for at least three nights.

They haven't made a move yet, which means they're still waiting. What they're waiting for is uncertain; perhaps they're waiting for the city guards to create chaos before taking action amidst the confusion.

The city guards have run into a wall; will the third force be deployed ahead of schedule?

Fang Yuan didn't have a definite answer. But he knew that Li Jue was not someone who could tolerate consecutive failures.

After dinner, the lights in the Grade A courtyard gradually dimmed.

Fang Teng sat at the desk in the Third Elder's courtyard, with a blank sheet of paper spread out in front of him.

The ink in the inkstone had been ground long ago, and the brush was placed on the brush holder. He stared at it for a long time.

He saw everything that happened at the door today.

The moment Fang Yuanshan stepped forward, Fang Teng knew that the city guard's path was doomed.

Fang Yuanshan wasn't the kind of person who played political games like Fang Shou'an. This kind of old-school martial artist was principled—no matter how much you argued within the martial arts hall, that was a family matter. If an outsider stepped in, he would be the first to object.

Li Jue grew anxious, and his moves became increasingly ugly.

And what about Fang Yuan?

Fang Teng recalled the image of Fang Yuan standing before the city guards, effortlessly exposing the flaws in the document with just a few words. That composure didn't seem feigned; it was something ingrained in his very being.

Then I thought of the cracks on the bluestone target that night.

Fang Teng picked up the pen.

He dipped his brush in ink and began to write.

His handwriting was very neat, just like him—to the point of being uncomfortably rigid.

"...I humbly request that Grandfather authorize the initiation of an internal family arbitration process. The city guards' interference in the Fang family's internal affairs is already a shameful precedent. If we allow external forces to make a ruling, regardless of the outcome, the Fang family's prestige will be completely destroyed. We should reclaim the right of adjudication in the name of the family and settle the matter publicly on the martial arts stage."

Fang Teng's pen paused briefly on the paper.

"Your grandson is willing to represent the main family and, under the guise of an internal sparring session, publicly question Fang Yuan's abilities and medicines. A Bone Refining Realm cultivator against a Flesh Refining Realm cultivator is a crushing defeat within the rules; there's nothing more to say."

After finishing writing, Fang Teng put down his pen.

He dried the letter, folded it, and handed it to the servant waiting at the door.

"Deliver it to Grandfather's study. Urgent."

The servant ran away.

Fang Teng stood by the window, looking at the night sky.

Li Jue's methods became increasingly despicable, but his goal was correct—Fang Yuan had to be suppressed. Not because Fang Yuan had offended anyone, but because he was growing too fast.

When Fang Teng defeated Fang Yuan in five moves on the martial arts stage that day, he judged that this young man from a collateral branch was "currently under control".

He has now revised his assessment.

It's not under control; it's spiraling out of control.

If we don't restrain Fang Yuan before he breaks through to the Bone Refining Realm, and wait until he truly stands on the same level as us—

Fang Teng didn't continue thinking about it.

The Third Elder's courtyard.

The light was still on in Fang Shoude's study.

The old man, wearing a pair of brass-framed reading glasses, read his grandson's letter twice from beginning to end.

The letter was written very clearly. The logic was also very sound.

Internal family arbitration reclaimed the right of adjudication, and a public duel was held on the martial arts arena.

Politically, this was a brilliant move that went smoothly. The city guards were rebuffed at the Fang family's doorstep today, causing all three major families to lose face. By initiating internal arbitration, the Fang family not only blocked the city lord's mansion from interfering but also demonstrated their ability to self-purify within the family.

Fang Teng, at the early stage of the Bone Refining Realm, was facing Fang Yuan, who was at the late stage of the Flesh Refining Realm; the difference in their cultivation levels was obvious.

The odds of winning are extremely high.

Fang Shoude took off his reading glasses and placed them next to the letter.

He picked up his vermilion pen and began writing in the annotation space at the end of the letter.

One word.

The vermilion ink gleamed faintly under the lamplight.

"allow."