Martial Arts: My talent multiplier increased

Fang Yuan did not move.

He crouched behind a grayish-white rock, his right knee on the ground and his left hand on the rock face. His posture was extremely relaxed, but his sensory network, twice that of his divine soul, was fully deployed.

Thirty zhang (approximately 33 meters).

The entire battlefield was broken down in his mind into a top-down view accurate to the ruler.

A valley. Narrow at the entrance, wide at the bottom, with steep cliffs on both sides. Not naturally formed—the walls bear extremely regular cutting marks, the work of ancient monks.

Five people in the middle of the valley.

Four young martial artists dressed in identical black armor and short tunics stood in a semi-circle, pinning the fifth person firmly against the base of the rock wall. The angle of the semi-circle was extremely precise, with the distance between each pair maintained at exactly one body length, ensuring that neither teammate would be accidentally injured nor that the surrounded person would have any chance to break through.

They worked together seamlessly. This wasn't a hastily assembled team.

Fang Yuan's gaze fell on the waists of the four people.

A token with a black background and gold patterns.

Page 41 of the intelligence booklet. The insignia of Zhou Tieshan's personal guards in Blackrock City. Men under Shi Potian.

The one that was surrounded—

Fang Yuan leaned forward half a body length, his gaze passing over the edge of the rock.

A man of extremely burly build. Broad shoulders and a thick back, his arms were thicker than Fang Yuan's thighs. He wasn't old, only in his early twenties, but the fleshy face and thick beard made him look like he was thirty.

A metal arm guard was strapped to his left arm, but the metal had been smashed into several deep dents. A large piece of clothing was torn from his right shoulder, and blood was seeping from his shoulder blade, forming a thin, dark red scab.

His right leg was also affected. His trousers below the knee were half-soaked in blood, and his calf muscles were trembling, but his center of gravity remained firmly planted on the ground. He refused to fall.

Late stage of Bone Refining Realm.

Fang Yuan's doubled comprehension allowed him to complete the assessment within 0.3 breaths. This person's blood and qi concentration was extremely high, far exceeding the level of an ordinary late-stage Bone Refining Realm cultivator. In a one-on-one fight, any one of the four Black Stone City disciples would be easy prey for him.

However, with four against one, the team's strength would wane after a prolonged battle.

The burly man leaned against the rock wall, his breathing heavy and labored, like a bellows. With each breath, his chest rose and fell noticeably. His right fist was clenched, his knuckles turning blue, ready to strike at any moment—but Fang Yuan could tell that the muscles in his right arm were nearing the point of exhaustion.

If they keep fighting, they won't be able to hold out for long.

Fang Yuan shifted his gaze from the battlefield and looked up two inches.

Rock wall.

The partially collapsed rock wall on the inner side of the valley floor is about four zhang high. The surface is rough, and the protrusions and fissures provide ample points of attachment. Something is glowing from a horizontal crack in the upper half of the rock wall.

A faint light.

Emerald green.

Fang Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

The vines, about two feet long, hung down from the crack, their leaves narrow and thin, with a faint fluorescent sheen at the edges. The color of the vines was not the deep green of ordinary plants, but an almost translucent green, somewhere between jade and turquoise.

The aroma wafted from that direction. Spicy, sweet, and bitter flavors intertwined, so intense that it made his nasal cavity feel hot.

Jade Vine.

Fang Yuan's breathing stopped for a full two breaths.

It wasn't nervousness. It was suppressing some kind of impulse surging from the depths of my bones.

The text on page 117 of "The Complete Book of Elixir" flashed through my mind—"It can open the mind and cleanse the marrow of those who have not yet entered the martial arts path, and clear the congenital blockages in their meridians."

Fang Ying.

Five years old. His meridians are congenitally blocked, making cultivation impossible.

That afternoon, when Fang Yuan first took Fang Ying's pulse in the first-class courtyard, his twice-powered comprehension allowed him to clearly understand the state of her meridians. Three of her main meridians were blocked, and more than half of her branch meridians were congested. This wasn't due to acquired damage; it was something she was born with.

This kind of congenital blockage has no solution under the medical conditions in Liangshui City.

Fang Yuan searched through all the literature on meridians in the Martial Hall's library, asked Old Man Chen, and even spent money to ask the Mercenary Guild for help to inquire about the clinics in the county town. The answer was always the same: "Unless you have a spiritual medicine to cleanse your marrow and open your meridians, you will have no chance to pursue martial arts in this life."

I am destined to be forever barred from the path of martial arts.

In this world where martial arts reign supreme, this statement is equivalent to—"I am a useless person in this life."

Fang Ying was five years old. She didn't understand what martial arts or meridians were. She only knew that the other children in the yard had started practicing horse stance, but she couldn't do it herself. Whenever she watched others practice, she wouldn't cry or make a fuss; she would just move a small stool to the side, rest her chin on her hand, and watch. After watching, she would go back and draw pictures, all of which were people practicing martial arts.

Fang Yuan put all the paintings in an iron box. He didn't throw any away.

Jade Vine.

It was in a crevice in the rock, about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) above their heads.

Fang Yuan ran his finger across the surface of the rock. His fingernail left a white mark on the stone.

The impulse subsided. My mind started working again.

The current situation.

The Jade Vine is located above the rock face, about four zhang (approximately 10 meters) above the ground. To obtain it, one must climb. Climbing takes time—even with his physical control at four times the level of his stance training, it would take at least three to four breaths.

Three to four breaths. With four Bone Refining Realm warriors present, climbing the wall with your back to the enemy is tantamount to exposing your back to be attacked.

That big man—

Fang Yuan's gaze fell back to the bottom of the valley.

The rock wall that the big man was leaning against was directly below the rock wall where the jade vine was located.

His presence is a natural barrier.

As long as he continues to hold the line, the four Blackrock City people will be trapped in the battle at the bottom of the valley, unable to break free. This will give Fang Yuan time to climb up and retrieve his belongings.

Conversely, if the big man falls, the four of them will be free to fight, and Fang Yuan will have to expend a lot of time and energy to defeat four Bone Refining Realm cultivators alone.

Unable to obtain the Jade Vine.

The conclusion is extremely clear.

Saving him wasn't the goal. The goal was to give him a few more breaths.

Fang Yuan's gaze shifted from the burly man to the four Black Stone City disciples, locking onto the one standing furthest out.

At the far left. Shortest in stature, but most agile. In the semi-circular formation, he was responsible for blocking the left flank of the encircled, positioned about a step and a half away from the core of the main battlefield.

One and a half steps.

enough.

Fang Yuan turned around and glanced at Fang Qi and Fang Zheng behind him.

Fang Qi stood behind a low shrub about three zhang away, expressionless. Fang Zheng squatted on the other side, his hand on the dagger at his waist. Both of them were waiting for his instructions.

Fang Yuan extended his right hand. Three fingers.

Pointing towards the valley entrance.

Fang Qi and Fang Zheng moved silently towards the valley entrance without hesitation. No words were needed. Before setting off, Yuan had only told them one thing—"Go wherever I point, don't ask why."

After Fang Qi and Fang Zheng arrived, they blocked the only way out of the valley.

They're not going to fight. They're going to block. If the people at the bottom of the valley run this way, they only need to hold them off for three breaths.

Fang Yuan turned around.

He moved down the rocky slope along the side of the valley wall, avoiding the main path. Using both hands and feet, he kept his body close to the rock face, concealing himself with protruding rocks and bushes. His four-fold stance training allowed him to move in perfect harmony with the contours of the terrain, his footsteps making no extraneous sound as he stepped on the gravel.

The doubled divine soul continued to lock onto the five people at the bottom of the valley.

The four Blackrock City youths were all focused on the burly man. The leader—the tallest, with a scar on his left cheek—was clashing fists against the man's iron arm guards. With each punch, the dents in the metal deepened.

They're grinding things out. No rush to finish. In a four-on-one situation, the safest approach is to wear down their opponent until they're exhausted before making a decisive move.

Fang Yuan peeked out from behind the last piece of cover in the rocky area.