Martial Arts: My talent multiplier increased

The sixth breath.

Fang Shouzhen's hand never loosened its grip.

On the viewing platform, the family head, Fang Zhengkun, leaned forward slightly, and the elders on both sides stopped talking, their eyes all turning to the center of the training ground.

Fang Yuanshan stood on the sidelines, his hands behind his back unconsciously clenching.

Of the more than eighty people in the room, not a single person uttered a sound.

Fang Shouzhen's fingers trembled slightly on Fang Yuan's lower abdomen. He had examined Fang Yuan's blood and qi three times, and the result was the same each time. But he couldn't believe it, so he examined it a fourth time.

On the seventh breath, Fang Shouzhen finally stopped.

He took a half step back and gave Fang Yuan a deep look.

This gaze lingered for a long time, so long that the disciples at the edge of the training ground began to whisper among themselves uneasily.

Fang Shouzhen turned to face the viewing platform and took a deep breath.

His voice was louder than ever before when he announced the results; every word seemed to come from his chest, striking the stone walls around the training ground and resonating clearly.

"Fang Yuan!"

"Early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm!"

He paused for a moment.

"When the Qi and blood are condensed like mercury, the foundation is as solid as a mountain."

Fang Shouzheng pronounced the last four words almost one by one.

"Impeccable".

The air in the training ground seemed to be held still.

There was a brief silence.

"Impeccable? Elder Fang Shouzhen said it was impeccable?"

"That Fang Yuan? The Fang Yuan from the collateral branch?"

"Wasn't he still in the Skin Refining Realm ten days ago? How come his foundation is as solid as a mountain? This can't be achieved by forcibly breaking through, can it?"

The murmurs rose from all directions, like a bucket of cold water being poured into a pot of boiling oil, sizzling and crackling incessantly.

The remaining few people in the side line stared blankly at Fang Yuan's back. Some had their mouths agape, while others instinctively gripped the sleeves of their companions.

The atmosphere was completely different in the host's line.

Fang Hao's smile froze on his face.

It didn't disappear, it froze. The corners of her mouth still maintained an upward curve, but that curve had lost all warmth, like water stains frozen in frost.

The words "imperfect" were etched into his mind.

Fang Shouzheng examined dozens of people, and the highest evaluation he gave Fang Hao was "excellent foundation." When it came to Fang Yuan, he skipped a level.

Above average, it is impeccable.

Fang Hao's eyelid twitched.

Fang Cheng and Fang Yong stood behind him, exchanging a glance and seeing the same expression on each other's faces. Not shock, but utter bewilderment. They didn't even have time to be shocked, their minds still reeling.

Ten days ago, Fang Yuan was a good-for-nothing ridiculed by the Quanwu Hall.

Ten days later, his foundation evaluation surpassed Fang Hao's.

Fang Cheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he subconsciously looked at Fang Hao's profile. Fang Hao's jaw was taut, and his masseter muscle bulged out in a hard knot, as if he were chewing on a piece of stone.

Fang Cheng swallowed back all the words that were about to come out.

On the viewing platform, the patriarch Fang Zhengkun leaned back in his chair, his two fingers slowly tracing the lines on his cuffs.

The eldest elder on the left, Fang Shouye, leaned over and lowered his voice: "Zhengkun, this kid... which branch of the collateral line does he belong to?"

"Fang Lin's son." Fang Zhengkun's voice was very calm.

"Fang Lin?" Fang Shouye frowned. "The one who grows vegetables?"

Fang Zhengkun didn't respond, his gaze remaining fixed on Fang Yuan in the center of the training ground, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger.

The Third Elder on the right, Fang Shoude, stroked his chin: "Ten days ago he was still in the Skin Refining Realm, and ten days later he broke through to the Flesh Refining Realm. His foundation was even rated as impeccable by Shouzheng... How many years has it been since we, the Fang family disciples, have seen such a speed of progress?"

Fang Zhengkun remained silent, only slightly narrowing his eyes.

On the sidelines, Fang Yuanshan stroked his short beard, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

He had noticed long ago that Fang Yuan's growth rate in sparring these past few days was unusual. Rapid recovery of qi and blood, strong learning ability, and an increasingly solid foundation—this wasn't the trajectory expected of someone with mediocre talent.

Now that Fang Shou-zheng has personally verified it, the four words "impeccable" have made a final judgment, completely silencing all the nonsense about "forced breakthrough," "weak foundation," and "last gasp."

Fang Yuanshan glanced in Fang Hao's direction.

The expression on that young master's face was quite intriguing.

Fang Yuan walked back to the queue, his expression unchanged.

He could feel the gazes coming from all directions, some burning, some cold, some filled with blatant curiosity, but he didn't respond to any of them. He knew better than anyone the weight of the words "imperfect."

The foundation laid by twice the innate talent is far superior to that of Fang Hao, whose foundation was nurtured by family resources. The deeper Fang Shouzhen probed the blood and qi, the more he saw, which is why he lingered for three breaths before stopping.

Everything that needed to be seen has been seen. Everyone who needed to know now knows.

This is enough.

Fang Yuanshan walked back to the center of the training ground, raised his hand and pressed down, and the noisy discussions quickly subsided.

"Realm verification complete."

His voice was steady and powerful, and his gaze swept over all the disciples who had passed the verification.

"The second item is the strength test."

Fang Yuanshan turned to the side and reached out a hand to guide him.

Two martial arts servants carried a huge object out from behind the training ground and placed it in the center of the area.

A bronze tripod.

The cauldron has a round body and a dark green color. When its three legs touch the ground, the bluestone slab makes a dull thud. The surface is cast with intricate animal patterns and is mottled with rust, which shows that it is very old.

Fang Yuanshan's voice echoed throughout the hall: "This cauldron weighs three thousand catties. The standard for the early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm is to be able to shake the cauldron. Shaking it is considered qualified, and lifting it off the ground is considered excellent."

Three thousand catties.

This number caused many disciples in the early stages of the Body Refining Realm to change their expressions slightly. Shaking and lifting are two different concepts. It is not difficult to make the cauldron sway, but to lift all three legs off the ground requires a completely different level of explosive power of qi and blood.

The children stepped forward one by one.

Most disciples at the early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm could only make the bronze cauldron sway slightly, and the cauldron's legs would leave shallow scratches on the ground before they were already panting heavily.

A few with better talent can tilt the cauldron and lift one foot off the ground, but they can't hold on for more than a breath before crashing back to their original position.

Fang Yuanshan recorded the scores one by one, his face expressionless.

"Fang Hao."

When Fang Yuanshan called out this name, a low commotion arose in the main family's ranks.

Fang Hao stepped out of the queue, his steps steady, his expression back to normal. He walked to the bronze cauldron, but instead of immediately starting, he stretched his shoulders and wrists, his knuckles cracking.

He squatted down, gripped the animal-shaped handles below the rim of the cauldron with both hands, tightened his grip, and the muscles on his forearms bulged out, with veins spreading down the back of his hands to his forearms.

"drink!"

A loud shout burst from his chest as Fang Hao kicked off with both legs and exerted force with his waist and back, causing the three-thousand-pound bronze cauldron to tremble violently in his hands.

Three legs off the ground.