My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 370: Chapter 180: Fifth Realm

The elder on the dais spoke in a gentle voice.

Qin Fang bowed slightly and sat back down.

He could feel waves of burning, curious, probing gazes on his back... All he could do was sigh softly.

’Whose fault was it but my own for coming out dressed in these flashy True Inheritance robes?’

”Nephew Qin, you must have broken through to the next realm only recently, yes? It’s been two days since you entered the Sect. Have you selected your True Essence Root Technique?”

Surprisingly, the elder didn’t resume his lecture. Instead, he began to chat amicably with Qin Fang.

Qin Fang’s scalp tingled with apprehension, but he took a deep breath and answered respectfully, ”I chose my True Essence Root Technique yesterday.”

”Oh? Let’s see... Huh?!”

At first, the elder was still smiling. As he spoke, a spiritual light flickered in his eyes, but once it faded, the gentle expression on his face vanished, replaced by sheer astonishment.

”You... You’ve actually had your Nature Aspect manifest already?! The True Essence Root Technique you chose... you’ve already mastered the basics?!”

The elder cried out, completely losing his composure.

As expected, his words caused an uproar.

”Wh-what?! His Nature Aspect has manifested? In a single night?!”

”That’s impossible! I-I’ve been cultivating for nearly three whole months and my Nature Aspect still hasn’t manifested!”

”This...!”

Inside the great hall, there weren’t just Huajin Inner Sect disciples... there were also many who had already entered the True Essence Realm!

So when they heard the elder’s words, these Inner Sect disciples, who had only been watching Qin Fang with mild curiosity, were all completely dumbfounded.

Some of them even cried out in shock, losing all composure.

Unsurprisingly, this set the other disciples abuzz as well.

Qin Fang pressed his palm to his forehead...

’I knew this would happen.’

He sighed inwardly but could only say sheepishly, ”I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered the basics... I’ve just... made a little progress...”

”No, the initial formation of your Nature Aspect clearly means you have perfectly attracted the corresponding Primordial Power!”

The elder sized him up in astonishment, his pupils constricting. He stared at the dark patterns on Qin Fang’s Infinite Star Armor and murmured, ”How could I be so foolish? I completely forgot the special property of the Stellar Thousand Forms Gauze... The Gauze you’re wearing has already revealed the Profound Water Aspect... That’s the best proof of all...”

Qin Fang: ”...”

He was at a loss for words.

Wave after wave of shocked, astonished, and disbelieving gazes landed on his back.

”Mastery of a Body Technique Leaf Skill in a single night... and now mastery of a Root Skill too?”

”What kind of freakish talent is that?”

”Is... is he even human?”

They were all left completely stupefied.

Someone murmured, ”I... I’ve been practicing my Root Skill for almost a year, and I still haven’t managed to form my Nature Aspect... What does that make me?”

His confidence as a martial artist was completely shaken.

As the din grew louder, Qin Fang quickly interjected, ”Elder, I’m here for the lecture. Shouldn’t we get back to it?”

The elder slowly recovered from his shock, his gaze on Qin Fang now complex. ”It seems only the news of you mastering a Body Technique Leaf Skill got out yesterday. No one knew you’d mastered a Root Skill too. Otherwise... the one who went to Guiyuan Valley today wouldn’t have been Lu Changting. I’m afraid the Six Veins Hall Masters... and even the Sect Leader... would have all gone there personally.”

At this, he let out a long sigh. ”Senior Brother Yue... He really struck gold...”

His words only made the hall grow even more clamorous.

Qin Fang, however, was at a loss for how to respond, a wry look on his face.

’Somehow, it seems I’ve caused another huge commotion, haven’t I?’

The uproar intensified as everyone reeled from the shock of Qin Fang’s terrifying talent.

Finally, the elder snapped back to reality. Hearing the growing uproar, his brow furrowed slightly and he suddenly spoke: ”Silence.”

That single word, ”Silence,” seemed to carry a strange power. Though not spoken loudly, it instantly suppressed the entire uproar.

It was as if the clamor of that very instant was suddenly muffled, its volume dropping drastically.

Then, everyone subconsciously fell silent, and tranquility returned to the great hall.

”Qin Fang’s talent is exceptional, truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.”

The elder’s voice was calm once more, his expression regaining its usual composure.

His voice echoed throughout the hall. ”However, the path of cultivation is long and arduous. It is never merely a race to see who starts faster. Talent is like a tailwind, a helpful push at the start. But it is determination that acts as the rudder and perseverance as the oars. Only with them can you cross vast oceans and scale perilous peaks.”

His calm gaze swept across the many disciples in the hall, his voice steady. ”To see another’s superior talent and feel that you yourself are lacking—that is cowardice. Is that the mentality we Martial Artists should possess?”

”Within the Sect, all the resources and Cultivation Techniques you need are provided. The path has been paved for you. Some will walk it first, others will follow; both are natural. Throughout history, there has been no shortage of late bloomers who ultimately surpassed those who started before them.”

”Do not be so busy staring at the summit of another’s mountain that you forget to climb the path beneath your own feet. His path is his own. Your path lies before you.”

”Hold true to your heart, see your path clearly, and take it one steady step at a time... That is the only way to reach your destination.”

As his voice fell, the hall was silent.

The shock and confusion in the eyes of many disciples were gradually replaced by contemplation and determination...

The elder’s brief speech struck like a gavel, pulling their minds from the trap of useless comparison and anchoring them once more to their own cultivation.

”We shall heed the Elder’s teachings!”

One by one, they began to bow.

Qin Fang felt a jolt of realization and a newfound respect for the elder before him began to grow.

The elder nodded slightly, but soon he looked at Qin Fang again, pondered for a moment and asked, ”You came to the Tempering Martial Hall. What did you want to hear about?”

Qin Fang: ”...”

The many Inner Sect disciples: ”...”

’Wait a minute... just now he was giving that righteous speech, telling all the Inner Sect disciples in the hall not to be so busy staring at another’s mountain that they forget their own path...’

’...and now he turns around and gives Qin Fang special treatment?’

’...Is that really appropriate?’

Qin Fang was also a little speechless.