Shi Jian was not a sore loser.

Han Yuan had defeated him fair and square this time.

His skills were simply inferior, and he had to admit defeat.

Han Yuan did not press the attack.

He’d had opportunities to land a killing blow during the match.

But in the end, he had chosen to send Shi Jian flying with a single punch.

He could sense that Shi Jian was just as Huang Xian’Er had described: very similar to himself, with an unusual devotion to the Martial Dao.

It was out of mutual respect that he had held back from a fatal strike.

"Once you break through to the True Qi Realm, we’ll fight again."

Han Yuan said with a slight smile.

Shi Jian was indeed a worthy opponent, the strongest Inner Breath Martial Artist he had encountered so far.

Unfortunately, his own current strength had long since surpassed the Inner Breath level.

Shi Jian grinned. "Then you just wait. I’ll be back to challenge you again soon."

He had lost this time.

"I’ll be waiting."

Han Yuan nodded.

The two exchanged few words. After clasping their fists in salute, they turned and left.

Bai Tianchen’s expression turned exceptionally ugly.

In contrast, Huang Xian’Er’s smile became exceptionally brilliant.

"Young Master Bai, don’t forget to transfer those two thousand Contribution Points to me quickly."

"Otherwise, if I have to come knocking on the Bai Family’s door to collect, it won’t be pleasant for anyone."

Bai Tianchen forced himself to look calm. "I’ll transfer them to you tomorrow."

With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed off, unwilling to stay a moment longer.

Huang Xian’Er just smiled without saying a word.

’Two thousand Contribution Points... this guy will probably have to bleed a lot to scrape that together.’

Outside the Observatory, a large crowd of Martial World Wanderers was still watching from a distance.

"That Shi Jian really has some nerve, daring to charge into the Observatory all by himself."

"He’s the senior brother of the Divine Fist Sect. Without a good reason, the Observatory wouldn’t dare do anything to him."

"It’s just a shame we couldn’t watch him fight Han Yuan."

"Hey, look! Shi Jian’s coming out!" someone suddenly exclaimed.

The crowd of Martial World Wanderers turned to look.

They saw Shi Jian walk out of the Observatory, clutching his chest and coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

Seeing his state, the crowd grew even more shocked and suspicious.

"Did he win or lose?"

"Who knows..."

Everyone had imagined the battle between Han Yuan and Shi Jian would be a fierce struggle between a dragon and a tiger.

Soon, a Martial World Wanderer sidled up to him and asked, "Brother Shi, did you defeat that Han Yuan?"

Shi Jian glanced at him and said frankly, "No... I lost. Han Yuan is much stronger than me. I was completely and utterly convinced of my defeat."

As soon as he said this, the surrounding Martial World Wanderers burst into an uproar.

But Shi Jian paid them no further mind and simply walked away.

"Shi Jian actually lost..."

"From the sound of it, he was defeated thoroughly."

"Just how strong is this Han Yuan?"

"What a shame... to have missed this match is a lifelong regret."

As these Martial World Wanderers spread the news, it quickly circulated throughout Cangshui County Town.

...

「The Bai Family Estate.」

Upon hearing the news, Bai Muxin’s expression grew even more grim.

He hadn’t made a move since the last time he hired the Tattooed Monk to assassinate Han Yuan and failed.

He had originally thought that Han Yuan’s growth would take a long time, and that it wouldn’t be too late to act again after the commotion died down.

But he never expected Han Yuan’s name to become more and more renowned in Cangshui County Town.

Even the senior brother from the Divine Fist Sect, who had previously swept through all of Cangshui County Town, had been defeated by Han Yuan.

’He’s been at the Observatory for less than half a year.’

’If we give him any more time, he’ll truly become a grave threat to my Bai Family.’

Bai Muxin’s eyes flickered.

The enmity between the Bai Family and Han Yuan was too deep; it could no longer be resolved.

Therefore, this boy must not be allowed to live!

But Han Yuan was already well-established, and getting rid of him would not be so easy.

As one of the Five Great Noble Families of Cangshui County, the Bai Family had three True Qi masters, including Bai Muxin himself.

However, Han Yuan had to die without the Observatory finding any traces leading back to them; otherwise, it would be very disadvantageous for the Bai Family.

So, someone from the Bai Family couldn’t make the move. Bai Muxin still wanted to use his old method: kill with a borrowed knife.

But where would he borrow this knife?

Should he hire someone from the Black Market again?

Given Han Yuan’s current strength, he would have to find someone ranked in the top thirty of the Black List.

The price for that... would likely be steep.

But in order to kill Han Yuan, Bai Muxin could only grit his teeth and send someone to arrange it.

With the Bai Family’s manpower and financial resources, they quickly contacted a figure from the top thirty of the Black List.

The other party had an exorbitant asking price, demanding thirty thousand taels of silver and ten Profound Essence Pills.

These Profound Essence Pills were extremely precious, greatly benefiting True Qi Cultivation, and were worth three thousand taels of silver each on the market.

Moreover, they were priceless and rarely available.

This was because within Cangshui County Town, only the Huang Family was capable of refining them.

But the Huang Family only refined one batch of Profound Essence Pills each month, making them impossible to obtain without the right connections.

Nevertheless, Bai Muxin gritted his teeth and agreed, even paying a deposit of ten thousand taels of silver and five Profound Essence Pills.

But then, something happened that Bai Muxin never expected.

Ever since his spar with Shi Jian, Han Yuan hadn’t taken a single step outside the Observatory for two whole months!

The Black List master who had originally agreed to the job lost patience and simply left.

Naturally, the deposit he received was not returned to the Bai Family.

Bai Muxin could only suffer this loss in silence, but his hatred for Han Yuan deepened even further.

...

「In the Courtyard.」

A violent torrent of air rushed back and forth as if from a giant bellows.

This ferocious airflow was caused entirely by a single figure, breathing with his mouth open.

Han Yuan was sitting cross-legged in the center of the courtyard, his chest rising and falling violently with each breath.

He was like a humanoid whale, every inhale and exhale stirring a massive current of air.

It was hard to believe what immense lung capacity would be required to create such a scene.

As Han Yuan exhaled one final breath, the air churned and billowed violently, refusing to calm for a long time.

Han Yuan’s expression became extremely twisted and terrifying. The qi and blood in his body surged wildly, tempering his muscles, bones, and internal organs.

PFFT!

His body suddenly swelled like an overinflated balloon, his muscles becoming abnormally thick with a terrifying feeling that he was about to explode.

A cup of tea’s time later, Han Yuan finally managed to pacify the airflow within his body.

Host: Han Yuan

Black Whale Oversea Skill: Perfection (Transformed Whale)

Giant Spirit Monument-Opening Hand: Mastery (600/1500)

Seven StarsStep: Minor Success (128/1500)

Eight Extremes Demon-slaying Saber: Minor Success (330/1500)

"Two months of arduous cultivation, consuming over a hundred Spirit Yang Pills, and I’ve finally cultivated the Black Whale Oversea Skill to Perfection."

Han Yuan looked at the panel before him and couldn’t help but smile.

For the past two months, he had barely practiced any other Martial Arts, focusing all his attention on the Black Whale Oversea Skill.

He cultivated day and night, enduring the monotony and tedium.

Today, his efforts had finally paid off.

The Black Whale Oversea Skill was at Perfection!

This top-tier Inner Breath Technique had also given rise to a new Divine Power.

Transformed Whale: Your body becomes like that of a black whale, increasing in size and causing your Qi Power to surge. Lasts for one hundred breaths. Afterward, your body will be left in a weakened state.