Not using a weapon, and forcefully beating the "Divine Force Puppet" refined from an Underground Demonic Person to death entirely with punches and kicks, all the powerful family disciples present felt that Fang Han was truly much too fierce and overbearing.
At the same time, regarding the formidable toughness of Fang Han's muscles and bones, a feeling of the unimaginable rose in all their hearts.
However, this was also not strange. Every great aristocratic or powerful family had their own secrets. Perhaps there was a despotic method of horizontally training the muscles and bones within the Fang family. It still wasn't to the point where this group of powerful family disciples would get to the bottom of it.
In this instant, Fang Han established his position in their hearts, avoiding being looked down upon, and also demonstrated that he possessed enough value to be won over.
And so it was, the Young Marquis of Zhenyuan Liu Kang, and Commandery Princess Hongyi immediately discovered Fang Han's value.
Disciples of powerful aristocratic families were all adept at winning over talents. Moreover, after becoming Outer Court Disciples, there was a series of competitions every year, which were much more bloody and naked than the bureaucracy of the royal court.
Just think about it, hundreds of thousands of Outer Court Disciples, all having to compete for a few thousand Inner Court Disciple quotas. The cruelty of the competition within this was self-evident.
Fang Han was confident that he could mix in like a fish in water within this, gradually elevating his own strength, and ultimately becoming a True Heritage Disciple like Fang Qingxue.
When that time came, even if he wanted to be a slave of the Fang family again, the Fang family wouldn't have the guts to accept it.
"Likewise, likewise. I am merely a bit more formidable in muscles and bones because I practiced some horizontal training martial arts. On the contrary, the sword arts of the Commandery Princess and the Young Marquis each form their own school, possessing their own unique styles, capable of killing people in an instant, much more brilliant than me. Now we are all Outer Court Disciples, in the days to come, we must look after each other."
Facing the friendly overtures of "Commandery Princess Hongyi" and the "Young Marquis of Zhenyuan", Fang Han naturally knew what he ought to say. This phrase "in the days to come, we must look after each other" was spoken with a fair bit of meaning to ponder.
He had long known that the competition among Outer Court Disciples was extremely intense, and without banding together in groups, it was fundamentally impossible to survive. Furthermore, his understanding of this world was far too lacking. He absolutely had to obtain knowledge from other people to enrich his comprehension of heaven, earth, and the world.
For example, what an "Underground Demonic Person" was, he previously did not know.
Birth determined one's experience and knowledge. What could a lowly, small horse-raising slave possibly know?
Fang Han was also extremely clear on this point.
"We are all fellow disciples, we naturally should look after each other." "Young Marquis of Zhenyuan" Liu Kang nodded his head.
"When this assessment is finished, let's go collect the items distributed by the sect together." As Commandery Princess Hongyi spoke, her gaze nonetheless stared at the continuing assessment in the center of the field.
In the subsequent assessment, some people were eliminated, and some people successfully passed.
Especially among them, a few individuals whose identities seemed to be imperial princes and grandsons of the Dali Dynasty, their strikes were sharp and fierce, and they held divine weapons in their hands. It was almost like crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood as they resolved the "Divine Force Puppet", demonstrating incomparably profound strength.
This made Fang Han secretly vigilant in his heart.
After a day passed, the assessment finally concluded. Out of the hundreds and thousands of powerful aristocratic and royal disciples present, only a bit over twenty passed the assessment and became Outer Court Disciples.
"Today the assessment concludes. Those who did not pass, wait in the grand hall. Shortly, we will dispatch immortal cranes to escort everyone out of the Yuhua Mountain. Additionally, disciples who passed the assessment, please follow me to collect the sect's necessary items. Our Ascension Sect will provide you with a place of residence. From now on, you are people of the Ascension Sect, disciples of immortals, your identities are quite extraordinary. In every word and action, you must strictly act according to the sect rules."
An assessing official shouted loudly, leading Fang Han and the others who had participated in the assessment toward the interior of the "Treading Immortal Courtyard".
"Necessary items. I heard they are various magical tools, I wonder what they are?" Fang Han said secretly in his heart.
Not long after, the group of people arrived within a large storage room deep in the inner courtyard. Placed inside were dozens of boxes, exactly one box for each person.
Click, the assessing official leading the way opened a large box. Displayed inside was a feather robe Daoist uniform, several jade-carved talismans, a shark-skin longsword, and a few jade-carved books.
"This feather robe Daoist uniform is a Dharma uniform, woven from the five kinds of silkworm silk: heavenly silkworm, earthy silkworm, golden silkworm, silver silkworm, and black silkworm, softened with a hundred types of spirit medicine. After wearing it, when traveling through the mountains, it can evade a hundred insects. Snakes, bugs, rats, and ants will not invade, and it can avert a hundred poisons and various miasmas. It is even more invulnerable to swords and spears; unless it is a magical tool, it cannot be damaged. Regarding these few talismans, the first one is the Pure Cloth Talisman, containing Dharma water inside. As long as the body gets dirty, with a movement of the mind, the Dharma water transforms into mist, circling the entire body, and can immediately carry away filth, making the whole body clean and refreshing. The second is the Dust Repellent Talisman. The third is the Soul Fire Talisman, capable of producing fire at any time. The fourth is the True Water Talisman; at all times, it can absorb moisture from the air, purifying and storing it in the talisman. In the future, when you go to deserts to execute various sect missions and temper your cultivation, these items can all be put to use. The fifth talisman, the Blood Stopping Talisman, contains medicinal power inside. It can treat various flesh wounds. If you are slashed by a knife or sword, using it will immediately stop the bleeding, stop the pain, and heal the wound."
The assessing official went over the uniform and the talismans once, and subsequently took out a sword. With a swish, it was unsheathed, instantly flashing with bright light, resounding like a dragon's chant and crane's cry. Inch-long fine glints flickered upon the sword body.
"This is the Demon Chopping Sword forged by the Ascension Immortal Sect. Even though it is not a flying sword, it slices through iron as if it were mud. Moreover, it contains an aura of pure yang, capable of beheading dark souls and fierce ghosts, and avoiding evil demons. It is also a magical tool. As long as you can find the fortuitous encounter to be promoted to an Inner Court Disciple, when the time comes, the sect will bestow upon you true flying sword Spirit Artifacts, decapitating people from dozens of miles away. You will be even more capable of riding the sword in flight."
"Additionally, these few jade books record the three great foundational martial arts of the Ascension Sect: the Pine Crane Myriad Longevity Fist, the Flying Spirit Pliant Bone Body, and the Dragon Form Flying Tiger Steps. The others are exactly our Ascension Sect rules, and there are even matters regarding other sects, demonic beasts, the underground abyss, overseas, and the major dynasties. Approximate astronomy and geography are all within them. Your daily task right now is to carefully study and cultivate."
Having introduced all the items distributed inside the box, the assessing official handed them down one by one.
"Good items, even my precious sword is not this sharp! These magical tools, if they could be brought out and auctioned in the capital city, I'm afraid every single piece would be invaluable."
"Commandery Princess Hongyi" held the "Demon Chopping Sword" in her hand. With a slight brandish, she felt the gloomy and profound sword qi.
"Of course. The material of our precious swords is actually no worse than this Demon Chopping Sword, and maybe even better. But this precious sword, during its refinement, had the magic power blessings of a Divine Ability Realm expert added to it." Liu Kang said.
Even if it was a piece of mortal iron, if the magic power of a Divine Ability Realm expert was added during the forging process, it would also turn into a divine weapon.
Fang Han did not speak, but rather stored these items properly one by one. Following the directions of the assessing official, he found his residing room in the "Sleeping Immortal Courtyard".
The "Sleeping Immortal Courtyard" was extremely large, fully fifty times larger than the Fang mansion. Inside, there were independent courtyard compounds one after another, numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands.
The Ascension Sect had fully hundreds of thousands of Outer Court Disciples residing on this plain within the mountains to cultivate. The places they resided included the "Sleeping Immortal Courtyard", "Remaining Immortal Courtyard", "Clear Immortal Courtyard", "Quiet Immortal Courtyard", "Hidden Immortal Courtyard"… numbering in the dozens.
The scale of every residing "Immortal Courtyard" was equivalent to a royal palace, grand and vast in aura.
"What a large courtyard and room."
When Fang Han arrived at the place he resided, he saw his own courtyard, fully a few acres in circumference. The buildings were constructed exactly as pavilions, terraces, and towers, with slender bamboo swaying. Within the courtyard and garden, there were trickling streams everywhere, goldfish playing playfully, and kingfishers crying in the air. The air was permeated with immortal energy; it was truly a wondrous realm of immortals.
"No wonder everyone sharpens their heads to be an Ascension Sect disciple. There are far too many benefits to being a disciple."
Closing the courtyard door, Fang Han sat cross-legged on the large bed in his room. He first changed into the clothes. Instantly, his entire body was brimming with Daoist aura, and a gust of fresh air from the clothes assaulted his nose.
This set of clothes evaded a hundred poisonous miasmas, evaded snakes, bugs, rats, and ants, and was even more unafraid of ordinary knives and swords. In the secular world, it was a rare treasure that ten thousand taels of gold could not procure. Within the Ascension Sect, it was merely the welfare of an Outer Court Disciple.
Subsequently, Fang Han used blood drop refinement one by one on the five jade pieces of the "Pure Cloth Talisman", "Dust Repellent Talisman", "Soul Fire Talisman", "True Water Talisman", and "Blood Stopping Talisman". At once, he felt a connection with these talismans within his mind.
With a movement of his mind, a wisp of flame emerged from the "Soul Fire Talisman".
"Good items. These talismans are simply essential items for going out."
Following that, Fang Han flipped open those few jade books again.
On one of the jade books, the words "Pine Crane Myriad Longevity Fist" were written. As soon as he opened it, unexpectedly upon the jade book, a Daoist wearing white clothes was actually flashing and moving about inside it. Move by move, stance by stance, he was continuously demonstrating the martial arts. Concurrently, a thin and small voice conveyed from the jade book, explaining the various profound mysteries and power-issuing methods of this fist technique.
The detailedness within it was a hundred times better than when Fang Han observed secretly to learn.
"How does this book have images and can also produce sound?" After studying it for half a day, Fang Han couldn't figure out the principles of why this jade book could display human figures and emit sounds. He then let it be; once his cultivation became profound, he would naturally be able to understand.
Opening the other two jade books, they were equally martial arts, "Flying Spirit Pliant Bone Fist" and "Dragon Form Flying Tiger Steps". Fang Han opened both of them, observing the explanations on them and the movements of the white-clothed Daoist, carefully pondering and studying them one by one.
His breathing was smooth!
His entire body's spirit flourished vigorously!
The medicinal power of the Nine Orifices Golden Pill merged into his bone marrow!
Fang Han felt his martial arts advancing precisely yet again.
Today's battle with the "Divine Force Puppet", clashing head-on, brought him magnificent benefits. He thoroughly consolidated his breath, and his physical body became even denser and fuller.
With a slight movement, his muscles and bones emitted explosive sounds. Facing the mirror, Fang Han discovered that the muscles of his entire body appeared as if cast from steel, while the skin of his entire body was smooth and soft, exactly like the most exquisite silk.
"Internal strengthening of the viscera and bowels, organs like iron!"
Fiercely inhaling a breath and swallowing it into his stomach, with a gulping and gurgling rotation, Fang Han's internal organs were ceaselessly working.
Today's "Divine Force Puppet" was akin to a blacksmith striking iron and smelting steel, hammering his entire body, calcining away the impurities once more. It stimulated a massive amount of the medicinal power of the Nine Orifices Golden Pill, causing his physical body cultivation to advance leaps and bounds once again.