Moreover, Wang Hu felt extremely satisfied with his current state. He was no longer the outer sect disciple of the Dayang Sect who could be easily bullied, but the honorable Deputy Sect Master of the sect, truly beneath one person and above thousands. Wang Hu was filled with confidence about the future development of the Dayang Sect.

With a Sect Master like his elder brother, it would be difficult for the Dayang Sect not to thrive!

...

Ding Fan descended the mountain and headed towards the place Long Ren had previously told him about, a place called Giant Peak. Giant Peak was about three thousand kilometers from Ding Fan's current location; Ding Fan estimated it would take him at least half a month to reach it, but such a journey posed no problem for him.

Although it was somewhat far, Ding Fan did not feel discouraged. On the contrary, due to the longer distance, he could inquire more about the whereabouts of Gusu Qingwen along the way and gather information about the Wild Wolf Gang. Besides, such a distance was trivial on the vast Donglai Continent.

Ding Fan traveled continuously for several days, and the journey was fairly smooth. Along the way, he easily eliminated several Fifth Grade Yuan Beasts, which posed no threat to him. A few casual strikes with his sword were enough to slay them. Throughout this journey, Ding Fan traversed through deep mountains.

He did not encounter any cultivators, which was somewhat disappointing for Ding Fan, as he hoped to gather some information on the journey. Encountering no cultivators was naturally not ideal. Ding Fan extended his Divine Sense and finally discovered a town a few kilometers ahead.

Ding Fan couldn't help but feel a bit pleased and immediately planned to visit that town. Although going through the town took a slightly longer route, Ding Fan decisively decided to take the detour to gather information.

While traveling, if Ding Fan came across a Yuan Beast, he would use it to practice his swordsmanship or fist techniques. However, his main focus remained on swordsmanship. Ding Fan was particularly interested in the "Wind-like Sword Technique" and had already learned the third style of this technique. Clearly, Ding Fan wanted to pursue higher levels of swordsmanship, as the Wind-like Sword Technique consisted of nine levels, and he had only reached the third level.

Even just the third level of this swordsmanship had already become Ding Fan's trump card, indicating how powerful it was. Naturally, Ding Fan wanted to learn higher sword techniques. He was currently studying the Fourth Chapter of swordsmanship, which, like the third chapter of Ordinary Sword, was unnamed by its creator, but the power of its sword techniques was undoubtedly formidable.

Ding Fan had been studying the Fourth Chapter of swordsmanship for some time and knew that it was absolutely formidable, something he could sense right away. However, it was also extremely challenging to cultivate. Ding Fan knew that if he successfully mastered these sword techniques of the Fourth Chapter,

even a single strike could unleash the power of a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand swords. Whether dealing with a single cultivator or a group, this was an incredibly formidable sword technique. Regardless of whether the opponent consisted of thousands of cultivators, deploying just a few strikes from the Fourth Chapter of swordsmanship could annihilate them all—it was that powerful.

If facing a single cultivator, the opponent would have to defend against a hundred swords while Ding Fan only needed one strike. This would certainly give him a significant advantage in combat. Ding Fan believed that mastering the sword technique of the Fourth Chapter would greatly enhance his swordsmanship skills.

Previously, Ding Fan had only learned one type of sword technique. Although it was unexpectedly effective, especially as a trump card, it couldn't be used repeatedly, especially against the same opponent. If he had used it previously,

the next time he faced the opponent, they would be highly guarded against it, causing the effectiveness of his swordsmanship to diminish significantly.

However, the Fourth Chapter of swordsmanship could be unleashed at will. It didn't rely on the element of surprise to harm the opponent; instead, it used pure swordsmanship.

As Ding Fan traveled, he practiced his swordsmanship whenever he encountered a Yuan Beast of the Fifth Grade or above.

Throughout the journey, Ding Fan was not lonely. He could feel his swordsmanship improving, which brought him great satisfaction.

Boom!

Ding Fan wielded his flying sword and delivered a strike towards a Golden Leopard. Although it was just one strike, countless sword scars appeared around the Golden Leopard. The Golden Leopard, terrified by Ding Fan's formidable skill, looked at him in shock, never expecting this seemingly young human to be so powerful.

Howl~

The Golden Leopard let out a wail, its fear of Ding Fan far exceeding its will to fight, and it scrambled to flee. Normally appearing just over two meters long, in its frantic escape with outstretched legs, it seemed four to five meters long. Imagining how fast it was running away.

Heh! Trying to escape? No way!

Ding Fan exerted his legs and charged towards the Golden Leopard. The Divine Vigor emanated from his whole body, and each stride covered about ten meters. Ding Fan's speed was much quicker than the Golden Leopard's. It took only a few breaths for Ding Fan to catch up with the Golden Leopard.

At this moment, Ding Fan had great insights into the Fourth Chapter of swordsmanship. He couldn't pass up such a good opportunity to practice, so he injected his Divine Vigor into the flying sword, then swung it according to the "Wind-like Sword Technique." Although the sword techniques seemed simple to Ding Fan, the flying sword in his hand became indistinct and sharp, seemingly no longer just a single flying sword but a fusion of countless flying swords on the verge of blasting apart. The flying sword in Ding Fan's hand overlapped in layers, as if it took effort to control the multitude of them.

Go!

Ding Fan ultimately brandished the flying sword in his hand, directly striking at the golden leopard that was still desperately fleeing. However, no matter how hard the golden leopard ran, Ding Fan was always trailing not far behind. Although the golden leopard was a Yuan Beast, it was still above the fifth grade, possessing some intelligence. Seeing this scene, a sense of sorrow suddenly welled up in its heart...

Rumble...

As Ding Fan swung out with a sword, those flying swords that seemed uncontrollable found an outlet, crazily attacking the golden leopard. In no time, the direction pointed by Ding Fan's flying sword, a stretch of several dozen meters, had been chaotically slashed into a sorry sight. Sand flew, dust spread, and the short, thin trees were instantly cut down by the sword stream. The thicker trees bore numerous sword scars, with their sap flowing.

At this moment, the golden leopard was only concerned with escaping, powerless to deal with Ding Fan's strike. It had already suffered great losses to the opponent's flying sword before. Obviously, even if it wanted to defend, it couldn't withstand the attack, and thus, Ding Fan's numerous flying swords directly hacked into the opponent's back, instantly severing several sections of its spine. At this point, the golden leopard was already lifeless.

Looking at the flying sword in his hand and the now-dead golden leopard, Ding Fan was quite satisfied, feeling very happy.

"Finally succeeded!"

Ding Fan had finally mastered the swordsmanship of the fourth chapter after researching for many days. Although Ding Fan couldn't yet refine this fourth chapter of swordsmanship to rival a thousand swords or ten thousand swords with a single strike, he could at least contend with a hundred swords. Ding Fan was quite satisfied with the power of this strike.

At this point, even a cultivator at the early stage of Spirit Severing would probably find this swordsmanship very troublesome. Coupled with his own strong Divine Vigor, eliminating a cultivator at the early stage of Spirit Severing had become very easy. Even a cultivator at the mid-stage of Spirit Severing facing this swordsmanship might not find it so easy.

He reckoned that he might not even need the Frost Toad to engage with the opponent for a while. Although he might not necessarily be victorious, he certainly wouldn't fear the opponent. The outcome would likely be fifty-fifty!

Moreover, Ding Fan was most pleased not with his current swordsmanship strength but because he had now learned the swordsmanship of the fourth chapter. Although he could only unleash a hundred swords, he had at least gotten a foothold in the fourth chapter of swordsmanship. Reaching the level of a thousand or ten thousand swords was only a matter of time.

With a few slashes, Ding Fan extracted the golden leopard's crystal core, cut the golden leopard into small pieces with a dagger, then set up a fire and began roasting the leopard meat. It was already evening, the sunset emerged, and Ding Fan was on a mountain peak, where he could see a very beautiful sunset.

Since Ding Fan had learned the swordsmanship of the fourth chapter, he was in a good mood. Accompanied by the beautiful sunset, he made some roasted meat, drank a little wine, and considered it a way to relax from the relentless cultivation along the way.

As the sunset fell, Ding Fan drank wine and roasted meat, and the aroma of the meat spread quickly, making anyone who smelled it hungry. The barbecue was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Ding Fan sprinkled it with a handful of seasoning like salt and sesame seeds. The golden-brown, reddish barbecue looked mouth-wateringly delicious. Ding Fan drank wine as he ate the meat, admiring the beautiful scenery outside, feeling this moment was absolutely delightful...

...

Ding Fan, slightly drunk, didn't know when he fell asleep. When Ding Fan woke up, it was already morning. The forest was filled with the fragrance of flowers and singing of birds. At this time, the spiritual energy was at its densest, and the fresh scent of the free-standing trees in the forest mingled with the spiritual energy in the air, filling one's lungs, leaving one refreshed and delighted...

Just when Ding Fan was enjoying the rare morning joy, the voices of a few cultivators came from not far away.

Ding Fan was startled. This was the first time he encountered cultivators after wandering in the forest for so many days. Ding Fan couldn't help but hold his breath and focused, extending his divine sense to listen to what they were saying.

Not far from Ding Fan, four cultivators met each other, seemingly running into acquaintances...

"Young Master Fang, are you also going to Panyang Town?" One of the slender boys, looking at the other dressed in brocade, seemingly of noble status, asked.

"That's right, our young master is also heading to Panyang Town. You guys are probably going as well, aren't you?" The other servant-looking boy of the Fang family responded with a wicked smile.

The Fang family boy, seeing his servant's demeanor, couldn't help but show a wicked smile, obviously not opposed to his servant's words.

"Haha, that's right, I've long heard of Young Master Fang's countless encounters with women. I've been admiring you for a long time!"

The slender man said with a lewd smile, feeling a connection in depravity with the other.

"Not at all, not at all, I just happen to like beautiful women..."

The Fang family boy, hearing the other's words, felt very cocky as he spoke.