In the end, Qin Fang didn’t listen for long. He only vaguely gathered that an imperial envoy had arrived, but he didn’t know any specifics.

He returned home and made breakfast.

After eating, he rested for a bit and then began practicing with his Darts.

’Hidden Weapon (Darts) (Minor Achievement): 975/1000’

A glance at his panel showed the proficiency for his Darts had reached 975 points.

Only 25 more proficiency points, and he would advance to the next stage.

If he focused completely on training, it would probably only take two or three days.

Qin Fang let out a soft breath and picked up a Dart.

This was his first time practicing with Darts since beginning his new training regimen.

The next moment...

With a flick of his wrist, he instantly sent the Dart flying.

The moment he threw it, he instantly sensed the difference!

Though it seemed like the same wrist-flick throw, his method of generating Force this time was different... he had incorporated his Pile Skill.

And the result was...

WHOOSH!

The Dart became a blur. Before Qin Fang could even react, the wooden target he had set up five meters away was pierced straight through!

CRACK!

With a sharp crack, the target split right down the middle and fell to the ground.

As for the Dart, it was now firmly embedded in the wall behind where the target had been.

More than half of its length was buried inside.

Qin Fang was utterly dumbfounded...

’This...’

’Was that the Dart *I* threw?!’

He blinked, his face a mask of disbelief.

’A single Dart shattered a solid wood target?’

’...How the hell is this any different from a bullet?!’

For a moment, even Qin Fang was frozen in shock.

He stood there dazed for a good while before his breathing began to quicken. A thought struck him, and he rushed back into the house, grabbed another target, and hung it on the outer courtyard wall.

Then he went to retrieve the Dart embedded in the wall.

He gave it a hard tug but couldn’t pull it out.

Qin Fang’s heart pounded with shock. He pulled again, harder... After a good while, he finally managed to wrench the Dart free.

Looking back at the wall, he saw a small, deep hole.

He immediately went back inside, retreating to the far end of the room. He was now at least ten meters away from the target on the courtyard wall.

The next moment, he took a deep breath, and the Dart in his hand shot out!

WHOOSH!

THWACK!

CRACK!

The three sounds rang out almost as one...

Looking outside, he saw the target had once again disintegrated.

The terrifying Dart had obliterated the target and once again embedded itself in the courtyard wall.

Qin Fang was stunned.

After a long moment, he finally murmured aloud...

"This is... the Root and the Leaf?"

He was, of course, familiar with Elder Wu’s theory of the Root and the Leaf.

Simply put, it was about power and technique.

But understanding the theory was one thing; he had never truly experienced it before.

But now... he had gained a true understanding of the so-called Root and Leaf!

His master had said that Darts were a standard Leaf Skill. But without a Root, a Leaf Skill was empty and powerless—nothing more than a flashy, useless display.

But since Qin Fang had relied on his Darts to kill Wang Long and his men, he hadn’t taken the advice entirely to heart.

But now...

He truly understood.

’...If I’d had this kind of power back then, would killing Wang Long and his men have been so much trouble?’

’Why would I have even needed to wait for them to split up?’

’A sneak attack from behind would have been one Dart, one kill!’

’They wouldn’t have even had time to react!’

’A single Dart of mine can shatter a solid wood target... How could a skull, no matter how hard, be tougher than solid wood?’

’One of these Darts would have gone straight through their heads!’

’An instant kill.’

’Even Wang Long would never have been able to pull that ’playing dead’ stunt to give me a scare!’

Qin Fang sucked in a sharp breath, staring at the Dart in his hand...

Not only was the Force behind it greater.

His accuracy was clearly more reliable as well.

Even his effective range was much longer.

Before, he could only guarantee a kill from five meters away.

But now, from ten meters away, he felt like he could hit his mark every time!

’And this... is probably nowhere near my limit!’

This was the Leaf, now that it had a Root!

After the initial shock, Qin Fang was overcome with intense joy.

For the first time, he felt... that he had truly mastered a skill sufficient to ensure his own survival!

’I wonder... with a Dart like this... could I assassinate an Anjin Martial Artist?’

The thought couldn’t help but cross Qin Fang’s mind.

The current power of his Darts was incredibly tempting.

...After all, Wang Hu was a sword hanging over his head.

Two months had passed, and Wang Hu hadn’t made any moves. It seemed like the matter was over...

But Qin Fang still felt uneasy.

It was a feud born from a brother’s murder.

Just because the man hadn’t come for him yet didn’t mean he had given up.

His time on the run hadn’t taught Qin Fang many things, but one lesson was crucial: never, ever let your guard down.

The moment you think things are looking up and grow complacent... is likely the moment disaster is about to strike.

The wound on his left shoulder was the price of such carelessness.

Before falling asleep, he had actually noticed the man who came to ambush him that night.

The man didn’t act right away, but the couple of extra glances he gave Qin Fang had already made him realize something was amiss.

But because he’d grown complacent, he still fell into a deep sleep that night.

The result... he’d nearly gotten his throat slit in the middle of the night.

As the Gang Leader of the Iron Tiger Gang, how could Wang Hu possibly not investigate his brother’s murder?

It had been two months, and on the surface, nothing seemed to be happening.

But...

Hadn’t he been just as oblivious when Wang Long showed up at his door?

And he’d ended up cornered in his own home.

Not everything comes with a warning.

And the day he’d killed those men...

...it wasn’t as if he’d left no traces.

On the contrary, he had left far too many...

Qin Fang’s eyes flickered as he began to ponder the matter.

In the end, however, he let out a slow breath and calmed his racing thoughts.

’I still can’t be careless... The man’s an Anjin Martial Artist, and I haven’t even reached the Mingjin Realm yet.’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’My Darts seem powerful... but who the hell knows what techniques an Anjin Martial Artist has?’

’The Martial Artists of this World are really something else.’

’If I judge things based on my past experience, I’m bound to take a nasty fall.’

Qin Fang’s thought that his Darts could threaten an Anjin Martial Artist was undoubtedly based on his experience from his past life... This level of power was almost equivalent to a large-caliber handgun.

’Who could possibly withstand a large-caliber handgun?’

But on second thought, he hadn’t even reached the Mingjin Realm yet, and he could already throw Darts with this kind of power.

So on what basis could he assume that Wang Hu, a man an entire major Realm above him, wouldn’t possess even more terrifying and astonishing techniques?

’If Anjin Martial Artists were that easy to kill... would they hold such a high status?’

A shiver ran down Qin Fang’s spine, and he calmed down completely.

’After all, I can’t be the only person in this World who practices Hidden Weapons.’

’It follows that the truly strong must have ways to counter them.’

’Acting rashly would be a death sentence.’

He let out a long breath, completely suppressing the ambitious thoughts in his mind.

’In any case... I’ll focus on getting my Darts to the next Realm first.’

Qin Fang’s eyes shone with determination.

Then, Qin Fang began throwing his Darts, one after another.

He became completely absorbed in his practice.

With the Root and Leaf now intertwined, the power of his Darts had increased dramatically.

But likewise, aspects like his force-generation technique needed to be fine-tuned.

They had to be adjusted to better suit his current power...

And just like that, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Every day, Qin Fang practiced his Standing Pile, his fist forms, and his Darts.

「Three days later...」

’Hidden Weapon (Darts) (Great Success): 1/5000’

Staring at the panel, Qin Fang froze for a moment.

’The proficiency requirement jumped from 1,000 all the way to 5,000?’

And in the next moment, a feeling as if Blessings Arrive in the Heart quietly emerged.

Countless advanced techniques and more complex methods related to Darts flooded his mind.