Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Junior Brother Xu, you’re back?" Sun Tao stood up with a smile.

Xu Yang hadn’t returned for over a month, and Sun Tao had been worried he would hear news of Xu Yang’s death in Cyan Yang City.

Xu Yang cupped his fists. "Greetings, Senior Brother Sun."

He then nodded to Jiang Fan and the others, acknowledging them.

"I heard you distinguished yourself at the Hundred Medicine Hall by killing Liu San, the head of the Iron Eagle Gang, and were rewarded by Steward Zhao. Congratulations are in order," Sun Tao said with a laugh.

Only then did Xu Yang realize that news of what had happened in Cyan Yang City had already reached the Purple Sun Sect.

Xu Yang shook his head. "It was just a stroke of luck. He thought I was only at the Qi Gathering Cultivation level and was caught off guard, allowing me to kill him with a surprise attack. Otherwise, I would have likely been the one left for dead at the Hundred Medicine Hall."

He did his best to conceal his true strength.

"Junior Brother Xu, heaven must be watching over you," Jiang Ping said.

Xu Yang was momentarily taken aback; he wasn’t used to Jiang Ping speaking to him so cordially. In the past, Jiang Ping would have undoubtedly said he only succeeded through sheer dumb luck.

Jiang Ping sighed. "Zhang Yong and I almost didn’t make it back this time..."

After some conversation, Xu Yang learned that many people had died on their mission to capture Exotic Beast cubs in the Yunling Mountain Range, and even their leader, Yun Feng, had nearly been killed.

Zhao Zhifei, who had always looked down on those from the Lower Class, had ended up in the stomach of an Exotic Beast. He died in the Yunling Mountain Range, becoming the first of Weiyuan Hall’s six Dragon Ascending Disciples to perish.

Zhang Yong and Jiang Ping had also narrowly escaped death. Fortunately, they managed to achieve Qi Cultivation Gang and reach the Gang Qi Realm, so it was a blessing in disguise.

"How cruel," Xu Yang remarked, feeling a tinge of emotion.

They had been at the Purple Sun Sect for nearly half a year, and twenty to thirty Dragon Ascending Disciples from their class had likely already died.

"Guo Jian is also dead," Sun Tao said.

Xu Yang looked surprised.

Guo Jian was one of the nine people who lived in this courtyard. Xu Yang had no real connection with him—they had barely exchanged a few words—and he never expected that he would die too.

In the courtyard, everyone’s expression was grim. Even Wan Hai and Xu Cheng, two of the older disciples, were silent for a moment.

"Big news! Something huge just happened!"

Just then, Zhang Yong walked in from outside.

When he saw Xu Yang, he subconsciously paused before breaking into a smile. "Oh, you’re back?"

Xu Yang nodded slightly and asked curiously, "What happened?"

Zhang Yong’s expression turned serious. "Qin Ze and Liu Qian just returned to the Sect, severely injured. Apparently, they were ambushed on their way back from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion auction. The two of them managed to escape by a hair’s breadth, but Yue Gui and Chen Jiang are both dead."

’They both actually survived!’

Xu Yang was secretly disappointed.

Sun Tao was stunned. "Yue Gui and Chen Jiang are both dead?"

Back in Qingyuan, both of them were renowned geniuses. Yue Gui, in particular, had comprehended Hidden Strength while still in the Qi Gathering Realm. His reputation was on par with Han Xing’s, and he was a powerful expert with the potential to rank in the top three. To think he would die just from one trip out of the Sect.

Then, he sneered. "Good riddance. It’s finally payback for betraying Junior Brother Xu."

An unnatural expression crossed Zhang Yong’s face. He had betrayed Xu Yang in a way, too. Now that he was being tormented by Sharp Wind Hall, wasn’t that also his own retribution?

’If only I had stuck with Xu Yang,’ he thought. ’The path might have been more difficult, but I definitely wouldn’t have ended up in this state, with my fate in someone else’s hands.’

"Han Xing and Yue Gui are both dead... How are the rest of us supposed to survive?" Jiang Ping felt a chill run down his spine.

In less than half a year, of the sixty geniuses from the Qingyuan County Martial Arts Ascension Dragon, fewer than fifty remained.

’Three years from now, will even ten of the original sixty still be alive?’

At that moment, a commotion sounded from outside the courtyard. Liu Qian and Qin Ze walked in, their robes stained with blood. They cupped their fists and said, "Thank you, Brother Xu."

’Did my call for help really save them?’ Xu Yang felt a sense of helplessness. ’Are they here to thank me? Or are they just making a statement, letting me know they don’t resent me for not personally intervening?’

’Or maybe... they’re here to tell me they survived, and I should just wait and see.’

Keeping his expression neutral, he cupped his fists and replied, "You two are blessed with good fortune. What I did was merely a trivial matter."

"We’re both injured, so we will thank you properly in the future, Brother Xu."

Qin Ze and Liu Qian quickly departed.

Sun Tao asked curiously, "Junior Brother Xu, why did they come to thank you?"

Xu Yang explained, "On my way back, I happened to see them being ambushed. But I had just fought a powerful enemy myself and was injured, so I couldn’t intervene. When I reached the sect gate, I told someone from the Spiritual Monkey Boxing Hall what was happening. They must have gone down to help. That’s probably why they came to thank me."

Sun Tao was shocked. "You’re injured? Why is it so chaotic down the mountain? Who would attack you?"

Only then did he notice Xu Yang’s unnatural complexion and the bloodstains on his clothes.

Xu Yang gave a bitter smile. "Just like them, I also went to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s auction, so naturally, I was targeted. If you guys ever attend an auction there, be careful."

"How bad are your injuries? Do you need any help?" Zhang Yong asked.

Xu Yang shook his head. "I just need a few days to recover. No internal injuries."

Sun Tao sighed. "Junior Brother Xu, you are truly a man of noble character, repaying grievance with virtue. Qin Ze and those people are so vile, yet you still called for help for them. If it were me, I wouldn’t have cared if they lived or died. It would’ve been generous enough not to kick them while they were down."

While he admired Xu Yang’s character, everyone else looked at him as if to say, ’You actually saved the people who backstabbed you?’

Xu Yang said with a solemn expression, "Senior Brother, we should separate one matter from another. They may be ruthless, but I cannot be unjust. At the end of the day, we are fellow disciples. It was a simple matter of passing on a message; to watch them die without lifting a finger would have been going too far."

"If I hadn’t been injured and could have intervened, perhaps Yue Gui and Chen Jiang wouldn’t have had to die."

Sun Tao looked ashamed, realizing his junior brother was teaching him a lesson in character.

Jiang Ping was filled with regret. ’I must have been blind to not befriend someone as loyal and righteous as Xu Yang, and instead associate with heartless bastards like Lu Ren and Gu Haoming.’

Zhang Yong, too, was filled with remorse.

"I’m going to tend to my wounds. Please, continue chatting, Senior Brother Sun."

After making an excuse, Xu Yang returned to his room, locked the door, and began to take stock of his spoils.

The silver banknotes from Yue Gui’s body amounted to nearly six hundred taels.

The silver banknotes from the other two men totaled close to four hundred taels. The total sum was nearly one thousand taels of silver. There was also a saber worth three hundred taels, a Secret Manual, and a bottle of Elixirs.

Xu Yang opened the bottle and found it contained Qi Gathering Pills. There were five in total, worth about fifty taels.

Not including the Secret Manual, his gains exceeded one thousand three hundred taels of silver. It was his biggest haul yet.

He couldn’t help but beam. With this windfall, he wouldn’t have to worry about money for some time and could continue his cultivation using the Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pills.

He couldn’t be bothered to sell the Qi Gathering Pills, so he immediately swallowed one. As his Gang Qi slowly refined the medicinal energy, he took out the Secret Manual.

’Fiery Sun Gang Saber! It’s a Gang Qi Technique!’

Xu Yang felt a surge of elation after reading just the opening.

It had been over two months since he achieved Qi Cultivation Gang, yet he was still using Martial Techniques from the True Qi Realm in combat. He had long been eager to acquire a Gang Qi Martial Technique.

He had thought he would have to wait until his mission with the Hundred Medicine Hall was complete to use his contribution points to exchange for a Gang Qi Martial Technique. He never imagined he would acquire one this way—and a Weapon Martial Technique, no less, something he had yet to obtain.

Suppressing his excitement, he continued reading.

The Fiery Sun Gang Saber had three layers. The First Layer was Gathering Qi into Blade.

By using a special Heart Method to channel Gang Qi into the saber’s edge, one could form a blade light, enhancing its power to the point where it could slice through iron as if it were mud and shatter both Gang Qi and armor.

The second layer was Body Detachment and Space Breaking. This allowed one’s Blade Qi to leave the body for long-range attacks. The Blade Qi was focused and would not disperse, capable of traveling dozens of feet to shatter stone tablets and kill enemies from afar.

The Third Realm was the most powerful: Fiery Sun Blade Gang. By cultivating the Fiery Sun Blade Qi, the blade’s energy would become as scorching as the blazing sun, capable of cutting through anything. With a single strike, all enemies would fall.

Even without a saber in hand, a blade condensed from Gang Qi would be indestructible. One would no longer need to rely on a physical weapon to project Blade Qi.

Reading the description, Xu Yang’s heart pounded with excitement. He wondered if it would truly be indestructible once he mastered it.

Besides the three layers, the Fiery Sun Gang Saber also contained numerous combat Techniques.

Xu Yang studied the manual intently, quickly finishing his first read-through.

[Fiery Sun Gang Saber: Unlearned (0/200)]

He ignored the panel that had appeared and turned back to the first page to study it once more.

’This technique is called Fiery Sun’s First Appearance, used for offensive attacks...’

While reading, he made gestures with his hands, and the Gang Qi throughout his body began to stir.

[Fiery Sun Gang Saber: Entry Level (1/1000)]

An hour later, even without physically practicing it, he had relied on his powerful Comprehension to force his way to the Entry Level of the Fiery Sun Gang Saber. He began to exude a sharp aura, like the edge of a blade.

’Its level of sophistication doesn’t seem to match the Fuyue Bear Scripture or the Golden Gang Skill.’

Of course, one was a Martial Technique and the other was a cultivation Heart Method; their sophistication couldn’t be compared so directly.

A Martial Technique’s quality was determined by its performance in real combat, whereas a cultivation Heart Method was judged by its results.

Xu Yang wasn’t disappointed. After all the trouble to get a Gang Qi Martial Technique, he was in no position to be picky.

’I’ll practice the Fiery Sun Gang Saber on my own. In the future, I’ll use all the points I gain to enhance the Blood Coagulation Pill.’

With his plan set, Xu Yang went to bed, deciding to begin cultivating the Fiery Sun Gang Saber when he went to the Hundred Medicine Hall that night.