Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

With both martial arts now at Entry Level, Xu Yang began to train. His room was too cramped, so he went to the Peach Grove he often frequented.

In the days that followed, he immersed himself in cultivation. During the day, he alternated between practicing the Fiery Sun Gang Saber, Stepping on Gang and Chasing Wind, and Phantom Star Gang Fist. At night, he cultivated the Fuyue Bear Scripture and Golden Gang Skill. However, his progress slowed considerably after he ran out of Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pills.

Fortunately, there was still Exotic Beast Meat. Although its effects weren’t as direct as elixirs, if his entire diet consisted of Exotic Beast Meat, the boost to his cultivation was still quite good.

However, this also meant the financial cost increased.

Before he knew it, the New Year arrived. Although the Purple Sun Sect was also decorated with lanterns and streamers, it lacked the atmosphere of being at home.

On New Year’s Eve, he, Sun Tao, and Zhang Yong got together for a meal and drank a great deal.

After getting drunk, Zhang Yong and Jiang Ping cursed out Lu Ren and Gu Haoming. The two also paid their respects to the late Zhao Zhifei.

’The little girl is another year older. After this New Year, she should be able to start practicing martial arts.’

Gazing at the fireworks from Cyan Yang City that lit up the distant night sky, Xu Yang wore a nostalgic expression. Unfortunately, he had yet to establish a firm footing in the Purple Sun Sect, so he couldn’t bring the little girl over.

[Fierce Sun Gang Blade·Minor Achievement (1/2000)]

[Stepping on Gang and Chasing Wind - Introduction (531/1000)]

[Phantom Star Gang Fist·Entry Level (744/1000)]

The Fiery Sun Gang Saber had finally reached Minor Achievement. The power of its saber gleam was astonishing, truly reaching a realm where it could slice through metal as if it were mud. It seemed that even his own body, which possessed the Vajra Indestructible Attribute, couldn’t fully block it.

Of course, this was a saber gleam he himself had produced. After all, it was condensed from the Gang Qi he cultivated with his Golden Gang Skill, so his body’s defense against it was naturally lower.

If someone else were to use the Fiery Sun Gang Saber to produce a saber gleam, it would certainly not pose a threat to his body—unless their Gang Qi was more overwhelming than his.

His progress with Stepping on Gang and Chasing Wind and Phantom Star Gang Fist was also significant, and he now had no problem using them in combat.

If he hadn’t been practicing three Martial Techniques simultaneously, and had instead focused his energy on a single one, his progress would have been even greater.

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 182]

His points had almost accumulated to two hundred. When they did, he would be able to learn how to refine the Blood Coagulation Pill all at once.

The New Year celebrations ended in the blink of an eye, and it was once again time for the monthly distribution. After a meal, Xu Yang went with Sun Tao and the others to get in line.

’I’ll go accept a mission in a bit,’ Xu Yang thought absentmindedly as he stood in line.

He still had four or five hundred taels of silver on him, but silver wasn’t very useful in the Purple Sun Sect. To advance his cultivation, he needed to use contribution points to exchange for elixirs like the Guiyuan Pill and the Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pill.

"Jiang Fan, can you please stop pestering me?"

A familiar voice drifted over. Xu Yang looked and saw Jiang Fan once again trailing after the girl named Ah Ya like a complete simp, while Ah Ya wore an expression of pure disgust.

"Brother Jiang is truly persistent," Sun Tao sighed.

Many people in the Purple Sun Sect’s Outer Sect knew that Jiang Fan frequently pestered Ah Ya, but she couldn’t stand him.

Zhang Yong said, "Brother Jiang is a good guy in every other way, but this one thing is his major flaw. Everyone knows Ah Ya likes dazzling geniuses like Lu Ren, yet he deludes himself into thinking he can move her with sincerity alone."

Jiang Ping said, "If you ask me, he’s just blind. This Ah Ya is just a ’girl-next-door’ at best; her disposition and appearance are both quite average."

He wasn’t trying to put her down; it was simply the truth.

In terms of both bearing and looks, Ah Ya couldn’t compare to Lin Wei. Even among all the female Inner Sect Disciples, Ah Ya’s appearance was only considered upper-middle tier.

"To each their own," Xu Yang said.

Sun Tao’s eyes lit up. "Junior Brother Xu, you’ve summed it up perfectly!"

Just then, Ah Ya was seen jogging forward and slipping in front of Lu Ren. With a fawning expression, she asked, "Senior Brother Lu, would it be alright if I stood in front of you?"

Jiang Fan’s face immediately turned ashen. Many of the disciples who were watching started to snicker.

"Trying to compete with Lu Ren for a woman? How could he possibly win?" someone laughed.

Compared to the obscure and unknown Jiang Fan, anyone could see that Lu Ren was the better match.

Lu Ren nodded, then looked at Jiang Fan and said, "Are you going to keep pestering her? Do you really think you’re worthy of Ah Ya?"

"Get lost. Pester her again, and we’ll break your legs," Gu Haoming shouted.

Xu Yang was watching the scene unfold with great interest when he suddenly sensed a commotion in the crowd. Many people turned in unison to look behind them.

He turned to look as well and saw a man with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a face as handsome as carved jade striding toward them. He was followed by two Outer Disciples with sharp, imposing auras, who looked like his guards.

The man was dressed in the uniform of an Outer Disciple, but his bearing made him seem as lofty and unapproachable as an Inner Sect Disciple.

"Who is that? I’ve never seen him before," someone asked curiously.

"That’s Li Chuyang, the one who’s first on the Ten Heroes List. Word is he’s already reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement—the first of the Ten Heroes to do so."

Someone had revealed the man’s identity.

The revelation was like a giant boulder dropped into a calm lake, sending massive waves through the crowd.

Gang Qi Minor Achievement. Someone had actually reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement.

To think that among this cohort of Dragon Ascending Disciples, most of whom hadn’t even managed to condense their qi into gang yet, someone had already reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement.

Many people couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

The number one of the Ten Heroes... This was the genius ranked first among them. He could already contend with the disciples from the previous generation.

"First of the Ten Heroes... That’s terrifying." A bitter look crossed Sun Tao’s face.

All that talk about talent not being important was a complete lie.

Since joining the sect, he had spent no less than two thousand taels of silver just to barely succeed in condensing his qi into gang, and yet a true genius had already reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement.

Xu Yang said nothing. He had vaguely heard that both Li Chuyang and Du Chuan came from powerful backgrounds. If even Sun Tao could invest two thousand taels of silver in his cultivation, then Li Chuyang must have invested far more.

Of course, he was also inwardly surprised that someone had already reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement.

His gaze swept across the area, and he saw that the other geniuses on the Ten Heroes List also wore expressions of utter shock.

Lu Ren was no longer paying any attention to Jiang Fan, his face a mask of astonishment.

Ah Ya, standing before him, had eyes that seemed to glow. She was no longer paying him any mind; her gaze was glued firmly onto Li Chuyang.

Unfortunately, her charms were only enough to attract a genius with a background like Lu Ren’s; she was not in the same league as Li Chuyang.

Kong Yu’s expression was the most complex of all. He secretly clenched his fists. He believed that in terms of pure talent, he was the true number one of the Ten Heroes, but because his background couldn’t compare, he didn’t even dare to voice such a thought.

If he had Li Chuyang’s background, he was confident that he too would have reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement by now.

"What’s Li Chuyang doing here? Surely he doesn’t care about a measly three Qi Replenishing Pills. He’s never come to collect them before," someone wondered aloud.

Li Chuyang strode right up to Jiang Fan, but his sharp gaze fell upon Ah Ya and Lu Ren.

Lu Ren’s expression shifted. Ah Ya, pale with fright, stumbled backward.

The next moment, Li Chuyang attacked without warning, striking out at Lu Ren with a palm.

A fierce wind erupted as the air itself hummed, as if a monstrous, raging wave were crashing down.

Before the palm even arrived, the tyrannical pressure wave it generated had already drained the color from Gu Haoming’s face beside Lu Ren. He frantically circulated his Gang Qi to defend himself.

The disciples queueing nearby all fell back in terror.

Li Chuyang was unbelievably tyrannical! To attack a fellow disciple within the Sect, and without even saying a single word beforehand!

The color drained from Lu Ren’s face, and he found it difficult to breathe. The hairs all over his body stood on end, a roar echoed from his bones and tendons, and his stagnant Gang Qi violently surged into motion.

In that split second, his own palm shot out like lightning to meet Li Chuyang’s.

"BANG!"

The two palms met, Gang Qi collided, and Vigorous Energy exploded outward.

Gu Haoming, being the closest, was the first to suffer. His Protective Gang Qi shattered instantly, and he stumbled back in a panic.

Li Chuyang’s robes billowed and his hair flew about, but he himself remained perfectly still.

Lu Ren, however, felt a terrifying, irresistible Force surge from Li Chuyang’s hand. Half of his arm went numb, and his body was sent flying sideways against his will.

He flew back three meters, stumbling another two steps after landing before he could stop. His face was flushed red, and his body trembled.

As the crowd came to their senses, they were left dumbfounded. They couldn’t figure out what sort of grudge existed between Lu Ren and Li Chuyang to make the latter attack the moment he arrived.

Lu Ren suppressed the churning qi and blood in his chest and demanded angrily, "Is there some enmity between us? Why did you attack me?"

Despite his words, a flicker of fear still crossed his eyes.

Li Chuyang was not just one of the Ten Heroes; his background was immense. Even the top organizations in the Outer Sect, such as the Heroic Assembly and the Dawn Association, dared not provoke him.