Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Xu Yang seemed to have anticipated Hu Fengyi’s counterattack. With a slight tilt of his head, he dodged Hu Fengyi’s fist, the burst of Gang Qi from it grazing past his ear.

At the same time, his own fist shot out like a great spear, glowing with a faint red light as it slammed into Hu Fengyi’s Protective Gang Qi.

"CRACK!"

With a sound like a shattering eggshell, Hu Fengyi’s Protective Gang Qi instantly broke apart. The iron-like fist then heavily struck the vulnerable spot under Hu Fengyi’s arm.

"CRACK!"

Another crisp cracking sound echoed as Hu Fengyi’s ribs collapsed. The terrifying Gang Qi pierced straight through, instantly turning his internal organs into a bloody pulp and exiting through the other side of his body.

"AHH!"

Hu Fengyi’s eyes bulged as he let out a heart-wrenching scream. His body had been completely punched through, leaving two fist-sized, bloody holes on either side where his pulverized organs were visible.

Propelled by the force of the blow, his body flew through the air, trailing a spray of blood.

In mid-air, he struggled to turn his head to get a clear look at his killer, but all he saw was a masked man whose identity was impossible to discern.

"THUD!"

His body hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and sliding for several meters before coming to a stop.

Xu Yang slowly walked over. Hu Fengyi had only one breath left.

His eyes were wide with terror and agony. His body twitched unconsciously as scarlet blood flowed from the two holes, staining the ground red.

’He’s so weak.’

Even though it was a sneak attack, he was still a little surprised that one punch had been enough to go straight through Hu Fengyi’s body. The power of his Gang Mang far exceeded his expectations.

"Who are you?" Even on the verge of death, Hu Fengyi wanted to know who had killed him.

Xu Yang lifted his foot and stomped down. With a CRACK, Hu Fengyi’s neck was snapped, and he died on the spot.

’One down!’

Squatting down, Xu Yang quickly found a few silver banknotes and about ten contribution points. He then picked up the corpse and rushed into the mountain forest.

A quarter of an hour later, he returned to where he had hidden the Elixir, changed into the clothes of a Purple Sun Sect Outer Disciple, and leisurely made his way back to the Purple Sun Sect.

The next day, as the morning sun rose, Xu Yang ascended Li Fire Peak. He discovered that besides the people Gao Lin had called by name that day, a group of unfamiliar faces had also arrived.

’These people must have been pre-selected. They don’t have to participate in the so-called selection.’

He counted ten people in this group. He had seen some of them before, but others were new. All of them had powerful auras. Two among them were very famous: Fang Yu, ranked sixth on the Ten Heroes List, and Wen Hao, ranked seventh.

With two geniuses from the Ten Heroes List present, Xu Yang couldn’t help but become curious about this supposed selection.

"Why isn’t Hu Fengyi here yet?"

The appointed time was almost up, and Hu Fengyi still hadn’t appeared. Yun Feng couldn’t help but frown.

’Could that bastard be so lost in pleasure at a brothel that he forgot about today’s business?’

’I’m afraid something has happened to him!’

At this thought, Yun Feng’s heart sank.

No matter how much Hu Fengyi enjoyed that particular vice, he would never neglect important matters. The only explanation was that something had gone wrong.

Xu Yang was idly chatting with Chen Chao when he soon saw Gao Lin appear.

"We’re one person short. Who isn’t here?"

Gao Lin’s gaze swept over the crowd. Seeing that only seventeen of the eighteen chosen people had arrived, a rare look of anger appeared on his face.

Yun Feng stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Reporting to Senior Brother Gao, it’s Hu Fengyi who hasn’t come!"

"If he’s not coming now, he can forget about ever coming. Everyone, follow me."

Gao Lin snorted coldly. Without caring about the reason for Hu Fengyi’s absence, he immediately led the group down from Li Fire Peak.

After descending Li Fire Peak, Gao Lin led everyone southward.

At first, there was a small path to follow, but after a quarter of an hour, it gave way to sheer cliffs and precipices, forcing them to use their Lightweight Skills to proceed.

Everyone followed Gao Lin, speeding along, climbing mountains and crossing ridges. After about half an hour, a desolate valley came into view.

There wasn’t a single plant around the valley. It resembled a barren Gobi desert, constantly radiating waves of heat.

In the center of the valley stood a few stone houses, but there was no sign of anyone.

’We must have arrived.’ Xu Yang noticed that Yun Feng, Wen Hao, Fang Yu, and the others had all grown excited.

Walking into the valley, he saw a large cave on one side, which was the source of the surging heatwaves.

Soon, two men with profound auras, dressed as Inner Sect Disciples, walked out from inside.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Gao." The two men cupped their fists toward Gao Lin.

Gao Lin nodded. "Junior Brother Song, Junior Brother Liu, is everything ready?"

The two nodded. "Everything is prepared."

Gao Lin nodded again, then turned to face Xu Yang and the others. "Many of you know what this place is, but some of you still don’t.

This is a treasured land of our Purple Sun Sect, one that has nurtured an Earth Vein Spiritual Fire.

Earth Vein Spiritual Fire is typically used to refine Spiritual Soldiers or to purify high-end Forging Materials. Your mission here is to stay for half a month and finish purifying the materials required by the Sect."

’Earth Vein Spiritual Fire!’

Xu Yang’s heart stirred. He had heard of this. It was said to possess a kind of Spirituality and was generally used for Alchemy or Artifact Refining. However, it also had the very special ability to temper one’s Physique and condense Gang Qi.

’If one could cultivate near the Earth Vein Spiritual Fire for a long time, their progress would be twice the results with half the effort. No wonder people like Yun Feng paid a price just to come here and do grunt work.’

For a Martial Artist trying to break through to Gang Qi Minor Achievement, this place was a true treasure trove.

’A place like this should be perfect for cultivating the Golden Gang Skill.’

Soon, the group followed Gao Lin into the cave. A terrifying heat wave instantly washed over them, making them feel as if they had jumped into a furnace. Everyone immediately circulated their Gang Qi to resist it.

Xu Yang also circulated his energy to defend himself, but he felt it had little effect. A pervasive heat invaded his body through his pores and breath, scorching him from the inside out. It felt as if his Gang Qi and even his flesh were about to ignite.

’Golden Gang Skill.’

He stopped circulating the Fuyue Bear Scripture and switched to the Golden Gang Skill.

Instantly, he felt the Golden Gang Skill begin to absorb the formless heat, slowly condensing and strengthening.

His flesh, bones, and sinews felt like a parched desert, greedily soaking up the intangible heat.

’The effect is even better than taking an Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill.’

Xu Yang’s eyes lit up. This truly was a treasured land.

Of course, the sensation of being roasted in a furnace wasn’t pleasant. He saw that some of the disciples whose Physiques weren’t sufficiently tempered were already showing pained expressions, sweating profusely, and had fully activated their Protective Gang Qi.

[Golden Gang Skill - Entry Level (1225/2000)]

He was still a long way from reaching Minor Achievement in Golden Gang Skill. He hoped he could accomplish it here.

He continued to follow Gao Lin forward. The heat waves grew more and more terrifying, and he could now see flickering flames. The pervasive heat also became more intense.

Finally, after entering a huge stone chamber, the heat reached its peak. Half of the people had their Protective Gang Qi fully active to block the heat, their bodies flushed completely red.

Gao Lin observed everyone’s reactions and said, "The Earth Vein Spiritual Fire can condense Gang Qi and temper the Physique, but it also contains fire poison. If you feel a burning sensation in your Dantian or meridians, go outside and expel the fire poison before returning.

Otherwise, if your Martial Dao foundation is damaged, don’t blame me for not warning you."

Everyone hurriedly nodded in acknowledgment.

"Find your own spots. You may begin."

With that, Gao Lin turned and left.

This place that everyone fought to come to for grunt work seemed unimportant to him, as he didn’t take the opportunity to cultivate here.

The stone chamber was very wide. Its layout was similar to the forge at Refining Blade, with eighteen Forging Platforms. A Tower Furnace stood in the center, with eighteen small openings in it.

This was the Tower Furnace used to channel the Earth Vein Spiritual Fire. White flames of the Earth Vein Spiritual Fire shot out from the small openings, releasing terrifying waves of heat.

No one knew what this furnace was forged from. It was engraved with many arcane patterns and could withstand the burning of the Earth Vein Spiritual Fire without its exterior even turning red. It was quite miraculous.

But right now, no one cared about that. All their attention was on the Forging Platforms.

The eighteen Forging Platforms were arranged in three tiers. Four were closest to the Tower Furnace, a middle circle contained six, and the outermost circle had eight.

Obviously, the closer a platform was to the Tower Furnace, the more concentrated the Earth Vein Spiritual Fire would be, and the better the effect for condensing Gang Qi and tempering one’s Physique.

As soon as Gao Lin left, the atmosphere immediately grew tense. Everyone became wary. A fight over the positions seemed imminent, and several people were already releasing their powerful auras as a deterrent.