Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Brother Qiang, be careful. Why don’t we send someone to Qingfeng Stronghold to check things out first?"

Just as the Yuan Family’s men began to move, a discordant voice rang out.

"Ah Xian, what do you mean by that? You don’t trust Master Xu?" Yuan Qiang shouted.

The man called Ah Xian said, "The three leaders of Qingfeng Stronghold are no weaklings. Even if he’s a Ten Heroes Genius, he’s still young. It’s a bit unbelievable that he could wipe out Qingfeng Stronghold all by himself. What if he was captured by Qingfeng Stronghold and this is a trap to lure us in?"

Yuan Qiang was stunned. It wasn’t impossible, but the possibility was almost nonexistent.

’We aren’t some great masters or important figures. If Xu Yang was really captured and sold us out...’

’With Qingfeng Stronghold’s power, why would they need to go to such trouble? They could just send a squad of grunts to wipe us out.’

"If you’re too scared to go, you can stay behind."

Yuan Qiang snorted coldly and led a group of his men with the carriages toward Qingfeng Stronghold. Ah Xian gritted his teeth and followed.

After traveling for half an hour, they arrived at the foot of Qingfeng Stronghold’s mountain. They saw arrows stuck everywhere; a great battle had clearly taken place.

"Master Xu fought his way in."

Yuan Qiang looked up. Halfway up the mountain, Qingfeng Stronghold’s main gate had been violently blasted open, leaving a gaping hole. There were no guards in sight.

A gentle breeze blew over, carrying with it a thick stench of blood.

"Two of you, stay here and guard the carriages. The rest of you, follow me into the stronghold."

With a SHIING, Yuan Qiang drew the Treasure Saber from his waist and was the first to charge up the mountainside.

As the head of the Yuan Family guards, he had been propped up to the Gang Qi Cultivation realm through the sheer amount of resources the Yuan Family had invested in him.

A few breaths later, Yuan Qiang entered Qingfeng Stronghold through the blasted-open hole. The scene before him made him gasp.

Twisted corpses were strewn everywhere. Some had their hearts pierced, some had their chests caved in, and some were missing their heads entirely.

Blood stained the ground red, emitting a thick, metallic stench.

Seeing this scene, the more timid guards from the Yuan Family were so scared their legs began to tremble.

"That’s Lu Lin... that’s Meng Yuanshu... and... that’s Tang Chuan. They’re dead. They’re all really dead."

Ah Xian was horrified to see the bodies of Qingfeng Stronghold’s three leaders.

’Xu Yang really wiped out Qingfeng Stronghold all by himself. How did he do it? Did the people of Qingfeng Stronghold just lie down and let him kill them?’

"Find Master Xu!"

Yuan Qiang took a deep breath, and stepping through the viscous blood, he soon spotted Xu Yang by a flight of stairs.

"Greetings, Master Xu!"

Yuan Qiang bowed very low, even more respectfully than before.

Heaps of gleaming silver were piled up next to Xu Yang, but Yuan Qiang didn’t dare to spare them a second glance.

"Master Xu, how did you do it?" Ah Xian couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Yang lifted his gaze from a Secret Manual, looked coolly at Ah Xian, and said, "I’m a disciple of the Purple Sun Sect, after all. It’s only natural I have a few friends."

He had no intention of admitting that he had annihilated Qingfeng Stronghold by himself.

At these words, Ah Xian, Yuan Qiang, and the others were all stunned.

’That’s right. Who said Xu Yang had to wipe out Qingfeng Stronghold alone? He could have asked for help.’

"Don’t bother looking. My friends have already left. Hurry up and bury the bodies. While you’re at it, help me collect the Weapons and any other valuables. Your Yuan Family’s goods are over there."

Xu Yang pointed to a cave where the animal pelts were stored.

"Rest assured, Master Xu. We will take care of everything."

Even though Xu Yang said he’d had help, Yuan Qiang’s attitude didn’t change. He led his group of subordinates away.

"And keep your hands to yourselves! If I catch anyone pilfering, don’t blame me for chopping off their paws," he warned.

The group quickly got to work: digging pits to bury the dead, collecting Weapons and the silver coins from the bodies, and then moving things from the storeroom.

Xu Yang went back to immersing himself in the Secret Manual.

[Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber - Uninitiated (0/170)]

’What a brilliant and profound Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber. It’s a pity that Tang Chuan hadn’t even scratched the surface.’

Xu Yang put down the Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber Secret Manual, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

When he fought Tang Chuan, his Saber Technique was really just average. Because of that, Xu Yang hadn’t held out much hope for Tang Chuan’s Martial Technique. He only needed the Secret Manual to grind for points, so he’d begun studying it with a couldn’t-care-less attitude.

But after reading through it once, he realized the profundity of the Saber Technique far exceeded his imagination. What Tang Chuan knew was merely the basics of the Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber; he hadn’t even reached the first realm of the Saber Technique.

This was a Martial Art whose profundity far surpassed any of his other Martial Techniques; not even the Pure Essence Gold-Splitting Finger could compare.

The Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber had a Triple Realm, the First Realm being the Earth Demon Realm, where one had to master the Earth Demon Blade Gang.

The Earth Demon Blade Gang was a realm on the same level as the Fiery Sun Blade Gang. In other words, the First Realm of this Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber was equivalent to the highest realm of the Fiery Sun Gang Saber.

Tang Chuan hadn’t even mastered the Earth Demon Blade Gang and was still at the Sword Qi realm. That’s why Xu Yang said he had only learned the basics.

The second realm was Earth Demon Trine, and the Third Realm was Earth Demon Six Harmonies.

Only by mastering Earth Demon Six Harmonies could this Saber Technique be considered to have reached Great Success.

’I didn’t expect such a windfall!’

Xu Yang picked up the Secret Manual and began to study it in detail again.

’The Blazing Blade identity is too sensitive, so I can’t really use the Fiery Sun Gang Saber anymore. A new Saber Technique is the perfect way to compensate for that weakness.’ 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

[Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber - Entry Level (710/1700)]

By drawing on his existing knowledge, Xu Yang read the manual several times. Relying on his powerful Comprehension and his mastery of the Fiery Sun Gang Saber, he managed to brute-force his understanding of the Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber to the Entry Level, with his progress reaching over seven hundred.

If he could find a proper place to cultivate, his progress would be even greater. But this wasn’t the right place. He would have to wait until he returned to the Purple Sun Sect to begin his training.