Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

He didn’t go to the place Xiao Chen had mentioned to find Lin Wei’s remains. He would wait until the day he killed Xiao Hua, then tell Sun Tao and let him go find them.

Upon returning to the Purple Sun Sect, Xu Yang acted as if nothing had happened. He went back to his room, took out an elixir, and began to cultivate.

「Several days passed in a flash.」

Xiao Chen still hadn’t returned home, so his mother had someone send a message to the Su Family, telling Xiao Chen not to get lost in his lover’s arms and to hurry back to the Purple Sun Sect to complete his assessment mission.

When the message reached the Su Family, they immediately realized something had happened to Xiao Chen. He had left the Su Family to return to the Purple Sun Sect several days ago; he wasn’t with them at all.

The Su Family immediately sent people to search everywhere for Xiao Chen, but they found nothing.

Su Man and Xiao Chen’s mother cried until they fainted, but it was futile.

Soon, news of what had happened to Xiao Chen spread throughout the Outer Sect.

"Good riddance! That little bastard is finally dead."

Upon hearing this good news, Sun Tao immediately found Xu Yang to share it.

"Junior Sister Lin Wei, you can rest in peace now. That heartless beast has gotten his retribution."

He brought a jug of wine and poured it onto the ground, saying, "Rest in peace. That old dog Xiao Hua will get what’s coming to him sooner or later."

Xu Yang stood quietly to the side, saying nothing.

The bond between Sun Tao and Lin Wei had been much deeper. In contrast, Xu Yang felt very little.

In this world, the only people he truly cared about, aside from the little girl, were probably his uncle’s family.

"Alright, Senior Brother. Xiao Hua may not be in the Purple Sun Sect, but the Su Family is still around. We can’t let our guard down."

Seeing that Sun Tao had vented most of his emotions, Xu Yang began to advise him.

They weren’t truly safe. They knew nothing about the Su Family’s circumstances and couldn’t afford to be careless.

Sun Tao nodded, quickly getting his emotions under control.

To this day, he still hadn’t dared to write a letter to Lin Cheng telling him that Lin Wei was dead.

...

"AHH... Who killed my son?!"

Deep within the Yunling Mountain Range, at the Purple Sun Sect’s Cyan Mountain Mine, a mournful cry tore through the night sky. The sound was so full of sorrow and grief, each word like a tear of blood, that it would make any who heard it grieve and any who listened weep.

"What’s wrong with Steward Xiao?" a disciple asked, his face full of curiosity, upon hearing Xiao Hua’s anguished roar.

"Didn’t you hear him? Steward Xiao said, ’Who killed my son?’ I guess Xiao Chen was killed."

"Xiao Chen was the Su Family’s son-in-law, and his father is a Steward. Who would dare to kill him?"

"He was just a son-in-law. On that road between Cyan Yang City and the Purple Sun Sect, who knows how many people have died? Even people with better backgrounds than Xiao Chen have been killed. As long as no one sees, who cares about your background? They’ll kill you all the same."

...

At the mention of the road between Cyan Yang City and the Purple Sun Sect, a chill ran down everyone’s spine.

Forget Outer Disciples; even Inner Sect Disciples had to be careful not to be ambushed and killed on that road.

"You bastard! Don’t let me find you, or I’ll kill your entire family!"

Xiao Hua’s heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He had gone to great lengths to pave the way for his son, latching onto the great tree that was the Su Family. He had nearly bankrupted himself to secure the marriage alliance. He never imagined that before he could even enjoy the benefits of the Su Family’s wealth, his son would be killed.

This had severed his lineage, cut off his roots, and destroyed his hope.

Without his son, his connection to the Su Family was now practically nonexistent.

The letter said that they couldn’t even find his son’s remains and had no idea where he had died.

’Xu Yang!’

Xu Yang was the first person he thought of, but he quickly dismissed the idea. There was no way Xu Yang could have killed Xiao Chen.

’No, I have to go back.’

Grabbing the letter from home, Xiao Hua immediately went to find the Inner Sect Steward in charge of the mine, intending to return to the Purple Sun Sect to avenge his son.

"Get back to your post! Do you think you came to this garrison voluntarily? That you can just return to the Sect whenever you feel like it? You were sent here as punishment by Elder Li Yang! If you leave before your year is up, are you trying to get Elder Li Yang to come after me?"

The Inner Sect Steward couldn’t care less if Xiao Hua’s son was dead. All he knew was that if he dared to let Xiao Hua leave, Elder Li Yang would dare to make him garrison this Cyan Mountain for the rest of his life.

Xiao Hua trembled with rage but didn’t dare to say a word.

In front of an Inner Sect Steward, he was no different from an ordinary Outer Disciple. He could only grip the letter tightly and walk out of the steward’s room, his murderous intent having no outlet.

...

One day, when Xu Yang returned, he saw Jiang Ping, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, sitting in the courtyard and talking with Sun Tao.

"Junior Brother Xu!" Jiang Ping stood up, forcing a smile that looked worse than if he were crying.

Xu Yang looked over and saw that one of his sleeves was empty. He had lost an arm.

Although losing an arm wouldn’t completely cripple him, his future on the Martial Dao was effectively over.

"Where’s Zhang Yong?" Xu Yang looked around but didn’t see him, assuming he had already perished deep within the Yunling Mountain Range.

Jiang Ping sighed. "He was seriously injured and is still recovering."

Sun Tao frowned. "How did you two end up like this?" He hadn’t had a chance to ask Jiang Ping for the details yet.

At this question, Xu Yang saw a look of terror appear on Jiang Ping’s face, and his body began to tremble faintly.

"Our luck was bad. While searching for a Phantom Leopard, we ran into a powerful Exotic Beast. I lost an arm, and Zhang Yong was nearly beaten to death by a single swipe of its tail."

"That bastard Li Qiang didn’t care if we lived or died. He abandoned us and fled. If a more terrifying Exotic Beast hadn’t appeared, the two of us probably wouldn’t have made it back."

Jiang Ping’s voice trembled. He was still terrified, but what he felt more than anything was hatred for Li Qiang.

"That bastard! You guys went to help him, and he just abandoned you and fled," Sun Tao said, seething with anger.

Li Qiang was always talking about how they were fellow disciples from the same sect who should advance together, yet he turned out to be this kind of person.

A look of regret crossed Jiang Ping’s face. "It’s a shame we were so blind. To think we actually trusted a swine like that. Junior Brother Zhang Yong and I were the lucky ones. The other person he recruited was struck dead by his palm and thrown to the Exotic Beast to buy him time to escape. I don’t even know if that bastard is dead or alive."

"He’s worse than an animal!"

Sun Tao felt a cold sweat break out on his back as he listened.

If he hadn’t been afraid to leave the Purple Sun Sect because of Xiao Hua’s threats back then, that could very well have been his fate.

Xu Yang’s expression remained calm. He had long known that Li Qiang was no good.

He usually appeared frank and open, but it was just a deliberate disguise. When his life was on the line, he was a vicious wolf that devoured people whole, leaving no bones behind. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stooped to asking new disciples like them for help with an Inner Sect assessment mission.

"What kind of Exotic Beast did you encounter that you were so powerless against it?" Xu Yang asked with a frown.

He knew the Yunling Mountain Range was dangerous, but it wasn’t as if powerful Exotic Beasts were lurking around every corner.

Jiang Ping said, his voice laced with terror, "The first one was comparable to the Marrow Cleansing realm. As for how strong the second one was, I have no idea. It was taller than a house and swallowed the beast that was on par with a Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist in a single gulp."

"Under its terrifying presence, Zhang Yong and I were like ants, prostrated on the ground. Thankfully, it seemed to look down on us. After swallowing the other Exotic Beast, it just trampled through the forest and left."

Later, Xu Yang saw Zhang Yong.

But unlike Jiang Ping, who was scared out of his wits, Zhang Yong’s eyes were bright, and a sharp light glinted within them, even though he was injured.

Although they had almost not made it back, Xu Yang knew they had still gained a lot. They had gathered many valuable medicinal herbs, and after turning them into the Sect, it seemed they each received over a hundred contribution points.

This was the allure of the Yunling Mountain Range. Despite the danger, it was filled with treasures.

As long as you dared to take the risk, you were bound to gain something.

Of course, the main issue was that Jiang Ping was basically crippled. Zhang Yong’s injuries, though more severe, had not damaged his Martial Dao foundation. He would recover after ten days to half a month of rest.

The two exchanged simple greetings and then went about their own business.

In matters like this, it was hard to say who was right or wrong. Every year, many from the Purple Sun Sect perished in the Yunling Mountain Range, yet people still flocked there one after another.

That day, Xu Yang woke up and looked at his panel with great anticipation.

[Wind-Breaking Fist reached Minor Achievement, Points +5]

[Fine Rain Shocking Wind Sword reached Minor Achievement, Points +5]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 407]

Yesterday, he had brought both Wind-Breaking Fist and Fine Rain Shocking Wind Sword to Minor Achievement, finally gathering enough points to add the Gathering Essence Pill.

As usual, he added one point to his lifespan to ensure his body remained at its peak, then immediately climbed out of bed.

’Add the Gathering Essence Pill for me.’

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately allocated four hundred points to the Gathering Essence Pill.