Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Think you can get away?!"

Xu Yang shouted, killing intent burning in his eyes. This Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist would be the perfect test subject for his Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber, which he had never used before.

With a flick of his wrist, a saber of pure Gang Qi materialized in his hand. He swung it through the air, slashing at Li Tieying’s retreating back.

"Earth Demon Six Harmonies!"

Xu Yang cried out, and his Gang Qi surged forth like a river bursting its banks. The sky lit up with a golden glow, and the very ground began to tremble.

RUMBLE...

Six colossal Sword Gangs struck from all directions, sealing off every escape route for Li Tieying. Another massive Sword Gang loomed directly overhead.

BOOM!

The ground exploded, and a Sword Gang shot up from below, tearing through Li Tieying’s Protective Gang Qi from the bottom up.

He had no time to react. In an instant, six Sword Gangs pierced through Li Tieying’s body.

The Sword Gangs detonated. Not even a scream escaped his lips before he was blown to smithereens, reduced to a fine mist of blood.

’Such immense power!’ Xu Yang was stunned.

With the Earth Demon Six Harmonies Saber at the Great Success stage, he hadn’t even needed to use the Golden Gang Skill. He had killed Li Tieying, another Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist, in a single move.

Turning to Wang Lun’s corpse, Xu Yang searched it and found over five hundred taels of silver.

Then he raised his palm, and expending a bit more Gang Qi, he blasted Wang Lun’s corpse into a bloody pulp before returning to the Purple Sun Sect.

Both men had joined the Heaven-Burning Sect, a Demon Sect, so he had to be cautious.

Returning to his courtyard, he found it empty.

Xu Yang went straight back to his room, shut the door, took out a Ten-Perfection Rejuvenation Pill, and consumed it to begin refining its energy.

In the evening, he pushed open his door and saw Sun Tao and Jiang Ping sitting in the courtyard, leisurely drinking tea.

Xu Yang’s eyes lit up. He strode forward and said, "Senior Brother Sun, you’re back?"

Sun Tao stood up with a hearty laugh. "It’s been a few months. Did you miss us, Junior Brother Xu?"

The three of them exchanged some pleasantries, and Xu Yang sat down. Sun Tao then began to animatedly describe the gains from their trip. Although there were dangers, they had managed to overcome them all.

Jiang Ping, at his side, occasionally chimed in with a few comments.

"Junior Brother Xu, do you know how much the three of us gained this time? Each of us got at least this much."

Sun Tao held up three fingers. "Three hundred contribution points. Once we’ve fully absorbed the gains from this trip, Zhang Yong will probably reach Gang Qi Great Success."

That was indeed a huge gain; no wonder Sun Tao was so excited.

Xu Yang remained unmoved. Even if they had each gained three thousand contribution points, he wouldn’t have been tempted.

"Junior Brother Xu, you really shouldn’t keep hiding in the Purple Sun Sect. The Yunling Mountain Range is full of treasures. With your talent, if you were willing to venture out, you’d definitely make a name for yourself."

Sun Tao tried to persuade Xu Yang again. Having returned safely twice in a row, he felt that the Yunling Mountain Range wasn’t so bad. As long as one was careful, their safety was more or less guaranteed.

"That’s right, Junior Brother Xu. You used to be on par with Lu Ren, but he reached Gang Qi Great Success a few months ago. Aren’t you anxious at all?" Jiang Ping chimed in.

Xu Yang shook his head. "Senior Brothers, I just prefer a stable path. So what if he broke through early? The Yunling Mountain Range is dangerous. If you die there one day, what’s the use of having achieved Marrow Cleansing?"

The two of them knew they couldn’t persuade Xu Yang, so they didn’t press the issue.

That night, the four of them had a meal and drinks at a restaurant. Afterward, Sun Tao and the other two went into seclusion to digest the gains from their trip.

Meanwhile, Xu Yang continued doing his tasks and practicing Muscle and Marrow Cleansing, his strength increasing steadily.

「In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.」

After getting up in the morning and cultivating the Fuyue Bear Scripture for an hour, he took his silver banknotes, strapped on his saber, and left the Purple Sun Sect to attend the auction at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Along the way, many others were heading down the mountain just like him. Most hurried along, giving each other a wide berth.

Xu Yang, however, ambled along slowly, unafraid of any ambushes.

When he arrived at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, people were already lining up to enter. He randomly picked a line and waited. Soon it was his turn, and his seat this time was again next to Guo Huai and his group.

On his other side, Lu Ren was absent this time; instead, Gu Haoming was sitting next to him.

"Brother Xu!"

Seeing Xu Yang appear, Shen Liang was the first to greet him.

Guo Huai, Tang Xiao, and An Ping also cupped their fists in greeting.

Xu Yang returned their salute by cupping his own fist, then took his seat.

He noticed that look of contempt had reappeared in the eyes of An Ping and the others.

’Is it because they’ve all reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement?’

He carefully sensed their auras and found that all four had indeed broken through to Gang Qi Minor Achievement.

’Their cultivation level is probably the same as mine now, so they’re feeling high and mighty again.’

"Brother Xu, all the geniuses on the Ten Heroes List have reached Gang Qi Great Success. Have you broken through as well?" An Ping asked with a smile.

As soon as he said this, many people turned to look.

Many people were paying attention to whether Xu Yang had reached Gang Qi Great Success, because this year’s Outer Sect Grand Competition was only two or three months away.

Whoever could ultimately enter the Four Peaks and become an Inner Sect Disciple would be a major figure in the future.

Naturally, everyone wanted to get on the good side of a future major figure.

Xu Yang smiled. "I’m still a little ways off. I should be able to break through in a month or two."

He hadn’t broken through yet?

Hearing that Xu Yang had not yet reached Gang Qi Great Success, Gu Haoming, Qin Ze, and the others who had been watching him all looked away, secretly sighing in relief.

Every day that Xu Yang delayed reaching Gang Qi Great Success was another day they had to contend with him. Everyone wanted to make a name for themselves at the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

An Ping’s tone became even more casual. He laughed and said, "Brother Xu, you’ve been slacking. Logically, you should have reached Gang Qi Great Success by now. Look at us—we’ve all caught up to you at Gang Qi Minor Achievement."

As he spoke, a hint of pride crept onto his face, as if to say, ’We’re Martial Artists of the same realm now. Your little bit of superiority is gone.’

Xu Yang’s expression didn’t change. He smiled and said, "I’m not in a hurry. You’ve all been disciples for four years. By the time I’ve been in the Outer Sect for four years, I’ll reach Gang Qi Great Success for sure, even without achieving Marrow Cleansing."

An Ping’s smile immediately froze on his face. Unable to maintain it, he sullenly shut his mouth and said no more.

Guo Huai said, "Brother Xu, if something good comes up later, shall we team up again?"

Xu Yang shook his head. "No, let’s just bid for ourselves."

Guo Huai and the others were likely only targeting the Guiyuan Pills or Ten-Perfection Rejuvenation Pills, and he was no longer interested in those things.

Spending two hundred taels at an auction for a single Ten-Perfection Rejuvenation Pill? He wasn’t that crazy.

If he bid on more of the main ingredients for Gathering Essence Pills, he could refine several more batches of them.

Soon, Tao Hujin appeared. After some opening remarks, he smiled and said, "And now, let’s welcome the first item of today’s auction."

An attendant from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion emerged from the back room, holding an imposing, icy-blue great saber with both hands.

The blade was wide and thick, nearly one and a half meters long in total, and it constantly emanated a bone-chilling cold. Its very presence seemed to cause the temperature in the auction hall to drop by several degrees.

Those with sharp senses could even feel a piercing aura, causing goosebumps to break out on their skin.

Tao Hujin took the saber with a smile and displayed it to the crowd.

"This saber is called Blue Blade. I’m sure some of you have already realized that this is a Half-Spirit Weapon. It was forged over a period of six months using Thousand-Year Cold Iron as the main material, supplemented with Spirit Iron Cold Marrow."

"Its edge is sharp enough to sever a hair that falls upon it and can cut through iron as if it were mud. When used to kill, it can emit an Ice-cold Blade Qi that can easily break through the Protective Gang Qi of a Gang Qi Great Success Martial Artist, or even that of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist."

"The auction begins now! The starting price is three thousand taels, and each bid must increase the price by no less than fifty taels."

A Half-Spirit Weapon!

Even if it wasn’t a true Spiritual Soldier, it still contained those two words, and the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

What Martial Artist wouldn’t want a powerful weapon? A powerful weapon could easily double their strength, or even more.

Many people’s breathing grew ragged. Their eyes gleamed with intense desire.

With a Half-Spirit Weapon like this, even someone who hadn’t reached Gang Qi Great Success could easily fight a Gang Qi Great Success Martial Artist. Perhaps with this saber, they could even seize a top-three spot in the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

"Three thousand taels!"

"Thirty-one hundred taels!"

...

Several people started bidding immediately, each one looking determined to win.

Guo Huai’s eyes burned with desire. He growled in a low voice, "Brother Xu, how much money do you have on you? Please lend it all to me. I’ll pay you back shortly."

A Half-Spirit Weapon!

If he could win this Half-Spirit Weapon, he was confident he could fight his way into the top three in the upcoming Outer Sect Grand Competition.

He was already a fourth-year disciple. If he didn’t get into the top three, he would have to wait several more years for a chance to enter the Inner Sect.

He hadn’t known a Half-Spirit Weapon would be auctioned, so he hadn’t prepared much money. Now, his only choice was to borrow from the people around him.