Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

A day passed quickly, and Xu Yang had come to a realization about cultivating the Qi Gathering Realm: it was incredibly difficult!

He cultivated for most of the day, but his progress in both the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture and the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist hadn’t improved at all.

He estimated that he would need to cultivate for at least another full day before seeing any change in his progress with the two Cultivation Techniques.

In other words, at his current level of Root Bone and Comprehension, it would take him more than two years to advance the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture to the next stage, and more than three years for the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

His Root Bone was inferior to Lu Ren’s, so it wasn’t without reason that many people looked down on him.

His progress was this slow even with a Lower Grade B Root Bone. If he still had his Lower C-class Root Bone, he feared that reaching Qi Gathering Great Success would be difficult, let alone Marrow Cleansing.

’Thankfully, my Root Bone and Comprehension can be improved; they aren’t set in stone. I have the Martial Arts Longevity Panel. Time is something I have in abundance.’

At this thought, Xu Yang’s mood brightened again. He had achieved a different kind of longevity and had all the time in the world to slowly grind away.

...

The next day, Xu Yang returned to his usual routine, arriving early at Weiyuan Hall to practice his fists.

"Junior Brother Lu, that move was excellent! It already has a hint of the Bear-Bursting Strength’s essence."

"Junior Brother Lu, let me spar with you. This Bear-Bursting Strength is the core of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. The sooner you comprehend it, the better."

"Your Root Bone is exceptional. You’ll grasp it completely in two or three months at most."

...

Not far away, several senior brothers who had entered the Inner Courtyard earlier surrounded Lu Ren, taking turns sparring with him to help him practice his fists.

Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist was an art of combat and self-defense. To grasp the mysteries of Force and True Qi, the best training method was real combat.

Lu Ren had a good Root Bone and had become a Tributor for the Huang Family. His future was limitless, so naturally, there were plenty of people willing to befriend and help him.

Xu Yang, on the other hand, had been judged to have reached his full potential, so of course, no one was willing to waste their energy on him.

"Junior Brother Xu, how about we spar a bit?"

Xu Yang wasn’t the only one being given the cold shoulder. The senior brother before him, named Wu Yongfeng, was too.

He was the senior brother from the Outer Courtyard who had successfully achieved Qi Gathering before Xu Yang and Lu Ren. However, it had taken him nearly three months to do so, and with no background to speak of, no one in the Inner Courtyard was willing to pay him any mind either.

Since they were both outcasts, it was only natural for them to stick together.

Xu Yang clasped his fists. "Please guide me, Senior Brother Wu."

"It’s just for mutual improvement."

Wu Yongfeng smiled, and the two quickly began to spar, exchanging a flurry of blows.

A quarter of an hour later, both were panting heavily.

Xu Yang finally understood why these Inner Courtyard senior brothers rarely cultivated and spent most of their time resting.

One fight was more exhausting than practicing fists for a full hour. Although they both held back, some minor injuries were still unavoidable.

Of course, the results were good too. It was indeed much better than practicing arduously by himself.

"You two should ask the senior brothers for more guidance," Sun Tao said as he walked over. "Don’t be too proud to ask. The senior brothers in the Inner Courtyard are mostly decent people. You’ve both only just succeeded in Qi Gathering and haven’t comprehended Force yet. You should be asking for advice from the senior brothers who have."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Sun!" The two stood up and clasped their fists.

They naturally knew all this, but given the attitude of the older disciples toward them, even if they shamelessly went to ask for guidance, the others might not be willing to teach them.

Xu Yang had all the time in the world to grind, and he had no desire to suck up to those who would give him the cold shoulder.

Sun Tao nodded, then looked at Xu Yang and said, "Junior Brother Xu, the Liu Family from the city has asked me to pass on a message. They want to hire you as a Tributor for the Liu Family."

Hearing this, Xu Yang showed no surprise. Now that he had succeeded in Qi Gathering, people would naturally take notice. Weiyuan Hall’s channels would also recommend disciples to the great families in the city.

He didn’t know the Liu Family’s background, but he was willing to hear their terms.

Sun Tao said, "Marry into the Liu Family. They promise to provide you with resources worth no less than fifteen taels of silver each month, and you’ll also be allowed to cultivate the Liu Family’s heirloom Martial Arts."

Wu Yongfeng’s face filled with envy. Fifteen taels of silver a month was the same as what Lu Ren was getting from the Huang Family. With the addition of their heirloom Martial Arts, one could even say the offer was better than Lu Ren’s.

Unfortunately, Xu Yang had no intention of marrying into their family. He refused without a second thought. "Senior Brother, I have no intention of marrying into a family."

To solidify the relationship between a family and its Tributor, a marriage alliance was a common practice.

A few would require the man to marry into the family, while most would marry off a daughter. However, Xu Yang was unwilling to accept either arrangement.

It was precisely because he didn’t want to be tied down too tightly that he had deliberately delayed his breakthrough for a few days to come after Lu Ren’s.

Sun Tao was stunned. Xu Yang had actually refused such a good offer.

For a country bumpkin like Xu Yang to marry a young lady from the Liu Family, it was as if smoke were rising from his ancestral graves—an unbelievable stroke of luck.

If he hadn’t successfully reached Qi Gathering, he wouldn’t even have had the chance to meet her.

"Junior Brother Xu, you’re being foolish!"

Sun Tao shook his head. "Usually, when a great family hires a Tributor, even if it doesn’t require marrying in, they will still arrange a marriage. After all, once you become one of their own, they won’t feel the pinch when spending money to cultivate you."

The great families had their calculations down to a tee. By turning you into one of their own, the money they spent on you was considered an investment that had already returned.

He continued, "Take a word of advice from your senior brother. The Liu Family is very powerful in Qingyuan, far beyond what the Huang Family can compare to. Although they said they’d only give you fifteen taels a month, once you marry in and become one of them, things like resources will be much easier to negotiate.

Your Root Bone is inferior to Lu Ren’s. Without the backing of a powerful faction to cultivate you, I’m afraid you’ll have no hope of reaching Marrow Cleansing in the future.

If the Liu Family hadn’t seen that your breakthrough was only a few days behind Lu Ren’s and decided to take a gamble on you, the chance to marry into their family wouldn’t have even fallen to you."

His meaning was clear: the Liu Family was also making a bet. They were betting that Xu Yang’s success wasn’t a fluke, that he truly possessed talent on par with Lu Ren’s. He wanted Xu Yang to see the reality of his situation.

"It’s not shameful to marry into a family. In the future, if you achieve great success in the Martial Dao, whether you decide to establish your own house or not will be up to you."

Xu Yang shook his head. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Brother, but I still don’t wish to marry into a family, nor do I want to get married at all for now."

Seeing this, Sun Tao didn’t press the matter further. He said, "If you’re unwilling to form a marriage alliance, the Liu Family is only willing to offer five taels of silver a month to hire you as an ordinary Tributor. And Junior Brother Wu, the same goes for you.

Right now, only the Liu Family is hiring. If you’re not willing, then you’ll just have to wait."

Although Martial Artists are rare, it’s not like there are jobs waiting for you everywhere. Otherwise, people like Li Sanhe wouldn’t be out extorting the poor peasants outside the city.

Wu Yongfeng had achieved Qi Gathering about half a month before Xu Yang, but he still hadn’t found a position.

Wu Yongfeng immediately agreed. If he missed this chance with the Liu Family, there was no telling how long he’d have to wait.

Five taels was five taels. It was better than sitting around and draining his savings.

Although the usual pay for a Tributor was ten taels, that was based on the premise of a marriage alliance.

Xu Yang was unwilling to form a marriage alliance. Wu Yongfeng, on the other hand, had such poor talent that no family would even consider him, so he didn’t even have the opportunity for one.

Xu Yang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Senior Brother Sun, the Liu Family won’t hold a grudge against me for this, will they?"

Sun Tao showed an amused expression. "Don’t overthink it. To the Liu Family, this is just a business deal that fell through. Whenever they recruit people, they always try to propose a marriage alliance to anyone with decent talent. You’re not an exception."

Hearing this, Xu Yang also agreed to become a Tributor for the Liu Family.

"I’ll write a letter of introduction. You two can go report to the Liu Family in a little while."

Sun Tao left and returned a short while later with a letter, which he handed to the two of them.

The two took the letter and quickly departed.

"How stupid. The Liu Family taking an interest in him was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck, and he still refused."

Jiang Ping couldn’t help but find it laughable when he heard that Xu Yang had refused to marry into the Liu Family.

How many people wished to become a live-in son-in-law of the Liu Family but weren’t even qualified?

"To each their own ambitions. There’s no need to force it."

Sun Tao smiled and looked at Lu Ren. "The Huang Family must have made a similar request of you, Junior Brother Lu."

Lu Ren nodded. "I am only willing to form a marriage alliance. As for marrying into their family, the Huang Family is not quite worthy of that."