Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

BANG!

With the sound, the snow ten feet away exploded. A white cloth flew up, kicking up a blizzard of snow.

At the same time, a figure from beneath the white cloth shot out like a tiger pouncing on its prey, lunging at him amidst the howling wind and snow.

The attacker had hidden under the white cloth, camouflaged in the snow. Xu Yang hadn’t noticed anything was amiss until he was within ten feet.

The instant he paused, his opponent seized the opportunity to strike.

Ten feet might seem far, but for a Qi Gathering expert, it was merely a single step.

The attacker was as fast as lightning and as fierce as a tiger. In an instant, he crossed the ten-foot distance, his massive fist tearing through the air, aimed straight for a fatal spot—Xu Yang’s throat.

Though caught off guard, Xu Yang had been vigilant and remained calm. The moment the fist was about to crush his throat, his waist twisted like a great python, his body spinning to evade the fatal blow.

But the man’s assault wasn’t over. As their bodies crossed, he swept his leg out like a tiger’s tail, kicking straight for Xu Yang’s waist.

BOOM!

The force of the kick howled like a tiger, stirring up a flurry of snow. This kick was even fiercer than the previous punch—another killing move.

With no time to turn and react, Xu Yang executed a Bear Pounce. The great dragon of his spine propelled him forward like a charging, explosive bear, causing the kick to miss.

The wind and snow churned!

Mid-air, he twisted his body around, only to see his attacker sticking to him like glue, his five fingers clawing like an eagle’s talons toward Xu Yang’s dantian.

Now, he finally got a clear look at the man. His opponent was wearing a mask, revealing only a pair of sinister, ruthless eyes.

BANG!

Having dodged two killing moves in a row, Xu Yang had fully reacted. He lashed out with a kick in mid-air, batting away the hand clawing for his dantian, and landed steadily on the ground.

The immense force knocked the attacker back, forcing him to leave several footprints in the snow as he retreated.

The man seemed to have been jolted by Xu Yang’s impossibly tough physique. He shook his hand as he backed away, his eyes filled with shock. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Xu Yang’s body to be so hard, as if he had struck a stubborn rock.

A cold glint shone in Xu Yang’s eyes, his aura turning sharp.

He didn’t know who this person was or why he had gone to such lengths to ambush and kill him. But of the two of them, only one would live to see the end of this day.

BOOM!

A mixture of ice, snow, and dirt exploded outward as Xu Yang lunged forward. His bones and tendons crackled like a string of firecrackers.

This time, it was finally his turn to attack.

Rage ignited the fire in his heart. Vajra True Qi surged from his dantian, and his blood and qi boiled like water.

The great dragon of his spine seemed to come alive, power flowing through it vertebra by vertebra as tyrannical force surged into his arms.

Bear-Bursting Strength!

This was their first true exchange. He had no intention of testing the waters; he immediately unleashed the signature killing move of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist: Bear-Bursting Strength.

His fist tore through the air, creating a terrifying gale. Snowflakes more than three feet from his fist were pulverized by the sheer force. The display of power was horrifying.

The masked man’s expression changed drastically. The move wasn’t subtle, but its tyrannical aura screamed of immense danger.

He didn’t dare meet Xu Yang’s blow head-on, instead raising both arms to defend.

BANG!

The fist landed. The masked man shuddered violently, his arms feeling as if they’d been struck by a sledgehammer. Though the bones weren’t shattered, he feared they were fractured. For a moment, he lost all feeling in them.

Even more terrifying, a domineering stream of True Qi flooded into his body from Xu Yang’s fist, rampaging through his meridians like a knife.

’Bear-Bursting Strength!’

’True Qi Leaving the Body!’

’Qi Gathering Minor Achievement!’

The masked man finally realized why his sneak attack had failed to take down Xu Yang.

Xu Yang’s cultivation had actually reached Qi Gathering Minor Achievement, the realm of True Qi Leaving the Body. On top of that, he had comprehended the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist’s Bear-Bursting Strength.

With either one of those abilities, it would have been impossible for him to kill Xu Yang, let alone both combined.

He wanted to run!

But Xu Yang’s assault was like a tide—fierce, relentless, and sharp.

His second move followed immediately after the first.

While the masked man was trying to suppress the rampaging True Qi, before feeling had even returned to his arms, Xu Yang’s other hand shot out like lightning, clamping onto the man’s wrist like an iron pincer.

Xu Yang twisted his hand back, unleashing a burst of force. With a loud CRACK, the masked man’s arm was snapped, twisted like a fried dough twist.

"Ah..."

The agony of his broken arm made the masked man’s vision go black; he nearly passed out from the pain.

He was wearing a mask and had remained silent the entire time, but now he forgot all that, letting out an unconscious wail of agony.

"Bao Gang!"

The moment the voice cried out, Xu Yang knew who his ambusher was. He never would have thought it was Bao Gang.

’That bastard... he’s trying to kill me just because I wouldn’t lend him money earlier today?’

"Die!"

The pain of his broken arm drove Bao Gang into a frenzy. Forgetting that his identity had been exposed, a vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he swung his other hand, chopping toward Xu Yang’s throat.

At this moment, all he wanted was to kill the man who had broken his arm.

SWISH!

But he had forgotten that Xu Yang also had another hand.

The instant his palm chopped down, Xu Yang’s other hand whipped out as if it were boneless. It was the Whip Strength from the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

Bao Gang’s sleeve exploded. A bloody gash appeared on his wrist, and he screamed in pain once more.

Xu Yang’s expression was grim. He grabbed Bao Gang’s broken wrist with both hands and yanked hard.

SQUELCH!

Blood splattered. The white tendons, along with the wrist, were torn clean off. The scene was incredibly gruesome.

"Xu Yang, spare me! I was blinded by greed! I shouldn’t have tried to rob you after losing all my money."

’Weiyuan Hall’s Xu Yang, the one abandoned by the Huang Family... killing him and taking his money should have been a sure thing.’ Bao Gang had never imagined the reality would be so different from his expectations—that Xu Yang had quietly reached Qi Gathering Minor Achievement.

At last, he was terrified, screaming and begging for mercy.

"If you come to kill someone, you should be prepared to be killed."

Xu Yang stomped on Bao Gang’s knee. With a CRACK, Bao Gang’s leg snapped, and his body immediately collapsed sideways.

He followed up with a palm strike, chopping down on Bao Gang’s neck. The man’s head slammed hard into the snow and his body began to twitch.

"Die!"

With his third move, he stomped on Bao Gang’s neck. The twitching body immediately went still.

Xu Yang let out a long breath and crouched down to loot the body. After fumbling around for a while, he didn’t find a single coin.

"What a jinx!" he couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

He had killed a few people before, but this was the first time he’d met someone so penniless. The man must have lost everything before coming to rob and kill him.

The snow was getting heavier and would soon cover all traces of the fight.

Still, Xu Yang dumped Bao Gang’s body in the mountains before returning to the path and continuing home.

He pushed open the door. Xu Qing hurried forward to brush the snow off him. "Brother, you’re late again."

"I went to our eldest uncle’s house," Xu Yang explained.

"Today, Auntie Gao from next door came to borrow grain. I didn’t lend her any," Xu Qing said in a small voice.

Xu Yang nodded. "Don’t lend to anyone except those who have helped us in the past."

When Xu the Second had abandoned them to fend for themselves, they had also tried to borrow grain from others, but very few had been willing to help.

"We’re running low on firewood. I didn’t dare go up the mountain with the snow being so heavy."

"I’ll go chop some tomorrow. You just stay home and don’t worry."

...

In the swirling snow, the siblings’ voices gradually faded.