Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

To be precise, he was carried back.

Xue Fangsheng!

One of his arms was gone. His thigh was wrapped in thick bandages, his robes were stained with blood, and he was being carried back by the two people who had teamed up with him to patrol the mountain. His face was ashen. By the looks of it, he was crippled.

The other two didn’t look much better. Their clothes were tattered, and they had terrifying claw marks on their chests, abdomens, and backs. The only small mercy was that their injuries weren’t fatal; they would recover after ten days to half a month.

"How did you end up like this?"

Lin Cheng was roused by the commotion and came out of his courtyard. He frowned deeply upon seeing the state of the three men.

After a quick examination, he knew Xue Fangsheng was crippled.

Not only was he left with just one arm, but the major tendons in his leg had also been severed. It was an injury beyond medicine’s help.

Xue Fangsheng’s expression was bleak. The hall master was supposed to have been following them, but when they encountered the powerful Exotic Beast, no one appeared to rescue them.

"Master, we encountered an Exotic Beast on par with the Qi Gathering Great Success realm."

Though Fang Xing was covered in wounds, his expression was strangely elated. "We killed it."

He and his senior brother, Xiong Kui, had won their gamble. At the cost of crippling Xue Fangsheng, they had killed an Exotic Beast on par with the Qi Gathering Great Success realm. That beast could be sold for nearly three hundred taels of silver. Even split three ways, he would get almost one hundred taels.

With this money, reaching Qi Gathering Great Success before the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon event wouldn’t be a problem.

The only one who lost the gamble was Xue Fangsheng. Even if he got his share of the money, his life was over.

One was crippled, but two others could now aim for the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon. All in all, it was a good outcome. Most people envied Fang Xing and Xiong Kui for succeeding in their life-or-death struggle and earning a chance at the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon.

As for the crippled Xue Fangsheng, besides his own regrets, no one felt sorry for him, nor did he become a cautionary tale.

In most people’s eyes, it was simply because his strength was lacking. Otherwise, why was it that when the three of them encountered the Exotic Beast together, the other two weren’t crippled, but Xue Fangsheng was?

"A hundred taels... that’s a huge score."

Even Qiu Wenjie, who had been clear-headed before, looked envious upon hearing they would each get nearly one hundred taels.

Xu Yang watched the commotion for a while before returning to his corner to continue practicing his fists.

The Palm Seal left by Li Sanhe had almost faded. With the money he had gotten from Li Sanhe, his Cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds these past few days.

He was buying a daily dose of Qi-Replenishing Powder, which cost three taels of silver per packet, and eating Exotic Beast Meat for every meal.

As a result, he could train for longer, and his progress with his Cultivation Technique was gratifying.

Lin Cheng sent someone to inform Xue Fangsheng’s family, and they soon came to take him away. Fang Xing and Xiong Kui also left to treat their injuries, and the Inner Courtyard fell quiet once more.

"Sigh..."

Lin Cheng had seen this sort of thing too many times, but at this moment, he was still moved, his conscience pricked.

He hadn’t been a very competent master and hadn’t guided his disciples in their training for a long time. Even though they hadn’t performed the kowtow and tea ceremony, they still called him Master.

So, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he began to stroll through the Inner Courtyard, occasionally pointing out mistakes in the disciples’ techniques.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a figure.

The disciple practicing his fists was striking with limp, powerless movements. His Force seemed insubstantial as if he hadn’t eaten, and his form looked worse than even an Outer Courtyard Disciple’s.

’Xu Yang!’

He remembered this disciple was named Xu Yang, one of the first batch sent by the Huang Family. His talent seemed decent; his breakthroughs had always trailed just behind Lu Ren’s.

’If he had dared to take a risk during the mountain patrol this time, he might have had a shot at Dragon Ascension. But he didn’t go. He was a coward.’

Looking at Xu Yang’s Fist Technique now, he understood why the boy hadn’t gone. The incredibly hard and ferocious Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist had been turned into mere fancywork. He completely lacked the proper spirit of a Martial Artist.

’How could someone like that dare to risk his life in the mountains?’

’For someone like him to practice the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist is simply an insult to the technique.’

Lin Cheng grew furious and was about to go over and teach this disciple a harsh lesson.

’Wait, that’s not right. I remember this Xu Yang comprehended Bear-Bursting Strength long ago.’

But after taking just one step, he realized something. How could someone who had comprehended Bear-Bursting Strength have such a limp and powerless Fist Technique?

Lin Cheng stopped in his tracks and looked again, this time more closely.

Xu Yang’s Fist Technique was still limp and lacked any grand presence, but under Lin Cheng’s careful scrutiny, he discovered that as Xu Yang threw his punches, a hidden, imperceptible Force lay dormant within his flesh and blood, contained and unreleased.

’Wind and Thunder Strength!’

Lin Cheng’s eyes widened, his breathing momentarily growing ragged.

As a Bone Marrow Cleansing Strong Person who had practiced the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist for decades, he finally understood why Xu Yang’s Fist Technique looked so limp and weak.

Wind and Thunder Strength!

Only someone who had comprehended the mysteries of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist’s Wind and Thunder Strength could make the incredibly hard and ferocious technique appear so limp and weak.

This cowardly disciple, who didn’t dare risk his life in the mountains, actually possessed such incredible Comprehension! While still at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement, he had already grasped the mysteries of Inner Strength and mastered Wind and Thunder Strength.

He was absolutely the only one in the entire Inner Courtyard who had mastered Wind and Thunder Strength.

Not even his disciple Sun Tao, who had performed the formal ceremony, nor Jiang Ping and Gu Fang, who had been training for nearly two years, had managed to master Wind and Thunder Strength.

’As a master, how could I not have known when such a person appeared among my own disciples?’

Lin Cheng could no longer hold back and strode over.

"You... When did you master it?"

Xu Yang cupped his fists. "Master, it was a few days ago."

He knew Lin Cheng was talking about the Wind and Thunder Strength. He didn’t say it had been months ago; that would be too shocking and far too high-profile. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He wasn’t surprised by this. Unless he stopped practicing his fists in Weiyuan Hall, Lin Cheng was bound to find out about his Wind and Thunder Strength sooner or later.

"I never thought that I, your master, would misjudge someone so badly. Your Comprehension is truly excellent."

Lin Cheng sized Xu Yang up, a hundred thoughts flashing through his mind. ’Should I take him on as a Direct Disciple?’

But then he remembered how Xu Yang hadn’t shown any fighting spirit even after being abandoned by the Huang Family, and how he didn’t dare enter the mountains to fight even after mastering a technique like Wind and Thunder Strength. He dismissed the thought.

’He even mastered Wind and Thunder Strength but didn’t dare report it to me, his master.’

’High Comprehension, but no conviction of an expert. Timid and afraid of death. He still won’t go far on this path.’

’High Comprehension, no background, no resources, and no courage to fight for them. He’ll fall sooner or later.’

"What a waste of such Comprehension."

Lin Cheng sighed inwardly. If someone like Lu Ren had this level of Comprehension, Weiyuan Hall might have taken the top spot in this year’s Martial Arts Ascension Dragon.

’If he lacked resources, I would have poured in whatever it took to make him number one.’

"I just stumbled into it by accident, I’m not sure how I managed it!" Xu Yang said humbly.

Lin Cheng fell silent for a moment. People like Sun Tao had risked their lives trying to comprehend Wind and Thunder Strength and still failed, yet you just ’stumbled into it’?

"You no longer need to pay your tuition fee. I will waive it for you," Lin Cheng said.

Although he wasn’t making him a Direct Disciple, he was still giving him a small benefit. He wanted to see if waiving the two taels per month tuition fee might produce a miracle.

He was disappointed, but he still decided to make a small investment.

Xu Yang was overjoyed. "Thank you, Master!"

Lin Cheng nodded slightly. After a moment of thought, he spoke again. "If you have aspirations on the Martial Dao, you must change this nature of yours that dares not to fight or seize opportunities. The Martial Arts Ascension Dragon is far crueler than you imagine.

If you’re afraid of death, it’s best not to get on the stage. In a life-or-death battle between Martial Artists, while one’s Cultivation Realm is important, one’s spirit and courage are just as crucial."

He almost never said these things to his disciples, because there were very few Martial Artists who were cowards.

This time, even people like Lu Ren and Jiang Ping were going into the mountains, yet Xu Yang didn’t dare.

If these few words could change Xu Yang’s disposition, he might have a future. Otherwise, he would never even make it out of Qingyuan.

"I will remember Master’s teachings," Xu Yang said, cupping his fists.

Lin Cheng shook his head inwardly. From Xu Yang’s expression, he knew his words had been wasted. Xu Yang hadn’t taken a single one to heart.

"If there’s anything you don’t understand in the future, you can come find me anytime."

This encounter with Xu Yang completely dispelled the sense of guilt that had been briefly stirred within Lin Cheng. He lost the mood to guide any other disciples and returned directly to his courtyard.

’You can’t prop up mud.’

Xu Yang watched Lin Cheng leave.

He knew Lin Cheng’s words made a lot of sense. For most Martial Artists, that was indeed the path they should follow.

But he wasn’t a normal Martial Artist.

Others had to fight and seize opportunities because their lives were short. They had to obtain as many resources as possible in their limited time to grow strong quickly. Otherwise, once they reached a certain age and their vitality began to decline, all their efforts would be in vain.

He, however, had achieved a different kind of longevity. He had all the time in the world. Only a madman would go looking for risks.