Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Lin Cheng returned to the small courtyard, dejected and feeling that it was a real shame.

"Father, you went out for a bit. Why did you come back so unhappy?" Lin Wei had keenly noticed her father’s strange mood.

Lin Cheng said, "There’s a disciple in the Inner Courtyard named Xu Yang. He comprehended Wind and Thunder Strength in less than a year of training, but he’s too timid and unwilling to take risks."

’He comprehended Wind and Thunder Strength in less than a year?’

Surprise flashed in Lin Wei’s eyes.

Every Martial Arts Foundation Establishment Fist Technique possessed a Triple Force, but most people, even at the peak of Qi Gathering Great Success, could only comprehend the First Layer of Force. Many only grasped the second layer after advancing to the Marrow Cleansing realm.

To comprehend Wind and Thunder Strength in under a year... that level of Comprehension was astonishing.

"How is he timid?" Lin Wei asked, her curiosity piqued.

’Just how timid must he be to make even her own carefree father this dejected?’

Lin Cheng said, "During this mountain sweep, of the eighteen Weiyuan Hall disciples with a Cultivation of Qi Gathering Minor Achievement, only three didn’t participate. He was one of them. With his mastery of Wind and Thunder Strength, he could threaten an expert at Qi Gathering Great Success, yet he doesn’t even have the guts to enter the mountains."

Lin Wei paused. "He certainly does lack some courage. But Father, when you teach your disciples, haven’t you always focused on money? Since when did you start caring about guts?"

Lin Cheng was caught off guard and retorted, "I focus on money because most of them don’t have any! I’m just teaching them its importance. That kid is from the countryside; he didn’t even have the money for training. He only got into the Martial Arts Hall through the Huang Family’s selection."

"I told him how important money was on his very first day, but I never expected him to completely ignore it. The mountain sweep was such a great opportunity to make money, and he just... didn’t go."

"He didn’t even report mastering Wind and Thunder Strength to me. If I hadn’t found out myself, I’d still be in the dark about the Martial Arts Hall having someone who comprehended it."

’How could someone be so pathologically low-key?’

’Mastering Wind and Thunder Strength is a huge accomplishment, something to show off, yet he kept it hidden. Shouldn’t a young man be full of vigor and ambition?’

In that moment, Lin Wei finally understood why her father was so dejected.

"Well, who’s to blame for being so lax with your disciples? For a genius to turn out like this, you bear the greatest responsibility," Lin Wei said with a smile. "He’s been an entry-level disciple for almost a year, and you didn’t even know his talent. No wonder Weiyuan Hall is in decline."

With that, she ignored her dejected father, got up, and walked out. She had to see for herself what this pathologically low-key person looked like.

This time, Lin Cheng didn’t argue. ’Perhaps it really is my fault.’

"Huh, who is that?"

"That’s Senior Sister Lin Wei, the master’s youngest daughter."

"What’s Senior Sister Lin Wei doing in the Inner Courtyard?"

"It looks like Senior Sister Lin Wei is looking for someone. Wonder who the lucky person is."

...

The buzz of unusual chatter suddenly reached Xu Yang’s ears. He immediately looked up to see his master Lin Cheng’s daughter, Lin Wei, appearing in the Inner Courtyard.

He paid it no mind and continued practicing his fist techniques.

「The next day」

All the Weiyuan Hall disciples who had participated in the mountain sweep returned. Two mangled corpses were carried back with them; there had been casualties after all.

Those who survived were all injured to some degree.

However, Xu Yang noticed that the experience had indeed been beneficial. Many of the survivors had changed dramatically; their auras had become more condensed and steady, and they now carried a hint of ruthlessness.

Xu Yang paid special attention to Lu Ren.

Lu Ren wasn’t carried back, but his face was deathly pale, large patches of his robes were stained red, and his expression was grim, a far cry from his previous high spirits.

"He had some bad luck. I heard he ran into a powerful Exotic Beast on par with a Marrow Cleansing master. If the expert dispatched by the Gu Family hadn’t rescued him in time, he’d probably be dead."

Zhang Hong sidled up to him, a gloating look on his face. "The two who died were with him. He managed to keep his life, but I heard his meridians and internal organs took a major hit. He’ll need at least a month of rest before he can cultivate again."

"This whole venture was a complete bust for him."

Xu Yang hadn’t expected Lu Ren to be both so unlucky and so fortunate. To encounter an Exotic Beast on par with a Marrow Cleansing master and still make it back alive was something else.

Besides Lu Ren, a few others were also heavily injured. While not crippled like Xue Fangsheng, they would still need a great deal of time to recover.

These were the ones who had lost their gamble.

If they had just continued their training step-by-step, they might have reached Qi Gathering Great Success by the time of the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon. Now, that possibility was completely gone.

"It was a life-or-death gamble. He’s still alive, so I wouldn’t call it a total loss," Xu Yang said with a smile.

Lu Ren’s eyes blazed with fury. His senses were sharp, so he had naturally heard Xu Yang’s words. A wave of regret washed over him.

At his previous rate of cultivation, he could have reached Qi Gathering Great Success in half a month at most. Now, it would take him a month and a half. Getting a good ranking in the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon would be even harder.

"You coward, who are you to mock me?" Lu Ren snorted. "Even if I lost the gamble, this experience has only strengthened my conviction in the Martial Dao. A trial isn’t only a success if you gain resources."

Xu Yang smiled. "Is that so? Then why is it that all I see in your eyes is utter defeat?"

Lu Ren had had it too easy for too long. His claim about a strengthened conviction in the Martial Dao was nonsense; on the contrary, his spirit had been broken. Xu Yang could see that much clearly.

The ones who had truly gained something were Zhang Hong and Zhang Yong next to him. They must have drawn blood and fought Exotic Beasts to the death, because their Essence, Qi, and Spirit had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering change. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"All of you who are injured, go get treated at once. Don’t dawdle here."

Lin Cheng appeared. Lu Ren stopped his bickering with Xu Yang and was led away by the people from the Gu Family.

He offered a few words of encouragement, quite satisfied with the outcome of the trial. Though some had lost their lives, the majority had succeeded.

"You should have gone," Zhang Hong said, looking at Xu Yang.