Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

[Root Bone: 65]

[Comprehension: 64]

[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Great Success]

[Cultivation Techniques: Turtle and Snake Grand Posture·Minor Achievement (293/300), Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist·Minor Achievement (490/500), Vajra Skill - Introduction (256/1000)]

[Skills: Mining Level 3 (283/400)]

[Remaining Lifespan: 64]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 23]

His lifespan had suddenly increased by two years, and his progress in the Vajra Skill had also gone up by over twenty points.

It was worth noting that the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist hadn’t reached Great Success this month as he had predicted; its progress was stuck at "490."

Over the past month, the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist had ironically been the slowest of all his Cultivation Techniques to progress.

Comprehending the final Mixed Element Strength was proving more difficult than he’d imagined, and he hadn’t made any progress for several days.

’Mixed Element Strength is usually an exclusive ability of Bone Marrow Cleansing Masters. It was naturally difficult for me to grasp it when I was only at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement. But now that I’ve opened my Ren and Du Meridians and reached True Qi Great Success, it should be much simpler to comprehend.’

Xu Yang had already deduced as much. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Mixed Element Strength was a state of internal and external unity. If his Inner Strength True Qi hadn’t even reached Great Success, how could he possibly achieve harmony between the internal and external, a state of Primordial Unity?

’There are still three months until the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon. Even if I can’t reach Marrow Cleansing in that time, I should get close. Lu Ren hasn’t even reached Qi Gathering Great Success yet...’

Everything was happening ahead of schedule. For the first time, he had broken through before Lu Ren.

Joy bloomed in Xu Yang’s heart. He had finally reached Qi Gathering Great Success. In a place like Qingyuan, this meant he truly had some ability to protect himself and could stop being so cautiously discreet.

He straightened his clothes and pushed the door open, stepping outside.

When he had returned, it was merely noon. Now, as he emerged, the bright moon hung high in a sky of profound silence.

"Brother!"

Xu Qing had been waiting outside the whole time. Seeing Xu Yang emerge, she couldn’t help but laugh happily.

"Is there any food? I’m starving."

Xu Yang instinctively started to reach out and pat her head, but then he saw that Xu Qing was already as tall as his shoulder. He realized she wasn’t a little girl anymore and sheepishly drew his hand back.

"Yes, I’ll go heat it up."

Xu Qing turned and ran back into the house to start a fire.

"Don’t bother, I’ll eat it cold," Xu Yang said.

With his current Physique, he could eat blocks of ice without any issue. Besides, the weather was getting warmer, so eating something cold would actually be more comfortable.

’Qi Gathering Great Success is even more expensive. Should I tell the Liu Family about this?’ Xu Yang wondered. ’Qi Gathering Great Success isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning. The deeper my Cultivation becomes, the more terrifying the resources required. If I rely solely on absorbing nutrients from my daily meals to practice, it’ll be ages before I can achieve Marrow Cleansing.’

’But that would be too high-profile. Lu Ren hasn’t even reached Qi Gathering Great Success, yet I’ve already done it. If word gets out, it will definitely arouse suspicion. After all, when the Huang Family read my bones, I was assessed as having a mere Lower C-class Root Bone.’

’I’ll wait a few days. At the very least, I should wait for Lu Ren to break through. That way, it won’t be so conspicuous.’

’According to Lu Ren, he should reach Qi Gathering Great Success in half a month at most. I can afford to wait a mere half a month.’

’Letting the news of my Qi Gathering Great Success spread wouldn’t bring many benefits, but it would likely attract a heap of trouble. The losses would outweigh the gains.’

’I just hope that guy is reliable and wasn’t just bullshitting.’

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 53]

The next day, the first thing Xu Yang did upon opening his eyes was to check his panel. His breakthrough to Qi Gathering Great Success in his Cultivation had rewarded him with thirty points.

Without hesitation, he raised his Root Bone to "68."

For the next few days, Xu Yang went to the Liu Family in the morning to be on call, but instead of going to Weiyuan Hall at noon, he went straight home to consolidate his Qi Gathering Great Success Realm.

After a few days, his Cultivation was finally consolidated, and the volume of his True Qi had increased considerably.

Just as he had guessed, practicing the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist became much smoother after he reached Qi Gathering Great Success. However, comprehending the Mixed Element Strength would still require a period of arduous training.

His Turtle and Snake Grand Posture, on the other hand, had reached Great Success during these past few days.

The Great Success stage of the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture had an excellent effect. Every time he practiced it, he had the distinct impression that his Life Energy was slowly increasing, and his entire body felt incredibly relaxed.

Each time he finished the posture, his body would be covered in a layer of foul-smelling, grayish-black sweat, as if he were expelling toxins.

’Daily cultivation really does have the effect of prolonging one’s life.’

’The Turtle and Snake Grand Posture is just a Cultivation Technique taught by a small Martial Arts Hall in Qingyuan County, yet it can extend one’s life. Do those grand Martial Arts Sects possess true methods for Martial Arts Longevity?’

’Even if there isn’t a true method for eternal life, based on my current understanding of the Martial Dao, living for a few hundred years should be possible.’

’Just how terrifying would those old monsters who have lived for centuries be?’

’So I still need to keep a low profile.’

One day, as Xu Yang was returning from the Liu Mansion, he saw Zhang Tong from a distance with his lackeys, like Xu Zheng, at his front door.

Zhang Tong was acting as if he owned the place, lounging leisurely in a reclining chair. A table beside him was laden with fruits and pastries, and someone was holding an umbrella over him.

The main door to his house was shut tight. Xu Qing was nowhere to be seen; she must have been hiding inside.

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Yang’s eyes.

Since their first meeting, this was not the first time Zhang Tong had come to his house.

Zhang Tong hadn’t done anything excessive or out of line. Each time he came, it seemed to be just as he had said before: he was only there to drink tea because of Xu Qing’s excellent tea-brewing skills.

But even if he truly was just there for tea, for an unmarried young woman home alone, this was still an act that could ruin her reputation.

Xu Yang didn’t believe for a second that he was just there for tea. Xu Qing just added hot water—what kind of "tea-brewing skills" could she possibly have?

Although Xu Yang wasn’t sure of his purpose, he knew it was nothing good.

"Haha... Brother Xu, what brings you back so early today?" Zhang Tong spotted Xu Yang and sat up from his reclining chair.

"My master had no tasks for me, so I returned early today."

Xu Yang’s gaze swept past Xu Zheng and landed on Zhang Tong. "Young Master, it’s hot outside. Why not come inside and sit? Now that I’m back, I can entertain you properly."

Zhang Tong glanced back at the closed door and chuckled. "Your sister is quite afraid of me, so I’d better not go inside. Besides, I’ve had my fill of tea. I’ll come back to trouble you another day."

"Brother Xu, I’ll take my leave!"

He gave a casual fist and palm salute and strode away without waiting for Xu Yang’s reply. Xu Zheng and the other lackeys scrambled to follow.

"Take care, Young Master!"

Xu Yang stood rooted to the spot, watching until Zhang Tong had vanished from sight. Only then did Xu Qing run out of the house.

Seeing the fruits and pastries left on the table, she angrily swept everything onto the ground.

"If that’s not enough to vent your anger, you can chop all this stuff to bits," Xu Yang said.

Xu Qing shook her head. "No, I can’t. If he comes back next time and sees his things are gone, it will just make him angry."

She desperately wanted to do it, but the table and chair had been brought by Zhang Tong. Chopping them up would be the same as openly turning against him.

"It’s alright. I already had a senior brother from the Martial Arts Hall send him a message. He won’t come back to pester you again," Xu Yang said.

"You’re the best, Brother!"

Xu Qing immediately rushed back into the house in a flurry, grabbed an axe, and with a series of CRACKS and SPLINTERS, chopped all of Zhang Tong’s furniture to pieces.

...

"Young Master, since you like Xu Qing, why not just propose marriage directly? With your status and strength, Xu Yang would probably be thrilled to marry her off to you."

As they left Bai Shi Workshop, a puzzled Xu Zheng asked Zhang Tong.

They had known for a while that Zhang Tong had taken a liking to Xu Qing. Otherwise, why would he make time to visit so often? The tea was just an excuse.

Zhang Tong shook his head. "You don’t know shit. This way is more fun. Do you think I’m a crude brute like you? If I wanted to marry her, would I need you to remind me?"

"Look at that Xu Yang. He wants nothing more than to kill me, but he doesn’t dare to make a move. If I proposed, where’s the fun in that?"

Xu Zheng looked completely baffled. "My cultivation realm is too low. I still can’t comprehend your thoughts, Young Master."

Zhang Tong chuckled. "You’ll understand once you’ve played around more."

As his voice faded, the group headed toward the city and soon disappeared into the surrounding wilderness.

...

"Go practice your calligraphy."

After she had vented her frustration, Xu Yang told Xu Qing to leave and then summoned his panel.

[Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist·Minor Achievement (491/500)]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 36]

The Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist was just a little shy of the Great Success Realm. Originally, he had planned to slowly comprehend the Mixed Element Strength on his own and was in no hurry, but now he was in no mood for that.

Because he wanted to kill someone!

If it hadn’t been the wrong place and time, Zhang Tong would already be dead. They were both at Qi Gathering Great Success, but he was confident he could kill Zhang Tong in ten moves.

’Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist, upgrade!’

With a thought, he allocated the points to the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

In an instant, Xu Yang felt a warmth spread through his head as a flood of insights about the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist surged into his mind.

[Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist·Great Success]

When he opened his eyes, he now understood everything about the Mixed Element Strength completely.

’So this is Mixed Element Strength?’

’Internal and external become one, a state of Mixed Element Unity. It possesses both the masculine dominance of Bear-Bursting Strength and the sinister viciousness of Wind and Thunder Strength.’

’Only after truly comprehending Mixed Element Strength did he understand. Compared to Bear-Bursting Strength and Wind and Thunder Strength, Mixed Element Strength was overwhelmingly powerful. An opponent in the same realm who hadn’t mastered it would be pathetically weak, unable to withstand a single blow.’

Pushing the door open, Xu Yang ran directly to the back of the house and began practicing the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.