Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

[Root Bone: 70]

[Comprehension: 70]

’I have a little over two months left. By then, both my Root Bone and Comprehension should reach 80. I wonder if a score of 80 is enough to be considered A-class.’

Xu Yang glanced at the panel and got out of bed.

Although his Root Bone had reached 70, he hadn’t experienced any signs of a process akin to Muscle and Bone Strengthening. This meant he was still technically at the Upper Grade B Root Bone level.

This meant there could be significant differences between individuals, even if they had the same Root Bone score.

After his meal, Xu Yang went to the Liu Family residence.

Wu Yongfeng, one of the few people he still spoke with, had been transferred away. Xu Yang went directly to his room to cultivate the Vajra Skill, and at noon, he returned to Weiyuan Hall.

With the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon exam drawing near, everyone was going all out in their training. Even Lin Cheng began showing up more often, frequently appearing to instruct disciples in their Fist Techniques.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Fang Xing, Xiong Kui, and Zhang Yong had all achieved Qi Gathering Great Success. As for Zhang Hong’s situation, Xu Yang had no idea.

They rarely spoke to each other anymore.

He only found out that Zhang Yong had reached Qi Gathering Great Success when Zhang Yong himself announced it in the Inner Courtyard.

That day, just as Xu Yang stepped into Weiyuan Hall, Sun Tao approached him. "Junior Brother Xu, will you be participating in the Martial Arts Examination?"

Xu Yang nodded. "Of course."

Sun Tao said, "Registration has started. The fee is one tael of silver per person. The Martial Arts Hall is collecting the fees and will handle all the registration matters."

Xu Yang was a little surprised; he hadn’t known there was a fee to register. He promptly took out a tael of silver and handed it to Sun Tao.

"Senior Brother Sun, I haven’t reached Qi Gathering Great Success yet. How can registration have already started?" Zhang Hong walked over, a troubled look on his face.

His Root Bone was a grade lower than Zhang Yong’s, and he didn’t have as many resources, which was why he still hadn’t achieved Great Success in Qi Gathering.

If he missed this chance, wouldn’t all his life-and-death struggles in the mountains have been for nothing?

Sun Tao smiled. "If you’re confident, Junior Brother Zhang, you can register now. You just need to achieve Qi Gathering Great Success before the examination starts. But if you don’t make it, the registration fee won’t be refunded."

Zhang Hong breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he could register in advance, it was fine. With over a month to go, he was fairly confident he could achieve Qi Gathering Great Success.

"Please register for me, Senior Brother."

He handed a tael of silver to Sun Tao. When he looked up again, Xu Yang was already gone.

"Sigh..."

He couldn’t help but sigh. Without him even realizing it, his relationship with Xu Yang had grown so distant that it was no different from his relationship with any other ordinary disciple in the Inner Courtyard.

As part of the group selected by the Huang Family, they were supposed to support each other. But if he wanted to fit in with Jiang Ping’s circle, he couldn’t get too close to Xu Yang.

"Senior Brother Sun, how many people have registered so far?" Pushing his thoughts aside, Zhang Hong asked Sun Tao curiously.

"A total of fifteen people have signed up, but two of them are like you and haven’t reached Qi Gathering Great Success yet."

Zhang Hong gasped. "How many people will be participating in total?"

Weiyuan Hall, the martial arts hall with the fewest disciples in Qingyuan County, already had more than ten participants. If you added up all the other martial arts halls, plus those with family martial arts traditions and the Noble Family Members who don’t join halls, wouldn’t there be one or two hundred people?

The Dragon Ascension exam was going to be even more difficult than he had imagined.

"It’s usually no fewer than one hundred and thirty. In busy years, it can be close to two hundred," Sun Tao said.

Zhang Hong braced himself and asked, "What rank do I need to get to qualify for Dragon Ascension?"

Earning the title of Martial Scholar didn’t automatically grant one the right to participate in the Dragon Ascension.

Sun Tao glanced at him. "In most cases, you have to place in the top fifty to qualify for the Dragon Ascension."

Fifty slots sounded like a lot, but divided among a dozen or so martial arts halls and numerous Noble Families, there were hardly any to go around.

Basically, you had to be in the top five of your Martial Arts Hall just to have a chance at the Dragon Ascension. To be safe, you really needed to be in the top three.

Zhang Hong’s expression turned grim. At Weiyuan Hall, he couldn’t even break into the top ten, let alone the top five. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Don’t lose heart, Junior Brother Zhang. The Martial Arts Ascension Dragon exam is seventy percent skill and thirty percent luck. If only the top five from each hall could advance, why would anyone else bother trying?

Maybe with a bit of luck, you could make it into the top fifty. There are always a few lucky ones who manage it each year."

Zhang Hong’s spirits were greatly lifted.

That was right. The Martial Arts Examination involved combat. Someone like Sun Tao, who should have had a chance at the Dragon Ascension, could have his hopes dashed if he had bad luck. If he ran into a genius like Kong Yu in the first round and was injured, he would surely be eliminated.

Then, someone with good luck but less skill could slip through. Maybe he really could rely on a stroke of dumb luck to pass the Dragon Ascension.

...

A numbing tingle spread through his entire body. Veins bulged across Xu Yang’s frame, and his face was contorted in a ferocious grimace. Sweat poured from his body as if he were being wrung out like a wet towel.

The bones and sinews of his back, arms, and legs thrummed, emitting a series of CRACKLING and POPPING sounds.

’My Root Bone has finally reached A-class Lower.’

Despite the discomfort, his eyes flashed with excitement.

Setting aside his Comprehension, just in terms of Root Bone, he was now on the same level as Kong Yu.

After a little while longer, the agonizing sensation, like his muscles and bones were being reforged, finally subsided. The Root Bone enhancement was complete.

[Root Bone: 80]

[Comprehension: 70]

[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Great Success]

[Cultivation Techniques: Vajra Skill - Introduction (603/1000), Flying Swallow Skill - Great Success, Turtle and Snake Grand Posture - Great Success, Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist - Great Success]

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

[Remaining Lifespan: 65]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 20]

’Only the Vajra Skill is left!’

Xu Yang closed the panel with a sigh of resignation. His Flying Swallow Skill had reached Great Success a few days ago, but the Vajra Skill was still stuck at the Entry Level.

He had spent a full year on it, yet he had only completed half of the Vajra Skill’s Entry Level stage. The progress was infuriatingly slow.

At this rate, it would take at least another ten years for his Vajra Skill to reach Great Success.

Even for someone like him, who had already achieved a form of immortality, that felt like a long time.

’Maybe I should use some points to upgrade it in the future?’ Xu Yang mused.

The Vajra Skill was profound. Though he was still stuck at the Entry Level after a year, the constant tempering from the Vajra True Qi had made his physique astonishingly tough.