It wouldn’t be long before Xu Qing reached Gang Qi Great Success. Her Fine Rain Shocking Wind Sword and Wind-Breaking Fist were already becoming insufficient; she needed to cultivate a more formidable Martial Technique.
He didn’t have a suitable technique for her at the moment, so he could only send her to the Hidden Skills Hall to acquire one.
After mapping out Xu Qing’s cultivation plan and giving her some money for medicinal herbs to study Alchemy, he and Xu Qing went to the Outer Disciple residential area. He planned to invite Qiu Wenjie, Tian Li, and Sun Tao for a meal.
"It’s Xu Yang! He’s in the Outer Sect!"
"He’s the genius from our very own Qingyuan County. He might even achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension in the future."
"Greetings, Brother Xu!"
...
The moment he set foot in the area, he caused a sensation. Many disciples came forward to bow, and people even poured out from the courtyards on either side.
In truth, everyone had seen Xu Yang before. But right now, it was as if they were seeing him for the first time, all of them staring with eyes full of envy and admiration.
Xu Yang cupped his fist in response to everyone who greeted him, whether he knew them or not, leaving them feeling overwhelmingly flattered.
Qin Ze and Liu Qian stood in the crowd, their hearts aching with bitterness. Their former ally was now someone they could only look up to from afar.
Ashamed, Liu Qian turned her head away, not wanting Xu Yang to see the scar on her face.
’How pathetic!’
Unfortunately for them, Xu Yang still saw them. Qin Ze was missing a hand, and Liu Qian was disfigured. A hideous scar ran across her once-delicate face, looking like a great centipede. It was a gruesome sight.
A wave of satisfaction washed over him. He truly enjoyed seeing these people suffer.
"Junior Brother Xu, you’ve really made a name for yourself."
Hearing the commotion, Sun Tao ran out of his courtyard. When he saw all the Outer Disciples gathered around Xu Yang, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.
Behind him, Qian Tong and Ma Yong, who had followed him out, saw it was Xu Yang and turned pale with fright, not daring to look him in the eye.
"Senior Brother, I came to see Xiaqing and decided to invite you for a meal while I was here. Are you free?" Xu Yang asked with a smile.
Everyone stared at Sun Tao in shock. Being personally invited to a meal by Xu Yang was a tremendous honor.
"Of course!" Sun Tao replied with a grin.
He and Xu Yang departed under the envious gazes of the crowd.
"You seem a little down, Senior Brother," Xu Yang observed.
Sun Tao had a smile on his face, but Xu Yang could still tell something was off. There was a hint of sorrow about him.
"Wan Hai and Wang Weihua are dead," Sun Tao said softly.
Xu Yang understood instantly. ’So, more familiar faces have fallen.’
"They’re dead too? How?"
When he and Sun Tao had first moved into this courtyard, there were ten of them. Now, less than four years later, only three remained.
Himself, Jiang Fan, and Sun Tao. The other seven had all died, one after another.
"They took a mission to escort medicinal herbs and were killed by people from the Blood Lotus Sect."
Xu Yang sighed. He wondered how many of the sixty disciples from his year’s Dragon Ascension in Qingyuan County were still alive. He doubted even thirty remained.
There were many faces he hadn’t seen in a long time.
The two of them soon found Qiu Wenjie and Tian Li. Their cultivation had also improved considerably, and they had broken through to Gang Qi Minor Achievement.
At this rate, however, they likely wouldn’t even reach Gang Qi Great Success by the end of their three-year term. Their hopes of entering the Inner Sect were slim.
But the two had already resigned themselves to their fate. They just hoped to safely complete their ten years as Outer Disciples and return to Qingyuan County alive to become local bigwigs.
Only Sun Tao hadn’t lost heart; he still dreamed of seeing what the Inner Sect was like.
After the meal, when Xu Yang returned to Li Fire Peak, the sky had already darkened.
He entered his secret chamber and took out the several Secret Manuals he had obtained from Qiushui Manor. He had been busy with social obligations these past few days and finally had time to look at them.
The one on top was the Blood Transformation Palm, which he was already familiar with. It was a unique Palm Technique of the Blood Lotus Sect, and exceedingly insidious.
’I’d better not cultivate this kind of Demon Technique.’
After a moment of consideration, he put the Blood Transformation Palm manual aside, deciding not to cultivate it.
It wasn’t because he had any particular moral qualms about the Demon Dao. Rather, cultivating the Blood Transformation Palm was simply more trouble than it was worth. Not only could he never use it openly, but if he were discovered, being dealt with as a member of the Blood Lotus Sect would be a devastating loss.
He had already mastered a Palm Technique with its own Martial Dao Imagery, the Fuyue Bear King’s Palm. There was no need to get mixed up in the Demon Dao and invite trouble.
"Blood Slave Seal."
The second manual was also for a Demonic Cultivation Technique. Xu Yang wasn’t particularly interested, but since he couldn’t tell what kind of technique it was from the name alone, he began to read it patiently.
After reading for a while, Xu Yang’s eyes lit up.
It turned out the Blood Slave Seal was a kind of Secret Technique designed specifically to control people. When combined with special methods and medicine, it gave the user complete control over another person’s life and death.
Even a Martial Artist at Marrow Cleansing Great Success would have no choice but to submit if controlled by the Blood Slave Seal. Unless the user personally removed it, not even a Celestial Essence expert could break the seal.
The Blood Lotus Sect used this very Blood Slave Seal to control its members, forcing them to give their lives for the sect, unable to betray or even flee.
’This technique is worth learning. It might be useful in the future!’
[Blood Slave Seal (0/500)]
[Blood Slave Secret Medicine (0/100)]
The panel before him flickered. As the Secret Technique was logged, he also obtained a medicinal formula.
Without hesitation, Xu Yang unleashed his Gang Qi, instantly shattering the Secret Manual in his hand into pieces.
He picked up the last Secret Manual and saw four powerful words written on the cover: Bright King Unmoving Body.
’Could this be a Body Refining Technique?’
Xu Yang’s heart skipped a beat.
During the battle at Qiushui Manor, the person who had impressed him most was Li Ye. His physical body was incredibly powerful—he had fought bare-handed against Gao Lin, who was wielding a Half-Spirit Weapon. His defense was absolutely terrifying.
In the end, it took two masters, Gao Lin and Lu Chuping, both wielding Half-Spirit Weapons and working together, to finally surround and kill him.
He had never actually practiced a Body Refining Technique himself. The only reason his physical body was so formidable was because his Golden Gang Qi was exceptionally potent, tempering his flesh and bone beyond that of other Martial Artists at his level.
The Golden Gang Skill, after all, primarily focused on cultivating Gang Qi.
Even when he reached Marrow Cleansing Great Success, his body might not be able to withstand a Half-Spirit Weapon like Li Ye’s could.
He eagerly began to read, discovering that it wasn’t a Demonic Cultivation Technique. Just as he’d suspected, it was a true Body Refining Technique.
"Bright King Unmoving Body: In the beginning, one uses Gang Qi to temper the body. Upon reaching the Great Success Realm, one comprehends the ’Bright King’ imagery and uses it to further refine the body. At the Perfection Realm, offense and defense become one. One becomes as unmoving as a mountain, utterly indestructible."
Xu Yang’s heart pounded with excitement as he read. Any Cultivation Technique that involved a Martial Dao Imagery was unquestionably a Superior Technique.
This technique was even more unique, using Martial Dao Imagery for Body Refining. It was likely a superior art even among Superior Techniques.
According to the description, Li Ye—who could block a Half-Spirit Weapon with his bare body—had only cultivated the Unmoving Bright King Body to the Minor Achievement Realm. He was nowhere near Great Success.
Once this technique reached Great Success, shattering a Half-Spirit Weapon with one’s body would be trivial. With years and years of cultivation, upon reaching the Perfection Realm, one’s body would become indestructible—withstanding even a Spiritual Soldier would be like child’s play.
[Bright King Unmoving Body - Unentered (0/400)]
The number on the panel confirmed it: the Bright King Unmoving Body was a true Superior Technique, not much inferior to the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture.
’Another Cultivation Technique to practice.’
Swallowing a Gathering Essence Pill, Xu Yang sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. In just two days, he reached the Entry Level of Bright King Unmoving Body and started using his Golden Gang Qi for Body Refining, increasing both his defense and strength.
For the next few days, he remained in seclusion. In the mornings, he cultivated the Fuyue Bear Scripture and the Golden Gang Skill. At noon, he practiced the Bright King Unmoving Body and read Forging Books. In the evenings, he cultivated the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture.
He didn’t go anywhere besides the dining hall, not even to the Forging Pavilion.
On this day, a piece of news spread through the Inner Sect. Li Songhe had revised the Ten Heroes List, and a new list was published.
Xu Yang, who previously wasn’t on the list, had now appeared at fifth place on the Ten Heroes List, ranked just below Du Chuan.
The previous number five, Ye Qiuling, was pushed to sixth. Xiong Kun, who was tenth, was knocked completely off the list after only a month, losing all the privileges that came with being one of the Ten Heroes.
"Fifth on the Ten Heroes List!"
"I thought the rankings could only be challenged a year after the Ten Heroes List was published. Why did they change it?"
"The rumor is that Elder Huoyun personally went to the Sect Leader and Li Songhe and forced them to change it. It’s their own fault for overlooking a genius like Xu Yang."
...
The release of the new Ten Heroes List sent a shockwave through the entire Purple Sun Sect.