To temper his spirit and achieve clarity of mind, the first thing he had to do was kill the people he had feuds with, the ones who made him wary.
...
Even as Xu Yang traveled, he did not neglect his cultivation.
He traveled by day and cultivated in the forest by night, sometimes releasing his Heart Spirit to sense the natural world and strengthen it.
His five senses became increasingly sharp, their range growing ever wider. Influenced by this, his Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture progressed faster and faster.
’They say a Celestial Essence Strong Person can command the Power of Heaven and Earth. Every gesture carries the world’s might, making them unstoppable. Now that is true transcendence.’
’Right now, I’ve only just begun to align with the world. I can’t truly perceive the Power of Heaven and Earth, only a vague sense of it.’
Through his recent days of contemplation, he had come to understand many things.
He realized it wasn’t so much about sensing the natural world. Rather, his Heart Spirit had become strong enough to start making contact with the Power of Heaven and Earth. But because his cultivation realm was insufficient, all he had was a vague awareness of it.
As he saw it, this so-called "communing with the world" was a state of Unity of Heaven and Man. In this state, his Heart Spirit would slowly attune itself to the Power of Heaven and Earth until, one day, he too could command it for his own use, just like a Celestial Essence Strong Person.
After eating some dried meat by the roadside, Xu Yang continued on his way, remaining vigilant.
This road wasn’t safe; nowhere in the Yunling Mountain Range was. Besides, he had offended Liu Qingyuan and the Song Family.
On this return trip to the Purple Sun Sect, these people might very well seize this final opportunity to kill him.
On the second day after leaving Moon Lake, a figure with shoulder-length hair appeared on the mountain path ahead. He had a ruggedly handsome face, the corners of his mouth tilted in a slight smirk. Who else could it be but Yan Guiyun?
He had thought it would be an expert from the Song Family, or a disciple of Liu Qingyuan; he had never imagined it would be Yan Guiyun.
But with a moment’s thought, he understood why Yan Guiyun had come.
During the confrontation at Qiushui Manor, Yan Guiyun had clearly sided with Yun Heng. They wanted to force him to hand over the Secret Manual, and there had been a dispute. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been a big deal.
If he were still the same nobody, Xu Yang, the incident at Qiushui Manor would have been forgotten. But he just had to go and reveal his Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement cultivation, becoming the fifth-ranked genius on the Ten Heroes List. A small matter had suddenly become a major one.
Unless Yan Guiyun was a complete fool, he would have to be wary of Xu Yang seeking revenge for the Qiushui Manor affair in the future. And the best defense, of course, was to kill him now, giving him no chance to mature.
After all, judging others by his own standards, he knew he was the same kind of person. The slightest conflict was reason enough to do whatever it took to eliminate the other party, never leaving behind a threat to his own future.
Besides, he had killed Yun Heng, who had been on good terms with Yan Guiyun. For every reason, both personal and practical, Yan Guiyun would not let him go.
"Draw your blade. Otherwise, you won’t get a chance!" Yan Guiyun’s killing intent was undisguised, but he was in no hurry to attack.
As the third of the Ten Heroes, he was confident he could crush Xu Yang even bare-handed. For a genius like him, a Half-Spirit Weapon was only a threat in the hands of an expert of the same realm.
Xu Yang slowly set down the pack he was carrying, feeling the oppressive pressure emanating from Yan Guiyun.
This person was indeed very strong. Among all the Marrow Cleansing Great Success Martial Artists he had encountered, Yan Guiyun could be called the number one expert. That future patriarch of the Song Family, the leader of the Wushan Four Fiends—their auras weren’t even half as strong as Yan Guiyun’s.
Third on the Ten Heroes List was no empty title.
"You could have lived. You could have even become a Celestial Essence Strong Person in the future, an Ancestral Level figure who dominated a region."
"Your mistake was having talent and getting on my bad side. I don’t really think much of you, but you do have a shot at a Secondary Dragon Ascension. It’s not about being paranoid, it’s about eliminating any possibility of a problem. So, I have to kill you."
Yan Guiyun’s voice was calm. He felt no hatred or killing intent toward Xu Yang. It was as if he were about to casually crush an ant; naturally, there would be no hatred or killing intent.
"What a coincidence. Me too!" Xu Yang’s voice was very soft.
He naturally wanted to kill Yan Guiyun as well. After what had happened at Qiushui Manor, it was impossible to say he didn’t want to kill him; he’d simply lacked the opportunity.
"Just as I thought. Killing you now is the right call. If I actually let you get stronger, you would definitely seek revenge on me."
Yan Guiyun laughed. "I gave you an opportunity. Since you didn’t treasure it, and you’re still acting tough on the brink of death, then don’t blame me for what happens next."
He thought Xu Yang was just trying to provoke him with words on the verge of death.
The instant he finished speaking, the dirt under his feet exploded. He shot forward like an arrow from a bow, and his surging aura carved a trench in the ground, kicking up a tidal wave of dust and smoke.
His crimson fist was like a searing brand, radiating an astonishing wave of heat. It tore through the air with a muffled roar. Before the punch even landed, the immense pressure cracked the earth beneath Xu Yang’s feet, forcing them to sink an inch into the ground.
This punch held the power to shatter mountains and split the earth, carrying with it an air of invincibility.
Of all the Gang Qi Great Success Martial Artists Xu Yang had encountered, probably only Li Ye could have taken this punch head-on and bare-handed. Anyone else would have had no choice but to evade its force.
"Nicely done!" Xu Yang barked.
The experts he had recently encountered were all the type he could crush in a few moves. He felt no will to fight them, only killing intent. But Yan Guiyun’s strength immediately ignited his fighting spirit.
BOOM!
His Marrow Cleansing Great Success cultivation boiled up, erupting from his body like a volcano and sending a shockwave of air out around him.
As he dropped his shoulder and swung his arm, the sound of great tendons tightening like bowstrings echoed from within Xu Yang’s body. It was as if hundreds, even thousands, of stiff bows had been drawn full in an instant. His bulging muscles resembled a suit of hard armor, yet they possessed the smooth, fine texture of jade.
Xu Yang cracked the ground with a step, strode forward, and threw a punch.
Bright King Unmoving Body!
As his arm snapped forward, his fist shot out like a heavy spear, letting out a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, leaving a white vapor cone in its wake.
This punch was unstoppable, its momentum even a bit stronger than Yan Guiyun’s.
"Marrow Cleansing Great Success!" Yan Guiyun’s expression changed.
’Xu Yang actually reached Marrow Cleansing Great Success so quickly? Li Chuyang and Jiang Fan haven’t reached it yet, have they?’
’He never thought Xu Yang would have already reached this stage. His talent was far more terrifying than it appeared. If he himself hadn’t been seeking to temper his spirit and clear his mind, he might not have decided to kill Xu Yang.’
’If he had delayed any longer, killing Xu Yang would have become difficult.’
’No wonder he showed no surprise or fear when facing his ambush. His true talent actually surpassed Jiang Fan’s and Li Chuyang’s.’
He hadn’t been using his full strength, but now he furiously poured Gang Qi into his fist, a sharp glint flashing in his once-calm eyes.
The next moment, their two fists collided.
BANG!
When their fists met, it sounded like two great hammers clanging together. A visible ripple swept out, instantly pulverizing the earth and stone within a ten-foot radius.
BOOM!
A dragon of dust and smoke shot skyward from the epicenter of their clash. The ground trembled and groaned as if an earth dragon were rolling over beneath it.
Xu Yang’s muscles bulged again, glowing with a jade-like luster like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree. ’Yan Guiyun’s strength isn’t just equal to mine,’ he thought, ’it might even be slightly greater.’
’Of course. A genius like him, and a Sect Leader’s Disciple at that—how could he not practice a Body Refining Technique?’
’True geniuses have no shortcomings. Their talent is so great they can practice multiple Cultivation Techniques without hindering their main cultivation progress. They don’t have to worry about resources, either—someone always provides for them.’
’Gang Qi, Physique... a true genius surpasses all others of their rank. Only geniuses of the same caliber are qualified to contend with them.’
’Yan Guiyun must also practice an extremely powerful Body Refining Technique, one no weaker than the Unmoving Bright King Body. That’s why in a head-on clash, his strength is slightly greater than mine. His physique is also incredibly tough; he could probably withstand a normal Half-Spirit Weapon with his bare hands.’
CRACK!
The ground beneath Xu Yang’s feet shattered, his feet sinking into the earth. His body shook violently, and his blood and qi roiled within him.
Yan Guiyun wasn’t faring much better. His bones and tendons hummed, his Gang Qi was scattered by the impact, and a force not much weaker than his own traveled up from the opposing fist. It made his own blood and qi roil, his legs sink, and his body tremble violently.
"Good!"
Xu Yang couldn’t help but cry out. He had finally met an expert he could truly fight. He felt as if his blood was about to catch fire, his will to battle burning hot like a flame.
’Against a genius like this,’ he thought, ’I should finally be able to have a satisfying battle today.’