Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 274: Chapter 158: Recruitment (2)

The two people at odds with Xu Yang were dead, while only Sun Tao, who was on good terms with him, remained alive. How could such a coincidence exist?

There had to be more to the deaths of Li Qiang and Gu Haoming.

"Xu Yang, don’t let me find out it was you who killed Gu Haoming," Cao Rong said coldly.

Though he hadn’t achieved Gang Qi Great Success, his uncle, Cao Jin, was an Inner Sect Disciple and had plenty of ways to deal with Xu Yang.

’You got off easy.’

Lu Ren had also heard about Xu Yang achieving Gang Qi Great Success, but he didn’t much care. What he regretted was not being able to kill Gu Haoming with his own hands.

His hatred for Gu Haoming was no less than that of Zhang Yong and Jiang Ping.

At the same time, news of Xu Yang’s Gang Qi Great Success spread not only throughout the Purple Sun Sect but all the way to Cyan Yang City.

The great families of Cyan Yang City had already started paying attention to their cohort of Dragon Ascending Disciples.

After all, they had already been in the Purple Sun Sect for two years. In another year, their cohort of Dragon Ascending Disciples would complete the three-year term as Outer Disciples and could enter the Inner Sect.

Once they entered the Inner Sect, they would be considered true disciples of the Purple Sun Sect.

Few families in Cyan Yang City could afford to ignore a true disciple of the Purple Sun Sect.

They might not be useful now, but what about in a few years, or even a decade? Connections couldn’t wait until the moment they were needed; they had to be forged in advance.

"Send someone to make contact with Xu Yang and bring him into our family’s service." Such was the sentiment voiced by the elders of the great families.

Regardless of Xu Yang’s reputation, his ability to achieve Gang Qi Great Success in just two years was proof of his talent. It was only a matter of time before he underwent Marrow Cleansing and entered the Inner Sect, making him a prime candidate for recruitment.

More than one family gave the order; many of them had already begun to make their move.

Of course, it wasn’t just Xu Yang. They began trying to recruit any available talent on the Ten Heroes List.

Li Chuyang, Du Chuan, and Jiang Fan all had powerful backgrounds, so no one approached them.

The geniuses ranked fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh were all approached by great families, but the eighth, Lu Ren, and the ninth, Su Zhe, were left alone.

Su Zhe was a member of the Su Family, so it was only natural that no one from Cyan Yang City would try to recruit him.

As for Lu Ren, many people couldn’t understand why no one was trying to recruit him.

With Jiang Fan having made it clear he wouldn’t retaliate against Lu Ren, it stood to reason that someone would try to recruit him. Yet, not a single great family extended an offer to the genius.

He had achieved Gang Qi Great Success even before Xie Zhan, the sixth-ranked of the Ten Heroes. Logically, such talent should have been highly sought after by the great families of Cyan Yang City.

"Why is no one trying to recruit Lu Ren?"

An Outer Disciple asked around curiously, and finally, someone provided an answer.

"The story goes that Lu Ren came from an impoverished background—the kind where you have neither clothes for your back nor food for your belly. But he was fortunate. The Huang Family, a prominent household in Qingyuan County, discovered he had an Upper Grade B Root Bone. They paid to send him to a Martial Arts Hall, sponsoring his training in the hopes that once he became an accomplished martial artist, he would repay their kindness."

"But who would have thought? The moment Lu Ren became skilled in martial arts, he immediately abandoned the Huang Family and threw in his lot with the more powerful Gu Family, leaving the Huangs’ efforts completely in vain."

"A person of such character? Even if he were first on the Ten Heroes list, none of the great families in Cyan Yang City would dare recruit him. His integrity is just too poor."

And just like that, Lu Ren’s reputation became even more tarnished.

To think that his association with Gu Haoming was born from betraying the very family that had pulled him from the mire. No wonder the great families of Cyan Yang City wanted nothing to do with him.

"What a load of bullshit!" Lu Ren was furious when he heard the rumors.

He had no idea which bastard had started this rumor, one that conveniently mentioned him leaving the Huang Family but left out the part where they tried to force him to marry a woman who had been defiled by a Flower Thief.

Back then, his departure from the Huang Family wasn’t just because they were forcing him to marry a defiled woman; the Gu Family was also putting pressure on him. He had been forced to commit that act of betrayal.

They had ruined his reputation, only to then kick him to the curb and leave him for dead.

That was why he had flown into a rage and ambushed Gu Haoming after the latter had disavowed him.

He, too, wished a great family would recruit him, provide him with resources, and save him from having to risk his life in the Yunling Mountain Range.

But when he tried to explain his side of the story, no one would listen.

...

"Might you be Brother Xu Yang of the Ten Heroes?"

That day, as Xu Yang was returning from the dining hall, a man strode briskly toward him.

Xu Yang asked, puzzled, "And you are?"

The man replied, "My name is Ding Xu. I have come to invite Brother Xu to become a Tributor for my Ding Family."

Xu Yang had heard of the Ding Family!

No one could clearly count all the families, large and small, in Cyan Yang City, but the Ding Family was definitely a household name. They were more formidable than the Yuan, Zhu, or Su Families. If one were to rank all the families in Cyan Yang City by power, the Ding Family would absolutely be in the top ten.

"And the terms?"

Xu Yang didn’t refuse outright, not wanting to cause offense. With the Ding Family’s power, they could crush him with little effort, even if he had already undergone Marrow Cleansing.

Of course, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of becoming a Tributor. He also wanted to avoid unnecessary hardships. If the terms were good enough, what was the harm in serving as a Tributor for the Ding Family?

He understood the principle of seeking shade under a large tree.

Ding Xu smiled. "First, my Ding Family will provide Brother Xu with one Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pill per month, along with a stipend of three hundred taels. Second, our family’s martial library will be open for you to select a single martial art of your choice."

"Once you undergo Marrow Cleansing, you will have the opportunity to choose another martial art, and your other benefits will be increased accordingly."

A glint appeared in Xu Yang’s eyes. He was tempted.

The Ding Family had existed for over a century. It was said that their most accomplished member within the Purple Sun Sect had once served as the Peak Master for one of the Four Peaks.

The martial arts collected in such a family’s library were bound to be exceptional.

Ding Xu saw that Xu Yang was tempted. A smile played on his lips as he continued, "Don’t be hasty, Brother Xu. There’s more."

"Third, when your three-year term is complete and you wish to enter one of the peaks, the Ding Family will leverage its network to help you and provide full assistance in completing the entrance assessment."

Xu Yang mentally discarded the third point. He was confident he could place in the top three of the Outer Sect competition on his own.

But the Ding Family clearly didn’t have faith in his ability to do so.

Xu Yang smiled. "And what would I need to do for the Ding Family in return?"

Ding Xu shook his head. "For now, nothing. Brother Xu, you may not be aware of my Ding Family’s strength. To be blunt, we wouldn’t need you to charge into battle for us, not even if you had already undergone Marrow Cleansing, let alone now, when you have just achieved Gang Qi Great Success."

"What we need from you, Brother Xu, is to focus on your cultivation. You can only be of help to the Ding Family once you’ve attained a certain level of authority within the Purple Sun Sect."

It sounded too good to be true—all benefits and no obligations.

But Xu Yang knew these great families were no fools; they would never give an outsider something for nothing.

By leaving things unsaid, they could ask him to do anything in the future, and he would be obligated to comply.

"Do I need to marry one of the Ding Family’s women?" Xu Yang asked with a smile.

He was no longer a naive greenhorn. He had some understanding of how these great families operated. No matter what terms they offered, they would always add one final condition: a marriage alliance.

Ding Xu nodded with a smile. "Correct. The family elders have prepared two options for Brother Xu. The first is to marry into our family. If you are willing, your monthly stipend will be raised to six hundred taels, you may choose three Cultivation Techniques, and after you undergo Marrow Cleansing, we will also gift you a Half-Spirit Weapon."

"Furthermore, you will not need to worry about any children born from the union; the family will cover all their expenses."

"The second option is a simple marriage alliance. If the children take your surname, Brother Xu, then the family will not be responsible for their expenses."

Xu Yang said, "I am quite satisfied with the Ding Family’s terms, but is the marriage alliance non-negotiable? To be honest, I had previously agreed to become a Tributor for the Yuan Family, but the deal ultimately fell through because they, too, insisted on a marriage alliance."

"I can guarantee that I will not fail the Ding Family even without a marriage alliance. It is not that I look down upon the women of the Ding Family; I simply do not wish to marry someone for whom I have no affection."

Ding Xu was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn’t overly surprised.

After all, Jiang Fan, the Young Master Marquis, had been willing to forsake his family in pursuit of "love." It wasn’t entirely unacceptable that Xu Yang would not want to marry a woman with whom he had no emotional connection.

"I am not in a position to make a decision on this matter; I am merely a messenger. Allow me to consult with the family elders and get back to you with an answer, Brother Xu. What do you say?" Ding Xu said, cupping his hands in a salute.

He didn’t fly into a rage out of humiliation.

Xu Yang’s talent was indeed good, but to a family like the Dings, he was not indispensable.

In a place like the Purple Sun Sect, even a prodigy like Li Chuyang could meet an untimely end. The same was true for Xu Yang.

The Ding Family’s recruitment of geniuses was more akin to casting a wide net—an investment in the family’s future, not an immediate need for Xu Yang’s services.

That was why he wasn’t angered by Xu Yang’s refusal.

Besides, he was just a messenger, not the head of the family. It wasn’t his place to get angry.