Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 308: Chapter 175: Signing Up

"Senior Brother Sun, you’re back. How did the trip go?" Xu Yang asked, hurrying over.

Sun Tao turned to look at Xu Yang, his face etched with sorrow. "Senior Brother Jiang Ping has fallen," he said.

Seeing his and Zhang Yong’s condition and not seeing any sign of Jiang Ping, Xu Yang already had a bad feeling. "What happened?" he asked.

He could already sense that Sun Tao’s and Zhang Yong’s auras were in disarray. They were heavily injured.

If two Martial Artists at Gang Qi Great Success were both so heavily injured, then Jiang Ping—a partially disabled man at Gang Qi Minor Achievement—was almost certainly doomed.

He didn’t feel much about it. ’My relationship with Jiang Ping only improved because Sun Tao was there to mediate.’

Before Sun Tao had grown close to Jiang Ping, he and Jiang Ping had barely spoken to each other.

Zhang Yong explained, "We ran into another group of Treasure Hunters in the mountains. When they saw we’d had a good haul, they tried to rob us, and a fight broke out. Senior Brother Jiang Ping fell, and Senior Brother Sun and I had to fight our way out with Zhang Hong to escape with our lives."

Such was the cruelty of the Yunling Mountain Range. The danger came not only from Exotic Beasts, but from other people as well.

You could say that place was even more lawless than Cyan Yang City. The moment you ran into someone, they wouldn’t care who you were—they’d just try to rob and kill you.

Sun Tao’s face was murderous. "I’ve memorized those animals’ faces. Once I achieve Marrow Cleansing, I will hunt them down and kill them to avenge Senior Brother Jiang."

Zhang Yong sighed. "But achieving Marrow Cleansing is so difficult."

He used to be full of ambition, believing it was only a matter of time before he became a Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist himself.

But now, even Lu Ren had been stuck at Gang Qi Perfection for seven or eight months, unable to break through. Who could dare claim they were guaranteed to achieve Marrow Cleansing?

Xu Yang noticed an air of defeat about Sun Tao and Zhang Yong. They had lost their usual fearless drive. In the past, they would always return praising the Yunling Mountain Range as a land of treasures, urging Xu Yang to go try his luck.

After a few more words, the two left to tend to their injuries, and Xu Yang returned to his room to cultivate.

After several days, Sun Tao and Zhang Yong started to recover. Smiles returned to their faces, and their fighting spirit was rekindled.

Both were men of iron will. Although they had suffered a major setback, it wasn’t enough to keep them down for good.

This was especially true for Zhang Yong. Like Xu Yang, he had clawed his way up from the bottom, and his heart for the Martial Dao was unshakable. Regarding Jiang Ping’s death, they felt more grief and self-reproach than fear.

Time passed. The Purple Sun Sect disciples who had been away began to return, and the Outer Sect grew noticeably more crowded. Talk of the upcoming Outer Sect Grand Competition was incessant.

That evening, the dining hall was a clamor of noise.

Suddenly, someone spotted Lu Ren walking in slowly, his face glowing with vigor.

At the same time, a powerful pressure emanated from him. An seemingly untamable power radiated from his body, startling those nearby, who fell back in alarm.

"Lu Ren, did you... Did you achieve Marrow Cleansing?" someone asked, daring to speak up after seeing the spectacle.

Lu Ren looked triumphant. He lifted his chin slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Indeed."

BOOM!

His word struck like a bolt from the blue, making the hearts of everyone who heard it tremble.

Lu Ren had actually achieved Marrow Cleansing all on his own, without the backing of a clan. With talent like that, he was probably the true sixth-ranked of the Ten Heroes.

Without the support of his great clan, could Xie Zhan have achieved Marrow Cleansing by now? Probably not.

"Amazing!"

"Congratulations on your great advancement on the Martial Dao, Brother Lu."

"Brother Lu, come sit with me! Today’s meal is on me."

"Haha... Lu Xisui, the Purple Sun Sect has gained another Inner Sect Disciple!"

"Now that Brother Lu has also achieved Marrow Cleansing, this year’s Outer Sect Grand Competition is going to be spectacular."

...

In an instant, everyone, including those who had previously looked down on Lu Ren, was unstinting in their flattery. Some even stood up and invited him to join them.

The smile on Lu Ren’s face widened. He had always known that once he achieved Marrow Cleansing, the very people who had once looked down on him would grovel at his feet like dogs.

He paid them no mind. His gaze swept across the dining hall, finally settling on one table. He strode over and sat down.

"Did you come here to flaunt your success in our faces?" Zhang Yong asked, glowering at Lu Ren.

A flicker of deep-seated dread crossed his eyes. The pressure radiating from Lu Ren’s Bone Marrow Cleansing Cultivation felt like a great stone weighing on his heart.

In the more than three years they had known each other, this was the first time he had felt such an unbearable pressure from Lu Ren.

Lu Ren shook his head. "You aren’t worthy enough for me to come here just to show off to you. I heard Senior Brother Jiang Ping was murdered. He once did me a great service by recognizing my talent. Tell me who did it, and I will take their heads as an offering to him."

A look of suspicion crossed Zhang Yong’s face. "You’d be that kind?"

Lu Ren’s gaze turned cold, and an overwhelming pressure bore down on Zhang Yong. "That’s none of your concern. Just tell me who did it."

Zhang Yong’s face paled instantly. "There were five of them. They called themselves the Five Tigers of Profound Saber. All five were at Great Achievement in Gang Qi Cultivation."

Lu Ren nodded but remained seated. "If you had been willing to follow me back then, this never would have happened," he continued. "Do you regret it now?"

Zhang Yong’s breath hitched, and he snorted coldly. "We have no desire to be betrayed a second time."

A harsh glint flashed in Lu Ren’s eyes. ’Zhang Yong is truly impossible to sway.’

He stopped paying attention to Zhang Yong, turning his gaze to Xu Yang. "Back then, your talent was as astonishing as mine, perhaps even greater. I have now achieved Marrow Cleansing. And you?"

’You just now achieved Marrow Cleansing? Xu Yang did that eighteen years ago!’

Sun Tao almost couldn’t stop himself from roaring those words out loud, just to see the look on Lu Ren’s face, but he managed to hold his tongue.

Xu Yang sat up straight, a wry smile on his face. "Are you so certain I’ve fallen behind?"