Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 320: Chapter 181: The Great Battle

"Brother Xu, wait!"

Xu Yang had only taken a few steps when a voice called out from behind him. He turned to see Yuan Yi jogging over, with Yuan Sujie following unhurriedly behind.

"Oh, it’s Brother Yuan and Miss Yuan."

Xu Yang smiled and cupped his hands. "Is there something I can help you with, Brother Yuan?"

Yuan Yi cupped his hands in return. "Brother Xu, my father has booked a table at a restaurant and would like to invite you for a chat."

’They must have seen that I’ve achieved Marrow Cleansing. The Yuan Family wants to recruit me again.’

But now, he wasn’t even interested in a top-tier family in Cyan Yang City like the Ding Family, let alone a third-rate family like the Yuans.

Back then, if not for the pressure from Xiao Hua and the fear of offending too many people by refusing, he wouldn’t have given the Yuan Family a second glance.

Compared to the terms offered by the Ding Family, what the Yuan Family could give him was basically treating him like a beggar.

The Ding Family was a top-tier family, after all, with its own resources. The Yuan Family had nothing but an unreliable connection to Elder Li Yang gained through sheer ass-kissing.

Besides, he was disgusted by that old creep, Elder Li Yang.

"Please thank Patriarch Yuan for me, Brother Yuan. I’ve already made plans with these friends, and it wouldn’t be right to leave them for a banquet." Xu Yang said with a smile, gesturing to Sun Tao and the others beside him.

Yuan Yi didn’t seem to catch the refusal in his tone. "No problem! Since they are your friends, Brother Xu, they can come along. My father has always enjoyed making the acquaintance of young geniuses. He won’t mind."

Xu Yang shook his head and said softly, "Brother Yuan, I know what you’re planning, but you should understand that things are different now. You didn’t agree to the terms back then, and now, even if you did, I no longer need them."

"The Ding Family just approached me again. I won’t go into the details of their offer, but how do you think the Yuan Family compares to them?"

The Ding Family!

Yuan Yi’s expression changed. There was simply no comparison between the Yuan Family and the Ding Family.

Who could have imagined that Xu Yang, whom they had cast aside like a worn-out shoe, would one day be sought after by even a top-tier family like the Dings? They regretted losing such a genius.

They also never expected Xu Yang to achieve Marrow Cleansing in such a short time, putting him nearly on par with the likes of Han Feng and Xiong Kun.

"Brother Yuan, Miss Yuan, farewell."

Xu Yang cupped his hands and left with Sun Tao and the others.

"I told you he wouldn’t be interested in a minor family like ours anymore, but you just wouldn’t believe me."

Yuan Sujie continued, "Before he achieved Marrow Cleansing, we could still offer him some assistance. What can we give him now?"

"When the negotiations fell through, you even took back that little bit of silver coins. Any goodwill between us was gone long ago."

"Even if the Ding Family wasn’t involved and he hadn’t achieved Marrow Cleansing, he would never have anything to do with our Yuan Family again."

Besides, even at a time like this, their father, Yuan Gang, was still putting on airs. He didn’t come to see Xu Yang personally, instead sending his son and daughter. It was as if he still thought Xu Yang was the same doubted tenth of the Ten Heroes he used to be.

Yuan Sujie’s words made Yuan Yi’s face flush red. He could only go find Yuan Gang, dejected.

「...」

When Xu Yang and his group came out of the restaurant, several people who had been waiting outside approached them.

"Brother Xu, we deeply apologize for our previous offenses. We hope you can forgive us."

These people were none other than Ma Yong, Qian Tong, and their group.

When Xu Yang achieved Marrow Cleansing, they were the ones who panicked the most. They had been waiting here for a while to apologize.

His gaze swept coolly over them. They all had fearful expressions, but Xu Yang couldn’t be bothered with them and walked straight past.

He wouldn’t go out of his way to get revenge on them, but if he happened to run into them outside the Purple Sun Sect, he wouldn’t mind finishing them off.

Arriving at the Martial Arts Arena, Xu Yang noticed that the stands were even more crowded. A considerable number of Inner Sect Disciples had appeared.

The matches began quickly. This round would determine the top five. The rules were different from before; there were no revival matches. Ten contestants would fight, and the five who lost would be eliminated.

The lot drawing wasn’t random either. The five Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artists were placed in one group to be matched against the other five disciples who had not yet achieved Marrow Cleansing.

Soon, it was Xu Yang’s turn on the stage. His opponent was a man named Jin Sheng, also a Dragon Ascending Disciple from their year.

"Brother Xu, please give me your guidance!"

Jin Sheng cupped his hands, his fighting spirit high. He did not concede immediately.

Xu Yang also cupped his hands. "Brother Jin, please!"

The next moment, Jin Sheng’s figure vanished from his spot, and his fist tore through the air, hurtling toward Xu Yang.

His Body Technique was extremely fast, likely a Great Success Body Technique. His Fist Technique was also at the Great Success level, and his Fist Gang burned like fire. However, in front of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist like Xu Yang, ordinary Martial Techniques could hardly bridge the gap between them.

When his fist was still two feet away, Xu Yang caught it firmly in his hand. Jin Sheng’s figure reappeared, his face a mask of shock.

"CRACK!"

Xu Yang’s fingers tightened, effortlessly crushing the Fist Gang.

Jin Sheng shuddered and stumbled back. He knew Xu Yang had held back. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have just been the Fist Gang that was crushed, but his hand as well.

"Thank you for your mercy, Brother Xu. I concede."

Jin Sheng’s face was full of bitterness. Proud and arrogant, he had wanted to test himself against a Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist. He never imagined he’d be defeated in a single move while his opponent hadn’t even moved from his spot. The gap between them was like a chasm as wide as the heavens.

Xu Yang smoothly advanced to the top five!

Lu Ren, Xie Zhan, and the others did the same. The five eliminated contestants would go on to compete for the top ten rankings, while the five of them began the battle for the top five.

On the stage, the Steward quickly announced the rules.

Each of the five would fight four matches. The one with four wins would be first, three wins second, two wins third, one win fourth, and the one with all losses would be fifth.

"Come up and draw lots!" Sun Ke shouted.

The entire arena erupted. The truly intense battles of the Outer Disciple Grand Competition were about to begin.

"I’m A-1!" Xie Zhan reached out, grabbed a lot, and immediately blurted out his number.

Han Feng went up second. He also reached out and grabbed one, then smiled. "Sorry, I got a bye."

Lu Ren went up and drew "B-2". His eyes scanned over Xu Yang and Xiong Kun. One of the two remaining would be his opponent for the first match.