Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 325: Chapter 183: Third Place, Part 2

As Gao Lin walked in, several people cupped their fists in greeting. One of them said, "Senior Brother Gao, you must be swamped with work. Don’t you know today is the last day of the Outer Sect Disciple Competition?"

Gao Lin was taken aback and shook his head. "I really didn’t know. You know what Master is like—he dumps everything on me. I haven’t had any time to pay attention to what’s happening outside. You were talking about Xu Yang. Did he do poorly in the competition?"

’If I remember correctly, Su Zhe challenged Xu Yang again this year. Did Su Zhe defeat him?’

The person who spoke before laughed. "Poorly? Far from it. He did amazingly well! He’s already reached Marrow Cleansing, defeated Lu Ren and Xie Zhan back-to-back, and took third place in this year’s Outer Sect Disciple Competition."

Another person added, "Senior Brother Gao, you might not be aware, but his reputation now surpasses even Han Feng and the others. After lying low for three years, you could say he became famous overnight."

What?!

’Xu Yang took a top-three spot in the Outer Sect Disciple Competition.’

Gao Lin could hardly believe his ears. "You’re not joking with me, are you?"

’That timid, cautious guy who’s so afraid of dying he wouldn’t even dare enter the Lianyun Ridge Mountain Range... is that powerful? Not only did he achieve Marrow Cleansing, but he also beat people ranked higher than him to take third place in the competition?’

He could only assume these junior brothers were playing a prank on him.

"Senior Brother Gao, how would we dare play such a joke on you? If you don’t believe it, you can go down the mountain and ask around. Or you could ask Master—he watched today’s competition too."

Hearing this, Gao Lin finally confirmed that he hadn’t misheard. Xu Yang really had taken third place in the Outer Sect Disciple Competition.

’Good kid. He must have been confident about taking third place back then to say something like that to me. He really knows how to hide his strength.’

A smile touched Gao Lin’s lips as he turned and walked away.

...

「The Su Family Estate」

SLAP!

Upon hearing that Xu Yang had taken third place in the competition, Su Jianye flew into a rage and swung his palm. In an instant, five red finger marks appeared on Su Man’s face.

"Father..." Su Man’s face was filled with grievance as she stared at her father, Su Jianye, in disbelief.

Su Jianye was seething. "You fool! I gave a direct order not to provoke Xu Yang! Why didn’t you listen? The Su Family is already in a precarious position! Will you only be happy once the entire family is destroyed?"

As if that wasn’t enough to vent his anger, he backhanded Su Man again, leaving both her cheeks swollen and her hair in disarray.

Su Man’s mother cowered to the side, too terrified to speak.

"He’s the one who got Xiao Chen and Uncle Xiao killed! You may be afraid of him, but your daughter is not!" Su Man shouted, tears welling in her eyes.

"You’re not afraid? Then go get revenge yourself! Why did you have to drag Su Zhe into it? Thanks to you, his reputation is in tatters, completely ruined! Do you have any idea what this will cost him?

He’s now seen as a pathetic clown who bullies the weak and fears the strong. Not a single one of the Inner Sect Elders in the Purple Sun Sect will be willing to take him as a disciple. He’s finished.

His future has been destroyed by you, you fool!"

Su Jianye was trembling with rage. Su Zhe’s talent was never top-tier, but as long as he didn’t make any major mistakes, finding an Inner Sect Elder to take him as a disciple wouldn’t have been a problem.

Once he entered the Inner Sect, with the Su Family’s resources, helping Su Zhe quickly reach Marrow Cleansing wouldn’t have been an issue.

But now, Su Zhe’s reputation in the Purple Sun Sect was ruined. He’d become a pathetic clown that everyone despised.

Given the proud nature of the Purple Sun Sect’s Elders, they would never accept such a person as a disciple and bring shame upon themselves.

Hearing how severe the consequences were, Su Man’s face instantly turned pale. "I never thought some country bumpkin could be so strong! Even Xie Zhan and Lu Ren were no match for him."

’She had thought Xu Yang would be an easy target, a pushover. She never expected him to be so tough.’

"He’s done this to Ah Zhe! Kill him! If we don’t kill him, everyone will think the Su Family is easy to bully!" A venomous glint appeared in Su Man’s eyes.

’She quickly realized that since things had already come to this, it was the perfect opportunity to make her father, Su Jianye, kill Xu Yang.’

SLAP!

Su Jianye saw through his daughter’s thoughts in an instant and gave her another resounding backhand slap.

’Her own brother is ruined because of her, and she’s still thinking of using this chance to avenge those two bastards!’

"You are hopelessly stupid! He’s about to become an Inner Sect Disciple. Kill an Inner Sect Disciple of the Purple Sun Sect? Do you want the entire Su Family to be buried with you?" Su Jianye said coldly.

Once a disciple enters the Inner Sect, they are no longer like an Outer Disciple who can be killed casually. Unless the Su Family was prepared to perish along with Xu Yang, they wouldn’t dare touch him.

"But we’ve already made an enemy of him! Are we just supposed to wait for him to grow stronger in the Inner Sect and then destroy our Su Family?" For once, Su Man’s head was surprisingly clear.

Su Jianye’s eyes flickered. He had to admit that Su Man had a point.

He had also only recently learned that one of Xu Yang’s senior sisters had died because of the Su Family.

Just as Su Man said, the enmity was already forged. Even if the Su Family wanted to let it go, they had to consider whether Xu Yang would be willing to do the same.

Xu Yang didn’t dare to cause trouble for the Su Family now, but what about when he reached Marrow Cleansing Great Success, or even broke through to the Celestial Essence realm?

To be able to achieve Marrow Cleansing just as his three years in the Outer Sect were up meant he had a real chance of reaching the Celestial Essence realm in the future.

Once he broke through to the Celestial Essence realm, he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger. A single word from him could doom the Su Family to a point of no return.

Killing Xu Yang was a risk, but gambling that he wouldn’t reach Marrow Cleansing Great Success or the Celestial Essence realm was just as risky.

’His own foolish daughter had pushed the Su Family into a dilemma with no way out.’

’Killing an Inner Sect Disciple... if it’s done secretly, there shouldn’t be any trouble...’

After weighing his options, Su Jianye still felt it was better to kill Xu Yang now.

Xu Yang might not break through to the Celestial Essence realm, but he wouldn’t need to. Marrow Cleansing Great Success would be enough to destroy the Su Family.

And judging by the talent Xu Yang had shown, reaching Marrow Cleansing Great Success was only a matter of time.

...

"Damn it! How could he have taken a top-three spot!"

On Medicine King Peak, Cao Jin leaped to his feet in shock when he heard Xu Yang had placed in the top three of the competition.

’That country bumpkin actually achieved such a result! Even I wasn’t capable of that back in the day.’

"I absolutely cannot let him grow stronger!"

’Leaving aside the possibility that Xu Yang killed Cao Rong, I’ve already gone and threatened him. Once Xu Yang establishes himself in the Inner Sect and his Cultivation surpasses my own, he will certainly retaliate.’

A person who could be that patient and forbearing would absolutely be the type to seek revenge for even the smallest grievance.

Cao Jin’s body trembled slightly. He had, without realizing it, provoked such a terrifying person. Someone who could lie low in the Outer Sect for three years... the very thought was horrifying. He didn’t have any of the typical youthful desire to show off.

’Liu Qing seems to have offended and suppressed him too, right?’ Cao Jin thought. ’I’ll go talk to Liu Qing tomorrow. Maybe I won’t have to make a move myself.’

He had heard that Liu Qing had snatched things from Xu Yang at the exchange meet a few times.

This would have been a minor issue, but with Xu Yang achieving Marrow Cleansing at the end of his three years and winning the Outer Sect Disciple Competition, it was no longer a minor issue at all.

A minor issue had suddenly escalated into a feud over obstructing his Martial Dao, a hatred as deep as that for the murder of one’s own parents.

...

"Who paid?"

Xu Yang hadn’t expected that when he went to pay the bill after his meal, he would be told someone had already paid for him.

The waiter said, "It was Wang Ang from the Dawn Association. He asked me to tell you that the Dawn Association has offended you in the past and hopes for your forgiveness."

Wang Ang?

Xu Yang was taken aback. He knew the name—the guy had made it into the top twenty in the competition.

’The new Hall Master of the Dawn Association, who took over after I killed Ma Jun.’

When he first entered the Purple Sun Sect, the Dawn Association had used him to establish their dominance while recruiting members. For all these years, the Dawn Association had never made any gesture of apology.

The very day he took a top-three spot in the competition, the Dawn Association was already rushing to apologize.

Naturally, he wouldn’t refuse. If someone else was paying, he certainly wasn’t going to spend his own money.

...

[Took third place in the Outer Sect Disciple Competition. Points +100]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 1037]

The next day, the first thing Xu Yang did upon opening his eyes was to look at his panel. He had indeed received a point reward for taking third place—100 points, no less.

After cultivating for a while, he pushed the door open and walked out. In the courtyard, Sun Tao happened to be coming out as well.

The two went to get Zhang Yong, and they all headed to the dining hall together. Many people greeted them along the way, some even proactively making way for them, which left Zhang Yong and Sun Tao dumbfounded.

However, Xu Yang realized that he had still underestimated the influence of taking a top-three spot in the Outer Sect Disciple Competition.

Around noon, people started to visit one after another, bearing gifts.