Chapter 521 - 303: Trouble

Chapter 521: Chapter 303: Trouble

Xu Yang absorbed the Spiritual Essence of another piece of Spirit Iron. He felt as though his body was transforming into a Spiritual Soldier.

The Spiritual Essence of the Spirit Iron was absorbed by his flesh, making his Physique increasingly resilient.

[Vajra Glazed Body · Entry Level (727/10000)]

In half a month’s time, having consumed two pieces of Spirit Iron, the progress of his Vajra Glazed Body had only increased by a little over seven hundred. This rate of improvement could not be called slow. However, following this trend, to reach the Minor Achievement stage of the Vajra Glazed Body, he would need no less than thirty to forty pieces of Spirit Iron.

He only had a little over a dozen pieces of Spirit Iron on hand, not even half the required amount. Let alone reaching Perfection in the Cultivation Technique, it was not even enough for Minor Achievement.

Furthermore, he had to prepare Spirit Iron to forge a Spirit Soldier Level Pill Furnace, which would require another pile of Spirit Iron.

Not to mention, when he obtained the Vajra Glazed Body, Wei Zhihe had told him that the might of the Vajra Glazed Body depended on the Spirit Iron he absorbed. The more precious the Spirit Iron, the stronger the Vajra Glazed Body would become.

Although the pieces of Spirit Iron he had on hand were specially saved, in all honesty, they hardly qualified as precious. At most, they were rare in the Purple Sun Sect. Compared to the vast array of Spirit Irons in the world, the ones in his possession were merely ordinary.

He pondered, "I have to find a way to get some Spirit Iron..."

Naturally, he could not simply rob someone for Spirit Iron. In a place like Yunzhou City, he would not dare to make such a move, so his only option was to buy it.

"I’m afraid gold and silver won’t be able to buy this kind of thing at all," he realized.

At the level of Celestial Essence, no matter how much gold and silver one had, it was merely a number. He himself no longer cared much for such things, let alone those major powers. Only items at the level of Spiritual Soldiers and Spirit Medicines were true hard currency.

He thought, "The Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill shouldn’t be considered a low-level item!" Fortunately, he had a means of making money.

The three main ingredients of the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill were Spirit Medicines, so the pill naturally contained Spiritual Qi. Even when consumed by a Celestial Essence Strong Person, it would have a certain effect, albeit not a very obvious one.

Moreover, although Yun Province had many experts, Celestial Essence Martial Artists were not everywhere. Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artists were still the most common.

"Once I refine the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill, I should be able to exchange it for Spirit Medicines and Spirit Iron."

Having formulated a plan, Xu Yang decided to look into this aspect of Yun Province in a couple of days.

"I should go get something to eat first!"

Glancing at the sky, he walked out of his room.

Although this courtyard belonging to the Purple Sun Sect had disciples stationed there year-round, these disciples were not responsible for cooking. Let alone an ordinary disciple like him, even Bai Shaoling, the Young Sect Leader, and Yue Zhong, the Peak Master, had to spend their own money to eat outside.

Of course, since they were on official business, the Sect would reimburse their food expenses. For people like Xu Yang, however, they had to cover their own food and drink.

Still, they were all Celestial Essence Strong Persons. While they could not afford to eat Spirit Medicines every day, paying for regular meals was not a problem.

Stepping out of his room, he happened to see Zhang Hanzhou and the other two returning from outside. They were slightly tipsy and reeked of alcohol.

Even Ye Qiuling had been drinking, a rosy flush coloring her cheeks.

He knew that these three had been socializing quite a bit recently, frequently gathering with disciples from other Sects. This was especially true for Ye Qiuling, who had people constantly trying to curry favor with her every day.

In the beginning, they would invite Xu Yang along. However, after the news spread that Xu Yang was being targeted by Huo Xiaochen, many people were unwilling to associate with him. As a result, the trio stopped inviting him, and Xu Yang was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

Sun Tao was in a similar situation, spending his days in secluded cultivation. The trio rarely invited Sun Tao either. Thus, the two of them and the trio seemed to have formed two separate groups.

After nodding in greeting to the three, Xu Yang went to knock on Sun Tao’s door. After a few taps, however, there was no response.

Frowning slightly, he was just about to release his Mental Sensing when he heard Zhang Hanzhou’s voice. "Stop knocking. Sun Tao went out early this morning and hasn’t returned yet."

He thought, "He’s been out all day?"

Xu Yang’s frown deepened. Other than him, Sun Tao did not have any friends, making it unlikely for him to be out for a whole day. Given Sun Tao’s personality, it was impossible for him to spend the entire day playing outside.

Having been in Yunzhou City for so long, it was not as though they had not gone out exploring before.

"Does Senior Brother Zhang know what Senior Brother Sun went out to do?" Xu Yang asked.

Zhang Hanzhou shook his head. "I have no idea."

Xu Yang nodded, cupped his fists slightly, and turned to leave.

"To be targeted like that by Huo Xiaochen, yet still be able to calmly focus on his cultivation... I actually admire him a little." Zhang Hanzhou only spoke with a gloating tone after Xu Yang’s back had completely vanished from sight.

They spent every day socializing and drinking. Xu Yang’s diligence made them look like slackers by comparison, which naturally left them feeling uncomfortable.

"So what if he calms his mind to cultivate? The moment the name Huo Xiaochen is mentioned, who would dare to be his friend? If he wants to find an expert to help him resist Huo Xiaochen, he still needs someone willing to help him," Qi Xuancheng laughed.

Huo Xiaochen had the talent of a Perfect Root Bone. Once the Lingyun List was announced, even if he couldn’t rank in the top ten, he would definitely be in the top twenty. Who would be willing to go against a genius like Huo Xiaochen for an insignificant person?

None of the geniuses capable of opposing Huo Xiaochen were fools, nor were they bleeding hearts. That is, unless Xu Yang could pay an adequate price.

"That’s true!" Zhang Hanzhou said, reveling in his schadenfreude.

So what if Xu Yang’s talent was better than his? Xu Yang’s chances of Dragon Ascension were actually lower than his own.

During the Secondary Dragon Ascension Selection, even if Xu Yang did not face Huo Xiaochen directly, there would be plenty of people willing to do Huo Xiaochen a favor by sniping Xu Yang. Huo Xiaochen wouldn’t even necessarily have to lift a finger himself.

"Actually, if Junior Sister Ye is willing to step in, she could help him. It just depends on whether Junior Sister Ye wants to," Qi Xuancheng chuckled.

Ye Qiuling’s beauty had attracted countless young talents. By following her, they had already acquainted themselves with several geniuses no less impressive than Huo Xiaochen.

As long as Ye Qiuling was willing to help and asked a genius comparable to Huo Xiaochen to intervene, Huo Xiaochen would definitely have to show some respect.

"I don’t have that kind of ability!" Ye Qiuling shook her head with a smile.

How could she possibly do such a thing for Xu Yang?

If she asked someone for help, it would essentially mean she had taken a fancy to them. How would the other geniuses keep circling around her and waiting on her hand and foot then?

She was not willing to drive away a group of geniuses for Xu Yang’s sake.

Furthermore, in her heart, she still looked down on geniuses at Huo Xiaochen’s level. What she truly desired was a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride.

Only a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride was worthy of her, Ye Qiuling!

However, up to this day, she had yet to come into contact with a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride. Those individuals didn’t seem to have appeared on Dragon Ascending Street either. Despite the many people she had met, she hadn’t heard of anyone spotting a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride here.

"Two senior brothers, I’m going to cultivate now." Flashing a smile, Ye Qiuling turned and left.

Zhang Hanzhou stared blankly, almost mesmerized. Yet, at this moment, he understood that with his level of talent, he could never catch Ye Qiuling’s eye. Now, he only wanted to follow her and leverage her beauty to see if he could achieve a successful Dragon Ascension.

"Three catties of Marrow Cleansing Exotic Beast Meat, a bowl of vegetable tofu soup, a pork knuckle, and a pot of wine."

After ordering his food, Xu Yang found an empty table and sat down.

Looking around, the restaurant was filled with young people who, just like him, had come to participate in the Secondary Dragon Ascension. A faint, almost imperceptible coercion permeated the air. Anyone with Cultivation below the Celestial Essence level would never dare set foot in here.

This was because the hundreds of people dining in the entire restaurant all possessed Celestial Essence Cultivation.

The food and wine were quickly served. As Xu Yang ate, he listened to the conversations around him. No matter the time or place, restaurants were always the best hubs for information.

After listening for a while, an interesting piece of news reached his ears.

"I heard that Li Yunzhou of the Cold Water Sect and Huo Xiaochen of the Iron Sword Sect sparred privately yesterday. He managed to hold out for a full forty moves before exposing a flaw."

"This Li Yunzhou of the Cold Water Sect is incredible! With that kind of strength, once the Lingyun List is released, he’ll probably rank in the top fifty or sixty."

"The Cold Water Sect? I’ve never heard of it. To think they could produce such a genius! This Li Yunzhou’s Dragon Ascension is practically guaranteed."

"Li Yunzhou doesn’t just have the Cold Water Sect backing him. I heard he’s also a Dragon Ascending Genius sponsored by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Once he successfully achieves Dragon Ascension, he’ll be granted the treatment of an Honored Guest Elder by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. His future accomplishments will be extraordinary."

"To think the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion managed to recruit such a genius! They actually approached me back then too, but unfortunately, I had already promised someone else."

"Keep bragging! Given the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s rules, promising someone else wouldn’t have affected anything. They simply never approached you."

Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Li Yunzhou?

He hadn’t expected both parties mentioned in the news to have some connection to him.

Just then, another piece of news caught his interest.

"I heard someone say that Lin Jingyu from Yellow Maple Valley is amazing. He apparently comprehended Martial Dao Imagery even before reaching the Celestial Essence stage. I wonder if it’s true."

"I’ve heard of Lin Jingyu. He’s said to be extremely young, only twenty-one or twenty-two. If he comprehended Martial Dao Imagery at such an age, even if he doesn’t make the top ten on the Lingyun List, he won’t be far off."

Xu Yang was taken aback. Lin Jingyu had comprehended Martial Dao Imagery before reaching the Celestial Essence stage?

If this was true, Lin Jingyu’s Comprehension was somewhat terrifying.

After listening to a few more rumors about geniuses, he was just about done with his meal. Xu Yang paid the bill, stood up, and walked out of the restaurant.

After walking for about a hundred meters, he spotted Steward Fang Xinghai of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s Northern Branch, whom he had met once before, walking toward him. Beside Fang Xinghai was a man dressed in a snug black martial suit.

The man had a pale complexion and exuded a chilling aura. His steps were completely silent, making him seem like a phantom.

"Xu Yang?"

Fang Xinghai also saw Xu Yang. His gaze involuntarily sharpened, entirely unexpecting to run into Xu Yang here.

Of course, his main surprise stemmed from the fact that, without the sponsorship of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Xu Yang had still managed to break through to the Celestial Essence stage in such a short time and obtain a ticket to the Secondary Dragon Ascension.

This level of talent caught him somewhat off guard.

Logically speaking, based on the talent he had heard Xu Yang possessed back then, even with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s Dragon Ascension sponsorship, Xu Yang shouldn’t necessarily have been able to break through to Celestial Essence by now.

"Xu Yang, do you still remember this old man?"

Fang Xinghai strode over. The pale-faced man followed, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face as he looked Xu Yang up and down with gloating eyes.

He was none other than the genius Honored Guest Elder recruited by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion—Li Yunzhou!

Originally, he hadn’t known who Xu Yang was. However, after sparring with Huo Xiaochen, he had learned the name.

"Greetings, Steward Fang!" Xu Yang cupped his fists.

Although they had parted on unpleasant terms previously, he wouldn’t let it show. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s businesses spanned all of Yun Province; one didn’t need to think hard to realize the terrifying power of this faction. It was absolutely not something he could afford to provoke at his current level.

"I didn’t expect you to make it this far as well. Congratulations," Fang Xinghai said with a fake smile.

After exchanging a few Han Xuans with Xu Yang, he and Li Yunzhou strode away.

"Old Deng seems to harbor some ill intentions," Xu Yang thought, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He didn’t sense any killing intent from Fang Xinghai. However, given their past situation, there was absolutely no reason for Fang Xinghai to proactively come over, greet him, and say words of congratulation.

After all, Fang Xinghai had essentially been a snob and misjudged him. Now that he had broken through to the Celestial Essence stage, Fang Xinghai should be feeling uneasy, not coming over to congratulate him.

"Let’s hope it’s nothing," he muttered to himself.

Of course, he might have been overthinking it. But whether he was right or wrong, he simply needed to be careful.

"Did you memorize that person’s face? During the Secondary Dragon Ascension, if you get the chance, cripple him for me," Fang Xinghai spoke coldly after he and Li Yunzhou had walked a certain distance, a chilling glint suddenly erupting in his eyes.