That evening, Xu Yang awoke from his bed, looking completely revitalized.

His gains today had been immense: a Gang Qi Martial Technique, a thousand taels of silver, and a Pill Formula.

He just needed to wait another two months to learn how to make the Blood Coagulation Pill, and his life would get much better.

He strapped the Wolf Fang Saber to his back, planning to use it to practice the Fiery Sun Gang Saber. As for the better saber he had confiscated, he couldn’t use it for now. It would be troublesome if the two men he had killed had significant backgrounds.

Pushing open his door, he saw Sun Tao also happening to walk out of his room.

"Junior Brother Xu, are you heading to the dining hall? Perfect, let’s go together," Sun Tao said.

Xu Yang nodded, and the two of them headed to the dining hall.

On the way, Sun Tao told him a few things, and it was only then that Xu Yang learned they weren’t the only ones who had been ambushed after attending the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s auction today.

Several other people had also been attacked. Besides Chen Jiang and Yue Gui, another Outer Disciple had died on the road.

"Good thing your mission is almost over, Junior Brother Xu," Sun Tao said.

Xu Yang’s three-month term was about to end, after which he could return to the Purple Sun Sect. Other disciples would then be sent to garrison the Hundred Medicine Hall.

"When you go down the mountain, take the long way around. Don’t use the main road."

After their meal, as they were parting ways, Sun Tao reminded him.

Xu Yang nodded in agreement. He really did need to be more careful lately.

’Liu Qian and Qin Ze made it back alive, but whether they resent me or are grateful is still unknown. Although they were both injured, the Spiritual Monkey Boxing Hall still has senior brothers from the previous class, and Liu Qian is backed by Liu Xiao, who ranked third in the last batch. If they bear a grudge, they might try to ambush and kill me in revenge. My Gang Qi hasn’t yet reached Minor Achievement, so I’m definitely no match for a disciple from the previous class. Most of the disciples from that batch who are still alive have reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement, and the formidable ones are already at Gang Qi Great Success. I can’t get arrogant and think I’m invincible just because I’ve killed a few people.’

Taking an extra quarter of an hour, Xu Yang arrived safely at the Hundred Medicine Hall.

"I heard Chen Jiang and Yue Gui are both dead. How are you completely fine?"

Lu Ren was rather surprised to see Xu Yang completely unscathed.

"You were ambushed too? Are you injured?"

Seeing that Lu Ren’s expression wasn’t quite right, Xu Yang immediately understood that Lu Ren and his group had likely met the same fate.

’I can’t tell if this auction at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was meant to sell things or just to lure a flock of fat sheep into the open. It seems like every Outer Disciple I know was ambushed after leaving.’

A proud look appeared on Lu Ren’s face. "We ran into a powerful enemy and managed to kill one of them. We each got over a hundred taels of silver."

"Impressive."

Xu Yang gave him a thumbs-up, then quickly walked away.

Lu Ren was a bit baffled. ’Why do I get the feeling Xu Yang’s haul was even bigger than mine?’

CLANG!

Xu Yang walked to his designated area. His Gang Qi erupted, and the Wolf Fang Saber shot out of its sheath into his waiting hand.

In his mind, the profound principles of the Fiery Sun Gang Saber emerged one by one.

Saber Technique emphasized speed, precision, and ruthlessness—swift as the wind, fierce as thunder. Where the eyes went, the hands followed; where the heart willed, the saber struck.

Because its techniques were simple, consisting mostly of cleaving, hacking, slashing, upward swings, and horizontal cuts, most Saber Techniques were easy to reach Entry Level with.

Of course, once one reached the Gang Qi Realm, the word "easy" no longer applied. Wielding a saber was not just a matter of swinging it around; it involved the application of Gang Qi in coordination with the Heart Method Mantra.

Merely hitting the enemy was nothing; one had to be able to injure them.

The first things Xu Yang studied were not the techniques, but the method for circulating Gang Qi and the skill of infusing it into the saber’s blade. These two points were the most crucial.

Once he mastered these two aspects, practicing the techniques would be much simpler. Only then could he consider things like Man and Sword Unity and Sword Intent.

Night fell at the foot of the mountain where the Purple Sun Sect resided.

"He must have escaped by another route!" Kong Yu’s face was ashen. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He had come to ambush Xu Yang after receiving news of his return to the sect, but he never expected that night would fall and Xu Yang still wouldn’t appear.

Beside him, Li Xu said, "The man is meticulous and cautious. I heard he’s staying in the city and switches inns every day.

A lot of people died today. He was probably spooked and didn’t dare take the main road."

Kong Yu snorted coldly. "Let’s go. He can run, but he can’t hide forever."

With that, he turned and walked toward the Purple Sun Sect.

...

[Acquired Pill Formula for Blood Coagulation Pill, Points +5]

[Acquired Fiery Sun Blade Technique, Points +5]

[Killed Yue Gui, Points +3]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 72]

As soon as the hour of Zi passed, the panel flickered and updated his totals.

He received no point reward for killing the two people who ambushed him. Instead, he was rewarded for actively killing Yue Gui.

This meant that if he hadn’t killed Yue Gui, Yue Gui would have caused trouble for him. It hadn’t been a mistake to kill him.

Glancing at the panel, he swallowed an Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill and continued to comprehend the Fiery Sun Gang Saber.

For the next few days, Xu Yang did not return to the Purple Sun Sect. After his daily garrison duty ended, he would find a random inn to stay in and cultivate.

He consumed one Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill every three days. When he ran out, he would go to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to buy more. His silver disappeared like flowing water. This expense alone cost him four hundred and fifty taels of silver a month. Adding in lodging and eating Exotic Beast Meat for every meal, even six hundred taels a month wasn’t enough.

Fortunately, with his previous gains, he could hold out for another month, after which he could start making money by refining Blood Coagulation Pills.

His cultivation speed for the Fiery Sun Gang Saber was gratifying. For Martial Technique cultivation, Comprehension was especially important. It wasn’t like the Fuyue Bear Scripture or the Golden Gang Skill, which required a long, grinding effort and progressed at a snail’s pace without the help of elixirs. With sufficient Comprehension, progress could be extremely rapid.

[Fierce Sun Gang Blade·Minor Achievement (503/1000)]

The Fiery Sun Gang Saber had finally reached the First Layer, Gathering Qi into Blade, allowing him to initially form a saber gleam.

He infused it with Gang Qi, and a half-inch saber gleam extended from the blade. With a light slash against a rock, the stone was cut apart as easily as tofu. The power was terrifying.

With the breakthrough in his Saber Technique Realm, his aura became much sharper. This was especially true of his eyes, which, when he looked at someone, seemed as if they would transform into two blades.