Qi Martial Ninth Level

Time flowed away like the waters of a great river, surging onward.

Half a month later, astonishing news spread among the new disciples.

Zhang Zhixian, who had long occupied the top of the rankings, had advanced to the Blood Martial Realm!

Upon hearing the news, Yang Chen sat in his wooden hut and drank three cups of wine in succession.

When the Cultivation Ranking had first opened, Zhang Zhixian had claimed first place with a cultivation of Qi Martial Seventh Level. Now, he had once again taken the lead and advanced to the Blood Martial Realm.

His heart could not settle for a long while. His progress during this time had been nothing short of leaps and bounds, yet compared with Zhang Zhixian, it amounted to nothing.

Though Qi Martial Ninth Level and the Blood Martial Realm were separated by only a thin line, the bottleneck between realms could not be ignored. Unlike minor realms, where one could break through as naturally as water flowing into a channel once sufficient strength was attained.

On Labor Peak, quite a few people were stuck at Qi Martial Ninth Level. Some were even trapped at this stage for over a year.

"The one who should truly be anxious isn't me."

Yang Chen set down his wine cup and gazed into the distance.

He was merely shocked. Those ranked within the top ten, however, would likely be deeply affected.

Especially Gu You in second place, and Huang Tianyu in third.

Huang Tianyu came from the imperial clan and could be said to have enjoyed every advantage in the early stages of cultivation. Gu You, who had managed to suppress him by a head, was certainly no simple figure either.

The two had spent a long time as eternal second and eternal third. They must have been holding in a breath of resentment, both wanting to surpass Zhang Zhixian and ascend to the top of the rankings. But now, that breath would likely scatter.

Just as he had expected, after hearing that Zhang Zhixian had broken through to the Blood Martial Realm, Huang Tianyu, who had been cultivating in seclusion, did not sleep for an entire night.

He had already broken through to Qi Martial Ninth Level some time ago, but he was still at least half a month away from the Blood Martial Realm.

"Zhang Zhixian!"

No joy or anger showed on Huang Tianyu's face. He wanted to contend with the other man, yet he remained restrained.

He had methods to rapidly break through a realm, but the price was steep. Though he was a prince of a nation, his resources were still limited. After breaking through to the Blood Martial Realm, his need for cultivation resources would rise with the tide. He had to follow the path he had planned in order to progress quickly and steadily within the Blood Martial Realm.

Zhang Zhixian's breakthrough had damaged his fighting spirit, but he knew he still could not act rashly. His goal was not to compare himself with anyone, but to go farther.

Labor Disciples were merely the starting point. Even Outer Sect disciples were not his final goal. His eyes had always been fixed on the Inner Sect, or even the true disciples.

"So be it. What if I let you take one step ahead?"

With matters having come to this, Huang Tianyu could only console himself like this.

But before he could catch his breath, on another month's end, Gu You broke through!

Beneath the Cultivation Ranking beside the dining hall, Huang Tianyu's face was expressionless, but the gazes of those around him were like blades, making his skin burn.

Seeing this, Yang Chen thought of a saying—those who seek fame would surely be burdened by fame.

For instance, at this moment, Huang Tianyu might not care in his heart, but beneath the watchful eyes of hundreds, even the most steadfast person would be affected to some extent.

He secretly rejoiced that he was not ranked third. Otherwise, would that not be awkward?

But on second thought, he cursed himself for lacking ambition. If he could rise to third place right now, being burdened by fame would be quite nice too.

Because of Zhang Zhixian and Gu You's breakthroughs, Huang Tianyu had been pushed to the crest of the waves. Quite a few people discussed in private when this mountain of the rankings would break through.

This also meant that even though Yang Chen had entered the top twenty, he was no longer as eye-catching as before.

"The greatest taboo in cultivation is impatience. Breakthroughs in cultivation should come as naturally as water flowing into a channel. Greedily chasing achievement and rashly pressing forward will only produce the opposite result."

When summoning the ranked disciples, Lin Chuan said this with pointed meaning.

Yang Chen knew whom he was referring to. He instinctively looked at Huang Tianyu, only to see the latter's expression calm, as if his mindset had not been affected.

"You have all made great progress this month, allowing our Area 8 to remain among the top three. I must thank you all."

"Besides that, I especially wish to commend Yang Chen. He has made the greatest progress this month and has now risen to twentieth place. I hope you will keep up the good work and, after reaching the top of a hundred-foot pole, advance another step."

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As usual, Lin Chuan especially praised Yang Chen. This left the ranked disciples feeling somewhat sour, especially Wei Xiao and Xue Cang. Both ranked higher than Yang Chen, yet Lin Chuan seemed never to have praised them separately.

Yang Chen rubbed his nose. Every month's end, Lin Chuan had to put on this little performance, leaving him rather helpless.

However, that helplessness was quickly replaced by joy.

Twentieth place: awarded 15 spirit crystals and one Low-grade Sword Technique!

When he received the spirit crystals and sword technique, Yang Chen grinned from ear to ear. The spirit crystals were secondary; he had long yearned for this Low-grade Sword Technique.

After returning to his residence, he impatiently took out the sword technique and began reading it.

The sword technique was called the Gale Sword Technique. It was a fast sword art whose core principle was to strike one step before the enemy.

The moment Yang Chen saw it, he could no longer look away. Though this sword technique was not of a high grade, it was absolutely among the finest of the Low-grade Sword Techniques. Once cultivated to a profound level, it could make one's sword leave no shadow, rendering others unable to guard against it.

Over the following days, Yang Chen became even busier. Aside from cultivation, he spent nearly all his spare time practicing the sword technique.

For this, he even specially bought a sword. A sword technique naturally could not be separated from a sword. Only with a sword in hand could he better comprehend the essence of the Gale Sword Technique.

His comprehension was not too poor. In about seven days, he had already gained an initial grasp of the Gale Sword Technique.

Now, with a sword in hand, he estimated that his strength had increased by at least thirty percent. This was the terrifying aspect of mastering a killing technique.

Previously, he could only rely on his fists and feet, but how could fists and feet compare to the sharpness of blades and swords?

Another day passed, and on the Cultivation Ranking, Huang Tianyu's realm transformed in an instant, breaking through to the Blood Martial Realm.

There was not much to discuss about the third person to break through.

At any rate, Yang Chen did not pay much attention to it. He was not far from Qi Martial Ninth Level himself, and now that he had mastered the Gale Sword Technique, Huang Tianyu and the others had naturally lost much of their mystique in his eyes.

Another seven days passed, and Yang Chen's cultivation broke through once more!

[Realm: Qi Martial Ninth Level, Punching Force: 13519 kilograms]

"Good!"

Yang Chen laughed in satisfaction. After more than seven months, he had finally reached the end of the Qi Martial Realm and stood before the gates of the Blood Martial Realm.

The day after Yang Chen's breakthrough, he received news from above.

Ten days later, at the beginning of next month, Outer Sect disciples would come to harvest the Spirit Rice.

Upon receiving this news, Yang Chen sighed softly. The Spirit Rice ripening also meant that the Hemp-Clad Society would arrive once again.

To him, this was truly no good thing.

He began making preparations. After buying some supplies, he planned to stay here for an extended period.

Sure enough, only two days later, members of the Hemp-Clad Society paid a late-night visit.

As before, they took without asking.

Though Yang Chen was displeased, he did not dare stop them. He could only faithfully perform his duty, staring wide-eyed at them as they siphoned away the spiritual energy.

The days passed one by one, and month's end arrived once more.

When Yang Chen returned to the residential area, the square was already packed with people. Seeing him arrive, many greeted him with smiles.

"Senior Brother Yang, what surprise are you bringing us this time?"

"What are you talking about? Is Senior Brother Yang bringing us surprises? They're clearly scares, all right!"

"Senior Brother Yang, have you considered finding a companion? I'm pretty, sweet-voiced, and super obedient~"

Yang Chen halted, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the junior sister who had just spoken. Rubbing his hands together, he smiled. "Of course, Junior Sister. Come to my residence tonight!"

The junior sister's face immediately flushed red. Covering her face, she stamped her feet. "Aiya~ Senior Brother, you, you..."

The surrounding disciples all burst into laughter.

If you think this book is good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't lose it next time.