Diamond True Qi

Diamond Skill · Not Yet Initiated (3/100)

Truly, this is a task requiring the patience of grinding a pestle into a needle.

Half an hour later, Xu Yang opened his eyes with a sigh.

His True Qi had barely shown any significant change, and the progress of his Diamond Skill had only increased by "3".

He was in no rush, however, and closed his eyes to sleep.

Martial Dao Longevity Points: 33

The next day, the first thing Xu Yang did upon waking was check his panel.

Having acquired the Diamond Skill yesterday, the panel had rewarded him with thirty points. Without hesitation, he poured all thirty into increasing his comprehension.

Comprehension: 34

Satisfied, he closed the panel, rose from bed, and practiced the Turtle-Snake Great Stance for a while before heading to the Liu Mansion.

"Yesterday evening, when Jade Butterfly was committing a crime at the Gu Family, he was discovered by their experts. Despite being besieged by several experts at the Great Completion of Qi Gathering, he relied on his movement techniques to escape while heavily wounded.

This is his portrait. Take a good look, everyone. If you encounter him and take him down, the bounty is as high as two hundred taels of silver."

Zhang Bo produced a portrait while relaying the latest news about Jade Butterfly.

Wang Yun, Wu Yongfeng, Bao Gang, and the others swarmed forward, scrutinizing the portrait in Zhang Bo's hands.

Isn't this the same person from yesterday?

Xu Yang looked over; the man in the portrait was indeed the one who had attacked him outside White Stone Ward yesterday, whose corpse he had dumped in a mountain cave.

He had assumed the man was being hunted for the Diamond Skill, but he never expected him to be the lecherous thief Jade Butterfly, who had kept all of Qingyuan County in a state of unrest.

That man was actually Jade Butterfly. Should I take the bounty?

Two hundred taels of silver was a vast sum—more money than Xu Yang had ever seen in his life.

If he were to retrieve Jade Butterfly's head, he could claim that reward.

At the same time, the fact that he had killed Jade Butterfly would become widely known, bringing him both fame and fortune overnight.

I cannot take it!

After only a brief moment of thought, he decided to forgo the bounty.

He knew nothing of Jade Butterfly's background or connections. If the man had a powerful master or fellow disciples, they might come seeking revenge.

Furthermore, the Diamond Skill manual had been sewn so carefully into the pant leg; it might have been stolen property.

Now that he had already practiced it, if the original owner came knocking, they might cripple his martial arts or kill him outright.

After weighing the options, the risks far outweighed the benefits.

He had plenty of time to grind slowly; there was no need to invite unpredictable crises for a mere two hundred taels. It was better for the secret of Jade Butterfly's death to rot in his own stomach.

The Diamond Skill manual itself was worth more than two hundred taels; there was no need to risk his life for such petty change.

It's a pity I didn't find a manual for his movement techniques, Xu Yang thought regretfully.

Jade Butterfly's greatest strength was his movement; the fact that he could escape after being besieged by several Great Completion experts was terrifying.

Of course, his lethality didn't seem weak either. According to Zhang Bo, a Great Completion expert from the Gu Family had been killed on the spot, and others had sustained serious injuries.

The Diamond Skill had been mentioned, but only as a hard-body technique that gave Jade Butterfly an astonishing physique, warning everyone to be careful.

It was worth noting that the Gu Family Zhang Bo mentioned was the same one where Gu Fang from Wei Yuan Hall resided. It seemed Jade Butterfly's target had been her, though he hadn't succeeded.

Soon, the patrol began again!

Even though Xu Yang knew Jade Butterfly was dead, he still patrolled diligently.

At the end of the day, he returned home to continue practicing the Diamond Skill.

Three days later, there was still no news of Jade Butterfly, and the defenses at the Liu Mansion began to slacken.

Ten days later, the major families of Qingyuan County concluded that Jade Butterfly was either dead or had left the county, and everything returned to normal.

Diamond Skill · Initiated (1/1000)

It was on this day that Xu Yang's Diamond Skill finally reached the initiation stage. His True Qi now carried a trace of Diamond True Qi, making it far more refined than before.

As the True Qi circulated through his meridians, he felt a stinging pain, as if he were being cut by blades.

He channeled the True Qi into his palm and struck; a sound like clashing refined iron rang out, and the defensive power of his skin and flesh increased significantly.

Diamond True Qi is truly overbearing. Now, I just need to grind slowly, and sooner or later, I will cultivate the real Diamond True Qi.

A cool sensation washed over his brain as he added all the points accumulated over the recent period into his comprehension, bringing it to "37".

After many days, he and Wu Yongfeng returned to Wei Yuan Hall.

The Outer Courtyard was filled with almost entirely new faces whom he didn't recognize. The two of them walked into the Inner Courtyard under the admiring gazes of the Outer Courtyard disciples.

"Xu Yang, Brother Wu, you two have finally appeared."

As they stepped into the Inner Courtyard, Zhang Yong and Zhang Hong walked up to greet them with smiles.

"It's all because of that Jade Butterfly business. Now that it's finally over, I can get back to my cultivation."

Wu Yongfeng laughed, "Come, Junior Brother Zhang Yong, let's spar. Let me see if you've made any progress lately."

"That is exactly what I was thinking."

Zhang Yong took a swift step forward and began to trade blows with Wu Yongfeng.

"Do you know who it was from the Huang Family that Jade Butterfly defiled?" Zhang Hong leaned in, acting secretive.

"Who?" Xu Yang had been planning to spar with Zhang Hong, but he stopped when he saw this.

Zhang Hong whispered, "Word is, it was the young lady betrothed to Lu Ren. They were already engaged, with the wedding set for three months from now!"

Xu Yang: ...

He didn't know what to say for a moment. He had known someone from the Huang Family had fallen victim to Jade Butterfly, but he hadn't expected it to be the very person the Huang Family was using to forge an alliance with Lu Ren. Now, Lu Ren was in a bind—calling off the marriage would be wrong, but going through with it would be just as difficult.

He turned his head to look and found that Lu Ren had arrived as well. However, his state of mind didn't seem affected; he was in a corner, practicing the Turtle-Snake Great Stance.

He is much stronger than me.

After a brief assessment, he realized the gap between himself and Lu Ren. He likely wasn't Lu Ren's match anymore.

Without using the panel to boost his cultivation, he only spent two or three taels of silver a month on training, whereas Lu Ren had fifteen taels a month. The gap between them was gradually widening.

"We have never truly crossed hands. Do you dare to fight?"

Seeming to sense Xu Yang's gaze, Lu Ren opened his eyes and looked over, issuing a challenge.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the Inner Courtyard disciples looked on with great interest.

Back in the Outer Courtyard, Xu Yang had always been chasing after Lu Ren. Now that both had been gathering Qi for nearly two months, everyone wondered if they were still as evenly matched as before.

"I heard you are about to marry the noble daughter of the Huang Family; I wouldn't dare fight you," Xu Yang said calmly.

The large Inner Courtyard fell silent at once, and Lu Ren's face turned visibly red.

Everyone knew by now that his fiancée had been ruined by Jade Butterfly and that he was currently negotiating with the Huang Family on how to resolve the matter. Xu Yang's words were essentially tearing open his wounds.

"You're courting death!" Lu Ren roared, striding forward.

He was stopped halfway by Sun Tao, "Junior Brother Lu, you know the rules of the Inner Courtyard."

Lu Ren's chest heaved as he forcibly swallowed his anger and returned to his stance.

"Your tongue is vicious!" Zhang Hong gave Xu Yang a thumbs-up.

"Who told him to try and step on me!"

Xu Yang didn't want to provoke Lu Ren, but since the guy wanted to use him as a stepping stone, he naturally wouldn't be polite.

"Come, spar with me. I haven't had time to practice lately; my skills are getting rusty."

"Senior Brother Xu Yang, let me accompany you," Qiu Wenjie's voice rang out.

Zhang Hong smiled and said, "You haven't been here for a while, so I forgot to tell you—this kid hit the three-month mark and successfully gathered his Qi as well."

"Fine, then you it is!"

Xu Yang stepped forward, his fist tearing through the air as he struck toward Qiu Wenjie, and the two quickly engaged in battle.