Diamond True Qi

[Diamond Skill Yet Initiated (3/100)]

"Sure enough, it takes steady, painstaking effort!"

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

His true qi had barely changed in any noticeable way, and his Diamond Skill progress had only increased by "3."

He wasn't in a hurry. Closing his eyes, he went to sleep.

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 33]

The next morning, the first thing Xu Yang did after opening his eyes was look at the Status Panel.

He had obtained Diamond Skill the day before, and the Status Panel had rewarded him with thirty points. Without hesitation, he spent them all on Comprehension,

[Comprehension: 34]

Satisfied, he closed the Status Panel, got up, practiced the Turtle-Snake Great Stance for a while, then headed to the Liu Mansion.

"Yesterday evening, Jade Butterfly was discovered by Gu Family experts while committing a crime at their estate. Several experts at Major Success in Qi Gathering surrounded him, but he relied on his lightness skill to escape, badly wounded.

"This is his portrait. Take a good look. If you come across him, capture him, and you'll be rewarded with as much as two hundred taels of silver."

Zhang Bo took out a portrait and shared the latest news about Jade Butterfly.

Wang Yun, Wu Yongfeng, Bao Gang, and the others crowded around, carefully studying the portrait in Zhang Bo's hand.

"Isn't this the same person from yesterday?"

Xu Yang looked over. The man in the portrait was the very person who had attacked him outside White Stone Ward the day before. He had tossed the corpse into a cave.

He had thought the man was being hunted because of the Diamond Skill. He hadn't expected him to be the lecherous criminal Jade Butterfly, who had thrown all of Qingyuan into turmoil.

"So that man really was Jade Butterfly. Should I claim the reward?"

Two hundred taels of silver was a lot—a sum of money Xu Yang had never seen in his life.

If he went and brought back Jade Butterfly's head, he could claim the two hundred taels.

At the same time, everyone would learn that he had killed Jade Butterfly, and he would gain both fame and fortune.

"I can't take it!"

After thinking it over for a moment, he decided to give up the reward.

He didn't know what kind of background Jade Butterfly had. If he had some formidable master or senior and junior fellow disciples, they might come after Xu Yang for revenge.

And the Diamond Skill had been sewn up so carefully and hidden in a trouser leg. It might have been stolen.

Now that Xu Yang had already practiced it, what if the rightful owner came knocking? They might cripple his martial arts—or kill him outright.

After weighing it all up, the risks outweighed the benefits.

He had plenty of time to make progress slowly. There was no need to invite unpredictable trouble for the sake of two hundred taels. It was better to let Jade Butterfly's death stay buried in his own heart.

That copy of Diamond Skill was worth more than two hundred taels anyway. There was no need to risk it all for such a small sum.

"Too bad I didn't find a lightness skill manual," Xu Yang lamented inwardly.

Jade Butterfly's greatest strength had been his lightness skill. He had relied on it to escape even when surrounded by several experts at Major Success in Qi Gathering. It was terrifying.

Of course, his offensive skills seemed formidable too. According to Zhang Bo, one of the Gu Family experts at Major Success in Qi Gathering had been killed on the spot, while the others had also been badly injured.

Diamond Skill had been mentioned as well, but they had only said that Jade Butterfly practiced a hard-body art and had an astonishing physique. Everyone was warned to be especially careful if they encountered him.

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

Soon, the patrols began again!

Although Xu Yang knew Jade Butterfly was already dead, he still patrolled seriously.

When the day was over, he returned home and continued practicing Diamond Skill.

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

Ten days later, the prominent lineages of Qingyuan County concluded that Jade Butterfly was either dead or had left the county. Everything returned to normal.

[Diamond Skill (1/1000)]

That same day, Xu Yang finally reached the entry level in Diamond Skill. His true qi had taken on a hint of Diamond True Qi and was purer than before.

As his true qi flowed through his meridians, it felt as though they were being sliced by knives.

When he directed his true qi into his palm and struck, it rang out like refined iron, and his skin and flesh became much more resistant to damage.

"Diamond True Qi really is domineering. Now I just need to keep grinding away, and sooner or later I'll cultivate true Diamond True Qi."

A cool sensation spread through his head. He added all the points he had accumulated recently to Comprehension, raising it to "37."

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

The Outer Courtyard was now almost entirely filled with unfamiliar faces. Neither of them knew anyone, and the two walked into the Inner Courtyard beneath the admiring gazes of its disciples.

"Xu Yang, Senior Brother Wu, you two finally showed up."

As they entered the Inner Courtyard, Zhang Yong and Zhang Hong came smiling to greet them.

"That whole Jade Butterfly affair kept us busy. Now that it's finally over, we can get back to practicing."

Wu Yongfeng grinned. "Come on, Junior Brother Zhang Yong. Let's spar and see how much progress you've made."

"That's exactly what I had in mind."

Zhang Yong sprang forward and immediately started fighting Wu Yongfeng.

"Do you know who the person Jade Butterfly defiled in the Huang Family was?" Zhang Hong sidled over furtively.

"Who?" Xu Yang had been about to spar with Zhang Hong, but now he had no choice but to stop.

Zhang Hong lowered his voice. "They say it was the young lady betrothed to Lu Ren. The two of them were already engaged, and the wedding was set for three months from now!"

Xu Yang was speechless...

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He had known that someone in the Huang Family had fallen victim to Jade Butterfly, but he hadn't expected it to be the person the Huang Family had chosen to marry off to Lu Ren. Now Lu Ren could neither break off the engagement nor go through with the marriage.

He turned to look and saw that Lu Ren had arrived too. He didn't seem affected, though; he was practicing the Turtle-Snake Great Stance in a corner.

"He's gotten much stronger than me."

After gauging their respective strength, Xu Yang realized the gap between them. He probably wasn't Lu Ren's match anymore.

He hadn't used the Status Panel to improve his martial arts, and he spent only two or three taels a month on cultivation. Lu Ren, on the other hand, had fifteen taels a month. The gap between them had gradually widened.

"We've never truly fought before. Do you dare take me on?"

Apparently noticing Xu Yang looking at him, Lu Ren opened his eyes and challenged him.

At once, all the Inner Courtyard disciples looked keenly interested.

Back in the Outer Courtyard, Xu Yang had always trailed behind Lu Ren. Now they had both been at Qi Gathering for nearly two months. Would they still be evenly matched, as before?

"I heard you're about to marry a noble young lady from the Huang Family. I wouldn't dare fight you," Xu Yang said calmly.

The spacious Inner Courtyard fell silent. Lu Ren's face visibly flushed red.

Who didn't know that his fiancée had been ruined by Jade Butterfly? He was currently negotiating with the Huang Family over what to do. Xu Yang's words had struck right at his sore spot.

"You're asking for death!" Lu Ren roared, striding toward him.

But halfway there, Sun Tao stopped him. "Junior Brother Lu, you know the rules of the Inner Courtyard."

Lu Ren's chest heaved. He forced himself to swallow his anger, then went back to practicing his stance.

"You've got a vicious tongue!" Zhang Hong gave Xu Yang a thumbs-up.

"Well, he was trying to step on me!"

Xu Yang hadn't wanted to provoke Lu Ren, but the guy had tried to humiliate him. He wasn't about to be polite.

"Come on, spar with me. I haven't had time to practice lately, and I'm getting rusty."

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

Zhang Hong smiled. "You haven't been here lately, so I forgot to tell you. This kid made it just under the three-month mark and managed to gather qi too."

"All right, then you're up!"

Xu Yang stepped forward, his fist tearing through the air as it slammed toward Qiu Wenjie. The two quickly started fighting.