Minor Success in Qi Gathering

[Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist · Minor Success (100/500)]

With a single flash of insight, he grasped Explosive Bear Force, and his progress in Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist surged forward. He remembered that it had been just over eighty before. Now it had reached one hundred.

"Senior Brother Xu, congratulations!"

Qiu Wenjie, Zhang Hong, and the others stepped forward to congratulate him.

Explosive Bear Force was a milestone in Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. Grasping it was certainly something worth celebrating.

Even if two people were both new to Qi Gathering, the one who had grasped Explosive Bear Force could easily defeat the one who had not.

"Junior Brother Xu, congratulations."

Sun Tao also came forward to congratulate him, though he wore a rueful expression.

Xu Yang's Comprehension was no worse than Lu Ren's. It was a pity he was a little too proud and had refused to marry into the Liu Family. Otherwise, a year from now, he might have earned the title of Martial Scholar in the Martial Exam Dragon Ascent.

If he could earn the title of Martial Scholar, perhaps he would finally have a chance to put his Comprehension, no worse than Lu Ren's, to real use.

Bang!

At that moment, a muffled thud came from the distance.

Everyone's expression changed. The sound had come from the courtyard where Lin Cheng was.

Sun Tao had no time to keep talking to Xu Yang. He immediately strode over.

"What happened? Why would Master lose his temper?" Everyone exchanged bewildered looks.

After a while, Sun Tao returned, his face ashen.

Before the disciples could ask, he spoke first. "Word just came in that Gale Wind Hall has a disciple with Grade A Inferior Bone Structure. Hall Master Ji Yun personally took him as a disciple."

At this, none of the Qi Gathering disciples could remain calm.

Lu Ren's Grade B Superior Bone Structure was something Wei Yuan Hall might not see even once in a year. As for Grade A Inferior Bone Structure, Qingyuan County might not produce even one in several years.

Most importantly, Gale Wind Hall and Wei Yuan Hall were at odds. They had opposed each other for years, and when wealthy families hired Attendants, disciples from the two martial halls would never serve the same family.

A Grade A Inferior disciple appearing at Gale Wind Hall was certainly bad news for Wei Yuan Hall.

But from another angle, the news was actually a good thing for Wei Yuan Hall's disciples.

From that day on, they noticed Lin Cheng spending more time teaching his disciples. Sometimes he even personally sparred with them, though he mainly focused on Lu Ren, Gu Fang, Jiang Ping, and the others.

As for someone like Xu Yang, who had little potential, most of the time he was left to observe from the sidelines.

Xu Yang didn't mind. He had cultivated Diamond Skill, and his qi was gradually transforming into Diamond True Qi. He really didn't dare spar with Lin Cheng, worried that he might give himself away.

Time passed peacefully, and in the blink of an eye, a month and a half went by.

Xu Yang went to Liu Mansion in the morning to stand by, then came to Wei Yuan Hall in the afternoon to cultivate. He took turns diligently practicing Turtle-Snake Great Stance, Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist, and Diamond Skill, neglecting none of them.

One day, as Xu Yang sat in meditation, he suddenly felt a wave of heat in his abdomen. His dantian trembled, and then his qi boiled like water, surging out of his dantian and roaring through his meridians.

"Minor Success in Qi Gathering!" Xu Yang couldn't help but feel delighted.

In Qingyuan County, this level of cultivation already made him a minor expert.

Before he knew it, he had been practicing martial arts for nearly half a year, and almost four months had passed since he broke through into Qi Gathering.

Reaching Minor Success in Qi Gathering in four months might not seem like much compared to people like Lu Ren, who had powerful forces backing them. But among the poor, struggling masses, this pace was absolutely astonishing.

Many people spent two or three years in Qi Gathering and still failed to reach Minor Success.

My qi isn't ordinary qi. It's Diamond True Qi, more domineering than regular qi. Someone who has just reached Minor Success in Qi Gathering definitely won't be my match.

[Comprehension: 45]

[Bone Root: 48]

[Cultivation: Minor Success in Qi Gathering]

[Techniques: Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Minor Success (60/300) · Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist · Minor Success (170/500) · Diamond Skill · Beginner (45/1000)]

[Skills: Mining lv.3 (283/400)]

[Remaining Lifespan: 61]

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 9]

Xu Yang looked at his status. Reaching Minor Success in Qi Gathering had added a year to his lifespan.

His stats were all steadily climbing, and both his Comprehension and Bone Root were nearing fifty.

The only thing giving him a headache was Diamond Skill. His Comprehension and Bone Root had both improved, but his progress in Diamond Skill had barely changed. As expected, it required painstaking effort; progress had little to do with Comprehension or Bone Root.

Xu Yang stepped out of the room and punched the empty air.

A streak of white qi shot out, then dissipated three feet away.

"Now that I've reached Minor Success in Qi Gathering, I can send my qi out to attack. Most people at this level can only extend their qi two feet, but mine reaches three.

"It's all thanks to Diamond True Qi. It's denser and more domineering. That's a nice little trump card."

"Let's test its power!"

He quickly walked over to a large tree and stopped three feet away, then threw a punch.

His qi shot out. With a bang, the tree trunk burst open, leaving a hole the size of a fist.

"If that hit an ordinary person, it would blow them apart. Diamond True Qi really is domineering."

Of course, Diamond True Qi's benefits didn't end there. His body was incredibly tough now, too. His muscles were like cast iron, lean and powerful, and his body was surely no weaker than Jade Butterfly's.

By his estimate, Jade Butterfly hadn't been practicing Diamond Skill for long either. If he practiced for two or three years, he might even be able to kill the several Qi Gathering Major Success experts from the Gu Family in a counterattack.

"Xiao Qing, I'm off!"

After calling out to Xu Qing, Xu Yang braved the bitter wind and headed to Liu Mansion.

Before he knew it, the depths of winter had arrived, and the New Year was just a month away.

The world was blanketed in white, and snow had piled up over the tops of his feet.

When he arrived at Liu Mansion, he went straight to Zhang Bo and showed him that he had reached Minor Success in Qi Gathering.

"I didn't realize you had some talent after all. You reached Minor Success in Qi Gathering so quickly. It's a pity the Martial Exam Dragon Ascent is only nine months away. Reaching Major Success in Qi Gathering within nine months is almost impossible."

Zhang Bo couldn't help sighing.

Xu Yang had started practicing martial arts rather late, at around eighteen, and he was already past eighteen now.

The Martial Exam Dragon Ascent was held every two years. If Xu Yang missed this one, he would never get another chance to participate, because there was an age limit: anyone over twenty couldn't take part.

If Xu Yang had started practicing martial arts at sixteen, he could definitely have taken the Martial Exam Dragon Ascent and won the title of Martial Scholar.

The title of Martial Scholar wasn't useless. It represented a chance to leave Qingyuan and advance further in martial arts.

"It's fine, Brother Zhang. Just report it for me," Xu Yang said with a smile.

He had come to tell Zhang Bo about his breakthrough as soon as possible because the monthly fee for an Attendant with Minor Success in Qi Gathering was no longer five taels, but ten taels of silver.

Zhang Bo nodded. "All right!"

The morning passed quickly, and Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng returned to Wei Yuan Hall.

Despite the heavy snowfall, Wei Yuan Hall's disciples didn't slack off. They were all diligently practicing their stances.

The two entered the Inner Courtyard, where several unfamiliar faces had appeared. There were nearly twenty people altogether.

They found a corner and began practicing their stances. Their chests and bellies rose and fell as they breathed out white clouds.

"Latest news! Kong Yu of Gale Wind Hall has successfully entered Qi Gathering!" someone suddenly shouted.

Every Inner Courtyard disciple stopped what they were doing, even those in the middle of sparring, drawn in by the announcement.

That was because Kong Yu was none other than the genius with Grade A Inferior Bone Structure whom Gale Wind Hall's hall master had taken as a disciple.

They looked up and saw an Inner Courtyard disciple striding in from outside, his face filled with shock.