Stepping Forward

"The improvement of my comprehension and aptitude has been delayed once again."

He had finally saved up so many points, which should have been used to boost his comprehension or aptitude above all else.

Wind-Thunder Force was powerful, but once his comprehension reached Grade A, he would surely be able to master it naturally. Consuming points now was akin to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

However, as someone who walked the path of caution, seeking stability was his nature; he always prepared for the worst.

Glancing at Zhang Hong and the others beside him, Xu Yang recited silently in his heart, pouring all his points into Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

A massive wave of enlightenment surged forth like a tide; it felt as if he had been practicing the fist technique for months, and countless insights regarding Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist filled his mind.

[Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist · Minor Success (242/500)]

"Wind-Thunder Force, it's done!"

Joy surged in Xu Yang's eyes. At this moment, he had grasped every profound mystery of the Wind-Thunder Force within his mind.

With a mere thought, his True Qi obeyed his commands like an extension of his own limbs, vanishing from his meridians to lie dormant within his flesh and blood.

"So, the secret of Wind-Thunder Force is to liberate True Qi from the shackles of the meridians, allowing it to burst forth at will..."

His eyes shone with brilliance. After this upgrade, not only had he learned Wind-Thunder Force, but his mastery of Explosive Bear Force had also deepened.

His cultivation level remained unchanged, but his combat power had reached a new level.

"Father, I've brought someone here. Guess who it is?"

The group soon arrived at the Qiu Family residence. Qiu Yongqiang's gaze swept back and forth over Zhang Yong and the others, trying to discern which one was the expert Qiu Wenjie had invited.

"No need to guess, Uncle Qiu. I have reached Minor Success in Qi Gathering; it is time for me to repay you." Xu Yang cupped his fists solemnly.

Even after Qiu Wenjie had already reached Qi Gathering, Qiu Yongqiang had continued to support him, a fact that moved him deeply.

Qiu Yongqiang was overjoyed upon hearing this: "You've reached Minor Success in Qi Gathering? Good, very good! Uncle Qiu did not misjudge you."

In truth, he had been worried that Qiu Wenjie wouldn't be able to bring anyone back.

The situation had been urgent, and he hadn't thought it through.

It wasn't until Qiu Wenjie rushed to Wei Yuan Hall and pondered carefully that he realized how difficult it was to invite someone capable of handling this matter. With the Martial Exam Dragon Ascent imminent, who would be willing to take such a risk?

If one were to get injured and miss the Martial Exam Dragon Ascent, their entire life would be ruined.

Under Qiu Wenjie's introduction, Zhang Yong and the others exchanged greetings with Qiu Yongqiang and were invited into the main hall.

"Second brother, is this the talent from Wei Yuan Hall that Wenjie invited?" Qiu Yongjian walked over, his face deathly pale.

"Big brother!"

"Uncle!"

Qiu Wenjie went over to support Qiu Yongjian, and Qiu Yongqiang also stood up, saying: "They are here. These are Wenjie's senior brothers from Wei Yuan Hall."

He introduced Zhang Yong and the others once more, then pointed to Xu Yang and said: "This is the Xu Yang I told you about. He has reached Minor Success in Qi Gathering and can handle Hong Feng."

He let out a long breath; with Xu Yang here, his anxious heart finally settled.

"Greetings, Hero Xu. Thank you for helping the Qiu Family despite past grievances. I, Qiu, thank you!" Qiu Yongjian bowed deeply to Xu Yang, his eyes filled with shame.

Back when Qiu Wenjie reached Qi Gathering, he had used the excuse of cultivating their own family's experts to make Qiu Yongqiang cut off support for Xu Yang, believing Qiu Yongqiang was wasting money and that Xu Yang wouldn't lift a finger if the Qiu Family were in trouble.

He hadn't expected that when the Qiu Family faced a crisis, Xu Yang would come to help without holding a grudge.

Xu Yang: ...

"Big brother, I didn't listen to you and cut off support for A-Yang. I have been using my own money to support him all along," Qiu Yongqiang whispered in Qiu Yongjian's ear.

Xu Yang finally realized the truth. No wonder Qiu Yongjian had mentioned "past grievances"—it turned out the "Qiu Family" had indeed cut off his support, but Qiu Yongqiang had been funding him out of his own pocket.

The two brothers felt a moment of awkwardness, as it was quite a thing to bring up at such a time.

Xu Yang, however, did not mind and said: "Uncle Qiu, let's not delay. Let's head to the Hong Family now."

"Right!"

At the mention of the Hong Family, the Qiu brothers forgot their awkwardness and led the way out.

As the group exited the Qiu residence, they saw a crowd of Inner Courtyard disciples waiting there.

"Junior Brother Xu, may we follow to watch the battle?" Xue Fangsheng asked.

"Do as you please!"

Xu Yang glanced at these senior brothers with whom he had little friendship, then followed the Qiu brothers forward.

After crossing two streets, the Hong Family residence appeared before them.

Qiu Wenjie took a stride forward, stepped up, and shouted: "Hong Feng, you injured my uncle and seek to seize the Qiu Family's property. Get out here and speak at once!"

Compared to large Inner Courtyard families like the Liu Family, the Hong Family was merely a small household. They didn't even have a gatekeeper, and the entire courtyard was only a fraction of the size of the Liu residence.

After waiting for a while, the Hong Family gate opened, and a dozen people poured out, both men and women.

Qiu Yongqiang stood beside Xu Yang and leaned in to whisper: "The one walking in front is Hong Xu. He is not a martial artist. The most burly one beside him is his eldest son, Hong Feng. Besides Hong Feng, the Hong Family has one other martial artist, but he is only at the initial stage of Qi Gathering and is not here."

Xu Yang's gaze landed on Hong Feng, ignoring everyone else.

Hong Feng was burly with broad shoulders and a thick waist. There was a scar between his brows that made him look somewhat ferocious. His eyes swept over Xu Yang, his expression flickering with uncertainty.

Clearly, although the other party did not recognize him, standing alongside the Qiu Yongqiang brothers at a time like this made it easy to guess that he was a helper invited by the Qiu Family.

Finally, Hong Feng's gaze landed on Qiu Wenjie: "I've come out. What do you want to say?"

Qiu Wenjie said in a deep voice: "Compensate my uncle and apologize, otherwise, you'll be lying on the ground here today."

Hong Feng's gaze swept over Zhang Yong and the others behind Qiu Wenjie: "Wei Yuan Hall has brought so many people; are you trying to bully the few with the many, acting as if Tiger Roar Martial Hall has no one?"

With a cultivation of Minor Success in Qi Gathering, his perception was naturally extraordinary; he could tell at a glance that these people behind Qiu Wenjie were all Inner Courtyard disciples of Wei Yuan Hall.

However, since he dared to scheme for the Qiu Family's assets, he naturally did not fear all these Wei Yuan Hall disciples attacking at once. If it truly came to that, Tiger Roar Martial Hall would not be a pushover either.

"Don't mind us; we are only here to observe the battle."

"Don't keep bringing up Wei Yuan Hall and Tiger Roar Martial Hall; you aren't qualified to represent Tiger Roar Martial Hall."

Xue Fangsheng and the others spoke up, making their stance clear.

Hong Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to Xu Yang: "So, you are the one stepping forward. May I ask your name?"

Xu Yang stepped forward and said: "Wei Yuan Hall, Xu Yang!"

"So you are Xu Yang!" Hong Feng's smile suddenly widened.

Since the Hong Family intended to seize the Qiu Family's assets, they had naturally investigated Qiu Wenjie's network within Wei Yuan Hall. According to his investigation, Qiu Wenjie couldn't invite any true experts from Wei Yuan Hall, only being on good terms with people like Xu Yang and Zhang Hong.

Among these people, his investigation showed that Xu Yang was the one Qiu Wenjie was closest to—someone who had only managed to reach the Qi Gathering stage thanks to the Huang Family's cultivation, only to be abandoned by them because of Lu Ren, and was now serving as a retainer for the Liu Family.

So, upon hearing that the person stepping forward was Xu Yang, he immediately laughed.

A peasant who had lucked into changing his fate didn't cherish his life, playing at chivalry like the others; didn't he know that sticking his neck out like this would get him killed?

"Come on then. Words are useless; as martial artists, we only see the truth through our hands. If I am defeated, I will naturally apologize and compensate Qiu Yongjian."

As he spoke, Hong Feng strode forward.

You won't just be defeated; you will die!

Xu Yang also moved.