What Are You Afraid Of?

Zhang Yu looked at Xu Yang kneeling on the ground. He knew the other man had to be in immense pain, or he would not have dropped to his knees the moment he arrived.

A genius admired by countless people had suddenly become mediocre. Just thinking about that feeling was unbearable.

"Are you in pain?"

"Yes!" Xu Yang raised his head and nodded at Zhang Yu.

"No matter how desperately you cultivate now, your cultivation refuses to improve even a little, and you can never break through the third barrier. Isn't that right?"

"Yes!" Xu Yang nodded again.

"You feel like the third barrier is a mountain, one you simply have no power to shake. Isn't that right?"

"Yes!" Xu Yang continued nodding.

"Since that's the case, and no matter how desperately you cultivate, you will never improve again, why don't you dare stake it all on one throw?" Zhang Yu asked, staring into Xu Yang's eyes.

"I..." Xu Yang's heart was in chaos.

"You don't trust me? That's understandable. But we have no grudge between us, so why would I harm you? We did not even know each other to begin with. Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me, so why would I keep telling you, again and again, how to become stronger, only to wear myself out for no reward?"

"Because you are a true genius—a genius like me. You are not one of the likes of Gu Zhibei or Jiang Canglan. We are true martial arts geniuses. Trust me. As long as you do as I say, it will take less than a year for you to cultivate back to the peak of dark force, then smoothly enter transformed force and surpass everyone else." Zhang Yu looked at Xu Yang with absolute certainty.

This was the last time he would help Xu Yang. If the other man continued to distrust him and hesitate, Zhang Yu was prepared to give up.

"You've already fallen this far. What are you still afraid of?"

"Trust me. I can make you incomparably dazzling, your radiance soaring ten thousand zhang."

The confusion in Xu Yang's eyes gradually turned to resolve. "That's right. Things are already like this. What am I still afraid of? What else do I have left to lose?"

He stood and looked at Zhang Yu. "Master, I'll listen to you. I'll disperse my cultivation and start over."

"Good. One day, you'll be proud of the decision you made today." Zhang Yu reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Have your family find you an ice-element sword art. An entry-grade cultivation method would be best, though a first-rate method will do. Bring it to me," Zhang Yu said calmly.

Then he returned to his room, wrote out a prescription, and handed it to Xu Yang. "Gather all these medicinal ingredients and bring them to me as well."

"Once you've done those two things, then disperse your cultivation."

"Don't ask why. Just do as I say, because you have no choice. If you want to become incomparably strong and dazzling, then you must trust me unconditionally." Zhang Yu raised a hand to cut off Xu Yang's question.

Xu Yang accepted the prescription. His lips parted several times, but in the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.

Watching his departing back, Zhang Yu muttered softly, "Whether you can seize this opportunity depends on yourself."

A short while later, Zhang Yu returned to his room and took out the first-rate cultivation method, Demon-Subduing Staff, that Chen You had given him. He then studied the method within for opening the dantian.

It was easy, yet difficult.

The easy part was using powerful qi and blood to follow the cultivation method's route and strike the thin membrane surrounding the dantian.

The difficult part was that ninety percent of people could not break through it. Another nine percent could break through, but would destroy their dantian in the process.

Only the remaining one percent could successfully open their dantian and become true qi realm martial artists.

After reading the dantian-opening method in the first-rate cultivation method Demon-Subduing Staff and comparing it with the dantian-opening method in the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art taught to him by his master, Shi Cangyue, Zhang Yu concluded that entry-grade cultivation methods had a slightly higher success rate when using qi and blood circulation routes to strike the dantian membrane, and were less likely to destroy the dantian.

After finishing his research, Zhang Yu took out a drop of Marrow-Washing Fluid. He wanted to test its effects.

He swallowed it in one gulp and immediately felt a warm current flow through his internal organs and bone marrow.

Then there was nothing else.

Fake?

No way, right?

An hour later, Zhang Yu finally confirmed that the Marrow-Washing Fluid had no effect on him. His internal organs and bone marrow had already reached an extremely high level.

The Clearwind Stance Art had broken its limit once.

The Tiger Roar Iron Shirt had broken its limit twice.

His internal organs and bone marrow had already been strengthened and nourished over and over again.

"I'll save the remaining two drops for Li Yue and Chu Qingwen. Their talent isn't very good." Zhang Yu put away the jade bottle.

He then opened the system panel. The current panel was very simple.

[Disciples]

[Niu Mancang: 200 master-disciple points]

[Li Yue: 18 master-disciple points]

[Wen Hua: 35 master-disciple points]

[Yan Dao: 10 master-disciple points]

[Chu Qingwen: 3 master-disciple points]

[Xu Yang: 103 master-disciple points]

Zhang Yu was very satisfied with the cultivation of Niu Mancang, Li Yue, and Xu Yang.

There was nothing to say about Niu Mancang. With the Feral Ox Physique and outstanding cultivation talent, he cultivated desperately every day like an old yellow ox, already maxing out his master-disciple points.

Li Yue's aptitude was ordinary, but she possessed the fate of Forged Through a Thousand Trials. Her master-disciple points grew every month, and her future was immeasurable.

Xu Yang had excellent aptitude and outstanding comprehension. He was practically cultivating with his life on the line, so it was no surprise that he earned 103 master-disciple points every day.

Wen Hua possessed exceptional talent and comprehension, yet he only earned 35 master-disciple points per day. Zhang Yu was furious.

That bastard must have gone drinking with his brothers again. Instead of cultivating properly, he's wasting his talent. Once I get back, I'll have to straighten him out.

Wen Hua's fate of loyalty unto death made him willing to spend any free time he had drinking with the brothers from the gang.

The next morning, Zhang Yu left Hidden Spirit Academy with Li Feifei and found a teahouse to listen to storytellers and drink tea. It was wonderfully relaxing.

"Senior Brother, don't you need to cultivate?" Li Feifei asked curiously.

This question had long been on her mind. During the two months in the outer academy, she had never once seen Zhang Yu cultivate.

And now he had brought her out to drink tea and listen to stories for entertainment.

Was this the life of a genius? That could not be right. She had met some geniuses before, and all of them cultivated with tremendous diligence.

"Cultivation requires a balance between work and rest. You can rely on effort for the first three realms, but becoming a true qi realm martial artist mainly depends on talent, mentality, and listening to stories," Zhang Yu replied perfunctorily.

"Oh!" Li Feifei looked utterly confused.

Balance between work and rest?

What kind of nonsense was that?

Had she not been taught since childhood that martial arts required bitter cultivation?

They spent the entire morning in the teahouse. At noon, Zhang Yu took Li Feifei to Great Harmony Tower for a feast of demonic beast meat before finally returning to Hidden Spirit Academy.

No blind fool came to disturb them during that time.

As the two entered Hidden Spirit Academy, they found many disciples gathered around the Mission Hall, noisily discussing something.

"Come on, let's take a look." Zhang Yu strode toward the Mission Hall.

Li Feifei hurried after him.

"Senior Brother Zhang." The moment Sima Rui saw Zhang Yu, he immediately smiled and cupped his fists in greeting.

Sima Rui was a collateral descendant of the Sima Family and also a disciple of Hidden Spirit Academy. When the two had gone to Boundless City last time, they had gotten along well and reached an agreement regarding the Black Tiger Gang's supply of medicinal herbs.

He had watched Zhang Yu's performance in the Azure Eagle Tournament from beginning to end, and it had left him utterly astonished. When he saw Gu Zhibei, the number one among the younger generation, defeated by Zhang Yu, Sima Rui had broken out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, he had reached an agreement with Zhang Yu back in Boundless City. Otherwise, he did not dare imagine whether he would still be alive now.

"Junior Brother Sima." Zhang Yu returned the greeting.

Since the other man called him senior brother, Zhang Yu naturally went along with it and addressed him as junior brother.

"What's going on?"

"The academy has just issued a mission. The Heavenly Heart Sect has been secretly spreading martial arts, and the Great Chu imperial family has issued an order to wipe out the Heavenly Heart Sect. The rewards are very generous. Capture the Heavenly Heart Sect's Holy Maiden, and you'll receive one yellow-grade cultivation method and a bottle of top-grade Blood-Nourishing Pills. Killing other sect members also earns rewards..." Sima Rui briefly explained the situation.

Zhang Yu's face showed no expression, but a trace of chill rose within his heart.

In the future, he would certainly spread martial arts throughout the Western Wilderness. His greatest obstacles would be the Western Wilderness's three major sects: the Azure Cloud Sect, the Golden Sword Sect, and Hidden Spirit Academy.

"Senior Brother, do you want to form a team and capture the Heavenly Heart Sect's Holy Maiden?" Sima Rui asked tentatively.

Zhang Yu considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right."