The break

"Come over here!" Huang Jin beckoned.

Xu Yang and Lu Ren strode into the pavilion and cupped their hands. "Greetings, Fifth Master!"

Huang Jin nodded. "I called you over for nothing serious. Liu Guangfa committed an offense, so I intend to divide the money paid to the Mighty Far Hall between you two."

The Mighty Far Hall collected its fees every three months. Given the Huang Family's standing, they naturally would not ask the hall to refund a few taels of silver.

"Thank you, Fifth Master!"

Xu Yang cupped his hands again. He had not expected Liu Guangfa's exposure to bring him such a windfall.

Lu Ren, however, was puzzled. "Why not give it all to me? Giving it to him is a waste. Give it to me, and I can break through the gate sooner and serve the Huang Family."

By now, he was no longer the timid boy who stammered whenever he spoke. Even when addressing Huang Jin, he carried himself with a measure of composure.

With his talent, even if he offended the Huang Family, there would be no shortage of people willing to nurture him.

Huang Jin gave Lu Ren a searching look. "Xu Yang reached Entry in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance only one day after you."

He had changed so quickly. Once someone like this grew strong, could the Huang Family truly make use of him?

Lu Ren said no more. He knew his wings were not yet fully fledged.

"Just focus on training hard. If you continue to perform well, the Huang Family will increase its investment in you accordingly."

Huang Jin still offered Lu Ren a word of reassurance before turning to Xu Yang. "I took the liberty of allocating your share to Body-Strengthening Soup. If you would rather have something else, tell me."

Xu Yang shook his head. "I leave it to your judgment, Fifth Master."

Body-Strengthening Soup was perfectly good. With this extra tael's worth, he would have twelve bowls a month, enough to drink one roughly every three days. That would let him spend more time practicing the Turtle-Snake Great Stance.

"You may go!"

The two cupped their hands and withdrew from the pavilion, heading toward the Outer Court.

"When we train in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist next, I'll show you that your earlier success was nothing but luck, and just how wide the gap between us is."

With that, Lu Ren strode away.

"People really do change quickly!"

Xu Yang could only marvel at Luo Dehu's talent. Luo Dehu deserved much of the credit for Lu Ren's transformation. The old Lu Ren had never displayed his sharp edges so openly.

He soon put Lu Ren's words out of his mind and threw himself back into training.

After Xu Yang announced that he was severing ties with Xu Lao'er, Xu Lao'er did not come to coax him back.

Time flew, and it was already their eighth day at the Mighty Far Hall. That morning, Zhang Yong reached Entry in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. That afternoon, Zhang Hong did as well.

On the ninth day, another person reached Entry in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. It was not Luo Dehu, whose Bone Root was C-Grade Lower, but Qian Jiaxing.

On the twelfth day, everyone had reached Entry in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance and begun practicing the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

That same day, Lu Ren announced that he had reached Entry in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

He had taken only seven days to reach Entry in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist, which was harder than the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. Such speed naturally prompted another wave of amazement.

Huang Jin was alerted again that very day and hurried to the Mighty Far Hall, where he announced another two-tael increase in the resources allocated to Lu Ren.

The Huang Family's monthly investment in him had now reached thirteen taels.

Many genuine martial artists earned only ten taels of silver a month serving as Attendants.

Naturally, Lu Ren was delighted by such exceptional treatment. He even challenged Xu Yang, asking how much longer he would need to reach Entry.

Yet the very next day, Xu Yang announced that he, too, had reached Entry in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

"Damn it!"

Lu Ren could barely keep his composure.

It had happened with the Turtle-Snake Great Stance, and now it was happening with the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. Whenever he broke through, Xu Yang broke through the next day. Xu Yang was hot on his heels.

"I admit you have some comprehension, but let me tell you this: martial cultivation depends primarily on Bone Root."

Lu Ren sought out Xu Yang with a dark expression. Xu Yang was following too closely. Despite taking so many resources, he had failed to widen the gap between them, and he was worried the Huang Family might divert some of his cultivation resources to Xu Yang.

"Doesn't cultivation depend on money?" Xu Yang asked, looking puzzled. "Oh, right. You have more money than I do. You've spent all that money and still haven't left me behind, so now you're spouting nonsense about Bone Root."

At that point, the two openly severed ties and truly fell out. Lu Ren also abandoned his plans to make Xu Yang his subordinate and trained even harder.

Huang Jin never appeared, as though the Huang Family had no idea that Xu Yang had reached Entry in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist only one day after Lu Ren. Everyone knew the Huang Family had abandoned them, including Xu Yang, whose talent was second only to Lu Ren's.

There was almost no hatred left in Zhang Yong's eyes when he looked at Xu Yang. There was even sympathy.

Had Xu Yang not surpassed him, Xu Yang's fate would have been his own. That helped him let go of much of his resentment, though he still did not speak to Xu Yang.

Time flew. Xu Yang and the others had now been at the Mighty Far Hall for half a month. His body had grown much sturdier, and the contours of firm, lean muscles showed beneath his loose clothing.

After finishing a round of fist practice, he summoned his panel.

[Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist · Entry (10/150)]

Over the past three days, he had added one point to the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist each day. Together with his own training, its progress had now reached "10."

After reaching Entry, progress in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist keeps getting faster. They were right about reaching the First Martial Dao Gate in three months at most.

[Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Entry (10/100)]

His progress in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance was now equal to that of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

That was mainly because he had not spent any points on the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. Another reason was that his nutrition could not keep up, so he practiced it far less than the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

Let's test my strength now!

Xu Yang jumped down from the Plum Blossom Stance posts and walked over to the stone weights. With an easy one-handed grip, he effortlessly raised a hundred-jin stone weight overhead.

Setting down the hundred-jin weight, he turned his gaze to the one weighing a hundred and fifty jin.

"Up!"

Xu Yang exhaled with a shout. His muscles bulged as he lifted the hundred-and-fifty-jin stone weight overhead with one hand.

"Impressive arm strength!" Zhang Hong exclaimed.

They had all joined the martial hall together. Now, he could barely lift a hundred-jin stone weight with one hand, while Xu Yang could already lift a hundred and fifty jin.

As time passed, the gaps between this group of youths supported by the Huang Family gradually widened.

With strength like that, even without using any fist techniques or moves, he could easily take on four or five ordinary people.

"It's just brute strength from scratching a living out of the dirt every day. Oxen are strong too, aren't they? They still spend every day plowing fields." Zhou Yang's mocking voice rang out.

Although Sun Tao had suppressed the matter involving Liu Guangfa, Zhou Yang still found opportunities to taunt Xu Yang and the others from time to time.

"A dog actually got into the Mighty Far Hall. Tomorrow, I'll have to tell Senior Brother Sun

"about it. Better yet, have the dog beaten to death." Xu Yang did not even look at Zhou Yang.

Knowing those words were aimed at him, Zhou Yang immediately tried to goad him. "Xu Yang, stop acting tough with your mouth. Now that you're practicing fist techniques too, do you dare spar with me?"

"No!" Xu Yang said.

Zhou Yang had started learning martial arts half a month before them. His talent was not particularly poor, and his family had some money. If Xu Yang fought him now, at best they would both end up hurt. He would gain nothing from it.

"Coward!"

Zhou Yang seethed. How did this fellow have the nerve to admit he did not dare so brazenly?

Xu Yang refused to take the bait, leaving him no choice but to give up.

The day quickly passed. After eating dinner at the Mighty Far Hall, everyone dispersed and headed home.

Their little group now existed in name only!

Zhang Yong had been the first to part ways with them. After Xu Yang and Lu Ren openly fell out and no one from the Huang Family appeared, the few who were close to Lu Ren rarely spoke to Xu Yang anymore.

Qian Jiaxing had gone further and firmly chosen his side. He no longer walked home with Xu Yang.

Over the past few days, he had either left early or waited until Xu Yang was gone before leaving. Only Zhang Hong still spoke to Xu Yang as he always had.

The fellow was smooth and diplomatic, treating Xu Yang, Zhang Yong, and Lu Ren's group all the same.

"Xu Yang!"

Under the cover of night, Xu Yang had just entered the White Stone Ward and had yet to reach home when he heard someone call him from behind.

He turned and saw Li Hu approaching slowly with two lackeys.