Minor Accomplishment of Qi Gathering

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

Once he grasped Explosive Bear Force, his progress in Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist leaped forward. He remembered it had only been in the eighties before; now it had reached one hundred.

"Senior Brother Xu, congratulations!"

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

Explosive Bear Force marked a milestone in Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. Grasping it was definitely cause for celebration.

Of two martial artists who had just entered Qi Gathering, the one who had grasped Explosive Bear Force could easily crush the one who had not.

"Junior Brother Xu, congratulations."

Sun Tao also came forward to congratulate him, though his face was full of regret.

Xu Yang's comprehension was no worse than Lu Ren's. Unfortunately, he was rather proud and unwilling to marry into the Liu Family. Otherwise, he might have earned the title of Martial Licentiate in the Martial Examination a year later and ascended like a dragon.

If he earned that title, his comprehension, which rivaled Lu Ren's, might finally have a chance to be put to proper use.

Bang!

Just then, a muffled crash came from the distance.

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

Sun Tao abandoned his conversation with Xu Yang and hurried over.

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

A short while later, Sun Tao returned, his face livid.

Before the disciples could ask, he spoke. "Word just came in that a disciple with a lower first-grade bone root has appeared at the Raging Wind Hall. Hall Master Ji Yun personally accepted him as his disciple."

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

The Mighty Far Hall might not recruit even one disciple a year with an upper second-grade bone root like Lu Ren's. But someone with a lower first-grade bone root might not appear in all of Qingyuan County for several years.

Most importantly, the Raging Wind Hall and the Mighty Far Hall were at odds. They had targeted each other for years. Even when serving wealthy households as Attendants, disciples from the two martial halls would never work for the same family.

The appearance of a first-grade disciple at the Raging Wind Hall was certainly no good news for the Mighty Far Hall.

Viewed from another angle, however, this was something of a blessing for the Mighty Far Hall's disciples.

From that day onward, everyone noticed that Lin Cheng spent more time teaching his disciples. Sometimes he even personally sparred with them to guide their moves, though his attention went mainly to disciples like Lu Ren, Gu Fang, and Jiang Ping.

Those with little potential, like Xu Yang, usually just listened from the sidelines.

Xu Yang did not mind. He had been practicing Vajra Skill, and his true qi was gradually turning into vajra true qi. He really did not dare spar with Lin Cheng, for fear that his secret might be discovered.

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

Xu Yang went to the Liu Residence each morning to await orders, then practiced at the Mighty Far Hall in the afternoon. He worked diligently through Turtle-Snake Great Stance, Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist, and Vajra Skill in turn, neglecting none of them.

One day, while Xu Yang was meditating, he suddenly felt heat in his abdomen. His dantian trembled, and then his true qi boiled like water, surging out of his dantian and roaring through his meridians.

Minor accomplishment of qi gathering! Xu Yang could not help feeling delighted.

With this level of cultivation, he already counted as a minor expert in Qingyuan County.

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 to Qi Gathering.

Reaching minor accomplishment of qi gathering in four months was nothing compared with people like Lu Ren, who had powerful backers supporting them. Among all the poor souls struggling on their own, however, this speed was absolutely astonishing.

Many people spent two or three years in Qi Gathering without necessarily reaching minor accomplishment.

Mine isn't ordinary true qi, but vajra true qi, which is far more domineering. An ordinary martial artist at minor accomplishment of qi gathering is absolutely no match for me.

[Comprehension: 45]

[Bone root: 48]

[Cultivation: Minor accomplishment of qi gathering]

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

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

[Remaining lifespan: 61]

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 9]

Xu Yang looked over the panel. Reaching minor accomplishment of qi gathering had added a year to his lifespan.

All his other numbers were rising steadily as well. His comprehension and bone root were both approaching fifty.

Vajra Skill was the one thing that gave him a headache. His comprehension and bone root kept improving, yet his progress in Vajra Skill barely changed. It truly was work that required patient grinding; its progress had little to do with comprehension or bone root.

Xu Yang stepped out of his room and punched into empty air.

A streak of white true qi shot out and dispersed three feet away.

At minor accomplishment of qi gathering, true qi can leave the body to kill enemies. Someone who has just reached this stage can usually project it only two feet, but mine reaches three.

It's all because vajra true qi is more condensed and domineering. This gives me a small trump card.

Let's test its destructive power!

He strode over to a large tree, stopped three feet away, and threw a punch.

True qi shot out. With a bang, the trunk burst open, leaving a fist-sized hole.

If that hit an ordinary person, it would blast right through them. Vajra true qi really is domineering.

Of course, vajra true qi's benefits did not end there. His body was now terrifyingly tough as well. His muscles looked as though they had been cast from refined iron, lean and powerful. Their durability was certainly not much inferior to Jade Butterfly's.

By his estimate, Jade Butterfly probably had not been practicing Vajra Skill for long either. Had he practiced it for two or three years, he might have turned the tables and killed the Gu Family's experts at great accomplishment of qi gathering.

"Qing, I'm heading out!"

After saying goodbye to Xu Qing, Xu Yang braved the cold wind and hurried toward the Liu Residence.

Before he knew it, the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month had arrived. There was only another month until the New Year.

The world was a vast expanse of white, and the snow already covered the tops of his feet.

Upon reaching the Liu Residence, he immediately sought out Zhang Bo and demonstrated his cultivation at minor accomplishment of qi gathering.

"I didn't expect you to have some talent too. You reached minor accomplishment of qi gathering so quickly. Unfortunately, there are only nine months left until the Martial Examination. Reaching great accomplishment of qi gathering in nine months is almost impossible."

Zhang Bo could not help sighing.

Xu Yang had begun practicing martial arts a little late. He had been nearly eighteen when he started, and now he was already past eighteen.

The Martial Examination, that chance to ascend like a dragon, was held once every two years. If Xu Yang missed this one, he would never have another opportunity to participate, because its age limit barred anyone over twenty.

If Xu Yang had begun practicing martial arts at sixteen, he could certainly have ascended through the Martial Examination and won the title of Martial Licentiate.

Martial Licentiate was not an empty title. It represented an opportunity to leave Qingyuan and advance further along the martial path.

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

He had come straight to Zhang Bo to tell him

about his cultivation breakthrough, naturally because an Attendant at minor accomplishment of qi gathering no longer received five taels a month, but ten.

Zhang Bo nodded. "All right!"

The morning soon passed, and Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng returned to the Mighty Far Hall.

Despite the heavy snow, the Mighty Far Hall's disciples had not slacked off. They were all diligently practicing their stances.

The two entered the Inner Court, where several more unfamiliar faces had appeared. There were now nearly twenty people in total.

They found a corner and began their stance practice. As their chests and abdomens rose and fell, they breathed out waves of white vapor.

"Latest news! Kong Yu from the Raging Wind Hall has successfully entered Qi Gathering!" someone suddenly shouted.

Every disciple in the Inner Court stopped, even those who had been sparring, their attention caught by the announcement.

For this Kong Yu was none other than the genius with a lower first-grade bone root whom the Raging Wind Hall's master had recently accepted as his disciple.

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