Chapter 572: Chapter 354: Punishment

"The Spirit Bone Technique is exquisitely profound. I only managed to memorize it in a hurry and haven’t fully comprehended it yet. As for whether it can be successfully cultivated, I wouldn’t dare make any wild claims right now," Xu Yang said with a smile.

These people were his classmates, and there was no bad blood between them. He couldn’t just ignore them.

Of course, his words were a mix of truth and fiction.

Whether this was of any use to them was not something he could worry about. After all, he couldn’t exactly declare that he was confident in mastering it.

Even if he had, they probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.

A wave of disappointment washed over the crowd. Xu Yang had given an answer, but it amounted to nothing.

What they had really wanted to hear was that the Spirit Bone Technique was nothing special and that even a dog could master it. That would have given them the courage to try it themselves.

As the gathered crowd dispersed, Xu Yang searched for a while and soon found the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill the old man had mentioned. It was categorized as a Secret Technique and required one hundred and sixty academic credits to exchange—a price that was neither too high nor too low.

He wasn’t in a hurry to exchange it. There were too many people here, all of them classmates. It would be better to wait until this current wave of attention died down before coming back.

Turning around, he exited the Hidden Skills Hall, only to see Sun Tao walking right toward him.

"Junior Brother Xu, I heard you chose the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. How is it?" Sun Tao asked.

He was also hesitating over whether to cultivate a Spirit Bone Technique or one of the Cultivation Techniques Jiang Fan had mentioned, which were said to be comparable to them.

Naturally, Xu Yang had no intention of hiding anything from Sun Tao. "It’s extremely overbearing. This technique places immense demands on both the physical body and Heart Spirit. If you want to choose this technique, Senior Brother Sun, you must first make up for any physical shortcomings. You’ll need to reach at least the Qi and Blood Manifestation Realm before even attempting to cultivate the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture."

Sun Tao was visibly moved. Among the Basic-level Students, apart from those six Spirit Bone Celestial Prides, only Lu Wei and Tu Gang had bodies that had reached this Realm.

Of course, this also indirectly proved that Xu Yang’s physical body had reached this Realm as well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be standing here talking about it so calmly.

"The requirements for Spirit Bone Techniques are far too ridiculous," Sun Tao remarked.

"With your Comprehension, Senior Brother Sun, you don’t necessarily have to cultivate a Spirit Bone Technique. Perhaps you could try some of the more exquisite ones," Xu Yang suggested.

Sun Tao nodded. "I’ll consider it."

The two soon parted ways. Xu Yang headed to the dining hall, while Sun Tao walked into the Hidden Skills Hall.

After eating in the dining hall, Xu Yang returned to his courtyard and began to cultivate in seclusion. Right now, many people were already attempting to break through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer Realm. He also had to strive to break through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer within a month, and then figure out a way to acquire resources.

The Purple Sun Sect remained as peaceful as ever, with each disciple performing their respective duties.

On this day, Gao Lin had just descended from Tianquan Peak when he spotted two black dots rapidly enlarging on the horizon. A few breaths later, the dots morphed into distinct humanoid silhouettes.

"The Peak Master and the Young Sect Leader?"

Gao Lin quickly recognized the two and instantly understood that the Secondary Dragon Ascension had concluded.

He wondered if Junior Brother Xu had successfully achieved Dragon Ascension since he hadn’t returned with them.

His mind raced, and he immediately broke into a swift sprint toward Li Fire Peak. He needed to inform his master, Elder Huoyun, of the Young Sect Leader and the Peak Master’s return.

During the time Xu Yang had been away, the thing Elder Huoyun had muttered about the most was whether or not Xu Yang had successfully achieved Dragon Ascension.

After rushing for a while, Elder Huoyun’s grand hall appeared before him. Before he even stepped inside, Gao Lin shouted, "Master, good news! The Peak Master and the Young Sect Leader have returned."

The moment his voice faded, Gao Lin’s vision blurred as a strong gust of wind hit his face. His master, Elder Huoyun, was already standing right in front of him. Gripping his arm excitedly, the elder asked, "What about your Junior Brother Xu? Did he come back with them?"

Given Xu Yang’s talent, the possibility of him achieving Dragon Ascension was extremely high. However, due to the situation with Huo Xiaochen, it was full of major variables. If his good friend Xiong Wanhai hadn’t resolved the issue with Huo Xiaochen, let alone achieving Dragon Ascension, even his life would have been in danger.

"No, only the Peak Master and the Young Sect Leader came back. I didn’t see anyone else," Gao Lin hurriedly replied.

Just as he finished speaking, the master in front of him vanished.

Looking up, he saw that his master, Elder Huoyun, had already transformed into a streak of light, rushing toward Tianquan Peak.

"...Qi Xuancheng went to the Li Family, and Zhang Hanzhou is also staying behind to make a living in Yunzhou City."

On Tianquan Peak, Yue Zhong and Bai Shaoling were just reporting the events of their journey to Sect Leader Zhang Jingyuan when they suddenly felt the Power of Heaven and Earth surging behind them. A figure barged into the room.

"Peak Master, did my disciple Xu Yang successfully achieve Dragon Ascension?" Elder Huoyun asked urgently.

Yue Zhong turned around and smiled. "He entered the Celestial Strategy Academy. What’s more, he entered it with a rank of twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List."

Xu Yang fought his way into the Celestial Strategy Academy with a rank of twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List?

Elder Huoyun revealed a look of disbelief, almost thinking he had misheard. Xu Yang hadn’t just simply achieved Dragon Ascension; he had fought his way into the Celestial Strategy Academy with an astonishing talent ranked twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List.

"Good, good, good! This boy has a bit of my old flair. He is bound to soar into the heavens! No Huo Xiaochen can stop his meteoric rise!"

Elder Huoyun bellowed, his face flushed red. He knew Peak Master Yue Zhong wouldn’t joke with him about this. This meant his disciple, Xu Yang, had truly displayed staggering talent during the Secondary Dragon Ascension and entered the Celestial Strategy Academy.

Medicine King Peak!

BANG!

Accompanied by a muffled boom, the lid of the Pill Furnace flew off. For a moment, flames shot toward the sky inside the Alchemy Room.

"Oh no, the furnace exploded again! This Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pill is way too hard to concoct."

As Xu Qing stomped her feet in frustration, she hurriedly deployed her Protective Gang Qi.

Once the flames died down, she stepped forward to take a look. Only a pile of flying ash remained inside the furnace. Over a thousand taels of silver worth of medicinal ingredients had been completely ruined.

"I’m too stupid. I’ve wasted Xu Yang’s money again."

Xu Qing sighed heavily. Turning around, she picked up the furnace lid that had fallen to the ground. Just as she was about to put it back, she saw her Senior Brother, Sun Jian, running over with a flushed face. "Junior Sister Xu, hurry... hurry over to Tianquan Peak. The Sect Leader wants to see you."

Xu Qing was confused. "Why does the Sect Leader want to see me?"

Sun Jian said excitedly, "The Secondary Dragon Ascension has ended! Your brother, Xu Yang, fought his way into the Celestial Strategy Academy with a ranking of twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List. Now that the Peak Master of Li Fire Peak and the Young Sect Leader have returned, why do you think the Sect Leader wants to see you?

"With a genius brother like that, the Sect Leader naturally wants to reward you."

Xu Yang had successfully achieved Dragon Ascension?

Xu Qing burst into laughter. "I knew that kid Xu Yang could do it! He didn’t embarrass me."

Although she had long known that Xu Yang would definitely succeed in Dragon Ascension, hearing it with her own ears still brought her irrepressible joy.

"Stop running your mouth and hurry to Tianquan Peak! It seems your brother even brought something back for you," Sun Jian urged.

"Okay!"

Without even bothering with her Alchemy Room, which had been blasted into a state of ruin, Xu Qing immediately turned and flew off as a streak of light.

Watching Xu Qing’s figure disappear into the distance, Sun Jian was just about to help her clean up the Alchemy Room when his vision blurred. His master, Elder Chang Chun, materialized right before his eyes.

"Where is Xu Qing? Instead of properly reflecting on why her furnace exploded, where did she run off to?" Elder Chang Chun asked with a stern face.

He had sensed her failure in Alchemy and wanted to come over to give her some pointers, but he certainly hadn’t expected her to be completely gone.

Sun Jian hurriedly cupped his hands. "Greetings, Master. To answer your question, the Sect Leader summoned Junior Sister Xu, so she went to Tianquan Peak."

Elder Chang Chun frowned. "The Sect Leader summoned her? Why would the Sect Leader summon her?"

"Xu Yang successfully achieved Dragon Ascension with a ranking of twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List..."

As Sun Jian spoke, he cautiously glanced at his master, Elder Chang Chun. He knew that back then, the person Xu Yang had most wanted to take as his master was Elder Chang Chun, only to be rejected.

Now that Xu Yang had achieved Secondary Dragon Ascension—and with the staggering talent of being ranked twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List—he figured his master must be consumed by overwhelming regret.

"What? Twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List?"

Elder Chang Chun felt a loud buzz in his head as a wave of sheer regret surged into his heart. Immediately ignoring Sun Jian, he stepped into the air and dashed toward Tianquan Peak.

On this day, the results of the Secondary Dragon Ascension spread throughout the Purple Sun Sect, sending shockwaves through both the sect and Cyan Yang City. Many who had once crossed paths with Xu Yang were left utterly dumbfounded.

Atop Beast King Peak, Zhang Hong remained silent for a long time. Then, without saying a single word, he left the Purple Sun Sect and ventured deep into the Yunling Mountain Range.

"My position is secure now," Gao Lin said, his face flushed red with excitement.

After burning his Life Energy, his status had initially been in grave jeopardy, with many eyeing to replace him.

Now that the news of Xu Yang’s Dragon Ascension was out, he could guarantee that no one would dare harbor any ulterior motives. Everyone knew that Xu Yang only recognized him as his Eldest Senior Brother.

Aside from him, whoever tried to take over this position wouldn’t have it easy—not unless their entire faction wanted to completely sever ties with Xu Yang.

Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion!

"What did you just say? Xu Yang is ranked twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List?"

CRASH. The teacup in Tao Hujin’s hand slipped and shattered into pieces on the floor. His face was filled with utter disbelief. He wondered how this could be possible. If Xu Yang had possessed this kind of talent, how could he have possibly allowed Fang Xinghai to bully him back then? The Tao Family wasn’t afraid of someone like Fang Xinghai; it was just that, in his eyes, Xu Yang’s value hadn’t been enough to warrant the Tao Family going against him.

"Don’t doubt it. This news came straight from the Purple Sun Sect; there’s absolutely no mistake. Are you regretting it now?" Zhou Yong gloated.

"How could he be this astonishing?" Tao Hujin slumped blankly back into his seat.

If he had successfully recruited a talent like this for the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, let alone returning to Yun Province, it would have been enough for him to become a regional Steward. One had to know, the terms he had initially negotiated with Xu Yang had been terribly low.

"This kid is truly extraordinary. I believe what you said back then," Zhou Yong sighed in marvel.

"What did I say?" Tao Hujin blurted out.

"That his talent seems capable of growing," Zhou Yong replied.

Hearing this, Tao Hujin froze on the spot.

He had originally judged that Xu Yang possessed the potential for Dragon Ascension based on this very point, which was why he had placed his bets on the boy. Who would have thought that at the critical moment, he would actually forget this crucial detail? If only he had stood firm back then!

"Is Tao Hujin here?"

Suddenly, a soft shout echoed from downstairs. Tao Hujin and Zhou Yong descended the stairs, only to see a man dressed in a gray robe standing in the main hall of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

"Greetings, Steward Zhou!"

The two instantly recognized him as Zhou Wei, a Steward from the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and hurriedly stepped forward to bow.

Zhou Wei remained expressionless. "Dispense with the formalities. I am here to announce your punishment, Tao Hujin. As a city’s Shopkeeper, you stood idly by when the genius you personally selected was suppressed by Fang Xinghai. You failed to uphold the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s golden rule of strictly doing business without getting involved in personal grudges.

"By the Pavilion Master’s decision, you are hereby stripped of your role as Shopkeeper and demoted to a common clerk. Zhou Yong will take over as the Shopkeeper of Cyan Yang City’s Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion."

Demoted to a common clerk?

Tao Hujin never could have imagined that the matter with Xu Yang would cost him his position as a Shopkeeper at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

He was completely dumbfounded, his heart engulfed in absolute horror. Just what on earth had Xu Yang done in Yunzhou City to alarm even the Pavilion Master, prompting him to personally order the removal of his title as Shopkeeper of Cyan Yang City’s Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?

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