Chapter 592: Chapter 374: Estrangement

"By successfully mastering both the Azure Dragon Dominating Body and the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique, he now has the capital to compete with the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides. Xu Yang, we’re in trouble. He announced this in such a high-profile manner today to build momentum, and many who weren’t close to him before have gone to attend his banquet." Gu Qingfeng took a deep breath, feeling the pressure.

Xu Yang shook his head. "It’s not quite enough to rival the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides yet. As far as I know, with the exception of Leng Qiuyue, all the other Spirit Bone Celestial Prides have also mastered the Azure Dragon Dominating Body. Under the same conditions, he is no match for a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride." He didn’t really care about Huo Xiaochen mastering the Azure Dragon Dominating Body because he had already achieved it long ago. And in just a little while longer, he too would become a "Spirit Bone Celestial Pride." No matter how profound the Xiao Family’s foundation was, or how wealthy they were, it was impossible for them to turn Huo Xiaochen into a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride as well.

"Where did Brother Xu hear this news? Are these Spirit Bone Celestial Prides really that terrifying?" Gu Qingfeng was somewhat moved, momentarily forgetting about Huo Xiaochen. Previously, they had vainly hoped to cultivate a Spirit Bone Technique to rival the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides, never expecting that those geniuses had not only mastered Spirit Bone Techniques but also cultivated the Azure Dragon Dominating Body.

"An older senior mentioned it. There shouldn’t be any mistake," Xu Yang said before changing the subject. "Brother Gu, you and Senior Brother came here together. Have you thought of a way to deal with Huo Xiaochen?"

Gu Qingfeng bringing Sun Tao specifically to his place was clearly not just to tell him about Huo Xiaochen mastering the Azure Dragon Dominating Body.

Gu Qingfeng smiled bitterly. "What can we do? We can’t fight within the Celestial Strategy Academy. We can only watch him grow stronger bit by bit. I just hope that when he targets the three of us in the future, we can join forces to resist him. Otherwise, we will only be defeated one by one."

Xu Yang and Sun Tao exchanged a glance and immediately cupped their hands in agreement. "Naturally." They were already at odds with Huo Xiaochen, so they certainly wouldn’t reject having Gu Qingfeng join them as an ally. Of course, it wasn’t just Gu Qingfeng. The Qin Family backing him was also a Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family, and they had other members within the Celestial Strategy Academy.

The three chatted for a while before Sun Tao and Gu Qingfeng finally took their leave.

That evening, when Xu Yang went to the dining hall for dinner, he found that almost everyone was discussing Huo Xiaochen mastering the Azure Dragon Dominating Body. Word had it that he hosted a banquet at a restaurant and many people attended, including Xiao Yun, the Spirit Bone Celestial Pride ranked sixth on the Lingyun List. Even Wu Xiuyuan, who had always been quite close to them, went. Many others who were previously friendly with Xu Yang’s group also attended Huo Xiaochen’s banquet, as if they were choosing sides.

Moreover, Xu Yang keenly noticed a change in how people looked at him. In the past, even though he had a grudge against Huo Xiaochen, many didn’t really care. After all, besides Xu Yang’s own abilities, he had a formidable senior brother in Sun Tao, as well as Gu Qingfeng, who was stronger than Huo Xiaochen. But now, even those two were inferior to Huo Xiaochen and could barely protect themselves. His own situation would only be worse. Some people who would normally greet him in the past now pretended not to see him.

When he arrived at the classroom the next day, this shift in attitude was even more pronounced. People who originally had a good relationship with them, like Wenshan and Zuo Mu, were no longer friendly. Even Lu Ren lacked his usual enthusiasm toward him and Sun Tao, seemingly wanting to draw a clear line between them once again.

"That guy still can’t change his spots," Sun Tao snorted coldly. Given Lu Ren’s recent behavior, he had almost started to think he had misunderstood the man in the past. To his surprise, as soon as the news about Huo Xiaochen broke out, Lu Ren slowly began to distance himself from them again.

"I heard he eagerly attended Huo Xiaochen’s banquet yesterday and got dead drunk," Jiang Fan said.

"He never changed to begin with; he’s still the same," Xu Yang said. "Previously, he only tried to get close to us because no one else paid him any attention. Now that he has forged a Middle-tier Spiritual Weapon, his status is different, so he naturally wants to draw a line with us."

Xu Yang understood Lu Ren all too well. The two of them had emerged together during the Huang Family’s selection, and Xu Yang had watched Lu Ren’s transformation the entire way. Lu Ren was simply not someone who valued loyalty and righteousness. His personality and values were influenced by Luo Dehu, and he was no different from him. If there were benefits, he would flatter you; if there weren’t, he would kick you aside without a second thought. If Huo Xiaochen hadn’t mastered the Azure Dragon Dominating Body, Lu Ren probably would have continued to suck up to them. After all, based on their previous strength, Huo Xiaochen wouldn’t have been able to defeat him, Sun Tao, and Gu Qingfeng. But now that Huo Xiaochen had mastered the Azure Dragon Dominating Body, the three of them were suddenly the weaker side. If Lu Ren didn’t quickly cut ties, he would be targeted by Huo Xiaochen as well.

A short while later, Huo Xiaochen walked into the classroom, surrounded by Du Ziming and others. The previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent. In the eyes of most students in Basic Class A, mastering the Azure Dragon Dominating Body instantly elevated Huo Xiaochen to the same level as the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides.

His sharp gaze swept past Gu Qingfeng and Sun Tao before finally landing on Xu Yang. Among the three of them, the one he hated the most was Xu Yang. This was because Xu Yang was the most likely person to have killed his master, Jiang Wang. Sun Tao was merely helping his junior brother, and Gu Qingfeng was only involved because the Xiao Family and the Qin Family were at odds; he didn’t have any direct conflict with Huo Xiaochen.

"Xu Yang is in trouble."

"He’s probably already trembling with fear."

"His opponent suddenly became the number one person right below the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides. Anyone would be terrified."

The surrounding people began to whisper among themselves, while Xu Yang calmly met Huo Xiaochen’s gaze.

"Xu Yang, if you apologize to Brother Huo right now, he might just spare you and let your past offenses slide," Du Ziming said, gloating.

"What a lapdog!" Xu Yang spat out with a smile. Instantly, everyone cast disdainful looks at Du Ziming. They were all geniuses in their own right, and Du Ziming acting so blatantly as Huo Xiaochen’s lackey made them despise him.

"I hope you can stay this stubborn forever," Huo Xiaochen said indifferently. He walked over to his seat and sat down without pressing the matter further. Everyone understood that the grudge between Xu Yang and Huo Xiaochen had likely reached an irreconcilable point.

Soon, Jin Yu appeared.

"In one month, your six-month freshman period will end. At that time, even the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides will no longer enjoy the resource allocation from the Lingyun List, and the list itself will be abolished.

"If you want to continue receiving extra resources, your only option is to fight your way into the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List."

The first thing Jin Yu brought up was the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List. As a ranking list fiercely contested by all four classes of students at the Celestial Strategy Academy, its prestige was extremely high. As long as one could make it onto the list, even if it didn’t guarantee a spot on the Final Dragon Platform in the future, it at least provided them a sliver of opportunity.

"The Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List only has a hundred spots. We’ve only been at the Celestial Strategy Academy for half a year. How can we possibly compete with those who have been cultivating here for several years, or even over a decade?" someone asked indignantly. For a Martial Artist, talent was crucial, but so was age. Lin Jingyu was clearly more talented than Xu Yang, but because he was younger, he had been beaten to death by Xu Yang during the selection.

Jin Yu swept his gaze over the person who spoke and said, "The Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List primarily evaluates personal potential, not the length of time you’ve spent cultivating. A piece of trash could cultivate for a hundred years and still fail to make the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List.

"Furthermore, everyone else fought their way up by competing against students with more seniority. Did you think you would be the exception?"

The crowd immediately fell silent. It was true that the previous students had also walked this same path. However, even though they all had grand ambitions and believed themselves to be second to none, fighting their way onto the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List was nowhere near as easy as Jin Yu made it sound. He said it wasn’t about cultivation time but rather about talent, but were the talents of those Middle Level Students and Advanced Students really that lacking? If everyone had the same level of talent, but the others had cultivated for a few more years and reached a higher Realm in their Martial Techniques, how could they possibly be surpassed?

For the rest of the time, Jin Yu simply shared a few more details about the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List before dismissing the crowd. He told them to cultivate diligently and prepare to challenge the Battle Tower in a month’s time to fight for a ranking on the list.

Upon returning to his courtyard, Xu Yang continued to immerse himself in cultivation. After cultivating Dragon Qi through the Azure Dragon Dominating Body, the nourishing and strengthening effects on his physical body were taken a step further. Every day, he could feel massive changes taking place within him. At the same time, his demand for Qi-Blood supplementing medicine also increased. The Spirit Medicine that would have originally lasted him half a month was completely consumed in just a few days.

"I have to go out," Xu Yang thought. "Otherwise, the progress of my Azure Dragon Dominating Body will slow down again." Fortunately, he still had over six hundred spirit coins, so he wasn’t short on money for the time being. It was also a good opportunity to inquire about the aftermath of him wiping out the Fuhu Gang last time.

Early the next morning, Xu Yang left his courtyard while the sky was still dark. Expanding his five senses to the limit, he confirmed that no one was around. Following a series of shifts and crackles from the joints all over his body, he transformed into the appearance of Lu Ren. Unlike before, not only did he look exactly like Lu Ren this time, but his aura was also flawlessly disguised at the Celestial Essence First Layer.

He left the Celestial Strategy Academy without any incidents. Xu Yang first took a stroll around the city, changing into a new face before finally rushing over to the Wu Family Castle.

At the area specifically designated for posting notices in the Wu Family Castle, a drawing of his previous disguise was indeed plastered on the board. The bounty information even included a sketch of the Treasure Robe he had stolen.

"Only a three hundred spirit coin bounty on my head!" Xu Yang muttered upon seeing the reward. However, the bounty wasn’t issued under the Fang Family’s name, but rather the Fuhu Gang’s.

"Excuse me, sir, I haven’t been to the Wu Family Castle in a long time. How did Yang Zheng from the Fuhu Gang die?" he casually asked a man standing next to him who was also looking at the bounty.

"I heard he bought a Treasure Robe at the Wu Family Castle, and on his way back, he was killed and robbed by a highwayman," the man said, glancing at Xu Yang before sharing what he knew.

"So I’ve become a highwayman," Xu Yang thought. He then feigned a look of mild surprise. "With Yang Zheng dead, why hasn’t the Fuhu Gang disbanded?" Yang Zheng wasn’t the only one who died that day; a whole group of Fuhu Gang members had also been killed by that out-of-control Two-Horned Tiger. He had assumed the Fuhu Gang would vanish into thin air, yet to his surprise, they still existed.

"The Fuhu Gang simply does the dirty work for the Fang Family," the man replied. "Since Yang Zheng died, they just sent someone new to take over. How could they possibly disband?"

"Thank you for clearing that up, sir," Xu Yang said, cupping his hands. After paying the entrance fee, he walked into the Wu Family Castle.

"It’s just as well that the Fuhu Gang is still around," he thought. "If I run out of money, I can just rob them again. It can be considered a stable source of income."

The Wu Family Castle was as bustling as ever, with street vendors setting up stalls everywhere. After walking for a bit, Xu Yang spotted a type of Spirit Medicine that greatly replenished Qi-Blood. Following some haggling, he bought it for two spirit coins.

After putting the Spirit Medicine away, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. It was Zhang Hanzhou. Compared to the past, Zhang Hanzhou’s face had lost its former high-spirited arrogance. With a short sword slung at his waist, he was trailing behind a middle-aged man, looking very much like a lackey.

"Looks like he’s been reduced to an underling," Xu Yang murmured. He retracted his gaze and continued searching for the Spirit Medicine he needed.

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