Chapter 429 - 235: Promotion (Part 2)
Chapter 429: Chapter 235: Promotion (Part 2)
For the sake of its long-term development, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was always on the lookout for geniuses to recruit ahead of time. This task had always fallen to the shopkeepers of its various branches.
If a shopkeeper had a good eye and recruited a true genius, they would be rewarded. But if their judgment was poor and they caused the Pavilion to waste resources, they would be punished.
Fang Xinghai raised an eyebrow. "The Purple Sun Sect? Zhang Jingyuan of the Purple Sun Sect is quite a figure. He even has some renown throughout Yun Province."
Taking a sip of tea, he asked, "What’s the story with this Xu Yang?"
Meng Xiangdong opened the letter and read, "Xu Yang, age twenty-four. Reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement five months ago. A disciple of Elder Huoyun of the Purple Sun Sect’s Li Fire Peak. Hails from Qingyuan County in Fufeng County, born to a farming family. He currently ranks fifth on the Purple Sun Sect’s Ten Heroes List."
Fang Xinghai’s brow furrowed, but he said nothing.
But Meng Xiangdong said, "Master, it looks to me like Tao Hujin is desperate to score points, just trying to make up the numbers. Reaching Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement at twenty-four? How could someone like that possibly achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension?"
"I’ve heard the Purple Sun Sect’s Ten Heroes List has ten people. He didn’t try to recruit any of the top few, but went for the one ranked fifth. What’s the use of recruiting number five? It’s just a waste of resources."
Reaching Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement at twenty-four meant that as long as he didn’t die prematurely, breaking through to the Celestial Essence realm in the future wouldn’t be much of a problem.
But the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion didn’t need an ordinary Celestial Essence Martial Artist. They needed a student of the Celestial Strategy Academy with immense potential, someone who could achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension.
They wanted a powerhouse whose name alone, once associated with the Pavilion, would be enough to deter the various powers of Yun Province.
"Coming from a farming family, it’s truly not easy to have come this far. He has some talent. With a bit more time, he might actually achieve Dragon Ascension."
Fang Xinghai said, "There are only two and a half years until the Celestial Strategy Academy opens its gates. Tao Hujin is taking a gamble."
"Tao Hujin is wasting the Pavilion’s resources!"
Meng Xiangdong snorted coldly. "Master, shall I write a letter to reject Tao Hujin’s request?"
Fang Xinghai gave Meng Xiangdong a cool glance. He knew this disciple of his didn’t get along with Tao Hujin. "For recruiting and cultivating potential Honored Guest Elders, the local shopkeepers have discretionary authority. Even I don’t have the right to veto Tao Hujin’s decision. What good would your letter do?"
Meng Xiangdong’s expression changed slightly.
"Write a letter to the Yun Province headquarters at once. Tell them to send Xu Yang’s Dragon Ascension Resources. Whether he can achieve Dragon Ascension or not, since Tao Hujin dares to make this bet, then let him."
"When your rival makes a foolish move, you want to help him correct it? No wonder you lost to him back then. Compared to Tao Hujin, you really are lacking."
Fang Xinghai waved his hand, somewhat disappointed in his disciple. ’All he thinks about is opposing Tao Hujin. He knows the man Tao Hujin recruited isn’t talented enough, yet he still wants to interfere. If I didn’t know for a fact that he and Tao Hujin are at odds, I’d almost think they were best friends.’
Meng Xiangdong didn’t dare say more and hastily took his leave.
"Zhang Jingyuan, how much longer will you hole up in the Purple Sun Sect?" Fang Xinghai’s gaze turned cold, and a faint killing intent flashed through his eyes before vanishing.
...
’Time to head back to the Sect!’
With the Gathering Essence Pills and Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills all refined, Xu Yang had no plans to linger in the city. After packing up all the elixirs, he pushed open the door and stepped out of the courtyard.
"Xu Yang?"
He had just stepped out of the alley when he heard a slightly surprised voice.
Xu Yang turned to see Zhang Hong standing a few meters away, watching him.
Zhang Hong had been in Cyan Yang City for nearly two years, and this was the first time Xu Yang had run into him. ’It must be fate,’ he thought, ’running into an old acquaintance in a place like this.’
If they were still on their old terms, he would have visited Zhang Hong long ago. But after their falling-out, they were merely acquaintances, not friends.
That was why, even though Sun Tao and Zhang Yong often came down from the mountain to meet with Zhang Hong, Xu Yang had never once joined them.
"What a coincidence," Xu Yang said with a smile.
Zhang Hong’s expression was colder now, his usual slick smile replaced by a look of world-weariness and dejection.
"When did you get back?" Xu Yang asked.
After returning to the Purple Sun Sect, he had looked for Sun Tao to go for a drink, only to learn that his friend had entered the Yunling Mountain Range months ago and hadn’t returned. He had been worried something had happened to him.
"I just parted ways with Senior Brother Sun Tao outside the city. He was just talking about you. If he knew he could run into you here, he probably wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to get back to the Purple Sun Sect." Zhang Hong’s expression was complicated.
’There was a time when he, Zhang Yong, and Lu Ren could all compete with Xu Yang. But now, Xu Yang had left them all in the dust, so far ahead that even Lu Ren was just a speck in the distance.’
Xu Yang nodded. "I’m in a hurry to get back to the Purple Sun Sect, so I can’t stay and chat."
He gave a quick salute, then strode away.
As Zhang Hong watched Xu Yang’s retreating back, a wave of regret washed over him. ’If they hadn’t tried so hard to get into Jiang Ping’s circle back then, if they hadn’t cut ties with Xu Yang... they wouldn’t just be exchanging a few words and parting ways today. They would have, at the very least, shared a few good drinks.’
But alas, they had betrayed Xu Yang once, and their friendship could never go back to the way it was.
"Senior Brother Sun!"
Xu Yang headed straight back to the Purple Sun Sect and soon found Sun Tao, who had also just returned. Senior Brother Sun was glowing with health, his aura powerful, and his very skin seemed to shimmer with an inner light.
"You’ve undergone Marrow Cleansing?" Xu Yang asked, stunned.
Given Sun Tao’s level of talent, it should have taken him at least another year or two to reach the Marrow Cleansing realm—unless he had some kind of fortuitous encounter.
Sun Tao laughed. "Can’t hide anything from you, Junior Brother Xu. This trip to the Yunling Mountain Range was a brush with death for Zhang Hong and me. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I found and consumed a strange Spirit Medicine, broke through overnight, and stepped into the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm."
Xu Yang frowned. "Something’s not quite right with your condition."
He could feel a powerful Life Energy lying dormant within Sun Tao’s body, and that luster was still flowing across his skin.
It wasn’t just him; anyone with a basic understanding of the Martial Dao could tell that Sun Tao had achieved a breakthrough.
If Sun Tao had taken the Spirit Medicine in the Yunling Mountain Range, at least three or four days must have passed. Yet he still looked as if he had just consumed it moments ago.
Sun Tao nodded. "The Spirit Medicine’s effects were immense. At first, I thought I was going to explode. You have no idea—a few days ago, my entire body was glowing. It only subsided in the last couple of days, which is when Zhang Hong and I finally dared to return to the Purple Sun Sect."
Xu Yang knew then that Sun Tao must have found something incredible. So many days had passed, and he still hadn’t fully digested the effects of that strange Spirit Medicine.
This was why so many people risked their lives, wave after wave, to enter the Yunling Mountain Range. Maybe, with a bit of luck, they’d find a truly peerless Spirit Medicine, and their cultivation would soar.
For Sun Tao to still show such signs days after taking the Spirit Medicine, the herb he found had to be extraordinary. Breaking through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm was just the surface effect; Sun Tao himself was likely the only one who knew the true extent of the benefits.
"Senior Brother Sun, you should go into seclusion for a few days to stabilize yourself. We can get together once these unusual signs have faded," Xu Yang said.
They hadn’t seen each other in four or five months, and he had come looking for Sun Tao to share a drink. But in his current state, it was clear Sun Tao shouldn’t be showing his face in public.
After leaving Sun Tao’s courtyard, Xu Yang went to find Xu Qing and gave her the Gathering Essence Pills he had refined. The two siblings had a meal together in the Outer Sect before Xu Yang finally returned to Li Fire Peak.
In the days that followed, with the help of the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills, his life fell into a routine. In his spare time from cultivation, he began going to the Forging Pavilion, putting on a show of practicing the Gold Melting Skill.
Half a month later, Sun Tao appeared outside his courtyard. The strange signs on his body had vanished, and Xu Yang could no longer sense his cultivation aura. He must have used a technique like the Breath Concealment Skill to hide his cultivation.
It turned out that after his Marrow Cleansing, Sun Tao had chosen to join Li Fire Peak and was now an Inner Sect Disciple there.
He was living right across from Xu Yang, in the courtyard that had belonged to the senior brother killed by the Blood Lotus Sect last year.
"Congratulations on achieving your dream, Senior Brother Sun!" Xu Yang said with a smile, cupping his hands in salute.
Sun Tao’s greatest wish had been to undergo Marrow Cleansing and become an Inner Sect Disciple. It had seemed unlikely, but fate intervened, and a single strange Spirit Medicine allowed him to achieve his goal directly.
Sun Tao sighed. "After cheating death, I finally made it."
He had hovered on the brink of life and death many times for the sake of his Marrow Cleansing.
"Oh, right. I’ve arranged to celebrate with Zhang Yong and Wenjie at a tavern in the Outer Sect. It’s about time. If you’re free, we should get going."
"One moment, Senior Brother!"
Xu Yang turned, went back into his house, and returned with a Gathering Essence Pill, which he offered to Sun Tao. "Congratulations on your promotion to the Inner Sect, Senior Brother. Please accept this small token."