Chapter 580 - 362: January
Chapter 580: Chapter 362: January
Amidst the gloating gazes of the majority, Xu Yang spoke calmly, "Then let’s do it in a month."
In a month, his Formless Thousand Illusion Skill should be cultivated to the point where he could freely adjust his aura, keeping his Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture hidden as well. As for his Cultivation, he had already planned to reveal his breakthrough to the Celestial Essence Second Layer in ten days or half a month, so he was not worried about this at all.
However, killing intent toward Du Ziming still arose in his heart. If he hadn’t practiced the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill in advance, the talent he had hidden for years would have been completely exposed this time.
"What’s the use of deliberately stalling for time? You’ll still lose in a month, so why not just get it over with?" Du Ziming sneered. Xu Yang setting the time to a month later was obviously a stalling tactic.
"Are you going to fight or not? If you are, cut the crap!" Jin Yu’s cold voice rang out. The rules of the Lingyun List were designed to motivate these geniuses. He harbored some disgust for opportunists like Du Ziming who took advantage of others’ misfortunes.
Du Ziming’s expression shifted slightly. Not daring to spout any more nonsense, he cupped his hands and said, "I’ll fight."
Jin Yu snorted coldly, "Then it’s settled." With that, he turned to look at Xu Yang. "If your injuries haven’t recovered by then, you can just admit defeat."
"This student understands," Xu Yang replied, cupping his hands.
"Du Ziming is getting off too easy."
"Thirty credits! Even if he has to spend ten credits to ask Mr. Jin Yu to suppress his Cultivation, he’ll still have twenty credits left."
"Why couldn’t I be as shameless as Du Ziming?"
The students of Basic Class A did not lack those who disdained Du Ziming’s despicable behavior, and at this moment, they unleashed a barrage of sarcastic remarks. As geniuses, many of them despised the act of kicking someone when they were down to pick on the weak.
Du Ziming’s expression remained as usual, showing no signs of anger. He even felt a bit of secret joy. His previous attempts to curry favor with Sun Tao had failed, but at this moment, he noticed that Huo Xiaochen’s gaze toward him carried a hint of goodwill. As the saying goes, the enemy of an enemy is a friend. He had now offended Xu Yang and Sun Tao, but catching the eye of the much more formidable Huo Xiaochen was an unexpected delight.
"Is there anyone else who wants to challenge someone? Do it now while everyone is here, so I don’t have to go looking for them myself," Jin Yu said.
"Sir, I want to challenge Sun Tao," a voice rang out.
Xu Yang looked over. The person who spoke was named Wan He, ranked nineteenth on the Lingyun List, possessing extraordinary talent.
"Sir, I also want to challenge Sun Tao."
"Sir, I also want to challenge Sun Tao."
Before Jin Yu could speak, two or three more people instantly spoke up, all wanting to challenge Sun Tao.
Xu Yang’s heart sank. Sun Tao was in trouble.
Sun Tao’s ranking was artificially high. His true strength was nowhere near enough to place him fourteenth on the Lingyun List. The only reason he reached the fourteenth place was that his Comprehension in the final test of the selection was on par with Li Yunfei and Gu Qingfeng. His rise had been too short, and his shortcomings were obvious. If ranked by pure strength, Sun Tao should be placed below the thirtieth rank.
In the eyes of these geniuses on the Lingyun List, Sun Tao was an even softer target than Xu Yang. Xu Yang possessed a powerful physical body and at least had the battle record of slaying Lin Jingyu and Li Yunzhou. Back when Sun Tao fought Lin Jingyu one-on-one, he was even slightly weaker than Lin Jingyu.
"I challenged him first. If you want to challenge Sun Tao, wait until I’m done fighting him." Wan He looked at the others who had spoken. He had to be the first to pick on this easy target. Once he defeated Sun Tao and caused his ranking to drop, these people probably wouldn’t want to fight Sun Tao anymore.
"Everyone is here. Why should you get to challenge first just because you spoke first?" Ge Zhiwen, ranked twentieth on the Lingyun List, shouted. He also wanted a piece of this easy target. Given Sun Tao’s talent, if he didn’t seize the opportunity now and gave Sun Tao more time to cover his weaknesses, he would no longer be a match for him.
"Why don’t those of us who want to challenge Sun Tao clash first? Whoever wins gets to fight him," Qiu He, ranked eighteenth on the Lingyun List, said, his fighting spirit surging. Among the few who spoke up to challenge Sun Tao, he had the highest ranking.
"Challenges are done in order, not based on who is the strongest," Wan He sneered. He had spoken first. He was determined to get Sun Tao’s fifty credits.
No one expected that before Jin Yu or Sun Tao could say a single word, these few people would start arguing among themselves, all wanting to be the first to challenge Sun Tao.
"Those who are just dead weight indeed need to be cleared out," Huo Xiaochen remarked sarcastically.
"All of you, shut up. Challenges are handled in order." Jin Yu’s indifferent voice rang out as he looked at Wan He. "Are you sure you want to challenge Sun Tao?"
As soon as he said this, Qiu He, Ge Zhiwen, and the others looked exasperated, regretting that they had been a step too late and were beaten to the punch by Wan He.
Overjoyed, Wan He hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "This student is certain about challenging Sun Tao."
Jin Yu nodded and looked at Sun Tao. "Old rules. You can decide the time of the battle, but it cannot exceed a month."
"Then let’s do it in a month," Sun Tao said, his expression calm. With his talent, having another month would be enough. Even if he couldn’t completely cover his weaknesses, trash like Wan He certainly wouldn’t be able to shake his ranking. He had already begun practicing the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique. As long as he could master it within a month, he would shock all those who thought he was an easy target.
Next, a few more people issued challenges, but it no longer concerned Xu Yang and the others. The group left the classroom together.
In truth, Basic Class A had an even easier target, and that was Jiang Fan. With his bloodline unawakened, Jiang Fan’s true ranking should be below the thirtieth place. However, his identity as the Young Master Marquis was far too unique. Unless it was someone like Li Chuyang, who already had prior friction with him, very few people were willing to offend him.
As for Lu Ren, he had not participated in the Lingyun List rankings, so naturally, no one challenged him.
"Junior Brother Xu, are your injuries truly not an issue? If it’s too much, just admit defeat." Leaving the classroom, Sun Tao asked about Xu Yang’s injuries again. This was mainly because Xu Yang still looked completely emaciated, and Sun Tao was somewhat worried about whether Xu Yang could return to his peak state in a month.
"Brother Xu, if you need any help, just say the word. I can send a message back home and get some medicine to help you heal," Jiang Fan offered.
Xu Yang shook his head. "My injuries will recover in ten days to half a month, and I’ll probably even break through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer. I don’t care about Du Ziming at all. Right now, my concern is you, Senior Brother Sun."
Sun Tao laughed. "I chose the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique a while ago and have almost fully comprehended it. I should be able to reach the Entry Level within a month. If I do, Wan He won’t be able to withstand a single blow."
The Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique was comparable to a Spirit Bone Technique. Xu Yang knew how powerful Spirit Bone Techniques were, so hearing this, he didn’t say anything more.
The three of them parted ways and returned to their respective courtyards.
[Yunling Technique: Uninitiated (641/1000)]
[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture: Second Layer (37/10000)]
[Azure Dragon Dominating Body: First Layer (16/10000)]
[Formless Thousand Illusion Skill: Entry Level (2638/5000)]
[Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength: Minor Achievement (13749/20000)]
[Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique: Fifth Layer (3913/10000)]
[Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist: Minor Achievement (13782/15000)]
[Wandering Dragon Void Step: Minor Achievement (8963/12000)]
[Canglang Sword Technique: Great Success (10831/12000)]
During these days, Xu Yang had not devoted himself entirely to the cultivation of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture and the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill; he hadn’t neglected his other Cultivation Techniques either. The Canglang Sword Technique, which he used to grind points, was nearing Perfection. The Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist was also about to enter the Great Success Realm, and his Body Technique, the Wandering Dragon Void Step, was likewise nearing Great Success.
The progress of the Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength was equally gratifying. It now provided a 1.6-times boost to his Combat Power, making it his primary focus in cultivation.
After a cultivator’s Realm broke through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer, the speed of cultivating and comprehending Martial Techniques would become significantly faster than before. This was also one of the reasons why people like Du Ziming dared to challenge him. Although Jin Yu would step in to suppress their Cultivation, he could only suppress their Cultivation level. Their mastery of Martial Techniques and physical bodies could not be suppressed. Therefore, when they were in the same Realm as Xu Yang, they didn’t dare to challenge him. But now that their cultivation level was one layer higher, they were confident they could defeat him.
"In a month’s time, my Formless Thousand Illusions can enter the Minor Achievement Realm, allowing me to autonomously adjust my aura," Xu Yang thought to himself. "Using the Vajra Glazed Body to conceal the Azure Dragon Dominating Body should keep it from being discovered. Coupled with the Great Success of my Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist, defeating Du Ziming shouldn’t be difficult."
Having formulated his plan, Xu Yang threw himself back into cultivation. His primary focuses were the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill and the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist. Of course, he didn’t completely abandon his other techniques; he just spent a little less time on them.
Several days passed, and his physical body gradually became full and robust again.
However, he started to get a headache. Cultivating the Azure Dragon Dominating Body consumed a massive amount of Qi-Blood. Every five or six days, he had to consume a Tiger Essence Blood Marrow Pill; otherwise, his flesh and blood would wither away once more.
In the outside world, the news that he had suffered a backlash from cultivating the Azure Dragon Dominating Body and that Du Ziming had seized the opportunity to challenge him had already spread among the Basic-level Students. Xu Yang paid it no mind. For the past few days, he had secluded himself, appearing as though he was putting all his effort into healing and preparing for the battle. In reality, he was preparing to leave the Celestial Strategy Academy. He needed to make a trip out and procure some items that could greatly replenish his Qi-Blood from the Outer Disciples.
However, he had too many enemies, and he feared that his departure from the Celestial Strategy Academy would be targeted. On the surface, the two Thousand-Year-Old Noble Families—the Xiao family and the Kong family—hadn’t settled their scores with him. But secretly, who knew if there were eyes watching him? Aside from these two factions, there were others who wanted him dead. For example, Lin Jingyu’s Yellow Maple Valley and Li Yunzhou’s Cold Water Sect. Both of these Sects had disciples in the Celestial Strategy Academy. Although they hadn’t appeared before him, he didn’t believe that the matter of him slaughtering Lin Jingyu and Li Yunzhou would just end there. The lack of action only meant he had to be more vigilant.
On this day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Xu Yang stepped out of his courtyard gates, taking advantage of the fact that most people were still cultivating and hadn’t yet left their homes.
His Heart Spirit spread out to carefully sense his surroundings. After confirming that no one was watching him, his face shifted and squirmed, quickly transforming into the appearance of Lu Ren. Lu Ren had a similar build to his own, and coupled with his familiarity with the man, choosing to disguise himself as Lu Ren meant he could easily fool anyone who happened to know him.
Recalling Lu Ren’s demeanor, he tilted his chin up haughtily and strode out of the area. He didn’t encounter a single person along the way. Passing through the classroom area, Xu Yang took a step into the void and soon landed beneath the gateway of the Celestial Strategy Academy, walking out on foot.
There were no guards here. Xu Yang didn’t know if the guards had left or if the Celestial Strategy Academy simply didn’t fear intruders. However, this wasn’t the core area, so even if someone did intrude, it wouldn’t matter much. Of course, it was entirely possible that there were experts secretly Garrisoning the gateway, but his Cultivation simply wasn’t high enough to discover their locations.
Although he was wearing Lu Ren’s face, he still carried his own Waist Token on him.