Purple Sun Sect!
"Father, it's time to eat!"
Xiao Chen slid the food through a small opening at the base of the meditation chamber, his expression worried.
His father, Xiao Hua, had been in seclusion for months to achieve a breakthrough. If the food hadn't been eaten each day, he would have suspected his father had died inside.
After sliding the meal inside, he turned to leave as usual. He had only taken a few steps when a loud rumble echoed from behind him.
RUMBLE...
The door to the meditation chamber, sealed for months, swung open. A powerful aura washed over the area as Xiao Hua strode out, his face flushed and radiant.
Overjoyed, Xiao Chen hurried forward. "Father, you... you've broken through?"
"Haha! That's right! I may be nearly forty, but I've finally reached the Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement!" Xiao Hua's voice boomed like a great bell as he roared with laughter.
Reaching Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement added several years to his lifespan, and he might even glimpse the Great Success Realm of Marrow Cleansing in the future.
Xiao Chen was beaming. He cupped his fists and said, "Congratulations on your great advancement in the Martial Dao, Father."
'With a father who's reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, I'll have more standing in the Purple Sun Sect now.'
Xiao Hua seemed to recall something. "By the way, how are things going with you and Su Man? Any progress?"
Xiao Chen quickly replied, "Of course. You know my skill with women, Father. Combined with my handsome face, what girl could possibly escape my grasp? And now that you've reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, I'm even more certain of success."
Xiao Hua nodded, his expression growing serious. "If that's the case, you can no longer fool around with that Lin Wei. This marriage alliance with the Su Family is crucial to the future of our Xiao Family; we can't afford any mistakes. You've had your fun, so don't jeopardize something so important."
"Don't worry, Father. I understand."
A flash of reluctance appeared in Xiao Chen's eyes. 'I haven't had my fill of Lin Wei yet.' But then he thought of the Su Family's power. If they discovered he was playing the field, they were an enemy he couldn't afford to make, even with a father at Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement.
...
"So it was Kong Yu..."
Xu Yang's expression was not one of complete surprise. He continued his questioning. "Where is Kong Yu, and how many are with him?"
'I hadn't even gone after Kong Yu yet, and here he is, eager to kill me. This actually saves me some trouble.'
'I don't have any faction or followers, so tracking Kong Yu's movements is incredibly difficult. I've had no chance to kill him; otherwise, he'd already be dead.'
'A genius with an A-class Root Bone who's also a member of the Heroic Assembly... best to kill people like that sooner rather than later.'
"It's just Li Xu and him. They've set an ambush at..."
The man didn't dare to conceal anything, revealing the location of Kong Yu and Li Xu's ambush. He spoke freely, mainly because he didn't believe for a second that Xu Yang could actually kill them.
'As long as Kong Yu and Li Xu are alive, Xu Yang won't dare to kill me.'
'Otherwise, he'll be branded a murderer of his own sect members. Even without Kong Yu lifting a finger, Xu Yang would face consequences he couldn't possibly handle.'
"In your next life, be more careful who you follow."
Having learned what he needed, Xu Yang struck without the slightest hesitation.𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
"You..."
As a look of absolute horror washed over the man's face, Xu Yang's fingers tightened, his monstrous physical strength instantly snapping the man's neck.
"CRACK!"
With the crisp sound of splintering bone, the light faded from the man's eyes. His body twitched a few times and then fell still, his breathing stopped.
Xu Yang picked up the body and ran for some distance. He frisked it, taking the hundred-odd pieces of silver and securing the twenty-some contribution points. Then, he tossed the corpse deep into the mountains and began sneaking toward the ambush spot the man had described.
...
The early spring sun was pleasantly warm, making anyone bathed in its light feel drowsy.
Kong Yu and Li Xu hid beneath a large tree by the road. Kong Yu was meditating and cultivating with his eyes closed, while Li Xu stood and kept watch.
As afternoon approached, Li Xu couldn't help but speak up. "Junior Brother, I don't think Xu Yang is coming today."
He'd been in the Purple Sun Sect for half a year and still hadn't reached the Qi Cultivation Gang realm. This ambush had already cost him three days, and he didn't want to waste any more time. All he wanted was to go back and cultivate so he could reach Qi Cultivation Gang as soon as possible.
He hadn't been particularly close to Zhu Yang, so he had no desire to avenge him, and he held no personal grudge against Xu Yang either.
As for Xu Yang causing Ji Yun to lose face, he couldn't care less. He merely paid to learn martial arts at Gale Hall; he and Ji Yun didn't have a true master-disciple relationship.
'Besides, Kong Yu gets to focus entirely on his cultivation while I have to stand here and watch. Why should I be the one doing this?'
Kong Yu, sturdily built with long, unbound hair, opened a pair of indifferent eyes. "We'll head back after dark. I know you're getting impatient, Senior Brother, but I can't quiet my heart until Xu Yang is dead. Only by killing him can I focus completely on breaking through to the Minor Success Realm of Gang Qi."
'I've waited over a month for this chance to kill Xu Yang. If I miss it, who knows when he'll leave the Purple Sun Sect again.'
Li Xu was stunned. "Junior Brother, you're about to reach Gang Qi Minor Achievement?"
Kong Yu replied, "Not yet, but I'm close. Once I kill Xu Yang and return, the Heroic Assembly will provide me with the resources to quickly achieve Gang Qi Minor Achievement.
"I know you and Senior Brother Zhu Yang weren't close, Senior Brother Li. But now, with Senior Brother Ji Jincheng's misfortune, you and I are the closest of anyone left in the Eagle Society. I only trust you, which is why I could only ask you to keep watch.
"Don't worry. In the Purple Sun Sect, you and I will be the closest of martial brothers. I won't be like Lu Ren and abandon you after you've helped me. In the future, I will help you cultivate and get you into the Inner Sect. When that time comes, we will make our mark on the Inner Sect together."
'He didn't want anyone he didn't trust to know he was the one who killed Xu Yang.'
'The Purple Sun Sect generally didn't concern itself with the lives or deaths of its Outer Disciples. But if the murder of a fellow disciple became public knowledge, the sect's rules would still demand punishment.'
Li Xu's heart soared as he listened to Kong Yu's description, his mind lost in the alluring vision.
'He had little confidence in his own ability to become an Inner Sect Disciple, but if Kong Yu was sincere in his offer of help, joining the Inner Sect would no longer be just a dream.'
"Watch out!"
He was still inwardly ecstatic and about to speak when he heard Kong Yu, who was sitting beside him, let out a sudden, explosive roar. Kong Yu's aura erupted like a volcano as he launched himself up from the ground.