The crowd was a little confused after hearing what had happened.
"The Wolf King is only at the Human Element Ninth Grade. How could it have killed the Young Master?"
"Exactly. The Young Master was a Martial Artist in the Profound Origin Realm. Even if he couldn't win, escaping the wolf pack should have been more than easy enough."
"Something about this is strange."
"And for the Wolf King that killed the Young Master to be killed by Qin Ya… that's impossible. Could he be even stronger than the Young Master?"
"Hmph. The Young Master must have severely injured the Wolf King, giving him an opportunity to strike."
Qin Yuxiang stood in the crowd, covering her mouth in disbelief. She knew Qin Ya had improved immensely, having reached the Human Element Seventh Grade in just a month of cultivation, but she never imagined he could actually slay the Wolf King.
At the same time, a sense of pride swelled within her heart.
The Fifth Elder's face alternated between red and pale, a mix of anger and shame. Just moments ago, he had been telling Qin Yuxiang how worthless Qin Ya was.
"Yuncheng… is really dead!"
After hearing the story, Qin Hai's face turned ashen. The Wolf King had killed his son, but Qin Ya had killed the Wolf King. Who could he seek revenge from now? At this thought, most of the rage in his heart dissipated, leaving only sorrow.
Just then, a tremor suddenly ran through the mountain range.
A massive, dark silhouette could be seen moving slowly out from the mountains. When the crowd got a clear look, they all cried out in alarm, the shock on their faces unconcealed.
"That's… the Overlord of Mang Mountain, the Violent Bear!"
"Holy crap! That's a Fierce Beast equivalent to the Fourth Grade of Profound Origin Realm! It's a whole grade stronger than the Golden Pattern Wild Bull that Li Peiyi hunted."
"It's him—Qin Ya!!"
Seeing this, the many disciples from the Qin Family contingent looked as if they had just seen a ghost.
Clearly visible, dragging the mountain-like Violent Bear, was a slender figure.
His shirt was in tatters, his body bathed in blood, and his black hair whipped wildly in the air. He radiated an aura of iron and blood, like a War God returning from a hundred battles.
Zhang Youx watched Qin Ya drag the Violent Bear, his expression grave.
Li Peiyi gripped the longsword in her hand, her eyes blazing with scorching War Intent!
"Xiaoya."
With a cry of alarm, Qin Yuxiang rushed over and began patting Qin Ya all over, her face a mask of distress.
"So many wounds! Xiaoya, are you all right?"
Qin Yuxiang's eyes were red as she asked with concern.
Qin Ya chuckled and patted his chest. "I'm fine. They're just superficial wounds. This Violent Bear was just a little tough to handle, that's all."
"As long as you're okay. The Violent Bear is incredibly powerful. Why did you have to go and provoke it?"
Speaking of the Violent Bear, it was indeed formidable. Not only was its hide thick and its flesh tough, but its strength was also immense. However, Qin Ya had targeted its weakness—its slow movements—and used his Carefree Travel Body Technique to wear it down to death.
Qin Hai stared at Qin Ya, the memory of the feud between his son and the boy weighing on his heart like a great stone. Overcome with anguish, he let out a cry of grief and charged back into the mountain range.
"Uh… what's with him?"
At his words, Qin Yuxiang sighed and explained the whole situation to him.
After listening, Qin Ya sneered inwardly. 'That guy has no idea that while the Wolf King might have killed Qin Yuncheng, it was only because I intervened.'
"Heh, Aunt, let's go," Qin Ya chuckled.
With a light laugh, he started to lead Qin Yuxiang away. The Mang Mountain hunt was over, and his goal of tempering himself had been achieved. As for the Violent Bear, he had only brought it back to intimidate those in the Qin Family who looked down on others, and to bring some honor to his aunt, Qin Yuxiang.
Qin Yuxiang was in an exceptionally good mood, even shooting a provocative glance at the Fifth Elder as they passed. Qin Ya, however, kept feeling someone's eyes fixed on him.
'This Li Peiyi… she's really intense,' he thought.
Looking at the War Intent filling Li Peiyi's eyes gave him a bit of a headache.
Upon returning to Anxing City, Qin Ya immediately went into seclusion. His gains from the Mang Mountain hunt were enormous, especially the Eight-Petaled Ice Lotus. With enough medicinal ingredients, he could use it for the refining of a cauldron of Fifth-Grade Elixirs.
Meanwhile, Qin Ya's name gradually began to spread among the three great families. His feats of slaying the Wolf King and the Violent Bear led gossips to hail him as the number one expert of Anxing City's younger generation. Even stories from his past were dug up.
The trash who cultivated for ten years but couldn't even reach the Human Element Second Grade!
The orphan whose parents' whereabouts were unknown, raised by his aunt!
The one in the Qin Family who was constantly treated with scorn!
It was a classic comeback story of a loser turning the tables, a tale the masses loved to hear. For a time, his story was on everyone's lips in every street and alley of Anxing City.
Besides that, another piece of news also sent shockwaves through the city!
The Qin Family's Young Master, Qin Yuncheng, had died during the Mang Mountain hunt. His body was brought out of the mountains by Qin Hai and given a grand burial.
Who was Qin Yuncheng? The genius of the Qin Family!
A Martial Artist who had reached the Profound Origin Realm at such a young age—his death naturally brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
The ones who rejoiced were, naturally, the Zhang and Li families. The ones who grieved were, of course, the Qin Family.
This was especially true for Qin Hai, who had sprouted more than a few white hairs at his temples in recent days.
After half a month, the uproar slowly subsided.
During this half-month, Qin Ya's cultivation had progressed significantly. He successfully broke through to the Human Element Realm Ninth Grade and was now just one step away from the Profound Origin Realm.
What surprised him even more was Qin Yuxiang's progress.
Ever since he had taught her the Celestial-Level Lower Class Technique: Void Heart Method, Qin Yuxiang's cultivation had been increasing by the day. In a short period, she had successively broken through two minor stages to reach the Eighth Grade of the Profound Origin Realm.
'Even with the help of the Earth Spirit Pill, her compatibility with the Void Heart Method must be incredibly high,' Qin Ya mused.
He felt a surge of emotion and was naturally happy for her.
'Right, I should teach Aunt a few more Martial Skills.'
If a Cultivation Technique was the means to enhance one's True Essence, then a Martial Skill was the method to use it. No matter how strong one's True Essence was, without the ability to wield it, they would still lose to a Martial Artist of the same Realm by a large margin.
Soon, Qin Ya had selected several Martial Skills suitable for Qin Yuxiang.
Finding a brush and ink, Qin Ya copied an Earth-Level Low-Class Sword Technique called Setting Sun Blood and gave it to Qin Yuxiang.
"An Earth-Level Sword Technique, Setting Sun Blood? Xiaoya, is this for me?"
"Who else?"
Qin Yuxiang was deeply shaken. This was an Earth-Level Sword Technique! Let alone in Anxing City, even in the entire Yunxiao Empire, it would be considered a top-tier Martial Skill.
"Xiaoya, thank you. It seems all my spoiling you wasn't for nothing."
Qin Yuxiang didn't refuse, accepting the swordsmanship manual with an ecstatic expression.
"Right, since it's a swordsmanship technique, Xiaoya, you should come with me to the Martial Market to buy a sword," Qin Yuxiang suggested.
"Aunt, don't you already have a sword?"
"How could that sword be worthy of this Earth-Level Martial Skill? Besides, I see you don't have a personal weapon either. We can take the opportunity to buy a suitable one for you too."
"Alright, then."
A thought stirred in Qin Ya's mind; he had also used up his medicinal ingredients and could stop by Huaa Que to buy more. The name Huaa Que immediately brought Leng Ningshuang to mind.
'I wonder if she's finished channeling the cold energy in her body.'
After leaving the Qin Mansion, the two hired a horse-drawn carriage and soon arrived at a weapons shop in the Martial Market called Xuanqing Pavilion.
"Welcome, you two. What kind of weapons are you looking to buy?"
A portly-faced Shopkeeper walked over and asked politely.