After Xu Yang left, the smile on the face of the beaming attendant gradually faded, and his bowed back straightened.

"Is he the one you mentioned?" A figure appeared behind the attendant—it was the Shopkeeper of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

The attendant nodded. "That’s him. He’s cautious and prudent, keeps a low profile, and has no background or connections. If we try to recruit him, there’s a high chance of success."

The Shopkeeper said, "His temperament seems very steady, but his Cultivation is a bit low. Let’s observe him a little longer. We’ll make real contact once he achieves Gang Qi Great Success. We can show him some goodwill occasionally."

The attendant clasped his hands. "Yes!"

...

Purple Sun Sect!

Although the incident at the Hundred Medicine Hall happened at night, quite a few people knew about it, and now, word was finally spreading among the Outer Disciples.

When Li Xu heard about it, he quickly rushed to Kong Yu’s courtyard and knocked on his door.

"Is Xu Yang back?" Kong Yu asked.

He had been thinking about it lately. In the entire Purple Sun Sect, Ji Jincheng only had one enemy: Xu Yang.

If the deaths of Ji Jincheng and Han Xing weren’t an accident, then it was highly likely Xu Yang was responsible.

Of course, it was just a suspicion. He didn’t believe Xu Yang had the ability to kill both Han Xing and Ji Jincheng at the same time, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility either.

But Xu Yang hadn’t returned to the Purple Sun Sect recently, so Kong Yu couldn’t find him even though he wanted to.

Li Xu shook his head. "No. I received news that the Hundred Medicine Hall, which Xu Yang and Lu Ren were assigned to garrison, had an incident a few days ago. A master broke into the storehouse to steal Spirit Medicine.

"I heard Lu Ren, Gu Haoming, and the others were all injured and even had their contribution points deducted for failing to defend the post. Only Xu Yang managed to kill a Gang Qi master, earning a commendation and a reward."

Kong Yu shot to his feet, a murderous glint in his eyes. "You’re saying Xu Yang has the strength to kill a Qi Cultivation Gang master?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

If Xu Yang really had the strength to kill a Gang Qi master, then there was a very real possibility he was connected to the deaths of Han Xing and Ji Jincheng.

Li Xu nodded. "According to the reports, the Liu San he killed did indeed have Gang Qi Cultivation. But the timeline doesn’t add up. Xu Yang only broke through a short while ago, while Junior Brother Ji Jincheng and Han Xing were killed over two months ago. Back then, Xu Yang was still in the Qi Gathering Realm.

"Junior Brother, you need to calm down. I’m not trying to make excuses for Xu Yang; I just don’t want us to miss the real killer."

Killing a Gang Qi master while in the Qi Gathering realm—such a thing was unheard of, even in a place like the Purple Sun Sect that gathered so many geniuses.

"I know!"

Kong Yu nodded. "But he must die. Before he died, Senior Brother Ji Jincheng’s greatest wish was to kill him to avenge Senior Brother Zhu Yang. I will see that this wish is fulfilled.

"Keep an eye on his whereabouts for me. Tell me as soon as he returns to the Purple Sun Sect. It’s time to end this feud."

Li Xu’s brow furrowed deeply. "Junior Brother Kong, Xu Yang has already achieved Qi Cultivation Gang."

He was reminding him that if he failed to kill Xu Yang, the crime of ambushing a fellow sect member was punishable by death.

Even if Kong Yu was a genius with a Lower A-class Root Bone and had the favor of a senior brother from the Heroic Assembly’s Inner Sect, if he were exposed, he would face severe punishment, if not death.

Kong Yu turned his palm over, saying confidently, "Senior Brother, you don’t need to worry. At the same realm, killing him will be as easy as flipping my hand."

...

Xu Yang found a random inn to stay in. After closing the door to his room, he took out an Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill and swallowed it.

He circulated the Golden Gang Skill, and a faint silver light emerged. The Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill dissolved into a scorching current that swept through him. Xu Yang immediately felt as if he were in a furnace, every inch of his flesh and blood seeming to burn.

The Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill could increase one’s qi and blood and temper the body.

When combined with the Golden Gang Skill, the effects were even better.

Xu Yang’s skin gradually turned crimson, concealing the faint silver light. As his Gang Qi surged, his bones, sinews, and flesh all began to hum and tremble.

An hour later, he was drenched in sweat, and hot steam rose from his body, making him look like a human steamer in the middle of winter.

Xu Yang withdrew his skill, and the crimson color on his skin slowly faded.

’Does this Golden Gang Skill require me to cultivate golden Gang Qi?’ Xu Yang wondered.

It had been nearly two months since he had first formed his Gang Qi, but he discovered that it was constantly changing. In the beginning, his Gang Qi had been pink.

But after two months of cultivation, the color of his Gang Qi had grown paler and paler, becoming almost white.

Therefore, he guessed that the highest realm of the Golden Gang Skill was probably to cultivate golden Gang Qi.

’It’s such a pain not having a master to teach me.’

If he had a master, he wouldn’t be so clueless about everything. But in the Purple Sun Sect, only after entering one of the Four Peaks and becoming an Inner Sect Disciple would one receive guidance from a master. No one taught basic Martial Dao knowledge otherwise.

He had no idea how precious a Martial Art that could cultivate golden Gang Qi was, and he still hadn’t been able to find any information about the Golden Gang Skill.

’I’ll just have to show my Gang Qi to others as little as possible in the future, to avoid trouble.’

「Seven days later」

Xu Yang arrived at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion with all his belongings.

The main entrance of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was already closed. A side door had been opened, with several of the pavilion’s guards standing watch. People were entering one after another.

Xu Yang walked up. The attendant he was familiar with, a young man named Zhou Yong, clasped his hands and said, "Master Xu, please follow me."

Xu Yang clasped his hands in return. "Sorry to trouble you."

Zhou Yong seemed flattered, saying, "You’re too kind, Master Xu. This is what I’m supposed to do."

Before them was a passageway, a little over two meters wide and more than three meters long, lit by oil lamps.

Xu Yang followed Zhou Yong through the passageway. After turning a corner, a vast hall appeared before them.

The hall was filled with chairs, and many of them were already occupied.

Immediately, many eyes turned toward him.

Xu Yang’s gaze swept across the room. He saw quite a few familiar faces. Even if he didn’t know their names, he had seen many of them around the Purple Sun Sect before.

Besides those faces he recognized but couldn’t name, he also spotted Lu Ren, Shi Yong, Ma Jun, and Xiao Chen.