Chapter 102

"Senior Brother Xu, when are you leaving?"

Returning to the Mighty Far Hall, Qiu Wenjie and Tian Li greeted him.

"In three days!" Xu Yang said.

Qiu Wenjie raised his brows, "So fast?"

"Many people are already impatient to rush to the Purple Sun Gate."

The Purple Sun Gate is a martial arts sect. Over the years, all the examinees in the martial arts examination have fought desperately, all for the sake of becoming disciples of the Purple Sun Gate.

Now that they had obtained the qualification, naturally, everyone wanted to rush to the Purple Sun Gate to get a glimpse of the true face of the martial arts sect.

"Senior Brother, wait for me for two years; I will come to find you then," Qiu Wenjie said heroically.

His cultivation was already close to the Great Completion of Qi Gathering, and there were nearly two years left until the next martial arts examination.

By then, even if he couldn't refine qi into steel, he would likely be at the late stage of Great Completion of Qi Gathering, and the possibility of ascending the dragon would be extremely high.

"I will wait for you at the Purple Sun Gate!" Xu Yang laughed.

The two chatted for a few more words and then began to practice.

[Remaining Lifespan: 65]

Xu Yang glanced at his lifespan and discovered that it had been stuck at 65, neither increasing nor decreasing.

"The Turtle-Snake Great Pillar should no longer be able to increase my lifespan; it can only keep the consumption and improvement in a state of 'balance of payments.'

Developing like this, there should be a state of 'imbalance of payments' in the future, and my lifespan will slowly decrease."

He felt he should start increasing his lifespan with points. Eighteen is the age when the body is at its peak. As long as his vitality is always in a state of growth, his body can always remain at eighteen.

Martial artists have a saying about the decline of blood and qi. Once the body reaches a certain age, blood and qi will begin to decline.

Once blood and qi decline, not only will cultivation not improve, but it will also slowly regress.

"It’s best to add one point every day from now on, so that the body state always remains at eighteen," Xu Yang decided.

Now that his bone structure and comprehension had reached the A-minus level, he didn't need to be so anxious to improve.

And he felt it was enough. Whether it was the absorption of medicinal effects or the comprehension of techniques, there was no obvious difference in A-minus bone structure and comprehension at this stage of cultivation; the main thing was resources.

On the contrary, he couldn't be careless about lifespan. He couldn't wait until he was old and decrepit to increase his lifespan with the panel. What’s the use of a sixty-year-old body even if you can live forever? With blood and qi declining, how can you increase your cultivation?

Eighteen, the most peak body state, is what can allow his cultivation to always advance bravely.

"Xu Yang, come see me." Suddenly, Lin Cheng’s voice transmission rang in his ears.

Xu Yang had no choice but to stop the Turtle-Snake Great Pillar and walk to Lin Cheng’s courtyard.

Lin Cheng sat on a large chair, with Sun Tao and Lin Wei standing to the side with their hands bound.

Xu Yang stepped forward and cupped his hands, "Disciple pays respects to Master."

Lin Cheng nodded, "I had you come over to give you some instructions. Master also struggled in the Purple Sun Gate in the past. Although I left in dejection in the end, I also had good friends who gained a foothold there.

This good friend of mine is named Xiao Hua, and he should be an outer sect deacon of the Purple Sun Gate now. I will write a letter, and when you arrive at the Purple Sun Gate, the three of you can take the letter and visit him together."

Xu Yang understood that Lin Cheng was using his connections in the Purple Sun Gate to entrust someone to look after them.

Lin Wei was his own daughter, Sun Tao was his personal disciple, no different from a son, and he hadn't expected Lin Cheng to include him as well.

"Disciple thanks Master!" Xu Yang and Sun Tao cupped their hands together.

With a deacon of the Purple Sun Gate looking after them, things would be much smoother for them in the Purple Sun Gate.

As for Lin Wei, she just smiled and didn't speak.

Lin Cheng waved his hand, "Don't be in a hurry to thank Master. Human hearts are easily changed. I haven't seen Xiao Hua for many years, and we only occasionally correspond by letter. I’m not sure if he will look at my face and look after you, so don't have too high expectations. In the end, the path of martial arts still depends on yourself."

Xu Yang and Sun Tao both said in unison, "Many thanks for Master’s teachings."

"Sun Tao, you go down. You don't need to come to the martial arts gym these few days; spend more time with your family and prepare for the departure."

"Disciple bids farewell to Master!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Tao knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times before getting up and leaving.

Lin Cheng looked at Xu Yang and said, "You come from a farming family and are unwilling to bow to serve others. Going to the Purple Sun Gate, it will be difficult to move without money. Master will help you with two hundred taels of silver, hoping you can walk more smoothly."

Lin Wei stepped forward and handed Xu Yang four silver notes with a smile.

"Disciple thanks Master!"

Xu Yang was somewhat moved.

Lin Cheng usually seemed to ignore everything, but in fact, he knew the situation of every disciple like the back of his hand.

Since leaving the Liu family, he had been somewhat stretched, and Lin Cheng had given him a job, providing three meals and a monthly salary, and now he was giving him money so that he wouldn't be penniless when he reached the Purple Sun Gate.

Although he had obtained more than a hundred taels of silver after killing Guan Young Lady, Lin Cheng didn't know that.

Lin Cheng waved his hand, "Go. Don't mind it being too little. You don't need to come these few days either; spend more time with your family."

Xu Yang left Lin Cheng’s courtyard and discovered that Sun Tao, Zhang Yong, Lu Ren, and the others had all already left.

"Where is Wenjie?"

He had wanted to find Qiu Wenjie to say goodbye, but discovered that Qiu Wenjie wasn't there.

Tian Li said, "Back to Senior Brother Xu, Senior Brother Qiu has gone back, saying he wants to prepare a good horse for you. He told me to tell you that he will solve the matter of the horse for you."

Xu Yang nodded, "Take care, Junior Brother Tian!"

Tian Li cupped his hands, "I wish Senior Brother Xu prosperity in martial arts."

Three days later, outside Qingyuan City, the morning sun was rising, and countless Dragon-Ascending geniuses from the martial arts examination were leading their horses, saying goodbye to their families with reluctance.

Xu Yang led the white horse prepared for him by the Qiu family, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with a bundle hanging on his back.

"Listen to the eldest uncle more. If you can't endure the hardship of practicing martial arts, then don't practice. Once your brother gains a foothold over there, I will pick you up immediately."

He looked at the little girl with red eyes and gave his final instructions.

His heart softened; he knew the hardship of practicing martial arts and didn't want the little girl to suffer this hardship.

"Mm!"

Xu Qing lowered her head and bit her lip, afraid she would cry.

The two had relied on each other since childhood. To her, Xu Yang was both brother and father. If it weren't for Xu Yang risking his life to support the family, she wouldn't have known where she would have starved to death.

Parting at this moment, she only felt as if the sky had collapsed.

"Senior Brother, rest assured, I will help you look after Xiao Qing and will never let anyone bully her," Qiu Wenjie said.

Xu Yang said thanks and looked at Zhou Shunchang, "Take care, Eldest Uncle. I’ll trouble you to worry about Xiao Qing."

Saying this, he bowed deeply.

"Go ahead with peace of mind," Zhou Shunchang laughed.

Knowing that Xu Yang was going to ascend the dragon, which was a great thing, he wasn't as sad as Xu Qing; instead, he was happy.

"Junior Brother Xu, let’s go!" In the distance, Sun Tao’s voice rang out.

Xu Yang looked over; many people had already mounted their horses, preparing to set off.

"Take care!"

He mounted his horse and walked toward the distance.

"Brother, take care!" Xu Qing shouted from behind.

Xu Yang waved his hand and rode his horse to Sun Tao’s side.

Sun Tao was dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with a sword on his back.

Beside him, Lin Wei had her hair tied up and was also carrying a sword.

After waiting for a while, all the examinees mounted their horses, and the team set off immediately.

The team of sixty or seventy people stretched for hundreds of meters, with dust kicked up by horse hooves everywhere.

"What a suffering!"

As the horses ran, the dust kicked up was even greater. Those in front were fine, but those in the back were constantly eating dust—the kind you have to eat for days and nights.

After only a while, Xu Yang felt his face was sticky, so he had to support his true qi to isolate the dust.

At the front of the team were people sent by the government office, responsible for taking them to the Purple Sun Gate and verifying their identities.

The leader was named Li He, the commander of the Qingyuan City City Defense Army, who was said to be a disciple of the Purple Sun Gate, and not someone like Lin Cheng who couldn't make it in the Purple Sun Gate and left.

Li He’s identity was said to still be a disciple of the Purple Sun Gate, and his name was still registered on the roster of the Purple Sun Gate.

He rode a spirited white horse and ran at the very front. In the afternoon, everyone arrived at a tea stall in the mountains.

"Dismount, eat some dry rations."

Li He jumped off his horse, threw the reins to his subordinates, and was the first to sit at the tea stall.

By the time Xu Yang and the others tied up their horses, fed them forage, and walked to the tea stall, there were no seats left, so they could only partner up to order a pot of tea and sit on the ground to gnaw on dry rations.

This mountain tea stall also provided meals, but there were too many of them, and they couldn't keep up, nor did they have time to wait slowly, so they could only gnaw on dry rations.

"Senior Brother Sun, how much longer until we reach the Purple Sun Gate?" Zhang Yong asked while gnawing on dry rations.

Riding a horse for a long time was not an enjoyable thing, plus the dust was heavy, and they had to constantly operate their true qi to isolate it. After only half a day, they felt they couldn't take it anymore.

Sun Tao said in a muffled voice, "Five or six more days."

He was also exhausted, feeling as if his body was about to fall apart.

Hearing that there were still five or six days left, everyone’s expression was somewhat unpleasant. They could barely take it after only half a day; five or six days would likely cost them half their lives.

"Commander Li, can you tell us about the situation of the Purple Sun Gate now?"

On the other side, Cao Rong, Yun Feng, and those with strength and status sat at the table with Li He and began to inquire about the Purple Sun Gate.

Martial arts sects are very mysterious, and there were few rumors about sects in Qingyuan.

Xu Yang had also asked Lin Cheng, but Lin Cheng had an inscrutable look, as if he couldn't mention it to outsiders.

Li He swept a glance at everyone who was full of longing and said, "Alright, some things can be told to you now. After you know, you can also use these few days of travel to think about how to develop after entering the sect.

The Purple Sun Gate has four peaks, and the inheritance of each peak is different.

The main peak is the Heavenly Power Peak, which holds the sect’s power. Every generation of sect masters comes from the Heavenly Power Peak, and they are best at sword techniques. You disciples who finished in the top three in the examination can prioritize choosing to join the Heavenly Power Peak and take an elder as your master after passing the three-year outer sect training period.

Next is the Departing Fire Peak. The Departing Fire Peak mainly practices fist and palm techniques. The secret technique, Departing Fire Technique, is a divine technique that cultivates both internally and externally, and its inheritance is no weaker than the Heavenly Power Peak. The peak also has a weapon-forging inheritance, and the treatment of disciples on the peak is second only to the Medicine King Peak, which specializes in alchemy.

The Medicine King Peak is the wealthiest peak of the Purple Sun Gate. The disciples on the peak either specialize in alchemy, cultivating spiritual herbs, or medical skills, so the disciples of this peak are very wealthy. However, its secret technique, the Azure Wood Formula, is slightly weaker in terms of attack, so those who don't like fighting can choose this peak.

However, this peak is popular, and ordinary people are very difficult to enter.

The fourth peak is the Beast King Peak, which mainly practices saber techniques and tempering the physical body. The disciples on the peak love fighting the most and are the peak with the highest mortality rate among the five peaks.

The Beast King Peak specializes in raising exotic beasts and is responsible for providing exotic beast meat to the sect. If you want your cultivation to advance bravely and don't fear adventure, the Beast King Peak should be the first choice."

Everyone listened, thinking about which peak they should enter in the future based on their own situation.

Xu Yang took a fancy to the Medicine King Peak immediately. The disciples of the Medicine King Peak were not good at fighting, which was most suitable for lying low.

However, according to Li He, it was very difficult to become a disciple of the Medicine King Peak.

Cao Rong said, "Must we serve as outer sect disciples for three years before we can enter the peak?"

Outer sect disciple—this sounded like a beast of burden.

He was the young master of the Cao family and had always lived in luxury; how could he be a beast of burden for others?

Li He nodded, "The law is not passed on lightly. Even if you are a genius with A-plus bone structure, you must contribute to the sect for three years as an outer sect disciple before you can become an inner sect disciple and enter the peak to enjoy yourself.

The Purple Sun Gate has been established for hundreds of years, and there are piles of descendants of past sect masters, elders, and supreme elders. If everyone only enjoys and doesn't contribute, how can the sect continue to operate?

Of course, it’s not that outer sect disciples have no benefits and only pay.

Outer sect disciples get three Qi-Benefiting Pills every month, and they can also obtain contribution points by completing tasks. Contribution points can be used to exchange for outer sect martial arts or opportunities to practice in the Heavenly Wind Valley."

"Only three years, it’s not a big problem!" Zhang Yong laughed.

He had struggled in the mud for many years; as long as there was hope, he could persist.

Sun Tao nodded, "A major martial arts sect is indeed a major sect; the handwriting is truly extraordinary."

Something like an outer sect disciple, which sounded like a beast of burden, actually got three Qi-Benefiting Pills for free every month, plus sect contribution points.

You have to know that in Qingyuan County, a marrow-cleansing expert serving as a guest for a wealthy family only got fifty taels a month.