"Junior Brother Xu, are you still going to keep this up?"

Chen Chao came over. "You only refine a hundred catties of Profound Iron in five days. At that rate, you’ll only earn six contribution points a month. If you can’t reach ten, the Sect will confiscate your Qi Replenishing Pills. It won’t be worth it then."

Xu Yang held up the Mountain-Shaking Hammer secret manual in his hand and said, "Senior Brother Chen, I think I can still manage."

Chen Chao’s pupils contracted. "The Mountain-Shaking Hammer secret manual? Did Senior Brother Gao give that to you?"

Xu Yang nodded. "He did."

Chen Chao immediately fell silent, no longer daring to say another word to convince Xu Yang to quit.

Gao Lin had given Xu Yang the Mountain-Shaking Hammer secret manual, which clearly meant they were short-handed. If he persuaded Xu Yang to leave now, he would be offending Gao Lin, an Inner Sect Disciple.

Chen Chao slinked away dejectedly. Xu Yang returned to his station and opened the Mountain-Shaking Hammer secret manual.

The Mountain-Shaking Hammer cultivated a type of Vibrating Strength. By channeling True Qi to create vibrations, one could achieve a lethal effect where the Vibrating Strength penetrated the body, shattering both armor and flesh. Since a hammer was already a heavy weapon, the combination of the two made it incredibly destructive.

The effect was similar to infusing a weapon with Wind and Thunder Strength to create an even more devastatingly powerful attack.

[Mountain-Shaking Hammer - Uninitiated (0/20)]

The panel popped up after he finished one read-through.

Xu Yang ignored it and continued to study it a second time, memorizing the essentials of how to channel and withdraw Force and True Qi.

After the third read-through, the Mountain-Shaking Hammer technique had taken form in his mind, and he felt the urge to practice it.

On the fourth pass, he tossed the secret manual aside. He stood up, grabbed the large hammer, and took a piece of red-hot Profound Iron from the furnace. His Vajra True Qi began to circulate rapidly, flowing into the large hammer.

CLANG! CLANG!

With each strike of the hammer, the Profound Iron let out a peculiar hum as large amounts of impurities were expelled. In just a short time, he had reached the Entry Level for the Mountain-Shaking Hammer.

’I’ve already grasped Mixed Element Strength, so this method of exerting force isn’t difficult for me.’

His Lower A-class Root Bone and Comprehension gave him an extremely strong ability to learn. Furthermore, he had cultivated the Martial Arts Foundation Establishment Boxing Method to the Great Success Realm, so his understanding of Force was exceptional.

Four days later, he refined another impurity-free piece of Profound Iron. His efficiency had increased dramatically.

Another three days passed, and he had cultivated the Mountain-Shaking Hammer to the Great Success Realm. Although his refining speed still couldn’t match experts like Chen Chao, who had reached the stage of Qi Cultivation Gang, he was now able to refine one piece of Profound Iron every three days.

Time slipped by, and before he knew it, a month had passed since his arrival at the Purple Sun Sect.

[Vajra Skill - Introduction (999/1000)]

’I can break through to the next level of the Vajra Skill!’

He had originally estimated that reaching the Minor Achievement stage in the Vajra Skill would take almost two months. However, refining Profound Iron on Li Fire Peak had boosted his cultivation efficiency, advancing his breakthrough to Minor Achievement by half a month.

Of course, his money had also dwindled rapidly during this period. The severe daily physical exertion caused his appetite to skyrocket.

Fortunately, Li Fire Peak provided lunch; otherwise, he would have spent even more money.

He sat up in bed and focused his Heart Spirit inward. The Vajra True Qi began to circulate at high speed, drawing his vigorous qi and blood along with it to cleanse his sinews and bones.

Xu Yang’s entire body grew hot, as if he were inside a furnace. His skin gradually turned crimson.

The Vajra True Qi circulated faster and faster, seeping from his meridians into his very flesh to nourish and temper every inch of his body.

CRACK!

At that moment, a crisp cracking sound echoed from within his body, as if something had shattered.

With a deafening BOOM, the Vajra True Qi surged like a wild, unbridled stallion, circulating at an incredible speed.

In that instant, his flesh thrummed and his bones cracked and popped. Every inch of his skin trembled as his qi and blood raged.

An even greater power welled up from deep within his body, like an invisible sledgehammer pounding against his bones.

To an outside observer, the crimson flush on his body faded away, and his exposed skin began to glow with a metallic, silvery sheen. His physique looked as if it were cast from iron, on the verge of transforming into pure steel.

This was the Vajra Indestructible Attribute.

Having reached Minor Achievement in the Vajra Skill, his physical body began to metamorphose.

It wasn’t just his physical body. Within his meridians, true Vajra True Qi had appeared. The once formless, intangible True Qi was now visible—a domineering, condensed energy that shone with a silvery-white light.

It circulated rapidly through his meridians. Everywhere it passed, his meridians widened, his flesh thrummed, and his body’s strength increased at a phenomenal rate.

The sudden surge of power made Xu Yang want to throw his head back and roar at the heavens.

He tapped his body lightly, and it unexpectedly rang with a metallic hum.

’This is a true Vajra body.’

He clenched his fingers in the air, and it sounded as if a blade had just sliced through, letting out a sharp hiss.

He opened his hand, and a wisp of True Qi, visible to the naked eye, floated above his palm.

’Only Gang Qi is supposed to be visible to the naked eye. I wonder how this Vajra True Qi compares to it.’

Inside his body, the True Qi that had been on the verge of Perfection seemed to have been compressed, and its volume had decreased significantly. Reaching Qi Gathering Perfection was postponed once again.

[Vajra Skill - Minor Achievement (1/2000)]

[Remaining Lifespan: 67]

Reaching Minor Achievement in the Vajra Skill had increased his lifespan by two years. It wasn’t a lot, but the implication was significant: it proved that this Martial Art also had life-extending benefits.

Possessing a trace of the Vajra Indestructible Attribute didn’t just mean greater physical strength; his Life Energy was also more potent, and even his recovery speed from injuries would be different.

When combined with the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture, his lifespan might just start to slowly increase again.

’My strength has increased dramatically, so refining Profound Iron will be much faster. Still, it’s better to maintain my old pace. There’s no need to stand out and attract attention.’

Just then, Sun Tao’s voice called out from outside.

"Junior Brother Xu, time to go!"

"Coming!"

Xu Yang threw on his clothes and pushed the door open.

A month had passed since he joined the Purple Sun Sect, and today was once again the day to collect the Qi Replenishing Pills.

"Hey, Junior Brother Xu, you’re looking well! Have you reached Qi Gathering Perfection?"

Sun Tao couldn’t help but ask, curious about Xu Yang’s glowing complexion and spirited aura.

"Not quite. I just wasn’t that tired yesterday, so I guess I look pretty refreshed today," Xu Yang replied casually.