Soon, arguments erupted over whether or not to kill.

Xu Yang was completely unaware of what happened next. He made his way to the mountain gate, removed his disguise, and shook the blood from his hands. After presenting his Identity Token, he easily returned to his quarters.

He lit an oil lamp and began to take stock of his haul. There were three silver banknotes and a few silver fragments, totaling less than one hundred taels.

They had only resorted to robbery and murder out of desperation. No one with money would willingly take such risks.

Five contribution points, worth roughly twenty taels.

The porcelain vial contained two Qi Replenishing Pills, also worth twenty taels. In total, his gains amounted to just under one hundred and forty taels.

He wasn’t one to complain. Every little bit helped.

’With this haul, I can reach Qi Gathering Perfection in one go.’

Xu Yang immediately tipped out a Qi Replenishing Pill and swallowed it, circulating his Vajra True Qi to absorb the medicinal energy. Once he had fully refined its effects, he swallowed the second pill.

He had never been so extravagant in his cultivation. Previously, he would always take one pill and wait several days before taking another, worried he might waste its medicinal power.

Two hours later, he had refined four of his eight Qi Replenishing Pills, yet his True Qi had still not reached Perfection.

He didn’t continue refining them. Instead, he took off his clothes and went to bed.

「The next day.」

He woke, rolled out of bed, and immediately began practicing the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture.

Even though he had the panel, which had long since granted him a form of immortality, he still took Lin Cheng’s words to heart and practiced the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture once every morning and evening.

Pile Skill was the Foundation of All Laws. Beyond nourishing one’s qi and blood, tempering the Physique, and extending one’s life, it could also repair hidden internal injuries. With a breakthrough so close, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

He didn’t stop his morning practice until his qi and blood were surging and a feeling of profound comfort spread through his entire body.

’Today I can reach Qi Gathering Perfection in one go. If I’m lucky, I might even break through directly to Qi Cultivation Gang.’

He had already comprehended Mixed Element Strength, so achieving Qi Cultivation Gang wasn’t a particularly difficult prospect for him.

"Senior Brother Sun, no mission for you today?"

When he returned from the dining hall, only Sun Tao was in the courtyard; Jiang Ping, Jiang Fan, Wan Hai, and the others were all out.

Sun Tao said sullenly, "My last mission is over. I’m planning to rest for a few days and try to break through to Qi Cultivation Gang."

Hearing this, Xu Yang smiled and cupped his fists. "Congratulations on reaching Qi Gathering Perfection, Senior Brother Sun. I wish you success in forming your Gang Qi and advancing to the Marrow Cleansing realm."

Sun Tao gave a bitter smile. "What’s there to congratulate? Forging Gang Qi is too difficult. I reached Qi Gathering Perfection around the same time as Lu Ren, and I’ve been stuck at this bottleneck for nearly two months."

Xu Yang hadn’t realized Sun Tao had reached Qi Gathering Perfection so long ago. He smiled. "Don’t be impatient, Senior Brother. Haste makes waste. You need to maintain a peaceful state of mind. It’s perfectly normal to be stuck at this stage for three to five months."

Sun Tao nodded. "By the way, I just heard that Qin Ze has successfully broken through to Qi Cultivation Gang. Aren’t you going to congratulate him?"

’Qin Ze broke through to Qi Cultivation Gang?’

Xu Yang was taken aback for a moment, but it wasn’t a total surprise. Back in Qingyuan, Qin Ze had been a top figure, second only to the likes of Cao Rong and Yun Feng, and on par with Gu Haoming and Han Xing.

Now that both Gu Haoming and Han Xing had reached Qi Cultivation Gang, it was only logical that Qin Ze would break through as well.

"I should go see him." Xu Yang stood up, planning to offer his congratulations before returning to his cultivation.

’We’re in the same Alliance. It would be one thing if I hadn’t heard, but now that I know, it would be improper not to go.’

By the time Xu Yang arrived at Qin Ze’s courtyard, a large crowd had already gathered. All the disciples from the Spiritual Monkey Boxing Hall were there, as were Yue Gui, Chen Jiang, and Liu Qian, along with several others from Qingyuan.

A sharp aura radiated from Qin Ze; he had clearly just broken through and was still unable to fully control his newfound power.

"Congratulations, Brother Qin, on reaching Qi Cultivation Gang and taking another step forward on the Martial Dao," Xu Yang said, cupping his fists.

Qin Ze was beaming. He laughed and said, "I’ve merely taken one step ahead. You all will catch up soon enough."

Yue Gui said with envy, "But a step ahead is still a step ahead."

He considered himself a genius on par with Qin Ze, their reputations nearly equal, yet Qin Ze had still managed to pull ahead.