Xu Cheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. "The two of us have been in the Sect for two years and have extensive mission experience. We can tell which missions are dangerous and which are safe with just a glance."

Jiang Ping’s heart stirred, and Sun Tao had a similar reaction.

Having experienced senior brothers to guide them could indeed help them avoid many detours.

Wan Hai said, "How about this? In a few days, Brother Xu and I will take on a group mission. We’ll help you earn some contribution points first and complete this month’s task."

"I want to have fun for a few more days, I’m not doing it!" Jiang Fan said, waving his hand dismissively.

"We weren’t talking to you." Wan Hai’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

’Jiang Fan is too lazy. Everyone from his batch has gone off to do missions and earn contribution points, yet he’s still fooling around every day. I can’t let him be a bad influence on these three new guys.’

Jiang Ping was very tempted, but he still said, "Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brothers, but I have a few close friends I’ve already arranged to do missions with."

Xu Cheng’s eyes lit up. "No problem. Your friends are our friends. They can join us."

"I need to discuss it with them first!" Jiang Ping didn’t agree immediately.

Xu Cheng then looked toward Xu Yang and Sun Tao.

Xu Yang cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brothers. However, this junior brother’s strength is too low. I would only hold you back on a mission. I will trouble you both again once my Cultivation has improved.

"We’ve been traveling for days straight, and this junior brother would like to go back and rest. Please, continue your conversation."

After speaking, he cupped his fists to the group, stood up, and left.

Xu Cheng wanted to say more, but seeing this, he could only swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.

Jiang Ping said, "Senior Brothers, don’t mind him. Xu Yang has a withdrawn personality and has never been one to mix with crowds..."

Xu Yang shook his head to himself. ’These old dogs who’ve been kicking around the Outer Sect for years... helping a junior brother out of kindness?’

’Wan Hai and Xu Cheng were playing off each other so perfectly; he knew they were up to no good.’

’He just hoped his rejection was obvious enough for Sun Tao to be more vigilant. You shouldn’t trust people you’ve just met.’

Back in his room, he lit the oil lamp, took out a Qi Replenishing Pill and swallowed it, then began reading the sect’s rulebook.

The next day, the first thing Xu Yang did upon opening his eyes was look at his panel.

[Joined the Purple Sun Sect, Points +40]

[Rejected Xu Cheng and Wan Hai, Points +5]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 91]

’Xu Cheng and Wan Hai really were up to something. Otherwise, the panel wouldn’t have given me points as a reward.’

He added all the reward points to his Vajra Skill, put one point into his lifespan, and then began to cultivate cross-legged.

As the Vajra True Qi began to circulate, a sharp pain quickly spread throughout his body, like being scorched by a raging fire.

Under the tempering of the Vajra True Qi, his physical strength began to slowly increase. His muscles and bones rumbled as they grew more condensed and resilient.

When daylight broke, Xu Yang finally ceased his cultivation.

[Vajra Skill - Introduction (756/1000)]

The Vajra Skill was incredibly difficult to practice. He had been training it for nearly a year and a half since obtaining it and still hadn’t reached Minor Achievement. However, now that he was using the panel to boost his progress, he could reach the Minor Achievement Realm in one or two months at most. By then, not only would his physical body gain a trace of the Vajra Indestructible Attribute, but his True Qi would also transform into true Vajra True Qi.

’If I can use Vajra True Qi to achieve Qi Cultivation Gang, will the power of my Gang Qi far exceed that of an ordinary person’s?’

After resting for a while and practicing the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture for half a shichen, Xu Yang took his Identity Waist Token and headed for the Outer Sect’s Hidden Skills Hall.

"Xu Yang, is my Senior Brother Jiang’s disappearance related to you?" Kong Yu’s voice suddenly sounded from behind.

Xu Yang turned around, a look of surprise on his face. "Jiang Yi?"

Kong Yu nodded.

Xu Yang smiled. "He’s missing? That’s wonderful news. It would be best if he just dropped dead."

With that said, he strode away.

Anger appeared on Kong Yu’s face, and he frowned slightly. "Could it really have nothing to do with him?"

He was just trying to get a reaction out of Xu Yang, but judging by his response, he clearly didn’t know anything.

Ji Jincheng said, "It probably wasn’t him. With his Cultivation, he isn’t capable of killing Senior Brother Jiang Yi without a trace."

Kong Yu nodded. "Even if it wasn’t him, Senior Brother Zhu Yang still died at his hands. That debt must be repaid. We’ll deal with him once we’ve found our footing here."

...

Xu Yang soon arrived at the Outer Sect’s Hidden Skills Hall and handed over his Identity Token.

The Steward guarding the gate took it and said as he handed it back, "You can only choose from the first floor. Once you’ve made your selection, come back here to register and claim it."

As Xu Yang reached out, he passed the silver hidden in his palm into the other man’s hand. "This disciple wishes to learn a powerful Palm Technique or Fist Technique. Might I be so bold as to ask for the Steward’s guidance?"

The Steward secretly weighed the silver in his hand and found it to be two taels. His stern expression immediately melted into a smile. "On the first floor, for Fist Techniques, the top recommendation is the Thunder Shock Fist. The Thunder Shock Fist is divided into Ninefold. Each fold stacks an additional layer of Force. If you can master the ninth fold and stack nine layers of Force, its power is no less than Mixed Element Strength. Even at the Early Stage of Qi Gathering Great Success, you could fight someone at Qi Gathering Perfection.

"If you can stack it with Mixed Element Strength, the power is even more astonishing.

"However, this technique has extremely high requirements for Physique and Comprehension. Choose it with caution if your Physique hasn’t been sufficiently tempered.

"The strongest Palm Technique is the Shattering Jade Palm. In terms of pure power, it’s even above the Thunder Shock Fist. But this technique mainly involves tempering the palms with True Qi, so progress is very slow..."

The two taels of silver were not spent in vain. The Steward went on to recommend several other techniques with less strict requirements, explaining their pros and cons.

"This disciple thanks the Steward for his guidance!" Xu Yang said with a cupped fist.

"My surname is Liu. From now on, call me Steward Liu. Go on, and remember, you only have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to make your choice!"

Everyone appreciates a sensible young man, so the steward immediately told Xu Yang his surname.

Xu Yang committed it to memory and strode into the Hidden Skills Hall.

’The time it takes an incense stick to burn... that’s more than enough!’

’Thunder Shock Fist, Shattering Jade Palm!’

’Only children make choices; he wanted them all. Although his memory wasn’t good enough to memorize them after one reading, his panel could.’

’However, this would be considered stealing techniques. He had to be cautious.’