Chapter 30: The Salted Fish’s Great Comeback

To report on our battle progress, Martial Refining is currently ranked eleventh on the new book chart. We made the list, but we’re at the very bottom.

Xiaomo is not satisfied! We must aim higher, keep our eyes on the prize, and charge toward the top ranks.

Therefore, bright and early this morning, Xiaomo is rolling on the floor begging for recommendation votes, favorites, and member clicks. These three seem to be the scoring elements for the new book chart. As the saying goes, reading and voting makes one charming—the ancients would never deceive you!

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The next day.

A group of Lingxiao Pavilion disciples gathered to practice their martial arts. They chatted and laughed, finding joy in their strenuous routine. Suddenly, one of them stared in a particular direction with sheer terror and stammered, "Y-Young Master Su..."

"What’s wrong?" Su Mu asked in confusion.

"He really came."

"Who came?" Su Mu asked impatiently. Following the direction of the disciple’s trembling finger, he saw Yang Kai strolling toward them with a beaming smile, a broom in hand.

The group’s expressions drastically changed.

"Morning, Junior Brothers. Up so early to engage in Cultivation? How diligent of you," Yang Kai greeted the crowd. He specifically glanced at Zhao Hu and Li Yuntian. The two, still sporting bruised and swollen faces, subconsciously shrank back. The mere memory of the heavy weight behind Yang Kai’s fists made their skin crawl.

"What are you doing here?" Su Mu couldn’t quite maintain his composure. Even though he knew exactly what Yang Kai’s purpose was, he still had to ask. After all, he had made big boasts in front of everyone just yesterday.

"I’m here for a challenge." Yang Kai smiled brightly. Scanning the crowd, he asked affectionately, "Which Junior Brother hasn’t been challenged these past few days? Come exchange a few moves with your Senior Brother."

The Lingxiao Pavilion’s Sect rules dictated that during spars between fellow disciples, one could not avoid or cower from a battle! Violators would be expelled from the Sect.

With this rule in place, no matter how much Su Mu’s subordinates feared Yang Kai, as long as he issued a challenge and they hadn’t been challenged in the last five days, they had to bite the bullet and accept—even knowing they would be brutally beaten.

That day, Zhang San, one of Su Mu’s followers, received a sound beating. Yang Kai left thoroughly satisfied, while Su Mu cursed endlessly at his retreating back.

The following day, Yang Kai returned. This time, Li Si took the beating. Yang Kai left satisfied once more, while Su Mu hurled relentless threats to no avail.

On the third day, Yang Kai came again. Wang Wu was the unlucky one, beaten black and blue. Yang Kai departed in high spirits once again, leaving Su Mu cursing feebly.

By the time Yang Kai returned yet again, Su Mu had learned his lesson. He didn’t curse or threaten him, knowing it was utterly useless. This Senior Brother Yang wasn’t the least bit afraid of his threats.

Su Mu merely glared at him viciously, harboring a deep-seated, unforgettable hatred.

Being tormented time and again like this, Su Mu’s group of lackeys finally had enough.

This bastard Yang Kai was pushing them too far! There were so many ordinary disciples in the Lingxiao Pavilion, yet he deliberately targeted their group. This was clearly vindictive retaliation! What’s more, their group was quite large. Yang Kai could challenge one person a day, cycling through them without ever leaving empty-handed.

Yang Kai’s actions caused a massive uproar throughout the Lingxiao Pavilion. This Trial Disciple’s underdog comeback caught everyone’s attention. Ever since the day he beat up Zhao Hu, it was as if he had become a completely different person. He was no longer the pushover that anyone could bully at will. He sought out a fight every single day and won every single battle. Rumor even had it that Su Mu had been tormented so much that he had completely lost his temper. Who was Su Mu? He was someone with a massive backer!

If even Su Mu was helpless against Yang Kai, why would the other ordinary disciples dare to cross him? As a result, no one dared to challenge Yang Kai anymore. Everyone knew that this senior disciple—who had been demoted to a Trial Disciple after three years in the Sect and doubled as a sweeping Servant—was not someone to be trifled with.

As the news spread, everyone speculated about the extent of Yang Kai’s true strength. Some guessed he was at the Fourth Level of Body Tempering, others guessed the Fifth Level of Body Tempering, and some even went as far as the Eighth Level of Body Tempering. After all, he had defeated Li Yuntian, who was at the Seventh Level of Body Tempering Realm.

However, no one knew Yang Kai’s true Realm.

Only Xia Ningshang knew!

Over the past few days, she had been secretly watching every time Yang Kai fought. With her strength, which was countless levels above his, she could naturally see through his Realm.

But it was precisely because she could see it that she was secretly shocked.

When this Junior Brother defeated Li Yuntian, he was merely at the Fifth Level of Body Tempering Realm. Yet, in just four days, he had already reached the Sixth Level of Body Tempering Realm!

She wondered how he was cultivating so quickly. Even with her special physique and the numerous elixirs she had consumed during her time in the Body Tempering Realm, her progress hadn’t been this rapid.

To satisfy her curiosity, Xia Ningshang even secretly staked out Yang Kai’s wooden cabin to observe how he cultivated. But no matter how much she watched, she couldn’t figure it out. He simply practiced a basic Fist and Foot Skill without any anomalies. The only oddity was that after just a few punches and kicks, he would completely exhaust himself, left drenched in sweat.

Xia Ningshang couldn’t understand why the Lingxiao Pavilion’s Basic Technique was so physically demanding for him. It wasn’t exactly some profound martial art.

After several days of continuous observation, Xia Ningshang still couldn’t find any clues. Though she vaguely sensed that Yang Kai harbored other secrets, she felt too embarrassed to keep watching. After all, peeping at someone wasn’t exactly something to boast about—especially when that someone was a young man who was frequently half-naked.

Every time she watched him, her heart would race, her face burning red with a mix of shame and indignation. Whenever this guy cultivated, he would strip off his shirt, as if his scrawny, rib-showing torso was a sight for sore eyes.

She thought, "But he does seem a bit sturdier than a few days ago, and he’s put on some muscle." Recalling the first time she saw his bare chest, she secretly made a comparison in her mind. Once she realized what she was doing, her face instantly turned beet red.

Yang Kai, of course, had no idea he was being peeped at these past few days. Every day, after finishing his chores as a sweeping Servant, he would seek out Su Mu’s group for a challenge before returning to his wooden cabin to engage in Cultivation. Although his days were monotonous, they were incredibly fulfilling.

The Incense Burner’s effects were extraordinarily potent. Paired with half an hour of practicing the Body Tempering Chapter each day, it had allowed him to step into the Sixth Level of Body Tempering Realm yesterday. The Qi Sensing within his body was already showing signs of solidifying.

He was only one step away. Just one more step, and he would reach the Seventh Level of Body Tempering Realm. At that Realm, a small amount of Primordial Qi would be generated within his body. It wouldn’t be much, but it would still be Primordial Qi. As long as he had Primordial Qi, he could begin practicing Martial Skills. By then, his attacks wouldn’t be limited to basic Long Fist and whip kicks.

The Seventh to Ninth Levels of the Body Tempering Realm were the stages where Primordial Qi was born, multiplied, and strengthened within the body. It was also the stage where the Primordial Qi flowed through all the Meridians, achieving complete Integration and Mastery. Only by forming a Grand Circulation of Primordial Qi within the body and opening the Bridge of Heaven and Earth could one break through the Body Tempering Realm and reach a completely new level.

Cultivating as if his life depended on it, Yang Kai could feel his growth every single day; it was a very tangible sensation. By today, he could actually execute his Fist and Foot Skill under the influence of the Incense Burner’s Exotic Fragrance, though he couldn’t sustain it for long. His morning practice of the Body Tempering Chapter had also become much easier than before. He was improving every day.

If he could keep up with the necessary resources, Yang Kai believed he would truly grow strong in no time.

However, Yang Kai discovered an awkward problem: he had completely run out of Desolate Dried Wood Grass. While he still had some Three-Leaf Soul Flower left, it wasn’t much.

He had been incredibly frugal these past few days, but he couldn’t outpace the rapid consumption of the herbs. Before he knew it, they were gone.

Left with no choice, Yang Kai could only make a trip to the Contribution Hall, using all his remaining Contribution Points to exchange for more herbs.