The Great Leap of Salted Fish

On the second day, a group of Lingxiao Pavilion disciples gathered together for practice. They were chatting and laughing despite the hardships, finding joy in their training. Suddenly, one of them looked terrified in a particular direction and stammered, "Su... Senior Su..."

"What's wrong?" Su Mu asked, puzzled.

"He's really here."

"Who's here?" Su Mu, somewhat impatient, followed the direction the person was pointing and saw Yang Kai approaching with a broom in hand, smiling.

The group's expressions changed drastically.

"Good morning, junior brothers. You're up early for practice. That's very diligent," Yang Kai greeted them, glancing specifically at Zhao Hu and Li Yuntian, the two with bruised faces who instinctively shrunk back, remembering the weight of Yang Kai's punches.

"What are you here for?" Su Mu couldn't hide his concern, although he knew Yang Kai's intentions. After all, he had boasted in front of everyone the day before.

"To challenge," Yang Kai smiled brightly, scanning the group. He asked warmly, "Who among the junior brothers hasn't been challenged in these days? Let's spar, senior brother."

According to the rules of Lingxiao Pavilion, disciples were not allowed to refuse or evade challenges among peers. Violation meant expulsion.

With this rule in mind, even though Su Mu's group feared Yang Kai, if he requested a challenge and they hadn't been challenged in nearly five days, they had to reluctantly agree, knowing they would likely end up beaten.

That day, Zhang San under Su Mu's command was heavily beaten, and Yang Kai left contentedly, leaving Su Mu cursing at his departing figure.

The next day, Yang Kai returned and Li Si suffered a similar fate under Su Mu's command, despite his threats.

On the third day, it was Wang Wu's turn under Su Mu, who ended up battered and bruised. Yang Kai once again left satisfied, leaving Su Mu cursing helplessly at his retreating figure.

By the time Yang Kai returned again, Su Mu had learned his lesson. He neither cursed nor threatened Yang Kai anymore, knowing it was futile. This senior brother Yang wasn't afraid of his threats at all.

Su Mu could only glare at him with intense hatred in his eyes, harboring a deep-seated grudge.

After being tormented repeatedly like this, Su Mu's followers were no longer willing to cooperate.

Yang Kai had gone too far. Lingxiao Pavilion had many ordinary disciples, yet he picked on their group specifically, seemingly out of spite. Moreover, their numbers were not small. Yang Kai challenged one person every day, rotating through them, ensuring he never returned empty-handed.

Yang Kai's actions caused a stir throughout Lingxiao Pavilion. This trial disciple's sudden rise to prominence attracted everyone's attention. Since defeating Zhao Hu, it seemed like he had transformed completely, no longer the easy target for anyone to bully. He challenged someone every day and won every time. Rumors even spread that Su Mu was completely powerless against him. Su Mu was no ordinary person; he had powerful backers.

If even Su Mu couldn't handle Yang Kai, how could other ordinary disciples dare provoke him? Everyone knew that this senior brother, who had been a trial disciple for more than three years and also worked as a janitor, was not someone to be trifled with.

As these rumors spread, everyone speculated about Yang Kai's true strength. Some guessed he was at the Fourth Layer of Body Tempering, while others speculated he might be at the Fifth or even the Eighth Layer, considering he had defeated Li Yuntian, who was at the Seventh Layer.

But no one knew Yang Kai's actual level.

Only Xia Ning Shang knew! Over these days, she had been secretly observing every battle Yang Kai fought. With her vastly superior strength, she could naturally discern Yang Kai's level.

However, realizing this, Xia Ning Shang secretly felt alarmed.

When he defeated Li Yuntian, he was only at the Fifth Layer of Body Tempering. In just four days, he had already reached the Sixth Layer. How could he progress so quickly? Even she, with her special physique, had not made such rapid progress, despite having used many elixirs during her Body Tempering stage.

To unravel this mystery, Xia Ning Shang even secretly ambushed Yang Kai's cabin to investigate his training methods. However, despite her investigations, she couldn't find anything unusual. He simply practiced martial arts tirelessly, often exhausting himself with punches and kicks, drenched in sweat.

Xia Ning Shang couldn't understand why Lingxiao Pavilion's basic exercises were so challenging for him. There was nothing profound about these martial arts.

After several days of investigation, Xia Ning Shang couldn't find any clues. Although she vaguely felt that Yang Kai had some secrets, she was too embarrassed to continue investigating. After all, spying on others was not something to be proud of, especially spying on a young man who often stripped down to train.

Each time, Xia Ning Shang blushed with embarrassment and indignation. This person would strip off his upper body whenever he trained, as if his bony figure was so attractive.

"However, he seems stronger than he was a few days ago and has gained some weight." Recalling the scene when she first saw Yang Kai, Xia Ning Shang compared it silently in her mind, blushing deeply.

Yang Kai naturally had no idea he was being watched these days. After completing his janitorial duties at Lingxiao Pavilion each day, he would challenge Su Mu's group and then return to his wooden cabin to practice. Though the days were monotonous and boring, they were incredibly fulfilling.

The incense burner's effects were exceptionally potent. Coupled with half an hour of daily Body Tempering exercises, he had already stepped into the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering yesterday. There were signs of condensing qi within his body.

Just one step more, and he would reach the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering. At this stage, even though there would only be a small amount of qi within his body, it was still qi. With qi in his body, he could start practicing martial techniques. Then, his attacking methods wouldn't be as dull as just boxing and kicking.

From the Seventh to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, qi would begin to form within his body and grow stronger, integrating into every meridian. Only by forming a great circle of qi within his body, connecting heaven and earth, could he break through the Body Tempering stage and reach another level.

Practically training as if his life depended on it, Yang Kai could feel his growth every day. It was a very real sensation. Today, he could already execute his martial arts under the fragrance of the incense burner, although not for long. The morning Body Tempering exercises were also much easier than before, with progress every day.

If conditions allowed, Yang Kai believed he would soon truly grow.

However, Yang Kai found himself in an awkward situation. He had run out of Dead Wood Grass, and although he had a bit of Three Leaf Ghost Soul Flower left, it wasn't much.

These days, Yang Kai had been extremely frugal, but the consumption of herbs was indeed too fast. Before he knew it, they were gone.

Helpless, Yang Kai had to make a trip to the Contribution Hall, exchanging all his remaining contribution points for some herbs.