Chapter 504 - 174: Potential Seeds, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Seeing the two nod, Fang He added emphatically, a serious expression on his face, "You two shouldn’t look down on Junior Brother Yang just because he recently broke through to the Qi Eating Realm. To be honest, I’ve crossed swords with him before. His strength is no less than mine."

Ma Qiang and Yan Chenglong were both taken aback by his words, looks of surprise flashing across their faces.

They knew Fang He’s strength full well. Someone who could fight him to a standstill was hardly at the level of a disciple who had just broken through to the Qi Eating Realm.

The two immediately shed their initial casualness. Smiling and nodding, they greeted Yang Jing with another clasped-fist salute, their expressions far more respectful.

Ma Qiang was more outgoing than Yan Chenglong. He was the first to speak, asking with a smile, "Come to think of it, I’m rarely in the sect, so I don’t know which martial art Junior Brother Yang practices. You’re incredibly strong."

"Senior Brother Ma, I practice the Mountain-Breaking Seal," Yang Jing replied openly, without hiding anything.

Hearing this, Ma Qiang and Yan Chenglong exchanged a glance. A look of understanding flashed in their eyes, and they nodded in unison. "That explains it," they said in low voices.

Of course, they were familiar with the reputation of the Mountain-Breaking Seal.

Mid-grade True Skills were already considered formidable among the sect’s disciples, and the Mountain-Breaking Seal was a standout even among them. Its power could rival a Top-grade True Skill, but it was also far more difficult to cultivate than other skills of the same grade.

Countless disciples had attempted to master this art, only to get stuck at a bottleneck. They would train day and night yet fail to make an inch of progress, tormented to the point of despair.

The fact that Yang Jing had managed to break through to the Qi Eating Realm by mastering the Mountain-Breaking Seal was a testament to his talent and perseverance, enough to earn both of their admiration.

After getting to know one another, the group began to chat idly. The conversation naturally drifted to the upcoming Fushan Grand Tournament, which then led to a discussion of the top disciples from each peak who had signed up to compete.

Ma Qiang folded his arms. "A few days ago in the Prefecture City, I heard some news," he said. "Lu Shaohua from Qingxu Peak killed the Flower-Picking Thief, Li Zhikai, while he was out training on Qixia Mountain."

Lin Ziheng immediately nodded. "I heard about that, too," he chimed in. "And they say Senior Brother Lu killed Li Zhikai in a head-on fight. It was a very clean and decisive kill."

After speaking, Lin Ziheng glanced at Yang Jing. Noticing the flicker of confusion on his face, he realized Yang Jing probably wasn’t familiar with such matters of the Jianghu and immediately began to explain.

"Junior Brother Yang, this Li Zhikai is no ordinary petty thief. He’s the infamous Flower-Picking Thief of the Jintai Prefecture region." Lin Ziheng’s voice grew heavy, his tone thick with disgust. "Not only does that bastard prey on women, but what’s truly vile is that he brutally murders his victims afterward. He has countless lives on his hands, and the common folk hate him to the bone."

At these words, Yang Jing’s brow furrowed, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

’No wonder they call him the great Flower-Picking Thief and not just some common predator,’ he thought. ’To act with such vicious cruelty... death was too good for him.’

Lin Ziheng continued, "The thing is, Li Zhikai was extremely secretive and rarely showed his face. He was also quite powerful, and his Qinggong was especially masterful.

"Four Jianghu masters at the Qi Eating Realm once teamed up to capture him, but he injured two of them and still managed to escape with ease.

"The authorities had a warrant out for his arrest for years, but they were never able to bring him to justice."

He paused, a note of admiration in his voice. "But a few days ago, Senior Brother Lu Shaohua of Qingxu Peak happened to run into Li Zhikai while training on Qixia Mountain. After a fierce battle, Senior Brother Lu killed him in a head-on fight. The news sent shockwaves through all of Jintai Prefecture."

Yang Jing murmured the name "Lu Shaohua" to himself, feeling it sounded familiar. He looked up at Lin Ziheng and asked hesitantly, "This Senior Brother Lu... he wouldn’t happen to be the one ranked third on the Hidden Dragon List, would he?"

Lin Ziheng smiled and nodded, his tone firm. "The very same."

Yang Jing had recently made a point to research the Hidden Dragon List, so he had some understanding of the masters ranked on it.

After all, the disciples on the Hidden Dragon List were all new recruits who had joined the sect within the last three years. Many were under thirty, right in the prime of their lives.

He would very likely run into these people at the upcoming Fushan Grand Tournament, so it was only natural for him to prepare in advance.

Yang Jing couldn’t help but reflect silently. ’If Lu Shaohua, ranked third on the Hidden Dragon List, is already strong enough to kill a vicious thug like Li Zhikai in a direct confrontation, then just how powerful are Chu Yunhai of Celestial Derivation Peak and Bai Ziyu of Thunder Peak, who are ranked above him?’

At this thought, a grave expression flickered across Yang Jing’s face.

’Chu Yunhai is number one on the Hidden Dragon List,’ he thought. ’Senior Sister Ning Xiang said he seems to be close with Yuwen Mingjue, so he very likely bears me ill will. The fact that he’s ranked first proves his strength is probably a cut above even Lu Shaohua’s.’

Fang He noticed the change in Yang Jing’s expression. He clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Junior Brother Yang, no need to worry. The gap between us and top-tier prodigies like Lu Shaohua is just too wide. They’re vying for the top three positions in the tournament. It doesn’t really affect the rest of us."

The others all nodded upon hearing this, clearly in agreement with Fang He.

Although they were all geniuses who had broken through to the Qi Eating Realm, considered standouts among the disciples of the Xuanzhen Sect, they were also self-aware enough to know that an insurmountable chasm separated them from top-tier figures like Lu Shaohua and Chu Yunhai.