Chapter 519 - 178: Focusing on Cultivation

A wave of disappointment at being eliminated washed over her, but she also breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

She had been worried. ’Without a miracle, will a terrifying Qi Eating Realm expert like Yang Jing beat me until I’m seriously injured?’

After all, Hu Luoluo had heard about Yang Jing’s past achievements. On the Cyan Qilin Platform, he had utterly crushed the well-known Yuwen Mingjue from Yunxi Peak.

Rumor had it that the man was bedridden for over a month and had only just been able to get up and walk around a few days ago.

Because of those rumors, she had been somewhat wary of Yang Jing’s ruthless methods. She never expected him to hold back against her. It turned out she had just been overthinking things.

Hu Luoluo lifted her head, her gaze landing dazedly upon Yang Jing.

Just then, Yang Jing happened to look her way. A faint smile played on his lips as he gave her a slight nod.

The sunlight fell on Yang Jing’s profile, outlining his sharp jawline. His eyes were bright and gentle, completely devoid of the rumored ruthlessness.

At that moment, Hu Luoluo’s eyes began to sparkle. Only a single thought remained in her mind: ’He’s so handsome.’

Hu Luoluo composed herself and quickly cupped her hands in a salute toward Yang Jing on the platform. Her voice was clear, tinged with a hint of shyness. "Thank you for going easy on me, Senior Brother Yang!"

Yang Jing chuckled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over her round, slightly dazed face. ’This girl is a bit slow on the uptake,’ he thought.

’She must live deep within the sect, rarely facing life-or-death situations and having little experience in real combat. That would explain why she’s so naive.’

Just then, Steward Xue strode onto the platform. His gaze swept over the thousands of disciples below as he announced in a loud voice, "Thirteenth match: Yang Jing of Lingxi Peak is the victor!"

Once the announcement was made, Yang Jing gave Steward Xue a slight nod, then turned and descended from the platform.

He didn’t much care about winning this match.

After all, there was a world of difference between his strength and his opponent’s. Forget sending her off the platform with one punch; even if he stood still and let her attack, she likely couldn’t have harmed him in the slightest. It would have been truly absurd if he had lost a fight like that.

Yang Jing soon returned to the area where the Lingxi Peak disciples were gathered.

Fang He, Yan Chenglong, and the others came up to greet him. They just smiled and made small talk, their words betraying no surprise whatsoever.

If Yang Jing had just defeated one of the top figures from the Hidden Dragon List, like Chu Yunhai, Bai Ziyu, or Lu Shaohua, it would certainly have caused an uproar throughout Fushan Square.

But as it was, he had only defeated an obscure female disciple from the Inner Strength Realm. It wasn’t enough to make any waves.

Elsewhere, among the spectating disciples, Cai He Kang was squeezed into the crowd. He watched, face filled with shock, as Yang Jing sent Hu Luoluo flying with a casual flick of his wrist. His heart was filled with a mix of awe and melancholy.

Without him even realizing it, the gap between Yang Jing and them had grown so vast.

Cai He Kang recalled the events of some days prior, and even more complicated feelings churned within him.

Back then, to get promoted to the Inner Sect and participate in the Fushan Grand Tournament, Senior Brother Zhao Hongxiang had specifically attempted the Dragon Gate martial trials.

However, in the final assessment of the trials, Zhao Hongxiang was besieged by two exotic beasts and was so severely injured that he was still laid up recovering in the Ninth Courtyard. He couldn’t even come to watch the tournament.

This meant that Hu Luoluo’s strength was actually quite decent among the Inner Sect Disciples—certainly much stronger than Zhao Hongxiang.

Yet even an expert of the Inner Sect like her couldn’t block a single one of Yang Jing’s punches. It was clear just how immense the gap between Senior Brother Zhao Hongxiang and Senior Brother Yang had become.

...

The matches on the platforms continued in an orderly fashion.

One match after another, winners advanced while the defeated left the stage.

This system of pitting the highest-ranked disciples against the lowest was designed to protect the top contenders. In the early stages, the power gap between opponents was so vast that there was virtually no suspense. The higher-ranked disciples always won with ease, without even needing to reveal their true abilities.

Just then, Yang Jing turned his head to look at Fang He, who was watching the matches with relish. "Senior Brother Fang," he said in a low voice, "I’m going to step away for a bit and find a place to cultivate. If anything important happens here, please keep an eye on things for me. I should be back before this round of matches is over."

Yang Jing mentally calculated the time. The first round of the main tournament alone consisted of a hundred matches. Even if each one ended quickly, it would still take at least a few hours to get through all of them.

Yang Jing had no desire to waste all his time just watching.

Besides, his own match was long over. Most of the upcoming fights were either duels between Inner Strength Realm disciples or one-sided slaughters by ordinary Qi Eating Realm disciples. There was nothing that warranted his close attention.

Fang He was momentarily stunned, then gave Yang Jing a thumbs-up. "I admire your dedication, Junior Brother. You truly are the one who surpassed both me and Junior Brother Yan in the preliminaries. Go on, don’t worry. I’ll handle everything here."

Yang Jing cupped his hands in thanks, then turned and headed for the edge of the crowd.

His steps were light, and he quickly wove through the throng of people, making his way out of Fushan Square.

After Yang Jing left, the others nearby—Ma Qiang, Yan Chenglong, Lin Ziheng, Zhang Hengyi, and Zhao Xuexiang—all watched his departing figure with expressions of dumbfounded admiration.

Yan Chenglong couldn’t help but remark with deep feeling, "I always thought of myself as one of the more dedicated cultivators in the sect, but I never imagined Junior Brother Yang’s obsession with training would surpass even my own. With that kind of mindset, on top of his talent, it’s no wonder he’s improving so quickly."

Everyone nodded in agreement, sharing the same thought. They were all in awe of Yang Jing’s incredible perseverance.

...

Meanwhile, Yang Jing had already passed through the dense, layered crowd, leaving the noisy and bustling Fushan Square behind.

He didn’t return to Lingxi Peak.

Lingxi Peak was too far from Fushan Square; a round trip would waste too much time. Instead, he headed directly for the closest peak, Thunder Peak, making a beeline for the Training Room area on its mountainside.

All the Training Rooms in the Xuanzhen Sect were built and managed centrally by the sect. Disciples from any peak could use them, as long as they paid enough Sect Contribution Points. Even outer sect disciples could rent a Training Room for their cultivation.

However, outer sect disciples were only permitted to rent Level D Training Rooms. Only upon promotion to the Inner Sect did one gain the right to rent a Level C Training Room.

Although Yang Jing was a disciple from Lingxi Peak, there was nothing improper about him using a Training Room on Thunder Peak.

Since today was the day of the Fushan Grand Tournament, the vast majority of disciples had gone to Fushan Square to watch the spectacle. As a result, the Training Room area on Thunder Peak had less than half its usual number of disciples and was exceptionally quiet.

Without much effort, Yang Jing rented a rather spacious Level C Training Room.

He knew he needed to advance his *Hengjiang Du* Body Technique as quickly as possible, and practicing a Body Technique required ample room. He had therefore specifically chosen this spacious room so he could move about freely and practice his movements.

Yang Jing could have also trained in the mountain forests surrounding Fushan Square. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was rich there, and he could listen to the sounds of birds, beasts, and insects to better comprehend the way of nature.

But he had long grown accustomed to the accelerated cultivation in the Training Rooms, aided by the Exotic Beast Musk Aroma. He was no longer used to the slower method of training in the outside world, which relied purely on one’s own tempering and breathing exercises.

Holding his Sect Token, Yang Jing arrived at the stone door of the Level C Training Room. With a gentle push, the heavy door let out a soft CREAK and slowly swung inward.

The room was very spacious, at least twice the size of an ordinary training room. The floor was paved with smooth, polished bluestone, and the scent of the Exotic Beast Musk Aroma permeated the air.

The layout inside was also much the same as the training rooms on Lingxi Peak, with a meditation cushion placed in a corner for regulating one’s breathing. It gave Yang Jing a sense of familiarity.