Chapter 520 - 179: An Unexpected Gift

Yang Jing closed the stone door behind him, completely shutting out the noise from outside the Training Room.

He took a deep breath, the crisp scent of Exotic Beast Musk lingering in his nostrils. After focusing his mind and calming his spirit, he began to practice the mid-grade True Skill Body Technique, *River Crossing*.

He stood with his feet slightly apart, shoulder-width, as the Inner Qi in his Dantian began to slowly circulate. Following the *River Crossing* Heart Method Mantra, it flowed into his limbs and throughout his entire body.

The next moment, his figure flickered and he shot forward like a wisp of smoke. His toes tapped lightly on the smooth bluestone tiles, and his entire body glided several feet along the ground, as graceful as a swallow.

Suddenly, his body shot upwards like a startled swan taking flight, the fluttering of his sleeves kicking up a gust of strong wind.

At times, his steps crisscrossed as if walking on waves. His figure darted left and right, forward and back within the spacious Training Room, moving so fast he almost became a blur.

On the bluestone floor, his footprints appeared in an intricate pattern only to vanish in an instant. All that remained was the constantly moving figure that filled every corner of the Training Room, as if the agility and speed of a surging spring river had been fused into this Body Technique.

Time ticked by, second by second, but the figure in the Training Room never stopped.

Three hours passed in a flash. By the time the sunlight outside was slanting low in the western sky, Yang Jing finally slowed to a stop, exhaling a long, turbid breath.

He stood on the spot, closing his eyes to focus his mind, carefully sensing the changes within himself.

The past three hours of arduous training had made his execution of *River Crossing* even smoother, and the harmony between his Inner Qi and the Body Technique had deepened.

’It should be about time,’ he thought. ’The first round of the main Fushan tournament must be almost over.’

Yang Jing delayed no longer. He stood up, pushed open the stone door, and headed straight for Fushan Square.

「Soon, he arrived at Fushan Square.」

The square was still packed with a sea of people. The roar of the boiling crowd could be heard from a great distance, and the excitement of the competition hadn’t died down in the slightest.

Yang Jing squeezed through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd and reached the area where the Lingxi Peak disciples were gathered near the front of the spectators, greeting Fang He, Yan Chenglong, and the others with a smile.

Seeing him return, Fang He immediately walked up with a smile. "Junior Brother Yang, you’re back! It’s already the ninety-fifth match. At this stage, everyone still on the stage is an expert in the Inner Strength Realm. The matches are pretty close now—much more deadlocked than before."

Yang Jing nodded. ’So there are only five matches left,’ he thought, getting a handle on the situation.

He looked up at the match on the tournament stage. Two disciples of the Inner Strength Realm were locked in an endless struggle, their fists and feet flying in a flurry of vicious moves that drew waves of cheers from the crowd below.

But in Yang Jing’s eyes, while these moves seemed intense, there was a world of difference between them and the level of the Qi Eating Realm. Whether it was the gap between Inner Strength and Inner Qi, or the sophistication of the techniques, they were far from comparable. He didn’t pay it much mind.

A short while later, the final five matches also concluded one after another.

Soon, it was time for the one-hundredth match, the final battle of this round.

Both combatants were experts at the Peak of the Inner Strength Realm.

After a fierce struggle, Xiao Ran, an Inner Sect Disciple from Fen Yang Peak ranked one hundred and one, actually put his life on the line. Using a desperate, injury-for-injury fighting style, he forcefully endured his opponent’s Heavy Fist.

At the same time, he slammed a palm into his opponent’s chest, knocking him off the stage and barely securing his place in the second round of the main Fushan tournament.

The crowd below instantly erupted into thunderous cheers, applauding Xiao Ran’s ferocity.

Steward Xue then walked onto the Main Peak’s tournament stage. His gaze swept across the entire arena as he announced in a clear, loud voice, "Match one hundred: Xiao Ran of Fen Yang Peak is victorious!"

As his voice faded, he turned and walked off the stage, striding quickly to Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan and beginning to consult in low voices with the other Elders gathered around.

They needed to readjust the upcoming rankings based on the disciples’ performance in the first round to prepare for the next round of matches.

At the same time, the disciples all over Fushan Square erupted into fervent discussion, speculating about the matchups for the next round. The air was filled with a tumultuous clamor.

Before long, the Elders’ discussion came to a conclusion.

Steward Xue, holding a newly drafted list of names, once again strode quickly onto the stage.

As Steward Xue ascended the stage, the discussions in the square swiftly died down, as if their source had been cut off.

Everyone knew that the new rankings after the end of the first round were about to be announced.

All of Fushan Square quickly fell silent.

Pair after pair of expectant eyes fell in unison upon Steward Xue on the stage.

On the stage, Steward Xue’s steady gaze swept over the thousands of Xuanzhen Sect disciples below. He then took a light breath, circulated the Inner Qi in his Dantian, and his powerful, resonant voice echoed throughout the entire arena. "The first round of the main Fushan tournament is over! Based on the comprehensive performance of the disciples, the new rankings are as follows!"

"First place, Chu Yunhai of Celestial Derivation Peak!

"Second place, Bai Ziyu of Thunder Peak!

"Third place, Lu Shaohua of Qingxu Peak!

"Fourth place, Jiang Lin Yuan of the Main Peak!

"Fifth place, Cui Yuan of Zhenyue Peak!

"Sixth place, Gu Changfeng of Yunxi Peak!

"Seventh place, Li Cangwu of Fen Yang Peak!

"Eighth place, Su Muyuan of Celestial Derivation Peak!

"Ninth place, Lin Jinghong of Qingxu Peak!

"Tenth place, Zhang Yunhao of Thunder Peak!

"Eleventh place, Meng Fan of the Main Peak!

"Twelfth place, Yang Jing of Lingxi Peak!

"Thirteenth place, Shen Kuo of Zhenyue Peak!

"Fourteenth place, Han Lie of Fen Yang Peak!

"Fifteenth place, Yan Chenglong of Lingxi Peak!"

"..."

"Fiftieth place, Lin Ziheng of Lingxi Peak!"

"..."

"One-hundredth place, Xiao Ran of Fen Yang Peak!"

The top three places remained completely unchanged, and there were no major shifts within the top fifteen. Yang Jing’s rank rose from thirteenth to twelfth, while the other disciples’ rankings saw only minor adjustments. There were no surprises.