Chapter 522 - 179: An Unexpected Gift (Part 3)

Who could afford to use a Bone Marrow Tempering Pill for routine training?

After all, a single Bone Marrow Tempering Pill cost around fifteen thousand taels of silver, yet the boost it provided was, at most, equivalent to seven or eight days of arduous training. Such extravagance was a wanton waste.

Sun Ningxiang cradled the small porcelain vial, looking at the two Bone Marrow Tempering Pills inside. The scene from a few days ago, of Miss Jinlian handing four Bone Marrow Tempering Pills to Yang Jing, surfaced in her mind.

’Four pills... In that case...’

Sun Ningxiang looked down at the stack of silver notes in her hand, then back at the small vial. She immediately lifted her head, her gaze shifting toward the mid-section of the Main Peak.

...

On Lingxi Peak, in a spacious Level C Training Room in the mountainside training area.

Yang Jing was concentrating on practicing "River-Crossing Steps."

Although this Mid-grade True Skill Body Technique had not yet broken through to the Qi Eating Realm, days of bitter training had already begun to reveal some of its power.

Yang Jing’s current speed with his Body Technique was a notch higher than when he had perfected his "Raging Wave Kicks," his movements as nimble as a fish in water.

His feet skimmed across the bluestone floor, his Inner Qi circulating through his calves according to the Heart Method. With a light tap of his toes, he slid several zhang like a wisp of smoke, landing without a sound.

Then, with a sudden twist of his waist, he abruptly changed direction, flitting between the Training Room’s beams and pillars like a startled goose’s shadow.

At times, his footwork became a blur, creating a series of afterimages. When he reached his peak speed, it was impossible to tell his real body from the phantoms.

The entire room seemed to be filled with his elusive figure. The wind kicked up by his robes was strong enough to make the cattail cushion in the corner sway gently.

Yang Jing practiced "River-Crossing Steps" for an hour until he felt a hint of fatigue, then slowly came to a stop.

He didn’t rush to sit and meditate. Instead, he raised a hand, gathered his Inner Qi, and began practicing his main skill, the Mountain-Breaking Seal.

Although Yang Jing was currently focusing much of his energy on "River-Crossing Steps," he had never once slacked off on his main skill, the Mountain-Breaking Seal. He practiced it diligently every day without fail.

Through long periods of trial and error, Yang Jing had gradually developed his own training methodology.

It involved specializing in one martial art first, breaking through to a higher realm with it. After his foundation and understanding of the Martial Dao improved, training other martial arts would become far more efficient.

That was why Yang Jing was now deliberately dividing his focus to practice "River-Crossing Steps." He wanted to increase his movement speed first, polishing his strength to the peak level of the Qi Eating Realm.

Then, he would concentrate all his energy on the powerful offensive skill, the Mountain-Breaking Seal. Once he cultivated the Mountain-Breaking Seal to the Qi Absorption Realm, the training efficiency for both his body-tempering Indestructible True Skill and his Body Technique, "River-Crossing Steps," would naturally increase as well.

Soon, another hour passed before Yang Jing slowly lowered the hand that was forming the seal and exhaled a long, turbid breath.

He stood on the spot, closed his eyes, and focused, slowly observing the changes within his body.

At the same time, with a thought, a panel appeared before his eyes, clearly displaying the progress of his martial arts—

[Mountain-Breaking Seal: Minor Accomplishment (659/2000)]

[Indestructible True Skill: Second Layer, Minor Accomplishment (101/2000)]

[River-Crossing Steps: Entry Level (221/500)]

Looking at the data on the panel, Yang Jing nodded slightly.

The flow of "River-Crossing Steps" had grown smoother, and the seal technique for the Mountain-Breaking Seal had become more condensed.

This rate of progress could already be considered quite fast.

But Yang Jing also knew that at his current training speed, it would be nearly impossible to break "River-Crossing Steps" through to the Qi Eating Realm before the Fushan Grand Tournament finals.

There were no shortcuts in the Martial Dao. No matter how high one’s training efficiency was, it still required a solid investment of time. It couldn’t be rushed.

Yang Jing slowly opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the stone wall of the Training Room as he secretly pondered the upcoming Fushan Grand Tournament.

His desire for the Fushan Grand Tournament’s rewards far surpassed what he had felt for the previous Cyan Qilin Battle.

Ever since experiencing the rich Exotic Beast Musk Aroma in the Level B Training Room and feeling that rapid-progress training efficiency, Yang Jing still couldn’t forget it.

If he could have trained continuously in a Level B Training Room, he would have already broken "River-Crossing Steps" through to the Qi Eating Realm, and his progress with the Mountain-Breaking Seal would be far beyond its current state.

And if he could take first place in the Fushan Grand Tournament, the sect would reward him with long-term access to a Level B Training Room—the very thing he dreamed of.

If he could obtain long-term access to a Level B Training Room, Yang Jing could already foresee that his progress on the Martial Dao would far exceed its current pace.

At that time, he would no longer have to worry about the scarcity of Exotic Beast Musk and Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. He wouldn’t need to waste so much time slowly absorbing and refining them. Instead, he could push himself to the limit of his current realm at the fastest possible speed and then break through to the next one!

He would be able to rise through the Xuanzhen Sect at an astonishing speed!

He constantly worried about his father and uncle’s situation in Caozhou. The lack of any news from them weighed on his heart like a great stone.

If he could rise quickly within the Xuanzhen Sect, perhaps even becoming the head disciple of Lingxi Peak, he could wield the resources and authority granted by the sect. Then, he could justifiably use the sect’s power to investigate what happened to his father and uncle and find his missing family.

Moreover, the rewards for the Fushan Grand Tournament were far more than just access to a Level B Training Room.

The prize for first place also included three drops of Yunqiao Jade Marrow.

This was a legendary, top-tier cultivation treasure said to be immensely helpful even for the training of Pill Realm masters. Its value far surpassed that of ordinary Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

The effects of this Yunqiao Jade Marrow were ten, even a hundred times stronger than a Bone Marrow Tempering Pill. If he could obtain it, Yang Jing estimated that he could break through to the Qi Absorption Realm much sooner, and it might even raise his foundation to a whole new level.

While resting cross-legged on the cattail cushion, Yang Jing silently contemplated the key to this tournament.

If he wanted to place in the top three of the Fushan Grand Tournament, or even take first, the top three on the Hidden Dragon List—Chu Yunhai, Bai Ziyu, and Lu Shaohua—were three great mountains he would have to overcome.

Yang Jing had previously heard about Lu Shaohua’s accomplishments from Lin Ziheng, Ma Qiang, and others. Lu Shaohua had once faced the Flower-Picking Thief, Li Zhikai, head-on and killed him while taking almost no damage himself. It was an astonishing feat.

Yet even someone as formidable as Lu Shaohua was still suppressed by Chu Yunhai and Bai Ziyu, forced into third place. This just went to show how terrifyingly strong those two must be.

Yang Jing had now broken both of his True Skills, the Mountain-Breaking Seal and the Indestructible True Skill, through to the Qi Eating Realm. His raw strength was already at the top tier among disciples of the same realm.

Even so, he didn’t have much confidence that he could defeat the top three on the Hidden Dragon List.

After all, those three occupied the top spots on the Hidden Dragon List and were quite famous among the younger generation of disciples throughout Jintai Prefecture. Each of them possessed extraordinary trump cards and methods.

After thinking for a while, Yang Jing sighed softly and pushed these chaotic thoughts to the back of his mind.

He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and walked out of the Training Room.

Outside the Training Room, the sky had already darkened.

The last rays of the setting sun had vanished behind the mountains, leaving only a faint orange glow on the horizon. The evening breeze carried the coolness of the mountain forest, refreshing his spirit as it brushed against his face.

Yang Jing set off along the winding mountain path toward his residence, Qing No. 4 Courtyard.

When he reached the gate of Qing No. 4 Courtyard, Yang Jing immediately spotted the beautiful figure standing there.

The dim twilight outlined her slender silhouette. The evening breeze stirred the hem of her robes, making her appear especially gentle and lovely.

Yang Jing’s eyes lit up. He quickened his pace and approached her, smiling as he spoke, "Senior Sister, what brings you here? Have you been waiting long?"

As he spoke, he reached out to push open the courtyard gate, then stepped aside to let Sun Ningxiang enter first. He followed behind her, and the two of them crossed the small courtyard and sat down in the main house.

Sun Ningxiang looked at Yang Jing, a faint smile playing on her lips. She took a light breath, raised her arm, and pulled a small white porcelain vial from her robes. She held it out to Yang Jing and said softly, "Junior Brother, this is for you."

Yang Jing froze for a moment, taking the small porcelain vial with a hint of confusion.

He uncorked the vial, glanced inside, and was utterly stunned.

Inside the smooth porcelain vial lay six round, glistening white Bone Marrow Tempering Pills. A faint luster shimmered on their surface, and a clear, medicinal fragrance wafted from the opening, drifting into his nose.

"Senior Sister, what is this?" Yang Jing looked up at Sun Ningxiang, dumbfounded.