Chapter 525 - 180: Wasting No Time, Full of Motivation

He stretched his limbs. Other than his qi and blood churning from the impact of his landing, he was surprisingly free of any serious injuries.

Clearly, Chu Yunhai had held back when he struck.

Xiao Ran solemnly cupped his fists toward Chu Yunhai on the stage and said in a clear voice, "Thank you for your mercy, Senior Brother Chu!"

...

Meanwhile, in the area where the disciples of Lingxi Peak had gathered.

A flash of disappointment flickered in Yang Jing’s eyes as he watched.

’As expected, the difference in their strength is just too great. To get a preview of Chu Yunhai’s real techniques, you’d need an expert at the Qi Eating Realm to even test him.’

’An ordinary Inner Strength Realm Martial Artist isn’t even worthy of forcing him to use his techniques.’

Yang Jing watched as Steward Xue announced the match’s result. Then Chu Yunhai gave a slight nod to the crowd below before turning, walking off the stage, and leaving Fushan Square without a second glance.

Such an action clearly showed he had no interest in the subsequent matches. At the same time, it displayed his immense self-confidence; he felt no need to scout his other opponents, confident he was invincible among his peers.

After that, the matches began and ended in quick succession.

When Bai Ziyu and Lu Shaohua took the stage, they, like Chu Yunhai, crushed their opponents with absolute strength, achieving clean and decisive victories.

After their victories, both of them followed Chu Yunhai’s example, leaving the stage and departing immediately without the slightest hesitation.

Soon, Xue Kun stepped onto the stage again and announced loudly, "Match Eleven: Main Peak Disciple Meng Fan is the victor!"

The moment he finished speaking, he glanced down at the roster in his hand and continued in a clear voice, "Match Twelve: Lingxi Peak disciple Yang Jing versus Zhenyue Peak disciple Huang Chao!"

As Xue Kun’s voice faded, both Yang Jing and Huang Chao stepped forward to the base of the stage. Then, with a single leap, they landed steadily in the center.

Huang Chao was powerfully built; the black uniform of Zhenyue Peak was stretched taut over his bulging muscles. As he looked at Yang Jing, a blazing fighting spirit rose in his eyes. He clenched his fists with an audible CRACK, clearly intending to go all out and give Yang Jing a proper fight.

’Yang Jing only just broke through to the Qi Eating Realm,’ Huang Chao thought. ’His foundation must be unstable. Among the Qi Eating Realm disciples, he’s probably one of the weaker ones.’

’I definitely can’t beat him; the chasm between our realms is just too wide.’

’But if I can just exchange a few moves with him, put up a fierce fight... even if I lose, the sect’s higher-ups on the high platform might see my strengths—my tenacity and potential. Maybe they’ll even add me to the list of disciples marked for special cultivation!’

At this thought, Huang Chao’s blood surged with excitement. The fighting spirit in his eyes burned even more intensely, and his breathing grew heavier.

Xue Kun glanced at the two on the stage. Seeing they were both poised and ready, he announced in a clear voice, "Let the match begin!"

As his voice fell, he turned to walk off the stage, leaving the platform entirely to the two combatants.

"Then let’s fight! Let me see what a Qi Eating Realm expert is made of—"

Huang Chao let out a great shout, his voice booming like a bell, instantly drawing countless gazes from across the square.

Even Sect Leader Cao Zhen and the Seven Vein Peak Masters on the high platform, along with the Elders and the leading Senior Brother and Senior Sister from each vein on the secondary platform, all turned their gazes toward the stage.

His words rang out with force, the second half of his sentence still caught in his throat. The attention of the entire square made his heart pound with even greater excitement.

But just then, a black shadow shot past his eyes, so fast he didn’t even have time for his pupils to contract.

Immediately after, an immense, heavy force slapped toward his face, the fierce wind it generated stinging his cheeks.

Huang Chao’s heart seized, and he instinctively raised his arms to block.

But the force was far more tyrannical than he had imagined. The instant their palms met, he felt an irresistible tide of Inner Qi surge through his arms and into his body, throwing his qi and blood into turmoil and shattering his Inner Strength.

THUD!

Without even seeing his opponent’s move, Huang Chao was sent flying like a sandbag struck by a boulder, landing heavily outside the stage.

Huang Chao crashed to the ground. Propping himself up with his arms, he got to his feet, still somewhat dazed.

He looked up at Yang Jing, who stood on the stage with his hands at his sides. He stared blankly for a long moment before it slowly dawned on him—he had already lost.

Instantly, Huang Chao’s face flushed crimson, the color spreading from his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears.

To think he had just been shouting so loudly, dreaming of lasting a few moves on stage, of having a fierce fight with Yang Jing and making a good impression on the sect’s upper echelons.

Who would have thought that he would be defeated before Steward Xue’s feet had even left the stage? And defeated so cleanly, so decisively, without being able to put up even the slightest resistance.

Huang Chao took a deep breath. He clenched his fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them, forcibly calming his churning qi and blood and his feelings of shame and indignation.

He solemnly cupped his fists toward Yang Jing on the stage, his voice tinged with shame and reluctance. "Thank you for your mercy, Senior Brother Yang. I was too naive. I underestimated the gap between the Inner Strength Realm and the Qi Eating Realm."

After speaking, he didn’t linger. He turned and walked quickly toward the area where the Zhenyue Peak disciples were gathered, leaving behind a somewhat sorry-looking figure.

Yang Jing watched him go, nodding slightly.

’The Mountain-Breaking Seal is an extremely domineering offensive True Skill. It can mimic many forms to engage an enemy—fist, palm, finger, claw, and even hidden weapons. It’s just that I’ve gotten used to using fist techniques since I started cultivating, so that’s what I normally use.’

’But against an opponent like Huang Chao, who is so much weaker than me, there’s no need to be so cautious. A casual palm strike is more than enough.’

’The real reason I defeated Huang Chao so quickly was to save time.’

’Right now, my mind is completely focused on getting to the Training Room, taking the Bone Marrow Tempering Pill, and using the elixir’s power to speed up my progress with the *Hengjiang Du*. Why would I waste a single moment on a match with such a predictable outcome?’

’If this were yesterday, I might have humored a valiant opponent like Huang Chao for a few moves, giving him a chance to show off.’

’But now that I see a chance to use the *Hengjiang Du* to break through to the Qi Eating Realm before the Fushan Grand Competition finals, my motivation and drive to cultivate it are at least ten times stronger than they were yesterday.’