Chapter 539 - 184: Showing Strength

Hearing Steward Xue’s voice, Yang Jing hesitated no longer and strode toward the fighting ring.

Once below the ring, he tapped his toes lightly against the ground. His body soared into the air like a swift swallow, and he landed steadily in the center.

"Go, Senior Brother Yang!"

"Watch out for Ma Guoliang’s greatspear!"

Behind him, among the crowd of Lingxi Peak disciples, Lin Ziheng, Fang He, Yan Chenglong, and Ma Qiang waved their arms and cheered Yang Jing on.

Lin Ziheng’s voice was especially booming, drawing the attention of many disciples nearby.

...

Meanwhile, Ma Guoliang slowly emerged from the crowd of Fen Yang Peak disciples.

He had a tall, straight posture and carried a jet-black greatspear on his back. With steady steps, he ascended the ring to face Yang Jing.

Below the ring, in a corner of the Fen Yang Peak disciple area, Chang Xiaoyu watched Ma Guoliang’s back, her delicate hands clenching into tight fists. Her heart was filled with anxiety.

She couldn’t help but recall her conversation with Ma Guoliang from the night before.

She had originally thought that Yang Jing was just a disciple who had recently broken through to the Qi Eating Realm. Even with a high rank, he shouldn’t be a match for Senior Brother Ma; dealing with him should have been easy.

But judging from Senior Brother Ma’s tone, he was surprisingly wary of Yang Jing and had said the man’s strength was far greater than it seemed.

This made Chang Xiaoyu’s heart race, and she began to worry for Ma Guoliang.

...

「On the ring.」

Yang Jing and Ma Guoliang locked eyes, their gazes colliding in mid-air. Both wore solemn expressions.

Yesterday, Yang Jing had learned a great deal about Ma Guoliang’s past and his true capabilities from his Senior Sister, Si Jiawen.

His Senior Sister had specifically warned him that Ma Guoliang had very likely hidden his true strength and was far more formidable than his rank suggested.

This warning ensured Yang Jing didn’t dare to be the least bit careless. He had already begun to secretly circulate the Inner Qi throughout his body.

Ma Guoliang, the greatspear still on his back, stared at Yang Jing with a heavy gaze, his eyes as sharp as an eagle’s.

He slowly raised his hand and gripped the shaft of the weapon on his back. With a soft HUM, he brought the jet-black greatspear down, holding it horizontally.

The shaft was as thick as a child’s arm and its tip was razor-sharp, glinting with a deadly cold light in the morning sun.

He had carefully watched Yang Jing’s previous matches. Every move Yang Jing made seemed effortless, but in reality, each one concealed a hidden depth. That level of calm and composure was far beyond what an ordinary, newly-advanced Qi Eating Realm disciple could possess.

Ma Guoliang knew full well that he couldn’t judge the man before him by the simple label of "newly advanced."

Furthermore, he had long heard of the famed Mountain-Breaking Seal. The offensive power of this Mid-grade True Skill was comparable to that of a Top-grade True Skill, making it even more tyrannical than the ’Sun-Piercing Spear’ he practiced.

’In terms of the skill’s grade alone, I’m already at a disadvantage.’

Xue Kun’s gaze swept over the two combatants. Seeing they were both ready, he announced in a loud voice, "The match begins!"

As his voice faded, he turned and descended from the ring, leaving the battlefield entirely to the two men upon it.

Yang Jing’s eyes narrowed. Without a moment’s hesitation, he seized the initiative and attacked.

He clenched his right hand into a fist as the Inner Qi in his Dantian surged. A powerful, tyrannical aura began to radiate from him.

Within his Dantian coiled two distinct streams of Inner Qi.

One was the Inner Qi cultivated from the Mountain-Breaking Seal—fierce, tyrannical, and packed with explosive power.

The other was the Inner Qi refined by the Indestructible True Skill—deep, enduring, and unparalleled in defense.

At this moment, Yang Jing was channeling the Inner Qi from the Mountain-Breaking Seal.

The formless Inner Qi surged into his right fist like a tidal wave. A faint shimmer of light flickered over his knuckles.

He stamped his foot, and his body shot forward like an arrow. With unstoppable momentum, he rapidly closed in on Ma Guoliang and threw a fierce punch at his chest.

Seeing Yang Jing’s fist tear through the air toward him, Ma Guoliang’s eyes sharpened. He jabbed his greatspear forward.

The tip of the spear was like a bolt of lightning, whistling through the air as it stabbed directly at Yang Jing’s fist. He intended to meet Yang Jing’s strike head-on with the hardness of his weapon.

CLANG!

The crisp sound of metal on metal rang out across the ring.

Yang Jing’s fist had slammed squarely into the tip of the spearhead.

His right fist was now enveloped in layers of Inner Qi from the Mountain-Breaking Seal, making it as hard as a tempered Divine Weapon.

Sparks flew the instant his fist collided with the spear’s tip.

Yang Jing felt an incomparably sharp force travel up the spear, threatening to pierce his fist and invade his meridians.

He quickly pulled back, simultaneously circulating his Inner Qi to neutralize the invasive force.

Ma Guoliang, on the other hand, felt a massive, heavy force surge up the spear shaft. It made his arm go numb and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger throb with pain, causing his grip to loosen slightly.

He stumbled back three steps before he managed to regain his footing.

After that single exchange, Ma Guoliang’s expression grew even more grave.

He glanced down at the slightly trembling spear shaft, inwardly alarmed.

’The Mountain-Breaking Seal truly lives up to its name! That offensive power is incredible! How long has it been since Yang Jing broke through to the Qi Eating Realm? The power of his Inner Qi is already about to match mine, and I’m a veteran disciple who’s been at the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm for years!’

However, despite his grave expression, Ma Guoliang also breathed a small sigh of relief.

It was just as he had guessed. Yang Jing’s strength was certainly not weak.

With the Mountain-Breaking Seal alone, his combat prowess was nearly on par with that of a long-established, veteran Qi Eating Realm disciple, far beyond any ordinary newcomer.

But that was the extent of it.

In Ma Guoliang’s opinion, while Yang Jing’s strength may have exceeded some expectations, he was ultimately still no match for him.