Chapter 540 - 184: Displaying Strength (Part 2)

The most unnerving moments are always when you can’t gauge an opponent’s true depth.

After that direct clash, he had finally gotten a measure of Yang Jing’s capabilities. While his opponent’s strength was about what he had expected—certainly troublesome—Ma Guoliang finally felt he had a handle on the situation.

Yang Jing was certainly not weak, but that was the extent of it.

This battle would take some extra effort, but Ma Guoliang was now completely confident he could defeat him.

At this thought, the hesitation in Ma Guoliang’s eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling battle lust.

He took a deep breath, snapped his greatspear horizontal, and then his footwork shifted. His figure moved like a phantom as he launched a fierce assault on Yang Jing.

The spear’s afterimages danced like a raging squall, its tip glinting with a frigid light as every thrust aimed for Yang Jing’s vital points.

Ma Guoliang was, after all, a master at the Peak of Qi Eating Realm with a vast reserve of power. His Inner Qi was far more abundant and robust than Yang Jing’s.

Even with the tyrannical offensive power of the Mountain-Breaking Seal, Yang Jing was being suppressed under the momentum of Ma Guoliang’s spear.

He had studied the martial art known as the Sun-Piercing Spear to an exhaustive degree.

He had endured bitter cultivation day after day, from dawn until deep into the night, swinging his spear countless times. Every variation of every move, every application of force, was known to him by heart; he had even developed his own unique insights.

Now, as he executed the Sun-Piercing Spear, his techniques flowed with seamless perfection. He was actually unleashing 120% of this Mid-grade True Skill’s power!

Wherever the spear tip passed, the air tore with a WHINING sound. The display of power was terrifying.

Below the arena, watching Ma Guoliang’s vicious attacks, Yan Chenglong, Fang He, and the others all wore grave expressions, their fists clenched tightly.

They could clearly feel the chilling momentum of the spear from the stage, and even their breathing couldn’t help but quicken.

...

On the high platform, Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing, sat quietly in her seat, clad in white robes. Her gaze swept coolly over the two combatants on the stage.

Her expression was serene from start to finish, betraying not the slightest ripple of emotion, as if this intense match was nothing more than an ordinary sight to her.

Onlookers couldn’t tell if she simply didn’t care about the outcome or if she had already determined the victor in her heart.

On a secondary platform, however, Si Jiawen lacked such composure.

Her eyes were locked on the afterimages of Ma Guoliang’s spear. Her expression tensed, and her heart sank.

’Ma Guoliang’s strength is truly extraordinary. He must have been hiding his power in the previous matches. Or rather, his past opponents weren’t worthy of him revealing his true abilities.’

’With the level of spear mastery and the depth of Inner Qi he’s showing now, he could easily rank in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List. How could he possibly be ranked seventeenth?’

Watching Ma Guoliang press his advantage on the stage, gradually forcing Yang Jing into a disadvantageous position, Si Jiawen couldn’t help but furrow her brows.

...

Below the stage, Chu Yunhai of Celestial Derivation Peak also raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

His attention had previously been focused on old rivals like Bai Ziyu and Lu Shaohua, so he hadn’t paid much mind to Ma Guoliang. He hadn’t expected the man to possess such strength; it was quite a surprise.

But the surprise was fleeting, and Chu Yunhai quickly returned to his usual calm.

’No matter how much strength Ma Guoliang or Yang Jing have hidden, they’re still a long way from my level.’

Their fight was merely an appetizer before the finals, not worthy of his excessive attention.

...

At the front of the crowd.

Sun Ningxiang stood at the very front of the Lingxi Peak disciples, her fine hands clenched so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Yang Jing on the stage, her elegant brows slightly furrowed. A look of nervousness crossed her face, and she even held her breath.

On the stage, the two had already exchanged dozens of blows.

Spear-shadows crisscrossed and the wind from his fists howled. Their back-and-forth exchange sent bursts of energy rippling outward, creating quite a spectacle.

But any discerning eye could see that the tide of battle was slowly turning. Ma Guoliang’s advantage was becoming more and more obvious.

His spear techniques grew ever more vicious, the tip grazing past Yang Jing’s clothes and forcing him to retreat again and again, leaving him with less and less room to defend.

As Yang Jing parried, he sighed inwardly.

’Ma Guoliang’s strength is truly formidable, far beyond my expectations.’

’Even though I haven’t mastered the Mountain-Breaking Seal to the level of the Peak of Qi Eating Realm, the technique itself is so powerful that I should be able to fight to a standstill against an ordinary Martial Artist at that level.’

’But now, under the momentum of Ma Guoliang’s spear, I’m being utterly suppressed. I’m almost out of room to even counterattack.’

Yang Jing knew that if he remained on the defensive like this, defeat was only a matter of time.

’If I don’t go all out today, there’s no way I can defeat Ma Guoliang.’

Thinking this, Yang Jing hesitated no longer. He took a light breath, and his consciousness instantly sank into his Dantian.

Within his Dantian, two completely different streams of Inner Qi—one fierce and tyrannical, the other deep and enduring—began to surge and merge under the guidance of his will.

In an instant, the two streams of Inner Qi combined into one, transforming into a torrent of Inner Qi that was even more robust and even more tyrannical.

This new Inner Qi, whether in quality or quantity, was on a completely different level than either of the individual streams.

At the same time, a tyrannical aura, far surpassing what he had shown before, erupted from Yang Jing’s body and swept across the entire arena.

A strong wind whipped past, making his robes flutter loudly, and the very air around him seemed to thicken.

Just then, one of Ma Guoliang’s spear thrusts tore through the air with a sharp WHISTLE, striking with the force of a thunderclap as its tip aimed straight for the vital point of Yang Jing’s heart.

Yang Jing’s eyes narrowed. He advanced instead of retreating.

He shot out his hand, his right palm enveloped in the fused, robust Inner Qi. His fingers closed like a vise, and he actually caught the glinting spear tip, holding it steady.