Chapter 542 - 184: Displaying Strength

Ma Guoliang felt an indescribable, colossal force, carrying with it a torrential wave of Inner Qi, surge wildly up the shaft of his spear.

The force was incomparably tyrannical, like a great mountain crashing down upon him. It numbed his arm, instantly split open the web of his hand, and sent blood gushing out.

A sweet taste rose in his throat. He felt his organs churn as his qi and blood roiled, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood right then and there.

In the next moment, the situation on the arena stage was completely turned on its head.

If before the two had been evenly matched, with Ma Guoliang holding a slight advantage, now it was one-sided domination by Yang Jing.

Yang Jing’s movements grew faster and faster. As he swung his fists, the air howled around them, and every strike aimed for Ma Guoliang’s vital points.

His Inner Qi was vigorous and overbearing, and every attack carried an overwhelming force.

Ma Guoliang could only barely block with his spear, its shaft vibrating with a constant hum. He was forced back step after step until he was cornered on the vast stage with barely any room to move.

Yang Jing’s punches came one faster than the next, a flurry of overlapping afterimages that completely cut off Ma Guoliang’s every path of retreat.

Ma Guoliang gritted his teeth, desperately channeling his Inner Qi to find a chance to counterattack, but Yang Jing’s assault was a torrential storm that gave him no room to breathe.

With every clash, the turmoil in Ma Guoliang’s qi and blood intensified, and his face grew ever paler.

In just a few moments, trickles of blood began to seep from the corners of Ma Guoliang’s mouth. His expression was incredibly grave, his eyes filled with a mixture of unwillingness and horror.

After another dozen or so exchanges, Yang Jing spotted an opening. He stomped his right foot, launching himself into the air. Concentrating all his Inner Qi into one fist, he sent a punch thundering toward Ma Guoliang’s chest.

Ma Guoliang’s pupils contracted. He hastily raised his spear to block, barely getting the shaft in front of his chest.

BOOM!

The fist and the spear shaft collided with a thunderous crash. This time, Ma Guoliang could no longer hold his ground.

He felt an irresistible, immense force strike him, and like a kite with a snapped string, he was sent flying sideways off the stage. He crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

GWAH!

Ma Guoliang finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and violently spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground in front of him red.

Seeing this from the crowd, Chang Xiaoyu’s face paled. Forgetting everything else, she pushed her way through the throng and rushed to Ma Guoliang’s side. She carefully helped him up, her voice filled with worry. "Senior Brother Ma, are you alright?"

Ma Guoliang waved his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Taking the loss remarkably well, he shook his head slightly. His voice was weak but calm. "It’s nothing. It was just a match. A loss is a loss."

After speaking, he raised his head, looked at Yang Jing on the stage, and solemnly cupped his hands in a gesture of concession.

Then, supported by Chang Xiaoyu, he turned and walked toward the area where the Fen Yang Peak disciples were gathered. His retreating figure looked somewhat bleak, but his back remained straight.

At the same time, Fushan Square erupted with deafening applause and cheers, the roar of the crowd soaring into the sky.

This fervent atmosphere was for both Yang Jing and Ma Guoliang.

The match between them had been full of twists and turns. From Ma Guoliang’s initial suppression to Yang Jing’s explosive comeback, every moment had been thrilling, making for an exceptionally spectacular fight.

This match was by far the most dramatic one since the fourth round began.

Elsewhere in the crowd, Yuwen Mingjue’s expression was ugly to the extreme.

He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms. Listening to the endless waves of praise for Yang Jing around him, he felt his chest tighten with a resentment as foul as if he had swallowed a fly.

However, beneath his resentment, Yuwen Mingjue’s heart was also filled with shock.

’I already found it hard to believe when Yang Jing first broke through to the Qi Eating Realm. What’s even more unimaginable now is that, after such a short time in the realm, he already possesses such terrifying strength.

’Ma Guoliang was a veteran master who had been at the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm for years. His spearmanship had long since reached perfection, and he was considered one of the top powerhouses of the younger generation. Yet, a figure like that was just easily defeated by Yang Jing.

’Has Yang Jing’s strength really reached such a level?’

...

「On the stage.」

Steward Xue walked briskly onto the stage. His gaze swept across the entire square as he announced in a clear, loud voice, "Fourth round, ninth match! The winner is Yang Jing of Lingxi Peak!"

As his voice faded, another wave of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd.

Yang Jing cupped his hands in a salute to Steward Xue before turning to walk off the stage.

Just as he stepped off, he vaguely sensed a gaze from the high platform fall upon him.

He subconsciously looked up and met the eyes of his master, Bai Bing.

Bai Bing had her usual cold and detached expression, but a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of approval seemed to flash in her eyes. Seeing Yang Jing look her way, she gave him a slight nod.

Yang Jing also noticed that beside Bai Bing, Peak Master Zhenyue, Qin Gang, was also looking at him with a rather complicated expression.

Yang Jing didn’t dare to stare. He quickly averted his gaze and hurried back to the crowd of Lingxi Peak disciples.

The moment he rejoined his group, everyone swarmed around him.

"Senior Brother Yang, you’re too strong!"

"Ma Guoliang’s spear is so ferocious! I can’t believe he still lost to Junior Brother Yang!"

Yan Chenglong, Ma Qiang, Fang He, and the others surrounded Yang Jing, their gazes filled with shock and amazement.

They were all Inner Sect experts from Lingxi Peak, but just breaking through to the Qi Eating Realm had taken everything they had.

Yet Yang Jing, a junior brother who had broken through to the Qi Eating Realm later than them, had now advanced two martial arts to the Qi Eating Realm as well. His strength was far beyond their own. This level of talent and perseverance was something they could only look up to from afar.

The matches on the stage continued, one fierce battle after another. There was the clean decisiveness of victory by fast swordplay and the raw power of clashing palm techniques, leaving the audience dazzled.

When the thirteenth match concluded, the curtains finally fell on all the duels of the fourth round.

Steward Xue walked off the stage and gathered with Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan, who had been waiting by the stage, and several Main Peak Elders. They huddled together, discussing the rankings for the new top twelve.

They compared the disciples’ performances over the past few rounds, weighing each person’s combat strength and potential, and soon came to a decision.

Soon, the rankings were finalized.

Ouyang Jingxuan took the finalized list and walked quickly up to the high platform, reporting the names of the top twelve to Sect Leader Cao Zhen and the seven Peak Masters.

The sect’s leaders all nodded in approval without raising any objections, and so the rankings were set.

Ouyang Jingxuan walked down from the high platform and handed the list to Steward Xue.

Steward Xue took the list, ascended the stage once more, cleared his throat, and infused his voice with Inner Qi so it would carry across the entire Fushan Square. "After four rounds of fierce competition, the top twelve of the Fushan Grand Competition have been decided! The rankings are now announced 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, Yang Jing of Lingxi Peak!"

"Sixth place, Cui Yuan of Zhenyue Peak!"

"Seventh place, Gu Changfeng of Yunxi 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, Li Cangwu of Fen Yang Peak!"

After reading the list, Steward Xue paused for a moment before continuing in a booming voice, "Tomorrow, the fifth round of the Fushan Grand Competition will begin! The top twelve will be paired off to fight for the six remaining spots! I ask all disciples to rest well and gather their strength for the battles tomorrow!"