Rise in the Martial Chaos: Starting From a Martial Arts School

The group chatted and laughed as they continued their walk up Yunxi Peak.

Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang walked side by side at the front, conversing in low voices. Their tones carried an air of absolute confidence, certain they had Yuwen Mingjue—and Yang Jing—right where they wanted them.

The disciples following them knew better than to interrupt and simply trailed behind in silence.

Lush vegetation lined the mountain path, and the air was filled with the chirping of insects and the calls of birds, painting a tranquil scene.

Just then, a figure shot up the mountain path from below like an arrow loosed from its bow. Their Body Technique was swift and light, kicking up a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, they had overtaken Gao Yang’s group and were heading straight for the summit.

"Huh? Isn’t that Zhang Huailiang?"

A sharp-eyed disciple from Fen Yang Peak, walking behind Xu Ziqiang, recognized the figure and pointed at their back.

Hearing this, Xu Ziqiang and Gao Yang both looked up.

The man was clad in green martial arts attire, his build slender. It was, indeed, Zhang Huailiang of Yunxi Peak.

Zhang Huailiang was a regular in the Cyan Qilin Battle. He perennially hovered around the top sixteen, occasionally breaking into the top ten. He was considered quite skilled among those in the Inner Strength Realm, and everyone present had dealt with him before, so they were all acquainted.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqiang immediately called out, "Junior Brother Zhang! Why the rush? You look so flustered. Did something happen?"

Zhang Huailiang had been in such a rush, so single-mindedly focused on charging ahead, that he hadn’t noticed the identities of the people on the path.

Upon hearing Xu Ziqiang’s voice, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look back.

When he saw that the one who had called out was Xu Ziqiang of Fen Yang Peak, with Gao Yang standing beside him, he froze for a moment before walking over.

Zhang Huailiang strode up to Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang and cupped his hands in greeting, his tone polite. "Senior Brother Gao, Senior Brother Xu. What brings you two to Yunxi Peak together today?"

Gao Yang gave a slight nod, his expression indifferent. "Yuwen Mingjue sent an invitation for a small gathering. We were idle, so we decided to come over."

Xu Ziqiang, however, waved a hand dismissively. His gaze landed on Zhang Huailiang’s slightly harried face as he asked, "Junior Brother Zhang, you were just sprinting all the way up here without even stopping. Is there some kind of emergency?"

Upon hearing this, the look on Zhang Huailiang’s face grew complicated. He nodded, then gently shook his head, unable to hide the lingering shock in his eyes. Taking a shallow breath, he said, "I’m afraid you two Senior Brothers haven’t heard, have you? The Hidden Dragon List has changed again. Someone new made the list."

"A change to the Hidden Dragon List?"

Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang were both stunned. After exchanging a look, they asked in near unison, "Did one of the junior brothers break through to the Qi Eating Realm?"

Gao Yang’s brow furrowed. "Only disciples who have been in the sect for less than three years can make it onto the Hidden Dragon List," he said grimly. "That guy Zhao Chong joined before I did, so he’s long past the three-year limit. It’s definitely not him."

"Then could it be Wei Dongting from the Main Peak?" Xu Ziqiang chimed in, his tone uncertain. "Qin Wenbao has also been in the sect for over three years, so he isn’t eligible. Wei Dongting has a solid foundation and good talent... Don’t tell me he’s the one who broke through?"

As they went back and forth with their guesses, their expressions gradually grew heavy.

For years, the two of them had dominated the top two spots in the Cyan Qilin Battle. To outsiders, they were infinitely glorious, the very elite of the Inner Strength Realm disciples.

But only they knew that behind this glory lay a daily torment.

They had been stuck at the peak of the Inner Strength Realm for years, unable to break through to the Qi Eating Realm. The feeling of seeing the threshold but being unable to cross it was worse than death.

Now, hearing that a disciple of their generation had broken through and made it onto the Hidden Dragon List, they were naturally both frustrated and envious—so envious it left a sour taste in their mouths.

Listening to their speculation, the expression on Zhang Huailiang’s face grew increasingly strange. He cleared his throat, cutting them off. "Senior Brothers, you’re... both wrong."

"We’re wrong?"

Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang froze, their heads snapping toward Zhang Huailiang in unison. Eyes full of confusion, they demanded, "Then who in the world is it?"

Zhang Huailiang took a deep breath, his face filled with profound feeling and his voice laced with a sigh. "It’s Yang Jing. Yang Jing from Lingxi Peak."

He paused, as if he still hadn’t recovered from the shock, and continued, "Who could have imagined? Last month was his first time ever participating in the Cyan Qilin Battle, and he took first place.

"And now, only a few short days later, he’s gone and broken through to the Qi Eating Realm!

"Now that’s what you call a true chosen one, a peerless talent. Compared to a genius like that, people like me... we’re just worlds apart..."

Hearing the name "Yang Jing" from Zhang Huailiang’s lips, Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang froze as if struck by an Immobilization Spell. Their expressions went rigid, and they even forgot to blink.

The disciples following them were instantly dumbfounded, their faces filled with utter disbelief, and they couldn’t help but break into hushed discussion.

It was true. They had guessed so many people—Zhao Chong, Qin Wenbao, Wei Dongting... all renowned figures among the sect’s Inner Strength Realm disciples—but not a single one of them had ever considered it might be Yang Jing.

After all, it seemed like Yang Jing had only recently been promoted to Inner Sect Disciple.

The path of cultivation was one of patient accumulation for a powerful release. Without years of buildup, without a solid foundation of dense Inner Qi, how could anyone break through the difficult bottleneck that had trapped countless experts of the Inner Strength Realm? It completely defied logic!