Chapter 425 - 153: I Didn’t Mean to Deal Such a Blow to You
Defeat isn’t so terrible. What’s terrible is being humiliated by your opponent after losing.
Now that he had earned Yang Jing’s acknowledgment, he had managed to save some face.
He gave Yang Jing a solemn nod, said nothing more, and turned. He walked down the Cyan Qilin Platform one step at a time. His figure looked somewhat desolate from behind, yet his back remained ramrod straight.
The Main Peak Steward looked at Yang Jing, his expression softening slightly. He spoke, "Yang Jing, you have one incense stick’s worth of time to rest. Afterward, you will face Zhou Tong from Zhenyue Peak, who is ranked fifth. The winner will claim fourth place in this Cyan Qilin Battle, and then the top four will be officially decided."
Yang Jing nodded slightly and replied respectfully, "I understand."
Yang Jing stepped off the Cyan Qilin Platform. He’d barely taken two steps when Lin Ziheng came running over, his face flushed with excitement as he yelled, "Junior Brother Yang! Incredible! That was absolutely incredible! I’m updating the list tonight—you’re number one on the Spirit Tide Dragon and Tiger List!"
He was so animated, you’d think he was the one who won the match.
Zhang Hengyi and Zhao Xuexiang also hurried over, their faces filled with joy and admiration.
Zhang Hengyi clapped Yang Jing on the shoulder. "Junior Brother Yang, your performance today was a real eye-opener! To think you could defeat someone with Wei Dongting’s level of strength so easily... You’re just too powerful!"
Zhao Xuexiang chimed in, "Yeah, Junior Brother Yang! With your strength, I bet you can really make it into the top three!"
Behind them, Steward Zheng was beaming, unable to close his mouth. He stroked his beard and declared in a booming voice, "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Yang Jing, you’ve brought great honor to our Lingxi Peak! It’s been nearly two years since a disciple from Lingxi Peak has reached this level in the Cyan Qilin Battle!"
Nearby, Steward Wang was also overjoyed. The way he looked at Yang Jing was like a father gazing at his most outstanding child.
In the distance, beyond the railing, Sun Ningxiang stood among the crowd, her gaze fixed on Yang Jing.
Undisguised joy lit up her face, and her bright eyes curved into crescent moons.
Liu Rou stood beside her. Seeing the look on Sun Ningxiang’s face, she couldn’t help but sigh to herself.
’Yang Jing is so outstanding, his strength is astonishing, and he’s so calm and reliable. How lucky would someone be to end up with him...’
As Liu Rou thought of this, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and a flash of envy sparked in her heart.
’If it were me...’
She shook her head, not daring to let the thought continue.
...
「At the judges’ area to one side of the Cyan Qilin Platform.」
Several Main Peak Elders were seated together, discussing the last few matches in low voices.
Suddenly, one of the deeply wrinkled Elders seemed to sense something. He raised a brow, lifted his head, and glanced in a particular direction. His expression froze for a moment.
Seeing this, the other three Main Peak Elders also fell silent and followed his gaze.
In the distance, under a pavilion on a small hill, several figures were looking their way. Despite the distance, the Elders’ eyesight was sharp enough to clearly identify the individuals in the pavilion.
They exchanged a look, then cupped their hands in a salute toward the distant pavilion.
Some of the disciples noticed this. Curious, they followed the Elders’ gazes but could only make out the blurry silhouette of the distant pavilion, unable to see anything clearly.
...
「In the octagonal pavilion on the small hill.」
A gentle breeze swept through, making the steam from the tea on the stone table curl and drift.
Peak Master Bai Bing of Lingxi Peak, Peak Master Zhou Yunyi of Yunxi Peak, Peak Master Huang Zhen of Celestial Derivation Peak, and Peak Master Li Zhihai of Qingxu Peak sat together, their gazes piercing the mountain mist to land on the distant Cyan Qilin Platform.
Huang Zhen stroked his beard, an appreciative smile on his face as he turned to Bai Bing beside him. "Peak Master Bai, this disciple of yours is a real diamond in the rough! Based on the strength he just displayed, Zhenyue Peak’s Zhou Tong is no match for him. He’s guaranteed to secure a spot in the top four. Lingxi Peak... it’s been a very long time since you’ve had a disciple make it into the top four of the Cyan Qilin Battle, hasn’t it?"
Bai Bing nodded slightly. A rare, faint trace of warmth surfaced in her cool eyes. Her voice was level, yet it carried a hint of imperceptible gratification. "It has indeed been a long time."
"If you ask me, his abilities don’t stop there," Huang Zhen said with a laugh, his gaze returning to the Cyan Qilin Platform. "In this Cyan Qilin Battle, he’ll make it into the top three, at the very least. He’ll inevitably have to face off against those two youngsters, Zhao Chong and Yuwen Mingjue. Now *those* are the duels that will be truly worth watching."
His words seemed casual, but he had already discounted Qin Wenbao, who was ranked third.
In the eyes of the Celestial Derivation Peak Master, Yang Jing already possessed the strength to defeat Qin Wenbao.
Hearing this, Peak Master Li Zhihai of Qingxu Peak, who was sitting to the side, also let out a soft chuckle. He tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table. "Peak Master Huang is absolutely right. The Main Peak Elders in the judges’ area have surely seen how solid Yang Jing’s foundation is. He has mastered three different martial arts and fused them, his Inner Strength is abundant and he wields it with perfect control. With such talent and depth, among the entire younger generation of the Xuanzhen Sect at the Inner Strength Realm, only Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang could reliably overpower him. If you ask me, the matchups for the next round will likely place him ahead of Qin Wenbao."
Outside the pavilion, Si Jiawen, who had been standing and watching the Cyan Qilin Platform, froze when she heard this. A flicker of shock flashed in her eyes.
’At that moment, she finally understood why her Master valued Yang Jing so highly.’
’It wasn’t because of the bet with the Peak Master of Zhenyue Peak, but because of Yang Jing’s own potential!’
’How old is he? And he’s already mastered three different martial arts?’
’If Yang Jing were over fifty, she wouldn’t be surprised by him mastering three martial arts. But he’s so young!’
Si Jiawen’s thoughts swirled. When she looked at Yang Jing now, her gaze held a new level of gravity it hadn’t before.
The atmosphere within the pavilion grew even more congenial.