Chapter 407 - 150: Stunning Skill
Yang Jing stood among the participating disciples from Lingxi Peak, gently rubbing his palm with his fingertips. ’The rankings are set,’ he mused. ’Next up, the main event of the Cyan Qilin Battle will begin.’
The rules for the Cyan Qilin Battle’s matches were top against bottom. The first place would fight the last place, second place against second to last, and so on.
According to this rule, since he was ranked seventeenth, his opponent would be the twentieth.
He mentally reviewed the rankings he had just heard. The twentieth place seemed to be a disciple from Fen Yang Peak named Zhang Han. He had never heard the name before, let alone knew anything about him.
However, Yang Jing didn’t dwell on it. It didn’t matter if he didn’t know him; most of his opponents in the Cyan Qilin Battle would be strangers anyway.
His gaze slowly swept over toward Yuwen Mingjue, Zhao Chong, and Qin Wenbao. ’I need to watch their fights carefully,’ he thought, ’and commit their moves, techniques, and power-generating habits to memory. It’ll help me prepare in case I have to face them later.’
....
「In the distance.」
In the area where the participating disciples from Fen Yang Peak were gathered, a few of them were huddled together, talking in low voices.
One of them, a scrawny disciple, said to a stout, broad-backed man beside him, "Senior Brother Zhang, the rankings are out. Your opponent is Yang Jing from Lingxi Peak. I heard that kid just got promoted to the Inner Sect not long ago, and this is his first time in the Cyan Qilin Battle."
He paused for a moment before adding with a smile, "You were clearly holding back on the strength-testing platform just now. Dealing with a newcomer like him should be an easy win."
Hearing this, Zhang Han grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said in a booming voice, "I might have been holding back, but that Yang Jing looked like he had plenty of strength in reserve on the platform too. He might not have used his full power either."
The Fen Yang Peak disciple next to him said earnestly, "Senior Brother Zhang, you’re so strong, you’ll definitely win!"
Zhang Han, however, just smiled and shook his head, his tone frank. "With my strength, trying to break into the top three of the Cyan Qilin Battle is just wishful thinking. I don’t participate every month to fight for victory or rank. I’m just here to test my martial arts in real combat, find my weaknesses, and slowly polish them away to become stronger."
The Fen Yang Peak disciple was stunned by his words, clearly not expecting Zhang Han to have such a clear-headed perspective.
Zhang Han looked toward the Cyan Qilin Platform and added with a sigh, "Besides, for that Yang Jing to dare enter the Cyan Qilin Battle right after joining the Inner Sect... that kind of drive is much stronger than what I had back then."
...
Just then, a booming voice suddenly echoed across the entire area, drawing everyone’s attention back to the Cyan Qilin Platform.
A Main Peak Steward strode onto the Cyan Qilin Platform. His gaze was piercing as he slowly swept it over the thirty-six participating disciples below. He announced loudly, "For the main event of this Cyan Qilin Battle, the first match: Yuwen Mingjue of Yunxi Peak versus Li Shi Yu of Qingxu Peak!"
As his voice faded, Yuwen Mingjue immediately stepped forward.
Dressed in a brocade robe, he walked with a relaxed gait, a nonchalant expression on his face. He stepped onto the Cyan Qilin Platform as if this match were nothing more than a trivial matter to pass the time.
On the other side, Li Shi Yu also gritted his teeth and hurried onto the platform.
His face was still flushed, clearly not yet recovered from the shock of being ranked last. But his eyes burned with a defiant fighting spirit.
’We’re all at the Peak of Transformation Cultivation,’ he thought. ’Even if Yuwen Mingjue was first in the strength test, how much stronger can he really be?’
Even if he knew he couldn’t win, he would give it his all and have a real fight with him!
The Main Peak Steward watched as the two took their positions and then shouted, "Begin!"
He then turned and walked off the Cyan Qilin Platform.
Yuwen Mingjue’s specialty was the All Things Return to Origin Fist. This Low-grade True Skill’s moves seemed balanced and ordinary, even unremarkable, but they hid a subtle depth. It excelled at redirecting an opponent’s force, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
He took the initiative, pushing off his feet and shooting toward Li Shi Yu like an arrow. His right fist, wrapped in thick Inner Strength, moved with deceptive slowness, concealing a follow-up attack as it went straight for Li Shi Yu’s chest.
Li Shi Yu’s expression tightened. Not daring to be careless in the slightest, he roared, "Then let’s have a real fight!"
Before the words even left his mouth, he crossed his arms, circulated all his Inner Strength, and met Yuwen Mingjue’s fist head-on.
"BAM!"
The moment their fists collided, Li Shi Yu felt a massive, surging force transmitted from the point of impact. The power seemed to carry a strange, pulling quality that instantly caused his own Inner Strength to stagnate, as if it had been frozen, leaving him limp and powerless.
He didn’t even have time to react before he was sent flying sideways like a leaf caught in a gale, landing hard outside the Cyan Qilin Platform.
Just then, a figure shot out—it was the Steward from Qingxu Peak.
He reached out and caught Li Shi Yu steadily, preventing him from taking a heavy fall.
The moment he was caught, Li Shi Yu’s face turned beet red, even redder than when he had heard he was ranked last.
He had been thinking about having a grand battle with Yuwen Mingjue, but he never imagined he would be knocked off the platform with a single punch. It was the ultimate humiliation.
The Qingxu Peak Steward glanced down at Li Shi Yu, whose face was now pale and had a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. In a flat tone, he said, "There is still a huge gap between you and the top disciples of the Cyan Qilin Battle. Take this as a lesson learned. Train harder next time, and try not to rank so low."