Chapter 431 - 154: Secure Second, Strive for First
The other Elders listened and nodded, clearly agreeing with this assessment.
Just then, the Main Peak Steward on the Cyan Qilin Platform announced in a loud voice, "Begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked off the Cyan Qilin Platform. In an instant, only Yang Jing and Zhao Chong remained on the vast stage.
The two faced each other from a distance, their gazes clashing in mid-air. An invisible aura surged between them, causing even the surrounding wind to seemingly still.
On the cyan bluestone, the white and black robes stood in stark contrast. A fierce battle that had captured everyone’s attention was about to erupt at any moment.
Clad in his black robes, Zhao Chong stared intently at Yang Jing, his feet rooted to the spot. He had no intention of making the first move.
Yang Jing’s expression turned solemn. He knew Zhao Chong was biding his time, waiting for him to expose a weakness.
Without further hesitation, he took a deep breath. His chest swelled as Inner Strength surged through him like a tidal wave, all of it channeled into his fists.
With a shake of his arms, he executed the opening stance of the Mountain-Breaking Seal. His fists, imbued with the crushing force of a collapsing mountain, smashed ferociously toward Zhao Chong.
Ever since the Cyan Qilin Battle began, Yang Jing had never used his full strength—not against Wei Dongting, and not against Zhou Tong.
The strength of those opponents had not been enough to force him to go all out.
But Zhao Chong, the man before him, was different. He was one of the strongest opponents in this Cyan Qilin Battle, one worthy of facing his full strength.
Seeing Yang Jing take the initiative and attack, a flicker of delight flashed in Zhao Chong’s eyes.
He knew Yang Jing possessed a Huajin Body Technique, making him as fast as a phantom.
While watching the previous fights, he had secretly mused, ’If Yang Jing just focuses on evasion, using his speed to maneuver around me, this match could get very tricky. A quick victory would be impossible.’
But now, Yang Jing was actually choosing to forsake his advantage in Body Technique to clash head-on. This played right into his hands.
"Excellent!"
Zhao Chong barked, advancing instead of retreating. He clenched his fists and unleashed his own Inner Strength without reservation.
BANG!
The two fists collided with a deafening thud. A powerful shockwave spread out in a ring, kicking up dust from the cyan bluestone and sending it flying.
Zhao Chong felt a fierce, unparalleled power surge from the point of impact through his entire body. The force made the web of his thumb go numb and his arm ache, and he involuntarily staggered backward.
His expression changed abruptly as shock crashed over him like a tidal wave.
’How is this possible?’
’Yang Jing’s fist is incredibly powerful! It’s not the slightest bit weaker than my own all-out strike!’
Zhao Chong had always been supremely confident in his own strength.
He had already cultivated two martial arts to the Huajin Realm.
More impressively, during the time he was unable to break through to the Qi Eating Realm, he had focused on solidifying his foundation and accumulating more potent Inner Strength by practicing multiple martial arts. Besides his two Huajin skills, he had also trained three other arts to the Peak of Dark Energy.
With such a profound foundation, he was virtually unrivaled among the disciples of the Inner Strength Realm.
And yet, the man before him, Yang Jing, had just shattered that belief.
With every clash of their fists, he felt an overwhelming, irresistible force that was not only on par with his own but even showed faint signs of overpowering him.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The two were instantly entangled in a brawl. The muffled thuds of their fists connecting rang out one after another, each collision unleashing a terrifying blast of air.
A dozen exchanges flew by in an instant. On the Cyan Qilin Platform, fierce winds howled and a flurry of fists blurred the air. The disciples watching below held their breath, their hearts pounding, not daring to make a sound.
Yang Jing’s arms were slightly numb. He raised an eyebrow, also secretly surprised.
He could clearly feel the profound power behind Zhao Chong’s fists. ’Even with my three Huajin martial arts at full blast,’ he thought, ’I can’t seem to gain much of an upper hand.’
’Truly, you can’t underestimate the heroes of this world.’
The Xuanzhen Sect was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons; the younger generation was brimming with talent.
Zhao Chong was already this powerful, yet he was still held down by Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang, perennially stuck in third or fourth place.
One could only imagine, then, just how powerful those two must be.
A glint appeared in Yang Jing’s eyes as his thoughts raced.
He had never planned on fighting top-tier experts like Gao Yang or Xu Ziqiang in the future.
His goal for this Cyan Qilin Battle was simple and clear: pass the current trial and obtain enough sect resources.
As soon as this battle was over, he would use those resources to break through to the Qi Eating Realm at top speed, stepping into a completely new stage of cultivation!
A vicious glint flashed in Zhao Chong’s eyes, and his punches grew even more ferocious.
He pushed the power of his Sky-Splitting Fist to its absolute limit. Each punch let out a sharp sound as it tore through the air, aimed in a crazed assault on Yang Jing.
He knew perfectly well that Yang Jing’s greatest advantage had never been his punching power, but rather his astonishingly fast Body Technique.
’I have to seize this chance, while he’s still clashing with me head-on, and defeat him completely,’ he thought. ’Once he starts using that Body Technique to move around, the situation will become truly dangerous.’
After all, in terms of pure Inner Strength and stamina, Yang Jing was actually a notch above him.
This was something Zhao Chong simply could not understand.
The Sky-Splitting Fist he practiced was an inherited family art, a Low-grade True Skill.
Ever since entering the Inner Strength Realm, he had been nearly unrivaled thanks to this fist technique.
But today, in a direct confrontation, he was actually losing to a newly-promoted Inner Sect Disciple. It was unbelievable.
The sound of fist meeting flesh rang out again and again as the two traded another seven or eight brutal blows.
Fierce winds radiated across the Cyan Qilin Platform, kicking up clouds of dust. The two fighters’ silhouettes crisscrossed amidst a blur of fist-shadows, neither one able to gain a clear advantage.
The spectating disciples below were already dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open. Even their murmuring had died down significantly.