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

But reality was just that bizarre, that utterly inconceivable.

The disciple who had broken through to the Qi Eating Realm and made it onto the Hidden Dragon List in a single stroke was, unbelievably, Yang Jing—the one person none of them had ever considered!

Xu Ziqiang was the first to snap out of it. His eyes flew wide as he stared intently at Zhang Huailiang, his tone sharp with disbelief. "Is that true?!"

His voice suddenly shot up, carrying the oppressive might of someone at the Peak of the Inner Strength Realm, startling the nearby grass and trees into a gentle sway.

Startled by his reaction, Zhang Huailiang flinched and quickly nodded. "Of course it’s true!" he said with certainty. "Senior Brother Xu, the news has practically spread throughout the entire Xuanzhen Sect by now. The Steward Main Hall has already posted the official announcement. How could it possibly be fake?"

He paused for a moment before adding, "Besides, Yang Jing’s strength is truly formidable. He cultivates the incredibly difficult Mountain-Breaking Seal. I heard that when the Elder Hall was assessing him, they took that martial art into account. Even though he just broke through to the Qi Eating Realm, they placed him directly at number twenty-three on the Hidden Dragon List!"

"Twenty-third place?!"

Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang’s hearts trembled when they heard that number.

At first, when they heard that Yang Jing had broken through to the Qi Eating Realm, they had found it absurd and unbelievable. They even wondered if Zhang Huailiang was just messing with them.

But looking at Zhang Huailiang’s dead-serious expression, devoid of any hint of a joke, they knew in their hearts that he wouldn’t dare lie to their faces, not even if he had ten times the nerve.

’So... it really is true?!’

At this thought, Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang slowly turned their heads and exchanged a look.

The instant their eyes met, they could both clearly see the shock roiling in the other’s gaze, along with an unconcealable look of astonished disbelief.

Gao Yang took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently as if trying to suppress the crashing waves of shock in his heart.

He glanced up at the towering summit of Yunxi Peak, his lips pressed into a thin line. He suddenly spun around, cupped his fist at Xu Ziqiang, and said in a rushed tone, "Old Xu, I just remembered I have something urgent to take care of, so I’m heading back. You can decide for yourself if you still want to go to Junior Yuwen’s banquet."

With that, Gao Yang gave Zhang Huailiang a slight nod by way of acknowledgment. Without even waiting for Xu Ziqiang to respond, he turned on his heel and shot down the mountain path as if wind were at his heels, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Xu Ziqiang stared blankly at Gao Yang’s retreating back, which looked for all the world like he was fleeing. A moment later, he snapped to his senses and shouted after him, "Lao Gao! Wait for me! I have something to take care of back at the peak too!"

After yelling, Xu Ziqiang hastily turned back to Zhang Huailiang, cupped his fist, and blurted out, "Junior Brother Zhang, could you do us a favor and go tell Junior Yuwen for us? Just say... just say something came up and we can’t make it."

Fearing Zhang Huailiang hadn’t understood, he added with a sense of urgency, "Oh, and Junior Brother Zhang, make sure to tell Junior Yuwen not to read too much into it. He should just focus on his recovery. I’m going back to attempt a breakthrough into the Qi Eating Realm in seclusion, so tell him not to contact me for the time being. Even if he tries, he won’t be able to reach me."

Having said his piece, Xu Ziqiang didn’t dare to linger a second longer. He immediately activated his Body Technique, and as if he were riding on Wind-Fire Wheels, he shot off in the direction Gao Yang had gone, quickly vanishing around a bend in the path.

As he ran, he silently cursed Gao Yang for being so sly. ’That bastard ran off without even giving me a heads-up, almost leaving me behind to deal with this.’

’With the way things are now, Yang Jing has already broken through to the Qi Eating Realm. We’re just two disciples at the Peak of the Inner Strength Realm. Knowing that Yuwen Mingjue wants to go after Yang Jing, how could we possibly still dare to go to his place for a banquet?’

’Going there would just be asking for humiliation!’

’And he still wants to go after Yang Jing?’

’What a pipe dream!’

’It’s a good thing the sect has strict rules forbidding Qi Eating Realm experts from participating in the Cyan Qilin Battle. Otherwise, with Yang Jing’s ruthless methods, he’d probably beat the two of us to death on the stage!’

Thinking of this, Xu Ziqiang couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

He really shouldn’t have been so rash and boasted about teaching Yang Jing a lesson during the Cyan Qilin Battle.

Now, with Yang Jing’s meteoric rise to the Qi Eating Realm, those boasts sounded like a massive joke to anyone who heard them.

The few disciples from Zhenyue Peak and Fen Yang Peak who had accompanied Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang were also stunned by this development.

Then, as if they all realized something at the same time, they exchanged a look and, without another word, also took off down Yunxi Peak.

In the blink of an eye, the once-lively mountain path was empty, save for a solitary Zhang Huailiang, looking a bit bewildered in the mountain breeze.

He glanced down the now-empty path and shook his head with a wry smile. Only then did he turn and start walking slowly toward the middle section of Yunxi Peak.

Yuwen Mingjue was incredibly arrogant and looked down on everyone. His personality didn’t win him many friends on Yunxi Peak, and Zhang Huailiang hadn’t wanted to get too involved with him in the first place.

Still, Xu Ziqiang had specifically asked him to deliver the message, so he had no choice but to make the trip.

As he walked, Zhang Huailiang couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

He imagined Yuwen Mingjue, having specially prepared a small banquet to host Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang, only for his guests not to show up—and in fact, to have been scared off so badly they’d fled for the hills.

When Yuwen Mingjue found out, the ensuing scene was bound to be spectacular.

...

Lingxi Peak, at the base of the mountain.