Chapter 527 - 181: Top Ten (2)
An Elixir as precious as the Bone Marrow Tempering Pill was a treasure to other disciples. They would only dare to consume one to help break through a bottleneck at a critical moment in their cultivation.
But Yang Jing, in his haste to improve his strength, used this priceless Elixir for his daily training. If word of this got out, it would likely leave many people’s jaws on the floor.
Yet Yang Jing had always believed that wealth and Elixirs were merely worldly possessions. Only one’s own strength was fundamental—the greatest support for gaining a foothold in this chaotic world.
As long as he could raise his own strength and reach a higher realm, these Elixirs and resources would naturally flock to him. Everything external was just a byproduct of his power.
With his mind made up, Yang Jing stopped letting his thoughts wander. He calmed his spirit, quieted his Qi, and began to practice the River-Crossing Stride.
His body slowly started to move. His footwork was intricate as he followed the Heart Method Mantra of the River-Crossing Stride, gradually infusing the energy converted from the Bone Marrow Tempering Pill into his legs.
At first, his movements were somewhat stiff, but as the energy continued to nourish his body, his Body Technique grew smoother and his speed increased.
With a light tap of his toes on the stone floor, his entire body slid several yards forward like a wisp of green smoke. The fluttering of his robes actually kicked up a faint, sharp gust of wind.
At times, he would twist his waist sharply, his body abruptly changing direction like a great wave crashing against the shore, altering his position in an instant.
At other times, his feet would move in a continuous chain, his figure flickering left and right, forward and back, within the Training Room.
When he reached his top speed, he formed a series of overlapping afterimages in the spacious stone room, as if dozens of Yang Jings were practicing the Body Technique at once. It was impossible to tell which was his true body and which was a residual image.
Time passed, second by second. The figure in the Training Room never stopped, and only the soft whoosh of his robes cutting through the air and the faint shuffling of his feet on the ground echoed in the quiet stone room.
In the blink of an eye, more than six hours had passed.
Yang Jing slowly came to a halt and let out a long, turbid breath. When it hit the ground, it was faintly visible as a wisp of white mist.
He stood on the spot, carefully sensing the subtle changes in his speed and Body Technique after more than six hours of practice.
His legs felt light and powerful, and the harmony between his Inner Qi and his Body Technique had improved by several degrees. The progress he’d made with the River-Crossing Stride was more significant than several days of arduous training in the past.
After concluding his practice, Yang Jing walked over to a cushion and sat down to rest briefly.
Once his breathing stabilized, he stood up, tucked the small porcelain vial containing the five remaining Bone Marrow Tempering Pills into his robes, and secured it close to his body.
He then estimated that the second round of matches over at Fushan Square was about to end. Without further delay, he turned, pushed open the stone door, and exited the Training Room, striding quickly toward Fushan Square.
Not long after Yang Jing left, the heavy stone door of a B-grade Training Room not far away creaked open.
Chu Yunhai, dressed in blue robes, walked out with his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was calm and placid, but his eyes held a sharp edge.
He lifted his gaze and happened to see a figure growing smaller in the distance on the mountain path.
From afar, Chu Yunhai watched Yang Jing’s figure, his eyes narrowing slightly as an imperceptible glint flashed through them.
Chu Yunhai wasn’t particularly concerned with Yang Jing himself.
He was the number one prodigy on the Xuanzhen Sect’s Hidden Dragon List, and his strength had long placed him at the pinnacle of his generation.
Yang Jing, on the other hand, was just a newly-advanced Qi Eating Realm disciple ranked in the twenties on the Hidden Dragon List. The gap between them was as vast as the one between the clouds and the mud.
Chu Yunhai had never imagined that Yang Jing would ever be qualified to be his opponent.
If not for the rare treasure—the Divine Flame Fruit—that Yuwen Mingjue had promised him, he wouldn’t have even given Yang Jing a second glance. ’Wouldn’t this time be better spent on cultivation? Wouldn’t it be better to strive for a breakthrough into the Qi Absorption Realm and pursue the position of head disciple?’
However, he had promised Yuwen Mingjue that he would teach Yang Jing a lesson on the tournament stage at the Fushan Grand Competition.
In his view, with his level of strength, a beating was unavoidable for Yang Jing. It was a trivial matter, nothing more.
The only thing that gave Chu Yunhai pause, however, was not Yang Jing himself, but the person behind him: Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing.
Ordinary disciples might assume that since Peak Master Lingxi didn’t seem old and was a recluse who rarely left her peak, her strength must rank at the bottom among the various Peak Masters.
But at Chu Yunhai’s level, he had access to some of the sect’s upper-echelon secrets. He knew better than anyone that for Bai Bing to hold the position of a Peak Master at her young age was in itself a testament to her terrifying power.
Chu Yunhai had once heard from his Master that many years ago, when Peak Master Lingxi had just taken her position, she had crossed swords with both Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan and Peak Master Zhenyue, Qin Gang.
Even back then, Bai Bing had been able to easily defeat the highly respected Chief Elder, and she had fought the famously ferocious Peak Master Zhenyue, Qin Gang, to a draw.
Now, so many years later, Peak Master Lingxi remained a recluse, rarely revealing her strength within the sect. No one had any way of knowing what terrifyingly high level her Cultivation had reached.
It was precisely because of this immense wariness toward Peak Master Lingxi that when Yuwen Mingjue had initially proposed that he seriously injure Yang Jing, Chu Yunhai had chosen to forgo the treasure, despite the incredible temptation of the Divine Flame Fruit, rather than dare to offend the unfathomable Peak Master of Lingxi Peak.
Although it was widely rumored in the sect that Peak Master Lingxi had an indifferent personality and a hands-off approach to her disciples, rarely intervening in their conflicts.
But people were unpredictable. Who could guarantee that the seemingly indifferent Peak Master wouldn’t fly into a sudden rage if he truly crippled her Direct Disciple?