Chapter 231: Chapter 112: Senior Sister’s Strangeness, Touching Hua Jin
They had only ever known Senior Brother Yang Jing to be a diligent martial artist who had placed fourth in the Hall’s trials. They were unaware of his incredible feat from the day before, so they were all stunned by the news.
"The County Magistrate is holding a banquet? To celebrate Senior Brother Yang’s achievement?" A young disciple, who had joined the Hall less than two months ago, scratched his head in utter confusion. "Is Senior Brother Yang that amazing? Worthy of the Lord County Magistrate holding a special banquet for him?"
A slightly older disciple beside him was just as baffled. "Senior Brother Lin Yue used to be the most outstanding disciple in our Martial Arts Hall, and he even has superior aptitude, but he never received this kind of treatment, did he?"
The crowd began to murmur, all feeling that something about the situation was odd.
As the sun climbed higher, more and more disciples filled the Martial Arts Hall. Some well-informed disciples from prominent families in the Outer City also arrived.
One of them, a Mingjin Disciple dressed in a brocade martial arts uniform, heard the discussions as soon as he entered and immediately laughed. "You all don’t know yet? Senior Brother Yang did something monumental yesterday!"
He cleared his throat and deliberately lowered his voice, yet made sure everyone around could hear. "You all know about the Flying Horse Thieves, right? That band of vicious bandits who’ve been terrorizing Yuhe and Jiujiang? Well, Senior Brother Yang led a group and wiped them out yesterday! Even their leader, Li Qianxiong—the one said to be an incredible master even among those at the Peak of Dark Energy—was killed by Senior Brother Yang’s own hands!"
"What?!"
As soon as he said this, the training ground in the front courtyard fell silent for a moment before erupting in even louder gasps of shock.
"The Flying Horse Thieves were wiped out? For real?"
"Aren’t those bandits supposed to be incredibly strong? Even the authorities couldn’t do anything about them!"
"Senior Brother Yang... killed Li Qianxiong? That’s the leader of the Flying Horse Thieves..."
The disciples looked at one another, their jaws hanging open in astonishment.
They might not have known the extent of Li Qianxiong’s power, but the fearsome reputation of the Flying Horse Thieves was known to all. They were the kind of notorious bandits whose name alone could stop a child from crying.
How could they not be shocked to hear that this gang of notorious bandits had been wiped out by Yang Jing?
As they looked at the figure in the center of the front courtyard who was focused on practicing his fist techniques, the gazes of all the disciples changed. They were filled with shock, awe, and a hint of fiery admiration!
So, their usually quiet Senior Brother Yang had already become this powerful. Which other Martial Arts Hall in all of Yuhe County could possibly compare?
...
Afternoon sunlight pierced through the clouds, scattering across the training ground in the front courtyard of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall.
Yang Jing was bare-chested, his bronze skin covered in fine beads of sweat. As he moved through the forms of the Mountain-Shattering Fist, the sweat trickled down the lines of his muscles and spread into small, damp patches on the ground.
The movements of the surrounding disciples were somewhat absent-minded. From time to time, they would secretly glance toward the figure in the center of the yard, their awe and admiration barely concealed.
The news of Yang Jing wiping out the Flying Horse Thieves and killing Li Qianxiong had already spread throughout the entire Martial Arts Hall. In their eyes, Yang Jing was now a legendary figure.
Yang Jing seemed oblivious to all this, still immersed in the flow of his fist techniques.
Only when he felt his Inner Strength circulating more smoothly, bringing him one step closer to the Peak of Dark Energy, did he slowly draw his form to a close and let out a long breath.
Then, with a thought, a panel materialized before his eyes, clearly displaying the progress of the three martial arts he was currently cultivating.
[Great Success of Mountain Shattering Fist (870/1000)]
[Great Success of Raging Wave Kicks (320/1000)]
[Indestructible True Skill - Initiate (2/200)]
After studying and practicing last night, and with his foundation in two other Dark Energy-level martial arts, Yang Jing had finally reached the initiate level of the Indestructible True Skill.
Although cultivating this martial art was more difficult, Yang Jing was no longer a novice. As a veteran who had already mastered two martial arts to the Dark Energy level, he felt his progress was quite smooth after reaching the initiate stage of Indestructible True Skill.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that his skin had already changed slightly today, though it wasn’t yet obvious.
He looked at the sky, estimated that it was not long before 3:00 PM, and prepared to go to the inner courtyard to find his master for a sparring session.
"Senior Brother Yang!"
Jiang Haoyang came running over like a devoted lackey, holding out a clean towel. His young face was full of vicarious excitement.
When he had heard about Yang Jing’s deeds that morning, he had been completely stunned. Now, the way he looked at Yang Jing was as if he were gazing upon a hero from legend, his eyes filled with adoration.
"Senior Brother, wipe your sweat."
Yang Jing took the towel, casually wiped the sweat from his body, and smiled. "Don’t just stand there watching. You need to focus on your own fist techniques, too."
"Mhm!" Jiang Haoyang nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling as he looked at him. "Don’t worry, Senior Brother! I’ll definitely train hard and strive to become as strong as you one day!"
Yang Jing patted his shoulder, glanced at the sun, and said, "I’m going to the inner courtyard to find Master. You keep working hard on your own."
With that, he turned and walked toward the inner courtyard.
Just as he reached the Moon Gate that separated the front and inner courtyards, he saw his Eldest Brother, Xu Hong, walking out from within.
Xu Hong was dressed in a white martial arts uniform, his face wearing a complicated expression. When he saw Yang Jing, he froze for a moment before cupping his fist. "Congratulations, Junior Brother."
His voice carried a hint of emotion and a barely perceptible trace of envy.
Just now, he had gone to the inner courtyard to ask their master for guidance on fist techniques. The master had mentioned that he was considering taking Yang Jing on as a Closed-door Disciple. Coupled with the news of Yang Jing’s feat of wiping out the Flying Horse Thieves, this stirred up complex emotions within him.
He himself had been stuck at the Peak of Dark Energy for many years, while Yang Jing could already slay a top-tier master like Li Qianxiong. The disparity inevitably caused turmoil in his heart. Yet, he felt not a shred of jealousy. It was mostly admiration for his extraordinarily talented junior brother, tinged with a bit of melancholy over his own stagnation.
Yang Jing was slightly taken aback, wondering why his Eldest Brother was suddenly congratulating him. ’Is it because I wiped out the Flying Horse Thieves?’ He didn’t have time to dwell on it. Seeing that it was getting late, he cupped his fist in return and said, "Thank you, Eldest Brother. I’m going to see Master now."
