Chapter 238: Chapter 114: Incident, Part 2
The next moment, a panel materialized out of thin air before his eyes, clearly displaying the progress of his three martial arts.
[Great Success of Mountain Shattering Fist (977/1000)]
[Great Success of Surging Tide Kicks (398/1000)]
[Entry of Indestructible True Skill (165/200)]
Seeing the cultivation progress of his three martial arts, the corners of Yang Jing’s mouth curved up slightly, and his mood brightened considerably.
His Mountain-Shattering Fist was nearing the Peak of Dark Energy. In just a few more days, he should be able to reach it and then break through to the Huajin realm.
The thought of his imminent breakthrough to the Huajin realm made Yang Jing’s heart pound with excitement.
The improvement of his Surging Tide Kicks had slowed considerably after breaking through to the Dark Energy stage.
However, the *Indestructible True Skill* was progressing quite quickly and wasn’t far from the Bright Energy stage.
This wasn’t because the *Indestructible True Skill* was easy to cultivate. Rather, it was because Yang Jing had already trained two other martial arts to the Dark Energy stage. With his foundation incredibly solid and having walked this path twice before, the process was naturally much easier.
The true difficulty in cultivating multiple martial arts lay in the bottlenecks. Breaking through them was far more difficult than his previous advancements, but for Yang Jing, this was not a problem.
After checking the panel, Yang Jing wiped his sweat, adjusted his collar, and headed towards the inner courtyard.
Sparring with his master at this time each day to experience the power and characteristics of the Huajin realm had become his most important task of late.
For other Dark Energy Martial Artists, frequently sparring with a Huajin Powerhouse could help them break through to the Huajin realm. The assistance wasn’t huge, but it did have some effect.
For Yang Jing, however, bottlenecks weren’t a concern. His focus was on understanding the Huajin realm now, so that after his breakthrough, he could quickly acclimate to his new power and master the sudden surge in strength.
...
Night fell like ink, blanketing Yunshan.
The once-bustling mountain stronghold of the Flying Horse Thieves was now nothing but ruins.
The authorities had sent men to raze all the buildings and tents. Under the moonlight, the jagged outlines of broken walls and rubble resembled a crouching beast.
The snow on the ground had long been trampled into a sheet of ice. Faint, dark red traces were visible beneath it—the stains of clotted blood, emanating a grim silence in the dead of night.
A cold wind howled through the shattered gates of the stronghold, sounding like the whispers of countless vengeful spirits.
The occasional cry of an owl from deep within the mountains only added to the terrifying atmosphere.
A dark figure appeared silently amid the ruins. It was none other than Li Hongyu, the escaped second-in-command of the Flying Horse Thieves. Wanted posters issued by the authorities now offered a bounty for his capture, yet unbelievably, he had returned to this very place.
His aura was now several times more powerful than before, and his circulating Inner Strength carried a piercing edge. He had become a Huajin Powerhouse.
His hawk-like gaze swept slowly across the ruins, finally settling on a flattened foundation where his room once stood.
Li Hongyu strode over and began to clear away the broken timbers and stones, his movements urgent and rough.
’Where is it? Where the hell is it?’
But after searching for what felt like an eternity, he found nothing but shattered splinters of wood.
Li Hongyu stopped, his face as dark as a thundercloud and his brow furrowed into a knot. ’The Jiujiang Token... It’s really gone!’
After his narrow escape, he had sought out the Holy Sect. It was only by borrowing their Secret Techniques and resources that he’d managed to break through to the Huajin realm.
But the Saintess had made it clear: he was to bring her the Jiujiang Token as repayment.
’Now that the Token is gone, how can I possibly explain this to the Saintess?’
Li Hongyu gritted his teeth and untied a palm-sized wooden box from his waist.
He opened the lid. Inside lay a small, pitch-black insect with a pair of wings on its back.
He pricked his finger with the tip of his blade, letting a drop of blood fall onto the insect. "My precious," he said in a low voice, "finding the Jiujiang Token is all up to you now."
The black insect drank the blood and instantly sprang to life. Its wings fluttered as it circled twice inside the box before flying out of the stronghold and vanishing into the deep night.
...
「Early the next morning.」
At the crack of dawn, after eating breakfast at home and taking a Qi Storage Pill, Yang Jing stood up. "I’m heading to the Martial Arts Hall, An," he said.
"Be careful on your way. The roads are slippery from the snow," Yang An cautioned as he cleared the dishes.
With a word of acknowledgment, Yang Jing pushed open the door and set off. He walked over the patches of unmelted snow, making his way toward Sun’s Martial Arts Hall in Chengping Square.
When he arrived at the front courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall, only a handful of disciples were practicing on the training grounds.
Several servant disciples spotted Yang Jing and hurried over to greet him.
Yang Jing nodded with a faint smile. He then removed his outer coat, walked to his usual training spot, took a deep breath, and began to practice his Mountain-Shattering Fist.
The air whistled with his punches as his Inner Strength flowed ever more smoothly through his meridians. He could clearly feel that he was just a hair’s breadth from the Peak of Dark Energy, and the power behind his Punching Techniques had grown heavier and more formidable.
Time passed slowly. An hour later, most of the disciples had arrived at the Martial Arts Hall and were beginning their warm-ups and training.
Just then, a disciple rushed in from the main gate, a panicked look on his face. He trotted over to Qi Yun and whispered something to her.
Qi Yun, who had been practicing her punches, went pale at his words. Her brow furrowed. "I understand," she said urgently. "I’ll go tell Master right away."
With that, she hurried toward the inner courtyard, her steps quick and anxious.
Yang Jing stopped his routine, watching Qi Yun’s retreating figure. A sense of unease washed over him; something was clearly wrong.
A moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the inner courtyard, and Sun Yong strode out.
He, who was normally so calm and composed, now had an ashen face. His brows were knitted together in a deep scowl, and his entire being radiated a suppressed fury. Without so much as a glance at the disciples in the front courtyard, he stormed straight out the main gate of the Martial Arts Hall.
