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

Chapter 365: Chapter 142: Sweeping

’The kid practices Mountain-Shattering Fist, a style that suits his martial path. He’s calm and ruthless, decisive and efficient—exactly my kind of temperament. Most importantly, his strength is exceptional. A rare talent. I’m thoroughly satisfied.’

...

「On a small hill in the distance.」

Bai Bing stood quietly, still dressed in a plain white robe.

Her cool gaze remained fixed on the high platform in the center of Dragon Gate Plaza, focused on Yang Jing. Her expression was as placid as ever, yet a faint glimmer of anticipation flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Si Jiawen stood beside her, her eyes locked on Yang Jing. He was sitting cross-legged on the platform, his expression serene as he regulated his breathing. She nodded to herself.

’I have to admit, this outer disciple’s performance has been truly dazzling. He won all three matches with crushing force, clean and decisive.’

She couldn’t help but wonder. Her master had specifically told her to keep an eye on the Cyan Qilin Battle reports, and then personally brought her to watch this Dragon Gate Martial Trial. ’Could the one Master values be this very same Yang Jing—the one who kept a low profile before but is now making a stunning debut?’

Si Jiawen didn’t dare ask aloud, merely suppressing the question in her heart.

She knew full well that the first three rounds of the Dragon Gate Martial Trial were, after all, much simpler than the fourth.

The true test, the one that best gauges a disciple’s true strength, had always been the fourth round.

’I’ll have to see for myself just what this seemingly extraordinary outer disciple can do in the perilous fourth round. Can he truly fight his way through to the very end?’

...

「On the high platform.」

Yang Jing sat cross-legged with his eyes lightly closed, his aura peaceful and restrained.

As he quietly waited for the fourth match to begin, he mentally reviewed the previous three, summarizing the lessons he had learned.

Across his past and present lives, he had killed many people and possessed a wealth of experience in fighting humans. However, he’d had few opportunities for actual combat against exotic beasts.

Exotic beasts had different attack patterns and habits than humans. They fought purely on instinct—ferocious and savage. Now that he had this rare chance for consecutive battles against them, he naturally had to absorb and consolidate the experience, turning every fight into a foundation for his growing strength.

Time passed quietly.

The fifteen-minute rest period passed quickly.

Yang Jing slowly opened his eyes. The tranquility within them faded, replaced by a calm sharpness.

He rose slowly to his feet, his posture as straight and tall as a pine tree. The aura around him retracted as he stood ready, prepared to face the final, perilous battle.

Just then, the Main Peak Steward in charge of escorting the exotic beasts strode forward, a heavy iron cage in each hand.

Unlike the ease with which he had carried the previous cages, this time his body dipped slightly as he leaped. Reaching the edge of the platform, he had to push off for extra leverage to haul both cages up. He landed with a heavy THUD that made the platform tremble. Clearly, these two cages were far heavier than the last.

The fourth round of the Dragon Gate Martial Trial required a disciple to face two exotic beasts at once—a huge leap in difficulty.

Yang Jing looked up at the two iron cages, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

The first iron cage held a burly, tiger-like beast covered in black and yellow fur.

It lacked the ’king’ character marking on the forehead of an ordinary tiger; instead, there was only a single, murky eye. Its gaze was savage and bloodthirsty, and two exceptionally sharp fangs jutted from the corners of its mouth, radiating an air of brutish strength.

The other cage held a leopard-like beast. Its body was sleek and streamlined, its fur covered in interlocking black spots of varying shades. Its limbs were long and powerful, and its eyes were vigilant and lively, suggesting a master of speed and surprise attacks.

Both beasts were massive, and the ferocious aura they exuded was even more intense than that of the previous Silver Wolf and Single-Horned Black Bull. The mere sight of them was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

The Main Peak Steward set the cages in the center of the platform and turned to Yang Jing. With a grave expression, he asked, "Are you ready? The fourth round is dangerous. If you find yourself outmatched, signal your surrender immediately. Don’t try to tough it out."

Yang Jing nodded slightly, his tone calm yet resolute. "Thank you for the warning, Steward. I am ready."

Seeing his resolve, the Main Peak Steward said no more. He raised his hands and opened both cage doors in succession. Then, circulating his Inner Qi, he created an invisible force that pushed both beasts out.

The moment the two beasts stepped out of their cages, they adopted attack stances. The one-eyed tiger let out a low growl and arched its back, its muscles tightening, radiating immense power.

The Spotted Shadow Leopard crouched low to the ground, its tail twitching slightly. Its eyes were locked on Yang Jing, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

Having done this, the Main Peak Steward quickly grabbed the two empty cages and leaped off the stage, leaving it entirely to Yang Jing and the two beasts.

At the side of the platform, the Main Peak Elder’s expression instantly turned serious. He silently began to circulate his aura, his sharp gaze fixed on the unfolding scene, not relaxing for a second.

The fourth round of the Dragon Gate Martial Trial was the most perilous. In the past, despite having Elders on standby to intervene, there had been rare occasions where they couldn’t react in time, resulting in disciples being severely injured or even killed.

Nearly all such accidents occurred during this fourth round.

Though such incidents were extremely rare, this particular Main Peak Elder had taken a liking to Yang Jing. He admired the young man’s composure and strength and certainly didn’t want to see anything happen to him in this final match.

In Dragon Gate Plaza, the noisy chatter gradually died down. Everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the figure on the platform. The atmosphere was stretched to its breaking point.

Sun Ningxiang had made her way to the front of the crowd. Without realizing it, her palms had grown slick with cold sweat. Her fingers clenched the hem of her clothes, her heart filled with anxiety and dread.