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

Chapter 376: Chapter 144: Congratulatory Gifts from Fellow Disciples, Paying Respects to the Peak Master

"Four battles, and he won every one decisively. Those powerful beasts and exotic creatures... practically none could withstand more than a few of his moves. He cut them all down with ease and came out without a single significant injury."

Zhao Hongxiang, Su Qingyue, Lin Wenxuan, and Cai He Kang’s pupils constricted as they listened to Liu Rou, unable to hide the shock on their faces.

Their mouths hung slightly open, and for a long moment, none of them could utter a word.

Lin Wenxuan was the first to recover. He whipped his head around to face Liu Rou, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief as he demanded, "Liu Rou, you’re not pulling our leg, are you? How could Yang Jing possibly be that strong?"

At his words, Liu Rou lifted her gaze to glance at Lin Wenxuan. Her look was detached, tinged with a hint of scorn, as if she were looking at an idiot. She offered no further explanation, but her expression radiated absolute certainty.

Seeing that look in Liu Rou’s eyes, Zhao Hongxiang and the others instantly understood.

Everything Liu Rou had said was true. Yang Jing’s strength was far, far greater than they had ever imagined.

But the more this reality sank in, the more shocked they became, an indescribable mix of complex emotions churning in their chests.

’Yang Jing is actually that strong?’

A chill ran down Su Qingyue’s spine.

The cold spread from her spine throughout her entire body, and she couldn’t help but shudder.

Only now did she belatedly realize that she had grossly underestimated Yang Jing in the past. In fact, it was fair to say she knew nothing about him at all.

Before, she couldn’t stand the sight of Yang Jing. She thought he had a lowly background, was quiet and withdrawn, and wasn’t one of them. She had even secretly plotted to find a few outer sect disciples with advanced cultivation to corner him and teach him a lesson, just to vent her own frustrations.

But thinking about it now, if she had actually gone through with her plan, given Yang Jing’s strength, they would have been the ones getting taught a lesson. They might have even suffered a far more miserable fate.

At this thought, a cold sweat broke out on her back, her heart pounding with belated terror.

Nearby, Cai He Kang stared at the closed courtyard gate, a deep sense of regret quietly welling up inside him.

He was the newest of the six disciples in the Ninth Courtyard, and he had learned early on that Yang Jing was not on good terms with Zhao Hongxiang and the others.

But wary of Zhao Hongxiang’s influence within the courtyard, he hadn’t dared to get too close to Yang Jing. He deliberately kept his distance and sometimes even went along with the others, showing a slight disdain for Yang Jing himself.

But he had never imagined that Yang Jing was secretly so powerful. Not only was his strength immense, but now he had even been promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple.

’If I hadn’t been so afraid of Zhao Hongxiang when I first joined,’ he thought, ’if I’d taken the initiative to build a good relationship with Yang Jing... with his current status and strength, I could have had a powerful connection. I’d have a backer in the sect for the future. I wouldn’t be stuck here, secretly regretting my choices.’

Liu Rou said no more. Seeing their silent, somber faces, each lost in their own thoughts, she simply shook her head. She turned and walked toward her room, gently pushing the door open and stepping inside, shutting the oppressive atmosphere of the courtyard behind her.

She knew in her heart that after this, the atmosphere in the Ninth Courtyard would likely never return to how it was. Yang Jing’s rise was destined to become an indelible memory for them all.

Su Qingyue raised a hand to her cheek. It still stung, a burning pain that was not just physical, but also a deep, profound humiliation. She hated Yang Jing so much it made her teeth ache.

But at the thought of Yang Jing’s terrifying strength and his current, lofty status as an Inner Sect Disciple, that hatred was instantly crushed by fear. She couldn’t even summon the faintest thought of revenge.

Right now, she was utterly lost, with no idea what to do.

Instinctively, she turned to look at Zhao Hongxiang, who was sitting on the stone bench.

In their daily life in the courtyard, she had always followed Zhao Hongxiang’s lead. Her first instinct when anything happened was to rely on him, and now she was desperate to know what he was thinking.

But Zhao Hongxiang completely ignored her gaze. His brow was still tightly furrowed as he rose from the stone bench with a grim expression and started walking toward his room without a word.

Su Qingyue opened her mouth, wanting to run after him and ask.

But she had barely taken a step when Zhao Hongxiang threw up a hand to stop her, the gesture sharp with impatience and rejection. He clearly had no desire to speak with her right now.

Su Qingyue watched Zhao Hongxiang’s resolute back as he walked away. Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and the color drained from her face. The humiliation was unbearable.

Then, a flash of intense hatred sparked in her eyes.

In that moment, a sudden hatred for Zhao Hongxiang bloomed in her heart.

’If it weren’t for Zhao Hongxiang! If I hadn’t been trying to help him snatch the Training Room from Yang Jing, why would I have ever provoked Yang Jing and made an enemy of him?’

Now Yang Jing had risen to become an Inner Sect Disciple, someone that even Zhao Hongxiang didn’t dare provoke.

She was the one left in this humiliating, unbearable position, yet Zhao Hongxiang was completely ignoring her, unwilling to even say another word.

His cold indifference caused the grievance and anger in her heart to instantly curdle into hatred for him.

Lin Wenxuan, who had been standing to the side watching all of this unfold, couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh, his expression a mask of complex emotions.

He shook his head, turned, and silently returned to his own room. Soon, only Su Qingyue was left in the courtyard, standing alone, her expression a mixture of venom and bewilderment.

...

「Deep within Zhenyue Peak, a spacious courtyard lay hidden amidst swirling clouds and mist.」

The courtyard, paved with blue bricks, was neat and elegant. Several ancient pines stood tall and proud, their needles a lush, inky green. When the wind blew, their branches rustled, filling the air with a quiet solemnity. This was the residence of Qin Gang, the Peak Master of Zhenyue Peak.