Chapter 533 - 182: Venting Anger for Master (4)

"Senior Brother Yang, it’s been a while. I must ask you for a match today!" Li Mao said, gripping his rod with both hands, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.

He had been training diligently these past days and believed he had made considerable progress.

Of course, he knew the gap between him and Yang Jing had only grown wider than before.

But even knowing defeat was certain, he had to fight Yang Jing. He would not lose his will to fight!

Yang Jing nodded slightly, wasting no words.

He took a single, light step, and his figure seemed to shrink the distance, appearing before Li Mao in an instant.

Even without deliberately using the River-Crossing Body Technique, the speed generated by the Inner Qi of a Qi Eating Realm expert far surpassed that of an Inner Strength Realm Martial Artist.

Immediately after, Yang Jing clenched his right fist. The Inner Strength of the Mountain-Breaking Seal gathered at his knuckles as he punched out to meet Li Mao’s Iron Rod.

CLANG!

A deafening clash of metal rang out. Li Mao felt an immense, irresistible force travel up the Iron Rod, splitting the webbing of his hand and drawing fresh blood.

The jet-black Fine Iron Rod had been bent into an arc by that single punch!

Li Mao’s face instantly flushed crimson. Like a kite with a snapped string, the immense force sent him flying off the arena stage, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

Li Mao struggled to his feet. He looked at the bent Iron Rod in his hand, then back at Yang Jing on the stage, his face a mask of shock.

’The gap between us is just too vast. Before, I could at least faintly make out the trajectory of his moves. Now, I can’t even see his shadow clearly. All I felt was an overwhelming pressure crashing down on me.’

He solemnly cupped his fists toward the stage, his voice hoarse but filled with admiration. "Senior Brother Yang, you’re getting stronger and stronger. I am in awe!"

Below the stage, Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang stood side-by-side in the crowd. Having witnessed Yang Jing defeat Li Mao with a single punch, both wore grave expressions.

While they were shocked by the might of Yang Jing’s power, a sense of shared misery washed over them.

They had been basked in glory during the Cyan Qilin Battle, yet now, facing a Qi Eating Realm expert like Yang Jing, they were utterly powerless to fight back.

’Li Mao was eliminated just now. I’m afraid it’ll be our turn next.’

The competition continued in an orderly fashion, with one match beginning as another ended.

The battles on the stage grew increasingly fierce, but they also began to reveal the chasm between cultivation realms.

In this round of the competition, all of the Inner Strength Realm Martial Artists were eliminated.

Gao Yang, Xu Ziqiang, Zhang Hengyi, Zhao Xuexiang, Lin Ziheng, Zhao Chong, and all the other top experts of the Inner Strength Realm ultimately could not withstand the dominant attacks of the Qi Eating Realm masters. One after another, they were defeated and eliminated from the Fushan Grand Competition.

The final two matches of the round were a true clash of titans, a battle between Qi Eating Realm experts.

Both combatants had sharp Body Techniques, their fists and feet whipping up the wind. The collisions of their Inner Qi created booming explosions, and the fight was incredibly intense.

In the twenty-fifth and final match, one fighter barely managed to defeat his opponent, but only at the cost of suffering significant injuries, drawing gasps of shock from the crowd below.

After the matches concluded, Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan gathered with several Elders from the Main Peak. After a period of discussion, the list of disciples advancing to the fourth round of the Fushan Grand Competition was finally decided.

Once the Profound Truth Sect’s leadership raised no objections, Steward Xue strode onto the high platform with a new roster in hand and announced the latest disciple rankings:

"First place, Chu Yunhai of Celestial Derivation Peak!

"Second place, Bai Ziyu of Thunder Peak!

"Third place, Lu Shaohua of Qingxu Peak!

"Fourth place, Jiang Lin Yuan of the Main Peak!

"Fifth place, Cui Yuan of Zhenyue Peak!

"Sixth place, Gu Changfeng of Yunxi Peak!

"Seventh place, Li Cangwu of Fen Yang Peak!

"Eighth place, Su Muyuan of Celestial Derivation Peak!

"Ninth place, Yang Jing of Lingxi Peak!

"Tenth place, Lin Jinghong of Qingxu Peak!

"..."

"Twenty-fifth place, Zhu Haotian of Qingxu Peak."

The top ranks remained as unshakeable as a mountain, with no one able to challenge their positions.

Down below, Yang Jing was also listening intently to the rankings. He had actually moved up another spot, to ninth place.

His opponent in the fourth round would be the seventeenth-ranked disciple, Ma Guoliang, a Qi Eating Realm disciple from Fen Yang Peak.

’This will be the first Qi Eating Realm expert I’ve faced in the Fushan Grand Competition.’

’I don’t know much about Ma Guoliang from Fen Yang Peak. When I get back, I should ask Lin Ziheng, that Bai Xiaosheng of Lingxi Peak.’

...

On the secondary platform, when Si Jiawen noticed that Yang Jing’s next opponent was Ma Guoliang, her expression shifted slightly, her delicate brows knitting together. ’It’s that bastard?’

The next moment, her brow smoothed out, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Good, good. This is the perfect chance for Little Junior Brother to teach him a harsh lesson and vent Master’s anger!"