Chapter 536 - 183: Origin and a Great Feud (Part 3)

Yang Jing’s heart tightened. He hastily cupped his fists and replied, "Rest assured, Senior Sister! In tomorrow’s competition, I will give it my all. I definitely won’t bring shame to Lingxi Peak!"

He paused, then took a step closer and asked carefully, "Senior Sister, do you know more about this Ma Guoliang? As the saying goes, ’Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.’"

’Ma Guoliang and Lingxi Peak have history,’ Yang Jing figured. ’With Senior Sister’s fiery personality, she must have been keeping an eye on him. She probably knows quite a bit about him.’

Upon hearing this, Si Jiawen furrowed her brow and thought carefully, but then simply shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness. "This man has taken being a recluse to the extreme. Within the sect, he’s either cultivating in the Training Room or on his way to the Training Room. He almost never socializes with anyone.

"When he’s occasionally short on Cultivation Resources or silver coins, he’ll leave Fushan Island by himself for a few days. Once he’s gathered what he needs, he comes right back and continues to bury himself in his cultivation, unwilling to waste even a single moment of leisure."

She glanced at Yang Jing, her tone quite frank. "That guy is a martial arts fanatic, through and through. He’s the most obsessed person I’ve ever seen when it comes to training—even more obsessed than you."

Yang Jing was stunned.

He’d never expected Si Jiawen to describe Ma Guoliang that way.

Yang Jing considered himself to be someone who was extremely focused on his training.

Because of his status panel, he could clearly see the detailed progress of every martial art. This direct feedback gave him immense motivation to cultivate, making him wish he could pour all his time into it.

Back in Yuhe County, he had been a well-known martial arts fanatic, burying himself in training at the Martial Arts Hall all day and continuing even after he returned home.

After arriving at the Xuanzhen Sect, this drive had only grown stronger. He spent his days either arduously practicing his martial arts or holed up in the Training Room, not even bothering to join in on the many lively events within the sect.

But now, his Senior Sister was saying that Ma Guoliang’s obsession with martial arts was even greater than his own.

A ripple stirred in Yang Jing’s heart.

At this moment, he began to understand why Peak Master Fen Yang had accepted this person as a disciple.

Besides the precious treasure Ma Guoliang used to get his foot in the door, his own near-demonic dedication must have also played a huge part. That must have been what moved the lofty Peak Master Fen Yang.

After hearing Senior Sister Si Jiawen’s description, Yang Jing couldn’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity about this Ma Guoliang.

’Just what kind of person is this Ma Guoliang, to be able to train so maniacally?’

’Could he really be such a pure martial arts fanatic, able to find some kind of pleasure that others can’t comprehend in the tedious, day-after-day grind of arduous training?’

Yang Jing made a mental note about Ma Guoliang. He would have to be extremely vigilant when facing him in the future.

These martial arts fanatics were often the most terrifying type of people.

Even if their talent wasn’t top-tier, that kind of near-demonic effort was enough to compensate for any deficiencies in their Root Bone, making them impossible to underestimate.

What’s more, Ma Guoliang was no mediocrity. His Fifth-Grade Root Bone was already considered a rather outstanding talent in the Jianghu.

Perhaps to someone with standards as high as Si Jiawen’s, a Fifth-Grade Root Bone was nothing special.

But Yang Jing knew that this was an aptitude many could only dream of possessing.

With such a Root Bone, on top of such relentless effort, if he got a few lucky breaks... there was no telling what heights he might reach in the future.

....

「Meanwhile, on Fen Yang Peak.」

Ma Guoliang walked out of the Training Room with steady steps, a large, pitch-black spear carried on his back, its tip wrapped in coarse cloth.

His clothes were soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to his body and outlining his lean, solid musculature.

Even as he walked the mountain path back to his quarters, his fingers twitched unconsciously and he muttered something under his breath, clearly still pondering the finer points of the spear techniques he had just grasped during his training.

The evening breeze swept past, lifting the messy strands of hair from his forehead and revealing a pair of calm, yet ruthless, eyes.

Ma Guoliang returned to the Fen Yang Peak Inner Sect Disciple living quarters and walked straight to the gate of his small courtyard.

The simple wooden gate stood wide open. The courtyard within was immaculately clean, and sitting at the entrance to the main house, directly opposite the gate, was a tall woman.

The woman wore a light green dress and held an embroidered handkerchief in her hand, her head bowed as she looked down at something.

Hearing footsteps, she immediately looked up, revealing a delicate and gentle face.

"Xiaoyu," Ma Guoliang said upon seeing her, the tight set of his jaw relaxing slightly as his lips pulled into a faint smile.

When Chang Xiaoyu saw Ma Guoliang return, her eyes instantly lit up.

She happily scrambled to her feet and hurried over, reaching out to help him with the large spear on his back. "Senior Brother Ma, you’re back!" she said softly. "The food’s all ready. Come inside and eat before it gets cold."

Ma Guoliang looked at Chang Xiaoyu’s sweet smile, sighed inwardly, and sidestepped her touch. He took the large spear from his back himself and leaned it against the door.

Of course, he knew what was on Chang Xiaoyu’s mind.

All these years, she had quietly remained by his side without a single word of complaint.

But he had sworn a blood oath at his mother’s grave long ago. In this life, he would make the entire Ma Family pay in blood for the humiliation and suffering his mother had endured!

With his revenge not yet complete and the Ma Family still standing, he had neither the right nor the desire to divert his energy to romance.

He had told Chang Xiaoyu more than once that she didn’t have to go to such lengths for him, that she shouldn’t waste her time on him.