Chapter 543 - 185: Su Muyuan

As Steward Xue finished announcing the latest rankings and turned to step down from the arena, Fushan Square immediately erupted with noise again.

The disciples from the various peaks began to disperse in groups, the crowd’s chatter rising and falling as they mostly discussed the day’s exciting matches.

Among the most frequently mentioned was the match between Yang Jing and Ma Guoliang, which had been full of twists and turns.

Ma Guoliang’s face was still a little pale, and he had wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He carried his large, jet-black spear, his steps steady as he walked toward Fen Yang Peak.

Chang Xiaoyu followed closely by his side, occasionally glancing up to study his expression, afraid that he would brood over his defeat.

"Senior Brother Ma, don’t take it to heart," Chang Xiaoyu said softly, pursing her lips as she tried to comfort him. "It was just one match. Everyone saw your strength. Once you polish your spear techniques a bit more, you’ll definitely be even stronger than Yang Jing in the future."

Hearing Chang Xiaoyu’s soft, gentle words of comfort, the tight line of Ma Guoliang’s mouth relaxed slightly, pulling into a faint smile.

He turned his head to look at Chang Xiaoyu and said calmly, "Xiaoyu, you don’t need to comfort me. Yang Jing is truly talented, and his strength far surpasses mine. I have no complaints about losing to an opponent like him."

He was genuinely at peace with it and wasn’t depressed or frustrated by the loss.

To him, every match was a trial, and seeing his own shortcomings was far more important than winning or losing.

Chang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this.

The strength Yang Jing had displayed today had truly exceeded her expectations.

Before, when Ma Guoliang had said Yang Jing’s strength was not to be underestimated, she had privately thought her Senior Brother Ma was being too cautious and overestimating his opponent.

Now, it seemed they had all underestimated the speed of Yang Jing’s growth.

Looking at Ma Guoliang’s still-upright back, a thought suddenly occurred to her, and she suggested softly, "Senior Brother Ma, you fought a hard battle today, so you must be tired. Why don’t you skip training? We could go off the island for a stroll and get some sweet soup at an outside tea house, how about it?"

Ma Guoliang didn’t break stride, merely shaking his head with a hint of apology in his tone. "No, you go ahead, Xiaoyu. I’m going straight to the Training Room in a bit. In my fight with Yang Jing today, I realized a few flaws in my spear technique. I need to go back and work on them right away."

With that, he quickened his pace and headed toward Fen Yang Peak.

The setting sun cast his shadow long upon the ground, his retreating figure exuding an almost stubborn resilience.

Watching his back recede into the distance, Chang Xiaoyu couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment, and her steps slowed.

But the next moment, she couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

’Yes, wasn’t this the very thing she liked about Senior Brother Ma?’

’His dedication to the Martial Dao, his sincerity toward others, and that indomitable resilience—those are the things that move me the most.’

With that thought, Chang Xiaoyu no longer hesitated. She quickened her pace to a light jog, chasing after Ma Guoliang’s retreating figure.

Along the way, many disciples of Fen Yang Peak saw Ma Guoliang and stopped in their tracks.

They looked at his pale face, but their eyes held no trace of contempt. Instead, they were filled with admiration, and they gathered in small groups, murmuring amongst themselves.

After all, Ma Guoliang’s performance in the arena today had been outstanding. If Yang Jing hadn’t revealed his hidden strength at the end, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Given Yang Jing’s tyrannical display of power, anyone else facing him likely wouldn’t have fared any better.

Ma Guoliang paid no mind to the gazes and discussions from the other disciples along the way.

In his mind, he was replaying the details of his fight with Yang Jing over and over, carefully analyzing the gains and losses of the match.

The angle of his spear tip, the flow of his Inner Qi, the transitions in his footwork—he committed every shortcoming to memory, thinking about how to improve them when he got back.

As for losing to Yang Jing, he truly didn’t care in the slightest.

No matter how strong Yang Jing was, he had never been Ma Guoliang’s goal.

From the very beginning, he had only one goal—revenge!

...

「On the other side.」

On the other side of Fushan Square, Yang Jing was with Fang He, Ma Qiang, Yan Chenglong, Lin Ziheng, and the others, preparing to return to Lingxi Peak.

Yang Jing’s gaze swept over the crowd, and he immediately spotted Sun Ningxiang standing not far away.

Sun Ningxiang was also looking at him. When she saw him look over, she quickly broke into a faint smile and waved.

A warmth spread through Yang Jing’s heart. He paused and was just about to walk over to Sun Ningxiang.

Just then, a figure strode quickly toward them.

Yang Jing looked up and saw it was Steward Zheng.

The group quickly halted and bowed in unison. "Greetings, Steward Zheng!"

Steward Zheng held a very high position on Lingxi Peak. He was a Senior Steward at the Peak of Qi Absorption Realm with profound strength, so much so that even Senior Sister Si Jiawen treated him with great respect.

Previously, when Yang Jing was still in the Inner Strength Realm, Steward Zheng had pointed out his mistakes in cultivating the Mountain-Shattering Fist on several occasions and had taken good care of him.

Yang Jing had been able to break through to the Qi Eating Realm so quickly largely thanks to Steward Zheng’s repeated guidance, and he was quite grateful to him.

"At ease, at ease!"

Steward Zheng walked up with a hearty laugh, his gaze landing on Yang Jing, full of praise.

He reached out and clapped Yang Jing heavily on the shoulder, his voice robust. "Good kid, that was impressive! I never thought you’d improve so quickly and become so powerful! In a few more years, I’m afraid even I won’t be a match for you!"

Hearing this, Yang Jing quickly waved his hands and shook his head, his expression humble. "Steward Zheng, you jest. Your strength is immense. This disciple’s meager skill can’t possibly compare to you, sir."