Chapter 549 - 187: Underestimated Him

Yang Jing’s gaze remained fixed on the arena, his expression grave. He spoke slowly, "Chu Yunhai and Bai Ziyu have both cultivated two martial arts to the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm. Moreover, the quality of each art must be quite high. The gap between other disciples and people like them, who possess both talent and a deep foundation, is already enormous. It’s only normal for them to be defeated so easily."

As his words faded, Yang Jing took a soft breath, sighing to himself.

’Thankfully, I’ve been diligently training in *Hengjiang Du* day and night. Now, this Body Technique is on the verge of breaking through to the Qi Eating Realm, giving me another trump card.’

’Otherwise, if I were to face figures like Chu Yunhai and Bai Ziyu in the future, my chances of winning would be almost zero.’

Just then, Steward Xue’s voice once again boomed across the square: "Third match! Lu Shaohua of Qingxu Peak versus Zhang Yunhao of Thunder Peak!"

At the announcement, two figures shot onto the arena stage.

Zhang Yunhao was dressed in black martial attire, a broad-backed long saber slung across his back. His posture was as straight as a pine tree, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.

The fact that he had fought his way into the top ten in the previous rounds was a testament to his formidable strength.

"Zhang Yunhao’s strength is not to be underestimated," Ma Qiang said, unable to help but sigh as he watched the figures on the stage. "I sparred with him once before in the Prefecture City, and he defeated me with ease.

"At the time, I refused to accept it, but later I realized he was clearly holding back. If he had actually gone all out, I doubt I would have lasted twenty moves against him."

Fang He, who was beside him, nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Zhang Yunhao is indeed impressive. Among the many disciples of Thunder Peak, his strength is second only to their First Senior Brother and Bai Ziyu. His ruthless and sharp saber technique has earned him quite a reputation."

Yang Jing also nodded in agreement. "I saw his previous matches too. His moves are clean and decisive, his saber style is steady. He’s definitely not someone who’s famous for nothing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Steward Xue shouted, "Begin!" and the match officially started.

Zhang Yunhao struck first. With a CLANG that rang clear as a dragon’s cry, the long saber at his waist was unsheathed. Its light cut through the air like a bolt of white silk.

His saber technique was ferocious and domineering. Every slash aimed for Lu Shaohua’s vitals, and the wind from his blade howled, causing the very air around the arena to tremble.

However, facing such a fierce assault, Lu Shaohua merely sneered, neither dodging nor evading.

He stood bare-handed, his feet planted firmly on the stage as if they had taken root.

The next moment, Lu Shaohua attacked without hesitation.

His fist technique was unparalleled in its dominance. The force of his punches was as heavy as a mountain, and each one he threw carried the momentum of a thunderbolt.

From the first exchange, the momentum of Zhang Yunhao’s saber was completely suppressed. His once-fierce saber technique couldn’t even touch the corner of Lu Shaohua’s clothes.

Unlike the calm composure of Chu Yunhai and Bai Ziyu before him, Lu Shaohua’s attacks were a torrential onslaught—domineering and flagrant. Every move was thrown with his full power, holding nothing back.

Overlapping fist-shadows sealed off all of Zhang Yunhao’s escape routes.

After a mere five moves, one of Lu Shaohua’s punches scraped past the back of Zhang Yunhao’s saber and smashed heavily into his shoulder.

Zhang Yunhao grunted, blood instantly trickling from the corner of his mouth. The long saber in his hand buzzed from the impact, and the fingers gripping its hilt trembled, nearly letting the weapon fly from his grasp.

Zhang Yunhao gritted his teeth, wanting to circulate his Inner Qi for a counterattack, but Lu Shaohua gave him no chance to breathe.

On the seventh move, Lu Shaohua spotted an opening. He stomped his right foot, his body shooting forward like a cannonball as he unleashed a ruthless punch—one that concentrated all of his Inner Qi—aimed at Zhang Yunhao’s chest.

Zhang Yunhao’s pupils shrank. He hastily brought his saber up horizontally to block.

With a deafening CLANG, fist and blade collided. A terrifying force, wrapped in powerful Inner Qi, surged wildly along the blade.

Zhang Yunhao’s arm went numb. The long saber was instantly knocked from his hand, and his entire body was sent flying sideways like a kite with a snapped string.

In mid-air, Zhang Yunhao could no longer hold it in and spat out a large mouthful of blood, which scattered into a red mist.

Then, he crashed heavily onto the ground outside the arena, kicking up a cloud of dust. For a moment, he couldn’t even get up.

The moment Zhang Yunhao was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, it was as if a mute button had been pressed on the entire Fushan Square. A dead silence fell over the crowd.

Everyone’s gaze was frozen on the straight-backed figure in the center of the arena. Not a sound could be heard.

But a moment later, the silence was shattered by a massive, heaven-shaking uproar.

Gasps of shock and thunderous applause mingled together, loud enough to make one’s eardrums tremble.

Many disciples waved their arms excitedly, their gazes fixed on Lu Shaohua with feverish adoration.

It wasn’t just the disciples of the Xuanzhen Sect; the Patriarchs, Elders, and core disciples from the various great families of the Prefecture City were all staring in stunned disbelief.

In their eyes, Zhang Yunhao was already a rare expert among the younger generation, yet he had been defeated by Lu Shaohua with such crushing, effortless force. Such strength was truly terrifying.

At the same time, their reverence for the Xuanzhen Sect deepened even further.

On the high platform, Cao Zhen, the Sect Leader of the Xuanzhen Sect, sat upon his grand seat. Watching the high-spirited Lu Shaohua on the stage, the corners of his mouth slowly curved into a subtle arc, and he nodded slightly.

This was exactly the situation he had wanted to see.

He hadn’t offered such enormous, lavish rewards for the Fushan Grand Competition on a whim; his goal was to ignite the drive and ferocity of his disciples.

Many of the sect’s talented disciples currently held back, hiding their true abilities. They were afraid that a tall tree in the forest would attract the wind, bringing trouble upon themselves.

But this attitude would not only delay their own cultivation due to a lack of sufficient sect resources being allocated to them, but it would also hinder the overall development of the Xuanzhen Sect.

This time, he intended to cast the most tempting bait, forcing these disciples to fight and scramble, to temper themselves in the heat of battle.