Chapter 672 - 227: The Surprised Master

「Two days later, in the morning.」

The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze drifted by.

Once he was ready, Yang Jing pushed open the gate to Qing No. 4 Courtyard and started walking toward the Training Rooms.

It was early July, and Lingxi Peak was lush and verdant, its vegetation flourishing.

Emerald leaves and branches swayed gently in the breeze, filling the air with the faint, fresh scent of the forest. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the winding mountain path. It was a scene brimming with vitality.

Yang Jing strolled along the bluestone mountain path, his gaze sweeping casually over the scenery.

He hadn’t gone far when he spotted Lin Ziheng and Zhang Hengyi standing together by the path ahead. They were murmuring to each other, their expressions somewhat grave.

Yang Jing stopped. With a small smile, he walked over, planning to greet his two acquaintances.

Meanwhile, Lin Ziheng and Zhang Hengyi had noticed Yang Jing approaching.

The two exchanged a glance, stopped their conversation, and walked over to greet him.

As they drew near, Lin Ziheng cupped his fist in greeting. With a hearty smile, he asked, "Senior Brother Yang, judging by your direction, are you off to the Training Rooms to cultivate?"

Zhang Hengyi also gave a slight nod, respectfully greeting him as Senior Brother Yang.

Yang Jing smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over the two of them. "What were you two discussing?" he asked. "Is it something important?"

At his words, Lin Ziheng’s expression grew serious. "Senior Brother Yang, we were just discussing some major news that’s recently started spreading through the sect."

"The Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect are coming to challenge the great sects. Their first stop is our Xuanzhen Sect. Afterward, they’ll visit Bishui Palace, the Celestial Sword Sect, and the Yunxiao Sect in turn, challenging the young prodigies of the five major sects along the way."

Yang Jing was taken aback.

He had spent the last few days holed up in the Training Rooms, focused entirely on consolidating his new realm after breaking through to the Qi Absorption Realm. He’d been refining his Inner Qi and familiarizing himself with its flow, completely oblivious to events in the outside world. Naturally, he hadn’t heard the news about the Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect coming to issue their challenge.

He didn’t even know the specific names of the Three Prodigies. He’d only vaguely heard his fellow disciples mention the title before but had never paid it much mind.

The Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect were famous among the younger generation of Jintai Prefecture. But Yang Jing was a well-known martial arts fanatic, single-mindedly devoted to his training. He had no interest in Jianghu gossip or peer rankings, so he was naturally oblivious to such common knowledge.

He turned to the well-informed Lin Ziheng, who hailed from a prominent family, his eyes filled with curiosity. "Junior Brother Lin, tell me more. What’s all this about the Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect issuing challenges? Are they really that strong?"

Lin Ziheng wasn’t the least bit surprised by Yang Jing’s lack of common knowledge about the Jianghu.

Everyone on Lingxi Peak knew Yang Jing was a training fanatic. He spent nearly every day holed up in the Training Rooms, completely indifferent to anything outside of his Martial Dao cultivation.

It would be more surprising if someone like him *was* up-to-date on all the latest Jianghu news.

Lin Ziheng smiled and shook his head, then began to explain. "The Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect are renowned among the younger generation throughout Jintai Prefecture. Naturally, they are exceptionally strong."

"But that’s relative to ordinary Inner Sect Disciples like us. For a prodigy like you, Senior Brother Yang, I’d say you’re evenly matched."

Lin Ziheng paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing, "The ’Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect’ refers to the top three young geniuses of their generation: Zhou Qiang, Li Yu, and Xu Shizheng. All three of them, without exception, have reached the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm. They are far ahead of their peers in the Vajra Sect, completely unrivaled."

He paused before adding, "Based on battle records circulating in the Jianghu, the strongest of the three is Zhou Qiang. Li Yu and Xu Shizheng are said to be about equal in strength; it’s hard to say which of them is better."

"Xu Shizheng, for instance, has only a common fifth-grade root bone—his innate talent is nothing special. But he awakened a special constitution, allowing him to advance by leaps and bounds on his cultivation path and forcefully close the gap with the other prodigies."

"Zhou Qiang, on the other hand, has a second-grade root bone and exceptionally high comprehension. His cultivation talent is said to be on par with Senior Brother Chu Yunhai’s before he awakened his War Body."

At this, Lin Ziheng faltered, a peculiar expression on his face, as if he didn’t quite know how to put it.

Yang Jing had been listening intently, so he was puzzled when Lin Ziheng trailed off. He quickly pressed, "What about him? You said Li Yu’s strength is impressive. Is there something else special about him?"

Lin Ziheng gave a wry smile and lowered his voice, his tone tinged with exasperation. "Li Yu is definitely strong, it’s just... his personality is rather extreme. To motivate himself to focus solely on his training, undistracted by anything, he’s imposed an incredibly strict, ascetic regimen on himself—one that’s almost inhuman."

"Austere training?" Yang Jing repeated, taken aback. He looked confused. "Isn’t that normal? As Martial Artists, we must be disciplined and train diligently to improve. What’s so strange about that?"

’In his eyes, the Martial Dao was inherently a path of austerity. Only by remaining focused and persevering, honing oneself day and night, could one hope to go far on the long road of cultivation.’

’Austere training was a Martial Artist’s duty. He himself was famous throughout the Xuanzhen Sect for his own demanding regimen, spending all day in the Training Rooms and ignoring worldly affairs.’