Chapter 673 - 227: The Astonished Master (Part 2)

In his eyes, this was perfectly normal. He really couldn’t understand what was so strange about Li Yu’s ascetic cultivation.

Lin Ziheng saw what Yang Jing was thinking and quickly waved his hands, rushing to explain, "Senior Brother Yang, his ’ascetic cultivation’ isn’t the same as what you’re thinking! You focus on cultivating and honing your skills. He, on the other hand, finds ways to make himself suffer, going to all lengths to endure all sorts of hardships that ordinary people can’t bear, just to temper his Dao Heart through extreme methods. His actions are extremely fanatical and bizarre."

Yang Jing’s brow furrowed slightly. He still didn’t quite grasp the meaning, feeling it was just a difference in cultivation methods.

Just then, the quiet and taciturn Zhang Hengyi suddenly spoke up, uttering three words in a calm tone: "He eats shit."

Those words exploded in his ears like a clap of thunder. Yang Jing froze on the spot, his mind thrown into chaos by the mountain wind. His brain went completely blank, and for a moment, he couldn’t even process what Zhang Hengyi had said.

He blinked, staring at Zhang Hengyi in utter bewilderment, his eyes vacant. He subconsciously repeated the words in his mind: ’What does he mean, "he eats shit"? How is that possible?’

Zhang Hengyi saw Yang Jing’s shocked expression and added, "To temper his Dao Heart, he has done countless extreme things. In the end, he actually became addicted to it, using it to forge his will and shut out all external distractions."

The mere thought of that image made Yang Jing’s stomach churn. An uncontrollable wave of revulsion and discomfort washed over him, and goosebumps broke out on his skin.

He quickly took a deep breath, shook his head vigorously, and hastily cut them off. "Forget it. Don’t say any more. I don’t want to hear it."

Seeing this, Lin Ziheng couldn’t help but laugh. "Senior Brother Yang, you really should learn more about the Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect."

Yang Jing’s frown deepened. "Why would I need to know about them specifically?" he asked, confused.

Lin Ziheng’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious. "Senior Brother Yang, the Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect are visiting our mountain gate. To put it bluntly, they’re here to challenge our Xuanzhen Sect."

"According to the rules of the five major sects, the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters of each peak are already veteran experts of the Qi Absorption Realm. If they were to act, it would be a case of the strong bullying the weak, which would break the rules. Therefore, disciples of the same age and realm must be the ones to face the challenge."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Among the younger generation of our Xuanzhen Sect, the only ones with the strength to contend with the Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect are you, Senior Brother Yang, and Senior Brother Chu Yunhai. When the time comes, the sect will definitely arrange for you and Senior Brother Chu to fight against those three."

Hearing this, Yang Jing’s brow furrowed slightly. He mulled it over. ’I really hadn’t considered that, but what Lin Ziheng said makes sense.’

Just then, a tall, beautiful figure slowly appeared on the mountain path in the distance, walking toward them from behind Yang Jing.

Lin Ziheng and Zhang Hengyi were the first to see the figure. The smiles on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by solemn expressions. They quickly reined in their auras and became respectful.

Yang Jing noticed their strange behavior and, puzzled, turned to look behind him. He saw Si Jiawen, the Senior Sister of Lingxi Peak, dressed in a moon-white martial arts uniform. Her posture was straight and tall, and she walked toward them with a steady gait. Her cool, aloof temperament was particularly striking in the morning mountain light.

Soon, Si Jiawen was standing before the three of them.

Yang Jing, Lin Ziheng, and Zhang Hengyi bowed in unison, their voices respectful. "Greetings, Senior Sister."

Si Jiawen gave a slight nod, her indifferent gaze sweeping over the three of them before finally resting on Yang Jing.

Suddenly, her elegant brows knitted slightly. She sized up Yang Jing several times, a trace of doubt flashing in her eyes.

She discovered that she somehow couldn’t see through Yang Jing’s aura.

Before, with her strength at the Peak of the Qi Absorption Realm, a single glance was all it took for her to clearly perceive Yang Jing’s Cultivation realm and Inner Qi.

But now, the aura around Yang Jing was completely withdrawn, like something hidden in the deep sea, calm and rippleless. She could barely feel the slightest fluctuation.

This situation could only mean one of two things.

’Either he’s at the same realm as I am and has concealed his aura.’

’Or he’s cultivated a profound aura-concealing martial art, or he’s wearing a treasure that can hide his aura.’

Si Jiawen’s first thought was of the Top-Grade Treasure Armor their master had given Yang Jing. ’Could it be the armor that’s concealing his aura?’ she wondered.

She didn’t dwell on it. Suppressing her doubts, she looked directly at Yang Jing and said in a calm tone, "Junior Brother, Master has summoned you. Come with me to the Lingxi Great Hall."

Hearing that his master had summoned him, Yang Jing’s heart tightened slightly.

He knew that while he might be able to temporarily hide his breakthrough to the Qi Absorption Realm from Si Jiawen, who was also in the same realm, he would be completely exposed before his master, a mighty expert at the Pill Realm.

However, he had never intended to hide it deliberately. A breakthrough was an open and honorable achievement that didn’t need to be concealed.

Besides, after losing the competition to become the top potential prodigy, he needed to display his own potential to obtain Cultivation Resources from the sect and raise his strength as quickly as possible.

He immediately nodded and said respectfully, "Alright, I’ll go with Senior Sister to see Master right away."

Si Jiawen nodded lightly. "Let’s go."

Yang Jing turned and nodded to Lin Ziheng and Zhang Hengyi, then walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Si Jiawen up the mountain path toward the summit.

「On the mountain path behind them.」

Lin Ziheng and Zhang Hengyi watched the two figures retreat into the distance, their expressions different.

Lin Ziheng’s gaze was fixed on Yang Jing, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Strange... Why do I get the feeling that Senior Brother Yang is a little different than before?"

Zhang Hengyi paused, then turned to look at him. "How is he different?"

Lin Ziheng shook his head, completely baffled. "I can’t put my finger on it... There’s just some kind of indescribable change. Maybe it’s my imagination."

...

「Meanwhile.」

Yang Jing and Si Jiawen walked slowly up the stone steps. The clear mountain breeze brushed against their faces, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Si Jiawen glanced sideways at Yang Jing and asked casually, "Junior Brother, how has your cultivation been lately? Have you already reached the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm?"

Yang Jing paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I have."

Si Jiawen hummed softly, her tone carrying the advice of an experienced senior. "Before the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm, increasing your strength is relatively fast. But once you’ve truly stabilized yourself at the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm, you need to prepare for a long battle. The bottleneck is the most grueling part. You should adjust your mentality beforehand."

Hearing this, Yang Jing opened his mouth, wanting to say he had already broken through, but the words faltered on his lips. He hesitated for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. "Yes. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. I will keep it in mind."

As they spoke, they had already reached the summit of Lingxi Peak.

They crossed the wide Lingxi Plaza, where many disciples were already doing their morning training. The air crackled with the sound of their punches, full of energy.

Seeing Si Jiawen and Yang Jing approach, the disciples all stopped what they were doing, bowed, and greeted them with, "Senior Sister," and, "Senior Brother Yang."

The two of them crossed the plaza and went straight to the entrance of the Lingxi Great Hall.

On either side of the great hall, two disciples on duty immediately bowed. "Greetings, Senior Sister. Greetings, Senior Brother Yang."

Si Jiawen spoke calmly, "Go in and announce that we have come to see Master."

"Yes."

The disciple acknowledged the order, turned, and hurried into the hall. He returned only a few breaths later, bowed, and gestured with his hand. "Senior Sister, Senior Brother Yang, the Peak Master invites you to enter."

The two nodded and stepped into the Lingxi Great Hall.

The hall was quiet and solemn, filled with soft light. Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing, was still seated high up on a cattail cushion. Her face was stunningly beautiful, and her temperament was as cold as ice. A faint, thin mist seemed to shroud her body.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly raised her eyes, her gaze naturally falling on the two disciples who had just entered the hall.

But the very instant her eyes landed on Yang Jing, her expression changed slightly!

In those eyes, which had always been as calm as still water, a flash of unconcealable shock suddenly appeared. Her cold and aloof expression shattered in an instant. Her rosy lips parted subconsciously, and she sat there, stunned, on her cushion.