Chapter 482: Truly Worthy of Being My Disciple!

In the Sect Master’s Hall, Yang Ling watched Yun Tianqing warily. He stopped ten meters away from her, on high alert.

Yun Tianqing didn’t seem to mind. She smiled faintly and said,

“Not bad. You’ve recovered completely in such a short time. You’re already far stronger than an ordinary Lower Fifth-Rank martial artist.

“With Perfect Vital Qi and the Crimson Ghost Ginseng, your Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration has indeed become much stronger.”

Yang Ling asked cautiously,

“Master, how much of your strength did you use in that palm strike just now?”

“How much?”

Yun Tianqing replied, “About five-tenths of my strength. Barely half a percent.”

“...”

“Originally, I thought that half a percent would be enough to leave you lying on the ground for a shichen.”

“That way, you could properly experience the power of Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration.”

“I didn’t expect...”

Yun Tianqing furrowed her brows slightly.

“A Lower Fifth-Rank martial artist who advanced with Perfect Vital Qi and the Crimson Ghost Ginseng really does have strength that’s a little beyond my expectations.”

“Master, your disciple is Upper Fifth-Rank!”

Yang Ling could only smile bitterly to himself. The joy he’d felt at advancing to Upper Fifth-Rank had already faded somewhat.

He hadn’t expected that even a dignified Upper Fifth-Rank martial artist couldn’t withstand five-tenths of a percent of a Grandmaster’s strength.

“Oh, right...”

Yang Ling focused intently on Yun Tianqing and opened her Status Panel.

As before, all he saw was a string of question marks.

“I still can’t see it!?”

Yang Ling gasped sharply. He’d already advanced to Upper Fifth-Rank, and he still couldn’t see the Status Panel of a Fourth-Rank Grandmaster?

“Master, give me a straight answer. If a top-tier Upper Fifth-Rank martial artist faced you, how much of your strength could they withstand?”

“Grandmasters vary in strength.”

Yun Tianqing’s expression was calm. “Among Fourth-Rank Grandmasters, I’m considered First-Rate.”

“A top-tier ordinary Upper Fifth-Rank martial artist would be killed by one-tenth of my strength. Their Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration wouldn’t have a chance to take effect.”

“...One-tenth of your strength would kill them outright? Their Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration probably wouldn’t have time to take effect anyway...”

Yang Ling truly hadn’t expected the gap between Fourth-Rank and Fifth-Rank to be so terrifying.

Could it be nothing more than a difference in attributes?

“Is there more to it than that? Oh, right, Master once said that advancing to Fourth-Rank would be like lighting a furnace inside the body.”

Yang Ling instinctively looked Yun Tianqing up and down.

Yun Tianqing said, “Even a top-tier Upper Fifth-Rank martial artist would have been just like you if they’d taken that palm strike of mine.

“That’s why I said your Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration is already quite strong, several times stronger than that of a Lesser Master who has only just entered Lower Fifth-Rank.”

Yang Ling asked, “Master, if I ran into an ordinary Fourth-Rank Grandmaster, how much of their strength could I withstand?”

Yun Tianqing replied, “Around one-tenth to two-tenths. Three-tenths would be enough to kill you. So no matter what kind of Grandmaster you encounter, don’t make an enemy of them.

“If a Grandmaster sets their sights on you, even hoping to escape would be a pipe dream.”

“So... even the weakest Fourth-Rank Grandmaster could kill me with just three-tenths of their strength...”

“But Master doesn’t know I also have Ironclad Fortress and the Vajra Bright King Body. With those bonuses, the weakest Fourth-Rank Grandmaster might not be able to kill me even if they went all out...”

Yang Ling pondered silently.

Yun Tianqing said, “I told you before that a Grandmaster has a furnace burning inside their body.

“That furnace is the source of a Grandmaster’s power.

“At the same time... the power inside that furnace suppresses your Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration.

“That’s where the difference between Fourth-Rank and Fifth-Rank lies.”

“Fifth-Rank martial artists are called Lesser Masters because they possess the terrifying power of Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration.

“But Fourth-Rank Grandmasters possess not only the power of Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration, but also the power to suppress it.

“You can’t understand the intricacies of it yet. Just remember that much.”

“Without Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration, you’re basically no different from a Sixth-Rank martial artist in a Grandmaster’s eyes.”

“Are you ready? I’m going to use one-tenth of my strength this time.

“Don’t worry. I have a pill in my hand. As long as you don’t die on the spot, you’ll be fine.”

“Wait, Master, I’m not rea—”

Bang!

Yang Ling was sent flying out of the Sect Master’s Hall. He plowed a trench over a hundred meters long into the ground, skidding all the way to the feet of the Mountain Chiefs of Flying Dragon Mountain and the others.

Lin Zhen and the others were dumbfounded. Their faces pale, they stared fixedly at Yang Ling.

There wasn’t a single patch of intact flesh left on Yang Ling’s body. Even his heart was exposed, pounding wildly.

“So advancing to Fifth-Rank... means going through a tribulation like this...”

Lin Zhen and Chi Ling felt a dull ache below their dantians.

Huo Yunzhu staggered two steps backward. The Mountain Chief of Stone Cavern Mountain grabbed her at once.

“What are you afraid of? You’ll have to go through this when you advance to Fifth-Rank, too. If you’re already scared just watching someone else go through it, what will you do when it’s your turn?

“Keep your eyes wide open and watch. Feel the wonder of a Fifth-Rank Lesser Master’s Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration!”

The four Mountain Chiefs present had long since grown accustomed to such a sight. Instead, they watched Yang Ling with keen interest.

“The Palace Master probably used at least two-tenths of her strength, right? With injuries like that, it should take at least half a shichen to recover.”

The Mountain Chief of Pudu Mountain mused.

The Mountain Chief of Flying Dragon Mountain nodded slightly.

“She probably only used one-tenth the first time. We went through the same thing back then. Yang Ling being able to withstand two-tenths makes him top-tier, with a solid foundation.”

“Only two-tenths? Not even one-tenth? And Senior Brother Yang was beaten into this state!?”

“Are Fourth-Rank Grandmasters... really that powerful?”

Lin Zhen and the others shuddered, unable to believe it.

They had never imagined that the goal they’d pursued all their lives could represent such a terrifying level of strength.

After their brief shock, their eyes burned with fervor, and their determination to advance to Fourth-Rank Grandmaster doubled on the spot!

“They think Master only used two-tenths, but she actually used one-tenth...”

Yang Ling heard every word those guys said, but he didn’t have the strength to speak.

He simply closed his eyes and felt the wonder of Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration.

“I still didn’t have time to activate Ironclad Fortress just now. I lost a full five thousand HP...”

“Mm... that’s so itchy.”

Thinking this, Yang Ling instinctively reached out to scratch himself, only to find that his flesh had already grown back and his injuries had healed.

He opened his Status Panel and glanced at it. His HP had returned to ten thousand.

But his Vital Qi had fallen from forty thousand to twenty thousand...

With a sudden kip-up, Yang Ling got to his feet and headed back toward the Sect Master’s Hall.

The four Mountain Chiefs of Flying Dragon Mountain and the others were left staring at one another.

The Mountain Chief of Stone Cavern Mountain said, “Wait... it hasn’t even been half a shichen, has it?”

The Mountain Chief of Flying Dragon Mountain replied, “It was only twenty breaths, with one breath being about three seconds...”

“Twenty breaths...”

The Mountain Chief of Pudu Mountain wore a strange expression.

“Is this kid really Lower Fifth-Rank?”

Lin Zhen’s thoughts stirred. He remembered the Crimson Ghost Ginseng at home, and his heart grew hot.

He was convinced Senior Brother Yang had recovered so quickly because of the Crimson Ghost Ginseng!

“I’ve taken Crimson Ghost Ginseng, too. When I advance to Fifth-Rank... heh.”

Lin Zhen was positively giddy.

The Sect Master’s Hall.

Yun Tianqing circled Yang Ling several times. Wherever she went, Yang Ling turned to face her, not daring to turn his back.

“Something’s strange. I used one-tenth of my strength just now, so you shouldn’t have recovered this quickly. The Crimson Ghost Ginseng and Perfect Vital Qi alone aren’t enough to produce an effect like this.”

Yun Tianqing seemed deep in thought.

Yang Ling’s heart jolted. He prayed she wouldn’t look into it too deeply, since he had no idea how to explain it.

“Looks like you have a special physique that only manifests after advancing to Fifth-Rank.”

A smile appeared on Yun Tianqing’s face.

“Good. Very good. Truly worthy of being my disciple!”