Rise in the Martial Chaos: Starting From a Martial Arts School

Gao Yang had held the top spot in the Cyan Qilin Battle for years. He was long accustomed to looking down on disciples of the same realm and had absolute confidence in his strength.

In his view, Yang Jing had only managed to take first place this time because he and Xu Ziqiang weren’t there. If Yang Jing were to truly face him, he probably wouldn’t even last ten moves.

Hearing this, his friend beside him immediately understood and laughed, chiming in, ”But of course! In next month’s Cyan Qilin Battle, that kid will get a proper taste of your strength, Senior Brother. I guarantee he’ll learn that there’s always someone better. Tsk tsk, now that you have your eyes on him, that kid is in for a vicious beating.”

...

「Deep within Zhenyue Peak.」

A spacious mansion with blue bricks and black tiles stood silently. Its courtyard was wide, paved with smooth bluestone slabs, and flanked by several vigorous, ancient pines that gave it a somewhat solemn air.

Peak Master Zhenyue, Qin Gang, was dressed in a black brocade robe and sat upright on a Grandmaster’s Chair in the courtyard. His eyes were narrowed in focus as he watched two Qi Eating Realm disciples practicing their fists in the center of the courtyard.

”Your punches must be steady, and your Inner Qi must be focused, not scattered. The true essence of the Qi Eating Realm is to control your body with qi, not to collide with brute force!”

Qin Gang’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an air of authority. Seeing one of the disciples’ fist techniques become sloppy, he flicked his finger. A small stone shot through the air, precisely striking an acupoint on the disciple’s shoulder.

The disciple shuddered, his fist technique immediately becoming more controlled. He bowed respectfully and accepted the correction, ”This disciple will remember the Peak Master’s teachings.”

Qin Gang nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the disciples. However, his mind couldn’t help but drift back to the scene in the Main Peak’s grand hall the previous night.

When Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing, mentioned that her disciple, Yang Jing, had taken first place in his very first Cyan Qilin Battle, he had frozen on the spot, completely dazed.

With the mental fortitude he had cultivated over many years, he had long reached a state of being unfazed by honor or disgrace.

But hearing that news at the time, he had been genuinely startled.

Back when Yang Jing came to join the sect, he had seen that his constitution was mediocre, with nothing outstanding about him. Furthermore, Zhenyue Peak had few disciple slots left at the time, and one had already been promised to a child from the Zhang Family of the Prefecture City. So, he had simply pushed the boy off onto Lingxi Peak.

Now that this disciple he had looked down on was shining so brilliantly and had become the sect’s hot new topic, Qin Gang felt his face burn with a hint of embarrassment.

’Did I really misjudge him?’

Qin Gang mused silently. ’Though Yang Jing’s constitution is poor, perhaps he’s exceptionally gifted in areas like comprehension and resilience? To achieve such results at his age... could he really be a genius?’

As his thoughts churned, he was reminded of his bet with Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing.

The two had made a wager: if Yang Jing could break through to the Qi Eating Realm within ten years, he would have to give his treasured and priceless Bone Jade Pill to Bai Bing.

Conversely, if Yang Jing failed to break through within ten years, Bai Bing would have to forfeit her Frost Treasure Sword, a blade made of a rare material, to him.

Originally, Qin Gang had been completely confident about this bet, considering the Frost Treasure Sword as good as his already.

In his view, one’s constitution was the foundation of cultivation. With Yang Jing’s poor constitution, breaking through the barrier to the Qi Eating Realm was nothing but a fool’s dream. It would be nearly impossible even if he bashed his head against it, let alone within a ten-year limit.

But now, after learning of Yang Jing’s performance in the Cyan Qilin Battle, Qin Gang’s certainty began to waver, and for the first time, a seed of doubt was planted in his mind.

’This bet... I’m not actually going to lose to Peak Master Lingxi, am I?’

This thought took root in his heart like a seed, sending a ripple through his once-calm state of mind.

...

「Meanwhile.」

In an elegant courtyard on Fen Yang Peak, Xu Ziqiang was sitting under a veranda, sipping tea and recuperating.

The mission he had been away on wasn’t difficult, but the days of continuous travel had been somewhat exhausting.

Xu Ziqiang planned to rest for a day to recuperate before resuming his normal training tomorrow.

”Why isn’t Li Qi here yet?” Xu Ziqiang frowned.

Just then, there was a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK at the courtyard gate.

”Come in,” Xu Ziqiang called out.

As soon as he spoke, a disciple pushed open the gate and briefly recounted the events of the past few days in the sect, making sure to inform Xu Ziqiang of the Cyan Qilin Battle’s results in full detail.

”Useless!” Xu Ziqiang sneered. ”That Yuwen Mingjue fellow prepared for so long and even had me and Gao Yang sit this one out, only to get beaten like a stray dog by some newcomer? And Zhao Chong couldn’t even stop a new disciple. What an utter disgrace.”

After his tirade, he took a slow breath, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking smirk. A flash of disdain crossed his eyes. ”That kid... he can’t possibly think winning the Cyan Qilin Battle is that easy, can he? He just got lucky.”

He stood up and stretched his limbs. The Inner Strength around his body began to circulate faintly, carrying a terrifying aura. ”In next month’s Cyan Qilin Battle, I’ll show him what the true standard for a champion is, and what the power of someone at the Peak of the Inner Strength Realm really looks like!”

...

Time trickled away like sand through fingers. In the blink of an eye, six days had quietly passed.

「On this day.」

In the Training Room area halfway up Lingxi Peak, the stone door of Training Room B-3 was shut tight, isolating it from all the noise of the outside world.

Inside the stone room, the thick scent of Exotic Beast Musk wafted through the air, its wisps stimulating the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi and making it increasingly active.

Yang Jing was bare-chested, his bronze skin covered in glistening beads of sweat that trickled slowly down the lines of his muscles before dripping onto the cold stone floor.

He was focused on cultivating the Mountain-Breaking Seal, his body twisting and turning as his fists struck with fierce and domineering power.

Every punch carried a whistling force that crashed against the walls of the stone room, creating dull echoes.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Jing abruptly pulled back his fist and stood still. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, sweat dripping continuously from his temples and chin.

He raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his face, his eyes filled with unconcealable excitement.

The effects of a B-grade Training Room were truly as good as its reputation. One day of cultivation here was comparable to ten days of hard training outside.

In just six short days, the Inner Strength within his body had grown denser and more refined. It circulated more smoothly, and his meridians felt as if they had been significantly widened.

Feeling the surging Inner Strength within him, along with the faint tremor of touching the Qi Eating Realm, Yang Jing’s heart filled with anticipation.

He could clearly feel that he was getting closer and closer to the Qi Eating Realm he had long dreamed of reaching.

If he pushed himself hard today, perhaps this would be the moment he broke through the barrier and achieved his transformation!

Just then, a thought crossed his mind, and a panel immediately materialized before his eyes—

[Mountain-Breaking Seal: Novice (486/500)]

[Mountain-Shattering Fist: Perfection (2000/2000)]

[Thunderous Leg: Perfection (1970/2000)]

[Indestructible True Skill: Perfection (1753/2000)]