Chapter 404 - 149: Ranking 4
In an instant, only a man and a boar remained on the Cyan Qilin Platform, locked in a standoff.
A biting wind swept across the high platform, tugging at the corner of Yang Jing’s white robes.
At the same time, hundreds of gazes from below the platform fell upon Yang Jing in unison.
The old acquaintances who recognized him watched with mixed expressions.
But the vast majority had never heard the name Yang Jing before, their eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.
...
The biting wind whipped across the high platform, causing the hem of Yang Jing’s white robes to flutter loudly.
Across from him, the monstrous iron-tusked boar scraped its front hooves hard against the stone slabs, creating a piercing sound. Then, shrouded in a foul stench, it charged at Yang Jing like a runaway war chariot.
Its jutting tusks glinted with a cold light; from its momentum, it looked as if it intended to run Yang Jing straight through.
A wave of low gasps rippled through the crowd below, and many Outer Sect disciples unconsciously clenched their fists.
But Yang Jing’s expression remained unchanged. Just as the boar’s tusks were about to pierce him, he ground his foot into the platform. His body shifted sideways three feet like a willow leaf in the wind, perfectly dodging the powerful, heavy-set charge.
At the same time, he clenched his right hand into a fist. Inner Strength surged in his palm, carrying the fierce, abundant power of the Mountain-Shattering Fist, yet also faintly tinged with the profound gravity of the Mountain-Breaking Seal.
Although he had only been practicing the Mountain-Breaking Seal for a short time, he was accustomed to exploring the essentials of martial arts through actual combat. This was the perfect opportunity to test it.
Of course, he did not use his full strength in this punch.
It was just a strength assessment; there was no need to reveal all his trump cards from the get-go. He deliberately held back, channeling only sixty or seventy percent of his Inner Strength into the blow.
His fist cut through the air with a dull thud, precisely striking the side of the great boar’s head.
THUD!
A dull, heavy impact resounded. The monstrous boar’s massive body was sent tumbling sideways as if struck by a giant boulder, carving a trail several feet long into the stone slabs.
Blood instantly spurted from its mouth and nose, dyeing the platform beneath it red as it let out a pained roar.
Even though Yang Jing had held back, the power of this punch was still astonishing.
But the iron-tusked boar’s vitality was far greater than that of an ordinary beast. Instead of making it retreat, the intense pain only fully unleashed its ferocity.
It shook its dizzy head, its small, murky eyes now shot with blood. It let out another deafening roar and kicked off with all four legs, charging at Yang Jing once more with even greater ferocity than before.
A cold glint flashed in Yang Jing’s eyes, but he still chose not to meet the attack head-on.
With a light spin of his feet, his Body Technique as nimble as a butterfly, he once again dodged the boar’s charge.
Before the boar’s forward momentum could cease, he closed the distance and threw another punch, this one landing squarely on its jaw.
CRACK!
The soft sound of shattering bone was clearly audible. The great boar’s neck snapped back, and its massive body was knocked airborne by the punch, flipping over in mid-air.
Before it could land, Yang Jing’s figure was on it like a shadow.
He tapped his toes on the stone slabs and shot up from the ground, unleashing a barrage of punches, each one aimed at the boar’s vitals.
The final punch, concentrating nearly eighty percent of his Inner Strength, struck like a clap of thunder, brutally piercing the boar’s neck.
PSHCHT—
Blood flew out like a fountain, spattering across the stone slabs and blooming into jarring patches of red.
The great boar’s body froze in mid-air for a moment, its small eyes staring at Yang Jing, filled with terror.
Then, like a sack of mud, it slammed heavily against the railing of the Cyan Qilin Platform with a dull thud, rolled to the ground, and after a few twitches of its limbs, fell completely still.
Yang Jing slowly retracted his fists and stood his ground, his breathing still steady.
Those last few punches had seemed simple, but in reality, each move was exquisite. Not only had they grievously wounded the boar’s body, but they had also driven powerful Inner Strength into it, turning its brain to mush. No matter how tenacious its life force, there was absolutely no chance of survival.
A low murmur of discussion rose from below the platform.
"Such a fast Body Technique! Such fierce fist strength!"
"I’ve never seen this Yang Jing before. I didn’t expect him to be so strong. He killed that monstrous boar so cleanly and decisively, without any wasted movements!"
"He seems to be an Inner Sect Disciple from Lingxi Peak. How come I’ve never heard his name before?"
The discussions rose and fell as many disciples looked at Yang Jing with a newfound sense of surprise.
Yang Jing’s performance wasn’t top-tier, but it was remarkably clean and well-executed.
The effortless calm he displayed, in particular, made it impossible for anyone to underestimate him.
At the front of the crowd, Zhang Hengyi narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Yang Jing on the stage, a hint of surprise on his face.
He had heard that Yang Jing was a newly promoted Inner Sect Disciple and hadn’t paid him much mind. He never expected him to possess such skill. Those last few punches seemed casual, but the combination of moves was exquisite. It was clear he was still holding back.
Chen Xuexiang, standing beside him, was also taken aback. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes, and he clenched his fist slightly, thinking to himself, ’I really underestimated him. This Yang Jing is something else.’
Meanwhile, in the crowd of spectators, Sun Ningxiang had been clenching her fists so tightly that her palms were sweating.
When Yang Jing had been facing off against the boar, she had been silently cheering him on.
Now, seeing him easily dispatch the monstrous boar, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. A brilliant smile involuntarily bloomed on her face.
「Below the Cyan Qilin Platform.」
In the area for the participating disciples of Yunxi Peak.
Yuwen Mingjue’s gaze was locked tightly on Yang Jing on the platform.
He stood with his arms crossed, the arrogant smile that had been playing on his lips freezing slightly when he saw Yang Jing kill the iron-tusked boar in just four punches. A flicker of surprise, almost imperceptible, flashed in his eyes.