Xu Hong unleashed over a dozen consecutive moves, his fist shadows weaving a dense net that covered all of Yang Jing’s vital points. Yet, he was always a hair’s breadth short, unable to even touch the corner of his opponent’s clothes.

What shocked him even more was that while dodging, Yang Jing had circled to his side or back several times. He had clearly found openings in his attacks, but only paused briefly without taking the opportunity to counterattack.

This was a spar between them, a way for them to gain a better grasp of their own increased strength. It wasn’t like the test on the training grounds, where the sole purpose was to defeat the opponent.

Yang Jing was more interested in using this bout to verify his recent progress, to familiarize himself with the interplay between the Surging Waves Leg Technique and the Mountain-Shattering Fist, and to get a clearer sense of his current power level.

The disciples on the sidelines watched with rapt attention, their breathing growing shallow.

Sun Ningxiang’s eyes widened. Watching Yang Jing’s phantom-like Body Technique, she whispered in amazement, "Junior Brother Yang’s Body Technique is even more incredible than it was on the training grounds..."

Qi Yun remained silent, her gaze fixed on the agile figure in the arena, her thoughts unreadable.

As for the other disciples watching from the sidelines, they were already stunned into silence, their eyes filled with utter shock as they looked at Yang Jing.

"My God... Senior Brother Yang’s Body Technique is just insane, isn’t it?"

A young disciple couldn’t help but whisper, his eyes wide as saucers.

Several disciples at the Mingjin Realm wore grave expressions. They exchanged a look, each seeing the profound shock in the other’s eyes.

They secretly sized up the situation. ’With the agility Yang Jing is showing with this Body Technique,’ they thought, ’even if he didn’t fight back and let us attack with all our strength, we probably couldn’t even touch the hem of his clothes.’

His footwork looked chaotic, but in reality, every step landed at the most cunning angle, perfectly evading the path of the incoming fists.

One of the Mingjin Disciples, his face a mask of astonishment, muttered, "There’s an elder in my family who also practices a Body Technique-type martial art, and he’s even at the Peak of Mingjin. I’ve sparred with him before... but his speed and agility are worlds apart from Senior Brother Yang’s!"

He paused, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Senior Brother Yang’s Body Technique... don’t tell me it’s already broken through to the Dark Energy Realm?"

As soon as he said this, a hush fell over the surrounding crowd.

Everyone knew in their hearts that this was almost impossible.

Breaking through to the Dark Energy Realm was already exceptionally difficult. For a second, concurrently practiced martial art to break through its bottleneck was harder than climbing to the heavens, requiring multiples of the effort and resources needed for one’s primary Cultivation Technique.

"He definitely hasn’t broken through," another disciple mused. "It’s just that Senior Brother Yang is a Dark Energy expert himself. His Inner Strength is profound, beyond what a Mingjin Martial Artist can match. On top of that, his control over this Body Technique is so masterful, he directs his Inner Strength as if it were an extension of his own limbs. That’s why it looks so effortless, almost as if he’s broken through."

Hearing this, everyone agreed it made sense, but their sense of awe only deepened.

To achieve such an effect with a Body Technique that hadn’t even broken through its bottleneck... his understanding of martial arts was already far beyond that of ordinary disciples like them.

In the center of the arena, Yang Jing used Xu Hong’s offensive to thoroughly test his Surging Waves Leg Technique. He now had a comprehensive understanding of his own movement and speed.

Moreover, his Surging Waves Leg Technique was now on the verge of breaking through to the Dark Energy Realm. ’If I go back and focus on cultivating it tonight,’ Yang Jing estimated, ’this leg technique should be able to break through to the Dark Energy Realm.’

’When that happens,’ he wondered, ’with two martial arts stacked at the Dark Energy Realm, just how profound will my Inner Strength be?’

Yang Jing mused to himself. ’Even against Li Mengchao of the Li Family, the one who practices the Vajra Hand Seal, I should be able to put up a fight now.’

However, as for whether he could actually defeat him, Yang Jing wasn’t very confident.

Martial arts also have different tiers.

According to his master, the Mountain-Shattering Fist was of a decent quality, but the Vajra Hand Seal was a cut above it. This was a difference in the fundamental level of the techniques, a gap not easily bridged by sheer effort.

With his thoughts settled, he stopped dodging. His body came to an abrupt halt, and he stood his ground, as firm and steady as an ancient pine rooted to the earth.

Then, he sank his waist, twisted his hips, and threw a punch—the opening move of the Mountain-Shattering Fist!

’Senior Brother Xu Hong also practices the Mountain-Shattering Fist,’ he thought. ’This is the perfect chance to spar and test my new insights into this fist technique.’

When Xu Hong saw Yang Jing finally stop dodging and meet his attack head-on, a look of delight spread across his face. "Good!" he boomed.

Before the words had even faded, the form of his attack changed. He, too, used a move from the Mountain-Shattering Fist, but the force behind it was even greater than before, carrying the profound power of the Peak of Dark Energy as it slammed into Yang Jing’s fist!

BAM!

With a muffled boom, a shockwave blasted outwards, making the hems of their clothes whip and snap.

The instant their fists met, Xu Hong’s expression changed drastically as a storm of shock raged within him.

’Yang Jing’s Inner Strength... it’s not the least bit weaker than mine! In fact, it faintly exudes a more condensed, more tyrannical force that completely stopped my punch in its tracks!’

’This is simply inconceivable!’

He had been immersed in the Peak of Dark Energy for several years, and his accumulation of Inner Strength had long since reached the point of mastery.

’And Yang Jing? He only broke through to the Dark Energy Realm a short while ago and hasn’t even reached its peak. Yet his Inner Strength can contend with mine, and even seems slightly superior?’

Xu Hong had never in his life witnessed such freakish progress. The hand he held clenched into a fist trembled slightly, a tremor born of shock and utter disbelief.

The moment their fists connected, Yang Jing clearly felt the depth of Xu Hong’s Inner Strength, but he remained perfectly composed.

He nodded inwardly.

’A month ago, during the test on the training grounds, my Inner Strength was already approaching the level of the Peak of Dark Energy,’ he reflected. ’Now, after another month of bitter cultivation, supplemented by Qi Storage Pills and Exotic Beast Meat, both my Mountain-Shattering Fist and Surging Waves Leg Technique have advanced. My Inner Strength has actually become a sliver stronger than that of a veteran at the Peak of Dark Energy like Xu Hong.’

’While it’s not enough to completely suppress him, I can already stand firm in an unbeatable position and even faintly hold the upper hand.’

With this newfound confidence, Yang Jing no longer held back, and the speed of his punches suddenly increased.

This time, he didn’t use the Surging Waves Leg Technique to dodge at all, but met Xu Hong head-on, relying purely on his Mountain-Shattering Fist.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

A continuous series of muffled thuds from their colliding fists echoed like rolling thunder across the front courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall, seeming to make the very ground tremble.

The two figures blurred as they exchanged blows, fist shadows flying. The fierce, domineering power of the Mountain-Shattering Fist was on full display.

Xu Hong’s punches were as solid and heavy as a mountain, each strike backed by years of accumulated power from the Peak of Dark Energy, aiming to overwhelm skill with brute force.

Yang Jing’s technique, however, contained softness within its hardness. The circulation of his Inner Strength was smoother and more fluid. His attacks looked ferocious but concealed subtle variations, always managing to cleverly redirect his opponent’s force at the moment of impact before launching a counterattack.

At times, their fists would meet head-on, sending out shockwaves that forced the surrounding disciples to back away repeatedly.

At other times, their fists would graze past each other, and the sharp wind they generated was enough to make the spectators’ cheeks sting.

Watching two masters of the Mountain-Shattering Fist fight with all their might, the crowd on the sidelines held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

...

In the study of the inner courtyard, Sun Yong was flipping through a fist manual when he heard the commotion from the front yard. He couldn’t help but set the book down and walk out slowly.

He stood behind the Moon Gate, his eyes slightly narrowed, his gaze focused mainly on Yang Jing.

After watching for only a moment, he had already discerned the situation: Yang Jing’s Inner Strength was actually superior to Xu Hong’s!

This wasn’t because Xu Hong was weak. Xu Hong had already reached the great completion stage of the Mountain-Shattering Fist, and his Inner Strength was solid. He was, after all, the head disciple whom he had personally taught.

It could only be said that Yang Jing’s strength was simply too astonishing. In the short month since the end of the test on the training grounds, he had made another huge leap. He was clearly still a considerable distance from the Peak of Dark Energy, yet his Inner Strength could actually overpower someone *at* the Peak of Dark Energy.

As Sun Yong watched the figure in the arena, whose punches grew increasingly sharp and fierce, a flash of approval crossed his eyes.

’If Yang Jing can also break through to the Dark Energy Realm with that Body Technique of his, the Surging Waves Leg Technique,’ he mused, ’then here in Yuhe County, short of a Huajin Powerhouse making a move, I’m afraid there’s truly no one who could keep him in check. Even the first-rate powers in the city, like the six great families, would have to treat him with importance.’

But on second thought, he shook his head slightly.

’The difficulty of achieving a breakthrough in a second martial art is several times greater than the first. It requires an enormous amount of resources and effort, and the slightest misstep could hinder progress in his primary Cultivation Technique. The potential gain simply isn’t worth the risk.’

’For now, it would be better to have him focus on polishing his Mountain-Shattering Fist.’

Thinking this, Sun Yong took a few more steps forward, came to the shade of a tree, and stood behind Sun Ningxiang and Qi Yun, his gaze on the two sparring in the arena.

...

PS:

Four updates today, totaling 16,000 characters.

I was editing until midnight, then I decided to write some more to show my sincerity.