Chapter 248: Chapter 117: Two Huanjin Masters in One School and an Excited Sun Yong

Under the moonlight.

In the center of the small courtyard.

The exhilaration of breaking through to the Manifested Strength realm flowed through him like a warm current.

Yang Jing felt as if he had an endless supply of energy. The joy of stepping into a whole new realm was so overwhelming he couldn’t stop moving. ’This must be the most wonderful feeling in the world.’

He focused his mind and continued to practice the Mountain-Shattering Fist, over and over.

Under the moonlight, his silhouette moved like a tireless top. His fists were at times as ferocious as a thunderclap, and at others, as solid as a mountain.

Manifested Strength projected from his body, creating faint white trails as it cut through the air. Each punch left a shallow crater in the snow-covered ground.

He reveled in the feeling of surging power. His movements grew increasingly fluid, and his control over Manifested Strength became more adept without him even realizing it.

Yang Jing trained until the moon reached its zenith and the night was at its darkest. Only then did a dull ache spread through his limbs, and he felt that the Manifested Strength in his Dantian was almost depleted. He slowly brought his practice to a halt.

He stood in the courtyard, panting heavily. The white plumes of his breath vanished quickly in the cold air.

In the moonlight, he looked down at his hands. The thick calluses, formed from years of training, seemed even tougher now. A faint but pure wisp of energy coiled around his fingertips. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

As he carefully assessed the changes within his body, Yang Jing’s heart filled with delight.

The quality of his Inner Strength was now completely different. It was refined like silk and circulated several times faster than Hidden Strength.

His stamina had also increased dramatically. In the past, this kind of high-intensity training late into the night would have left him collapsed on the ground, unable to go on. Now, though he felt fatigued, he still had energy to spare.

Even his five senses had sharpened considerably. He could clearly hear the distant call of the Night Watchman beyond the courtyard walls, and even the faint rustling of a rat in the neighbor’s woodshed.

’It seems those daily half-hour sparring sessions with Master weren’t a waste of time after all.’

Yang Jing mused to himself.

’During our past sparring sessions, Master always deliberately guided me to sense the flow of Manifested Strength. Now that I’ve just broken through, my control over this new power already feels somewhat familiar. With another couple of days to get used to it, I’m sure I’ll be able to wield it with even greater ease.’

He let out a long breath and turned toward the door of the side room. Yang An was still standing there, staring blankly, his eyes wide.

Yang Jing couldn’t help but smile. He walked over and teased, "Brother An, you’ve been standing here watching for half the night. What’s so interesting?"

Yang An finally snapped out of it. He scratched his head, a good-natured smile spreading across his face. He pointed to the shattered stone table nearby, his voice full of astonishment. "Brother Jing, something about you feels different tonight. That punch just now... you were a good ten feet away, and you still managed to knock the stone table over and split it in two. I’ve never seen you do anything like that before."

"I just happened to have a small breakthrough while I was practicing," Yang Jing said with a smile. He didn’t go into detail about Manifested Strength; his cousin hadn’t even reached the threshold of the Obvious Strength realm. His understanding of the Martial Dao was still shallow, so he probably wouldn’t get it even if Yang Jing explained.

"A breakthrough?" Yang An’s eyes lit up. He immediately gave a thumbs-up, his voice filled with sincere delight. "Brother Jing, you’re incredible! It hasn’t even been that long, and you’re already stronger! No one in this city will dare to bully us now."

He was a simple, honest man and didn’t quite grasp just how powerful Yang Jing had become. He only knew that his cousin was formidable—after all, wealthy families had already started visiting and bearing gifts. Now that his skills had improved even more, he was genuinely happy for Yang Jing, and his smile was radiant.

Watching his cousin, Yang Jing felt a warmth spread through his chest. He clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "It’s late, Brother An. You should get some rest."

"Okay, okay," Yang An agreed, nodding repeatedly. He couldn’t resist sneaking another peek at the shattered stone on the ground before happily heading back to the side room.

Yang Jing stood in the courtyard, gazing at the waning moon on the horizon with a smile on his lips.

He took a shallow breath and turned to look at Yang An’s back just as he was about to enter the side room. Suddenly remembering the sparring match in two days, he called out, "Brother An."

Yang An stopped and turned around, looking at him in confusion. "Brother Jing? Is something else up?"

"In two days, in the morning, our Martial Arts Hall is holding a sparring competition in the plaza at Celestial Blessing Square," Yang Jing said. "If you’re free, you should come and watch."

"A sparring competition?" Yang An’s eyes brightened. He nodded eagerly, his face full of anticipation. "Great, great! I’ll definitely be there! I’ll be in the crowd cheering you on, Brother Jing!"

He had always been interested in the Martial Dao—he wouldn’t have wanted to learn martial arts otherwise. The moment he heard Yang Jing had a match, his interest was instantly piqued.

"You get some rest too, Brother Jing!" Yang An called back cheerfully before pushing the door open and heading inside.

Yang Jing remained in the courtyard for a moment longer, bathed in the moonlight, which cast a faint, silvery sheen upon him.

After a moment of contemplation, he turned and headed back to the main house. He had originally been thinking that after breaking through to the Manifested Strength realm with the Mountain-Shattering Fist, he would also try to cultivate the *Indestructible True Skill* to the Obvious Strength realm, striving to raise his physical strength to the next level.

But now that he had stopped, the fatigue in his body became all the more apparent.

He had not only broken through to the Manifested Strength realm with his Mountain-Shattering Fist but had also ridden that momentum to train late into the night. The exertion had taken a huge toll on both his mind and body, and now, he could feel his eyelids growing heavy.

’Better not push it.’

Yang Jing shook his head. ’Overdoing it is as bad as falling short,’ he thought. ’Cultivating the Martial Dao isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight. Breaking through to the Manifested Strength realm today is already a massive achievement. I should rest up and recover my energy first.’

He washed up briefly, lay down on his bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

In his dreams, he was back on the training grounds, throwing punches. Manifested Strength projected from his body, and nothing could stand in its way.