Chaos begins when one joins a martial arts school

Chapter 53 Competition
In this year's martial arts tournament, six disciples with hidden strength from the Sun family participated. Whether it was a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement by the examiners, the six disciples with hidden strength from the Sun family were scattered and assigned to different arenas.

However, Yang Jing guessed that this was probably done intentionally by the examiners.

The training ground has been used for a long time, and many rules have been established.

It is said that the chief examiner from the prefectural city had also served as an examiner for the prefectural city examinations and was quite experienced.

Xu Hong glanced at the seventh arena and whispered, "Junior Brother Yang, do you know the intricacies of the arena assignments?"

Yang Jing shook his head. "Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

Although he had read the regulations for the military examination given to him by Liu Maolin, they were not described in great detail, and Yang Jing was participating for the first time, so there were many parts he did not understand.

With the military training test imminent, Yang Jing naturally wouldn't miss any opportunity to gain a better understanding of the test, which would give him more confidence in the subsequent competition.

Yang Jing knew that the senior brother Xu Hong in front of him had participated in the training ground test at least seven or eight times. He started participating in the training ground test after breaking through to the Ming Jin level, and in recent years he has participated in the training ground test as an An Jin martial artist. Seven or eight times is no small feat. Such rich training ground test experience is not something that everyone has.

Xu Hong smiled and said, "I wouldn't call it instruction, but I'd like to share some experience with you so that you won't get distracted by trivial matters and affect the competition."

He paused slightly, then lowered his voice and said, "This year's training ground test has eight arenas, one less than last year."

"If you look closely, you'll find that each arena has roughly one or two peak-level Dark Force practitioners, plus a few ordinary Dark Force masters, and more than twenty Ming Force martial artists."

"In this situation, the examiners and examiners intentionally dispersed the experts, preventing the truly skilled from gathering together, so as to avoid the concentration of hidden strength and cause the powerful experts to fall to their peers prematurely."

"I see, thank you for informing me, senior brother." Yang Jing suddenly realized that this detail was not mentioned in the regulations for the military examination that he had read before.

Xu Hong's gaze slowly swept over the martial artists on the seventh arena, taking note of their identities and strengths, while a thought flashed through his mind.

Although he wasn't particularly close to his junior brother Yang Jing on ordinary days, that was within the martial arts school. After all, they were from the same school, and they had to stick together when they were outside.

Moreover, as the senior disciple, it was only his duty to offer some guidance.

“Junior Brother Yang, there are three people you need to be extra careful with on your seventh arena,” Xu Hong said, his tone becoming more serious.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jing felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that his senior brother was about to point out some crucial points that he was unaware of. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, senior brother."

After he finished speaking, he listened attentively, not daring to be negligent.

Xu Hong pondered for a moment before speaking, "The first one is Shen Lie from the Poshan Martial Arts School. He is most skilled in Poshan Fist. The style of Poshan Fist is similar to our Bengshan Fist, emphasizing fierceness and domineering power. However, he has already reached the peak of internal strength, and his fist power is heavy and thick. He can shatter a half-foot-thick bluestone slab with one punch. I have fought with him before. Although it was only a few moves, I think I am no match for him. He is most likely a strong contender for the top spot on your seventh arena."

Xu Hong figured that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the top spot on the seventh arena should go to Shen Lie, since there are rarely any unexpected events in the world.

Yang Jing nodded silently, keeping the name 'Shen Lie' in mind.

“And another one, Qian Feng from the Lieyang Martial Arts School,” Xu Hong continued, gesturing with his chin in a certain direction to indicate the location of that person.

Yang Jing looked in the direction indicated by his senior brother Xu Hong. There were three or five people standing there, but Yang Jing's gaze immediately fell on one of the young men in black.

"You don't need to look for them now; you'll recognize them naturally later. Just remember to be extremely cautious when fighting these people, and if things go wrong, immediately admit defeat."

Xu Hong cautioned, "It's not shameful to admit defeat. Don't do anything foolish out of youthful arrogance. It's truly shameful to be severely injured and thrown off the stage. You'll damage your vitality and health. Even if you recover, your martial arts path will be over."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jing's heart tightened, and he nodded solemnly, "Yes, Senior Brother, I understand."

Xu Hong nodded and continued, "Although Qian Feng of the Lieyang Martial Arts School is not at the peak of internal strength, his strength should not be underestimated. He has mastered the Wind-Splitting Palm technique very quickly, and the palm wind is as sharp as a knife. With internal strength, he is especially good at moving and trembling, making him difficult to deal with."

Yang Jing nodded, memorizing the key information about this person, which would play an important role if they were to clash with him later.

"The third one is Chen Wu from the Chen family. Although the Chen family is not among the six major families, it is still one of the most prominent families in the county, and there is even a master of martial arts with the Transformation Realm in the family."

Xu Hong glanced in a certain direction and continued, "This Chen Wu practices Tongbei Quan. His muscles and bones are flexible, his fists are long and continuous, and he can use his internal strength freely. In addition, with the full support of the Chen family behind him, he is ruthless. Previously, a disciple of the Iron Fist Martial Arts School who had internal strength was injured when he sparred with him."

Yang Jing kept all of this in mind, raised his hand and solemnly cupped his hands to Xu Hong, his face showing sincere gratitude. "Thank you for your detailed guidance, Senior Brother. I will remember this kindness."

Upon hearing Yang Jing's words, Xu Hong's smile deepened.

He just felt that as the senior brother, he should lend a helping hand at this time. Even if their relationship was so-so in the martial arts school, they were still fellow disciples outside. But now it seemed that it would be even better to gain the favor and closeness of Yang Jing, a master of internal strength.

Xu Hong smiled and waved his hand, saying softly, "We're from the same sect, no need to be so polite. Just be careful and I won't bother you any longer. You should also prepare well, the competition is about to begin."

After Xu Hong finished speaking, he turned to leave, but paused slightly and added, "If you encounter those three people I just mentioned, be careful and don't act rashly. Even if you lose, your master and fellow disciples won't laugh at you. It's only your first time participating in the training ground test, so don't feel any pressure."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Hong turned around and went back to the eighth arena.

As Yang Jing watched Xu Hong's departing figure, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He was basically invisible in the martial arts school before, with little presence. Even after he became a master of Ming Jin and An Jin, he still focused on practicing martial arts and didn't have any close relationships with other martial arts school disciples except for Liu Maolin.

Moreover, in Yang Jing's previous impression, the disciples of the Dark Force were not easy to deal with. They were somewhat resistant and hostile towards him, whether openly or secretly. Perhaps it was because of his background, or perhaps it was because he achieved Dark Force with inferior aptitude, which they considered a stroke of luck, or perhaps it was for some other reason.

Under these circumstances, Yang Jing also took the initiative to give up the idea of ​​associating with these disciples of the Dark Force.

However, upon closer reflection, although this senior brother hadn't helped him much, he had rarely shown any resistance, rejection, or disgust towards him.

Yang Jing shook his head, took a deep breath, and banished the jumbled thoughts from his mind.

His most important task right now is to prepare for the school exam; other trivial matters must be put on hold so as not to affect his performance.

After adjusting his mindset, Yang Jing began to ponder the combat characteristics of the three people Xu Hong had mentioned earlier, especially Shen Lie. The fact that Senior Brother Xu Hong ranked him first and stated that he was no match for him showed that Shen Lie was a rather formidable opponent.

Time passed second by second. The wind on the training ground gradually stopped, and the air seemed to solidify under the heat, leaving only faint shouts in the distance and the sounds of breathing nearby.

As time went by, the underlying tension slowly rose like a tide, making the atmosphere around the seventh arena increasingly heavy.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn has quietly slipped away. A middle-aged man dressed in official attire walked onto the seventh arena, and the same thing happened on the other seven arenas.

The middle-aged official stood steadily in the center of the arena, his gaze sweeping over the thirty-two martial artists on the seventh arena below, and announced loudly: "Seventh arena, first round, first match, Qian Feng of Lieyang Martial Arts School versus Zhao Hu of Tiequan Martial Arts School!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the area below the arena fell silent, and all eyes were focused on the arena.

The Iron Fist Martial Arts School fighter named Zhao Hu stepped forward in response. He was as strong as an iron tower. He let out a low shout, clasped his fists, and leaped onto the stage. However, his expression was somewhat solemn and unpleasant at this moment.

On the other side, Qian Feng, the young man in black, slowly walked onto the stage. He was of medium build and had a calm expression, which contrasted sharply with Zhao Hu's burly shouts.

As the two took their places on stage, the first round of the first match officially began.

"Please give me your guidance!" Zhao Hu shouted, taking the lead in attacking. His iron fist was clenched tightly, and he aimed straight for Qian Feng's face with a whooshing sound.

The moment he made his move, Yang Jing noticed it. He thought to himself, "No wonder Zhao Hu's face looked so ugly after hearing that his opponent was Qian Feng. Although he had cultivated his Ming Jin to the peak, he still hadn't been able to break through that bottleneck and enter An Jin. Compared to Qian Feng, he was naturally far inferior. Unless he had heaven-defying combat power and defeated Qian Feng, or had heaven-defying luck and caused Qian Feng to suffer a qi deviation on the stage, he was almost certain to lose."

Seeing the two fight, a number of thoughts flashed through Yang Jing's mind in an instant.

However, he forced himself to suppress these thoughts and focused intently on the battle on the arena. The more he learned about others before his own fight, the more likely it would be to defeat his opponent later, especially Qian Feng, a master of internal strength. Even his senior brother Xu Hong had specifically warned him to be careful of this person.

Qian Feng was the first to step onto the stage, and Yang Jing naturally kept a close eye on him.

Zhao Hu is at the peak of the Ming Jin realm, and his punches are powerful and fierce. He is one of the best among martial artists at the peak of the Ming Jin realm. If a martial artist of the same level were to take his punch head-on, he would probably suffer a great loss.

Faced with Zhao Hu's fierce punch, Qian Feng remained calm and composed. He paused slightly, just in time to avoid the punch, and at the same time, he formed a palm with his right hand, flicked his wrist, and sent a sharp force along the edge of his palm toward Zhao Hu's ribs.

This palm strike appears light and airy, yet it carries a cunning and swirling force, which is the essence of the Wind-Splitting Palm.

Zhao Hu parried with his fist, and the moment his fist collided with the edge of his palm, he felt a sharp force spread along his arm, causing his blood and qi to stagnate.

Before he could regain his footing, Qian Feng's palm followed up again, like a fleeting shadow. Although it was a powerful palm technique, he used it with agility and speed, without any hesitation.

Zhao Hu threw another punch to block, but felt a tremendous force coming from that gentle palm. He staggered back seven or eight steps to dissipate the force, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Hu stood there, stunned, looking at Qian Feng with a complicated expression. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for showing mercy."

There is a huge difference between Ming Jin (manifest strength) and An Jin (hidden strength).

Although he was considered one of the best among martial artists at the peak of Ming Jin, Qian Feng was no ordinary Dark Jin practitioner. The fact that he could withstand three moves from Qian Feng was already a sign that Qian Feng had shown mercy.

"Accepted."

Qian Feng withdrew his palm and stood still, his breathing steady, as if he had only done something insignificant.

The official stepped forward and announced, "Qian Fengsheng!"

A low murmur rippled through the audience.

Yang Jing stood in the crowd, his eyes slightly narrowed, memorizing every detail of Qian Feng's move.

He noticed that when Qian Feng struck out with his palm, the hidden force should have been attached to the edge of his palm, making it exceptionally sharp, with the internal force like a knife.

Moreover, Qian Feng's footwork is quite agile, always able to dodge his opponent's attacks by the slightest margin, and his grasp of timing is extremely precise.

"He may have also practiced movement-based martial arts."

Yang Jing pondered to himself, comparing Qian Feng's movements with his own surging waves kick.

Qian Feng's movements and speed were quite good, but there was still a big gap compared to Jingtao Leg, which I had already mastered at the Ming Jin level.

Yang Jing guessed that Qian Feng was probably practicing a movement-based martial art while focusing on the "Wind-Splitting Palm".

However, perhaps due to limited energy or short training time, Qian Feng's martial art of movement techniques has reached a bottleneck, and he has not yet been able to develop Ming Jin (a type of internal strength).

It's important to understand that there's a huge difference between whether or not a martial artist has developed internal strength.

Besides his footwork, Yang Jing silently compared Qian Feng's moves with his own Crushing Mountain Fist, mentally devising countermeasures.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. This first round of the competition provided him with an excellent opportunity to observe his opponent.

However, Yang Jing also considered that others might have the same idea, and made up his mind that he should not go all out unless it was a critical moment, especially in terms of movement techniques. He should try to keep his abilities hidden as late as possible and save them as a trump card, which might have a surprising effect.

Time passes slowly.

On the arena, matches began and ended one after another.

Soon, the three rounds of competition were over, the winners and losers were decided on the stage, but the tension in the air grew stronger.

The middle-aged man in official attire stepped onto the stage again, still holding the roster. He cleared his throat, announced the results of the previous match, then glanced around the audience before slowly announcing the next pair to compete: "Seventh arena, fourth match, Yang Jing, disciple of the Sun Family Martial Arts School, versus Li Yumang!"

Yang Jing took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and steadily walked onto the arena.

Upon hearing the middle-aged official call out his name, Yang Jing was somewhat surprised, as his first opponent seemed to be a rogue martial artist.

(End of this chapter)