Free Web NovelChapter 337: Chapter 137: Conflict
Yang Jing merely spared them a glance before looking away, paying them no mind.
At that moment, his mind was entirely consumed by the questions Steward Zheng had just answered for him. He replayed the power-generation techniques of the Mountain-Shattering Fist in his head, eager to rush to the sect’s Training Rooms to put his new insights into practice and test the improvements to his techniques.
Yang Jing walked on without pause, heading straight for the mountainside of Lingxi Peak.
Before long, several neat rows of stone chambers came into view.
The heavy, gray-green stone walls gave off a sense of stability. This was the location of Lingxi Peak’s Training Rooms.
The stone chambers were arranged in orderly rows, each with its stone door shut tight. Faint patterns were carved by the entrances, and one could vaguely sense a weak, warm energy seeping out from within. From a distance, they projected a certain solemnity.
These Training Rooms were divided into four grades based on quality: A, B, C, and D. The higher the grade, the more refined the chamber’s construction, and the more rare and potent the Exotic Beast Musk Treasure Materials burned inside.
When burned, these materials released a special fragrance. Once mixed with the air and inhaled by a Martial Artist, the aroma would gently nourish the meridians. This significantly promoted the circulation and refinement of one’s Inner Strength and even Inner Qi, greatly increasing cultivation efficiency. It was the perfect place for a sect disciple to hone their cultivation.
However, the use of the Training Rooms was subject to strict hierarchical restrictions.
As an outer sect disciple, Yang Jing was only qualified to rent the lowest, D-grade Training Rooms, and his access was limited to daytime hours.
He was not permitted to linger and use them after nightfall; the rules were strict.
Even so, while the Exotic Beast Musk Treasure Materials in the D-grade rooms were the most diluted and their nourishing effects couldn’t compare to the higher-grade rooms, they could still boost cultivation efficiency by over fifty percent. For Yang Jing, this was an exceptionally valuable aid.
Yang Jing walked up to a wooden hut beside the Training Rooms, which served as the registration office for rentals.
Three disciples were currently waiting in line. One, an Inner Sect Disciple, stood tall and wore a white robe. The other two were outer sect disciples like Yang Jing, dressed in green robes.
The three stated their requests one by one to the Steward behind the hut’s counter, applying to rent a Training Room.
Yang Jing stood quietly at the back of the line, his eyes fixed on the Training Rooms ahead. A sense of urgency filled him; he couldn’t wait to get inside and test what he had learned.
The line was short, and soon it was Yang Jing’s turn.
He strode to the counter and gave the Steward a slight nod. His tone was direct. "Steward, I’d like to rent a D-grade Training Room."
The Steward glanced up at Yang Jing, his eyes sweeping over the young man’s green robes. He gave a slight nod and began flipping through a register. "You’re just in time," he said. "Disciples always swarm here to rent Training Rooms after a lecture, and they fill up fast. As it happens, there’s one D-grade room left. Any later and you’d have been out of luck."
Hearing this, Yang Jing felt a surge of relief. ’That was close,’ he thought, quickly pulling the white Contribution Points Jade Token engraved with his name from his robes and presenting it at the counter.
The Steward took a black jade token engraved with the character for "D" from a drawer and gently touched it to Yang Jing’s. A soft humming sound followed as a faint wisp of energy was drawn from Yang Jing’s white token into the black one.
Yang Jing glanced down. The contribution point balance displayed on the surface of his white token had decreased by two hundred, the change in the number perfectly clear.
Renting a D-grade Training Room wasn’t cheap. It cost one hundred contribution points per hour, and the sect required a minimum rental of two hours. That came to exactly two hundred contribution points.
While this expense wasn’t crippling for Yang Jing, who had just acquired ten thousand contribution points, it was still not an amount he could afford to waste.
Just as he put the token away, he heard voices and the crisp sound of footsteps on the stone stairs in the distance. Clearly, more disciples were arriving to rent Training Rooms.
Yang Jing didn’t linger. He tucked the white jade token back into his robes, left the hut, and headed straight for the D-grade Training Room area. His steps were light, his mind already focused on the Mountain-Shattering Fist techniques he was about to test.
As he passed the hut’s entrance, he subconsciously glanced behind him.
Not far off, on the stone steps, Zhao Hongxiang, Su Qingyue, and Liu Rou were approaching, walking side by side.
Zhao Hongxiang was in the center, his posture ramrod straight, an air of unhurried confidence about him. Su Qingyue was at his side, wearing her usual haughty expression, while Liu Rou wore a gentle smile. They were chatting and laughing, clearly having come to rent a Training Room after the lecture as well.
The trio quickly spotted Yang Jing. Liu Rou was the first to react, her smile widening as she gave him a small wave in greeting.
Zhao Hongxiang’s gaze fell on Yang Jing, but he merely gave him a passing glance, his expression unchanging.
Su Qingyue, on the other hand, only shot a glance in his direction before looking away. Her chin tilted up, her expression disdainful, showing no intention of acknowledging him whatsoever. It was as if a second look would be beneath her.
Yang Jing paused for a moment. Seeing their reactions, a faint smile touched his lips. He raised his hands and offered a brief, cupped-fist salute in return before continuing on his way. Without further delay, he turned and strode toward the D-grade Training Rooms, quickly vanishing among the rows of stone chambers.
Watching Yang Jing’s retreating figure, Zhao Hongxiang’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, a flicker of displeasure rising within him.
Five people lived in their shared courtyard. Aside from Yang Jing, the other three—Lin Wenxuan, Su Qingyue, and Liu Rou—were constantly flattering him. It bordered on deliberate fawning, as they tailored every word and action to his liking.
