Free Web NovelChapter 338: Chapter 137: Conflict
Only Yang Jing always kept to himself, never trying to join their circle. He maintained an attitude toward them that was neither servile nor overbearing—he didn’t try to curry favor, nor did he show the slightest fear. This composure made him deeply uncomfortable.
He thought to himself, ’If it were Lin Wenxuan here, he would have already run over to say hello, a fawning look on his face as he tried to start a conversation. He wouldn’t be cold and distant like Yang Jing.’
Seeing Yang Jing’s attitude, Su Qingyue, who stood to the side, couldn’t help but snort. A flash of contempt crossed her eyes; she was clearly very displeased with Yang Jing’s poised demeanor.
In her eyes, Yang Jing came from some remote backwater and had poor aptitude besides. He had no right to put on such airs in front of them.
Liu Rou, on the other hand, stood by without a word, merely pressing her lips together. Having helped with her family’s medicinal herb business since she was young, she was used to all kinds of people and had always known how to be tactful. Her demeanor was nowhere near as haughty as Su Qingyue’s. Though she also found Yang Jing a bit standoffish, she showed no open signs of distaste.
The three of them stopped dwelling on Yang Jing and quickly walked into the wooden cabin.
Zhao Hongxiang was the first to speak to the Steward behind the counter. "Steward, I’d like to rent three Grade D Training Rooms."
He was now on the verge of reaching the Peak of Transformation, a critical time for his cultivation. After the lecture, he had a quick word with Jia Yuliang and the others before rushing straight to the Training Rooms.
But the Steward behind the counter flipped through a ledger, then shook his head and said flatly, "All the Training Rooms are rented out for today. There are no vacancies in Grades A, B, C, or D."
The three of them were stunned, clearly not expecting such an outcome.
...
「Elsewhere.」
Following the room number the Steward had given him, Yang Jing soon found his Grade D Training Room.
He pushed open the heavy stone door, and a stuffy current of air carrying a faint fragrance washed over him.
It was a stone room, not particularly spacious. The four walls were built from blue-gray rock, polished smooth and flat. In a corner, a small bronze censer burned, slowly releasing wisps of green smoke.
A faint scent, like a blend of herbs and animal musk, filled the stone room. It was refreshing yet gentle.
With each breath, it seeped into his nostrils, slid down his throat, and entered his body, instantly causing his dormant Inner Strength to stir. Even his meridians felt gently nourished, suffused with a subtle warmth.
Yang Jing understood. ’So this is the aroma of burning Exotic Beast Musk Treasure Materials. It really does have the miraculous effect of stimulating the flow of Inner Strength.’
In the very center of the stone room sat a lone grayish-brown meditation cushion. Its surface, textured with fine lines, was pliable and thick, clearly from years of use.
Yang Jing walked over, gently moved the cushion to a corner of the room, and cleared the spacious area in the middle.
He then stepped slowly to the center of the room, planted his feet shoulder-width apart, lowered his waist slightly, and gradually assumed the opening stance of the Mountain-Shattering Fist.
His fingertips curled slightly, his palms holding a restrained power, his gaze calm and focused.
The details of the Punching Techniques and force-generation skills that Steward Zheng had just explained replayed swiftly in his mind. The doubts that had accumulated for so long were now all cleared away, and his mind was filled with an urgency to put his new understanding into practice.
He took a deep breath, and his Inner Strength circulated slowly through his meridians.
Then, he suddenly threw a punch. The force of the blow carried a dull, air-rending sound, powerful and vigorous.
Each and every move was more fluid and precise than before, and the connection between his Inner Strength and the Punching Techniques grew increasingly natural.
The sticking points in his force generation that were previously obscure and difficult had now all been resolved. The more he practiced, the more engrossed he became. A faint warmth spread through his body, and he was completely immersed in honing his fist techniques, as if everything in the outside world had been shut out.
But just as Yang Jing was getting into the rhythm of his practice, his Inner Strength flowing ever more smoothly and a new cultivation insight almost within his grasp, a sudden "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK" came from the door.
The dull sound was jarring in the quiet stone room, instantly breaking his rhythm.
Yang Jing’s movements froze. His brow furrowed tightly, and a clear hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
He stopped and listened intently. The knocking sounded a few more times in succession; clearly, the person outside had no intention of leaving so easily.
’Who would be so reckless as to disturb me at a time like this?’
He was puzzled. Although there were no explicit rules in the Xuanzhen Sect forbidding someone from disturbing a disciple cultivating in a Training Room, it was a long-standing unwritten rule that almost every disciple understood.
After all, anyone who spent contribution points to rent a Training Room was surely planning to make the most of their time and focus on their cultivation.
Moreover, nourished by the Exotic Beast Musk Treasure Materials, most disciples would enter an immersive state of cultivation with intense concentration, their Inner Strength circulating at high speed.
Being suddenly disturbed at such a moment could easily disrupt one’s cultivation rhythm, causing their Inner Strength to flow chaotically. Not only would this be detrimental to their training, but in severe cases, it could even trigger a backlash of Inner Strength, posing a risk of Qi deviation.
Although the risk was extremely low, even just breaking someone’s cultivation state and hindering their progress was a grave offense. Disturbing someone in a Training Room was considered a major taboo among the sect’s disciples.
Though displeased, Yang Jing forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath to stabilize the restless Inner Strength within him, walked to the stone door, and slowly pulled the heavy slab open from the inside.
Light from outside flooded in, falling upon him and clearly revealing the figure standing at the entrance.
The visitor was tall and slender. Her green robe couldn’t hide her graceful figure, and her face was pretty. But her chin was lifted slightly, and her eyes held a condescending arrogance. It was none other than Su Qingyue, who lived in the same courtyard.
Yang Jing’s frown deepened. Suppressing the anger rising in his chest, he asked calmly, "Senior Sister Su, what can I do for you?"
Su Qingyue’s gaze swept over the faint smoke filling the stone room, then landed on Yang Jing’s lightly perspiring face. Her expression softened slightly. She forced a stiff, unnatural smile and said in a gentle tone, "Junior Brother Yang, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you."
Yang Jing was taken aback. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he asked, "And what might that be?"
He couldn’t quite figure it out. ’Su Qingyue has always looked down on me, usually not even bothering to give me a second glance. Why would she come looking for me to discuss something now?’ He couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
Su Qingyue straightened her back and said slowly, her tone laced with a sense of entitlement, "During the lecture just now, Senior Brother Zhao received guidance from the Peak Master and the Stewards and gained immense insight. His cultivation has now touched the threshold of the Peak of Transformation. He just needs this one training session to grasp that spark of enlightenment and break through. But when we went to rent a Training Room, we found they were all full, so we had no choice but to come find you. Junior Brother Yang, could you give up this Training Room and let Senior Brother Zhao use it to break through to the Peak of Transformation first?"
As Su Qingyue finished speaking, the calm expression on Yang Jing’s face gradually faded, replaced by a cold look.
He had spent his contribution points to rent the Training Room specifically to strike while the iron was hot and hone his fist techniques. For Su Qingyue to come and demand he give it up just because Zhao Hongxiang needed to break through—her arrogant and entitled attitude was truly infuriating.
Yang Jing’s gaze darkened. He shook his head and said, "I’m sorry, Senior Sister Su. I also cleared up many of my own cultivation questions during Steward Zheng’s lecture, and I need to use this Training Room to verify what I’ve learned. I really can’t give it up. If there’s nothing else, I need to get back to my training."
With that, he raised his hand to close the door.
Seeing this, Su Qingyue’s expression turned ugly. The forced smile vanished completely, her eyes filled with shock and anger.
’In my opinion,’ she thought, ’the fact that I came to Yang Jing personally and asked him to give the Training Room to Zhao Hongxiang was already giving him more than enough face.’
’Zhao Hongxiang is exceptionally talented and comes from a prominent family. It’s only a matter of time before he’s promoted to the Inner Sect.’
’For a kid like Yang Jing, from the middle of nowhere with terrible aptitude, having a chance to curry favor with Zhao Hongxiang and latch onto such a powerful connection should be a heaven-sent opportunity.’
’He could have used this chance to get into their circle and have someone looking out for him in the sect from now on.’
’But Yang Jing didn’t give me any face at all and just rejected me outright. He’s so clueless, completely brainless. He doesn’t know how to seize an opportunity!’
Su Qingyue cursed Yang Jing’s stupidity in her heart, but then she remembered that Zhao Hongxiang had entrusted this task to her. If she failed, she would certainly leave a poor impression of incompetence on him.
She suppressed her anger, quickly put her hand out to stop the stone door, and said hurriedly, "Junior Brother Yang, don’t be so quick to refuse. Hear me out."
She paused, her tone softening as she tried to entice him. "As long as you’re willing to give this Training Room to Senior Brother Zhao, he definitely won’t treat you unfairly. We can also compensate you with the corresponding contribution points. We’ll not only cover what you spent to rent the room, but we’ll even give you some extra. You absolutely won’t be at a loss. What do you say?"
