“How did this Ling Xiao get so strong?!”
Everyone who knew Ling Xiao—
Those who had once mocked or scorned him—
Now wore awkward expressions, their mouths agape, hearts gripped with unease.
They couldn’t believe Ling Xiao had actually defeated Ling Tieshou, the Elite Hall’s fourth-ranked disciple!
How was this possible?!
Ling Chong was so terrified he dropped to his knees, fearing Ling Xiao would come after him. At that moment, no one here could save him.
“Don’t worry, I’m usually not interested in trash!”
Ling Xiao looked disdainfully at Ling Chong kneeling on the ground. This person, who had bullied and humiliated him almost daily, was now prostrate before him.
His heart swelled with pride and exhilaration.
Indeed, with strength came the reclamation of dignity.
“Trash, huh?”
Bitterness churned in Ling Chong’s chest. He recalled how he used to fling those same words at Ling Xiao.
Now the tables had turned.
“Brother Feng, what do we do? He won! He actually beat Ling Tieshou! He’ll definitely come for me next…”
Ling Yu had long lost her proud princess demeanor. She trembled all over, her eyes filled with fear.
Even though Ling Xiao hadn’t so much as glanced at her, she was still terrified.
Perhaps this was the guilt of a wrongdoer.
“Hmph, that’s just Ling Tieshou being foolish.”
Ling Feng’s expression betrayed some tension, but he always found reasons to comfort himself.
“If Ling Tieshou hadn’t recklessly used the Instant Strike technique and drained his true qi, Ling Xiao would’ve been the one to lose. Little Sister Yu, don’t be afraid. I’m close to mastering the trick of turning qi into gang. Once I condense gang qi, I can kill him with one move!”
“Right! Brother Feng, you’re right. He’s just good at footwork—barely has any attack moves.”
Hearing Ling Feng’s words, Ling Yu breathed a sigh of relief, clinging tightly to his arm.
Right now, Ling Feng was her only pillar.
If even he couldn’t handle Ling Xiao, she’d have no one left to rely on.
Ling Yinang, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he said softly, “Yixue, it seems we’ve met a real challenger.”
In his eyes, Ling Yixue was the only one in the Elite Hall worthy of challenging him.
Now, there might be another—Ling Xiao.
“Senior Brother, you’re too kind. I’m still far behind you. But this Ling Xiao’s progress is truly fast. If he masters turning qi into gang, he might actually pose a threat to you.”
Ling Yixue’s bright eyes flickered.
She knew Ling Yinang was the only disciple in the Elite Hall who had mastered gang qi.
…
“Ling老爷子 is coming out of seclusion!”
Just as the crowd buzzed with discussion, marveling at Ling Xiao’s newfound strength, a voice rang out.
The noise instantly ceased.
All attention shifted forward.
That was where Ling老爷子 had been in seclusion.
Boom!
A powerful aura burst forth from behind the stone door. An elderly man, robust and dressed in coarse martial attire, stepped out of the chamber.
Though he was clearly in his sixties or seventies, his stride was vigorous and commanding, nothing like an old man’s.
“So this is Ling老爷子, one of Tianfeng City’s four great masters! The patriarch of the Ling Clan!”
Ling Xiao felt a surge of excitement.
He looked up, his Mountain and River Martial Soul quietly activating, attempting to discern Ling老爷子’s cultivation.
But all he saw was a blur of blade-like energy.
The gap in their strength was too vast—his Mountain and River Martial Soul couldn’t analyze Ling老爷子’s details.
Ling老爷子’s real name was Ling Xiaotian.
Years ago, he had single-handedly stormed the lair of the Black Scarf Bandits, slaughtering hundreds and killing one of their leaders.
That tale still circulated in Tianfeng City to this day.
The Black Scarf Bandits despised Ling Xiaotian, yet they dared not touch the Ling Clan because of him.
Ling Xiaotian’s gaze suddenly swept over the crowd below.
The sheer force of his presence forced many disciples to their knees, their bodies trembling uncontrollably under the terrifying, invisible pressure.
Of course, a few remained standing.
Two disciples from the Genius Hall stood with calm smiles, unfazed by the aura—they’d experienced it before and were immune once they’d cultivated gang qi.
Ling老爷子 was testing the disciples’ strength.
Four others stood firm.
Ling Yinang, his expression unruffled.
Ling Yixue, her brow slightly furrowed.
Ling Feng, leaning on his sword to steady himself.
And Ling Xiao—when he felt his body nearing its limit, the pressure was effortlessly dispelled by his Mountain and River Martial Soul.
So he stood there, looking even more at ease than Ling Yixue.
“Incredible!”
“Is this the power of Tianfeng City’s strongest? When will we ever reach his level?”
“Forget it. Ling老爷子’s strength isn’t something we can easily attain.”
“Let’s just focus on condensing gang qi first.”
Though they knelt, the disciples felt no resentment—only awe, aspiration, and reverence.
Martial Vein Fourth Layer, the Gang Qi Stage, the title of Martial Disciple—this was a realm countless warriors in the Northern Han Kingdom and beyond dreamed of reaching.
Once, such a goal had been nothing more than a pipe dream for Ling Xiao.
But now, after learning that beyond the nine layers of Martial Vein lay the nine layers of the Mortal Realm, his mindset had shifted dramatically, his horizons broadened.
Martial Vein Fourth Layer was just a stepping stone for him now, a short-term goal.
His true dream was to enter the Mortal Realm.
“This batch of disciples is the worst I’ve ever seen!” Ling Xiaotian suddenly spoke.
“Heh heh, the old man’s at it again with that line.”
The two Genius Hall disciples chuckled quietly.
“Yeah, he said the same to us back then. Honestly, this group’s pretty impressive—four of them withstood his pressure.”
“Exactly. The old man’s actually pleased.”
As they spoke, they caught a warning glance from Ling Xiaotian and quickly stuck out their tongues, shutting up.
Ling Xiaotian continued, “As you all know, the nine layers of Martial Vein are divided into three stages: the Awakening Stage, the Gang Qi Stage, and the Explosive Qi Stage! These correspond to the titles of Martial Student, Martial Disciple, and Martial Master!”
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried a penetrating clarity, audible even hundreds of meters away.
This was basic knowledge for any Ling Clan disciple who practiced martial arts.
**[Awakening Stage]**: Focuses on training the body, condensing true qi, and building a foundation for stronger martial arts.
**[Gang Qi Stage]**: When true qi accumulates to a point the body can’t contain, it must be refined into gang qi—purer, capable of striking from a distance, and far more powerful than true qi.
**[Explosive Qi Stage]**: Though the energy remains gang qi without fundamental change, its reserves far exceed earlier stages. The focus shifts to mastering more potent martial arts, unleashing explosive gang qi attacks. A single person could easily fend off ten thousand, even destroy a village with one punch.
Books often recorded that Martial Masters at the peak of Martial Vein Ninth Layer could single-handedly face enemy armies, slaughtering thousands with ease.
At that level, in the eyes of secular martial artists, they were practically invincible.
