Rise in the Martial Chaos: Starting From a Martial Arts School-Chapter 55 - 39: Night Raid

News of Yang Jing’s breakthrough to Dark Energy spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall in less than an hour.

In the front courtyard, the disciples who had been training individually all stopped, their eyes turning toward Yang Jing, filled with shock and disbelief.

"Is it true? Yang Jing... he’s a Dark Energy Martial Artist now?"

"No way. Doesn’t Senior Brother Yang have a Lower-Grade Root Bone? How could he have possibly broken through to Dark Energy?"

"No wonder Senior Brother Yang always trained like his life depended on it. All that bitter effort has paid off with real skill!"

"Dark Energy... That’s a realm most people can’t touch in their entire lifetime, and he actually—"

The murmurs rose and fell. Soon, a crowd of disciples had gathered around, their faces plastered with eager smiles as they all tried to congratulate him at once.

"Senior Brother Yang, congratulations! You’ll have to show us junior brothers a few moves from now on!"

"Senior Brother Yang, you’ve hidden your strength so well. We were truly blind not to have seen it before!"

Even those who had kept a cool distance from Yang Jing now rushed forward, their words dripping with flattery.

After all, the gap between Dark Energy and Mingjin was as wide as a heavenly chasm. A Dark Energy practitioner would be considered a top-tier expert in any faction, but while a Mingjin master was also rare, it was a level many disciples still held out hope of one day reaching.

Everyone understood the weight of this distinction.

Yang Jing simply nodded and offered a few brief replies, not engaging too deeply in the pleasantries.

’He knew full well that this adulation was mostly because of his ’Dark Energy’ status. It would be better to use this time to get familiar with wielding Dark Energy and focus more on my own Martial Dao than to bask in all this.’

"Junior Brother, now that you’ve reached Dark Energy, are your hands itching for a fight?" Liu Maolin stepped forward, flexing his wrists with an excited glint in his eyes. "Come on, let’s trade a few blows. I want to see just how much you’ve improved!"

Having just broken through, Yang Jing was eager to test the depths of his newfound Dark Energy. He smiled and replied, "Alright. Please go easy on me, Senior Brother."

The two walked into the center of the yard, and the surrounding disciples immediately cleared a wide-open space.

Liu Maolin wasted no time, throwing the first punch. The air stirred by his fist seemed gentle, but it concealed a hidden power—the signature of Dark Energy.

Back when Yang Jing was still in the Mingjin realm, Liu Maolin had only needed to use thirty percent of his strength to effortlessly neutralize his attacks, even having enough leeway to offer pointers mid-fight.

But this time, Yang Jing threw a punch in response. He activated the Peak of Dark Energy Power Skill from his Mountain-Shattering Fist; his fist seemed slow, yet it carried a dense, heavy feeling that seemed to pierce right through the air.

As their fists met, Liu Maolin felt a solid surge of Dark Energy travel up from his knuckles, making his arm go slightly numb. He was secretly astonished. ’This power is far more stable than I expected!’

No longer daring to be careless, he immediately put more force into his strikes. His fist techniques grew sharp and fierce, Dark Energy coursing through his meridians as his movements became cunning and seasoned.

Yang Jing, however, was unafraid. The moves of his Mountain-Shattering Fist grew more fluid, his control over his Dark Energy becoming effortless.

Although he was new to the Dark Energy realm, his years of sparring with Liu Maolin had given him a basic understanding of its properties. Coupled with the adaptability honed through several life-or-death battles, he actually managed to withstand Liu Maolin’s assault, which was now at eighty percent of its full power.

"Heh, interesting!" Seeing his attacks fail to break through, the fighting spirit in Liu Maolin’s eyes blazed even hotter. He unleashed his internal Dark Energy without reservation, his fists whistling through the air as he brought his power up to ninety percent.

Such power would have been enough to send any ordinary, newly-advanced Dark Energy Martial Artist into a panic.

Yang Jing’s expression tightened. He pushed the "Entangling" principle of his Mountain-Shattering Fist to its absolute limit, his fist’s energy coiling like a vine to deflect the incoming force while simultaneously probing for an opening to counterattack.

Even so, he was gradually put on the defensive, forced back step by step as fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

"That’s enough!" Liu Maolin stopped while he was ahead, pulling back his fist and retreating. His face was a mask of astonishment and admiration. "You’re unbelievable! You just reached Dark Energy, and you can already take ninety percent of my full power. Back when I first broke through, I’d have been lucky to withstand fifty or sixty percent from a veteran of the same realm."

Yang Jing wiped the sweat from his brow, inwardly clicking his tongue in amazement.

’The world of Dark Energy is truly profound,’ he thought. ’The level of control and variation in that ninety-percent-power attack from Liu Maolin is something the Peak of Mingjin couldn’t even dream of comparing to.’

’But he also knew his performance was thanks to his solid foundation, and even more so, the combat experience he’d gained in life-or-death struggles.’

The surrounding disciples had been watching, dumbfounded. The recent exchange, while not as visceral or thunderous as a clash between Mingjin practitioners, was imbued with a profound subtlety that gave them a true sense of the terrifying power of a Dark Energy Martial Artist. Their respect for Yang Jing’s newfound strength grew into awe.

The spar had just concluded, and as the two were wiping away their sweat, a man in simple blue clothes hurried in through the Martial Arts Hall’s main gate. He walked straight up to Liu Maolin and whispered a few words in his ear.

The color drained slightly from Liu Maolin’s face. He turned to Yang Jing with an apologetic smile. "Junior Brother Yang, something urgent’s come up at the clinic. I have to head back immediately."

He clapped Yang Jing on the shoulder. "We’ll have to postpone that celebratory dinner until tomorrow night, but I promise I’ll make it up to you then."

"Business comes first. Don’t worry about it," Yang Jing said with a smile. "This will give me a good opportunity to study the next part of the Mountain-Shattering Fist that Master taught me. I’ll see you tomorrow night."

Liu Maolin nodded, told him, "Wait for my news," and then quickly departed with the man.

At the same time, Liu Maolin was already planning. ’As soon as I get back, I’ll tell Father about Yang Jing’s breakthrough. We have to increase his monthly stipend and meat supply, and maybe add a few other benefits. I’ll get it all formally arranged and announce it at the celebration tomorrow night. That will show Yang Jing the Liu Family’s sincerity.’

Just as Liu Maolin left, Xu Hong and Zhao Wenzheng came over. They wore warm smiles, a stark contrast to their usual cool detachment.

"Junior Brother Yang, those last few fists were exquisite," Xu Hong said, his voice filled with genuine admiration. "It seems you’ve already begun to grasp the ’Penetrating’ principle of Dark Energy."