Becoming a Saint Starting with the Chasing Wind Leg Technique

Chapter 158 Is it a sure thing? Avoid his sharp edge?

Song Jing rebelled against Zhao Yuanqing and forcefully climbed to sixth place, his prowess unparalleled at the time.

Almost everyone in the entire Pingtianmen branch, and even throughout the inner city, believed that this fierce and seemingly tireless dark horse from the outer city would continue to challenge upwards with the momentum of his great victory, until he would stage an ultimate showdown with Qian Rushan, who was currently firmly in fifth place and regarded as the number one among the younger generation, to determine the qualification of "prospective outer disciple".

Countless people eagerly awaited this fierce battle.

The martial arts arena was packed with people every day, and the gambling dens even offered betting odds on the possible moves and outcome of the duel between the two.

Everyone wanted to witness firsthand whether the inner city's leader would defend his honor or the outer city's dark horse would pull off a stunning upset and completely overturn the established order.

However, to everyone's surprise,

After defeating Zhao Yuanqing, Song Jing received the reward for his ranking promotion, and then calmly left the training ground amidst the eager gazes of the crowd.

For the next few days, he didn't appear at the ranking registration desk again, nor did he challenge any rankings. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, returning to his simple, quiet room in the T-zone, where he remained secluded.

On the first day, everyone thought he was recuperating.

The next day, it was speculated that he might be digesting the spoils of the battle.

On the third day, some people couldn't contain themselves and started asking around.

On the fourth and fifth days, Song Jing still did not appear.

Expectations gradually turned into doubts, then into disappointment, and even gave rise to some dissatisfaction and suspicion.

"What's going on? Why isn't Song Jing continuing the challenge?"

"Are they afraid of Qian Rushan? They're too scared to fight?"

"That shouldn't be the case. He even dared to fight and win against Zhao Yuanqing, who was at the Bone Forging Realm. Why would he be afraid of Qian Rushan?"

"Perhaps—he felt unsure? After all, Qian Rushan is a monster capable of defeating someone at the Bone Forging Realm, and his cultivation techniques and realm are both higher than his."

"Hmph, I think they were winning too easily before, and now that they've met their match, they've chickened out!"

"This is boring. I thought I'd see a showdown of titans, but this is all?"

"It seems that Song Jing's story ends here. He's just a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong."

Various discussions have arisen.

The ordinary disciples, always eager for a good show, were naturally disappointed when their anticipated "spectacle" failed to materialize.

Some of those who had initially been optimistic about Song Jing began to waver. Meanwhile, Song Jing's former opponents, such as Sun Sihai, Li Qingmei, and Lei Zhen, who harbored resentment, seemed to have found an outlet, privately mocking Song Jing as "outwardly strong but inwardly weak," "showing weakness at crucial moments," and "ultimately a peasant who can't be brought to the table."

Unlike the clamor of disappointment and suspicion from the outside world, Song Jing's "hibernation" received a completely different evaluation from a few insightful elders who truly cared about his growth.

In Master Wang Xuanwu's small courtyard for forging weapons, when this master, who was always engrossed in forging weapons and rarely concerned with his disciples' trivial matters, learned from a guard from the Commandant's Mansion who occasionally came to chat that Song Jing had not made any hasty progress after defeating Zhao Yuanqing, but instead had closed his doors and not come out, his hand, which was hammering a piece of metal blank, paused slightly.

"Oh? It stopped?" Wang Xuanwu raised his eyelids, and a barely perceptible look of surprise flashed in his eyes, which could see through the texture of metal. It then turned into understanding and even deeper appreciation.

He put down the hammer, wiped his hands with a cloth, and revealed a rare, very faint smile.

"This kid—is interesting." He muttered to himself, as if evaluating a rare mineral that had just shown its extraordinary potential. "Having just experienced a great battle and defeated a powerful enemy, he is at the peak of his momentum and ambition."

Most people in this situation would be blinded by victory, eager to prove themselves and reach the top in one fell swoop. But he—was able to suppress this restlessness and voluntarily stop.

"Knowing how to conceal one's strength, understanding the importance of accumulating experience, not striving for momentary gains, and not displaying reckless courage." Wang Xuanwu looked towards Song Jingjing's quiet room, his eyes filled with satisfaction at the gradual unfolding of a rough gem. "It seems I haven't given this Crimson Flame Star Thunder Spear to the wrong person. This young man's composure far surpasses his age. Indeed—I didn't misjudge him."

The Commandant's residence, study.

As Chen Yanzhou listened to his subordinates' detailed report on the various speculations and criticisms surrounding Song Jing, he not only did not get angry, but instead stroked his beard and laughed, saying "good" three times in a row.

"Good! Good! Good!"

His laughter was hearty, revealing a keen understanding of the ways of the world and a deep appreciation for the younger generation.

"This kid really didn't disappoint me!" Chen Yanzhou's eyes gleamed. "Defeating Zhao Yuanqing may seem glorious, but it also exposed the gap between him and the truly top-tier people like Qian Rushan—the gap in realm and the gap in the foundation of his skills."

Qian Rushan had already perfected his two core cultivation techniques, and his family's "Melting Gold and Forging Bones Technique" was a top-tier technique directly pointing to the path of bone forging. His strength and physique were unparalleled among his peers. If Song Jingruo were to rashly challenge him now, his chances of winning would probably be no more than 30%.

He stood up and walked to the window, as if he could see through the layers of buildings and into the quiet room where the boy was diligently practicing his skills.

"His ability to stop at this moment is not out of fear, but out of clarity! He has truly recognized his own shortcomings and understood the principle that haste makes waste. He is digesting what he has learned, accumulating experience, and looking for an opportunity to break through."

Marksmanship? Mastery of skill? Movement technique? Improving in any of these areas will greatly increase your chances of success when facing a mountain of money.

Chen Yanzhou's lips curled into a meaningful smile: "Those fools outside only judge him by their own standards, thinking he's scared and has chickened out. Little do they know, a true tiger patiently lies in wait, gathering its strength before striking. This kid is holding back an even greater force! When he emerges from seclusion again, he'll probably give everyone an even bigger surprise. Hahaha, my eyes really aren't blind after all!"

Whether it was Wang Xuanwu's "concealing his strength and accumulating experience" or Chen Yanzhou's "preparing to unleash his power," these two experienced and insightful elders saw in Song Jing's seemingly "retreating" actions a composure, clarity, and ambition far beyond the ordinary. This mindset, more than any temporary victory or defeat, brought them greater comfort and anticipation.

Among his peers, very few could see through the deeper meaning behind Song Jing's actions.

Nie Feng and Bai Yunfei are two of them.

They had fought against Song Jing, felt his calm yet resilient and persistent nature, and witnessed him create miracles time and time again.

"Afraid of Qian Rushan? Avoiding his sharp edge?" Nie Feng scoffed at these comments. "If Song Jing were afraid, he wouldn't have challenged Lei Zhen in the first place, much less faced me in front of everyone. His will is as firm as a rock. I guess—he probably feels he's not confident enough to challenge Qian Rushan right now, so he's gone back to prepare his ultimate move."

Bai Yunfei wholeheartedly agreed and nodded, saying, "Brother Nie is right. Senior Brother Song is a man of careful planning before he acts. Since he has chosen to rest for the time being, he must have his reasons. Perhaps he is digesting what he learned from the battle with Zhao Yuanqing, or perhaps—his spear technique and movement skills are about to make a breakthrough? When he feels the time is right, he will surely strike again."

"At that point, it probably won't be as simple as just challenging Qian Rushan." He had a blind faith in Song Jing, after all, the other party was the benefactor who saved Qingyun Martial Arts School and his junior sister.

However, their views are only in the minority.

Many people, especially the remaining "Inner City Trio," who are now practically defunct, tend to prefer another "reasonable" explanation.

After experiencing a crushing defeat and Zhao Yuanqing's "severing ties," Sun Sihai and Li Qingmei's mentality had long been unbalanced.

They were happy to see Song Jing "suffer a setback," even if it was just in their imagination.

"Hmph, now you know fear?" Sun Sihai said sarcastically to the person beside him, "During the martial arts competition, he didn't even dare to go up on stage when facing Qian Rushan, he surrendered directly! I think Qian Rushan is his inner demon! No matter how strong he is, his bones go weak the moment he sees Qian Rushan!"

Li Qingmei coldly retorted, "They only beat us good-for-nothings. Do they really think they can challenge Qian Rushan?"

They don't even consider their own capabilities.

Now that they've retreated, it seems they've finally come to terms with reality, right?

Once Senior Brother Qian Rushan successfully advances to the outer sect, he can easily snatch up the fifth place; he's quite clever.

Even Lei Zhen, who had just suffered a crushing defeat and was filled with the most resentment, couldn't help but speak out in front of the disciples of Jing Lei Martial Arts School: "He's just a clown! He was only allowed to be arrogant for a few days because Senior Brother Qian and the others were too busy to pay attention to him."

Now that Senior Brother Qian was looking at him, he immediately revealed his true colors and hid, too ashamed to face anyone! A good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing after all!

As for Zhao Yuanqing, who had just broken through to the Bone Forging stage but was severely defeated by Song Jing, although he stayed at home and was ashamed to see people, he felt a strange twisted pleasure upon hearing these discussions.

It was as if Song Jing's "retreat" indirectly proved that Zhao Yuanqing's failure was not because he was too weak, but because Song Jing had used "underhanded tactics" or "luck." Now that he had encountered a truly undisputed strongman, he naturally backed down.

Amidst these comments, some expressing disappointment, others mockery, and still others malice, time quietly slipped away.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, waiting.

They waited to see when Song Jing would emerge from the quiet room, to see if he would, as everyone expected, "avoid confrontation," or if he would give all those who looked down on him a resounding slap in the face.

In the quiet room, Song Jing was completely focused. The outside world's disturbances were nothing more than a passing breeze to him.

His entire focus was on his own cultivation and breakthrough.

The Crimson Star Thunder Spear rested across his knees. With each breath, the crimson star thunder patterns on the spear flickered, as if accumulating power with its master, awaiting—the moment of earth-shattering destruction.