Chapter 467: Golden Dragon Treasure Fish

Xu Qingnian’s expression darkened at once.

After learning Yang Ling’s name, had the other side turned its attention to him?

Did they think he was an easy target?

“So he’s Yang Ling? I’ve heard he’s made the Heavenly Wolf Guard suffer plenty of losses lately.”

“He looks quite young. Is he Lower Sixth-Rank or Mid Sixth-Rank?”

“I have reliable information. He’s already Upper Sixth-Rank.”

The prodigies from the Rong tribe who had come to compete in the Sixth-Rank Top Hundred Battle looked at Yang Ling with a little more wariness.

Among the Rong tribe’s veteran Sixth-Rank martial artists, quite a few had come from the Heavenly Wolf Guard.

Their eyes glinted coldly as they stared fixedly at Yang Ling.

“I didn’t expect him to be so famous among the Rong tribe. This Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard doesn’t even dare fight him…”

Zhao Yingying couldn’t help taking a few more looks at Yang Ling.

Qin Kunlun, Hua Zhuo, Jie Shu, He Tongchen, and the other Sixth-Rank prodigies all wore different expressions.

To some extent, this counted as an honor.

At least, they hadn’t yet managed to make the Rong tribe’s experts this wary.

“Oh?”

Hua Jinsong, River Elder, Old Tu, and the other fishing village chiefs exchanged glances, then began examining Yang Ling with interest.

“This is bad.”

Yang Ling was somewhat helpless. He had been able to keep a low profile and go about his business in peace.

He hadn’t expected this Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard to put him on the spot.

“Fourth Prince, does this junior have some kind of backing in Zhao State?”

River Elder asked with a faintly amused expression.

The disciples from the various fishing villages began scrutinizing Yang Ling.

The Sixth-Rank elites among them took an interest in him, their eyes openly predatory.

Zhao Zheng remained composed and smiled.

“Senior Hua, Chief Constable Yang is a Sixth-Rank Ironclad of our Zhao State’s Ironclad Department. He’s just killed quite a few members of the Heavenly Wolf Guard recently, so this Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard is a little afraid of him.”

River Elder and the others seemed to understand.

“So I’m afraid of him? I was going to choose that fellow as my opponent in the first place!”

The Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard’s expression remained unchanged as he pointed at Xu Qingnian.

“You’re Upper Sixth-Rank?”

Xu Qingnian asked abruptly.

The other man gave a slight nod. “I am.”

“I’m Lower Sixth-Rank. How can you choose me as your opponent?”

Without another word, Xu Qingnian cupped his fists toward Hua Jinsong and the others.

“Seniors, the Sixth-Rank Top Hundred Battle between Zhao State and the Rong tribe is supposed to be a fair contest. Upper Sixth-Rank should face Upper Sixth-Rank. I’m Lower Sixth-Rank, so I can only fight someone at Lower Sixth-Rank.”

“That makes sense. So you can’t choose him as your opponent.”

Hua Jinsong nodded slightly, then smiled at the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard.

“You should fight this Sixth-Rank Ironclad instead. In a way, the two of you are colleagues.”

“Exactly. This is a good chance for us to see which is stronger, Zhao State’s Ironclad Department or the Rong tribe’s Heavenly Wolf Guard.”

River Elder laughed heartily.

The Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard’s expression darkened. He made no move, seeming to want to stall a little longer.

Old Tu’s expression suddenly turned grim.

“What? Didn’t you hear what Brother River Elder said? If you refuse to fight, losing a hand or a leg won’t be the worst of it. I’ll kill you with one palm strike right now.”

The Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard took a deep breath, then walked toward the open ground.

Old Tu looked at Yang Ling and said coldly, “What are you waiting for?”

Yang Ling gave an awkward smile. “Senior, if I lose, will I have a leg or an arm broken too?”

“Of course.”

Old Tu replied flatly, “Only then will you put in some effort, instead of just going through the motions for us.”

Yang Ling said nothing and walked toward the open ground.

The Sixth-Rank martial artists from Zhao State and the Rong tribe looked on with grave expressions.

The Ironclad Department and the Heavenly Wolf Guard were mortal enemies, but the circumstances here were unusual. They were being forced to fight.

“By the way, don’t kill each other. I know you have a blood feud, but this is just a sparring match. You should stop once you’ve made your point.”

“If anyone on either side dies here, it’ll be hard for us to explain things afterward.”

River Elder smiled as he reminded them.

The Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard felt a little relieved.

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief as well.

“So you’re Yang Ling. I’ve heard you can fight. Let’s see just how good you are!”

A cold glint flashed through the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard’s eyes. Since no one would die, there was no need for him to hold back.

He might as well enjoy a good, satisfying fight!

As soon as the words left his mouth, Yang Ling vanished from where he stood.

He didn’t use much of his strength. In fact, he activated only one Internal Technique.

His legs moved like lightning, striking the other man again and again.

Caught off guard, the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard could only cross his arms and try to weather the assault.

Vital Qi surged through his body, attempting to block Yang Ling’s legs.

But in less than a second, the kicks shattered his Vital Qi.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

The crowd could barely follow the flurry of blows, let alone make out the details of Yang Ling’s technique.

They could only see his two long legs hammering again and again into the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard’s arms.

“What speed!”

The Sixth-Rank prodigies of the Star-Sea Fishing Alliance exchanged glances, no longer daring to underestimate the martial artists who had come from Zhao State.

If this fellow was already so powerful, just how terrifying were the people from the Four Top-Tier Sects, not to mention Prince Zhao Zheng?

The Rong tribe’s Sixth-Rank martial artists, meanwhile, looked more and more grim.

Part of them were astonished by Yang Ling’s strength.

The rest could only feel humiliated.

Although today’s Sixth-Rank Top Hundred Battle was unusual, and both sides had been coerced, the fight itself was real. Clearly, neither side had held back.

And yet the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard on their side hadn’t even gotten a chance to fight back?

In less than three breaths, Yang Ling had already withdrawn his power.

Half the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard’s body was buried in the ground. His legs were pressed together as he knelt, both hands crossed and raised above his head.

Even though Yang Ling had stopped attacking, he remained frozen in that position.

Someone checked him from the side and found blood flowing from all seven orifices. His eyes were shut, but he was still breathing. He seemed to have been kicked unconscious.

Seeing this, Zhao Yingying suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.

For some reason, the sight seemed strangely familiar.

When she thought it over carefully, her expression changed drastically, and her toes instinctively curled hard against the soles of her shoes.

River Elder and the other Fourth-Rank Grandmasters exchanged glances, watching Yang Ling thoughtfully.

The moment he made his move, he couldn’t hide the Vital Qi in his body.

“Perfect Vital Qi. A quasi-Fifth-Rank expert.”

Hua Jinsong laughed heartily. “Chief Constable Yang, your strength is impressive. The title of Lesser Master is all but assured.”

“It’s all thanks to Zhao State’s support.”

Yang Ling cupped his fists, then returned to his place in line.

“Perfect Vital Qi?”

Xu Qingnian looked Yang Ling up and down as if seeing him for the first time.

Hua Zhuo and the other experts inwardly drew a sharp breath, and were also somewhat surprised.

His Vital Qi had already reached perfection? Clearly, he intended to advance to Fifth-Rank on the strongest possible foundation!

There could only be one goal beyond that… Fourth-Rank!

“Even reaching Near Perfection in Vital Qi is incredibly difficult. Even someone from a first-rate sect might not have the resources to build up such a foundation.

And he’s already reached Perfect Vital Qi?

How much money has the Ironclad Department spent on him…”

The same thought arose in every martial artist’s mind.

Zhao Zheng had only just learned this himself. A hint of joy flashed through his eyes, too subtle to notice.

“All right, who’s next?”

Hua Jinsong smiled as he looked from one side to the other. When neither side spoke up, he suddenly beckoned to Yang Ling.

“That fight ended too quickly. You’re pretty good, kid. Why not keep going?

If you can win again, I’ll do you a favor and give you a Golden Dragon Treasure Fish.”