Is He the Fourth Person?

"You're quite the leisurely one."

A clear, cold voice sounded. The disciples who had been laughing heartily quickly stifled their laughter. The male disciples straightened their chests and adjusted their expressions, trying to appear more composed.

The female disciples, meanwhile, made way, their eyes occasionally flashing with jealousy.

The newcomer was Xu Qingqing. She moved with light steps, her dark hair cascading down like a waterfall. A milky-white hairpin adorned the left side of her head, adding a touch of charm to her stunning features.

"After cultivating diligently for so long, one needs to relax occasionally," Yang Chen shrugged and smiled. "Senior Sister, please go ahead."

He moved aside, ready to let Xu Qingqing test her punching force first. But just as he stepped away, Xue Cang walked up to the testing stele as if no one else was there and threw a punch.

The testing stele trembled slightly, and a prominent number appeared—14458 kilograms!

Seeing the number, Xue Cang showed a hint of satisfaction. He then looked at the cultivation rankings board. Upon seeing that he was still in the top ten, his expression soured.

"Senior Brother Xue is truly amazing, always stable in the top ten!"

"Indeed, he's never fallen out of the top ten since the cultivation rankings board was activated."

"It's a shame that everyone in the top ten is too formidable. Even someone as strong as Senior Brother Xue finds it hard to advance further."

The surrounding disciples murmured in low voices. Xue Cang shot Yang Chen a cold glance before stepping aside, lowering his head and seemingly lost in thought.

Yang Chen noticed his gaze. He knew he had been attracting a lot of attention lately, and it had already stirred up animosity from many people behind his back.

But this was an unavoidable path to fame. If one wasn't hated, could they even be called a genius?

Therefore, he didn't care about Xue Cang's attitude at all. In fact, the two of them wouldn't have much interaction anyway.

"Senior Sister Xu, are you going to test as well?"

Yang Chen suggested again. It wasn't that he had any ulterior motives towards Xu Qingqing, but rather he was worried that after he made his move, Xu Qingqing might lose face.

"Trying to be attentive for no reason!"

Wei Xiao appeared nearby at some point, casting a displeased glance at Yang Chen. "Stay away from her, understand?"

Wei Xiao's attitude was rather aggressive. Many disciples felt indignant on Yang Chen's behalf. This was thanks to Yang Chen's easygoing nature, which had earned him a lot of goodwill.

Just as some people expected Yang Chen to retort, he chuckled as if suddenly understanding. "Yes, yes, yes. Senior Brother Wei, please rest assured, I will definitely stay away from Senior Sister Xu."

This reaction left the surrounding disciples dumbfounded. To have his face slapped so directly, and Senior Brother Yang wasn't even angry?

What magnanimity!

Many looked at him with newfound respect. Xue Cang, standing nearby, sneered, "Cowardly!"

Wei Xiao frowned slightly. Xu Qingqing and Yang Chen had been getting a bit close lately, and he had long wanted to put Yang Chen in his place. Today, he had found an opportunity, but Yang Chen's submissive attitude made it difficult for him to escalate further.

He snorted and said to Xu Qingqing, "Senior Brother Huang will be here soon. Let's go eat together later."

Xu Qingqing nodded slightly, casting an apologetic glance at Yang Chen. However, Yang Chen had already looked away and didn't notice.

Her gaze shifted slightly, and she said nothing more. She walked to the cultivation testing stele and threw a punch.

With a bang, a number quickly appeared on the testing stele—13586 kilograms.

"Senior Sister Xu has also broken through to Qi Martial Ninth Level!"

Seeing this number, many exclaimed in surprise.

Among the disciples currently on the rankings board, only the top fourteen had truly broken through to Qi Martial Ninth Level. This meant Xu Qingqing had already entered the top fifteen. Including Huang Tianyu, Xue Cang, and Wei Xiao, there were now four people in Area 8 who had entered the top fifteen.

Many wondered if Area 8 might be able to break into the top two this month. It was rumored that if they could achieve a top-two ranking, the supervising official would issue rewards.

Perhaps even those who couldn't make the rankings could benefit from it.

As expected, Xu Qingqing's ranking was updated, moving from eighteenth to fourteenth.

Seeing this ranking, Xu Qingqing seemed to have anticipated it. She showed neither joy nor disappointment. She subconsciously looked at Yang Chen, wondering if he had also broken through.

Wei Xiao noticed this, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He immediately stepped forward, blocking Xu Qingqing's line of sight, and threw a punch.

The cultivation testing stele displayed the result—13856 kilograms!

His ranking was also updated, moving from fourteenth to thirteenth.

Wei Xiao showed no joy or sorrow at this result. His progress had slowed down recently, not just due to resources, but also related to his swordsmanship.

After Wei Xiao's test, no one else stepped forward to test. Everyone's gaze turned to Yang Chen, who was standing to the side.

Yang Chen looked around and, seeing no one else stepping up, he smiled and walked to the testing stele. He then struck a pose, gathered his strength, and threw a punch!

The numbers on the testing stele quickly settled. Upon seeing the number, the disciples' expressions froze, and the entire plaza fell into an eerie silence.

"How is this possible!!"

Wei Xiao stared intently at the number on the testing stele, feeling his face burn.

Xu Qingqing's bright, expressive eyes widened slightly, a complex light flickering in her pupils.

—13857 kilograms!

Yang Chen rubbed his nose, feeling a bit helpless. It wasn't his fault. Who knew Wei Xiao would be so close to him, only off by 1 kilogram!

He nonchalantly looked at the rankings board. His name had replaced Wei Xiao's at thirteenth place, pushing Wei Xiao down to fourteenth. This meant his ranking for the month hadn't changed.

Xue Cang also gave a slight start, a mocking smile appearing in his eyes as he looked at Wei Xiao.

The awkward atmosphere lingered for a moment until Huang Tianyu's arrival melted the ice. Huang Tianyu noticed Wei Xiao's strange expression and looked thoughtfully at the Rankings Board. When he saw Yang Chen appear at thirteenth place, a glint flashed in his eyes.

He pretended not to notice and stepped forward, striking the Testing Stele with a punch.

This time, the testing stele trembled slightly, and then an astonishing number appeared—20,130 kilograms!

Upon seeing this, many people looked horrified.

Disciples who had witnessed Huang Tianyu testing his strength on the Testing Stele after his breakthrough also gasped in shock.

More than ten days had passed since Huang Tianyu's breakthrough, yet his Punching Force had increased by over a thousand kilograms in that time!

Such a rate of progress was truly inconceivable.

Someone immediately looked at the Rankings Board, but what was perplexing was that Huang Tianyu, despite his rapid progress, remained only third on the board.

Huang Tianyu was not surprised by this. He gave Wei Xiao a meaningful look and then led the way out. Xu Qingqing followed.

"Does it hurt to be surpassed?"

Huang Tianyu led the two to a deserted corner and casually asked.

Wei Xiao nodded, then quickly shook his head. "It's hard to accept this result, I wouldn't mind being surpassed by others, but to be overshadowed by this kid, I..."

"Don't underestimate anyone. This Yang Chen is not simple. He might become the fourth person to break through to the Blood Martial Realm."

Huang Tianyu offered a reminder, subtly glancing at Yang Chen on the cultivation rankings.

"Impossible!"

Wei Xiao's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.