Chapter 132: Chang Jingyan

The three characters "Chang Jingyan" were branded onto the surface of the stone tablet. Although not completely carved into the interior, they were clearly visible to everyone present.

Standing behind, Yang Ze looked at the three characters. So this woman's name was Chang Jingyan.

His gaze fell upon her. The woman appeared quite young, yet her cultivation had already reached the half-step First-Rank realm, revealing exceptionally high innate talent.

Having left her name, Chang Jingyan turned and walked away from the stone tablet, returning to her original spot. Throughout the entire process, she did not look at anyone, nor did she utter a single word.

Given Chang Jingyan's ice-cold demeanor, no one dared to step forward to strike up a conversation. Yang Ze remained silent in the back, scanning the crowd. In the eyes of a few individuals, he even caught traces of deep apprehension, which instantly aroused his curiosity. Could there be something special about this Chang Jingyan?

However, this was not the time to ask questions, even if doubts lingered in his mind. Yang Ze had to suppress the matter, waiting for a future opportunity to inquire.

Following Chang Jingyan, another registered disciple stepped forward. Without exception, this newly advanced disciple was also a half-step First-Rank martial artist.

In a manner identical to Chang Jingyan, this disciple left his name on the stone tablet. Yet, to Yang Ze's eyes, the resulting inscription appeared far less distinct than Chang Jingyan's, with several blurry sections.

"Could it be that Chang Jingyan's strength among the registered disciples is among the very best?" Yang Ze thought to himself. Having not witnessed Chang Jingyan in combat earlier, he was unable to analyze further at the moment.

After finishing his inscription, the second registered disciple shook his head as he looked at his name. Compared to Chang Jingyan's, his handwriting appeared far too indistinct, instantly revealing his inferior standing.

Shaking his head, the man returned to his original position. Following him, the third registered disciple stepped forward, repeating the exact same routine.

Meanwhile, Yang Ze, standing at the rear, had unnoticeably been pushed to the very back. Among the crowd, not a single person cared about a mere registered disciple whose cultivation was only at the Ninth Stage of True Qi.

Even after Yang Ze defeated Shui Ziming, none of these registered disciples had cast a serious glance his way. To them, the Ninth Stage of True Qi was simply not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath.

Yang Ze did not mind this in the slightest. Right now, his only concern was how to leave his own name on the stone tablet. The opinions of these people could not cause his cultivation to break through on the spot, so why should he care?

By now, more than half of the registered disciples had gone up to leave their names. Through his observations, he discovered that not a single one of them had relied on external objects; all of them had forcibly inscribed their names using sheer cultivation base alone.

This puzzled him somewhat. He could not believe that none of these disciples excelled in weaponry or refrained from using weapons in combat.

Yet, they still chose to rely solely on their cultivation to leave their names. What could be the reason for this?

Frowning, Yang Ze watched as the next disciple stepped forward. Just like the previous ones, this disciple inscribed his name relying purely on his cultivation.

Growing increasingly perplexed, he noticed that fewer and fewer disciples remained ahead of him who had yet to step forward. Anxiety began to creep into Yang Ze's mind.

Yet, the more anxious he grew, the less he could think of a solution. He could only watch as the number of people dwindled, until finally, the last registered disciple ahead of him finished his inscription, and his own turn arrived.

Reaching this point, he had no other choice. With a hardened heart, he stepped forward, walking step by step toward the front. With every step Yang Ze took, a heavier sense of weight pressed down upon his heart.

When he walked past Chang Jingyan, who was standing at the very front, she suddenly opened her mouth and called out to him.

"When leaving a name on the stone tablet, weapons can be utilized. However, once you employ a weapon, the pressure emanating from the tablet will also increase. If your mastery of your weapon is insufficient, the difficulty of leaving your name under that pressure will actually become even higher."

"Furthermore, if you use a mortal-grade weapon, there is a high likelihood it will be destroyed under this pressure. After all, the grade of the stone tablet itself is exceptionally high; weapons of the mortal grade are simply insignificant before it."

Hearing Chang Jingyan's words, Yang Ze abruptly turned his head to stare at her. He had never expected that Chang Jingyan would choose to offer him a reminder at this moment.

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Sister," Yang Ze said, cupping his fists. Although there had been no prior interaction between them, since Chang Jingyan had spoken to remind him, he owed her his thanks.

Without her warning, his unsettled state of mind might well have caused problems during his attempt to leave his name.

"Junior Sister Chang, this fellow is merely a trivial registered disciple at the Ninth Stage of True Qi. Why bother wasting your breath giving him pointers? To have reached this stage is already the height of his good fortune; what qualification does he have to leave his name on the stone tablet?"

An abrupt voice echoed from among the group of registered disciples. Yang Ze raised his eyes and saw a man with a gloomy expression standing over there.

Yang Ze had a faint impression of this person. His name was Meng Liwei, and the name he had left on the stone tablet was among the clearest, second only to Chang Jingyan. Yang Ze had not expected this person to jump out at this juncture.

"Are you telling me how to do my job?"

Before Yang Ze could reply, Chang Jingyan glanced back at Meng Liwei, a flash of murderous intent sweeping through her eyes.

Catching Chang Jingyan's gaze, Meng Liwei felt a chill strike his heart and instantly fell silent. However, his tightly clenched fists proved that ripples of resentment still stirred within him.

Yang Ze cast a deep look at Chang Jingyan, cupped his fists and nodded toward her, then turned and walked resolutely toward the stone tablet.

Having observed for so long, only now, as he approached the stone tablet himself, did Yang Ze truly perceive the terrifying pressure residing within it.

Observing it from close range, Yang Ze could sense that the stone tablet itself was essentially a weapon. Even without anyone wielding it, this pressure alone was enough to shake a person's spirit.

Silently circulating the Qi Cultivation Technique, Yang Ze set his True Qi into motion, slightly dispersing the soul-shaking pressure so that it would not hinder his physical movements.

With a flick of his right hand, he pressed upon the Blood slaying Saber at his waist. A twitch of his wrist sent the saber sliding out of its scabbard, landing squarely in his palm.

The instant the Blood slaying Saber was unsheathed, the surface of the stone tablet immediately reacted. An inexplicable ripple emanated from its face, causing the ambient pressure of the tablet to surge instantly.

The intensified pressure descended simultaneously upon Yang Ze and the saber in his hand. At that very moment, Yang Ze felt the atmosphere surrounding his body undergo a violent transformation.

A razor-sharp aura surged in from all directions. Yang Ze immediately poured his True Qi into the blade in his hand. In an instant, the pure killing intent inherent in the saber reappeared, coursing through Yang Ze's body and the weapon itself, while sword-like saber Qi gradually began to diffuse from the blade.

The moment the saber Qi emerged, Yang Ze waved his right hand slightly, unleashing his saber intent. Under the fierce pressure and the shifting atmosphere, Yang Ze was surprised to feel the razor-sharp aura surrounding him diminish considerably.

A sudden flash of insight struck his heart. It seemed that his saber technique had reached a certain level, achieving a complete fusion with the weapon in his hand, which prevented him from being adversely affected by the tablet's aura.

Even so, he did not relax, for Yang Ze could perceive that the surrounding pressure remained as formidable as ever.

Channeling his full strength into the Blood slaying Saber, the latent blood-red baleful aura within the weapon began to subtly diffuse. Yang Ze moved. Raising the Blood slaying Saber with his right hand, he immediately began to carve across the surface of the stone tablet.

The moment the Blood slaying Saber touched the stone tablet, a rebounding force bounced back from the surface, striking the blade. The saber trembled slightly, yet it did not shatter under the impact.

Yang Ze's gaze remained fixed on the Blood slaying Saber. The rebounding force just now had been considerable. Fortunately, the Blood slaying Saber was a superior-grade sharp weapon; had it been replaced by a mortal-grade weapon, it would have long since been pulverized by this force.

Resisting this rebounding impact, the tip of the Blood slaying Saber made solid contact with the stone tablet. Under Yang Ze's control, the razor-sharp blade sank into the stone, beginning to write his name.

When the first stroke was made, Yang Ze felt nothing out of the ordinary. However, as he descended into the second stroke, he felt the pressure bearing down upon the blade gradually increase.

Understanding the trick to it, Yang Ze's heart tightened. He poured his utmost strength into the Blood slaying Saber, pressing heavily against the surface of the stone tablet as he rapidly inscribed his name.

After a dozen breaths of time had passed, Yang Ze completed writing his name. Retracting the Blood slaying Saber, he leaped backward, retreating several steps in succession.

Just as his final stroke fell, a tremendous force erupted from the surface of the stone tablet, repelling both him and his saber backward.

Yet, in the end, he had successfully and flawlessly left his name upon the stone tablet. Yang Ze scanned the surrounding names and made a comparison. Although his name was not the clearest, it was by no means inferior.

Compared to Meng Liwei's, it was only slightly more blurred at best.

He felt fortunate to have met Huang Mujian in Wencheng; otherwise, without the Blood slaying Saber, he would have been utterly incapable of leaving his name on this stone tablet today.

Through this process of inscription, Yang Ze finally understood: unless one had cultivated True Qi and possessed a formidable weapon like his, it was fundamentally impossible to leave a name upon the stone tablet.

Returning the Blood slaying Saber to its scabbard, Yang Ze walked back to his original position. This time, no one dared to look down upon him anymore, and many gazes directed at him carried a hint of solemnity.

Once he had returned to his spot, Yang Ze looked back at the stone tablet. At that moment, a gray halo of light appeared at the very top of the tablet. Suspended at the summit, the halo slowly descended, washing over the entire surface of the stone tablet with its radiant power.

When the halo finally sank into the ground and vanished, a subtle change had occurred upon the stone's surface.