Chapter 148 : Beginning
Chapter 148: Beginning
When Chen Ming stepped into the room, a surge of anticipation rose within his heart. As he glanced inside, his eyes lit up, drawn instantly to a woman seated within the private room.
She was the most stunning and exceptionally graceful woman he had seen since arriving in this world—an absolute beauty that could take one’s breath away at first glance.
If Xiao Zhuyun could be rated 8.5, then she was a solid 9.5. Already at the peak.
A woman like her—how many men would be hopelessly enchanted by her?
“Only in a world like this could a beauty like her exist.”
Such was the thought in Chen Ming’s mind, a sense of wish-fulfillment welling up within him.
Ever since his arrival here, he had wondered whether the Great Jin Dynasty truly had those kind of otherworldly beauties that only existed in wuxia novels.
This woman before him fulfilled every fantasy he had about such women from martial tales.
Chen Ming cupped his fists in greeting, “Chen Ming of Qingfeng County, greets the young lady. May I ask what instructions you have for me?”
The absolute beauty then spoke, “I admire you very much. Are you willing to serve under me?”
“……”
That straightforward?
Chen Ming was almost thrown off by her words. After a few seconds, he politely declined, “Apologies, I’m a free spirit by nature, not one to be restrained. Young lady would be better off seeking someone else.”
“Don’t be so quick to refuse. Why don’t you hear my terms first?”
“No need. I have other matters to attend to. I’ll be leaving now.”
With that, Chen Ming turned to leave.
But the moment he turned, he saw that swordsman standing at the doorway, blocking his path.
From behind, that pleasant voice rang out, “Young Master Chen, it won’t be too late to leave after hearing me out.”
Chen Ming sighed and said, “The young lady wishes to say that if I follow you, I could learn peerless divine arts, break through to First Grade in the future, step into the Divine Repository Realm, and you would even gift me divine weapons and beauties beyond compare. Am I right?”
The woman paused slightly. What she intended to say had already been laid out by Chen Ming. All she could do was ask, “Are you not interested in all of this?”
Chen Ming declared confidently, “No. A true man born into this world ought to master peerless divine arts, wield a three-foot sword and traverse the realm freely, meet every hero under heaven. Drink the strongest wine, marry the most beautiful woman…”
At this point, he paused, looked at the peerless beauty, and said, “I believe that with your abilities, you could certainly help me achieve these dreams. However, I am someone with a stubborn nature. I don’t like shortcuts. I must disappoint you, young lady.”
Once he finished speaking, Chen Ming strode out of the room.
The swordsman at the door hesitated slightly, but in the end did not stop him, letting him go.
……
“Miss, he’s gone.”
The maid in green reminded her young mistress, who was still dazed.
The peerless beauty murmured, “Zhu’er, do you think there was sincerity in his words?”
The maid Xiaozhu replied, “This Chen Ming has had smooth sailing in Qingfeng City and has never lost once. It might have made him a little overconfident. After a few days, during the Azure Cloud Ranking contest, he’ll naturally understand that there are always people stronger than oneself.”
The peerless beauty saw her maid in yellow still deep in thought and asked, “Lan’er, what about you?”
The maid Lan’er hesitated and said, “This servant believes that he might have already known your identity and prepared his response in advance. He is either someone with deep scheming or someone with lofty pride. To subdue such a man... might not be easy.”
She nodded, acknowledging the assessment, and said, “Ambition is not a bad thing. Let’s see how he performs during the Azure Cloud Ranking contest.”
……
Before nightfall, Chen Ming and his companion escorted Jiang Yingxue back to her doorstep.
This was the Jiang Family’s residence in Jiangzhou City, grand and imposing.
“Thank you, Brother Chen.”
As Jiang Yingxue stepped out of the carriage, her eyes seemed glued to Chen Ming, reluctant to part. She looked back every few steps as she entered, not letting the servants shut the gate until the carriage had gone far off.
“That woman must have been trying to win him over.”
On her way back to her room, she was still pondering this matter.
Unfortunately, after leaving that restaurant, Chen Ming never once mentioned who it was that had called for him.
With the means that woman had, it likely wouldn’t be long before Chen Ming was drawn into her ranks.
Jiang Yingxue had heard some stories about that woman. The most famous of them was that Ji Qianxing had willingly served as her bodyguard and pledged loyalty to her.
One must understand that the Ji Family was the most ancient Aristocratic Family in Jiangzhou, once one of the top gate-clans in the Great Jin Dynasty. Until three hundred years ago, when it suddenly declined. Only then did the Qin Family, Ji Family, and Jiang Family rise to prominence.
Before that, the Ji Family had stood alone in dominance.
Even though the Ji Family had fallen, no one dared to look down on them. In nearly every generation, a genius would emerge. In this generation, Ji Baichuan stood out above all, suppressing his peers entirely.
The three great Aristocratic Families often conspired tacitly to suppress the Ji Family.
Yet despite the Ji Family’s stream of talented individuals, they had never regained their former glory. The fundamental reason was that their core cultivation method had been lost. For three hundred years, no one had broken through to the Divine Repository Realm. Every generation had stalled at First Grade.
Without a Divine Repository Realm expert, they could not shake the position of the three great Aristocratic Families, no matter how many geniuses they produced.
The Ji Family’s history was so glorious that its members were filled with pride.
Ji Qianxing, as the younger brother of Ji Baichuan, also possessed exceptional talent, yet had voluntarily lowered himself to become that woman's bodyguard. He had nearly been expelled from the family.
That matter had become a blemish on the Ji Family.
Jiang Yingxue’s eyes flickered at this thought, and she suddenly had an idea. She returned to her room, changed into women's attire, summoned a carriage, and headed out.
The carriage headed straight for the Inspector’s Residence. She was going to find Sister Yan.
……
In the following days, Chen Ming focused on his preparations for battle. Neither Zhou Weihao nor Gu Yuantao came to disturb him.
During this time, he went twice to Changqing Hall to consult with Doctor Sun about the difficulties in the Medical Book. When leaving, Doctor Sun would always give him a few medical books to study back home.
Regardless of the world, the study of medicine always required memorizing numerous texts—not something for the average person.
After several encounters, Chen Ming didn’t notice anything strange about Doctor Sun. Nor did he see any trace of martial training on him.
But the more ordinary he appeared, the more suspicious Chen Ming felt.
Someone like Yu Haitang wouldn’t seek out Doctor Sun without a reason.
In a flash, five days passed.
The day of the official competition arrived.
This time, Chen Ming and Feng Siyuan didn’t take a carriage—they walked. It would surely be even more crowded today.
Sure enough, as they neared the World’s Number One Tower, the surroundings were packed tight with people. The crowd was impenetrable. The Six Doors Authority had stationed personnel at several intersections, allowing only those with tokens or invitation letters to pass.
An event of this scale naturally required witnesses. The World’s Number One Tower had sent out many invitations, inviting local Aristocratic Families and sects to attend.
Feng Siyuan, representing the Feng Family, had an invitation and passed through smoothly.
Soon, the two entered the World’s Number One Tower. In the training arena, numerous platforms had already been set up, and people crowded all around them.
By rough estimate, there were at least several hundred people present.
The spectators far outnumbered the contestants.
Chen Ming quickly spotted Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao. They seemed to be with their elders and merely waved in greeting.
Elsewhere, dressed in men’s clothing, was Jiang Yingxue, standing beside her brother Jiang Shihua.
Jiang Shihua also spotted him and cast a hostile glare his way.
And there was that defiant black-clad man who had nearly barged onto the second floor—his gaze carried a certain malice as well.
Dong!
A single bell chime quieted the scene.
Then, a group emerged from the main hall. At the front was a short, plump middle-aged man, his face full of smiles, utterly unremarkable.
This must have been the overseer of the World’s Number One Tower in Jiangzhou City.
“Thank you all for honoring us with your presence at the World’s Number One Tower. I, Chu, offer my gratitude.” He cupped his hands in a circular salute to everyone.
Someone responded, “Tower Lord Chu is too polite.”
“It is our honor to have received an invitation.”
“……”
Tower Lord Chu continued, “Among martial artists, heroes are judged by victory. Apart from the five Fourth Grade young talents, the remaining fifty will pair off for duels. Each person’s token has a corresponding number. When your number is called, present your token and take the stage. Let us begin.”
With that, the duels officially began.
……
The competition format at the World’s Number One Tower was quite unique—not an elimination tournament, but a point-based system. This meant everyone had to fight forty-nine matches, one against each other participant.
Chen Ming had long known of this format, which was why he made the effort to come.
If it had been elimination-style, he might not have bothered.
Forty-nine matches—if he won them all, he’d earn at least three to four hundred thousand experience points. Definitely worth the trip.
The training arena had five platforms set up, allowing five battles to take place simultaneously.
The first to step onto the stage were contestants numbered one to ten.
Among them, seven were seeded contestants—Jiang Shihua was one of them.
Chen Ming also spotted the swordsman who had been with Yu Haitang that day. From Feng Siyuan, he had learned this person was Ji Qianxing, another seeded contestant.
For Yu Haitang to command the loyalty of a genius like Ji Qianxing was indeed no simple matter.
However, Chen Ming did not see her present—she likely hadn’t come.
The battles began.
Three matches ended quickly—three unlucky participants had faced off against seeded contestants and didn’t last ten moves. They were utterly crushed.
Clearly, the seven seeded contestants had earned their reputations.
The other two matches were between seeded contestants and were fiercely contested, sparks flying.
All attention focused on this clash.
There were seven seeded contestants, but only five spots on the Azure Cloud Ranking. That meant at least two would fail to make the cut.
Thus, this first battle could very well determine who would rank and who wouldn’t.
As Chen Ming watched, he suddenly sensed someone staring at him. He turned and met Zhao Xiyan’s resentful gaze.
He gave a small nod as a greeting, then quickly looked away, returning his focus to the now white-hot battle on the platform.