Chapter 150 : Gift of Congratulations
Chapter 150: Gift of Congratulations
"Good lad!"
Before Chen Ming and Feng Siyuan had even exited the main gate, Zhou Weihao came running over, excitedly punching him in the chest. "When did you master such a formidable sword technique? You actually won five matches in a row!"
Chen Ming’s performance had far exceeded his expectations.
In his heart, he had instinctively believed that Chen Ming’s strength would certainly be inferior to those geniuses born of Aristocratic Families.
Firstly, Chen Ming had only recently broken through to Fifth Grade.
Secondly, he had no master to guide him—this was a tremendous disadvantage. Could it possibly be the same, having a master’s instruction versus not?
So, when Zhou Weihao witnessed Chen Ming unleash might on the stage, consecutively defeating five opponents, he was truly dumbfounded.
Rapid improvement in cultivation could be excused—he had long known that Chen Ming cultivated a Pure Yang Technique, a Peerless Divine Art, incomparable to ordinary cultivation methods.
But how could Chen Ming’s swordsmanship be so profound?
He had once been called a saber genius and only switched to sword techniques after reaching Sixth Grade. In just over a year, he had trained his swordsmanship to such a level.
Was that even reasonable?
Chen Ming smiled and said, "I won by sheer luck."
Zhou Weihao couldn’t stand his demeanor, snorted, and said, "Stop being modest. One win might be luck, but five consecutive victories clearly show your strength. This is what’s wrong with you—so fake, not straightforward at all."
At this moment, Gu Yuantao spoke up, "Today we finally witnessed the true power of that sword technique. What is it called?"
Chen Ming didn’t hide it from them and openly replied, "《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》, passed down by a senior."
This was an admission that someone had been teaching him martial arts in the background.
Zhou Weihao laughed and said, "I knew it, you definitely had a great opportunity."
In fact, even if Chen Ming hadn’t said anything, they could have guessed that he most likely had a master behind him.
Gu Yuantao pondered for a moment but could not recall ever hearing of this sword technique.
Zhou Weihao, full of heroic spirit, declared, "Let us drink heartily today!"
As the four chatted, they noticed that most of the crowd had dispersed, and only then did they walk toward the main gate.
"Big Brother Chen."
As soon as they stepped out of the main gate, they saw Jiang Yingxue, dressed in male attire, running toward them. A rosy flush bloomed on her fair cheeks, and her eyes shimmered with waves of emotion. "You’re amazing. You won all five matches."
"Congratulations to you too, for winning two matches."
As Chen Ming spoke, he noticed Jiang Shihua on a carriage not far away. His face was dark as the bottom of a pot, and the look in his eyes could kill.
He said, "Go on. Your brother is waiting for you."
"Oh."
Jiang Yingxue looked a little reluctant. "Then see you tomorrow."
...
"The one you said you were waiting for just now—was it him?"
On the carriage, Jiang Shihua’s face was livid as he stared at his younger sister. "Do you know—"
Jiang Yingxue impatiently cut him off. "Of course I know. He’s Sister Yan’s beloved."
The word "beloved" pierced Jiang Shihua’s heart. He flew into a rage. "From now on, you are absolutely forbidden from associating with him!"
Jiang Yingxue wasn’t afraid of him at all. With a half-smile, she said, "Why don’t you go tell Sister Yan that yourself?"
"You—"
...
Elsewhere, Feng Siyuan exclaimed in surprise, "So she’s Jiang Shihua’s younger sister?"
"I heard long ago that the Jiang Family’s Ninth Miss has talent surpassing even Jiang Shihua’s. Seeing her today, the rumors are clearly true," Zhou Weihao said with deep emotion.
In these top-tier Aristocratic Families, geniuses were everywhere. This Ninth Miss Jiang wasn’t even twenty yet and was already a Fifth Grade Martial Artist, even participating in the Azure Cloud Ranking competition.
In five years, she would most likely reach Fourth Grade, and there was a high chance she could take the top rank.
Such talent was truly enough to make others despair.
Thinking of this, Zhou Weihao glanced at Chen Ming again. He was also a monster.
"A pity he started too late. If he’d begun a few years earlier, he could’ve competed for the top of the Azure Cloud Ranking."
The Azure Cloud Ranking was far more than an empty title. Those who made the list could choose one cultivation method or martial technique from the second floor of the World’s Number One Tower.
Zhou Weihao said teasingly, "That Ninth Miss Jiang seems to hold you in high regard. If I’m not mistaken, she’s related to Miss Zhao, right?"
Feng Siyuan nodded. "Technically, Miss Zhao is her cousin. Maybe because of that connection, she’s especially close to you."
At that moment, Gu Yuantao suddenly said, "Be careful of Jiang Shihua. Rumor has it he once had a marriage agreement with Miss Zhao."
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Gu."
Chen Ming had long sensed Jiang Shihua’s hostility. If they faced off on the stage, the latter would definitely show no mercy.
The four shared a carriage back to the Feng Residence. They didn’t drink and quickly shifted the topic to each family's signature techniques.
Chen Ming didn’t keep secrets and shared the moves and traits of the five opponents he had faced today with Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao.
Feng Siyuan wasn’t interested in that and slipped away before long.
Just as they were getting into the discussion, the steward of the Feng Residence arrived with a woman.
Chen Ming immediately recognized her. She was one of the maids by Yu Haitang’s side a few days ago. She wore a yellow shirt and had a charming appearance, surpassing many young ladies from Aristocratic Families.
"My lady heard that Young Master Chen competed today and won five consecutive matches. She has sent a sword as a congratulatory gift."
The maid respectfully presented the treasured sword with both hands.
The three looked at it and saw that the scabbard was made from rare Cold Pool Crocodile skin, and the hilt was inlaid with a pigeon-egg-sized sapphire. It was clearly no ordinary item.
Chen Ming said, "One should not receive a reward without merit. Please thank your lady for her kind intentions. This sword is too precious. I cannot accept it. Please take it back."
With a thud, the maid in yellow fell to her knees and pleaded, "Please accept it, Young Master. Otherwise, I will have no way to report back to my lady."
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao both couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic.
Chen Ming sighed and said, "Young lady, do you really want to harm me?"
His words stunned not only Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao, but also the kneeling maid. "Young Master, why would you say that?"
Chen Ming said, "If I accept this sword out of sympathy, just to spare you punishment, I will owe your lady a favor. In the future, should she need something, I would be obligated to help. I would be drawn into countless troubles and never know peace again. By begging me like this, are you not harming me?"
The maid’s lips parted, and in the end, she said, "This servant never had such intentions."
"In that case, please take it back."
The maid in yellow had no choice but to rise and leave.
As soon as she departed, Zhou Weihao teased, "Brother Chen, you truly have a heart of stone, to actually let such a delicate maid go back to face punishment."
Chen Ming merely smiled.
Zhou Weihao asked curiously, "Back to the topic, who has such extravagant means to send a treasured sword right away?"
"Not sure. I found her background mysterious and didn’t want to have too much contact."
He did not reveal Yu Haitang’s identity. Then he said no more about it and continued the previous conversation.
……
The next morning, Chen Ming and Feng Siyuan headed to the "World’s Number One Tower." Outside the building, the street was still packed with people. Though they couldn’t enter or see the duels, that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm.
Staying outside meant they could get firsthand information.
Some people were even shouting out names of contestants, cheering them on.
In this era, there were naturally no such things as fans. Most of these people were gamblers, having placed bets.
Chen Ming even heard a few voices cheering for him, and couldn’t help but say to Feng Siyuan beside him, "Seems like my odds are quite high."
Anyone bold enough to bet on him winning was no ordinary person, clearly hoping for a big payout from a small stake.
Feng Siyuan said, "I checked it out. The odds of you making it onto the Azure Cloud Ranking are twenty-nine to one. It was even higher before yesterday—one to one hundred."
The reason it was capped at one to one hundred was because the casino had a maximum payout limit of one hundred.
Chen Ming asked, "Did you place a bet?"
Feng Siyuan grinned. "Hehe, I bet one thousand taels. That alone brought your odds down to fifty. Whether I profit or not is now up to you."
Chen Ming patted him on the shoulder and walked through the gates of the World’s Number One Tower.
To put down real silver to support him—this Feng Siyuan was truly a loyal friend.
After entering the gates, besides Zhou Weihao and the others, he also spotted Li Jinchuan, who had come today with fellow disciples.
The two merely exchanged a distant glance and nodded slightly. That counted as a greeting. The crowd was thick, and it wasn’t convenient to walk over.
Soon, Tower Lord Chu, that short and stout man from yesterday, led a group of people out from the main hall and announced the beginning of today’s evaluation matches.
In the first round, the same seven seeded contestants went up first.
From Chen Ming’s perspective, the strength of the forty-nine participants could be divided into three levels. The seeded contestants, along with Luo Xu and a few others, were experts capable of contending for a place on the Azure Cloud Ranking.
Next came the group around level 59, whose martial techniques were slightly inferior to the first group. There were about ten of them.
The remaining twenty-plus were the weakest—like the three opponents he faced yesterday, and Jiang Yingxue also belonged in this tier.
In the first round, two of the matchups between seeded contestants were exceptionally intense. It was as if they were mortal enemies, fighting with unrestrained passion and delivering a brilliant performance.
When the results were finally decided, many people sighed with regret.
One of them lost three matches total and was basically out of contention for the Azure Cloud Ranking.
In the second round, it was Chen Ming’s turn. This time, his opponent was no pushover, falling into the second tier, and had a very refined saber technique.
Chen Ming still fought with steady precision, finally clinching a narrow victory in just over fifty moves.