Chapter 152 : I Want to Give It a Try
Chapter 152: I Want to Give It a Try
"How could... this happen?"
Pan Shuyi was stunned when she saw Luo Xu fall.
Coming from a scholarly family background, she could naturally see that this person named Luo Xu was undoubtedly among the top within the Fifth Grade. Even those long-established figures like Jiang Shihua of the Jiang Family and Ji Qianxing of the Ji Family might not be his match.
Yet such a formidable figure was still no match for that Chen Ming?
Was this reasonable?
Pan Shuyi had been holding it in for two days, just waiting to see Zhao Xiyan's deflated expression after Chen Ming was finally defeated. Who would have thought he would win again and again?
Even Luo Xu, whom she had placed high hopes on, mysteriously collapsed.
Chen Ming had won again!
Pan Shuyi could almost see Zhao Xiyan's smug, self-satisfied face. Her heart felt wretched, and she lowered her head, silver teeth nearly grinding to pieces.
With her head bowed, she didn’t see Zhao Xiyan’s current expression—slightly dazed from being overly shocked.
Was this really Chen Ming?
In just a few short months, how could his strength have improved to such a degree?
Had she really only been away for a few months and not a few years?
...
After the exciting and splendid battle between Chen Ming and Luo Xu, the following matches became somewhat dull.
In the third round, Chen Ming entered the field once more, and his duel with the opponent seemed evenly matched.
But the more fake it looked, the more it felt insipid and tasteless.
And yet this guy could still put on such a serious act here—truly hypocritical, many people secretly cursed him in their hearts.
It wasn’t until after thirty moves that his opponent, unable to bear the strange looks from others, voluntarily conceded, thus ending the match.
After that, no more battles between experts occurred. A few hours later, all matches for the day concluded.
Chen Ming and Feng Siyuan didn’t rush to leave, waiting for Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao to arrive.
When the two came over, their gazes towards him were somewhat unfamiliar, as if they didn’t recognize him.
Feng Siyuan looked at the two, puzzled. "What’s with you guys? Brother Chen won, but you both look less than thrilled."
Before Zhou Weihao could speak, Gu Yuantao spoke first, wearing a serious expression. "Your swordsmanship has already reached a realm of following your heart. With such innate understanding of the sword, you shouldn’t remain hidden in Jiangzhou. You should go and try your hand at the Nine Extremes Sword Sect."
Chen Ming knew about the Nine Extremes Sword Sect; it was one of the Nine Great Sects. Its current Sword Master ranked third on the Heaven Ranking—a top-tier powerhouse in the world.
He said, "If the chance arises, I’ll definitely give it a try."
Seeing him speak like this, Gu Yuantao understood he didn’t take it to heart. He wanted to persuade him, but after opening his mouth, he simply sighed silently and said nothing more.
Next to him, Zhou Weihao wore a complicated expression and remained unusually silent, which made Feng Siyuan quite uncomfortable, glancing at him repeatedly.
...
Outside the gate, Li Jinchuan walked away with several fellow disciples, listening to them discuss that battle between Big Brother Chen and Luo Xu. Their opinion of Big Brother Chen had undergone a complete transformation.
A strong sense of pride surged in his heart.
However, when he left just now, he didn’t go over to greet Chen Ming. Simply because he didn’t want the fellow disciples to know his relationship with Big Brother Chen.
A young man’s sensitive pride would always lead him to do inexplicable and childish things. Such thoughts were difficult to explain to outsiders.
Wu Zhang asked, "Martial Uncle, did you already figure out Luo Xu’s background?"
"Indeed."
The middle-aged man stroked his beard. Seeing all the disciples looking at him, he continued, "In Jiangzhou, there’s an ancient secluded aristocratic family. No one knows where this family resides or how strong they are. It’s only known that this family practices a unique cultivation method."
He paused, then continued, "I believe you all noticed just now—Luo Xu’s true qi had a very unique attribute: metal. That is precisely the signature divine art of that secluded family.
"Though this family keeps to themselves, occasionally, some of their members venture out into the world. Luo Xu should be one of them."
The juniors were all quite satisfied to have learned a martial world secret.
Wu Zhang said, "This disciple has heard that the Nine Extremes Sword Sect possesses a supreme divine art of metal attribute. It’s said that once cultivated to Fourth Grade, one can comprehend Sword Intent. Martial Uncle, could this Luo family be related to the Nine Extremes Sword Sect?"
"Perhaps."
...
"Big Brother Chen!"
Chen Ming had just exited the gate when, as expected, he once again saw Jiang Yingxue dressed in male attire. Her eyes were filled with worry as she asked with concern, "You’re not hurt, are you?"
"No."
"That's good." Jiang Yingxue patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes instantly brightened. "I was scared to death just now, watching it made my heart pound..."
The two of them stood and chatted for a while. This time, Chen Ming did not see the figure of her brother, Jiang Shihua of the Jiang Family.
"It’s getting late, let’s head back."
Only then did Jiang Yingxue leave reluctantly.
...
Chen Ming and the others returned to the Feng Residence.
"Seriously, Old Zhou, what’s wrong with you today? You’ve been brooding." Feng Siyuan, seeing Zhou Weihao still looking gloomy, couldn’t hold back any longer.
Zhou Weihao finally reacted, letting out a heavy breath and smiling bitterly. "I used to think that with my talent, as long as I worked hard, I’d one day defeat Brother Chen and redeem my past failure. Now it seems... I probably won’t get that chance in this lifetime."
Feng Siyuan suddenly understood. "Ah, you’ve been down all day just because of that?"
Zhou Weihao shot him a glare and snapped, "What the hell do you know?"
"Yes yes yes, I don’t know anything. You’re the wisest."
With that bit of commotion, Zhou Weihao finally returned to normal.
Chen Ming began analyzing today’s battle again, sharing his thoughts and tactics with them.
While they were chatting, the steward of the Feng Residence brought over another young maid.
It wasn’t the yellow-clad maid from yesterday, but another maid dressed in green, just as beautiful.
"This maid was ordered by the young miss to deliver a congratulatory gift. The young miss said the young master didn’t like the Star-Moon Sword from yesterday, so she sent this—her most treasured Chiyang Sword. This sword complements the young master’s true qi. With it, your strength will surely be like a tiger with wings."
Chen Ming frowned and said, "Miss, I made myself clear yesterday. I can’t accept rewards without merit. I cannot take this sword. Please go back."
The green-clad maid didn’t say much more. She slowly rose, a sorrowful expression on her face. After giving a bow, she left.
As soon as she was gone, Zhou Weihao suddenly said, "She’ll probably be punished when she gets back."
Chen Ming glanced at him and said, "Brother Zhou, you really are tender toward the fairer sex."
That Yu Haitang’s tactics were nothing but moral coercion.
They might work on someone like Zhou Weihao, a noble young master, but if she thought she could sway him with such tricks—she’d better think again.
...
After nightfall, everyone else had left. Only Chen Ming remained. A lamp was lit in the room, and he was reading a medical book in his hand.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open from the outside. Su Zhi Ning, dressed in white like snow and veiled, walked in.
She had been absent for several days. Even when Chen Ming summoned her, she didn’t respond. He had no idea what she’d been up to.
He put down the medical book. "Miss Su—"
He suddenly felt that Su Zhi Ning was a bit unusual tonight. In her clear and bright eyes, there was a glint of fighting intent. He asked in surprise, "What is this about?"
Su Zhi Ning said, "Draw your sword."
"What do you mean by this, Miss?"
Wasn’t it just because he said he wanted to see her true face? Was there any need to be this angry? Not only had she disappeared for days, now she even wanted to teach him a lesson?
Chen Ming grumbled inwardly.
Su Zhi Ning said, "I want to try your swordsmanship."
"I refuse."
"Why?" Su Zhi Ning looked puzzled. Wasn’t this guy the most enthusiastic about sparring with others?
I only spar with people I can beat.
Chen Ming didn’t want to lose the hard-earned experience points. He asked, "Miss, your strength far surpasses mine. Why would you suddenly want to test my swordsmanship?"
Su Zhi Ning looked into his eyes and said, "Someone said your swordsmanship has already reached a divine level. So, I want to try your swordsmanship."
She indeed had informants at the scene—most likely a peripheral member of the Heaven's Path Alliance.