I Only Know How to Bully Noobs

Chapter 154: A Person of Genuine Temperament

Li Jinchuan had followed several fellow disciples to the “World’s Number One Tower” early on, standing at the back of the crowd, listening as Martial Uncle conversed with several elders from other sects about who was most likely to make it onto this year’s “Azure Cloud Ranking.”

“Actually, the strength of those seven is on par with each other. It's just that their cultivation methods and martial techniques counter each other, so it’s not surprising whoever ends up winning.”

“That Chen Ming and Huang Zhuochen are also quite capable, but since they haven’t fought against those seven, it’s hard to say who would win.”

“I say, Old Hu, you’re talking nonsense with your eyes wide open. You saw yesterday’s match too—Chen Ming from Qingfeng County, his swordsmanship was unmatched among those present. There’s no way those seven can compare to him.”

“Old Zhang, that’s too arbitrary of you to say…”

“How about we make a bet? Let’s wager your Ice Sword, what do you say?”

“Hmph! You old crook! So you’re after my Ice Sword. Forget it!”

And just like that, the discussion ended in disagreement.

That elder surnamed Zhang gave a cold snort. “That old fool just doesn’t want to offend those aristocratic families. Speaks only nonsense.”

The others chuckled but didn’t respond.

Li Jinchuan could also tell that this Elder Zhang was a straightforward person. Seeing him speak out so righteously for Brother Chen, he felt quite a bit of admiration.

Soon, the topic shifted elsewhere.

Suddenly, there was a stir at the entrance, and many people turned to look in that direction.

Without even looking, one could guess that someone important had arrived. It had been the same yesterday.

Sure enough, people from the Inspector’s Residence had arrived. Leading them was a Third Grade Inspector, followed by several young men and women—members of the Inspector Lord’s household.

Wherever they passed, people bowed and greeted, “Lord Huang.” “Greetings, Lord Huang.” “We pay respects to Lord Huang.”

Li Jinchuan obediently followed behind several senior brothers.

The middle-aged man didn’t step forward. His status and strength weren’t sufficient, so there was no need.

But soon, he suddenly noticed a young woman behind Inspector Lord Huang walking over in this direction. He had seen this woman before—she was the direct disciple of the Inspector’s wife.

Three months ago, the Inspector’s Residence had hosted a grand banquet. He had the fortune of attending with the Sect Leader and had personally witnessed the apprenticeship ceremony.

This young woman’s surname was Zhao. Her cultivation wasn’t high, but as the disciple of the Inspector’s wife, her status was anything but ordinary. She could not be taken lightly.

Sure enough, this Miss Zhao walked straight toward them.

“Could it be… she’s here to greet me specifically?”

The middle-aged man grew uneasy under the scrutiny of so many eyes. He began to feel nervous, thinking about how he should respond. But then, she didn’t even glance at him and walked right past, stopping in front of a young disciple.

“You’re Li Jinchuan, right?”

Li Jinchuan wasn’t slow-witted. From Martial Uncle’s reaction alone, he could tell that this woman had an unusual identity. Hearing her words, he was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to react.

Zhao Xiyan smiled and said, “I’ve heard Brother Chen mention you before.”

Brother Chen?

Only then did Li Jinchuan realize, “You’re Brother Chen’s friend?”

“My surname is Zhao.”

“Oh.”

Li Jinchuan suddenly understood who she was.

He had been corresponding regularly with Hong Zilin and knew about the close relationship between Brother Chen and the daughter of Inspector Zhao.

He hadn’t expected to meet the legendary Miss Zhao in such a setting.

And more than that—she had come to seek him out personally.

Zhao Xiyan took out a copper token from her bosom and handed it to him, saying, “If you ever encounter any difficulty, take this and come find me at the Inspector’s Residence.”

“This… I can’t accept it.”

Startled, Li Jinchuan was about to return it, even if he were willing to accept.

But she suddenly put on a stern face and said, “I said take it, so take it.”

While he was still stunned, she had already walked away. She turned back to glance at him, a smile on her face. Only then did he realize she wasn’t really angry.

After Zhao Xiyan left, Li Jinchuan suddenly sensed that the atmosphere was off. He looked up and saw several fellow disciples—including Martial Uncle—all staring at him with strange expressions.

He was momentarily flustered, holding the copper token like it was a burning piece of coal. He looked helplessly at the middle-aged man and said, “Mar… Martial Uncle… this…”

Martial Uncle said, “Keep it.”

Li Jinchuan felt that this Martial Uncle’s gaze was especially kind.

He had no choice but to accept the copper token.

At this moment, a senior brother who was usually close to him whispered, “Junior Brother, you actually know someone important from the Inspector’s Residence? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Li Jinchuan gave a wry smile. He didn’t know either.

Luckily, Martial Uncle came to his rescue. “Alright, let’s not bring this up again. We’ll talk later. Jinchuan, come stand beside me.”

Li Jinchuan nervously walked to Martial Uncle’s side. Looking up, he saw the eldest senior brother on the other side of Martial Uncle give him a friendly smile.

He quickly returned a smile, feeling inexplicably relieved.

He had joined the Baiyu Sect halfway through and had no foundation in the sect. Due to his outstanding talent, many senior brothers didn’t think well of him. Fortunately, his master protected him, so he wasn’t ostracized.

Now, he felt that his fellow disciples and even Martial Uncle had become more cordial.

He knew very well this change was all because of that Miss Zhao. And the reason she approached him was because of Brother Chen.

...

“Junior Sister, who was that person?”

After Zhao Xiyan returned, Pan Dingqian casually asked.

She replied respectfully, “The younger brother of a friend.”

Pan Dingqian was the youngest son of her master, and naturally, her senior brother. He was around thirty years old, with a somewhat unrestrained and carefree demeanor.

Upon hearing that, he smiled and said, “Your beloved, perhaps?”

“Senior Brother jests.”

“Haha, affection between men and women is human nature. What’s there to hide?” Pan Dingqian didn’t think much of her reaction. “Besides, your taste is good. I heard his swordsmanship has reached perfection, no less than Shang Jianfei in his prime.”

Zhao Xiyan knew this senior brother had always been loose-tongued and could only pretend she hadn’t heard.

Today, Pan Shuyi used the excuse of not feeling well to avoid coming. Pan Dingqian, on the other hand, had followed, saying he wanted to meet her so-called beloved.

Just then, the familiar figure appeared in her peripheral vision, and a wave of bitterness welled up in her heart.

These past two days, Chen Ming had soared to fame, his name resounding throughout Jiangzhou City. She should’ve been happy, yet the more famous he became, the more inexplicable sorrow she felt.

The scene of their last meeting was still vivid in her mind.

She knew clearly that she and Chen Ming were probably impossible now.

So every time someone mentioned him as her beloved, her chest felt stuffy.

“That one in black is him, right?”

Pan Dingqian’s voice reached her ears. Clearly, he had guessed from her reaction.

Her mood worsened, and she didn’t feel like saying a single word.

...

Soon, everyone had arrived. Tower Lord Chu announced the start, and the third round of the contest began.

In the first batch, there were again several internal matches among those seven contenders. Today, their fights were even fiercer.

After two days of intense battles, they now had a clear understanding of each other’s strength. There was no need to probe; they launched straight into bloody combat.

“Their strength has all improved.”

Chen Ming made his judgment halfway through watching.

Such closely matched actual combat was the most beneficial for a martial artist’s progress.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed—everyone present had realized the same and thought no wonder Jiang Shihua, Ji Qianxing, and the others had come to participate in the Azure Cloud Ranking.

To them, this was a rare opportunity to improve themselves.

It was imaginable that after ten days, many of them would reach new heights in strength.

Meanwhile, those Fifth Grade martial artists who didn’t dare compete would be left far behind.

The first batch of matches was extremely intense, with victory not determined until seventy to eighty moves in. One contestant, who had remained undefeated so far, unexpectedly lost.

Now, only four remained undefeated: Chen Ming, Huang Zhuochen, Li Yuqi of the Wushan Sect, and Jiang Shihua.

In the second batch, Chen Ming’s opponent was average. He resolved it easily.

...

By the third match, Chen Ming finally encountered a seeded contestant—Fan Dongsheng of Jin Yutang. He had only lost one match so far and was exceptionally strong.

This match was the most anticipated of the day.

Everyone wanted to know if this rising star, Chen Ming, could still prevail against one of the most outstanding young experts in Jiangzhou City.

This man was Chen Ming’s touchstone. His true quality would be laid bare after this battle.

Those familiar with Chen Ming, such as Zhou Weihao and Li Jinchuan, couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Though they knew Chen Ming’s strength was formidable now, reputation brings awe. Fan Dongsheng’s renown was immense, and they couldn’t help but worry.

“Martial Uncle, who do you think will win?”

Over on the Baiyu Sect’s side, Wu Zhang was also nervous and quietly asked the Martial Uncle beside him.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and vaguely replied, “Sixty-forty.”

But he didn’t say who had the sixty and who the forty. As for which side that implied, that was up to them to interpret.

...

“Please.”

Chen Ming made a polite gesture.

Fan Dongsheng gripped his spear tightly, his fighting spirit ablaze.

This Chen Ming had already defeated Luo Xu, whose background was unknown, and now his reputation was approaching his own. Gambling houses even considered him a stronger contender for the Azure Cloud Ranking.

All of this had made Fan Dongsheng hold back a great fire in his chest.

He wanted to see whether this brat’s swordsmanship was truly exceptional, or if his spear techniques were more dominant.

With the referee’s command, Fan Dongsheng struck first. From the outset, he used a killing move, without the slightest courtesy or holding back. His spear surged like a dragon, charging at Chen Ming in the arena.

Jin Yutang’s signature skill, the 《Flame Dragon Spear》, paired with Fan Dongsheng’s fire-attribute true qi, made it seem as if flames ignited along the divine weapon “Flame Dragon Spear” in his hands.

“Die!”

The power of this spear had already exceeded the bounds of a Fifth Grade.

On the arena stage, the use of Divine Weapons was not prohibited. Those seven seeded contestants each wielded a Divine Weapon, enhancing their strength by nearly twenty percent. This made it even harder for others to compete against them.

Yet this spear thrust struck nothing but air.

No matter how powerful a spear technique was, if it failed to hit its target, it was all for naught.

Chen Ming had already witnessed Fan Dongsheng’s spear technique before. In terms of sheer power, it could be considered the strongest in the entire field. Naturally, he would not confront it head-on.

The match this man had lost earlier was due to being kited—his True Qi was overly depleted, and he ultimately lost by one move.

Of course, not just anyone could successfully kite him.

Chen Ming had already discerned the intention behind his opponent’s attack the moment he launched his spear, almost as if he had predicted it. He reacted in advance. The rıghtful source is N0velFire.ɴet

Ever since mastering the 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》, it was as though he had grasped the essence of all techniques—once one method was mastered, all became clear. Whether it was saber techniques, palm techniques, or spear techniques, he could easily perceive the flaws within his opponent’s moves.

Simply put, he could see through his opponent, allowing him to respond with ease and fluidity.

So far, the only one he had trouble seeing through was Su Zhi Ning. Her sword technique attainments were also extremely high, placing him under great pressure. Thus, he had no choice but to launch an aggressive offense, forcing her to reveal a weakness, and seizing victory with a final strike.

While Chen Ming was pondering this, he continued dealing with Fan Dongsheng’s spear techniques. After over ten moves, Fan Dongsheng was greatly exhausted and could barely hold on.

“You dare look down on me?!”

Fan Dongsheng was no ordinary man. He could sense that his opponent, Chen Ming, seemed distracted, which enraged him.

If he were to lose due to inferior strength, he would accept that.

But for Chen Ming to belittle him so blatantly—this was something he could not tolerate. At that moment, his eyes turned bloodshot. Fueled by intense anger, it felt as though a flame was burning in his chest.

Boom!

In that instant, a single thought consumed his mind: to skewer the man who dared to underestimate him. True Qi surged through his body as though it were ablaze.

Flames blazed fiercely upon the “Flame Dragon Spear” in his hand.

Suddenly, Fan Dongsheng felt he had locked onto Chen Ming’s figure.

“Got you!”

He thrust his spear with explosive force, a strong premonition rising in his heart—this strike would surely land.

“Eh?”

Gasps of surprise echoed from the crowd. A few Third Grade Experts revealed astonished expressions. This young man had actually achieved insight under such conditions.

They all thought the same: Jin Yutang had accepted an excellent disciple.

…

Hmm?

Chen Ming suddenly felt something lock onto him. Startled, he grew serious. This strike sealed off all his escape routes, forcing him to confront it head-on.

A breakthrough mid-battle?

His gaze sharpened. For the first time since the start of the battle, he swung his longsword.

Falling Star Lights the Night!

A flash of sword light burst forth, flying at a speed too fast for the naked eye to track.

That streak of sword light struck Fan Dongsheng’s chest, sending him flying straight off the arena.

The spectators were blinded by that sword light and failed to see how Fan Dongsheng had lost. Only those with higher cultivation levels understood what had happened.

Just now, Chen Ming had thrown his longsword. Before the spear could close in, it struck Fan Dongsheng.

A breathtaking feat.

That spear strike of Fan Dongsheng’s was already beyond what a Fifth Grade Martial Artist could withstand. Yet in that fleeting instant, Chen Ming found perhaps the only sliver of a chance to win. Such combat instincts were truly astounding.

If they were in his position, they might not have been able to think of that move.

At that moment, Chen Ming stood on the arena and praised, “Brother Fan, excellent spear technique.”

Having been flung off the arena, Fan Dongsheng climbed up from the ground and snorted, “A loss is a loss. No need to offer me a way out. I’ll remember today’s defeat.”

With that, he turned and left.

Chen Ming thought to himself, he’s a man of character.