Chapter 156 : Zhang Gets on the Ranking
Chapter 156: Zhang Gets on the Ranking
Chen Ming could tell that Su Zhi Ning’s fighting spirit was much higher than yesterday.
Last night, she had initially carried a testing mindset, only becoming serious later. Today was different—she had already entered a battle-ready state ahead of time.
He confirmed once more, “Still like yesterday, you’re not using Gang Qi?”
“Yes.”
At this moment, Su Zhi Ning’s heart was filled with pure fighting intent.
Before last night, among martial artists of the same realm, she had never once been defeated. Her master had once told her that she still lacked something, and among the younger generation, she could not yet be considered invincible.
She had actually felt somewhat unconvinced in her heart, but her indifferent nature made her disinclined to argue.
She had never expected to lose in swordsmanship to Chen Ming, whom she had previously looked down upon. His cultivation level was even one tier lower than hers.
Su Zhi Ning tasted her first defeat in life—it left a deep and unforgettable mark.
She had pondered for a whole night and day, repeatedly replaying that battle in her mind. At last, she figured out a flaw in Chen Ming’s sword technique, and thus came to challenge him once more.
Chen Ming drew the recently obtained "Mingfeng Sword" and said, “Then come.”
Just in time to test the power of the "Mingfeng Sword" on her.
“Divine Weapon?”
When she heard the clear and penetrating sword cry as he drew his blade, Su Zhi Ning felt a chilling sensation reach her soul. As she fixed her gaze on it, she faintly sensed the pressure emanating from its edge—this was undeniably a Divine Weapon.
Instead of fear, she felt joy. Now there was no worry about accidentally breaking his sword during the duel. She could go all out.
“Watch the sword!”
She was the first to strike, launching the battle with the move “Rosy Clouds Stretch for a Thousand Li.”
…
Unknowingly, the two had exchanged over a hundred moves.
Su Zhi Ning had grown much more cautious, defending without a single opening. With her mind focused entirely on defense, Chen Ming found it difficult to break through in a short time.
He had already guessed her intention—she wanted to defend and counterattack, waiting until he became impatient, then seizing the opportunity to strike back.
She was underestimating him.
As the fight dragged on, Chen Ming’s pride was stirred. He decided to defeat her openly and honorably. The thirty-six styles of the 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》 poured forth like mercury, gradually cracking open Su Zhi Ning’s turtle-shell-like defense.
After the hundredth move, Su Zhi Ning gradually became overwhelmed, her defense teetering on the verge of collapse.
The one hundred thirtieth move.
A whooshing sound.
A flaw finally appeared in Su Zhi Ning’s sword technique. A strand of her hair was sliced off by a wisp of Sword Qi and floated to the ground.
She lowered her sword, gazing at the lock of hair falling to the floor, and an intense sense of defeat surged in her heart.
Chen Ming had defeated her in the most upright and grand manner, pressuring her from start to finish without revealing a single flaw.
Such a defeat filled her with a sense of powerlessness.
Su Zhi Ning knew well that although she claimed not to use Gang Qi, her cultivation was clearly superior. In every respect, she had the advantage.
Yet she still lost.
If Chen Ming had also broken through to the Fourth Grade, she absolutely wouldn't have lasted this long.
“I lost.”
When she said this, her voice carried a trace of bitterness.
Chen Ming watched her figure vanish from where she stood, and suddenly felt a bit uneasy—was he too ruthless?
She seemed so shaken it was as if she was questioning her whole existence.
He still remembered the first time he met her—beneath that cool and aloof demeanor was an absolute confidence and pride in her own strength.
As Chen Ming sheathed his sword, his gaze shifted toward the rooftop diagonally opposite. It was completely empty.
Earlier, he had faintly sensed someone standing there.
Looks like they were gone.
He gently caressed the "Mingfeng Sword" in his hand, his eyes filled with affection, as though he were stroking a lover.
No wonder those novels spoke of swordmasters who cherished their swords like life itself. A good sword truly was invaluable to a martial artist.
Right now, he felt like someone who had gotten used to driving a rickety old 1.3T car, and suddenly found himself behind the wheel of a lightning-fast electric mini-car that went from zero to a hundred in just a few seconds. It was exhilarating.
There was no going back for him.
“What kind of junk was I using before?”
This "Mingfeng Sword" suited him perfectly, making him feel as if he had entered a state of unity between man and sword.
This gift from Yu Haitang was truly too valuable.
So then, what did she want to gain from him?
“What secret is hidden within this 《Blazing Sun Divine Art》?”
Chen Ming grew even more curious.
…
In the following days, Chen Ming continued to maintain an undefeated record. After defeating Ji Qianxing and Jiang Shihua, he became the undisputed sixth among the younger generation in Jiangzhou.
With the "Mingfeng Sword," he was like a tiger with wings. No one could pose even the slightest threat to him anymore. Because he performed so steadily, fewer people came to watch in the last two or three days.
Unexpectedly, Fan Dongsheng made a comeback and never lost again. He even defeated Jiang Shihua, ending up with two losses and tying with Ji Qianxing.
The three of them secured the top three spots.
The remaining two spots weren't decided until the last day. One went to Jiang Shihua, who had three losses, and the other to Li Yuqi of the Wushan Sect, who also had three losses.
When the final battle ended, the venue erupted in applause.
This “Azure Cloud Ranking” competition lasted a total of ten days. Nearly every participant faced off against the other forty-nine contestants.
Such high-intensity, high-frequency combat in such a short time caused many to experience a breakthrough in their strength. Fan Dongsheng was the best example.
Of course, there were also unexpected incidents. After losing to Chen Ming, Luo Xu withdrew from the competition.
Many speculated that he couldn’t accept the reality of losing to Chen Ming and thus dropped out.
But Chen Ming knew the truth—he had forcibly broken through a realm and suffered Qi deviation.
“Congratulations. Your names will remain on the Azure Cloud Ranking, remembered for generations.”
That short and plump Tower Lord Chu looked kindly at Chen Ming and the other four as he said, “According to the rules of this tower, you may ascend to the second floor and select one martial technique. Now, go ahead.”
At this moment, only the five of them and Tower Lord Chu were inside the main hall; everyone else was outside.
Jiang Shihua and the others couldn’t wait and rushed up the stairs. Chen Ming stayed behind, and after watching them reach the second floor, he turned around and asked, “Tower Lord, how is Luo Xu’s injury?”
Tower Lord Chu smiled and said, “He left two days ago. His injuries are not serious.”
Satisfied with the answer, Chen Ming bowed and headed for the stairs.
He had a feeling Luo Xu would definitely come looking for him again.
…
Chen Ming stepped onto the second floor and saw rows of bookshelves lined with books. The shelves were labeled with categories: Saber, Spear, Sword, Hidden Weapons, Cultivation Methods, and so on.
At the staircase stood an elderly man with white hair and beard, who looked kindly at him and said, “You have one hour to choose one cultivation method or martial technique. Once you make your choice, you cannot change it.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Chen Ming wasn’t in a hurry. He walked to the last row of shelves, which was labeled “Sword Techniques.”
Looking at the long row of shelves, with at least several hundred to over a thousand books, he couldn’t help but be amazed. Just the sword techniques alone were this numerous—no wonder the World’s Number One Tower had such astonishing foundations.
He casually flipped through a few volumes. Most were second-tier sword techniques. Any one of them, if thrown out casually, would cause people to fight over them.
After browsing for a while, he inadvertently came across a familiar sword manual—《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》.
“So it really did come from here.”
A realization dawned in Chen Ming’s heart, confirming a suspicion he had held.
That day, when he was looking at the rankings on the first floor, he noticed that in a past edition of the Azure Cloud Ranking, Shang Jianfei’s name appeared—and at the time, he had only ranked second.
After getting on the Azure Cloud Ranking, Shang Jianfei came here and chose this 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》, and then passed it on to him.
“Looks like the World’s Number One Tower doesn’t restrict techniques from being passed on.”
That alone showed great generosity.
Chen Ming flipped through a few more books but didn’t find any top-tier sword techniques. He knew that level of swordsmanship wouldn’t be placed on the second floor, and couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
So, he went over to the bookshelf labeled Hidden Weapons.
There were far fewer manuals on this shelf, only a few dozen.
He skimmed through them but found none that surpassed the power of the Flying Knife Technique he had already mastered, so he gave up.
In the end, he went to the shelf for Cultivation Methods and selected a second-tier cultivation method titled 《Guiyuan Art》. It could at most be cultivated to the Fourth Grade, but the inner energy it produced was balanced and neutral, making it easier to switch to another method later on.
Chen Ming planned to pass it on to Wu Bofu and Liu Zhongda.
…
After the five of them made their selections, they went downstairs.
Arriving at the main hall on the first floor, he noticed a new ranking board had been put up on the wall. It was the freshly updated Azure Cloud Ranking, and his name was listed in sixth place.
It looked like he couldn’t shake off the title of the Sixth Man.
Leaving aside the strength of the top five, just based on their backgrounds, all of them came from major powers. Judging by the talents they had demonstrated, they were undoubtedly key protégés within their respective forces.
Even if he broke through to the Fourth Grade, he likely wouldn’t challenge those five. One should always pick the low-hanging fruit. In Jiangzhou City, there were plenty of martial artists stuck at the Fourth Grade, unable to break through to the Third Grade. He could just challenge them instead.
“Brother Chen, congratulations.”
As Chen Ming stepped out of the World’s Number One Tower, the first to greet him was Jiang Yingxue.
There were many people gathered outside today. Besides her, the trio of Zhou Weihao, Li Jinchuan and a few of his fellow disciples, along with Zhao Xiyan and her group, all began to approach at the same time.
Jiang Yingxue came over to congratulate Chen Ming first before heading off to find her brother. Jiang Shihua’s face darkened upon seeing this. If it weren’t for all the people present, he might have cursed aloud.
“Brother Chen, this is my Martial Uncle, and my Senior Brother.”
Li Jinchuan came over to introduce his fellow disciples, looking a little shy.
He was still young, and Chen Ming understood that—he too had once been young. Smiling, he said, “When Jinchuan lived in my home back in Qingfeng City, he was just like my own younger brother.”
This was to make their relationship clear.
Li Jinchuan’s fellow disciples were all very warm and even invited him to visit the Baiyu Sect.
Naturally, he agreed.
Then Zhao Xiyan came over, accompanied by a man in his thirties, who immediately said, “Xiyan’s got good taste. Your swordsmanship isn’t bad.”