Chapter 171 : After the Younger Generation Surpasses
Chapter 171: After the Younger Generation Surpasses
The next morning, the person sent by Yu Haitang arrived. It was an old acquaintance—Ji Qianxing. This young genius, ranked seventh on the Azure Cloud Ranking, had actually become her bodyguard and errand-runner.
Chen Ming had always suspected that perhaps Ji Qianxing had some sort of leverage held by Yu Haitang.
"About last time, thank you."
He was referring to the matter with Qiuxiang and Dongxiang. He had not found a chance to express his gratitude until now.
Ji Qianxing still wore that indifferent expression. "It was nothing."
After getting in the carriage, he asked again, "Where are we going now?"
"You'll know when we get there."
Chen Ming said no more, laying the Mingfeng Sword across his knees and closing his eyes to rest.
……
Half an hour later, the carriage entered a tranquil courtyard.
As soon as Chen Ming stepped out of the carriage, he knew where he was—Yu Haitang’s residence. He had been here before.
"Follow me."
Ji Qianxing called out and walked toward the back courtyard.
After passing through several courtyard gates, they arrived at a large courtyard. A somewhat disheveled middle-aged man stood there with his hands hanging at his sides.
Ji Qianxing said to the middle-aged man, "The master said, as long as you can defeat him, your past mistakes will be overlooked."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man looked up at Chen Ming. His gaze instantly turned sharp, exerting immense pressure on him.
The once-disheveled man now exuded the demeanor of an expert. With a flip of his hand, a dagger appeared as he said, "Come at me."
Seeing that the man neither introduced himself nor asked his name, Chen Ming didn't waste any words either and unsheathed his sword.
"Good sword!"
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up.
By this time, Ji Qianxing had already stepped aside.
"Careful now!"
After saying that, Chen Ming launched the move "Vermilion Shadow Pierces the Woods", a plain and simple thrust, but it was fast to the extreme.
After reaching the second level of 《Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens》, his speed had greatly improved, and with his sword techniques, the power had increased drastically again.
The middle-aged man’s expression turned serious. He slashed with his dagger, precisely intercepting the oncoming sword tip.
Clang!
Chen Ming's figure violently retreated.
This man’s power was far above his own; direct confrontation was unwise.
In a flash, he twisted his body and charged again. This sword was three-tenths faster than before.
His cultivation had its limits and couldn't sustain prolonged battles. He had to end the fight quickly. If he couldn't defeat his opponent within twenty moves, he would be left at the mercy of others.
……
In the vast courtyard, Ji Qianxing was the only spectator. He watched intently. The two in the arena moved like hares and falcons, exchanging blows swiftly and fiercely. Ji Qianxing's fists clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hands.
Clearly, he was far from calm.
A little over a month ago, during the Azure Cloud Ranking competition, he had lost to Chen Ming and had since regarded him as the strongest rival of his life.
Yesterday, when Chen Ming unleashed that strike of Sword Qi, he was already deeply shocked. Among Fifth Grade martial artists, no one could withstand that blow.
Now, witnessing Chen Ming battling a Fourth Grade expert, Ji Qianxing's mind was in turmoil. He finally believed what Chen Ming had said yesterday.
He really could defeat stronger foes despite being weaker.
The strength Chen Ming was displaying filled him with profound despair.
Was this his true strength?
Or had his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds in the past month?
After ten moves, the middle-aged man was already being suppressed by Chen Ming. Each blast of Sword Qi targeted his weakest spots, forcing him back step by step.
Seeing this, Ji Qianxing was momentarily dazed. He thought to himself, "Brother, I’ve encountered someone even more monstrous than you..."
When the middle-aged man retreated for the eighth time, he suddenly threw down his dagger, his face filled with bitterness, and said, "I lost." With that, he turned and left. His departing figure radiated indescribable desolation.
Chen Ming couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If the man hadn’t admitted defeat, he would have had to resort to using Sword Intent.
【You have defeated an LV68 enemy. Experience gained: 39000】
Upon seeing this prompt, his confidence surged. Ignoring Ji Qianxing’s presence, he sat down cross-legged and began circulating his Qi.
The dozen or so moves just now had consumed a significant amount of True Qi.
……
Two hours later, Chen Ming had mostly recovered. He didn’t get up immediately, but instead opened the panel. He added another fifty thousand points to 《Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens》.
This lightness technique indeed gave his combat ability a major boost, but it still wasn’t enough. Against an expert like that middle-aged man, he couldn’t yet win decisively.
So, he needed to continue adding points.
【Level: 55】
【Current Points: 533000】
【Cultivation Methods: 《Iron Horse Stance》 (Fifth Stage Perfection), 《Five Elements True Art (Incomplete)》 (Fifth Stage 990000/1500000)】
【Martial Techniques: 《Three Talents Fist》 (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Mastery), 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》 (Mastery), 《Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens》 (Second Stage 50711/200000)】
【Secret Arts: 《Disguise Technique》 (Mastery)】
Chen Ming sat for a while longer, digesting the strength he had just gained before standing up and saying to Ji Qianxing, "Next one."
Ji Qianxing’s gaze was somewhat complex. He nodded and went to summon the next opponent.
The second opponent was a woman in her forties or fifties. Her weapon was a whip. From the first strike, she showed no mercy. The long whip slithered like a venomous snake, attacking from one direction and striking from another, blending feints and real strikes. It was extremely difficult to defend against.
This was the first time Chen Ming had encountered such a weapon. At the start, he nearly suffered a major loss.
At this point, the benefit of improved footwork became evident. As he maneuvered swiftly, the whip couldn’t even brush his clothes.
After seven or eight moves, he finally grasped the whip’s attack pattern and began his counterattack.
In Ji Qianxing’s eyes, Chen Ming seemed to have improved again after the last battle. It was clear that his movement technique had become even smoother than before.
He was greatly shocked, and a thought flashed through his mind that seemed inconceivable, "Could it be that he improves every time he fights someone?"
The idea was absurd, but the contrast before and after was so stark that he couldn’t help but think this way.
At this moment, the tide of the battle had turned. Chen Ming broke through the opponent's whip technique with a single sword strike, cutting off a segment of the whip.
After that, he continually closed the distance between them.
The woman tried desperately to stop him, but it was all in vain. When another segment of her whip was severed, Chen Ming was already less than three feet away from her.
"Hmph."
With the Mingfeng Sword pointed at her throat, the woman resentfully threw down her whip and said begrudgingly, "You’re just relying on the sharpness of a divine weapon."
Clearly, she was not convinced by her defeat.
【You have defeated an LV63 enemy. Experience gained: 29000】
Chen Ming sat cross-legged once more and resumed circulating his Qi.
……
Nearly two more hours passed before Chen Ming's True Qi had mostly recovered. He opened the panel again and added another fifty thousand experience points to 《Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens》.
In the previous battle, the reason he could easily defeat that woman was entirely due to his movement technique.
Movement techniques wouldn’t directly enhance the power of swordsmanship, but in real combat, their benefits became immensely apparent.
Especially when facing enemies of similar strength, even a slight speed advantage could determine the outcome.
After standing up, Chen Ming asked Ji Qianxing, "Any more?"
Ji Qianxing’s gaze grew even more complex. He replied, "One more."
The third opponent was an old man who looked like an account clerk—dry and thin, with a goatee. Nothing about him suggested he was a Fourth Grade expert.
Ji Qianxing said to him, "The master said, as long as you can defeat him, she will personally recommend your granddaughter into the Cangyue Sect."
The old man’s once-hunched back straightened instantly. A glint of light emerged in his cloudy eyes as if he had shed his disguise. "Young master, pardon me."
Ji Qianxing asked again, "Do you need a weapon?"
"No."
The old man took out his weapon—a counting frame.
It looked like an ordinary abacus.
Chen Ming’s heart tensed. Anyone bold enough to use such a weapon must have some tricks up their sleeve—most likely hidden weapons.
Swish——
Sure enough, several abacus beads, charged with Gang Qi, shot toward him.
Chen Ming didn’t take them head-on. His figure flickered and dodged the seven flying beads.
Puff puff puff……
The seven beads pierced through the courtyard wall behind him.
Before Chen Ming had even stabilized himself, a sudden warning surged in his heart. His body twisted in an impossible angle, narrowly dodging several silently launched beads.
This was an exceptionally advanced hidden weapon technique—not only did it avoid his field of vision, but there wasn’t the slightest sound of wind. If not for his extraordinary instincts, he would have been hit.
Seeing that even this move was dodged, the old man tore apart the abacus. Nearly a hundred beads scattered like a rainstorm, shooting toward Chen Ming.
This attack was utterly unreasonable. Its coverage was so wide that evasion was nearly impossible.
Clearly, the old man had used his seasoned experience to identify Chen Ming’s greatest weakness—his Gang Qi was too weak, and he lacked Defensive Gang Qi.
Those nearly one hundred beads were all wrapped in indomitable Gang Qi. With a formation like a celestial net, there was no place to hide.
Without Defensive Gang Qi, the outcome was obvious.
A confident smile had already appeared on the old man's face.
"What a celestial net formation!"
Chen Ming was somewhat amazed. Those hundred-plus beads sealed off every dead angle. No matter how he moved, he would have to face at least five or six of them.
Given his speed, it was absolutely impossible to escape the strike range before the beads reached him.
Naturally, Ji Qianxing could also see this and couldn’t help but admire the old man’s combat insight. He had so quickly found the path to victory.
"Then, how will Chen Ming respond?"
Seeing the incoming beads, Chen Ming didn’t draw his sword. Instead, he reached into his robe.
In an instant, golden light flashed brightly.
Clang clang clang……
Amidst a flurry of intense collisions—
The nearby wall collapsed with a loud crash.
Chen Ming stood there, completely unharmed.
Ji Qianxing had seen it clearly—Chen Ming had fired over a dozen flying knives, each one striking a bead directly in front of him with pinpoint accuracy.
Though the knives were all deflected, the impacted beads were knocked off course, missing him by mere hairs. Not a single one could hurt him.
The smile on the old man’s face froze. He muttered, "Good flying knives! Truly, the younger generation is to be feared!"
Then, he turned around and left, his figure filled with loneliness.
He had already seen that this young man was only at the Fifth Grade.
For someone like him to bully the weak and fail to defeat his opponent in three moves—how could he still have the face to continue fighting?