I Only Know How to Bully Noobs

Chapter 189: Slaying a Third Grade

"You dare!"

A cold glint flashed across Yu Haitang’s incomparably beautiful face, killing intent glimmering in her eyes. The two swords in her hands faintly lit up, emitting one white and one red beam of sword light.

Besides the “Mingfeng Sword,” the other weapon in her hand was a soft sword, always wrapped around her waist. Chen Ming had lived with her day and night for over half a month, yet he hadn’t realized that she had another sword hidden there.

Gao Chenghao looked at the two swords in her hands, eyes ablaze with fervor as he exclaimed in surprise, "That must be the legendary Shuiyun Sword! I didn’t expect it to be in your possession."

The “Shuiyun Sword” was known as the softest sword under heaven. It had once appeared in the World’s Number One Tower’s special ranking for extraordinary weapons, which gathered all the most famous and unique armaments across the land. This “Shuiyun Sword” was on the list and was an extremely renowned peerless divine weapon.

Gao Chenghao laughed proudly. "What an unexpected delight."

At that moment, Yu Haitang struck. The “Shuiyun Sword” shot forward like a venomous snake, targeting Gao Chenghao’s head directly.

A faint, transparent shield surrounded Gao Chenghao—his Defensive Gang Origin. For martial artists below the Third Grade, even if they went all out, they could not break this seemingly thin layer—except for a peerless divine weapon!

Peerless divine weapons were made precisely to pierce through Defensive Gang Origin.

If struck by the “Shuiyun Sword,” his shield would shatter with ease.

That was, if it could land a hit.

Gao Chenghao seemed to have anticipated this moment. While retreating swiftly, he flicked his fingers, releasing two blasts of finger Gang Qi—not at Yu Haitang, but directly toward the prone Chen Ming.

Just moments earlier, Yu Haitang had been guarding Chen Ming. Now that she launched her own attack, a gap had finally opened.

She was shocked. Without thinking, she lifted the “Mingfeng Sword” in her left hand and blocked the two blasts of finger Gang Qi. The immense force nearly knocked the sword from her grip.

"Miss Yu, to possess such cultivation and swordsmanship at such a young age—truly astonishing. In a couple more years, I fear I wouldn’t be your match."

Gao Chenghao admired her. "To be honest, if you insisted on fleeing, I might not have been able to stop you. But unfortunately, you can’t bear to leave that man behind. I’d like to see how many attacks you can block."

As he spoke, he flicked his fingers again—three more blasts of finger Gang Qi flew forth. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel[f]ire.net

Yu Haitang said nothing, swinging both swords to deflect two of the blasts. Her wrists went numb from the impact, and she could not stop the last one.

With a tearing sound, the finger Gang Qi pierced her shoulder, forcing her back a few steps as she spat out blood on the spot.

"Hmm?"

Gao Chenghao’s eyes narrowed. Seeing her block one of his blasts, he exclaimed in surprise, "That’s the Nìshang Silk Robe! No wonder it withstood my Gang Origin strike. The treasures on your body are truly numerous—not surprising for someone of the Yu Family."

The Nìshang Silk Robe was a protective garment forged by a sect of the previous dynasty, extraordinarily tough. Though it looked no different from ordinary silk, it could withstand strikes from Third Grade experts—a truly mystical artifact.

Unfortunately, that sect had long been annihilated, and the crafting method lost. Few Nìshang Silk Robes had survived through the ages, and the known ones were all stored within the palace.

Yu Haitang had already retreated to Chen Ming’s side, her gaze chilling as she stared at Gao Chenghao.

This man had continuously provoked her with words, but in truth, he was exceedingly calm, always maintaining a certain distance. Toying with her through various means, his real goal was to make her lose her composure.

Though his cultivation far exceeded hers, he was as cold and venomous as a snake. Such an opponent was truly terrifying.

What should she do?

Both her hands were injured, and she could barely grip her swords.

Gao Chenghao was a Third Grade. If not for the environmental influence, which forced him to divert part of his Gang Origin to resist the surrounding Fire-Attribute Yuan Qi, her wrists would have been crippled already.

The gap between Third Grade and Fourth Grade was like an uncrossable chasm.

At this moment, a hand reached out and took the “Mingfeng Sword” from her left hand.

Then, Chen Ming’s voice rang beside her ear. "Miss Yu, go. I’ll hold him off."

Yu Haitang was slightly stunned. His voice sounded full of energy, completely unlike someone injured.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her expression changed.

It had to be the 《Burning Blood Art》!

"Go now! Find Madam Yu!"

Chen Ming urged her once more before charging toward Gao Chenghao.

...

Gao Chenghao was slightly startled when he saw Chen Ming take action.

This brat was clearly heavily injured and even poisoned by the Fire Bat’s flames—how had he suddenly recovered?

As this thought arose, the edge of a peerless divine weapon was already in his face.

So fast!

He immediately retreated, unwilling to clash directly with such a weapon.

But the sword chased after him like a maggot clinging to bone.

Even before it struck, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Now, Gao Chenghao was truly shocked.

Sword Intent embryonic form?

This brat was merely a Fourth Grade, yet he had already grasped the embryonic form of Sword Intent?

How was that possible?

He had stepped into the Third Grade for years and still hadn’t even touched the edge of Sword Intent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been sent to carry out such an extremely dangerous mission.

For a moment, deep wariness grew in his heart.

If they were outside, a Fourth Grade, even with Sword Intent, would never be his match. But this place was different—the omnipresent Fire-Attribute Yuan Qi forced him to constantly channel energy to resist it.

Along the way, he had already lost twenty percent of his cultivation strength.

Now he had to split his focus even more. These unfavorable factors actually made him feel pressured by a mere Fourth Grade.

"Hmph!"

Gao Chenghao, furious, used the same old trick and flicked his fingers again.

But that brat seemed to foresee everything. His body flickered, dodging each strike with exquisite movement techniques.

With every move, Gao Chenghao’s shock deepened.

This brat was terrifying—not only was his swordsmanship exceptional, he had also grasped the embryonic form of Sword Intent, and possessed masterful footwork. Practically no weaknesses. Once he advanced to Third Grade, he would be unbeatable.

Instantly, Gao Chenghao’s killing intent surged. He finally drew his sword.

Boom!

With a single swing, his long sword unleashed a terrifying sword Gang, slicing through the air and clashing with the peerless divine weapon in Chen Ming’s hand.

The terrifying force blew him backward.

This was Gao Chenghao’s true strength. Earlier, he had been conserving as much Gang Origin as possible.

In terms of absolute strength, his Third Grade cultivation was more than enough to crush the opponent!

Gao Chenghao flickered forward, chasing after with a second sword strike, about to kill the young man who had made him feel wary.

Suddenly, an ominous premonition surged in his heart, and a chill ran down his back—as if he had been locked onto by a venomous snake.

Damn it!

Assailed from behind, he had no choice but to abandon the opportunity to slay Chen Ming and evade the fatal sword strike.

He then countered with a backward slash, knocking Yu Haitang away.

Chi chi chi—

Right at that moment, Gao Chenghao felt a numbness in his chest—he had been hit.

Not good!

His heart was gripped by alarm. He quickly sealed several vital points around his chest and activated the Gang Origin within to force the hidden weapon out.

Gao Chenghao knew well that someone like Yu Haitang would certainly carry life-saving treasures on her person. That was why he had been cautious from the start, keeping a certain distance from her.

But unexpectedly, Chen Ming had recovered, and while his full attention was drawn to the latter, a brief lapse still allowed the strike to land.

He had clearly seen Yu Haitang flee—when did she circle back?

To be able to pierce through his Defensive Gang Origin, it had to be the legendary Poison Dragon Needle that was known to specialize in breaching Gang Origin.

"Die!"

By now, Chen Ming had caught his breath and charged once again.

Gao Chenghao had no choice but to raise his sword in defense. This time, he dared not hold back. With a full-force strike, he sent Chen Ming flying again.

At the same time, he felt the Gang Origin in his chest begin to stall.

"The needle was poisoned!"

Fury and dread filled him. The poison was taking effect so quickly—it had to be a terrifying and exotic toxin.

Just then, Yu Haitang, who had been knocked against the wall, struggled to sit up and spoke in a cold voice, "How is it? Doesn’t the Yellow Springs Water poison feel delightful?"

Gao Chenghao spat out a mouthful of black blood. A layer of dark haze cloaked his face, despair flickered in his eyes, and his expression turned hideous. "The antidote… give me the antidote…"

Clap clap clap!

Suddenly, a round of applause came from the other end of the corridor. "Wonderful, truly wonderful!"

"Who’s there?!"

Gao Chenghao cried out in shock.

From the opposite end of the passageway, four black-clad men emerged, each with a pair of crimson eyes.

Blood Demon Sect!

Gao Chenghao’s face turned ghostly pale.

Yu Haitang, sitting weakly against the wall, trembled and instinctively looked toward Chen Ming. He had just barely managed to stand up, swaying and clearly gravely injured.

The leader of the black-clad group praised, "I didn’t expect to witness such an extraordinary battle—two Fourth Grades toppling a Third Grade. This is truly unheard of. Young Master Chen, Miss Yu, your achievements are enough to be proud of."

Chen Ming replied in a feeble voice, "You flatter us. May I ask, what do you intend to do with us?"

The black-clad man said approvingly, "Such boldness—to remain calm in the face of the Blood Demon Sect. You are the first. I almost don’t want to kill you."

Chen Ming said, "If you kill me, aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to get out of here?"

"I am afraid. That’s why I won’t kill you before we leave this place."

"In that case, I have a condition," Chen Ming said solemnly. "Let Miss Yu leave. Otherwise, I’ll die right here. You should know, if I want to die, no one can stop me."

The black-clad man laughed loudly, "You really are a man of passion. Makes me want to spare your life even more. How about this—why not join my Blood Demon Sect? That way, I won’t have to kill you. She won’t have to die either. Everyone wins."

As he said this, the expressions in the eyes of the three behind him subtly shifted.

Chen Ming coughed lightly, "May I have a moment to consider?"

The black-clad man was generous. "I’ll give you ten breaths."

Ten breaths passed in the blink of an eye.

After thinking briefly, Chen Ming raised his head and said, "When I return my sword—"

Buzz!

The “Mingfeng Sword” in his hand vibrated, and a gentle, water-like intent spread outward.

"Sword Intent?"

The black-clad man’s eyes lit up in astonishment. "You can actually trigger the Sword Intent hidden within the divine weapon—what a genius of the sword path!"

Unfortunately, he was still only a Fourth Grade. Such Sword Intent to him felt like a light breeze brushing past.

Huh?

But then, he realized that Chen Ming’s strike hadn’t been aimed at him.

In a flash of blood, Gao Chenghao’s head was severed cleanly.

The black-clad man almost laughed—so much effort, just to kill that man?

Could it be that the strike had gone awry?

Chen Ming’s aura instantly plummeted, and he collapsed to the ground, too weak to even stand.

At this moment, he probably didn’t even have the strength to commit suicide.

The black-clad man said, "It seems you’d rather die than join my Blood Demon Sect. Since you’re so ungrateful, that makes you my enemy. Deng Ziyang, that woman is yours."