Promise!

Chapter 252, Assault
Cangzhou City, on the Sixth Ring Road, is a remote place.

After concluding the roundtable meeting, Ming Guangxie, wearing a mask, exited through a special path he had chosen.

Because the Celestial Bureau had its eye on him, he chose to engage more deeply with the Round Table Meeting as a means of resistance. At the same time, after obtaining the Wind Spirit Orb, he also needed to go through the Round Table Meeting to obtain some medicines to help accelerate the process of refining attributes.

Of course, for his own safety, he would leave the Suspended Sky Commander's badge behind every time he participated in a roundtable meeting, so that the Suspended Sky Division could not monitor or locate him.

As for the roundtable meeting, he thought it was safe, since everyone was wearing masks and had chosen their own paths to come out, so the possibility of accidents was negligible.

That night, a light rain fell, rustling among the roadside grass and trees.

This kind of weather reminded Ming Guangxie of the same weather when he first began his martial arts training. Back then, he was still young and made a bold statement: "I must become a Primordial Venerable and reach the pinnacle of martial arts."

"Having already achieved the Innate Realm, I certainly enjoy great honor, but it's merely another beginning in the path of martial arts. The pinnacle of martial arts is still far beyond my reach. Even if I exert all my strength in this lifetime, I fear I can only take one or two more steps on this path."

Thinking of this, he shook his head slightly, wondering why he was suddenly so sentimental today. He felt an indescribable sense of oppression in his heart. Even with his martial arts intuition fully activated, he couldn't find or be moved at all. It was all silent, as if it were all an illusion.

Until the figure passed a corner—

Swish!Swish!Swish!
In the air, mixed with icy rain, streaks of sword energy, seemingly solidified, sharp, icy, and almost capable of freezing one's soul, silently pierced through the air. Only at the very moment they appeared did their killing intent unleash itself.

Zhuang Jin, who had been concealing his aura with the Holy Spirit Pearl and waiting for a long time, didn't waste a single word and went all out from the start.

'Such chilling sword energy! Is this the martial art "Severing Meridians Divine Sword"?! This martial art is extremely difficult to master, and it seems there's only one person who uses it and harbors a grudge against me!'

'This is… Zhuang Jin?! But how is this possible?! How could he be here? And so powerful? This sword energy has clearly surpassed the limit of the second level of the Innate Qi Realm!'

Ming Guangxie was shocked and incredulous. Various thoughts flashed through his mind. The azure wind attribute innate qi circulated around his body, instinctively protecting him. Then, he instantly activated the Wind Spirit Pearl, using a secret technique to form a nearly materialized wind attribute energy shield in the direction from which the sword qi came.

—This last move was originally intended to deal with the Suspended Heaven Bureau. It was a lost secret technique that I found by chance. It can draw on the energy of the Wind Spirit Pearl to form a shield. Unless the opponent shatters the entire Wind Spirit Pearl with one blow, it can block it.

He could already picture it: after blocking the attack, he would call for help, the Round Table would rush to his aid, Zhuang Jin would be exposed and flee, and he would retaliate...

But in the next instant, that hope was shattered.

The sword energy drew arcs, bypassing the Wind Spirit Pearl's shield, and condensed into a single point, instantly shattering Ming Guangxie's own innate protective aura and penetrating his body.

—This is precisely a combination of the martial art "Severing Meridians Divine Sword" and the secret technique "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source"!

The dazzling sword energy was reflected in Ming Guanglie's eyes. Shock, disbelief, despair... all these emotions eventually turned into fear of death. He couldn't even delay for a moment before his life came to an end.

hum!
His entire body was instantly reduced to mud and shattered by the sword energy, exploding into a flower of ice and blood. Like a fleeting moment of brilliance, it vanished in the rain, leaving only a trace of bloody stench in the air to tell the story of what had happened.

A faint shadow appeared and vanished in an instant, a single, deadly strike that vanished in a flash, like a ghost.

……

Second Ring Road, Zhuangfu.

Inside a room, the purple kangaroo fiddled with the Qi-storing stone made by Zhuang Jin, activating the Suspended Commander Plate. As the light screen appeared, it stretched out its chubby little paws and pawed at it with great interest.

This creates an alibi, and there's no need to worry about the Sky-Piercing Commander discovering it. The Sky-Piercing Commander's token usually only listens to sound and only projects images when absolutely necessary—because the latter token is easily exposed if it shows any unusual activity.

Shangguan Yunchang is also keeping an eye on this, so there's nothing to worry about.

Swish!
Zhuang Jin appeared silently in the room, changed out of his night clothes, raised his hand and shattered the purple kangaroo into dust. He rewarded the purple kangaroo that pounced on him with a handful of purple bamboo seeds, then put the Suspended Commander Token aside and entered the quiet room to check his spoils of war—the Wind Spirit Orb.

'I never imagined that this Wind Spirit Orb would return to my hands in this way.'

Zhuang Jin sighed inwardly, then took out the Holy Spirit Pearl again and found that there was a faint attraction between the two. After thinking for a moment, he used a secret method to activate the Holy Spirit Pearl to devour the energy of the Wind Spirit Pearl.

After absorbing the energy, the Wind Spirit Pearl shattered and disappeared. He noticed that the Holy Spirit Pearl was more stable, and its effects of concealing his aura, accelerating cultivation, purifying energy, and enhancing aptitude had all been strengthened.

"It is said that if the Holy Spirit Pearl could devour the ten spiritual pearls of the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, Wind, Thunder, and Ice, a mysterious change would occur, and a materialized space would be generated within it. I wonder if this is true or not?"

'Well, these things are a matter of luck; if I get them, I'm fortunate; if I lose them, it's fate. I'll see if there's a chance in the future, and take it slow!'

Zhuang Jin didn't seem to care much about it and took it all in stride.

……

More than a month later, news of Ming Guangxie's mysterious disappearance spread.

Some say it was a secret execution by the Xuantian Division, but almost no one believes this claim.

—Ming Guangxie knew he was being targeted by the Suspended Heaven Division, so would he dare to leave the Third Ring? Within the Third Ring, a place where many innate martial artists gather, the Suspended Heaven Division wouldn't dare to defy the world. Besides, even in this situation, the energy fluctuations from the battle would be sensed, yet there was absolutely no movement.

Some say that Ming Guangxie realized he was being targeted by the Xuantian Division and deliberately left, but this was more likely information released by the Ming family.

Some people thought of the date when Ming Guanglie began to disappear and suspected that he was murdered and robbed after participating in a roundtable meeting.
……

There are many speculations, but one indisputable fact is that with Ming Guangxie's disappearance, the Ming family became an undefended piece of meat.

That day, Zhuang Jin summoned Ji Gongji and Teng Zushou and spoke to them about the Ming family, instructing them to exert all their strength and extract as much as they could from the Ming family.

Others worried that Ming Guanglie had escaped unscathed and that the Dragon King might return in the future, so they were hesitant to take action. However, he knew perfectly well that Ming Guanglie was completely dead, leaving not even a trace, and wouldn't even have a chance to rise from the dead.

With the information gap, they naturally have no fear of future troubles, allowing both sides to fight freely. This lack of restraint gives them a significant advantage in the competition.

'Besides, I have a personal grudge against Ming Guangxie. It would be abnormal not to kick him when he's down. Taking action like this is only natural and won't arouse suspicion. I can join this feast with peace of mind!' Zhuang Jin thought to himself.

...Just as the Ji and Teng families, under Zhuang Jin's orders, were indulging their appetites, tearing into and devouring the Ming family—

Ji Tongwei's situation at Bailu Martial Academy also underwent a dramatic change.

Previously, due to Zhuang Jin's involvement, the Ming family deliberately targeted him, especially since there was another member of the Ming family in the class, Ming Wenyuan. He had a very difficult time, and his familiar classmates all distanced themselves from him. It was only because Zhuang Jin was still alive, and because people in the Gang Qi Realm circle helped him, as well as Ge Mingzhi, the younger sister of the Ge family who sat next to him, that things weren't too bad, but he still suffered a lot of cold violence.

—Ming Wenyuan is the offspring of a martial artist at the Innate Qi Realm. Ji Tongwei is ultimately a level below Zhuang Jin, and many neutral classmates in the class are subtly biased towards Ming Wenyuan.

As fate would have it, Ming Guangxie has now disappeared and Ming Wenyuan has dropped out of school. These classmates have all changed their stance and are now siding with Ji Tongwei and apologizing to him.

An apology must be sincere and requires financial compensation.

Ji Tongwei consulted Zhuang Jin, who said, "Consider it compensation for him, don't worry about it." Therefore, he accepted all the gifts offered and immediately went to curry favor with Ge Mingzhi, who was sitting next to him.

"Mingzhi, look at all these things! What do you like? Pick whatever you like!" He waved his hand generously.

Ge Mingzhi symbolically picked out two items, but she wasn't very interested.

It turned out that she had asked her family for help because of Ji Tongwei. After her family understood the situation, they did help, but they still didn't think much of Ji Tongwei and planned to have her transfer to another class next year. She told them about this.

So, the troubles now belong to two people.

Originally, there was only a vague liking between the two, but it hadn't turned into anything romantic. However, the Ge family's actions backfired, arousing Ge Mingzhi's rebellious mentality and bringing the two closer together.

"Tongwei, what should we do? How about we do what the folk tales say, escape the city, and wander the world?"

"No, this will cause trouble for the family and my husband. Let's wait and see. Maybe the problem will solve itself if we wait!"

This is Ji Tongwei's valuable life experience.

His family wanted him to go to Bailu Martial Arts Academy, but they had no way to do so. They also wanted to arrange a marriage between him and Ji Tongxiu. Later, he helped to delay and wait, and Zhuang Jin finally came along. Everyone was happy.

After entering Bailu Martial Academy, he had no background. Not only was he bullied, but his classmates also looked down on him. However, he waited and endured it. As Zhuang Jin broke through his realm and successively promoted his token level, he, as the younger brother who was the only secondary card holder of Zhuang Jin's token, also rose with him. All these phenomena disappeared in an instant.
The same thing happened with the matter that Ming Wenyuan was dealing with before. After waiting, things took a turn for the better, and now he has even gotten his revenge.

Therefore, given this predicament, Ji Tongwei's first reaction, due to his path dependence, was: wait!
Furthermore, there was something unspeakable in his heart. In the past, it had all been because of his master, Zhuang Jin. He had a vague premonition that this time, instead of relying on himself, it would be better to wait and rely on Zhuang Jin, as the chances of success would be greater.

'With your hard work and talent, this matter might not be a problem in the future.' Ji Tongwei felt a surge of anticipation and secretly encouraged Zhuang Jin, hoping he would succeed.

……

Zhuang Jin, whom Ji Tongwei perceives as hardworking, talented, almost omnipotent, and righteous, is actually trying to live off a woman.

"What's the matter? Why do you insist on meeting me and making me come over?" Shangguan Yunchang looked at Zhuang Jin and said somewhat irritably.

Zhuang Jin felt relieved to kill Ming Guangxie, but she still had to clean up the mess left by the Xuantian Division and the Round Table Conference, so she was naturally in a bad mood.

“Miss Shangguan, every time I saw you before, you were almost without any adornment, so I made this item by hand to give to you.”

As Zhuang Jin spoke, she took out an object from her bosom; it turned out to be a jade hairpin.

"You've put in the effort, but... well, it looks pretty good!"

Shangguan Yunchang was originally going to refuse, but when she saw the actual item, she pursed her lips, changed her tone, and nodded slightly.

The material of this jade hairpin is naturally of the highest quality, but what hasn't she seen before? The important thing is the style, which was made by Zhuang Jin by drawing on the experience of various classic works from her previous life. It can be described as an aesthetic design that transcends time and gives people a refreshing and shocking impression.

'The tsundere has retired!'

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, but deliberately said, "I'm glad Miss Shangguan likes it. It's worth all the effort and hard work I put in."

This is a fact, but it needs to be said so that people know.

"Let me put it on Miss Shangguan."

After saying that, without waiting for Shangguan Yunchang to refuse, he stepped forward and prepared to put it on her.

This is actually a way of repaying Ming Guangxie, but saying it directly would seem like a transaction. It's better to use this ambiguous approach, which provides positive feedback and gradually deepens the relationship.

Well, besides this style, there are many other styles of accessories, which I used to coax Chen Yun and the others to tinker with, and I plan to slowly take them out.

Furthermore, Li Tingguan, who is currently in a small circle, has many beauty secrets for skin care and hydration that can be put into practice, made into finished products, and given out little by little as a surprise, in a steady and long-term way.

This can be considered as learning by analogy, and figuring out the techniques for living off a woman.

As Zhuang Jin approached, Shangguan Yunchang tensed up. With her self-proclaimed heroic spirit that "women are not necessarily inferior to men," no man had ever come close to her except for her family. At this moment, she was really suppressing the strange feeling in her heart and the urge to draw her sword. After a moment, as Zhuang Jin tied her hair up, she slowly relaxed.

She wasn't averse to Zhuang Jin to begin with; in fact, she could even say she admired him. Now, she was gradually getting used to him. However, when Zhuang Jin touched her cheek intentionally or unintentionally, her earlobes turned as red as if dripping blood, and her heart beat much faster. She tossed something over to cover it up: "Here, the secret medicine formula you wanted that can accelerate the accumulation of cultivation realm."

"Thank you, Miss Shangguan." Zhuang Jin glanced at the package and secretly sighed, 'I've gotten another gigolo,' while also feeling quite pleased with himself.

After refining his attributes with the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow, his aptitude had already improved considerably, and his cultivation speed had increased. With the assistance of the Holy Spirit Pearl, which further increased his cultivation speed, and now with this secret medicine, all three factors combined, it can be said that the accumulation speed of the Innate Qi Realm Level 3 will inevitably soar at an extremely rapid pace, progressing by leaps and bounds.

Afterwards, Shangguan Yunchang mentioned when he planned to reveal the third level of the Innate Qi Realm, asking for a heads-up so she could cover for him. Then, when Zhuang Jin reciprocated by saying he could also learn the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Technique from him, Shangguan Yunchang's expression changed slightly, and she left in a hurry, almost as if fleeing.

……

(End of this chapter)