I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 4: The Training Camp Career Begins

The next morning.

As dawn broke, Chen Ming got up and went out. He heard the sound of children reading aloud coming from his older brother's courtyard. It was his little nephew reading aloud in the morning.

It sounds like a primer for children, such as the Thousand Character Classic.

He heard these past few days that his elder brother and sister-in-law were planning to send their son to study literature.

Poor in literature and rich in martial arts.

The older brothers were probably shocked by the expenses of his martial arts training. The first item was the tuition, which cost three hundred taels a year, and then there were the gifts for the master during festivals, which would cost several dozen taels.

Martial arts practitioners expend a lot of energy and need to eat meat every day. The money he spends on food alone exceeds that of his entire family.

In addition, there are monthly medicinal baths and Qi-tonifying pills.

All things considered, it would cost at least five hundred taels a year.

In the past, his father gritted his teeth and persevered, investing all his life savings, hoping that his youngest son would become successful in martial arts and bring glory to the family.

Who would have thought that this son would be such a disappointment? He trained for four years but didn't achieve anything. Money just kept flowing out like water.

After their parents died, the pharmacy's business inevitably suffered. Now, they probably only earn a little over a hundred taels a year. They simply can't afford to support their nephew's martial arts training anymore.

Actually, his parents left behind a sum of money. They probably spent it all on this trip to get him out of trouble.

The wealth accumulated by the Chen family over generations was squandered by the original owner.

Countless people are talking behind his back.

Even so, Chen Rui was still willing to acknowledge him as his younger brother and did not blame him. This kind of brotherly affection is especially precious.

Chen Ming kept all of this in mind.

He also remembered those who plotted against him, framed him, and swindled his elder brother's money.

We'll settle this score later.

……

When Chen Ming arrived at the Huo residence, it was already fully light.

The gatekeeper had already been instructed in advance and let him in directly.

He had practiced martial arts here for four years and knew this place very well. He walked straight towards the training ground.

"Chen Ming?"

Suddenly, someone called his name from behind.

He turned around and saw a young man in a blue brocade robe. He quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Seventh Senior Brother."

This person is Wen Zehao, Huo Chengkun's youngest disciple, who came to learn martial arts in the same class as him.

However, people of the same kind have different fates.

Wen Zehao displayed extraordinary talent and progressed extremely quickly. In less than half a year, he broke through to the second level of "Iron Horse Stake".

In just four years, he had broken through to the fifth level of the Iron Horse Stake. He became a rank-3 martial artist and was taken in by Huo Chengkun as his seventh disciple.

Looking at this spirited peer in front of him, Chen Ming felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

Without a doubt, the original owner was jealous of Wen Zehao. He also fantasized about being like Wen Zehao, suddenly having an epiphany, making great progress in cultivation, becoming famous overnight, and attracting everyone's attention.

However, reality is cruel. He practiced for seven years but still couldn't break through to the second level of "Iron Horse Stakes," which was not as good as others' progress in half a year.

Therefore, in front of the dazzling Wen Zehao, the original owner felt only deep inferiority.

Wen Zehao was quite pleased to see an old acquaintance. "You've come to visit your master too?"

Chen Ming quickly suppressed the strange emotions in his heart. Jealousy was the original owner's, and had nothing to do with him.

He said, "I've found a job here; I'll be a sparring partner for new trainees."

"Be a sparring partner? Don't you already have a job?"

"It's gone now."

Wen Zehao wanted to ask more, but suddenly caught sight of a beautiful figure and quickly said, "I'll go find my master first and ask you to have a drink next time."

Chen Ming also saw the beautiful figure and recognized her as Huo Chengkun's granddaughter.

In my memory, she was just a little girl of eleven or twelve years old, but now she has grown into a graceful young woman.

……

A short while later, Chen Ming arrived at the training ground.

The scene was divided into several groups, each led by a man dressed in black.

This place is more like a martial arts school, with students divided into different levels according to their progress, and taught by different instructors.

Huo Chengkun is the principal, and he doesn't usually need to personally teach students.

Chen Ming went to the beginner class, which was also the class with the most students and the youngest average age.

Fifth Senior Brother.

The person in charge of instructing these newcomers was the fifth disciple, Hong Mingquan, a short man with large hands and feet, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Despite his somewhat comical appearance, he was a genuine entry-level martial artist. He could easily take on ten of them.

Chen Ming was very respectful because he knew that his fifth senior brother was a person with a strong sense of self-respect, and any student who showed the slightest disrespect would be punished by him.

As expected, Hong Mingquan was quite satisfied to see his respectful attitude, and his attitude softened. "Chen Ming, you're here. Master has already told me that from now on, you will cooperate with me to train these little guys properly."

"Please take good care of me, Fifth Senior Brother."

Hong Mingquan patted him on the shoulder. "We're all on the same side. As long as you do a good job, I won't treat you unfairly. Come on, let's go see those little brats."

He led Chen Ming to the group of teenagers who were sweating profusely from practicing standing meditation, and introduced him, "His name is Chen Ming, and he will be your sparring partner from now on. If you want to spar with him, you can come and find him after you finish your standing meditation."

The group of teenagers stared wide-eyed at Chen Ming, some with curiosity, others with doubt. It was unclear whether they understood or not.

"Alright, you can continue with your stance training."

Hong Mingquan led Chen Ming to a pavilion nearby and said, "They still need to stand on the stakes for half an hour. Let's drink tea and wait."

"Yes, Fifth Brother."

This fifth senior brother had one advantage: as long as you showed him enough respect, he was very easy to talk to. Among Huo Chengkun's disciples, he was the easiest to get along with.

……

For the next half hour, Chen Ming used his linguistic skills to constantly create topics, prompting Hong Mingquan to recount his highlight moments.

He would occasionally offer a gentle compliment, always managing to tickle Hong Mingquan's sore spot. Towards the end, he became more and more excited as he spoke, his words flowing freely.

"My senior brother's experience is truly legendary. He came from the mountains and worked as a laborer at the docks. It's amazing that he has achieved what he has today."

Upon hearing this, Hong Mingquan felt as if his bones had lightened considerably, and his mouth was practically stretched to his ears. At first, he tried to maintain his composure, but later, he simply couldn't suppress his grin.

The more he looked at Chen Ming, the more pleasing he became. He couldn't wait to drag him to a tavern for a big drink; that would be truly delightful.

At this moment, Chen Ming suddenly reminded him, "Senior brother, it seems like half an hour has passed. Shouldn't their standing meditation be over by now?"

Hong Mingquan then remembered his business, turned to look at the sundial not far away, and saw that the time had indeed come. He shouted to the little ones, "You can stop now."

Instantly, the group of teenagers, who were already nearing their limit, all collapsed and couldn't even stand up.

“They need to rest for a while, junior brother. Let’s continue drinking tea. Back in the day, I…”

……

The two chatted for another half an hour, and the group of students had rested enough.

Chen Ming looked for an opportunity to steer the conversation toward the trainees.

Although Hong Mingquan was still somewhat unsatisfied, he knew that important matters were more important, so he stood up and said, "Come on, junior brother, go and test these kids' abilities."

"Okay senior brother."

The two walked up to the group of boys who were resting under the shade of the trees, and stood up straight on their own before Hong Mingquan could speak.

He began, "Now it's sparring time, who wants to go first?"

None of the dozen or so boys spoke.

Nobody wants to be the first to stick their neck out.

Since that's the case, Hong Mingquan directly called out, "Li He, you come here."

The boy whose name was called walked out nervously, his body stiff and he even walked with his legs in opposite directions, which immediately caused a burst of laughter.

This smile made Li He even more nervous, his face flushing red. He didn't know what to do with his hands.

Hong Mingquan shouted, "Shut up, all of you."

As soon as he spoke, the boys dared not misbehave and immediately fell silent.

Chen Ming looked at the boy and said in a gentle tone, "Li He, don't be nervous. Just use the same moves you use when you practice. Don't worry about hurting me."

"Yes."

Li He finally calmed down a bit, got into a fighting stance, and used the first move of the "Three Talents Fist"—White Rainbow Piercing the Sun—to strike directly at Chen Ming's chest.

It was clear he had absolutely no experience; his move was terribly distorted, which infuriated Hong Mingquan. He decided to make this guy practice the "Three Talents Fist" ten more times today.

Chen Ming only defended and did not attack, giving the opponent plenty of room to maneuver.

Halfway through his attack, Li He's fear gradually subsided. He realized that this adult was nothing special, and his confidence soared. His moves became more fluid.

It wasn't until the final move of the Thirty-Six Forms of the Three Talents Fist was executed that Chen Ming suddenly reached out and slapped him on the chest, causing him to stagger backward.

Li He was a little unconvinced and wanted to step forward again. Hong Mingquan stopped him, saying, "Alright, you lost."

You have defeated a level 1 enemy and gained 2 experience points.

coming!

Chen Ming was excited when he saw the notification that appeared before him.

There were fifteen teenagers present, and they all practiced together once, which resulted in a score of thirty.

All that flattery he did wasn't in vain.

(End of this chapter)