I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 82 Nothing more than that
"Nothing more than that!"

After Zhou Weihao and Chen Ming clashed, Zhou was initially cautious, keeping himself completely guarded. After a dozen or so moves, however, he didn't feel much pressure, and the thought that crossed his mind began to cross his mind.

Therefore, his swordplay intensified, and he switched from defense to offense.

In an instant, the courtyard was filled with the flashing light of swords, enveloping Chen Ming entirely.

Zhou Weihao felt that he had never felt so free and unrestrained in his life when he used swordsmanship, and could unleash all his skills and knowledge.

At this moment, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, he effortlessly mastered even some sword techniques that he had not yet learned.

It wasn't until after a hundred moves that he began to feel some pressure. One careless move, and a knife was held to his throat. He was defeated.

Zhou Weihao felt a pang of regret, thinking, "I shouldn't have used that move."

At this moment, Chen Ming took a step back, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your concession."

At this moment, Zhou Weihao finally came to his senses and regained his rationality, realizing that the other party had been yielding to him all along.

"What a remarkable person."

Although he lost, he didn't feel embarrassed or lose face at all; on the contrary, he felt a little unsatisfied.

To be able to do it so subtly, this person is truly remarkable!
No wonder his cousin liked to spar with Chen Ming so much; now I understand.

Zhou Weihao laughed and said, "Brother Chen's swordsmanship is indeed impressive. I admire it."

The phrase "Brother Chen" was a way of acknowledging the man in one's heart.

"Brother Zhou's Tianxuan Sword Technique is truly an eye-opener for me."

Zhou Weihao said, "Then let's compete again next time."

"It's a word."

……

Chen Ming thought this Young Master Zhou was quite a character. The last time they met, he was incredibly arrogant. But after their first encounter, he became very friendly and even stayed for lunch.

After a few drinks, they started calling each other brothers, acting so enthusiastically that they practically wanted to become sworn brothers together.

It wasn't until dark that Zhou Weihao reluctantly said goodbye to him, and even invited him to visit a brothel together next time.

However, listening to him chat was quite interesting, and I learned a lot. I learned which was the most upscale entertainment venue in Qingfeng City, and which place had the prettiest girls.

And what are the three most famous courtesans in the city good at...?

This guy lived in Qingfeng City for less than a month, but he had already tried all the entertainment venues in the city and had his own opinions on them.

After seeing the person out the gate, Chen Ming returned to the courtyard and opened the control panel.

【Level: 36】

Current points: 53221

[Techniques: Iron Horse Stake (Fifth Level Perfection), Three Yang Body Forging Technique (Eighth Level 60000/70000)]

Martial Arts: Three Talents Fist (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang Family Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Return Sword Technique (Mastery)

In the past two weeks, he has accumulated a total of 160,000 experience points in the Six Doors prison, which is a rather astonishing number.

That's why he hated Yu Xiuming even more.

Originally, he could have accumulated enough experience points for the ninth level of the "Three Yang Body Forging Technique" in another ten or eight days.

"Add some points."

Chen Ming immediately maxed out the eighth level.

【Level: 37】

Current points: 43221

[Techniques: Iron Horse Stake (Fifth Level Perfection), Three Yang Body Forging Technique (Ninth Level 0/100000)]

Martial Arts: Three Talents Fist (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang Family Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Return Sword Technique (Mastery)

Your level has increased by one.

The ninth level requires 100,000 experience points. We are currently short by nearly 60,000.

Chen Ming silently counted in his mind: if he could find a seventh-rank martial artist to spar with each day, plus the 100 points from bullying students, that would be 400 points per day. That would amount to 12,000 points per month.

That would take five months.

It's not that long.

Thinking of this, Chen Ming finally felt his frustration dissipate.

These 160,000 experience points are a windfall, but there's no reason to earn windfall every day.
Hundreds of points a day, that's the norm.

He thought to himself, "Next, I need to find a way to develop a cultivation technique that will allow me to break through to the sixth rank."

……

In the days that followed, Chen Ming began to visit those seventh-rank martial artists everywhere.

Most of these seventh-rank officials who reside in Qingfeng City are of a certain age, in their fifties, sixties, or even seventies or eighties.

The younger seventh-rank officials either ventured out to make their way in the world, joined the Six Doors (a powerful organization), or were hired by maritime merchants to go to sea.

Those who remain are all renowned figures who have "retired".

These people are all seasoned veterans, not easy to deal with. When Chen Ming first broke through to the next level, he visited various places, and they were all very polite. But whenever the topic of sparring came up, they would mention old injuries and so on.

In short, drinking tea is fine, but let's skip the friendly competition; my old bones can't take the strain.

However, this time when Chen Ming visited, the attitude of these celebrities was different. Their smiles were much warmer, unlike before when they were so perfunctory.

This is the benefit of fame.

He killed Sun Shicai in the street, a real feat that earned him widespread fame.

Therefore, when he suggested a friendly sparring match, those people didn't dare to refuse easily, not wanting to offend him.

After all, for these "retired" seventh-rank masters, reputation isn't that important anymore. Even if they lose a spar, few people would dare look down on them. Their strength speaks for itself.

Moreover, it was a loss to a young master who had killed a seventh-rank expert. Isn't it normal to lose?
Chen Ming spent more than ten days persuading and cajoling someone to finally convince him to spar with him.

Once someone has made a start, things will be much easier.

Within a month, all eight seventh-rank masters he frequently visited agreed to spar with him.

To be fair, these people were quite strong, no less so than Sun Shicai. Three of them, in particular, put him under pressure, forcing him to use his full strength to win. ...

Gradually, summer passed and autumn arrived.

Before we knew it, the summer heat was fading and the weather was getting cooler day by day.

That afternoon, Chen Ming had just returned home when he heard the gatekeeper, Old Li, say, "Second Master, Young Master Zhuang and Young Master Deng have arrived."

Young Master Deng?
Chen Ming was pleasantly surprised. Deng Ziyang was back?
He entered the house and went to the backyard. Sure enough, he saw Deng Ziyang, dressed in a blue robe, sitting on a stone bench. His chin was covered in stubble, his face was weathered, and his skin had become much rougher.

It's almost impossible to recognize the image of that young master he once was.

"Brother Chen, it's been a long time."

Deng Ziyang also saw him, stood up and came out to greet him, his eyes extremely bright, with a deep inner light, exuding a powerful confidence.

Chen Ming said happily, "Yes, it's been several months since we last met, and Brother Deng is even more charming than before."

It's clear that his experience abroad over the past few months has greatly improved him.

Venturing out into the world is truly a great learning experience.

Zhuang Xiaotian said, "I ran into my older brother on the street this morning and I almost didn't recognize him. He's changed so much."

Deng Ziyang stroked the stubble on his chin and sighed, "I've only been gone for three months, but I never imagined that Brother Chen's strength would have reached such a level. I just returned to the city and heard about Brother Chen's feat of beheading Sun Shicai in anger at the gate of the Governor's Mansion."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I thought this trip would be very fruitful and I'd be able to catch up with Brother Chen. Who knew I'd still be far behind."

"Brother, you mean—"

Zhuang Xiaotian understood the hidden meaning in his words, his eyes suddenly widened, and he said incredulously, "You're already at the seventh rank?"

Deng Ziyang said casually, "Exactly."

"This...this is too..."

Zhuang Xiaotian was extremely surprised and speechless for a moment.

Chen Ming went from the eighth rank to the seventh rank in just six months, which is already quite astonishing.

Deng Ziyang went on a trip for three months and jumped directly from the ninth rank to the seventh rank, which is simply unbelievable.

Chen Ming was also taken aback and asked, "Brother Deng, what kind of extraordinary encounter did you have on this trip?"

Deng Ziyang nodded and said, "Yes, I've finally caught up with Brother Chen."

But it didn't say what kind of extraordinary encounter it was.

Chen Ming and Zhuang Xiaotian naturally wouldn't ask. No matter how close they were, they couldn't casually inquire about such an extraordinary encounter.

The three of them, having been separated for a long time, naturally couldn't be without wine.

After a few rounds of drinks, Deng Ziyang briefly recounted his experiences over the past three months. There was nothing particularly special about it; he had simply accidentally wandered into a mountain forest, couldn't find a way out, and was trapped there for two months.

Presumably, his extraordinary adventure took place in that peculiar mountain forest.

On this day, both Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian got drunk.

Chen Ming let them stay at his home for one night.

Deng Ziyang was happy.

Zhuang Xiaotian, on the other hand, was disappointed. Of his three sworn brothers, his cultivation level was now the lowest, still at the ninth rank. His second brother, Guan Peng, had long been at the eighth rank, and this time, with the return of his eldest brother, Deng Ziyang, he had transformed into a seventh-rank cultivator.

How could he not feel disappointed?

Chen Ming didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only pretend he didn't notice.

……

The next morning, Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian left early.

Chen Ming called over Old Liu's two apprentices.

Both of them were quite talented and had a very solid foundation. After two months of focused martial arts training at his house, they both successfully broke through to the ninth rank.

Chen Ming said with a solemn expression, "Two months have passed, and your master has not returned. I'm afraid..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Bofu and Liu Zhongda's eyes reddened. These two were simple-minded, but not stupid. They naturally understood the meaning behind his words.

"According to Old Liu's last wishes, I'm going to build him a cenotaph. You can come with me."

The two men replied respectfully, "Yes, Second Master."

……

Chen Ming led the two boys out of the city in a carriage and headed straight for a nearby mountain.

That mountain is called Black Moon Mountain. It is said that this mountain has some kind of magical power. Once you enter the area within the mountain, you can no longer see the moon.

It is precisely because of this miraculous quality that many myths and legends have been passed down over the centuries.

Old Liu's master, who was also the previous head of the Wu Family Martial Arts School, is buried in the mountains.

Since Chen Ming transmigrated here, he has never left Qingfeng City. This is his first time here. However, since it is daytime, the moon cannot be seen, so he cannot verify the truth of the rumors.

Wu Bofu and Liu Zhongda were quite familiar with the place, as they went up the mountain every year to worship their ancestor.

Once inside the mountains, the road became steep, and we had to get out of the car and walk.

All three were martial artists, and no mountain path was too steep for them. After walking for about half an hour, they finally found the grave in a mountain hollow.

Upon looking at the tombstone, it was indeed the name of the old curator, Mr. Wu.

Beside the tomb stands a stele with no inscription, presumably the "auspicious burial site" that Old Liu prepared for himself.

Chen Ming said, "This is it."

The two boys picked up shovels and started digging.

Chen Ming went to the tomb of Master Wu, took out incense, paper money and candles and set them out. Since he was already there, he let the two boys pay their respects to their master.

Halfway through the digging, Wu Bofu suddenly exclaimed, "Second Master, there's something down there!"

Liu Zhongda also said, "It's an iron box."

Chen Ming went over and saw a dark, muddy box in Liu Zhongda's hand. He realized, "It must have been left to me by your master."

P.S.: Requesting 500 monthly votes to get into the top ten of the new book monthly vote ranking. The next chapter will be before midnight tonight.

(End of this chapter)