Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 14 Zhai Yanke's Plea

the next morning.

A guest arrived at a villa in Mingyue Community that had just been occupied yesterday.

A young man, about 1.75 meters tall, walked down the stairs in the villa's living room. He was wearing a blue training robe, and his forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat.

Looking downstairs, Luo Feng was somewhat surprised, then a smile appeared on his face.

"Uncle Jiang, what brings you here?"

Jiang Nian smiled slightly awkwardly, and looking at the way that looked like he had just finished cultivating, he praised, "Not bad, you're still as diligent in your cultivation as ever."

Luo Feng nodded slightly, poured tea for Jiang Nian, and asked, "You must have come here today for something, right?"

"It's nothing much," Jiang Nian explained somewhat reluctantly, then added, "It's just that when you moved in yesterday, I told you about a neighbor, you should remember, right?"

Luo Feng thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll go over and have a chat after I've settled in."

Where there are people, there are circles. There is healthy competition within the martial arts school. Jiang Nian has recommended him, so he doesn't mind doing a small favor and having a match with the genius who has just become a martial artist, in order to win some honor for his small circle.

Jiang Nian's face stiffened, and he cursed Ning Hua, the old fox, in his heart.

He could only shamelessly persuade him, "I don't mean to rush you. I mean you just signed a contract with the martial arts school, and you can only buy the manual after you register it on the Limit House website after the martial arts combat assessment. For now, you should focus on your training. There's no rush for the competition." He finished with an awkward smile, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Luo Feng: ? ? ?

Yesterday he said his opponent's strength was 2300kg, but his test showed his strength was 3100kg. The difference was 800kg, so he could easily win.

Why has everything changed today?

"What happened?"

Jiang Nian nodded with difficulty and said, "That kid was hiding his strength. His strength is probably close to 3000kg, not 2300kg at all."

Luo Feng frowned slightly. He still had the advantage. He had only been a martial artist for a short time, and he didn't think he would lose.

"He easily defeated a genius martial artist at the Thunder Martial Arts Academy yesterday. He was very skilled in the 'Wind Slash' technique. You may not know this, but the 'Wind Slash' is a top-tier sword technique manual, much more powerful than basic sword techniques. You haven't practiced the manual yet, which puts you at a great disadvantage in the fight."

Supervisor Dongfang didn't tell anyone that Ning Ze had mastered the art of generating power, and Jiang Nian didn't even mention Ning Ze's subtle movements when he was with Luo Feng. Of course, he wouldn't talk about the rumored power generation either. Otherwise, how could a newcomer possibly win against a high-level warrior? This is a trap!

He pondered for a long time last night before finally deciding on a solution, the most important thing being that he couldn't affect his image in Luo Feng's eyes.

Luo Feng paused for a moment, then smiled frankly, "I can't beat him right now. I'll have a chance to learn from him after I've trained for a while."

He never intended to fight Ning Ze, so there's nothing wrong with admitting defeat now.

Luo Feng admitted defeat very directly because he knew that he was not good at physical talent.

I have been in a coma several times since I was a child, and my physical condition has improved after each coma.

He now knew the reason: it was the awakening of his spiritualist talent.

Even though he had fainted multiple times, he only had a strength of about 750kg before the college entrance examination. It would take him a year to become a martial artist, which was the same amount of time as Ning Ze.

But as for physical talent... he fainted again due to nervousness during the college entrance examination, and his strength increased again, reaching the level of a quasi-martial artist with a strength of 1100kg.

While in the detention center, he absorbed the first cosmic energy, reaching a maximum of 1800kg. His strength only increased by about 700kg, indicating that his talent was quite ordinary and could not compare with the genius martial artist who gained 2000kg on his first attempt.

It was only after he fell into a coma again and his mental power was fully awakened that his physical fitness increased to 3100kg, barely comparable to these genius martial artists.

Luo Feng couldn't help but think, 'As a martial artist, I haven't yet mastered any secret techniques, so my chances of losing are very high. But if I use the methods of a mentalist—mentors are said to be invincible at their level!—I can definitely win.'

Jiang Nian hesitated, feeling that even if Luo Feng learned the secret manual, he still couldn't beat Ning Ze.

With both sides of equal strength, combat experience played a decisive role. One was a poor child from the slums who had no one to guide him, while the other was a child who had grown up under the tutelage of a warrior of the general level.

Moreover... there's also the difference in cultivation techniques. Ning Ze cultivated a top-tier technique; only if Luo Feng also chose a technique of that level would he have a chance of victory.

However, he wouldn't try to persuade Luo Feng to choose this kind of secret manual, because it's too difficult.

The path of a martial artist can only be chosen by oneself.

After exchanging a few words, Jiang Nian left Luo Feng's house.

Back in his training room, Luo Feng looked in the direction of Ning Ze's house and muttered to himself, "I thought there would be a battle, but I didn't expect to lose before it even started."

"Right now, my martial arts skills are no match for yours, but I will catch up. My cultivation speed has increased significantly since I awakened as a mentalist."

"Cultivation!"

……

One evening.

In the wilderness outside Yangzhou city, five disheveled martial artists arrived at the foot of the city wall. Their shadows stretched long on the yellow earth, carrying a sense of desolation.

"Damn it, I almost didn't make it back." Zuo Xingyuan cursed, his eyes showing some fear.

Ma Yu looked extremely tired. He said in a low voice, "There are War God level experts hunting Lord-level monsters in the city center. It's normal for the monsters to riot."

Yang Chao's face was somewhat pale. As the artilleryman of the martial arts team, the more monsters there were, the more mental energy he consumed.

"That's the danger of being in a top-ranked city; you might run into a war god-level expert, and you'd be lucky to come back alive."

Xu Liang looked dejected and said with tears in his eyes, "I threw away all my materials in order to escape. This War God-level expert is really ruthless. He started attacking as soon as he gave the signal. I almost couldn't escape."

Ma Yu said in a deep voice, "It's already good enough that you can send us a signal. Do you think lord-level monsters are so easy to hunt?"

"Damn it, I must become a War God-level powerhouse!" Zuo Xingyuan was very frustrated. He had planned to hunt down another monster and return. He had found a target and started killing, but the monster went on a rampage and he almost couldn't make it back.

The team fell silent for a moment.

Only Zuo Xingyuan could say that he was the youngest, the strongest, and the most talented, and that there was a very small chance that he could cultivate to become a War God.

"I wonder how Ning Ze's cultivation is going? That kid has good talent; he has a high chance of becoming a war god in the future."

"His comprehension is not bad, but his physical talent... is not bad, but not particularly good either. Let's wait two years and see. It's too early to say anything now."

"Too."

"Alright, now that we're back, let's not talk about those discouraging things. Let's rest for a few days before heading to City 096. It's safer there, so we won't rest for too long."

"Let's go, let's go to the supply base and wash up. This is bad luck!"

"I'm not going; I need to go home."

……

Mingyue Residential Area.

Ning Ze, who had just finished his cultivation and was about to go downstairs for dinner, glanced at his phone on the table and noticed a text message he had received.

"We're heading to the wilderness area the day after tomorrow afternoon? Let's meet at the usual place."

"I've been focusing on cultivating my genetic energy these past few days. My current strength is 3085kg, and in two more days my strength will reach 3285kg. If I exert my full strength, it should be close to 6600kg, which is not weak among advanced warriors."

Ning Ze's eyes were filled with joy. "This time I won't hold everyone back. After getting used to the hunting rhythm, I'll be able to hunt beast general-level monsters with everyone!"

"besides……"

"Shouldn't being in the wild increase the rate at which skill level increases?"

……

The city center of Yangzhou.

A beautiful and luxurious villa area.

This is not a martial arts community, but a wealthy community.

Those who can live here are either rich or noble.

Today, however, a discordant sound rang out from one of the luxuriously decorated villas.

"Drink, drink, drink!"

"Can drinking alcohol solve the problem?"

"If you drink again, get out of here! I, Zhai Bifan, don't have a son like you!"

At the entrance of the villa, a middle-aged man dressed formally with slicked-back hair pointed ahead and roared like thunder.

Where he was pointing, Zhai Yanke lay drunkenly on the sofa, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glazed over, the table piled high with bottles of liquor.

A middle-aged woman dressed in fine clothes stood helplessly to the side, looking at her drunk son and then at her husband who had just returned home. She felt heartbroken.

Zhai Yanke drank his beer by himself. Ever since he returned from that day of defeat, he had been completely despondent.

He was full of hope for revenge, but he never expected to become a laughing stock.

When he realized the gap between the two of them, he understood that he might never be able to surpass Ning Ze in martial arts.

Zhai Bifan grew increasingly angry as he looked at it, and stormed over to slap him across the face!

"Snapped!"

With a sharp crack, Zhai Yanke collapsed weakly onto the sofa, the wine bottle in his hand falling to the ground and shattering into pieces.

Why did you hit your son?

Already feeling sorry for Zhai Yanke, his mother suddenly erupted. Like a protective mother hen, she stood in front of him, her face contorted with rage, and shouted in a shrill voice, "Our son was wronged outside, and you still beat him when he gets home! If you're going to beat someone, you might as well beat me too!"

Zhai Bifan was caught in a dilemma, and his face turned very ugly.

He is ruthless. In the cutthroat world of business, how could he stand firm without being cunning?

He is cold-blooded and cruel to outsiders, and operates behind the scenes.

But his wife had been with him since the time of Nirvana, a woman who would risk her life for him during their escape. They depended on each other for survival, and their affection was incredibly deep.

How could he possibly hit his wife?

Just then, Zhai Yanke seemed to be jolted awake by a slap, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Mom, get out of the way!"

When Zhai's mother turned around, she looked troubled, but under that resolute gaze, she still avoided it.

Zhai Yanke raised his head, gritted his teeth, and hissed, "Dad, I want to marry Shuyi!"

Zhai Bifan scoffed, saying with obvious disappointment, "Just for a woman? You really are my good son! You've really made something of yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Zhai's mother immediately became agitated, anxiously shouting, "It's just a girl! If our son wants to marry her, let him marry her!"

"Dad! This is my only chance to beat him!" Zhai Yanke's voice was still hoarse, his eyes filled with hatred, mixed with a hint of pleading.

"That Ning Ze?" Zhai Bifan was furious, then sighed heavily and said, "You've really disappointed me."

"I thought having a rival would motivate you to improve and broaden your horizons, but I never expected you couldn't even get past one hurdle."

"How did I teach you before? A martial artist who went to the wilderness area, whose family was just a junior warrior, almost managed to stay there by spending some money. With a little trickery, I was able to cripple their business."

"Now that he's in the wilderness, even if you wanted him to die, it would be a trivial matter. You can even control his fate, yet you're so despondent because of him."

"Dad, that's different!" Zhai Yanke's eyes showed a hint of stubbornness, which then turned dejected. He had thought he could eventually defeat Ning Ze and personally wash away the humiliation of the past, but now he had given up.

After a slight pause, he said in a hateful voice, "That's not enough! Even if I have to kill him, I want him to die a painful death! Shuyi must marry me!"

Mother Zhai quickly pleaded, "My son has always listened to you since he was little, and he's suffered so much, but you wouldn't let me interfere. I listened to you! Now that he's only nineteen and has become a martial artist, what's wrong with him? You've made him suffer so much, this time you should avenge him!"

Zhai Bifan's face was gloomy, his eyes were full of deep thought. He glanced at Zhai Yanke and knew that Ning Ze had become his son's demon!

He said in a deep voice, "I have already investigated the Shu family. Although our family is larger than theirs and we have some overlap in the combat uniform business, the Shu family's business is not small either, and we are not so easy to coerce."

"Stay with me for a while and see how I do things. A martial artist can't slack off in their training, and you also need to learn how to manage a company. If you learn well, why will I need to intervene?"

Upon hearing this, Zhai Yanke was overjoyed and jumped to his feet, saying, "Dad, don't worry, I will definitely study hard!"

"snort!"

"Clean up this mess you've made. If this happens again, I won't care if you die out there!"

Zhai Bifan turned and walked upstairs, his eyes filled with malice. He was prepared for the worst, and now it was time to activate some of his hidden agents.

……

Two days later, at 10 p.m., it was also time for the War Squad to set off for the wilderness area.

In a restaurant on the third floor of the HR Alliance Mall, Zuo Xingyuan and his entourage were engrossed in eating and drinking.

"Why hasn't that kid arrived yet? Could he have been injured during the match?" Xu Liang mumbled, as they had all heard about Ning Ze's previous fight at the Thunder Martial Arts Academy.

"This kid said he'd take the last bus, but I think he just wandered off somewhere along the way," Xu Liang said.

"Hey, he's here." Zuo Xingyuan glanced down at his watch and shouted, "Why didn't you come an hour later? That would have been the perfect time to leave."

Ning Ze chuckled awkwardly and said, "I got off the bus and went to Jiangnan University."

"I told you, he's out looking for a girlfriend." Xu Liang turned and asked, "You've been keeping busy, haven't you? You even went on a date and fought a genius from the Thunder Martial Arts Gym. How's your training going lately?"

Ning Ze hadn't forgotten what these uncles had done last time, especially Xu Liang; he had already seen the video Xu Liang sent to his father.

If his strength hadn't improved so much, he would have been beaten to death by now.

Ning Ze glanced around calmly and replied, "My training over the past half month has been relatively smooth. My movement techniques are quite proficient, and the Wind Slash is also decent. My strength has increased a bit."

"Sounds good. A genius martial artist who can defeat the Thunder Martial Arts Academy must not have relaxed his training," Zuo Xingyuan said casually.

"Alright, we've ordered a whole table of food, eat up. When we get to the wilderness, we'll just eat biscuits."

"good!"

Ning Ze sat down next to Yang Chao, rolled up his sleeves, and began to eat and drink heartily. After this meal, he would only be able to eat compressed biscuits for the next two weeks.

(End of this chapter)