Chapter 128: Fifth Grade

In the alley near the Chen Residence, Zhong Shuyu followed behind the Woman in Red, her heart burning with anxiety, yet she could do nothing.

Wan Laosan had once been an independent pirate with a fleet of a dozen ships. Later, he was subdued by the Sea Lord and became a sworn brother. During the battle against Zheng Longwang, he had rendered considerable service. As a result, he was rewarded and named one of the Thirty-Six Generals.

Today, Wan Laosan had arrived in the city with three sworn brothers. After securing a base of operations, they revealed their purpose: they had come to kill Chen Ming, and they would act tonight.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shuyu was horrified. After nightfall, she seized a chance to slip away and immediately rushed to warn Chen Ming.

She knew that Chen Ming was currently at the Sixth Grade—how could he possibly stand against Wan Laosan?

The only hope of survival was to seek help from the Six Doors Authority.

However, that path had also been blocked by Miss Zhao. She stood guard here specifically, ensuring that not even a fly could leave the Chen Residence, let alone someone going to seek aid from the Six Doors Authority.

Zhong Shuyu naturally understood that Miss Zhao did this entirely for her own good.

The Sea Lord was known for his impartial severity—if he learned she had betrayed their brotherhood, he would never spare her.

But if things continued this way, was she to watch helplessly as Chen Ming was killed by that Wan Laosan?

Time ticked by. The Chen Residence remained deathly quiet; no one had left.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when suddenly, the Woman in Red slightly lifted her head and looked in a certain direction.

Zhong Shuyu instinctively followed her gaze and vaguely caught sight of several figures leaping over the walls of the Chen Residence.

Those figures moved with astonishing speed and made no sound at all—clearly seasoned experts.

Her heart tightened. She was just about to cry out in warning, heedless of everything else, when she was horrified to discover that she could not speak. Not only that, her body wouldn’t move either.

Miss Zhao’s voice came to her ears, "Xiaoyu, you’ve already done enough for him. You need not feel guilty."

Zhong Shuyu could not speak; only two streams of tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, the Woman in Red let out a soft murmur, staring toward the Chen Residence as she muttered, "A breakthrough at the brink of battle?"

A breakthrough at the brink of battle?

Hearing this, Zhong Shuyu’s heart trembled. Strangely, a flicker of hope rose within her once more.

……

"They’re here!"

Chen Ming had been studying the 《Phantom Step》 when he suddenly heard Su Zhi Ning’s warning.

They were finally here.

He closed the manual in his hands, a trace of excitement in his heart. He picked up his sword, pushed open the door, and stepped into the courtyard, looking up.

This time, four pirates had come. That meant there would be no burden in killing them.

So far, he had fought countless people. But those who had actually died by his hand numbered only ten.

Killing an enemy yielded several times more experience points than simply defeating them. Tonight promised a windfall.

A few seconds later, Chen Ming spotted four figures, all charging straight toward him.

He said, "Miss Su, help me hold off the Fifth Grade one. I just need ten breaths. Don’t kill him."

"Alright."

The four pirates dressed in night attire, upon seeing Chen Ming standing in the courtyard, did not waste a single word. They attacked instantly.

Each wielded a saber, flanking from the front and both sides. To deal with a mere Sixth Grade opponent, the four had chosen to strike together—clearly, they had no regard for martial virtue.

Faced with a coordinated strike from three Sixth Grade and one Fifth Grade, even with Chen Ming’s current strength, he had no chance.

There was a vast gulf between the Sixth and Fifth Grades—a fundamental difference in realm.

Buzz!

With a buzzing hum of a sword, the central black-clad man’s body suddenly froze—he actually stopped moving. The flawless net of encirclement formed by the four now had a gap.

With his wealth of combat experience, Chen Ming instantly seized the opening and drew his sword.

In the darkness, it was as if a clear and sharp phoenix cry echoed forth!

Scorching heat engulfed the three black-clad men in an instant.

"Nirvana of Nine Cycles!"

From the 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》, this was the most devastating killing move—designed specifically to counter group assaults, its lethality was immense.

To the side, Su Zhi Ning, who was responsible for holding off Wan Laosan, couldn't help but glance over, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. This level of swordsmanship was quite impressive.

She was even more puzzled—based on the comprehension and learning ability he had demonstrated last night, how had he managed to reach such proficiency in swordsmanship?

She had inquired before: this man had always wielded a saber and had only recently switched to practicing swordsmanship.

……

"No—"

From the corner of his eye, Wan Laosan saw his three sworn brothers slain by a single sword strike. His eyes bulged with rage, and he was about to charge over and kill that brat to avenge his brothers.

Buzz！

At that moment, another burst of sword qi came flying at him, forcing him to take a step back.

He roared, "Who’s there? Come out and fight your grandpa if you dare!"

Buzz！

What answered him was yet another burst of sword qi.

Wan Laosan didn’t even know where the sword qi was coming from. The hatred in his heart surged—so Chen Ming actually had such a powerful expert hidden by his side.

Damn it...

Even though he was consumed with rage, he still understood the principle that if the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn.

He had already developed the intent to retreat.

……

【You have killed an LV47 enemy, gained 20000 EXP】

【You have killed an LV46 enemy, gained 20000 EXP】

【You have killed an LV47 enemy, gained 20000 EXP】

Seeing the prompts pop up before him, Chen Ming no longer hesitated. He silently muttered in his heart—Add Points!

He instantly allocated ten thousand points to 《True Art of Two Principles》.

Boom.

He felt a surge of power welling up within him. His true qi expanded again, reaching its limit. Just as his meridians felt on the verge of bursting, something within suddenly broke through.

That immense true qi finally found an outlet, endlessly pouring in.

This was the qi sea.

Fifth Grade—Qi Sea Realm!

The qi sea was indeed like an ocean. The amount of true qi it could contain was dozens to hundreds of times more than before.

【Level: 50】

【Current Points: 213452】

【Cultivation Methods: Iron Horse Stance (Fifth Level – Mastery), True Art of Two Principles (Fifth Level – 6781/1500000)】

【Martial Techniques: Three Talents Fist (Perfection), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Perfection), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Perfection), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Perfection), Vermilion Bird Sword Technique (Proficient – 3123/500000)】

【Secret Arts: Disguise Technique (Perfection)】

"Hm?"

Su Zhi Ning couldn’t help but glance at him again. This time, she wasn’t just surprised—she found it unbelievable: he had actually reached Fifth Grade.

So fast!

Even someone as talented as her had taken over a year to go from Sixth Grade to Fifth Grade.

Chen Ming—if she remembered correctly—had only just broken through to Sixth Grade seven months ago.

This person’s progress speed was actually twice as fast as hers.

How was that possible?

It wasn’t that no one in this world could cultivate faster than her—but to be nearly twice as fast, that was theoretically implausible.

True qi required a process of accumulation. The more advanced the martial art, the slower the growth of true qi. And he cultivated Pure Yang techniques—Pure Yang true qi was famously slow to grow.

Just as she was still reeling from shock, Chen Ming spoke, "Many thanks to Miss Su for your help."

Su Zhi Ning was taken aback, then quickly understood his meaning—he was preparing to act personally.

No wonder he only asked her to stall that Fifth Grade opponent for ten breaths. He had planned it all along—to ride the momentum and confidence gained from killing three Sixth Grades to charge into the Fifth Grade, and then personally deal with the Fifth Grade enemy.

She didn’t know whether to call him confident—or arrogant.

Su Zhi Ning silently withdrew.

Wan Laosan suddenly felt the pressure lighten. He looked up and saw Chen Ming standing before him. Seeing the one who had killed his three sworn brothers, his eyes burned with murderous intent.

At this moment, he realized he had fallen into a trap. That hidden enemy was far stronger than him.

Tonight—his odds of survival were grim.

Now, he finally saw a chance to turn the tables.

The enemy had overreached and underestimated him—allowing Chen Ming to face him alone, clearly intending to use him as a whetstone.

As long as he could unleash a lightning-fast strike and capture Chen Ming alive, there was still a sliver of hope.

Just a newly advanced Fifth Grade—

At that moment, Chen Ming struck.

In an instant, Wan Laosan felt as though a sky full of sword shadows enveloped him. He was thoroughly startled and finally understood why his three sworn brothers had been slain in an instant.

This youth’s swordsmanship was so formidable—he was a formidable foe!

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