Chapter 129: Toying

Outside the Chen Residence, in a narrow alley, unable to move, Zhong Shuyu grew even more anxious as Miss once again fell silent.

What did breaking through during combat mean?

Why didn’t she continue speaking?

What was going on inside?

She was nearly dying of worry, when suddenly, her vision blurred, and Miss vanished from where she had stood. Startled, she thought—what was Miss planning to do?

She instinctively wanted to shout, only to realize the restriction on her body was still in effect. She still couldn’t move, nor make a sound.

A sense of foreboding surged in her heart…

…

Inside the courtyard, sword qi surged in all directions.

Wan Laosan was like a man inside a blazing furnace. Each time he cleaved apart a strand of sword qi, a trace of scorching true qi would invade his body, searing his meridians.

At first, his own robust true qi could easily neutralize this foreign true qi. But as time went on, he realized things weren’t so simple.

The invading true qi kept increasing. Only then did he realize just how vicious and tenacious the opponent’s true qi was. Unwittingly, some of his meridians had already been damaged.

A mix of shock and rage filled his heart. "What kind of cultivation method is this brat practicing?"

Wan Laosan’s surname wasn’t actually Wan, but Qi. His father was a distant cousin of Qi Yanhong, and they hadn’t known each other before.

He came from a poor family and lost his father at an early age. To make a living, he joined a shipping crew as a teenager. Unfortunately, on his first voyage, they encountered pirates. Because of his youth, he was captured and brought back to their den.

Later, relying on his wit and outstanding martial talent, he acknowledged a pirate leader as his foster father.

A few years later, he had become a minor pirate leader himself. Upon returning home to visit his mother, he learned she had been receiving help over the years from a distant relative.

He went to offer thanks. That relative turned out to be Qi Yanhong. From that point on, Qi Yanhong had secretly supported him—providing intelligence, cultivation methods, martial techniques…

Qi Laosan owed all he had today to Qi Yanhong’s strong backing. Without the top-tier cultivation method Qi Yanhong had given him, it would’ve been impossible for him to reach the Fifth Grade before the age of forty.

It was precisely with this vast and formidable true qi that he had few rivals at sea. Even against martial artists of the same level, he could fight and win, earning considerable fame.

Who would have thought that today, facing a brat who had just broken through to Fifth Grade, he would be suppressed?

How could he not be shocked?

At this moment, Wan Laosan—no, Qi Laosan—had already given up the idea of capturing his opponent. He only wanted to find a chance to escape.

The city was different from the sea.

On the vast ocean, once you met an enemy and clashed, there were only two outcomes: death or submission. There was nowhere to flee, no matter how great your agility skills.

But now, on land, there had to be a chance!

Qi Laosan’s face was full of ambition. How could he be willing to die here?

Just then, in a moment of distraction, a streak of sword light swept over from an angle he couldn’t have imagined.

Startled, he hurriedly withdrew his hand. At that crucial instant, the damaged meridian delayed the circulation of his true qi slightly, causing his reaction to slow by a fraction.

That fraction cost him dearly.

In a flash of sword light, his right hand holding the saber was severed at the wrist.

"Ah—"

Qi Laosan let out a pained howl like a wounded beast.

Just when he thought he was doomed, the sword halted before his throat. Then he heard Chen Ming say, "You’ve lost!"

In Qi Laosan’s heart, a sliver of hope returned. In a hoarse voice, he said, "I admit defeat! I’ll accept whatever you do to me."

As a pirate, submitting to the strong was nothing to be ashamed of. After becoming a pirate, he had surrendered to seven or eight people.

Then, he saw a satisfied smile appear on Chen Ming’s face as he said, "Very good. I want to fight you again. Pick up the saber."

"Ah?"

Such a request left Liu Laosan stunned, at a total loss.

…

On the rooftop, the woman in red stared intently at Chen Ming in the courtyard. A fiery glow lit her eyes, as if she were beholding a priceless treasure.

"That’s right. He must have been cultivating the 《Lunar True Scripture》 alongside it. Otherwise, it’s absolutely impossible for him to have progressed this quickly. The fifth level of the 《Blazing Sun Divine Art》… No wonder Uncle Shang values him so highly…"

Her emotions surged uncontrollably within her, leaving her momentarily unable to compose herself.

Previously, she had never placed any hope on Chen Ming. The reason was simple—Lone Yang does not grow. The 《Blazing Sun Divine Art》 was an extreme yang and unyielding cultivation method, incredibly difficult to cultivate.

During the body tempering phase, this wasn’t apparent. But once reaching Sixth Grade and cultivating Pure Yang True Qi, it usually took a long time to break through to the next level—some might never break through in their lifetime.

The last person to cultivate the 《Blazing Sun Divine Art》 to Third Grade was Marshal Xu, who possessed extraordinary talent and used tricks just to barely reach Third Grade. As a result, his cultivation never progressed beyond that.

To master this cultivation method, one needed a naturally Pure Yang Constitution. Ordinary people simply could not achieve it.

Because of this, the woman in red became so emotional upon discovering that Chen Ming had broken through to Fifth Grade.

In fact, she had already found someone with a Pure Yang Constitution and kept him by her side for nearly ten years. After obtaining the 《Blazing Sun Divine Art》, she immediately sent it to him to begin cultivation.

Over the past few months, his progress had been rapid.

At this pace, he could likely break through to Third Grade within ten years.

Naturally, she had placed all her hopes on that person.

But she had not expected Chen Ming to give her such a tremendous surprise. Even after cultivating True Qi, his advancement was shockingly fast.

From Sixth Grade to Fifth Grade, he had taken less than a year.

Just moments ago, she had suspected that he had switched to another cultivation method and came personally to confirm it.

She saw with her own eyes that the True Qi within Chen Ming was undeniably Pure Yang True Qi.

It was an enormous surprise, and she could hardly contain her emotions.

"At his current rate of progress, he might be able to challenge Third Grade in less than five years!"

As the woman in red thought this, her heartbeat quickened further.

She suddenly felt a bit of regret. She had once considered recruiting him, but at a moment’s hesitation, failed to act.

最⊥新⊥小⊥說⊥在⊥⊥⊥首⊥發！

Thankfully, it was not too late.

As the thoughts surged in the woman in red’s mind, she saw Chen Ming below sever Wan Laosan’s left hand with just over ten moves.

His posture was like that of a cat toying with a mouse. Clearly, he intended to slowly toy his enemy to death. The smile on his face looked incredibly brutal.

Such a personality suited her tastes perfectly.

"Kill me——"

With both hands severed, Wan Laosan had fallen into utter despair, finally realizing he was being toyed with.

Chen Ming stabbed his sword into his chest, ending his sinful life.

【You have slain an LV56 enemy, gaining 50,000 experience points】

Fifty thousand!

Adding to the two earlier defeats—ten thousand and five thousand respectively—it totaled sixty-five thousand experience points. Quite a lot.

Chen Ming wiped the blood off his sword, sheathed it, raised his head, and looked toward the rooftop across from him—completely empty.

He was slightly puzzled. "I clearly felt someone just now."

Could it have been Du Caiyue?

Since no one took action, it naturally meant they weren’t an enemy. The most likely scenario was that Zhao Xiyan had asked Du Caiyue to protect him before leaving.

Chen Ming asked, "Miss Su, did you see the person on the rooftop just now?"

A moment later, just as he thought Su Zhi Ning didn’t intend to answer, she finally spoke. "That was a Third Grade."

Third Grade?

Chen Ming was astonished.

…

In the alley, Zhong Shuyu, who had long been anxiously waiting, finally saw Miss return. "Miss——"

As soon as she opened her mouth, she realized she could speak again.

"Let’s go."

The woman in red flicked her sleeve, lifted her with True Qi, and flew off, giving her no chance to speak.

Zhong Shuyu, suspended in the air, had no way to speak either.

Moments later.

The two returned to that courtyard.

The woman in red suddenly said, "I want you to go stay by his side. Are you willing?"

"Ah?"

Zhong Shuyu was stunned at first, then her breathing grew rapid. Her face filled with anticipation and nervousness. "Miss… he… he’s alright?"

"He’s not dead. In fact, he killed Wan Laosan and the others. There is a formidable expert by his side."

Zhong Shuyu couldn’t help but cry tears of joy.

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