Chapter 141: Strength Greatly Increased

【You defeated an LV53 enemy and gained 8000 experience points】

【You defeated an LV55 enemy and gained 10000 experience points】

【You defeated an LV52 enemy and gained 7000 experience points】

【You defeated an LV53 enemy and gained 8000 experience points】

Half an hour later, Chen Ming had also defeated the remaining four one by one.

The five people, who initially had rather arrogant attitudes, were now all convinced by him.

In the martial world, the strong were always respected—so long as one demonstrated strength, respect would follow.

Next, Chen Ming did not leave. Instead, he stayed and reviewed the previous battles with the five of them.

It had to be said, all five were far from weak. Their martial skills had distinct traits, and they excelled in real combat. The reason they lost to him was because his 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》 was a cut above.

This sword technique taught by Senior Shang was truly extraordinary. When executed using Pure Yang True Qi, its power was even more formidable.

This review lasted over two hours. It wasn't until dusk approached that he bid farewell.

“You’re not bad, unlike those arrogant young masters who look down on people. I consider you a friend now.”

Yun Niang suddenly came over and gave him a strong pat on the shoulder.

Chen Ming smiled and said, “It’s my honor.”

“But I’m not quite satisfied with today’s loss. Let’s fight again next time.”

“No need to wait—how about tomorrow?”

“Perfect, it’s a deal.”

“A deal.”

Having confirmed tomorrow’s spar, Chen Ming was in high spirits as he departed.

……

After nightfall, in a small courtyard behind Shang’an Trading Company, a stunningly beautiful woman sat on a chair, flipping through an account book.

“Young Mistress.”

The young attendant who had been following Chen Ming entered, head lowered, not daring to look too much.

The woman addressed as Young Mistress set down the account book in her hands and rubbed her temples with some fatigue. “Yun Niang and the others didn’t injure him, did they?”

The attendant replied, “No. Yun Niang and the others were no match for Young Master Chen.”

The Young Mistress paused her movements. “You’re saying all five of them lost to him?”

“Yes.”

She looked a bit surprised. “He just broke through to Fifth Grade, and he already beat Yun Niang and the others?”

She suddenly felt the need to reevaluate the strength of this Second Young Master Chen.

At first, she thought Chen Ming’s request was sheer nonsense. But since he had the token in hand, she couldn't really refuse and simply let Yun Niang deal with him.

She knew Yun Niang’s temperament. Her intention had been to let Chen Ming suffer a bit.

Unexpectedly, his strength far exceeded her expectations.

She pondered for a moment and asked, “He didn’t make any further requests, did he?”

“No, but...”

“But what?”

“Yun Niang and Young Master Chen agreed to have another spar tomorrow.”

The Young Mistress shook her head. “Yun Niang is still as competitive as ever.”

The attendant said, “I think that may not be the only reason.”

“Speak.”

“After the sparring, Young Master Chen stayed with them to discuss martial arts. They talked for over an hour.”

The Young Mistress looked somewhat surprised. “Didn’t expect him to have such breadth of character. Alright, you may go. Continue following him tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

……

The next day, at the same hour, Chen Ming returned once again to the courtyard and found not only Yun Niang, but the other four were also present.

One of them said, “Our battle with you yesterday was most rewarding. Today, we’ve thickened our skins and hope to ask for more guidance.”

Chen Ming smiled. “I’d be glad to.”

Two hours later, he had earned half the experience points of the previous day and left, satisfied.

Yun Niang and the other five sparred with him, gaining both experience and his guidance. They reaped great benefits and were equally satisfied.

Thus, they scheduled another battle for the next day.

……

On the third day, Chen Ming returned once more to that courtyard and found not only Yun Niang and the other five present, but also two additional individuals. Upon introduction, they were revealed to be Fifth Grade cultivators who had just returned from overseas the previous day. They had been brought by Yun Niang.

So, his sparring opponents increased by two.

Once again, he experienced the benefits of the King’s Path. After his reputation for being helpful spread, people began voluntarily seeking him out for sparring.

Of course, this was also because these individuals held a light view on victory or defeat and focused more on practical results. They desired strength, sought progress.

This mentality was fundamentally different from that of the Sixth Grade martial artists he had encountered before.

The Sixth Grades in Qingfeng City were older and had little room for progress. They had essentially resigned themselves to their limits and cared more about reputation.

These Fifth Grades, on the other hand, were still young with room for advancement.

Moreover, they lived lives where blades danced on the edge, and they knew vanity was an illusion—only strength was real.

Therefore, they cherished the opportunity to spar with experts. The chance to receive targeted feedback afterward was a rare opportunity, not something easily found. How could they possibly miss it?

……

From then on, Chen Ming visited that small courtyard daily to spar with a group of Fifth Grade martial artists.

At its peak, the number reached sixteen. It showed how many experts were hidden within Shang’an Trading Company.

After a month, the number dwindled until only three or four remained. The others had all gone out to sea.

Another half month passed, and the remaining few also departed for overseas.

Chen Ming finally concluded this intense period of frantically farming experience points.

Unknowingly, autumn was approaching once more.

That day was the fifteenth of the seventh month. Chen Ming bid farewell to his elder brother and sister-in-law, boarded a carriage, and headed straight toward Jiangzhou City.

Traveling with him was Feng Siyuan. World’s Number One Tower was about to reset the Azure Cloud Ranking, and he certainly wouldn’t want to miss such a grand event.

“Qingfeng City finally has someone qualified to participate in the Azure Cloud Ranking,” Feng Siyuan said with emotion while they rested for a meal along the way. “You don’t know—let alone placing on the list, for the past twenty to thirty years, not a single person from our Qingfeng City even had the qualifications to compete.”

Chen Ming said, “That can’t be right. The Azure Cloud Ranking only limits age to under twenty-five. There’s no restriction on cultivation rank.”

“If you’re not at the Fifth Grade, you don’t even have the right to contend. If a Sixth Grade dares to compete, people will just laugh at them.”

“Actually, in terms of the number of Fifth Grade martial artists, if you include the few maritime traders in Qingyun City, they probably won’t lose out to Jiangzhou City.”

Feng Siyuan was stunned and said, “When you put it that way, it makes sense. But the Fifth Grades under the maritime traders all go overseas with the ships. Very few remain in Qingfeng City.”

Chen Ming asked, “Is it really that chaotic overseas? They need that many experts for protection?”

“Those barbaric island nations across the sea have no manners or shame. If a fleet doesn’t have experts holding it down, they’ll dare to rob you outright. Only by beating them into submission will they honestly trade with you.”

Thus, though the Seven Great Maritime Traders had many experts, they were scattered across overseas fleets. Only a few remained in Qingfeng City.

Feng Siyuan said, “Brother, I’ve placed a heavy bet on you this time. I hope you make it onto the Azure Cloud Ranking. If you do, I’ll strike it rich.”

Chen Ming knew that in grand events held every few years, there would certainly be betting pools. He just didn’t know the rules they used.

After their meal, they continued on their journey.

Seated in the carriage, Chen Ming silently recited in his heart and opened the panel.

【Level: 55】

【Current Points: 0】

【Cultivation Methods: 《Iron Horse Stance》 (Fifth Stage Complete), 《True Art of Two Principles》 (Fifth Stage 823356/1500000)】

【Martial Techniques: 《Three Talents Fist》 (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Mastery), 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》 (Mastery), 《Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens》 (First Stage 1952/100000)】

【Secret Arts: 《Disguise Technique》 (Mastery)】

His current strength had made enormous strides compared to two and a half months ago.

《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》 had reached mastery.

The progress of 《True Art of Two Principles》 at the fifth stage had also passed the halfway mark.

This was the confidence backing him in this Azure Cloud Ranking battle. No exaggeration—his current strength was more than tenfold what it was when he first broke through to Fifth Grade.

He now hoped for as many participants in this competition as possible. With a bit of luck, after this match, he might just accumulate enough experience to break through to Fourth Grade.

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