I Only Stomp on Weaklings

The wine was almost finished, and after Guan Peng put down his cup, he took advantage of his high spirits and declared boldly, "Brother Chen, our last sparring was a year and a half ago. Today, I wish to learn from you once more."

"It would be an honor."

Chen Ming replied with a smile.

Immediately, the two men moved to a more spacious courtyard nearby and prepared their stances.

Chen Ming said, "Please, Brother Guan."

Guan Peng’s gaze sharpened, "Brother Chen, be careful. My Wave-cutting Blade Technique emphasizes an unstoppable momentum. When I’m at sea, whenever there are big waves, I jump off the ship and confront the giant waves, which is how I’ve gained insight into swordsmanship."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming also became interested and said, "Let’s go."

"Watch the blade!"

Guan Peng stepped forward, raising his long saber high and slashing down.

Before the blade even arrived, Chen Ming felt an intimidating aura.

He praised, "Great technique!"

Guan Peng’s few months at sea truly transformed him; based on this one blade, he could hold his ground among eighth-grade martial artists.

Moreover, his saber technique carried a sense of killing intent.

This meant his blade had tasted blood!

One could only wonder what he encountered during his two sea trips.

Chen Ming’s combat experience was rich, knowing he couldn’t let Guan Peng build momentum. Otherwise, with momentum accumulating, Guan Peng would be unstoppable, requiring blood to stop him eventually.

Therefore, Chen Ming chose an unusual approach and decided to directly confront him.

He lifted his own long saber upward.

A loud clang sounded as the two sabers clashed fiercely, sparking fire.

Guan Peng retreated a step, his eyes burning with even more fighting spirit as his saber’s form changed once more, to the Breaking Wave Style!

The momentum grew even stronger.

Watching from the side, Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian felt an indescribable sense of loss. Initially, they both passed the martial exam while Guan Peng unexpectedly failed.

To be honest, while they felt sympathy, there was also a sense of superiority. Unexpectedly, more than a year later, Guan Peng had reached the eighth grade before them and mastered a tremendously powerful saber technique, leaving them far behind.

Their sense of loss was understandable.

Clang!

Another resounding clash interrupted their thoughts.

They looked closely and saw Guan Peng retreat two steps, his long saber buzzing, with a noticeable notch on the blade.

Guan Peng sighed, smiling bitterly, "I lost."

Neither expected him to admit defeat so easily, but upon closer inspection, they noticed that the webbing between his thumb and forefinger was cracked, bleeding, making it impossible to hold the saber tightly.

The gap in their strength was evident.

Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian looked at Chen Ming, wondering silently, "Just how strong is he?"

Chen Ming said, "I simply have a higher cultivation than you, using brute force to suppress you. Your saber technique is overly aggressive, it’s either you die or I perish. I could not afford to let your momentum build, otherwise, even I wouldn’t be confident to withstand it."

Guan Peng admired him, "From the moment I made my move, you saw through the depth of my technique. Your perceptiveness is truly remarkable."

Zhuang Xiaotian tried to mediate, "You might not know this, but since Brother Chen broke through to the eighth grade, he constantly sought others to spar with. He’s earned the nickname of a martial arts fanatic. He’s sparred with at least twenty to thirty eighth-graders."

Guan Peng suddenly said, "Brother Chen, you’re not far from the seventh grade, are you?"

These words took Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian by surprise, instinctively looking at Chen Ming.

He merely smiled slightly and said, "Brother Guan’s eyes have no equal."

Both were momentarily stunned.

He did not deny it.

Which means he truly was close to breaking through to the seventh grade.

Just a few months?

Seven months? Or eight months?

In less than a year, he was about to leap another grade?

Isn’t that too exaggerated?

Guan Peng’s expression was also dazed; he was merely probing but didn’t expect Chen Ming to straightforwardly admit it.

Seventh grade...

With a bitter tone, he said, "Brother Chen is indeed advancing courageously and quickly, progressing so rapidly, not inferior to those true disciples of major sects."

"Overpraised."

...

Near evening, Chen Ming left the Deng Mansion, preparing to return home, yet halted midway. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He asked the driver, "What happened ahead?"

The driver replied, "I heard it’s because the Prefect invited the newly appointed Lord Admiral at the Snow Goose Pavilion; the attendees are so many that they’ve jammed the road."

Chen Ming could only shake his head; in this world, traffic jams are even harder to clear than on Earth.

He could only wait.

He opened his panel.

[Level: 29]

[Current Points: 100]

[Cultivation Technique: Iron Horse Stance (Fifth Level Perfection), Three Yang Body Refining Skill (Sixth Level 29576/30000)]

[Martial Skill: Three Talents Fist (Accomplished), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Accomplished), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Accomplished), Swallow Returning Sword Technique (Advanced 434/10000)]

This was his harvest over the past six months.

The Three Yang Body Refining Skill progressed from the fourth to the current sixth level, with only a little to go before reaching the seventh level. Breaking through to the seventh level would immediately propel him into the seventh grade.

Over the past half year, as his social circle expanded, the number of eighth-grade martial artists he was acquainted with increased, sparring opportunities multiplied.

In a single day, he could gain three to four hundred experience points on average. Within six months, he accumulated close to sixty thousand points. Thinking back now, it wasn’t easy.

Now, he could say he had acquaintances all over Qingfeng City, without exaggeration. He knew every eighth-grade martial artist in the whole city.

Oh, now there’s a new one, the new Six Gates Admiral will surely bring some affiliates.

"Isn’t that Brother Chen’s carriage?"

As Chen Ming was thinking, he heard a familiar voice outside, lifted the curtain to see, and greeted with a smile, "It’s Brother Wang, how are you lately?"

The man was Wang Wentao, the illegitimate son of a nominal owner of one of the sea merchant families, twenty-five years old, eighth-grade cultivation, under the tutelage of a fifth-grade master. He was someone who loved making friends.

Wang Wentao’s carriage was not far beside, he got off his carriage and climbed onto Chen Ming’s, asking, "Are you also here for Lord Zhao’s banquet?"

He replied, "No, I was heading home and got stuck here."

"Would you like to join me and take a look?"

"It’s alright, I’ll skip the commotion."

Chen Ming was not very interested; not being in the same social circle, he shouldn’t force connections.

Social advancement sounds nice, but in truth, isn’t it just sycophancy? The problem is, even if you want to be a lackey for those VIPs, they might not even have you.

He never actively connected with people outside his circle.

Wang Wentao knew his nature and didn’t press further, mentioning another matter, "Do you remember your former fiancée? It’s said she’ll soon marry into the Su Family."

Chen Ming wondered, "Didn’t she marry long ago?"

"You didn’t know? Half a year ago, a gang of pirates broke into the Zhang Family, hurting only some servants. The family’s old matron was startled and passed away shortly after. She was in mourning, which delayed the marriage. Who knew her uncle would hurry to marry her off to the Su Family within half a year of mourning?"

"Oh."

So that’s the case.

Chen Ming hadn’t paid much attention to the Zhang Family’s affairs, hearing this for the first time, with no particular feeling about it.

Wang Wentao grinned, "Would you like me to step in and ruin their marriage?"

"Better not, there’s no need."

Chen Ming declined his kind offer.

Primarily to avoid owing a favor over such trivial matters.

Wang Wentao generously replied, "Okay, if you change your mind anytime, just say a word, I’ll ensure that ungrateful woman never marries."