I Only Stomp on Weaklings

The moonlight was hazy, in the courtyard.

Xiao Zhuyun, dressed in black, exuded a mysterious beauty. Holding a sword, as a night breeze blew by, her clothes fluttered like those of an immortal.

"I saw Brother Chen’s saber technique yesterday, and I’ve been eager to learn from it."

Her tone was infused with strong confidence, quite different from her usual gentleness, revealing the sharpness unique to a martial artist.

Chen Ming was a bit surprised. It seemed that during yesterday’s martial arts gathering, she hid her strength, yielding to that young master of the Qin family.

"Brother Chen, be careful!"

Xiao Zhuyun let out a soft exclamation as she drew her sword. A flash of cold light appeared, heading directly for Chen Ming’s chest.

Experts could tell the skill from the very first move.

This thrust made Chen Ming feel tremendous pressure. He focused with full attention, raising his long saber to ward off the attack, targeting her wrist.

"Good!"

Xiao Zhuyun’s eyes lit up. Such a method of countering was something she had never seen before; it was extremely clever.

With a thought, her wrist twitched, and in a flash of sword light, she aimed for his shoulder.

This move was faster than lightning.

Chen Ming barely had time to think. His body reacted on its own, his shoulder dipped, and the long saber transitioned to intercept her treasure sword.

Swish, swish, swish...

In the blink of an eye, the two of them had already exchanged seven or eight moves.

Those watching from the side were dazzled.

Huo Qianqian, with only Ninth Grade cultivation, naturally couldn’t see anything clearly.

Zhang Mingyu, however, watched with bright eyes, extremely excited, thinking that with the combined strength of the two, that rogue wouldn’t stand a chance.

...

"Such formidable swordsmanship."

The more Chen Ming fought, the more surprised he became. Her swordsmanship was highly refined and very seasoned, clearly possessing rich combat experience.

The key was that her swordsmanship was incredibly exquisite, often capable of executing ingenious moves to unexpectedly neutralize his attacks.

Her strength was no less than that of the young master of the Qin family.

The foundation of these sects and families truly couldn’t be underestimated.

If it had been him from yesterday, he might not have been able to defeat her.

But now—

Chen Ming changed his saber momentum, wielding saber techniques as sword techniques, using the Swallow Returning Sword Technique openly for the first time in front of outsiders.

Since Huo Chengkun married a disciple from the Xiaoshui Sect, they should know about Huo Chengkun’s sect background, so there was no need to hide it from her.

Once he showcased his true strength, he instantly suppressed Xiao Zhuyun’s sword light, firmly taking the upper hand.

"This is—"

Zhang Mingyu, on the side, watched as his breathing became somewhat rapid. This was clearly the true form of the Five Elements Saber Technique.

He watched greedily, afraid of missing any detail.

...

After more than a dozen moves.

Xiao Zhuyun suddenly stopped her hand, retreated several meters, looking somewhat dejected, "Brother Chen, your swordsmanship is superb, and I admit my defeat wholeheartedly."

[You defeated an LV39 opponent, gaining 1100 experience points.]

Her cultivation was slightly above Gu Yuantao’s.

Chen Ming was delighted inside and said, "The maiden’s swordsmanship is immensely refined. You just haven’t experienced life-and-death battles, so the sword techniques are somewhat lacking in ferocity."

He pointed out her weakness.

She likely had others routinely practicing moves with her, but such practice differs fundamentally from true combat.

During sparring with fellow disciples, one subconsciously knows the opponent won’t harm them, which over time, results in a lack of ruthlessness when striking.

"Brother Chen speaks the truth." Xiao Zhuyun nodded solemnly. She originally believed that her skills were top-tier among the Seventh Grade in Jiangzhou.

Her encounter with Qin Jinlin yesterday only reinforced this belief.

Unexpectedly, today she was defeated by a relatively unknown young man. Furthermore, he had only broken through to the Seventh Grade less than a month ago.

Xiao Zhuyun couldn’t help but recall what her master once said, that the grasslands are full of heroes, and when walking the Jianghu, one must never underestimate anyone.

"Brother Chen, how did you spot the flaw in my Phoenix Coming move?"

Next, she sought Chen Ming’s guidance.

"Your sword in this move overly pursues speed, making it top-heavy..."

Chen Ming candidly shared his thoughts, not only pointing out the issues with her moves but also explaining how he countered them.

Xiao Zhuyun listened with ever-growing admiration in her eyes, continually asking questions.

Thus, the two of them reviewed the fight they just had. She felt enlightened, gaining significant insights, and her previously gloomy mood was completely uplifted.

Before leaving, she solemnly bowed to Chen Ming, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Brother Chen, for your generous guidance. I will seek advice again in the future."

"You’re always welcome," Chen Ming sincerely invited.

The reason he put so much effort into guiding her was that she had the potential to become a training partner.

...

Over the next two days, Gu Yuantao came every morning to spar with Chen Ming, although his cousin did not accompany him, probably fearing Chen Ming would bring up sparring with him again.

On the third day, after defeating Gu Yuantao, the experience points gained decreased to 300 points, the same as the previous day. This indicated that sparring once a day gave him a steady 300 points.

Considering the hundred points from the group of students in the morning, it totaled four hundred points a day, surpassing ten thousand in a month.

Still a bit too little.

It would be best to find a few more sparring partners.

Once Sun Shicai is dealt with, he must visit those Seventh Grade martial artists in the city more often. Surely, some would be willing to spar.

That night.

Xiao Zhuyun and her companions came again, still dressed in black, entering from the back door.

"That Sun scoundrel indeed has backing."

Xiao Zhuyun spoke with a heavy expression, "Today, on the public court, his rival suddenly launched an attack, exposing his collusion with pirates in front of Zhao Shouchang. Zhao Shouchang was furious and was about to punish him, but someone came forward to protect him."

As she spoke, she still couldn’t help but feel a bit fearful.

Had she followed her original plan to capture or kill Sun Shicai and then report the matter to Six Gates, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"Fortunately, Brother Chen foresaw this. Otherwise..."

At this moment, Zhang Mingyu, not wanting her to blame herself too much, interjected, "Junior brother, do you know who Sun’s backer is?"

"Who?"

Chen Ming didn’t guess blindly. Although he had a candidate in mind, there was no need to say it out loud. Appearing too clever is not a good thing.

When it’s time to play dumb, one must play dumb.

Zhang Mingyu smiled wryly, "It’s Yu Xiuming. You wouldn’t have expected it; Yu Xiuming personally vouched for Sun Shicai in front of Admiral Zhao, claiming that Sun’s collusion with pirates was under his direction to monitor pirate movements."

Yu Xiuming, a Fifth Grade Captain and Fourth Grade expert, was previously the highest-ranking officer in Qingfeng City. With Yu Xiuming personally backing Sun Shicai, Zhao Shouchang had to give him due respect.

Zhang Mingyu couldn’t understand, "How exactly did that rogue manage to attach himself to Yu Xiuming?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Chen Ming replied, "Only they might know that themselves."

Even Zhuang Xiaotian wasn’t aware of Yu Xiuming’s connection with Sun Shicai, indicating the secrecy of their relationship.

Xiao Zhuyun asked, "Brother Chen, what should we do next?"

Now, she had complete trust in Chen Ming, and the first thing she asked was his opinion.

Chen Ming pondered for a while and said, "It seems we’ll have to use a strategy of overt manipulation."