I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 148 Beginning

When Chen Ming entered, a sense of anticipation welled up in his heart. As he looked inside, his eyes lit up and his gaze was drawn to a woman sitting in the private room.

This was the most beautiful and elegant woman he had seen since he transmigrated to this world. She was the kind of stunning beauty who would take your breath away at first glance.

If Xiao Zhuyun could be rated 8.5, then she's a 9.5. She's reached her peak.

A woman like that would make countless men dream of her.

"Only in a world like this could such a beautiful woman exist."

Chen Ming thought to himself, feeling a sense of satisfaction that his wish had been fulfilled.

After transmigrating, he kept wondering if there really were such exquisitely beautiful women in the Great Jin Dynasty, the kind that only existed in novels.

The woman in front of him fulfilled all his fantasies about beauties in martial arts novels.

Chen Ming bowed respectfully, "Chen Ming of Qingfeng County greets you, young lady. May I ask what brings you here?"

Then the stunningly beautiful woman spoke, "I admire you very much. Would you be willing to serve me?"

"..."

Is it so straightforward?

Chen Ming was almost stumped by her. After a few seconds, he politely declined, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm a very easygoing person and can't stand being restrained. You should find someone else."

"Don't rush to refuse. Why don't you listen to my terms first?"

"No need, I have something to do, I'll be going now."

After finishing his speech, Chen Ming prepared to take his leave.

He turned around and saw the swordsman standing at the door, blocking his way.

Behind him, a melodious voice came, "Young Master Chen, it's not too late to leave after I finish speaking."

Chen Ming sighed and said, "What you're trying to say is that if I follow you, I can learn unparalleled divine skills, break through to the first rank, and enter the Divine Treasure Realm. You can also give me divine weapons and even a stunningly beautiful woman. Am I right?"

The woman was slightly taken aback. Chen Ming had already said everything she wanted to say, so she could only ask, "Don't you have any interest in these things?"

Chen Ming declared proudly, "No, a true man should be born into this world to learn unparalleled martial arts, wield a three-foot-long sword to roam the world, meet all the heroes of the land, drink the strongest wine, and marry the most beautiful woman..."

He paused for a moment, looked at the stunningly beautiful woman, and said, "I believe that with your abilities, you can certainly help me achieve these wishes. However, I am a stubborn person who doesn't like taking shortcuts, so I can only disappoint you."

After Chen Ming finished speaking, he walked towards the door.

The swordsman guarding the door had a slight glint in his eyes, but ultimately did not stop him and let him go.

……

"Miss, he's gone."

The maid in green noticed that her mistress was still standing there in a daze and reminded her.

The stunningly beautiful woman pondered for a moment and said, "Zhu'er, how much of what he said do you think was sincere?"

The maid Xiaozhu replied, "This Chen Ming has been sailing smoothly in Qingfeng City without ever suffering a defeat. He's a bit too arrogant. In a few days, during the competition for the Qingyun Ranking, he'll naturally understand the truth that there are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding."

Seeing that the maid in yellow was still deep in thought, the stunningly beautiful woman asked, "Lan'er, what do you think?"

The maid Lan'er hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think he seems to have known your identity all along, Miss, and prepared his words in advance. This person is either very cunning or very arrogant. It may not be easy to subdue him."

She nodded, acknowledging the guess, and said, "Having ambition is not a problem. Let's see how he performs in the competition for the Azure Cloud Ranking."

……

Before dark, Chen Ming and his companion escorted Jiang Yingxue to her doorstep.

This is the Jiang family's mansion in Jiangzhou City; it looks very grand.

"Thank you very much, Brother Chen."

When Jiang Yingxue got off the carriage, her eyes seemed glued to Chen Ming. She was reluctant to leave and kept turning back to look at him as she entered the house. She didn't wait until the carriage was far away before having someone close the door.

"That woman is probably trying to win him over."

She was still thinking about this on her way back to her room.

Unfortunately, after leaving that restaurant, Chen Ming refused to mention who had contacted him.

Given that woman's methods, it probably won't be long before Chen Ming is brought under her control.

Jiang Yingxue had heard some of that woman's deeds, the most famous being that she made Ji Qianxing willingly become her bodyguard and serve her as her master.

It's important to know that the Ji family was the oldest and most prestigious family in Jiangzhou, once one of the most powerful clans in the Great Jin Dynasty. However, they suddenly declined three hundred years ago. This led to the rise of the Qin, Ji, and Jiang families.

Prior to this, the Ji family had always held absolute power.

Even though the Ji family has declined, no one dares to underestimate them, as almost every generation produces geniuses. Ji Baichuan of this generation is particularly outstanding, surpassing all his contemporaries.

The three powerful families often tacitly join forces to suppress the Ji family.

However, despite the abundance of talented individuals in the Ji family, they have never been able to regain their former glory. The fundamental reason is that their core cultivation technique has been lost. For three hundred years, no one has been able to break through to the Divine Treasure Realm. Generations have been stuck at the First Grade.

As long as no expert at the Divine Realm emerges, the status of the three great families cannot be shaken, and no matter how many geniuses emerge, it will be useless.

The Ji family has such a glorious history that its members are extremely proud.

Ji Qianxing, as Ji Baichuan's younger brother, was also exceptionally talented, yet he willingly stooped to become that woman's bodyguard. He was almost expelled from the family.

This incident became a stain on the Ji family's reputation. Thinking of this, Jiang Yingxue's eyes lit up, and she suddenly had an idea. She went back to her room, changed her clothes, put on women's clothing, called for a carriage, and went out.

The carriage headed straight for the Governor's Mansion; she was going to find her sister Yan.

……

Over the next few days, Chen Ming focused on preparing for the match, and neither Zhou Weihao nor Gu Yuantao bothered him.

During this time, he visited Changqing Hall twice to consult with Doctor Sun about the difficult questions in the medical book. Each time he left, Doctor Sun would give him several medical books to read.

No matter what world you're in, studying medicine requires memorizing a lot of books. It's not something just anyone can do.

After several encounters, Chen Ming did not find anything wrong with this Doctor Sun, nor could he see any trace of martial arts training.

But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Someone like Yu Haitang wouldn't go to Doctor Sun for no reason.

Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

On the day of the official competition...

This time, Chen Ming and Feng Siyuan didn't take a carriage; they walked. It'll probably be even more congested today.

Sure enough, when they arrived near the No. 1 Restaurant under Heaven, the area was packed with people, completely blocking the way. Members of the Six Doors guarded several entrances, allowing only those with tokens or invitations to pass.

Such a grand event naturally needs witnesses, and the First Restaurant Under Heaven will send out many invitations to invite local aristocratic families and sects to attend the ceremony.

Feng Siyuan represented the Feng family, so he naturally received an invitation and was admitted smoothly.

Soon, the two entered the gate of the No. 1 Martial Arts Hall. Many arenas had been set up in the training ground, and the sides were full of people.

A rough estimate suggests there were at least several hundred people present.

There were far more spectators than contestants.

Chen Ming soon spotted Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao. They seemed to be with their elders, and were simply waving to him.

On the other side was Jiang Yingxue, dressed in men's clothing, standing with her brother Jiang Shihua.

Jiang Shihua also saw him and gave him a hostile look.

And then there was the arrogant man in black who almost stormed up to the second floor; his gaze held a certain malice.

Boom!
A bell rang, silencing the crowd.

Then, a group of people walked out of the main hall. The one in the lead was a short, stout middle-aged man with a smiling face, who was inconspicuous.

This person should be the person in charge of the No. 1 Restaurant in Jiangzhou City.

"Thank you all for gracing us with your presence at the No. 1 Restaurant Under Heaven. I am deeply grateful." He bowed deeply.

Someone said, "Master Chu, you're too kind." "It's my honor to receive this invitation." "..."

Then Master Chu continued, "Martial artists have always judged heroes by their victories. Apart from those five young talents of the fourth rank, the remaining fifty will compete in pairs. Each person's token has a corresponding number on the back. When their number is called, they will take their token and step onto the stage to compete. Let's begin."

After he made the announcement, the competition officially began.

……

The competition format at the "Number One Restaurant Under Heaven" is quite interesting; it's not an elimination system, but a points system. This means that each person has to fight against 49 other people.

Chen Ming already knew about this competition format, which is why he made this special trip.

If it were an elimination system, he might not even have participated.

If he wins all forty-nine matches, he'll gain at least three or four hundred thousand experience points. It's worth the trip.

Five arenas were set up in the training ground, allowing five matches to be held simultaneously.

The first to go on stage were numbers one through ten.

Seven of them were seeded players, including Jiang Shihua.

Chen Ming also saw the swordsman who had followed Yu Haitang that day. He had already learned from Feng Siyuan that the man's name was Ji Qianxing, and he was also a seeded player.

It's no wonder that this Jade Begonia could make a genius like Ji Qianxing work for her.

However, Chen Ming did not see her, so she probably didn't come.

The battle begins.

Three of the matches ended very quickly, and those were against three unlucky guys who were facing three seeded players. These three didn't even last ten moves; it was a completely one-sided crushing defeat.

It's clear that these seven seeded players are truly deserving of their reputations.

The other two matches were between seeded players, and they were quite intense and exciting.

Everyone is watching this battle.

There are seven seeded players, but only five spots remain on the Qingyun Ranking, meaning at least two players will not get a spot.

Therefore, this first battle will likely determine who makes the list and who doesn't.

Chen Ming was watching the battle when he suddenly felt someone watching him. He turned his head and met Zhao Xiyan's resentful gaze.

He nodded slightly as a greeting, then quickly looked away, continuing to watch the intense battle on the arena.

(End of this chapter)