I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 150 Gifts
"Good boy!"

Before Chen Ming and Feng Siyuan had even stepped out the door, Zhou Weihao ran over and excitedly punched him in the chest, exclaiming, "When did you master such amazing swordsmanship? You've won five matches in a row!"

Chen Ming's performance was far beyond his expectations.

In his heart, he instinctively felt that Chen Ming's strength was definitely inferior to those geniuses from aristocratic families.

Firstly, the time it took him to break through to the fifth rank was too short.

Secondly, he lacked a formal teacher, which was a significant weakness. Is it really the same to have a teacher and not to have one?

Therefore, Zhou Weihao was truly stunned when he saw Chen Ming displaying his prowess on the stage, defeating five opponents in a row.

Not only did his cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, but he also knew long ago that Chen Ming was cultivating a pure Yang technique, a peerless divine skill, which was incomparable to ordinary techniques.

How could Chen Ming's swordsmanship be so advanced?
He was once known as a genius in swordsmanship, but after reaching the sixth rank, he switched to swordsmanship and in just over a year, he has mastered it to this level.

Is this reasonable?

Chen Ming said with a smile, "The victory was by luck."

Zhou Weihao couldn't stand his attitude and snorted, "Stop being modest. Winning one game is just luck, but winning five in a row shows your strength. That's your problem, you're so fake and not straightforward at all."

At this moment, Gu Yuantao spoke up, "Today I have finally witnessed the true power of this sword technique. What kind of sword technique is this?"

Chen Ming didn't hide anything from them and frankly said, "The Vermilion Bird Sword Technique was passed down by a senior."

This is an admission that someone is teaching him martial arts.

Zhou Weihao laughed and said, "I knew you were destined for great things."

In fact, even if Chen Ming didn't say it, they could guess that he probably had a master behind him.

Gu Yuantao pondered for a moment, but couldn't recall ever hearing of this sword technique.

Zhou Weihao declared with great enthusiasm, "Today we shall raise a toast!"

As the four were talking, seeing that most of the people had left, they headed towards the gate.

"Brother Chen."

As soon as I stepped out the door, I saw Jiang Yingxue, dressed in men's clothing, running towards me. Two blushes appeared on her fair cheeks, and her eyes were sparkling with affection. "You're amazing. You won all five matches."

"Congratulations to you too, you won two games."

As Chen Ming spoke, he noticed that in the carriage not far away, Jiang Shihua's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his eyes looked at him as if he wanted to kill someone.

He said, "Go on, your brother is waiting for you."

"Oh."

Jiang Yingxue was somewhat reluctant to part, "Then see you tomorrow."

……

"The person you said you were waiting for, is he?"

Inside the carriage, Jiang Shihua stared at his sister with a livid face, "Do you know—"

Jiang Yingxue interrupted him impatiently, "I know. He's Sister Yan's sweetheart."

The words "my beloved" pierced Jiang Shihua's heart, and he flew into a rage, declaring, "From now on, you are absolutely forbidden to have any contact with him!"

Jiang Yingxue wasn't afraid of him at all, and said with a half-smile, "If you're so capable, go and say that to Sister Yan."

"you--"

……

On the other side, Feng Siyuan exclaimed in surprise, "So she's Jiang Shihua's sister?"

"I've long heard that the ninth sister of the Jiang family is even more talented than Jiang Shihua. Seeing her today, I can confirm that her reputation is well-deserved," Zhou Weihao said with a sigh.

These top-tier families produce a constant stream of geniuses. This Jiang Jiu Mei is not even twenty years old yet, and she's already a fifth-rank official, and she's even participating in the Qingyun Ranking competition.

Five years later, she will most likely have reached the fourth rank and has a high chance of reaching the top of the list.

This talent is truly despair-inducing.

Thinking of this, Zhou Weihao glanced at Chen Ming again; he was also a prodigy.

"It's a pity we started too late. If we had started a few years earlier, we could have competed for the top spot on the Qingyun Ranking."

The Azure Cloud Ranking is not just an empty title; those who make it onto the list can choose a martial arts technique or skill from the second floor of the World's Number One Pavilion.

Zhou Weihao said with a hint of sarcasm, "I think Jiang Jiu Mei treats you very differently. If I remember correctly, she's related to Miss Zhao, right?"

Feng Siyuan nodded and said, "Come to think of it, Miss Zhao is her cousin. Perhaps it's because of this relationship that she's so close to you."

At this moment, Gu Yuantao suddenly said, "Be careful of Jiang Shihua. Rumor has it that he was once engaged to Miss Zhao."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Gu."

Chen Ming had long sensed Jiang Shihua's hostility; if they met on the ring, the other party would show no mercy.

The four of them rode back to the Feng family home in a carriage. They didn't drink any alcohol, and the conversation quickly turned to their respective families' signature martial arts techniques.

Chen Ming didn't hold back, sharing the techniques and characteristics of the five opponents he had encountered that day with Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao. Feng Siyuan wasn't interested in this and soon slipped away.

Just as they were having a pleasant conversation, the steward of the Feng family suddenly brought over a woman.

Chen Ming recognized her at a glance. She was a maid who had been by Yu Haitang's side a few days ago. She was wearing a yellow dress and had a pretty face, with a beauty that surpassed that of many young ladies from noble families.

“My young lady heard that Young Master Chen won five consecutive matches in today’s martial arts competition, so she sent a sword as a congratulatory gift.”

The maidservant respectfully presented the sword with both hands.

The three of them took a look and saw that the sword's scabbard was made of rare crocodile skin from a cold pool, and the hilt was inlaid with a sapphire the size of a pigeon egg; it was clearly no ordinary item.

Chen Ming said, "I cannot accept a gift without merit. I appreciate your kindness, but this sword is too valuable for me. Please take it back."

The maid in yellow knelt down with a thud and pleaded, "Please accept it, young master. Otherwise, I will not be able to explain to my mistress when I return."

Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao couldn't help but feel sorry for her when they saw her on the verge of tears.

Chen Ming sighed, "How could you bear to hurt me, young lady?"

These words stunned not only Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao, but even the kneeling maid was taken aback. "Young master, what makes you say such a thing?"

Chen Ming said, "If I take this sword out of pity for you and can't bear to see you punished, I'll owe your young lady a favor. If she ever gets into trouble, I'll have no choice but to help her, and I'll be forced to get involved in all sorts of troubles. I'll never have peace again. If you ask me for this, aren't you just harming me?"

The maid in yellow opened her mouth, then finally said, "This servant has no such intention."

"In that case, please leave."

The maid in yellow had no choice but to get up and leave.

After everyone left, Zhou Weihao said jokingly, "Brother Chen is truly heartless. How could he bear to let such a delicate maid go back to be punished?"

Chen Ming simply smiled.

Zhou Weihao asked curiously, "On another note, who has such a grand gesture, sending out a precious sword right off the bat?"

"I don't know. I find her background mysterious and I don't want to have too much contact with her."

He did not reveal Yu Haitang's identity. Then he didn't mention it again and continued the previous topic.

……

The next morning, Chen Ming and Feng Siyuan went to the "Number One Restaurant Under Heaven". The streets outside the restaurant were still packed with people. Although they could not go in and could not see the scene of the competition, it did not dampen their enthusiasm.

By staying outside, we can obtain firsthand intelligence.

Others shouted the names of their supporters to cheer them on.

In this era, there are naturally no such things as fans. Most of these people are gamblers who have placed bets.

Chen Ming also heard sporadic cheers for him, and couldn't help but say to Feng Siyuan next to him, "Looks like my odds are pretty high."

Those who dare to bet on him to win are not ordinary people; they are looking to win big with a small investment.

Feng Siyuan said, "I've inquired, and the odds of you making it onto the Qingyun Ranking are 1 to 29. Before yesterday, it was even higher, 1 to 100."

The reason it's 1 to 100 is because the casino caps it at 100.

Chen Ming asked, "Did you buy it?"

Feng Siyuan laughed, "Hehe, I bet a thousand taels. I directly lowered your odds to fifty. Whether you can make a profit depends on you."

Chen Ming patted him on the shoulder and walked into the gate of the No. 1 Restaurant in the World.

Feng Siyuan is truly a good friend for being able to support him with real money.

After entering the gate, besides Zhou Weihao and his group, he also saw Li Jinchuan, who had come with his fellow disciples today.

The two exchanged a glance from a distance and nodded as a greeting. They were too far apart and there were too many people around to go over to each other.

Soon, the short, stout Master Chu, who had appeared yesterday, emerged from the main hall with a group of people and announced the start of today's martial arts competition.

In the first round, the same seven seeded players went first.

In Chen Ming's view, the strength of the forty-nine people present could be divided into three levels. These seeded players, along with Luo Xu and the others, were experts who had a chance to compete for a position on the Azure Cloud Ranking.

Next, there were about ten people at level 59, whose martial arts skills were slightly inferior to those of the others.

The remaining twenty-odd people are the weakest, like the three opponents he encountered yesterday, and Jiang Yingxue, who are also at this level.

In the first round, the battle between two seeded pairs was exceptionally fierce, like mortal enemies, with passionate and exciting matches.

When the winner was decided, many people let out a sigh of regret.

One of them lost three matches in total, which basically means he's out of the running for the Qingyun Ranking.

In the second round, it was Chen Ming's turn to take the stage. This time, his opponent was quite strong, belonging to the second tier, and his swordsmanship was outstanding.

He fought steadily and evenly, and finally won by a narrow margin after fifty moves.

P.S.: Requesting monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)