I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 173 The Third Rank Kills

Located in the western part of Jiangzhou City, at the headquarters of the Xiaoshui Sect.

In a garden, a middle-aged woman was earnestly advising, "Qianqian, the Huang family is a well-known and prestigious family in Jiangzhou City. The second son of the Huang family is the eldest son of the family. He is exceptionally talented and has the potential to become a third-rank official in the future. It is no exaggeration to call him a young and promising talent. Since he likes you, you must not make a mistake in this match made in heaven."

Huo Qianqian lowered her head and listened quietly. After she finished speaking, she calmly said, "Uncle Ye, there's no need to say more. My mind is made up. I wish to devote my life to martial arts and never marry."

The middle-aged woman was furious. "Why are you so stubborn, child?"

"Uncle Ye, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to practice my sword first."

Huo Qianqian bowed and took her leave.

The middle-aged woman was angry, but there was nothing she could do.

The Xiaoshui Sect has its own rules: those who wish to marry will be helped by the sect to find a suitable husband. Those who do not wish to marry may remain in the sect, and their masters may not force them to.

However, generally speaking, those female disciples who are unwilling to marry are those with average looks. Disciples like Huo Qianqian, who are outstanding in appearance but unwilling to marry, are a minority.

……

Huo Qianqian came out of Uncle Ye's courtyard and walked straight to her own courtyard. When she passed a moon gate, she suddenly heard people talking about her.

"Have you heard? The second son of the Huang family went directly to Uncle Ye to propose marriage. He wants to marry Junior Sister Huo. This is the second person to propose to her this month."

"Being good-looking is definitely an advantage. The Huang family is a prestigious family with a history of hundreds of years, and Huang Erlang is handsome and exceptionally talented..."

"However, I heard that Junior Sister Huo rejected this marriage proposal."

"Huh? Why? She doesn't even like Huang Erlang?"

"What do you know? Do you really think marrying into a prestigious family is a good thing? Have you ever seen any smiles on the faces of those senior uncles and sisters who married into prestigious families? Junior Sister Huo has now caught the eye of our teachers. Haven't you seen how even the usually strict Senior Uncle Ye is showing her so much care? If I were her, I wouldn't get married either."

Hearing this, Huo Qianqian felt somewhat embarrassed and was about to quietly retreat when she heard an unpleasant snort.

"Hmph! She's only so powerful because she has a senior brother who's ranked sixth on the Azure Cloud Ranking. The other senior uncles only treat her differently because of that guy surnamed Chen."

The voice was instantly recognizable as belonging to Junior Sister Sun, who had joined the sect the latest. Ever since she visited the Feng residence and met Chen Ming, she had been looking down on Huo Qianqian.

Another female disciple who was on good terms with Huo Qianqian said, "So what? She has a senior brother like that. We can't be envious."

Junior Sister Sun shouted, "Just wait, that Chen Ming is about to die. Then we'll see if our senior uncles will still take her seriously."

Huo Qianqian, who had already walked some distance, stopped abruptly upon hearing this. She quickly turned around, then quietly ran back to her original spot and began to listen intently.

The female disciple scoffed, "Senior Brother Chen is sixth on the Azure Cloud Ranking. Do you think he's someone anyone can just kill as they please?"

Junior Sister Sun exclaimed shrilly, "With a third-grade expert making a move, he is doomed!"

The courtyard suddenly became deathly silent.

"Junior Sister Sun, stop talking nonsense. What third-rank expert would lower himself to attack a fifth-rank martial artist?"

"I'm talking nonsense? Do you even know who he offended? The third young master of the Qin family, the one ranked third on the Azure Cloud Ranking. He already declared that he wanted Chen Ming dead!"

"Junior Sister Sun, you should be careful with your words. Don't spread such unfounded rumors around. The Qin family shouldn't do something like bullying the weak."

"The Qin family wouldn't do that, but that doesn't mean others won't."

"In the end, you're just guessing. Is it really worth bringing up something so baseless?"

Junior Sister Sun panicked and blurted out, "I heard it with my own ears, how could it be false?"

After she finished speaking, she seemed to realize that it was inappropriate, and no matter how her senior sisters asked her, she refused to say another word.

……

Huo Qianqian quietly slipped out, which was naturally a violation of the sect rules. The Xiaoshui Sect was very strict with its disciples, and they had to be accompanied by their masters to go out.

But she couldn't wait any longer.

Sun's words sent a chill down her spine.

Although this junior sister Sun is spoiled, she is not the kind of person who would make up lies. She spoke with such certainty that it is very likely true.

Huo Qianqian recalled carefully that her junior sister Sun had stayed at her aunt's house for a day the day before yesterday.

Her uncle-in-law was a member of the Six Doors, and it was said that he had a fourth-grade cultivation level. Her uncle-in-law's father was even more powerful, a third-grade expert, which she talked about all the time.

Just now, she said she heard it with her own ears, and it's very likely that it was this third-rank official.

"The Three Holy Staffs!"

Huo Qianqian remembered the nickname of this third-rank expert. It was said that he used to be a swordsman who specialized in capturing wanted criminals and was extremely powerful.

More than twenty years ago, he captured the wife and daughter of the pirate king who dominated the East China Sea, and gained a huge amount of merit. He then exchanged a first-class martial arts technique from the Six Doors and successfully broke through to the third rank.

Huo Qianqian heard all these things from her junior sister, Sun.

By the time she arrived at Feng Siyuan's house, it was already dark.

After explaining her purpose, she quickly met Feng Siyuan. "Young Master Feng, do you know where Senior Brother Chen is now? I have something very important to discuss with him."

Feng Siyuan recognized her too, "Are you Huo Chengkun's granddaughter?"

"It's me. It's extremely urgent, please inform me, Young Master Feng."

"Alright, I'll have someone send you there."

Feng Siyuan knew where Chen Ming lived and even went to look for him, but that bastard refused to see him. After going twice without finding him, he stopped going.

"Thank you, Young Master Feng."

……

Huo Qianqian sat in the carriage for nearly an hour before finally arriving at Chen Ming's current residence. It was an inconspicuous little courtyard with a narrow alley that even a carriage couldn't fit through.

After she knocked on the door, a fair-skinned and beautiful young woman appeared, standing gracefully, dressed as a maid.

"Who are you looking for, girl?"

"My name is Huo Qianqian. I'm looking for Senior Brother Chen Ming."

"So it's Miss Huo. Please come in." The young woman led her into the house. "Young master, it's Miss Huo." "Miss Huo?"

Chen Ming came out of the house and saw her. He smiled and said, "It's Junior Sister. Come and sit down. Why are you so late?"

I need to speak with you urgently.

"Have a glass of water first."

Ignoring the presence of the girl beside her, Huo Qianqian solemnly declared, "Senior brother, a third-rank expert wants to kill you!"

Chen Ming was startled, and suddenly felt the "Mingfeng Sword" beside him hum and emit a sharp cry.

This is a warning!
At the same time, a great sense of crisis arose in his heart, and a chill ran down his spine.

Without a second thought, he struck out with both hands simultaneously, sending Huo Qianqian and Qiu Xiang flying. Then his figure vanished from the spot.

Huo Qianqian and Qiu Xiang were involuntarily thrown over the wall and landed in the neighboring courtyard.

"Want to escape?"

Suddenly, the two women felt a loud bang in their ears, and their vision went black, almost causing them to faint.

Huo Qianqian bit her tongue hard, and the intense pain brought her back to consciousness. Just as she was about to leap onto the wall, she heard a thud, as if it had struck her heart, making her feel so uncomfortable that she almost vomited blood.

At the same time, a dazzling sword light shone from the sky.

She looked up and saw a white figure flying towards her, her clothes fluttering, like a celestial maiden descending to earth.

For a moment, she was stunned.

"The Heavenly Dao Alliance?"

A hoarse voice rang out, its tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

It turns out they are disciples of the Heavenly Dao Alliance.

Huo Qianqian suddenly realized why she was so stunningly beautiful.

The woman in white stood with her sword drawn, blocking a man in black, and said in a cold voice, "You cannot kill him."

The man in black was burly and stood with his hands behind his back. "You can't stop me."

After saying that, with a bang, he flew out like a cannonball, passing the woman in white, and chasing after Chen Ming, who had fled to an unknown place.

The woman in white also gave chase.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them disappeared without a trace.

"Will he be alright?"

Huo Qianqian asked as if talking to herself.

But she received no response. She turned her head and saw the girl lying unconscious on the ground.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind them.

Huo Qianqian turned around and saw an old man coming out of the house. She quickly said, "I'm sorry, we've mistakenly entered your house. We'll leave right away."

She picked up the girl and was about to jump over the wall to go back.

"She is seriously injured and cannot be jostled."

"Are you a doctor, senior? Could you please take a look at her injury?"

"Bring her in."

……

Meanwhile, the three of them fled and chased each other, and before long, they were outside the city.

Once outside the city, the man in black suddenly accelerated, shouting, "Kid, you can't escape!"

Quickly close the distance.

He didn't accelerate earlier not because he lacked speed, but because he found the target somewhat slippery, and also because a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Alliance was interfering. He didn't want to make a move in the city, lest he cause too much damage and attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao Alliance's experts.

Only after leaving the city did he suddenly accelerate, closing the distance to about ten zhang, and then unleashed a punch from a distance.

It was as if the kid had eyes in the back of his head; with a twist of his body, he managed to dodge the punch at the last possible moment.

There was a bang.

The force of the punch pierced through a large tree, and its momentum, still strong, seeped into the mountainside. The ground trembled.

Its power is terrifying.

The third rank is the True Qi Realm, where one's Qi transforms into True Qi, which is truly indestructible and can melt gold and iron. Its power is unbelievable. Ordinary steel is like paper in front of the True Qi of the third rank, and can be punctured with a single poke.

It's no exaggeration to say that no matter how many fourth-rank martial artists there are, they wouldn't be enough to kill a single third-rank one.

The transition from the fourth rank to the third rank is a huge watershed moment.

A fourth-rank expert can at most be called a master, while a third-rank expert is a true powerhouse. The difference in their status is like heaven and earth.

Chen Ming could defeat a fourth-rank martial artist, but against a third-rank martial artist, he couldn't even escape, let alone fight back.

"It seems that it still doesn't work."

Seeing that the man in black was getting closer and closer, he decided to increase his efforts.

Right there, an unusual aura erupted.

This is--

He was somewhat taken aback. He turned around and saw that the man in black also paused for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a white figure floating in the air, its clothes moving without any wind.

"I told you—you—cannot—kill—him!"

(End of this chapter)