I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 39: Punch away
You defeated a level 8 enemy and gained 3 experience points.

You defeated a level 12 enemy and gained 10 experience points.

You defeated a level 18 enemy and gained 25 experience points.

……

A series of prompts flashed before Chen Ming's eyes: defeating the fourteen people present would only yield a total of 78 experience points.

Once you reach level 20, the experience points you get from fighting players who are only around level 10 are pitifully small. After defeating them several times, you'll only get 5 points.

I wonder how much experience I'll get for defeating a level 20 opponent?
He was looking forward to it.

……

In the backyard, Chen Rui sat in a chair, closing his eyes to rest, but his hands gripped the armrests tightly, revealing how nervous he was.

Wei held her daughter, who was crying loudly, in her arms and gently comforted her, a hint of unease in her eyes.

Six-year-old Chen Lide's face was tense as he stayed close to his mother and sister.

An uneasy atmosphere permeated the air.

At this moment, they all realized one thing with absolute clarity: the honor and disgrace of the entire Chen family now rested on Chen Ming's shoulders.

He was successful, and his whole family was successful.

If he cannot escape this calamity, his whole family will fall into the abyss.

And they couldn't help at all.

Chen Rui felt a deep sense of powerlessness. As the eldest son in the family, he couldn't do anything when faced with danger.

It was during this agonizing wait that...

An excited voice came from outside, "He won... the second young master won!"

It was the maid, Xiao Hong.

He was sent out by the Wei family to gather information.

Upon hearing the news, Chen Rui felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and silently prayed, "May our ancestors protect us!" He was about to get up to help clean up the mess when he realized he had no strength left.

For a moment, he couldn't stand up.

"That's great...that's great..."

Lady Wei, who was standing nearby, burst into tears of joy and hugged and kissed her daughter tightly.

Chen Lirong had no idea what had happened, and seeing her mother like this, she cried even louder.

Chen Lide looked out the door, his little face full of longing and envy. He wished that when he grew up he could be like his second uncle, stepping forward to defeat bad guys and protect his family when they appeared.

Just then, Xiao Hong ran into the house, panting.

Chen Rui hurriedly asked, "Tell me what happened outside."

"The second young master... he defeated those bad guys in one fell swoop... I heard from others that the second young master has already reached the eighth rank."

"Eighth grade?"

Chen Rui was taken aback, his face filled with disbelief.

Unlike Xiao Hong, he was not ignorant. Although he had never practiced martial arts, he was quite knowledgeable about the ranks of martial artists and knew very well what an eighth-rank martial artist represented.

Moreover, Erlang had just entered the ninth rank last year, and had been cultivating diligently for eight years to achieve this.

It's only been a year, and he's already broken through to the eighth rank?

This is too unreal.

He had never heard of any martial artist in Qingfeng City who could break through to a higher rank so quickly.

For martial artists, breaking through a cultivation level often takes several years, with three to five years considered fast. It's quite normal for them to not break through even after seven or eight years. Many people spend more than ten years and are still stuck at the ninth rank.

Could it be that Erlang is truly a martial arts prodigy?
……

When Chen Rui came outside and saw the group of people standing at the door as punishment, he was momentarily stunned. This scene was so similar to when the people from Wanli Gambling House came to collect debts last year. "Stand still."

Old Li, the gatekeeper, held a bamboo whip in his hand and pointed at them, shouting loudly.

Those dozen or so burly men, all taller than Old Li, didn't dare to raise their heads in front of him.

Two more people were lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

Erlang was sitting in a rattan chair, brewing tea. Chunxiang and Xiaxiang were fanning him from behind.

"Brother, come and sit down."

After he sat down, he picked up the tea his younger brother had brewed for him, took a sip, and had a lot to say, but for a moment he didn't know how to start.

Chen Ming spoke up first, "I know that doing business is all about making money through harmony. Do you think I went a bit too far by humiliating them like that, brother?"

These words struck a chord with Chen Rui, and he no longer concealed his thoughts, saying, "I heard that the president of the martial arts guild is Elder Lei of the Fenglei Martial Arts Academy. This man is a seventh-rank cultivator, and his Fenglei Saber Technique has been unmatched throughout the entire prefecture. I'm afraid he's not someone to be trifled with."

Chen Ming smiled slightly and said only, "He's old, over seventy, yet he still has to maintain the reputation of the martial arts school. It's clear that few of his descendants are capable. This person is not worth worrying about."

"Brother, in the world of martial arts, being kind to others won't work. It will only make people think you're easy to bully. Then everyone will want to kick you while you're down and use that to make a name for themselves. That's when you'll really have endless trouble. Only when others provoke you and you fight back fiercely will they respect you and give way to you. That's what they call, 'Strike hard before a hundred blows come.'"

These words convinced Chen Rui completely. "I'm relieved that you have a plan in mind, Erlang. Go ahead and do whatever you want. Whatever the consequences, we brothers will bear them together."

……

Fenglei Martial Arts School, in the back courtyard.

Lei Zhenguang sat in his study. His hair was still black, but the wrinkles on his face were deep, revealing the marks of time.

Lei Yucheng, who had just turned thirty this year, stood in front of him, humbly seeking advice, "Grandpa, didn't Inspector Sun say not to harm Chen Ming's life? Why did he still send Li Xiangrong?"

Li Xiangrong has a fiery temper and acts domineeringly, often resorting to violence. If he goes there, Chen Ming will surely be half-dead.

Lei Zhenguang patiently instructed his grandson, on whom he had placed high hopes, "Do you think someone as young as Sun Shicai, who has already reached the seventh rank of cultivation and has become a patrol officer of the Six Doors, would give me face?"

"This……"

Lei Yucheng was somewhat embarrassed; he didn't dare to lie to him, but he also didn't want to tell the truth.

Lei Zhenguang, however, took it in stride and laughed, "If it were me, I wouldn't take a dying old man seriously either. Why do you think he's willing to give me this face?"

Lei Yucheng suddenly realized, "He has a grudge against that Chen Ming!"

Lei Zhenguang nodded first, then shook his head and said, "This Sun Shicai is narrow-minded and ungrateful. He doesn't even protect his fellow disciples, which is disheartening. Yucheng, remember this. Whenever you have the ability to protect your fellow disciples, you must do your best to do so. Only in this way can you win people's hearts."

"Yes, Grandpa, I will heed your teachings." Lei Yucheng said, then asked, "What about Chen Ming? He's only twenty and he's already a martial artist, so he must be quite talented. Didn't you say that we should avoid offending people like him if possible?"

Lei Zhenguang said earnestly, "Yu Cheng, as a martial artist, it is impossible to be on good terms with everyone in this world. The other eleven martial arts schools in Qingfeng City have elected us as the presidents of the martial arts guild. When someone breaks the rules, we must not hesitate to take action."

“Chen Ming is only a ninth-rank martial artist. As long as Sun Shicai doesn’t protect him, he can be easily dealt with. To avoid future troubles, it’s best to cripple him. That’s the purpose of people like Li Xiangrong.”

Lei Yucheng said with admiration, "Grandpa's consideration is very thoughtful, I admire him."

Just then, an urgent voice came from outside, "Master, something terrible has happened!"

Lei Yucheng said unhappily, "What's the matter that you're so panicked?"

"Chen Ming disagreed with the guild's decision and detained Senior Brother Li and the others, saying that he wanted the guild to apologize."

"what?"

Lei Yucheng was taken aback. "Could it be that Chen Ming also has accomplices? Who is so bold as to dare to be an enemy of our martial arts guild?"

"No, he was alone."

"What did you say? How is this possible?" Lei Yucheng was both shocked and furious.

"It is said that... Chen Ming has already reached the eighth rank of cultivation!"

Eighth grade?

Lei Yucheng was greatly shocked and subconsciously looked at his grandfather, only to see that his grandfather's expression had also become extremely astonished.

(End of this chapter)