I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 90 Listening to Secrets
At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Chen Ming stood under the eaves, watching the snowflakes falling from the sky—the first snow of the winter.

He stretched out his hand, and a magical scene unfolded: the snowflakes falling from above vanished into thin air about 30 or 40 centimeters from his palm.

This is not a direct effect of his true qi, but rather a result of his excessive qi and blood.

At this moment, the true energy in his body was flowing slowly along a meridian, and with each rotation, the true energy became more active.

Once you reach the sixth rank, the indicators of your strength become more tangible and perceptible.

According to the "Six Yang Nourishing Qi Gong", the sixth level of martial arts requires opening up the twelve main meridians in the body. Once all of them are opened, one has achieved the great success of true qi.

This requires painstaking effort and accumulation.

For him, the way to accumulate experience points is to earn them.

The first level requires 100,000 points.

Chen Ming felt a bit of pressure. He counted on his fingers and realized that there were only a handful of sixth-rank martial artists who lived in Qingfeng City.

A sixth-rank martial artist is quite different from a seventh-rank one; they can be considered true elders. Just like Huo Chengkun in the past, he was a prominent figure in Qingfeng City.

Moreover, these people often have many disciples and followers, or are the flagships of their families. They have both fame and fortune. They would never easily engage in sparring with others, because they cannot afford to lose. This is no longer a matter of personal honor or disgrace.

He represents the face of a powerful force.

Although they are only one realm apart, the social status of the sixth and seventh ranks is different, and their mentality is naturally different as well.

Most importantly, he might not be able to beat them.

The sixth rank is a watershed moment; moving from the third rank to the second rank changes the logic of the techniques. If he were to use the fully mastered "Swallow Return Sword Technique" to spar with those veteran sixth-rank masters, he would most likely lose.

No matter what, the "Swallow Return Sword Technique" is only third-rate.

True second-rate martial arts techniques are wielded using internal energy. Their power is incomparable to those of the first-rate techniques.

"I still need to find a way to learn a second-rate martial art."

Chen Ming felt that he didn't have enough experience points at all.

He hesitated for a moment, then gave up the idea of ​​asking Zhao Xiyan for help. He already owed her a huge favor. If he owed her another one, it would be difficult to repay.

He thought to himself, "It seems I have no choice but to go to him!"

……

After breakfast, Chen Ming took a carriage and headed north, braving the wind and snow, until he arrived at the gate of the Zhenhai Prince's Mansion.

As usual, he went up and knocked on the door, "Senior, I've come to see you."

After waiting a while, he said, "This junior is coming in." Then he pushed open the door and went inside.

The road was covered with a thin layer of snow, which melted and then turned into ice, making it somewhat slippery.

Chen Ming arrived at the small courtyard, only to find it empty. All the potted plants had been moved indoors, leaving only the old tree with all its leaves gone, standing there bare.

The old man is not in the yard.

He entered the courtyard, bowed respectfully towards the house, and said, "Senior, I have a request."

After speaking, he paused for a moment. Seeing that there was no response from inside, he gritted his teeth and continued, "Half a month ago, the old woman who offended you, senior, is now nowhere to be found. I hope you can tell me."

Waited for a while.

Finally, a somewhat hoarse voice came from inside the house, "What... is your... relationship with her?"

It's like someone who hasn't spoken in a long time suddenly opening their mouth, and their words aren't very fluent.

Chen Ming made up his mind and said, "In that case, I should call her Master Aunt."

Just then, the door opened, and the old man limped out. His withered face was expressionless, except for a cold glint in his cloudy old eyes. "Whose disciple are you...?"

"I studied under Master Huo for several years."

"What...have you learned?"

"The Iron Horse Stake, the Three Talents Knife Technique, and the Five Elements Knife Technique are actually the Swallow Return Sword Technique. They were corrected by one of my master's disciples."

After Chen Ming finished speaking, a few seconds passed and the old man showed no reaction, which made Chen Ming break out in a cold sweat.

Suddenly, with a whoosh, a sword flew out of the house and landed at his feet.

He was taken aback. The old man hadn't moved at all, yet the sword had flown out on its own. Was this technique "controlling the sword with qi"?
The old man spoke up, "Let's examine the skill level of your 'Swallow Returns Sword Technique'."

"Yes."

Chen Ming drew his sword and began demonstrating his swordsmanship in the courtyard.

Faced with a first-rank expert, he naturally unleashed his most powerful skills. When he unleashed his first sword strike, a subtle change appeared on the old man's withered face.

……

A moment later, the countless sword shadows in the courtyard disappeared.

Chen Ming demonstrated all seventy-two sword techniques, then sheathed his sword and stood up, saying to the old man, "Senior, I've made a fool of myself."

A hint of kindness appeared in the old woman's eyes. "You...are very good." Chen Ming asked, "Then what about my senior aunt..."

"She's alright, she—"

The old man paused for two seconds before saying, "Go inside."

Although Chen Ming was puzzled, he still obediently went into the house.

The room was empty except for a chair and a few tools like hoes and shovels on the floor. That was all.

A dusty scabbard hung on the wall; there was only the scabbard, no sword.

He glanced at the sword in his hand and knew it was still sheathed.

There is another door inside, leading to the back room.

However, he did not rush in, lest he offend this senior's taboo.

"This time, I guess I made the right bet."

Chen Ming thought to himself.

Now that he knew this senior Shang was a fellow disciple of Huo Chengkun, he naturally wanted to take advantage of this relationship. He would use the pretext of pleading for his "master aunt" to demonstrate his connection with Huo Chengkun.

Finally, he displayed an extraordinary swordsmanship talent beyond his years, which immediately impressed the senior merchant. He had thus initially secured a powerful patron.

……

"This junior greets Senior Shang."

Suddenly, a slightly familiar voice reached Chen Ming's ears, and he was taken aback: How could it be him?
This voice belonged to Zhao Shouchang, the highest-ranking official of the Six Doors in Qingfeng City, a third-rank admiral.

He actually knows Senior Shang?
Chen Ming was greatly shocked. Did this mean that the people from the Six Doors had known he was hiding here all along?
"What...are you here for?" The old man's voice was somewhat cold.

Zhao Shouchang's voice remained respectful, "This junior has a question. Senior once said that no third-rank martial artist was allowed to set foot in Qingfeng City. Why, then, did you allow a third-rank expert to enter the city half a month ago?"

The old man's voice was hoarse, "If you can come, others can too."

I rely on!

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming felt a chill run down his spine.

So, the reason why the imperial court hasn't sent any third-rank experts to Qingfeng City all these years is because Senior Shang didn't allow it?

But why is Zhao Shouchang an exception?
Zhao Shouchang's voice was tinged with bitterness, "I thought you had already withdrawn from worldly affairs, but I never expected..."

"Is there anything else?" The old man's words clearly indicated that he wanted to get rid of them.

Zhao Shouchang said, "Please allow me to offer incense to my aunt."

aunt……

Chen Ming then realized that Zhao Shouchang was the princess's nephew. No wonder the court sent him here; they were sure that Senior Shang wouldn't harm him.

Those rumors circulating in the market were indeed unreliable.

The old man said indifferently, "No need."

"Then this junior will take his leave." Zhao Shouchang dared not say any more and left directly.

……

After Zhao Shouchang left, Chen Ming thought he could go out now.

The old man spoke again, "Why...why...is he not here?"

He abruptly pulled back the step he had taken. These words were definitely not directed at him. In other words, there was another person present.

A chuckle rang out, "I just had him completely fooled. If he saw me, he'd definitely start a fight."

Judging from his voice, he wasn't very old, and his tone was quite affectionate.

Chen Ming's mind was filled with alarm bells: This is bad, this is a competitor!

Could this be Senior Shang's apprentice?
If he has apprentices, his willingness to cultivate talent will be greatly diminished.

Imagine an elderly person living alone with no family ties, who discovers a young person who looks remarkably like them in their youth and shares a deep connection with them. If they get along well, it wouldn't be surprising if they left their entire estate to him after they pass away.

But what if this elderly person living alone has a granddaughter?
That would be a very different situation.

Never mind, one shouldn't be too greedy.

Chen Ming thought to himself that as long as he could learn a second-rate sword technique, he would have made a profit this time.

After waiting a while, he heard no more sounds from outside; most likely, like last time, they were being blocked.

He could only wait.

PS: First update, please vote with monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)