NOVEL WEB Ch. 72
Chapter 72: Sunshine Plot
Moonlight was hazy in the courtyard.
Xiao Zhuyun wore all‑black robes, which added a layer of mysterious beauty.
She held a sword in hand; as a gust of night wind swept through, her garments billowed like she was a celestial being.
“Brother Chen’s saber technique that I observed yesterday…I’ve long wanted to test it,” she said, her tone conveying powerful confidence—quite different from her usual gentleness—and revealing the sharp edge unique to a martial artist.
Chen Ming was a bit surprised.
It appeared that yesterday at the martial gathering, she had concealed her true strength and held back her opponent, that young master Qin.
“Brother Chen, be careful!” she quietly warned, then drew her sword.
A sudden flash of chill light appeared, hurtling straight toward Chen Ming’s chest.
When an expert strikes, you know it instantly.
That single slash brought Chen Ming a huge pressure. He focused fully and countered, lifting his long blade to directly intercept her wrist.
“Nice!” Xiao Zhuyun’s eyes lit up—she had never seen that method of counter. It was extremely clever.
In that instant, her wrist flickered, and the sword light flashed toward his shoulder.
It came faster than lightning.
Chen Ming had no time to think; his body reacted instinctively. His shoulder dropped, and his long blade shifted to meet her precious sword.
Shashasha…
In an instant, the two had exchanged seven or eight moves.
The two spectators nearby watched in dazzlement.
Huo Qianqian, with her ninth-tier cultivation, could scarcely see anything.
Zhang Mingyu, however, watched with shining eyes, extremely excited. He thought that with their combined strength, that dog bastard (Qin) stood no chance.
…
“What a powerful sword technique.”
Chen Ming grew increasingly uneasy as the match continued. Her mastery of the sword was exceptionally high and she was highly experienced—clearly battle-seasoned.
More importantly, her technique was extremely refined: she often used clever tricks, resolving his offense in unexpected ways.
Her strength was in no way inferior to that Qin family’s young master.
One must not underestimate the depth of these sects and prominent families.
If it had been him yesterday, he might not have beaten her.
Now, however—
Chen Ming shifted tactics, using his saber like a sword.
For the first time, in front of outsiders, he displayed the “Swallow Returns Sword Technique.”
Since Huo Chengkun had married a disciple of Xiaoshui Sect, the sect was surely aware of Huo’s origins, so there was no need to hold back before her.
Once he revealed his true strength, he immediately suppressed Xiao Zhuyun’s sword flashes, firmly gaining the upper hand.
“This is—”
Zhang Mingyu beside him began breathing rapidly; this was clearly the authentic “Five Elements Saber Technique.”
He stared greedily, afraid to miss a single nuance.
…
After another ten or so moves—
Xiao Zhuyun suddenly stopped. She stepped back several meters, her expression a bit downcast. “Brother Chen, your sword technique is superior. I admit defeat with both conviction and respect.”
[System Notice: You defeated an LV39 opponent and gained 1,100 experience points.]
Her cultivation level was actually a notch above Gu Yuantao’s.
Chen Ming was pleased and said, “Miss, your sword technique is extremely accomplished. It’s just that you haven’t faced life‑and‑death combat, so your sword strikes lack ruthlessness.”
He pointed out the issue holding her back.
He believed that in her usual drills, someone must feed her moves—yet such practice differed essentially from real combat.
When sparring with fellow disciples, you subconsciously know they won’t truly injure you.
Over time, that makes your sword lacks a certain ruthlessness.
“You are absolutely right, Brother Chen,” Xiao Zhuyun nodded earnestly.
She had always thought that among the seventh‑tier practitioners in Jiangzhou, her level was among the top.
Her duel with Qin Jinlin yesterday had only reinforced this belief.
Who would’ve thought that today, she would be defeated by a little-known young man? What’s more, he had only advanced to the seventh grade less than a month ago.
Xiao Zhuyun suddenly recalled her master’s words: Heroes often rise from the grasslands; when roaming the martial world, never underestimate anyone.
“Brother Chen, how did you see through the flaw in my ‘Phoenix Comes in Elegance’ strike?”
She immediately began seeking guidance from Chen Ming.
“Your strike overly pursued speed,” Chen Ming explained. “It made the move top-heavy and unstable…”
He made no reservations and clearly laid out his thought process—pointing out the problems in her technique and explaining how he had countered it step by step.
Xiao Zhuyun listened with eyes lit up, constantly asking questions.
Thus, the two of them reviewed their earlier duel move by move.
She felt suddenly enlightened, gaining much, and her gloomy mood was entirely swept away.
Before leaving, she gave Chen Ming a solemn bow and said gratefully, “Many thanks for your guidance, Brother Chen. I’ll seek you out for more advice in the future.”
“You’re welcome anytime,” Chen Ming replied earnestly.
The reason he was so diligent in offering pointers was because she had the potential to become his sparring partner.
…
For the next two days, Gu Yuantao came to spar with Chen Ming each morning. However, his cousin did not accompany him—likely afraid Chen Ming would bring up fighting him again.
On the third day, after defeating Gu Yuantao, the experience points awarded were still 300, the same as the day before.
That meant he could earn a consistent 300 experience points each day from a single fight.
Adding the 100 points he got from those students in the morning, that was 400 per day—over 10,000 a month.
Still a bit low.
He needed to find a few more sparring partners.
Once he dealt with Sun Shicai, he must start visiting the city’s seventh-grade martial artists.
Surely, he could find several willing to spar.
That night—
Xiao Zhuyun and the others came again, all dressed in black, entering through the back door as before.
“That bastard Sun really does have powerful backers.”
Xiao Zhuyun wore a heavy expression as she said, “Today, his enemy suddenly lashed out during a court hearing, exposing his collusion with pirates right in front of Zhao Shouchang. Zhao Shouchang was furious and was about to punish him—but someone stepped in and protected him.”
Even now, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.
If they had followed her original plan—arresting or killing Sun Shicai and then reporting the matter to the Six Doors Authority—the consequences would have been unimaginable.
“Thankfully, Brother Chen foresaw this. Otherwise…”
Just then, Zhang Mingyu interrupted, not wanting her to blame herself too much. “Junior Brother, do you know who that bastard’s backer is?”
“Who?”
Chen Ming didn’t make a wild guess. Although he had someone in mind, there was no need to say it aloud.
Acting too clever was never a good idea.
Sometimes it was better to play dumb.
Zhang Mingyu gave a bitter smile and said, “It’s Yu Xiuming. You’d never guess—Yu Xiuming personally vouched for Sun Shicai in front of Governor Zhao. He claimed Sun’s collusion with pirates was done under his orders, as a means to monitor their movements.”
Yu Xiuming, a fifth-grade constable and fourth-grade expert, was formerly the top official in Qingfeng City.
With him personally backing Sun Shicai, even Zhao Shouchang had to give some face.
Zhang Mingyu couldn’t figure it out: “How the hell did that bastard manage to latch onto Yu Xiuming?”
Chen Ming replied, “That’s probably something only they themselves know.”
Even Zhuang Xiaotian didn’t know about the connection between Yu Xiuming and Sun Shicai, which showed how secretly they’d maintained their relationship.
Xiao Zhuyun then asked, “Brother Chen, what should we do next?”
Now, she completely trusted Chen Ming and naturally turned to him first for direction.
Chen Ming pondered for a moment and said, “It looks like we’ll have to use a sunshine plot.”