I Only Know How to Bully Noobs

Chapter 82: Nothing More Than This

"Nothing more than this!"

After Zhou Weihao exchanged blows with Chen Ming, he was cautious at first, guarding himself tightly without leaving any openings. However, after over a dozen moves, he didn’t feel much pressure and that thought surfaced in his mind.

So, his sword momentum surged, turning defense into offense.

In an instant, sword light flashed across the courtyard, completely enveloping Chen Ming.

Zhou Weihao felt that since the day he picked up a sword, he had never felt as free as he did at that moment—able to strike uninhibitedly, unleashing his entire repertoire of sword techniques.

At this moment, as if blessed by inspiration, he was even able to execute some techniques he hadn’t fully grasped before with ease.

It wasn’t until over a hundred exchanges that he began to feel pressure.

A moment of carelessness and a blade was at his throat. He had lost.

Zhou Weihao felt a tinge of regret, thinking, "I shouldn’t have used that move."

At that moment, Chen Ming took a step back and cupped his fists, saying, "You let me win."

Only then did Zhou Weihao regain his clarity and realize that the other party had been going easy on him all along.

"What a fascinating person."

Although he had lost, he didn’t feel embarrassed at all, nor did he lose face. In fact, he found himself wanting more.

To show mercy so flawlessly—this man was truly exceptional!

No wonder his cousin liked to spar with Chen Ming so often.

Now it all made sense.

Zhou Weihao laughed and said, "Brother Chen, your saber technique is indeed formidable. I’m impressed."

By calling him Brother Chen, he had acknowledged him from the heart.

"Brother Zhou, your Tianxuan Sword Technique was truly eye-opening for me."

Zhou Weihao said, "Then let’s spar again next time."

"It’s a deal."

...

Chen Ming thought this Young Master Zhou was also quite the character.

The last time they met, he was arrogant beyond reason. Yet after just one exchange, he became all warm and friendly, even staying for lunch.

A few cups of wine later, he was calling Chen Ming ‘brother’ like they were sworn siblings, practically eager to swear brotherhood on the spot.

It wasn’t until nightfall that Zhou Weihao reluctantly said his goodbyes, even inviting him to visit a brothel next time.

Still, his chatter was rather entertaining and broadened Chen Ming’s horizons. He now knew which entertainment venue in Qingfeng City was the most luxurious, which establishment had the prettiest girls—

And what the three most famous courtesans in the city were best known for...

This guy had only been in Qingfeng City for less than a month, yet he had thoroughly explored every entertainment venue and had detailed insights on them all.

After seeing him off at the front gate, Chen Ming returned to the courtyard and opened the panel.

[Level: 36]

[Current Points: 53,221]

[Internal Arts: Iron Horse Stance (Fifth Level, Perfection), Three Suns Body Tempering (Eighth Level, 60,000/70,000)]

[Martial Techniques: Three Talents Fist (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Mastery)]

In just half a month, during his time in the Six Doors Authority Prison, he had accumulated a staggering total of 160,000 experience points.

This was exactly why he now hated Yu Xiuming even more.

If not for him, Chen Ming would’ve been able to fully complete the Ninth Level of Three Suns Body Tempering in just another ten days or so.

"Add points."

Chen Ming directly maxed out the Eighth Level.

[Level: 37]

[Current Points: 43,221]

[Internal Arts: Iron Horse Stance (Fifth Level, Perfection), Three Suns Body Tempering (Ninth Level, 0/100,000)]

[Martial Techniques: Three Talents Fist (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Mastery)]

His level had increased by one.

The Ninth Level required 100,000 experience points. He still needed nearly 60,000 more.

Chen Ming mentally calculated—if he could find one Seventh Grade Martial Artist per day to spar with, combined with the 100 points from bullying academy students, that would total 400 points a day. In a month, that would be 12,000 points.

So, five months.

Not too long.

With that thought, the frustration in Chen Ming’s heart finally dissipated.

Those 160,000 experience points were a windfall. It wasn’t realistic to expect to earn windfalls every day.

A few hundred a day—that was the norm.

He thought to himself, "Next, I need to find a martial arts manual that can break through to Sixth Grade."

...

In the days that followed, Chen Ming began visiting various Seventh Grade Martial Artists.

Most of those who permanently resided in Qingfeng City were already middle-aged or elderly—fifty or sixty, some even seventy or eighty.

Younger Seventh Grade Martial Artists were either out adventuring, had joined the Six Doors Authority, or had been hired by maritime traders to go to sea.

Those who remained were all considered ‘retired’ masters.

These people were seasoned veterans, not easy to deal with.

When Chen Ming had just broken through before and visited them, they treated him politely. But when it came to sparring, they would all mention old injuries or similar excuses.

In short—tea was fine, but sparring was out of the question. "These old bones can’t take it."

However, this time when Chen Ming visited again, their attitudes had changed.

Their smiles were far more welcoming and less perfunctory.

Such was the benefit of reputation.

He had slain Sun Shicai in public—a concrete accomplishment. His fame had already spread.

So, when he proposed a friendly duel, they didn’t dare decline so easily.

No one wanted to offend him.

After all, for these ‘retired’ Seventh Grade Martial Artists, reputation wasn’t that important anymore. Even if they lost, few would dare look down on them.

Their strength still spoke for itself.

Besides, losing to a young expert who had killed a fellow Seventh Grade wasn’t shameful at all.

Chen Ming spent over ten days, persuading with both soft and hard tactics, until he finally convinced one of them to spar with him.

Once the first agreed, the rest followed.

Within a month, the eight Seventh Grade Martial Artists he frequently visited all agreed to spar with him.

And truth be told, these people were quite strong—not weaker than Sun Shicai.

Among them, three even made him feel pressured, requiring him to go all out to claim victory.

……

Gradually, summer passed and autumn arrived.

In a blink, the summer heat waned, and the weather grew cooler by the day.

That afternoon, just as Chen Ming returned home from outside, he heard the gatekeeper Old Li say,"Second Young Master, Young Master Zhuang and Young Master Deng are here."

Young Master Deng?

Chen Ming felt a surge of pleasant surprise—Deng Ziyang had returned?

He entered the house and headed to the backyard, where he indeed saw Deng Ziyang in green robes sitting on a stone stool.

Stubble covered his chin, his face weathered, and his skin had become much rougher.

He was almost unrecognizable from the young nobleman he used to be.

"Brother Chen, long time no see."

Deng Ziyang also saw him and got up to greet him. His eyes were exceedingly bright, glowing with inner radiance and exuding powerful confidence.

Chen Ming happily said,"Indeed, it’s been months, and Brother Deng is even more impressive than before."

It was clear that these past few months of experience outside had greatly improved him.

Venturing out into the world really tempered a man.

Zhuang Xiaotian said,"I bumped into Big Brother on the street this morning and almost didn’t recognize him. The change is just too drastic."

Deng Ziyang stroked the stubble on his chin and said with emotion,"I’ve only been gone for three months, and I didn’t expect Brother Chen’s strength to already be at such a level. I had just returned to the city when I heard about Brother Chen beheading Sun Shicai in front of the Governor’s Residence."

He gave a self-deprecating smile,"I thought this trip would yield great results and I’d catch up to Brother Chen. But it turns out, I’m still far behind."

"Big Brother, you mean—"

Zhuang Xiaotian caught the implication in his words, his eyes widened in disbelief. "You’ve reached Seventh Grade?"

Deng Ziyang replied calmly,"Exactly."

"This... this is just..."

Zhuang Xiaotian was stunned speechless.

Chen Ming had already been impressive, reaching Seventh Grade from Eighth Grade in just half a year.

But Deng Ziyang, going from Ninth Grade to Seventh Grade in only three months after a single trip—this was simply too unbelievable.

Chen Ming was also surprised and asked,"Brother Deng, did you have some kind of fortunate encounter during this journey?"

Deng Ziyang nodded,"Mm, I’ve finally caught up to Brother Chen’s footsteps."

But he did not say what kind of encounter it was.

Chen Ming and Zhuang Xiaotian naturally did not press him—no matter how close the bond, such fortunate encounters were not something to casually inquire about.

The three of them reunited after a long time apart, and naturally, they had to drink.

After a few rounds of wine, Deng Ziyang casually talked about his past three months. Nothing too extraordinary—he had simply wandered into a mountain forest by accident and got lost, trapped there for two months.

Presumably, it was in that strange forest where he had gained his fortunate encounter.

That day, both Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian got drunk.

Chen Ming let them stay the night at his home.

Deng Ziyang was drunk with joy.

While Zhuang Xiaotian was filled with disappointment.

Among the three sworn brothers, his cultivation was now the lowest—still stuck at Ninth Grade.

Second Brother Guan Peng had long reached Eighth Grade, and now Big Brother Deng Ziyang had returned and turned into a Seventh Grade Martial Artist.

How could he not feel discouraged?

Chen Ming didn’t know how to comfort him and could only pretend not to notice.

……

The next morning, Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian left early.

Chen Ming called over the two disciples of Old Liu.

These two had decent aptitude and a solid foundation.

After two months of dedicated training at his home, both had successfully broken through to Ninth Grade.

Chen Ming said solemnly,"Two months have passed, and your master still hasn’t returned. I fear that..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Bofu and Liu Zhongda’s eyes turned red.

These two, though simple-minded, were not foolish. Naturally, they understood what he meant.

"According to Old Liu’s last words, I am to erect a memorial tomb for him. You two come with me."

The two responded respectfully,"Yes, Second Young Master."

……

Chen Ming took the two young men and rode a carriage out of the city, heading straight for a nearby mountain.

That mountain was called Black Moon Mountain. It was said to possess mystical properties—once inside its range, one could not see the moon.

Precisely because of this strangeness, many myths and legends had been passed down through the ages.

Old Liu’s master, the previous headmaster of Wu’s Martial School, was buried in that mountain.

Since crossing into this world, Chen Ming had never left Qingfeng City. This was his first visit here. However, since it was daytime, the moon couldn’t be seen anyway, so the legend couldn’t be verified.

Wu Bofu and Liu Zhongda, however, were quite familiar with the route—they came here every year to pay respects to their grandmaster.

After entering the mountain, the path grew steep, and they had to dismount and proceed on foot.

All three were martial artists, and even the steepest terrain posed no challenge. They walked for about half an hour before finally finding the grave in a mountain hollow.

Looking at the tombstone, it indeed bore the name of the old headmaster Wu.

Next to the grave stood another stone tablet, uninscribed.

It must have been the "auspicious burial ground" Old Liu had prepared for himself.

Chen Ming said,"This is the place."

The two youths picked up iron shovels and began digging.

Chen Ming, meanwhile, went before the old headmaster Wu’s grave and brought out incense, paper offerings, and candles.

Since they had come all this way, he had the two youths pay respects to their grandmaster as well.

Halfway through the digging, Wu Bofu suddenly cried out,"Second Young Master, there’s something down here."

Liu Zhongda added,"It’s an iron box."

Chen Ming walked over and saw Liu Zhongda holding a pitch-black, mud-covered box. He nodded in realization,"It must be something your master left for me."