Chapter 67: The Qin Family
“You’re truly useless.”
Sun Shicai stood a short distance away.
Watching as Tian Qiming lasted only ten moves under Chen Ming’s hand, he cursed inwardly.
He was undoubtedly the one paying the closest attention to Chen Ming in the arena, eager to witness the boy’s martial prowess firsthand.
Soon after, another person stepped forward, calling out to challenge Chen Ming.
Sun Shicai was delighted.
This time, the challenger—a youth named Wang Ruisheng—was clearly much stronger than that previous good-for-nothing.
The two quickly exchanged blows—one wielding a saber, the other a sword.
Sun Shicai narrowed his eyes, watching every move Chen Ming made.
The more he watched, the darker his expression grew, until his teeth were grinding audibly.
He had trained in the Five Elements Saber Technique for over ten years, so it was easy for him to spot that what Chen Ming was using differed greatly from what their master had taught.
“That old bastard would rather pass the mantle to an outsider than to me.”
Hatred churned in Sun Shicai’s heart.
He considered himself the most talented and determined among his fellow disciples.
The eldest senior brother was rigid and old-fashioned.
The second senior sister had lost all interest in martial arts after getting married.
The third senior brother was weak-willed and useless.
The fifth was a goody-two-shoes, afraid to offend anyone.
The sixth was a fool who, driven by love, had actually gone off to become a pirate.
The seventh was a complete wastrel with no sense of propriety.
Only he was truly worthy of inheriting their master's legacy and carrying forward the sect’s teachings.
Yet that old bastard had refused to even look him in the eye and, in the end, passed the mantle to a fool with neither talent nor brains.
No wonder Sun Shicai was so resentful.
After all, back when Chen Ming was living at the Huo Residence, he had trained under Sun Shicai’s supervision.
No one understood better than him just what kind of material this boy was.
His aptitude was lacking, and his comprehension was mediocre.
By all reasoning, with Chen Ming’s abilities, even with great effort, he wouldn’t have reached the Ninth Grade before the age of thirty.
And yet, in just a few short years, the boy was already at the Seventh Grade!
His cultivation was nearly catching up to his own.
If there was nothing fishy going on, he’d never believe it, not even if beaten to death.
Sun Shicai’s first thought was that their master had indeed passed the sect’s legacy down to this boy.
He had long known that their master, Huo Chengkun, had a secret inheritance he had never given to any of his seven disciples.
He also knew that their master’s cultivation had not been limited to the Sixth Grade.
In fact, he had once reached the Fourth Grade but had regressed due to a severe internal injury…
These thoughts darkened Sun Shicai’s gaze even further.
Meanwhile, the two in the arena had already determined the outcome.
After over seventy moves, Chen Ming narrowly defeated Wang Ruisheng by a single move.
Of course, with Sun Shicai’s experienced eyes, it was clear that Chen Ming had been holding back throughout the fight, allowing it to drag on this long.
This boy was no fool—he understood the importance of letting others save face.
Judging from Wang Ruisheng’s expression, he appeared somewhat grateful as well.
“However, why did this boy go so hard on that Tian Qiming earlier?”
Sun Shicai felt a twinge of doubt in his heart.
…
【You have defeated an LV35 enemy. Gained 700 experience points.】
Chen Ming glanced at the notification that popped up and cupped his hands. “Thanks for letting me win.”
Though the fight had looked intense, compared to the opponents he faced back when he was still at the Eighth Grade, Wang Ruisheng was still a greenhorn—not much stronger than Tian Qiming.
In real combat, experience was crucial.
Though both of these noble-born youths had high cultivation, they lacked practical experience.
Had he chosen to go all out, he could have taken Wang Ruisheng’s life in under ten moves.
He simply had no personal grudge against Wang Ruisheng, so there was no need to make him lose too miserably.
After three matches, he had accumulated a total of 1,450 experience points.
Since breaking through to the Seventh Grade, he hadn’t sparred with any of his old opponents.
These days, he could only “bully” the students who came to him for martial arts enlightenment.
Over the past six months, Chen Ming had also discovered something unexpected—when facing an Eighth Grade martial artist, if he defeated them twice in one day, he could gain experience points both times.
It wasn’t limited to once per day like before.
He had tested it against a Ninth Grade martial artist as well. When he defeated them twice in a short span, he gained no experience the second time.
It seemed to be a hidden mechanism: one gain per day from a Ninth Grade opponent, two for an Eighth Grade, and presumably three for a Seventh Grade.
And so on.
Wang Ruisheng also cupped his hands politely and said, “Thank you, Brother, for holding back.”
Compared to Tian Qiming’s humiliating defeat, he could accept this outcome.
Though he lost, the comparison made it obvious to anyone that he was far stronger than Tian Qiming.
At that moment, Zhao Shouchang spoke, offering praise: “Chen Ming’s saber technique has already reached a refined level. At his age, to achieve such mastery is truly impressive.”
Everyone present straightened slightly upon hearing the Inspector’s evaluation.
“Reached a refined level!”
That was already very high praise.
Several individuals who had previously looked down on Chen Ming due to their own strength now reevaluated him with more serious expressions.
Chen Ming responded humbly, “You flatter me, sir. This junior dares not accept such praise.”
Zhao Shouchang asked, “Who taught you your saber technique?”
“This junior once trained under Elder Huo.”
At that moment, Yu Xiuming, seated beside him, leaned over and whispered something—probably telling Zhao Shouchang who Elder Huo was.
Zhao Shouchang nodded and said, “You must train diligently in the future. Don’t let your talent go to waste.”
“Yes, sir.”
Amidst a variety of admiring and jealous gazes, Chen Ming returned to his seat.
…
The Martial Gathering continued.
The third person to stand was a handsome young man, who declared, “Qin Jinlin from Jiangzhou wishes to challenge Junior Sister Xiao from the Xiaoshui Sect.”
His expression was full of tender affection.
He didn’t look like he had come for a duel—more like he was confessing his feelings in public.
Xiao Zhuyun stood gracefully and responded, “Very well. I’ve long wanted to learn from Brother Qin.”
The two stood facing each other, their robes flowing, looking every bit like a perfect couple.
Chen Ming observed Qin Jinlin with great interest.
In the martial world, when one introduced themselves with a prefix like a prefecture name, it signified something.
A noble family that could use a prefecture name—such as Dai Prefecture’s Tian Qiming earlier—was already notable.
But in Jiangzhou, being able to prefix your name with “Jiangzhou” meant your family was one of the few top-tier clans in the entire province.
The Qin Family was one of them.
These top-tier families always had supreme experts guarding them.
What the world referred to as “supreme experts” were those who surpassed the First Grade.
“Please, Junior Sister.”
Qin Jinlin displayed the grace of a gentleman.
“Brother Qin, be careful.”
Xiao Zhuyun reminded him gently, then thrust her sword forward. Her movement was light and elegant, pleasing to the eye. It was the Yaoguang Sword Technique of the Xiaoshui Sect.
Qin Jinlin smiled faintly, twirled his sword into a flourish, and met her attack.
He was undoubtedly showing off, the flashes of his sword dazzling the audience.
Chen Ming thought to himself, “So not all noble young masters are useless.”
Qin Jinlin’s sword technique wasn’t just flashy—it was powerful as well.
Clearly a high-level sword art.
His mastery of the sword was considerable. From the way he moved with ease, he wasn’t even using his full strength.
This was definitely a formidable opponent.
Chen Ming shook his head inwardly, giving up any thought of challenging him.
Compared to such technically proficient fighters, he much preferred bullying rookies.
The man and woman, one wielding a sword like a swimming dragon, the other light as a startled swan, made for an entrancing sight. No one wanted to blink.
Finally, after more than thirty moves, Xiao Zhuyun suddenly withdrew from the fight, panting slightly. “Brother Qin’s swordsmanship is astonishing. I concede.”
“Thank you, Junior Sister.”
Qin Jinlin sheathed his sword and smiled.
Chen Ming wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt the man’s gaze briefly flick toward him.
Then, Zhao Shouchang spoke up. “Qin Jinlin’s ‘Swimming Dragon Sword Technique’ has already captured three of its essences. Brother Qin has truly raised an outstanding son.”
His tone was warm, like that of a senior praising a junior from his own family.
Qin Jinlin did not dare be complacent and replied respectfully, “Uncle Zhao, please forgive me. I arrived in a hurry last night and didn’t get the chance to visit your residence beforehand. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Zhao Shouchang laughed. “I’m already glad that you came. How could I blame you? Since you’re here, you must stay for a few more days. It’s been two years since you saw Yan’er and Xian’er, hasn’t it? You must catch up with them.”
“Since our last parting, I’ve missed little sister Yan’er and brother Xian dearly.”
The others in attendance felt frustrated listening to their conversation.
Qin Jinlin not only had an illustrious background and outstanding strength, but also shared such close ties with Governor Zhao.
How was anyone supposed to compete with that?