"He hasn't lost yet!"
Huo Qianqian pointed at Chen Ming, immediately making him the center of attention.
Zhao An, Hong Mingquan, and Zhang Mingyu knew Chen Ming's strength well and immediately understood their junior sister's intention, so they remained silent.
Only Du Juan, who hadn't been to the Huo Mansion for a long time, was unfamiliar with him and somewhat puzzled about his identity.
The three men and one woman on the other side looked toward the young man.
The leading man with the surname Guo asked, "Are you also a disciple of Uncle Huo?"
"He's not."
The woman in blue quickly replied.
The man with the surname Guo looked at Huo Qianqian, "Since he's not a disciple of Uncle Huo, naturally he doesn't have the qualifications to compete with us."
Huo Qianqian replied confidently, "Although my grandfather didn't officially take him as a disciple, he has indeed learned our sect's martial arts, so he can be considered a registered disciple. How is he unqualified?"
The man with the surname Guo pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, let me satisfy your dissatisfaction thoroughly. Junior Sister, you go and meet him."
"Alright."
The woman in blue was overjoyed. She had just fought with the granddaughter of the uncle, who wasn't even Ninth Grade, and the fight ended before she could even warm up. She felt unsatisfied.
She drew her sword, pointed it at Chen Ming, and said excitedly, "Kid, remember, my name is Zhong Shuyu!"
At this point, the man with the surname Guo reminded, "Junior Sister, don't be careless. This person also has Ninth Grade cultivation."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked.
Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu's first reaction was disbelief, thinking the other party had misjudged.
Zhao An and Huo Qianqian were astonished.
Du Juan was puzzled.
Chen Ming was also surprised, not expecting someone to see through his true cultivation at a glance, not knowing where he had given himself away.
To be honest, he didn't want to fight this battle.
However, life sometimes drags you into strange whirlpools.
Chen Ming said to Hong Mingquan, "Senior Brother Hong, please lend me your saber."
Hong Mingquan turned the long saber in his hand and tossed it to him.
After catching it, Chen Ming bowed to the girl in blue, "Please, enlighten me, young lady."
"Watch the sword!"
Zhong Shuyu wasted no time and thrust forward with her sword.
Chen Ming recognized that what she used was the sword technique the man with the surname Guo had just used, so he didn't dare to be careless, raising his saber to block.
With a clang.
Both took half a step back.
With that move, anyone could see he truly had Ninth Grade cultivation.
Hong Mingquan and the others were shocked to the extreme.
When did he reach the Ninth Grade?
How could he possibly reach the Ninth Grade?
Even Huo Qianqian, the instigator, was dumbfounded. No matter what, she couldn't imagine that Chen Ming had already entered the Ninth Grade.
...
Unfortunately, he seemed to have just entered the Ninth Grade and was slightly inferior to the girl in blue, soon falling at a disadvantage. After about ten moves, his long saber was flicked away by the sword, marking his defeat.
"Your swordsmanship is formidable; I'm far inferior."
Chen Ming thus conceded defeat.
[You have lost to an LV11 opponent, deducting 50 experience points.]
The sudden prompt made him pause for a moment.
Seriously, losing also costs experience points?
System, be humane!
Though cursing in his heart, Chen Ming didn't forget his current situation. He went to pick up the saber and returned it to Hong Mingquan, then quietly retreated behind the crowd, trying to blend in and be ignored.
...
Zhong Shuyu, victorious in this battle, was full of pride.
Suddenly, her second senior brother whispered, "Junior Sister, that kid fooled you. He let you win on purpose."
"What?"
Zhong Shuyu raised her eyebrows, just about to inquire more. Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside, "Who dares to act presumptuously here?"
An azure figure leaped in from outside the wall, landing in the hall.
The man with the surname Guo's face changed, exclaiming, "Oh no, it's the Cyan Robe Patrol Envoy from Six Gates!"
Upon hearing the words "Six Gates," the three's expressions changed significantly.
Hearing "Cyan Robe Patrol Envoy," they became even more cautious.
Six Gates distinguishes positions by the color of their robes; cyan belongs to the Seventh Grade, requiring at least Seventh Grade cultivation to hold the post.
People of the martial world dislike conflicts with Six Gates, as being marked by them can make life difficult in the martial world.
On the other side, the people from Huo Mansion showed joy on their faces.
They all recognized the Cyan Robe Patrol Envoy, Sun Shicai, ranked fourth.
Since he had arrived, these people surely wouldn't dare act presumptuously again.
Inside the hall, Sun Shicai's angry voice was heard, "Don't harm my master!"
Followed by the sounds of fighting, thump thump thump.
The older woman said chillingly, "You brought this upon yourself!"
Accompanied by a muffled groan.
A moment later, the old woman dashed out from the hall, her face sullen as she told her four disciples, "Let's go."
The five of them leaped over the wall and disappeared.
"Grandfather!"
"Master!"
Huo Qianqian and the others rushed into the hall to find Huo Chengkun.
Meanwhile, Chen Ming took the opportunity to slip away quietly.
...
In the alleyway behind the Huo Mansion, Chen Ming's carriage was still waiting outside.
"To the Deng Family."
Tomorrow morning, Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian would be leaving. He had promised to see them off today.
On the way, Chen Ming kept thinking about what happened at the Huo Mansion today.
Although he only heard bits and pieces between Huo Chengkun and the old woman, it felt like the situation was very complex. It was quite terrifying to think about.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, thinking, "For the next few days, it's best not to go to the Huo Mansion."
Even though his true cultivation was now exposed, he assumed the people at Huo Mansion would be too preoccupied with their own affairs to bother with him for a while.
Before long, they arrived at the Deng Mansion.
Deng Ziyang and his two brothers were waiting for him, a table full of delicacies, untouched. Seeing him finally arrive, they complained, "Senior Brother, why are you so late? The food is getting cold."
Chen Ming sat down, poured himself a cup of wine, and drank it to calm his nerves, "Don't mention it. An incident happened at the Huo Mansion today. I almost couldn't make it back."
Hearing this, Deng Ziyang became interested and eagerly poured him more wine, "Tell us, what happened?"
"This morning..."
Chen Ming roughly recounted the day's events, ending with, "If Sun Shicai hadn't arrived in time, I really don't know how it would have ended."
Deng Ziyang's expression turned serious, "Did you say Sun Shicai was wearing cyan?"
"Yes, he's a Cyan Robe Patrol Envoy."
Deng Ziyang took a sharp breath, "I didn't expect Sun Shicai to have risen to a Cyan Robe Patrol Envoy in just a few years. He truly is remarkable."
In Six Gates, it's not just high cultivation that allows one to advance; one must have achievements, too.
Chen Ming wasn't very interested in Sun Shicai, so he asked, "Deng Brother, do you know which sect Huo Chengkun belongs to?"
Deng Ziyang frowned, "This, I've never heard. He's been in Qingfeng City for over a decade. No one has ever known where he comes from. People just assumed he was a wandering hermit."
He slapped his thigh, "No wonder this old ghost never meddles in other businesses. As a Sixth Grade expert, he lives on the respect of his disciples, staying in the Huo Mansion and avoiding conflicts with others. Turns out he's got significant troubles."
Seeing Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian weren't very interested in the topic, Chen Ming shifted the conversation to Six Gates, to keep them included.
...
The four of them drank until the afternoon before dispersing.
Chen Ming returned to the courtyard where he had spent the night before. Just as he brewed a pot of tea, Zhuang Xiaotian opened the door and came in, "Chen Brother, I hope I'm not disturbing you?"
"Of course not, please have a seat."
Chen Ming poured him a cup of tea too, "Here, have some tea to sober up."
"Chen Brother, I'm going back tomorrow. If I don't leave, my family will start to worry." Zhuang Xiaotian drank the tea in one gulp and said, "During this month, with your guidance, my saber technique and combat skills have significantly improved."
Chen Ming chuckled, "What are you saying? We all improved together through sparring."
Zhuang Xiaotian said earnestly, "You've been so sincere, even passing your saber technique to me. I feel I'm receiving without giving. The family tradition prevents me from passing on my fist technique to you, but, thinking it over, I can at least teach you the flying knife skill, which I developed myself, if you don't mind."
Chen Ming's eyes brightened, "That would be wonderful. Honestly, I've been wanting to ask you about the flying knife skill but was hesitant to bring it up."
Seeing his response, Zhuang Xiaotian visibly relaxed, "It's good that you like it."
He owed Chen Ming a lot, and not repaying it would leave a knot in his heart.
So he began to teach Chen Ming the flying knife skill in detail.
"This flying knife skill, I stumbled upon a few sheets of paper with ten odd formulas when I was young, and I've been developing it ever since; listen closely..."