Guan Peng held the long saber in reverse, letting the tip touch the ground. He lowered his head, looking at the tear in his clothes on his chest, and said hoarsely, "I am defeated. Thank you for showing mercy."
After speaking, he turned and left, clearly too ashamed to stay here any longer.
"Second Brother."
Deng Ziyang was a bit worried and wanted to chase after him, but Zhuang Xiaotian stopped him, "Elder Brother, just let him be for now, let him calm down by himself."
"This... sigh."
Deng Ziyang could only sigh.
Zhuang Xiaotian looked at Chen Ming, who was still standing in the arena, his expression solemn.
Although this person's strength shocked him, what impressed him most was that when he and Guan Peng were dismissive towards him earlier, Chen Ming remained unfazed and unbothered.
This level of composure is truly frightening.
If it were him, possessing such a superb saber technique, who would dare to slight him? He would have reacted immediately.
He couldn't help but comment, "Your Senior Brother is truly hidden and profound."
Deng Ziyang said with a bitter smile, "You may not believe it, but I really didn't know he had such strength, otherwise I would never have kept it from you."
...
[You have defeated an enemy of LV11, gaining 100 Experience Points.]
Seeing the prompt finally appear, Chen Ming was delighted—he actually got a hundred points.
Unexpectedly, this person was even a level higher than him.
"It seems that increasing my Martial Skill proficiency is the right path."
As he was thinking, he suddenly heard Deng Ziyang half-jokingly complain, "Senior Brother, you really kept me in the dark. When did you attain your grade?"
Chen Ming explained with a smile, "Brother Deng, you misunderstood me. I just broke through half a month ago, and I only saw you today, so I haven't had the chance to say anything."
Hearing this, indeed he couldn't be blamed.
Only then did Deng Ziyang feel relieved and said, "Congratulations Senior Brother, you have finally become a Martial Artist."
Hearing his sincere tone, clearly from the heart, Chen Ming said sternly, "Thank you."
On the side, Zhuang Xiaotian seized the opportunity, extended his hands in a gesture of respect, and apologetically said, "Earlier, I was blind to your capabilities and was disrespectful to Brother Chen. I hope you can forgive me."
Chen Ming stepped forward to help him up, "Brother Zhuang, you're too kind. It was I who concealed it from you first. I should be the one apologizing, come, I'll punish myself with a drink."
"Brother Chen, your magnanimity deserves respect. I should be the one punished." Zhuang Xiaotian downed three cups in succession to show his sincerity.
Deng Ziyang exclaimed, "I think you guys are just trying to drink up all my good wine, aren't you?"
Once things were spoken out, the little misunderstanding between them was resolved.
The three of them sat down to drink again, and the atmosphere became different from before, talking about Martial Dao.
The more they talked, the more they hit it off, not willing to disperse even when night fell.
Chen Ming originally wanted to go home, but Deng Ziyang insisted on making him stay, sending someone to the Chen Family to inform them, and kept him overnight.
...
Night fell. In the backyard.
"This Eight Trigrams Saber Technique seems simple, but it contains many subtle changes. Like this move, Galaxy Inversion..."
Chen Ming explained as he demonstrated with his saber.
Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian sat there, fully focused, watching him break down each variation, explaining it very thoroughly.
Deng Ziyang had studied the Eight Trigrams Saber Technique before, so he gained a lot from this.
Zhuang Xiaotian, although he hadn't studied this technique, was able to draw parallels and understand many puzzling aspects of handling combat situations, listening with equal attention.
This is why both of them enjoyed discussing martial arts with Chen Ming.
What he taught was genuine knowledge.
The conversation went on until late at night before they dispersed.
Zhuang Xiaotian suddenly bowed to Chen Ming, "Thanks to your guidance today, many of my doubts have been resolved."
"It cannot be."
Chen Ming supported him and said, "It's less about guidance, more about mutual exchange. If Brother Zhuang doesn't mind, we could spar sometimes. Once Brother Zhuang enters the Six Gates, he will inevitably have to face others in combat, gaining more experience is beneficial."
Zhuang Xiaotian was quite moved by this and said, "I would like that very much."
On the side, Deng Ziyang also said, "Count me in. If we could also get Second Brother to join, that would be even better."
Chen Ming immediately said, "It's settled then, let's do it tomorrow afternoon."
He had put in much effort to build a connection with Zhuang Xiaotian just for this. Now, he finally achieved his purpose.
Winning once earns him a hundred Experience Points. If he could spar once every day, he could probably gain several dozen points. It was worth his effort.
...
Early morning, just before daybreak.
Deng Ziyang went to the courtyard where Guan Peng lived and heard the sound of weapons slicing through the air from inside, knowing he was practicing with the saber.
Ever since losing to Chen Ming yesterday, Guan Peng had been practicing in the courtyard, only stopping late at night.
Evidently, that defeat had a profound impact on him.
Deng Ziyang stood outside for a while, waiting until Guan Peng finished practicing before he pushed the door open and walked in, "Second Brother, good morning."
Guan Peng was sitting cross-legged on a stone bench, the saber resting on his knees. Upon hearing the greeting, he opened his eyes and said, "Elder Brother."
Deng Ziyang advised, "Victory or defeat is common in our line of work, you shouldn't dwell on it too much."
"I worried you, Elder Brother. After yesterday's fight, I deeply feel inadequate in my saber technique. Once I enter the Six Gates, I fear I won't be able to hold my ground."
Deng Ziyang noticed he wasn't bothered by losing to Chen Ming and felt relieved, advising, "Second Brother, training in isolation like this won't yield much effect. I and Third Brother have planned with Senior Brother Chen to spar a bit in the afternoon. Would you like to join us, Second Brother?"
A hint of hesitation flashed across Guan Peng's face before he recalled the humiliation of losing to Chen Ming's saber yesterday.
Back in his hometown, he was considered a genius, unmatched by anyone his age. Yesterday's defeat to a peer left him with a tremendous sense of failure.
That feeling, he didn't want to experience again.
Guan Peng gritted his teeth and made a decision, "Count me in!"
Failing to Chen Ming was indeed deeply discouraging.
However, it also made him realize his shortcomings in saber technique and see the path for improvement. For him, it had tremendous benefits.
Opportunities like this aren't often encountered.
Deng Ziyang was delighted, "That's great."
More interactions would naturally help resolve misunderstandings and grudges between Second Brother and Chen Ming.
On one side was his sworn brother, on the other his close Senior Brother; he hoped the two of them could get along well.
...
Deng Ziyang left Guan Peng and went to find Chen Ming.
Chen Ming had just gotten up, not practicing, but was leisurely enjoying the flowers in the courtyard.
"Senior Brother, you have quite the interest."
"Good morning."
Chen Ming smiled and said, "The scenery here is really nice, seeing such a view in the morning greatly uplifts one's mood."
Deng Ziyang said, "With your current strength, Senior Brother, if you wish, it won't be long before you can live in a place like this."
This was indeed true; for a Ninth Grade Martial Artist, making money wasn't particularly difficult.
However, Chen Ming didn't have much need for money. He didn't want to spend too much effort pursuing wealth, leaving the money-making to his Elder Brother.
He said, "There's something I'd like to ask Brother Deng."
"What is it?"
Chen Ming detailed the incident of Constable Wang from the Six Gates visiting him, and finally asked, "I have no grievances with that person, so why is he against me? If I hadn't coincidentally broken through to Ninth Grade, I fear I would've suffered badly."
Deng Ziyang didn't respond immediately; he tapped his fingers on the stone table, deep in thought.
He wasn't in a hurry, taking a sip of water.
After a while, Deng Ziyang said, "If I'm not mistaken, he probably wasn't targeting you."
"Then who was it?"
"Since you are a sparring partner at the Huo Mansion and not Huo Chengkun's disciple, targeting you wouldn't greatly offend Huo Chengkun while it could undermine the Huo Mansion's reputation, thereby reaching a goal of establishing dominance."
After hearing this, Chen Ming roughly understood, just a bit puzzled, "How does this benefit him?"
"Because in the Six Gates, only by making achievements can one gain merits. With enough merits, one can enter the Six Gates' martial arsenal to learn advanced Martial Arts."
"For the sake of merits, not to mention Huo Chengkun, even against the Gu Family, given the opportunity, they would dare to take a risk."