In a quiet courtyard, Yu Haitang had just returned from outside, entered her boudoir, and the hot water was already prepared. With the maid’s assistance, she took off her clothes and entered the tub for a bath.

She closed her eyes, enjoying this rare relaxation, casually asking, "Was there anything major today?"

The maid Mei’Er, who was serving her, said, "Young Master Chen moved out of the Feng Family today."

"Oh?"

Yu Haitang showed a slight interest, "Do you think it’s Chen Ming who voluntarily moved out to avoid causing trouble for Feng Siyuan? Or did the Feng guy succumb to family pressure and asked him to leave?"

The two maids said in unison, "We can’t guess."

"Want to bet on it? I bet he chose to leave on his own." Yu Haitang said, "Just watch whether they have any contact in the future to know the answer."

Mei’Er hesitated, then quietly reminded, "Qin Changyuan has already expressed he won’t let Chen Ming off easily. Should we..."

Yu Haitang said, "No need."

Mei’Er seemed puzzled, "Given Qin Changyuan’s character, he is likely to take his life in the end. Isn’t the master quite fond of him? Even gave him the most cherished Mingfeng Sword."

"This Chen Ming, I can’t quite see through him yet. It’s perfect to use Qin Changyuan’s hand to test whether there is another force behind him."

"I understand."

Yu Haitang closed her eyes again, asked, "Where is he staying now?"

"In the east of the city, a place called Tianyang District."

"Tianyang District?"

Yu Haitang suddenly opened her eyes, that’s where Evergreen Hall is located.

She pondered for a moment and instructed, "Send someone to keep an eye on Chen Ming, but don’t get too close."

"Yes."

...

Elsewhere, in the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, a lavish pavilion.

Qin Changyuan, dressed in black attire, had a beauty in his arms and was drinking with a group of friends.

Suddenly, an attendant approached and whispered a few words beside him. A satisfied smile instantly appeared on his face, and he waved to let the attendant leave.

A friend beside him saw the smile on his face and asked, "Brother Qin is so happy, is there any good news? Share it with us so we can also be happy."

Qin Changyuan laughed, "I just heard some news that Han Xiangcheng from Celestial Extreme Sect challenged that Chen kid."

"Han Xiangcheng? His strength is decent, but compared to Chen Ming, he probably falls a bit short."

"Don’t forget, Han Xiangcheng has an elder brother, Lai Xiangran. These two are like brothers; if Han Xiangcheng loses, it’s only natural for Lai to step in on his behalf, isn’t it?"

"Brilliant, that Lai Xiangran is of fourth-tier cultivation and has some grudges with Brother Qin. This time, it’s like killing two birds with one stone."

Qin Changyuan snorted, "Previously, if it hadn’t been for that old bastard Lu, I’d have killed Lai long ago. Daring to compete with me for women, he’s courting death. Now that old Lu is dead, I wonder who can protect him. To eliminate Celestial Extreme Sect roots and all, how else can I quell my hatred?"

Everyone laughed heartily, "Brother Qin is so domineering."

...

"Han Xiangcheng from Celestial Extreme Sect is here to challenge."

As soon as Chen Ming entered the door, he heard someone outside challenging him. Han Xiangcheng, the name sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t recall it right away.

Qiuxiang said, "This Han Xiangcheng is also one of the most outstanding young masters in Jiangzhou City, on par with Jiang Shihua and others. He has long qualified for the Cyan Cloud Ranking competition but hasn’t participated for some reason."

With that said, he recalled, "Originally there were eight ’seed players’, one didn’t come, so there were only seven."

This person daring to challenge means his strength is definitely not weak.

Chen Ming said to the two maids, "You stay home and don’t go out. I’ll go meet them."

"Be careful, young master."

Under the maids’ urging, he carried the "Mingfeng Sword" and walked outside.

On the street, he saw a few young men, with the leading young man dressed in blue attire, holding a uniquely shaped long saber, his face boiling with battle intent.

Their eyes met in the air.

"You’re Chen Ming?"

Upon seeing him, Han Xiangcheng confirmed his identity and arrogantly said, "Draw your sword, and let’s compete. Only the winner has the qualification to leave his name on the Cyan Cloud Ranking."

Chen Ming looked at him, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. This person clearly hasn’t broken through to fourth-tier; it’s a peculiar intuition.

Perhaps it was from encountering too many fifth-tier martial artists in the Cyan Cloud ranking competition.

He said, "Leave, you’re not my opponent."

Han Xiangcheng sneered, "Don’t think that just because you defeated Jiang Shihua and Ji Qianxing, you can underestimate me. Those family disciples are merely embroidered pillowcases. How can they compare to me?"

Chen Ming didn’t bother to say more, "Then come."

Han Xiangcheng slowly drew his saber from its sheath, the blade was black, without any reflection in the night.

Behind him, several people retreated and hid aside.

"My saber technique is called ’Jiyue Saber Technique’, consisting of eight moves. Among peers, no one has ever made me use the fourth move."

The words contained immense confidence.

After speaking, he acted.

His saber was extremely fast, in the darkness, it was almost impossible to track the blade’s trajectory. There wasn’t even a sound of wind.

The saber was clearly a unique weapon.

Indeed, it had some substance.

Chen Ming thought, such a pity he encountered him with greatly improved strength.

He didn’t draw his sword, but precisely tapped the scabbard.

With a sound.

He accurately tapped the opponent’s Black Blade.

Han Xiangcheng flew back like a cannonball, crashing into the wall with a thud, and spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

The scene was deathly silent.

The few who had come with Han Xiangcheng were all in a daze.

They were all too familiar with Han Xiangcheng’s strength, and yet he couldn’t even withstand one sword strike from this person.

Wasn’t Chen Ming’s strength simply terrifying?

"Go back and practice for a few more years."

Chen Ming turned around, left this sentence, and walked away.

...

Upon hearing these words, Han Xiangcheng spat another mouthful of blood and could no longer bear it, fainting on the spot.

"Brother Han!"

"Are you okay?"

"He’s not dead, quickly, take him back."

So, a few of them lifted him up and left the place.

They carried Han Xiangcheng all the way back to the Celestial Extreme Sect.

The Celestial Extreme Sect came to Jiangzhou City ten years ago, sheltered by a senior who had deep ties with the sect. It finally had a place to stand. They also took in a local disciple, who was Han Xiangcheng.

Last year, that senior passed away, and the Celestial Extreme Sect’s situation became difficult again.

Because the two disciples in the sect were both troublemakers.

One got into trouble with the Qin Family, and another made enemies with the Ji Family.

The higher the talent of young people, the more arrogant they become, and conflicts are inevitable.

But now, the Celestial Extreme Sect was down to only three people, and couldn’t afford to stir up trouble. The sect leader even considered relocating the sect elsewhere.

At this moment, Lai Xiangran, the senior disciple of this generation in the Celestial Extreme Sect, saw his injured junior brother being carried back.

"What on earth happened? Who injured him?"

He was extremely furious, grabbing one of them by the collar, his eyes glaring with rage and a murderous aura covering his face.

"It was... Chen... Chen Ming..." The person was intimidated by his aura and stammeringly recounted the situation.

Chen Ming, ranked sixth on the Cyan Cloud Ranking?

Upon hearing this, Lai Xiangran felt both heartache and guilt.

He knew why his junior brother wanted to challenge Chen Ming. If it weren’t for him sending his junior brother on an errand, his junior brother wouldn’t have missed the Cyan Cloud Ranking battle. He wouldn’t have had to take the risk of challenging Chen Ming now.

Lai Xiangran, having stayed in Jiangzhou City, naturally knew that Chen Ming was very strong, and feared that his junior brother was one level below him.

Being outmatched in skills was understandable.

But Chen Ming shouldn’t have struck so hard, injuring Xiangcheng like this!

He had already checked, and with such injuries, it would take at least ten days to half a month to recover.

Lai Xiangran let go of the person and asked in a deep voice, "How did Xiangcheng lose?"

The few people exchanged glances, looking evasive.

Finally, under Lai Xiangran’s coercion, they revealed the truth.

"What? Xiangcheng couldn’t even withstand one sword from him? That’s impossible!"

Lai Xiangran said decisively.

He was well aware of his junior brother’s strength. Even if he wasn’t as good as Chen Ming, he wouldn’t be too far behind. To decide victory, they would need at least dozens of exchanges. There was no way he could be defeated in just one move.

Xiangcheng must have been ambushed!

Lai Xiangran naturally came to this conclusion, his chest filled with a surge of anger that rushed to his head. He grabbed the person just now and yelled, "Take me to find that Chen Ming."

Daring to ambush his junior brother, he absolutely had to avenge this.

...

Qiuxiang and Dongxiang stayed at home, filled with worry. Who would have thought, in just a moment, Chen Ming had already returned, closing the door behind him. He then said to them, "No need to worry, it’s already been settled."

Settled?

The two women were a bit surprised. They knew how strong Han Xiangcheng was. How was it resolved so quickly?

Seeing their expressions, Chen Ming laughed, "What, don’t believe it?"

The two women quickly nodded, "We believe."

"Then why do you still have that expression?"

Dongxiang reminded, "That Han Xiangcheng has a senior brother with a fiery temper and a narrow mind, who values their Celestial Extreme Sect’s reputation most. His junior brother lost to your sword, he won’t let it go easily."

Why are people in Jiangzhou City so narrow-minded?

Thinking about this, Chen Ming asked, "What’s the cultivation level of Han Xiangcheng’s senior brother?"

"Reached the fourth grade two years ago. He’s only twenty-eight this year, very talented. Five years ago, he didn’t participate in the Cyan Cloud Ranking because of his age. You probably haven’t heard of him."

Chen Ming’s eyes lit up. Fourth grade, great, he just wanted to find a fourth grade to spar with and see how his strength measured up against a true fourth grade.

Dongxiang originally intended to advise caution but didn’t expect that instead, he was eager to clash with Lai Xiangran, seemingly impatient to battle.

That’s a fourth grade.

Why wasn’t he afraid at all?

She couldn’t understand.

But she could be sure of one thing, and that was that he had not reached the fourth grade; she had enough knowledge to know this.

Nevertheless, Dongxiang and Qiuxiang weren’t afraid either. At most, it was death. After all, their lives were given by him.

PS: Asking for monthly votes.