Might and Prestige

"Iron Horse Stance, Fifth Level!"

Chen Ming took a deep breath and silently felt the changes in his body.

He felt that his spirit, physical strength, and energy had all reached an unprecedented peak.

"Let me get used to it first."

He did not rush to keep adding points. Instead, he spent some time adjusting to his condition and practiced the Three Powers Fist in the courtyard.

After going through it once, he marveled inwardly. As expected of the system—after adding points, it had perfectly adapted to his current state.

There was none of the usual problem of strength surging while he could no longer control his force.

So he sat down again, opened the panel, and directly filled the proficiency for the fifth level of the Iron Horse Stance.

Level: 10

Current Points: 5

Cultivation Method: Iron Horse Stance (Fifth Level Complete)

Martial Skill: Three Powers Fist (Proficient 27/500+), Bagua Saber Technique (Beginner 55/100+)

In an instant, he felt a terrifying force surge from within, tearing apart his muscles, tendons, and bones. Immense pain swallowed him whole.

By evening, it was time for dinner.

Seeing that the dishes were far more lavish than usual, Chen Rui glanced at his wife in surprise. She knew the family's circumstances—lately, they had saved wherever they could. Why had she made so many dishes today?

It was not even a holiday.

Wei Shi looked particularly radiant. Seeing her husband's confusion, she explained, "Sister Liu brought this pork knuckle, Granny Li brought these ribs, and this one..."

Chen Rui frowned and cut her off displeasedly. "You accepted whatever others brought? Our family has not fallen so low that we need to live off other people's handouts."

"That's not it."

Wei Shi looked aggrieved. "They brought things because they wanted to ask about Uncle teaching martial arts. From what they said, they want the children in their families to learn a move or two from Uncle."

Chen Rui could not help but fall silent.

He knew that after the debt collectors had left, several waves of visitors had come to the house, and it had not quieted down until the afternoon. He had thought they had come to comfort his wife.

He had not expected that, after seeing his younger brother display such overwhelming might, they had also begun entertaining the idea of having the younger generation of their families learn martial arts.

Although Wei Shi had been misunderstood by her husband, she stopped being angry after explaining herself. She was in an exceptionally good mood. For the first time, she had experienced what it felt like to be the center of neighborhood socializing. That taste of glory made her generously forgive her husband's rashness.

By then, all the dishes had been served. Yet no one picked up their chopsticks.

Chen Lide sat beside his mother, his eyes fixed on the plate of braised ribs as he kept swallowing.

The last time the family had eaten ribs was several months ago.

After waiting a while longer, Chen Ming finally arrived. He called out, "Big Brother, Elder Sister-in-Law," then sat down.

For some reason, Chen Rui felt that something about his younger brother had changed, yet he could not put his finger on it.

Seeing his brother staring at him, Chen Ming asked, "Brother, is there something on my face?"

"You..."

Chen Rui paused before saying, "This afternoon, several neighbors came to our door carrying gifts. They said they wanted the children in their families to learn some martial arts from you. They are all close neighbors, so your sister-in-law found it hard to refuse and accepted their gifts... If it puts you in a difficult position, I'll return the gifts tomorrow."

At the mention of learning martial arts, Chen Lide finally tore his eyes away from the plate of ribs and looked at his younger uncle with a face full of longing.

Wei Shi also looked at him nervously, afraid that he would refuse.

Chen Ming thought for a moment and said, "There's no need for that. How about this—once I finish dealing with what I have on hand over the next few days, have them come over in the mornings. I'll teach them some basics."

"Good."

Chen Rui's expression immediately relaxed.

Chen Lide said loudly, "Younger Uncle, I want to learn too."

Beaming, Wei Shi picked up the first rib and placed it in Chen Ming's bowl. "Let's eat first. The food will get cold soon."

Wanli Gambling House.

Many people did not know that Old Ghost Xiao was not actually that old. He was only a little over forty, but he had aged before his time. More than half his hair had turned white, and the wrinkles on his face were deep, making people mistake him for an old man.

He sat in a grandmaster's chair, holding a pair of iron balls in his left hand and slowly rolling them around.

Several bruised and battered men knelt in the room, crying out, "Boss, you have to seek justice for Scarface! That Chen Boy has no respect for you at all. Scarface's pelvis was broken. The doctor said he may not be able to walk for the rest of his life..."

Old Ghost Xiao sat with his eyes closed, listening with a dark expression. He gripped the iron balls in his hand so tightly that they let out a grinding creak.

At last, he opened his eyes. His gaze was even darker than his expression. "Idiots!"

"I sent you to collect a debt, not to start a fight!"

"You relied on being able to fight and lashed out at the drop of a hat. Now you've kicked an iron plate, haven't you? And you still want me to wipe your asses."

"You want to egg me on to avenge you? Can't you use your brains for once? Did that Chen Boy's martial arts fall from the sky?"

"His master is Huo Chengkun, a Sixth Rank expert. Even the Giant Tiger Gang would not dare provoke him. Are you trying to get me killed?"

Seeing him erupt in anger, the people kneeling below instantly became as silent as cicadas in winter, each one hurriedly crying that they would not dare.

Looking at these useless subordinates, Old Ghost Xiao truly wanted nothing more than to kill them all.

He had told them long ago: as long as a family had someone trained in martial arts, do not provoke them.

Yet they had been bold enough to set a trap for the family of someone who had learned martial arts under Huo Chengkun. They truly did not know how the word "death" was written.

One of the men on the ground quietly defended himself. "Scarface looked into it. That Chen Ming left Huo Manor four years ago. He was thrown out because his aptitude was too poor..."

Old Ghost Xiao sneered. "He crippled Scarface in two moves, and you call that poor aptitude? Then what does that make you?"

The man was immediately left tongue-tied, unable to say a word.

"How many times have I taught you not to take rumors as truth? Otherwise, you won't even know how you died."

At that moment, a middle-aged man standing behind Old Ghost Xiao spoke up. "Big Brother, shouldn't we think about how to clean this up?"

"Hmph."

Old Ghost Xiao said, "Whoever caused the trouble can clean it up..."

"This is bad! Those debt collectors are back!"

After Chen Ming finished dinner and had just returned to the small courtyard, he heard a shout.

In a flash, he rushed to the main gate at top speed and looked outside. He saw the same men from the daytime standing at the entrance.

Scarface, the leader, lay on a door panel carried by his subordinates, his face somewhat pale.

Many neighbors in the alley heard the commotion and came out to watch.

Before long, Chen Rui also came out and stood beside his younger brother.

Chen Ming said blandly, "What, still not convinced?"

Scarface said weakly, "I wouldn't dare. This lowly one was blind today and offended you, Young Master. I have come especially to apologize and make amends."

As he spoke, two subordinates carried over a chest and placed it at the entrance. When they opened the lid, it was full of gleaming silver.

Then the entire group knelt. "We beg Young Master to be magnanimous and forgive this lowly one's ignorance."

Chen Rui was stunned and at a loss, instinctively wanting to say something. But he quickly looked toward his younger brother and saw that his face remained unmoved.

Then he heard Chen Ming say blandly, "You did not offend me. You offended my brother."

Upon hearing this, Scarface immediately turned to Chen Rui. "Young Master Chen Rui, lard covered this lowly one's heart. I altered the words on the promissory note and framed you. This lowly one even laid hands on you. It was all this lowly one's fault..."

As he spoke, he knelt down using his one uninjured leg and began kowtowing.

Chen Rui had never seen such a spectacle before and felt somewhat uneasy.

Yet the younger brother beside him was still dissatisfied. "You laid hands on my brother too."

"This lowly one was wrong. This lowly one should not have struck..."

Scarface straightened on his knees and fiercely slapped himself across the face with a loud smack.

Then came another slap, across his other cheek.

Chen Rui's eyelids twitched violently several times. Scarface had truly hit himself hard; his face swiftly reddened and swelled. Chen Rui could not bear to watch and tugged at his younger brother's sleeve.

"Enough."

Only then did Chen Ming speak. "Let today's matter end here. Get lost."

Scarface and his subordinates felt as though they had received a pardon. They slunk away in disgrace.

The neighbors left watching in the alley did not say a word. They merely looked with awe and reverence at the Chen Brothers standing at the entrance.

An eerie silence hung over the scene.

The thugs who had been so arrogant and vicious during the day now knelt before the Chen Family's door, kowtowing and apologizing to the Chen Brothers.

Such might and prestige carved themselves deeply into their hearts.