Flipping the Table

Tenglong Martial Hall was one of the four largest martial halls in Qingfeng City. The hall master, surnamed Fang, was skilled in hidden weapons, and it was precisely this throwing technique that made him popular among women, attracting many female disciples.

Among the disciples who came today, half were women.

That Fang Junyu was Hall Master Fang's own grandson, also at the Eighth Rank, and had already inherited the hall master's true teachings.

He took out a black cloth strip and blindfolded himself. Then, the Tenglong Martial Hall disciples released sparrows from cages they had prepared in advance, the birds fluttering and darting chaotically around the hall.

"Hit."

Relying on his hearing to gauge their positions, he pulled several darts from his bosom and flung them sharply. In midair, four or five of the wildly flying sparrows were struck by the darts and fell to the ground.

"Excellent."

The crowd burst into applause. This skill of locating targets by sound and hitting five flying sparrows at once was impossible without years of hard training.

At that moment, Fang Junyu removed the blindfold and said to Chen Ming, "If any of you can do this, you win."

On Chen Ming's side, those who had come with him were all troubled. This first trial had already stumped them.

Deng Ziyang quietly asked Zhuang Xiaotian, "Third Brother, can you do it?"

Zhuang Xiaotian sighed and shook his head, indicating he couldn't. He naturally knew how to locate by sound, but he couldn't match Fang Junyu's level. He wouldn't go up and embarrass himself.

For a moment, no one knew what to do.

"Alright."

Then, Chen Ming stepped forward, took the black cloth strip, and tied it over his face, saying, "Bring it on."

Hearing this, the Tenglong Martial Hall disciples released five sparrows as well.

Once the sparrows had flown a bit farther, he reached out and felt into his bosom.

Whoosh, whoosh...

In a flash of lightning, five sparrows were struck by knives and fell to the ground.

"Great!"

"Junior Brother Chen's flying knife skill is superb."

"..."

Naturally, everyone on Chen Ming's side cheered.

Only Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian exchanged bewildered glances. This flying knife technique was clearly something Zhuang Xiaotian had taught Chen Ming last year—how had he already trained it to this level?

Especially Zhuang Xiaotian, who suddenly felt a strong sense of defeat. He had practiced for so many years, yet someone else had caught up in just one year.

It made him start to doubt his own life.

"This... how is it possible?"

The smile on Fang Junyu's face suddenly froze, and he stared blankly at Chen Ming.

This trick had taken him several years to master. In the entire Tenglong Martial Hall, no one but him could shoot down five birds blindfolded.

Yet today, this young man nearly ten years his junior had done it.

At that moment, Chen Ming removed the blindfold and asked him, "Young Hall Master Fang, how is it?"

With a stiff expression, he said, "Since you've done it, naturally you pass." After speaking, he returned to his original spot.

Lei Zhenguang gave Chen Ming a deep look, not expecting this kid to be hiding so much. He spoke up, "Since Young Master Chen has passed the first trial, then..."

"I think there's no need to continue."

Chen Ming cut him off before he could finish.

This caught everyone off guard.

Lei Zhenguang frowned. "What does Young Master Chen mean by that?"

Chen Ming said, "I've heard that Four Seas Martial Hall excels at lightness skills, and Chaoyang Martial Hall has a strongman as mighty as an ox. If I'm not mistaken, the next two trials test these, right?"

"So what?"

"I'm just here to open a martial hall. Why do I need to surpass those three halls in these three skills?"

Lei Zhenguang's expression turned cold. "This is the rule of our Martial Hall Guild. Since Young Master Chen wants to open a martial hall in Qinghe City, you must follow our rules. Otherwise, our Martial Hall Guild won't agree."

At this, a bearded man shouted, "Kid, if you don't dare to compete, just admit defeat and get out of Qingfeng City."

This remark drew a burst of laughter.

Chen Ming wasn't angered. He said calmly, "Your Martial Hall Guild has its own rules. That's fine—I respect them. But as for me, I really enjoy sparring with others. All of you here are senior experts, and I'm truly eager to test my skills. One of these days, I'll be sure to visit each of you one by one."

At these words, many faces changed color.

Everyone understood his implication—he would challenge them one hall at a time in the future.

Hall Master Fang of Tenglong Martial Hall had a fiery temper. He slammed the table and roared, "Kid, are you threatening us?"

Chen Ming's face turned cold. "So what if I am? Since you won't let me sit at the table, don't blame me for flipping it. What, not happy?"

He pointed at the bearded man from earlier and said, "You, yes you. If you've got the guts, come over and have a go with me."

"You little bastard, you're asking for death!"

The burly man with the thick beard was Li Ankun from Fenglei Martial Hall, Li Xiangrong's own uncle. His nephew had been injured and his face had been lost, so he'd been nursing a grudge all along. How could he hold back now? Without waiting for Lei Zhenguang to stop him, he leaped out like a massive eagle, lunging at Chen Ming.

This was the famed martial art of Fenglei Martial Hall—the "Eagle Strike Technique."

Chen Ming reached out, pulled the saber from Deng Ziyang's waist, and swung it upward in a reverse slash, aiming straight for the man's lower abdomen.

Li Ankun twisted his body, dodging the strike.

From the side, a young man shouted, "Master, catch the sword!" and tossed a longsword over.

After catching the sword, Li Ankun unleashed his signature "Wind and Thunder Swordplay," every move aimed at Chen Ming's vital points.

The situation had escalated beyond what anyone on either side had expected.

After all, both Fenglei Martial Hall and Chen Ming had been acting quite restrained earlier. Who would have thought a few words would lead to a fight?

One could only say that young people act on impulse.

Soon, the Huo Sect members grew increasingly astonished. "When did Junior Brother Chen learn the 'Five Elements Saber Technique'?"

"Third Senior Brother, did you teach him?"

"This move, 'Setting Sun Weeps Blood'—it can be used like this?"

"Wow..."

They were all stunned by Chen Ming's masterful saberplay, which was no less impressive than that of their late senior brother.

The most shocked of all was Zhang Mingyu. Watching Chen Ming hold his own against Li Ankun with the "Five Elements Saber Technique" without falling behind, he felt a bit dazed.

Around this time last year, Chen Ming had just started as a sparring partner at Huo Manor. Back then, his "Iron Horse Stance" had only reached the second level, and only his "Three Powers Fist" was decent...

In just one year, he had grown to this level.

It was utterly unbelievable.

It made everything feel unreal.

Clang, clang, clang...

At that moment, the saber and sword clashed in the arena, striking fast and furious, the sounds nearly blending into one continuous ring.

Clang!

With a loud crash, a longsword flew up, spun in the air, and clattered to the ground.

"Spare him under the blade!"

Lei Zhenguang, seated in the main position, shouted and was about to move to intervene.

Then came a sharp smack.

Chen Ming changed his slash into a slap, using the flat of the blade to land a solid hit on Li Ankun's face. He then stepped back a few paces and slid the saber back into the sheath at Deng Ziyang's waist.

He stood tall, his gaze sweeping over the dozens of people from the twelve martial halls present.

For a moment, everyone was cowed by his imposing presence, and no one spoke.

"I'll kill—you—"

Li Ankun, his face covered in blood, collapsed to the ground. He scrambled up like a madman, ready to fight Chen Ming to the death.

He couldn't accept losing publicly to a mere brat.

Chen Ming didn't even glance at him, keeping his eyes fixed on Lei Zhenguang, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

Lei Zhenguang barked, "Yucheng!"

Lei Yucheng immediately stepped forward and grabbed hold of Li Ankun.

Li Ankun had lost all reason and even turned on him, but Lei Yucheng knocked him unconscious with a palm strike and had him taken away.

The people from the other eleven martial halls watched Li Ankun's miserable state and felt a twinge of unease.

Even if they despised that loudmouth Li Ankun, seeing his decades of reputation shattered in an instant still stirred a sense of pity.