Dominating Martial King
Chapter 105 - 105 102 Qingyun's Genius Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets

105: Chapter 102 Qingyun’s Genius (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets) 105: Chapter 102 Qingyun’s Genius (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets) After Lu Chen left, disappointment flickered in Zhou Xiangshan’s eyes.

He, too, had been eager to witness Chu Xisheng’s prowess in swordsmanship.

Twenty days ago, at Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall, Zhou Xiangshan had seen Chu Xisheng suppress twelve fellow disciples with his Divine Thought Power, but he had never seen him wield his sword.

Unfortunately, the “Silver Patterned Tiger” Lu Chen backed out at the crucial moment, depriving him of the treat.

Zhoou Liangchen watched Lu Chen’s retreating figure and sneered coldly, “That’s just the kind of person he is; he never does anything he’s not sure of.”

But then his expression turned solemn as he added, “This fellow is cautious and shameless, but his strength is solid.

He’s sly and deceitful, always hiding a knife behind his smile, and he’s incredibly stingy.

So, Brother Chu, you must be careful.

Having made him lose face this time, he definitely won’t let it go.”

“Is that so?”

Chu Xisheng’s brows lifted slightly, then he nodded casually as if it were a matter of no concern, saying lightly, “Understood.”

Yet inwardly, he cursed furiously.

Whose fault was it that I caused him to lose face?

If it weren’t for those two sentences you said, there would’ve been no trouble today.

And now, it wasn’t just Lu Chen who harbored animosity towards him.

Chu Xisheng focused his gaze on the status bar in the illusory screen, and saw the bright red characters for “Vengeance.”

——Your Vengeful Blade Intent has improved to Medium Strength!

The Ninth Grade martial cultivators around this inn, along with the accompanying servants and people from various forces, totaled no more than two thousand five hundred individuals.

Yet, they had managed to stimulate his Vengeful Blade Intent to Medium Strength!

This indicated just how deep their enmity and ill intent ran.

Clearly, he had become the target of everyone’s fears because of Zhoou Liangchen’s words.

Chu Xisheng looked deeply at Zhoou Liangchen, thinking to himself, I really should thank you!

This man was his nemesis, causing him to squander more than ten thousand pieces of silver for nothing, and now he found himself in such an embarrassing predicament.

Zhou Xiangshan, with a smile plastered on his face, reached out to invite, “Please, Chu Shaohua, follow me.

I’ve prepared a feast on the second floor of the inn to welcome and refresh you.”

The layout of the inn’s main hall was similar to that of the Winning and Losing Tower, with a large atrium in the center.

Twelve round tables were arranged around the atrium on the second floor.

This floor was much quieter and more spacious due to fewer people.

Chu Xisheng happened to be hungry as well.

He had been traveling all day without eating much.

And just as Chu Xisheng was ascending the stairs, following Zhou Xiangshan to their seats,

The “Silver Patterned Tiger” Lu Chen, who had already reached a round table on the second floor, was glancing back coldly.

“I never would have thought that our East State had such a hidden figure!”

“The world always harbors crouching tigers and hidden dragons, with mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people.

That’s why we who walk the Jianghu must always keep a sense of respect and caution.”

This voice was aged and hoarse.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen looked sideways at a wizened old man in black beside him.

This was an old servant who had looked after him for many years.

He, too, bore a grave expression as he watched Chu Xisheng stepping onto the second floor, “Young Master did right not to draw his sword.

Zhoou Liangchen has always been direct and honest, he never minces his words.

Also, I noticed that Chu Xisheng was always looking at your right shoulder, he must have discovered something.”

Lu Chen’s forehead creased, feeling a dull pain in his right shoulder.

The hidden injury on his shoulder was the result of him forcefully practicing an Extreme Move of a sword skill three months ago, and Lu Chen had since kept it secret, nursing it with medicine.

But how did that guy find out?

Could it be that Chu Xisheng identified his weakness with just a glance?

“This man is a formidable enemy.

If he can truly defeat Zhoou Liangchen with a single slash, even if I join forces with a few other geniuses of Qingyun, we might not be his match.

I must prepare a foolproof plan in advance to ensure this man is eliminated from the competition.”

Lu Chen picked up his chopsticks, pondering, “We still need to test the waters with this guy first.

Are you able to find someone suitable to probe his depths?

It would be best if they had no apparent connection to our family.”

The old man couldn’t help but feel helpless hearing this; his young master was asking for a difficult task.

The surrounding area for ten miles had already been sealed off by several powerful local factions of Coastal, no outsiders could enter.

To probe the depths of Chu Xisheng, the person would need to be stronger, not weaker.

Yet such individuals typically held a significant status.

If they had no ties with the Lu Family, why would they listen to you?

However, after giving it some thought, his expression changed subtly, “There is someone suitable – a death soldier nurtured by our family, who has been lurking in the Sea Salt Gang.

His cultivation is at Grade Eight, and he’s extremely powerful.

But the Zhoou Family holds Chu Xisheng in high regard, and if our man makes a move now, he’s unlikely to survive afterward, whether he succeeds or fails.”

Lu Chen’s brow furrowed, then he scoffed, “If you can’t find a person, forget it.”

He was not so heartless as to send a family death soldier to die over such a matter.

Lu Chen then glanced around the hall, his eyes sly, “Actually, we don’t need to dirty our hands.

I reckon that eight out of ten people in this hall are curious about the true capabilities of Chu Xisheng.

Find a way to spread some rumors and hype up this man.

Claim he’s unfathomably skilled, and that I, Lu Chen, am no match for him.

When the time comes, there will definitely be someone who’ll take it upon themselves to test his skills for me.”

※※※※

The banquet prepared by the Zhou Family was not overly lavish, but in these bleak mountains, it was already quite impressive.

Chu Xisheng made no pretense of politeness as he tore off a rabbit leg and enjoyed it heartily.

Strangely, while he was eating, five small fireworks burst in his eyes.

Chu Xisheng didn’t pay it any mind, continuing to eat as he observed the many youths in the inn’s main hall with concentrated attention, “Steward Zhou, are all those participating in the Secret Realm competition here already?”

Zhou Xiangshan replied with a smile, “The most outstanding young heroes of our East State are mostly here.

There may be one or two successors from the Hidden Sects rushing over, but I’m not sure.”

He then also scanned the surroundings, “Actually, there are only four people here who truly deserve Chu Shaohua’s attention.

Aside from ‘Silver Patterned Tiger’ Lu Chen we just mentioned, there’s also ‘White Eyebrow Tiger’ Ying Haobai—that one on the second floor, in the corner to the left, with the white eyebrows and wearing a white shirt.

He has always been on par with Lu Chen, with similar rankings, holding the ninety-sixth position on the Qingyun List.

He is rough and combative by nature.

If Chu Shaohua had encountered him earlier, a fight would have broken out by now.

Then, at the second table to the right, the long-haired youth with delicate features, his name is Zhuo Baiyun, nicknamed ‘Shadowless Sword,’ ranked eighty-sixth on the Qingyun List.

It’s said that his swordsmanship has reached a point where his sword strikes without a shadow.

If Chu Shaohua gets a chance, you might as well see whether your blade is quicker, or his sword is faster—”

He paused briefly because Zhuo Baiyun had already noticed their gaze.

Zhuo Baiyun smiled faintly, lifting his cup in a distant salute in their direction.

Chu Xisheng raised his eyebrows, returning the gesture with his own cup.

His eyes held a hint of solemnity.

The rankings on the East State Qingyun List are determined mainly by one’s age, talent, and potential, which is why some Ninth Grade Martial Cultivators can also make the list.

But beyond age and talent, the personal strength of the Qingyun List members also accounts for a significant portion of the ranking.

The fact that this person could rank eighty-sixth on the Qingyun List with a Ninth Grade cultivation indicates his formidable combat prowess.

Zhou Xiangshan continued to introduce, “Next is ‘Corpse Dog’ Li Manshan, over there in the farthest corner on the right.”

“Corpse Dog?” Chu Xisheng couldn’t help but turn to look, scrutinizing the individual in question closely.

One reason was that he had not seen the name Corpse Dog Li Manshan on the East State Qingyun List, and second, the man’s nickname was quite surprising.

What Chu Xisheng saw was a youth of about fifteen or sixteen.

The youth had a nose so large it took up one-fifth of his face.

His skin was deathly pale, almost resembling that of a dead person.

“He’s from the Corpse Mountain Sect,”

Zhou Xiangshan explained with a smile, “Corpse Mountain Sect is a Hidden Sect in East State, specializing in cultivating ‘Corpse Evil.’ Their name might not be prominent, but their strength is formidable.

It’s said that they have a mountain full of Seventh Rank evil corpses, known as Corpse Mountain.

This person has been cultivating within the Corpse Mountain Sect and has never before descended the mountain, hence his lack of fame.

However, not long ago, someone tested his skills and it’s said that his strength is not below that of ‘Shadowless Sword’ Zhuo Baiyun.

What makes these four outstanding isn’t just their own abilities; the power and wealth behind them allow them to bring a group of ten or twenty skilled individuals.

With their strength in numbers…

However, Chu Shaohua need not worry about this aspect.

The Zhou Family also has ten spots.

Liang Chen will lead others to follow you into the Secret Realm; they are all carefully selected by our Family.

With you as the leader, they will obey your commands exclusively.”

Yet Chu Xisheng’s heart grew more anxious, as Mr.

Zhou by his side clearly had the potential to be a liability.

His heart felt heavier, none of these individuals would be easy to deal with.

Chu Xisheng then curiously asked, “How come I haven’t seen anyone from State City come over?”

The East State City is where the real dragons lie hidden and tigers crouch, a place teeming with formidable individuals.

It perennially occupies nearly half of the spots on the local ‘Qingyun List,’ ‘Hero List,’ and ‘Black List.'”

“Aside from a few of us, the rest came from State City,” Zhou Xiangshan chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming cunningly, “After we discovered this Secret Realm, we deliberately suppressed the news.

Several of the young Heavenly Prides from State City have reached Eighth Rank and cannot enter anymore.

The rest here aren’t quite as impressive, but Chu Shaohua should still be cautious; they may have hidden depths and inconspicuous reputations.”

Just then, Zhou Xiangshan’s expression shifted subtly as he looked towards the entrance of the inn, “Shaohua, I have some matters to attend to and must excuse myself for a moment.”

Shortly after Zhou Xiangshan left, a young man in a green shirt approached with three small jade porcelain bowls, “Mr.

Chu, Mr.

Zhou, this is your sea cucumber soup.”

Zhoou Liangchen was momentarily taken aback.

He was present when Zhou Xiangshan arranged the banquet, and it seemed his uncle had not included sea cucumber soup in the menu?

With the limited capabilities of this remote inn, everyone brought their own ingredients and chefs, and even had designated servers to prevent poisoning.

To help him gain experience, his uncle also involved him in the process.

Liang Chen concentrated, noticing that although the server was dressed in the uniform of the Zhou Family guards, he moved lightly on his feet, and the callouses on his hands indicated he was used to handling weapons—a clear sign these were not marks from the Zhou Family’s Martial Arts.

The Zhou Family, known for their sea business, trained their house guards to fight steadfastly on ships; moreover, their hands typically bore callouses from handling ropes and anchors, not just at the base of the thumbs.

Liang Chen first narrowed his eyes suspiciously but then sneered in disdain.

This person was a Martial Cultivator below ‘Eighth Grade’, probably wanting to test Chu Xisheng’s abilities.

The problem was, Chu Xisheng didn’t just defeat him with a single strike, but he did so without even letting his opponent draw his sword!

How could someone not of Qingyun’s genius level or his tier possibly fathom Chu Xisheng’s true caliber?

He didn’t even bother to warn the two Seventh Rank Zhou Family guards not far from him.

But Chu Xisheng was unguarded; he reached out to receive the sea cucumber soup from the man in green.

The next instant, however, his expression shifted subtly, sensing a razor-sharp Divine Thought emanating from the jade porcelain bowl, crushing down upon him.