First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!
Chapter 169: I'm Si Ming Third Layer—You Think I’m Scared If You Don’t Power Up?

......

The man’s expression grew more serious.

Ruan Kong, male, 46 years old, Si Ming Third Layer—average talent.

Current head of the Ruan Family, second brother of Ruan Hai, called Second Uncle by Ruan Xiaoqi.

Unclear which generation Qi Cultivator he is.

Today, to be lectured in public by a junior and unable to retort—who wouldn’t snap?

Let alone watching his son get slapped right in front of him.

Just as Ruan Kong’s aura surged and he was about to explode,

a fleshy palm landed on his shoulder from behind.

An overwhelming aura, several times stronger, crushed down, instantly dispersing Ruan Kong’s pressure.

The ground cracked beneath them, and the walls split with web-like fractures.

“Second Brother, you’re a grown ss man—quit stooping to argue with kids.”

The speaker was none other than Ruan Xiaoqi’s father, Ruan Kong’s third brother, and the actual Ruan Family head—Ruan Hai, a full-fledged Earth Observer Realm powerhouse!

Ruan Kong’s momentum collapsed.

He coldly snorted at Lu Ding. Decades of cultivation behind him—others might fear Lu Ding, but he sure didn’t.

They’d all crawled through real fights with real blades.

If it weren’t for Ruan Hai’s hand just now, he would’ve shown Lu Ding what a true Si Ming looks like!

“You’ve still got a long road ahead. Don’t think that—”

“Don’t think just because you’ve eaten a few more bowls of rice than me, you can lecture me. Eating more just means you’re a fat pig. What’s all this fake rage supposed to prove?”

“You make a mistake and won’t admit it, get hit and won’t stand straight, can’t discipline your own son, and now you’re showing off in front of me. Not convinced? At 749, we have life-and-death pacts and the death match platform. You signing, or not?”

Lu Ding cut Ruan Kong off and shot right back.

Why should anyone wait to be lectured before clapping back?

Screw that.

Lu Ding knew exactly what he was about to say. Everyone here did.

So if you’re pissed, and I’m annoyed,

and we’re all Qi Cultivators—why waste breath?

One word: fight!!!!

Seal the pact with a handprint, sign the paper, bang the gong, and let the ring decide who's who.

No such thing as seniority by age—only strength decides.

Fighting kids was boring. If Lu Ding was gonna fight, he’d fight the big ones.

Arguing back and forth was pointless. The ending was already decided.

“You!!!”

Ruan Kong started to speak but choked on rage. One word, and his fury was already overflowing.

But Lu Ding wasn’t made of mud either:

“Aren’t you so big on protecting your brats? Come on! Sign your name and let’s see you protect him now!”

As he spoke, Lu Ding quietly flipped his hand and started powering up with Path of Jinche, gradually building strength.

From that moment on, he was charging up—once the paper was signed and the stamp set, the moment they hit the stage, he’d slash.

And he was doing it hidden—secretly.

With Oneness with Heaven and Man cloaking him, not a single person noticed.

Ruan Kong, already fuming, got baited by the simplest trick in the book—because the simple ones work best.

He agreed right away, pointing at Lu Ding: “You said it. Those were your words. Sign! I’ll sign right now!!”

He might’ve been hotheaded, but Ruan Hai wasn’t.

As the head of the Ruan Family, staying calm was his specialty.

Everyone here knew Lu Ding’s signature technique—

that bizarre power-up slash.

He dared to go after a Si Ming while still in Linghai. Later, he even killed one alone. Every one of his exploits screamed bold and calculated.

If he dared to yell this out, he wasn’t scared of you agreeing.

Geniuses don’t play by normal rules.

Ruan Hai quickly warned, “Don’t lose your mind!”

Today’s crowd wasn’t just clan members—Yunmeng 749 had people here too. They just hadn’t stepped out yet.

If a fight broke out later, winning or losing didn’t even matter.

No one would benefit from it. So why fight?

Ruan Kong, already boiling, heard that and pointed at himself: “I lost my mind? I lost my mind!?”

“He basically pointed at my nose and cursed me out, and you say I’m the one losing it!?”

“You can act tough in Yunhai, but this is Yunmeng!”

This part was directed at Lu Ding.

Lu Ding didn’t like trash talk, but since the invite was already sent—

“All bark and no bite. Give you a chance and you still choke. You’re just like your son—both f**ing useless.”

Boom. Father and son combo insult.

Ruan Kong’s wife had enough!

Insult her husband, fine. But insult her son too? No way!!

“Dear, get up there! Teach that little punk a lesson!!!”

Then she whispered, “He’s not powered up.”

Ruan Hai shot her a glare—this flame-fanning woman was making things worse. He knew there was no stopping his second brother now.

He leaned in and whispered so only they could hear: “Go ahead and fight, but don’t kill him. Keep it light, or the Ruan Family’s gonna have a hard time down the road.”

“Hmph, I know. That kid’s too full of himself. I’ll teach him a lesson—but I won’t take his life!”

“He thinks just because he beat a few Si Mings, he can yell at me? Today, I’ll show him what a real Si Ming Realm looks like!”

With that, Ruan Kong stepped forward, looked again at Lu Ding: “Let’s make it clear. If I win, we wipe the slate clean for what my son did today.”

“If I lose—do whatever you want.”

He was full of confidence. Lu Ding’s signature was that powered-up slash.

But he hadn’t charged it yet—Ruan Kong could see that clearly.

He thought Lu Ding was underestimating him, treating him like those other Si Mings.

One sentence summed it up: until the blade hits you, everyone thinks they can take it.

Eat a few decades more rice, and suddenly old men think youth should grovel.

Sure, the future might be yours,

but the present belongs to me!

Being one major realm higher—in most Qi Cultivators’ minds, each step is like a new world. The gap is massive.

All those factors inflated Ruan Kong’s confidence.

And created the perfect conditions for his downfall.

Among his peers, he wasn’t outstanding,

but bullying the younger ones... heh......

Lu Ding didn’t bother replying—he’d already said enough today. He turned to the Zhai Family patriarch, just about to ask for pen and paper.

Who knew—

Bai Hemen ran over holding it already.

He raised the white paper high.

“Life-and-death pact.”

Turns out, while Lu Ding was saying all that, Bai Hemen had already written it up.

Black ink scrawled across the page like dragons and snakes—vigorous and bold.

Outside the Zhai gate, a man in a 749 management uniform arrived.

“Since the life-and-death pact is tradition at 749, as Deputy Director of Yunmeng 749, I’ll serve as the official witness. That’s fair, right?”

Everyone turned to look. The speaker was Yunmeng 749’s Deputy Chief—

Qiu Si.

He strode in, wind at his heels. Lu Ding greeted him, “Hello, Director Qiu.”

Qiu Si nodded with a smile: “I’m even better now that I see you.”

As he spoke, he reached out to shake hands.

Lu Ding reached too—and the moment their hands clasped, a voice echoed in his mind:

[The Yunmeng Qi Cultivator clans are getting more arrogant. Ruan Kong, especially, has openly defied oversight. Some families even show signs of collusion with the Tianli Cult.]

[We need to shake the mountain and scare the tiger. Sign the pact, kill him on the spot, throw the whole situation into chaos. After that, I’ll get you top-grade spiritual materials. I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences.]

The two exchanged smiles—

Deal sealed.