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nChen Yiming re-evaluated his motive for agreeing to Zhang Youde’s request.

nHe did not care much about how much money he could earn from the shops that they could obtain. Instead, he thought that there would be a competition for the distribution of assets, and the victors would make their selection until the distribution was completed.

nThe suit he had prepared in advance was for intercepting suitable opponents who fought with sword techniques after the competition ended, so that he could determine his true combat strength and also secretly learn a sword technique. It would be akin to killing two birds with one stone.

nSo far, he had learned a total of three sword techniques.

nThe level of the Phantom Sword Technique was too low. It was barely sufficient for those who had just entered the disciple realm and at the level of the first transformation. However, his true level had already reached that of the third transformation, so it was considered a useless sword technique to him.

nThe Long Rainbow Sword Technique was Zhang Youde’s clan’s secret technique. It would be useful at least up till the level of the sixth transformation. Its distinguishing feature was that it was good for pursuit. No one knew that he had mastered it, so it was very suitable for when he was hiding his identity.

nThe Mantis Snake Sword Technique was useful up till the level of the ninth transformation. The technique was good for assassination, but it was best not to use it in secret to prevent suspicion from landing on him.

nHe still lacked other types of sword techniques like those for head-on confrontations, defense, speed enhancement, and so on to deal with different kinds of opponents.

nCultivating multiple sword techniques at the same time could increase one’s combat ability, but to others, it might be a detour that would delay their own cultivation progress.

nHowever, he was different. With his Level-1 swordsmanship talent, he could learn these techniques secretly just by fighting others.

nAfter thinking it through, Chen Yiming made the decision to follow and observe the situation. The moment Zheng Qiming defeated the second masked man, he quietly left the group.

nOn a street near the Li clan’s manor, Tang Zhenfeng was holding his stomach and stumbling every few steps. He was an independent martial artist who had not joined any faction. He used to be a student at the East Lake Martial Arts Academy, but after graduation, he was not able to become a teacher there.

nHe had taken on various temporary jobs to earn money for his cultivation. By chance, he managed to break through the hurdle of three transformations with much difficulty and progressively struggled till he made it to the fifth transformation.

nHe knew very well that people with ordinary martial arts talent could not waste a single moment. In order to have a chance of breaking through to the warrior realm in the future, he had to switch to a cultivation technique that could allow him to break through to the warrior realm as soon as possible.

nSuddenly, Tang Zhenfeng turned around and shouted, “Who is it? Come out!”

nThere was no discernible change in the street behind him. It was still shrouded in darkness, and it was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.

nThis was the retreat route he had specially chosen. For some reason, all the people in the street had moved out. If someone was tailing him, he would easily be discovered.

n“Crunch!”

nThe sound of stones being crushed rang out.

nNext, a figure suddenly appeared from the darkness.

nThe figure, who was also masked, charged straight at Tang Zhenfeng like a sword being unsheathed.

nThis person was Chen Yiming, who had changed into a black suit.

nWithout a word, Tang Zhenfeng swung his sword horizontally to block Chen Yiming’s sneak attack. His movements were smooth and natural, and he didn’t look like he was injured at all.

nChen Yiming used the force from the impact to retreat to a safe distance. He stopped and looked at Tang Zhenfeng, without continuing with his attack.

nAfter seeing how easily he blocked the sneak attack, he began to doubt whether Tang Zhenfeng had really been injured or was just pretending to be injured.

nOn the other hand, Tang Zhenfeng’s heart was in turmoil.

nHaving been hired for jobs outside of the city for many years, he had accumulated experience dealing with all kinds of dangers. This made him on guard against such sneak attacks. He had endured the pain and defended against the sneak attack, but before he could counterattack, the opponent had quickly retreated. “Who are you?” Tang Zhenfeng narrowed his eyes as he asked calmly. “The one who will kill you.” Chen Yiming remained calm and didn’t say anything unnecessary. The atmosphere instantly froze. Several moments passed, but neither of them made a move.

n“What exactly is your goal? Could it be that you were hired by someone who has a grudge against me?” Tang Zhenfeng asked.

nChen Yiming didn’t reply. The fact that the other party hadn’t made a move meant that he was really injured. He just didn’t know how much strength he had left.

n“Have you thought it through? Although I’m injured, if you really want to fight me to the death, there may still be others waiting to finish you off later,” Tang Zhenfeng threatened.

nHe was currently injured, and it was best if he did not make a move. Otherwise, even his light injuries could easily become serious. Even if he defeated his opponent, it would not be worth it if he ended up with incurable injuries.

nOIL

n“Then tell me, what is the worth in keeping you alive?” Chen Yiming probed. He had a rough idea of what was going on.

nA gust of wind blew into the street, causing the cloth on their faces to quiver. Parts of their real faces were revealed from under the cloth.

n“It seems that you can’t be reasoned with. If you want to kill me, you have to pay the price,” Tang Zhenfeng said fiercely.

nChen Yiming had probed him repeatedly, making it clear to Tang Zhenfeng that his opponent had never intended to let him off. He had been testing him to check the extent of his injuries and to see if he dared to take the initiative to counterattack.

nHis main cultivation technique was the Mountain Breaking Sword Technique, which emphasized the accumulation of strength from all the muscles in one’s body. The moves were wide and powerful, and were good at using one’s strength to suppress others. He wasn’t afraid of fighting others head-on, but was wary of encountering someone faster than him.

nWhen Chen Yiming launched his first sneak attack, he hadn’t been able to make an effective counterattack. This meant that his opponent was an agile enemy and wouldn’t be easy to deal with. But it was impossible for him to just sit back and do nothing.

nTang Zhenfeng took a sudden step forward and raised his sword, slashing it in Chen Yiming’s direction. Before the sword even reached him, the raging power emanating from it could already be felt.

nIf one was struck by the force from the heavy sword and the force accumulated from the user’s body, it would be almost impossible for one at the same level to withstand the blow.

nChen Yiming had no intention of taking the attack head-on. He used the Long Rainbow Sword Technique to continuously dodge the attacks in the narrow street.

nIf the opponent was faster and stronger than him, then he should consider how to make his escape.

n“Bang!”

nA wall was struck by the large sword, and crumbled into dust.

nChen Yiming easily dodged the attack, and quickly moved behind Tang Zhenfeng. Tang Zhenfeng ignored his internal injuries and turned around, charging through the dust cloud and swinging his sword at Chen Yiming.

nThe two of them exchanged dozens of blows at lightning speed. Tang Zhenfeng used all his strength in each move, hoping to crush Chen Yiming before his internal injuries worsened.

nChen Yiming’s Long Rainbow Sword Technique was good for close combat, and there were many variations in its moves. In addition, Tang Zhenfeng’s cultivation technique specialized in strength, so his agility was relatively lower.

nFor a time, the situation was completely in a stalemate. Tang Zhenfeng couldn’t keep up with his movements and changes in rhythm, so he repeatedly wasted his energy and destroyed several walls around them.

nTang Zhenfeng couldn’t defeat Chen Yiming within a short period of time. The figure in Chen Yiming’s mind quickly imitated the Mountain Breaking Sword Technique.

nChen Yiming saw through how the moves worked and all the weaknesses in the Mountain Breaking Sword Technique.

nAfter another ten moves, Chen Yiming handled the situation more leisurely, and observed how Tang Zhenfeng became more and more agitated.

nBy fighting with this injured opponent who had undergone five transformations, he had a rough idea of his true combat strength.

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