Chapter 650 - 405: Strength Is the Source of Confidence

Chapter 650: Chapter 405: Strength Is the Source of Confidence

Within the magnificent Zhu Residence, there was a training ground the size of four or five basketball courts.

On any given day, the Zhu Mansion guards would be here training their bodies or sparring with one another to hone their combat skills.

WHOOSH...

RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...

A light breeze rustled the lush trees and plants surrounding the training ground, their branches and leaves brushing against one another with a soft sound.

A man and four women emerged from a distant corner of the corridor, walking straight toward the training ground.

"HUP."

"HAH."

BANG BANG BANG...

The training ground housed a sparring arena nearly the size of a basketball court.

At that moment, two strong, short-haired guards were locked in a fierce back-and-forth battle on the arena, sweat flying from their bodies.

Aside from the other guards watching the fight, many maids and servants who had finished their chores had gathered to watch the excitement.

The crowd watched the two men battling fiercely on the arena, shouting and cheering them on.

"Miss," a young maid who happened to glance aside cried out in surprise upon seeing Zhu Xinru.

"???"

Hearing the young maid’s cry, the spectating guards, servants, and maids immediately stopped shouting and hurriedly greeted Zhu Xinru.

Of course, they also greeted Li Qian, who was standing beside Zhu Xinru.

"Miss."

"Miss Li."

As the chorus of greetings rang out, the two guards who had been battling fiercely on the arena also stopped, panting as they added their own greetings.

The servants present were all a bit puzzled. Their young miss almost never came to the training ground, so why was she here today? And with Li Qian, no less.

Just a few seconds after this question crossed their minds, all eyes fell on Lin Li, who stood beside Zhu Xinru.

Everyone was filled with curiosity about this man dressed in plain linen clothes, who was being treated so warmly by their miss.

Zhu Xinru smiled and nodded at the servants in response to their greetings.

Before she could speak, Li Qian, who was standing beside her and eager for a spar, cut in. "I need to use the arena. You two, come on down."

Upon hearing her words, the two panting guards on the arena nodded and immediately jumped down.

’Miss Li wants to use the arena! Who’s she planning to spar with?’

The servants present were all very familiar with Li Qian. They knew she was passionate about cultivation and loved to spar, so when they heard she wanted the arena, they immediately realized she intended to fight someone herself.

The maids and male servants were simply spectators, happy to have a show to watch. The guards, however, felt completely different.

Upon hearing Li Qian’s request, their hearts tightened, wondering if she would randomly pick one or more of them to get on the arena and spar.

Li Qian had inherited her father’s talent for cultivation and, despite her youth, had already reached the Second Rank Initial Stage.

Of the guards present, only four or five who were over forty years old could match her strength. The rest were no match for her in a one-on-one fight.

In the past, Li Qian had been known to spar one-on-one with guards of equal strength, or even take on several weaker guards at once.

Everyone knew that Li Qian was their young miss’s cousin and the daughter of the Lord City Lord, making her status incredibly noble.

When chosen by Li Qian to spar, the guards couldn’t really fight all out. In the end, they would not only get beaten up for nothing, but also displease Li Qian by not using their full strength. Sparring with her was a truly thankless task.

Li Qian hadn’t sought out any of the Zhu Family guards for a spar since January, so the guards had assumed that particular chore was a thing of the past.

Faced with this situation, they all wore bitter expressions and prayed inwardly, ’Please, oh please, don’t let her pick me.’

Seeing the two guards jump down, Li Qian walked forward. The servants surrounding the arena immediately parted to clear a path for her.

Once she reached the arena, Li Qian leaped onto the platform. Then, under the tense and bitter gazes of the guards, she raised her right hand and beckoned to Lin Li, who was standing beside Zhu Xinru.

"Young Master Lin, hurry up and get on here! Lunch will be ready soon, so the sooner we start, the sooner we can finish."

"Huh?!!!"

When the servants and maids saw Li Qian call Lin Li to the arena, they all turned to look at him, their faces filled with astonishment.

Meanwhile, the guards who had been praying not to be chosen by Li Qian immediately broke into joyful smiles.

"Mr. Lin, my cousin is very strong," Zhu Xinru cautioned Lin Li as he prepared to step forward. "She’s about to break through to the Second Order Middle Stage, so please be careful."

She had been surrounded by bandits and rescued by Lin Li, and had even seen him single-handedly crush them.

However, she knew her cousin’s abilities inside and out. ’Even though Lin Li is strong,’ she thought, ’his chances of defeating my cousin are slim.’

"Second Rank Initial Stage? Your cousin is quite impressive! Thanks for the warning, I’ll be careful..." Lin Li said with a smile.

His inner thoughts, however, were another matter entirely. ’I probably shouldn’t defeat her right away,’ he decided.

’After all, crushing her in just a few moves would be incredibly embarrassing for her. She’s Zhu Xinru’s cousin. I should at least drag the fight out for six or seven minutes before winning.’