Chapter 61 - 62: Giving Hong Ming a Little Genius Shock

Chapter 61: Chapter 62: Giving Hong Ming a Little Genius Shock

"Ten times!"

"If I attack using dual force simultaneously, my energy can only last for a maximum of ten strikes."

Su Chen muttered to himself, mentally noting the results of his recent test.

When at the second tier of the Iron Cloth Shirt, he could only unleash dual force five times. But now, at the third tier of the Iron Cloth Shirt, he could use it ten times. The number of strikes had doubled. To him, this was fantastic news.

However, aside from the increased number of uses, nothing else had changed much.

Having gained a clear understanding of his current strength, Su Chen returned indoors. He had been busy since last night and hadn’t slept a wink.

Lying on his bed, he quickly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, in Lanye Town.

A headless corpse was transported back and placed in a courtyard.

Sometime later, a tall, heavily bearded man walked in. He pulled back the white cloth and lifted Wei Jie’s arm. Upon seeing the scar on the arm, his expression darkened.

"Who did this?" he asked in a deep voice, looking at Wei Jie’s subordinates.

One of the subordinates spoke up, recounting the events of the previous night. After listening, the man muttered, "One-armed... Yang Guo..."

"Give me this person’s intel," the man said a moment later.

Soon, two intelligence reports were placed in front of him.

The first detailed how Su Chen assisted the Fang Family in killing the third boss of the Lianyun Stronghold.

The second covered Wei Jie’s investigation into Su Chen, detailing how he killed Zhu Ming while working for the Government Office.

Upon reading the reports, the man slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Yang Guo... What a bold Yang Guo!"

Whether it was killing the third boss of the Lianyun Stronghold or eliminating Zhu Ming and Wei Jie, it was a blatant provocation against the Rebirth Sect.

The latter offense was especially egregious. The fact that this man had actually killed Wei Jie meant he held absolute disregard for the Rebirth Sect.

"It’s just..."

His anger subsiding, the man calmed down. After finishing the first report, a look of suspicion crossed his face.

"Not only is this man bold, but he’s also utterly deceitful. He likes to hide his true strength. Logically, since Wei Jie knew this, he shouldn’t have fallen for it. Yet, the outcome is that Wei Jie didn’t just lose his life—his head was severed entirely."

Combining this with Wei Jie’s intel, the man immediately deduced that Su Chen had intentionally concealed the state of his arm. While shocked, he also realized just how formidable this opponent was.

If Wei Jie hadn’t known about Su Chen hiding his intact arm, being killed in a surprise attack would have been understandable. But Wei Jie *had* known, and he was still killed. This detail was worth pondering over.

"Although Wei Jie’s strength was only at the minor mastery of Force Training, he had cultivated for many years and was merely half a step away from major mastery," the man murmured. "Furthermore, his leg techniques were formidable. An ordinary martial artist at major mastery wouldn’t even be his match. Could this person’s strength have already reached major mastery? When did such an expert appear in White Stone City?"

The man fell deep into thought. He pondered for a long time but couldn’t think of anyone among the various factions in White Stone City who matched Su Chen’s description.

"Forget it. No matter your identity, since you dared to kill a member of my sect, I will make you pay in blood."

Subsequently, he called over a subordinate and instructed, "Go spread the word. Say that this Yang Guo has already been slain by this Protector."

"Understood!"

After that subordinate left, another man standing beside him asked, "Protector Sun, will the Government Office believe it?"

"It doesn’t matter if the Government Office believes it or not. I’m just forcing Yang Guo to show himself," Protector Sun said with a shake of his head, not elaborating further. "Also, pass down the order: we evacuate Lanye Town tonight. At the same time, tell Zhu Hu and the others that the plan will proceed as usual."

"Yes, sir!"

Su Chen slept straight through until noon the next day, only waking when his stomach let out a loud GRUMBLE of hunger.

After washing up, he headed out and splurged on a meal at a restaurant. Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he didn’t return home; instead, he planned to go to the Martial Arts Hall.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t been to the Martial Arts Hall in a month. It was about time he paid a visit.

Before he even stepped inside the Martial Arts Hall, Su Chen could hear a lively commotion coming from within.

"Senior Brother Qin Hao was truly amazing this time! He defeated the disciples of all those other Martial Arts Halls single-handedly."

"Yeah! If I hadn’t joined in the same batch as Senior Brother Qin Hao, I wouldn’t have believed that he’s been training for less than half a year."

"Senior Brother Qin Hao really did our Martial Arts Hall proud. You guys have no idea how happy the master was. He smiled so widely that it looked like a lot of his wrinkles disappeared."

"Well, duh! Having such an outstanding disciple like Senior Brother Qin Hao, who wouldn’t be overjoyed?"

The crowd, who had been chatting animatedly, suddenly paused when they saw Su Chen walk through the door. Then, they called out in unison, "Brother Su."

At that moment, Su Chen was preoccupied with figuring out how to explain himself to Hong Ming. Hearing their greetings, he merely offered a slight nod and said nothing more.

After Su Chen walked past them, the group resumed their hushed discussions.

"Did you guys notice? Brother Su seemed a little unhappy."

"I heard that Senior Brother Qin Hao and Brother Su joined at the exact same time, and they’ve always seen each other as rivals. Now that Senior Brother Qin Hao has made a huge name for himself, it’s no wonder Brother Su is upset."

"That makes sense. Recently, a lot of major factions have come to recruit Senior Brother Qin Hao. His daily social engagements are endless. Compared to him, Brother Su is in a much shabbier position, so he naturally feels terrible."

Su Chen entered the inner courtyard just as Li Mo was walking out. Seeing him, Li Mo was visibly taken aback. He quickly grabbed Su Chen and pulled him aside.

"So you still remember to show up at the Martial Arts Hall!" Li Mo hissed under his breath. He glanced over his shoulder, only relaxing when he saw that Hong Ming’s attention wasn’t on them.

Su Chen scratched his head and asked awkwardly, "Senior Brother Li Mo, um... how’s the master doing?"

"He’s about half-dead from being pissed off by you!" Li Mo snapped back, clearly aware of the promise Su Chen had made to Hong Ming.

Hearing this, a bitter smile surfaced on Su Chen’s face.

"You agreed to participate in the Martial Arts Hall exchange tournament," Li Mo continued. "But the master waited ages for you, and you never showed up. He even sent me to look for you, but I couldn’t find a trace of you. How do you think he felt?"

Pausing for a moment, Li Mo ignored Su Chen’s embarrassment. A sudden smile broke across his face as his tone shifted.

"Fortunately for you, Qin Hao bailed you out. He decisively won back our master’s face in front of a whole crowd of seniors. Otherwise, you’d be bracing yourself for his thunderous fury right now."

"So... is it safe for me to go in now?" Relieved by the news, Su Chen asked hesitantly.

"You can, but the master’s anger hasn’t completely subsided yet. You better be prepared," Li Mo advised after some thought.

Seeing Su Chen about to step forward, Li Mo grabbed him again. "Are you serious? You’re actually going in? Aren’t you afraid of getting chewed out?"

Su Chen halted. Looking at Li Mo, he shook his head with a smile. "I don’t think he will."

"Huh?" Li Mo was dumbfounded. How could he not? Just moments ago, Hong Ming had been talking about Su Chen with a face full of irritation.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Mo followed Su Chen inside.

"Su Chen?" As Su Chen entered the inner training grounds, Qin Hao, who was currently practicing, spotted him and paused in surprise.

At that moment, the previously languid Hong Ming’s gaze turned razor-sharp, and he slowly sat up straight.

Seeing this reaction, Li Mo’s heart skipped a beat.

Qin Hao also noticed the shift in Hong Ming’s demeanor, and a nearly imperceptible smirk curled the corners of his lips.

Before Hong Ming could even speak, Su Chen decided to take the initiative and hit him with a little "genius shock."

"Master, I’ve broken through!"