Chapter 128 - 127: You’ve Already Gotten In Once, Will The Second Time Be Hard?

Chapter 128: Chapter 127: You’ve Already Gotten In Once, Will The Second Time Be Hard?

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Dull thuds echoed endlessly throughout the Casting Area.

With each thud, Pang Lei’s body would fly high into the air, only to be yanked back down by Wu Chen, who held the other end of the chain. Then came another kick.

The chains, originally Pang Lei’s signature weapon that had slain countless fiends, had now become the very tool used to restrain him.

He wanted to escape, but he couldn’t.

He had no leverage in mid-air, leaving him to be kicked around like a ball by his opponent.

It wasn’t fatal—his physique was tough enough for that—but it was utterly humiliating.

Pang Lei could feel countless eyes fixed on him. The prestige he had built over so many years was being dismantled by Wu Chen, piece by piece.

In truth, he wasn’t completely helpless. If he just abandoned the chains locked to his wrists, he could escape his current predicament.

But that would be tantamount to admitting defeat.

"Am I seeing things? Is Third Senior Brother getting completely thrashed?"

Watching this scene of him being repeatedly kicked and falling, the disciples swallowed nervously. Then someone asked:

"By the way, if Third Senior Brother participates in the grand competition in ten days, how far do you think he’d get?"

"In the Late Stage Jade Bone Realm tournament, he’s a shoo-in for the top ten."

"Does that mean... this guy named Wu Chen has the strength to reliably make it into the top ten?"

"..."

Having arrived at this conclusion, everyone fell silent. The answer was obvious.

He was toying with Third Senior Brother like he was a child. Forget the top ten; the top three was probably no problem for him.

"Huh? When did the Sect Leader get here?"

Someone in the crowd let out a soft cry of surprise. All eyes shifted until they landed on a middle-aged man who had, at some point, squeezed into the crowd and was now sitting on a chair, enjoying the show.

Beside him was a panting Zhuang Bo; he was clearly the one who had just gone to fetch him.

The Sect Leader didn’t seem angry at all watching his son get beaten. He was leisurely cracking melon seeds, a look of great interest in his eyes.

If someone hadn’t spoken up, no one would have even noticed his presence.

Noticing everyone looking at him, the well-built man chuckled.

"What are you all looking at me for? Look at the one in there getting his ass kicked!"

Everyone: "..."

Wu Chen: "..."

Pang Lei: "..."

Wu Chen had, of course, been paying attention to his surroundings. Hearing that the Sect Leader had arrived, he chose the opportune moment to stop.

After all, beating up a guy in front of his own father could lead to trouble if he took it the wrong way.

He released the chains and dodged to the side.

THUD!

Pang Lei finally hit the ground. A powerful force had coursed through his entire body, and though it ached to the point of numbness, he wasn’t seriously injured.

A couple of days’ rest, and he would be back to normal.

"I haven’t been back in a while. This bluestone floor is too slippery. I was careless! Lost my footing!"

The moment he landed, he scrambled to make an excuse for himself.

He had started off with such bravado, only to end up getting beaten so miserably without even using half his skills. It was just too embarrassing.

"I lost!"

But no matter what he said, a loss was a loss. Pang Lei could at least admit that.

"I just got lucky by a single move," Wu Chen said lightly.

The onlookers clicked their tongues in disbelief. ’He beat Pang Lei so badly he couldn’t even fight back, and he calls that getting lucky by a single move?’

"Actually, if you hadn’t been so stubborn just now,"

Wu Chen added, "and had thrown away the chains, you surely would have had other techniques to use."

Pang Lei’s eyes lit up. He said proudly, "But of course! My fists are nothing to sneeze at either..."

He was about to elaborate when a powerful voice from the side cut him off:

"You damn fool! He’s just being polite, and you’re actually getting cocky?"

Pang Lei faltered, looked at the man walking over, and stood up straight respectfully.

"Father!"

"Get the hell out of my sight!"

Pang Weifeng was furious looking at his son. ’If you lose, you tuck your tail and leave. What are you doing, still posturing here?’

BAM!

He kicked out mercilessly. Pang Lei’s massive body flew up once again, tracing an arc over the Casting Area before disappearing from everyone’s view.

Out of sight, out of mind.

The watching disciples could only click their tongues in amazement.

Pang Weifeng then turned to the saber-wielding young man a few steps away. A glint flashed in his eyes as he nodded and said:

"To hide killing intent within the sheath, to hide it within the body. To not strike is one thing, but to strike with shocking power—that is true killing intent."

After this word of praise, his expression grew solemn. He cupped his fist and said:

"Young friend, my worthless son has caused you trouble. I hope you won’t hold it against him."

"It was just a normal spar," Wu Chen said with a grin. ’Even if I wanted to hold it against him, I wouldn’t dare.’

With his current strength, he could toy with Xue Hanyan however he pleased, no problem.

But this man before him, who could raise a son with such Qi Power, must have an unfathomable level of strength himself.

Moreover, he was at the Perfection stage of the Organ Refining Realm, just one step away from becoming a second-rate master. He could be considered a dominant figure in his own right.

"Young people are so open-minded."

Pang Weifeng nodded, a smile playing on his lips. "Young friend, why don’t we speak somewhere else?"

"Of course, I will follow the Sect Leader’s arrangements," Wu Chen readily agreed.

He knew in his heart that as the head of a Sect, there was no way Pang Weifeng would personally step in just because his son was beaten. The story would sound too awful if it got out.

The righteous path was the righteous path for a reason; they cared about both face and substance.

Therefore, Wu Chen figured that "speaking somewhere else" meant he was about to be compensated.

Watching the two of them walk off into the distance, how could the disciples not understand that Wu Chen was about to receive a reward?

"I wonder what kind of reward he’ll get. The Sect Leader is even taking him to pick it out personally. I’m so jealous just watching."

"If you could thrash Third Senior Brother like that, the Sect Leader would definitely reward you personally too!"

"If I had that kind of skill, would I still be stuck here smithing away? I’d have gone off to slaughter the Blood Slaughter Sect and make a name for myself long ago!"

"..."

The disciples watched with waning interest until the two figures disappeared. Only then did the clanging of hammers resume in the Casting Area.

’Just as I thought!’

Looking at the four-story-tall building with a plaque bearing the word "Arsenal," Wu Chen knew his guess had been right.

As the Sect Leader of Refining Valley, Pang Weifeng himself was the rules.

He easily brought Wu Chen to the third floor of the Arsenal.

"I heard you were in need of a Martial Arts manual, young friend. This floor contains one hundred and thirty-six manuals, all for the Jade Bone Realm."

Pang Weifeng was very courteous. "You may choose any one manual that suits you. You can collect the corresponding pills for that art from the Elder downstairs. If there’s anything you don’t understand about the Martial Arts, you can come to Refining Valley and ask me anytime."

"In addition, you may also choose any one item from the Hundred Weapons Pavilion as an apology from my worthless son."

Over the past two days, Pang Weifeng had heard people talk about Wu Chen. Combined with the report from the young disciple just now, and because the matter directly involved his own son, he decided to meet him in person.

Recalling the young disciple’s report that Wu Chen had repeatedly asked about exchanging for a Martial Arts manual, he decided to take this opportunity to go with the flow and grant his wish.

Besides, he regarded Wu Chen as a peerless prodigy from another Sect out gaining experience. Such a person naturally had to be treated with courtesy.

"Thank you, Sect Leader!"

Looking at the Martial Arts manuals on the shelves, Wu Chen’s eyes began to shine.

He knew, of course, that with the Sect Leader’s status, he could afford to give more than just one manual.

But as far as everyone else was concerned, a single manual was enough to advance from the Early Stage to the Mid Stage. For someone with slightly better aptitude, one manual might even last them until the Late Stage.

Someone like him, who needed ten manuals for a single realm, was likely unheard of by the Sect Leader, so he certainly wasn’t going to reveal that fact.

But he didn’t take this chance to risk asking the Sect Leader for two manuals.

’After all, I’ve already gotten into a place I wasn’t allowed. Will it be that hard to get in a second time?’

The Sect Leader had important matters to attend to and left after he finished speaking. He had an Arsenal disciple stay behind to explain the cultivation methods and difficulty levels of the twenty-seven sets of Jade Bone Martial Arts to Wu Chen.

In truth, Wu Chen didn’t care about the difficulty, but he still pretended to hesitate for a moment before picking one.

The disciple brought him a copied version, along with a slightly thicker booklet containing supplementary notes on the Martial Arts to help with comprehension.

With the books in hand, Wu Chen followed the disciple down to the first floor of the pavilion.

"This is a three-month supply of pills."

The Elder had clearly been given instructions, and he handed three porcelain vials to Wu Chen.

"You may come here every three months to collect this supply of pills, young friend."

"Thank you for your trouble, Elder."

Wu Chen didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted them all.

Now that he had a new Martial Art, Wu Chen naturally had to get the Deep Red panel working.

He decided against going to Mountain Mist City and returned directly to his courtyard on the mountaintop.

He had extended the rent on this small courtyard for three months, originally intending to use it after leaving the secret realm, but he ended up needing it now.

But before that, he decided to first use his opportunity to claim a free reward from the Hundred Weapons Pavilion.

There wasn’t much to choose from in his mind; Wu Chen went straight for another storage pouch worth five hundred Contribution Points.

Besides being extremely useful, this item was the most expensive in the Hundred Weapons Pavilion and, in Wu Chen’s opinion, the most practical treasure.

All in all, he now had a total of four storage pouches.

’With these, this trip to the Blood Road trial should be very fruitful!’

Having done all this, Wu Chen quickly returned to his mountaintop courtyard and began to look through the Martial Arts manual he had just obtained.

FLIP, FLIP, FLIP!

The sound of pages turning filled the small courtyard.

After just a few moments, Wu Chen rubbed his sore eyes, rose from his lounge chair, and gazed into the distance.

Looking at the pulsating panel and the Martial Art he had just added points to, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"My Contribution Points couldn’t get me a Martial Arts manual, but beating up the Sect Leader’s son did."

"What a strange turn of events..."

He stretched contentedly and was about to lie back down on the chair to rest for a bit before grabbing a bite to eat.

But then he heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside, followed by Zhuang Bo’s voice:

"Hall Master He, please don’t worry! Young Master Wu’s courtyard is just ahead. We’re almost there!"

"?"

’Old Hall Master He? Did something happen at the Songtao Martial Hall?’

Hearing the hurried footsteps, Wu Chen opened the door before his visitors arrived and leaned out to look down the mountain path.

He saw Zhuang Bo leading the way, and behind him was the old man, none other than the master of the Songtao Martial Hall, He Bai.

However, the old hall master looked as if he had been through a great ordeal. His white hair was a mess, and his face was much more gaunt.

Seeing Wu Chen standing at the door, the old hall master looked at the familiar figure and cried out in grief:

"I beg you, Young Master Wu, please save that worthless Stone Ox!"

"Hall Master He, please just tell me what happened."

Wu Chen quickly supported He Bai, who was about to kneel before him.

At the same time, he was surprised. ’What on earth did Stone Ox do to make this old man rush over in such a state?’

’So much so that he was about to kneel the moment he saw me.’