Chapter 30

The next day, Princess Gyujeok personally visited the Jiang Han Hou residence, bringing with her an imperial summons and a large amount of rewards to commend the father and son of the Jiang family.

The reason given was that the Jiang family father and son had successfully treated Princess Zhiruo.

This reason was somewhat vague. Apart from a few people who knew the inside story, no one could figure out exactly how the Jiang family father and son had treated Princess Zhiruo's illness.

However, those who attended the Longteng Hou residence banquet noticed that Princess Zhiruo was cheerful and in high spirits at the banquet, a stark contrast to her previously sickly appearance.

Could it be that the Jiang family father and son had indeed made significant contributions to Princess Zhiruo's recovery?

Speculations and rumors flew around.

One thing was certain: the Jiang family father and son were destined to become the focus of attention in the capital.

However, the main character, Jiang Chen, never cared about the reactions of the outside world. What he cared about more was the improvement of his own strength.

As time passed, the deadline for the monthly small exam was approaching.

Jiang Chen had no reason to panic. The three basic assessments were a piece of cake for him at this stage.

Soon, three more days passed.

During these three days, Jiang Chen had been working on refining his fifth meridian. After three days of refinement, the resilience of the fifth meridian had basically caught up with the level of the first four meridians.

This way, all five meridians were on the same level.

At the Longteng Hou residence, Jiang Chen had only used the strength of three meridians, and he hadn't even utilized the true cultivation of five meridians.

Of course, he was also very clear that his ability to consistently restrain Bai Zhanyun, who had the strength of eight meridians, was due to many lucky factors.

First, his level of martial arts knowledge far exceeded that of experts in the True Qi realm.

Second, during their sparring, they had agreed to compete in the "Dongwang Finger." In this ordinary martial skill, Jiang Chen had reached the legendary level, naturally suppressing Bai Zhanyun's flawless level.

Third, and most importantly, Bai Zhanyun had demonstrated the "Dongwang Finger" beforehand, and his mastery of it had been completely seen through by Jiang Chen.

As a result, Bai Zhanyun had lost all initiative before the fight even began, and being restrained was only natural.

Of course, Bai Zhanyun was also unlucky. How could he have known that his opponent was a freak who far exceeded the norms of this world in martial arts knowledge?

If they had a real, all-out battle, using their strongest martial skills, it would be hard to say who would come out on top. After all, Jiang Chen's true cultivation was at the level of five meridians, while Bai Zhanyun's was at the level of eight meridians, a difference of three stages, which was a significant gap.

However, Jiang Chen also believed that if he could withstand Bai Zhanyun's first thirty moves, he would ultimately be the one to win.

By analyzing that battle, Jiang Chen gained a deeper understanding of the true combat strength of True Qi realm martial artists.

"Talk all you want, it's all fake. Martial arts battles are unpredictable. I can sit here and analyze, but many unexpected situations in battle cannot be predicted. Ultimately, I need to continuously improve my own strength. Fortunately, my fifth meridian has been initially refined, and the next step is to use the 'True Acupoint Resonance' to locate the sixth acupoint."

In the half month since he arrived in this world, Jiang Chen had advanced from the cultivation of three meridians to five meridians. This progress, even for a top genius, would take three to five months.

But Jiang Chen had only taken half a month.

However, this was far from enough. The strength of five meridians was still too weak. Not to mention fighting against the top experts of the kingdom, even among the descendants of the feudal lords, the combat strength of five meridians would put Jiang Chen at a significant disadvantage in actual combat.

"The final assessment of the Qianlong Assembly is approaching. The atmosphere in the capital is full of turmoil. It seems that even a small kingdom, once the winds of change blow, can form a large vortex. With my current strength, I am far from being able to navigate this vortex with ease."

...

Soon, the end of the month arrived.

On this day, Jiang Chen brought Jiang Zheng and leisurely arrived at the Qianlong Assembly venue.

If not for those who knew the inside story, who would have thought that this person had not even passed the three basic assessments?

Due to his performance at the Longteng Hou residence that night, Jiang Chen's appearance attracted even more attention. Unlike when he appeared at the Alchemist Hall, the pointing and whispering were now more restrained and cautious.

Jiang Chen, of course, did not care about how the outside world viewed him and walked straight into the venue.

As soon as he walked in, he saw someone coming out, who turned out to be Yan Yiming, the descendant of the Yanmen Hou.

"Jiang Chen!" Yan Yiming's eyes blazed with anger upon seeing Jiang Chen.

Being defeated by Jiang Chen's single finger at the Longteng Hou residence was a lifelong humiliation for Yan Yiming. Not only did it make him lose face in front of his peers, but more importantly, it made him look ridiculous in front of Long Juxue, causing her to ignore him now.

Yan Yiming felt that all of this was Jiang Chen's fault. If not for this bastard, how could he, Yan Yiming, have become a laughingstock in the capital?

"Are you that Yan Monkey who fought over the seat?" Jiang Chen was taken aback for a moment, then remembered who this person was.

However, this sudden realization was perceived by Yan Yiming as an even greater insult.

"Jiang Chen, don't be so arrogant! If you hadn't tricked me last time, do you think you could have defeated me with your mere cultivation of three meridians?"

Yan Yiming shouted, disregarding the setting.

"Are you saying you're not convinced?" Jiang Chen smiled calmly.

"Convinced? What are you? Do you think I should be convinced by you? Is your rank as Jiang Han Hou higher than mine as Yanmen Hou? Or is your cultivation level higher than mine?"

"Then what do you want?" Jiang Chen remained calm.

"I... I want to duel with you!" Yan Yiming roared, feeling both aggrieved and不服 (unconvinced). He wanted to reclaim his lost dignity and double it.

The most direct way was to defeat Jiang Chen, the culprit, and humiliate and trample him mercilessly!

"Duel? No time, no interest!" Jiang Chen smiled casually, shook his head, and walked past Yan Yiming as if he were air.

"Jiang Chen, you coward! You got lucky and tricked me once, but you don't have the guts to duel with me again? Fine! I knew your family is a bunch of cowards. You won't duel? Fine! Just admit in front of everyone that you are a coward, and I'll let you go."

Jiang Chen's indifference was seen by Yan Yiming as a sign of guilt. This made Yan Yiming even more confident that Jiang Chen had only won by luck that day.

Suddenly, Jiang Chen's steps halted.

Whether it was the word "coward" or the insult to his family, both had crossed Jiang Chen's psychological底线 (bottom line).

Those who touch my bottom line, I will not forgive!

"Three moves!" Jiang Chen stared coldly at Yan Yiming. "You don't have the资格 (qualifications) to duel with me! If you don't lie down within three moves, I'll consider it a loss."

"Ha ha ha, indeed arrogant! I don't need three moves! I, the descendant of the Yanmen Hou..."

Yan Yiming was about to boast, but his words suddenly stopped.

He dared not continue, nor did he have the time. Because Jiang Chen, standing opposite him, suddenly exuded a mysterious aura, locking him in place.

"First move, watch carefully!"

Jiang Chen made no fancy moves, just took a step forward. As he took this step, his arm lifted slightly.

Just this slight lift of his arm exuded a heart-stopping aura.

"Thunderclap!"

A burst of energy from his fingertips shot out like a bolt of lightning, following an incredible trajectory, piercing towards Yan Yiming!

Like a sudden thunderclap, Yan Yiming felt his eardrums go numb. The astonishing force of the finger strike shot towards his vital points like an arrow.

"Hmph, using the same trick again. Do you think this 'Dongwang Finger' can hurt me?"

Yan Yiming was surprised by the suddenness of the strike but was confident he could avoid it.

His body moved like a willow branch swaying in the wind.

"Willow Fluff Step, creating waves without wind!"

Yan Yiming's body swayed like willow fluff, moving with a rhythm that seemed to create ripples in the air, exuding an indescribable grace.

This was the Yanmen Hou family's secret technique, the "Willow Fluff Step."

Yan Yiming was very confident. He believed that his defeat that day was due to being restrained by the technique. Today, using his family's secret technique, he would definitely beat Jiang Chen to a pulp!

However, before his confidence could last long, Jiang Chen took another step forward, and the movement of his arm accelerated slightly.

"Second finger, Star Burst!"

Jiang Chen's technique was simple and straightforward, with no unnecessary flair. To outsiders, it might seem overly simple and brutal.

But the profound simplicity of martial arts was something only Jiang Chen understood.

Transforming complex techniques into simple ones is easy, but transforming simple ones into complex ones is difficult.

Jiang Chen's two fingers had already reached the level of transforming the complex into the simple, condensing all changes into the technique.

Seeking change in the unchanging.

Indeed, a hint of a smug smile appeared on Yan Yiming's lips. "Jiang Chen, your 'Dongwang Finger' is good, but you're out of tricks, right? Wanting to hurt me is just a dream!"

However, before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Chen's aura suddenly changed. His fingertips flicked, and the rhythm changed again.

"Third finger, Nameless!"

Swoosh!

This finger strike was neither flower nor mist, indescribable. It clearly came from the "Dongwang Finger" but far exceeded its intended effect.

An incredible streamline, an incredible arc, an incredible finger strike.

It hit its mark in an instant.

Yan Yiming felt a sharp pain in his side, in the same spot as before, but with ten times the force. It tore through his steps and defenses like a piece of paper, hitting him again!

Boom!

Yan Yiming's body fell to the ground in a sorry state, unconscious.