I Only Stomp on Weaklings

As soon as Chen Ming entered, he immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

There were a total of seven people here, five men and two women, all appearing rather young; these were the elites of Jiangzhou’s younger generation, well, except for those from the seven major factions.

Seven people, each representing a different faction.

The Qin Family, Ji Family, Cangyue Sect, Wushan Sect, Tiangang Sect, and another one deeply connected with Golden Jade Hall.

The last one was from Six Gates. An old acquaintance indeed.

Including him representing the Jiang Family, the strongest eight factions in Jiangzhou were all gathered.

This also meant that without the support of a major faction, you wouldn’t even qualify to participate.

The seven people present reacted differently, some with indifferent expressions, some wary, some scrutinizing, some puzzled, and some with aggression in their eyes...

"This young lady seems unfamiliar, haven’t seen her before. I am Tian Qidong from Dai Commandery. May I know your name?"

A rather amiable young man took the initiative to greet.

Chen Ming politely replied, "Yuan Ziyi of Xingyue Sect, greetings Brother Tian."

Dai Commandery’s Tian Family, quite nostalgic indeed.

Remembering years ago, at the Martial Arts Gathering at Admiral’s Mansion in Qingfeng City, there was someone from the Tian Family named Tian Qiming, should be this guy’s brother.

"So it’s Miss Yuan, a pleasure indeed." Tian Qidong was tactful, seeing she didn’t want to say much, he stopped conversing.

Chen Ming stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over these seven people, lingering for an extra second on one of them.

The person’s name was Zhou Weihua, cousin of Zhou Weihao, and indeed, the two looked quite alike.

No idea how Gu Yuantao and Zhou Weihao are doing now.

These two were not in Jiangzhou City, and for a while, couldn’t find out any news about them...

While Chen Ming was pondering, he suddenly heard footsteps from outside, heart surprised, could there be someone else?

Who else would be pushed forward by another faction?

He turned to look, only to see a wisp of bright yellow skirt floating past the Moon Gate, his heart skipped a beat, a familiar figure entered his view.

It was her?

The arriving person wore a bright yellow long skirt, her face veiled, her long hair tied up in a style befitting a married woman. As she walked, she appeared graceful and elegant, full of charm, even with her face covered, certainly an extraordinary beauty.

Others were equally surprised, those who knew her puzzled why she came. Those who didn’t, speculated which faction she represented?

"Is it you?"

Only one man showed considerable excitement upon seeing her appear.

This person was none other than Chen Ming’s old acquaintance, Yu Xiuming, a Fifth-Grade Captain known from Qingfeng City, originally at the helm of Qingfeng City, later replaced by a Third-Grade Admiral.

Soon after, he was reassigned.

Unexpected to meet this person here.

After two years, Yu Xiuming also broke through to Third-Grade, representing Six Gates, so upon seeing the person his superior intended to target, naturally showed no pleasant expression, sternly said, "This is not a place you should be! Hurry and leave!"

The one in the bright yellow dress was Yu Haitang, she didn’t even look at him, blandly said, "It’s the host here who invited me, what nonsense are you spewing, do you also have the authority to drive people away?"

Yu Xiuming looked at the Golden Jade Hall steward bringing her, questioning, "What does your Golden Jade Hall mean by this?"

The steward calmly, without arrogance, cupped hands, "To the esteemed person, this is the wish of Old Gold."

Upon hearing it’s "Old Gold’s" wish, Yu Xiuming’s expression changed slightly, though he could not erupt.

That was a powerhouse of the Divine Treasure Realm, even if at the edge of declining, struggling to survive, must not be disrespected.

Seeing no one else opposed, the steward invited, "Everyone, please follow me."

Then led the eight people here towards the backyard.

...

"She also comes to vie for this inheritance? Does she have plans?"

Chen Ming, at the back, pondered internally.

She’d just broken through to Third-Grade recently, yet possesses strange treasures, during the Fire Element Space had once slain a First-Grade, though that First-Grade had endured successive battles, heavily exhausted. But it’s extremely impressive.

When he was Second-Grade, killing a severely injured Xie Jianqiu was quite arduous.

If the competition for inheritance were truly based on martial skills, no one present could likely surpass her.

However, even if she gains the inheritance from that Divine Treasure Realm expert, she cannot possibly control Golden Jade Hall. Because Pan Zhiyuan wouldn’t allow it.

"Unexpectedly, this time, I must compete with her for the inheritance."

Chen Ming felt a bit helpless inside.

He cannot reveal his identity to her.

Yu Haitang, unlike Jiang Yingxue, who’s love-obsessed, is ambitious and striving, cunning and skilled.

He dare not ascertain, even if she discovers his identity, whether she’d send a Sword Gang immediately, treating him as an Immortal Demon Venerable’s puppet and slaughter him.

Yet that Unparalleled Divine Weapon is pivotal to his breaking from the current predicament, vital to his life. Absolutely impossible to let anyone else have it.

Perhaps have to match her at some point...

As Chen Ming pondered, the people ahead suddenly halted their steps, he looked up to see they’d reached a courtyard.

The steward distributed a gold token to each person, saying, "Hold this gold token in your hand, and you’ll be able to meet Old Gold."

Tian Qidong was somewhat moved, "Isn’t this the credential to enter a secret realm? Is Old Gold actually within a secret realm?"

At this moment, Chen Ming had also gotten hold of the golden token, which was indeed somewhat similar to the one Xia Shaowen had given him initially, except the patterns on it were different.

The steward distributed the eight tokens and said, "The place where Elder Jin is in retreat is a broken secret realm, without any danger. You all will understand once you enter."

A broken secret realm?

Chen Ming was curious, for he didn’t know much about secret realms. It was his first time hearing that there could be a broken secret realm, and he wondered what it was like inside.

He looked up and saw that several people bore expressions of surprise, while only two seemed unaffected.

One was Yu Xiuming.

The other was Yu Haitang.

Suddenly, Yu Haitang looked his way, her gaze meeting his, and he smiled slightly, naturally moving his gaze aside.

"This person—"

Yu Haitang’s heart stirred, feeling a sense of familiarity in this woman’s eyes. Before she could think further, the token in her hand emitted a faint blue light, instantly enveloping her, and an indescribable force surged in, pulling on her body.

She formed a protective shield of Gang Yuan around herself, and after a few breaths, the pulling force disappeared. She opened her eyes to find herself inside a cave.

It was a stone cave, apart from her and the other eight people, silent and devoid of any trace of life, making one feel uncomfortable.

Yu Haitang had anticipated this; she turned to look at the black-clad woman who was also studying the surroundings, and was certainly thinking, I must have seen this person before.

It’s strange. This woman has outstanding looks and such cultivation. If they had met before, she couldn’t possibly forget.

Interesting.

A slight smile appeared on her lips, and she looked away.

...

"Very perceptive."

Once Yu Haitang’s gaze moved away, Chen Ming thought.

However, she probably didn’t notice.

Then, he really started to examine this broken secret realm.

"The Primordial Qi of this world is exceptionally thin. There’s not a sign of life at all, the environment more extreme than the Fire Element Secret Realm, somewhat akin to that ink painting secret realm."

The difference is, this world shouldn’t have monsters.

This was the third secret realm he had been to—if the Fire Element Secret Realm counted.

He felt that the secret realms of this world were peculiar, with the Fire Element Secret Realm and this one already being odd enough, but that ink painting secret realm — what was that?

It completely didn’t fit the style.

Chen Ming had a sense that the secrets of this world might all lie within the secret realms, the human realm was just the outer world, while the secret realms were the inner world.

Consider this: a First-Grade Martial Artist wanting to break through to the Divine Treasure Realm had to obtain a spot to enter a secret realm.

This showed the importance of secret realms.

This Divine Treasure Realm of Golden Jade Hall had remained in this secret realm, surely for a reason.

"You’ve arrived, come in."

At this moment, an ancient voice sounded from the depths of the cave, with an unmistakable weakness, yet still clear enough to reach everyone’s ears.

Immediately, a woman dressed in white took the lead and headed toward the depths of the cave.

Before coming, Chen Ming had already reviewed all the opponents’ information provided by Jiang Jinan. This woman was surnamed Wu, her grandfather had been a patron of Golden Jade Hall, and though he had passed away, such a connection made the relationship unusual.

According to Jiang Jinan, this woman was likely his greatest adversary.

Once this Wu-surnamed woman moved, the others followed her.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

"Yu brother." Suddenly, someone broke the silence.

Chen Ming squinted and saw it was Tian Qidong, who had just greeted him, speaking to Yu Xiuming, "What’s peculiar about this broken secret realm?"

Yu Xiuming’s attitude was rather amicable, "In a broken secret realm, there are no living creatures. Instead of calling it broken, it’s rather that life has completely ceased."

Tian Qidong said with puzzlement, "Can life cease in a secret realm?"

"Indeed. Within the secret realm lies a world that births rare treasures, aiding us martial artists in unlocking the Divine Treasure. For us, it’s akin to a sanctuary. However, each secret realm’s essence is limited. Overharvesting of rarities can dry up the essence, naturally resulting in cessation of life."

Upon hearing this, Tian Qidong was greatly shocked, angrily saying, "Is there truly someone who would engage in such a reckless act?"

Suddenly, a person coldly said, "Why be surprised? Isn’t this a prime example right now?"

Tian Qidong hesitated, his face almost turning pig-liver-red. He wasn’t specifically targeting the senior inside, wanting to explain but fearing that any explanation might worsen the situation.

With that remark, the topic was killed.

Chen Ming glanced at that person, who was the same man that had stared at him aggressively earlier.

After walking for a while, a large cave emerged.

In the center was a spring, and an elderly man, like a dried corpse, soaked in the water.

In the middle of the pool stood a sword.

This scene was exactly as the turtle shell had predicted.

"Here it is!"

Chen Ming felt a bit excited inside.