Chapter 345: Chapter 182: A Small Test of Skill
The Martial Arts Power Chen Cheng displayed was only at the level of Great Success in the Muscle Strengthening Realm, but the caliber of his Wind Chasing Saber Stance was far beyond the power of Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection.
After all, the vast majority of Perfect Martial Artists of the Muscle Strengthening Realm had failed to grasp Saber Momentum.
Nineteen years old, Great Success in the Muscle Strengthening Realm, and the Wind Chasing Saber Stance—the Martial Arts Power Chen Cheng displayed was undoubtedly that of a genius.
Never mind ordinary Martial Artists; even Martial Arts Celestial Prides like Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang were far from cultivating Momentum at the age of nineteen.
Seeing all the members of the Shen Family staring up at him dumbfounded, Chen Cheng couldn’t be bothered to say more. He smiled, cupped his fists, then with a flash, he was off the ice wall and gone.
Only after a long moment did the Shen Family members snap back to their senses, and sounds of amazed clicks and sighs filled the air.
"Whoa! That kid actually cultivated Saber Momentum?"
"That looks like the Wind Chasing Saber Stance. Fifth Brother, didn’t you cultivate that when you were younger? I seem to recall you only managed it when you were thirty-five, right?"
"Sigh... I was just practicing for fun back then. If I had focused on my cultivation, I probably could have mastered it by thirty."
"Thirty is still pathetic. Look at Young Master Chen! He cultivated Saber Momentum at nineteen."
"Fourth Brother, that’s easy for you to say. Why don’t you try cultivating Saber Momentum at nineteen? If I remember correctly, you focused single-mindedly on the Frost Snow Sword Stance and didn’t manage it until you were thirty-three, did you?"
"This Young Master Chen is clearly a genius. My own talent is average; of course I can’t compare to one!"
"More than a genius—in my opinion, he’s a monster! Putting others aside, even our Eldest Brother only managed to cultivate the Frost Snow Sword Stance at twenty-one."
"Enough... Back in his day, Father’s Martial Arts Talent was comparable to a True Inheritor from a Major Sect, and even he only cultivated Sword Momentum at twenty!"
"Third Brother, you’re exaggerating. When he was young, Father was an Outer Sect Steward of the Great Dao Sect, but his Martial Arts Talent was a far cry from that of a True Inheritor from a Major Sect."
"I was just making a comparison. Father’s Martial Arts Talent couldn’t match a True Inheritor from a Major Sect, but Young Master Chen’s should be able to, right?"
"Of course. Young Master Chen comes from a Humble Family, so he must have started Cultivating Martial Dao later. That means the actual time it took him to cultivate Saber Momentum was likely even shorter."
"With such heaven-defying Martial Arts Talent, it’s no wonder Senior Zheng Hun took him as a Closed-door Disciple. If only our Shen Family had discovered him earlier and focused on nurturing him, how wonderful that would have been!"
"Second Brother, what nonsense are you talking? Wasn’t it our girl Qingshuang who first recognized his worth, allowing Young Master Chen to come to prominence?"
"Right, right. How could this old man forget? Qingshuang, my girl, why are you so quiet? Why didn’t you report this matter concerning Young Master Chen to us old geezers sooner?"
"Exactly! A genius like this should have been reported to the Clan much earlier."
...
The Shen Family Elders chattered back and forth, each adding their own opinion, before finally directing the question to the ever-silent Shen Qingshuang.
In truth, ever since Chen Cheng had given that brief demonstration and revealed his Wind Chasing Saber Stance, the Shen Family’s two peerless beauties had been staring up in a daze at the spot on the ice wall where he had disappeared.
A look of dazed incomprehension was on both of their exquisite faces.
They knew Chen Cheng had cultivated the Powerful Claw Stance, but they had only just learned, in that very moment, that he had also cultivated the Wind Chasing Saber Stance.
With their hearts in turmoil, the two peerless beauties were naturally in no state to answer the questions of the Shen Family Elders.
Patriarch Shen, Shen Mingyuan, was clearly more composed. He hadn’t joined the discussion and only after a long pause did he sigh and say,
"This young man is truly extraordinary. Perhaps... perhaps one day he will rise with the wind and soar for ninety thousand leagues, becoming a True Dragon among men, high above and revered by all!"
The Shen Family Elders all fell silent, clearly acquiescing to Shen Mingyuan’s words.
Just then, a discordant, teeth-grinding voice grunted,
"That rascal, Chen Cheng... He’s infuriating! Hiding his strength so damn deep!"
The speaker was, of course, Shen Qingshuang, her pretty face an icy mask of indignation.
She had watched Chen Cheng’s entire journey, from a mere Little Prison Guard to the powerful Muscle Strengthening Realm expert he was today.
She had been confident that she knew Chen Cheng well, but how could she have ever predicted that she had still, even now, so vastly underestimated his Martial Arts Talent?
Beside her, Shen Qingyao’s beautiful eyes shimmered with a strange light as she murmured with a sigh, "Sigh... I knew all along that Chen Cheng was hiding his strength, but I never imagined he was hiding it this deep!"
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