CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 0045: MARTIAL ARTS HALL BANQUET, THE SHOW BEGINS_1

Liu Ruomei drove Liu Ruolan’s Ferrari with Zhang Bin in the passenger seat, heading slowly toward the Longyin Martial Arts Hall.

Today, she was dressed to kill, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a pristine white shirt, with a green jade pendant hanging around her neck and her black hair cascading down like clouds. She looked exceptionally fit and sexy. Upon closer inspection, one could see she had a more heroic air than Liu Ruolan.

Zhang Bin’s gaze was fixed on her. He kept turning his head to look, finding it difficult to look away.

"What are you staring at? Haven’t you seen a beautiful woman before?" Liu Ruomei chided playfully.

"Don’t forget, tonight you’re my girlfriend. Is that any way to speak to your boyfriend?" Zhang Bin retorted.

Liu Ruomei let out a laugh as melodious as ringing silver bells. "Zhang Bin, tonight you’re in my hands. Your True Qi is completely depleted; you’re all bark and no bite. Without me to take the bullet for you, you would die a horrible death. So, you’d better behave and not think about taking advantage of me. I still haven’t settled the score with you from last time."

"When did I ever think about taking advantage of you?" Zhang Bin said. "Am I that kind of person?"

"I respect you for your skills as the Divine Doctor who cured my grandfather," Liu Ruomei said. "But I don’t admire your character. I’m a police officer, so I know exactly what you’re thinking."

Zhang Bin felt a headache coming on. It seemed he and Liu Ruomei were naturally at odds, like oil and water.

Fortunately, I’ve already recovered my True Qi, he thought. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how miserable tonight would be.

Eventually, they arrived at the Longyin Martial Arts Hall. After parking the car, Tian Bingbing joyously ushered them into a grand hall.

The hall, capable of accommodating several thousand people, was adorned with glittering lights, fine wines, and a spread of sumptuous food. Some guests had already arrived and were sitting on sofas, making casual conversation.

These were no ordinary guests, but martial artists from the Martial World, each exuding a powerful aura and emanating fluctuations of True Qi.

Are all of them Cultivators who have produced True Qi? Zhang Bin marveled inwardly. This is just Qingshan County, though maybe all the martial arts experts from Qingshan Province have gathered here. But for there to be so many? How many experts who have cultivated True Qi are there in all of China, or even the world?

Tian Bingbing led Zhang Bin and Liu Ruomei into a meeting room where three tall, sturdy men were seated.

"This is Zhang Bin, the chief instructor of our Longyin Martial Arts Hall," Tian Bingbing introduced. "Zhang Bin, this is Qin Xiaolong, an army instructor. This is Yue Xing, a Huashan Sect disciple. And this is my dad, Tian Guangjin."

Huashan Sect? Zhang Bin was astonished. Do martial arts sects like that still exist in this day and age?

Of course, he wouldn’t ask such a question out loud. Nevertheless, he used his peculiar intuition to sense that all three men were very powerful. They were all experts in the Rushing Pulse Realm, though he was unsure how many meridians they had opened.

"Greetings, seniors. Please, give me your guidance," Zhang Bin said politely.

"Hahaha, no need to be so formal," Tian Guangjin laughed heartily. "You’ve reached the Mid Phase of the Qi Cultivation Realm by the age of twenty, with a punch force of 750 kilograms and a speed of 16 meters per second. A rare talent indeed! When we were twenty, we’d barely managed to reach the Initial Phase of the Qi Cultivation Realm. By the time you reach our age, you’ll certainly be much stronger than us."

"Indeed, such formidable young talent," Qin Xiaolong and Yue Xing chimed in. "The Martial World has produced another genius."

Although the three of them had reached the Rushing Pulse Realm, they were all in their forties.

Even now, I’m stronger than all of you, Zhang Bin thought, but of course, he didn’t say it out loud. He cultivated the Qingmu Longevity Technique, and the True Qi it produced was somewhat different from that of other Cultivators. None of the three realized that Zhang Bin had already reached the Rushing Pulse Realm.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, more guests began to arrive. The group left the conference room, leading Zhang Bin and Liu Ruomei to the main hall and up onto a dais.

Tian Guangjin spoke heartily, introducing Zhang Bin to everyone. He made a special point of Zhang Bin’s achievements: at only twenty years old, he had cultivated to the Mid Phase of the Qi Cultivation Realm, and he announced his impressive speed and strength as well.

The martial artists below the stage looked at Zhang Bin with peculiar expressions; some were convinced, others were not.

Zhang Bin’s gaze also slowly swept over the experts below. What sent a chill down his spine was the discovery that an old monk had actually cultivated to the Qi Sea Realm. There were also over a dozen masters who had reached the Rushing Pulse Realm.

Then he saw a familiar face: Teng Xiaofeng. He was the same fellow from the blind date at Xiaofang’s Home, the one Zhang Bin had thrashed mercilessly.

A thick sneer hung on the corner of Teng Xiaofeng’s mouth as he glared at Zhang Bin as if looking at a dead man. Beside him stood two experts: one was a muscular, one-eyed man wearing a black eye patch, exuding a fierce aura. The other was a middle-aged man in his forties wearing traditional Chinese attire, emanating an even more terrifying presence.

In an instant, Zhang Bin understood. The person who wanted to teach him a lesson was none other than Teng Xiaofeng.

In this world, there is no love without reason, nor hate without a cause. Those invited by the Longyin Martial Arts Hall all had some connection with it; they wouldn’t just insult the chief instructor, as that would be disrespectful to the hall. But Teng Xiaofeng is different. He holds a grudge against me.

"Brother Nan, it’s all up to you now," Teng Xiaofeng whispered with a sinister laugh to the muscular, one-eyed man.

"A mere kid in the Mid Phase of the Qi Cultivation Realm? I can crush him with one punch," Brother Nan sneered. "Watch me break both his legs to get some payback for you."

With that, he shouted, "Zhang Bin! Come on, let’s have a match! Do you dare?"

In an instant, the hall fell silent.

Tian Guangjin and Tian Bingbing’s faces turned ashen. They both recognized the man, Zuo Haonan, an underworld figure who had cultivated to the Late Phase of the Qi Cultivation Realm. How could Zhang Bin possibly be his opponent? This guy was clearly here to humiliate Zhang Bin.

Just as Zhang Bin was about to speak, Liu Ruomei jumped in front of him. She looked coldly at Zuo Haonan and said, "If you want to challenge Zhang Bin, you’ll have to get past me first."

Everyone was stunned, even Tian Bingbing.

"Well now, is Officer Liu meddling in other people’s business today?" As an underworld boss, Zuo Haonan naturally recognized Liu Ruomei. He sneered, "What are you to him?"

"I’m his girlfriend! Is that reason enough for you?" Liu Ruomei said coldly.

"What? Liu Ruomei is actually Zhang Bin’s girlfriend?"

All the martial artists who knew Liu Ruomei were shocked, their faces filled with envy and jealousy. After all, Liu Ruomei was exceedingly beautiful and alluring. In this hall alone, there were at least ten men who had pursued her and failed.

What’s going on? Isn’t Zhang Bin Liu Ruolan’s boyfriend? So now he’s Liu Ruomei’s boyfriend? Or is he dating both of them? Tian Bingbing found the situation utterly ridiculous.