Free Web NovelChapter 200: Chapter 177: Defeating the Enemy with Three Punches, Recruitment with Hefty Rewards
[Step 1: Contextual Analysis]
Literary genre: This appears to be a Chinese cultivation/martial arts fantasy web novel (xianxia or wuxia)
Language style: The style is straightforward with action sequences, dialogue, and some internal reflection. There’s a mix of formal and casual speech depending on character status.
Tone: The tone is serious with elements of martial arts power dynamics, some political intrigue, and a touch of humor in personal relationships.
Plot keywords: Martial arts, cultivation, breakthrough, combat, hierarchy, relationship, nobility
Characters:
- Wu Liangchen (武良辰): Male, main character, young martial artist who recently broke through to the Minor Fourth Realm
- Tie Wuchang (铁武昌): Male, older martial artist who was defeated by Wu Liangchen
- Yan Feng (严峰): Male, appears to be a subordinate of Wu Liangchen
- Xie San (谢三): Male, referred to as Third Brother, appears to have some authority
- Yan Rui (燕睿): Male, a prince who has lost some power, interested in meeting Wu Liangchen
- Wang Shihao (王世豪): Male, works for Yan Rui, possibly in an official capacity
- Uncle Bai (白叔): Male, Wu Liangchen’s father-in-law (referred to as "岳丈")
- Erya (二丫): Female, appears to be Wu Liangchen’s wife or fiancée
- Yang Lian’Er (杨莲儿): Female, beautiful woman with some unclear relationship to Wu Liangchen
- Cao Liu (曹六): Male, was with Tie Wuchang, minor character
[Step 2: Integrated Translation and Polishing]
Now I’ll translate the text while following all the specified guidelines:
The scene opens with Wu Liangchen confronting Tie Wuchang, whom he has just defeated in combat. Tie Wuchang is shocked that a young martial artist who just broke through to the Minor Fourth Realm could defeat him, as he had been at the peak of this realm for a long time.
Wu Liangchen explains that Tie Wuchang lost simply because he was old. Tie Wuchang realizes the truth of this statement and reflects on his mediocre life and talents, having climbed his way up through ruthless means only to be stuck at the threshold of becoming a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Just as he was planning to enjoy his remaining years with his current power, he met Wu Liangchen who crushed his dreams with just three punches.
Tie Wuchang laughs hysterically, warning Wu Liangchen that the final step to becoming a Grandmaster is extremely difficult and many geniuses have failed. Wu Liangchen responds calmly and then kills him with a single punch.
After the killing, Wu Liangchen orders the body to be cleaned up and leaves. The observers are in awe of his power and speculate that he will soon become a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
The scene shifts to Prince Yan Rui and Wang Shihao, who were watching from the second floor. Yan Rui expresses interest in getting to know Wu Liangchen, not to recruit him but simply as a friend, recognizing his extraordinary talent. Wang Shihao offers to arrange a meeting, and Yan Rui gives him a precious East Sea pearl as a gift.
The scene then shifts again to Wu Liangchen returning home, where he finds Uncle Bai waiting outside. Uncle Bai questions Wu Liangchen about his relationship with Yang Lian’Er, concerned about how it might affect his relationship with Erya. Wu Liangchen assures him there is nothing between him and Yang Lian’Er.
Inside, Wu Liangchen finds Erya sitting uncomfortably while Yang Lian’Er stares at her with interest. When Wu Liangchen enters, Erya seems relieved and hides behind him. Yang Lian’Er compliments Wu Liangchen on finding such a lovely girl.
Let me now translate the full text in a publication-ready manner.
Wu Liangchen stood in front of Tie Wuchang, who had no strength left to fight back. "Do you have anything else to say?"
Tie Wuchang spat mouthfuls of blood, but after breaking through the blood-renewal threshold, a martial artist’s life force becomes extremely tenacious. So despite his severe injuries, he remained conscious.
"Why!" he hissed indistinctly.
"Why could you defeat me right after your breakthrough?"
His tone was filled with resentment.
This was what he couldn’t understand. He had refined himself in the Minor Fourth Realm for years, reaching the peak of this boundary, yet he was defeated by a young Martial Artist who had just entered the Minor Fourth Realm.
How could he accept this?
"Because you’re old!" Wu Liangchen said plainly.
At these words, Tie Wuchang’s body stiffened, and profound sorrow spread across his face.
"Yes, I am indeed old!"
He looked down at his shattered hands and suddenly felt that everything was meaningless.
His talent was ordinary, his background unremarkable, and his encounters in life equally mediocre.
Yet with sheer determination, he had built his foundation on the utterly common Iron Sand Palm technique, ruthlessly killing his teachers and ancestors along the way. He would stop at nothing to advance his martial path, which eventually led him to become a Minor Fourth Realm Martial Artist.
He was just one step away from becoming a Martial Arts Grandmaster and entering that vast new world.
But that single step had become an insurmountable chasm he could never cross in his lifetime.
During his years of secluded cultivation, he had tried countless methods, all ending in failure.
In desperation, he had finally emerged from seclusion, planning to enjoy what remained of his life.
After all, a Minor Fourth Realm practitioner counted among the most elite fighters in all of Great Yan. With such strength, he could live well anywhere.
Yet unexpectedly, on his first day out of seclusion, he encountered Wu Liangchen, who shattered all his illusions with just three punches.
And his opponent was merely a youth not yet twenty years old.
The enormous gap between them suddenly made him feel that his lifetime of diligent practice had become a joke.
So he began to laugh.
The laughter grew louder and louder, eventually transforming into nearly hysterical howls.
And accompanying this maniacal laughter were mouthfuls of vomited blood.
"Wu, don’t think breaking through to the Minor Fourth Realm means anything. Let me tell you, that final step is like crossing a thousand miles of lightning pools. Throughout history, countless geniuses have failed there. You’ll be no exception, hahahahaha!"
But Wu Liangchen showed no signs of anger. Instead, he smiled slightly. "Are you finished?"
"You..."
Before he could finish, Wu Liangchen’s fist smashed his head to pieces.
"If you’re done talking, then die!" Wu Liangchen withdrew his fist and said calmly.
The corpse collapsed to the ground.
Despite losing his head, the powerful life force of a Minor Fourth Realm Martial Artist caused his muscles to continue twitching, creating a ghastly sight.
The entire scene fell silent.
Cao Liu, who had accompanied Tie Wuchang, turned pale with terror, his body shaking uncontrollably.
But Wu Liangchen paid him no attention, merely waving to Yan Feng, "Clean up the body, and remember to wash the ground thoroughly with clean water!"
"Yes, Brother Wu!" Yan Feng immediately began directing people to work.
Wu Liangchen walked over to Xie San and smiled slightly. "It’s done, Third Brother!"
Xie San gave Wu Liangchen a deep look, then patted his shoulder. "Well done. You must be tired after your long journey. I’ll handle the aftermath here. Go get some rest first."
"Alright!"
As Wu Liangchen turned to leave, the crowd automatically parted to make way, watching him depart with respect, admiration, and even fear in their eyes.
Only after Wu Liangchen had gone far did people dare to whisper among themselves.
"Damn, a top-tier Minor Fourth Realm Martial Artist just died like that?"
"That’s why they say Master Wu is formidable. You should have seen how arrogant Tie Wuchang was before he arrived. In the end, he couldn’t even withstand three punches before he was finished."
"At this rate, won’t Master Wu soon certify as a Martial Arts Grandmaster and become an immortal on earth?"
"That goes without saying—it’s absolutely certain!"
After expressing their amazement for quite some time, the onlookers gradually dispersed.
On the second floor, Yan Rui’s gaze remained sharp, his thoughts unreadable.
Wang Shihao cautiously asked, "Prince, shall we replace these dishes with fresh ones?"
Only then did Yan Rui return from his thoughts, gently shaking his head. "No need. In this weather, something cold is just right."
The two returned to their seats and resumed eating.
However, this time both remained silent.
Only after several rounds of drinks did Yan Rui put down his cup and say, "Shihao!"
"Your servant is here!"
"Do you know this Wu Liangchen?"
"I’ve heard of him, but we’re not acquainted."
Wang Shihao had already guessed Yan Rui’s thoughts and asked, "Prince, are you planning to recruit this Wu Liangchen?"
Yan Rui smiled and shook his head. "I did consider it earlier, but now I’ve lost that intention. It’s obvious this man cannot be recruited."
"Then you are...?"
"I just want to get to know him. Even just being friends would be good."
His tone even suggested that he would consider it an honor to make Wu Liangchen’s acquaintance, which greatly surprised Wang Shihao.
But after a moment’s reflection, he understood.
After all, Wu Liangchen’s demonstrated strength was truly astonishing. A Minor Fourth Realm Martial Artist not yet twenty years old—though the final threshold was indeed difficult to cross, his chances of breaking through to the Fourth Realm and becoming a Martial Arts Grandmaster were far greater than others.
By comparison, although Yan Rui held the title of prince, even Great Yan was in decline now. How much value a prince who had lost his power still held was open to interpretation.
So it wasn’t strange for Yan Rui to lower himself to deliberately cultivate a relationship with Wu Liangchen.
After all, in this world, martial strength had always commanded the highest respect.
"Prince, though I don’t know this Wu Liangchen personally, I can arrange for you to meet him," Wang Shihao said.
Yan Rui’s eyes brightened. "Oh? That would be excellent. When might we meet?"
"I’ll need to return and plan this carefully. Tomorrow, I’ll give you an answer tomorrow."
"Good!" As he spoke, Yan Rui glanced at the old eunuch beside him, who immediately presented a small box to Wang Shihao.
"Prince, what is this...?"
"This is a small trinket I brought from the capital. A gift for you to enjoy."
Wang Shihao opened the box and saw a pearl the size of a pigeon’s egg, smooth and round, gleaming brilliantly—clearly extremely valuable.
"Is this... an East Pearl?" Wang Shihao exclaimed.
Yan Rui smiled. "Correct, it’s a premium East Pearl from the East Sea."
Wang Shihao was shocked, as the gift was extraordinarily precious.
East Pearls were specialties of the East Sea, but extremely difficult to harvest. They could only be obtained by unmarried women from seafaring tribes who wore special diving suits and descended dozens of meters into the sea depths, with only a small chance of finding one.
The East Sea was known for its fierce winds and dangerous waves, with complex underwater conditions and rumors of sea monsters. Thus, each East Pearl often represented the lives of several tribal women.
Beyond their beauty, wearing an East Pearl was said to calm the mind and spirit—preventing nightmares and repelling summer insects—making them highly prized by Great Yan’s nobility.
But the source of East Pearls had always been monopolized by the imperial family of Great Yan. The extremely few that circulated outside were literally priceless.
Wang Shihao had been the Inspector of Huangpu Guard for many years and had seen his share of treasures, but even he had only seen an East Pearl once at a wealthy merchant’s banquet. freewebnσvel.cѳm
And that pearl had been merely the size of a little finger, nothing compared to the one before him now.
"P-Prince, I cannot accept this gift. It’s far too precious!"
"Nonsense! What I give you is yours. Don’t worry about how precious it is."
With that, Yan Rui stood up. "After our journey, I’m feeling quite tired. Has my accommodation been arranged?"
"It’s all prepared. Please follow me, Prince!"
Wang Shihao scurried ahead to lead the way, even opening doors and lifting curtains for Yan Rui—tasks usually performed by servants.
By the time Yan Rui was leaving Flower Square by carriage, Wu Liangchen had already returned to his small courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he saw Uncle Bai standing in the yard, lost in thought.
"Father-in-law, why are you standing out here?" Wu Liangchen asked with surprise.
"Oh, it was stuffy inside. I came out for some fresh air!"
"Where’s Erya?"
"Inside!"
Wu Liangchen didn’t question further and was about to walk in when Uncle Bai grabbed him.
"What is it?" Wu Liangchen asked, puzzled.
Uncle Bai cleared his throat, glanced at the house, then lowered his voice: "Xiaowu, tell me honestly, what’s your relationship with that impossibly beautiful woman?"
Wu Liangchen laughed. "What relationship? Father-in-law, don’t you already know?"
Before leaving Dinghai City, Wu Liangchen had told Erya about Yang Lian’Er, and Uncle Bai had been present then.
"Of course I know, but after spending so much time together, don’t you have any other relationship?" Uncle Bai asked.
Wu Liangchen shook his head. "No."
Uncle Bai looked at Wu Liangchen skeptically, then whispered: "Xiaowu, your Uncle Bai isn’t unreasonable. With such a beauty by your side, I’d understand if something happened between you."
"But one thing must remain clear: Erya must always be first. No matter how noble Yang Lian’Er’s status might be, she must serve Erya tea and address her as ’sister’..."
Wu Liangchen found this increasingly amusing, but seeing Uncle Bai’s serious expression—he clearly believed what he was saying—Wu Liangchen interrupted him.
"Enough, Father-in-law. There really is nothing between me and Yang Lian’Er. Please don’t overthink it!"
With that, Wu Liangchen walked away, leaving Uncle Bai standing there bewildered, muttering to himself.
"Could there truly be nothing? But how is that possible?"
Meanwhile, Wu Liangchen entered the house to find Erya sitting in a chair with her head down, while Yang Lian’Er sat opposite, staring at her with bright eyes.
The more she stared, the lower Erya hung her head, until it was nearly buried in her chest.
Seeing this, Wu Liangchen cleared his throat. Erya immediately looked up as if granted a reprieve, quickly getting up and running behind him.
"Brother Xiaowu, you’re back!"
"Yes! What’s going on here?"
Erya blushed and said nothing, but Yang Lian’Er stood up with a grin and gave Wu Liangchen a thumbs up.
"You’ve got quite the catch, kid! I’ve heard you talk about Erya before, but never met her until today. Now I see she’s such a fresh, lovely young woman. Impressive, impressive!"
