<h4>Chapter 353: The 349th of the Eight entrics: Ling Chen</h4><h4></h4>


    The weapon reached the one-armed man’s hand, and he felt for the mechanism at the top, pressing it gently. Instantly, a de shot out from one end of the cylinder, its cold light piercing and clear.


    With a casual swing or two, the one-armed man suddenly twisted his arm and stabbed towards the wall of the guest room. In an instant, the de easily prated the wall to a depth of a foot.


    "Not bad," the one-armed man nodded affirmatively, saying, "Several hundred years old and still this sharp, indeed it’s impressive, the person who forged this weapon must have been a grandmaster."


    Ling Chen’s face lit up with joy at the one-armed man’s praise, confirming to himself that he had a unique eye for quality.


    "It shouldn’t be just that simple," Qiu Yong remarked from the side: "Judging from Liu Yunsong’s demeanor earlier, he seemed quite reluctant to part with this weapon."


    Ling Chen nodded; he had also noticed this detail.


    Xia Yue took the weapon and scrutinized it closely. Before long, she found two tiny ancient seal characters on the top of the cylinder.


    "Tianling, this should be the name of the weapon."


    "It might not be," Qiu Yong said: "In ancient times, weapon forging grandmasters liked to engrave their names on their work, perhaps ’Tianling’ is the name of that grandmaster."


    "It doesn’t matter," Ling Chen dismissed with an unconcerned smile, "Tianling is a good name, we’ll call it that from now on." At this point, Ling Chen changed the subject and asked, "Elder Qiu, who is that Liu Yunsong?"


    "He’s ranked tenth on the Dragon List, and also from the Dangyang Sect. His senior brother is the Sect Leader of the Dangyang Sect," Qiu Yong exined, "The Dangyang Sect is a southern sect with a history of over a hundred years and has some influence in Martial Arts. Liu Yunsong and his senior brother are both well-known experts on the Dragon List."


    "I see," Ling Chen scratched his head, realizing Qin Wu’s background was not simple. This was his first encounter with Martial Arts sects, and it seems that he would now have another troublemaker due to his enmity with Qin Wu.


    Reading Ling Chen’s thoughts, Qiu Yong said: "You don’t need to worry too much, with the name of the ’Eight entrics’ backing you up, the Dangyang Sect wouldn’t dare mess with you, unless they want to make enemies with us, the ’Eight entrics’."


    As he finished speaking, Qiu Yong nced at Xia Yue, the one-armed man, Zhang Zhongfeng, and the other members of the ’Eight entrics’, then said solemnly, "Ling Chen, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you."


    "Elder Qiu, please speak freely."


    "The reputation of us ’Eight entrics’ has been established for quite a while now. Recently, my third junior brother tragically passed away, leaving us one brother short. Continuing to call ourselves the ’Eight entrics’ is no longer appropriate. So, we siblings wanted to ask you, would you be interested in joining us? That way, we can at least retain the name of the ’Eight entrics’."


    Hearing this, Ling Chen was momentarily stunned, taking some time to process the proposal.


    Back in the parking lot, when Qiu Yong mentioned he was a member of the ’Eight entrics’, Ling Chen thought it was just a casual statement to intimidate Liu Yunsong, little did he expect that Qiu Yong would seriously bring up the offer.


    Seeing Ling Chen’s dyed response, Qiu Yong said: "If you’re not willing, we won’t force it. You’ve helped us, and we’ll still consider you a friend."


    "No, it’s not that," Ling Chen quickly said, "Elder Qiu, you misunderstood, I’m not unwilling, it’s just..." he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Each member of the ’Eight entrics’ has their own special talents, I’m afraid my modest martial arts skills will tarnish the reputation of the ’Eight entrics’."


    The one-armed man chuckled, "That’s not a problem at all. Ling Chen, to be honest, we investigated you before our eldest brother suggested this. Honestly, you remind us of myte third brother, not just in character, but also in skills."


    "Really?" Ling Chen looked at the one-armed man with skepticism, unaware of any unique skills that he himself possessed.


    "My third brother had a nickname, ’yboy’. He wasn’t good at many things, but when it came to charming women, he was peerless. Any woman he set his sights on couldn’t escape his palm. In that regard, I think you’re very much like him. The beautiful women around you are enough to attest to your charisma."


    "Uh..."


    Hearing the one-armed man’s words, Ling Chen was at a loss whether tough or cry, finding it ridiculous that charming women could be considered a skill; were the ’Eight entrics’ too entric after all?


    "Ling Chen, you’re a decent person, and you’re upright. Although we ’Eight entrics’ are known for our entric behavior, we’re definitely not bad people, and we’ve never done anything to harm heaven or reason. Most of us in the ’Eight entrics’ are orphans or were abandoned by our families. Later by fate, we came together. If you’re willing, from now on, you’ll be a member of the ’Eight entrics’," Qiu Yong said.


    "This..." Ling Chen thought for a moment and hesitated, "Elder Qiu, it’s not that I’m unwilling, I just worry about bringing you trouble. Honestly, I have quite a few enemies..."


    Qiu Yong waved his hand dismissively, "That’s not an issue. Ask Xia Yue and the others; who doesn’t have a few enemies? It’s quite normal."


    "In that case..."


    Since the conversation hade this far, any further hesitation would seem discourteous, and Ling Chen readily agreed. Although he had known the ’Eight entrics’ for a short time, the impression Qiu Yong and the others left on him was profound - they were loyal and righteous. Being brothers with these people was also a good thing.


    "Great." Seeing Ling Chen’s agreement, the usually serious Qiu Yong rarely smiled.


    "Come, let me formally introduce you to everyone," Qiu Yong said, bringing each member of the ’Eight entrics’ to Ling Chen’s side.


    A few minutester, Ling Chen finally had a general understanding of all the members of the ’Eight entrics’.


    The one-armed man, named Yuan Yun, had practiced saber techniques since childhood under a master. Later, due to jealousy from fellow disciples leading to a trap that cost him an arm, he lost his master’s favor and left his sect to join the ’Eight entrics’.


    Xia Yue, an orphan from a young age, followed an odd character roaming around and learned a range of martial arts.


    Zhang Zhongfeng, known as the ’God of Arrows’, had unmatched archery skills and was the strongest member of the ’Eight entrics’. No one knew his origins, not even Qiu Yong.


    The blind youth named Yang Chen, had especially keen hearing due to his blindness from birth. During Ling Chen’s time at God Organization’s secret base, he had witnessed Yang Chen’s skills.


    And that child around ten years old named Wei Jiahao had left a deep impression on Ling Chen, having fought him before. Despite his young age, his strength was extraordinary. It was only after Qiu Yong’s introduction that Ling Chen understood that Wei Jiahao’s might wasn’t due to solid martial arts foundations, but because he excelled at Mechanical Techniques and liked to tinker with mechanical gadgets.


    Inside Wei Jiahao’s clothing were all sorts of intricate mechanisms, linked together with springs, which allowed him to exert formidable strength.


    Ling Chen was very impressed; despite Wei Jiahao’s young age, he was incredibly clever. Even modern scientists might not be able to produce such precise devices.