Cosmic Trading System
Chapter 45: Chapter 45 Lin Mengmeng

"Are you here to hire security guards and bodyguards, or to pick a fight?" The pretty girl pondered for a moment before asking Lin Yun who was looking at her.

"Pick a fight?" Lin Yun was surprised and puzzled as to why the girl had asked such a question.

"You are very skilled. No ordinary martial family or sect can cultivate a student like you. If you're backed by a powerful martial sect or family, do you still need to come to our Gold Sword Security Company to recruit security guards and bodyguards?" The girl furrowed her brows and questioned.

"You might have misunderstood. I've been practicing martial arts at a very ordinary martial arts gym near my house since I was young. I don't have any powerful sects or families supporting me. I came this time sincerely wanting to recruit some security guards and bodyguards." Lin Yun shook his head and explained.

He had heard his master occasionally mentioning martial sects and martial families. However, his master didn't go into detail, only warning him to be cautious if he ever encountered such people, and not to offend them without just cause.

"Hmph, then let's have a match." The pretty girl huffed softly, seemingly not believing Lin Yun's words, and proposed.

As her words fell, she jumped onto the ring.

"You?" Lin Yun slightly furrowed his brows.

She looked several years younger than him and was a pretty girl. Would it be appropriate for them to spar?

"What? You look down on women?" Seeing Lin Yun's furrowed brows, the pretty girl huffed discontentedly again.

"No..." Lin Yun quickly waved his hands to deny.

Of course, he didn't look down on women. He knew that among women, there were also experts. This time, he intended to hire a few female bodyguards to protect Xia Qingqing, which would be more convenient.

He simply felt that this girl's age was too young and she was such a beautiful girl. Her wrists were so delicate, and the exposed skin seemed like jade. At first glance, she looked so fragile and not like someone who could bear hardship...

After the fight just now, he estimated that his strength should now surpass most martial artists at the mid-Mingjin stage.

His master once said that his martial arts talent was excellent. He broke through to the mid-Mingjin stage at the age of eighteen and if he continued practicing, he could potentially reach the late Mingjin stage before turning twenty-eight. If he could replace a competent master, he even had hope of breaking through to the Dark Strength realm in his lifetime.

Dark Strength was a level that had world-renowned fame.

Although he hadn't practiced martial arts much in these five years, by a fortunate coincidence, his current strength wasn't inferior to his previous level after five years of diligent practice – it was even slightly stronger.

This girl seemed about twenty years old. Even if she was also a martial arts practitioner, how strong could she be?

The girl's status in the Gold Sword Security Company seemed to be high. He was afraid of injuring her; that wouldn't be good.

"I'm making my move——"

However, before Lin Yun could say more, the pretty girl had already launched her attack, reaching towards Lin Yun's shoulder.

Seeing this, Lin Yun had no choice but to exchange blows with the girl.

Lin Yun reached out to block the girl's move, but quickly discovered that the girl's grab was just a ruse. Her body flashed, already attacking from the side. The angle was extremely tricky, which alarmed him. He hurriedly changed his move, rapidly countering the girl's attack.

"Bang——"

The next moment, their palms collided.

Lin Yun couldn't help but stagger backward several steps, feeling utterly shocked.

He realized that he had underestimated his opponent. This girl's strength was unusually high, even surpassing the A-level bodyguard he had fought earlier.

Right then, Lin Yun couldn't afford to take her lightly anymore.

"Bang——Bang——Bang——"

The two exchanged blows very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they had already sparred dozens of times.

Now that Lin Yun was prepared, he wasn't as hasty as before and managed to keep up with the girl. However, many spectators could see that Lin Yun was at a disadvantage, and going on this way, he would most likely lose.

"The young lady is actually gaining the upper hand against this man..."

"The young lady's strength has increased again..."

"Dammit, if the young lady seeks us out for sparring in the future, it will be the end for us..."

"Do you guys think... this young man is going easy on the young lady?"

Many onlookers quietly discussed as they watched the battle unfold.

"Alright, I quit."

About another ten minutes later, the girl found an opportunity to extricate herself from the fight. She leaped backward, leaving the battle circle, with a crisp voice, she announced.

Lin Yun, who was already struggling to defend himself, naturally stopped fighting when he saw the opponent withdraw.

"Strange, you seem to be at the Mid Mingjin Stage, but your strength far exceeds that of an average person at the same stage..." the beautiful girl on the stage furrowed her brow, pondering before speaking out.

Lin Yun gave a bitter smile, no longer underestimating this girl.

He couldn't help but marvel at the impressive talents hidden within Gold Sword Security Company. This girl, despite her young age, had already reached the Late Mingjin Stage.

Yes, after the just-concluded fight, he was certain that this girl was at the Late Mingjin Stage.

Ever since his mental strength began to develop, his senses had become incredibly sharp, and he was confident he hadn't misjudged.

If his master saw this, he wouldn't know what to think.

Initially, his master had told him that reaching the Late Mingjin Stage at 28 would signal a great achievement. He even mentioned that with a good teacher guiding him, Yun had the potential to reach the Dark Strength stage in his lifetime.

This girl seemed to be in her early twenties and had already reached the Late Mingjin Stage. Did this mean that her talent greatly surpassed his own? If she had a good teacher to guide her, perhaps she could easily break through to the Dark Strength stage!

Lin Yun was aware that despite her only reaching the Late Mingjin Stage eight years earlier than planned, it represented a substantial gap.

This was because a martial artist's prime years range from sixteen to about thirty-five. If one reached a high stage by thirty-five, the prime period could extend a few more years. If not, one's future achievements would be limited.

A martial artist only had about twenty prime years. This meant that the girl, being more talented than him, had an additional eight prime years. This was significant.

"I don't recognize your martial arts style. Are you from a martial arts family, or a martial arts school?" After a pause, the curious girl questioned.

Apparently, her fight with Lin Yun earlier was also a means of testing his origin.

"No, I've heard of martial arts families and schools, but I've never encountered one." Lin Yun shook his head in response.

The girl couldn't help but laugh at the amusing response from Lin Yun.

This laughter greatly enhanced the girl's beauty, lighting up the entire floor.

The staff of Gold Sword Security, mostly male, were stunned at the sight.

They feared this girl. On the one hand, she was breathtakingly beautiful with excellent fighting abilities, inducing admiration. However, every time she sparred with them, they were decisively defeated.

Being regularly defeated by a girl they admired didn't feel good.

On the other hand, the girl had a high status, which demanded their respect.

All these factors contributed to the staff's apprehension of the girl.

But to be fair, 'apprehension' might be too strong a word here. It was more of respect — respect for a goddess, respect for her status.

"Ahem, I'm Lin Mengmeng, a disciple of the Golden Sword Sect. What's your name?" The beautiful girl cleared her throat before asking.

"The Golden Sword Sect?" Lin Yun was surprised.

Could it be that she was a disciple of the legendary martial arts sect?

"Gold Sword Security Company is a business of our sect." Seeing Lin Yun's astonishment, Lin Mengmeng was even more amused.

"Um... alright... I'm Lin Yun..." Lin Yun gave a bitter smile.

Many people around watched Lin Mengmeng as she spoke.

They knew something Lin Mengmeng hadn't mentioned.

That was, Lin Mengmeng wasn't just a disciple of the Golden Sword Sect; she was the only daughter of the sect leader.

That's why they referred to her as the young lady.

"Lin Yun? We share the same family name?" Lin Mengmeng exclaimed.

"Yes, as extraordinarily skilled as you are, and you're recruiting our company's security guards and bodyguards. As a disciple of the Golden Sword Sect, I must take responsibility for our staff. So, would you mind sharing what you plan to do after hiring our staff?" After a pause, Lin Mengmeng asked.