《Cultivation: I Can Add Descriptors To My Body》 Chapter 1 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation It was early in the morning. The sun shone a soft, warm light upon the land. The mountains were shrouded by misty clouds. Towering peaks pierced through the clouds and were lit up by the sun in the sky. This gathering of peaks was where the Divine Will Sect was located. In this world of cultivation, the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent was divided into four great continents. Each of these continents was vast. And on the eastern continent that was among these four great continents, there were countless cultivation sects. But even so, in the southern region of the eastern continent, the Divine Will Sect was among the overlords. In this sect, those at the golden core realm were not of much value, and those at the foundation establishment realm were everywhere. Within the Divine Will Sect, there were even nascent soul realm elders! At the foot of a spiritual mountain today, an entrance ceremony was being held. ¡°Congratulations to all of you, junior brothers and sisters. You have gone through many selections and have emerged from the crowd to join our great sect.¡± ¡°I, your senior brother, will show you around our sect and explain some things for you to take note of.¡± The one speaking was a man in a plain robe with an otherworldly temperament. He was the senior brother in charge of welcoming the new members of the sect. He led the group of young men and women through the mountain gate. ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother Su!¡± The disciples bowed their heads as they said. The Senior Brother Su that they were referring to was not some old man, but his strength had already reached the foundation establishment realm. For him, walking on the rugged mountain road was as easy as taking a stroll on flat ground. This group of new disciples was all excited for the future that awaited them. They all hurried to keep up with their senior brother¡¯s pace. Joining the Divine Will Sect was equivalent to stepping into an immortal cultivation hall. In the heavenly southern region, the Divine Will Sect was the absolute overlord. Even in the vast eastern continent, it was still a first-class sect. Being backed by such a powerful sect, they all looked at Senior Brother Su with respect and longing. The group walked through the mountain road and listened to Senior Brother Su¡¯s explanation along the way until they finally arrived at the square of the main peak. ¡°This is the place where the Divine Will Sect congregates and where lectures are held. It is usually used by the inner disciples of the sect.¡± Senior Brother Su pointed at the crowd in the square and said, ¡°All of you look there. This is a necessary step on the path of immortal cultivation, qi refining.¡± When the new disciples turned their heads to look at where Senior Brother Su pointed, they saw many disciples in the square in groups of twos and threes, sitting cross-legged and cultivating, or sitting down and discussing the dao with fellow disciples. There was a very thick cultivation atmosphere in the area. The new disciples looked over with envy. ¡°The Divine Will sect is a major immortal cultivation sect,¡± Senior Brother Su said lightly. ¡°We have many famous teachers, resources, and dao fruits.¡± ¡°However, don¡¯t aim too high. Qi refining, foundation establishment, and golden core should all be done one step at a time. ¡°We will remember Senior Brother Su¡¯s teachings,¡± the disciples said. After walking past the main peak, Senior Brother Su brought the new disciples to the back of the mountain. The terrain here was wide and open, with many cave abodes and courtyards. At first glance, the scenery was beautiful. It truly appeared to be a place where immortals resided. ¡°These are the residences of the inner disciples,¡± Senior Brother Su explained. ¡°When you enter the inner sect in the future, you can also come here to select your own residence.¡± ¡°As for you guys who have just entered the sect, your living quarters are still at the back.¡± While he said that¡­ ¡°Hu!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± A panting sound could be heard coming from the direction of one of the cave abodes. Everyone looked over and saw a strong senior brother wearing a short white shirt. He was practicing something in the bamboo forest. That person¡¯s figure was tall and straight, and he looked extraordinary. The wind that resulted from the movements of his fist was strong and fierce. However, his method of practice had him assume a stance akin to a tree, then suddenly move with a burst of speed like lightning. He was completely different from the cultivators who were meditating in the square. No matter how one looked at him, his actions did not look like immortal cultivation at all. Instead, it was much more like he was practicing martial arts. The new disciples looked at each other and discussed in low voices. ¡°What is he doing?¡± ¡°He looks very handsome¡­¡± ¡°It seems to be stance training. I¡¯ve read about it in ancient books before.¡± Senior Brother Su, who was walking in front, turned around. He glanced at the bamboo forest with some contempt. Then, facing the new disciples, he warned them coldly, ¡°On the path of cultivation, do not learn from this person.¡± ¡°Body cultivation is a small dao, but it¡¯s difficult to achieve great things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see the main hall.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The new disciples felt a chill in their hearts and followed him. ¡­ In the bamboo forest. The figure¡¯s actions seemed to gain more and more strength, and the force he sent into the air carried the sound of bones cracking. Even when people passed by just now, he did not care or pay them any mind. He remained completely immersed in his training. It was not until he heard a prompt in his mind that Li Ming came out of his trance state. [Obtained entry, Unmoving as a Pine.] [Unmoving as a Pine (Green): Stance training efficiency increased by 50%] Li Ming was very happy when he heard the prompt. After practicing for so long, he finally gained another entry! After obtaining the new entry, he did not stop but completed his routine even more faithfully. The figure in the bamboo forest seemed to possess even more grace in his movements. Li Ming finished his routine and stood still. His muscles were tense, and his body was rumbling like thunder. ¡°Huff~ Huff~ Huff~¡± Li Ming let out a long breath and sat down on the stone bench. He opened his system interface with joy. [Name: Li Ming] [Fate: 11 (longevity to a hundred years old) ] [Current Entries] His system¡¯s list was very concise. One¡¯s fate represented one¡¯s fate. It was determined from birth and was very difficult to improve. But Li Ming knew that his words could affect his fate. However, it had to be a special term, and the effects varied. And the entry: Li Ming opened his current entries, and a long list of entries appeared in his field of vision. [Juvenile Precocity (White): Photographic memory] [Balanced Simplicity and Elegance (White): Increases temperament] [Forbearance (White): Increases temperament ] [Legendary Artist (White): Legendary-level painting] [Dragon Trailing Brush (White): Excellent penmanship] [Unmoving as a Pine (Green): Stance training efficiency increased by 50%] [Weapon Mastery (White): Can use any weapon] [Spiritual Sword (White): Consume spirit to launch a powerful sword attack] [Reinforced Iron Bones (White): Skeleton sturdiness increased by 25%] [Rough Skin Thick Flesh (White): Defense increased by 25%] [Eagle Eye (White): Enhanced vision] [Dextrous Hands (Green): Increases the success rate of martial arts practice by 100%.] [Silent Steps (White): Silent when walking] [Unified Mind (White): Increases body control increased] [All Rivers Run to the Sea (Green): Increases efficiency of learning breathing techniques.] This dazzling array of entries had been accumulated by Li Ming over the years. These entries could only be obtained by doing corresponding actions. For example, Li Ming¡¯s [Dextrous Hands] was obtained by practicing hand-related martial arts. This entry could increase the success rate of his martial arts cultivation. And practicing martial arts could trigger new entries, creating a complementary relationship. However, things were not as easy as he had easily imagined. Looking at all the entries, Li Ming felt slightly emotional. ¡°It¡¯s already been three years¡­¡± Li Ming was 15 years old this year. Three years ago, he was favored by an elder of the sect and brought back to be promoted to an inner sect disciple. He was known as the future star of the Divine Will Sect. However, only Li Ming himself knew that his actual situation was horrible. Chapter 2 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation In the Divine Will Sect, there was a huge gap between the inner and outer sects. The outer sect was mainly concerned with recruiting immortal seedlings who would guard the Heavenly Southern Region. After these immortal seedlings cultivated in the outer sect, only the outstanding ones among them were qualified to be selected by the elders and brought into the inner sect. As for Li Ming¡­ Well, this would need us to go back to when he was still a child. Li Ming was a transmigrator born into a rich local family. He had lived a life of luxury since he was young. Just when he thought that he had traveled back in time to ancient times and was prepared to be a rich playboy for the rest of his life, he awakened his cheat. That was, he could add entries or descriptors to himself! For example, [Juvenile Precocity] allowed him to have a photographic memory. And for another example, [Balanced Simplicity and Elegance] raised his temperament. These were all descriptors that he had accidentally discovered. Later on, Li Ming went to practice calligraphy and painting. In the end, he obtained [Legendary Artist] and [Dragon Trailing Brush]. The words he wrote contained the Daoist Canon and were praised by calligraphy masters. His paintings were even circulated in the royal court and were fought over by people at that time. These experiences allowed him to become famous even before he was eight years old! He had become a well-known child prodigy in the area. However, this world was actually a world of immortal cultivators. His name as a child prodigy was heard by an elder of the Divine Will Sect who happened to be passing by. He mistakenly thought that Li Ming had the root of wisdom and was a top-notch immortal seedling. Therefore, he directly brought him back to the sect and made an exception to accept him as an inner sect disciple, placing high hopes on him. Li Ming was also very proud of himself. He had initially thought that he would take off on the immortal cultivation path and soar all the way to the skies¡­ However, how could he have possibly known that even if he did have a photographic memory and easily managed to memorize those cultivation techniques, he was ultimately unable to comprehend a single technique! It was only then that he realized that having a photographic memory only meant that he had a good memory. It did not improve his comprehension ability. Because of that, he had never been able to cultivate immortal techniques. This simply went to show how poor his cultivation talent was. He had only discovered this when he was scrolling through his entries. To add an entry to himself, he needed to practice the corresponding action repeatedly. When Li Ming was refreshing the immortal cultivation entry bar, he discovered that the progress was extremely slow! By his estimates, it would take at least ten years for him to fully fill up the immortal cultivation entry¡¯s progression bar. After all, one¡¯s talent was also important when it came to the entry. With poor talent, of course, the grind would take much longer. After a long time, Li Ming finally accepted the fact that he was not talented enough in this regard. However, since he was already here, there was no reason for him to go back and abandon the world of cultivation. Through his research, he discovered that immortal cultivation was not only about qi cultivation, but there was also body cultivation. Therefore, in order to hide the fact that he was untalented when it came to qi cultivation, Li Ming pretended that he was not interested in qi cultivation. He turned his head and made it seem as if he had fallen in love with body refinement! The path of body cultivation was more difficult than qi cultivation. Skin tempering, bone forging, and blood changing were all extremely difficult stages. Moreover, it was widely regarded by the outside world as a waste of effort. After all, body cultivation was so difficult, but the final results were very poor. As a result, there were few people in the Heavenly Southern Region who refined their bodies, and over time, it ended up being regarded as outside the righteous path. For a big sect like the Divine Will Sect, qi cultivation was naturally its first priority. The old tradition of body cultivation had been thrown to the back. According to the principle of survival of the fittest, this was a very reasonable sequence of events. Li Ming, who was still young at that time, had seemingly become addicted to refining his body and could not extricate himself from the practice. In this way, he managed to cleverly avoid the path of qi cultivation and avoid having his poor talent in qi cultivation from being discovered. In the end, he had successfully deceived everyone and did not have to be sent home. Li Ming¡¯s choice to refine his body caused quite a bit of criticism in the sect. However, because of him having appeared as such a great genius when he was younger, the elder let him be. He thought that Li Ming was in a period of muddle-headedness. He thought that when Li Ming finally came to understand the hardships and uselessness of body cultivation, he would naturally switch over to qi cultivation. Thinking of this, Li Ming smiled bitterly. Three years had passed, but he was only at the third level of qi refining. It could be seen from this that his talent in immortal cultivation truly was not good. Fortunately, he used body cultivation to cover up this fact. Otherwise, if the elders in the sect found out that his aptitude was very poor and that he had no future in immortal cultivation, he would probably be directly sent home. ¡°I should continue refining my body¡­¡± Li Ming thought about it. There were not that many people in the sect who trained their bodies, so he did not have to worry too much about being compared to others. If he were to slowly cultivate the path of body refinement, he would be able to make some gains sooner or later. After all, as long as he practiced, he would be able to fill his progress bars! Although the progress bars for some entries moved very slowly, he would be able to fill those entries sooner or later. There were so many entries, all of which were full of benefits. Li Ming was sitting in the bamboo forest, looking at his entries with satisfaction. While he had already obtained quite a number of entries, there were still many more entries that he needed to practice diligently for in order to obtain. [Eagle Eye (White): Enhanced vision] This was an entry that Li Ming had obtained a long time ago. He looked into the distance. In the bamboo forest, a group of people quickly arrived in front of his cave abode. The boy in the lead was fair-skinned and dressed luxuriously. He was an old acquaintance of Li Ming. His name was Duan Xiuwen, and he was a disciple of the Duan family, a great clan in the Heavenly Southern Region. He had joined the Divine Will Sect three years ago at the same time that Li Ming had. He was a disciple of the same batch as Li Ming. However, at that time, Li Ming had been discovered by an elder of the Divine Will Sect who had gone out and believed him to be a genius. When Li Ming was brought back to the sect, they had made an exception for him and immediately made him an inner sect disciple. On the other hand, although Duan Xiuwen was born in a large family, he had to start cultivating in the outer sect. Then, time passed. Li Ming suddenly became obsessed with body cultivation, and even the elders of the sect could not persuade him to drop it. Duan Xiuwen, on the other hand, had made rapid progress. He had broken through to the third level of the qi refining realm in merely three months, became a leading figure, and was brought into the inner sect. He appeared very proud and confident. Since then, Duan Xiuwen would come to Li Ming¡¯s cave abode to show off whenever he had a major breakthrough. This time, he had already entered the perfected level of the qi refining realm! He was just one step away from the foundation establishment realm. In the entire Divine Will Sect, he was one of the best. When he had nothing to do, he would run to Li Ming¡¯s cave abode to show off. As for those other disciples around him, they would naturally not let go of this good opportunity to try and increase their favor. ¡°Yo! Isn¡¯t this Li Ming, the great prodigy of the Divine Will Sect?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for a few years! You¡¯re still cultivating your body?!¡± Duan Xiuwen saw Li Ming¡¯s calm expression and walked over with a smile. As Li Ming was known as a genius, many elders had come to persuade him to switch to qi cultivation, even saying that as long as he switched over, they would arrange the best resources and treasures for him. Even Duan Xiuwen, a recognized genius of the Divine Will Sect, did not receive such treatment. Naturally, he grew extremely jealous. Fortunately, Li Ming was also very ¡°hardworking¡± and insisted on body cultivation. This made Duan Xiuwen feel both fortunate and regretful. He felt fortunate that Li Ming had focused on body cultivation. Because of that, he was granted a lot of resources, and he did not need to worry about others stealing the resources from him. He felt regretful because he believed his talent to be pretty good, but he could not compete against Li Ming in qi cultivation and prove himself because Li Ming had not placed his focus on qi cultivation. Because they had never been able to compare or compete against one another properly, many inner sect disciples would say that if Li Ming had focused on qi cultivation instead, he would definitely have been the future hope of the Divine Will Sect. Duan Xiuwen would get very angry every time he heard such words. I, Duan Xiuwen, have reached the perfected level of the qi refinement realm in three years. How could I be compared to the trash that Li Ming is?! Seeing Duan Xiuwen walking over with a smug look on his face, Li Ming raised his head and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Qi refining and body refining are different paths that lead to the same end. There is no difference between them.¡± Duan Xiuwen laughed and said, ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± I¡¯ve been refining qi for three years, and I¡¯m about to reach the foundation establishment realm. I¡¯m an elite disciple of the sect.¡± ¡°And then look at you, what have you achieved after three years of refining your body?!¡± ¡°Skin tempering? Bone forging? Soon, you will be demoted to an outer disciple, and this heaven¡¯s favorite cave abode will be mine!¡± Duan Xiuwen and his followers all laughed in unison. ¡°Senior Brother Duan¡¯s talent is unparalleled.¡± ¡°I think only Senior Brother Duan is worthy of this heaven¡¯s favorite cave abode.¡± ¡°Senior brother Li, I think you should be more tactful and move out in advance¡­ That way, you won¡¯t lose face when you¡¯re chased out in the future.¡± Chapter 3 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Facing the laughter of the crowd, Li Ming¡¯s heart was as still as water. After three years, these people no longer had the respect for him that they had in the past. Simply said, they all regarded body cultivation as a side path and looked down on it. However, being ridiculed right in front of his own cave abode, there was truly nothing better to use to instill reason within them than his own fists¡­ But then, just as Li Ming got up, the rustling of bamboo leaves could be heard. A girl in a purple dress flew out of the bamboo forest. Everyone looked over and saw that it was Junior Sister Chen Qingke from the neighboring cave abode. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Junior Sister Chen!¡± ¡°What a fast speed. Junior Sister Chen has only entered the sect for less than a year, right?¡± ¡°This is a true genius.¡± While the crowd was still discussing amongst themselves, Chen Qingke said with a cold face, ¡°This cave abode is where Senior Brother Li cultivates. It¡¯s improper for you to be quarreling here! Are you not embarrassed of yourselves?!¡± The disciples looked at each other. Li Ming was obsessed with body cultivation and was about to be demoted to the outer sect. Who would still treat him as a senior brother? Nevertheless, even if they did not care about Li Ming, they had to give Chen Qingke some face. This was because Chen Qingke was the most popular genius in the Divine Will Sect! Duan Xiuwen was secretly annoyed. He simply could not understand why Junior Sister Chen would speak up for a body cultivator like Li ming. ¡°Go! Don¡¯t let me see you guys again!¡± Chen Qingke ruthlessly told them to leave in Li Ming¡¯s place. The group of disciples all looked at Duan Xiuwen. Duan Xiuwen pouted and said angrily, ¡°Junior Sister Chen, I¡¯ll be giving you face this time. Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± When they heard Duan Xiuwen say that they were leaving, the group of people that followed him left with him. ¡­ Chen Qingke had driven the crowd away with a few words. She had a good reputation in front of the Divine Will Sect¡¯s disciples. Although Chen Qingke had only joined the Divine Will Sect a year ago, she was undoubtedly a genius. She had a very strong talent for cultivation. From nothing at all, she reached the perfected level of the qi refining real in just one year. In addition, based on the stability of her realm, the sect elders judged that she would definitely reach the foundation establishment realm! To be able to reach the foundation establishment realm at such a young age, one could see how high her natural talent was. She was thus a talent that the sect attached great importance to. Li Ming watched as Chen Qingke dispersed the crowd. Li Ming could not help but recall the time when Chen Qingke had just joined the sect a year ago. As her senior brother, he had given her a lot of care. Unexpectedly, the little girl from a year ago had already reached the peak of the qi refining realm and now had a respectable status within the sect. Meanwhile, he was still at the third level of the qi refining realm, and he was even being insulted in his own residence. Unfortunately, in this world, those that were kind were prone to bullying. If Junior Sister Chen had not appeared today, further trouble would have been unavoidable. ¡°Junior Sister Chen, thank you very much.¡± Li Ming sighed and stood up. ¡°It¡¯s nothing! That bunch of people just need to be taught a lesson.¡± Chen Qingke raised her small fist and said, ¡°Senior brother, if they dare to come again, just call me.¡± ¡°I guarantee I¡¯ll beat them up until their teeth are all over the ground.¡± Li Ming smiled and nodded in response. Back then, Chen Qingke had made rapid progress in just one month. She had displayed her talent in cultivation and gained the attention of the entire sect. It was also because of this that the elders placed all their energy on the younger generation, allowing Li Ming to continue refining his body. Sure enough, as the elders had expected, even a genius like Li Ming, who had matured early, could not make much progress in body cultivation. Ever since then, the sect stopped allocating him resources. In the blink of an eye, the door in front of Li Ming¡¯s cave abode was left empty. By drinking water, one would know whether it was cold or warm. After Chen Qingke learned about Li Ming¡¯s experience, she did not despise him. She would often come to his assistance whenever he met with trouble. Watching Chen Qingke¡¯s back as she left, Li Ming thought to himself, ¡°What a loyal junior sister.¡± But naturally¡­ She did not know that she was a part of the reason why Li Ming was targeted so much. ¡­ Li Ming closed the door of his cave abode. He returned to his room and silently thought about his future. He had made some achievements in the three years he had spent in the Divine Will Sect. The martial dao was divided into six stages, namely: stability training, skin tempering, bone forging, blood changing, organ refining, and marrow cleansing. However, unlike qi cultivation, the six stages of body cultivation were all processes to improve one¡¯s life essence. Thus, in theory, each stage could be repeated countless times until one attained the effect of complete evolution. In these three years, he had already completed a cycle. Therefore, it was not impossible for him to go to leave the sect. After all, the Divine Will Sect could not teach him much. The path he was now on was also a new path filled with the unknown, and he practically had to explore everything on his own. If he left the inner sect, he might be able to better conceal his cheat-like ability, the entries. The entries or descriptors were the foundation of his strength and abilities. As for talent in cultivation, could one not cultivate just because they had poor aptitude? Li Ming never intended to give up. Even if qi cultivation would take a while, was there not still body cultivation? Refining his body was also a means of cultivation! As such, he decided to tread the path of martial arts! And to walk this path, he had to use the entries. However, three years had passed, and the highest-ranked entries that Li Ming had obtained were only green. It seemed that he was still far away from attaining higher-ranked entries. However, that was not necessarily the case. This was because the system also had an entry synthesis function! Thinking of this, Li Ming became quite excited. He learned that this function could be used to fuse his old entries! Every entry had a different function, and they were divided into different ranks or levels. These were white, green, blue, purple, orange, red, and gold. The higher the rank of the entry, the better its effect! The effects of white entries were basically at the level of mortals. Although they were weak, they were relatively well-rounded, and some of them were very useful. For example, his [Forebearance (White)] simply increased his temperament. However, [Weapon Mastery (White)] allowed him to use any weapon! As for the green entries, they had greater effects and were much more impressive. For example, [All Rivers Run to the Sea (Green): Increases efficiency of learning breathing techniques]. Of course, even so, the level of these entries was still too low, and they did not help Li Ming¡¯s cultivation that much. But now, his chance had come. As long as the entries were combined, higher-ranked entries could be synthesized. Of course, this function could only combine entries with similar attributes. And the entry that resulted from the combination would still have a similar effect as its components, just that it was more advanced! Moreover, there was no limit to the number of times that this function could be used. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll place some entries first and try synthesizing them.¡± When he thought of this, Li Ming made a prompt decision. In any case, he did not need to be stingy with these white entries. After fusing them, they would become better. Li Ming began to combine all the entries of the same type right away. [Synthesizing¡­] [Combined entries: Unmoving as a Pine, Weapon Mastery, Spiritual Sword, Reinforced Iron Bones, Dextrous Hands, Silent Steps, Unified Mind, All Rivers Run to the Sea.] [Synthesis complete. New entry obtained: Unobstructed Hundred Meridians (Blue)] [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians (Blue): The acupoints throughout the body have been linked. The efficiency of learning any body tempering cultivation technique has been increased by 100%.] Suddenly, Li Ming felt a very comfortable and refreshing feeling throughout his limbs and bones. At the same time, he also obtained a skill. [Martial Arts Fanatic, increases the power of any martial arts technique by 50%.] Chapter 4 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation A blue entry! This was the highest-level entry that Li Ming had obtained in the past three years. A blue entry provided extraordinary effects on specific aspects. At the same time, it came with skills and special abilities! After combining all of those entries, he synthesized [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians (Blue)]. Its effect was to increase the efficiency of learning any body tempering cultivation technique by 100%. The effect was very powerful. If everything went as expected, he would be able to speed his way through the path of body refinement as much as he wanted. Furthermore, this entry also came with a skill. [Martial Arts Fanatic]! ¡°This skill increases the power of any martial arts technique by 50%. This is a ridiculously powerful skill.¡± Li Ming was exhilarated. He had only now learned of how amazing blue entries were. He could not even imagine just how much more amazing the higher-leveled terms would be. He returned to his courtyard. He did not even need to circulate his qi to directly use his body tempering technique [Hundred Refinement Diamond Body]. His body was filled with qi and blood, and they flowed smoothly through his meridians. He felt his own strength and sensed that his body had become as hard as steel. When he carried out a set of exercises, he discovered that his efficiency had suddenly increased. The cells in his body seemed to have been tempered and reorganized, becoming extremely tough. No matter if it was his strength or qi and blood, none of them experienced any stagnation at all as they coursed through his body. ¡°Phew, it seems that the Unobstructed Hundred Meridians has really made it so that it is much easier for me to refine my body.¡± Li Ming was pleasantly surprised. The path of body refinement that he had been treading seemed to have become much easier with the introduction of the Unobstructed Hundred Meridians entry. When he used the [Hundred Refinement Diamond Body], he realized that he had already mastered this basic body tempering technique. Li Ming knew that with the improvement of his body refinement, ordinary cultivation techniques were no longer enough. He needed to find a cultivation technique that was more suitable for him. Similar to qi refinement techniques, martial dao cultivation techniques had their own various aspects that they lay greater emphasis on. In addition, just as there were different levels of power, there were different-leveled techniques. For example, the [Hundred Refinement Diamond Body] mainly focused on refining a person¡¯s skin and bones. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. I¡¯ll go to the scripture depository tomorrow to find another cultivation technique.¡± After Li Ming obtained the Unobstructed Hundred Meridians, he began practicing another set of fist techniques in a refreshed manner. He was now looking forward to profound martial dao cultivation techniques more and more. ¡­ On the next day, he did not carry out his morning routine as he usually did. Instead, he put on a green daoist robe and headed to the scripture depository of the Divine Will Sect. As he was making his way over to the depository, many disiciples recognized him. After all, as a genius brought back by an elder of the sect three years ago and then became obsessed with body cultivation, he had become rather well-known throughout the sect. Li Ming¡¯s expression did not change even though so many people looked at him with strange gazes as he walked. Three years had already passed. If he did not have a firm dao heart, how could he even speak about achieving great things on the immortal path? Soon enough, not too far away from him, a pagoda-like building came into view. The scripture depository was grandly located in the middle of the mountain, and there were usually not many people coming and going. Li Ming soon arrived at the scripture depository. After showing his token to the senior brother who was guarding the depository, he strode in. ¡°Junior Brother Li, all of the qi refinement cultivation techniques are on the first floor.¡± The senior brother who was guarding the depository reminded him out of good will. ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother Huang,¡± Li Ming said with a gentle smile. He walked into the pagoda-like building. There were many disciples selecting cultivation techniques on the first floor. He took a quick look around. Just as the senior brother had said, the cultivation techniques here were all immortal cultivation techniques. He remembered many of them to the letter. However, he did not have the aptitude for such immortal cultivation and could not comprehend such techniques. He could tell just by looking at the progress bar of the entry for his immortal cultivation just how bad his talent for it was. Li Ming headed to the second floor calmly. There were not many people on the second floor of the scripture depository. As he strolled around the second floor, he scanned the bookshelves. Most of the books placed in the bookshelves here were martial arts cultivation techniques, but because it had been too long since anyone had read them, they had already become covered in dust. ¡°It seems that other than me, no one else even wants to check any of these scriptures out.¡± Li Ming said to himself rather self-mockingly. Nevertheless, he went to pick a martial dao cultivation technique that suited him. As far as the Divine Will Sect was concerned, these martial dao cultivation techniques were actually quite complete. This was because the dao of body refinement had once been popular in the past. All kinds of schools were quite perfect, and this included both internal and external techniques. However, after the rise of qi cultivation, body cultivation was no longer mainstream, and people began to move away from it. ¡°Internal strength is the most important; always consider things carefully.¡± ¡°I can choose a few more external techniques to practice.¡± Li Ming went in front of a bookshelf and flipped through the books on it. The more he read, the more spirited he became. Although his qi cultivation talent was not good, body cultivation did not really care too much about aptitude or talent. As long as you practice, you will gain something. Your body would not let you down. Li Ming knew that when one¡¯s body was refined to a certain level, one¡¯s body could become godly. Only those who could move mountains and fill oceans, and make the world much smaller for themselves, were truly mighty. All in all, it was completely possible to refine one¡¯s body to become immortal. However, it could not be denied that with the rise of qi cultivation, body cultivation still became much less popular and fell out of grace. The main problem with body cultivation was that it required more resources, and it required much more grinding as compared to qi cultivation. Body cultivation required one to continuously temper their body. If one wanted to truly achieve success in this path, the time that they spent would generally be longer than those who simply opted for qi cultivation. When comparing choices, the effort that body cultivation required was simply not proportional to its returns. As such, there were naturally fewer and fewer people that came to practice it. At first, Li Ming also wanted to choose qi cultivation, but after accidentally refining his body, he found it truly invigorating. Only after proper practice and training would one be able to feel the various benefits of body cultivation. Of course¡­ He also experienced the torturous pain that came with body refinement. Body cultivation was truly difficult. The difficulty here lay in how practicing martial arts was a very bitter process and had high requirements on the martial artist¡¯s state of mind. The demands that some practices had were simply horrific, and it was difficult to persist without a strong mind. And once one gave up, all their previous efforts would be in vain. As for qi cultivation, it was much easier. One simply had to breathe according to the techniques However, the requirements for aptitude were much higher as well. For example, if one had the root of wisdom or a special physique, they could refine qi with great efficiency and make rapid progress. This was also the reason why the elder treated Li Ming like a treasure. Everyone loved to take shortcuts, but God still gave everyone a chance to carve out their own living. Just as Li Ming said, there was no difference between qi cultivation and body cultivation. They both had their own advantages and disadvantages. ¡°I¡¯ll choose this book for the internal strength of martial dao cultivation techniques.¡± Li Ming closed took the book into his hand, and five ancient words appeared: Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. This body tempering technique drew in the heat of the blazing sun to temper one¡¯s body. It had a total of nine levels, and the seventh level was martial dao foundation establishment. For the current Li Ming, this body tempering technique was very suitable for him in that it would aid him in breaking through to the foundation establishment realm. With him now having cleared and linked up his meridians, he could make rapid progress in any body tempering cultivation technique. It was not wrong to call him a genius, just that he was a genius in body cultivation. Then, Li Ming chose a fist technique called the [Five Divine Fists]. In the past three years, he had only been practicing basic stance techniques and had not cultivated any offensive techniques. It was because he knew that the time had not yet come. However, for body cultivators, once they possessed offensive techniques, their destructive power would be multiplied. He now began to wonder how many of his punches those qi refining cultivators would be able to take with their weak bodies. As Li Ming thought about it, he picked up another book that had the words [Iron Skin] written on its cover. This was a defensive cultivation technique. It focused on tempering the flesh until it was incredibly tough. He now had both offense and defense. Finally, he picked up a book that had the words [Wind Lightning Steps]. With this movement technique, he could launch assaults just as he could retreat if he so wished. Holding four thick martial dao cultivation techniques, Li Ming went back downstairs to register and borrow the books from the senior brother who was standing guard by the entrance. ¡°Senior Brother Huang, I want to borrow these four books.¡± Chapter 5 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Senior Brother Huang, who was guarding the scripture depository, turned his head and looked over. He saw Li Ming holding a thick stack of four cultivation techniques. At first, he was stunned, then he persuaded earnestly, ¡°Junior Brother Li, why are you borrowing so many body tempering cultivation techniques?¡± ¡°Why are you practicing this? There¡¯s no future in this path.¡± Li Ming smiled kindly and said, ¡°Senior Brother Huang, don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯m just planning on bringing them back with me and taking a look at them.¡± Senior Brother Huang thought, ¡°Just taking a look? If so, then why are you carrying so many of them?¡± ¡°Junior Brother Li, why are you so stubborn?¡± Senior Brother Huang sighed. ¡°How about this? If you still can¡¯t reach the martial dao foundation establishment after this, just switch to qi cultivation already. What do you think?¡± Senior Brother Huang tried to convince him one last time. Li Ming nodded. He knew that Senior Brother Huang had said all that with kind intentions. However, he really had no choice. There was nothing much he could do with regard to the entry related to qi cultivation. He simply did not have much talent in that regard. Moreover, on the path of immortality, those who could simply be persuaded were not suitable to walk this path. On the path of body refinement, one had to press forward with an indomitable will. Senior Brother Huang looked exasperated, but he still helped Li Ming register for the books. As a first-class sect in the eastern continent, these martial dao cultivation techniques were also a part of the foundation of the sect. This time, Li Ming chose books that were suitable for him. These were all very practical martial dao techniques that he had carefully selected. Rather than letting these books eat dust in the scripture depository, it would be better for me to carry them onward with my own hands! ¡­ Holding the stack of ancient books, Li Ming returned to his cave abode with excitement. With these cultivation techniques, he could be considered to have officially stepped through the entrance of the martial dao and immortal cultivation. Qi cultivation was the trend now, but who could say that body cultivation could not make one stronger? ¡°Thud~¡± He placed the ancient books on the table in the room and carefully wiped the dust off of them. Then, he immersed himself in his studies. The [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art]. He had already roughly looked through it in the scripture depository. He could start practicing it right away. Li Ming was slightly excited. After learning this body refining cultivation technique, he would be one step closer to becoming a body refining expert. ¡°Allows one to absorb the yang qi between the heaven and earth and turn it into the blazing sun true qi¡­¡± ¡°This Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art is truly tyrannical!¡± Li Ming did not say anything more and began to practice the internal cultivation technique. This would be his internal body refining cultivation technique! After Li Ming stood still according to the habit he developed from stance training, he circulated his true qi through his meridians for less than one cycle. The surface of his skin gradually began to glow with a reddish glow, causing his skin to look like hot iron. His entire body was filled with blazing sun true qi. If an ordinary cultivator were to draw in the qi into his body like this, his internal organs would probably be burned to ashes. However, Li Ming was not afraid in the slightest because he had gone through the stages of blood changing, organs refining, and marrow cleansing. This level of true qi was just within the range that he could bear. Martial dao within, impervious to gods! As soon as he started to use the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art], the blue entry [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians] immediately came into effect, and every part of his body began burning. Every one of his cells was reborn through the fire. ¡°Thump!¡± Thumping sounds came from within his body, mixed with the sound of impurities being burned. It was as if a junction had been opened up. With ease, he successfully practiced the first level of the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art]! Li Ming was both surprised and elated. Even with his foundation in body tempering, his cultivation speed was still extremely fast. He continued to practice according to the cultivation technique and completed the first circulation smoothly. There were no blockages in his meridians. ¡°Swish!¡± With the explosive sound of his qi and blood being connected, Li Ming¡¯s body burned even more fiercely, and he also broke through the second level of the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art]! Suddenly, all the yang qi in his surroundings gathered above his head. At this time, as Li Ming stood in his courtyard, he looked just like a man of searing iron. His body would glow brighter and then dim. Then, he would brighten again, before dimming once again; it was just like breathing. If one were to look inside his body, one would find that the meridians in his body were like hot red tubes. And at the same time, white smoke was rising from the surface of his body. Li Ming looked as if he had turned into a furnace. The temperature around him suddenly rose, and the air began to distort. ¡°Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, third level!¡± ¡°Break!¡± As the blazing sun true qi completed circulations inside Li Ming¡¯s body, a series of rumbling and booming sounds came from all over his body! With the 100% efficiency boost from the entry, Li Ming practiced the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art], a profound martial dao cultivation technique, to the third level in one sitting! I¡­ I¡¯ve already reached the third level? Li Ming was excited. The effect of the entry was simply too amazing. With [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians], no matter what body tempering cultivation technique he practiced, he would be able to get twice the result with half the effort! He silently looked inside himself, and he could not help but be shocked. After the first three years of diligent training, his body could be said to be an excellent unpolished jade. Once everything was threaded together, the hidden luster underneath finally began to come to light. He had only reached the third level, but he already felt that his strength had improved greatly. Given some time, the bodies of cultivators of the same level would definitely not be as strong as his. Even with Li Ming¡¯s calm personality, he could not help but sigh, ¡°Who says that only qi cultivation can lead to the peak of immortal cultivation¡­¡± From today on, he could be considered to have become the prototype of a heaven¡¯s favorite. He had broken through three levels in one day. Moreover, the effect of the third level of the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] was very obvious. The blazing sun true qi in his body could cleanse his marrows and strengthen his body. Body refinement can actually be really strong. At this moment, Li Ming felt that his three years of non-stop training and practice had been worth it. After he practiced the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art], he took in large amounts of yang qi from the world. ¡°Huff¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°Huff¡­ Haah¡­¡± All of a sudden, Li Ming felt that there was a fire blazing throughout his entire body. The fire was raging inside his body. Those who did not know what was going on might think that he had gone astray. He immediately held his breath and focused, suppressing the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art]. After some thought, Li Ming understood what was going on. It turned out that he could not absorb too much of the blazing sun true qi. A little bit was fine, but if he absorbed too much yang qi, it would self-immolate in his body, and the flame that resulted from it would not be an ordinary flame! It would be the blazing sun true flame, and such a flame would burn his muscles and fibers, subjecting him to horrific side effects. Li Ming had accidentally absorbed too much in his excitement. If it were an ordinary cultivator who cultivated the cultivation technique from the first level instead, then something like this would not have happened to them. It could only be said that his meridians were too clear, and his efficiency in cultivating the technique was too high. All of his acupoints were like suction cups, madly absorbing the yang qi from the world, causing the blazing sun true qi within him to expand and head toward self-immolation. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Li Ming did not know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. The fire in his body seemed like it would blaze endlessly, and ordinary water would definitely be unable to put it out. The only thing he could do now was to exhaust this qi through training. He did not panic and immediately forced all the fire to his dantian. He used his only hand that was not on fire to flip open the ancient book on the [Five Divine Fists]. With the effect of [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians (Blue)], the efficiency with which he cultivated body tempering cultivation techniques was increased by 100%. Li Ming, who already had a foundation in fist techniques, was able to achieve great results with ease when practicing the [Five Divine Fists]. This [Five Divine Fists] was no ordinary fist technique. According to what was written in the ancient book, he had to visualize the wind, forest, fire, mountain, and sun! He would have to imagine his body as a small world and, with the help of a special posture, allow the internal qi to rush out of special acupoints. He immediately began to practice the fist technique. He had to release the fire in his body! Chapter 6 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The [Five Divine Fists] allowed one to visualize five divinities in the world. Each time he visualized a different technique, it would bring about a completely different fist aura. This set of fist techniques could train all the bones and muscles in the body. It was especially effective in blood changing, organ refining, and marrow cleansing! Li Ming steadily practiced the [Five Divine Fists] technique in his courtyard. This fist technique combined strength and gentleness, and, coupled with the blazing sun true qi, it left his entire body comfortable. ¡°Bang!¡± A burst of blazing sun true qi shot out of his body along the path of his punch and hit the trunk of a big tree beside him, creating a muffled bang. Li Ming looked over and found that a flaming mark was left in the tree. ¡°What a powerful fist technique! Moreover, I can use it in conjunction with the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art.¡± At this moment, the blazing sun true qi in his body had also calmed down. The muscles across his body had stopped trembling violently as they had been previously, and his breathing and true qi had stabilized. When he was performing the [Five Divine Fists], Li Ming¡¯s breathing and movements were completely in sync. His qi and blood were transmitted from each of his major acupuncture points to every part of his body, corresponding to one of the six basic stages of body refining, blood changing! The breathing that he had to follow during the intense exercise also caused his internal organs to have to contract. The strong contraction resulted in the internal organs inside his body trembling from the exertion of force. At the same time, the mysterious energy that resulted from his visualization seeped into his bones and muscles, stimulating the tenacity of every inch of his bones. These two events precisely corresponded to the organ refining and marrow cleansing of fundamental body refining! Li Ming kept on adjusting himself, trying to perform the [Five Divine Fists] to perfection. While the postures only looked slightly special, they were actually quite complicated. In addition, he had to send his internal qi through his acupoints at the same time. Even the slightest error would lead to the failure of the visualization. If there was even the slightest mistake in the control of internal qi, it would cause the technique to fail. Li Ming visualized and punched time and time again. The movements of his body, his breathing, the timing of his internal qi, the visualization of the five divinities¡­ When all of these aspects were perfectly in sync, Li Ming finally completed his first set of practice for the [Five Divine Fists]. He stopped and stood on the spot as he finished the set. He could still hear the knocking and trembling sounds of his bones hitting against his muscles. ¡°Phew¡­ What a wonderful feeling.¡± Li Ming smiled. The [Five Divine Fists] was a powerful technique, and it was not inferior to those immortal techniques. He had not made the wrong choice. Moreover, it could also help him in refining his body. It was especially effective in blood changing, organ refining, and marrow cleansing. However, he could not neglect the other basic skills. The six basic skills were the most important part of body cultivation. Stance training, bone forging, blood changing, skin tempering, organ refining, and marrow cleansing. These six basic skills were not like qi refining in qi cultivation which was a realm on its own. Instead, these skills were processes that brought continuous improvements to one¡¯s life essence! Therefore, the ultimate goal of every martial dao cultivation technique was to let the physical body continue to transform and finally become out of the ordinary. These six basic skills needed to be practiced repeatedly, and quantitative changes would lead to qualitative changes. When one¡¯s quality reached the extreme, they would be able to move mountains and seas, and their physical bodies could become godly. Although there was a limit to the cultivation technique, the body could continue to grow. It could be said that this path was endless! ¡­ After Li Ming comprehended the [Five Divine Fists], he felt that every inch of his body had been refined. He could truly feel that he had become stronger! In his excitement, he began to practice the [Five Divine Fists] again. One time, two times, the blazing sun true qi in his body was gradually refined through the fist technique. Through repetitive training, the excess true qi was all refined and dissolved into his body. The rest of the pure true qi flew along Li Ming¡¯s meridians along with his natural breathing. Body cultivators were not like qi cultivators who needed to refine the spiritual qi of the world. Body cultivators train their body¡¯s strength and produce internal energy. He relied on the six basic skills to use his inner qi to open up all the major and minor acupuncture points, meridians, and channels in his body! In the end, it was not just the meridians, but also the muscles, skin, bones, and even the five viscera, six bowels, and bone marrow. As Li Ming was now, he could feel his blood essence burn with every punch. ¡°Whoosh!¡± After a series of punches, the ringing from the sound of air being broken by the speed of his punches could still be heard. Li Ming¡¯s skill, [Martial Arts Fanatic], increased the power of any of his martial dao cultivation techniques by 50%. He had no doubt that he could break the old tree with one punch. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Li Ming exhaled slowly. After that last punch, his breath was like a clap of thunder. His entire body felt comfortable. His bones and muscles felt numb. It had been a long time since he had felt so refreshed. Just now, together with the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art], he completed a round of stance training, bone forging, blood changing, organ refining, and marrow cleansing. It was equivalent to a thorough cleansing. Of course, the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] and [Five Divine Fists] did not include skin tempering, one of the six basic skills. Every cultivation technique had the points they focused on, so it was naturally impossible to cover all of the six skills. On the contrary, the effects were actually better when focusing on specific aspects. ¡°Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, level three¡­¡± ¡°Five Divine Fists, rough understanding¡­¡± Li Ming was drenched in sweat, but the joy in his eyes could not hidden at all. Although his realm did not increase, his strength was several times higher than before! This strength was referring to his actual combat strength. Li Ming was very happy. After three years of body tempering, he had finally welcomed the day of bearing fruit. He was about to take a shower to wash away the sweat that had been discharged from his fist training. However, the vortex in his dantian that had been silent for a long time began to tremble slowly. His lower abdomen contracted slightly, and Li Ming¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. ¡°The qi refining realm actually loosened for me?¡± This was a surprise that caught him off guard! He was only at the third level of the qi refining realm. It had been a long time since he had experienced the feeling of breaking through. Looking at the new disciples surpassing him one by one, Li Ming could only focus on refining his body again and again. But now¡­ His qi refining was about to break through as well! The spiritual qi in the air rushed to the vortex in Li Ming¡¯s dantian and soon caused the vortex to grow even larger. Like a crazy magnet, Li Ming needed to completely integrate himself with his meditation and breathing. He immediately sat down with his legs crossed. As the spiritual qi continued to pour in, pale white qi flow revolved around Li Ming rhythmically, and even the dead leaves in the courtyard danced along. Generally speaking, it was very rare for there to be such a commotion when a third-stage qi refining cultivator broke through to the fourth-stage qi refining realm. For Li Ming, although his breakthrough was unexpected, it was as smooth as water flowing when a channel was formed. After a while, Li Ming¡¯s face exuded a faint glow, causing his face to look like white jade. His entire body was also cleansed by the spiritual qi. The spiritual qi vortex in his body was spinning slowly, and it was much stronger than before. As the vortex completely stabilized, Li Ming opened his eyes and everything in front of him became more clearer. He was now at the fourth-stage qi refining realm, and the gap between his body refining was closed¡­ His senses were heightened, and he could even hear the tiny chirping of insects around him. Immortal cultivation was also about communicating with the world, which was really mysterious. ¡°It¡¯s really the fourth level!¡± Compared to the progress of his body cultivation, Li Ming was more excited to have broken through to the fourth level of qi refining. This could be considered to be a preliminary confirmation of his thoughts. Improving one¡¯s martial arts aptitude could also improve one¡¯s immortal cultivation aptitude! The stones from other mountains could be used to attack jade. His path was indeed correct. Chapter 7 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation It was early in the morning. Inside his cave abode, Li Ming had been practicing the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] ever since he got out of bed. Compared to the gentle [Hundred Refinement Diamond Body], this body tempering technique was even more painful. If he was not careful, his body would be burned by the blazing sun true qi. However, Li Ming enjoyed this kind of torture. While torture was torture, this kind of torture had a great effect. As his physique improved, he felt both pain and joy. Drawing blazing sun true qi into one¡¯s body, which would be dangerous to others, was the bottom line that Li Ming¡¯s body could endure. In the afternoon, he even continued to carry out stance training under the bright sun. This was the time when the sun was at its hottest, and he was sweating just by standing out in the open. Li Ming directly followed the positions described by the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art]. These were not only a great test for his body, but also for his willpower. As he carried this out, powerful inner strength violently rampaged through his meridians. At this moment, blazing sun true qi slowly flowed throughout his body. They coursed through his body as if all his acupoints were open. Li Ming¡¯s aura was also accumulating. His state of mind was so calm that he felt it was somewhat unusual. ¡°BOOM!¡± A thunderous sound rang in his mind. At the same time, the blazing sun true qi in his body had also accumulated to the peak. No longer being guided by Li Ming, the true qi surged and rushed toward the fourth level of the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art]. Li Ming clenched his fists as he pushed the true qi to surge through the large meridian. ¡°Fourth level, open!¡± He had successfully opened up a new body tempering path in his body, and a stronger true qi had become akin to an extension of his arm. Li Ming spread out his arms and let the warm sunlight shine down on his body. As he breathed, he looked inside his body and felt a power that was within his control fill his entire body! He had reached the fourth level of the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art]! The effect of the blue entry was indeed powerful as he expected. His training efficiency rose very quickly, and he reached the fourth level the next day without even having to stop to rest. The improvement brought about by the fourth level of the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] was even more surprising. When he circulated the true qi within his body, his punches and kicks would be accompanied by the scorching aura of the blazing sun true qi and damage his target. Although he still could not release his true qi out into the air, he already had the embryonic form of a true qi release. Li Ming opened his palm, and the blazing sun true qi surged, bringing about a scorching heat. ¡°The damage of the [Five Divine Fists] technique has also been increased to another level.¡± ¡­ Over the past few days, whenever Li Ming practiced the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] and [Five Divine Fists], he did not forget to flip through [Iron Skin] as well. This was a defensive martial art, and it was a relatively simple one at that. It was especially effective for skin tempering. It was often said that one should not bite off more than one can chew when practicing martial arts, but Li Ming¡¯s martial arts skills complemented each other and could even support the other. Moreover, he had already mastered the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] and [Five Divine Fists], so it was now time for him to start practicing [Iron Skin] to make up for his shortcoming in skin tempering. Compared to the [Five Divine Fists], which was extremely beneficial for blood changing, organs refining, and marrow cleansing, [Iron Skin] was a defensive martial art that specialized in skin tempering. At a high level, one could temper the skin on one¡¯s body to be harder than even iron! Li Ming had trained his body for a long time, so he naturally knew that he should not neglect any of the six basic skills. The amount of water that a box can hold was determined by the shortest wooden plank. However, he chose to completely stabilize the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] before he began to practice [Iron Skin]. According to the training method of [Iron Skin], Li Ming began to guide the blazing sun true qi to the meridians on the surface of his body, washing through every inch of his meridians. The first time, he had to wash his appearance. Immediately after, it was countless times of condensation. This process was undoubtedly painful and boring. Li Ming did not waver and allowed his inner strength to continuously open up new pathways. It was best not to leave a single weak point for skin tempering. Therefore, whenever he found a weak point, Li Ming would repeatedly temper it until it met the iron-like requirement of [Iron Skin]. After one afternoon, he had gradually mastered the [Iron Skin] technique. Every inch of his skin seemed to have become made of iron. Copper muscles, iron bones, and copper skin were just adjectives, but Li Ming¡¯s [Iron Skin] could easily block ordinary weapons. Even if he were slashed by a large blade, there would at most only be a white mark left on his skin. After mastering [Iron Skin], Li Ming repeatedly practiced stance training, skin tempering, bone forging, blood changing, organs refining, and marrow cleansing. As a body tempering cultivator, Li Ming had practiced these six basic skills countless times before his meridians were all connected. However, after learning the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art], [Five Divine Fists], and [Iron Skin], Li Ming realized how shallow his previous practice was in comparison. But then again, without the accumulation of the previous three years, his body would not have been able to withstand his advancements. A skyscraper was built from the ground. The stronger the foundation, the higher one build. It was with the good foundation of having all his meridians connected that Li Ming¡¯s cultivation was able to advance by leaps and bounds in the past few days. ¡­ After dinner, Li Ming came out of seclusion for the first time after a few days of bitter and persistent cultivation. He arrived at the bamboo forest in front of the cave. Now, every step he took seemed to be leisurely, but in reality, this was simply a display of the much greater control that he now had over his powerful body. Like a cheetah, all of his strength was accumulated in his relaxation, waiting for the moment to explode with all the power stored in his body. ¡°I¡¯ll practice the [Five Divine Fists] first¡­¡± Li Ming began to perform the [Five Divine Fists] that he had now practiced thousands of times. He did not take a long time to visualize the five divinities like he did before. Now, he could visualize the wind, forest, fire, mountain, and sun divinities in an instant. The five different fist techniques were extremely sharp under his display. The [Five Divine Fists] was originally a combination of five fist techniques that could adapt to different scenarios. Because Li Ming¡¯s internal energy was the [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art], he was most successful in visualizing the Sun God¡¯s sun divine fist. Although it was nighttime, his punches were still as dazzling as the sun, strong and explosive. This was also his most powerful attack at the moment. ¡°Haah!¡± Li Ming glanced at a huge rock beside him. He launched an explosive punch directly at the rock. The moment he moved, the blazing sun true qi in his body surged, and every part of his body moved to his will. The strongest explosive force he could muster that appeared to be as powerful as a small sun rushed out of Li Ming¡¯s arm. It condensed into a fist light and exploded with a fiery aura. With a deep and thunderous sound, the huge rock instantly broke into countless pieces. Li Ming shouted in surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve already mastered the sun meridians!¡± This meridian was like a cannon barrel, and the power that it could muster that was equivalent to a cannon firing could not be underestimated. Moreover, that move of his just now had been enhanced by his [Martial Arts Fanatic] skill. The overall destructive power was almost comparable to an attack of a qi refining cultivator¡¯s full-power attack. However, he had not reached the foundation establishment realm in body tempering just yet. The [Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art] was only at the fourth level, and his qi refining was only at the fourth level as well. Li Ming was very satisfied that he could dish out such strong damage. As expected of a body cultivator, he was invincible in close combat. As the early stages passed, the advantages of body refinement gradually manifested. Qi refining cultivators condensed qi, while body refining cultivators tempered their bodies repeatedly. As for the path of immortal cultivation, neither of better, but body cultivators definitely had stronger bodies. After Li Ming stopped, he began pondering on things seriously. He now had a solid foundation and power built upon in, but in the end, he was still lacking in some things. Unlike qi cultivators, body cultivators required all kinds of magical treasures or weapons. If he were to fight in an actual battle, he would easily be kited by his opponent. Chapter 8 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Once night came, Li Ming was already inside his cave abode. He had finished reading the [Wind Lightning Steps], his eyes full of understanding. The [Wind Lightning Steps] required the absorption of the power of wind and lightning in the air. The cultivation of this technique was done with the help of the mighty force of nature. Once one mastered it, they would be able to move like wind and lightning, coming and going like the wind and bolting around like lightning. He went to the bamboo forest. It was currently dark outside, and the night wind blew through the forest. Focusing his mind on the [Wind Lightning Steps], Li Ming calmed his mind down. Under his guidance, waves of true qi flowed through the meridians in his legs. In order to be able to increase his speed, he needed to activate special acupuncture points in his legs and feet. After opening up these acupoints, the circulation of true qi would give his legs the potential to achieve greater speed. At the same time, Li Ming moved quickly in a small square according to the breathing rhythm of the footwork. There was not much mystery to his steps, but his speed got faster and faster. As Li Ming activated his aperture acupoints, he could channel his true qi to the soles of his feet, and then he could instantly burst out with extremely high speed. ¡°After opening up the acupoints, it¡¯s time to familiarize myself with the circulation of true qi.¡± ¡°Then with that, I¡¯ve grasped the basics.¡± Li Ming practiced the [Wind Lightning Steps] and began running on the ground, feeling out how his legs exerted force on the ground. Gradually, Li Ming¡¯s upper body became smaller and smaller, and his legs began to leave afterimages as they moved around with extreme speed. Li Ming also began to understand the mysteriousness behind this cultivation technique. This technique allowed him to truly fly with the wind. After mastering the manner by which he exerted force, he only needed to exert a little force to move a great distance. ¡°Swish!¡± When he finished circulating the technique, Li Ming no longer hesitated and jumped up into the bamboo forest. He stepped on the light bamboo leaves. ¡°Become the wind, control with your heart!¡± Li Ming¡¯s legs seemed to shine with a green light. He looked like he was doing nothing, but he was rapidly moving in the air. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a green shadow and flickered throughout the dense bamboo forest. Whenever he reached a bamboo pole, he would immediately be a few meters away in the next instant. ¡°This footwork is really amazing!¡± Li Ming finally stopped on a stone and looked at the peak against the wind. This footwork was as swift as wind and lightning. It was an extremely effective tool for fighting against enemies or escaping. It could be said that he was able to further display his great strength and strong physique with this agile movement technique. After he became more proficient in it, the small bursts he could unleash with his true qi became more powerful, and he felt that he could go even faster. Li Ming¡¯s eyes brightened as he sped through the forest. He saw a new entry. [Swift as the Wind (White): Speed increased by 25%] With the addition of this entry, Li Ming¡¯s figure was like a phantom as he moved in the forest. The effect was not particularly obvious, but it was better than nothing. After a long time, he stopped. He walked back to his cave abode. Li Ming¡¯s comprehension of the martial dao deepened after he learned the [Lightning Wind Steps]. Martial arts techniques were like an extension of the body, allowing one to better unleash the body¡¯s abilities. A good cultivation technique could often bring out the various magical abilities of the body and resonate with nature. ¡°I just wonder if I¡¯ll be able to cultivate to the level of those heaven and earth phenomena¡­¡± Li Ming¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation. The difference between body refining cultivators and qi refining cultivators in the early stages was that their special abilities were not as grand as that of qi refining cultivators. They seemed much more simple and unadorned. However, at the later stages of body cultivation, the fist could move everything, and the cards that body cultivators could play were definitely not worse than qi cultivators. For example, his current movement technique, [Wind Lightning Steps]. It did not have any special or grand effects, but it could make people feel an intuitive shock. Regardless, the cultivation techniques he had now were compatible with his body. Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, Five Divine Fists, Iron Skin, Wind Lightning Steps. At least for the moment, he no longer had any obvious shortcomings in regard to body refinement. After returning to the cave, Li Ming felt relieved. After some thought, he lay back on his bed and began to rest. He casually picked up a qi cultivation-related cultivation technique that he had not finished reading and continued to read it through the night. Reading the qi cultivation technique was Li Ming¡¯s way of resting. He was usually like this. When he was tired of body cultivation, he would look at qi cultivation techniques and meditate to regulate his breathing. When he was tired from reading, he would go to the courtyard to exercise. This kind of work-rest balance was also quite comfortable for him. ¡­ In the morning, Li Ming thought of the basic qi cultivation technique that he had not finished reading last night. He took it out of the cave abode and began to read it leisurely in the bamboo forest. All spiritual energy was of the same nature, and in the end, it would simply be converted for one¡¯s own use. Different people absorbed spiritual energy at different speeds and qualities, and the efficiency at which they were able to transformed also varied greatly. The qi cultivation technique that Li Ming practiced was a very basic version, which was no different from the one that other disciples had. However, everyone¡¯s aptitude was different, and their affinity with spiritual energy also varied. Of course, their cultivation speeds would vary as well. And during the entire transformation process, the foundation cultivation technique was already the very foundation of the foundation. It could not be further simplified. This point was similar to body cultivation, which required patience and a long period of cultivation. ¡°This [One Qi Art] is indeed well explained.¡± Seeing its wonderful effect, the thin spiritual qi in Li Ming¡¯s body also circulated. However, his immortal cultivation aptitude was too poor, and the effect was minimal. However, Li Ming had never given up. For the past three years, he had been reading books on qi cultivation every night. He had never stopped trying to get an entry for qi cultivation. As the saying went, both hands were needed to train one¡¯s body and qi. In the end, Li Ming¡¯s patience and persistence was rewarded. He suddenly sat up straight. A green entry had appeared! [Lifetime of Qi Refinement (Green): Increases efficiency of qi cultivation techniques by 25%.] He was not seeing things. He had really gotten an entry for qi cultivation. ¡°It¡¯s been three years. I¡¯ve finally gotten a qi cultivation entry.¡± Li Ming sighed with emotion. It took him three whole years to grind for a qi cultivation entry. No one else had an immortal cultivation physique like him. He looked at the new entry and was speechless. Lifetime of Qi Refinement? Did this mean that he could only cultivate qi for the rest of his life? However, he finally had something that could help him cultivate qi. Li Ming sat cross-legged in the bamboo forest. The breeze blew softly, and he felt refreshed. Even if he had a poor aptitude for immortal cultivation previously, with the 25% increase from [Lifetime of Qi Refinement], could he still say that his talent was not good? Obviously, his entries also contributed to his talent. With the addition of these entries, his talent became better and better. Therefore, Li Ming immediately began to practice qi cultivation. If the elders in the sect were to see this, they would definitely be very touched. At this moment, Li Ming felt that his whole body was empty. Streams of gentle and mild energy quietly flowed through his body. This energy was the spiritual qi of the world. Refining the spirit qi for one¡¯s own use was what qi refinement cultivators did every day. In the end, the spiritual energy would circulate along the meridians and finally pour into the spiritual energy vortex in the cultivator¡¯s dantian in their lower abdomen. In the past, the spiritual energy that Li Ming could absorb for his own use was less than 10%. But now, he discovered that he would be able to absorb 30 ¨C 40% of the spiritual energy that flowed through his body. He was delighted by this discovery. Was this the effect of [Lifetime of Qi Refinement]? It instantly displayed its efficacy. The spiritual qi he absorbed from the world converged outside his vortex. The spiritual qi vortex that had originally been slowly spinning began to spin faster like a top. As the spiritual qi vortex accelerated, more and more spiritual qi seemed to be drawn in, swarming into the center of the vortex. ¡°Devour!¡± The spiritual qi vortex was still not satisfied with the spiritual qi it had absorbed. It began to absorb spiritual qi increasingly violently and ravenously. In the end, the spiritual qi merged with each other on the outside of the vortex, and they became indistinguishable from each other. He looked at the spiritual qi vortex that had grown stronger. Li Ming stood there happily. He had not taken a break in vain. He had accumulated a lot and was now at the fifth level of qi refinement! Chapter 9 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation As abundant spiritual qi filled his body, his entire being began to resemble that of an immortal. His skin, which had originally been tanned by the sun when he cultivated his body, had become much whiter. Li Ming felt the changes in his body and was greatly elated. Now, he had a strong body and an ever-growing spiritual qi vortex¡­ He did not expect that he would unintentionally become someone who cultivated both body and qi. He did not know if this was an unprecedented feat, but most people would need to spend a lot of time and energy just to practice one path. If they had the spare time, they might as well just focus on building their foundation faster and improving their strength. On the contrary, Li Ming was someone who chose to go through things slowly. He felt that there were connections between the martial dao and immortal cultivation. The spiritual qi from qi cultivation could nourish one¡¯s body and allow it to recover from damages much faster. Meanwhile, as one¡¯s body was improved by body cultivation, their body would become more conducive to the absorption of spiritual qi. This was probably the way of the heavens, giving people a way to make up for what was lacking. Now that Li Ming had reached the fourth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art and the fifth level of qi refining, he became even more confident. Most importantly, after he acquired the entry [Lifetime of Qi Refinement], refining qi was finally no longer useless for him. After his breakthrough, he was in a good mood. He picked up and read the [One Qi Art], acquiring a new understanding of it. As he flipped through the pages, on a small path in the bamboo forest, a young girl in green clothes walked out from the shadows of the bamboo. She was full of smiles when she saw Li Ming. ¡°Senior Brother Li!¡± Li Ming was reading a book when he heard a sudden voice call out to him. He looked up and smiled. ¡°Junior Sister Chen.¡± Chen Qingke was just passing by. When she saw Li Ming in the bamboo forest, she came over to say hello. However, when she got closer, she discovered that compared to the past, Senior Brother Li¡¯s spirit had completely changed. She focused her attention and suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Senior Brother Li, your strength has increased! Congratulations!¡± After Li Ming reached the fifth level of the qi refining stage, his overall aura also changed. From Li Ming¡¯s aura, Chen Qingke could easily sense that his strength had obviously increased by a large margin. ¡°I was just lucky,¡± Li Ming said with a faint smile. In front of a monstrous genius like Chen Qingke, he had nothing to be proud of. She was a girl blessed by the heavens who had perfected her qi refinement within a year and was about to break through to the foundation establishment stage. Chen Qingke smiled. The fifth level of the qi refining stage was naturally not something that she considered strong. However, it was a good thing for her when she saw that her senior brother had improved. She felt that perhaps her senior brother was finally pulling himself together. Suddenly, Li Ming saw the expression on Chen Qingke¡¯s face calm down and then change to a frown. He followed his junior sister¡¯s gaze and saw a familiar face that he saw a few days ago. Duan Xiuwen had come again. When Duan Xiuwen passed by, he saw that Chen Qingke had come looking for Li Ming again. He was very unhappy and could not help but follow her. He walked out from behind Li Ming and glanced at him. ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve improved. Not bad, not bad. You¡¯ve finally broken through, hahaha.¡± ¡°Although it isn¡¯t a big improvement, it¡¯s at least better than last year when you did not make any progress.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ You¡¯re an inner sect disciple, but you aren¡¯t even as good as an outer sect disciple. I really don¡¯t know how you still have the face to stay in the sect and eat and drink for free.¡± Duan Xiuwen spread his hands out wide and said proudly. Li Ming did not take Duan Xiuwen¡¯s mockery to heart. Rather than wasting time dealing with him, he might as well read the [One Qi Art] and see if he could obtain more qi cultivation entries. As for his sarcasm, Li Ming cared about it even less. Chen Qingke¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in disgust. ¡°What does it have to do with you? Get lost!¡± Duan Xiuwen gritted his teeth in anger. Why is Junior Sister Chen siding with this body cultivating trash? He looked at Chen Qingke¡¯s disgusted expression, and his heart burned with jealousy. With a cold face, he turned around and left. ¡­ ¡°This guy is like a piece of chewing gum in one¡¯s hair, so annoying.¡± Chen Qingke warned Li Ming, ¡°¡±Senior Brother Li, you have to be careful of this guy. I think he holds a lot of hatred toward you.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Li Ming replied. ¡°He¡¯ll eventually stop bothering me/¡± Chen Qingke nodded. Before she left, she said, ¡°If you ever need any help, you can look for me any time.¡± ¡°¡­Thanks, Junior Sister Chen.¡± Li Ming knew she meant well, but he really did not need any help at the moment. After saying goodbye to Chen Qingke, Li Ming returned to his cave abode and took out the cultivation techniques he had borrowed previously. He was preparing to return them to the scripture depository. He had memorized all of these cultivation techniques by heart and had cultivated them to a proficient level. In the following period of time, Li Ming planned to cultivate these cultivation techniques to the major success stage. And so, he headed to the scripture depository while carrying four cultivation techniques. After returning the books, Li Ming fell into thought. The commotion caused by his body refinement was getting bigger and bigger. He needed to find an open space to test out his power. On his way back to his cave abode, Li Ming sensed a malicious gaze and looked toward the source of the malice. It was Duan Xiuwen again. He was standing in the middle of the road with his arms crossed, and it was obvious that he had come with ill intentions. ¡°This guy is really like a piece of chewing gum in one¡¯s hair. He¡¯s like a ghost that won¡¯t stop following me,¡± Li Ming muttered and turned to leave. ¡°Senior Brother Li, hasn¡¯t your strength improved?¡± Duan Xiuwen snorted. ¡°If you¡¯ve got the guts, how about we exchange some pointers and see how strong you¡¯ve become after all these years of body cultivation!¡± Li Ming glanced at Duan Xiuwen and shook his head. He did not want to fight Duan Xiuwen at all. Defeating such an opponent would not be of any benefit to his cultivation. He went around Duan Xiuwen and continued on his way back to his cave abode. The few steps carried some semblance to the Wind Lightning Steps, leaving Duan Xiuwen unable to react in time. Li Ming was not worried about Duan Xiuwen sneak attacking him. After all, the sect¡¯s law enforcement hall did not exist just for show. Duan Xiuwen gritted his teeth and looked at Li Ming gloomily. ¡°How about we place a bet? We¡¯ll bet on the qi sea pill that the sect distributes!¡± The qi sea pill was a very valuable pill for qi refinement cultivators. Normally, inner sect disciples would only receive three to five pills a month. In order to encourage Li Ming to fight him, Duan Xiuwen did not hesitate to take out these pills that would help him break through to the foundation establishment stage. Li Ming remained unmoved. His current foundation was body cultivation, so he did not need any qi cultivation resources at all. He ignored Duan Xiuwen¡¯s words and left. Looking at Li Ming¡¯s back, Duan Xiuwen was even more furious. He failed to make Li Ming fight him, leaving him unable to use his power. Because of that, he was left feeling very sullen! ¡°Hmph, I¡¯d like to see how long you can avoid me¡­!¡± ¡­ Li Ming did not take Duan Xiuwen¡¯s provocation seriously. He had just returned the body-tempering cultivation techniques. Now, he could go back and consolidate his body cultivation. Body cultivation, which was seen as a small path by others, was a broad and open path in Li Ming¡¯s eyes. This time, he did not choose to practice at the entrance of his cave abode. After all, the commotion of his body cultivation was growing larger and larger. After returning to his cave abode, Li Ming went directly to the rear mountain of his cave abode. The terrain here was more open. When he arrived, he immediately began to use the sun to practice the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. ¡°Absorb the blazing sun and temper one¡¯s body!¡± Streams of blazing sun true qi were absorbed into Li Ming¡¯s body. According to the momentum of his fists, bursts of flames erupted. With flames enveloping his fists, he looked extremely overbearing as he punched about. In the rear mountain, a white-robed figure passed by. One could tell from her white clothes that she was an elite disciple of the Divine Will Sect. Seeing that someone was practicing a martial dao cultivation technique, this senior sister had her curiosity piqued and could not help but go closer and watch. Chapter 10 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The routine punches carried a different kind of beauty. The strength, speed, and technique that Li Ming displayed were all very solid. This was Li Ming¡¯s habit. Once he chose to do something, he would carry it out to the best of his ability. Although there was someone watching, Li Ming still completed his routine, not wanting to give up halfway. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Li Ming did not let out that powerful burst in the last punch. He had already reached the level where he could control his movements freely, and there was no need to show a special card like that to others. Watching Li Ming complete his set of punching routine, one would be able to notice a certain charm that complemented his movements. The senior sister who was passing by was Lu Lan, an elite disciple of the Divine Will Sect. As she continued watching, the surprise in her eyes grew stronger and stronger. In this day and age, there is still someone who practices martial dao cultivation techniques? Furthermore, he had practiced it to such perfection? This is truly a rare sight. Lu Lan had long been in the foundation establishment realm, and her standards were very high. Although she did not know this young man who was practicing a punching routine, she felt that it was a pity that he had chosen the wrong path despite his talent. Why did he choose body cultivation? He was clearly a good seedling. Meanwhile, after Li Ming finished practicing his fist technique, he saw a senior sister dressed in white clothing watching him practice attentively. ¡°Greetings, senior sister.¡± Li Ming returned the way he came. When he passed by Lu Lan, he greeted her according to the rules of the Divine Will Sect. Then, he quickly left. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Lu Lan was still thinking about how to persuade him to change paths. He is such a good seedling. It would be best if he moved to the correct path of qi cultivation. In the end, Li Ming left in the blink of an eye. She shook her head lightly. It seemed that this disciple had no intention of getting to know her. On the other side, Li Ming¡¯s original intention was to find a quiet place, but he was still seen. ¡°This place is still too close to the cave abode. Next time, I need to find a new place to train.¡± He thought to himself. As for being seen practicing martial dao cultivation technique by a senior sister, he did not see it as a big deal. His reputation as a body cultivator was already well-known among the new generation of disciples. In the following days, Li Ming found a place that was relatively far away where no one would disturb him. With the support of the two entries [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians] and [Lifetime of Qi Refinement], his cultivation progressed at a tremendous pace. The former gave him a 100% increase in efficiency, while the latter provided him with a 25% increase. Li Ming was very satisfied. At this rate, he would be able to achieve the martial dao foundation establishment very soon. As for his qi cultivation¡­ Although he was still far from reaching the foundation establishment realm, things were not looking as grim as before. His current qi cultivation speed was not as fast as that of Chen Qingke. However, compared to some ordinary outer sect disciples, he was of about the same level. ¡­ A few days later. In the valley. It was quiet and secluded, and there was noone around. ¡°This place is suitable for me to train my body¡­¡± This place was discovered by Li Ming when he was practicing the Wind Lightning Steps. It was far away from his cave abode, and he usually did not go here. It was suitable for him to practice the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art and the Five Divine Fists. When these cultivation techniques were practiced, it was easy to cause a big commotion. According to his usual routine, Li Ming began with stance training and bone forging. He used the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art to temper his body. Afterward, he practiced the Five Divine Fists, going through the processes of blood changing, organ refining, and marrow cleansing. Finally, he ended his training off by practicing Iron Skin. At the end of his training, the grass and trees within several kilometers had been reduced to ashes. This was also the reason why Li Ming practiced alone. His training was quite destructive. He quite liked the vegetation in front of his cave abode; it was lush and green. After finishing his training routine, Li Ming sat down cross-legged and began to recuperate and rest with the [One Qi Art]. He practiced qi cultivation as if it was the dessert after a meal. However, as he practiced¡­ Li Ming found that he had reached a bottleneck. Gradually, he found that his qi cultivation had slowed down. There was no longer any increase in the growth of his spiritual qi vortex. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m still not talented enough.¡± Although he sighed, Li Ming was not discouraged. Everyone¡¯s life had its ups and downs. He already had the entries. As long as he practiced diligently, it was not impossible to tread the immortal path. Therefore, he stood up and practiced the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art again. The blazing sun true qi was absorbed from the air into his body and spread in all directions through his meridians. After a full circulation, crisp popping sounds were produced between his bones and muscles. ¡°Crack, crack¡­¡± This meant that his muscles and bones were very flexible. However, Li Ming¡¯s brows gradually furrowed. He could feel that the progress of his body refinement had slowed down as well. What was going on? He clearly had the help of the [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians] entry, so why was his efficiency so low? He closed his eyes and began to circulate his qi again. The blazing sun true qi in his meridians still only grew slowly. Li Ming seemed to understand. What he was facing was not a problem with his aptitude, but as his body and qi cultivation reached a certain level, he needed intense stimulation. This was what the cultivation technique said. Only by consuming heavenly treasures or refining pills to break through to the next realm could a new round of qualitative changes be triggered. ¡°Speaking of which, I have not used any of the sect¡¯s resources these days¡­¡± Li Ming smiled. Previously, he had been focused on body cultivation, and the pills distributed by the sect were all resources for qi cultivation. As such, he never really cared about them. To be able to reach this stage just by relying on his own training was already pretty good. ¡°If I have enough resources, my strength can improve greatly,¡± Li Ming said after some thought. What he needed now were pills to improve his body and qi cultivation. This way, his strength could continue to increase rapidly. And to maintain such rapid growth, where would the resources of medicinal pills come from? Time waits for no one. At this moment, Li Ming suddenly recalled Duan Xiuwen¡¯s declaration of a duel. It seemed like he wanted to bet on medicinal pill resources with him? Previously, Li Ming had been too lazy to pay attention to him. However, he remembered that Duan Xiuwen had already perfected his qi refining and had much more resources than he did. It just so happened that he could test his current strength. Li Ming returned to his cave abode, changed his clothes, and turned to walk into the sect. Just as he came out of his cave abode, he saw Duan Xiuwen together with five underlings. Duan Xiuwen stood at the entrance of the bamboo forest with a vigilant look on his face. When he saw Li Ming coming out from afar, he immediately shouted, ¡°Li Ming! Do you dare to come out and fight me?¡± ¡°You always just hide behind a woman¡¯s back! How can you call yourself a man?!¡± Duan Xiuwen¡¯s purpose for visiting this time was to provoke Li Ming into fighting him. After failing last time, he went back and thought of many plans. He did not believe that Li Ming would hide in his cave abode forever. If he did, his reputation would be completely ruined. Endure? He also thought of a lot of unpleasant words, and he did not believe that Li Ming would be able to endure everything! Duan Xiuwen continued to shout when he saw that Li Ming did not go back after he left. ¡°If you have the guts, let¡¯s go to the combat stage to gamble and fight. This is a fair match, I¡­ Li Ming had originally been planning to look for Duan Xiuwen. He did not expect that he would come directly to his door and start shouting and provoking him into a duel. Li Ming interrupted Duan Xiuwen and said, ¡°¡±Alright.¡± ¡°To further incentivize you, I¡¯ll put up ten qi sea pills as stake. If you win, you can¡­ Wait, what did you just say?¡± Duan Xiuwen was still rambling on. But when he suddenly heard Li Ming agree, he was left stunned. Chapter 11 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation When he heard that Li Ming had actually agreed to the duel, Duan Xiuwen sneered in his heart. In Duan Xiuwen¡¯s mind, as long as Li Ming agreed, the rest would be easy. Li Ming walked out of the bamboo forest and glanced at Duan Xiuwen. ¡°What is it? Could it be that you¡¯ve suddenly grown arrogant after breaking through to the fifth level? ¡± Duan Xiuwen became slightly infuriated after being looked at in such a way by Li Ming and said aloud. Li Ming seemed to have suddenly thought of something and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you and I are betting on some of the sect¡¯s training resources.¡± Duan Xiuwen could not help but laugh out loud. Does this guy, a mere fifth-level qi refining cultivator, actually think that he¡¯s got a chance to defeat someone like me who is at the perfected level of the qi refining realm? So what if he¡¯s trained in something like body refinement? in front of absolute strength, it¡¯s all futile. Soon, the two of them arrived at the main peak¡¯s square. Here, there was a combat arena. The fighting ring in the center of the square was about 30 meters in length and width. Since the law enforcement hall did not allow private fights, it was often used by the Divine Will Sect¡¯s disciples for sparring and competitions. Of course, as long as it was agreed to in advance, a duel that included stakes was also allowed. Beside the ring, there was a spectating table. The two of them took out their resources from their storage bags. Those who were in the surroundings saw two people go up on the stage. It was Duan Xiuwen, who was someone who had some popularity in the inner sect. The other person was Li Ming, who was once a genius in the inner sect. Some of the disciples in the surroundings found themselves interested and gathered around the stage. When they saw that it was a staked duel, even more disciples grew interested and gathered around to watch. Gradually, the stage was surrounded by a circle of people, most of whom displayed a leisurely and playful attitude. When they saw who had gone up on stage, the atmosphere of the disciples who were watching the show became even more enthusiastic. ¡°Isn¡¯t Li Ming obsessed with body cultivation? Wait, his qi refinement has reached¡­ the fifth level?¡± ¡°Where did he get the courage to have a staked duel with Senior Brother Duan?¡± ¡°Right, there¡¯s no suspense here at all¡­ Li Ming is merely giving away his wealth for free.¡± ¡°Who asked him to stupidly go and train his body? He deserves it.¡± Among the disciples below the stage, there was no lack of outer sect disciples. When they saw Li Ming, they did not even bother to lower their voices. Many people looked like they were watching a good show. After all, Li Ming had his own cave abode in the inner sect, which made them jealous. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s mood became even more cheerful when he heard the discussions below the stage. Li Ming¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He did not pay them any mind at all. Below the stage, Chen Qingke, who had heard the news, made her way through the crowd and saw Li Ming and Duan Xiuwen on the stage. After she arrived, the crowd automatically made way for her. After Chen Qingke walked closer, she looked at Li Ming worriedly. Why would Senior Brother Li agree to a staked duel with this guy? After thinking about it, there seemed to be only one possibility¡­ Duan Xiuwen had made use of dirty tricks and threatened Senior Brother Li into agreeing to the duel. She clenched her fists, her face sullen. Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, Chen Qingke could only wait and see, no matter how angry she was. After all, this was a public battle, so there would not be too much damage done to either party. ¡­ On the stage. Duan Xiuwen took a few casual steps and looked around with confidence. The feeling of being the center of attention was great. Duan Xiuwen looked at Li Ming in front of him and said with a mocking expression, ¡°Li Ming, you should just admit defeat.¡± ¡°Our respective strengths can be seen by everyone. You can¡¯t possibly think that you can really beat me, right?¡± ¡°Just admit defeat earlier and give me the resources. That way, you won¡¯t have to suffer a beating.¡± Duan Xiuwen spoke with a leisurely and relaxed tone. In fact, he found the situation to be rather laughable. There was a huge disparity between the strength of someone at the fifth level of qi refining and the perfected level. He truly had not thought that Li Ming would actually be so stupid as to accept the duel. ¡°Keep dawdling,¡± Li Ming said noncommittally. ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you!¡± Duan Xiuwen immediately made hand seals and chanted a spell. He activated the spiritual qi in his body, and a layer of white spiritual qi rose from the surface of his body. Even though Duan Xiuwen¡¯s attitude appeared undisciplined, his movements were the real deal even when he was facing a fifth-level qi refining cultivator. He was going to use all his strength to crush Li Ming in a direct confrontation! ¡°Wind Blade Technique!¡± After the spiritual qi attached to his body, his momentum rose to a very powerful level. Fierce magical attacks were suddenly released along with his movements. The crowd below the stage watched the show with entertainment. The amount of spiritual qi that a perfected level qi refining cultivator had accumulated was indeed quite deep. Many of the disciples below the stage knew that they would have no way of avoiding the attacks from Duan Xiuwen. ¡°Swish!¡± Just as Duan Xiuwen thought that he was going to hit the target¡­ True qi circulated in the meridians under Li Ming¡¯s feet, and a violent pushing force burst out from under his feet. He dodged Duan Xiuwen¡¯s attack in the blink of an eye. ¡°Hmph, where are you going?!¡± Duan Xiuwen was surprised by his opponent¡¯s display of agility, but his hand seals continued changing. He flicked his wrist. A series of white wind blades shot through the air. This was the qi refinement cultivation technique that he had mastered best. It was an airtight onslaught of attacks that required the support of a strong spiritual qi. Each wind blade that shot out was extremely sharp. Li Ming looked at the large number of attacks coming his way and silently activated his cultivation technique. Wind Lightning Steps! As he dodged left and right, the ever-changing magical attacks went right past his body. In the blink of an eye, he was already only a little more than ten meters away from Duan Xiuwen. His body moved as fast as the wind. So fast! Duan Xiuwen looked at Li Ming, who was getting closer and closer, and his expression turned serious. He dodged all of the attacks of my Thousand Changes Art? What kind of movement technique was that¡­ With his powerful magical technique, if even one of the attacks hit, he was confident that he could seriously injure Li Ming. ¡°Coward!¡± ¡°If you have the guts, fight me head-on!¡± ¡°You only know how to dodge! How can you fight like this?¡± Duan Xiuwen shouted as he gathered more and more wind blades. Li Ming chuckled in his heart. If I could release my true qi outwardly, would you be so noisy? He was able to move freely in the midst of the wind blades. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s direct attack could not even touch his sleeve. In the next moment¡­ He was already approaching Duan Xiuwen. Even though the disciples of the Divine Will Sect did not know much about body refinement, they knew that body cultivators had stronger bodies and were good at close combat. Li Ming used his movement technique to arrive right in front of Duan Xiuwen. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s anxious expression suddenly changed. A silver light suddenly transformed into a long sword from his sleeve! Buzzzzzz! Buzzzzzz! Duan Xiuwen had a smug look on his face. He had used the magical techniques earlier to test Li Ming¡¯s agility. He would deliberately let him get close and then kill him with a single blow! This magic sword was usually hidden in his sleeve. Who would have expected him to suddenly take it out? ¡°Oh-!¡± Everyone was shocked when they saw this thrilling scene. They had all thought it would be a one-sided battle, but they did not think that it would actually be a rather back-and-forth battle. Li Ming even forced Duan Xiuwen to use his magic sword. Chen Qingke¡¯s expression changed, and she exclaimed, ¡°¡±Be careful, senior brother!¡± On the stage, Li Ming¡¯s expression was indifferent when Duan Xiuwen took out his magic sword. He had actually expected this sudden attack. He visualized the wind divinity of the five divinities in his mind. Five Divine Fist, Gale Fist! Duan Xiuwen¡¯s magical artifact was fast, but his fist was even faster. Whoosh! The gale fist was like an azure dragon as it struck Duan Xiuwen¡¯s chest. In an instant, Duan Xiuwen was sent flying out of the arena like a cannonball. According to the rules of the combat stage, the winner would be decided when one party was knocked out of the ring. Peng! From the moment when Duan Xiuwen took out his magical artifact to the moment when Li Ming threw his punch, only an instant had passed. Duan Xiuwen fell to the ground. Li Ming had won this battle. Chapter 12 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The crowd around the arena surged. After Duan Xiuwen was sent flying off of the stage, the crowd automatically made way for him. The originally lively atmosphere abruptly switched to one of dead silence. All of the disciples that had been spectating were left dumbfounded. They looked at Duan Xiuwen, whose face was covered in dirt, and the tall figure standing on the stage in shock. A fifth-level qi refining cultivator had actually defeated a perfected-level qi refining cultivator with a single blow? That extremely fast speed and the similarly fast attack at the end caught everyone off guard. After a few moments of silence, the crowd burst into an uproar. ¡°He actually won so easily?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t Senior Brother Duan hit Li Ming?¡± ¡°Oi, Duan Xiuwen, did you receive a bribe to fake the match?¡± The disciples that had spectated the match simply could not believe the outcome. Li Ming had not even used his spiritual qi to knock Duan Xiuwen off of the stage. They all felt that if they were the ones up on the stage fighting, they would not have ended up like this. How could he not defeat Li Ming with his powerful spiritual energy and qi cultivation techniques? In reality, Duan Xiuwen, who was currently getting up from the ground, was also at a loss. He had used a magical art to protect his body from the last attack, but he was still sent flying by a huge force. How did he get sent flying? Duan Xiuwen could not believe it. He dashed toward the stage and wanted to try again. He must have failed to perform well just now. He believed that if it was a head-on confrontation, he would definitely be the victor¡­ However, he found that Li Ming was no longer on the stage. He had run to the spectator stand to collect the bet he had placed and took it as his spoils of war. Li Ming turned around and said lightly, ¡°Prepare more resources if you want to duel me again. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± He directly left the stage. Duan Xiuwen stood on the stage alone and felt the gazes from all directions. His face was burning from shame, and he quickly jumped off the stage and left. Li Ming did not feel much about defeating Duan Xiuwen. At most, he now had a clearer understanding of his own strength. The cultivation technique of qi refining cultivators focused on condensing a stronger vortex, and using it with various magical artifacts and spells to display various magical abilities. However, in terms of physical strength, qi refinement cultivators were far weaker than their body refinement counterparts. ¡°Senior brother¡­ Senior brother!¡± Seeing Li Ming leave, Chen Qingke quickly followed after him. She had a lot of questions after seeing Li Ming defeat Duan Xiuwen. ¡­ The battle between Li Ming and Duan Xiuwen. At first, not many people paid attention to it. There were actually not that many disciples who watched the show when looking at the entire sect. However, the final result of the battle undoubtedly made everyone¡¯s jaws drop. A perfected-level qi refinement cultivator failed to beat a fifth-level qi refinement realm cultivator? This matter caused quite a stir among the qi refinement disciples. When the elders passed by the main peak, they all heard the news as well. The great elder called a disciple over and had him give them a detailed report of the battle. The great elder¡¯s eyes were gloomy as he waved his hand, signalling the disciple to leave. ¡°Elders, what do you all think?¡± A white-bearded elder said, ¡°A fifth-level qi refining cultivator defeated a perfected qi refining cultivator. Furthermore, he defeated his opponent with one move. This is definitely not an easily achievable feat.¡± Another gray-robed elder said thoughtfully, ¡°That disciple Li Ming has been engrossed in body cultivation for the past few years. I did not pay much attention to him before.¡± ¡°A few days ago, we were even considering demoting him to an outer disciple. But now, it seems that we need to wait and see.¡± The great elder nodded. The potential that Li Ming had shown was indeed enough to make them reconsider. For a large sect like the Divine Will Sect, some resources were secondary. ¡°How about this?¡± the gray-robed elder said, ¡°Let¡¯s give Li Ming another chance¡­¡± ¡°Ok.¡± The great elder did not say anything more. With their status, they would rarely spend much time and energy on such minor things. ¡­ On the way back to the cave abode. Chen Qingke followed Li Ming. She had been very worried for him before. However, it was a pleasant surprise for her to see Li Ming easily defeat Duan Xiuwen. ¡°Senior brother, I didn¡¯t know you were so powerful. It seems as if you¡¯ve always been confident that you would be able to win against that guy¡­¡± ¡°To think that you¡¯ve been hiding it from me¡­¡± Li Ming said helplessly, ¡°This is my first time participating in actual combat. It just so happens that¡­ Well, it went pretty well.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Qingke asked curiously. ¡°Senior brother, is this the power of your body refining?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Is body refinement really that magical? Chen Qingke became curious about body refinement and asked all sorts of questions. In the end, the answer she received was that body refinement and qi refinement were simply two paths and that was that.¡± Li Ming nodded. Soon, they arrived at his cave abode. ¡°Junior sister, I know what I¡¯m doing. You should go back home.¡± ¡°Hm, ok. Goodbye, senior brother.¡± Chen Qingke waved her hand and said, ¡°Call me if you encounter any trouble.¡± Li Ming waved his hand calmly. He was finally able to send this little junior sister away. In the sect, it was not bad to have such a loyal junior sister. ¡­ Li Ming closed the door. He started to check his gains from the battle. He used his will to open the storage bag and found that Duan Xiuwen was not lacking in terms of resources. These were the cultivation resources distributed by the sect every month. There were hundreds of low-grade spirit stones, which was quite a good amount. He did not expect Duan Xiuwen to be so rich. This was especially a lot for someone like him who was no longer valued as much by the sect. With the low-grade spirit stones now in hand, Li Ming began to think about what to buy. What he needed right now were body refinement resources and qi scattering pills that were a must-have for those at the early stages of qi refinement¡­ He immediately set out for the market. The market was located on the periphery of the sect and was part of the Divine Will Sect. Compared to the silence in the mountains, this market was much more bustling. When Li Ming arrived at the market, it was the time when there were many people. The endless stream of people included not only the disciples of the Divine Will Sect, but also people from other sects. Even some itinerant cultivators would come here to trade. Even an immortal cultivation sect like the Divine Will Sect needed such business to maintain their expenses. And where there were benefits, all kinds of people would be drawn over. Of course, this place was not far from the Divine Will Sect, so no one would dare to act rashly. ¡°There are really many people¡­¡± Li Ming had not seen so many people at once in a long time. After going around and slowly entering the depths of the market, one would find that the items sold here were even more precious than those in the periphery. There were even some natural treasures. It basically had everything. It was Li Ming¡¯s first time here, so he was quite surprised by what he saw. His goal was to buy medicinal pills, and he knew what way to go very clearly. After several turns, he saw a rather large shop¡ªPill King Medicinal Hall. Seeing that this shop was quite stylish, Li Ming walked straight into it. ¡°Sir, what do you want to buy?¡± Seeing that Li Ming¡¯s clothes had the Divine Will Sect¡¯s logo on it, the shop owner did not dare to be negligent. ¡°We have a complete range of medicinal pills here. Please take a look.¡± Li Ming glanced at the list of medicinal pills. He pointed at the spiritual liquid needed for body cultivation. ¡°I want these¡­¡± He also bought some qi scattering pills for qi cultivation. With these spiritual liquids and medicinal pills, the efficiency of his cultivation could return to the previous speed when it advanced at a tremendous pace. Li Ming did not feel any heartache at all for spending the spirit stones he had earned from the duel. He also bought a lot of qi and blood pills that he needed for body tempering. Because after today¡¯s battle, he was even more determined to continue treading the path of body refinement. In the end, this was where his foundation lay. Chapter 13 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation He had spent all his low-grade spirit stones. Li Ming was very satisfied. For him, exchanging resources for strength was very worth it. With these pills, he could continue cultivating. With all that done, Li Ming, who no longer had any more money in his bag, strolled around the market. It was not often that he came out here, so he wanted to take a look around and see what was being sold in the market. ¡°A freshly-made magic mirror. First come, first served. Come and buy it before it gets taken by someone else¡­¡± ¡°A precious purple spirit orchid for the low price of five low-grade spirit stones¡­¡± ¡°Cultivation techniques for sale¡­¡± The street vendors were also doing their best to sell their wares. Li Ming really did see some antique sellers. He had only come out to see what was new. After walking around for a while, he turned around and prepared to return home. Following the crowd, not far after leaving the city square, a haunting figure appeared in front of Li Ming again. His eyes were filled with anger and his expression was dark. It was Duan Xiuwen, who had been defeated by Li Ming back on the combat stage. Duan Xiuwen could not stand the fact that he had been defeated by Li Ming and humiliated in front of so many disciples. After he returned, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He came out to look for Li Ming and kept an eye on him. Duan Xiuwen was overjoyed to find out that Li Ming had left the sect. Without the protection of the sect¡¯s law enforcement hall, this was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity! Hence, after Li Ming left the sect, he followed Li Ming all the way to the market. And when Li Ming left the market and went into the forest, he would stand in Li Ming¡¯s way. This time, he planned to get rid of him outside the sect! As for Li Ming, who he believed to have just been lucky to knock him off of the ring, Duan Xiuwen had regarded him as a disgrace. He believed that he had to completely erase the other party so as to decrease the shame from his loss. ¡­ On a wide dirt road, green mountains rose and fell on both sides. This was the area between the market and the Divine Will Sect. Li Ming stopped in his tracks and looked at Duan Xiuwen, who had a gloomy expression on his face. The other party¡¯s mentality was even more fragile than he had imagined. Or it could be said that his attack was too simple and unadorned, which made the other party feel unconvinced of his loss¡­ ¡°Li Ming!¡± Duan Xiuwen took out his own magical artifact from his sleeve¡ªthe profound bright magic sword. As an important disciple who had completed the qi refinement stage and was about to reach the foundation establishment stage, the Divine Will Sect was not stingy with him and gave him this magical artifact to nurture and refine. Previously, in the arena, Duan Xiuwen had thought that he would not even need to use the magical artifact to obtain victory. In the end, he was forced to use his magical artifact, but before he could even properly use it, he was sent flying by a punch. It had to be said that he had indeed underestimated his opponent. However, why would he care about a mere fifth-level qi refinement cultivator? ¡°Swish!¡± Duan Xiuwen did not hold back this time. He directly took out his magical artifact and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Li Ming, you can only blame yourself for being too arrogant¡­¡± Li Ming¡¯s eyes flickered as he looked at Duan Xiuwen and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that killing fellow disciples is against the rules of the sect?¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re just a fifth-level qi refinement cultivator. No one would care even if you went missing outside,¡± Duan Xiuwen grinned hideously. ¡°Die!¡± The murderous intent in Duan Xiuwen¡¯s vicious eyes surged. He formed a hand seal and waved the profound bright magic sword. The sword whistled through the air as it stabbed forward. The white spiritual qi on the sword blade became increasingly solid, turning into sword shadows. In an instant, the sword shadows enveloped Li Ming. Li Ming frowned slightly. The attack of this magical artifact was more dangerous than before. When he saw Duan Xiuwen make his move, he immediately flew toward the forest. The blades of sword qi landed on the ground, leaving deep marks. In Li Ming¡¯s opinion, Duan Xiuwen must have lost his mind and wanted to get rid of him when there were no witnesses. ¡°You¡¯re running?¡± Duan Xiuwen saw Li Ming slip into the forest. He looked a little flustered. At this point, he naturally could not let Li Ming escape. Otherwise, he would have to face the punishment for the grave crimes of attacking and attempting to kill a disciple outside the sect. He immediately activated Spiritual Steps and chased after Li Ming into the forest. At the same time, his body erupted with the aura of a perfected level qi refinement cultivator. ¡°You can¡¯t escape!¡± ¡°Fight me head-on if you have the guts¡­¡± Duan Xiuwen saw that Li Ming was constantly moving through the forest. He knew that Li Ming¡¯s movement technique was powerful, so he did not dare to be careless. At that moment, he exerted his spiritual power and erupted with an extremely fast speed to catch up. However, he was not fast enough, so he had to look left and right as he ran, trying to find any tracks of Li Ming. All of a sudden, a figure appeared under the shade of a tree and flew toward Duan Xiuwen. It was Li Ming, who had been lying in ambush for quite some time. He knew that Duan Xiuwen¡¯s spiritual qi was dense, so he had to rely on his own close-range burst. He had to defeat him in one fell swoop. ¡°Swish!¡± Faced with Li Ming¡¯s sneak attack, Duan Xiuwen gritted his teeth and drew out his profound bright magic sword to block with all his might. Both sides attacked with their full power. Li Ming did not care about the magical artifact at all. He visualized the forest divinity of the five divinities. A punch landed on Duan Xiuwen¡¯s profound bright magic sword. At the same time, the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art enhanced his punch with a burning effect. Even if it was a magical artifact, Li Ming did not retreat at all. Bang! He did not budge. He, he withstood it? Duan Xiuwen was dumbfounded. Seeing that Li Ming had actually used his hand to fight against his magical artifact, he felt as if all the immortal cultivation he had learned in the past had been in vain. He used his bare hands to against a magical artifact? Duan Xiuwen¡¯s longsword quickly became hot under the high temperature that came with the punch. The spiritual qi on the sword began diffusing as smoke. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s face turned pale when he felt that his hands were about to be burned. ¡°My magical artifact!¡± Duan Xiuwen was still in a daze, his face full of shock. At this time, Li Ming was already right next to Duan Xiuwen. Compared to him, Duan Xiuwen¡¯s thin and weak body was like meat on a chopping board. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Duan Xiuwen was shocked. How could Li Ming¡¯s strength be so great? In the next moment, his arm was broken by Li Ming. ¡°Aaahhh!¡± Duan Xiuwen cried out in pain. Li Ming¡¯s hand was like an iron claw, and he could not break free. The spiritual qi that he desperately burst out with seemed to be of no use. ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll give you whatever you want! Don¡¯t¡­ Aahh!¡± Li Ming stared at Duan Xiuwen coldly. He broke another arm, revealing the white bones within. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s arms were crippled, and his facial features were twisted in pain. Li Ming said lightly, ¡°Those who humiliate others will be humiliated in return.¡± At this moment, Duan Xiuwen, who could only wail, had no energy to respond. Li Ming would not show any mercy to Duan Xiuwen who had wanted to take his life. ¡°Crack!¡± He crippled his legs as well. Even if he was still alive, he would ultimately only be a cripple. Being in close contact with a body cultivator in battle was a nightmare for qi cultivators. Duan Xiuwen, who had lived a pampered life, naturally could not touch a body that had been tempered thousands of times. Duan Xiuwen had already fainted from the pain. In the end, Li Ming still spared Duan Xiuwen¡¯s life. As a disciple of the Divine Will Sect, Duan Xiuwen could not possibly pose a threat to him. His previous indifference toward Duan Xiuwen was like that of a man to a grasshopper. However, Duan Xiuwen had angered him. As such, he decided to directly cripple him. As for his life, he had other uses for it. Li Ming threw Duan Xiuwen to the side like a dead dog. He looked at his right hand, which had been severely injured by the profound bright magic sword. His hand was currently covered in blood. His skin and bone were damaged by the sword. ¡°This magical artifact is quite sharp¡­¡± He had dodged Duan Xiuwen¡¯s previous attacks with the Wind Lightning Steps. Even though he was a body refinement cultivator, he did not have the habit of torturing himself. However, the situation just now was urgent. And in the end, he had faced the full-powered attack of a perfected level qi refinement cultivator. It was a fierce attack from a refined magical treasure. He wanted to finish off his opponent as soon as possible. As such, Li Ming took the magical artifact head-on and ultimately took damage. His right hand was seriously injured and he now needed to rest it for a while. His emotions did not grow turbulent from this. He simply took it in stride. He failed to completely block the magic sword, which simply told him that his body still had much to improve on. Chapter 14 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Although his right hand had gotten injured, the pain was nothing much to Li Ming. He casually grabbed Duan Xiuwen by the neck and searched his body for a storage bag. Although it was his first time doing this, Li Ming looked really natural as he stuffed Duan Xiuwen¡¯s storage bag into his sleeve. Afterward, he put away the magical artifact. ¡°With such a vicious heart, it¡¯ll be difficult for him to improve his cultivation in the future.¡± After that, Li Ming carried Duan Xiuwen on his shoulder. The other party¡¯s weight was nothing to him. He then strode toward the nearby market. It was almost dusk. The market¡¯s entrance was still packed with people. Everyone was shocked to see a disciple of the Divine Will Sect carrying another injured disciple on his shoulder. As a famous sect in the eastern continent, who would dare to provoke the Divine Will Sect? And looking at the disciple whose four limbs were hanging powerlessly, it was obvious that he was crippled¡­ Elder Mo, who was the person in charge stationed here by the Divine Will Sect, was alarmed when he got news of it. He walked straight out of the central director¡¯s hall. On the street, he saw Li Ming carrying Duan Xiuwen on his shoulder as he strode toward them. Behind them, a large group of onlookers followed. ¡°This¡­¡± Elder Mo¡¯s body was filled with killing intent as he quickly walked in front of Li Ming. Li Ming threw Duan Xiuwen down and calmly said, ¡°¡±I¡¯m Li Ming, an inner sect disciple.¡± ¡°He ambushed me outside the market after I left the sect to buy pills.¡± Elder Mo was stunned. He tried to kill you, but this is how he ended up? Moreover, Elder Mo had an impression of Duan Xiuwen. A perfected level qi refinement cultivator was a seedling with great potential in the inner sect. He also noticed the injury on Li Ming¡¯s palm and was puzzled. He nodded and said in a deep voice, ¡°I see.¡± The crowd in the market was shocked. It turned out that it was actually a major matter of internal strife in the Divine Will Sect! All of them stretched out their heads, wanting to see what was going on. Elder Mo quickly made a decision and sent people to bring Li Ming and Duan Xiuwen back to the sect overnight. This was an important matter that involved two inner sect disciples, so they could not act rashly. They had to let the law enforcement hall interrogate them properly. ¡­ Inside the Divine Will Sect. At the law enforcement hall on the main peak. Under the escort of the law enforcement disciples, Li Ming and Duan Xiuwen, who had already woken up, were sent to a secret chamber in the law enforcement hall. Outside the door, the law enforcement elders had grave looks on their faces. The path of cultivation was full of struggles, and they were naturally aware of this. Many cultivation techniques were born for the sake of attacking others. However, the Divine Will Sect had always had strict rules and forbade disciples from fighting without permission. The reason for that was exactly to avoid cases like this one where a fight to the death happened between two inner sect disciples. When the news reached the elders, it brought a huge shock to the grand elder, who then ordered the law enforcement hall to investigate the matter thoroughly. One of the law enforcement elders was Zhang Haofeng. He was the hall master of the law enforcement hall. He was known for being impartial. ¡°Have you found the cause of the matter?¡± Before even beginning to interrogate Duan Xiuwen and Li Ming, Zhang Haofeng had asked another law enforcement elder to gather some information on what transpired. ¡°Just today, Li Ming and Duan Xiuwen had a staked duel,¡± the law enforcement elder said. ¡°And¡­ It was Li Ming¡¯s victory.¡± Zhang Haofeng thought for a moment and said coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s go in and see what they have to say.¡± The three law enforcement elders entered the secret room. Instantly, a wave of pressure swept through the entire room. In the secret chamber, Li Ming and Duan Xiuwen sat on iron chairs. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s four limbs were crippled, and he looked very miserable. ¡°Elder Lin, I¡­¡± He called out hurriedly when he saw one of the law enforcement elders. ¡°Li Ming, you go first,¡± Zhang Haofeng said coldly. ¡°What happened? Just tell us the whole story.¡± Elder Zhang had always been fair and would not be biased toward anyone. ¡°I won some spirit stones from the duel today, so I went to the market to purchase some pills to aid my cultivation.¡± Li Ming explained the situation simply. ¡°In the end, as soon as I left the market, I ran into him, who wanted to get rid of me while I was outside the sect. I had no choice but to defend myself¡­¡± Zhang Haofeng frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re only at the fifth level of the qi refinement stage. How could you possibly have defeated him?¡± Li Ming immediately explained the whole battle from beginning to end. However, the hall master of law enforcement hall still could not believe what he had just heard. ¡°What did you just say? You used your hand to block his magical artifact?¡± Using bare hands to block a magical artifact? Is that something a human would do? However, Li Ming did not seem to be lying. His hand was indeed injured. The three law enforcement elders looked at each other. They had been in the law enforcement hall for so many years, but this was the first time they had encountered such a strange thing. Elder Lin whispered into Zhang Haofeng¡¯s ear, ¡°I heard that Li Ming is a body cultivator.¡± Zhang Haofeng still did not completely believe it. If body refinement could allow one to take on a magical artifact barehanded, then everyone should just go and refine their bodies. ¡°Duan Xiuwen, speak.¡± He turned to Duan Xiuwen while still feeling doubtful. Duan Xiuwen was overjoyed when he saw the disbelief on the elders¡¯ faces. He immediately shouted, ¡°Elder, this Li Ming is just boasting!¡± ¡°Nobody can use their bare bodies to take on a magical artifact. Besides, my profound bright magic sword is very sharp. It can cut through iron like mud after being injected with spiritual qi!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can search Li Ming¡¯s body. He definitely has my storage bag. He was after my belongings and launched a sneak attack on me.¡± ¡°Otherwise¡­ How could someone at the fifth level of the qi refinement stage possibly have defeated me?¡± The elders looked at each other again. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s words made more sense. Zhang Haofeng looked at Li Ming coldly and said, ¡°What else do you have to say?¡± It¡¯s a serious crime to harm a fellow disciple!¡± Duan Xiuwen also glared at Li Ming, but he was very proud of himself. Who asked Li Ming to cripple his limbs? He was done for this time. Under the pressure of the elders, Li Ming calmly took out a jade slip from his sleeve. Seeing this jade slip, everyone was puzzled. ¡°A recording jade slip? What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Zhang Haofeng stepped forward and took the jade slip. He injected spiritual qi into it, and voices began playing. ¡°Li Ming, you can only blame yourself for being too arrogant¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that killing fellow disciples is against the rules of the sect?¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re just a fifth-level qi refinement cultivator. No one would care even if you went missing outside the sect.¡± ¡°Die!¡± ¡°..¡± Duan Xiuwen¡¯s voice was clearly heard from the jade slip. The three law enforcement elders were livid when they heard this. This kind of vile behavior was completely without any regard for the sect rules. And such a vicious heart was something they also despised. Duan Xiuwen¡¯s heart sank to the bottom when he heard the recording that played from the jade slip. He knew that this kind of behavior would not be tolerated by the sect, even if he was a genius who had already completed the qi refinement stage. Now, he was in utter despair. ¡°Elder, I¡­ I just wanted to teach him a lesson ¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhang Haofeng¡¯s anger and imposing manner suppressed Duan Xiuwen so much that he could not speak. ¡°The Divine Will Sect does not tolerate existences like you!¡± He looked at Duan Xiuwen coldly. ¡°Initiating a private fight and framing a fellow disciple! What is his punishment?¡± ¡°He is to be sentenced to five years in the Blackwind Cave and expelled from the sect,¡± Elder Lin said. ¡°Drag him away!¡± Soon, two tall and burly law enforcement disciples dragged Duan Xiuwen away. Being sent to the Blackwind Cave could be said to be the harshest punishment in the sect. This was because the black wind in the cave could consume one¡¯s soul and erode one¡¯s bones. Given Duan Xiuwen¡¯s current condition, he would most likely be killed by the black wind within five years. Chapter 15 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming was expressionless as he watched Duan Xiuwen get dragged away. They were all adults and had to be responsible for what they did. Duan Xiuwen should have known that he could end up like this when he set out to do what he did. ¡°Li Ming, you can go back now.¡± Zhang Haofeng looked at Li Ming, his expression much gentler. To be able to defeat a perfected level qi refinement cultivator at the fifth-level qi refinement stage and even withstand a magical artifact, his talent was considered exceedingly high. They were all members of the Divine Will Sect. The stronger the disciples were, the more they admired them. Especially after knowing Li Ming¡¯s actions, he knew his limits and was very talented. Each and every one of them looked pleased with him. Elder Lin took out a bottle of healing medicine and handed it to Li Ming. ¡°We, the Divine Will Sect, have no lack of geniuses. Take this back to treat your injuries.¡± Li Ming took a look and saw that it was a high-grade healing pill. He immediately thanked the elder. ¡°Elders, this disciple will take his leave now.¡± After he said his goodbyes, he returned to his cave abode. After Li Ming left, Zhang Haofeng called over a law enforcement disciple and asked him to record the incident for the sect elders to read. ¡°I think Li Ming is a good seedling,¡± Elder Lin said. One of the law enforcement elders suddenly recalled, ¡°Wait, Duan Xiuwen¡¯s storage bag is gone¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Zhang Haofeng said casually. With the hall master of law enforcement hall having already spoken, they did not pay it any more mind. ¡­ After Li Ming exited the law enforcement hall, he immediately used the Wind Lightning Steps to rush back to the cave abode in the dark of night. The atmosphere in the Divine Will Sect was quite harmonious. Even if Li Ming kept a low profile, it was still possible for people to kill him for treasures, plot against him, and go mad. On the path of cultivation, there was no avoiding competition. When facing someone like Duan Xiuwen, if he was weak, he would have been killed. It could be seen that in the world of cultivation, great combat power was the foundation of one¡¯s standing. Li Ming just wanted to go back to his cave to cultivate as soon as possible. He passed by the familiar bamboo forest. As soon as he arrived at the door to his cave abode, he saw a figure standing there. Who is loitering in front of my cave abode? Li Ming¡¯s heart tightened. When he walked closer, he saw Chen Qingke with her bright eyes and white teeth. It turned out that Chen Qingke had come to look for Li Ming quite a while ago, but Li Ming was not home at the time. Just as she was about to leave, Li Ming had finally returned. Seeing Li Ming return, Chen Qingke greeted him casually. ¡°Senior brother.¡± ¡°¡­Junior Sister Chen.¡± Li Ming came to the door and pushed it open. He had never locked the front door of this cave abode. Chen Qingke saw Li Ming¡¯s outstretched palm and realized that it was seriously injured. She immediately said in surprise, ¡°Senior brother, you¡¯re injured!¡± ¡°I was careless,¡± Li Ming scratched his head. Chen Qingke was very worried. ¡°Since you¡¯re injured, you should get treatment as soon as possible. Hm, the medical elder is already asleep¡­ Senior brother, I¡¯ll help you dress your wound.¡± Li Ming had fought two battles in a row today, and the second one was even a life-and-death battle. He just wanted to rest as soon as he could. After all, as a body cultivator, his body was not so weak. However, people like Elder Lin and Chen Qingke attached great importance to it. They firmly believed that the earlier one received treatment, the less an impact the injury would have on one¡¯s cultivation. Junior Sister, I¡¯ll go to the medical elder¡¯s place tomorrow. ¡°If you¡¯re really worried, you can go with me tomorrow,¡± Li Ming said. Chen Qingke patted her chest. ¡°Sigh, senior brother, aren¡¯t we friends? Just let me accompany you in and help you treat your wound¡­¡± Li Ming was speechless. Since he could not refuse, he could only follow Chen Qingke into the house. Cheng Qingke went into Li Ming¡¯s room and pushed him onto the bed. Then, she found some bandages and helped him bandage his wound. ¡°The palm is an important part of a cultivator¡¯s body and is especially important when facing an enemy and casting spells. Senior brother, how could you be so careless?¡± ¡°Once you get injured, you have to attend to it as soon as possible. Stuff like this can leave behind hidden dangers. While it might seem fine in the early stages, it can affect you quite severely in the later stages.¡± Chen Qingke wagged her finger and explained in a serious tone. In fact, she had her doubts as well. Senior Brother Li was not at a disadvantage even against Duan Xiuwen, who was at the perfected level of the qi refinement stage. So why would he come back injured in the middle of the night? However, she saw that Li Ming was tired, so she did not ask. ¡°I actually received some medicine from Elder Lin. If you want to treat my wound, then use it together with the bandage. Li Ming remembered the high-level medicinal pill that Elder Lin had given him. If it was an internal injury, it could be ingested. While for external injuries, it could be applied to the injury. After applying it, the slight pain was replaced by a cool and refreshing feeling. ¡°Oh? ¡°Chen Qingke was pleasantly surprised. ¡°With this medicinal pill, you should be fine in a few days.¡± Originally, since Li Ming had faced the attack of the profound bright magic sword head-on, he was with a rather severe injury. It would have taken some time for him to heal, but it would not take more than several days. By then, he could resume training as if nothing had happened. While Chen Qingke was bandaging his wound¡­ Li Ming was simply too tired and, since he trusted Chen Qingke, as he maintained a steady pace breathing, he fell into a deep sleep. ¡­ ¡°Mmh?¡± When Li Ming opened his eyes, he felt very refreshed. He looked at his right hand. The wound was carefully wrapped in a white bandage, and it did not look swollen. He also smelled the aroma of food. ¡°Senior brother, you¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°I made some dishes for you,¡± Chen Qingke said at the door. ¡°Eat more demonic beast meat. It¡¯ll help you recover.¡± Li Ming was slightly stunned. Usually, he would just deal with such an injury casually. He did not expect that Junior Sister Chen, who usually appeared to be quite carefree, would be so meticulous for such a thing. He did not act unreasonably and got out of bed to eat. After his hand was injured, other than the Five Divine Fists, he could still practice the rest of his cultivation techniques. He also had the entries [Lifetime of Qi Refinement] and [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians] to help him, as well as the newly bought pills. He would be able to return to his previous cultivation speed when he improved at a tremendous pace. However, when Chen Qingke saw him, she would interrupt him and have him recuperate safely. In the next few days, Junior Sister Chen would come over to take care of him every day, resulting in Li Ming living a few days of an idle life. However, this made it so that the injury on his hand healed very quickly. This afternoon, Chen Qingke removed the bandages for Li Ming and found that only a shallow white mark was left of the severe wound on his hand from a few days ago. All of this was thanks to his careful recuperation over the past few days, as well as the self-recovery of his body under the effects of the healing pills. ¡°Alright, it should be fine now.¡± ¡°Senior brother, you have to be more careful in the future.¡± Chen Qingke was also very happy to see Li Ming having healed up. Li Ming thought for a moment, then gave her his qi sea pill and said sincerely, ¡°Junior Sister, thank you for taking care of me these past few days.¡± ¡°If you run into any trouble, feel free to look for me.¡± Chen Qingke was stunned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that my line? I¡¯ll leave this qi sea pill with you, senior brother. Work hard on your cultivation.¡± Even though Li Ming had defeated Duan Xiuwen in the arena that day, the fight had happened too quickly. Chen Qingke still believed that Li Ming needed to improve more than her. ¡°Since you¡¯re fine, senior brother, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Chen Qingke left after saying that. Looking at his junior sister¡¯s back, Li Ming scratched his head. It seemed that he had been looked down upon¡­ He had no intention of showing off. Now that his junior sister had gone back, everything returned to normal. He could finally train properly. This time, he should be able to cultivate in peace for a period of time. Chapter 16 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Before he started training, Li Ming took out a storage bag. This storage bag was the one he had taken from Duan Xiuwen. After Duan Xiuwen was sent to the Blackwind Cave to serve his punishment, the elders of the law enforcement hall did not pursue the ownership of his belongings. And so, the storage bag naturally fell into Li Ming¡¯s hands. He mobilized his magical power and directly probed into the storage bag. What Li Ming found inside left him a little stunned. Besides a few dozen low-grade spirit stones, there was nothing good. It seemed that Duan Xiuwen had lost the majority of his assets to him in the previous battle. No wonder he was so bent on killing him. It turned out that he was the one who actually had the intention to kill him and take his belongings, but he overestimated himself and was killed instead. ¡°I thought that Duan Xiuwen would have some money and would make me rich again¡­¡± Li Ming was honestly a little disappointed. After all, after he encountered the bottleneck, he came to deeply understand the importance of cultivation resources. That was something that would affect the efficiency of cultivation, so the more the better. Since there was nothing much in the bag, Li Ming did not think too much about it. He sat cross-legged on the bed and began to cultivate. He used qi scattering pills every once in a while and it looked as if he were snacking on them. Although it was a little extravagant, the effects of doing this were very obvious. The originally shallow true qi was transformed into endless spiritual qi, and it became thicker with every passing day. The qi refinement pills that he had bought in the market were also gradually running out. After a few days of refining qi, Li Ming¡¯s temperament had become more ethereal. While he was refining qi, he was not idle with his body tempering either. Every day, he would temper his muscles and bones, train in his stance, and refine his body to an even greater level. Li Ming enjoyed such a life of cultivation and was very satisfied with it. Today, Li Ming was practicing the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art in the courtyard. There were small bits of clearly visible flame that appeared in the courtyard, which was a sign that the blazing sun true qi was about to undergo a qualitative change. He was wearing a thin shirt and standing in the middle of the courtyard. The true qi in his dantian followed the route prescribed by the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art and attacked each acupoint. Each acupoint was like a node, and when these nodes were connected, Li Ming¡¯s qi and blood began to burn. Blood changing, bone forging, marrow cleansing¡­ As the blazing sun true qi seeped into his bones, Li Ming¡¯s body was also quietly transforming. With all his meridians connected, he no longer had to worry about the impurities in his body. He could freely circulate his true qi without an impediment by his body. ¡°Eh? I did not expect that it would be my qi cultivation that would make progress first!¡± When he was refining his body, it would also improve his aptitude for immortal cultivation. For example, the vortex in Li Ming¡¯s dantian was violently stimulated and began to rapidly absorb the spiritual qi in his body. Li Ming struck the iron while it was hot, taking out the last qi scattering pill that he had in his storage bag and swallowed it right away. ¡°Swish!¡± After it entered his mouth, he began to refine it, and very quickly, pure spiritual qi filled every part of his body. Li Ming directed all the spiritual qi to his dantian. With this, he could rush into the sixth level of the qi refinement stage. Li Ming, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, was very happy to see a large amount of spiritual qi being absorbed when it scattered. This was because one¡¯s aptitude for immortal cultivation affected all aspects of qi cultivation, including the efficiency of the breathing in of spiritual qi. When there was insufficient spiritual qi, it was even more difficult to make a breakthrough. But at this moment, when Li Ming was making use of the help provided by the pill, the increased efficiency brought by [Lifetime of Qi Refinement] was particularly critical. ¡°It seems that I won¡¯t actually have to refine qi for a lifetime.¡± The vast tide of spiritual qi gave Li Ming hope. He had already accumulated spiritual qi in his eight meridians, and he continued to have it surge into the vortex. His body trembled repeatedly, but he did not budge. After a long time, Li Ming opened his eyes and smiled. Sixth level of qi refinement, achieved! From drawing qi into the body to condensing qi into a vortex, the next step was to continue cultivating in the direction of perfecting qi refinement. He did not expect that by cultivating his body in a different way, his qi refinement would begin to catch up to his body refinement. Li Ming looked inside his body. After entering the sixth level of qi refinement, the vortex in his dantian became more solid. As for the spiritual qi in the cave¡­ He had almost taken everything. Fortunately, the Divine Will Sect was full of spiritual qi and could gather sufficient spiritual qi in less than half a day. ¡°I¡¯m almost done with the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art.¡± Li Ming clenched his fists and his muscles tensed up. He was like a tiger. At the fourth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, he was able to infuse the blazing sun true qi into his fists and legs. Now, he felt that his body cultivation had reached a critical point and that he was just one step away from achieving something great. As long as he soaked in the spiritual liquid and used the body tempering pills, he would be able to complete the fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art! ¡°I¡¯ll continue my closed-door training.¡± Li Ming devoted himself to his training and was about to enter the room to prepare the resources and materials needed for body cultivation. However, he heard a knock at the door of his cave abode. Who could it be? Li Ming thought for a moment. In the sect, other than Duan Xiuwen, who would come to disturb him from time to time, no one would come to disturb him. But now that Duan Xiuwen had been thrown into the Blackwind Cave, it could not be him. ¡­ ¡°Creak-¡± When he opened the door to the outer courtyard, he saw a senior sister who was wearing clothing meant for elite disciples. Li Ming thought for a moment and remembered that this was the senior sister who had seen him train in his fist technique in the rear mountain of his cave abode. At this moment, Lu Lan¡¯s eyes were filled with admiration when she saw Li Ming. It had only been a few days since they last met, but his cultivation had improved rapidly. ¡°Junior Brother Li, I¡¯m sorry to disturb you. I¡¯m Lu Lan and I¡¯m here to ask for your help.¡± Lu Lan went straight to the point and explained her intention. ¡°You need my help?¡± Li Ming was stunned. This senior sister was an elite disciple, could there be something she could not handle? However, Lu Lan¡¯s attitude was very polite. Li Ming politely welcomed her into the courtyard and listened to her explain the matter. ¡°Junior Brother Li, the elders of our sect have recently captured some ghosts and monsters. They are currently busy putting them in the demon-subduing pagoda.¡± ¡°Because of that, the elders are not going to be able to attend to other matters as much, and the sect is now lacking manpower. I¡¯ve come to ask you to help guard the ghosts that are temporarily sealed in the array.¡± Lu Lan explained the matter. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, I¡¯m not strong enough. I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡± Li Ming declined. Lu Lan smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, junior brother, those ghostly beings are trapped by an array. You only need to watch over them.¡± ¡°Moreover, the ghost this time are yin by nature, which means that they are restrained by your cultivation technique.¡± ¡°And after you complete this mission, you will receive a corresponding reward.¡± For an ordinary qi refinement disciple, being able to train while at the same time being rewarded for doing so was indeed a great deal. Lu Lan just so happened to think of it and felt that Li Ming was a very suitable candidate for this mission, so she came looking for him to ask him to be the one to carry out the mission. ¡°So, Junior Brother Li, are you willing?¡± Li Ming silently listened to Senior Sister Lu Lan¡¯s explanation and suddenly understood why she had asked him to take on the task. It turned out that she felt that the extreme yang cultivation technique that he practiced was useful in this situation. Disciples who cultivated fire attribute cultivation methods were not rare, but they were not everywhere. However¡­ Li Ming was not interested in this mission. After all, there was already an array to restrict the ghosts and monsters, and whoever went would only need to watch over them. For someone of his strength, this was just an ordinary small task, and he did not expect the reward to be that much. Most importantly, he was on the verge of a breakthrough. He did not have that much time to waste. He might as well go into seclusion and cultivate. At this moment, a prompt suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. [Option 1: Accept the mission and receive a blue entry.] [Option 2: Reject the mission and receive a green entry.] Chapter 17 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming¡¯s eyes widened. He had bitterly cultivated for so long and only obtained a green [Lifetime of Qi Refinement]. He did not think that he could gain entries through such means. It seemed that he had to go now. Completing the mission would not only help him gain the favor of this senior sister and get some rewards for the mission, but more importantly, he could receive a blue entry! The [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians] was something that he obtained after going through many difficulties, and he had personally experienced the benefits that it brought. He knew that he had to go. Even a fool would know which option to choose. Li Ming immediately chose the first option, which was to accept his senior sister¡¯s request. After all, wasn¡¯t it just looking after some ghosts? ¡°Alright, Senior Sister Lu, I¡¯ll accept this mission.¡± Lu Lan was not surprised that Li Ming had agreed. From the beginning, she believed that this mission was very suitable for Li Ming and should be very attractive to him. Lu Lan said, ¡°Junior Brother Li, this trip will take about three days. Pack your bags. I¡¯ll wait for you at the door.¡± Li Ming did not have much to pack. He put a few sets of clothes in the storage bag and set out with Lu Lan. On the way, keeping Li Ming¡¯s speed in mind, Lu Lan moved at a slower pace than she could have. Li Ming did not deliberately use his movement technique. Nevertheless, the two of them soon arrived at the depths of the sect, behind a green peak. The forest here was even more secluded. Even when Li Ming was looking for a place to cultivate, he had never come to such a far place. Lu Lan brought Li Ming to a mountain path. ¡°Junior Brother Li, this mountain forest is sealed with magical formations on all four sides.¡± ¡°Only this mountain path is relatively weak because of the frequent access, so I need you to look after it.¡± ¡°In about three days, there will be elders who will be transporting ghosts through. At that time, your mission will be completed.¡± After Lu Lan explained the situation clearly, she asked, ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Li Ming looked over and saw that the forest was covered by trees, so he could not see much light. He could vaguely see the runes of a formation in the air. Only this mountain path had relatively fewer runes. When the time came, he would only need to look after this place. When he had nothing to do, he could even cultivate. It was really a good deal. ¡°Nope.¡± Li Ming shook his head. With the formation¡¯s barrier and his own strength¡­ This mission was too easy for him. Lu Lan smiled. ¡°Then I will have to trouble Junior Brother Li to take care. If anything happens, just crush the jade slip and inform me.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± After Li Ming expressed his agreement, Lu Lan left. ¡­ After Lu Lan left, Li Ming was left alone in the dark forest. The sun shone through the dense leaves, and scattered rays of light landed on the grass. The area was still very gloomy as a whole¡­ If it was an ordinary disciple, they might be afraid of the ghosts that came out. After all, any ghost could naturally scare ordinary cultivators, but it was nothing to Li Ming who cultivated the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. Just by standing there, his extremely yang physique was enough to intimidate all the ghosts and monsters. Besides, it was broad daylight, so Li Ming was not afraid at all. He directly laid a dust-free mat in the middle of the mountain path, then sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. Since he was on a mission and it was not safe here, Li Ming did not rush to break through to the fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. Instead, he started to cultivate his qi according to the [One Qi Art]. If one ignored his strong body, he would be a standard qi cultivator. However, even in the outer sect, he would not appear particularly mediocre. ¡­ He meditated for the entire day. The sky was getting dark. Soon after, it was already night. Li Ming took out some dry food from his storage bag. While he was eating, he heard ghostly wails and wolf howls coming from the forest. It was quite frightening. ¡°Ghosts?¡± Li Ming stopped meditating. He held his breath and looked around. The formation was especially clear at night. The entire mountain forest was covered in a formation that appeared as a golden light barrier. Only the magical barrier covering the mountain path where he was at was relatively weak. At midnight, Li Ming stood up from the mountain path and looked at the dark shadows in the forest around him. He seemed to be a little restless. As he was observing his surroundings, a black shadow in the shape of a chandelier suddenly rushed toward him. ¡°Swish!¡± The black shadow was quite fast. It would soon crash into the barrier. Li Ming did not have much time to think. With the buff from [Swift as the Wind] applied to his feet, Li Ming quickly went to block it. He visualized the forest divinity of the five divinities. In this forest, his fist intent seemed to be glowing with vitality, blocking the black shadow. ¡°Peng!¡± Just as he was about to hit the black shadow, he unconsciously added a burning aura to his fist. At the same time, the eight meridians in his body shone with the aura of the sun. Subsequently, an extreme yang aura swept out in the dark. The originally soft touch quickly made a sizzling sound, like boiling oil being poured on ice and snow, melting the snow instantly upon contact. ¡°Wuuu¡­¡± It was accompanied by a strange cry of pain. The black shadow was sent flying back and quickly fled into the forest, disappearing without a trace. ¡°That was¡­ A ghost?¡± Li Ming was a little shocked. In this world of cultivation, there were many demons and ghosts, but this was the first time he had seen a ghost. As expected, the cold yin on the ghost¡¯s body was countered by his Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. Even though there was a barrier, with so many ghosts charging over, the stability of the barrier could be affected. As such, he needed to take action. Li Ming began to practice the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. With the surge of his true qi, a burning aura gathered on his hands. It was condensed but did not scatter, and it scattered but was not released. This was the control he had when he cultivated the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art to the peak of the fourth level. However, the ghosts that emerged from the forest would not let go of such a good opportunity. One after another, they emerged and sprinted towards the mountain path. ¡°Ha!¡± A ray of righteous qi exuded from Li Ming¡¯s body, and he waved his fists that flared with blazing sun true qi, carrying with it a burning aura. Occasionally, some ghosts would bump into the restriction and try to slip out. However, Li Ming¡¯s fists were not to be trifled with. He would hammer them as soon as he caught them and then slap them back. Very quickly, an actual representation of the phrase ¡°wails of ghosts and howls of wolves¡± appeared on the mountain path. As he fought to his heart¡¯s content, the ghostly beings gradually began to grow afraid and no longer dared to approach. Li Ming was a little surprised. These ghosts actually did not dissipate even under the suppression? After all, he had used the great sun fist in conjunction with the burning aura of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. Although he managed to repel the ghosts, he could sense that they were not simple. He recalled that Senior Sister Lu Lan had said that these ghosts were demons and ghosts sealed in the sect and were to be locked in the demon-subduing pagoda. It was no wonder they were so sturdy. Li Ming guessed that these ghosts might have some other background. However, none of this was his business. His mission was simply to block the weak point of the formation. That night, the ghosts launched wave after wave of attacks. But before Li Ming¡¯s fist, they were all useless. On the second day, the ghosts were much calmer. It was not until the night that they once again gathered to launch a second round of fierce attacks. With the tide-like charge, the majority of them crashed into the barrier. Some of them wanted to break the barrier, but Li Ming naturally would not give them that chance. His cultivation technique was the perfect counter to these yin-type beings. For three days and two nights, in addition to guarding the mountain path against ghosts, Li Ming sat cross-legged in meditation. The final night passed peacefully. Li Ming calmly counted the time. Three days had passed, and his mission had been completed without a hitch. Chapter 18 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Early the following morning, Li Ming had already pretty much completed his mission. He was now just waiting for someone to take over. Before long, a group of elite disciples wearing the robes of the Divine Will Sect arrived. Each and every one of them had extraordinary cultivation, and their temperaments were completely different from that of ordinary qi refinement disciples. From their aura, they should be foundation establishment disciples, just like Senior Sister Lu Lan. The one leading this group of foundation establishment stage elite disciples was a slightly older middle-aged cultivator, a golden core stage elder of the sect. Seeing that everyone had arrived on the mountain path. ¡°Disciple Li Ming greets elder and senior brothers and sisters,¡± Li Ming greeted politely. He was tall, and with the addition of his qi and body cultivation, his body appeared even more otherworldly. He was bright and spirited, and one could tell at a glance that he was a cultivator who was untainted by the world. After seeing Li Ming, Senior Sister Lu Lan walked over. It seemed that they had finished their work and had the time to deal with the ghosts now. ¡°Junior Brother Li, thank you for watching over the ghosts.¡± Lu Lan said with a smile in her eyes. The barrier of the mountain forest was still strong, which meant that no ghosts had escaped. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Li Ming said. As she spoke, Senior Sister Lu Lan handed over a storage bag. ¡°This is the reward for the completion of the mission. There were originally two portions meant for two disciples, but I¡¯ll give both portions to you.¡± She was originally supposed to look for two qi refinement disciples to guard the place, but since Li Ming knew fire attribute techniques, he was enough. ¡°Thank you, Senior Sister Lu.¡± Li Ming took the storage bag. After that, Senior Sister Lu Lan told him to go back home, then she followed the golden core elder and the other elite disciples into the mountain. They were probably going to transport the ghosts. There was nothing else for him to do here, so he turned around and left. Right now, the most important agenda for him was to increase his own strength. As such, he immediately headed back to his cave abode. On his way back to the cave abode from the mountain valley, Li Ming put the mission to the back of his mind and could not wait to check what he had received after completing the mission. After all, the prompt stated that he would receive a blue entry for completing the mission. A blue entry was something he saw as extremely valuable. However, when he saw the entry, he was dumbfounded. [Ghost Hero (Blue): Increases temperament, especially charm towards ghosts, allows the user to gain a good impression from ghosts.] The blue words also had an additional skill: [Dead as a Ghost: Takes effect during the yin ghost state. Increases the cultivation efficiency for ghost cultivation techniques and allows the user to command ghosts.] After reading the description of the entry, although it was blue, Li Ming still found himself feeling stifled. What the hell is this? Increases one¡¯s temperament and charm towards ghosts? And this skill, it needs me to be in the yin ghost state? This is simply ridiculous. Do I have to commit suicide just to make use of the skill? That¡¯s impossible. It was likely that he just so happened to stumble upon a useless entry. He thought about how he had spent three days on the mission. Was it not all for this blue entry? Yet this was the result? On the way back to the cave, Li Ming was angry. Nevertheless, after he got back to his cave abode, he had thought things through. Who cares, I pretty much got it for free anyway. If it was useful, he would use it. If it was not, he could just fuse it with other entries. He would not really lose out either way. ¡­ After completing the mission, Li Ming felt that his understanding of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art had deepened by another level. With his deepened understanding, he felt that making the breakthrough would not be difficult at all. And so, he followed his original plan and began training. Every time he tempered his body, he would improve. After continuous improvement, it would lead to a qualitative change, allowing him to get closer to his small goal of reaching the martial dao foundation establishment stage. It was a painful process for body cultivators to use true qi to comb through their bodies and souls. Fortunately, Li Ming had gradually adapted to the pain, which eventually brought joy, and he even began to grow fond of the process. While training his body, Li Ming had already developed his meridians until they were very wide and tough. With that, it was much easier for him to circulate true qi and use his meridians to temper his bones and muscles. Originally, he was already only one step away from completing the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. This time, he could no longer hold himself back. During the day, he would practice his Five Divine Fists by stance training under the sun. He would also practice the Wind Lightning Steps to strengthen his legs. Finally, he would practice Iron Skin to train his skin. Every night, he would pour the spiritual liquid he bought into a bathtub filled with hot water and bathe in it, using the spiritual liquid to warm his body. Day and night, he went into closed-door cultivation. What surprised him was that on the morning of the seventh day¡­ With the influx of a large amount of spiritual qi, he broke through to seventh level of the qi refinement stage. Seven days later, at noon, Li Ming directly moved the bathtub to the courtyard, basking in the sun and absorbing the benefits of the spiritual liquid. The water had already been mixed with the spirit liquid, but it had become diluted. Due to the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, the steaming water was still hot. ¡°Rumble¡­¡± Waves of true qi surged through his body like a tide. The blazing sun true qi stimulated his bones and flesh, bringing him a burning pain. Every time his body was tempered, his blazing sun true qi would also be further improved, which also brought about a tempering effect. On the other hand, if the blazing sun true qi was too mild, it meant that he had reached a bottleneck and needed to take a yang forging pill to continue his cultivation. As the muscles and bones in his body gradually grew stronger, Li Ming felt something in his heart. With the accumulation of the [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians], some of the minute minor meridians in his body had also been opened up. Now, he felt a burning pain on the surface of his body. ¡°I should eat a few more yang forging pills!¡± Li Ming took two more precious yang forging pills in a row, and the blazing sun true qi in his body became more and more like a pot of boiling oil with water and suddenly began steaming. ¡°Hiss!¡± Li Ming gritted his teeth. He felt like there was a fire burning in his internal organs. As he breathed, the blazing sun true qi under the sun entered his lungs and immediately intensified. ¡°Bang!¡± A loud roar came from Li Ming¡¯s chest. It was the first transformation of the blazing sun true qi in his body. The spiritual liquid in the entire bathtub was visibly diluted and became extremely clear. With him as the center, a dense mist rose in the courtyard. Li Ming stood in the mist, his body tense and his eyes closed as if he was bitterly enduring something. If he looked inside his body, he would see that several of his main meridians had become due to the mutated blazing sun true fire. The pain that seeped deep into his bone marrows was only slightly relieved after the meridians were charred and new skin grew. At this moment, Li Ming recalled the battle with Duan Xiuwen. He had used his bare hands to resist the magical artifact, and in the end, he was seriously injured. If he could train to the point where his body was thoroughly tempered, he would be able to block it without any visible injury, right? Thinking of this, the pain receded like the tide, and a new numbing feeling emerged all over his body. It was as if tiny ants were crawling throughout his body. This feeling was brought about by the growth of his flesh and bones. Li Ming could not hold back the feeling of restlessness that surged throughout his body. Under the sun, he used the momentum of his qi cultivation breakthrough to circulate the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art with the blazing sun true fire. The true qi in his body ignited from his meridians, and he punched! He punched, and he punched! His entire arm was charred black from the strength of the flamed! The color of the blazing sun true fire turned dark in the midst of the crackling sounds. ¡°BOOM!¡± All of the true qi entered his body and let out explosive sounds between his bones. Finally, he could not hold it in any longer. A ray of fire as bright as the sun appeared as the blazing sun true qi in Li Ming¡¯s body surged out through his fist. He smashed the fake stone with one punch and sent his true qi into the pond in the courtyard, instantly causing a huge explosion in the pond and turning it into something akin to a boiling pot. ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡± It was as if a sea of fire was flowing in the pond, and it did not go out for a long time. Li Ming let out a long fiery breath, filled with surprise. The blazing sun true qi had turned into a tangible fire, and the damage it brought was even more intense. He had broken through to the fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art! Chapter 19 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation He looked at his courtyard, which had been turned into a wasteland because of his breakthrough. The burned-up pond, the broken artificial stones, the dark tree trunks¡­ What was originally a beautiful garden had been brutally ravaged. Li Ming thought to himself that he should find a quiet and secluded place to break through next time. Otherwise, the aftermath of his breakthrough might just end up destroying his cave abode. But nevertheless, the results of his training made Li Ming very happy. The fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art! The seventh level of the qi refinement stage! His overall strength had gone up another level. This was true not only for his body cultivation, but his qi cultivation that had caught up as well. It could be said that he had advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the seventh level of the qi refinement stage in such a short time. For others, it was a very time and energy-consuming process to just practice one path, yet Li Ming could now practice both body and qi without much delay. But then¡­ The next question followed. ¡°I have the [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians], so I don¡¯t have to worry about body tempering too much. As long as I have enough resources, I can maintain this cultivation speed.¡± ¡°But as for the qi cultivation side¡­ The [One Qi Art] does not go that much into detail on how to practice qi refinement. I¡¯m not really sure on how I should proceed.¡± Li Ming was in a dilemma. Although the Divine Will Sect was a large sect, it was not to the extent that every disciple would have a personal elder to teach them. When he switched to body cultivation three years ago, he had been cultivating qi alone. Therefore, after reaching the seventh level of qi refinement, Li Ming had accumulated a lot of doubts in this area and had nobody to ask. If he could solve many of these doubts, it would greatly benefit his path to the perfected level of the qi refinement stage. ¡°Now that I have picked up qi refinement again, I need to have all of these doubts resolved¡­¡± Li Ming pondered in silence. In fact, there were many seniors that he was familiar with in the sect, and he could ask them for guidance. However, the problem was that he was not sure if his doubts about qi cultivation were basic problems. If they were, then if he asked them such simple questions, would he not just be directly exposing the fact that he had poor talent? In that case, if the elders found out, he would be in a bad situation. With such a large risk, he felt wary of going through with such a choice. This left Li Ming a little worried. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just take things one step at a time.¡± He would slowly figure it out when he encountered a bottleneck. ¡­ ¡°Senior brother, are you there?¡± After Li Ming finished tidying up his cave abode, he heard someone calling him from outside the door. He opened the door and saw that the person who had come to visit him was Chen Qingke, whom he had not seen in a long time. After so many days, Chen Qingke¡¯s aura had become even more reserved. Li Ming knew that he was not the only one who was improving. Other cultivators were also practicing diligently. ¡°Senior brother, how¡¯s your recovery?¡± Chen Qingke said as she followed Li Ming inside. ¡°I¡¯ve recovered a long time ago,¡± Li Ming replied. Perhaps for qi refinement cultivators, such serious injuries would take them quite some time to recover. However, Li Ming had almost completely recovered during those first few days. This was one of the advantages of tempering one¡¯s body. Chen Qingke originally wanted to see the situation of Li Ming¡¯s injuries. Seeing that there was not even a scar left on his hand, she was relieved. However, she soon found that Li Ming had another breakthrough. ¡°Senior brother, it¡¯s only been a few days since we last met¡­ You¡¯ve already broken through to this level?¡± Chen Qingke was a little surprised, but she was also happy for Li Ming. After all, it was because Li Ming was obsessed with body refining that he was still at the third level of qi refinement after three years of cultivation, which was also why he had become despised by many disciples of the sect. Although the Divine Will Sect was full of immortal cultivators, their temperaments were no different from ordinary people. The strong preyed on the weak, and it was natural that the strong were respected. Now that she saw her Senior Brother Li breaking through the levels of the qi refinement stage consecutively, Chen Qingke had a faint feeling that the genius was making a return. Li Ming remained humble. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I entered the sect three years earlier than you.¡± Wait¡ª! Suddenly, Li Ming looked at Chen Qingke and had an idea. This little junior sister of his was at the perfected level of the qi refinement stage and was about to enter the foundation establishment stage. She was much stronger than him in this regard alone. Moreover, she had cultivated qi the entire way. He could probably have some of his doubts resolved through her. ¡°Senior brother, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?¡± Chen Qingke asked curiously. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± Of course, Li Ming could not expose the fact that he was not talented. Even in front of Junior Sister Chen, he had to maintain the image of a cultivation genius who went astray only because of body cultivation. As for the fact that he was treading both paths and that he was doing well in both, it was all thanks to the entries. He could not tell Junior Sister Chen about this. After all, the entries were his most important secrets, and he could not just reveal them to others. The method that he thought of to achieve his goal covertly was very simple. He would beat around the bush! Li Ming managed to think things through instantly. He pretended to be profound and said, ¡°Junior sister, after all, you entered the sect much later than me. How about this¡­ Come in, and let me test you on some cultivation knowledge.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Qingke blinked and nodded. When she heard Senior Brother Li say that he wanted to test her, she believed him completely and thought that he was really going to ask her some difficult questions. This kind of conversation between cultivators was actually quite common in the Divine Will Sect. She followed Li Ming into the cave abode, and both of them sat down. ¡°Senior brother, go ahead!¡± Chen Qingke said casually. Li Ming nodded, wrapped up his doubts, and began asking his junior sister the questions. Li Ming said, ¡°For my first question, why is the efficiency of absorbing spiritual qi different at different levels of the qi refinement stage?¡± ¡°Naturally, it is because one¡¯s true qi has increased,¡± Chen Qingke said matter-of-factly. ¡°Essence is refined into qi, and qi is refined into spirit. That is why it becomes increasingly difficult to progress the further one goes in cultivation.¡± Li Ming thought for a moment and continued asking, ¡°What are the methods to increase one¡¯s sensitivity to the spiritual qi of heaven and earth?¡± Chen Qingke answered with great detail, ¡°The Heaven-Human Sensing Technique, the Five Hearts Sutra, and the Meditation Reflection Technique. After sensing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, you guide the spiritual qi to flow through your meridians according to the circulatory cycle, nurturing the spiritual qi vortex¡­ This way, you can improve your ability to sense spiritual qi.¡± ¡°Not bad, not bad.¡± Li Ming showed a look of approval on his face. ¡°Senior brother, isn¡¯t this basic knowledge?¡± Chen Qingke asked. Li Ming said seriously, ¡°The more basic things are, the more solid your grasp over them must be. Let me ask you another question. How do qi refinement cultivators use their true qi to practice spells? ¡± Chen Qingke answered, ¡°In the later stages of qi refinement, after the vortex expands, it will form a core lake. That would then refine one¡¯s physical body, strengthen their internal organs, and allow one to cast off one¡¯s mortal body.¡± ¡°At this point, both the body and the true qi can be used to control spells. This applies to all kinds of spells such as ¡®Fireball¡¯ or ¡®Telekinesis¡¯ or even for controlling flying swords and magical artifacts.¡± In the following period of time, Li Ming continued to ask questions about his doubts on qi cultivation, while Chen Qingke continued to answer his questions in detail. During the question and answer session, Li Ming¡¯s doubts were resolved one by one. His understanding of qi cultivation became much deeper and he was enlightened on a lot of things. Qi cultivation could also temper one¡¯s body, but it was just a transformation of the body while guiding the spiritual qi. The contrast between the two allowed Li Ming to suddenly see the light and feel enlightened. So this was how qi cultivation is like. What surprised him the most was that after the series of questions and answers, the progress in the progress bars for his qi cultivation entries increased greatly. If this continued, he would be able to obtain new qi cultivation entries. Chapter 20 - New Qi Cultivation Entry, Breakthrough Chapter 20 New Qi Cultivation Entry, Breakthrough He saw that the progress bars for the entries were swiftly filling up. Li Ming suddenly realized that listening to others¡¯ teachings was also a kind of learning. In the past, he had always pondered on his own without any help, so he had not thought of this. But today, he had accidentally found another way to fill up the progress bars for the entries. ¡°Senior brother, is there a problem with my answer?¡± Chen Qingke noticed Li Ming suddenly turn silent and thought that she had made a mistake in her answer. Li Ming still looked calm and said, ¡°Nope, I¡¯ll continue asking you questions.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Qingke readily agreed. For one, Senior Brother Li had always had the image of an honest senior brother in her mind. She did not even entertain the possibility that this senior brother of hers was taking advantage of her and using the pretense of testing her to hide his talent in qi cultivation. Secondly, the questions that Li Ming asked her were all very important concepts and questions in cultivation. When she answered them, she could also review her thoughts on qi cultivation, which was beneficial to her hundred days foundation establishment. Li Ming¡¯s questions became more and more in-depth as he continued. ¡°What are the applications of qi refinement on the dantian?¡± ¡°How does one release true qi from their acupoints?¡± ¡°How does one use their divine sense to check the properties of a magical artifact?¡± Chen Qingke did not notice any abnormality about Li Ming and answered everything honestly. Li Ming seized the opportunity to ask all his questions and talked until night. Suddenly, he heard a prompt and realized that he had finally obtained a green entry. His efforts in studying hard and asking questions all night were not in vain. The effect of this entry was exactly what Li Ming urgently needed at the moment. [Beginnings of Immortal Cultivation (Green): Slightly increases sensitivity to the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and increases the efficiency of qi cultivation.] With this, his aptitude for immortal cultivation could no longer be described as very poor. Increasing one¡¯s sensitivity to the spiritual qi of heaven and earth was equivalent to increasing the connection between heaven and man. Li Ming was overjoyed. This was the privilege provided to qi refinement geniuses. In addition, after increasing the efficiency of his qi cultivation, his future qi refinement would be carried out with much faster progress. For the same cycle of spiritual qi, he could complete the cycle in half the time that it would take others. As time went on, that would add up to an immense amount of time. No wonder it was said that immortal cultivation depended on one¡¯s aptitude. If one¡¯s aptitude was not good enough, even if they practiced diligently, they would not make much progress in decades and would quickly grow old. With the [Beginnings of Immortal Cultivation], Li Ming was now more confident in being able to get somewhere on his immortal cultivation path. ¡°Junior Sister Chen, great answers!¡± Li Ming was very grateful to Chen Qingke. To be able to have obtained an entry from her answers, it meant this little junior sister had been answering his questions correctly and sincerely. Additionally, her words were very clear and effective, making Li Ming feel as if the clouds in his mind had been cleared and the sky was now clear. He did not expect that after searching for so long, the doubts he had about his qi cultivation would be resolved just like that. Although he was grateful to his little junior sister from the bottom of his heart, he could not thank her directly. Otherwise, would he not expose himself if he suddenly thanked her while asking her questions? ¡°Alright, today¡¯s test ends here.¡± ¡°You have a good and solid foundation,¡± Li Ming praised her in a roundabout way. ¡°It seems that you have been working hard. Well done! ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Qingke waved her hand. She had actually also benefited significantly from this test. Some of Li Ming¡¯s questions were things that she had ignored before. Now that she had given them some more thought, she had a lot more insight on those topics. The two of them quietly reflected on the insights they had gained. Chen Qingke suddenly raised her head and said, ¡°Thank you, senior brother! I feel like I¡¯ve learned a lot from this test!¡± Li Ming¡¯s mouth twitched, and he displayed an awkward smile. In fact, the reason why he asked all sorts of questions was because he barely knew anything. How could he have thought that he would be able to allow Junior Sister Chen to gain some new insights? He could only pretend to be humble and say, ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± Chen Qingke nodded. With her now rather tired, Li Ming saw her off. After seeing off his junior sister, he impatiently returned to his cave abode and continued his closed-door cultivation. He was in a hurry to turn his theories into actual cultivation. He sat down and began to digest his understanding. From drawing qi into the body, to refining essence into qi, then refining qi into spirit¡­ He had to start all over again and consolidate every level of qi refinement. He corrected the mistakes he had made in the past one by one. Gradually, he entered a smooth and natural flow state. The true qi in his body slowly circulated according to the qi cultivation technique. Time quickly passed by as he sat there. The night passed. Li Ming opened his eyes again. Outside the window, the light of dawn was already peeking over the horizon. There was a hint of enlightenment in his eyes. Over the past night, he had thoroughly reinforced the foundation of his qi cultivation. In the past, due to his lack of immortal cultivation talent, he was unable to sense the location of spiritual qi in some parts of his body. Now, with the help of [Beginnings of Immortal Cultivation], his entire body was perfect and flawless. His dantian was even rounder, and the rotating vortex spontaneously absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Most importantly, ever since he had gained enlightenment, his mind had become even clearer. With a clear mind, he could feel the flow of every drop of blood in his body and the changes in every meridian without even having to use his inner vision. In terms of his stage, making use of the enlightenment that he had overnight, he quickly found that he was now facing another opportunity to break through. Even he himself was a little surprised. After all, he had just broken through to the seventh level of the qi refinement stage yesterday. But on second thought, this was not that unreasonable. Chen Qingke had stated that the later levels of qi refinement paid more attention to the quality of the true qi inside one¡¯s body. His true qi was very refined, and his meridians were smooth. All he needed to do was to accumulate spiritual qi. Moreover, [Beginnings of Immortal Cultivation] also gave him a continuous increase in the efficiency of absorbing spiritual qi. With such efficiency, a night of enlightenment naturally ushered in the opportunity for a breakthrough. Li Ming did not hesitate at all in the face of such an opportunity. He immediately took qi sea pills and began to break through to eighth level of qi refinement! As the qi sea pills went into his stomach, Li Ming did not rush to refine them. Instead, he calmed down and slowly absorbed the spiritual qi, wrapping it with his true qi. Following the circulation of qi refinement, it shuttled through every part of his body, from his flesh and blood to his bones and tendons. He immersed himself in the comfort of the transformation. ¡°Phew¡­ Fuu¡­¡± As he breathed, his surroundings became more peaceful. In this small world, his aura approached that of a ruler, making it seem as if others were obliged to answer his beck and call. With the transformation of his spiritual qi, purer true qi flowed into his flesh and blood. The waves of trembling caused his body, which had been tempered over a long time, to feel numb. Compared to the brutal and violent process of body refinement, which required repeated cycles of destruction and reconstruction, the true qi of qi refinement was much gentler and nourished one¡¯s body silently. Li Ming tried to relax his body, knowing that the time had come. He immediately refined all the qi sea pills he had swallowed. ¡°Peng!¡± A wave of vigorous energy quickly spread out, and rich spiritual qi ran around in his body. These were then absorbed and purified in all his acupoints. It would then follow the circulation and flow of the tide of true qi, eventually being brought to the dantian right below his heart. The spiritual Qi cyclone that was quietly rotating there was still very calm, but in the next moment, it was drowned by the spiritual Qi tide that Li Ming guided. ¡°Qi into the dantian, refining qi into a lake!¡± The spiritual qi vortex that was suspended in Li Ming¡¯s dantian was completely disintegrated! What replaced it was a core lake that was filled to the brim with what appeared to be liquid spiritual qi. This was the spiritual qi core lake that Chen Qingke had mentioned. Only with a certain amount of spiritual qi could a stable core lake be constructed. From then on, it would no longer rotate, but rise and fall with each breath, like the tides that rose and fell with the sun and moon. At this moment, Li Ming¡¯s breathing was linked to his dantian. He felt as if he had endless spiritual qi and as if true qi would follow his will. ¡°Is this the eighth level of the qi refinement stage? It is indeed quite wonderful.¡± Li Ming felt that his strength had increased by a large margin. Chapter 21 - Great Improvements, Demons Escaped Chapter 21 Great Improvements, Demons Escaped The true qi in Li Ming¡¯s body filled up every single one of his acupoints, making him feel extremely comfortable. It was as if every movement of his was filled with spiritual power. After having broken through to the eighth level of qi refinement and the fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, his strength had greatly improved. This was especially so for the true qi within his body. It was leagues above what it was in the past. All along, he had only done what he could when it came to the aspect of qi refinement. He was pretty much simply praying for some grace from the heavens. However, he never really thought that he would one day be able to advance to the eighth level of qi refinement. Now, his level in qi refinement could also be incorporated into his combat power. After all, Li Ming had only used qi cultivation as a means of regulating his breath. While thinking this, he went to his courtyard. After the last time he had wreaked havoc in the courtyard, he had already redecorated the place and made it look more simple. He moved a few huge rocks from the mountain to embellish the rockery. He could also use these rocks as targets to test his power. ¡°Wind of supreme harmony, heed my qi.¡± Li Ming made a wind-riding hand seal and drew the air current around him. As he recited the incantation, a violent wind suddenly blew in the courtyard, sending sand and stones flying. The strong wind caused the leaves of several large trees to rustle wildly. Li Ming found the feeling to be quite fresh. He only needed to consume some spiritual qi and recite the incantation to trigger changes in the wind. He now truly felt as if he possessed the means of immortals. After that, Li Ming cast the fireball spell. He stretched out his index and middle fingers and pointed into the distance. ¡°Flames of brilliance, descend!¡± The flame on his fingertip followed Li Ming¡¯s order and shot toward the rockery. When it touched the surface of the rock, it exploded, creating a cloud of dust. Li Ming tried a few more spells. He still had a lot of spiritual qi in reserve, and the range of his spells was quite large. The only problem was¡­ The might they displayed was still quite small. The wind-controlling technique had yet to reach the point where it could affect the weather or summon the wind and rain. The strength of the wind that it could muster could only allow him to float a bit at most. It would have little effect in an actual battle. The damage of the fireball was even more insignificant. It was not even comparable to the blazing sun true fire of his Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. Overall, the spells did not have any practical strategic value. It appeared that he would still need to rely on his body refinement in battle. Nevertheless, Li Ming was still quite satisfied. After all, had made some progress in the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art and had even reached its fifth level. There was a huge increase in strength with every level of this cultivation technique. Moreover, the seventh level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art was already the foundation establishment stage for body cultivation. It was truly a domineering technique. ¡°Continue!¡± Li Ming turned around and went back to his room to cultivate. A month later. In a valley in the Divine Will Sect. ¡°Fwiish¡­¡± Walking out of a rapid current, Li Ming¡¯s wet clothes stuck to his skin. His eyes were calm, and the divine light was restrained. He seemed to be a little low-key. Although his figure had not changed much, his soaked clothes highlighted his strong body, revealing the beauty of strength. No one knew how much explosive power was contained in those slightly bulging muscles. Li Ming¡¯s body circulated the blazing sun true qi, and the warm temperature suddenly turned into a burning heat. The surface of his body, which had become extremely tough due to his practice of [Iron Skin], began to steam. Soon, his wet clothes became dry. ¡°I¡¯ve grown much more proficient with the Five Divine Fists, but I still need to practice it more in terms of strength and hardness!¡± Li Ming¡¯s aura had become increasingly condensed. He suddenly swung his fists, undergoing stance training while in the valley. The originally firm and fierce fist technique became more and more harmonious, and the switches between one from the other became increasingly smoother. After all, actual combat was not just about displaying your abilities one by one, it was more about how well you coordinated your different abilities, whether it be offense or defense. After a set of fist techniques, Li Ming continued to absorb the blazing sun true qi and began to practice the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. The more he cultivated this cultivation technique, the more he could feel the profoundness within. ¡°I need to draw in blazing sun true fire to temper my body again¡­¡± Li Ming immediately made a decision in his heart. The so-called blazing sun true fire was the same flame that allowed his true qi to transform into a tangible flame when he reached the fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art! That kind of true fire could burn ordinary bodies until they were nothing but ashes, and even he would be injured by it to a certain extent. Li Ming had experienced that kind of pain before. However, if he wanted to improve, he had to continue breaking himself and rebuilding. This was the core of body tempering, destruction and reconstruction. ¡°Draw!¡± In his meridians, the blazing sun true qi slowly turned into a green flame. What Li Ming had to do was to catalyze it into a dark-colored blazing sun true fire. ¡°Crack, crack!¡± Soon, a true fire spread from his meridians to his bones, internal organs, and flesh. Li Ming endured the pain and circulated his true qi according to the basic skills of blood changing, organs refining, and marrow cleansing. Under the assault of waves of gnawing pain, he could feel the scorching heat approach his heart. If he was not careful, his heart could get injured. Li Ming, who was already very experienced, naturally would not make the same mistake as the first time when he absorbed too much true qi, which led to his body burning¡­ Moreover, what was inside his body was the blazing sun true fire, something that ordinary flames could not compare to. Gritting his teeth, Li Ming¡¯s expression remained firm and indomitable. As the blazing sun true fire followed his true qi to undergo a full cycle, a stream of spiritual qi was suddenly triggered in those key acupuncture points. It was a success. Li Ming opened his eyes and found that his clothes had been burned to ashes. A frosty aura slowly emanated from his body. It was not only his physical body that glowed with vitality after being tempered by the fire, but his spirit as well. Li Ming took out some clothes from his storage bag and put them on. Now, he had reached completed the fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, and he was also at the peak of the eighth level of the qi refinement stage. He was at the point where he could break through at any moment. It was just that after his strength increased, he encountered an old problem, his cultivation efficiency had slowed down. This was because he had almost used up all the qi cultivation resources he had obtained previously. He had to go buy some more medicinal pills and spiritual liquid. Li Ming thought for a while and immediately went to the hundred opportunities hall on the main peak. That was the place where the sect¡¯s disciples issued and received missions. Every mission would have a certain reward, and it was usually in the form of spirit stones. If he wanted to buy pills and spiritual liquid, he would need a large number of spirit stones. At the main peak. Li Ming walked on the road and could already see the buildings of the hundred opportunities hall. Since he was on the main peak, he often passed by disciples, so Li Ming did not use his Wind Lightning Steps as he thought it would draw attention. ¡°Junior Brother Li, please wait.¡± Hearing someone calling him from behind, Li Ming sensed a powerful aura approaching him from behind. He turned around and saw a senior brother dressed in an elite disciple¡¯s uniform flying towards him. It seemed that he was here to look for him. Li Ming looked at the senior brother. He was a foundation establishment senior brother, but he was very unfamiliar. He had no idea as to why he had stopped him. ¡®Greetings, senior brother.¡± Li Ming did not dare to be unpolite. He stopped and waited for his senior brother to come. This senior brother also looked gentle and elegant. He came to Li Ming and treated him with the courtesy of a fellow disciple of the Divine Will Sect. ¡°Junior Brother Li, I¡¯m here to inform you on behalf of the elders of every hall.¡± Seeing Senior Brother Zhang¡¯s serious expression, Li Ming thought that something must have happened in the sect. ¡°There is a location in the rear mountain of the Divine Will Sect where the demon-suppressing seal has been broken,¡± said Zhang Xiaoping. ¡°There are demons that have escaped.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m informing all the disciples to work together and chase after those demons!¡± Chapter 22 - Urgent Mission: Recover the Demons Chapter 22 Urgent Mission: Recover the Demons Li Ming listened to Senior Brother Zhang explain the whole story and understood. It turned out that the demon-suppressing seal had been broken, allowing the demons imprisoned within to escape. Even though the sect reacted the moment immediately once it was discovered, it was still too late. With so many demons, while most were successfully chased back into the seal, a small number of them still managed to escape. Because of this matter, the sect issued this emergency mission, asking the disciples to go down the mountain to chase after the escaped demons. Senior Brother Zhang was looking for disciples to assign this urgent task to. His main targets were the inner sect disciples, as they had extraordinary strength after reaching the later levels of the qi refinement stage. After all, to the Divine Will Sect¡¯s disciples, the demons that had escaped were not that strong or threatening. However, if they escaped down the mountain, they would pose a huge threat to common people. Li Ming heard a prompt after Senior Brother Zhang finished speaking. [Option 1: Accomplish the mission and receive a purple entry.] [Option 2: Reject the mission and receive a white entry.] A purple entry! Li Ming was confronted with similar options as the previous mission. The difference was that if he accepted and accomplished the mission this time, he would get a purple entry. The rarity of the entries was divided into the colors white, green, blue, purple, orange, red, and gold. Purple entries were more precious than blue entries. This was the first time Li Ming had the chance to get a purple entry, so he was extremely excited. He believed that the effect of a purple entry would definitely be much greater than that of a blue entry. Not only would it likely provide him with an extraordinary effect, but it also came with opportunities! These opportunities were ones such as a chance to modify one¡¯s soul, comprehension ability, and spiritual roots¡­ It was something that many people dreamed of obtaining. ¡°I understand, senior brother.¡± Li Ming immediately agreed. How could he say no to a purple entry? Furthermore, this was an urgent mission from the sect. As an inner sect disciple, he could not refuse. Seeing that Li Ming had agreed, Zhang Xiaoping took out a map and handed it to him. ¡°There are some demons that escaped in this direction. You can follow this path and bring them back.¡± According to Senior Brother Zhang, three demons had escaped in this direction, and the sect had recorded the tracks of their escape. It would be enough for him to capture and bring back these three demons. ¡°Junior Brother Li,¡± Zhang Xiaoping finally said, ¡°Once you¡¯ve gone down the mountain, you will no longer be in the sect. Although those demons are not as strong as you, you still need to be careful.¡± Li Ming nodded and thanked his senior brother. After putting away the map, he did not need to go to the hundred opportunities hall anymore. This was because he had previously intended to go to the hundred opportunities hall to accept a mission. But now that the sect had issued an urgent mission, his goal had pretty much already been achieved. Li Ming descended the mountain and would soon leave the Divine Will Sect¡¯s territory. As he passed by the market, he remembered that he had not dealt with the storage bag that he had taken from Duan Xiuwen previously. He could still sell it. The storage bag of an inner sect disciple who had perfected the qi refinement stage was very valuable. In the bustling market, there was no lack of buyers for such things. After Li Ming sold Duan Xiuwen¡¯s storage bag, he received some low-grade spirit stones. After careful consideration, he decided to buy a magical artifact. Since he was on a mission where he would be heading down the mountain, he would not have much time to make a break through in his cultivation. As such, he felt that a magical artifact that could increase his combat power immediately was necessary. He went to the treasures pavilion in the market and began to choose a magical artifact that was suitable for him. On the shelves of the pavilion, he saw many common magical artifacts such as gourds, flying swords, demon-suppressing flags¡­ you have any hand-protecting ¡°Manager, do magical artifacts here?¡± Li Ming looked around and did not find anything to his liking. After the last battle, he felt that it would be perfect if he could buy a magical artifact that could protect his hands. After all, his hands were an important part of his combat power. If his hands were injured, his combat power would be greatly reduced. The manager of the treasures pavilion thought for a moment and said mysteriously, ¡°Sir, please wait a moment. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll be satisfied with this.¡± Seeing that the manager was so confident, Li Ming¡¯s curiosity was also piqued. The treasure pavilion¡¯s manager entered the inner hall and then brought out a pair of pure black leather gloves. It was unknown what kind of ferocious beast the gloves were made of, but they gave off a fierce aura. ¡°This magical artifact is called the ¡®Exploding Flames Gloves.¡¯ It also has a certain protective function, but its main purpose is to allow its user to unleash the might of true qi¡­¡± The treasure pavilion¡¯s manager introduced the magic gloves. After Li Ming received them, they felt a little heavy in his hand, but the material was clearly very tough. After he injected his true qi into them, there was even a faint glow of treasure light. ¡°Not bad. After a short glance, Li Ming nodded in satisfaction. There were not many magical artifacts of this type. Although these gloves were not that effective in terms of defense, they could allow him to defend himself by unleashing greater attack power. After Li Ming bought the gloves, he also bought a few talismans. He armed himself fully and set off. Following the clues given by the sect, he continued tracking down the demons. Seven days later. In the wilderness, the sky was clear. Li Ming stood firmly on a flying sword, looking like an immortal. The sword control technique was one of the basic magical techniques in the Divine Will Sect. Even disciples who had just started cultivating qi could practice it. The only difference was the density of the spiritual qi, the speed, control, and so on. At this moment, Li Ming was already at the peak of the eighth level of qi refinement, so controlling a small flying sword was naturally a piece of cake to him. He kept the map in his sleeve and locked his divine sense on a black shadow not far away. ¡°That¡­ should be the demon, right?¡± After following the demons¡¯ tracks for so long, he finally caught up with the first demon. With Li Ming¡¯s speed, he quickly caught up with the demon who had fled madly after sensing the powerful aura. Unlike the ghosts in the forest, this demon was more like a demonic beast that had cultivated a human form. However, he had not yet reached the peak of his cultivation and still retained many characteristics of a demonic beast, such as the yellow fur on his skin, the thick skin on his face, and the sharp horns on his head. ¡°Detestable.¡± It sensed a flying sword coming from behind it and knew that it could not escape. The demon took out a steel needle and shot it at Li Ming. It could sense that this cultivator had yet to reach the foundation establishment stage, so it still had a chance of escaping. ¡°Clang, clang, cling.¡± Li Ming put away his flying sword and waved his arms seeing as he could not dodge the attack. His skin, which had been tempered by Iron Skin, could no longer be damaged by ordinary weapons. As the steel needle was blocked by Li Ming¡¯s arm, the demon was shocked. This was its unique skill. It filled its hard hair with demonic qi and made it as sharp as a steel needle. It was difficult for ordinary cultivators to deal with it. However, Li Ming had already closed in. He had already put on his gloves and launched a simple and unadorned punch at the demon. ¡°Pfft!¡± The fist carried the blazing sun true fire, and the demon fell to the ground. It spat out demonic blood and revealed ferocious expression. Demons were not so easily killed. However, as their nature was aligned with yin, they were greatly restrained by yang and righteous cultivation techniques. Li Ming clenched his fists and walked toward the trembling demon. After some thought, he took out the magic storage bag that was specially used to store demons. ¡°Collect!¡± The demon¡¯s will dissipated after taking a punch, and it had no power to resist. With a scream, it turned into a black light and was stored inside Li Ming¡¯s bag. Li Ming tied the bag to his waist and said to himself, ¡°That was quite simple.¡± He had managed to easily subdue his first demon. Chapter 23 - Temple in the Wilderness Chapter 23 Temple in the Wilderness A demon of this level might be a big challenge to ordinary qi refinement disciples. But Li Ming felt very relaxed when dealing with it. The most troublesome part for him was tracking these demons down. Fortunately, these demons did not dare to go to the cities of the kingdom. After all, the soldiers guarding these cities would immediately inform the nearby immortal masters to come and eliminate the demons. They could only flee in the wilderness and would naturally leave behind many traces. With him now having experienced capturing one demon, Li Ming felt that he would be able to successfully complete the mission sooner or later. However, the second demon¡¯s disguise ability was very strong, so he had to spend some effort to deal with it. Half a month later. ¡°This is the third one¡­¡± In a dense forest, Li Ming¡¯s eyes bolted around like lightning as he locked onto the position of his prey. In the next moment, his footsteps blurred as he executed the Wind Lightning Steps! He had never completely unleashed the might of the Wind Lightning Steps inside the sect. But this time, he had no need to hold back. Li Ming tapped lightly on the branches and dashed through the forest like the wind. After he landed on the ground, he began moving as fast as lightning once again. ¡°Immortal master, please spare my life!¡± The demon saw that it could not escape and tried to beg for mercy. However, Li Ming turned a deaf ear to it. He knew that some demons could use illusions to confuse people until they had difficulty discerning between what was real and what was not. ¡°Bang!¡± He unleashed a simple punch while visualizing the forest divinity of the five divinities. After being struck by that punch, the demon was sent crashing into a tree. After that, Li Ming took out a new magic storage bag and stored the demon inside. He now had three demons hanging on his waist and accomplished his mission. ¡°There should not be any more demons that escaped in this direction.¡± Li Ming pondered in his heart. He could now return to the sect and give them a report on the mission. He had done his part for the sect. However, what was most important to him was still obtaining the purple entry. He took out the map to take a look and found that he had really chased them for quite a distance. He had almost traveled as far as half of the kingdom. The demons probably did not expect the human cultivator to be so persistent. Li Ming found his way back. At midnight, Li Ming, who had not had a good sleep for days, saw a temple nearby. The temple was a little shabby and was located in the wilderness, far away from the town. It just so happened to be a suitable place for him to rest for the night. The sky was already dark. As he walked closer to the temple, he could see how dilapidated it was. Not only were the candles on the incense table turned over and scattered, but even the idols that should have been originally worshipped here could not be seen anywhere. Li Ming ignited a flame on his fingertips and found a clean place in a corner without cobwebs and animal feces. He casually spread out some dried straw and sat cross-legged on the ground to meditate and rest. Not long after. While he was in the middle of meditating, he heard someone¡¯s voice outside the temple. ¡°It¡¯s really cold at night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s great that we¡¯ve finally arrived at the Waterflame Temple. We¡¯ve already brought the goods!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all that son of a b*tch¡¯s fault. Otherwise, we would not have had to stay outside until so late at night¡­¡± The voices were accompanied by a bunch of curses. A group of burly men entered the temple one after another. They placed torches on the incense table and carried many boxes of goods. This group of people was still wearing their escort uniforms. From the looks of it, they were a group of mortals who were responsible for escorting goods. After entering the temple, they also noticed Li Ming in the corner. When they saw that he was wearing a scholarly robe and his figure was not obvious, they thought that he was a scholar from the kingdom and did not pay him much attention. One of the burly men began to count the number of people. Thus, a group of people occupied the central area of the temple noisily, unloaded their goods, and sat on the ground in a mess. After counting the number of people, the burly man in the lead found a broom and swept out an empty space. ¡°Burn some of the firewood we brought. It¡¯s quite cold here¡­¡± The crackling sound of a bonfire could soon be heard coming from the central area of the temple. Then, they started chatting casually. They did not intend to invite Li Ming, so he was left to his own devices in the corner. If not necessary, cultivators should avoid karma. Li Ming did not care about these mortals and simply continued meditating. Both sides were at peace. The moon rose further up into the sky, and it was soon already midnight. Some of the men had already fallen asleep, while others were still chatting amongst themselves. At this moment, Li Ming slowly opened his eyes. Then, a tall woman in a long dress stepped into the temple. She was beautiful and dignified, and the light from the fire revealed her somewhat beautiful face. The woman appeared to be in her twenties, and she had an especially refined temperament. ¡°Someone has come!¡± ¡°Why are you so excited about someone having come?¡± ¡°See for yourself.¡± The men who were warming themselves by the fire turned to look at the temple¡¯s entrance and saw a beautiful woman walking into the temple. They were all a group of burly men, so they had never seen such a beautiful woman. Immediately, everyone¡¯s eyes widened. A burly man said in a deep voice, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s freezing here. Why don¡¯t you come over here to warm yourself up?¡± They had cleaned up the center of the temple and made space for a bonfire, making the area they were staying at quite warm. Upon hearing the escort leader¡¯s invitation, the other men were extremely attentive. They squeezed left and right, leaving a clean haystack for the woman. ¡°Quick, give her some space.¡± The men were no longer sleepy and looked at the beautiful woman at the entrance. The beautiful woman ignored them and walked to Li Ming¡¯s side in the corner. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The burly man was immediately stunned. The rest of the men shut their mouths. The temple fell silent. Although the beautiful woman did not sit next to them, that did not stop their eyes from looking at her. One by one, they all looked over. Of course, they did not care about Li Ming at all. All of their eyes were focused on the beautiful woman. Li Ming did not move. The group of mortals was anxiously waiting for him, but he did not react at all. It was as if he had fallen asleep. However, he became vigilant. Something was wrong. How could there be a beautiful woman outside alone at such a late hour? It was rare even in a town, not to mention in the wilderness. He used his divine sense to sweep over the beautiful woman, but he did not notice anything strange. Either that or the other party was a very powerful existence that could disguise herself to the point that even he could not discover it. Or something must have happened, causing this woman to end up here. Of course, no matter which one it was, it had nothing to do with him. ¡°Young master, there¡¯s a cold wind blowing tonight. Shouldn¡¯t you burn some firewood? ¡± The beautiful woman asked Li Ming. Before Li Ming could speak, he found that she had run to the side room of the temple and eagerly brought firewood to burn. From her actions, she really seemed like an ordinary person. However, Li Ming still did not dare to let his guard down. ¡°Tak, tak, tak.¡± Seeing this beautiful woman come back with firewood, her body looked particularly enchanting. The burly men who were on escort duty finally could not hold it in anymore. After watching for so long, they had long grown envious. Two burly men immediately stood up and smiled at each other. ¡°I can¡¯t hold it any longer!¡± ¡°Second brother, you also¡­¡± ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t that what we brigands do? Chief?¡± The two of them took off their felt hats, their faces turning fierce. The burly man that had been spoken to did not stop them and only said, ¡°Second brother, you go.¡± It turned out that this group of people were not just some simple escorts after all. Instead, they were brigands disguised as a protection and courier agency. It appeared that they had kidnapped many women, but they had never met such a refined woman. That deputy chief had long had evil thoughts. He immediately went over to the beautiful woman, wanting to pull her to the area where they were staying. Chapter 24 - Ghostly Figure Chapter 24 Ghostly Figure ¡°W-what are you doing¡­¡± Seeing a burly man blocking her way, the beautiful woman¡¯s face was filled with panic. Compared to the man in front of her, her body could not be any more delicate. Frightened by the man, the firewood in her hands fell to the ground. ¡°Hehehe, what do you think, little lady? Follow me!¡± The deputy chief went to pull the beautiful woman. Unexpectedly, the beautiful woman crouched on the ground and looked at Li Ming for help. ¡°Young master¡­¡± When the men saw that the beautiful woman was actually asking the scholar for help, they laughed. The deputy chief laughed evilly, ¡°Kid, I advise you not to meddle in other people¡¯s business¡­ Hehehe.¡± The rest of the bandits looked like they were watching a good show. Now that the beautiful woman was asking for help, if the scholar continued to pretend to be asleep, nothing would happen. The deputy chief saw that Li Ming continued to sit in place. The deputy chief laughed out loud and looked at the beautiful woman. ¡°Little lady, it seems like nobody is coming to your aid!¡± He was a little excited. He was a brigand, a bandit, so how would he have the opportunity to come in such close contact with such a beautiful woman on normal occasions? The rest of the bandits also could not hold themselves back any longer and shouted, ¡°Second brother, leave some soup for your brothers!¡± ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t worry. Let me have a taste first.¡± The second head was very satisfied and was about to enter a side room with the beautiful woman. The beautiful woman squatted on the ground and trembled as she said, ¡°No¡­ Don¡¯t¡­¡± Seeing this, Li Ming frowned slightly. In the next instant. The deputy chief¡¯s body suddenly slumped as his head was separated from his body. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Seeing their deputy chief die so suddenly, all of the bandits were shocked. The burly man who was their chief even stood up. They did not see anyone make a move at all. But in the end, that did not change the fact that their deputy chief¡¯s head was now rolling on the ground. After a round of inspection, the group of bandits all focused their eyes on Li Ming. In this ruined temple, he was the only one who could make a move. After seeing the situation clearly, everyone looked at Li Ming warily. The beautiful woman was frightened by the sudden death. She screamed and quickly ran to Li Ming, hiding behind him. The attack just now¡­ It was indeed done by Li Ming. He could not just sit by and do nothing while all of that was happening right before him. However, he did not continue to attack. If the others did not cross his bottom line, he did not mind giving them a way out. ¡°Motherf*cker!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just acting mysterious!¡± ¡°We must take revenge for second brother!¡± The angry bandits pulled out weapons from the cargo boxes. They brought out big sabers, long spears, twin axes¡­ They all wielded different kinds of sharp weapons. With weapons in their hands, they felt much more confident. The burly man also held a knife in his hand and looked at Li Ming with anger. ¡°You¡¯re quite bold to kill my deputy!¡± ¡°Brothers, let¡¯s go and kill this brat together to avenge second brother!¡± Hearing their leader¡¯s order, the bandits¡¯ fighting spirit rose even higher. However, one of the bandits reminded him, ¡°This kid seems a little evil. He might know some demonic arts.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. With so many of us, how would we not be able to kill him?¡± Even though the death of the second leader was a little strange, the group of bandits lived their lives on the edge of a blade. How could they possibly be afraid of a weak scholar? With that, they all charged at Li Ming. Li Ming looked at the group of mortals quietly. In fact, a snap of his fingers was all it took for him to deal with this group of people. At this moment, a strange vibration sound came from outside the temple. It sounded like something heavy was moving, and the sound was very strange. The bandits were all shocked and looked over. They then saw a huge shadow cast outside the temple. ¡°W-what the hell is that?! ¡°Monster, monster!¡± The bandits held their weapons and looked at the temple entrance in horror. No matter how strange that scholar¡¯s methods were, he was at least a human. This monster¡¯s ghastly shadow was two to three meters long and its shape was very strange. ¡°Chief, what do we do¡­¡± The burly man forced himself to calm down and ordered, ¡°Gather together. There are so many of us. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of!¡± Even though he said that he was not afraid, his legs were still trembling slightly, and he could not completely suppress his fear. The huge ghostly figure blocked the entrance of the temple. Then, it slowly walked into the temple. In front of the fire, the ghostly figure finally revealed its true form. It was completely black, and its face seemed to be wearing a white mask. Its facial features were particularly strange. It carried an evil aura and brought gusts of chilly wind, making it even more terrifying. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± ¡°It really is a monster!¡± Seeing the ghostly figure¡¯s true appearance, the rest of the bandits huddled together and almost peed their pants. Li Ming¡¯s divine sense swept over it and felt that the strength of this ghostly monster was far beyond that of the demons who had escaped from the sect. Why did this ghostly figure come to this temple? Could it be a man-eating beast? Although he maintained a calm appearance, his heart was alarmed. If they were to really fight, he felt that he would be no match for the other party. It turned out that the outside world was so dangerous. It seemed that his hard work in cultivation in the past had been rather conservative. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s fight it with everything we¡¯ve got¡­¡± The burly man¡¯s legs trembled as he shouted for his brothers to attack. However, his brothers¡¯ legs were all weak and they did not have any power to resist. This was because the demonic qi of this ghostly figure was too powerful. Mortals like them were unable to hold themselves together even after just encountering its aura. The ghostly monster suddenly attacked, and a blood light rose into the sky. The bandit who was closest to it was killed. ¡°Ah!¡± All the bandits¡¯ mental defenses had completely collapsed. They could only watch helplessly as their companions were killed by the monster, fearing that they might be the next to be killed. They were shrouded in such fear, but there was nothing they could do. ¡°Swish!¡± ¡°Swish!¡± ¡°Swish!¡± The bandits were massacred. They fell to the ground one by one, becoming lifeless corpses. After the ghostly figure killed all the bandits, its gaze shifted to the corner where Li Ming was. The huge sense of oppression was now transferred to Li Ming. ¡°Boom!¡± The ghostly figure turned its body. Its body was more than two meters tall, and it slowly walked toward Li Ming. What a terrifying monster. Li Ming was secretly shocked. The strength of this ghostly monster was unfathomable. From the way it killed the bandits just now, he could not find any openings. If they really fought, how would he fare? He really had no confidence in being able to win against this monster. Li Ming faced the ghostly figure, and his body did not sway at all. He stood straight in front of it. ¡°Chi¡­¡± The ghostly figure seemed to be wearing a white mask, and its facial features looked as if they had been carved out by a carving knife. Suddenly, the ghostly figure lowered its head and grinned, revealing a terrifying smile. Li Ming did not move. The beautiful woman was still hiding behind him. The ghostly figure¡¯s sudden smile made his hair stand on end. ¡°In terms of physical strength, this monster is probably above me. Moreover, with such a large body, I¡¯m afraid that this monster should be a thousand years old¡­¡± Just as Li Ming was thinking about whether or not he could resist the ghostly figure if he used all his strength¡­ The beautiful woman behind him finally walked out. She directly moved right in front of the monster. Compared to the huge ghostly figure, she looked very small. ¡°Boom!¡± The monster suddenly bowed. Seeing this, Li Ming was a little surprised. The ghostly figure actually bowed to the beautiful woman. Chapter 25 - Lucky to Survive Chapter 25 Lucky to Survive The beautiful woman turned her head, her bearing graceful, her expression calm, and even her aura superior. She no longer had the look of a panicked and frail woman. With how she currently appeared, it seemed that she probably had the ability to swallow those bandits alive. She looked at Li Ming and found that this seemingly weak scholar¡¯s expression was still the same. Ever since the beginning, the seemingly weak scholar did not seem surprised at all by the ghostly figure¡¯s attack or her change in identity. The beautiful woman stared at Li Ming in surprise and sized him up again. It was as if they had a new understanding of each other. This little scholar was quite calm. From his temperament, he was indeed a good seedling, which she admired. The beautiful woman¡¯s calm voice resounded through the flickering bonfire in the ruined temple. ¡°Little scholar, you already knew?¡± Faced with the question of the beautiful woman, Li Ming said lightly, ¡°I was simply guessing.¡± ¡°Oh? You guessed it the moment I came in?¡± The beautiful woman was confident that her disguise was flawless. Not to mention ordinary cultivators, even if it was an expert of the same level, she had the confidence to completely conceal her aura. However, this little scholar was clearly weak, but he had been able to see through everything. ¡°Yes.¡± Li Ming nodded. In fact, he had vaguely guessed from the beginning that the relationship between this beautiful woman and the ghostly figure was unusual. This was why he had been quietly watching. After all, how could a woman suddenly appear in the wilderness? It just did not seem right. He had also used his divine sense to investigate, but because this beautiful woman¡¯s strength was much stronger than his, he could not find any flaws. Often, not having any flaws was also a kind of flaw. The beautiful woman¡¯s gaze unchanged. remained He knew of my identity from the beginning¡­ She then asked, ¡°In that case, why did you save me?¡± ¡°You should know that those mortals can¡¯t hurt me, but you still made a move.¡± ¡°Besides, you also said that it was just a guess. Why did you not use these mortals as a way to test me?¡± Li Ming thought for a moment and then said, ¡°It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. If a weak woman really got humiliated right in front of me, I would not be able to stomach not having done anything.¡± A weak woman¡­ The beautiful woman looked at Li Ming. She was no longer concealing her aura, so it was now apparent that she was no weak woman. However, Li Ming¡¯s answer made the beautiful woman think for a moment. A righteous and sincere heart and a clear mind. This was a state of mind that was in line with the path of cultivation. After answering, Li Ming quietly looked into the beautiful woman¡¯s eyes. He knew that this beautiful woman was testing him. If he gave a bad answer, he would fall into a life-and-death situation. However, he still chose to give an answer true to his heart. If there was really a woman who was humiliated in front of him, and he allowed the tragedy to happen because of his suspicion, it would go against his path. Therefore, his answer and aura were all based on his own considerations. However, he did not know if such an answer would anger these monsters. If that were to happen, then a fierce battle would be inevitable¡­ Moreover, if he had to fight, just the ghostly figure was enough to keep him occupied. In the end, there was still the beautiful woman to who the ghostly figure was so respectful and who his divine sense was unable to see through. This meant that this beautiful woman was an existence that was at least stronger than the ghostly monster. This meant that he would have to face two powerhouses alone. Not to mention his chances of winning, even his chances of survival were quite slim. Thus, he was only calm on the surface, but he was actually very nervous. Li Ming thought to himself. ¡°I never thought that after chasing after the demons all this way, I would actually meet two true experts in the wilderness.¡± ¡°It seems that my luck really is not that good¡­¡± Li Ming looked at the beautiful woman calmly and found that the way she was looking at him was also very unusual. What¡¯s with this gaze? Am I considered to have passed? Although it was not a gaze filled with compassion, it was not like the way she looked at the bandits when her eyes appeared as if she were looking at ants. If he had to choose a word, her gaze was one of appreciation. Perhaps she did not hate human cultivators that much, or perhaps his previous actions had made her show mercy? The ghostly figure had been quietly lying on the side, like a docile pet, waiting for the beautiful woman¡¯s next move. However, the terrifying aura it exuded was nothing like a pet¡¯s. Li Ming did not dare to act rashly because of the aura it exuded. It was said that some demons hated human beings the most, and it was especially severe toward human cultivators¡­ Just by the fact that the ghostly figure had massacred those bandits in such a way showed that it was absolutely not some amiable creature. Even now, the ghostly figure had not reduced its hostility. As time passed, the bonfire in the temple had cooled down, and only a torch was still burning. ¡°Fum¡­¡± A gust of cold wind blew, and the torch was suddenly put out. Li Ming¡¯s body gradually tensed up, and he unconsciously circulated the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. A warm current circulated in his body. He felt that this was probably the most dangerous situation he had ever encountered ever since coming to this world of cultivation! Finally, the beautiful woman spoke. Her voice was still very gentle, allowing Li Ming¡¯s nervous heart to relax again. ¡°From your moves, you must be a body cultivator.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Li Ming answered frankly. There was no point in hiding such a fact from such an expert. The beautiful woman was slightly surprised. ¡°Your body refining technique looks a little familiar¡­¡± Li Ming said calmly, ¡°Senior, I practice the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art.¡± The Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art? ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it,¡± the woman shook her head. Li Ming thought to himself that this was indeed After all, why would an existence a possibility. at her level care to know about a cultivation technique of a low level like his. However, he was also puzzled. Why did this beautiful woman suddenly mention his body tempering cultivation technique? ¡°This body tempering cultivation technique of yours. It seems to be an inferior version.¡± The beautiful woman said without a doubt and then threw a jade slip over to Li Ming. A delicate fragrance entered his hand. Li Ming could tell that this was a jade slip of technique impartation. This type of jade slip only required one to use their divine sense to scan it and was very convenient. Moreover, it was a one-time-use item. She said that I¡¯m practicing the inferior version? She even gave me a cultivation technique? Li Ming was stunned for a moment. In his opinion, the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art that he was cultivating was already a very profound cultivation technique. He did not expect it to be worthless in the mouth of this beautiful woman. It seemed that her strength might be a bit stronger than he had imagined. ¡°Thank you, senior.¡± Li Ming took advantage of this opportunity to curry some favor. Seeing that she had belittled his cultivation method but had no ill intentions, he directly acknowledged her as a senior. Even if the other party was a monster that turned their backs against old friends, it would not casually attack a junior, right? The strong also had the dignity and face of the strong. After taking the jade slip, Li Ming put it in his sleeve. Even though he was curious about what kind of cultivation technique she had given him after calling his Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art as an inferior version, out of courtesy, Li Ming did not check it on the spot. Instead, he carefully put away the jade slip and then expressed his gratitude. Sure enough, the beautiful woman nodded in satisfaction when she saw Li Ming¡¯s actions. ¡°You may leave,¡± she said indifferently. ¡°Thank you, senior,¡± Li Ming said with a smile. Then, without saying a word, he turned around and left. It was not until he walked out of the temple and was far away from the terrifying pressure that he slowly recovered. Chapter 26 - Mission Accomplished Chapter 26 Mission Accomplished In the temple, the ghostly figure crawled forward. It slowly raised its head and looked at Li Ming¡¯s back as he left. After Li Ming left, the aura of the human cultivator disappeared. The ghostly figure turned its head to look at the beautiful woman. It was somewhat puzzled, wondering why the young miss had let that human cultivator leave just like that. This did not seem in line with the character that it knew its young miss had. Based on its young miss¡¯ past behavior, she would not let any human leave alive. It asked the beautiful woman curiously, ¡°Young miss, why did you let that human cultivator go?¡± The beautiful woman stood still and remained silent. In fact, she also felt that it was very strange. When she first saw Li Ming, she already felt that he was unordinary. For some reason, she felt that if he died, he would definitely become a hero among ghosts. As such, she went to Li Ming¡¯s side right from the beginning, wanting to see and figure out where this feeling came from. However, that group of mortals sought their own deaths. As such, she instructed her subordinate to come out and kill all the mortals. After that, she did not even reveal her power. However, she saw that Li Ming continued to remain calm when facing the ghostly figure, and he was not surprised by her identity. As such, her admiration and interest toward him grew, and then she tested him. She did not expect the human cultivator¡¯s answer to be so satisfactory. She did not do anything to Li Ming until the end, and even threw him a jade slip as a sign of good karma. In this, the first impression that he had given. her played a very important role¡­ Of course, she would not tell her servant that she had a good impression of a human. Faced with the ghostly figure¡¯s confusion, the beautiful woman only casually explained, ¡°That little scholar has a good heart and great fortune.¡± ¡°He also seems to be someone from some immortal sect. There is no need to cause trouble.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The ghostly figure bowed respectfully. It would unconditionally carry out and respect the young miss¡¯ decisions. In fact, the ghostly figure also had felt some affinity with Li Ming. That was why, after killing the bandits, it did not have any intention of directly attacking Li Ming. It only continued to take orders from its young miss. Since the young miss had let this human go, it naturally had no objection. Meanwhile, after Li Ming walked out of the temple, his mind calmed down a little. However, his body was still drenched in cold sweat. Just now¡­ He had been suppressed by the demonic aura the entire time. Without looking back, he began to run wildly in the night. He immediately distanced himself from the two terrifying auras. When he was passing through the forest, he infused his feet with true qi and even used the Wind Lightning Steps. He was afraid that those two experts would change their minds. After all, those two experts that he had just encountered were clearly not from the camp of kindhearted people. If he was not careful, his blood might be spilled. ¡°Whoosh-¡°| Li Ming¡¯s eyes seemed to have turned into a stream of light. He ran until dawn. In the direction of the rising sun, the sky was bright, and Li Ming finally stopped. After using the Wind Lightning Steps for the entire night, his feet were sore. He looked back and saw that he had traveled quite a great distance. Li Ming slowly came back to his senses and felt that he was really lucky. Thinking back, he realized that he, as a newbie cultivator, had actually been able to get out of such an encounter alive. After all, the ghostly figure was not a kind being. It had killed every single one of the bandits without any hesitation. And from its attitude towards the beautiful woman¡­ Li Ming suddenly realized that although the beautiful woman looked like a human, she was definitely not. There was a high possibility that she was a ghost! Li Ming had a lingering fear when he encountered two ghosts with such powerful strength. Thinking about the difference between him and the ghost, he suddenly remembered that he had the blue entry [Ghost Hero]! [Ghost Hero (Blue): Increases temperament, especially charm towards ghosts, allows the user to gain a good impression from ghosts.] Increases temperament? Li Ming thought about it. Did he give the two ghosts a good impression last night because of the increased temperament from this blue entry? After carefully reviewing things, he finally confirmed what had happened. It was this blue entry that made the beautiful woman¡¯s attitude toward him so amiable. Previously, he had thought that this entry was useless. However, it was all thanks to this entry that he was able to survive this time. Li Ming finally understood the power of the entry. Even those green entries had all kinds of enhancement effects. Not to mention a blue entry, which was even greater. ¡°Every entry has its own use, and I should not look down on any of them.¡± ¡°I wonder what purple entry I will receive after I report the completion of the mission back at the sect?¡± Thinking of this, Li Ming looked forward to obtaining the purple entry. He touched the storage bags at his waist. The three demons he had captured earlier were stored here. He did not dare to stay any longer. The situation might change if he delayed things. Not to mention the demons, there were also other experts. This road could be said to be full of danger, so he could not relax his vigilance. He did not have time to look at the jade slip, so he simply rushed back to the sect without rest. Another day and night passed. He finally saw the familiar mountain peak. ¡°I¡¯m finally back¡­¡± He had been on a mission in the outside world to hunt down demons. Although it was very exciting, he still found himself to be lacking in strength. After Li Ming returned to the Divine Will Sect, he decided to cultivate in seclusion again. In this ever-changing world, he was like a fish on a chopping board before he reached the foundation establishment stage. At the main peak. At the square, several senior brothers were waiting for the disciples to return to the sect to submit their reports. They were waiting for the missions to be handed over and to escort the captured demons back into the seal. At this moment, many disciples were walking around the square. Among them, Li Ming saw a few familiar figures. They seemed to be here to hand in their reports as well. A moment later, Li Ming found Senior Brother Zhang, who had issued him the mission. After greeting him, he presented the three storage bags from his waist. ¡°Senior Brother Zhang, these are the three demons I caught after leaving the mountain.¡± Zhang Xiaoping took the storage bags and was very happy after checking them. ¡°Well done.¡± Although these demons were not strong, it would be troublesome for them to escape. Fortunately, after the sect issued an urgent mission, the disciples of the sect rushed down the mountain and brought back all the demons. Li Ming came back early to hand in the task. Some of the disciples and some of the others would probably only return to hand in their missions after a few months. Zhang Xiaoping looked at Li Ming and asked with concern, ¡°Junior Brother Li, you look so pale. Did you encounter some danger?¡± Li Ming rushed through the night without resting. Even with his strong physique, he had some difficulty handling the high-intensity journey. However, there was no need to mention this. ¡°I just made haste on the road. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Zhang Xiaoping did not think too much about it. After comforting him, he explained, ¡°This was an urgent mission issued by the sect. Since you have completed your mission, you should go and collect the mission merit points first.¡± ¡°By the way, the merit points for this mission are different from spirit stones. They can only be used within the sect.¡± ¡°Thank you, senior brother,¡± Li Ming nodded. After that, he received his mission merit points according to Senior Brother Zhang¡¯s instructions. These merit points could be exchanged for medicinal pills, spiritual liquid, and even magical artifacts. Compared to buying from the market, the quality of the sect¡¯s products was naturally more guaranteed. And so, Li Ming went and logged the completion of his mission and collected the merit points. The completion of the mission meant that Li Ming had made another contribution to the sect. But in the end, for Li Ming, the merit points were secondary. What excited Li Ming the most was the purple entry he would obtain after completing the mission. Chapter 27 - Martial Arts Prodigy, Divine Soul Opportunity Chapter 27 Martial Arts Prodigy, Divine Soul Opportunity This mission that had him capture some demons was not considered very dangerous. However, the unexpected encounters along the way left Li Ming with a lingering fear. If he was not careful, he might really die and deny himself from the immortal path. This was especially so during the night in the temple. He had made the wrong move and had fallen into a rather dangerous situation. Going down the mountain truly had its risks¡­ But to be able to get the purple entry in exchange, Li Ming felt that it was all worth it. After the past three years of hard work, he had only managed to get one blue entry after combining numerous of the entries he had grinded for. Now after going down the mountain once, although it was a frightful experience, the harvest was also equally gratifying. Just as Li Ming was thinking this, a new prompt sounded in his mind. [Obtained a purple entry] [Martial Dao Prodigy (Purple): Body tempering efficiency increased by 200%.] After seeing the effect of [Martial Dao Prodigy), Li Ming was very happy. The effect of this term was really worthy of a purple entry. His body tempering efficiency had increased by 200% just like that. What kind of concept was this? Previously, with the support of [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians], the efficiency of his cultivation techniques had increased by 100%, and he was already at the peak of the peak! Now that his foundation had doubled, his cultivation speed could be visualized from here on out. It was clear that it would reach a terrifying level. That was not all. Li Ming did not forget that it was a purple entry. Compared to the blue entries, which only came with one skill, the purple entries came with an opportunity on top of a skill. The type of opportunity being mentioned here was something that everyone in the immortal cultivation world was after! Purple entries were simply a big purple gift bag, and every gift was filled with surprises. The first thing he saw was the skill that came with the entry¡ªUnwavering in Battle. The skill that came with the purple entry was absolutely not something that ordinary skills could compare to. [Unwavering in Battle: The more injured you are, the stronger you become. The more you fight, the braver you become.] Li Ming was shocked by the effects of the skill. This skill seemed to be a little too abnormal. Normally, the more injured a cultivator was, the harder it would be for them to display their full strength. However, this skill allowed him to reverse this concept. Especially since he was a body cultivator, it was normal for him to get injured in a fight. However, with this skill, the more injured he became, the greater the combat power he could unleash. The effect of this skill on his combat power was undeniably massive. This skill also gave Li Ming the ability to counterattack. After all, whenever he gets injured, the enemy would let their guard down. At that time, how could they possibly know that he would still be able to burst out with such great strength? What Li Ming was most curious about was what kind of power he would be able to unleash when he was on the verge of death. Without a doubt, this was another super-powerful skill! This was a unique skill and also a trump card. Li Ming looked at his latest harvest with great satisfaction. There were many possible opportunities that he could receive. He could receive an opportunity to improve his comprehension ability, spiritual roots, talent, and so on. The spiritual roots opportunity, particularly, was a great fortuitous opportunity that could change his immortal cultivation talent. [Obtained a divine soul opportunity] ¡°A divine soul-type opportunity!¡± To Li Ming, this was a pleasant surprise. The divine soul was the key to containing the divine sense, spiritual soul, and spirit. To a cultivator, it was no less important than their own body¡¯s strength. Usually, the divine soul would grow along with the level of one¡¯s qi refinement. Stronger cultivators could use their divine soul to detect weaker cultivators, allowing them to deal with their enemies with ease. All along, Li Ming had mainly focused on body cultivation. He did not even put much energy into Qi cultivation, much less the divine soul. However, now that he had a divine soul opportunity, everything was different! Purple entries were absolutely incredible. The benefits he received this time were amazing. Li Ming walked to a corner of the square, eager to receive this divine soul opportunity. But in the end, he held back. Even within the sect, he had to be extremely careful. Not to mention that there were many people in the square. Looking at the divine soul opportunity that was waiting to be received, Li Ming¡¯s heart itched, but he still decided to only receive it when he returned to the privacy of his cave abode. Li Ming calculated for a moment. His current cultivation level was at the peak of the eighth level of the qi refinement stage, while his Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art was at the peak of the fifth level. He was only one step away from breaking through, and he needed another push. Other than going into closed-door cultivation, purchasing pills for cultivation was also a must. Immortal cultivation was about techniques, wealth, companions, and land. Techniques referred to the various cultivation techniques, divine abilities, and skills that one had learned. The second most important thing was wealth. From a certain perspective, it was no less important than cultivation techniques. Cultivation required medicinal pills, advancements required medicinal pills, and even some cultivation techniques required special resources to train in them. Fortunately, he was in the Divine Will Sect. As a first-class force in the eastern continent, the Divine Will Sect could be considered rich and overbearing. In addition to the spirit stones that were given out every month, the merit points awarded by each mission could also be exchanged for resources. For example, Li Ming had completed the sect¡¯s emergency mission this time. He had caught three demons, which was a considerable contribution. After thinking about the medicinal pills he wanted to exchange for, Li Ming immediately went to the hundred opportunities hall. In addition to issuing missions, the hundred opportunities hall also provided a window for the disciples to obtain resources. Of course, these resources were not free. If they were given away for free, the Divine Will Sect would not be able to afford the expenses of so many disciples, no matter how rich they were. These resources needed to be exchanged with merit points, and if he wanted merit points, he had to complete missions. Such a mechanism could better stimulate the fighting spirit of the disciples. Furthermore, the missions in the sect were also a form of training for the disciples. At this time, there were quite a few people in the hall who were already exchanging their merit points for resources. Li Ming saw a senior brother who had exchanged for a high-level magical artifact. Li Ming, who originally thought that he had a lot of merit points, suddenly felt that the number of merit points he had were quite low. Of course, this was because he had been in closed-door cultivation for many years and did not do many missions. After his strength had increased, it would be easy for him to complete the missions issued by the sect. When it was Li Ming¡¯s turn, he injected his spiritual qi to display the merit points he had. ¡°Hello, senior brother. I would like to exchange for ten bottles of spiritual liquid, a bottle of qi sea pills, and a bottle of yang forging pills.¡¯ ¡°1 The senior brother in charge of providing the resources took out a pile of medicinal pills and resources for Li Ming. Then, he took Li Ming¡¯s merit points. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Li Ming looked at the few merit points he had left and silently stored away the pills he had just received. As the saying goes, if the old does not go, the new would not come. The most important thing was to quickly convert the merit points and medicinal pills into his own strength. After putting all the pills into his storage bag, Li Ming left the hundred opportunities hall. He was filled with vigor. This time, when he returned, he would definitely go into closed-door cultivation and increase his strength. With the purple entry [Martial Arts Prodigy], it would be very easy for him to increase his strength by leaps and bounds. Li Ming really wanted to see just how fast his cultivation speed could go now. He quickly rushed back to his cave abode that he had not seen for quite some time. As soon as Li Ming arrived at his cave abode and passed through the bamboo forest, he found a familiar figure guarding the entrance of his cave abode. ¡°Junior Sister Chen?¡± Li Ming was slightly stunned. This time, he had gone on a long journey. He did not expect Chen Qingke to be waiting outside his cave abode the moment he returned. Chapter 28 - Inner Sect Trial, Heaven-Defying Divine Soul Chapter 28 Inner Sect Trial, Heaven-Defying Divine Soul ¡°Senior brother? Is he still not back¡­¡±¡® Chen Qingke was a little disappointed when she did not hear Li Ming¡¯s reply. She had just arrived and had not been outside the cave abode for that long. Since Li Ming¡¯s on-the-spot test last time, she came to realize something. Occasionally, she would want to talk about dao techniques with Senior Brother Li and gain further insights into cultivation. However, seeing that Li Ming was still not back, she had come empty-handed again. This time, Chen Qingke wanted to see if senior brother Li had returned. ¡°He¡¯s still not back? Where did senior brother go?¡± Chen Qingke was rather puzzled. ¡°Junior Sister Chen,¡± Li Ming said as he walked out of the bamboo forest. Chen Qingke turned around and saw that Li Ming looked travel-worn as if he had rushed back from a long distance. ¡°Senior Brother Li, why were you not in your cave abode these past few days? And¡­¡± Chen Qingke asked in surprise when she saw how Li Ming looked. ¡°Why do you look so haggard?¡± In the past, Senior Brother Li had always appeared as someone filled with vigor and spirit. But at this moment, he looked like he had not rested for a few days, and he looked really haggard. Li Ming had rushed back through day and night. When he was reporting, he did indeed feel a little tired. However, the joy of obtaining a purple entry completely overshadowed the fatigue. No matter how hard and tiring he had been feeling, it was not as important as the opportunity to improve his strength. When he got the purple entry and found that the effects were beyond his expectations, he was finally able to relax. Li Ming had planned to sort things out and then take a good rest after returning to his cave abode this time. But as soon as he returned to his cave abode, he heard Chen Qingke¡¯s words filled with concern, making him feel warm inside. It seemed that there was actually someone who was concerned for him in the sect. ¡°Half a month ago, I received an urgent mission from the sect. I only returned today.¡± ¡°I look like this mainly because I was in a hurry.¡± Li Ming explained. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s that demon-catching mission.¡± Chen Qingke nodded in realization. Chen Qingke had also completed that urgent mission. It was just that she had not had to do as much as him, so she had completed her mission long ago. Therefore, when she heard Li Ming mention that it was an emergency mission, she quickly understood. ¡°Senior brother, you¡¯ve been working hard outside the mountain for half a month. You should take a good rest.¡± Li Ming said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Anyway, what are you looking for me for?¡± Chen Qingke recalled the important matter she had come here for and said, ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t the inner sect trial coming up? I wanted to form a team with you.¡± ¡°The inner sect trial?¡± Li Ming thought for a moment. This inner sect trial was actually a benefit that the Divine Will Sect gave to the inner sect disciples. There were many secret realms of various sizes in the Divine Will Sect. Some of these secret realms were so small that they could only fit qi refinement stage cultivators. Therefore, the elders of the Divine Will Sect used these secret realms as rewards. Even though certain secret realms could only be entered by those at the qi refinement stage, it was still best if those cultivators had a certain level of cultivation. Hence, the privilege became exclusive to inner disciples. In the past, the inner sect trial was held once a year. And apparently, it was that time of the year again where the secret realms would be opened. Although Li Ming was also an inner disciple, he had not participated in any of the previous three inner sect trials that had taken place during his time in the sect. He had missed out on a lot of benefits, but of course, he had still been working hard to fill up the progress bars for his entries. This time, if it was not for Junior Sister Chen reminding him, he would have nearly forgotten about this matter. Chen Qingke asked, ¡°What do you think, senior brother? Do you want to team up with me?¡± It was her first year in the Divine Will Sect, and this was her first time participating in the inner sect trial test. Therefore, she came to look for the experienced Li Ming. However, she probably did not expect that Li Ming had not even participated once in the three years that he had been there. ¡°Alright, sure.¡± Li Ming now understood the importance of resources. The rewards of this inner sect trial seemed to be pretty good and if he formed a team with Junior Sister Chen, he could also learn some qi refinement cultivation techniques. Seeing that Senior Brother Li had agreed to her offer, Chen Qingke nodded happily. ¡°Senior brother, I¡¯ll be in your care then!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± he said. Li Ming watched as Junior Sister Chen disappeared on the bamboo path.Afterward, he turned around and walked into the cave. He was finally back after so many days! As soon as he returned to his cave abode, Li Ming could not wait to receive his divine soul opportunity. In the courtyard, Li Ming stood in place and an opportunity spread out in his sea of consciousness. It was like a stone being thrown into a deep pool, creating circles of ripples. That strange feeling quickly spread throughout his body. It was a sublimation that went deep into his soul. His fatigue was washed away and replaced with an abundance of energy. ¡°Refreshing!¡± While Li Ming felt comfortable all over, he also felt that his spirit seemed to be undergoing a strange change. The illusory divine soul in his body had almost solidified after receiving the grace of the opportunity! The change brought about by this was the rapid development of the sea of consciousness. Like the creation of the world, his divine sense suddenly expanded. The divine sense that he did not care much about when he was in the qi refinement stage now had an awe-inspiring aura. Just based on this aura, it could be compared to those of the foundation establishment stage! Li Ming felt as if he had just experienced a soul bath. When he opened his eyes again, he was still at the eighth level of the qi refinement stage. However, whether it was his control or his ability to see through things, they were completely different from before. The thoughts in his mind were lightning fast. His vision was also extremely clear. Looking at the green leaves on the trees in the distance, not only could he see every pore clearly, but he could also see the essence of the plants flowing inside. ¡°Is this the power of the divine soul¡­¡± Li Ming was a little shocked. No wonder cultivators became so much stronger after reaching the foundation establishment stage. It turned out that their divine sense contributed greatly to that transformation. He was only at the qi refinement stage, but his divine soul was already as strong as those of the foundation establishment stage. It was unbelievable! And as far as Li Ming knew, it was very difficult to improve one¡¯s divine soul. Even if trained it day after day, the effect would be minimal. Treasures that could improve one¡¯s divine soul were all extremely valuable. He never would have thought that he would obtain a divine soul opportunity. The benefits of a strong divine soul were self-evident. It could be said that this had changed his aptitude from the very root. Li Ming was overjoyed. Purple entries indeed heaven-defying. With such a powerful divine soul, he would have no more shortcomings on his path of cultivation. Furthermore, the divine soul was a common means of attack for cultivators. When combined with spells, formations, and even the physical body, it would have endless uses. ¡°With the improvements of my divine sense, I can totally start cultivating certain cultivation techniques in advance.¡± Li Ming quickly thought of this. He had to prepare for a rainy day. His Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art was used to temper his body, and it was not designed to incorporate the training of one¡¯s soul. Not making use of such a heaven-defying divine soul would be a great waste of heaven¡¯s gift. If he could find a suitable cultivation technique to use, it would be very useful in many situations. Because Li Ming¡¯s divine soul was so strong, he felt refreshed and no longer felt like resting. The more he thought about things, the clearer his thoughts became. To strengthen himself, he could not put all his eggs in one basket. A good divine soul must not be wasted. At the thought of this, Li Ming decided to go to the scriptures depository to take a look after he had completely broken through. He had to find a cultivation technique that was suitable for his divine soul and thoroughly cultivate his heaven-defying divine soul. Chapter 29 - Sixth Level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art Chapter 29 Sixth Level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art He went to the scripture depository to pick out a divine soul cultivation technique and added it to his schedule. At that time, he would have to cultivate another cultivation technique. Correspondingly, he would also gain an additional trump card with the strength of his divine soul. Soon, Li Ming collected his thoughts. Those were all matters for the future. The most important thing now was to make a breakthrough in his strength. He could sense that he was only one step away from breaking through from the peak of the eighth level of qi refinement and the peak of the fifth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. If he could successfully take that step, his strength would go up another level. Soon after. Somewhere in the back mountain. Li Ming was sitting in an empty cave that he had created with his fist and then sealed with soil. ¡°I¡¯ll take the yang forging pills first and begin my breakthrough attempt!¡± He was very confident because he had already cultivated the six basic skills of body refinement to perfection. The last step was for him to make use of and circulate blazing sun true qi. As the yang forging pills entered his stomach one after another, he immediately felt his stomach heat up. The heat in his dantian began to quickly flow to all parts of his body. His legs, hands, chest, and internal organs¡­ Under the stimulation of the flow of heat, the temperature began to rise sharply. This was the transformation of the blazing sun true qi into blazing sun true fire. Li Ming clenched his fists and concentrated on circulating the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. ¡°Peng!¡± As the true fire spread, the speed of the circulation began to exceed Li Ming¡¯s control. He completely let it be because he knew that this was the effect of [Martial Arts Prodigy]. The efficiency of his body tempering had been increased by 200%! In layman¡¯s terms, it meant that a single refinement would bring about the effect of two additional refinements. At the critical moment of the breakthrough, the medicinal effects of the pills would begin to take effect. This was the best opportunity to carry out the breakthrough! The blazing sun true fire began to circulate quickly in Li Ming¡¯s body. The increase in the efficiency of the training seemed to double the pain. Li Ming¡¯s face turned pale, and he felt the pain in his body continue to intensify. It was far beyond his initial expectations. The pain of being roasted caused all his muscles to spontaneously convulse. However, Li Ming had to stay still and use his willpower and mind to maintain the flow within his meridians. This was an important moment. He did not want to fail here. ¡°Hiss.¡± Li Ming¡¯s blood also seemed to be affected by the blazing sun true fire and began to burn. This burning of his blood brought a wave of new blood. This was blood changing in the truest sense. However, this came with immense pain. ¡°Thump, thump¡­¡¯ The blazing sun true qi in his burning blood seeped into every muscle in his body. His muscles, which were originally reinforced with steel, were now twisting and twitching like earthworms. There were bulging blue veins all over his body. Just looking at this scene was quite terrifying. His skin was as bright red as a piece of iron that was being forged in high temperatures. A trace of madness flashed in Li Ming¡¯s eyes. Just like that, he tempered his body repeatedly. ¡°Boom!¡± After completing a large circulation of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, all the blazing sun true fire that had been thoroughly refined changed again. The dark-colored flame that was roasting his meridians slowly turned back to green. It was as if the energy was being absorbed by his cells. Then, every cell began to transform on a large scale, and layers of dust floated from the surface of his body onto the cave. These were no longer impurities, but unnecessary muscle structures that had been enhanced by the bones, marrow, and internal organs. The periosteum, fascias, and other internal weak areas all experienced a qualitative change, and the amount of energy consumed during this process was uncountable. ¡°It¡¯s still increasing!¡± After reaching the sixth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, the blazing sun true qi between Li Ming¡¯s bones and muscles seeped out of his body like a tiny flame. That was the symbol of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art-the true flame! However, to Li Ming¡¯s surprise, after he reached the sixth level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, the changes in his body did not stop. The blazing sun true qi on the surface of his body was still growing. In just a few breaths, it had already covered his entire body and formed a layer of true flame. Without any pause, he from breaking through to the sixth level to quickly consolidating his newly-reached level to the completion of the level. Li Ming felt the frightening efficiency of the [Martial Arts Prodigy] entry from every subtle change in his body. ¡°Amazing! It¡¯s too amazing!¡± Li Ming did not care about the true fire that was still burning in his body, and he casually drew a fist shadow in the air. His punches left fist marks that were a few inches deep on the stone wall. He felt that he still had some energy left, but he could only reach the peak of the sixth level in the end. This was because the qualitative change of the true flame had already reached a very mature stage. However, he was only one step away from the seventh level, which was the martial dao foundation establishment stage! Li Ming, who had the [Martial Arts Prodigy], felt that he was definitely an undisputed body refinement genius. He circulated the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art without any more obstructions. All of the meridians in the body, even the organs, could be connected in an instant. Li Ming waved his palm in the air excitedly. A stream of blazing sun true qi flew out from his palm and directly hit the mud seal of the cave. With a muffled sound, it directly exploded, revealing the fresh air outside. ¡°This flame can be casually shot out and can display powerful might. The true might of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art only begins to emerge at this point.¡± Li Ming remembered that his little junior sister was also at the perfected level of the qi refinement stage and was only a step away from the foundation establishment stage. His Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art had already reached the peak of the sixth level, and he was now only a step away from the foundation establishment stage. In this short period of time, his body tempering had actually caught up¡­ While Li Ming was excited, he also felt that he, who was at the peak of the eighth level of qi refinement, could not stop here. He immediately sat down and consumed a qi sea pill. His dantian, which was shrouded by a spiritual mist, was entirely filled with the core lake. It then began to undergo a shocking change. The ninth level of qi refinement! He had also broken through successfully in his qi cultivation. Compared to his body cultivation, his qi cultivation was still much worse. But at least he no longer had any shortcomings. His divine soul was very strong, his spiritual qi was also alright, and his physical body was very strong as well. Li Ming was very happy. Just as he had expected, his strength had greatly improved, and his overall combat power was off the charts! Li Ming no longer had any fear toward anyone below the foundation establishment stage. He gathered his thoughts and walked out of the cave. Walking in the back mountain, he began to think about the next steps of his cultivation. His first priority right now was to reach the foundation establishment stage. If he wanted to establish his martial dao foundation, he could not relax on his physical training during this time! This was especially so for the six basic skills of body tempering. He had to practice them repeatedly and continue to improve his life essence. His second priority was to prepare some resources for his martial dao foundation establishment. When he thought of this, Li Ming remembered that he had promised Junior Sister Chen that he would form a team with her to participate in the inner sect trial. In this inner sect trial test, there would be many disciples who had perfected their qi refinement that would be participating. Because the secret realm was only available to qi refinement disciples, naturally, the higher the strength they had at the qi refinement stage, the more generous the rewards they would receive. This was an inner sect trial for the entire sect. Even Chen Qingke had to form a team, so one could imagine how strong those who would be participating were. Those disciples who had perfected the qi refinement stage were not on the same level as Duan Xiuwen whom he had fought before. Before entering the inner sect trial, he had made a breakthrough in both his body and qi cultivation. His Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, in particular, had reached the sixth level. Li Ming was even more confident in doing well in the inner sect trial now. Chapter 30 - Golden Crow Body Tempering Art Chapter 30 Golden Crow Body Tempering Art Of course, the inner sect trial was an important event in the sect. It involved the interests of different peaks. Li Ming had no intention of showing off too much in the inner sect trial. He wanted to keep a low profile so that he could continue to walk the path of body refinement. However, he had agreed to form a team with Junior Sister Chen, and he did not want to drag her down either. Perhaps Junior Sister Chen wanted to help him obtain the trial rewards, or perhaps it was because the inner sect trial required them to form a team to enter. In short, he could not let down Junior Sister Chen¡¯s trust in him. Li Ming felt that with his strength, he could do whatever he wanted while among qi refinement cultivators. But who knew what kind of evildoers that he could not handle might appear. The Divine Will Sect was a large sect that had a wide collection of immortal seedlings in the Heavenly Southern Region, so they were not short of geniuses. Disciples like Duan Xiuwen, who had a decent aptitude but a bad heart, were the minority. The mainstream cultivators in the world of cultivators were actually quietly cultivating in their own cave abodes, waiting for an opportunity to make a name for themselves in one battle. In the past, the inner sect would not lack such talented disciples every year. The inner sect trial was in three days. He still had time to further improve his strength! He set a simple cultivation goal. ¡°In three days, I must completely familiarize myself with the true flame of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art.¡± ¡°I can also cultivate to the peak of the ninth level of the qi refinement stage, or even the perfected level.¡± ¡°As for a cultivation technique for my divine soul, I¡¯ll just wait until after the trial before going to the scripture depository to look for one¡­¡± Li Ming walked into the cave. He was sealing up the cave with mud and preparing to enter closed-door cultivation once again. But at this moment, as he spoke about the cultivation technique for his divine soul, he remembered that he still had a cultivation technique that he had not had the time to look at. It was given to him by the beautiful woman in a temple when he was completing the emergency mission for the sect and went down the mountain to capture the demons. That beautiful woman had seen through his body tempering technique and said that his Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art was an inferior version of something else. Afterward, she gave him a jade slip. At that time, he was in a hurry to return to the sect and had obtained the purple entry right after, so he had not had the time to check the jade slip. But now, he had just broken through both his realms, greatly increasing his strength. It was time to see what was in the jade slip. Li Ming found the technique-transmitting jade slip in his storage bag and was about to check it with his divine sense. He hesitated for a moment. After all, that had been the first time he had met that beautiful woman, and she could also be a powerful ghost. But after giving it some more thought, the beautiful woman did not seem to have any malicious intentions toward him. Moreover, if she really wanted to do something to him, she could have simply killed him in the temple. After a long time, Li Ming finally decided to check what was on the jade slip. Now that his divine sense was very powerful, he tried to break open the jade slip and found that there were no restrictions. He directly invade it with his divine sense. The jade slip turned into a stream of light and flew into his divine sense. When he received the cultivation technique, he was shocked. ¡°This cultivation technique doesn¡¯t seem ordinary!¡± ¡°So this is how it is!¡± ¡°No wonder, no wonder¡­¡± Li Ming was surprised and happy as he had been suddenly enlightened. A golden cultivation technique was currently floating in his now expanded sea of consciousness. This was also a body tempering technique called the [Golden Crow Body Tempering Art], and it was divided into 12 levels. The highest level could allow one to cultivate to the nascent soul stage! In the world of cultivation, there were nine major stages: qi refinement, foundation establishment, core formation, nascent soul, soul formation, void refinement, dao integration, and mahayana. The Divine Will Sect was a first-class force in the eastern continent. It was because of its nascent soul cultivators that it was able to become the overlord of the Heavenly Southern Region. As for the most powerful super sects in the eastern continent, they had powerful soul formation cultivators. As for him, a small qi refinement disciple¡­ He had acquired a cultivation technique that would allow him to reach the nascent soul stage. This was already extremely impressive. At the very least, the scripture depository would not have such a cultivation technique. ¡°This Golden Crow Body Tempering Art is even more amazing than the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art¡­¡¯ Having acquired the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, Li Ming did not just carelessly throw the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art to the back of his mind. Instead, he carefully studied and compared them. He realized that the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art that he had cultivated before was derived from the first four levels of this cultivation technique! The highest level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art was only the fourth level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. It had to be noted that the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art had a total of twelve levels! ¡°Just the cultivation technique derived from it can allow me to establish my martial dao foundation! Amazing!¡± Li Ming took a deep breath, shocked beyond words! That beautiful woman had great strength, and her moves were really extraordinary. Most importantly, she had given him a cultivation technique that could reach the nascent soul stage without any qualms. This made Li Ming feel grateful for the beautiful woman¡¯s forthright attitude. With her knowledge and experience, it was reasonable for her to say that he was practicing an inferior version. At that time, the beautiful woman had said that the cultivation technique he was practicing was somewhat familiar, but it was actually because the two came from the same source. It seemed that there was a certain fate between them. The two cultivation techniques were practically from the same source! He could practice the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art without suffering any side effects! him to He had initially believed that what he had encountered was a life-and-death crisis, but it was actually that encounter that allowed gain such a terrific cultivation technique. In this ever-changing world of cultivators, it was a blessing if not a disaster. If it was a disaster, it could not be avoided. Li Ming was overjoyed. At that time, the [Ghost Hero (Blue)] entry had not only saved his life, but it also helped him to obtain such an awesome cultivation technique. It seemed that no matter where one was, having great charm meant being popular. No wonder those saintesses were all so beautiful. Then, Li Ming began to study it carefully. He now had to deliberate how he would seamlessly switch from the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art to the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art? The seventh level of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art was the martial dao foundation establishment stage, and that was also its highest level¡­ Before this, he was still wondering why there was nothing after that. It turned out that the fourth level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art was the foundation establishment stage, and the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art did not have a follow-up cultivation technique, so it could not be improved further. Now that he had a much more complete version of the cultivation technique, he could cultivate all the way to the nascent soul stage! Li Ming was delighted. This way, he would not have to worry about his body tempering cultivation technique for a short period of time. His path to the nascent soul stage had been laid out. If that day came, he could be on equal footing with the strongest elders in the sect. Would there be a lack of follow-up techniques? Obviously not. Li Ming felt that a smooth road was slowly unfolding in front of him. He truly felt that it was the right decision to go into body tempering. Of course, the help that the entries provided him was absolutely indispensable. With the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, an urgent problem was solved. After all, body tempering was not popular, and the few body tempering techniques in the sect were from the bottom of the mountain. Naturally, there were not many. Moreover, according to his search in the scripture depository last time, there was not even a body tempering technique that would allow him to reach the golden core or core formation stage. Originally, he was thinking of going to the auction to try his luck. Or he could go down the mountain and find another way. But now, he no longer had to worry about that. His problem of having to look for a body tempering cultivation technique being solved was an unexpected surprise. Out of the four major aspects of technique, wealth, companion, and land, he now had the most important aspect of technique solved. only thing he needed to care about now The was to focus on his cultivation. Li Ming sealed the cave and began to memorize the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. Cultivating this body tempering cultivation technique made him feel like he was intoxicated, and he quickly immersed himself in it. This practice went on for three days. Chapter 31 - The Trial Begins Chapter 31 The Trial Begins Three days passed, Li Ming had already memorized all the routes and key acupoints for the [Golden Crow Body Tempering Art]. After going through the entire cultivation technique, a serious expression emerged on his face. This cultivation technique was indeed extremely powerful, but it was just as terrifying. The horrors that came with this cultivation technique not only lay in the difficulty of cultivating it¡­ But also the risks that came with cultivating it. Just from the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art that used this cultivation technique as a reference, one could see the traces of the danger that may lay with the source cultivation technique. Even when it was just the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, if he inhaled too much blazing sun true fire while cultivating the technique, he may end up burning himself from the inside. The Golden Crow Body Tempering Art was even more terrifying. If he was not careful in his cultivation, heavenly fire could enter his body. The power of heavenly fire was even greater than that of the blazing sun true fire. During the cultivation of this technique, one would have to endure inhuman pain and torture. Moreover, the pain was actually of secondary concern. The most terrifying part of cultivating this cultivation technique was that it was very possible to destroy one¡¯s foundation during the process. It was possible for everything to be completely destroyed in a day, or even have one¡¯s entire body and soul be reduced to ashes. Of course, even though it was terrifying, the benefits that it could provide the one practicing it were tremendous. Practicing this cultivation technique drew on the power of the sun. The human body could simulate the sun, and they could come to possess power that would allow them to raze mountains and boil seas with the raise of a hand. Once one¡¯s body became like the sun, they would be able to change the color of the sky, and they would come to possess matchless might. With a single thought, the cultivator could create a scene that looked just like hell. Of course, it was not easy to cultivate to that level. Li Ming¡¯s eyes were determined, and he had no intention of retreating. Since he had embarked on the path of body tempering, he would definitely overcome all difficulties and tread the path as far as he could with determination. Moreover, he had something backing him that nobody else had. He had the entries! These entries granted Li Ming abilities that would draw the envy of countless other cultivators. At this time, he could only hope that the entries would live up to his expectations! This was because the current purple entry he had could greatly increase the efficiency of his body tempering, not to mention the additional skills and opportunities it provided. If he could obtain more purple entries, or even higher level entries, he would not have to worry even if the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art was more dangerous. At the same time, Li Ming became curious about the identity of the beautiful woman he had seen in the temple that day. She had a ghostly subordinate but had this kind of pure yang cultivation technique. Could that beautiful woman be a cultivator from another force? The eastern continent was vast and boundless, and not everyone was from righteous immortal sects like the Divine Will Sect. The first-class forces included Golden Dragon Castle, Three Gods Mountain, and Endless Sky Holy Land. There were also forces like Jade Lady Palace, Heavenly Magic Sect, and Myriad Demon Valley. There were as many as twelve of these first-class forces. It could be said that they were intertwined with each other. Therefore, Li Ming speculated that the beautiful woman might be someone from another force. In fact, she could perhaps even be from a super sect¡­ After thinking for a long time, Li Ming still had no clue. After all, he had been staying in the Divine Will Sect all this time and had not gone out of the mountain to gain experience. He knew very little about the other forces. Since he could not figure it out, he did not bother to think about it much longer. However, since the other party had given him a cultivation technique of this level, and it just so happened to be something that he needed, he felt that he owed the other party a favor. He just did not know if he would have the chance to return the favor in the future. After all, in the world of cultivators, everything was up to fate and the cycle of karma. At this moment. ¡°Senior brother¡­ Senior brother¡­¡± A series of shouts could be heard from the cave abode. Li Ming¡¯s divine soul moved. He knew that Junior Sister Chen was already at the entrance of his cave abode. She had definitely come as they had agreed to participate in the inner sect trial together. It was also because of that that he did not choose to train at a place that was too far away. With all that said, as long as Chen Qingke called for him from in front of his cave abode, he would immediately know. Since his junior sister had already come, then it was time for him to head to the trial. Three days passed by quietly as he focused on his cultivation. ¡°Phew¡­¡± He tidied up his body. Li Ming dashed out of the cave and came to the cave abode from the backyard. He passed through the courtyard and opened the door. He saw that his junior sister had already changed into a sky-blue water-sleeved dress, causing her to look even more ethereal. ¡°Junior sister.¡± Li Ming came out and greeted her. ¡°Senior brother, I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± Seeing Li Ming¡¯s expression, Chen Qingke knew that he must have been cultivating again. ¡°The trial will open soon. We should go. ¡°Mm.¡± Li Ming nodded. The two of them rode on their swords and rushed toward the inner sect trial grounds. On a nameless ancient peak. When Li Ming and Chen Qingke arrived, there were already many inner sect disciples waiting. Li Ming used his divine soul and sensed several sharp auras. They were all perfected qi refinement cultivators, and they were the very rich kind of perfected qi refinement cultivators. It seemed that there were quite a few powerful existences among the disciples this year. Other than these disciples, there were also a few auras that were clearly stronger than qi refinement stage cultivators. Among them, Li Ming also sensed a particularly powerful aura. Looking from afar, he saw that it was an elder of the sect who was already in the core formation stage. This was in line with the rules of the inner sect trial. Foundation establishment senior disciples would be in charge of managing most of the trial, while a golden core stage elder would be arranged to keep watch in case of any accidents. When the group of inner disciples saw Li Ming and Chen Qingke coming together, there was a small commotion. Li Ming had been in the Divine Will Sect for three years. He was once considered a genius disciple and later became a body tempering maniac. He was quite famous. Many new disciples had heard of Li Ming¡¯s deeds even if they had never seen him before. ¡°Why is he here?¡± A portion of the disciples were stunned. Because Li Ming had never attended the trial in the past years, they were surprised that he had suddenly come this time. This caused many people to cast sidelong glances. ¡°Senior Brother Li seems to be different,¡± some disciples whispered. ¡°Indeed, his aura seems to have become much stronger,¡± another disciple said. A perfected qi refinement disciple said coldly, ¡°He¡¯s at the ninth level of the qi refinement stage. His aura will naturally have become much different.¡± ¡°From the looks of it, he should have returned to the right path and started to cultivate qi. Hmph, but it¡¯s too late.¡± Some of the new inner disciples who could not see Li Ming¡¯s strength were suddenly enlightened and began to talk at once. ¡°So he¡¯s turned to qi refinement.¡± ¡°I already said that body cultivation was pointless, yet this idiot even studied it for three years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Many disciples who have just entered the sect for a year have already begun to prepare to reach the foundation establishment stage.¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not too bad. After three years, he changed his ways and turned over a new leaf. It¡¯s not bad for him to have been able to reach the ninth level of qi refinement so quickly.¡± A young and handsome disciple in the perfected qi refinement stage stared at Li Ming and Chen Qingke and said unhappily, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see him this active before?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because of Junior Sister Chen¡¯s participation that he ran over to hug her thigh and enjoy some benefits.¡± Although the disciples were not speaking that loudly, it was difficult for Li Ming, who had a powerful divine soul, not to hear them. However, Li Ming did not care at all. He did not need to care about what these people thought. He only cared about talking to Junior Sister Chen about some things to take note of in the inner sect trial. This secret realm was open to qi refinement stage cultivators, and the sect had even given it out as a reward. However, it was still only open to inner sect disciples, so there was still a certain threshold. For the resources inside, one would only be able to take away as much as their ability permits. Soon enough, the secret realm began to open. A foundation establishment stage elite disciple stood at the front. He was dressed in the uniform of an elite disciple and looked very handsome. He shouted to everyone, ¡°The inner sect trial test has officially begun.¡± ¡°Some of you are junior brothers and sisters who have only joined our sect last year or this year.¡± ¡°I will now re-explain the rules of the inner sect trial.¡± Chapter 32 - Entering the Secret Realm Chapter 32 Entering the Secret Realm Li Ming and Chen Qingke looked at the elite senior brother. Many disciples also quietened down and listened carefully. ¡°This time, the secret realm is only available to the qi refinement stage. Junior brothers and sisters who have reached the foundation establishment stage cannot enter.¡± ¡°After forming a party, you can enter the forbidden area and freely search for resources. ¡°When the forbidden area is about to close, I will remind you to come out. Afterward, come to me to register the resources you have obtained. The outcome will be decided by the number of resources you obtained.¡± After the elite senior brother finished speaking, the disciples who had already reached the peak of the qi refinement stage looked at each other, and the smell of gunpowder emerged. Where there was a trial, there would naturally be a final victor. These people were all infinitely close to the foundation establishment stage and had cultivated many secret techniques. For them, obtaining resources was not that high a priority. It was more important to suppress the other disciples and obtain first place. That would allow them to show their superiority over the others. Li Ming noticed that Chen Qingke¡¯s fighting spirit had also been ignited. Obviously, as the genius disciple who was the fastest to reach the peak of the qi refinement stage, Junior Sister Chen also wanted to take first place. In the mystic realm, it was not a simple first come, first served, but strength first! Whoever was stronger would have the right to speak. Therefore, it was not only the top few disciples who refused to give in. The disciples of the same sect who had always been competing with each other were also competing with each other. The elite senior brother looked at the young generation of disciples and nodded slightly, but his words were very strict. ¡°Of course, even if you¡¯re allowed to form teams, the resources will still be calculated according to the individual. Your team must determine the distribution method in advance. And once again, killing each other is strictly prohibited. Those who break this rule¡­ Will be dealt with by the law enforcement hall!¡± The inner sect disciples all knew this rule. Compared to taking the risk to cheat others in the secret realm, it was better to cultivate in an upright manner. There was no need to challenge the authority of the law enforcement hall. The reason why they formed teams was also to give them more flexibility when they challenged the secret realm. Some disciples who were not that powerful in the qi refinement stage could help each other and achieve things they would not have been able to without forming a team. The stronger disciples could similarly join forces to defeat the stronger demonic beasts. Seeing that the atmosphere was rather harmonious, the elite senior brother continued to explain. ¡°You can only bring one storage bag in. Half of the resources obtained in the secret realm will be the reward given by the sect, and the other half will have to be handed over to the sect.¡± ¡°At the same time, the top three winners of the inner sect trial will also be able to obtain any treasure in the sect¡¯s treasure vault!¡± Upon hearing the elite senior brother¡¯s words, many new disciples were pleasantly surprised and immediately became filled with fighting spirit. To be able to obtain half of the resources in the sect¡¯s secret realm was equivalent to picking them up for free! As for handing over half to the sect, they had no objections to this. After all, this secret realm was originally provided by the sect. Moreover, the top three who obtained the resources could choose any treasure at will from the sect¡¯s treasure vault. That was the sect¡¯s treasure vault, and there was no lack of precious magic tools. If they could be matched with a powerful magical artifact that was suitable for them, would be of great help to their future cultivation. it Many of the disciples who had formed teams were considering whether they should give all the resources to another person after searching for resources. Then, they would try to fight for the top three. However, the few powerful perfected qi refinement cultivators were ambitious and were determined to monopolize all the resources and treasures for themselves. Chen Qingke said to Li Ming in surprise, ¡°Senior brother, the top three will be able to have more treasures!¡± Li Ming nodded. ¡°The rewards are more generous than the previous years. The sect has really invested a lot this time.¡± ¡°Mm-hm!¡± Chen Qingke rubbed her hands. Li Ming looked at the few disciples with extraordinary auras in front of him and thought to himself, ¡°They are all good seedlings. I wonder how they compare to me?¡± Many disciples were excited because the top three would be rewarded with more treasures. ¡°These are the rules. Now, prepare to enter the forbidden area.¡± After the elite disciple finished explaining the rules, he looked at the time. A minute later, a ray of light behind him began to distort. It was the sign of the secret realm opening. He stepped aside, and the disciples below lined up according to the order of their groups, preparing to enter the secret realm. ¡°I¡¯d like to emphasize again,¡± said the elite senior brother. ¡°While you can fight inside the forbidden area, killing each other is absolutely forbidden!¡± He swept his gaze across all the disciples with a stern look. ¡°The sect will use a tracking technique to track your movements at all times. Once someone dies, the tracking technique will immediately land on the nearest disciple.¡± With that said, the disciples should know the red line drawn by the sect. In fact, this tracking technique was released by the golden core stage elder who was standing guard here. Unless other core formation stage cultivators tried to remove it by force, the disciples would not be able to remove it while within the secret realm. This was not only to fulfill the rules of the Divine Will Sect, but also to protect the immortal seedlings cultivated in the sect. After hearing the elite senior brother¡¯s reminder, the disciples had no objections. At this moment, the time for the secret realm to open had arrived. The entrance to the forbidden area lit up. Everyone entered in a single file. They walked straight into the light screen as if they were entering a screen of water, and then disappeared into the screen. Li Ming followed the crowd and was about to step in. ¡°Senior brother,¡± Chen Qingke pulled him back and said, ¡°Once we enter the secret realm, we¡¯ll be separated. Everyone will be randomly sent into different parts of the secret realm.¡± ¡°If you want to form a team, the two of us have to go in hand in hand.¡± Li Ming did not think too much about it and immediately entered with Chen Qingke, hand in hand. The two of them entered the secret realm together. The light screen in front of them fluctuated, and after a flash, he found himself in a completely different place. This place was lush with vegetation, towering trees, and rich in spiritual qi. It was a little like a primeval forest, and many plants were especially large. Li Ming stepped on the solid ground, and the first thing he did was to observe his surroundings. Just as Junior Sister Chen had said, they were randomly scattered across the secret realm. Many of the people who had entered the light screen with them had disappeared. The place where the two of them had landed was silent and there was no one else. Chen Qingke was also trying to determine their location. She seemed to have studied the secret realm a lot. She whispered to Li Ming, ¡°Senior brother, we¡¯re at the edge of the secret realm.¡± ¡°The edge?¡± It was Li Ming¡¯s first time here, so he did not have much experience. ¡°This small secret realm is not that big,¡± Chen Qingke explained. ¡°The spiritual qi is isolated from the outside, just like over there.¡± Following the direction of her finger, he saw an invisible barrier of spiritual qi, like a barrier. ¡°Generally speaking, the resources at the periphery are not rich. Usually, the center is where the main event can be found.¡± Chen Qingke looked at Li Ming, waiting for his decision. Some inner sect disciples knew that they could not compete with the more talented and powerful disciples, so they would choose to pick up scraps on the periphery. Chen Qingke could tell that Li Ming was only at the ninth level of the qi refinement stage, but she had no idea how strong he was. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the center then,¡± Li Ming said with a smile. Of course, he could tell that Chen Qingke wanted to go to the central area. The inner sect trial was also an alternative competition for the inner sect disciples. The top three would also have the opportunity to go to the sect¡¯s treasure vault to select treasures. Li Ming did not have any objection to getting benefits. He had wanted to ride a flying sword to the central area with Junior Sister Chen. However, he discovered that there was a special restriction suppressing him, making him unable to ride a flying sword. With their current realm, they were still unable to break it, so the two of them hurried over. As he rushed from the edge to the center, he soon felt the dense spiritual qi in front of him. They were in one of the spiritual lands scattered throughout the secret realm, which was also a place with dense resources. When Li Ming and Chen Qingke approached the jungle, they found that there were already two groups of people confronting each other. Chapter 33 - Terrifyingly Powerful Chapter 33 Terrifyingly Powerful Divine Sense, Dimension-Reduction Attack The forest was unusually lush, with even the grass reaching up to their knees in height. ¡°Whoosh!¡± ¡°Whoosh!¡± When Li Ming and Chen Qingke arrived at the edge of the spiritual land, they fell like two streams of light. Their high-speed movement directly drew two deep trails in the grass. Although was unable to ride a flying sword in this area, as a cultivator, his speed on the ground was not slow. The two of them, one in front and one behind, moved equally as fast. Of course, Li Ming was currently not using the Wind Lightning Steps. Even then, Chen Qingke thought to herself that her senior brother was quite fast for his level. The two of them rushed straight into the spiritual land. As soon as they entered the spiritual land, they found two groups of disciples confronting each other. The two groups of disciples were teams that had numerous members, and they had the advantage in numbers. The two sides released their auras, and both of them had great power. After that¡­ Li Ming and Chen Qingke arrived! The sudden arrival of uninvited guests stunned the disciples that had already been there. It seemed that they still had to snatch the resources. Li Ming pondered whether he should take action directly or save his strength first. After all, he had to deal with so many people at once. It would probably take some effort. After Li Ming and Chen Qingke¡¯s arrival, the aura of the two groups of disciples suddenly changed. From confronting one another to a united front against the newcomers, they were now facing the two of them. After all, an external threat possessed far greater danger than an internal threat. ¡°It¡¯s Chen Qingke!¡± The group of disciples¡¯ expressions changed slightly when they saw Chen Qingke. All of them revealed fearful expressions on their faces. One group of people looked at Chen Qingke, waiting for their senior brother to make a decision on what they should do. The leading disciple looked at Chen Qingke and then at the spiritual land. Then, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The senior brother¡¯s mind was clear as he led the group to retreat slowly. He was also at the ninth level of the qi refinement stage, but he knew the huge gap between him and those at the perfected level of the qi refinement stage. At this moment, preserving their strength was more important than anything else. The secret realm was so huge and it did not lack resources, so why would they risk so much here when the benefits to gain did not match the risks? Not long after, this group of disciples directly took the initiative to retreat and quickly disappeared from this place. It was better to seize every second to collect resources than to go head-to-head with such a tough opponent. That was the wisest choice. When the other group of disciples saw this, they immediately understood and without saying a word, they also ran away. The two groups of people actually retreated without even trying to put up a fight? Li Ming was shocked to see this. Before those people left, they looked at Li Ming with envy. It was as if they were saying, ¡°You really have some bullsh*t luck.¡± This left Li Ming with a rather strange expression on his face. He did not expect that his junior sister¡¯s reputation was so illustrious that she could make the sect¡¯s disciples retreat without a fight. He began to wonder what brilliant achievements she had in the sect. However, after thinking about it carefully, Chen Qingke was an inner disciple who had reached the perfected level of the qi reifnement stage very quickly. Additionally, it was even declared by the elders that it was only a matter of time before she reached the foundation establishment stage, so it was clear for all to see just how excellent her talent was. This time, she had scared off two groups of disciples with just her presence, and he had gotten himself a chance to hug someone¡¯s thigh. This made Li Ming feel a little strange. After all, he could have shown his strength, but he did not have the chance. Li Ming naturally would not deliberately put on airs for some unnecessary things. However, it had been a long time since he last fought against fellow disciples. He would occasionally want to test his combat strength and see how far it had gone and how it fared against his fellow disciples. Seeing so many people scared away by her, Chen Qingke remained expressionless. She rolled up her sleeves and began plundering the spiritual land like crazy. It was as if the spiritual plants in this spiritual land were more precious than anything else. ¡°Whoosh¡­¡± Chen Qingke moved quickly. She used a small sword the size of a palm in her hand and was unparalleled in collecting the herbs. Pieces of spiritual herbs fell down and were quickly kept into her storage bag. Li Ming also started to move. With the two of them working together. Very quickly, this spiritual land was completely ransacked. However, Li Ming was just half a step slower, and his gains were only about 70-80% of hers. The efficiency that his junior sister displayed in collecting resources made Li Ming feel a little ashamed. After harvesting the resources of this spiritual land, the two of them stood at the side, feeling very happy. ¡°Senior brother, here you go.¡± Chen Qingke walked to Li Ming¡¯s side and casually shared half of the spiritual herbs she had collected with him. Li Ming blinked and Chen Qingke filled his storage bag with a lot of spiritual herbs. Chen Qingke looked around. She had already finished harvesting the spiritual land here. She pointed in the direction that led further to the center. ¡°Senior brother, let¡¯s head in that direction.¡± As if noticing Li Ming¡¯s silence, she added, ¡°I¡¯m here to protect you. You don¡¯t need to be afraid.¡± Li Ming thought to himself, am I afraid? He knew that his junior sister was not looking down on him when she gave him the spiritual herbs. It was simply that, after forming a team, she did not see any distinction between him and herself, and they would go through thick and thin together. This was actually a form of trust, so he accepted it without any embarrassment. If he had extra resources, he would give them to her because they were teammates. After clearing the place, Li Ming did not object to his junior sister¡¯s decision to go wherever she wanted to go. Anyway, he would just follow. Harvesting spiritual herbs was a rather pleasant experience in this secret realm. Very quickly, the two of them rushed to the second spiritual land in the forest. From a distance, it was a verdant land with three to four-meter-tall sprouts with spirit fruits. The spirit fruits were all yellow-like gemstones, glowing with light and color. One look and one could tell they were delicious. ¡°Senior brother, there¡¯s no one here.¡± Chen Qingke was very happy and was about to go forward to harvest the spiritual fruits. This secret realm had not been open for long, and most of the disciples were racing against time. This was because they did not know when their elite senior brother would remind them that the secret realm would soon close. As such, the best strategy was to simply obtain as many resources as quickly as possible. At this time, Li Ming gently pulled Chen Qingke¡¯s arm, indicating for her not to act rashly. Chen Qingke looked at him in confusion. Li Ming pressed his palms together, indicating that there was an ambush lying in hiding. Just now, when they were rushing to this spiritual land, Li Ming had spread out his divine sense and covered the land inch by inch. With his powerful divine sense, he discovered that there were people hiding in the grass near the spiritual land. They had also made it seem as if no one had discovered this patch of spiritual land yet. This kind of behavior could only be said to be sinister, but it was not against the rules. However, under Li Ming¡¯s powerful divine sense, their plan was completely exposed. And because his divine soul was as strong as those of foundation establishment cultivators, Li Ming¡¯s divine sense swept over and found them first. Not only could he discover the other party, but the other party would not even sense it. They were still patiently lying in ambush, not knowing that their position had been exposed to Li Ming. This was the terrifying part of having a powerful divine sense. It was basically a dimension-reduction attack. Chen Qingke was startled when Li Ming stopped her. She had always been smart, even though she did not detect the Ambusher. However, after thinking about it carefully, she realized that it was impossible for no one to have discovered such a large patch of spiritual land. However, what she was really surprised about was how Senior Brother Li had noticed this so quickly. Under Li Ming¡¯s guidance, she and Li Ming retreated to the grass outside the spiritual land and also went into hiding. ¡°Senior brother, how did you know?¡± Chen Qingke asked curiously. Li Ming just pointed at a few places near the spiritual land. ¡°There, there, and there. That¡¯s where the ambushers are hiding.¡± ¡°Perhaps they have set up some kind of formation and are just waiting for someone to fall into it.¡± Chapter 34 - Using a Trick to Plunder Everything Chapter 34 Using a Trick to Plunder Everything She saw that Li Ming had already discovered the location of where the ambushers were lying in hiding. This made Chen Qingke even more surprised. Not only did Senior Brother Li predict the ambush in advance, but he also even managed to find the specific location of the various members of the other party. She knew that she could not do such a thing. From where she was looking, she could see a breeze blowing near the spiritual land, and it was quiet. It looked like a very ordinary scene. Chen Qingke did not ask further. She chose to believe in Senior Brother Li. Senior Brother Li was not someone who spoke without thinking. She believed that he must have his reasons for saying this. Chen Qingke asked after some thought, ¡°Then, senior brother, what should we do?¡± Li Ming was the one who had found these ambushers, so Chen Qingke felt that he must have a way to deal with them. Li Ming thought for a while and came up with an idea. ¡°Come closer, we¡¯ll do this and this¡­¡± He told Chen Qingke about his plan, and the latter smiled. ¡°Senior brother, I didn¡¯t expect you to have such a move.¡± Li Ming laughed. After making the battle plan, the two of them went their separate ways. Chen Qingke went around to the east side of the spiritual land, while Li Ming went to the west side. As Li Ming had used his powerful divine sense in advance, he had explored the entire vicinity of the spiritual land. He also told Chen Qingke the locations of all the ambushers. Therefore, the two¡¯s sneaky actions did not let the ambushers notice a trace of their movement. On the other side, Chen Qingke turned toward the position she had planned. With a flip of her sleeve, a small bronze cauldron the size of a palm appeared in her palm. This small cauldron was extremely similar to the small bronze sword she had used to harvest the spiritual herbs previously. They both had an ancient aura and were not very big in shape. ¡°Watch my cauldron!¡± Chen Qingke put her index and middle fingers together, pointed in a direction, and sent the small bronze cauldron smashing toward the direction she pointed. In fact, what Li Ming had told her to do was to attract the attention of those who were lying in ambush. In her opinion, there was nothing more intimidating than her own small bronze cauldron. The small cauldron that had appeared in an instant suddenly smashed into the seemingly ordinary grass. ¡°BOOM!¡± A powerful pressure quickly enveloped the area. The small bronze cauldron was like a small mountain, and it had an astonishing aura! At this moment, the inner sect disciple who was lying in ambush under the grass was dumbfounded. How was there a spiritual artifact suddenly attacking him? Could it be that they were discovered? He wanted to escape, but it was too late. Because this spirit artifact¡¯s attack was very direct, by the time he noticed it, the large cauldron was already smashing over. The disciple had no choice but to use his magic artifact to defend himself. In a hurry, he was pushed back a few feet, his face filled with shock. ¡°Who is it?¡± The rest of the people who were lying in ambush nearby were all shocked as well. They all rushed out and rushed toward Chen Qingke. They were very shocked, not even sure if their plan had been discovered in advance. But they all found that to be unbelievable. They believed their plan and setup to have been absolutely flawless. They quickly surrounded Chen Qingke. ¡°It¡¯s Junior Sister Chen!¡± ¡°Did you just randomly hit me?¡± ¡°In this secret realm, don¡¯t blame us for being merciless!¡± These people took out their magic artifacts one after another. Regardless of whether she did it on purpose or not, since she had messed up their ambush, they could not let her go. Moreover, their overall strength was pretty good. No matter how strong Chen Qingke was, could she defeat them all? Just as they were all focused on Chen Qingke¡­ Li Ming had already come out from the other side and used the Wind Lightning Steps. His whole body turned into a shadow! His speed was unbelievably fast. He directly rushed to the sprouts in the spiritual land and reached out to pick the topaz-like spirit fruits. ¡°Swish!¡± After he cleared the first row, he moved on to the next row. He did not hold back and quickly plundered the entire spiritual land. While he was picking the spirit fruits, someone from the group of people who were lying in ambush noticed the movement in the spirit land. ¡°Motherf*cker! Why is there someone picking up our spirit fruits?¡± ¡°That person¡­ Isn¡¯t that Li Ming?¡± ¡°He formed a team with Junior Sister Chen. We¡¯ve been tricked!¡± When they saw Li Ming appear in the spiritual land, they quickly understood. All of this was Li Ming and Chen Qingke¡¯s diversion tactic. When they saw that the spiritual fruit that they had long regarded as their own had been picked clean by Li Ming, they were all furious. They rushed towards Li Ming. ¡°Bye.¡± Li Ming had finished plundering the spiritual land and ran away. The spiritual land in this secret realm did not have an owner, so why could he not harvest it? The ambushers were furious and wanted to capture Li Ming, but they did not expect him to be so fast and disappear in a flash. Behind him, Chen Qingke¡¯s spiritual weapon, the small bronze cauldron, also exuded a powerful aura. The pressure from the cauldron caused their bodies to freeze as if they had been placed into a gravity field several times stronger. With Chen Qingke¡¯s interference, this group of people who wanted to chase after Li Ming naturally failed. They could only look at the empty spiritual land in exasperation. ¡°Damn it! He actually stole our spirit fruits!¡± A disciple holding a magical scroll gnashed his teeth in anger. He was a cultivator who was proficient in array formations. He had planned to use these spirit fruits to trap some disciples with high cultivation and eliminate his competitors. However, they did not expect someone to discover their ambush in advance and directly snatch the spirit fruits, making their ambush a joke. Li Ming¡¯s speed was beyond their imagination. In the end, they could only watch as Li Ming took their resources and then escaped. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s join forces and catch Chen Qingke!¡± In a fit of anger, he led the group to counterattack Chen Qingke. He could not let others take advantage of him like this. Moreover, if he caught Chen Qingke, wouldn¡¯t Li Ming come back obediently and hand back the spirit fruits that originally should have been theirs? However, when they pounced on Chen Qingke, the latter stored away her spiritual artifact and quickly fled. The strongest among them was only at the perfected qi refinement stage. They did not have as deep a cultivation as Chen Qingke, so they failed to catch up to her in the end. In the end, the two managed to run away! ¡°Li Ming!¡± ¡°That kid got a great deal!¡± ¡°The next time I see him, he¡¯ll definitely suffer!¡± This group of people was filled with hatred. They hated that they could not unleash all their strength on Li Ming. When they returned to the empty spiritual land, they found that Li Ming had really cleared the entire spiritual land. He did not leave them a single spiritual fruit! As a result, they were even angrier, but there was nothing they could do. They could only remain angry yet helpeless. Meanwhile, according to the battle plan that they made beforehand, Li Ming waited for Chen Qingke on a small hill. Soon, Chen Qingke emerged from the forest and met up with Li Ming. The two of them looked at each other and laughed heartily. If he had simply robbed them, he would not have been so happy, but fooling those self-conceited guys made him feel particularly good. ¡°Senior brother, you¡¯re too amazing.¡± Chen Qingke looked at Li Ming with admiration. He was the one who discovered the ambush, and he was also the one who planned this tactic. Otherwise, even if they could get it, they would have to go through a huge battle. ¡°Was it fun?¡± asked Li Ming. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯d love to do that again!¡± Chen Qingke laughed happily. Chapter 35 - Ambush, Junior Sisters Valiance Chapter 35 Ambush, Junior Sister¡¯s Valiance Li Ming and Chen Qingke divided the spirit fruits they had just harvested. After all, it was Junior Sister Chen who had attracted most of the firepower from the other party. Because of that, Li Ming gave her half of the spirit fruits. Although Chen Qingke did not care about it that much, Li Ming still distributed the resources they acquired according to the team¡¯s standards. Then, the two of them adjusted their direction. They continued to advance toward the central area of the secret realm. This time, they were extremely well-hidden as they advanced. Even if they encountered disciples passing by, they did not casually reveal their position. This was because even if they encountered these disciples, they would not be able to benefit from them. Moreover, they were fully loaded. On the way to the central area, Li Ming once again detected an ambush with his divine sense. He smiled inwardly when he discovered them. It appeared that there was more than one group who thought to carry out such a tactic in the secret realm. Thinking about it, it made sense. In this batch of inner sect disciples, there were only a few who had strong individual strength. It was more about forming teams, and they naturally needed to take advantage of their numbers. Coupled with the geographical advantage, even a top disciple who had perfected the qi refinement stage would be placed at a disadvantage when facing a team who had prepared properly. However, those who were lying in ambush would never have expected that Li Ming could detect them in advance with his divine sense. He even knew where the traps that they laid down were. After telling Chen Qingke, she instantly became excited. The two of them had already worked together once, and they had a tacit understanding. He immediately took action and repeated the same trick. This time, things went even more smoothly than before. Chen Qingke took out the small bronze cauldron and caught the ambushers off guard. ¡°Who dares to ambush us?¡± This group of disciples was very strong, and there was even a cultivator who had reached the perfected level of the qi refinement stage among them. He directly used his magical artifact to fight against the small bronze cauldron and was not at a disadvantage. Chen Qingke did not really want to fight him. She just wanted to make a bigger scene. Thus, the ambushers were all provoked to come out. At this time, Li Ming secretly entered the spiritual land and began to harvest! Li Ming uprooted the spiritual plants in large droves, not planning to leave them even a hair. The group of people who were distracted by Chen Qingke turned around and saw Li Ming. They were all furious. Compared to the powerful Chen Qingke, they would definitely want to catch Li Ming more. But to their surprise, Li Ming¡¯s speed was far beyond their imagination. He broke into a run. Before he ran, he did not forget to take away the spirit fruits that were left on the ground. The speed he displayed made it impossible for them to catch up to him. After several turns, they lost track of Li Ming. When they returned, Chen Qingke had naturally managed to slip away as well. ¡°It was a setup!¡± This group of people was also grief-stricken. The spiritual land that they had guarded with great difficulty had been ransacked just like that. Li Ming and Chen Qingke strolled around and met up again. When they reconvened, Chen Qingke saw the harvest in Li Ming¡¯s hands. It was another big pile of spirit plants. ¡°Haha, awesome!¡± ¡°Senior brother, let¡¯s go for more!¡± Chen Qingke felt both excited and refreshed. Being chased and cursed at by people who could do nothing to them made her feel especially refreshed and reinvigorated. Li Ming looked at Junior Sister Chen, and his heart broke out in a sweat. Could it be that he had led his innocent little junior sister astray? However, this kind of business was definitely profitable. Who asked those people to set up an ambush? If they really managed to ambush him, all the gains would be taken away, and it would be a huge loss for him. Thus, he took Chen Qingke to wander around the central area. With his powerful divine sense, he discovered a few more ambushes. And they followed the same plan they had carried out before. Chen Qingke would attract their attention, while Li Ming took the opportunity to plunder the resources. The advantage of this was that Chen Qingke was an influential figure among inner disciples. Once she made a move, she was easily able to attract everyone¡¯s attention. When they ran over and saw her face, it was the best time for Li Ming to make a move. His Wind Lightning Steps, coupled with his strong physique, made him perfect for plundering the entire spiritual lands. This was repeated a few times. The two of them had filled their storage bags to the brim. Spiritual grass, spiritual plants, spiritual fruits, spiritual soil, and spiritual mist. The secret realm was truly rich. The resources here were simply too abundant. Their gains were also getting bigger and bigger, but the two of them did not have any enmity toward one another. Chen Qingke knew that her senior brother would not mistreat her. She felt that it would be fine even if she gave all her resources to Li Ming. ¡°You guys were taken advantage of by Li Ming too?¡± ¡°Ah? You guys were robbed too?¡± When the teams that had laid in ambush met each other, they could guess what was going on just by looking at each other¡¯s faces. They had all been lying in ambush, but in the end, they had been tricked by such a simple diversion. One of the teams was already prepared and had their disciples guard the spiritual land. However, as soon as Chen Qingke appeared, the few disciples that were there could not hold back and ran over to help. In the end, they were robbed by Li Ming. When they gathered together, they felt indignant. They decided to unite and play a trick within a trick. They would have a group of people lie in ambush in a valley with a spirit tree, while the rest of them pretended to lie in ambush in a place even further away. And Sure enough, Li Ming and Chen Qingke, who could not hold themselves back, were soon ambushed. Several groups of people had blocked their path in the valley. Li Ming quietly pulled out the spiritual tree and put it in his storage bag. Chen Qingke, on the other hand, was shocked to see two perfected qi refinement disciples and many other powerful disciples when she was trying to exit the valley. On the other side, Li Ming, who had originally wanted to escape through another exit, was also occupied by two perfected qi refinement disciples. These disciples had long been informed and knew that Li Ming¡¯s speed was a little strange, so they deliberately found a valley with cliffs on both sides. ¡°Li Ming, Junior Sister Chen.¡± A disciple in a daoist robe who had perfected the qi refinement stage calmly walked in front of the two. He stared at Li Ming with a dark face and said, ¡°Hand over your storage bags!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame us for being heavy-handed if you try and resist.¡± The rest of the people also surrounded him. While they could not kill them in the secret realm, they could still cripple him. Facing so many experts, Chen Qingke¡¯s expression turned grave. There was a total of four disciples who had perfected the qi refinement stage in the other party, and they also had quite a deep foundation. In the current situation, they could only try their best to break out of the encirclement in one direction. In this case, someone had to help her guard her back. Chen Qingke turned to Li Ming and said quickly, ¡°Senior brother, let¡¯s rush out in one direction. Can you help me guard my back? ¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Li Ming nodded. At this moment, the two of them did not reply to the other party, nor did they have any intention of surrendering. The qi refinement disciples frowned. If the two did not surrender, they would lose face. ¡°Just give up, Junior Sister Chen!¡± The disciple in the daoist robe said in a deep voice. ¡°You have no chance of winning.¡± Chen Qingke did not waste any time and said coldly, ¡°We won¡¯t know if we don¡¯t try.¡± She transformed into a flying swan, and a small bronze sword with flowing lights and vibrant colors danced around her. She brazenly charged towards one direction. The disciples did not expect Chen Qingke to be so decisive. However, the reaction of the two disciples guarding the exit was not slow. They quickly took out their magical artifacts, and waves of dao runes circled around them. Their aura was not any weaker than that of Chen Qingke. The perfected qi refinement disciples blocking the other exit also did not hesitate and attacked from behind. Li Ming guarded Chen Qingke¡¯s back, already wearing his gloves. In the end, Junior Sister Chen was still the main force on the main battlefield. Very quickly, everyone started fighting. Li Ming looked back and saw the small bronze cauldron and small bronze sword dancing in Junior Sister Chen¡¯s hands, erupting with extremely powerful and sharp qi. The two magical artifacts did not mess with one another at all. They allowed Chen Qingke to fight against two opponents who had an equally deep cultivation as her. Her two opponents were both incomparably fierce, and their might was astonishing. But even then, Chen Qingke was not placed at a disadvantage at all. Chapter 36 - End of the Trial Chapter 36 End of the Trial ¡°Swish!¡± Judging from Chen Qingke¡¯s proficiency in controlling her magical artifacts, it was not a problem for her to go against two people for some time. The small bronze cauldron looked like it was the size of a palm, but it seemed to exert a thousand tons of gravity on people. This caused the two senior brothers who were blocking her to have more flaws appear in their cooperation and make it difficult for them to continue. Moreover, she also had a small bronze sword magical artifact. It drew an extremely fast trajectory in the air, threatening people from time to time. To control two magical artifacts at the same time and use them with such proficiency while still only being at the qi refinement stage was like drawing a circle with one hand and a square with the other. Whether it was spiritual qi or spells, she had clearly cultivated both to a profound level. The disciples who saw this from the side could not help but be shocked. This junior sister of theirs was truly extraordinary. Even though there had always been rumors about her in the sect, rumors such as her cultivation speed being very fast, and her ability to comprehend immortal techniques being particularly excellent¡­ But after all, they had never gotten to see her in an actual battle. Only now did everyone know how powerful she was. The two senior brothers who were fighting Chen Qingke, in particular, had their arms go sluggish. One of them was wearing a daoist robe and wielding a horsetail whisk, while the other was wearing a black shirt and chanting spells. Even with their advantage in numbers, they were having a difficult time holding on against Chen Qingke. The two of them could only rely on their dense spiritual qi to hold on and exhaust Chen Qingke¡¯s energy. After all, Chen Qingke¡¯s consumption would naturally be much greater as she was controlling two magical artifacts. It seemed that there would be no conclusive result on this side for some time. Everyone could only hope that the other side would be the breakthrough point. However, when they turned around, their expressions changed again! Li Ming dodged and dodged under the siege of the two perfected qi refinement disciples. Li Ming was actually not defeated by two perfected qi refinement cultivators? Among them, there was even a young talent who had also reached the perfected level of the qi refinement stage within a year. That young talent was Sun Yifan, who could compete with Chen Qingke in terms of cultivation speed back then. At this moment, a white jade disc in his hand was emitting waves of light. One of the flowing lights brushed past Li Ming¡¯s side and landed on the stone wall, immediately creating a huge crack in the earth. It was very powerful. However, in the eyes of the others, this was more of what it looked like¡­ Even when using a magical artifact, he can¡¯t take down Li Ming?! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The audience felt that it was very strange. Even if Li Ming had reached the ninth level of the qi refinement stage, there were two perfected qi refinement cultivators who were attacking him. To the spectators, the two seemed as if they were definitely holding back and not exerting their full strength. But seeing as they were facing Li Ming, it was reasonable for them not to use their full strength. However, this was not a usual fight. With the current situation, shouldn¡¯t they get rid of Li Ming as fast as they could and then attack Chen Qingke together with the other perfected qi refinement disciples? Immediately, the surrounding disciples became more and more anxious as they watched, and they directly cursed out in anger. ¡°Sun Yifan! What are you doing at such a critical moment?¡± ¡°Senior Brother Hao, hurry up and take him down!¡± ¡°If you let him escape, what face will you have?¡± Being scolded by the other disciples, the two perfected qi refinement disciples who were fighting Li Ming felt very wronged. This kid looked like he was only at the ninth level of the qi refinement stage, but he was very slippery. He dodged every single one of their important attacks. They wanted to launch full-on attacks, but Li Ming did not want to fight them head-on. This scene made the onlooking disciples, who were blocking the various routes by the sides, feel extremely anxious. Even some ninth-level qi refinement disciples could not help but launch attacks at Li Ming as well. They were attacking Li Ming altogether. Suddenly, all kinds of magical techniques, such as fireball and wind blade, flew toward Li Ming. Of course, the power of these magical techniques was not as great as the attacks of Senior Brother Hao and Sun Yifan, but there was more of them. If these disciples directly interfered in the battle between Chen Qingke and the two perfected qi refinement cultivators, they might have actually been of some use. However, the one who they launched their attacks at was Li Ming. Just now, Li Ming had ransacked the spiritual land that they had used as bait and had even slipped away from right in front of them. They had finally found an outlet to vent their anger. ¡°Kill Li Ming!¡± A group of people rushed toward Li Ming, continuously casting magical techniques while they moved. When Li Ming used the Wind Lightning Steps, he moved like the wind. He dodged left and right in the crowd. His speed and reflexes were extremely fast. Only a few of those magical techniques managed to hit Li Ming, but they did not have much effect in the end. After practicing Iron Skin, the surface of Li Ming¡¯s body could resist most magical techniques at the qi refinement stage. Moreover, his physique had been tempered by the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. Naturally, these ordinary qi refinement disciples could not compare to him. ¡°I can¡¯t hit him at all?¡± ¡°Why is his movement technique so powerful?¡± ¡°I hit him! But why was he completely fine afterward? Did I miss?¡± The disciples who had just joined the battle felt even more sullen. With so many people ganging up on him, not only did they fail to take him down, but they were also only able to watch as he continued to get away. At this moment, Chen Qingke, who was in a stalemate with the daoist-robed senior brother and the black-shirted senior brother, had some spare time and energy to look behind her. When she looked behind her, she saw Li Ming drawing the other disciples back and forth with his movement technique, leaving a large space for her. And it seemed that Li Ming did not need her to worry about him at all. Even if those disciples surrounded him, it seemed as if they could not damage a single hair on Li Ming¡¯s head. Seeing this, Chen Qingke was relieved. She realized that she had no need to hold back anymore! She retracted her consciousness and condensed her qi again. At this moment, she was going all out. Using her qi to control the cauldron, the small bronze cauldron began to spin it in the air! She chanted, ¡°primordial true qi, mother of nature.¡± The small cauldron seemed to be covered with a layer of yellow mist, and it trembled with power. ¡°Go!¡± Chen Qingke pointed with her finger and the small cauldron turned into a stream of light and shot toward the black-shirted senior brother. The layers of golden light that were wrapped around the small bronze cauldron shattered upon contact. The black-shirted senior brother¡¯s mind trembled as he quickly retreated. The heavy cauldron still landed in front of him. Before it even touched him, he was sent flying out of the valley. The rest did not feel good either. They were all swept away by this attack and only felt the sound of a yellow bell ringing and reverberating in their minds. Even the disciples who were surrounding Li Ming at the back were affected by the aftermath. The exit that the black-robed senior brother was guarding suddenly opened up. Chen Qingke¡¯s all-out attack shocked everyone present. Previously, it was already the limit of their imagination to see her fight on equal grounds with two perfect qi refinement cultivators. They did not expect her to have been holding back. With just the power of this attack, she had seriously injured a perfected qi refinement disciple. The rest of the people present had trouble withstanding her attack as well. The black-shirted senior brother was even more dumbfounded. They were both at the peak of the qi refinement stage, but why was there such a huge gap between them? While everyone was still in shock, Chen Qingke and Li Ming seemed to have a telepathic connection and escaped toward the gap without hesitation. Almost at the same time, the two of them flew out of the valley and broke away from the encirclement. Some disciples tried to chase after them, but they stopped embarrassedly when they saw that their senior brothers, who were at the peak of the qi refinement stage, were not moving. Soon, Li Ming and Chen Qingke were far away. Everyone was left looking at each other with ugly expressions on their faces. There were so many people and geniuses among them, but even then, they were not able to keep Li Ming and Chen Qingke from escapting. The combat power displayed by Li Ming and Chen Qingke had exceeded their imagination. The former could not be taken down after a long time, and his movement technique was ghostly. The latter was able to fight against two perfected qi refinement cultivators and even come out victorious. The key was that the two of them were in the same team, so they had no choice but to admit defeat. Just as they were feeling complex feelings, everyone got a notification that the tracking spell had lost its effect. This meant that the forbidden land was about to close. Along with the opening of the entrance of the secret realm, they had to immediately return. The trial was finally over. Chapter 37 - Divine Soul Cultivation Technique, Soul Refining Art Chapter 37 Divine Soul Cultivation Technique, Soul Refining Art The once-a-year inner sect trial came to an end. As the entrance to the forbidden area opened, the disciples of the Divine Will Sect walked out through the light screen one by one. Many of them had unsightly expressions. Li Ming and Chen Qingke both had calm expressions. The group of disciples who had ambushed them but failed wore unfriendly expressions on their faces. However, there was nothing they could do. They had been tricked in the inner sect trial because they were not strong enough, so they could only suffer in silence. The elite senior brother said, ¡°In an orderly manner, hand over your storage bags for registration.¡± He stood with the other foundation establishment senior disciples in two rows, counting the harvests of the inner sect disciples that had participated in the inner sect trial. An inner sect disciple handed over a storage bag. The elite senior brother¡¯s divine sense swept through it and he said indifferently, ¡°Mo Yun, 75 spiritual fruits, 300 spiritual herbs¡­¡± At the same time, he had also took half of these resources. As the disciples walked by, they compared their gains. Soon, it was Li Ming and Chen Qingke¡¯s turn. ¡°Li Ming, 2721 spiritual fruits, four mu of spiritual grass, one spiritual tree¡­¡± ¡°Chen Qingke, 2580 spiritual fruits, five mu of spiritual grass, and one portion of spiritual spring¡­¡± When the two foundation establishment senior brothers said their count out loud, they were also shocked. Compared to the other disciples, the amount of resources these two had obtained was not just a little more. If they remembered correctly, these two were a team, weren¡¯t they? The rest of the disciples all looked at him and sighed. Only the group of disciples who were lying in ambush were aggrieved. They were only focused on ambushing others in this trial and in the end, they got almost nothing. The final result was calculated. Naturally, Li Ming and Chen Qingke¡¯s team of two received the most resources. They were ranked first and second respectively. ¡°Congratulations, Junior Brother Li Ming.¡± ¡°Congratulations, Junior Sister Chen Qingke.¡¯ In the arena, the foundation establishment senior brothers all smiled and congratulated them. The golden core elder could not help but nod at Chen Qingke in a friendly manner. Within a year of entering the sect, her cultivation speed was unparalleled. It was especially excellent of her to be able to get first place in this kind of trial. The elite senior brother immediately announced after the inventory check was done. ¡°The results of the inner sect trial are out.¡± ¡°First place in comprehensive resources is Junior Brother Li Ming, second place is Junior Sister Chen Qingke, and third place is Junior Brother Fang Yuan.¡± ¡°The three of you can follow me to the treasure vault to choose a treasure. The rest of you can leave after handing over half of your resources!¡± Fang Yuan, who had been selected for third place, was extremely excited. After the resources that Li Ming and Chen Qingke had obtained during the inner sect trial were announced, nobody had any doubt that they would take first and second place. In reality, even if Li Ming and Chen Qingke handed over half of the resources, they would each still have more than twice as much as Fang Yuan. After all, the two of them had worked together and intercepted so many people. Although they had offended many disciples, if it was based on the huge difference in strength, these offenses might become capital to show off in the future. After elite senior brother¡¯s announcement. Li Ming had won first place in this year¡¯s inner sect trial. Everyone looked at him with envy. That was first place! Not only had he received so many resources, but he could also choose a treasure from the treasure vault. Even the word ¡°envious¡± was honestly not enough to describe what the other disciples were feeling right now. ¡°Sigh, that guy is really lucky.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just enjoying all the hard work that Junior Sister Chen Qingke put in.¡± ¡°What is he even capable of? What is he capable of¡­¡± In their eyes, Chen Qingke¡¯s strength was outstanding, and Fang Yuan was also an outstanding inner disciple who had perfected his qi refinement. As for Li Ming, a ninth-level qi refinement cultivator, they saw him as someone who merely benefited from picking up the scraps. In particular, some of the senior brothers who had perfected the qi refinement stage were envious of Li Ming. If it was not for Li Ming¡¯s sudden appearance, they might have managed to get into the top three. Li Ming did not care about the looks of envy directed toward him. This time, when he and Junior Sister Chen formed a team, it was indeed his junior sister who contributed more. She had been the one to attract a lot of the firepower. However, he had at least used his divine sense and thought of such an ingenious plan. After the other disciples left, Li Ming, Chen Qingke, and Fang Yuan stayed where they were. The golden core stage elder looked at the three of them and nodded in approval. These three people were the top three of this year¡¯s inner sect trial and would most likely be future mainstays of the sect. Of course, Li Ming¡¯s story was a little exaggerated. However, seeing that he had returned to the path of qi cultivation, the golden core stage elder also held an encouraging attitude toward him. The Divine Will Sect could not really support the cultivation of a body tempering disciple. ¡°Don¡¯t move around. I¡¯ll bring you to the sect¡¯s treasury.¡± As he spoke, the golden core elder waved his hand. The three of them seemed to be riding on clouds and mist as the golden core elder flicked his sleeve. In the blink of an eye, they flew past several mountain peaks and arrived at a slightly shorter peak. When they landed on the ground, they all sighed at the power of the golden core elder. The golden core elder flashed his token to the disciple who was guarding the treasure vault, and then led the three disciples to the underground treasure vault. After passing through a path with tall flames on both sides, they arrived at a grand hall that was decorated with pearls. The hall was filled with the splendor of treasures. On the shelves, there were all kinds of treasures and magical artifacts. ¡°This is the outermost layer of our sect¡¯s 11 treasure vault,¡± the golden core stage elder introduced. ¡°You can choose any item you want and come to me to register it as yours. ¡°In the future, you must work hard in your cultivation and not let down the sect¡¯s trust.¡± The three of them shouted, ¡°Yes!¡± Then, the golden core stage elder walked out of the hall and let them choose. After the elder left, Li Ming and Chen Qingke looked at each other and smiled. They had indeed gained a lot this time. Just the half of the resources that they obtained in the secret realm were already a lot. Now, they even got to choose a treasure from the sect¡¯s treasure vault. ¡°Senior brother, I see that other than magical artifacts and medicinal pills, there are also some cultivation techniques and secret techniques here. You have yet to choose a cultivation technique yet, so you can go and look through the ones here.¡± Chen Qingke, who knew Li Ming¡¯s situation very well, gave him a suggestion. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Li Ming nodded. Chen Qingke pointed to the other side. ¡°Senior brother, I¡¯ll go over there and take a look.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s split up and look around.¡± Li Ming went to another area of the treasury leisurely. Li Ming walked past the shelves, the treasures on which glowed with a divine charm and luster under the shine of the pearls. Many of them were magical artifacts suitable for those at the foundation establishment I¡¯m stage. ¡°The sect is really considerate. However, mainly focused on body cultivation now, so I don¡¯t have much need for magical artifacts.¡± Looking at these treasures, it was really too much for the eyes to take in. Even the treasures in the outermost treasury of the sect were extremely precious to many. For example, the thousand-year-old ice lingzhi was of great help to some ice-attribute cultivators. Or the demon-subduing banner that carried the faint sound of ghosts wailing and wolves howling and was very suitable for cultivators who specialized in array formations. and Li Ming did not hurry as he looked through the treasures around him. He looked around walked to the cultivation techniques area. Looking at the cultivation techniques, all of them were very renowned. Among them, there were some high-level qi cultivation techniques. All of a sudden, he saw a cultivation technique that was related to the cultivation of the divine soul, Soul Refining Art! A cultivation technique for cultivating the soul was not common. He did not expect to find one here. Li Ming happened to want one, so he immediately picked it up and read it. He discovered that there were restrictions under the cover of the cultivation technique, but the first few pages could be flipped through at will. He took a look and confirmed that it was indeed a cultivation technique for cultivating the divine soul. Furthermore, it was at least a cultivation technique for the foundation establishment stage. Li Ming was delighted to find this here. With this, he no longer needed to go to the scripture depository to try and look for a good divine soul cultivation technique. Those that could be placed in the sect¡¯s treasury were probably better than those in the scripture depository anyway. ¡°This is it.¡± Li Ming immediately decided that he would be choosing to take away this cultivation technique. Chapter 38 - Inner Sect Grand Competition Chapter 38 Inner Sect Grand Competition After Li Ming chose the [Soul Refining Art], he went to the entrance of the treasure vault and waited. After Chen Qingke and Fang Yuan had also finished choosing the treasures they wanted, the three of them went to the golden core elder to register the treasures. ¡°Soul Refining Art?¡± The golden core elder removed the restriction and handed it to Li Ming. ¡°Yes,¡± Li Ming nodded. The golden core elder fell deep into thought. It was rare for qi refinement stage cultivators to cultivate their divine soul. However, he did not say much. Every cultivator had their own path. Moreover, he did not know much about Li Ming¡¯s Soul Refining Art, so he could not really give him any advice even if he wanted to. Soon after, the golden core elder removed the restriction on the magical artifact which Fang Yuan had chosen that looked like a pagoda. At the bottom of the pagoda was an exquisite lotus platform with a total of seven floors. It had an antique feel to it and was emitting a precious light. It was very extraordinary. ¡°This is one of the best magical artifacts in the treasury. It¡¯s excellent in both defense and support.¡± The golden core elder smiled in approval. Originally, these magical artifacts could only be left there, so it was naturally a good thing that they could shine in the hands of the outstanding disciples of the sect. Fang Yuan held the pagoda in his hands and was extremely excited. In any case, the top three could choose whichever treasure they wanted. He did not envy Li Ming at all now. With this top-grade magical artifact, his strength would improve greatly. Compared to Fang Yuan, Li Ming was much calmer. As a body cultivator, he did not need many magical artifacts in the first place. However, the divine soul was different. Today, in the secret realm, he was able to accurately detect the location of the other cultivators as if he had seen through everything. A powerful divine soul was a dimension-reducing attack. Therefore, he chose this Soul Refining Art without hesitation. After Li Ming and Fang Yuan finished registering their treasures, the golden core elder looked at Chen Qingke. At this moment, she was holding a bundle of navy-blue soil in her hands. The soil still carried a certain fragrance, and it was filled with tiny particles that reflected a black light. It looked like an ore that had been dug out from the mountains. ¡°Elder Song, this is the treasure I¡¯ve chosen.¡± Elder Song¡¯s expression froze when he saw the soil. Quintessential magnetic soil. This was also a rare treasure, and its nature was extremely special, possessing countless wonderful uses. From Chen Qingke¡¯s expression, she clearly knew the origin of this soil. ¡°Swish!¡± Elder Song waved his hand and removed the restriction on the treasure that Chen Qingke had chosen. With that, she could now take and use it freely. Chen Qingke was overjoyed when she received the quintessential magnetic soil. She immediately stored in her storage bag. Perhaps this treasure was not that useful to others, but it was extremely precious to her. This was because the special properties of the quintessential magnetic soil were of great help to her constitution. After obtaining the treasures they wanted, Li Ming, Chen Qingke, and Fang Yuan all looked satisfied. Elder Song turned around and said as he closed the vault and led them out of the tunnel, ¡°Since you¡¯ve received your treasures, you may return.¡± The three of them thanked the elder and left. After Li Ming and Chen Qingke returned to the main peak, they also returned to their cave abodes. The two of them stood at the fork in the road in the bamboo forest. ¡°Senior brother, I¡¯ll be going into closed-door cultivation when I return this time.¡± ¡°The next time we meet, I might already be a foundation establishment cultivator.¡± Chen Qingke¡¯s eyes shone with confidence. For all cultivators, the barrier from the qi refinement stage to the foundation establishment stage was definitely the most difficult one to overcome. Becoming a foundation establishment cultivator was no different from a carp leaping through the dragon¡¯s gate. Every aspect of them would undergo an earth-shattering change. Breaking through to the foundation establishment stage was not only the first mountain pass on the long path of immortality, but also the most urgent goal for all qi refinement cultivators. Of course, it was not an easy task to reach the foundation establishment stage in one go. Talent, resources, techniques, diligence, luck, will¡­ None of them could be missing. There were even many qi refinement stage cultivators who were stuck in the qi refinement stage their entire lives, unable to successfully establish their foundation and wasting their time. However, Li Ming also had a lot of trust in his junior sister. He felt that she must have made sufficient preparations and had complete confidence before deciding that she would enter closed-door cultivation to break through to the foundation establishment stage. ¡°Then I have to congratulate you in advance,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Senior brother, you have to reach the foundation establishment stage as soon as possible as well,¡± Chen Qingke said expectantly. ¡°When the time comes, we¡¯ll participate in the inner sect grand competition together. The rewards we can obtain there are even more generous.¡± Li Ming nodded. In fact, although they were also inner sect disciples now, they were essentially just reserves for inner sect disciples. Only when one¡¯s strength reached the foundation establishment stage could one be considered to have officially entered the inner sect. Otherwise, they would not even be qualified to participate in the sect¡¯s inner sect grand competition. Under Chen Qingke¡¯s gaze, Li Ming pondered. ¡°I will definitely participate in the inner sect grand competition.¡± Li Ming thought to himself, ¡°After all, a martial dao foundation establishment cultivator is still a foundation establishment cultivator. He should be able to participate in the competition.¡± He was also looking forward to seeing how strong he would be after he reached the foundation establishment stage. After all, up until now, there had been no precedent for body tempering in the sect. He did not even have a standard for reference. And the inner sect grand competition would be the best touchstone. The inner sect grand competition was not as small as the inner sect trial. That was the sect¡¯s annual competition for the elite inner sect disciples to compete amongst one another and have a written test. Whether it was in position or scale, it was much bigger than the inner sect trial in the secret realm. Even the threshold to enter was the foundation establishment stage, which showed how grand it was. Naturally, with the competition¡¯s standards being so high, the rewards were more generous as well. ¡°Mm-hm.¡± After bidding farewell to Li Ming, Chen Qingke quickly returned to her cave abode to cultivate in seclusion. Li Ming also felt some pressure. The inner sect grand competition was a contest between elite disciples. Therefore, he had to reach the foundation establishment stage before the sect competition. The more his strength improved, the better. After returning to his cave abode, Li Ming came to his room and first checked his biggest gain from the inner sect trial. The [Soul Refining Art]. He opened the Soul Refining Art and read it all the way to the end. He gradually understood it. This cultivation technique was indeed for cultivating the divine soul. However, it was not complete. It was only a fragment. Its greatest effect was to condense the divine soul, making the divine soul tougher. To condense the divine soul, one must at least have an extremely powerful divine soul. However, the problem was that the soul of an ordinary cultivator was too weak and could not be condensed. Even if it was forcefully condensed, the effect of the condensed divine soul was almost non-existent. Thus, this incomplete cultivation technique was of little value to others. It only talked about how to condense the divine soul, but did not talk about how to strengthen it. How could ordinary people have such a foundation? Therefore, Li Ming estimated that this cultivation technique should have a chapter on strengthening the divine soul, which was the most important part of this cultivation technique. The divine refining chapter strengthened the divine soul, while the soul refining chapter condensed the divine soul. The two complemented each other and eventually cultivated a powerful divine soul. When he thought of this, Li Ming understood. It was no wonder that even though this Soul Refining Art was a rare cultivation technique for cultivating the divine soul, it could only be placed at the outermost layer of the treasure vault. Without that part about divine refining, ordinary people would not be able to cultivate this technique. That being said, the complete version would at least be placed in the middle section of the sect¡¯s treasure vault as a reward for foundation establishment cultivators. However, this time, Li Ming had picked up a bargain. Because the Soul Refining Art was just right for him. After all, with the opportunity gift of the purple entry, his soul was already very strong and could be condensed as much as he wanted. Chapter 39 - Light of the Soul, Divine Sense Attack Chapter 39 Light of the Soul, Divine Sense Attack Li Ming had already gotten a rough understanding of the Soul Refining Art. And with that, it was time for him to start cultivating. He realized that this cultivation technique¡¯s method of refining the divine soul was actually quite similar to how one would refine or temper their body. Both means of cultivation would have either the body or the divine soul their potential stimulated through tempering. The only difference was that the Soul Refining Art was more dangerous as it concerned the divine soul. If he was unable to protect his original conscience, then he would face the danger of cultivation deviation. Li Ming was in seclusion in his cave abode, studying the Soul Refining Art and consciously trying to cultivate his divine soul. In the beginning, Li Ming, who had never cultivated his divine soul, could feel the trembling in the depths of his soul every time he cultivated it. But as he grew more experienced with how the Soul Refining Art worked, he gradually adapted to the tempering of the divine soul. He also understood how dangerous soul attacks could be. ¡°If one¡¯s divine soul is not protected and attacked at full force, one might turn into a vegetable.¡¯ ¡°Additionally, if my divine soul is strong enough, illusion techniques would become unable to affect me.¡± The more Li Ming practiced, the more delighted he became. In the past half a month, he had been in seclusion cultivating the Soul Refining Art. Because the divine soul involved the domain of the mind, he had to utterly complete an entire circulation, which was quite exhausting. Li Ming could only devote himself to it day and night, repeatedly tempering his originally powerful divine soul. Under his diligent cultivation, a green entry finally appeared. [Light of the Soul (Green): Increases the degree of condensation of the divine soul.] This made Li Ming even more surprised. With the help of this entry, his cultivation would become even more effective. That night, a cold and moist feeling spread throughout his body. Li Ming seemed to have ascended and was bathed in moonlight. He had finally completed an entire round of condensation for the first time. He could be considered to have completed the initial step. About one-fifth of his original divine soul had been condensed. Although it had shrunk by one-fifth in terms of size, the strength of his divine soul had increased greatly. As expected, the more condensed a divine soul was, the greater the power it would be able to exert. The more solid one¡¯s soul was, the better one would be able to control it. Moreover, the range of his divine sense had increased by nearly a third compared to the past, and the coverage area had significantly increased. Furthermore, his perception had become even stronger. Nothing in the entire cave abode could escape his perception. This feeling of being in control of everything allowed him to feel the power of a foundation establishment cultivator in advance. Moreover, the degree of the condensation of his divine soul was even stronger than that of ordinary foundation establishment cultivators. Li Ming estimated that within the same level, his current divine sense should be unrivaled. After doing all this, he threw himself into the cultivation of the Soul Refining Art. After all, with the enhancement of the [Light of the Soul], when Li Ming cultivated, every bit of condensation of his divine soul could bring about visible changes. His divine soul became increasingly solid and stronger. Now, his divine soul had begun to take shape. It became like a reflection of himself, sitting cross-legged in his sea of consciousness. ¡°This Soul Refining Art is indeed exquisite. It is a cultivation technique that is both efficient and profound.¡± ¡°The means of applying my divine soul previously when I had nothing to guide me were truly too crude.¡± Li Ming had mastered the initial stage of the Soul Refining Art and began to think about the applications of his divine soul. Previously, he had used his divine soul to explore the terrain, search for other cultivators, and sense their cultivation stages. These were the most basic means of using the divine sense. However, after reading this incomplete manual, Li Ming found some means to use his divine soul to launch attacks. ¡°By highly concentrating one¡¯s divine sense, they would be able to launch a destructive attack on the other party¡¯s soul¡­¡± ¡°Divine Sense Thorn!¡± He looked at this move in surprise. He did not expect that there would be a senior who could reach such a level with the application of their divine soul. This was an attack that was comparable to those constructed from spiritual qi in terms of might. This Divine Sense Thron was a direct attack on the divine soul. Even if his opponent was stronger than him, if the opponent was not on guard, the damage caused by this attack would definitely be more serious than an average attack. Of course, this method could only be used once. After all, the effect would be greatly reduced if the other party was on guard. This move could be used as a trump card and used when his opponent least expected it. In the following period of time, Li Ming completely mastered the Divine Sense Thorn. After nearly a month, Li Ming had completed his initial cultivation of his divine soul. Now, his divine soul was quite condensed. Compared to when he had not cultivated the Soul Refining, his divine soul had shrunk by an entire quarter. The strength it brought was also very terrifying. It was rare for anyone below the foundation establishment stage to have such a powerful divine soul. From now on, his main focus of cultivation would shift back to body cultivation. Cultivators could not excel at everything, so they had to make some sacrifices. Strength and realm were often the most fundamental foundation of a cultivator. Now, he needed to break through to the foundation establishment stage! After all, he was going to participate in the inner sect grand competition next. He had to reach the foundation establishment stage as soon as possible. Li Ming knew that with his immortal cultivation aptitude, the difficulty of cultivating qi and building a foundation through that path was too high. However, it was not impossible for him to do so for the martial dao. He had the [Martial Arts Prodigy] and [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians] entries, together with the firm foundation that he had forged day and night for so many years. It was not impossible for him to reach the martial dao foundation establishment stage. It just so happened that he had obtained a lot of resources from the trial in the secret realm, all of which would help him to break through to the foundation establishment stage. The only thing he was lacking was him actually carrying out the cultivation and attempting to break through to the foundation establishment stage. He was still cultivating the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art and had not switched to the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. This was because he would also need to re-establish his foundation after changing his cultivation technique. Changing his cultivation technique now would only be a waste of time. Therefore, Li Ming planned to change his cultivation technique after he reached the foundation establishment stage and use the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art to lay a good foundation. He focused on body cultivation, and this cultivation lasted for another half a month. According to the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art, the sixth level was to use the true flame and complete the qualitative change in the blazing fire. The seventh level combined the four steps of bone forging, blood changing, organs refining, and marrow cleansing. Cold fire forged the bones to forge the meridians, quenching fire changed blood to nurture qi, true fire refined the internal organs to shed the body, and blazing fire cleansed the marrow to build the foundation. The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard. Li Ming¡¯s body was lit up by an open fire. Around him, streams of blazing sun true qi slowly rotated. The surrounding grass turned pitch-black in several places. There were traces of them being burned by the true flame. ¡°Phew¡­¡± The spark between Li Ming¡¯s eyebrows disappeared, and the flames on his body disappeared. At present, he was able to release and retract his true flame as he pleased, just like a perfect container. He had reached the peak of the sixth stage of the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. However, if he wanted to go one step further and forge a martial dao foundation establishment stage, it would be even more difficult. His eyes were burning as he looked at the pool in front of him. After his true fire had previously evaporated the pond, he drew in another pond from the back mountain. Now, it was already overflowing. Li Ming mumbled to himself. ¡°Innate martial dao, tempered spirit.¡± That was the level of the immortal body. In the martial dao, there were all sorts of ways to temper oneself, such as the power of heaven and earth, wind and frost, ice and snow, or the blazing sun that he used. They all allowed for one to breakthrough to this level. He had to be as fierce and domineering as a blazing flame and charge straight through! Li Ming seemed to have realized something. For the past half a month, his strength had stopped increasing. It was like a pool that had been filled to the brim. No matter how much he tempered himself, he still remained at the sixth level. He was unable to enter the seventh level. He suddenly stood up. Perhaps all he lacked was a driving force. Li Ming understood that the spiritual liquid he had been soaking in these days was too mild. In order to reach the martial dao foundation establishment stage, he had to make use of stronger stimulation. This was the only way to break through to the final level. Chapter 40 - Final Breakthrough, Martial Dao Foundation Establishment Chapter 40 Final Breakthrough, Martial Dao Foundation Establishment After careful consideration, the fiercest thing Li Ming could think of was the earth fire used in alchemy in the sect. After all, heavenly fire was hard to find, but as far as he knew, the Divine Will Sect had a spiritual vein of earth fire. Generally speaking, that spiritual vein was used by the inner sect elders to draw fire for when they refined pills. However, this time, Li Ming wanted to use the earth fire to help him reach the foundation establishment stage. He did as he thought. He immediately headed to the sect¡¯s great hall. After finding the elder on duty, he stepped forward and saluted, ¡°Elder Lin, I would like to request permission from the sect to use the earth fire.¡± Elder Lin was a little confused when he saw Li Ming. He had a deep impression of this disciple. From being unknown after he had gone on to tread the path of body cultivation, to defeating Duan Xiuwen and becoming a rising star once again. At that time, the great elder had even said that he would give Li Ming a chance. However, what was the point of using the earth fire? ¡°What kind of pill are you going to refine?¡± ¡°If you have the materials, you can ask the elders in the sect to help you refine it. That way, the success rate will be higher,¡± Elder Lin suggested. Li Ming said, ¡°Elder Lin, I¡¯m not here to refine pills.¡± ¡°Instead, I need to use the earth fire spirit to break through.¡± Elder Lin had never heard of such a request. After all, there were no body cultivators in the sect, and ordinary people would not use earth fire to cultivate. Therefore, Elder Lin was even more puzzled. Earth fire could be used to break through? He thought for a moment and asked Li Ming to wait for a moment. He discussed this with several elders in the sect. ¡°Using the earth fire spirit to break through?¡± The elders were all confused. In the end, it was the first elder who made the decision. ¡°To us, the earth fire is only used for alchemy. Most of the time, it¡¯s idle.¡± ¡°Rather than leaving it there doing nothing, why don¡¯t we let Li Ming try whatever it is he¡¯s planning to do?¡± The rest of the elders agreed. Indeed, there was no loss in letting Li Ming cultivate in the earth fire spiritual land. If he could really break through, it would be a pleasant surprise. Elder Lin and the other elders finished their discussion. He then came to Li Ming and said gently, ¡°The sect has agreed to let you use the earth fire spiritual land. Follow me.¡± Li Ming¡¯s eyes flashed with joy. With the help of the earth fire spiritual land, he was even more confident in being able to reach the martial dao foundation establishment stage. ¡°Thank you, Elder Lin.¡± Elder Lin waved his hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. The sect¡¯s resources are meant to help the disciples cultivate.¡± Following Elder Lin, Li Ming arrived at the foot of the main peak. In the crack in the mountain, he continued to head down along a small path. The mountain range where the Divine Will Sect was located was the essence of the land and had all kinds of spirit veins. And this earth fire spiritual land was a blessed land that the elders had opened up to nurture fire essence. Otherwise, with the dangers of the earth fire spiritual vein, ordinary cultivators might be burned if they got too close. When they arrived at the entrance of the earth fire spiritual land, Elder Lin gave Li Ming a reminder, ¡°Li Ming, you can move around freely in this spiritual land, but remember not to run around. The real power of the earth fire is definitely not something you can resist!¡± The elders only wanted to provide resources, not waste an immortal seedling. ¡°Alright,¡± Li Ming replied cautiously. ¡°Then you should focus on your cultivation.¡± Elder Lin also left in relief. As long as Li Ming did not rush into the earth fire to die, nothing should go wrong. After Elder Lin left, Li Ming took a deep breath and walked into the entrance of the earth fire spiritual land. When he was outside, he could already feel the hot wind coming from the spiritual land. As soon as he entered the earth fire spiritual land, he felt as if he had stepped into a fiery red world. It was as if there was lava boiling right underneath the ground, causing the surrounding stone walls to turn hot red. One could vaguely see earth fire spewing out of the crevices in the spiritual land. ¡°Phew¡­¡± After staying in the center of the spiritual land for a while, Li Ming¡¯s forehead was covered in a layer of sweat, and there were small holes in his clothes. In this environment, the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art in his body circulated rapidly. The blazing sun true qi in the air here was very dense, making it the best place for fire-attribute cultivators to cultivate. Li Ming did not waste any time. He sat down directly and began to temper his body with the help of the earth fire. Starting from the earth fire¡¯s external flame, a stream of fiery red flame qi was absorbed into his body. His body that had been tempered for a long time trembled slightly with the absorption of the flame qi. ¡°Continue. This is the effect I wanted.¡± Although the brutality of the earth fire was more than he initially expected, Li Ming was happy with this discovery. The flames began to intensify, and his body turned as red as burning charcoal, emitting a white mist. Blood changing and bone forging! The earth fire hissed and flowed through his bones and muscles, and a pain that went deep into his bone marrow began to spread and intensify. The fire burned in his body like gangrene, as if it would not stop until his bones were burned to ashes. In the midst of the intense pain, Li Ming also discovered that¡­ His cultivation stage had begun to loosen! He guarded his dantian and circulated the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. He seemed to have raised the boiling point, and his boiling blood gradually calmed down. He circulated the cultivation technique over and over again, trying to break through to the martial dao foundation establishment stage. The originally stable realm began to loosen. It was as if a pool had suddenly expanded into a large lake. The fire essence flowing from the earth fire was what Li Ming really needed. While it was extremely dangerous to cultivate here, absorbing the fire essence of heaven and earth could speed up his cultivation. However, if the fire essence went on a rampage, the restless fire essence would not stay still in the body. It would destroy everything, and it could cause him to suffer from serious injuries or even death. Fortunately, Li Ming was well prepared and carefully guided the earth fire to temper his body. He carefully circulated it through the routes that he had long memorized. Under the searing pain of the earth fire, his body continued to burn. Li Ming felt that his sense of touch had been heightened, and he came to have a deeper understanding of pain. In this kind of painful torture, every second felt extremely long, and the passage of time gradually blurred. He only had one thought now, and that was to bathe in the fire to temper his body and reach the foundation establishment stage. Time passed unknowingly. A month had passed in the outside world. It was also getting closer and closer to the time when the sect would hold the inner sect grand competition. On this day. On the main peak¡¯s square. The disciples sat in different areas, either silently cultivating their qi or discussing the dao with their fellow disciples. The entire square was filled with a scene of prosperity. Elder Mo, who was on duty, was sitting quietly in the hall. All of a sudden. A huge tremor came from the bottom of the mountain. ¡°Boom!¡± The continuous shaking reverberated above the main peak. The disciples in the square were shocked and began to discuss amongst themselves. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Why is the main peak shaking?¡± ¡°The movement is coming from the foot of the mountain. Could it be that the earth fire erupted?¡± The disciples were bewildered. In the main hall, Elder Mo, who was on duty, suddenly stood up. ¡°Could it be that something has happened to the earth fire spiritual land?¡± He mumbled with a serious expression. At this moment, within the earth fire spiritual land. An extremely violent and terrifying figure was slowly walking out of the flowing lava. As if shaking off water droplets, he splashed hot lava onto the ground. Immediately after, his aura began to gradually withdraw and calm down. In the blink of an eye, Li Ming had changed into a long robe. He walked out of the crevice, his clothes fluttering. In the mountain range, he walked alone on the mountain path, his aura majestic. He had reached the martial dao foundation establishment stage! Chapter 41 Chapter 41 ¨C First Ever In The Sect, Martial Dao Prodigy Chapter 41: First Ever in the Sect, Martial Dao Prodigy Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The commotion at the earth fire spiritual land attracted the attention of the entire sect! Countless outer sect disciples in the surroundings, as well as inner sect disciples in high locations, were attracted by the sudden, loud noise! At the same time, the faces of the elders all turned serious when they heard the noise! At this moment, on the mountain road, Li Ming was wearing a long green robe. He stretched out both of his arms, and his bones popped satisfyingly as he did so. A comfortable feeling engulfed his entire body! He felt as if his entire body had sublimated and as if he had shed his mortal body! It was said that cultivation pursued the limits. Immortals were quite similar to Gods and Buddhas as they sought eternal life! And the very first step in this long, long path was to shed the mortal shell! On the path of qi refinement, one could become an immortal with an endless lifespan when they reached the peak. The mortal body was an obstacle. Qi refinement would have one cultivate qi and abandon the physical body. In the later stages, the cultivator would focus on the divine soul. However, body refinement was different. Body refinement focused on the fleshly body, and becoming a saint was the ultimate goal! At this moment, Li Ming could clearly feel the charm of the martial dao foundation establishment stage. His entire body felt so light that he felt he could float in the wind, but it was surging with a mountainous strength at the same time! ¡°The martial dao foundation establishment stage is indeed extraordinary!¡± Li Ming¡¯s face was filled with joy. He had worked hard for so long. During his stay in the Divine Will Sect, he had suffered countless ridicule. But now, he could be considered to have successfully established his foundation! Even though he was not a qi refinement foundation establishment cultivator, he was still a foundation establishment cultivator! While Li Ming was sighing, the voices of the surrounding disciples could be heard. He, who cultivated his divine soul, had become naturally particularly sensitive to the wind and grass in his surroundings. ¡°Li Ming? That loud vibration came from the direction he came from!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I heard that he went to the earth fire spiritual land. Could it be that he went there to refine pills? ¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be right! When did he learn how to refine pills?¡± The cultivation of the outer sect disciples was not high. Most of them were around the fifth level of qi refinement. As such, they naturally could not see through Li Ming, who was already at the foundation establishment stage! ¡°This guy has actually reached the foundation establishment stage?¡± All of a sudden, the inner sect disciples noticed something strange about Li Ming! Anyone who entered the foundation establishment stage would have a foundation establishment stone platform appear in their dantian. This was characteristic to all qi refinement foundation establishment cultivators. Their dantians would give birth to a platform as soon as they reached the foundation establishment stage, and the platform was their foundation. As their qi refinement solidified, the spiritual qi on the platform would become increasingly richer! Because of this, a foundation establishment cultivator would emit fresh spiritual qi from their bodies. After attaining foundation establishment, the spiritual qi from qi refinement could be converted and used for their personal use. At the same time, it would also be unintentionally released by their bodies! Most inner sect disciples were at the perfected level of the qi refinement stage. All of them dreamed of reaching the foundation establishment stage, so they naturally familiarized themselves with this knowledge! However¡­ Li Ming was only at the ninth level of the qi refinement stage, so how could he have possibly already established his foundation? Therefore, the only possibility was the martial dao! ¡°Martial dao foundation establishment?¡± ¡°I really did not expect this fool to be able to achieve the martial dao foundation establishment stage! ¡± ¡°However, what¡¯s the use of attaining the martial dao foundation establishment stage? It¡¯s nothing more than turning from a little boorish man into a big boorish man. In the end, it¡¯s not the right path!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. When we reach the foundation establishment stage, we¡¯ll definitely be stronger than him!¡± The body refinement foundation establishment stage had been unheard of for a hundred years! The Divine Will Sect was a hegemon with a long history, but there had never been anyone who had reached the martial dao foundation establishment stage among its members! Just as the disciples were scoffing at Li Ming, Elder MO appeared in front of them! A month ago, Li Ming applied to enter the earth fire spiritual land. A month later, the sect was shaken. Something unusual must have happened in the spiritual land. But now, when Li Ming walked out, his temperament had completely changed from before! With Elder Mo¡¯s cultivation, he could easily tell that Li Ming had indeed reached the martial dao foundation establishment stage! ¡°Li Ming, martial dao foundation establishment stage. You are the first person since the establishment of the sect to achieve this feat! Not bad, not bad! The sect did not misjudge you.¡± ¡°However, although you have already established your foundation in the martial dao, the path of qi cultivation is still more important. Do not abandon Although Elder MO was also shocked that Li Ming was able to reach the martial dao foundation establishment stage, the path of body refinement was extremely difficult. Every step after reaching the foundation establishment stage in the martial dao was extremely difficult! He believed that Li Ming was able to attain the martial dao foundation establishment stage due to his extraordinary talent. If he were to refine qi, he would definitely be even more outstanding! Elder Mo¡¯s words made the surrounding disciples think that the martial dao foundation establishment was trash! They all saw Li Ming to have gone on the completely wrong path! Otherwise, with his talent, he would have been able to advance by leaps and bounds and become the most dazzling prodigy in the sect! But now, even though he had reached the foundation establishment stage through the martial dao, his qi cultivation was still a complete mess! ¡°I will keep Elder Mo t s teachings in mind.¡± Li Ming cupped his hands and did not refute. He was the most clear about the effects of body refinement. Without experiencing it personally, how could he understand the wondrous effects of body refinement? Moreover, Li Ming had all kinds of entries added to his body at this point, and his talent had undergone humungous changes. He had long since jumped from being extremely untalented to an outstanding disciple. In the past, he had hidden himself in all sorts of ways, afraid that others would find out that he was lacking in talent. But now, Li Ming clearly no longer needed to do so. ¡°Tsk, I thought that it was amazing, but it isn¡¯t even as good as the qi refinement foundation establishment! ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Right now, all the inner sect disciples are trying to break through to the foundation establishment stage. When they come out, won¡¯t they be able to crush Li Ming in minutes?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to know how powerful Senior Brother Li Ming is in the inner sect competition. If possible, I¡¯ll go for body refinement too!¡± The disciples had differing opinions. Some of them wanted to see Li Ming, who had attained the martial dao foundation establishment stage, shine brightly in the inner sect. This would also provide a path for disciples with poor qi cultivation talent like them! Of course, if he failed to do so, no one would be surprised. Soon, Li Ming returned to his cave abode. Li Ming also calculated carefully. This time, he was able to complete the breakthrough and reach the martial dao foundation establishment stage. The help of the earth fire spiritual land was huge. During the time he was in there, the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art had reached the seventh level! Moreover, having officially entered the martial dao foundation establishment stage, Li Ming could start cultivating the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art! The effect of body refinement was obvious, and the increase in combat strength was even more so. This made Li Ming even more determined not to abandon the path of body refinement! With the two entries of [Martial Dao Prodigy] and [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians], Li Ming could be said to have no pressure in terms of body tempering! He had long gotten used to the pain of body refinement over the years. This time, not only did he successfully complete his martial dao foundation establishment, but his qi cultivation also increased! He had reached the tenth level of qi refinement! The breakthrough in body refinement had greatly improved his physical body, and his absorption of heaven and earth spiritual energy had increased! Adding the benefits from the entries on top of that, his qi refining talent right now could be considered top-tier! If his qi refinement reached the foundation establishment as well, wouldn¡¯t his strength go up another level? In terms of body refinement, Li Ming was in no hurry to start cultivating the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. He planned to consolidate his foundation for a few days first before he continued his cultivation in body tempering! Apart from this, he also planned to put in some effort in qi refinement! To reach the perfected level of qi refinement, one needed to reach the twelfth level of qi refinement. Now that he had the help of the entry [Lifetime of Qi Refinement], Li Ming naturally would not slack off. Although his talent in qi refinement was extremely poor, it would be a great help if he could advance by one level. ¡°I wonder if Junior Sister Chen¡¯s foundation establishment is going smoothly?¡± When he returned to his cave abode, Li Ming could not help but think of Chen Qingke. That girl was extremely talented, and she had obtained many treasures in the trial. With her talent, she should be able to smoothly establish her foundation. Li Ming abandoned his thoughts and began to cultivate.. After all, there were still seven days before the inner sect grand competition! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 ¨C A New Qi Cultivation Entry! Chapter 42: A New Qi Cultivation Entry! Seven days was extremely short! Many inner sect disciples who had reached the peak of the qi refinement stage were busy preparing to break through to the foundation establishment stage! Once they successfully established their foundations, they would have a chance to stand out in the inner sect grand competition. They would then also be able to become a true elite disciple of the Divine Will Sect, a core disciple! If they succeeded, they would be able to come into contact with more and better cultivation resources! Everyone was working hard, and this allowed Li Ming to remain completely undisturbed during this period of time. Inside the cave abode, after reaching the foundation establishment stage, Li Ming¡¯s current thoughts were very simple. Eat, sleep, train! Although he had already reached the foundation establishment stage, Li Ming still continued practicing the fundamentals of body tempering! He was familiar with everything. Ever since he acquired the entry [Martial Dao Prodigy], his routine could be said to flow like water! It was as smooth as breathing. In just one day, Li Ming could feel that his body had gotten stronger and more energetic! ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t just neglect the basic skills of body tempering.¡± The basic skills were the foundation of the martial dao, just like how qi refinement was to qi cultivation. Next, Li Ming naturally began to put some effort into the aspect of qi cultivation! Most of the resources obtained from the previous trials had been used by Li Ming in his martial dao foundation establishment. However, he still had a bit left. Now, with him being at the tenth level of qi refinement, he would have a chance to break through to the qi cultivation foundation establishment stage with just a bit more help! However, most of the herbs that he had brought back from the trial were spiritual plants. These naturally could not be consumed directly. They had to first be refined by the elders in charge of refining pills in the sect. Of course, the sect charged a fee for the refinement. With what he currently had, Li Ming would have to pay one-third of his remaining resources to the sect before he could have the rest be refined. The medicinal pills required for the qi refinement stage were not high-grade medicinal pills. As such, the refinement process was very fast. In half a day, Li Ming had obtained the medicinal pill he needed, the Qi Raising Pill! As the name suggested, the Qi Raising Pill could increase the absorption of qi by cultivators to an extent. Furthermore, there were no side effects! This was exactly what Li Ming needed. Next, he headed to the scripture depository! What Li Ming needed to do was to find some qi refinement techniques and study them. At the same time, he wanted to see if he could find acquire any entries related to qi cultivation! The previous qi refinement entry greatly improved Li Ming¡¯s talent in qi refinement. But at the moment, he could only reach the tenth level of qi refinement at most! If he wanted to advance further, especially to the qi cultivation foundation establishment stage, he needed a cultivation technique that could help him transition from qi refinement to foundation establishment! Unlike in body refinement, in the qi cultivation foundation establishment stage, the spiritual qi needed to flow through the most vulnerable and fragile meridians of the human body and gather in the dantian so that those weak areas may be fortified. When cultivators established their foundation, there was a large chance of dying! Not every person was able to just smoothly establish their foundation! Not only did establishing one¡¯s foundation test their talent, but also their luck! At the same time, there were certain requirements for the required cultivation technique. Each cultivation technique had a special circulation route. It was by circulating the spiritual qi they absorbed from the surroundings according to this special circulation route that qi cultivators were able to accomplish one cycle of cultivation. Whether it was body refinement or qi cultivation, cultivation techniques were quite similar in this way. The qi refinement technique that he had was clearly no longer enough. And so, Li Ming crouched in the scripture depository. Having achieved the martial dao foundation establishment stage, even the elder of the scripture depository looked at him in a new light. After all, there had never been a martial dao foundation establishment cultivator in the Divine Will Sect. Although Li Ming was nothing special in terms of his qi cultivation, he could still be considered to have created a legend in the sect! Moreover, the elder of the scripture depository could tell at a glance that Li Ming¡¯s qi refinement cultivation had already reached the tenth level! Everyone in the Divine Will Sect, be it disciples or elders, unanimously agreed that if Li Ming had spent all his time and energy on qi cultivation in the past three years, he would have long since gotten to the foundation establishment stage! And they even believed that, with his talent, it was very likely that he could have already reached the golden core stage! However, only Li Ming knew the truth. It was not that he did not want to cultivate qi, but his talent was indeed absolute trash in this regard. Otherwise, he would not have used body refinement as a cover. Fortunately, with the help of the entries, Li Ming¡¯s reputation as a good-for-nothing had faded. The scripture depository was divided into an outer layer and an inner layer. The outer layer was for the outer and inner disciples. The inner layer was for the elite disciples of the sect, and only the core disciples were qualified to enter. Even so, it was still beneficial for Li Ming to scan the outer layer. Most scriptures in the outer layer were qi refinement techniques, and there was a dazzling array of colors of all kinds of qi refinement techniques. Li Ming read through the books carefully and did his best not to miss anything. His first priority was to choose one that was most suitable for him. To be more specific, he was looking for a cultivation technique that delved into both body tempering and qi cultivation. However, it was apparent that it was not going to be easy to find such a scripture even with the vast array of scriptures in the depository. After all, there had never been a case of dual cultivation in the sect! At least, as far as Li Ming knew, he had never seen such a case among the cultivators he had come into contact with! Unknowingly, Li Ming had spent an entire day looking through cultivation techniques! The next afternoon, Li Ming looked through hundreds of cultivation techniques and found that many of them were similar. Some of them even had different names and authors! It even seemed as if some were just copies of the other, just that the author was different! Is this not blatant plagiarism? It turns out that the big shots of cultivation also played such tricks! After a whole day of reading, his efforts did not go unrewarded. Li Ming received a qi cultivation entry just as he wished! [Blue Entry: Spiritual Affinity!] Blue entries were just beneath purple entries in value! For Li Ming, it was absolutely amazing to have a blue entry related to qi cultivation! It would be a tremendous help to his qi cultivation! [Spiritual Affinity (Blue): Increases the quality of absorbed spiritual qi, and increases absorption rate by up to 100%.] Heaven and earth spiritual qi, whether thin or dense, had its own advantages and disadvantages. And this was related to his own talent! Possessing this spiritual affinity would allow him to better communicate with the world and absorb spiritual qi that was more suitable to him! At the same time, the entry even increased his absorption rate by up to 100%! In other words, this entry increased the quality of the spiritual qi he absorbed, while at the same time allowing him to absorb it much faster! This wholly improved Li Ming¡¯s qi cultivation talent! As for a cultivation technique, Li Ming had finally found a good one. ¡°Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art? It¡¯s incomplete?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad for it to be able to last until the foundation establishment stage.¡± Li Ming did not think too much about it. After reading through qi cultivation techniques for a whole day, he had already gotten quite the harvest. With his photographic memory and the help of two qi cultivation entries, his talent in this aspect was no longer low. The Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art was a cultivation technique that purely circulated spiritual qi. In fact, it was the same for cultivation techniques that needed one to circulate qi. Different from body refinement, qi refinement was a lot purer. With the cultivation technique in hand, Li Ming went to register it with the elder of the scripture depository. ¡°A qi refinement technique?¡± ¡°Li Ming, you¡¯ve finally returned to the right path. ¡°This is good.¡± ¡°Attaining the martial dao foundation establishment stage is not bad, but that¡¯s a path that no one takes. The path of qi cultivation is much brighter, so it¡¯s good to cultivate qi. With your talent, the foundation establishment stage won¡¯t be the end!¡± When the elder saw that Li Ming wanted to borrow a qi cultivation technique, he was instantly moved. Over the years, this kid had come to the scripture depository quite a number of times. Every time, he would look for cultivation techniques for body tempering. He did not even look at any cultivation technique for qi cultivation! Now, he seemed to have finally gained interest in qi cultivation. If the other elders of the sect knew, they would definitely be very pleased! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 ¨C : Golden Crow True Fire Chapter 43: Golden Crow True Fire Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Although the elder was pleased, Li Ming only smiled back before heading straight back to his cave abode with the book. He now had both the pills and the cultivation techniques prepared! Additionally, he even acquired a blue entry during his trip to the scripture depository! Li Ming could now be said to be completely prepared to undergo another round of swift progress! While carefully referring to the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art, Li Ming set up the circulation route within his body. Unlike the One Qi Art that he used in the past, this Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art also had a certain requirement with regard to the cultivator¡¯s physical body that had to be fulfilled! Li Ming absorbed spiritual qi through his skin, then flesh, then bones, then meridians, and then finally his dantian! The Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art required the cultivator to completely transform their body into a furnace that absorbed spiritual qi! This was completely different from his previous qi refinement technique! Qi cultivation was supposed to be a path where one would progressively abandon the physical body, but this cultivation technique was clearly different from that as it made use of the physical body. And this point perfectly coincided with Li Ming¡¯s body cultivation! The main goal of body tempering was to temper the body. The body would then grow to be able to store more spiritual qi while simultaneously making it sturdier and more powerful. Every one of the basic skills of body tempering that Li Ming routinely performed contributed to the tempering of his body and thereby contributed to allowing his body to better absorb heaven and earth spiritual qi. This qi cultivation technique was perfect for him! Coupled with the effect of the Qi Raising Pills and the effects of his entries, this was the first time Li Ming felt that cultivating qi was so easy! Even though the process of spiritual qi being transformed by the physical body would present unbearable pain to most, this bit of pain was not a problem for Li Ming who had already reached the martial dao foundation establishment stage. The spiritual qi of heaven and earth was gathered and absorbed by Li Ming¡¯s body. And as he absorbed more and more spiritual qi, soon enough, Li Ming actually felt that he was about to break through! He heightened his focus, preparing to make one big push to break through! Under the effects of the entries, medicinal pills, and various other supplementary effects, he managed to break through to the eleventh level of qi refinement! He had broken through one whole level in just one day! If this were to happen to any other qi refinement cultivator, they would naturally come to be considered to be at the level of prodigies. However, only Li Ming himself knew that if he had not reached the martial dao foundation establishment stage, even with the pills and the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art, he still would not have been able to advance one whole level in a day! In the blink of an eye, there were only four days left before the inner sect grand competition. After Li Ming made a breakthrough in his qi cultivation, he stabilized himself a little and focused on body tempering. The Golden Crow Body Tempering Art was the follow-up to the Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art. It was key to furthering Li Ming¡¯s cultivation of his body. The heavenly fire drawn out by the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art was unbearable! At the back mountain of the cave abode, Li Ming fixed his form as he prepared to practice the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. Following the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, the moment that his fist swung out, the muscles on his arm felt as if they had been plunged into a sea of fire! While he was practicing, balls of heavenly fire were drawn and descended from the blazing sun above his head! As the heavenly fire descended, Li Ming did not dare to relax. He waved his arm and retracted his fist. The heavenly fire burned his body and completely fused into his body as he moved! There were twelve levels to the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, and Li Ming had yet to even enter the first level! The last time he tried practicing the technique, he had not even reached the foundation establishment stage yet. Back then, he was placed under agonizing, inhuman pain! This time, however, although the feeling of being burned by the heavenly fire was still uncomfortable, it was a lot better than back then! With the help of the [Martial Dao Prodigy] entry, Li Ming could feel the improvements his body was experiencing! The heavenly fire burned his body and tempered his flesh and blood. His meridians, which felt like they were being boiled, repeatedly broke apart and rebuilt themselves! Buzz! Three hours later, Li Ming¡¯s body began to buzz! Li Ming felt his entire body heat up. As he moved, the heat in his body began to be restrained and all of it moved towards his dantian! On the foundation establishment stone platform, a golden crow condensed from heavenly fire appeared! ¡°The first level! I¡¯ve done it!¡± He had successfully achieved the first level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art! It was also the door to officially entering the martial dao foundation establishment stage! Both types of foundation establishment cultivators, be it in qi cultivation or the martial dao, would have a stone platform in their dantians. However, the martial dao foundation establishment stone platform was only a place where the spiritual qi of the physical body gathered. It could not be called their core. This was fundamentally different from the qi cultivation foundation establishment stone platform! ¡°The Golden Crow Body Tempering Art is indeed extraordinary.¡± ¡°According to the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, reaching the third level will allow one to possess the Golden Crow True Fire! This is a rare body tempering skill!¡± Most body tempering techniques focused on strengthening the body. If he wanted to learn all kinds of techniques like those in qi cultivation, he obviously needed to learn them separately. It would be similar to how he had learned the Five Divine Fists! Golden Crow True Fire was a technique that wandered between the paths of qi cultivation and the martial dao! True fire was a type of fire that could only be obtained after reaching the foundation establishment stage. It could be used to refine and smith magical treasures! This was a common occurrence. Every foundation establishment cultivator could refine their own magical treasures. Not only that, even demons and demonic beasts could refine their own natal magical treasures after reaching a certain level of strength! Golden Crow True Fire was exclusive to Li Ming and was derived from the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art! Successfully reaching the first level meant that Li Ming had stabilized his foundation in the early levels of the foundation establishment stage. What followed was the repeated honing over countless days and nights. There were not many shortcuts to body tempering, and he could not just rely on large amounts of pills to increase his cultivation. The only thing he could do was to constantly temper himself! Unknowingly, there were only two days left until the inner sect grand competition! On this day. As usual, Li Ming began to practice in the front yard of his cave abode. Ever since he reached the martial dao foundation establishment stage, the sect had returned to giving him a bit more attention. Although they were surprised that he had attained the martial dao foundation establishment stage, most of them still did not hold much hope for him. However, with the fact that Li Ming had recently been raising his level in qi refinement as well, the sect naturally would not ignore him. In the past few days, some resources that other inner sect disciples should have received were sent to him instead. If it was in the past, he would at most just have the title. As for how he was treated, it would be no different from outer sect disciples! After all, no one was willing to spend resources to nurture a person who they believed had taken the wrong path. ¡°Senior Brother Li!¡± Just as Li Ming was counting the resources he had received, he heard Chen Qingke¡¯s voice from outside. Looking at her happy and cheerful appearance, Li Ming knew that she had successfully reached the foundation establishment stage. ¡°Senior Brother, I¡¯m out of seclusion!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a foundation establishment cultivator now! No one will dare to bully senior brother in the future!¡± Chen Qingke said this happily, but Li Ming felt helpless when he heard what she said. He wondered why protecting him was always on her mind. ¡°Junior Sister Chen, congratulations on reaching the foundation establishment stage. ¡± ¡°It seems like junior sister will be able to show off her skills in this inner sect grand competition.¡± Li Ming congratulated her. Chen Qingke was very talented and powerful. After reaching the foundation establishment stage, she would definitely be ranked at the top of the inner sect. ¡°Senior brother, there¡¯s no need to praise me like that. When I left seclusion, I heard that you¡¯ve also reached the foundation establishment stage! In the entire sect, or even in the entire eastern continent¡¯s Heavenly Southern Region, there is probably no second martial dao foundation establishment cultivator!¡± ¡°I believe that senior brother will definitely be able to make everyone look at him in a new light after this coming competition!¡± When Chen Qingke came out of seclusion, she quickly came to learn that Li Ming had attained the martial dao foundation establishment stage. However, she also knew that most people in the sect still held a contemptuous attitude toward Li Ming. They did not think that Li Ming¡¯s martial dao foundation establishment was as powerful as others¡¯ qi cultivation foundation establishment! However, Chen Qingke had seen Li Ming¡¯s strength in the last trial. Thus, she believed in Li Ming! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Inner Sect Grand Competition Chapter 44: Inner Sect Grand Competition Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The inner sect grand competition was a great opportunity for all of the disciples in the inner sect. In the inner sect, there were actually numerous disciples who had only reached the perfected level of qi refinement stage and yet to reach the foundation establishment stage. Even so, there were many people as powerful as Chen Qingke among the foundation establishment cultivators! In the inner sect, several elders had their own disciples that they themselves valued. After all, among the inner sect disciples, there was no lack of talented people. All kinds of different factors came together to make the inner sect grand competition a very competitive event! After Chen Qingke came out of seclusion to visit Li Ming, she quickly returned to her own residence to prepare for the incoming competition. There was not much time left before the competition began. They were all participants, so they naturally had to prepare well for the competition. But unlike the others, Li Ming was actually not in much of a hurry. He was of the belief that what would come would come, and there was no need to be in a hurry. He believed that he simply always had to do his best in what he could. Since he had already attained the martial dao foundation establishment and had even acquired two entries related to qi cultivation, his talent in qi cultivation had risen significantly compared to the past. Moreover, he was now already at the eleventh level of the qi refinement stage. Of course, it was almost completely impossible for Li Ming to reach the twelfth level and reach the perfected level of Qi Refinement in the remaining time before the competition. Previously, it was only because of all the supplements, aids, and preparations that he had made that he was able to advance one whole level in just a day. Additionally, that was only for going from the tenth to the eleventh level of the qi refinement stage. It was comparatively more difficult for him to reach the perfected level from the eleventh level. So what did he plan to do now? With only one day left, Li Ming naturally wanted to continue refining his body! It was not easy for him to attain the first level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Technique, so he naturally had to continue working on it. For the entire day, Li Ming trained arduously. He constantly guided the heavenly flames from the sky to temper his body. The golden crow in his dantian grew stronger and stronger! Once he reached the third level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Technique, Li Ming could be considered to have truly stabilized his body-tempering cultivation at the early levels of the foundation establishment stage! At the same time, he would also possess the Golden Crow True Fire by then! A day passed quickly. After a day of cultivation, Li Ming¡¯s Golden Crow Body Tempering had finally stabilized at the first level. He calculated carefully. In terms of body refinement, his cultivation was at the martial dao foundation establishment, he had the Five Divine Fists, Wind Lightning Steps, a divine soul-type attack. It might not seem like he had many tricks up his sleeve, but Li Ming was a martial dao foundation establishment cultivator, so there was naturally a gap between him and qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators. The following day. Finally, the bell for the Divine Will Sect¡¯s inner sect grand competition rang throughout the sect! As the most watched competition of the year, it was extraordinarily lively! Inner sect disciples, outer sect disciples, and even core disciples would come to spectate the competition! The winners of this competition could become core disciples of the sect! As their status rose, the more resources they would receive. A rise in status could be said to be the same as when a fish leaped over the dragon gate! At this moment, the competition was about to begin. All the disciples had gathered. In this competition, there were a number of disciples who were at the perfected level of the qi refinement stage. There was a total of 25 of them! Of course, among these 25, while some were still in the qi refinement stage, some were already at the foundation establishment stage! Among all the participants, only the top 5 would be able to enter the core area of the Divine Will Sect and become a core disciple! At the Divine Will Sect¡¯s plaza. The elevated arena was the center of attention! Those who managed the inner sect, as well as several elders from the outer sect, appeared at the plaza one after the other. When the great elder walked out, his gaze was cold and his brows were heroic. ¡°The Divine Will Sect¡¯s inner sect grand competition shall now officially begin!¡± ¡°All participating disciples, draw lots for the competition.¡± The great elder waved his hand, and in an instant, jade tokens appeared in front of all the disciples. There were different numbers on each of the jade plates. Those with the same number would have to battle each other. The inner sect disciples would go up to the arena to fight according to their numbers. Li Ming looked at the jade token in his hand. It had the number 18. It was obvious that it would be quite some time before it was his turn to fight. Chen Qingke, on the other hand, was the first to fight. ¡°It¡¯s Junior Sister Chen!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a prodigy of our inner sect! Now that she¡¯s in the foundation establishment stage, she must have become incomparably powerful!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! However, Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s opponent isn¡¯t simple either.¡± ¡°That Huang Yansong is the disciple of the elder of the scripture depository. He¡¯s also in the foundation establishment stage and has many techniques!¡± There was a lot of discussion between the spectators. Li Ming raised his head and took a look at the stage. Facing Huang Yansong, who was also in the foundation establishment stage and had many tricks up his sleeve, Chen Qingke had a serious expression on her face. Compared to battles between those at the foundation establishment, those between qi refinement cultivators were relatively more straightforward! ¡°Junior sister, do excuse me.¡± On the arena, Huang Yansong cupped his hands, and then he suddenly burst forth! The sword in his hand stirred up tens of thousands of spiritual qi. Suddenly, it was as if ten thousand horses were galloping. The spiritual qi and sword qi interlaced, forming a stampede of horses that rushed straight at Chen Qingke! ¡°Hiss!¡± ¡°Senior Brother Huang really doesn¡¯t know how to be gentle with women!¡± ¡°This is a high-grade yellow-tier sword art!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! This high-grade yellow-tier cultivation technique is the highest level that we inner sect disciples can come into contact with!¡± The cultivation techniques of cultivators, regardless of what purpose they served, were all divided into categories. Cultivation techniques are divided into four different tiers, namely the yellow, mystic, earth, and heaven tiers. Each of these tiers are further divided into the low, mid, and high grades. The sword art in of itself was already very powerful! With the addition of it being performed by a foundation establishment cultivator, the power that was unleashed was even greater! The sword qi rampaged like ten thousand horses, charging forward with unstoppable momentum! There was a serious expression on Chen Qingke¡¯s face and she did not panic when faced with the powerful attack coming straight at her. Facing the attack, she raised her hand and clenched it in the air. Instantly, spiritual qi burst out from her palm, gathering the surrounding spiritual qi. A large bronze cauldron condensed on her hand! Cauldron Transformation Art! It was a mid-grade yellow-tier technique! Although it was a yellow-tier technique, the Cauldron Transformation Art was unique. The denser and more abundant the cultivator¡¯s spiritual qi was, the more spiritual qi could be condensed to increase power of the cauldron! An elder once said that the Cauldron Transformation Art could be considered an extremely powerful technique even in the foundation establishment and golden core stages! The bronze cauldron descended brazenly, and the galloping horses condensed from the sword qi was instantly obliterated! Chen Qingke reacted quickly. Right after she broke the attack coming at her, she jumped up and shook the magical treasure in her hand. The sword flew out like silk and directly trapped Huang Yansong, sending him out of the arena! Chen Qingke won the first round! It was clean and fast, without any sloppiness. In fact, with just one move, Huang Yansong had been defeated! It could only be said that in battle, flexibility was far more important than strength. In her previous trial, Chen Qingke had also worked together with Li Ming. S had learned from back then and that was why she did not choose to fight head-on and used a more effective method to obtain victory. ¡°Senior Brother! I won. Chen Qingke came down and skipped to Li Ming¡¯s side. From the looks of it, she had not consumed much energy. The Cauldron Transformation Art was indeed a very good magical art. Li Ming had his own thoughts. After all, he was already at the eleventh level of Qi Refinement. He had neve thought much of qi refinement magical arts. But now, he found this Cauldrl Transformation Art to be pretty good. The upper limit was high, while the threshold was low. It was indeed a very good skill! ¡°Congratulations, junior sister. It seems like you won¡¯t have much of a prob in this competition.¡± Li Ming said with a smile. With Chen Qingke¡¯s strength, she was indeed ran at the top among her peers in the foundation establishment stage. However, just as Li Ming finished speaking, Chen Qingke also said, ¡°Sen? Brother, I believe that you won¡¯t have any problems either! Let¡¯s both en inner court and cultivate together!¡± As soon as Chen Qingke said that, Li Ming instantly felt the hateful gaze the other disciples! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 46 - Chapter 46: The Might of Body Cultivation Chapter 46: The Might of Body Cultivation Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming relied on the Wind Lightning Steps to conceal his traces at an extremely fast speed. This made Yun Changtian, who was in the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm, feel a headache coming on. Even though he had prepared his defenses, he had heard that Li Ming¡¯s prowess in body cultivation was quite powerful! Once he got close, the situation would definitely change. Thinking of this, Yun Changtian hurriedly waved the magical treasure sword in his hand and continuously released sword qi in an attempt to interfere with Li Ming. However, it was obvious that this method was useless. Suddenly! There was an incredibly bright flash of lightning and the wind stopped abruptly! At the moment when Yun Changtian¡¯s pupils contracted from the bright flash of light, Li Ming leaped up and launched a punch right at him! Boom! In an instant, his fist was covered with flames. The blazing flames together with his explosive power instantly broke the defensive shield. The remaining power directly blasted Yun Changtian out of the arena! Once he was off the arena, he would have been considered to have lost! From the moment Li Ming made his move to the moment he won, his speed was extremely fast. The entire process took less than five minutes! The match had concluded relatively quickly! Whether it was the qi refinement stage or the foundation establishment realm, their weakness was obvious! It was the same for those practicing body cultivation. One was afraid of long-range attacks, while the other was afraid of close-range attacks! The key to victory was who could seize the opportunity first! There was no doubt that Yun Changtian had no way to deal with Li Ming¡¯s Wind Lightning Steps. He could only choose to defend passively. However, how could a qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivator defend against the close-range attacks of a body cultivatioon foundation establishment cultivation? Was this a joke? It was obvious that these people had never fought with a body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator before, so they had no idea what it was like. Therefore, it was very easy for them to suffer losses. Following Li Ming¡¯s victory, the disciples below the stage were all confused! ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It ended with one punch?¡± ¡°F*ck! Fake competition!¡± ¡°Yun Changtian! To think that we still called you senior brother! I can¡¯t believe you actually faked the match!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. A single punch to end the battle? Bullsh*t!¡± ¡°Since when did the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm become so weak?¡± The outer and inner sect disciples all objected to the result of the competition. But in the eyes of the elite disciples and the elders, the match was very clear. Li Ming¡¯s previous movement technique was not something that ordinary qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators could see through. At the same time, Li Ming¡¯s punch might have looked simple, but it was a martial technique, a fist technique of the Five Divine Fists. Coupled with the explosive power of his body cultivation foundation establishment cultivation, it was truly difficult for those at the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm to defend against him! And this was already when most of the power had been blocked by defenses. If not for the defenses that he had set up earlier, Yun Changtian would have definitely been seriously injured! It was indisputable that those that attained the body cultivation foundation establishment realm would have considerable combat power! After seeing what had happened, the elders had already started to think. With Li Ming¡¯s victory, the first round of the competition soon ended. As the number of people decreased, the successive battles became even more intense! However, as expected, with Li Ming¡¯s strength as a body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator, he was able to easily suppress the qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators! After reaching the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, the speed and explosiveness of the Wind Lightning Steps, coupled with the Five Divine Fist, were simply something that those at the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm had great difficulty dealing with! The journey was smooth and unobstructed, and he successfully won match after match! On the contrary, it was not so easy for other qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators. Time and time again, by relying on his extremely fast speed and explosive power, Li Ming made it impossible for the qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators to resist his might! This also caused the spectators¡¯ initial dissatisfaction with Li Ming to slowly transform into shock! They had not expected the body cultivation foundation establishment realm to have such terrifying power! Everyone was in great shock! At this time, the contestants on the field began to feel afraid as well. They worried that they would encounter Li Ming next. The only exception to this was Chen Qingke, who wanted to fight Li Ming herself. Even though she had always been on Li Ming¡¯s side and was overjoyed to see Li Ming¡¯s performance in the arena, she had also won all her matches with overwhelming strength. She had become the highlight of this inner sect grand competition! She was also the target of admiration of countless disciples. Beautiful, strong, and talented. Such a person was naturally like the moon among the stars! As for Li Ming? Naturally, there were different opinions! Some people thought that the body cultivation foundation establishment was powerful, but there were also some who thought that Li Ming just had too many means. He relied on his fists and speed. Once these two were countered, they believed that Li Ming would naturally have no way to fight back! Even though there was a lot of debate, it was unquestionable that Li Ming had advanced into the top ten! The top ten meant that the top five soon be selected after another round of matches. The top five would soon emerge! ¡°Next, the ten inner sect disciples shall go on stage according to the drawing of lots.¡± As the elder spoke, the numbers on the jade plates in everyone¡¯s hands changed. And Li Ming got the number one! His opponent was Lin Xiao, who was also considered a prodigy in the inner sect! This person had already consolidated his qi cultivation foundation establishment and had even reached the stage before Chen Qingke did. Moreover, in the previous battles, Lin Xiao had similarly won all his matches with overwhelming strength. What was additionally worth mentioning was that Lin Xiao had a special physique. Although he did not have natural divine strength, his physique was slightly stronger than that of other foundation establishment cultivators. Therefore, the battle between the two of them seemed to have been deliberately arranged. On the arena, Lin Xiao looked at Li Ming, ready to make his move! ¡°Li Ming, we were of the same generation. When you chose to train your body, I also heard about it. I also did the same, but I did not treat it as my main path or the right path.¡± ¡°The purpose of body cultivation is just to strengthen the body.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite talented, and the elders thought highly of you. But you let down the hopes of the sect and insisted on body cultivation. Even if you have attained the foundation establishment realm, I shall show you today that your body cultivation foundation establishment is nothing but a joke!¡± Lin Xiao spoke domineeringly. With his words, he directly denied the feasibility of Li Ming¡¯s body cultivation foundation establishment. In his eyes, body cultivation was simply a means to strengthen one¡¯s physique. To rely on body cultivation to reach the peak? It was simply a fool¡¯s dream! In his eyes, Li Ming¡¯s choices were naive and stupid. Hearing Lin Xiao¡¯s words, Li Ming¡¯s response was very simple. ¡°You talk too much nonsense. Let¡¯s begin.¡± Li Ming assumed his stance, and Lin Xiao naturally did not dally either. Lin Xiao, who also had some attainments in terms of physical strength, immediately charged forward! At the same time, he formed a hand seal, and his spiritual qi instantly swelled. An array of sharp short swords flew out from his hand! The short swords gleamed with a sharp light around his body. While functioning as an attack, they also functioned as a defense. ¡°It¡¯s Senior Brother Lin¡¯s magical art!¡± ¡°Heavens, this is the magical art closest to the mystic tier!¡± ¡°It has both offensive and defensive properties. It¡¯s the high-grade yellow-tier Spirit Controlling Art!¡± ¡°Senior Brother Lin¡¯s body is also strong, and he¡¯s at the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. This time, he¡¯ll definitely be able to make Li Ming show us all he¡¯s got!¡± All the disciples were extremely excited. They believed that with Lin Xiao¡¯s strength, he would definitely be able to easily crush Li Ming! This Spirit Controlling Art had both offense and defense, and it left absolutely no place left to attack Lin Xiao. Even for Li Ming, who was at the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, it was clearly an unwise choice for him to use his fists on those sharp swords! They were both foundation establishment cultivators, but their cultivation paths were different.. Nevertheless, it was unquestionable that their power was extraordinary! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: You Really Want To see? Fine! Chapter 47: You Really Want To see? Fine! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Lin Xiao¡¯s advantage was obvious! He had a strong physique and was mainly a qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivator! He used the Spirit Controlling Art skillfully. Countless short swords surrounded him, forming an offensive and defensive formation as he charged toward Li Ming. He was indeed very troublesome to deal with. Seeing Lin Xiao approaching him, Li Ming could only choose to dodge. There was no way he would face the other party head-on. Of course, it was not that Li Ming could not face Lin Xiao head-on. It was just that it was unnecessary to do so. With Li Ming¡¯s strength as a body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator, if he went all out, he had all the right to be completely fearless when facing a qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivator! After all, he also had the help of his entries. One of these entries made it so that the more he fought, the braver he became; and the more injuries he suffered, the greater his combat power became. However, this was the inner sect grand competition. If he blindly and recklessly forged his way to victory, he would undoubtedly suffer injuries. This would not be beneficial to his upcoming battles. Only a fool would choose to do such a thing. Li Ming was gunning to become one of the top five. He was taking part in the first battle among the top ten. If he risked his life in this first battle and got himself injured, how would he deal with the rest? Everyone watched as Li Ming dodged Lin Xiao¡¯s attacks one after another, relying on the Wind Lightning Steps to completely avoid Lin Xiao¡¯s attacks! Even though Li Ming had no intention of attacking, Lin Xiao could not touch Li Ming either! ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Are you planning to stall for time?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know the rules?!¡± Li Ming¡¯s actions made Lin Xiao extremely annoyed! This fellow had fought fiercely in the previous few battles and had never stalled at all. But this time, he kept on dodging. He could not touch him at all. This made Lin Xiao very angry! He could only open his mouth and try to provoke Li Ming. However¡­ Li Ming did not panic at all when he heard Lin Xiao¡¯s words. ¡°If you stop using that magical art of yours, you will definitely lose.¡± Li Ming replied calmly. That sentence instantly exposed him! While Lin Xiao was indeed a qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivator, he had only recently broken through to the foundation establishment realm. Although his spiritual qi was stronger now than when he was in the qi refinement stage, he had to maintain a high-grade yellow-tier magical art to constantly guard against Li Ming¡¯s attacks. Under such great consumption, he would definitely not be able to last for much longer! ¡°How shameful!¡± ¡°This Li Ming is simply embarrassing us cultivators!¡± ¡°He actually wants to make Senior Brother Lin use up his spiritual qi!¡± ¡°This guy is simply too disgusting! How is this a battle?!¡± ¡°I object! This is not a battle at all! Li Ming is cheating! ¡± For a moment, the spectating disciples all voiced their objections. They felt that Li Ming¡¯s actions were completely against the rules of the inner sect grand competition. It was originally a competition where the competitors had to directly compare their strength, but Li Ming was now using such a shameless method to deal with Lin Xiao! This was an utterly disgusting action for the spectators! They felt that this was clearly a violation of the rules! The voices of opposition rose. All of the disciples felt that Li Mings actions were wrong! Hearing these words, Chen Qingke was unhappy. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?!¡± ¡°Who said that we have to fight?¡± ¡°Senior Brother Li is using his wits! Are you going to always fight your enemies head-on when you encounter them in the future?¡± Chen Qingke refuted the opposition of all the disciples. However, how could one of her compare to the opposition of many disciples? The entire arena was surrounded by complaining voices. It was obvious that most were unhappy with Li Ming¡¯s actions. Seeing that the situation was gradually getting out of control, the elders had no choice but to step forward. ¡°Silence!¡± ¡°In a battle of life and death, any method is a reasonable way to win.¡± ¡°Cultivation is not easy. Each of you should cherish your lives!¡± An elder spoke, his words confirming Li Ming¡¯s choice. He felt that Li Ming had made a wise choice, not a shameful one. In actual encounters, there were many times that such a method was the most suitable choice. However, just as the elder finished speaking, another elder¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°But¡­ This is a battle in the inner sect grand competition. This competition is supposed to show a direct display of strength between the sect¡¯s disciples. Moreover, it¡¯s getting late.¡± ¡°Since he has reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, he should show it off.¡± Li Ming was speechless when the elders spoke one after another. On the contrary, the disciples below the stage also cheered! Speaking for some of the elders, they wanted to see how powerful Li Ming¡¯s body cultivation foundation establishment was! They had arranged for Li Ming to face off against Lin Xiao right away for that very reason. They wanted to test the feasibility of body cultivation foundation establishment. But now that Li Ming was making use of such a tactic, would they not have arranged this fight in vain? The elders were naturally unwilling. They all wanted to see how powerful the path of body cultivation was after a cultivator had reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm. They wanted to know if it could really compare to qi cultivation in terms of strength. ¡°Keke!¡± ¡°Li Ming, did you hear that?¡± ¡°Do you really think that you can hide?¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s face was filled with pride! With the elder¡¯s words, he wanted to see what Li Ming planned to do. Today, he would send this damned body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator rolling off the stage! With the support of the elders, Lin Xiao¡¯s morale was obviously high. The spiritual qi around him seemed to be even more explosive! Its might was even greater, and its defense had reached an astonishing level! The number of short swords instantly doubled! Previously, Lin Xiao¡¯s face could still be seen clearly through the short swords, but now, it was completely blocked by the dense number of sharp short swords. This scene made all the disciples excited! They could see that Lin Xiao was going all out! He planned to send Li Ming off of the stage with one move! Seeing Lin Xiao like this, Li Ming felt helpless. Helplessly glancing at the group of elders above, he then looked at Lin Xiao. ¡°Do you think wrapping yourself up like a hedgehog will really work?¡± ¡°Alright, I originally wanted to preserve some of my strength. Since you want it so badly, then I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Li Ming stopped using his Wind Lightning Steps to avoid Lin Xiao. He had decided to face Lin Xiao directly! Hearing this, Lin Xiao sneered. ¡°Show me what you can do!¡± After saying that, Lin Xiao immediately rushed toward Li Ming! Seeing Lin Xiao come over, Li Ming did not stand on ceremony anymore. Since he wanted to face him head-on, he would not be polite! He had a plan before, but it was obvious that he could no longer continue carrying out that plan. Li Ming could roughly guess what those elders were thinking. Didn¡¯t they want to see how strong the body cultivation foundation establishment realm was? Then he would show them clearly! Li Ming clenched his fists tightly, and he brandished the Five Divine Fists once again! At this moment, in his dantian, the golden crow shook, and streams of surging spiritual qi burst out from his body. It flowed along his meridians, through his bones, into his flesh, and into his palm! All of his qi converged! Looking at Lin Xiao, who was charging towards him with his sharp short swords condensed from spiritual qi, Li Ming did not show any hesitation even when faced with the densely packed and extremely sharp short swords. There was no pause in his movements at all! He swung his fist! The moment his fist burst forth, a blazing fire erupted from his fist! It instantly smashed into Lin Xiao! Boom! A dull sound rang out, and Lin Xiao was stunned. However, when he saw that the attack was blocked by his countless spiritual qi short swords, Lin Xiao could not help but let out a mocking laugh. ¡°Hahaha! ¡± ¡°Is this all you¡¯ve got?¡± ¡°Is this all that body cultivation foundation establishment cultivators can do?¡± ¡°Li Ming, is this it?¡± It was obvious that this punch had failed to instantly Lin Xiao¡¯s defenses. Instead, Li Ming¡¯s fist was pierced by the short swords, and fresh blood kept spurting out. In front of Lin Xiao, it became extremely red! Looking at Lin Xiao¡¯s smug look, Li Ming did not panic at all. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°How about you take a closer look.¡± Li Ming replied with a voice that was calm and confident. As Li Ming¡¯s voice fell, the blood that flowed out of his fists instantly burst forth in the next second, turning into golden flames that instantly swallowed the short swords condensed from spiritual qi! At the moment when Li Ming¡¯s fist broke through Lin Xiao¡¯s defense, he smashed his fist into Lin Xiao¡¯s chest! Boom! The punch landed, and the entire process took less than a minute. Lin Xiao¡¯s entire body was instantly sent flying! The golden flames in front of his chest were like a boost, sending him flying out of the arena! He fainted on the spot! His chest was also burned by the golden flames until it was a bloody mess! Upon seeing this scene, the entire arena was deathly silent! No one had expected Li Ming, who had been dodging left and right, to make a violent move and decide the outcome with one punch! Not only that, but golden flames also appeared on Li Ming¡¯s fist, exploding with shocking power. The power of the golden flames was shocking. The moment they appeared, the temperature of the entire arena instantly rose. At the source of the cause of the change in temperature, Lin Xiao did not have it easy. The flames burned his chest and even destroyed his meridians! The fire fist of the Five Divine Fists combined with the golden crow spiritual qi was extremely powerful. Even Li Ming himself was a little surprised by the result. After all, this was the first time he had been so ruthless since he cultivated the Golden Crow Body Tempering and reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm! The resulting attack was definitely satisfactory.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 48 - Chapter 48: Top Five! Joining Halls! Chapter 48: Top Five! Joining Halls! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Once again, Li Ming dealt with his opponent with just one strike! But this time, his attack was much more explosive than the previous ones! Even Lin Xiao, who had strong defenses, was easily dealt with by Li Ming. At this moment, all of the disciples watching from outside the arena were stunned. They had no idea how to describe what had just happened. Originally, they thought that after the elder gave the order, the only sight they would soon see was Li Ming being sent flying off of the arena and defeated by Lin Xiao! However, the result was the exact opposite of their expectations! Li Ming made use of his power as a body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator to cripple Lin Xiao! This was a result that no one had expected. When the elders above saw this scene, they were equally shocked. This was the first time they had seen such a powerful burst of power. It could even ignore the strong defenses of qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators. This was a way of fighting that they had never seen before! Moreover, Li Ming displayed unprecedented combat strength. This was something they truly had never seen before. It now seemed to them that there was a possibility that body cultivation was actually feasible. The elders looked at each other. Clearly, each of them had their own thoughts. The first match finally concluded. With the match over, Li Ming relaxed significantly. The following matches that took place were just as intense, if not more so, than that of Li Ming and Lin Xiao. After all, the remaining contestants were those who had persisted all this way. Those who had managed to stay in the competition were the cream of the crop. They could all be considered elite disciples among those in the inner sect! Among the matches, Chen Qingke¡¯s match was evidently surprising! Even when facing an inner sect disciple who had already reached the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm, Chen Qingke still won with decisive ease! Chen Qingke had not let her guard down when facing an inner sect disciple in the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm, treating the battle as seriously as all her other matches. Her opponent released all kinds of magical arts and techniques! He even released his natal magical treasure right after! A natal magical treasure was a magical treasure that cultivators nurtured with their own blood and spiritual qi. This kind of magical treasure was usually a cultivator¡¯s greatest asset! It was also their greatest support. This was because it could increase their combat strength by a large margin! A natal magical treasure could significantly improve one¡¯s combat strength. Even though her opponent had a natal magical treasure, Chen Qingke was still able to rely purely on her own strength and wits to defeat him! What was additionally worth mentioning was¡­ A natal magical treasure would swiftly consume its user¡¯s spiritual qi. Therefore, after the other party took out their natal magical treasure, Chen Qingke chose to make use of the same tactic that Li Ming used. She did her best to avoid direct confrontations with her opponent as much as possible. In this way, she could deplete the other party¡¯s spiritual qi while barely using her own. But unlike when Li Ming had done the same, all of the spectating disciples cheered this time. They all praised Chen Qingke for her intelligence. They said that she was powerful and knew how to use tactics. Li Ming rolled his eyes at the praise they directed at Chen Qingke. Damn it. This bunch of double-standard dogs! How infuriating! However, Li Ming was nonetheless happy for Chen Qingke after seeing her win. Chen Qingke¡¯s talent was indeed the best in the inner sect. She was the disciple who had spent the shortest time to reach the foundation establishment realm, taking only a year to do so. Moreover, after reaching the foundation establishment realm, she could still manage a fight against those in the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm, a level range higher than hers. There was no doubt that Chen Qingke had become the focus of the sect¡¯s training. All of the elders who were watching from above had satisfied looks on their faces as they looked at Chen Qingke. It was obvious that they valued Chen Qingke greatly. As all of the battles concluded, the top five soon emerged. There was no final battle in this inner sect grand competition, and the top three would not be selected. This was because the ultimate purpose of the inner sect grand competition was merely to select suitable and capable disciples for key training. It could be said that this was a test for the sect. It was not just for purely the sake of deciding the victor. Looking at the five disciples on the stage, the great elder appeared to be very satisfied. ¡°The inner sect grand competition has come to an end. The five of you will enter the core of Divine Will Sect and become the disciples that we will focus on nurturing.¡± ¡°The five of you can choose to join the various halls of the Divine Will Sect and become core disciples of our sect!¡± ¡°These five halls are the true core of the Divine Will Sect!!¡± The great elder spoke continuously, telling the disciples about the strength of the Divine Will Sect. While the inner sect and outer sect disciples knew that the Divine Will Sect had an area that was even more valued than the inner sect, none of them really Imew where that core area was. This was true even for the elders in charge of the inner and outer sects, other than the great elder, the other elders did not have the qualifications to interfere. As for the five halls of the Divine Will Sect, these included the Spirit Will Hall, which mainly focused on the cultivation of qi, and then the Pill Will Hall, Tool Will, Talisman Will Hall, and Sword Will Hall. Each of these halls had its own focus. These five halls also served as the very foundation of the Divine Will Sect. Those who could enter these halls were vigorously selected through every inner sect grand competition. ¡°Now, tell me your choice.¡± ¡°There will be an elder in charge of you.¡± The great elder said. Out of the five disciples, the others swiftly said where they wanted to go. Two of the three chose to go to the Spirit Will Hall, and the other one chose to go to the Talisman Will Hall. Chen Qingke and Li Ming remained, and they did not immediately make a decision. Rather than choosing a hall to go to right away, Chen Qingke surprisingly turned to look at Li Ming. ¡°Junior sister, hurry up and choose. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°You can choose first.¡± Li Ming could tell that Chen Qingke wanted to go to the same hall that he did. Chen Qingke said that she wanted to protect Li Ming. However, she still did not understand that the current Li Ming was not someone that anyone could bully. ¡°Chen Qingke, you have a good grasp of the Cauldron Transformation Art, and your control of spiritual qi is the best among all the disciples. It would most likely be best for you to join the Spirit Will Hall.¡± The great elder spoke. With Chen Qingke¡¯s talent, going to the Spirit Will Hall was obviously the best choice. At the same time, going to the Spirit Will Hall would allow her to be given more resources. The great elder was obviously favoring Chen Qingke. Chen Qingke turned to look at the great elder while he was speaking to her, but she could not help but turn her head back to Li Ming right after. Seeing Li Ming nod, Chen Qingke did not hesitate any longer. Although the two of them had a good relationship, on the path of cultivation, opportunities were hard to come by. Chen Qingke did not delay any longer and chose to join the Spirit Will Hall. Next, it was naturally Li Ming¡¯s turn. Of the five halls of the Divine Will Sect, the first few were obviously not of much help to Li Ming. As for the Sword Will Hall, it was obviously something that Li Ming was considering. However, before Li Ming could speak, the great elder beat him to speaking and said, ¡°Alright, all of you go to your respective halls and cultivate well. The elders shall lead the way and send you there.¡± ¡°Li Ming, you follow me.¡± Instead of letting Li Ming choose a hall, he abruptly dismissed everyone. Li Ming could not understand what the great elder was thinking. He wondered what the great elder was planning. Could it be that the great elder felt that his body cultivation foundation establishment was contrary to the philosophy of the Divine Will Sect and wanted to use other methods to obstruct him? Possibly? But that could not be it, could it? After all, the Divine Will Sect was the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region. Such a powerful sect should not be stingy. Li Ming had many thoughts in mind, but he ultimately gave up on making any further guesses. As a sect disciple, he naturally had no right to speak. He really did not have much power. He could ultimately only listen to the arrangements of the sect. Anyway, body cultivation was his main focus. As long as whatever arrangements the sect had for him did not entirely cut off his body cultivation, Li Ming did not care that much. The assembly dispersed. Everybody returned to their duties or went to take on new roles in the sect. Li Ming followed the great elder deeper into the inner sect. Along the way, the great elder did not say a word. During this time, Li Ming kept his composure and did not ask the great elder any questions. ¡°Li Ming, you¡¯re surprisingly calm. The other disciples have already chosen a cultivation place that they are satisfied with. Don¡¯t you want to know why I have brought you all this way here alone?¡± The great elder was clearly surprised by Li Ming¡¯s lack of questioning. Back then, when Li Ming was brought to the sect and hailed as a prodigy, he carried the hope of the sect. It had been hoped that he could show off incredible talent in the aspect of qi cultivation. It was believed that he would become an unprecedented prodigy of the Divine Will Sect. However, the sect did not expect that in the past three years, Li Ming¡¯s qi cultivation would be left behind. Those who joined the sect later had managed to surpass him, but Li Ming still remained obsessed with body cultivation. The sect had discussed it several times, but they could not bear to expel Li Ming. Now that Li Ming had reached the foundation establishment realm and had also displayed his strength in the inner sect grand competition, many elders came to look at him in a new light. The same could be said for the great elder. Hearing the great elder¡¯s question, Li Ming immediately said, ¡°Could it be that the elders do not see me as a good fit for the Divine Will Sect as I am a body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator?¡± ¡°However, since I am a disciple of the Divine Will Sect, I will naturally listen to the sect¡¯s arrangements.¡± ¡°As such, great elder, you need not be afraid of being frank with me.¡± Li Ming had some rough guesses toward the situation. With his Qi cultivation not having reached the foundation establishment realm yet, he felt that it was obviously impossible for him to enter and cultivate in the core area of the Divine Will Sect. Although he was at the foundation establishment realm, there was no one in the Divine Will Sect who practiced body cultivation, much less be able to guide Li Ming.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: The Very Foundation of the Sect Chapter 49: The Very Foundation of the Sect Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The great elder was very surprised to hear Li Ming speak in such a frank and straightforward manner. It appeared to him as if Li Ming truly did not care about what other people thought. This could be, in part, seen from how he had never taken the initiative to provoke others throughout his time in the Divine Will Sect. He had an easygoing personality and did indeed have a state of mind that was very compatible with cultivation. Nevertheless, the great elder did not expect him, who had appeared to be so easygoing, to be so smart and guess the situation instantly. And so, after hearing his guesses, the great elder did not continue to hide the truth. The great elder directly said, ¡°In fact, it is as you have guessed. You should be clear on the situation regarding the body cultivation foundation establishment.¡± ¡°After considering many things, the sect has come to a decision.¡± ¡°The paving of new paths is what makes a great sect. You having attained the body cultivation foundation establishment stage has given the sect some hope that you may be able to further the path of body cultivation here. Although we still do hope that you focus on qi cultivation, we will not hinder your pursuit of the peak through body cultivation.¡± While the great elder was speaking, the two of them soon arrived at a valley. Behind the inner sect of the Divine Will Sect was the core of the sect. In this area, there were many mountains and courtyards. Five of them were where the halls were located, as well as where the foundations of the Divine Will Sect lay. Naturally, there was some extra space in this area. The great elder continued, ¡°Seeing as you insist on cultivating your body, the sect will naturally provide you with as much help as possible. However, no one in the Heavenly South Region has ever gotten so far in body cultivation in the past few hundred years, and the same is true in the sect.¡± Li Ming was dumbfounded when he heard the great elder¡¯s words. Since there had been nobody to reach his stage in body cultivation in the past several hundred years, and the sect could not be of assistance to him with regard to it, then what could the sect give him? He might as well return to his cave abode and continue training there. Since no one could guide him on body cultivation, then he would just have to try things out himself. With the help of the entries, he felt that he naturally would not have that much to worry about. ¡°Then may I know where we are going, great elder?¡± ¡°The true foundation of the Divine Will Sect.¡± Li Ming was instantly stunned when he heard the great elder¡¯s words. The very foundation which the Divine Will Sect had been built upon had to be massive. As the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region, the Divine Will Sect has hundreds of years of history. It was a sect that had a nascent soul cultivator keeping watch over it, allowing it to dominate a huge area in the Heavenly Southern Region. However, Li Ming had never heard of the Divine Will Sect having a true foundation which it was built upon. Was it not just some area where spiritual veins, which was where spiritual qi gathered, and so happened to be where the sect was later established? In reality, there were countless sects in the world, but these sects all had one thing in common: they were far away from the secular world and never built in towns or state capitals. Moreover, they were all built in the deep mountains and steep places. The reason for this was not that cultivators wanted to leave the mortal world. It was just that there were spiritual veins in these places, and the spiritual qi was dense enough to be suitable for cultivation. Li Ming thought that it was the same for the Divine Will Sect. However, looking at the great elder¡¯s attitude, it was clearly not that simple. ¡°When the Divine Will Sect was first built, it was not only because of the abundance of spiritual qi here but also because there was a ruin here.¡± ¡°Most of the secret techniques of the Divine Will Sect were derived from this ruin. ¡± Li Ming¡¯s interest was piqued when he heard the great elder¡¯s words. He did not expect Divine Will Sect to have such a history. He had been in the Divine Will Sect for so many years, but he had never heard of this before. However, thinking about it carefully, he used to ignore everyone, so how was he to learn of the history of the sect. It was normal for him to not know about some things. ¡°In this ruin, a plaque was found with the word ¡®Wu (Martial)¡¯ left on it. This was why the Martial Hall was established. It was considered to be the earliest hall of the Divine Will Sect. However, due to the decline of the path of body cultivation, it was ultimately abolished.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, you are going to be the first person to join this hall.¡± Li Ming looked at the great elder expressionlessly. What was this? Why did it feel like the great elder was just fooling him? If he did not want him to go to other halls to cultivate, then he should just say Why did he suddenly tell him a story and create some Martial Hall? Most importantly, he was going to be alone in this hall. Wasn¡¯t this all just some nonsense? Before Li Ming could question the great elder, the area in front of him suddenly opened up, and he saw ruins and broken walls appear in front of him. Although it was dilapidated, it looked grand and mysterious. At first glance, Li Ming felt that this place was extremely strange! What was even more ridiculous was that there was really a courtyard beside these ruins. However, it looked old and dilapidated. It was obvious that no one had managed it for many years. ¡°This is the place.¡± ¡°You will have to explore this place yourself in the future.¡± ¡°This place is very troublesome for those who practice qi. It will absorb the spiritual qi of cultivators, and that was why nobody had really explored it much.¡± ¡°However, as you are a body cultivator and do not care much for qi cultivation, the spiritual qi siphoning of this place should not affect you much.¡± After hearing the great elder¡¯s words, Li Ming really wanted to curse. Weren¡¯t they just sending him to his doom? And he even said that he did not care about qi cultivation? How could he not care? Previously, it was just that he had no choice. His talent in qi cultivation was truly poor! However, now that he had entries for qi cultivation, he naturally cared! Was this sect still a proper sect? How could they harm their disciples like this? As Li Ming was occupied with his own thoughts, the great elder turned around and looked at him. ¡°Li Ming, the sect respects your decision. If you are willing to cultivate here, the sect will naturally not be stingy with what you need.¡± ¡°If you do not want to do so, you can choose to go to the Spirit Will Hall or any other hall you so wish.¡± Li Ming was about to reply, when the system suddenly gave a prompt him two options. [If you choose to stay in the Martial Hall, you will obtain a purple entry!] [If you refuse to stay, you will obtain a blue entry!] Looking at the options, Li Ming felt helpless and agreed without hesitation. ¡°Great elder, I would like to stay here.¡± ¡°However, I have some questions. Why did great elder insist on bringing me here? Is it just because I¡¯m a body cultivator?¡± Although Li Ming had made his choice, he was still curious. No matter what, he was personally brought all this way by the great elder. It could not be because he had intentions of harming him, right? Placing him in an area where spiritual qi would be constantly siphoned from his body, would this not completely prevent him from improving his qi cultivation? ¡°That¡¯s because this place is too important, and it holds great secrets. With you at the body cultivation foundation establishment stage, it should not take too long for you to understand.¡± ¡°When you find those secrets, come find me.¡± After the great elder finished speaking, he turned around and left. Li Ming was speechless when he watched the great elder leave so irresponsibly. What was this? If he had known earlier, he would not have won in the inner sect grand competition. Fortunately, he obtained a purple entry after all that. It could be considered to have balanced the dissatisfaction in Li Ming¡¯s heart. It was just that he still felt quite unhappy with having painstakingly forced his level in qi refinement to increase in vain. It was not easy for him to increase his qi cultivation, and he was currently only a small bit away from reaching the qi cultivation foundation establishment stage. But now, he had to come to this strange place. This was really hard to accept. ¡°For now, I should just look at the entry I got.¡± It was useless to think too much, and it would only add to his troubles. Li Ming was not interested in doing such things. In any case, body cultivation was his main thing. Since it seemed that he was destined to not cultivate qi, then so be it. [Purple Entry: Ravenous Feast!] WTF? What is this new entry? What is going on? Looking at the new purple entry, Li Ming found himself confused and curious. The purple entry [Martial Dao Prodigy] had greatly improved Li Ming¡¯s talent in body cultivation! Moreover, he had also obtained a divine soul opportunity, allowing him to have a powerful divine soul in the foundation establishment stage. He even had divine soul techniques to make use of that advantage. That one entry had given Li Ming several trump cards. This time, he had received another purple entry. However, the name of this purple entry was a little strange. But after taking a closer look at what the purple entry did, Li Ming finally got a better understanding of what it did. [Ravenous Feast: Increases the spiritual qi absorbed by 100%.] At the same time, the purple entry was accompanied by an opportunity! [Restore]. A restoration opportunity, damages to the body, and spiritual qi consumption will be automatically restored or recovered. The host is granted a 50% increase to their recovery rate! Looking at the entry and the opportunity that were granted to him, Li Ming was stunned. The [Martial Dao Prodigy] entry from before had given him a divine soul opportunity, allowing him to forge his soul in advance. It had given him great benefits. And now, he had gotten a restoration opportunity! This restoration would be very beneficial to his body cultivation. It allowed the injuries and wounds on his body to recover faster than before, thereby allowing him to increase the intensity of his training! At the same time, it also helped with the restoration of the spiritual qi that he had consumed! Even if this place siphoned his spiritual qi, with this new entry, what did he even have to worry about? This opportunity came at the perfect time! With this entry and opportunity, Li Ming was obviously very excited. He had originally thought that the sect placing him here would have prevented him from being able to further his qi cultivation. But now, it seemed that he did not have to worry about the problem of not being able to continue cultivating qi. At the same time, he could still continue his body cultivation in peace.. He was practically killing two birds with one stone! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: Refocusing on Cultivation Chapter 50: Refocusing on Cultivation Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation At the Martial Hall. Although the Martial Hall was a hall of the Divine Will Sect, it was really only just in name. Due to the strangeness of this place and the fact that the origins of these ruins were wholly unknown by anyone in the sect, no one in the sect had ever actually explored it in depth. From the information that the great elder had given him, it was not difficult for Li Ming to deduce that this place was far older than the Divine Will Sect! But at the moment, Li Ming was not too clear on the strangeness that existed in this place. Seeing the dilapidated courtyard, Li Ming bitterly tidied it up. He had originally thought that he would be able have more time to rest after entering the true core area of the Divine Will Sect, but expectations were clearly not met with reality. He had to tidy up the whole place on his own. During the time that he was in the Martial Hall, the sect¡¯s disciples and elders would occasionally send him some resources, but they would always leave them outside the valley. They simply did not dare to enter the valley. Without cultivation at the level of the great elder, entering the valley would consume a lot of spiritual qi. In serious cases, entering the valley may even cause their cultivation level to fall! As such, Li Ming had no choice but to retrieve the resources himself. Who asked him to be the only one in the Martial Hall? Damn it, one day, I will bring the Martial Hall to greater heights! Looking at the broken plaque, Li Ming did not intend to make any changes. Instead, he felt that this plaque was very interesting. After tidying the place up for quite some time, the courtyard finally looked rather decent. Li Ming could now focus on other things. ¡°I should test out the new entry that I got first.¡± Until now, Li Ming had actually yet to experience the effects of the purple entry [Ravenous Feast]. ¡°Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art!¡± Li Ming activated and began circulating the magical art, trying to absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. However, in this valley, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was pitifully thin. However, even though it was little, with the addition of the Greed Feast, the spiritual energy continued to pour in! If they were outside, the amount of spiritual energy they could absorb would definitely be huge! Even in such a barren place, Li Ming was able to absorb twice as much spiritual qi as he did in the past! As expected of a purple entry! Moreover, Li Ming also discovered that after the spiritual qi in his body was siphoned away by the mysterious force in the valley, the restoration effect that he had obtained, together with the entry, would automatically completely fill up the gaps he had lost. In this way, Li Ming was not losing any spiritual qi to the valley. Moreover, Li Ming also discovered that the siphoned spiritual qi was actually gathering in one place. With the help of his entries, the uniqueness of the Ancient Spirit Magical Art, and the powerful perception of his divine soul, Li Ming should be able to sense the direction of the flow of spiritual qi. He was especially able to sense it well when it had just left his body. Under the perception of his divine soul, Li Ming quickly locked onto the location where the spiritual qi was gathering. He discovered that it was in the ruins. Li Ming followed the tracks and walked into the ruins. Although it was a dilapidated building, there was an extreme pressure emanating from inside! Less than ten minutes after he entered, Li Ming felt that his blood was surging, and he could not hold on any longer! He was in the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, and the strength of his body was his specialty. Even so, he could not stay there for long! This made Li Ming even more certain that there had to be something unusual inside the ruin. The great elder had previously mentioned that many of the cultivation techniques and magical arts in the scripture depository of the Divine Will Sect had originated from these ruins. This made Li Ming curious. However, the most important thing for him right now was to rectify the situation. Although he had already reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, that did not mean that he could just stop practicing the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. In addition, his qi cultivation level was currently stable at the eleventh level of the qi refinement stage. Li Ming still wanted to reach the foundation establishment realm in qi cultivation. This way, his weight in the sect would be a bit greater. And he would also be able to earn more resources. Fortunately, Li Ming was the only one in the valley, so he did not have to worry about others interfering with his cultivation, nor did he have to worry about having a place to himself where he could cultivate. He began with stance training, the foundation of body cultivation. He carried out all his movements smoothly as he trained. Li Ming did not dodge even when he was drawing the heavenly fire to temper himself. He simply watched as the heavenly fire descended and allowed it to burn on his body. The tempering of the heavenly flame would further improve Li Ming¡¯s body! Coupled with the restoration effect he had recently obtained, he would not feel as tired during body cultivation and would not have to worry about injuries as much. He completely bared his arms wide open and welcomed the tempering of his body. With the help of the [Martial Dao Prodigy] entry, the speed at which Li Mings body improved was astounding! A few hours later. As the meridians and bones in his entire body were reconstructed, the golden crow on his foundation establishment stone platform shone even brighter. He had reached the second level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art! ¡°Phew-¡± ¡°This feels amazing!¡± Li Ming stretched his muscles and bones. He had made another breakthrough in the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, leaving him feeling refreshed! To be able to complete the breakthrough in such a short period of time was great news for Li Ming. However, Li Ming could also feel that making further progress in the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art had become increasingly difficult. He only needed to break through one more layer to reach the third layer, and then he would be able to possess the Golden Crow True Fire! At the same time, his body cultivation could be considered to have stabilized at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm! Next, it was time to focus on qi cultivation. After doing well in the inner sect grand competition, the great elder had arranged for him to stay in such a strange place, and the sect had sent him a lot of resources. These resources were mostly in the form of various pills and various magical arts that corresponded to qi cultivation. Now that he was focusing on his qi cultivation, he could make use of the resources that the sect had given him In terms of magical arts. Li Ming verv decisivelv chose the Cauldron Transformation Art! Li Ming had been very fascinated by this magical art when he saw Chen Qingke use it. This kind of technique was indeed rather eye-catching. It was also very suitable for him as a body cultivator. Urging the Ancient Spirit Magical Art, Li Ming relied on [Ravenous Feast], together with the help of a pill to wantonly absorb spirtiual qi from the surroundings! With the enhancement of the pill, the spiritual qi around him instantly turned violent! The Ancient Spirit Magical Art was a very unique qi cultivation technique that absorbed spiritual qi through all parts of the body. But luckily for Li Ming, since he was mainly a body cultivator and had a strong body, even if the spiritual qi that he was absorbing was violent, it would barely affect him if at all After all, compared to the power of the heavenly fire, the damage that the violent spiritual qi could do to him was much weaker. As such, Li Ming was pretty much completely able to withstand the violent spiritual qi that entered his body from all directions. As the spiritual qi surged, Li Ming soon felt the loosening of his qi cultivation! He immediately increased his focus as he wantonly stuffed pills into his mouth in a rush to break through! If it was any other qi refinement stage cultivator, they would not be able to withstand the consumption of so many pills over such a short period of time! If a large amount of spiritual qi were to have entered the body of an ordinary qi refinement stage cultivator, their body would have likely been unable to withstand the immense pressure and imploded! This was where the benefits of body refinement came into play once again. In this aspect, Li Ming clearly had a decisive advantage. Even when absorbing such large amounts of spiritual qi in such a short period of time, his body was able to manage! The excess spiritual qi could then be absorbed by his body cultivation foundation establishment stone platform and further its advancements. ¡°Here it comes!¡± Suddenly. Spiritual qi erupted from Li Ming¡¯s body, and a blue light shone around him. Then, the light quickly converged! He had made another breakthrough in the qi refinement stage! He had now reached the twelfth level of the qi refinement stage! He now only needed to consolidate his current level of qi cultivation before he could begin working towards the foundation establishment realm! Although he had experience from his body cultivation foundation establishment before, the way by which one reached the foundation establishment realm through body cultivation and qi cultivation were completely different. When working toward the foundation establishment realm for body cultivation, the focus was to break through the shackles of one¡¯s physical body. The cultivator had to develop their flesh, blood, bones, meridians, and internal organs, and establish their foundation in their dantian. Every step of the way to the foundation establishment realm in body cultivation was life-threatening! This was why cultivators had ended up shying away from cultivating their bodies, simply because of the sheer danger that it would have them undergo! Currently, Li Ming actually had utterly no idea how to reach the foundation establishment realm in qi cultivation. After all, this entire time, he had never really paid any attention to how the process went. He was lacking in both experience and knowledge. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll have to learn from junior sister.¡± After reaching the peak of the qi refinement stage, Li Ming began to consider his future steps. He felt that it would be much better if he reached the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm sooner. And so, after reaching the twelfth level of the qi refinement stage, Li Ming did not stop with qi cultivation. With his empowered recovery and his physical body at the foundation establishment realm, he did not feel any fatigue at all. He thus decided to learn the Cauldron Transformation Art! The Cauldron Transformation Art! This magical art would have the cultivator use their own spiritual qi to gather the surrounding spiritual qi of heaven and earth, and then condense a giant bronze cauldron, thereby allowing them to unleash astonishing power! While this might sound quite simple and straightforward, it was actually quite a complex and technically-demanding technique to carry out. The requirements that this magical art in the cultivator¡¯s level of control over spiritual qi was extremely high! There were many disciples in the Divine Will Sect who had cultivated the Cauldron Transformation Art. After all, this was a jack-of-all-trades type of skill. In addition, with the technique allowing its user to wield considerable power, many people naturally studied and learned it. However, the bronze cauldrons that most disciples managed to condense were usually very blurry. Many times, they were only able to even condense an outline of a cauldron! Although condensing such an outline would give them a boost in power, it was not by much. The strength that the Cauldron Transformation Art would be able to display was heavily determined by the cauldron that was condensed by the cultivator. If it was clear, solid, and even had patterns on it, that meant that the cultivator had achieved major success in the technique! Li Ming raised one hand and unleashed spiritual qi outward from within his body in a controlled manner. Then, he tried to gather the surrounding spiritual qi of heaven and earth over to him. While he was doing so, Li Ming was pleasantly surprised to find that the entry [Ravenous Feast] could be activated at this time. With that being the case, he naturally decided to activate it. Instantly, a huge amount of heaven and earth spiritual qi gathered at his hand! This scene greatly surprised Li Ming. He did not dare to be careless. Using his powerful divine soul, he began to control the condensation of spiritual qi according to the method depicted in the Cauldron Transformation Art. Although the process was quite slow, Li Ming did not lack patience and time! Three years of pure body tempering was boring, but he still managed to persevere! This meager amount of time was naturally bearable.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 51 - Chapter 51: Looking for Trouble? Chapter 51: Looking for Trouble? Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation In the courtyard, after spending over an hour trying out the magical art, a large cauldron finally appeared on Li Ming¡¯s hand. He had finally managed to condense the outline of a cauldron! Relying on his powerful divine soul and the toughness of his body, Li Ming had finally done it. According to the description of the Cauldron Transformation Art, the bronze cauldron that the cultivator condenses would increase in strength with the cultivation of the cultivator, and the patterns that would emerge on the cauldron were unique to the cultivator. An especially important thing to take note of was that this cauldron could carry characteristics of the cultivator as well. For example, if the cultivator were a swordsman, then the cauldron would shape up to be sharp and agile. Those who were proficient in talismans would also have other uses for the cauldron. Even so, this was only Li Ming¡¯s first time condensing it. The patterns on the cauldron were thus still incomplete. With the spiritual qi and the divine soul that Li Ming had, it was really not that difficult to condense it, but that did not immediately mean that he would be familiar with the magical art. Any magical art would need the cultivator who was using it to repeatedly practice and polish the way by which they used it. With more time and practice, their usage of the magical art would naturally become better. Li Ming was in no hurry, and he did not beat himself up even though it took a little longer than it should have for him to condense the cauldron. After repeated practice, Li Ming was soon able to condense the cauldron at an extremely fast speed! After resting in the Martial Hall for a night, Li Ming left the valley the next morning. Although he had already entered the core of the Divine Will Sect and become an elite disciple, he was still a disciple of the Divine Will Sect, so he still had to accept missions and exchange merit points for cultivation resources and spirit stones that he required. Of course, Li Ming was not in a hurry to complete any missions. He still had a lot of resources from when the sect had sent him some. Moreover, Li Ming naturally did not have as great of a need for these resources that were for qi cultivation. In actuality, the main purpose of this trip was to go to the Spirit Will Hall and learn from Chen Qingke. It was also, in part, to simply pay a visit to her. After all, she had always been the one who took the initiative to come over to his place in the past. This time, he felt like switching the roles for once. In the sect, Li Ming was also the only one who was quite close to her. In the Spirit Will Hall. As the main hall of the Divine Will Sect, this place was also the place with the most elite disciples. It was located on the main peak, the Heavenly Will Peak. As a core disciple, he could naturally enter and exit this area as he pleased. When Li Ming walked in with the token in his hand, he saw that there were indeed many disciples in the Spirit Will Hall. Moreover, they were all at the foundation establishment realm! It could be said to be a showcase of prosperity! For the Divine Will Sect to be able to hold down the fort and become the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region, their strength and foundation were clearly immeasurable. ¡°Tsk tsk, as expected of the Spirit Will Hall. This is simply a world of difference from my Martial Hall!¡± ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ve been exiled after the inner sect grand competition?¡± ¡°The great elder isn¡¯t just playing with me, is he?¡± The land of the Spirit Will Hall was covered with exquisite and magnificent pavilions that were pleasant to the eye. On the other hand, in the Martial Hall, the only thing that could be found there was a small valley with some dilapidated ruins. Due to the scarcity of spiritual qi in the area, it was difficult to even find any birds and beasts. The two places were almost comparable to heaven and earth. This was why Li Ming was suspecting the great elder to have fooled him. ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming?¡± ¡°You joined the Spirit Will Hall as well?¡± Just as Li Ming was looking around, a familiar voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw Lu Lan, whom he had interacted with before. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, are you from the Spirit Will Hall?¡± Seeing Lu Lan walk over, Li Ming greeted her out of courtesy. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lu Lan nodded. ¡°I watched the last inner sect grand competition. I must say, Junior Brother Li Ming, you had an amazing performance.¡± ¡°I was still thinking about what arrangements the sect would make for Junior Brother Li Ming seeing as you are the first cultivator to reach the foundation establishment realm through body cultivation in the sect. I did not expect them to have you join the Spirit Will Hall.¡± ¡°It seems that the sect still wants Junior Brother Li Ming to focus on qi cultivation.¡± Hearing Lu Lan¡¯s words, Li Ming smiled awkwardly. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m not from the Spirit Will Hall.¡±¡± ¡°I was arranged to go to the Martial Hall. I came here to look for Chen Qingke and visit her at the same time.¡± Li Ming said bluntly without hiding anything. After all, they were both disciples of the same sect. ¡°Martial Hall?¡± ¡°Does our sect have such a hall?¡± Obviously, Lu Lan had no idea about what the Martial Hall that Li Ming had mentioned even was. However, Lu Lan did not think too much about it. When she found out that Li Ming was looking for someone, she immediately led the way for him. ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming, follow me.¡± ¡°The Spirit Will Hall is quite big. You probably are not familiar with the place, so it will be rather difficult for you to find people.¡± Li Ming followed Lu Lan. Along the way, he listened to Lu Lan¡¯s introduction and acquired a general understanding of the Spirit Will Hall. At the same time, he also learned about Chen Qingke¡¯s situation. Chen Qingke¡¯s performance in the inner sect grand competition was very eye-catching! It was rare for someone to have such great talent and reach the foundation establishment realm in just one year after joining the sect. Naturally, after entering the Spirit Will Hall, she was highly regarded. She was also arranged to stay in a cave abode filled with spiritual qi. Moreover, the elder of the Spirit Will Hall directly accepted Chen Qingke as his last disciple, his closed-door disciple! With this, her status could be said to have risen with the tide. Under Lu Lan¡¯s lead, they soon arrived at Chen Qingke¡¯s cave. ¡°Junior Sister Chen, Junior Brother Li Ming is here to see you.¡± As Lu Lan spoke, Li Ming looked around. There were actually quite a number of treasure chests placed outside the cave abode. Just from the spiritual qi being emitted from these treasure chests, it could be inferred that these were all resources for cultivation. He did not expect the sect to value Chen Qingke this greatly. The resources given to her were twice as much as his. However, after thinking about it, it made sense. Chen Qingke¡¯s talent in qi cultivation far exceeded his. It was normal for her to receive such treatment. ¡°Senior brother! ¡± ¡°You finally came to see me!¡± Inside the cave, when Chen Qingke heard Lu Lan, she hurried out. As soon as she exited her cave abode, she looked at Li Ming with joy. ¡°Junior sister, we only haven¡¯t seen each other for a day.¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re doing pretty well in the Spirit Will Hall.¡± Li Ming smiled. Every time this girl saw him, she always looked happy. She was so highly regarded in the sect that there really was no need for him to worry about her. Moreover, this girl was no weakling. She could even beat those at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm while only being at the early stage. Now that she had much more resources, her cultivation would only rise even faster. ¡°Hmph, of course, I¡¯m now the hall elder¡¯s closed-door disciple.¡± ¡°Senior Brother, where did you go? I asked around, but nobody knows where you went.¡± ¡°The great elder isn¡¯t in the sect either, so I had no idea where you went.¡± Chen Qingke asked worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m in the Martial Hall. Don¡¯t worry, my status isn¡¯t low. After all, I¡¯m the only one in that hall.¡± Li Ming said with a smile. When he said this, even Lu Lan was surprised. Alone? There was actually such a place in the sect? This was the first time she had heard of it. ¡°Alone? Senior brother, isn¡¯t that no different from being exiled? If you¡¯re alone, then no one is going to guide you in your cultivation. The sect has gone too far!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go and speak with the elders!¡± After saying that, Chen Qingke turned to look for the elders, but Li Ming grabbed her before she could leave. ¡°Junior sister, don¡¯t mess around.¡± ¡°The sect has its own plans. Besides, I¡¯m a body cultivator. Who can I find to guide me?¡± ¡°Moreover, your talent in qi cultivation is not bad. If there are things I don¡¯t know, can¡¯t I just come and ask you?¡± Li Ming quickly comforted her. He was afraid that Chen Qingke would blow things up. ¡°Martial Hall?¡± ¡°I did not expect that there would still be people going to that kind of place.¡± ¡°Junior Sister Chen, you¡¯re right. That place is no different from exile.¡± Just as Li Ming finished speaking, a loud voice sounded from behind him. The three of them turned to look, then Lu Lan and Chen Qingke¡¯s expressions instantly turned ugly. From their expressions, the person who came was obviously not a good person. Li Ming sized him up. Judging from his aura, this person was at the foundation establishment realm, but he was unsure as to what level he had reached. ¡°Senior Brother Fang Ao, what are you doing here?¡± Seeing the young man walking over, Lu Lan immediately stood in front of Li Ming. Obviously, Lu Lan did not like Fang Ao either. Looking at Lu Lan¡¯s stance, Fang Ao immediately chuckled and said, ¡°Junior Sister Lu, I¡¯m just here to see if there¡¯s anything wrong with Junior Sister Chen¡¯s cultivation and want to help.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with helping each other in the sect?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all of the same sect, is it not good for us to be united?¡± Fang Ao¡¯s words sounded reasonable, but something seemed off. Li Ming also noticed that Lu Lan and Chen Qingke both had disgusted expressions on their faces. Even Chen Qingke, who had just arrived a day ago, had obviously heard of this person. Although Lu Lan was disgusted by Fang Ao¡¯s words, she did not respond directly. After all, he had said that he had come here looking for Chen Qingke. However, Fang Ao clearly did not take them seriously. Eventually, his gaze fell on Li Ming. ¡°You¡¯re that Li Ming who reached the foundation establishment realm in body cultivation? Why? Are you that trash at qi cultivation and are now planning to rely on Junior Sister Chen as a backer?¡± ¡°I heard that when you were in the inner sect, you often relied on Junior Sister Chen to keep your place.. Seriously, a grown man actually stood at the back and made a woman fight for him?¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: Law Enforcement Assessment Chapter 52: Law Enforcement Assessment Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Fang Ao¡¯s words were clearly underlaid with a hidden meaning, and it was obviously directed toward Li Ming. Everyone in the Divine Will Sect knew that Li Ming was a foundation establishment body cultivator. After all, he was the first person ever since the establishment of the Divine Will Sect, as well as in the Heavenly Southern Region, to have reached such a level in body cultivation! This made his name difficult to forget. Reaching the foundation establishment realm in body cultivation was an unheard-of feat in the Heavenly Southern Region before Li Ming. This matter had shaken the outer and inner sect disciples, and some of them had even begun training their bodies. However, the core disciples, particularly the disciples of the five halls of the Divine Will Sect, still did not take Li Ming, who was in the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, seriously. In their eyes, Li Ming was just putting his heart and soul into a useless path. They all saw Li Ming¡¯s decision to be unbelievably foolish. After all, he had wasted three years. They believed that he could have reached the peak and become the number one prodigy of the sect, but he chose a path that no one had ever taken before. If this was not stupidity, then what was? Hearing Fang Ao¡¯s words, fury filled Cheng Qingke¡¯s face. She was just about to retort when Li Ming pulled her back. Li Ming stepped forward and looked at Fang Ao. ¡°Senior Fang, to be able to stand behind a woman, one needs capital.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re a man, but there is no woman willing to shelter you from the wind and rain. Is that not more pathetic?¡± Li Ming replied with a calm expression. Although this person was a disciple of the Divine Will Sect and seemed to have considerable strength and status, Li Ming did not care. On the path of cultivation, one did not only seek to conform to heaven¡¯s will but also to one¡¯s heart. It was incredibly apparent that Fang Ao had come here to stir up trouble. If he chose to avoid the confrontation, it would inevitably dull his sharpness and weaken his confidence. All these years, Li Ming had never taken people¡¯s mockery and rolling eyes seriously. Firstly, he had heard too much and did not take them to heart. Secondly and most importantly, in the past three years, Li Ming¡¯s talent in qi cultivation truly was weak. Although he had made advancements in body cultivation, that still did not grant him enough strength. In the past, he had not gotten that many good entries, so Li Ming did not have the strength to fight against others. As such, he naturally had to avoid them. But that was no longer the case now, so Li Ming would not just sit by and let himself be pushed around. In the past, Chen Qingke had always stood up for him. And that actually made Li Ming feel quite embarrassed. However, it was fine as long as he knew what he was embarrassed about. If someone else had said it, the meaning changed. Naturally, there were differences between the two. Hearing Li Ming reply so brazenly toward Fang Ao, Lu Lan and Chen Qingke, who were right beside him, found themselves surprised and curious. Somehow, they felt that Li Ming had changed significantly after he emerged victorious from the inner sect grand competition. In the past, he was like cotton to brainless people who came looking for trouble. He was weak and would not make a fuss. But now, Li Ming had clearly become sharper. Lu Lan looked on in astonishment. The Li Ming that she had interacted with in the past was indeed gentle and would never act like this. It seemed that everyone¡¯s personality would change after going through the inner sect grand competition and entering the core of the Divine Will Sect. After reaching the foundation establishment realm, the future path of cultivation would become vast and extraordinary. After that point, a cultivator¡¯s life would completely change. Each and every one of them would have to adapt to the changes, and adapting to a new environment would naturally result in some changes in personality. Of course, the biggest change that had taken place for Li Ming was the change in his own strength. Li Ming had already reached the second level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. Although he had not yet reached the third level, he had already entered the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm by doing so. For Li Ming, every breakthrough brought about a huge improvement. At this point, he did not really have any need to fear Fang Ao. ¡°Humph!¡± ¡°You sure are proud.¡± ¡°Li Ming, are you even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as me?¡± ¡°The sect placed you in a place like the Martial Hall where you can¡¯t even absorb spiritual qi. You can¡¯t possibly think that they actually care for a piece of trash like you who can¡¯t cultivate qi, do you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for being the one to break the news to you. You new core disciples will be tested here in three months. If you fail, I can only say that your fate will not be good!¡± Fang Ao snorted coldly and looked at Chen Qingke. He did not hide the greed and lust in his eyes as he turned around and left. Although a fight had not broken out, Fang Ao¡¯s intentions were very obvious. It would be difficult for Li Ming to stay in the inner sect of the Divine Will Sect to cultivate. And it would be especially so when the new disciples¡¯ assessment takes place in three months. This assessment would not be the same as those that took place in the outer and inner sects. After all, they were now in the true core of the Divine Will Sect, and all of them were foundation establishment disciples. There was a huge gap between them and the qi refinement disciples outside. The assessment would naturally have to be different. In terms of difficulty, it would be much greater than any of the assessments in the inner sect. Hearing Fang Ao¡¯s words, it seemed that if he did not pass this incoming assessment, the consequences that he would suffer would be very serious. Li Ming was honestly unaware of this and was curious. After all, he was the only one in the core of the Divine Will Sect who entered the Martial Hall. No one had ever told him about any of these things. Just as he was about to ask Lu Lan for some more information, Lu Lan unexpectedly took the initiative to speak. ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming, where is this Martial Hall that you have joined? Is it in the valley behind the five halls?¡± ¡°Why did the sect arrange for you to go there?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t staying there mean that you won¡¯t be able to cultivate qi?¡± Lu Lan spoke in quick succession. After Fang Ao¡¯s reminder, Lu Lan had gotten an impression of where the Martial Hall might be. Hearing this, Li Ming immediately smiled and said, ¡°That might not be the case. In fact, I think that place is pretty good.¡± ¡°Moreover, it will not hinder my cultivation.¡± ¡°Do not worry, Senior Sister Lu.¡± ¡°Who exactly is that Fang Ao? Even if he¡¯s a disciple of the Divine Will Sect, he shouldn¡¯t be acting so arrogantly towards others, right?¡± They were both elite disciples of the sect. Other than the difference in cultivation, there should be no difference in status. After all, the disciples who could enter the five halls were all selected from the inner sect and were talented disciples. But despite all that, there were actually still people who are so arrogant? Hearing Li Ming¡¯s words, Lu Lan also began to explain. ¡°This Fang Ao is not only a disciple of the Spirit Will Hall, but also a member of the Law Enforcement Hall within the five halls. He thus has the right to supervise the disciples.¡± ¡°In addition, this person often uses his position to threaten some female disciples and force them to do shameful actions.¡± Li Ming frowned when he heard Lu Lan¡¯s words. It was obvious that Fang Ao had his eyes on Chen Qingke. ¡°For there to be such scum in the core of the sect, do the elders not care at all?¡± Li Ming did not understand. As a sect that was the overlord of the Heavenly Southern Region, why was the Divine Will Sect so chaotic? ¡°Of course not. This is different from the outer and inner sects. The cultivation world outside is far crueler than ours. The sect also follows this point. The strong prey on the weak.¡± ¡°Other than not being allowed to kill, there are almost no so-called rules here.¡± ¡°In addition, this Fang Ao has someone backing him up. Naturally, nobody really dares to do anything to him.¡± After listening to Lu Lan, Li Ming had a much better understanding of the situation. The Divine Will Sect was obviously relying on this kind of hands-off method to train their disciples. They used a high-pressure environment to make their disciples work hard to cultivate and improve themselves. Disciples nurtured in such an environment were naturally much stronger than disciples who have simply been spoonfed everything. Perhaps, this was also the reason why the Divine Will Sect was able to maintain such a strong position in the Heavenly Southern Region and become the number one sect in the area. ¡°Then what¡¯s with the assessment that he mentioned?¡± ¡°In three months, all five of you who have passed the most recent inner sect grand competition are required to take an assessment of the Law Enforcement Hall.¡¯ ¡°Therefore, you must be careful when the time comes. Fang Ao is narrow-minded and vengeful. He will definitely target you.¡± ¡°He is currently in the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm and has a natal magical treasure.¡± Lu Lan gave Li Ming a series of reminders. Her reminders also reminded Li Ming of his purpose for coming here. Li Ming was already at the twelfth level of the qi refinement stage, thus having reached the peak of the qi refinement stage. However, he was not completely sure of how to reach the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. Li Ming did not have the time to go to the scripture depository to look for books to study on this topic. And so, he believed that asking Chen Qingke was his best choice. After all, Chen Qingke was talented, so it would be better to ask her about such things. ¡°I came here this time to ask about the foundation establishment realm.¡± ¡°The qi cultivation foundation establishment realm.¡± When Li Ming said this, both Chen Qingke and Lu Lan were both stunned. Then, they realized that Li Ming had already reached the twelfth level of the qi refinement stage! Previously, when Li Ming had reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, his physical body¡¯s aura was already powerful, masking his level in qi cultivation. If it was not for him speaking of it, they would not have even noticed that he had already reached the peak of the qi refinement stage. ¡°Senior Brother, you¡¯ve already reached the peak of the qi refinement stage?¡± ¡°When do you plan to establish your foundation?¡± Chen Qingke¡¯s expression turned serious and she looked at Li Ming happily. Li Ming¡¯s talent was not weak. Everyone just felt that he had chosen the wrong path.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: Qj Cultivation Foundation Establishment! Chapter 53: Qj Cultivation Foundation Establishment! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming had already displayed shocking strength just from when he had reached the foundation establishment realm for body cultivation, so the outcome if he were to reach the foundation establishment realm for qi cultivation as well would undoubtedly make him even more monstrous! Even back in the inner sect grand competition, when he was only relying on his body cultivation, he had already displayed immense strength. In fact, his performance was so amazing during the inner sect grand competition that some outer and inner sect disciples even decided to start training their bodies. After all, not everyone had outstanding talent in qi cultivation, so it was normal that some chose to try out body cultivation. Li Ming was a living example of someone who had gone through the same experience and succeeded. To be able to reach the foundation establishment realm for both body and qi cultivation was naturally an outcome that countless people would yearn for. However, it was obvious that Lu Lan and Chen Qingke did not expect Li Ming to have devoted enough time and effort to qi cultivation to reach the foundation establishment realm all the while he had been tempering his body! To be at the foundation establishment realm for both body cultivation and qi cultivation, even throughout the entire continent, it was probably impossible to find someone who has achieved such a feat, right? ¡°To achieve both body and qi cultivation foundation establishment¡­ Junior Brother Li Ming, is this even possible?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any conflicting effects, are there?¡± Such a feat was unheard of, and nobody had really ever tried to accomplish such a feat. As such, the risks were unknown. Nobody dared to be careless. In the end, nobody could really provide Li Ming with any guidance. Li Ming could only rely on himself to explore and test things out. Seeing the two women worrying for him, Li Ming said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there should be no problem.¡± ¡°Anyway, I just wanted to ask¡­ How does one reach the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm?¡± ¡°The more detailed an explanation you can provide me, the better. Otherwise, if it does end up in conflict with the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, that would be quite troublesome.¡± Li Ming did not hide anything. He had observed and studied Chen Qingke in the past, and he had learned a lot about qi cultivation from her. However, that was in the past. Now, they were both already at the foundation establishment realm, and he had achieved the body cultivation foundation establishment realm. The strength they now wielded was on a whole different level compared to before. Including the special circumstances, Li Ming indeed needed to understand as much as he could about the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. Hearing Li Ming¡¯s question, the two women naturally knew the relationship between them. They immediately explained their respective situations to Li Ming in detail. After hearing the two women¡¯s explanations, Li Ming began comparing what they were saying with what he knew. When breaking through to the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm, everyone basically carried out the same operation. Once they had broken through to the twelfth level of the qi refinement stage, they would condense their spiritual qi into their dantian and condense a foundation establishment stone platform. The entire process was done within the cultivator¡¯s dantian. There was a huge difference between this and the body cultivation foundation establishment. However, there was already a body cultivation foundation establishment stone platform in Li Ming¡¯s dantian, and there was golden crow spiritual qi on the stone platform. These were condensed from his cultivation of his body. He did not know if the two would ultimately reject each other. Nevertheless, now with both more experience and better understanding, Li Ming no longer hesitated. He returned to the Martial Hall. Along the way, Li Ming gained a new understanding of the Martial Hall. Almost all the disciples in the five halls, those who had been around for a long time, knew that this Martial Hall was not so much a Martial Hall as it was a forbidden area for qi cultivators! That was because of the spiritual qi siphoning effect that existed in the valley. They did not dare to go to this area at all, and neither could they survive here. While they were in the area, their spiritual qi would be constantly siphoned and their cultivation would fall. It was said that in the past, there were a few high-leveled foundation establishment disciples who entered the area. However, after they came out, all of them had their cultivation directly fall from the foundation establishment realm to the qi refinement stage! And none of them had any chance to recover their cultivation. Therefore, the valley where the Martial Hall was located was since regarded as a forbidden area. It was a place that the other disciples did not want to get close to. However, Li Ming obviously did not care about this. It was good that no one came to this area. This way, there would be fewer fools coming to find trouble with him. In any case, the influence in the area was not a problem for Li Ming. He was in the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, and his blood essence was strong. In addition, he also had the purple entry [Ravenous Feast]. Although the place was strange and could absorb spiritual qi, it was completely unable to compete with the effects that came with his entry. At the Martial Hall. Li Ming had returned. He remembered Fang Ao¡¯s words clearly. Fang Ao had given Li Ming a deep impression of him, but at the same time, he felt disgusted toward him. After all, not only did Fang Ao mock him, but he was also targeting Chen Qingke. Li Ming knew that Fang Ao would not let him off easily during the assessment. His main priority now was to increase his strength. Li Ming did not think too much about it and immediately chose to establish his foundation in qi cultivation! With the resources provided by the sect, Li Ming had all that he needed to reach the foundation establishment realm. However _ what worried I.i Ming wag whether his foundation estahliqhment body cultivation would conflict with the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. Li Ming started with a hint of nervousness. Reaching the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm required one to break through the twelfth level of the qi refinement stage and guide one¡¯s cultivation to their dantian to condense the foundation establishment stone platform! This operation was actually very similar to the Cauldron Transformation Art that he practiced before. There were many similarities. When breaking through to the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm, one needed to carefully look at their cultivation technique and the way their spiritual qi circulated. These all had a great impact on their success. The qi cultivation technique that Li Ming cultivated was the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art. Although it was incomplete, the mysterious part of the [Ancient Spirit Arcane Art] was that it could spread one¡¯s spiritual qi to every part of the body, including meridians, bones, flesh, and blood. Therefore, Li Ming was able to easily shatter the twelfth layer of his qi refinement stage cultivation base and allow his cultivation to flow around throughout his body. Now, he needed to directly start establishing his foundation! When other people were breaking through to the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm, they were exposed to extreme danger every time they condensed spiritual qi in their dantian. But when it came to Li Ming, the situation was completely different. When the spiritual qi condensed in his dantian, it was directly condensed upon his body cultivation foundation establishment. The spiritual qi that he condensed simply merged with his body cultivation. At the same time, the spiritual qi was also absorbed by the golden crow. This was all happening extremely fast. Before Li Ming could even react, all the spiritual qi from his twelfth-level qi refinement stage cultivation had already been absorbed! Under his inner sight, Li Ming noticed that the foundation establishment stone platform in his dantian had changed. The stone platform was originally ordinary, but at this moment, it was like a green lotus. At some point, flower petals had appeared and completely surrounded the golden crow. These flower petals were formed by the spiritual qi from his qi cultivation. Li Ming could clearly feel that he had indeed broken through the shackles of the qi refinement stage and broken through to the foundation establishment realm. But why does it feel like that? Why does it feel strange? ¡°Is this really the foundation establishment realm?¡± Li Ming was curious, but he could not ask anyone about his situation. Regardless, he felt that he had indeed reached the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. Li Ming originally thought that another foundation establishment stone platform would be formed in his dantian, but what happened was completely different from his expectations. Additionally, the speed at which he reached the foundation establishment realm felt incredibly fast and effortless. He had not felt any sort of pressure whatsoever during the process. And he had not felt any danger either. This was an unexpected surprise. It really was not what he was expecting to happen. Although he did not quite understand the reasons behind why it happened so, he knew that he had succeeded. He had now cultivated both his body and qi cultivation to the foundation establishment realm. This had considerably increased his strength. There was indeed a huge improvement from before. With the increase in his qi cultivation, his future cultivation would obviously be much simpler. Unlike for body cultivation, although qi cultivation required cultivation techniques to support it, the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art was not bad. At the very least, it could support Li Ming until he perfected his cultivation in the foundation establishment realm. As for body cultivation? This was what Li Ming was truly focused on. The Golden Crow Body Tempering Art was a wonderful technique that could bring about great improvements to one¡¯s body. Naturally, it was also the direction that Li Ming really wanted to go. In the Martial Hall. For the next week, Li Ming spent two-thirds of his time on the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art and strengthening his body through the basic skills of body cultivation. During this period of time, Li Ming could feel that he was getting closer and closer to breaking through to the third level of his cultivation technique. The remaining one-third of the time was naturally used on qi cultivation. During this period of time, Li Ming had also carefully studied his qi cultivation. It appeared that his body and qi cultivation had automatically fused together when he reached the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. Although he did not know if there had been such a situation in the past, it was a good thing for now. During this period of time, whether he cultivated the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art or the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, they would both increase his strength! It was as if there was no distinction between them. The spiritual qi nourished his body, and his body strengthened his foundation establishment stone platform, thereby increasing the foundation establishment cultivation. They complemented each other. This saved Li Ming a lot of trouble. ¡°Recently, why does it feel as if the speed at which the ruins have been siphoning my spiritual qi has slowed down?¡± After he finished cultivating, Li Ming stood up and looked around. After staying here for some time, he had to say that the place was indeed quiet. He had made breakthroughs in his cultivation, but the ruins behind the Martial Hall were still filled with strangeness to him. He had never found the source of the spiritual qi siphoning. Li Ming was curious. Previously, he was only at the body cultivation foundation establishment realm. When he ventured too deep, his blood essence surged and he could not manage at all. But now, he had already reached the foundation establishment realm in qi cultivation. His overall strength had risen significantly. He felt that he might have a chance to discover something! When he thought of this, Li Ming ventured in again. The seemingly broken walls were scattered in an orderly manner. As soon as he entered, Li Ming could feel strong killing intent and resentment directed at him, and he also felt a sense of weakness. Ever since he reached the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm, his divine soul seemed to have been strengthened by another level. In terms of perception, his senses had become even sharper. He immediately locked onto the source.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Heavenly Southern Border Chapter 54: Heavenly Southern Border Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The strength of Li Ming¡¯s divine soul allowed him to detect the minute fluctuations and movements of spiritual qi. That remained true even in a place like this one. Moreover, ever since he had entered the foundation establishment realm, the feeling of having spiritual qi siphoned from his body had indeed become a lot weaker. Li Ming walked forward and started rummaging through a pile of rocks. ¡°What is this?¡± Li Ming moved the rocks aside and saw that there was a black rock under the huge pile. Although it was called a rock, it was incredibly smooth, perhaps it would be more apt to call it a stone. Li Ming could clearly sense that the spiritual qi was being siphoned by this very stone. When he held it in his hand, strange patterns surfaced on the black stone. ¡°Could it be that this thing needs to absorb spiritual qi to do something?¡± Li Ming frowned. Out of curiosity, he could not help but release his spiritual qi at the stone However, Li Ming¡¯s current spiritual qi was all golden crow spiritual qi. In other words, his spiritual qi was scorching hot and extremely destructive! With the infusion of his spiritual qi, the patterns on the stone became brighter and brighter. Then, before he could react, a stream of spiritual qi shot out from the stone and instantly rushed into Li Ming¡¯s forehead! Hiss! Li Ming felt a sharp pain in his head, and even his divine soul trembled from the impact! When he came back to his senses, he realized that something had appeared in his mind out of nowhere. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a technique! ¡°Imperial Finger?¡± ¡°This is¡­ A low-grade mystic-tier martial skill?¡± Li Ming was instantly dumbfounded as he looked at the new technique in his mind. It was a low-grade mystic-tier martial skill, Imperial Finger! Even in the Divine Will Sect, there were very few mystic-tier magical arts, let alone martial skills. Previously, Li Ming had been worried that he would have difficulty finding any skills or techniques that would match his level in the future. After all, there were almost no people who practiced body cultivation in the vicinity of the sect. However, he did not expect to find such a timely technique today! He had actually obtained a low-grade mystic-tier martial skill! There was actually a high-level technique in this stone! Li Ming instantly understood that this stone was a treasure! Although he did not know where it came from, the technique that appeared from it was a low-grade mystic-tier technique, and it was suitable for those who practiced body cultivation. This had basically solved his worries. Of course, he had to keep such a treasure. With a low-grade mystic-tier martial skill, Li Ming was incomparably happy. He immediately put the black stone into his bag of holding and returned to his courtyard. Having just obtained a brand new martial skill, Li Ming naturally wanted to learn it. Anyway, with the support of the [Martial Dao Prodigy], it had become easy and convenient for him to cultivate. His comprehension was extremely powerful! The low-grade mystic-tier Imperial Finger mainly focused on one¡¯s aura. It created the image of an emperor descending from the heavens, controlling life and death with just his finger! Holding absolute power over the world! The technique looked very domineering, and it was proportionally difficult to learn. With the help of the [Martial Dao Prodigy], Li Ming quickly comprehended the Imperial Finger, but he was unable to unleash its true power! It was as if Li Ming lacked the ambition to truly bring out what the technique was capable of. In layman¡¯s terms, Li Ming¡¯s goal in cultivation was to live forever and become an immortal. He did not have the goal of fighting and slaughtering, nor did he have the ambition to dominate the world. Previously, Li Ming had tempered his body because his talent in qi cultivation was horrendous. He had not given up on his hope of cultivating. That was why he had diligently cultivated his body throughout years of mockery and neglect! With the help of the entry system, Li Ming finally saw hope and successfully reached the foundation establishment realm in body cultivation. And now, he had even reached the foundation establishment realm in qi cultivation. Under such circumstances, Li Ming had naturally become very relaxed. He did not carry any thoughts of fighting for more. He was content with what we had, and he was fine with slow but steady progress On the next day, Li Ming chose to leave the Martial Hall early in the morning. Although he could use the Imperial Finger, its power was barely satisfactory. Without the imposing manner and ambition that the technique needed, it was not worth using. This forced Li Ming to find a technique that was better suited to him once again. Although the Five Divine Fists was not bad, it was obvious that Li Ming needed a larger variety of moves. Currently, he no longer had any merit points. He had used up all of his resources to increase his qi cultivation and establish his foundation. What Li Ming needed to do now was to carry out some missions to earn some merit points, as well as some spirit stones, to support his cultivation. Li Ming soon arrived at the five halls¡¯ mission area. Unlike the hundred opportunities hall of the outer and inner sects, this place was specifically made for only the disciples of the five halls. The rewards that can be received from the missions that were posted here were very generous. But at the same time, the missions were much more dangerous. After all, the disciples here were all foundation establishment cultivators. The missions that they accepted would naturally not be as easy or as simple as those in the hundred opportunities hall. Li Ming had just arrived. As he was not familiar with the place, he looked around and was very curious about the mission area. ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming?¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯ve already broken through to the foundation establishment realm?¡± While Li Ming was looking around, a familiar voice called out to him. He turned around and saw that it was Lu Lan again. Li Ming was surprised. Every time he went out, he kept on running into her. Fate was truly strange. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve successfully reached the foundation establishment realm.¡± ¡°But while increasing my cultivation, I used up too many resources, so I have come here to earn more.¡± There were many disciples in the five halls, and everyone had good talent. However, there was still a bias with regard to the resource distribution. People like Chen Qingke, who were extremely talented, would naturally be supported by the sect. She would not have to come to a place like this and accept any missions. It could be said that she had truly achieved the action of a carp leaping over the dragon gate. On the other hand, people like Li Ming, who had reached the body cultivation foundation establishment sect, did not attract much support from the sect. Although Li Ming had also already reached the foundation establishment realm, he had only done so after three years. This speed was very ordinary among the five halls. As such, it was normal that he would not garner that much support. Of course, this was what most people who were not familiar with the situation thought. Lu Lan knew that Li Ming was definitely not ordinary to be able to reach the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm while in the Martial Hall! ¡°It just so happens that I just accepted a mission here. The reward is quite good. Does Junior Brother Li Ming want to join?¡± ¡°It just so happens that I need one more person to help me with this mission.¡± Lu Lan immediately handed him an invitation to join her. The reward for the mission she had accepted was 30,000 merit points and 10,000 low-grade spirit stones! The reward was indeed quite generous. Compared to the rewards for the missions in the inner sect, there was a huge difference. Of course, the mission content was naturally more dangerous. Otherwise, Lu Lan would not have chosen to look for people and split the reward equally. ¡°Alright, no problem.¡± Li Ming did not think too much about it and immediately agreed. He had a good impression of Lu Lan, so he felt that cooperating with her should be worth the while. Hearing Li Ming agreeing to join her, Lu Lan heaved a sigh of relief. As she brought Li Ming down the mountain, she explained the content of the mission. This mission would take place at the border of the Heavenly Southern Region. They would have to investigate the problem in a certain town. It did not seem like much. In fact, it merely seemed like a small errand. However, a mission that could appear in the five halls¡¯ mission area and had an extremely high reward could definitely not be so simple. According to Lu Lan, some time ago, demons had appeared all over the Heavenly Southern Region, and their cultivation bases were not to be taken lightly. Some of them were even at the foundation establishment realm! Even demons with ordinary cultivation bases were already destructive to mortals. Now that there were foundation establishment demons running about, one could just imagine how much chaos and destruction there could be. Therefore, during the mission this time, they were very likely to run into foundation establishment demons. The risk was extremely high! The Heavenly Southern Region was protected by the Divine Will Sect. Whether it was the small sects or the ordinary people here, they were the same to the Divine Will Sect. The Divine Will Sect took on the role of protecting them from being disturbed and destroyed by evil foreign forces such as demons. Naturally, these smaller forces that were under the protection of the Divine Will Sect had to pay it tributes every so often. This was also the reason why a sect as large as the Divine Will Sect would never run out of money. After all, a sect needed resources to run. Li Ming followed Lu Lan and headed toward the border of the Heavenly Southern Region. After traveling for three days, they finally reached the outskirts of the town. As soon as they got close, Li Ming felt a strong demonic aura coming from the town! Apart from that, there was also the smell of blood that permeated the air! ¡°Looks like the situation is a lot worse than we thought.¡± ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming, we need to go in and investigate thoroughly. If these demons have a plan, the sect cannot just sit still and wait for death.¡± Hearing Lu Lan¡¯s words, Li Ming did not object. After all, it was a mission. However, before he even entered, he could already sense that a gory scene of death and mangled flesh was awaiting them inside the town. The two of them cautiously approached the town. When they entered through the town gate, they saw that the entire market was in a mess and broken stalls could be seen everywhere! Not only that, the entire street was filled with blood, but there was no sign of anyone! ¡°When demons and devils hunt mortals, they treat mortals as food.¡± ¡°Of course, they prefer to eat cultivators like us much more. After all, the spiritual qi in our bodies far exceeds that of mortals.¡± Lu Lan explained, but Li Ming was still in a daze when he saw the scene before him. Although he had fought with the disciples of the sect before, he had only crippled them. This was the first time Li Ming had seen such a bloody scene! Although there were no corpses, the strong stench of blood assaulting his senses gave Li Ming quite a shock! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 55 - Chapter 55: Demonstrating the Might of Body and Qi Dual Cultivation! Chapter 55: Demonstrating the Might of Body and Qi Dual Cultivation! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The city was deserted, and the streets were desolate. There were blood splatters everywhere, causing Li Ming¡¯s heart to tremble. This was the first time that he had seen such a miserable scene in this world! Li Ming had once imagined how cruel the world of cultivation was. He had pictured countless slaughters and the snatching of treasures left and right! However, when he had imagined this in his mind, he had only considered this to take place between cultivators. He had not given much thought to the mortals living at the very bottom of this world. They were even treated as food! The heavens and earth were merciless and treated all living things as disposable. The strong preyed on the weak, this was the ultimate law of this world! During the time that he had been in this world, Li Ming had mainly enjoyed the pleasures of cultivation. He would receive feelings of satisfaction every time he broke through and increased his cultivation. However, it was now crystal clear to him that he had been too one-sided in the way he had viewed things. At the side, Lu Lan looked at Li Ming¡¯s dazed expression and immediately understood what he was going through. Although Li Ming had dealt with demons and bandits on his own before, those people deserved to die. This was the first time he had seen such a miserable scene, so he was naturally a little shaken. ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming, the world of cultivation has always been one where the strong prey on the weak. This rule is not only carried out by these demons, but us cultivators as well.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the mission. If we can find a foundation establishment demon, we might be able to get some information from it.¡± This time, the border was shaken and demons had appeared. It was really strange. However, it was not a large horde of demons that had come to attack, so the sect could only issue out missions to its disciples. Hearing Lu Lan¡¯s words, Li Ming came back to his senses. Although he was shocked by the scene in front of him, Li Ming was quickly able to come to terms with it. He understood that this was simply how this world worked. The carefree cultivation life that he longed for was clearly not that easy to achieve. He had to return to reality and face reality. Following Lu Lan, the two of them went deeper into the town. The closer they got to the center of the town, the more blood they saw. There were even severed limbs laying about! They continued to go deeper and deeper toward the center of the town. Finally! In the town square, they were met with the sight of a strange pattern formed by countless corpses! They did not catch sight of any demon. Just as the two of them were thinking to themselves, roars instantly sounded around them. Subsequently, a thick demonic aura emerged. Countless demons surged out and surrounded the two of them! ¡°There are a lot of qi refinement stage demons.¡± ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming, be careful.¡± When Lu Lan saw this scene, she skillfully summoned her natal magical treasure, a silver-white whip! The whip appeared, and as she waved it, it actually made a fluttering sound! Lightning crackled around the whip! As the demons charged over, Lu Lan took the lead and brandished her long whip. The whip was light and strange, but it carried an extremely powerful force! Wherever it passed, it was able to instantly kill the demons! This was Li Ming¡¯s first time seeing Lu Lan attack. He did not expect her to be so strong! However, Li Ming¡¯s attention was drawn to something else. Li Ming, who had the entry system, had always relied on cultivation and regular rest to create entries. After repeated cycles of training and resting, he would be presented with an entry. But now, another method had appeared. Kill entry! If you kill 10 demons, you will be rewarded with a blue entry! If you kill 100 demons, you will be rewarded with a purple entry! Moreover, the rewards stacked! The system notification completely erased any hesitation that Li Ming was feeling and he immediately rushed forward to slay demons! Having reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, not only was his body physically strong, his speed was also excellent! With the help of the Wind Lightning Steps, Li Ming had completely transformed into a hurricane and a bolt of lightning, shuttling through the numerous demons! While he was running about, the Five Divine Fists became his killing move. He launched fist after fist, killing demon after demon. These mere qi refinement demons were completely unable to resist the might of his fist. However, the number of demons exceeded their expectations. Even if their cultivation levels were higher and they were fearless of these qi refinement demons, there were simply too many of them and their energy consumption was catching up to them. They were running out of steam. Once they were completely out of energy, they would be no different from sitting ducks! ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming, we have to leave or else we might never be able to.¡± Lu Lan reminded him anxiously. Hearing this, Li Ming did not hesitate and immediately went to work together with Lu Lan to fight their way out of the encirclement. The entire square was littered with the corpses of demons, but Lu Lan¡¯s spiritual qi would not be able to keep up for much longer. A long battle consumed a lot of spiritual qi. Unlike Li Ming, who was a body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator, Lu Lan did not have the physical strength or endurance to keep up such a long battle. On the other hand, this kind of fight actually gave Li Ming excellent training. This kind of combat training could also test the effects of his body cultivation. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, I¡¯ll cover you.¡± Li Ming decisively covered Lu Lan. Although there were many demons, they were no longer charging forward recklessly as they did in the beginning. It was obvious that they were wary of them fighting them to the death. But as soon as Li Ming said that to Lu Lan, two figures walked out from the horde of demons. Li Ming looked at the two figures that had just walked out and saw that they were two demons with human bodies and the heads of a bull! More importantly, they both had foundation establishment realm cultivation! If they had encountered them in the beginning, the two of them would still have a great shot at beating them. But right now, Lu Lan had already expended a lot of her spiritual qi. It would not be easy for them to defeat these two foundation establishment demons. ¡°Disciples of the Divine Will Sect?¡± ¡°You guys are really slow.¡± ¡°You made us wait for so long.¡± One of the foundation establishment demons spoke with a cold smile. Before Li Ming and Lu Lan could come up with a plan, the two foundation establishment demons swiftly rushed over! Their sharp claws emitted demonic qi as they charged toward the two of them! Looking at the situation, Lu Lan gritted her teeth and waved her magical treasure, concentrating on attacking the demons. Li Ming did not dare to be negligent. Foundation establishment demons were not easy to deal with. Seeing that one of the demons had already arrived right in front of him, Li Ming did not say another word and put all his focus into fighting. Golden crow true qi erupted from his body and merged with his fire fist, which he then launched directly at the demon! Boom! His fist smashed out and instantly forced the demon back. Li Ming did not hesitate at all. He raised one hand and directly condensed a bronze cauldron, smashing it fiercely toward the demon! Boom! By relying on the strength of his body to repeatedly unleash heavy blows at the demon, Li Ming got braver and braver! With the help of this entry, Li Ming had a huge advantage in battle. The successive heavy blows brought great amounts of pain to the demon. This was especially the case at where the fire fist had struck it earlier. The burning of the golden flames actually caused the aura of the foundation establishment demon to decrease sharply! Seeing this action, Li Ming instantly realized that his golden crow flames seemed to have a restraining effect on these demons! After coming to this realization, Li Ming instantly had an idea. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, cover me.¡± Li Ming said without explaining further. Since the golden flames had such a miraculous effect, Li Ming immediately took advantage of it. His body cultivation and qi cultivation had fused together when he reached the foundation establishment realm. In that case, what would happen if he turned the golden flames into a bronze cauldron? Would an even more powerful move emerge? Although there was a difference between the golden crow true fire and the golden flames, Li Ming had an idea. He charged up his fire fist and condensed a bronze cauldron on the same hand! Li Ming, who had the support of boundless spiritual qi and the toughness of his body, could withstand the stress that came with this move! When he performed a body cultivation skill and qi cultivation skill simultaneously, even Lu Lan, who was watching from the side, was utterly Was this the combat strength of a dual body and qi cultivator? Using two completely different skills at the same time! Was Li Ming planning to use this method to deal with the demons? Lu Lan was shocked. She knew that even if it was difficult for her to keep two foundation establishment demons occupied in her current state, once Li Ming succeeded, they would have a real shot at being able to leave this place alive! At the thought of this, Lu Lan risked her life and frantically activated her magical arts to continuously block the attacks of the two foundation establishment demons! In the next second! Li Ming threw out the bronze cauldron. As the bronze cauldron descended, a fire fist erupted ! The two streams of spiritual qi intertwined and instantly ignited the entire bronze cauldron! In the next instant, golden flames enveloped the entire bronze cauldron as it barreled toward the two foundation establishment demons! The huge cauldron descended with surging might. It was as if the sun was falling from the sky! Lu Lan quickly dodged with her movement technique. At the same time, she waved her long whip to interfere with the two foundation establishment demons, preventing them from dodging in time! Boom- A loud explosion resounded! The bronze cauldron had exploded as soon as it hit the ground! Golden flames burst forth and engulfed the remaining qi refinement demons in the surroundings! The flames were like waves, surging in all directions. Li Ming reacted quickly. He immediately used Wind Lightning Steps to pull Lu Lan away from the range of the attack! If the two of them were hit, Li Ming could not guarantee their safety. After all, this skill could not differentiate between enemies and allies, nor could it differentiate between who was its owner and who was not. It did not discriminate with who it dealt damage to. The entire square was filled with golden flames! On the high wall, when Lu Lan saw this scene, she was extremely shocked! She would have never believed that this was something that an early-leveled foundation establishment cultivator could do if she had not seen it done with her own eyes! He was actually able to unleash such power by cultivating both his body and qi. ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming, what is this?¡± ¡°This power is probably already comparable to a mystic-tier magical technique. ¡± Lu Lan felt a lingering fear as she looked at the flames.. If she had retreated a little slower just now, she would have died too! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: The Secret of the Black Stone Chapter 56: The Secret of the Black Stone Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The golden flames gradually dissipated. The entire square was pitch black! The two foundation establishment demons had been burned down into charcoal! [Kill complete. Obtained blue entry!] [Blue Entry: Blood Flowing Like a River!] Seeing that he had obtained a new entry, although it was not a purple entry, Li Ming was still very curious as to what it was. Hm? Why does this entry seem like a passive skill? Or rather, a passive attribute! [Blood Flowing Like a River]. When using a technique, regardless of whether it is a body cultivation or a qi cultivation technique, once the technique lands on an enemy, damage over time will be inflicted on the enemy! With this entry, it would be as if he had inflicted serious wounds on his enemies. This entry would allow Li Ming to take the lead in the battle, and it was much easier for him to gain the upper hand. However, after studying the entry a bit more, Li Ming discovered that the effect of this entry was actually to make his spiritual qi more overbearing! It was only by making his spiritual qi more overbearing and powerful that the effect of blood flowing like a river could be achieved! This entry did not directly change any of his attributes or stats. As a blue entry, this was already very good. ¡°Junior Brother Li Ming? What are you thinking about?¡± While he was busy checking the new entry that he had just obtained, Lu Lan spoke to him. Hearing Lu Lan talking to him, Li Ming came back to his senses. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just consumed a little bit too much spiritual qi in a short time.¡± ¡°Senior Sister Lu, have we completed our mission?¡± Li Ming looked down and saw that everything had been burned to ashes. In fact, Li Ming already knew the answer to his question. Hearing Li Ming¡¯s words, Lu Lan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°This time, the mission was quite risky.¡± ¡°If I had known that this would be what would be waiting for us, I would have called a few more people.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that you came with me. After cultivating both your body and qi, your strength is honestly shocking.¡± ¡°It looks like you should do just fine when the assessment comes.¡± ¡°As for the mission, we only need to bring back the corpses of these foundation establishment demons now. There are people in the sect who can scour for information through their souls.¡± After saying that, Lu Lan did not dally. She immediately went forward and put the corpses of the two foundation establishment demons into her storage bag. While watching this, Li Ming was deep in thought. Although the body and qi combination skill was powerful, it was difficult to control. A little carelessness could result in allies or companions getting hurt. It was something that still needed to be worked on. The mission was completed. Although it was still unclear why these demons had suddenly appeared and slaughtered an entire town of citizens, it was obviously not something the two disciples had to worry about themselves. It was not something that they had the jurisdiction over. Everything could only wait until they returned to the sect. In the Divine Will Sect. At the five halls¡¯ mission area. The two of them returned. The elder in charge of the missions was already waiting for them. Seeing Lu Lan take out the corpses of two foundation establishment demons that were completely charred black, the elder was dumbfounded. ¡°Lu Lan, what did you do?¡± ¡°It is not easy to deal with two foundation establishment demons.¡± The elder was surprised. The sect had attached great importance to this mission. When Lu Lan had accepted this mission, the sect had actually been worried for her. But now, she had successfully brought back the corpses of two foundation establishment demons. This result was indeed unexpected. ¡°Elder, I did not do this. It was Junior Brother Li Ming.¡± Hearing this, the elder was even more surprised. When he looked at Li Ming again, he realized that he had actually reached the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm! ¡°You two, follow me.¡± After the elder said that, he immediately left with the two of them. Apart from the five halls, there was the Law Enforcement Hall, as well as the Consecration Hall. In the Consecration Hall, there were no disciples, only sect consecrators. These consecrators were the main persons in charge of the five halls. Above them was the sect master of the Divine Will Sect. They entered the Consecration Hall. As soon as they entered, the elder that brought them over instantly assumed a respectful attitude. ¡°Seventh consecrator, the mission has been completed. It was completed by Lu Lan of the Spirit Will Hall and Li Ming of the Martial Hall.¡± ¡°As for the details, please feel free to ask them.¡± After the elder finished speaking, the seventh consecrator turned his gaze to the two of them. ¡°Martial Hall? Is it the old sect master¡¯s arrangement?¡± ¡°Body cultivation foundation establishment realm. Hm? I did not expect for him to also reach the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. He¡¯s indeed a genius.¡± ¡°Tell me, what was the situation like?¡± The seventh consecrator asked. After all, that place was within the territory of the Divine Will Sect. Now that such an event had taken place, it was bound to cause quite a stir. If the Divine Will Sect did not give an explanation to the commoners and small sects, their position in the Heavenly Southern Region would be shaken! It would also affect the foundation of the sect. This was obviously something that they had to pay attention to. ¡°Seventh consecrator, there were no survivors in the area.¡± ¡°Moreover, those demons used corpses to arrange strange patterns. It did not look like they had come out to simply look for food.¡± ¡°Rather, it seems like they were planning something.¡± Lu Lan quickly said. Hearing this, the seventh consecrator was stunned. He looked at the two charred bodies brought by the elder. ¡°The two of you may leave.¡± ¡°You may go down and receive your rewards.¡± After the consecrator said that, the two of them left the consecration hall. They had completed their mission. As the two of them left under the lead of the elder, several figures appeared in the Consecration Hall one after the other. These people were the other consecrators of the Consecration Hall. All of them had a cultivation base that was at the intermediate or late stage of the golden core realm! ¡°That pattern is very likely to have been made by those of the Demon Sect. It appears that they are planning something.¡± ¡°Sigh, the world had not been peaceful lately.¡± ¡°The other sects have not been covetous, while these demons have not been behaving.¡± ¡°We must be careful. The sect master is still in seclusion. If he succeeds, the sect will definitely rise to the next level.¡± ¡°We cannot make any mistakes at such a critical time!¡± The few of them discussed and began to investigate the corpses. Meanwhile, Lu Lan and Li Ming received their rewards at the mission area. Each of them received 5,000 low-grade spirit stones and 15,000 merit points. Even if it was split equally, it was still a considerable income for both of them! Li Ming now had everything he wanted. His situation was completely incomparable to the disciples of the other halls. After all, he was the only one in the Martial Hall. Whatever he wanted to achieve, whatever he wanted to do, he had to rely on himself to solve it. This situation was indeed rather daunting. Li Ming was a person who could take care of himself, and with the situation being as it was, he had no need to take care of anybody else. Anyway, he was alone in the Martial Hall. He did not need to worry about anyone other than himself. He soon returned to the Martial Hall. Li Ming began to try out the previous skill. At the same time, Li Ming also clearly realized that the world of cultivation was far crueler than he had imagined. In this world, only power was truly reliable! If it was not for the fact that he cultivated both his body and qi, he and Lu Lan would have probably died back in that town. Just as Li Ming tried to release his spiritual qi, all of the spiritual qi instantly distorted and gathered into the storage bag. This scene immediately reminded Li Ming of the black stone he had found in the ruins! When he opened the storage bag, Li Ming¡¯s face instantly darkened! ¡°Your grandfather!¡± ¡°Where did my 5,000 low-grade spirit stones go?¡± Li Ming looked at the empty storage bag and he nearly fainted from shock. He was already poor to begin with. But now, he was even poorer. He originally wanted to use his spirit stones to buy some things from the market, but now, all of the spirit stones had been absorbed by the black stone! Moreover, the spiritual qi that he had just released had been completely absorbed! Li Ming was instantly unhappy from having lost all his spirit stones and being obstructed in his cultivation. Although the black stone had given him a pretty good martial skill, it did not warrant it to just harm him like this, right? It was not easy for him to cultivate. He had spent three years to get a bunch of entries, and it was only after all that hard work and time that he finally reached the foundation establishment realm in body cultivation and obtained entries for qi cultivation. In the end, he was assigned to such a poor place for qi cultivation, and now, his cultivation resources were even swallowed by a black stone. This grievance he was feeling instantly turned into anger! Li Ming took out the black stone and planned to smash it to vent his anger! However, before Li Ming could make a move, a voice sounded from the black stone. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°How dare you?!¡± The sudden voice instantly alerted Li Ming. His divine sense searched and directly locked onto the black stone! Li Ming was surprised. He did not expect there to be something or someone in the black stone! He originally thought that it was something that simply stored magical arts or skills, he did not expect for there to be something else inside it! ¡°Strange. A black stone like you can actually speak?¡± ¡°The world of cultivation really is full of wonders.¡± Although he was a little surprised, Li Ming was more curious. This was the world of cultivation. Although he had never seen a stone that could speak, he had heard that some things could gain intelligence, as well as cultivate and speak. ¡°Impudent! I¡¯m not some black stone. I am¡­¡± ¡°Your sister!¡± Li Ming could not be bothered to listen to the stone¡¯s nonsense. He immediately threw it to the ground and stomped on it! This action also caused the voice in the black stone to instantly beg for mercy. ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡± ¡°I admit defeat!¡± ¡°This junior of yours is too arrogant.¡± ¡°If this black stone is shattered, my soul will dissipate! I gave you the Imperial Finger earlier, how can you repay kindness with violence?¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: A Storm Brewing Chapter 57: A Storm Brewing Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Hearing the black stone¡¯s voice, Li Ming immediately stopped. He picked up the black stone again. ¡°So it really is you?¡± ¡°For you to have been willing to so casually take out a low-grade profound-tier martial skill, just who exactly are you?¡± Li Ming continued to question the black stone. It was obviously whatever it was inside the black stone that had absorbed his spirit stones, and it was also the reason why the spiritual qi in the area was constantly being absorbed. Hearing this, black stone chuckled. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Hehe, your grandpa! Just hurry up and tell me!¡± Li Ming looked at the black stone fiercely. He had been very easy-going in front of outsiders all these years, but that did not mean that he did not have a temper! When he thought about how the spirit stones that he had worked so hard for were gone just like that, he really could not help but become furious! ¡°Cough, cough, you do not need to know who I am for the time being. You¡¯re in the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, as well as in the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. Moreover, your divine soul is even stronger than cultivators of the same stage. You are an outstanding talent.¡± ¡°Nowadays, there are not many people who cultivate both their body and qi.¡± ¡°You and I are fated. Keeping me will be of great use to you.¡± Li Ming got a certain gut feeling when he heard the black stone¡¯s words. He felt that it was up to something. ¡°You aren¡¯t planning to wait for my cultivation to strengthen or break through before coming out to possess me, are you?¡± ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know such a lame trick?¡± When Li Ming said that, the black stone was instantly stunned. The voice coming from the stone stopped abruptly. After a long while, it laughed awkwardly. ¡°Young man, you should be happy when cultivating. Why must you be so serious?¡± Hearing the black stone¡¯s words, Li Ming looked on expressionlessly. Then, he picked up the stone from the ground. He was getting ready to smash it down onto the ground until it shattered! He was curious about what was inside the black stone. ¡°Cut the crap! Are you going to make me take you as your master, then teach me cultivation, and then I¡¯ll have to find you a physical body or something to help you revive?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a three-year-old child?¡± Li Ming¡¯s words made the black stone quiet down. After a while, the black stone sighed helplessly. ¡°Are people so hard to deceive nowadays?¡± ¡°Forget it. Sigh, kid, I¡¯m too weak to carry out those things that you said.¡± ¡°If you have any problems with your cultivation, you can ask me. If you need any techniques, I can help you, but there are conditions.¡± ¡°You need to give me enough spiritual qi to keep me awake.¡± Hearing the black stone¡¯s words, Li Ming gently put down the stone this time. That was more like it. With the black stone having been able to casually give out a profound-tier martial skill, it clearly Imew a lot more than he did. It was likely that it even knew more powerful techniques! It might not be a bad thing to keep it! ¡°Okay, I can help you.¡± ¡°However, since you know my situation, you should help me out a bit. Do I have to be ambitious to unleash the Imperial Finger that you gave me?¡± Li Ming asked directly. However, the black stone¡¯s answer stunned Li Ming. ¡°Ambition?¡± ¡°Is that all that you think you need?¡± ¡°Without the will to fight against the heavens, how can you unleash the power of the Imperial Finger?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve just stepped into cultivation, so you still need to polish your temperament.¡± ¡°Take your time to comprehend it. Experiences aren¡¯t something that can just be imparted with a few words.¡± The black stone¡¯s words surprised Li Ming. The will to fight against the heavens? Isn¡¯t cultivation supposed to follow the will of the heavens? Why should I go against the heavens? Won¡¯t I just end up getting punished by the heavens? However, the black stone¡¯s words made sense. Experience was not something that could just be imparted through words, but something that had to be experienced personally. It was only by experiencing it personally that one could understand the meaning behind their actions. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then let me ask you, how can I achieve complete compatibility with my body and qi?¡± ¡®You should know the situation in my dantian.¡± At this moment, what Li Ming needed to solve was the problem of fusion. Previously, he had used the Five Divine Fists and Cauldron Transformation Art together, which was why he had erupted with shocking power. However, he does not succeed in using them together every time. There was a rejection between the two techniques, which made it so that the fusion did not work every time. Hearing Li Ming¡¯s doubts, the black stone answered him in a straightforward manner. ¡°You have to learn how to make them compatible.¡± ¡°The Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art and the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art that you cultivate have innate similarities. Once you find the proper way to piece them together, the problem will naturally be solved.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll continue to rest. Don¡¯t forget to provide me with spirit stones to absorb.¡± After the black stone finished saying that, it turned completely silent. No matter how much Li Ming called out to the black stone, it did not respond. However, the black stone¡¯s words made Li Ming realize something. The Golden Crow Body Tempering Art was given to him by that woman. It was an extraordinary body cultivation technique. As for the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art, he had found it in the scripture depository. The two cultivation techniques did indeed have some similarities to them, but he would need to spend some time pondering on what those exactly were. Thinking of this, Li Ming also began to meditate. He began to think deeply. The path of cultivation was long and boring, but at the same time, it was filled with danger. This was true for both individual cultivators and sects. Ever since Li Ming and Lu Lan brought back the demons¡¯ corpses, the Consecration Hall had spent some time to investigate them and finally figured out their agenda. At this moment. In the Consecration Hall. The consecrators looked at each other. One of the consecrators said, ¡°We must take the Demon Sect¡¯s operations this time very seriously. It appears that they want to dominate the entire Heavenly Southern Region.¡± ¡°Using evil techniques to create a teleportation formation, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re planning to completely surround the Divine Will Sect!¡± ¡°The sect master still needs some more time. We have to guard the sect well!¡± The head consecrator spoke, and the rest of the consecrators nodded in agreement. ¡°Why don¡¯t we let the disciples go out and search the surroundings?¡± ¡°After the disciple assessment, it should be nearly time for the Eastern Continent¡¯s Promotion Conference!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s not only the Demon Sect that has begun making moves. Recently, the other sects have also begun making a stir.¡± Once the outer disciples got involved, tensions between sects would erupt. The Eastern Continent held a Promotion Conference every five years. While it was called a conference, in fact, it was the eve of war between the major sects in the Eastern Continent! Through the slaughter between sects and annexation, those that survived and reigned supreme would become even stronger! Plundering resources and fighting for opportunities was the most common occurrence in the cultivation world. Without a doubt, as the current overlord of the Heavenly Southern Region, the Divine Will Sect had long become the target of numerous forces. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the only way for now.¡± ¡°Right, pay more attention to that disciple Li Ming. When the sect master comes out, bring him here.¡± ¡°That disciple¡¯s talent is rare and he cultivates both his body and qi.¡± After the head consecrator said that, the others nodded. At this moment, all the disciples of the five halls of the Divine Will Sect became busy. Many disciples were sent out to carry out missions. The entire Heavenly Southern Region was filled with cultivators! Unknowingly, two months had passed. Li Ming remained in the Martial Hall. Although there was no longer any spiritual qi siphoning taking place in the area, the other disciples still did not dare to enter. This provided Li Ming with a quiet environment. During these two months, Li Ming had been continuously circulating the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art. At times, he would even circulate both the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art and the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art at the same time. Again and again, he searched for similarities! Finally, two months later, Li Ming successfully completed what he had set out to do! With the body as the trunk and the foundation establishment stone platform in his dantian as the roots, he perfectly integrated the Ancient Spirit Arcane Art with the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. With this, the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, which originally only had twelve levels, now had an additional level! It now had thirteen levels! Li Ming had never expected such an outcome. With him cultivating both body and qi at the same time, Li Ming clearly did not have too many restrictions when it came to using skills or techniques.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 58 - Chapter 58: Urgent Mission Chapter 58: Urgent Mission Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The black stone¡¯s suggestion had indeed helped Li Ming significantly. After two months, he had finally successfully fused them! At the same time, he had also managed to improve his Golden Crow Body Tempering Art to have thirteen levels. In this way, he would no longer need to use the Ancient Spirit Mysterious Art. Nevertheless, Li Ming would not have to find any replacement cultivation techniques or anything like that at least while he was in the foundation establishment realm. Just this Golden Crow Body Tempering Art would be able to support his entire cultivation through the foundation establishment realm. This left Li Ming at ease. Moreover, at the moment when Li Ming managed to fuse the two techniques, he achieved a breakthrough in the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, reaching the third level! With that, his cultivation base was now at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm! Whether it was his body cultivation or qi cultivation, they were both stable at the middle of the foundation establishment realm. After the fusion, the two had become one, and that made his cultivation much simpler and more convenient Li Ming no longer needed to differentiate between the two types of cultivation. Having reached the third level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, Li Ming now also possessed his own Golden Crow True Fire! Moreover, this Golden Crow True Fire was enhanced by both his body cultivation and qi cultivation! Although the true fire of most qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators was used to refine magical treasures, Li Ming was not limited to such usage. His true fire could also be used to temper his body, as well as a means of attack! After all that time and effort, he had increased his cultivation, solved the problem with regard to his cultivation technique, and solved the problem of how to combine his body and qi cultivation. However, Li Ming had been feeling slightly awkward for the past two months. After all of his spirit stones was absorbed by the black stone, he was only left with 15,000 merit points. Having solved the problem with regard to his cultivation, he now had the problem of resources to worry about. On the path of cultivation, although talent was very important, opportunities were also very important. However, the most basic and required thing was none other than resources. Spiritual herbs, treasures, and spirit stones, all of these are essential. However, in order to obtain resources, he needed merit points, as well as spirit stones, as these were the main forms of currency in the sect. He had run out of spirit stones, so he was only left with 15,000 merit points to use to trade for resources. However, he had no idea how many resources he could exchange for with just the amount he had. Besides, he had not left the valley for the past two months. He wondered how Chen Qingke was doing. It was obvious that Fang Ao had his eyes set on Chen Qingke. Li Ming headed out of the Martial Hall and straight to the five halls¡¯ missions area. After entering the core of the Divine Will Sect, all the management of the five halls, including exchanging for resources, was carried out in the missions area. As soon as Li Ming arrived, he saw a sea of people at the missions area. The number of people that were here this time was even more than when he was last here two months ago! Li Ming was confused as to why there were so many disciples receiving missions in the missions area. Was this the sect showing that it was preparing to work hard? But what could have caused such a situation? ¡°Senior brother, why are there so many people today?¡± ¡°Could it be that there are too many missions?¡± Li Ming stopped a disciple and asked curiously. The disciple looked at Li Ming with contempt. ¡°How do you not know about this?¡± ¡°Ah, hehe, I was in seclusion and had just come out.¡± Upon hearing this, the disciple that Li Ming had stopped came to a realization and his expression returned to normal. ¡°It¡¯s mostly because the sect has recently put up missions that only allow foundation establishment disciples to take them.¡± ¡°They say that there have been people from other sects that have been coming to the Heavenly Southern Region. Other than that, there have been a lot of demons popping up all over the place. And so, there are naturally more missions for us disciples to take.¡± ¡°Even those closed-door disciples have been sent out.¡± Hearing this, Li Ming found himself curious about something. ¡°Do you mean to say that Senior Sister Lu Lan and Chen Qingke are also out completing missions?¡± ¡°Of course, they are stronger than us, so they naturally have to head out. I heard that they were sent out to more dangerous areas.¡± Hearing this, Li Ming inquired about where they went. After that, he no longer cared about exchanging his merit points for anything. He immediately looked for and took a mission that would have him go to an area near to where the two girls were sent, and then he headed out. Although the two girls had decent cultivation levels, they were ultimately outside the sect. He could not help but recall that one time he had gone on a mission and met that woman at the temple. It would be troublesome if they were to encounter someone like that. That woman¡¯s cultivation was probably above the foundation establishment realm. However, Li Ming was also curious about why the matter of people from other sects entering the Heavenly Southern Region would cause such a huge commotion. Also, he found himself remembering those demons he had encountered in his last mission and wondered what those demons were up to. All sorts of questions filled Li Ming¡¯s mind. Although he had been in the sect for more than three years, because he had been immersed in body cultivation for most of that time, Li Ming did not know much about the things that happened inside and outside the sect. The only thing he really knew was that the Divine Will Sect was the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region! However, he was not too sure about the rest. The cultivation world was complicated and unpredictable. There were simply too many complicated things in this world, and Li Ming had not really cared nor thought much about them in the past. But now it seemed that it was wishful thinking to live a peaceful life in the world of cultivation. There would simply too many things constantly at play. But for now, Li Ming did not bother dwelling too much on these problems. He decided that he would simply deal with them as they came. As the saying goes, if it is none of your business, then do not bother with it. Although this was a mindset that was rather unambitious, it was practical. As the mission that he had taken this time was somewhat urgent, the rewards that would be given to him by the sect for completing it were not bad. If he successfully completed this mission, he would be rewarded with a total of 10,000 merit points And 5,000 spirit stones! Just from this, he was able to infer that most, if not all, of the missions that the sect had issued this time were related to the safety of the sect! It was only now that Li Ming got a better understanding of the situation. In the world of cultivation, there was more than just rising into the clouds, and there was more than just the longing to transcend the mortal world. A more realistic look at the world of cultivation would present one with the constant conflicts between cultivators and even the slaughter of mortals! Cultivation was the ultimate interpretation of the saying that life and death were determined by fate! The Eastern Continent was very large and was divided into two regions, the South and the North. Within the Heavenly Southern Region, there were countless sects. It was the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in the entire Eastern Continent, and the Divine Will Sect was the strongest sect in the Heavenly Southern Region! In comparison, the terrain of the north was harsh and dangerous. Although there was spiritual qi, the conditions were far from being as good as in the South. The difference in geography and environment caused conflicts of interest to rise between the sects. But if one were to sum it all up, the sects simply fought for better resources! This was the very root of the conflicts between cultivators. In the cultivation world, although monsters and demons counted as resources, these were relatively dangerous to hunt. After all, to demons, cultivators themselves were also resources. Windstorm Town, Heavenly Southern Region. This was a small town in the mortal world, and there were very few people here at the moment. Many commoners had long since fled and disappeared, while some were ultimately led to their final rest here. All the valuables in the town were swept away. Looking at this desolate town, Li Ming¡¯s expression turned grave. The mission given by the sect was to investigate what the outsiders were doing. Should it be discovered and concluded that the outsiders had harmed the people that were under the Divine Will Sect¡¯s protection, then the outsiders were to be killed! Li Ming searched the town for a long time and finally saw a survivor. The commoner¡¯s face was filled with utter dread and fear. Li Ming tried calming the commoner down and asked, ¡°What happened here?¡± Li Ming tried calming the commoner down and asked, ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°T-the¡­ Heavenly Demon Sect! The people of the Heavenly Demon Sect, they, thev killed people and drank their blood!¡± ¡°They¡¯re demons! Demons!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 59 - Chapter 59: Heavenly Demon Sect Disciple Chapter 59: Heavenly Demon Sect Disciple Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The commoner was terrified, and their eyes trembled as if they had really encountered a demon! However, just as Li Ming was thinking of what to do, a bloody light rushed over and instantly pierced through the chest of the commoner! As soon as the bloody light pierced through their chest, they shriveled up at a speed visible to the naked eye! All the blood in his body had been sucked dry! The scene was extremely terrifying! Even though Li Ming was prepared, he still felt a lingering fear when he saw the event take place in front of his eyes! He did not expect there to be such a technique in cultivation! He raised his head. A red-robed young man suddenly appeared in front of him. His long hair fluttered in the wind, and his eyes were bright red. His entire appearance resembled that of a demon! His entire body exuded a strange aura. This person was clearly a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect. His aura fluctuated, and Li Ming was then immediately able to sense that the other party¡¯s cultivation was at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm! When Li Ming received the mission, he also received some manuals from the sect. On it were some introductions of the major sects in the Eastern Continent. The Heavenly Demon Sect was one of them. At first, Li Ming found the descriptions of them to be unbelievable. It was said in the manual that he had read that the members of the Heavenly Demon Sect were strange and their cultivation techniques were extremely special. They did not directly absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to increase their cultivation. Instead, they plundered the blood of cultivators, demonic beasts, and the like. They would even sometimes use the blood of mortals to further their cultivation. It was no exaggeration to say that the people of the Heavenly Demon Sect were wolves in sheep¡¯s clothing! The attitudes of the other sects towards them varied. Some were close, but most were distant. As the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region, the Divine Will Sect was also one of the major sects in the Eastern Continent. And as the Divine Will Sect practiced a cultivation path that was completely different from the Heavenly Demon Sect, they were also hostile to the Heavenly Demon Sect. After all, the kind of cultivation technique that harmed others for personal gain that the Heavenly Demon Sect practiced was regarded as scum in the eyes of those of the Divine Will Sect. To the members of the Divine Will Sect, they were no different from demons. As such, they would naturally not tolerate such a sect. ¡°Tslc tqlc ¡± ¡°My luck is pretty good to have met a disciple of the Divine Will Sect.¡± ¡°The middle of the foundation establishment realm? It seems that my luck today is really good!¡± The red-robed young man¡¯s eyes were filled with greed as he looked at Li Ming. He looked at Li Ming as if he were sizing up his prey. This feeling made Li Ming very unhappy. ¡°Offending my Divine Will Sect, you deserve to die!¡± Knowing what kind of person the other party was, Li Ming did not indulge him in any more talk! These commoners under the protection of the Divine Will Sect were just mortals. To cultivators, they were practically unarmed. They were weak! However, these people from the Heavenly Demon Sect had directly attacked these innocent people with their demonic claws. Cultivators were supposed to eliminate demons and protect the world. As a great sect in the Heavenly Southern Region, the Divine Will Sect had countless small sects and commoners under its protection. Now that they were in trouble, the Divine Will Sect naturally could not sit idly by and watch them as they suffered. Besides, Li Ming did not like this feeling. ¡°Tsk, tsk, what a big tone!¡± ¡°Do you think that you are the master of the Eastern Continent?¡± ¡°Today, I¡¯ll use you to feed my cultivation technique!¡± The young man in red said coldly as he waved his hand. In an instant, countless blood-red spiritual qi spread out from his body. With a twist of his wrist, the blood-red spiritual qi instantly condensed into a sharp sword! He held it in his hand and then pointed it at Li Ming. In the next instant, the young man in red stepped on the floating tiles and swung his sword! He actually chose to take the initiative to engage in close combat! Although sword cultivators had a stronger physical body than other cultivators, their bodies could not compare to body cultivators. In terms of physical strength, he naturally could not compare to Li Ming. The sword swiftly approached Li Ming. The young man¡¯s aura surged, and the blood-red sword qi appeared cold and strange. The life force of the plants and vegetation that were nearby was instantly taken away! It could be seen just from this how vicious the cultivation techniques of this Heavenly Demon Sect were! Seeing this, Li Ming did not hesitate. With a wave of his hand, golden crow spiritual qi burst forth from his body! The scorching spiritual qi made it seem as if he was holding the sun in his hand! The approaching sword qi actually dispersed in the blink of an eye. This strange scene stunned the red-robed young man. He hurriedly withdrew his sword and retreated. ¡°Your spiritual qi is actually so hot?¡± ¡°Kid, it seems that your cultivation technique is not simple either!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. The blood essence of a cultivator like you is a great supplement to me!¡± Although the young man in red was surprised, he obviously did not give up on Li Ming. A person with such scorching spiritual qi meant that his body was not weak, and it also meant that his blood essence was stronger than others. To him, this was top-grade nourishment. There was naturally no reason for him to say no to such nourishment. The young man in red rose again, and the blood sword burst forth. It actually instantly attached itself to his entire body, forming blood-colored armor! The young man¡¯s aura turned violent. He bared his fangs and brandished his claws! His face was ferocious! At this moment, he no longer looked like a human. Instead, he looked like a bloodthirsty demon! It was no wonder that the commoner spoke as if he had seen actual demons. The people of the Heavenly Demon Sect were indeed extremely strange. The young man rushed over, and the blood qi around him became violent. It was like a stormy sea had surged! The pressure surmounted, and Li Ming instantly felt a shocking pressure bear down on his body! Ever since he entered the foundation establishment realm, Li Ming had never felt this way, not even during the Divine Will Sect¡¯s inner sect grand competition. The difference between the intermediate foundation establishment realm and the early foundation establishment realm was indeed vast! Of course, there was another reason. The inner sect grand competition was just a sparring match. At most, they would injure one another. They were not there to kill. On the other hand, this person from the Heavenly Demon Sect in front of him was clearly coming at him with the intent to kill him. With the enhancement of this killing intent, his might naturally became different. His killing intent was evident! There was no need to hold back! Li Ming also wanted to see if this person was stronger or if his Cauldron Transformation Art was stronger! Ever since the fusion of his body and qi, he had achieved true simultaneous cultivation. During this process, the Cauldron Transformation Art had also sublimated ! The current Li Ming could already completely condense it! Waving his hand, golden crow spiritual qi burst out and instantly condensed into a bronze cauldron on Li Ming¡¯s palm! At this moment, the huge cauldron was emitting heat, and the ball on the cauldron¡¯s body was showing the image of a golden crow. Its power was shocking, and it was not the slightest bit weaker than a mystic-tier technique! A huge cauldron was condensed! The red-robed young man charged forward. When he saw the huge cauldron appear, more spiritual qi erupted from his body. Countless blood qi gathered on his armor, and a giant blood-red sword appeared in his hand. He swung the giant sword fiercely at the huge cauldron! Boom! A dull bang sounded! In the next moment, the bronze cauldron fell down brazenly. The huge sword in the red-robed young man¡¯s hand shattered, and the blood-colored armor on his body shattered under the power of the cauldron! Not only that, the entire cauldron was condensed from golden crow spiritual qi. So when it exploded, it also unleashed an extremely high temperature like the sun! It was the nemesis of these people that were no different from evil demons. The suppression from the cauldron caused the red-robed young man to spurt out blood. He felt extremely uncomfortable. ¡°Mystic-tier technique!¡± ¡°You¡­ You, a foundation establishment cultivator, actually know mystic-tier magical arts!¡± The young man in red glared at Li Ming angrily. The cauldron pressed down on his body, and the spiritual qi in his body was completely suppressed by the golden crow spiritual qi, leaving him without the slightest ability to resist. He could only lay on the ground furiously. Seeing that the young man¡¯s aura was weak, Li Ming immediately raised his hand and removed the cauldron. In the end, Li Ming could not bring himself to directly kill someone. It was the same for his fellow disciples before, and it was the same for this person from the Heavenly Demon Sect.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 60 - Chapter 60: The Human Heart Is Sinister Chapter 60: The Human Heart Is Sinister Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming did not kill the red-robed young man on the spot. Instead, he removed the cauldron from the young man¡¯s body. Anyway, he was already on his last breath. Li Ming still wanted to interrogate the young man for information, so he naturally had to keep him alive. After all, there were more Divine Will Sect disciples out on missions. Moreover, his current location was close to Chen Qingke and other disciples. Li Ming wanted to get an idea of the forces the other party had brought and the distribution of these forces. From that, he could then make rough speculations as to what the overall situation was. Li Ming looked at the young man on the ground. Seeing his haggard face and weak appearance, he let down his guard a little. The golden crow spiritual qu was extremely harmful to these kinds of cultivators, and the red-robed young man had withstood a huge cauldron that possessed a might equivalent to a mystic-tier technique! That blow would have naturally not left him in a good state. ¡°Answer me. ¡± ¡°Are there any other disciples of your Heavenly Demon Sect nearby?¡± ¡°You¡¯d better tell me what you know.¡± ¡°Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to keep your life!¡± Li Ming glanced at the man coldly, his threatening words devoid of any emotion. In any case, these fellows were evil and unorthodox. Their lives were clearly not valued by many. Of course, while others might not value their lives, that did not mean that they themselves did not value their lives. Li Ming naturally seized this point to threaten the young man in red. Hearing Li Ming¡¯s words, the young man in red was indignant. However, this guy¡¯s strange spiritual qi had seriously injured him! Not only did it break his armor, but it also suppressed his spiritual qi! He felt that he was truly unlucky to encounter a fellow who just so happened to counter him! ¡°I¡¯ll talk!¡± The young man in red only struggled for a moment before making a decision! Li Ming found himself a little curious when he saw how decisive the young man was. It now appeared to him that these people who looked cruel and fierce on the outside were actually the most afraid of death. With the red-robed young man¡¯s confession, Li Ming finally understood the situation in the vicinity. He also learned of the purpose of this group of Heavenly Demon Sect disciples led by the red-robed young man. In short, regardless of whether it was the Heavenly Demon Sect or the other sects, they had long wanted to take down the Divine Will Sect. The promotion of a sect was often accompanied by annexation. The entire Eastern Continent was divided into the Heavenly Southern Region and the Heavenly Northern Region. However, the Heavenly Southern Region had comparatively more abundant resources. This was also their main goal. The Heavenly Demon Sect made rather large moves and they had always taken action in quite the vile manner. This time, the Heavenly Demon Sect had sent out dozens of foundation establishment disciples. Among them, there was even a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator acting as the leader. According to the red-robed young man, the late-stage foundation establishment cultivator was leading the other Heavenly Demon Sect disciples to encircle the geniuses of the Divine Will Sect! Those who the Heavenly Demon Sect considered to be the geniuses of the Divine Will Sect most likely included Chen Qingke. As for whether there were other people, Li Ming did not know. No matter what was going on between the sects, Li Ming did not care. Nevertheless, he was at least certain of one thing. A situation where you were surrounded by a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator with other foundation establishment disciples was bound to be very troublesome. From what the red-robed young man told him, the location of this group of people was in a valley not far from Windstorm Town. Li Ming did not think too much about it and turned around to leave. But then, just as Li Ming turned around and started walking, the red-robed young man who was lying on the ground earlier suddenly erupted with strength! The blood sword reappeared in his hand and he instantly thrust it at Li Ming¡¯s back! The sword swiftly moved toward Li Ming! Then, at the moment when it touched is back and he felt the pain, Li Ming immediately reacted. He turned around and punched the young man! ¡°Shameless!¡± This sword had nearly pierced through his back. If it was not for the fact that he had a strong physical body from his body cultivation foundation establishment realm, he would have been killed. If he was merely an ordinary qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivator, this sneak attack would have kill him! After all, this young man¡¯s spiritual qi was strange and could devour blood essence. If Li Ming¡¯s body cultivation had not been up to par, this sword would have left him seriously injured or even dead! Of course, although it did not cause him any serious damage, the attack still made Li Ming very unhappy! As the saying went, one should not hit the face when hitting someone, and one should not stab the waist when stabbing someone. This guy just had to come at his waist! If he had not missed, Li Ming would have suffered a huge loss. Although he was a cultivator, it was not easy to recover from internal damages. Of course, what really irked Li Ming was that he had been backstabbed by someone who he had allowed to live. The young man had actually not appreciated his kindness and repaid it with an attempt at his life! At this moment, Li Ming no longer hesitated! He directly burst out with his full power and launched a fire fist right at the young man. His fist smashed right through the red-robed young man¡¯s chest! The young man died on the spot! The anger that the young man had caused Li Ming had finally disappeared. At this moment, Li Ming appeared much calmer. Killing was a common occurrence among cultivators. He should not have so many concerns when it came to such matters. The people of the Heavenly Demon Sect were cruel and deserved to die. Feeling relieved, Li Ming treated his wound. Anyway, with the Restore Opportunity from that one purple entry, the small injuries he had incurred would not have much impact on him. It was just that he had been made very unhappy by the pain from the sword. In a valley about ten miles east of Windstorm Town, disciples of the Divine Will Sect had accepted a mission to investigate this location and eliminate the disciples of other sects. Originally, the danger level of this mission was unpredictable. As for the disciples of the Divine Will Sect, there were five of them and they were led by Lu Lan. The strongest of them was only at the intermediate foundation establishment realm. However, they were in a very troublesome situation at the moment. A late-stage foundation establishment disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect led a team of dozens of foundation establishment disciples and surrounded them. The five of them had already fought repeatedly and were already extremely exhausted. They had consumed most of their spiritual qi, and under the encirclement of the other party, they had no chance to recover at all. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, what should we do now?¡± ¡°These guys have set up a perimeter around us. I¡¯m afraid they will find our location soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s impossible for us to break out!¡± The three disciples behind her were nervous. Ever since they were surrounded by the people of the Heavenly Demon Sect, they had fought hard. Although the five of them were all at the intermediate foundation establishment realm, Lu Lan was almost at the late foundation establishment realm. Even so, the other party had dozens of foundation establishment cultivators and a late-stage foundation establishment Cultivator leading them. This was not something they could win against directly! If they continued to fight, they would ultimately die! Lu Lan naturally understood that this mission itself was dangerous. However, she did not expect her luck to be so bad. She actually directly encountered the main force of the Heavenly Demon Sect! ¡°Everyone, cheer up and take turns to rest.¡± ¡°No matter what, we can only persevere!¡± ¡°Perhaps there will be a fellow sect member coming to support us soon.¡± Lu Lan tried to comfort the others. However, all of them knew that the chances of what she said happening were too small! After all, this was a valley. They had run all around it, but no matter which direction they went, they were still obstructed by the disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect! Once they were found, even if reinforcements came, it would be difficult to win against the forces of the Heavenly Demon Sect. They might even just end up implicating their fellow disciples! ¡°This mission is related to the sect.. As core disciples of the sect, even if we die, we cannot let them get what they want!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: To the Rescue! Chapter 61: To the Rescue! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation In the valley, the five were utterly exhausted. However, they did not dare to relax in the slightest. Their all remained cautious, observing their surroundings warily. Suddenly, a commotion arose from the forest as blades of bloody light came shooting out one after the other! ¡°Watch out! They¡¯re here!¡± Lu Lan hurriedly warned her fellow disciples. Instantly, all of them assumed their stances, preparing for any attacks. The spiritual qi around Lu Lan fluctuated, and she brought out her magical artifacts in quick succession! Along with her fellow disciples, she prepared for battle! Along with the emergence of the bloody lights, disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect emerged one after another! ¡°So this is where you¡¯re hiding?¡± ¡°The Divine Will Sect claims to be the top sect in the Heavenly Southern Region, so I was honestly not expecting to see its disciples in such a sorry state. ¡± ¡°Did you think that you could escape?¡± The leader of the group of Heavenly Demon Sect disciples, who was at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, spoke with a cold voice. When they heard him, Lu Lan and Chen Qingke¡¯s faces turned solemn. Although Chen Qingke had already reached the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm and was extremely talented, the Heavenly Demon Sect¡¯s cultivation techniques were strange. Moreover, they had the advantage in numbers, and they even had a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator with them! Their party could simply not compare. ¡°Qin Zhen, this is the territory of the Divine Will Sect! You won¡¯t be able to escape either!¡± Lu Lan glared at Qin Zhen as she shouted at him. In fact, as a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator, Qin Zhen alone already had what it took to handle all five of them. Not to mention, there were dozens of disciples in the middle and early stages of the foundation establishment realm together with him. They were no different from a mountain blocking their way. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°What do you think we are here for?¡± ¡°Lu Lan, let me give you a piece of advice. If you stick your head out again, I won¡¯t show mercy!¡± Qin Zhen¡¯s face was ice cold as he looked at Lu Lan in displeasure. It was apparent that he was familiar with Lu Lan. He did not have any thoughts of killing Lu Lan. As for the other disciples of the Divine Will Sect? He would obviously not let them off. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a disciple of the Divine Will Sect, so naturally, I will protect my fellow disciples!¡± Lu Lan placed herself in front of the others without any hesitation. Looking at Lu Lan¡¯s stubborn attitude, Qin Zhen¡¯s lips curled upward and he sneered, ¡°Is that so? You¡¯re really stubborn!¡± ¡°However, do you even have a choice here?¡± Qin Zhen snorted coldly. He had dozens of foundation establishment cultivators on his side, so what could they even do? They were completely powerless to resist! Qin Zhen suddenly raised his hand, and in an instant, the foundation establishment cultivators behind him all burst out! Streaks of bloody light and blood swords shot out! A storm of blood descended! A huge amount of spiritual qi descended upon the disciples of the Divine Will Sect like a storm without any order or leeway! When the dozens of foundation establishment cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect activated their spells at the same time, streams of spiritual qi gathered and smashed toward Chen Qingke and the others! Seeing so many attacks, Lu Lan was about to make a move when she realized that Qin Zhen had already set his eyes on her. Lu Lan shouted, ¡°Junior Sister Chen, you must hold on!¡± At the same time, she dodged Qin Zhen¡¯s attack before turning back around to confront him! The two of them clashed numerous times in a short few moments! Meanwhile, the situation on the other side was clearly much worse. After launching their initial attack, the dozens of foundation establishment cultivators charged forward one by one! They had launched an utterly reckless attack! Moreover, the Heavenly Demon Sect¡¯s strange cultivation techniques could not be ignored. Once Chen Qingke and the others were injured, the blood that flowed out from their wounds would become their enemies¡¯ nourishment! This caused them to quickly fall into a dire situation. They were already at a disadvantage when it came to their numbers from the very start. And coupled with the fact that they had already been suffering from injuries as well, it was truly difficult to face off against the disciples from the Heavenly Demon Sect. Chen Qingke tried her best to block the attacks with her bronze cauldron, but she found herself powerless against the attacks. In the end, the intensity of these attacks was not something that the few of them could block. Boom! Suddenly, the blood swords converged and rushed toward Chen Qingke! Its power was terrifying! A strong wind was swept together with the force of the sword! Chen Qingke gritted her teeth and continued to muster her spiritual qi. However, she was already exhausted. No matter how talented she was, she could not withstand so many attacks. Boom! Countless blood swords bombarded the bronze cauldron and instantly shattered it into pieces! Chen Qingke was also affected by the impact, causing her to spit out blood and her face to turn pale! Her body staggered as she continuously retreated! However, before she could recover, the disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect had already charged forward! Without the protection of the bronze cauldron, they were instantly surrounded by the people of the Heavenly Demon Sect! For a moment, the area fell into utter chaos. Chen Qingke still struggled to resist, but it was hopeless. She gritted her teeth. Although her face was filled with determination, her eyes were gradually filled with despair! Hm¡­ It seems that senior brother and I might never see each other again. Chen Qingke¡¯s eyes were filled with regret. She had not expected that a sect mission would actually force them into such a state. Faced with the encirclement of the Heavenly Demon Sect, they were completely powerless to resist! Blood swords shot swiftly toward her. Chen Qingke closed her eyes in resignation. She had used up all her spiritual qi to form the bronze cauldron. At this moment, she had completely exhausted all of her resources. She really had nothing left in her! ¡°Girl, hold on!¡± But then suddenly! Just as Chen Qingke resigned herself to death, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in her ear. Chen Qingke suddenly opened her eyes! ¡°Senior brother?¡± She turned around and saw a silver-white lightning bolt approaching their location instantaneously! Before Chen Qingke could get a proper look at who it was, a pair of fists came crashing down! He killed the two Sky Demon Sect disciples who were right in front of Chen Qing on the spot! Someone had come to help them. It was Li Ming. After finding out the location, Li Ming relied on the advantage of his divine soul to scour his surroundings. Finally, he managed to arrive at the crucial moment! After entering the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm, Li Ming put all his time into the Wind Lightning Steps. Now, his speed was already comparable to a golden core cultivator! With the support of the Wind Lightning Steps, this punch was something that an early-stage rounaatlon estat)llsnment cultivator naa no way or DIOCK1ng. These qi refinement and foundation establishment disciples had weak physical bodies! Additionally, cultivators in the early stage of the foundation establishment realm were rarely ever equipped with defensive magical artifacts. As a result, they had utterly no hope of withstanding Li Ming¡¯s attack! Li Ming¡¯s appearance instantly drew everyone¡¯s attention! When Lu Lan saw Li Ming arrive, she was pleasantly surprised, but she also became worried for him. ¡°Junior Brother Li, you must find a way to bring them away!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold them off here.¡± Although Lu Lan knew that Li Ming had considerable strength, especially after the means he has displayed, the situation here was simply too dangerous. If Li Ming were to stay here, he could end up staying here forever! It was better for them to just seize the opportunity to escape from this place! It was only when more reinforcement arrived that they would have better chances of defeating these disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect. ¡°Do you guys think you can leave?!¡± Qin Zhen looked at Li Ming, who had suddenly appeared, and rage could be seen in his eyes! A mere intermediate-stage foundation establishment cultivator actually wanted to escape from his encirclement? It was simply a fool¡¯s dream! Qin Zhen shouted angrily. He raised his hand and waved. Blood qi surged into the sky! In an instant, the entire mountain forest was covered in a bloody mist! All the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples disappeared into the blood mist, leaving only the several disciples of the Divine Will Sect gathered together and guarding their surroundings. Lu Lan also hurriedly returned to the front of the team. ¡°Be careful, this is a late-stage foundation establishment magical art! Although it¡¯s only a high-grade yellow-tier magical art, its power is no less one of the mystic tier!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: Divine Soul Surprise Attack, Golden Crow Reveals Its Might! Chapter 62: Divine Soul Surprise Attack, Golden Crow Reveals Its Might! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The blood mist had spread throughout the surroundings, and the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples seemingly disappeared as they hid in the mist. Their disappearance was so thorough that even their aura was completely blended into the blood mist. ¡°This is Qin Zhen¡¯s magical art, the Blood Mist Array. The Heavenly Demon Sect¡¯s cultivation techniques are special, and this magical art was produced through it.¡± ¡°As long as they are cultivating the cultivation techniques of the Heavenly Demon Sect, they will be able to merge with the blood mist, and it becomes virtually impossible to lock onto them.¡± ¡°As for us, we can only passively defend.¡± ¡°Right now, none of us are in great condition. I¡¯m afraid that it will be incredibly difficult for us even if all we do is try to defend ourselves.¡± A deeply solemn expression covered Lu Lan¡¯s face. The blood on her face had not dried yet, but her eyes were darting around her surroundings. She did not dare to relax for even a moment! Hearing this, Li Ming also swept his gaze around them. The disciples of the Divine Will Sect were all exhausted. Even Chen Qingke, who was always lively, was pale from fatigue at this moment. Li Ming did not hesitate to take out some pills from his storage bag. ¡°I¡¯ve got some pills for restoring spiritual qi and some for treating injuries.¡± These pills were given to him by the sect when he received the mission. After all, this mission was different from the previous missions. It was not a treasure hunt, nor was it a mission to hunt demon beasts. It was a mission directly related to the safety of the sect. Therefore, they provided much more sufficient resources. Li Ming¡¯s mission was simple. In addition, he had the ability to recuperate with the help of his entries. Hence, these pills were not very useful to him. Besides, he did not suffer any serious injuries. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, they¡¯re just hiding their figures and auras, right?¡± ¡°No, besides that, their strength is also heightened while they are within this Blood Mist Array.¡± Hearing Lu Lan¡¯s words, Li Ming got a better idea of their situation. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Senior Sister Lu, later on, you should try your best to guard against the surroundings and avoid them from ambushing you. The members of the Heavenly Demon Sect are very disgusting and they do not refrain from using any means to achieve their goal.¡± ¡°As for the rest, you can leave that to me.¡± Li Ming took a step forward and stretched out his arms. He was still feeling extremely displeased from the surprise attack that he had received back in Windstorm Town! Now, he was met with the view of his fellow disciples being surrounded and even his closest junior sister was severely injured and nearly lost her life! Li Ming could not tolerate it any longer! [System Entry Options] [Kill all the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples present with all your strength. Reward: Purple entry!] [Kill your way out and escort your fellow disciples to safety. Reward: Blue entry! ] His system finally presented him with another set of options after so long. Seeing this, Li Ming¡¯s lips curled up. These options came at the perfect time! Without hesitation, Li Ming chose to go for the purple entry! Is it time for a big fight? It just so happened that Li Ming also wanted to grasp how powerful he had become after achieving some success in body and qi dual cultivation! Li Ming knew that it was not very useful to him to just immerse himself in cultivation and raise his cultivation passively. This was especially so for his body cultivation. After all, it was encouraged for body cultivators to seek improvement and breakthroughs from actual combat. Actual combat stimulated body cultivation. ¡°A mere intermediate stage foundation establishment cultivator wants to face us all alone?¡± ¡°As expected of the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region, even a disciple who is merely at the intermediate stage of foundation establishment is so arrogant!¡± Qin Zhen¡¯s voice sounded from within the blood mist. It was filled with disdain as he mocked Li Ming. In his eyes, a mere intermediate stage foundation establishment cultivator was no match for him at all! Not to mention him, the other Heavenly Demon Sect disciples could easily deal with him! He could not understand why a mere intermediate stage foundation establishment cultivator was so arrogant. Faced with Qin Zhen¡¯s mockery, Li Ming did not dawdle. He broke into a spring and used his Wind Lightning Steps! His body became like a bolt of lightning as he instantly charged into the Blood Mist Array. ¡°Junior Brother Li!¡± Lu Lan was stunned when she saw Li Ming charge straight into the array! But before she could shout, Li Ming had already disappeared. Within the blood mist, Li Ming looked around at the blood-red surroundings and found his vision significantly diminished. He could not even sense the aura of spiritual qi. If it were any other cultivator who was in his position, they would probably only be able to wait for their death. However, Li Ming was completely different. His powerful divine soul spread out and instantly locked onto all the disciples hiding inside! He then immediately activated his divine soul attack! With Li Ming¡¯s powerful divine soul, launching attacks while in their domain produced wondrous effects! ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Someone is ambushing us!¡± Suddenly, inside the blood mist, the disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect could be heard screaming one after the other. While they were watching Li Ming, they did not think that the disciples¡¯ eyes would turn completely white before falling over! Each of the disciples that fell to the ground had become completely lifeless! It was as if they were all killed in an instant! This sudden scene caused the rest of the foundation establishment disciples to panic. For Li Ming, being able to deal with four or five foundation establishment cultivators in a row was already his limit. To be precise, it was the limit of his divine soul skill. Although it could directly attack the soul and kill cultivators with low cultivation levels like them on the spot, it was not a big deal. However, Li Ming could not keep using it nonstop. Although his divine soul was powerful, using it several times in a row consumed a huge amount of spiritual power. Nevertheless, it was a great skill for taking others by surprise. However, now that he had used it, no matter how stupid his enemies were, they were able to quickly tell that the deaths were caused by him. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with this kid!¡± ¡°Kill him first!¡± One by one, the foundation establishment cultivators came back to their senses and their gazes instantly fell on Li Ming. Their figures resembled that of ghosts as blood-red light surged. The Heavenly Demon Sect disciples launched a reckless charge toward Li Ming! It was obvious that although they knew that the deaths were caused by Li Ming, they did not know how he had achieved such a feat. They never would have thought that Li Ming, a foundation establishment cultivator, had an incomparably powerful divine soul that far surpassed theirs! Therefore, while they believed that their figures were completely hidden while they were inside the mist, they had no idea that they were completely exposed in front of Li Ming! Seeing this group of people swarming up, Li Ming did not back down at all. He raised his hand and instantly condensed a bronze cauldron! Previously, when he was dealing with one of them in Windstorm Town, his golden crow spiritual qi had an absolute suppression effect on their Heavenly Demon Sect¡¯s cultivation technique! Adding on the Cauldron Transformation Art on top of that, he now had a move that could unleash the power at the mystic tier. The cauldron was condensed, and the golden crow true fire burst forth! In an instant, the blood mist around Li Ming dissipated! Lu Lan and the others were also stunned. In Li Ming¡¯s hand, a bronze cauldron that was roughly 6 meters had appeared! Scorching spiritual qi burst forth, and golden crow true fire blazed on the cauldron fiercely! The blood mist dispersed, and the figures of the Sky Demon Sect disciples were revealed one after the other. Before they could react, the cauldron tilted down, and the blazing golden crow spiritual qi and true fire instantly poured onto their bodies! In an instant, screams rang out. One by one, the Heavenly Demon Sect cultivators were razed by the golden crow true fire and crushed by the tremendous weight of the cauldron! They could not mobilize the spiritual qi in his body. And coupled with their fragile bodies, none of them could withstand the blazing bronze cauldron at all! The Golden Crow Body Tempering Art seemed to have completely suppressed the evil cultivation technique of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Dozens of Heavenly Demon Sect disciples were smashed by the cauldron, most dying as a result, while the rest were at least severely injured. In an instant, the tables were utterly turned. When Qin Zhen saw this scene, he was shocked.. He clearly did not expect that a fellow in the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm would have such a powerful yang cultivation technique! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 63 - Chapter 63: A Fierce Battle Chapter 63: A Fierce Battle Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming¡¯s attack absolutely decimated the defenses of those from the Heavenly Demon Sect! As a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator, Qin Zhen looked at the scene before him in utter disbelief! He simply could not believe what he was witnessing. A mere intermediate-stage foundation establishment cultivator was actually able to unleash such a powerful technique! This was something completely outside of his expectations! Everything that took place also allowed Qin Zhen to realize that while this Li Ming looked like he was a mere cultivator at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm, the cultivation technique that he practiced was one of extreme yang in nature and one that granted him immense physical strength. It perfectly suppressed the cultivation technique of their Heavenly Demon Sect! Qin Zhen clearly understood this. When Qin Zhen looked at Li Ming, his gaze turned sharp. Although this fellow cultivated an extremely burly and yang cultivation technique and could be considered to be a perfect counter to them, there was still a defining factor where he lost out in. While the other Heavenly Demon Sect disciples were not strong enough and simply utterly hopeless in facing him, the same could not be said about Qin Zhen. After all, he was in the late-stage foundation establishment realm! It could be said that he could do whatever he wanted as long as his opponents were at the foundation establishment realm and below! Even if Li Ming cultivated an incredibly burly and extreme yang cultivation technique, under the absolute difference in their cultivation, he could only wait to be crushed! This was the difference between the strong and the weak. It was also the insurmountable gap brought about by the difference in cultivation levels! Just this point alone was enough to close the gap in cultivation techniques. Qin Zhen was confident that he would be able to easily deal with Li Ming. His gaze gradually turned fierce! Although the Blood Mist Array had been broken, and although their previous advantage was now gone, he was still in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, so he still had the advantage in cultivation level! ¡°The Divine Will Sect is indeed worthy of being the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region. I did not expect an intermediate foundation establishment cultivator to be so capable.¡± ¡°However, none of you will be able to leave today!¡± Qin Zhen snorted coldly. In an instant, the blood qi in his body surged and gathered at his limbs. In an instant, the blood qi in his body surged and gathered at his limbs. Then, the blood qi condensed a blood-colored armor around his body! Seeing this, Li Ming found it familiar. This was the same move that the Heavenly Demon Sect disciple that he met back in Windstorm Town used. However, after Qin Zhen donned this blood-colored armor, his overall aura felt much stronger! At this moment, he was already close to the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm! Although there were generally only the early, intermediate, and late stages of foundation establishment, the perfected level of foundation establishment was specifically a small division above the late stage. It was very difficult to advance from the late stage of the foundation establishment realm to the perfected level. This was the first actual threshold before a cultivator could reach the golden core realm! Although he had not reached the golden core realm nor actually reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm, the small increase in power that the armor gave him brought about a difference akin to that of heaven and earth! After the blood-colored armor appeared on his body, Qin Zhen raised his hand, and a long blood-colored saber condensed in his hand! His aura surged. He did not choose to perform any magical arts. Instead, he waved his blood-colored saber and charged straight at Li Ming! Being at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, with the support of the blood-colored armor, his physical body had been significantly strengthened. The saber fell and brought with it incredible might. As he swung the blade, blood-colored waves burst out from the blade! While they did resemble waves, these waves erupted into countless blades of qi right after. The sky was filled with these dangerous blades of qi, descending mercilessly toward Li Ming! While the fight looked like it was a close-combat fight, that was far from the truth. It was obvious that the might of this attack was intended to suppress Li Ming directly! As the saber descended, countless blades came crashing down on Li Ming. Li Ming narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings. Although he did not have any magical artifacts to support him, he was still a cultivator who cultivated both his body and qi. The effects of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art could not be taken lightly. Moreover, he still had the Restore opportunity together with the effects of all his entries. Li Ming showed no fear! His golden crow true qi burst forth, and he repeatedly launched the Fire Fist of the Five Divine Fists around him! No matter what kind of technique the Heavenly Demon Sect¡¯s cultivation technique was, it was apparent that fire was the most effective means to confront it. Pure yang was the most effective counter to evil! After punching out repeatedly, all of the blades that had been coming right at him instantly dissipated. But even so, facing the saber that was chopping down right at him, Li Ming could only choose to block it with both hands! With the help of his only magical artifacts, the gloves, this was what Li Ming believed to be his best course of action. While his body was indeed innately strong, Li Ming was not stupid enough to use his body to directly block the saber. Clang! Bang! In an instant, the saber fell, and the pair of gloves that Li Ming was wearing actually shattered on the spot! Li Ming reacted quickly and immediately activated his golden crow true fire and had the flames cover his hands! He grabbed the saber with one hand and clenched it forcefully! Bang! The hand that he wrapped in the golden crow true fire actually managed to crush Qin Zhen¡¯s saber on the spot! Seeing this scene, Qin Zhen was aghast! Earlier, this fellow had magical glove artifacts and managed to block his attack. He could still accept this fact. But now, without his gloves, Li Ming had actually been able to directly crush his saber with his bare hands! Although this blood-colored saber was not a magic artifact but rather something condensed from the spiritual qi of his cultivation technique, its power was not inferior to a magic artifact at all! Although he was shocked by Li Ming¡¯s physical body, Qin Zhen was unwilling to accept defeat just like that. He immediately raised his hand, and streams of spiritual qi gathered. The blood-colored spiritual qi instantly condensed into an even larger saber! He then swung it at Li Ming crazily! Seeing this, Li Ming did not waste any time and condensed a bronze cauldron! Golden flames burst forth, and the cauldron was as dazzling as the sun in the sky. The scorching heat turned everything within a thousand meters of Li Ming into scorched earth! The fusion of the Golden Crow True Fire and the Cauldron Transformation Art was now within Li Ming¡¯s capabilities. After becoming a proper dual cultivator, he no longer had to worry as much when combining techniques. Li Ming could now use his techniques at will! Without a doubt, this move was the full-force attack that Li Ming was most confident in! Of course, that was only in terms of qi cultivation. Boom! All of a sudden, the large saber descended once again. Its sharp edge split the sky as a strong wind pressed down, attempting to blow away the golden crow true fire on the bronze cauldron with all its might! Unfortunately, this was no ordinary foundation establishment true fire, but the golden crow true fire that was condensed from the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art! Its power was much stronger than an ordinary foundation establishment true fire! Naturally, when facing the evil cultivation techniques of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the restraining effect it could display was even greater! The saber fell with a force that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. In an instant, a hurricane blasted, and a tearing force wreaked havoc on Li Ming¡¯s body! The power of this slash was astonishing! The power of the late stage of the foundation establishment realm was no joke! Boom! The large saber smashed down, and the bronze cauldron collided with the saber at the same time. A huge explosion sounded. The blazing golden crow true fire instantly swallowed the saber. At the same time, the bronze cauldron shattered in an instant! The full power attack of a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator was truly astounding! Even the bronze cauldron that Li Ming had perfected was completely unable to resist! Fortunately, although the bronze cauldron was shattered, the golden crow true fire was still there, and it completely dissolved the spiritual qi that rushed over! The two of them exchanged blows with all their strength, but they were evenly matched! This result was clearly not something Qin Zhen, who was in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, could accept as he descended into madness! The moment the blood light and golden crow true fire dissipated, Qin Zhen rushed forward. At some point, a blood saber had condensed in his hand and he slashed at Li Ming madly! The speed at which he swung the saber was extremely swift, the angle he swung it at was tricky, and the might behind the swing was getting stronger and stronger! Li Ming¡¯s response was simple and straightforward! Relying on the Wind Lightning Steps and Five Divine Fist, he actually managed to continue fighting back and forth with Qin Zhen! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 64 - Chapter 64: A New Entry! Chapter 64: A New Entry! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Fighting bare-handed, his body flashed around like lightning. In the beginning, Li Ming had been forced to a defensive position against Qin Zhen¡¯s frenzied attacks. However, after a good while of exchanging blows, the gap between them gradually became apparent. Qin Zhen had used a secret art to increase his strength to rival someone at the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm, and his spiritual qi had become a lot more concentrated than it had originally been. But surprisingly, no matter how much spiritual qi he used, he was unable to deal with Li Ming! For some reason, the more they fought, the more worried Qin Zhen became! Every time they clashed, Qin Zhen could feel that it became slightly more difficult to make any progress! It was as if his attacks could not get close to Li Ming at all! Even though Li Ming¡¯s fists were covered in blood, Qin Zhen was frightened but what he saw beyond the blood. The wounds on Li Ming¡¯s fist were actually healing at an astonishing speed! In fact, it seemed as if the blood on his fists only served to make the golden crow true fire blazing on his fists to burn brighter and stronger! As time passed, the might of the Five Divine Fists rose to new heights! ¡°You b*stard, your body is so tough!¡± After a series of exchanges, Qin Zhen revealed signs of retreat. He was already exhausted. At this point, he could only dodge Li Ming¡¯s attacks to the best of his abilities. No matter how much spiritual qi he used on Li Ming, he was not making any progress! Even if Li Ming was injured, his abnormal body and powerful recovery ability made it impossible for him to defeat him! Hard! It was very hard! It was simply too hard! Li Ming¡¯s body looked like it was made of flesh and blood, but it was as hard as metal! No matter how much Qin Zhen attacked, he could not achieve the effect he wanted! Instead, he was only receiving more and more injuries himself. Boom! Qin Zhen hurriedly gathered spiritual qi around his body to block another punch, but he was utterly incapable of blocking it. The spiritual qi that he had gathered in front of him instantly collapsed. A punch had finally cleanly landed on the blood-colored armor in front of his chest. With this punch, Qin Zhen¡¯s entire armor actually melted instantly from the golden crow true fire on Li Ming¡¯s fist! Qin Zhen could no longer muster any more spiritual qi, and his strength, which he had increased with the help of the secret art, was slowly declining under the suppression of the golden crow true fire! Before Qin Zhen could react, Li Ming had already launched another attack right at him! As the saying went, hit where it hurts. In this battle, it was obviously the perfect time to attack when the other party was weakened. Previously, in Windstorm Town, Li Ming had made the mistake of letting his enemy off and nearly causing his own death. If it was not for the fact that he cultivated his body, he would have died in Storm Town. Therefore, after seeing Qin Zhen at a disadvantage, Li Ming did not show any hesitation and fully displayed his killing intent! He immediately dashed forward, condensed a bronze cauldron with one hand, and sent it smashing directly at Qin Zhen¡¯s face! At this time, Qin Zhen was already suppressed by the golden crow true fire. He was unable to freely circulate his spiritual qi to defend himself. Moreover, Li Ming was so fast that he arrived in front of him instantly, and his attack was as fast as lightning. With all of that together, Qin Zhen was completely unable to resist this sudden attack! Boom! The huge cauldron landed and instantly smashed out a huge pit in the ground! The surroundings had long been razed to ashes by the golden crow true fire, and even the soil had become extremely charred! When the golden crow true fire completely dissipated, it seemed as if the entire valley had been met with a natural disaster. The entire area now looked dilapidated and desolate. The disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect had been completely annihilated! While Li Ming and Qin Zhen were fighting, the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples who were nearby tried to launch sneak attacks at Li Ming, but they were all decimated by the blazing golden crow true fire. As a result, after the battle ended, all the people from the Heavenly Demon Sect were dead! Even Qin Zhen was smashed to the ground by the cauldron! After doing all this, Li Ming heaved a sigh of relief. Looking at his destroyed gloves, Li Ming felt helpless. Facing a full-force attack from a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator, it was simply unable to hold on. The magical artifact had directly shattered after receiving the attack. Fortunately, Li Ming cultivated both his body and qi, and the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art significantly strengthened his physical body. For an ordinary qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivator, the attacks that Li Ming had received would have immediately killed them! The advantages of body cultivation became apparent to him during the battle. In terms of speed, strength, explosiveness, defense, and other aspects, he was completely above any qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivator! [Mission complete. Obtained purple entry: Wild Growth!] [Wild Growth (Purple): When experiencing a breakthrough, the effects of the breakthrough are doubled!] Damn! As expected of a purple entry! Li Ming looked at the effect of the entry and sucked in a breath of cold air! With a purple entry already being so powerful, just how amazing were the entries that were of even higher rating? This purple entry increased the effects of his breakthroughs in cultivation by 100%. In other words, when advancing from the intermediate-stage foundation establishment realm to the late-stage foundation establishment realm, if an ordinary person¡¯s strength increased by 100, his strength would increase by 200! In this way, he could greatly shorten the time he needed to cultivate. With this entry, he could increase his strength even faster. What was most unexpected was that this entry was not only suitable for qi cultivation, but also for body cultivation! This was no different from the ultimate cheat! Li Ming sighed in his heart. However, he was curious as to why no Opportunity came with the purple entry this time. This also made Li Ming slowly realize that the purple entry itself was already extraordinary, and perhaps Opportunity did not appear every time. Well, it did make sense, an Opportunity was an opportunity. If it was not fated, then that was that. Sometimes it would appear, and sometimes it would not. Li Ming stopped looking at his entries and carefully checked the changes in his body. Although this battle was the battle where Li Ming faced the strongest opponent he ever had, he had not actually faced much danger. This was because the other party¡¯s cultivation technique was completely suppressed by him. Coupled with the abnormal power of the golden crow true fire, under the absolute suppression, there was indeed not much danger to speak of for him. Of course, if Qin Zhen¡¯s cultivation had truly been at the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm, or maybe even the golden core realm, Li Ming would have had no chance of winning even if he had the golden crow true fire. ¡°Junior Brother Li, y-you¡¯re so powerful even while at the intermediate-stage of the foundation establishment realm.¡± Lu Lan could not help but sigh when she saw this. After all, she had seen Li Ming¡¯s method of forcefully fusing qi cultivation and body cultivation before. However, after two months, Li Ming had already learned to properly fuse them. He had clearly fused both body and qi cultivation! He was now dual cultivating body and qi! This was clearly unprecedented! ¡°It¡¯s alright. The seclusion had some effect.¡± ¡°This mission has honestly been quite hectic.¡± ¡°Anyway, are you guys alright?¡± Li Ming asked. He looked at Chen Qingke and found that she was looking at him with excitement. She looked like a little fangirl. Before Li Ming could even say anything, Chen Qingke quickly stepped forward and held his hand. ¡°Senior brother, after we reach the golden core realm, let¡¯s spar! ¡± ¡°Senior brother can already kill late-stage foundation establishment cultivators now. After reaching Golden Core, you will definitely be even more powerful!¡± Chen Qingke spoke with great excitement. While she overtly appeared to be suggesting a spar, in fact, she was inwardly happy for Li Ming. In the sect, countless people looked down on Li Ming, whether it be in the inner sect or the outer sect. Even after entering the Five Halls, Li Ming was only assigned to a place where nobody was. It made the other disciples look down on him even more.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 65 - Chapter 65: The Sect鈥檚 Plan Chapter 65: The Sect¡¯s Plan Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Hearing Chen Qingke¡¯s words, Li Ming immediately laughed. ¡°Alright, do you want to add a bet?¡± ¡°How about if you lose, you marry me?¡± Li Ming looked at Chen Qingke teasingly. Lu Lan also laughed. Meanwhile, the rest of the disciples on the sidelines looked like they were watching a show. All of their gazes turned to Chen Qingke. After hearing what Li Ming said, a blush emerged on Chen Qingke¡¯s face and she bashfullv lowered her head. ¡°Senior brother¡­ You!¡± Chen Qingke felt incredibly shy. Before she could finish what she wanted to say, Li Ming smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I was just joking. Look at how tired all of you are, it¡¯s best for us to return to the sect as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°After all, who knows if there are more people from other sects nearby?¡± Li Ming¡¯s words pulled everyone back from their daze. Right now, they were still on a mission. Having just returned from the brink of life and death, they should naturally leave this place quickly. It was already very fortunate for them that Li Ming had managed to single-handedly take care of the people from the Heavenly Demon Sect, but that did not mean that they could just relax and take a break now. Hearing this, Chen Qingke immediately nodded. The blush on her face did not disappear, and her eyes darted around evasively. Her mind seemed to be full of all sorts of thoughts. Regardless, after regaining clarity, they all made their way back to the Divine Will Sect. While they were traveling, Lu Lan found herself curious. Li Ming was currently only at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm. However, with his dual cultivation of body and qi, he managed to kill Qin Zhen, who was at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm. Such a thing was unprecedented! It was already unexpected that he could cultivate both body and qi, but the combat strength he displayed did not lose out in terms of the shock factor! This caused Lu Lan to have some ideas of trying out body cultivation. She now thought that perhaps the belief that body cultivation was useless was actually a misconception. At least, in Lu Lan¡¯s eyes, the effects of body cultivation were clear as day. The might displayed by Li Ming was indeed an eye-opener for Lu Lan. It also allowed her to deeply understand the possible effects of body cultivation. The other Divine Will Sect disciples that were present had also been shocked by Li Ming¡¯s strength. But at this moment, Li Ming found himself curious about something. Having some questions in mind, he directly asked Lu Lan about them. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, what exactly is going on?¡± ¡°Are these people from the other sects planning to start a war with our Divine Will Sect?¡± All this time, Li Ming did not have a clear idea on what was happening. He did not even know why the sect had entered a state of alert right after he had exited his retreat. All of this was outside of his expectations. Hearing Li Ming¡¯s questions, Lu Lan explained. ¡°The Promotion Conference for the sects of the Eastern Continent is approaching.¡± ¡°Junior Brother Li, how much do you know about our Eastern Continent?¡± Lu Lan asked a question back at Li Ming. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°The Eastern Continent is divided into two regions, the South and the North. The Divine Will Sect is located in the south and is the number one sect in the south.¡± ¡°As for the rest, I¡¯m not too clear about it.¡± Although he had been in the sect for more than three years and seemed to have entered the cultivation world, in reality, Li Ming had been immersed in the life of tempering his body and grinding for entries for nearly the entirety of the past three years. He did not care aDout tne layout or tne cultivation world or anytmng outside the sect. As such, he naturally did not have much of an idea of the landscape of the cultivation world. In fact, Li Ming did not even know much about the Divine Will Sect, much less the sects outside. ¡°What you said is only partially correct.¡± ¡°In the Heavenly Southern Region of the Eastern Continent, there is indeed only one major sect, which is the Divine Will Sect. The other sects are all dependent on us.¡± ¡°This is also why the Divine Will Sect is the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region. However, there are also a few large sects in the Heavenly Northern Region. Their strength is not inferior to Divine Will Sect.¡± ¡°The Heavenly Demon Sect that we encountered this time is one of them.¡± ¡°The reason why these sects are sending their disciples to the Heavenly Southern Region and are launching attacks at our Divine Will Sect¡¯s disciples is that they have no choice but to send their disciples to the Heavenly Southern Region.¡± ¡°Their goal is the Sect Promotion Conference and to fight for resources.¡± Hearing Lu Lan¡¯s words, Li Ming gradually understood. He gradually understood what was going on. However, he was still wondering what exactly this Sect Promotion Conference was. He could not understand why the sects had to resort to such means for a conference. This was something that Li Ming simply did not understand. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, would it not be better for everyone to cooperate and develop together?¡± Would it not be much easier for everyone to develop harmoniously and advance together? If that were the case, it would be much easier for the sects to rise and become even stronger. Would fighting and killing each other¡¯s forces not only cause heavy losses? In this way, even if they won, what did they stand to gain? Lu Lan could not help but laugh when Li Ming said what he said. ¡°Junior Brother Li, that thought is a thought that a lot of those who have merely begun cultivating share.¡± ¡°However, reality is cruel.¡± ¡°Cultivators seize the fate of the world, but they must also follow the will of the heavens. The resources on this continent are limited and cannot accommodate an infinite number of people.¡± ¡°Take a town in the mortal world, for example.¡± ¡°The number of people in the town has increased, but the amount of food in the town has not changed. In this case, you can either have everyone ration themselves or cull a portion of the town.¡± ¡°The same situation takes place in the cultivation world.¡± After Lu Lan¡¯s explanation, Li Ming finally understood. He finally understood the cruel rules of the cultivation world. Life and death were all in the pursuit of fame and fortune. When it came to the pursuit of fame and fortune, even life and death were no longer important. ¡°After the Law Enforcement Hall¡¯s assessment is over, the Eastern Continent will also hold a competition between the sects.¡± ¡°Although there is already a grand competition and duels between the sects, according to what has happened in past years, no matter what results are obtained in the competition, wars will still erupt between sects.¡± Li Ming was dumbfounded again. Why were the rules of the cultivation world so weird? Since all the sects were going to war with one another, what was the point of the grand competition between them? What was the point of all this? Why did they have to act polite before using greater force? Li Ming found himself baffled. ¡°Senior Sister Lu, if there¡¯s going to be war after, why do the sects still hold a competition?¡± ¡°Is it to test the other party? Then what¡¯s the point of the sect disciples who are invading our territory right now?¡± Li Ming was confused. He thought back to his past life. He woke up early and went to bed late to train his body. The only other thing he did was grind for entries. It was so stable and peaceful. But now, although his strength had increased and he could cultivate qi, the world around him only grew more and more complicated. It was so complicated that Li Ming felt that everything was unnecessary. ¡°Actually, the war between sects has already begun. Whether it¡¯s these sneak attacks or the competition later, it¡¯s all the same.¡± ¡°After all, what every sect wants is the same.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no point in the sect competition. If we can get first place, the sect will be protected and have a certain advantage in this war.¡± ¡°In the past, the Divine Will Sect relied on getting number one in the competition, as well as the fact that it survived every sect war, to become the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region..¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 66 - Chapter 66: Obtaining Another Mystic Chapter 66: Obtaining Another Mystic-Tier Magical Art Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Lu Lan¡¯s explanation undoubtedly gave Li Ming a better understanding of the cultivation world. In this world, sects vied for resources, and everyone sought immortality. To outsiders, the world of cultivation might seem like a paradise, but what it truly contained was but a cruel reality. Li Ming was feeling this exact way at the moment. ¡°In the cultivation world, everyone aims to survive. Of course, it is a bit of a different story for cultivators like those from the Heavenly Demon Sect.¡± Li Ming nodded as he listened. Since this world ran by the law of the jungle, whether it was for sects or for individuals, their best option was to increase their strength. Chaotic times were like a flood, and in the cultivation world, such floods were the norm. The cultivation world could be likened to a rip current. On the surface, it may seem calm, but if one looked closely, one would find a powerful current beneath. It was not actually a calm slice of shore on the beach, but a terrifying current ready to drag you to your death at any moment. If the world of cultivation were likened to the ocean, whether it was the flapping of the wings of the birds on the sea or the giant beasts swimming under the sea, fluctuations could be observed at the surface. Soon enough, the group got back to the sect. Recently, many disciples went out on missions. Although the majority of them managed to return, there were still some who would never get to do so. The entire Heavenly Southern Region seemed to have fallen into enemy hands as disciples from the various sects came pouring in. It seemed like they all wanted a piece of the pie that was the Heavenly Southern Region. However, that did not change the fact that the Divine Will Sect was a large sect and was the number one sect in the Heavenly Southern Region. Therefore, there had been no major movements until now. There were only minor scuffles and battles. Because of that, it was still relatively peaceful in the sect. After reporting the completion of his mission, Li Ming received merit points and spirit stones. However, before he could go to the market, the spirit stones he just got were already absorbed by the black stone. ¡°F*cking hell¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you leave some for me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that cultivation requires a lot of spirit stones?¡± Li Ming was instantly left speechless. He was already alone in the Martial Hall, and he was bereft of all kinds of resources. The other five halls had their own resources, but Li Ming did not. After all, he was alone. The sect could not possibly give special treatment to him alone. Therefore, Li Ming could only rely on completing missions to earn some merit points and spirit stones for himself. But in the end, he still had a parasite like the black stone with him. If it was not for the fact that the black stone still had some use to it, Li Ming would have really considered smashing it apart. ¡°Stingy.¡± ¡°Young man, I¡¯m not taking these spirit stones for free.¡± ¡°It is just that you will get your reward in the long term.¡± Hearing the black stone¡¯s words, Li Ming immediately rolled his eyes. ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°Stop pretending in front of me.¡± ¡°I was saving these spirit stones to buy some medicinal herbs in the market. I could have even gone and bought some magical arts with them.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just hindering my cultivation?¡± Li Ming complained. The last time he fought with a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator, his only magical artifact had been directly shattered. After reaching the foundation establishment realm, he could start refining his natal magical treasure. This was something that most foundation establishment cultivators would choose to do. However, not everyone could do it. Not only did one need a foundation establishment true fire to refine a natal magical treasure, but the materials that were needed in order to refine a natal magical treasure and an ordinary magical treasure were different as well. A natal magical treasure was a magical treasure that would accompany a cultivator for nearly his entire life. No matter how high a cultivator¡¯s level was, their natal magical treasure would upgrade alongside them. Thus, the materials needed to refine the natal magical treasure were naturally much more valuable. Generally speaking, cultivators had different natal magical treasures. Some were used for combat, some were used for defense, and there were all kinds of them. But no matter what, the materials that were used for them had to be the best. ¡°Don¡¯t you just need magical treasure materials?¡± ¡°I happen to have a type of crystal here. Although I do not know what it¡¯s called, it¡¯s not bad.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it now anyway.¡± The black stone spoke to Li Ming. Before Li Ming could react, light shone from the black stone in the next moment, and a crystal instantly appeared in Li Ming¡¯s palm. He looked at the crystal carefully. There were strange patterns on this crystal. It looked messy, but it managed to present a complete picture. THis was the first time he had seen these patterns. The weight of the crystal was quite ordinary, it did not feel any different from a normal stone. There was simply no difference besides its appearance. Looking at it carefully, Li Ming did not find anything special about the crystal. ¡°No matter how I look at it, there¡¯s basically no difference between this and a regular stone. Is the magic treasure refined by this thing very powerful?¡± Li Ming looked all over it for some time, but he really could not find anything special about it. Whether it was in terms of feeling or other aspects, there was a huge difference between this and the crystals that could be found in the market. No matter how he looked at it, it just looked like a beautiful stone. ¡°Ignorant. I don¡¯t know what this thing is either. However, I do know that many people fought for it back then, and I had to put in a lot of effort to get it. When refining this into a magical treasure, ordinary foundation establishment true fire won¡¯t do as it would not even be able to melt it down.¡± ¡°If it was not for the fact that you have the golden crow true fire and cultivated the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, I would not have even given this to you.¡± Li Ming immediately took notice of the black stone¡¯s words. This stone appeared to have a very clear understanding of his situation. However, the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art had been given to him by that woman. This stone was indeed not simple, but Li Ming did not know the origin of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. He only knew that the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art that he had was incomplete. However, from the black stone¡¯s words, it was obvious that it knew of the origin of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. ¡°You seem to know quite a lot about the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art¡­¡± Li Ming said out loud. However, the black stone obviously did not want to reveal anything related to the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. Instead, it changed the topic. ¡°What kind of magical arts do you want? I happen to have one here. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m taking your spirit stones for nothing.¡± After the black stone said that, before Li Ming could even say anything, a beam of light shot into his forehead. Instantly, a magical art appeared in his mind. ¡°Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal?¡± ¡°A low-grade mystic-tier magical art.¡± Li Ming looked at the magical art curiously. The things given by this black stone were indeed very good. It was very difficult for people with foundation establishment cultivation to come into contact with such things. However, he had not fully comprehended the Imperial Finger from before, and now he had another low-grade mystic-tier technique. This left Li Ming feeling a little helpless. ¡°I have not even fully comprehended the Imperial Finger yet.¡± ¡°Now you gave me another difficult magical art.¡± Li Ming immediately complained. As a body cultivator, Li Ming had been cultivating for three years, so he naturally had his own views on cultivation. If he had not learned one thing, he did not feel like it was useful to rush and learn something else. As the saying went, you should not bite more than you can chew. If he learned too much at once, he would not be able to completely understand the essence of what he learned. Naturally, he would then be unable to unleash its full might. Just like the Cauldron Transformation Art. The better he grasped the magical art, the more realistic the cauldron would appear! Li Ming was still thinking about when or how he would study the Imperial Finger, but now he had another mystic-tier magical art. ¡°You already know the Imperial Finger, what you are lacking is the proper attitude and way of thought when using it.¡± ¡°This is the perfect time to transition magical arts..¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 67 - Chapter 67: Distinguishing Cultivators Chapter 67: Distinguishing Cultivators Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Hearing the black stone¡¯s words, Li Ming felt rather helpless The Imperial Finger required something that the current Li Ming simply did not have. At the very least, in Li Ming¡¯s heart, he did not want to look down on the world. What he wanted wished for was but stable cultivation. He did not feel it necessary to compete with others. It seemed that, for the moment, he could only choose to cultivate this Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal. ¡°This Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal is perfect for your dual cultivation of both body and qi. It is one of the most suitable magical arts for you to practice at the moment.¡± ¡°You can check it yourself.¡± After the black stone said that, it stopped talking. Li Ming was sizing up the Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal. It was a palm technique for body cultivators and also a magical art for qi cultivators. It was indeed very compatible with his dual cultivation of body and qi. Moreover, the power of a mystic-tier magical art was naturally not something that could be ignored. After familiarizing himself with it, Li Ming began practicing it. With the many entries he had for both body and qi cultivation, learning this technique turned out to actually be quite easy for Li Ming. Due to his entries, he did not have much trouble learning techniques for either body or qi cultivation. From the perspective of body cultivation, this technique was used to temper one¡¯s palm until it could wield a might that could overturn the heavens! This was a direct interpretation of a heaven-overturning seal. It was like a martial skill. On the other hand, from the perspective of qi cultivation, this technique would have the user condense explosive spiritual qi at their palm, which would then turn into a long-range attack. In reality, the only difference between the body cultivation and qi cultivation aspects of the technique was that one was for close-range while the other was for long-range. The Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal combined the two forms together. After circulating the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art for one cycle, all the muscles and bones in Li Ming¡¯s body became active. He could now begin practicing the Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal! He raised his arms, and then waved his arms and palms according to the magical art. Each of his movements seemed slow, but in reality, he was constantly accumulating strength! Li Ming got a distinct feeling when he was trying out the technique. With the support of his various entries, Li Ming¡¯s learning speed was fast, and he could comprehend new techniques very quickly. Despite it having only been his first attempt, Li Ming had already gotten an understanding of how the Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal was condensed. The purpose of the slow movements at the start of the technique was to guide a huge amount of power from throughout his body into his palm bit by bit! It was like a network of rivers flowing into the sea! However, the sea was limited and not infinitely wide. Regardless, an astonishing power gathered at his palm! The power gathered was extracted from every inch of Li Ming¡¯s body and even from his foundation establishment stone platform. It could be said that every inch of Li Ming¡¯s power was gathered in one area! Golden crow true fire erupted from his palm! Then, an extremely powerful force emerged! Li Ming aimed at the mountain in front of him and extended his hand toward A palm print condensed from golden flames instantly shot out! Boom! With a loud bang, the palm print instantly penetrated the mountain. Everything that was in the palm print¡¯s way was destroyed, leaving only charred marks! Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the palm print was formed by numerous small seals! Although he had succeeded in using the technique on his first try, it was obvious that he would not have all that time to channel the technique in battle. As such, he knew that what he needed to do next was to repeatedly hone and practice the technique. It was only by repeatedly practicing it that he could truly master it. Eventually, he should be able to easily use it and control it. No matter how talented a person was, repetitive practice was the best and most direct way to master any technique. This was the most basic rule that Li Ming had adhered to ever since he started cultivating his body. Body cultivation required a cultivator to go through thousands of tempering to achieve perfection. As the saying went, ten years of work offstage all for one minute on stage. If one wanted to win in battle and protect their own life, they needed to work hard every day! Li Ming obviously did not lack these things. After a few rounds of practice and repeated tempering, Li Ming had completely mastered the Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal with the help of his entries! With the help of the entries, Li Ming¡¯s talent had undergone a huge change. At the same time, his cultivation had become extremely smooth. With the help of the entries, Li Ming went from a good-for-nothing to a genius! After learning the Great Sun Heaven-Overturning Seal, Li Ming immediately set his eyes on refining his natal magical treasure. From when he began cultivating to now, Li Ming had actually grinded a considerable number of entries. Furthermore, he had all kinds of weapon-related entries, so Li Ming clearly had many choices when it came to choosing what kind of magical treasure to refine. However, what kind of magical treasure would be able to make best use of his dual cultivating property? For body cultivation, he could choose from all kinds of melee weapons. As for defense, it was something that Li Ming was actually not considering too much at the moment. Although he was only at the third level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, that had already improved the quality of his body significantly. Furthermore, there had never been any body cultivation foundation establishment cultivators. When compared with qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators, Li Ming¡¯s physical body completely crushed them! These were the benefits provided by the body cultivation foundation establishment realm. From the point of view of qi cultivators, magical treasures should naturally focus on functionality, and defense would obviously be their first choice. ¡°Brat, are you in the middle of choosing what your natal magical treasure should be?¡± ¡°Well, your situation is indeed a bit special. You cultivate both your body and qi, making your situation very different from qi cultivators.¡± ¡°However, looking at you, you seem to have no idea how the world of cultivation is divided, right?¡± The black stone¡¯s voice rang out loud once again. Hearing this, Li Ming became curious. He had heard about some of this stuff before, but not much. There was no clear distinction between cultivators in the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. ¡°In the cultivation world, in the entire continent, including some places that you have been to, there are different types of cultivators.¡± ¡°They are mainly divided into two categories, sword cultivators and spirit cultivators.¡± ¡°Among them, those who cultivate the body can be sword cultivators or spirit cultivators. In both cases, they cultivate qi, they only choose one category over the other depending on their proficiency or affinity with them.¡± Hearing the black stone¡¯s explanation, Li Ming began wondering. Only after reaching the core formation realm and entering the golden core realm would there truly be a clear division. ¡°However, this is for others. For you, there is no such fine distinction.¡± ¡°But among the two, the sword cultivation direction is clearly the most suitable for you.¡± The black stone¡¯s suggestion gave Li Ming some ideas. Although he was a body cultivator, this did not mean that he needed to fight barehanded. After all, the further he advanced in cultivation, the more trouble he would have in getting close to his opponent. The limitations of the physical body on its own were extremely huge. Currently, he only had thirteen levels for the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art. Once he completed it, if he did not find the complete Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, Li Ming¡¯s future path in body cultivation would become uncertain. Therefore, he was not sure if he could continue to break through the limitations of his physical body. It seemed that sword cultivation was indeed the most suitable and convenient for him. A sword could be used for close combat, as well as long-ranged combat. The so-called division was just to make it easier to distinguish the outstanding points of certain cultivators.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: Artifact Refining Entry! Chapter 68: Artifact Refining Entry! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Although he now had a better idea of the differences between cultivators, as well as the direction that he wanted to take for his natal magical treasure, if he wanted to forge his magical treasure, he would first have to head to the sect to learn how. In the Divine Will Sect, there was not only a place that specialized in refining pills, but also a place that specialized in refining magical artifacts. Of course, most of these refined magical artifacts were provided to the inner and outer sect disciples. As for the disciples of the Five Halls, all of them had entered the foundation establishment realm. Not counting those who were at the early stage of the foundation establishment realm, those at and above the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm would have usually already refined their natal magical treasure. A natal magical treasure could not be refined by others. Only one¡¯s own foundation establishment true fire, one¡¯s own blood essence, and suitable materials could be used for refining a natal magical treasure. To be precise, a cultivator would only be able to refine the embryonic form of a natal magical treasure with those. If they truly wanted to completely refine their natal magical treasure, they would need patiently and dutifully feed it as they cultivated in the late-stage foundation establishment realm. Doing so would then allow the connection between the natal magical treasure and the cultivator to become so close that the two would become indistinguishable from one another. Of course, this was all for later. For Li Ming, he first had to refine the magical treasure. In Divine Will Sect, there was a special place for refining artifacts. Every foundation establishment disciple could have a separate refining room. Inside, the sect would also provide some basic materials for free. Of course, important and rare materials would need to be prepared by the disciples themselves. After all, no matter how big the sect was, it was impossible for it to prepare high-quality materials for every disciple. The sect could simply not afford such an ordeal. Inside the Artifact Refining Hall. ¡°Elder, I¡¯m Li Ming, a disciple of the Martial Hall. I¡¯m here to refine a natal magical treasure.¡± ¡°Li Ming?¡± The elder raised his head and sized Li Ming up. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right. The disciple who cultivates both body and qi, never before seen. In your most recent sect mission, you saved your fellow sect disciples, killed those from the Heavenly Demon Sect, and even killed someone at the late-stage foundation establishment realm.¡± ¡°Although the sect did not announce it to the public due to the special circumstances in the mission, the sect will still reward you.¡± ¡°The sect will provide you with some of the precious materials you need to refine your natal magical treasure.¡± ¡°What magical treasure do you plan to refine?¡± Hearing the elder¡¯s words, Li Ming was very surprised. Although he Imew that the mission he had taken was special, he did not expect the sect to actually give him such a reward. They were even willing to take out precious materials for him. This surprised Li Ming. Originally, he thought that he would still need to go to the market to carefully look for materials himself. He had even been preparing to exchange all of his merit points. He was simply too poor at the moment. All of the spirit stones he obtained from the mission was absorbed by the black stone. If he really wanted to go to the market, he would have to borrow some spirit stones from Chen Qingke and the other wealthy families. However, now that he had the help of the sect, Li Ming felt much more relaxed. ¡°Elder, I want to refine a sword.¡± Li Ming cupped his hands as he spoke. Since he had decided to become a sword cultivator, he naturally had to refine a treasured sword. Although he was planning on having his natal magical treasure come in the form of a sword, in reality, Li Ming had never learned any sword techniques. If it was not for the fact that he had a certain level of proficiency in all kinds of weapons, Li Ming would not have chosen it. After reaching the intermediate-stage foundation establishment realm, if he wanted to continue breaking through, he would need to seek breakthroughs in other directions. One of them was obviously the natal magical treasure. ¡°There are all kinds of materials for refining magical treasures in the Artifact Refining Hall. There are also some instructions that you can take a look at. Make your way to the White Tiger Room Two. That will be where you refine your artifacts in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to send you the materials you need in a while.¡± The elder spoke in quick succession, and Li Ming hurriedly cupped his hands in response. With the help of the sect, things became much easier. Li Ming did not hesitate to head straight to the refining room arranged for him. In the Artifact Refining Hall, there were many disciples refining their own magical artifacts, and there were also some who were refining magical treasures. Eventually, he found the White Tiger Room Two. When he entered the room, Li Ming was instantly hit by a wave of heat. ¡°Interesting, even without having been ignited, the inside of this furnace is already so hot.¡± Nevertheless, this temperature was nothing to Li Ming. Compared to the heat brought about by the golden crow true fire, this was obviously not worth mentioning at all. This so-called Artifact Refining Hall was actually no different from a blacksmith shop in the mortal world. Li Ming brought out his materials and looked at the embryonic forms of many magical treasures in the room. There were all kinds of magical treasures. Li Ming carefully selected and found a treasured sword. After some consideration, he began making his preparations. Refining artifacts was a very boring process, but at the same time, it required great concentration and care in order to successfully complete. Once there was a problem or a mistake, all the previous efforts would be wasted! Once you failed, not only would you have wasted your time, but you would have wasted your materials as well. This was especially painful when using scarce materials. Once you wasted them, there could be no way for you to refine again in the short term. The preciousness of the materials made it impossible for Li Ming to allow himself to make any mistakes. Although the room looked no different from a blacksmith¡¯s forge, he was still refining a magical treasure. Other than the forging of the crystal, he also needed to prepare other auxiliary materials and various treasures in advance. Fortunately, these things had already been prepared by the sect. After Li Ming ran things through his mind, he immediately began forging. Golden crow true fire surged out and instantly entered the furnace. In an instant, the temperature in the entire refining room rose sharply! If Li Ming had not frequently tempered his body with heavenly fire, as well as golden crow true fire, he would have hurt himself. If it were anyone else, they would have been unable to endure the heat a long time ago. Anyhow, when the golden crow true fire appeared, Li Ming went into full focus and threw the crystal in. Refining artifacts was a rather boring job. It required the crystal to be continuously refined and repeatedly hammered to slowly forge it into shape. However, because it was a natal magic treasure, Li Ming also had to continuously infuse his spiritual qi into it. Besides that, he also needed to drip his own blood essence. With the help of the other materials, the crystal could contain more spiritual qi as it was forged. The entire process was repeated again and again, and it was very time-consuming. Li Ming was patient. Compared to the day-to-day tempering of his body, just this much was a lot easier. Ordinary disciples would generally become tired and bored after such a long period of repetitive movements. Many disciples would even choose to go out for a breather during the refinement process. After all, this kind of dull and depressing scene was something that they could not bear. Three days later, the crystal was finally forged into the shape of a sword! After repeated hammering and tempering, the appearance of the sword became increasingly refined. During this process, Li Ming also obtained a new entry! Three days of focused refining allowed Li Ming to obtain a purple entry! [Purple entry: Divine Armament Hundred Refinements! ] There was no doubt that this purple entry, Hundred Refinements of Divine Armament was an entry specifically meant for refining weapons. It allowed him to have a 100% success rate in refining weapons! In addition, it could also increase the attributes of the magical treasure that he refined by 50%! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 69 - Chapter 69: Golden Crow Sword Chapter 69: Golden Crow Sword Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation It was very difficult to obtain a purple entry! Li Ming did not expect that he would manage to get a purple entry in just three days of refining! This made Li Ming overjoyed. He had never thought that such a good thing would come out of him refining his natal magical treasure! However, this purple entry was specifically meant for refining artifacts. Although what it affected was quite limited, it was still undoubtedly a useful entry. Furthermore, it was a purple entry. If he could not use it in the future, he could directly synthesize it with other new entries. Regardless, Li Ming never minded having too many entries. Moreover, entries above blue were obviously not bad. Although Li Ming still wanted to have higher-level entries, it was clear that it was not easy to obtain them. This time, while he did obtain a purple entry, it was only useful for when he refined artifacts. However, it was also because of this entry that Li Ming¡¯s magical treasure received a huge improvement! After three long days of refining, when the golden crow true fire slowly extinguished, and when Li Ming placed the completed sword into the water he had prepared in advance to quench it, countless flames rose from the entire sword, and golden flames enveloped its entire body! With the help of the purple entry, the sword had enhanced attributes. Because of the uniqueness of the golden crow true fire, the treasured sword also possessed the abilities of the golden crow true fire. Of course, what Li Ming was really curious about was what was so special about this sword forged from the crystal. According to the black stone, the crystal that it had given him was something that ordinary foundation establishment true fire would not be able to forge; it was only his golden crow true fire that was capable of doing so. It was unique and not something that the sect would have been able to provide him. At this moment, the entire treasured sword reflected colors of black and gold. The blade was extremely sharp, and golden flames would flare on the blade from time to time. It rose and fell, reflecting the golden crow true fire in Li Ming¡¯s body. ¡°Not bad.¡± Li Ming sized it up. After spending three days, he finally successfully forged his natal magical treasure. To Li Ming, this was a huge increase in his strength. And while Li Ming did not have any sword arts of techniques, due to the entries he received when tempering his body, he was proficient in all sorts of weapons. Thus, he was naturally capable of wielding the sword at least to a basic level. Li Ming did not hesitate and immediately dripped his blood essence onto the sword again. As Li Ming was a cultivator who cultivated both body and qi, his blood essence also contained spiritual qi, and it was very dense at that. After the treasured sword absorbed his blood essence, he could feel a proper connection with the sword! It was as if the sword in his hand was not just a weapon, but rather an extension of his body. He could use and operate it freely. He could even keep his natal magical treasure inside his body, which was not something that he could do with ordinary magical treasures. This was because of the different way by which the natal magical treasure was refined. After a cultivator completed refining their natal magical treasure, a void would appear in their dantian. This space was where they could store their natal magical treasure was stored. When they absorbed their natal magical treasure into their body, it would be converted into spiritual qi and enter the body. When the time came for it to be used, it would appear outside their body once again. However, for most people who were at the qi refinement realm and foundation establishment realm, it was impossible for them to keep their natal magical treasures in their bodies immediately after they refined it. The first reason for this was that their bodies were weak. Even if their spiritual qi was strong, they would have to bear the pressure of their magic treasure when they absorbed it into their bodies. If it was not for Li Ming having reached the body cultivation foundation establishment stage, his physical body would not have been able to bear the pressure of his natal magical treasure right away either. The second reason was that the feeding time was not enough, and the connection between the magical treasure and the host had not reached the point where there was no distinguishing between one and the other. As a result, they were unable to absorb it into their body, let alone release it freely. The reason why Li Ming was able to do so was naturally that his attainments in body cultivation were powerful. In addition, he had the purple entry, Divine Armament Hundred Refinements, which allowed him to save a lot of effort in this regard. Besides that, the crystal and the refinement via golden crow true fire also played a crucial role. Regardless, Li Ming was relieved that he had completed the refinement of his natal magical treasure. Li Ming named his natal magical treasure the Golden Crow Sword! His overall strength had increased. Li Ming now placed his focus back on cultivation. In another half a month, the Law Enforcement Hall¡¯s assessment for new disciples would begin. After that, the Eastern Continent Sect Competition would obviously be the highlight! Li Ming knew that the sect might not be as peaceful as he initially thought in the future. What would come would not merely be the capturing or hunting of demons and beasts. Instead, there would be true battles, battles of life and death! For half a month, Li Ming cultivated in the Martial Hall. He circulated the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art non-stop, while at the same time absorbing spiritual qi from his surroundings. He still continued his training in the most fundamental of stance training, continuing to improve without stop. Even when heavenly fire descended, Li Ming did not seem to be deterred at all. Instead, he allowed the heavenly flames to ruthlessly wreak havoc on his body! Then, in the end, he absorbed it. After half a month of training, with the help of his entries, Li Ming finally felt his cultivation loosening. As he finished another set of body tempering, he finally experienced another breakthrough in the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art! He had reached the fourth level! But that was not all! The effect of the purple entry [Wild Growth] that he had obtained previously also came into play at this moment! When Li Ming broke through to the fourth level of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art, the effect of the entry actually allowed Li Ming to reach the fifth level straight away! His entire strength had increased qualitatively! Not only that, due to his physique that cultivated both body and qi, Li Ming¡¯s qi cultivation also increased! This was the effect of cultivating both body and qi at the same time, they supported each other. However, while his qi cultivation did improve, it did not directly achieve a breakthrough. He only reached a critical point. At this moment, he was only one step away from reaching the late stage of the foundation establishment realm! In fact, this was already very fast. In the past, he had been very clumsy in terms of qi cultivation. It was already amazing that it increased bit by bit with the help of his entries. Now, he finally had a decent cultivation. Under the effect of the entries, his problem with regard to his talent had been solved. And at this moment, he could finally confidently pass the assessment of the Law Enforcement Hall! As the new disciples of the Five Halls, although there were only five of them, the sect¡¯s assessment had always been strict. This was especially true for the core disciples like them. It was because it retained its strict standards that the Divine Will Sect was able to have the foundation that it did after all these years. The Law Enforcement Hall Assessment was a test of the strength for the few new core disciples. If one¡¯s strength did not reach the standard, they would be punished by the Law Enforcement Hall. Those who passed naturally became true disciples ot the Five Hall. At the Law Enforcement Hall, many disciples were gathered here at the moment. Among the five new core disciples, Chen Qingke, who had been accepted as the last disciple of the elder of the Spirit Will Hall, was also present. As an existence with great beauty and talent, Chen Qingke had long become the object of admiration of many disciples in the Five Halls. She naturally attracted the eyes of many people. However, at this moment, it was obvious that some people¡¯s eyes were not on Chen Qingke. This time, it was not only disciples who had come to spectate the assessment, but there were also several consecrators from the Consecration Hall who made an appearance! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 70 - Chapter 70: The Assessment Begins Chapter 70: The Assessment Begins Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°D*mn, I did not expect that even the consecrators would make an appearance and spectate the Law Enforcement Hall¡¯s assessment this year!¡± ¡°It has to be because of how amazing Junior Sister Chen¡¯s talents are!¡± ¡°Yeah, the consecrators probably want to see just how strong Junior Sister Chen is!¡± ¡°Right, right. Junior Sister Chen is the most talented person to have appeared in our Five Halls in recent years!¡± The disciples all discussed animatedly. All of them had high hopes for Chen Qingke. With her talent, they believed that she would definitely have no trouble in passing the assessment. When the people from the Law Enforcement Hall finally made their appearance, the examination began. The person in charge of the assessment this time was Fang Ao! He had a late-stage foundation establishment cultivation and was an officer of the Law Enforcement Hall. During this assessment, he was also the person who would be fighting these five disciples. In other words, he would be the one to determine if these disciples had passed the test. However, it was obvious that Fang Ao¡¯s gaze was set on Li Ming the moment he came out. Fang Ao still remembered the last time he was provoked by Li Ming. He had still not let go of what had happened back then. However, with the consecrators around, Fang Ao naturally did not dare to be too obvious with his actions. He immediately shifted his gaze to Chen Qingke. ¡°Junior Sister Chen, you¡¯ll be the first one up.¡± ¡°Alright everyone, listen carefully. If you pass this assessment for new disciples, then the hall that each of you is in will reward you and aid you in your cultivation.¡± ¡°Of course, if you fail, you will be punished by the Law Enforcement Hall!¡± Fang Ao continued. This assessment was neither rigorous nor complex. It was purely a test of the strength of the new disciples. As for the venue, it was held directly in front of the Law Enforcement Hall. Hearing Fang Ao¡¯s words, Chen Qingke walked out according to the rules even though she did not like him. She cupped her hands and said to Fang Ao, ¡°Senior Brother Fang, please advise me.¡± ¡°Junior Sister, please enlighten me.¡± Chen Qingke looked on calmly and got into her stance. In her latest mission, Chen Qingke experienced a life-and-death battle. That encounter greatly benefited her skills in combat. Moreover, her cultivation level had also increased rapidly since then. At this moment, she was also only one step away from reaching the late stage of the foundation establishment realm! And this assessment presented her with a great opportunity. Seeing Chen Qingke raise her hands, Fang Ao did not hesitate any longer. After all, this was an assessment. He was supposed to take it very seriously! Chen Qingke was known as a heaven¡¯s favorite and she also had one of the best, if not the best, talent in qi cultivation that the sect Divine Will Sect had seen in recent years. The magical art that she had mastered was the Cauldron Transformation Art. Of course, besides that, Chen Qingke already possessed her own natal magical treasure. Her natal magical treasure was also a treasured sword just like Li Ming! The assessment began. Chen Qingke did not show any hesitation as she made her move. Her gaze was calm as she looked at Fang Ao. Then, in the next moment, spiritual qi gathered from around her and her figure fluttered around. Due to her movements, Chen Qingke looked like she had turned into smoke as she swiftly rushed toward Fang Ao! Her sword was sharp, and the moment her spiritual qi erupted, the sword qi around Chen Qingke bloomed like a lotus flower. While it was dazzling and beautiful, it also brought with it a fatal danger! Each blade of sword qi was extremely sharp and could easily cut through flesh! At this time, it was as if there was a lotus that bloomed with every single one of Chen Qingke¡¯s steps as her spiritual qi erupted unceasingly! ¡°This is a high-grade yellow-tier sword art!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Green Lotus Sword Art!¡± ¡°Hiss! ¡± ¡°Junior Sister Chen truly is worthy of being regarded as a genius!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been studying this sword art for two years now, but I have still yet to master it!¡± Many disciples clapped and cheered when they saw Chen Qingke perform the Green Lotus Sword Art. Li Ming watched from the sidelines, and a smile surfaced on his face. Chen Qingke¡¯s talent was indeed enviable. Even Li Ming himself felt quite envious. After all, he was someone who had been born without any talents. If Li Ming had not come across the entry system, and if he had not obtained any useful entries, he would have remained an ant in the world of cultivation for the entirety of his life! Without the fateful encounters and rewards that he had obtained, he would have no hope of ever becoming an immortal. It was those who possessed great talents from the very start that were true geniuses. Chen Qingke, who was currently taking the test, was obviously such a person. ¡°Junior Sister Chen is truly very talented. She will definitely become one of the pillars of the Divine Will Sect in the future.¡± Lu Lan was also very happy to see Chen Qingke¡¯s performance. Hearing this, Li Ming was curious. ¡°Senior Sister, your talent should be similar to junior sister¡¯s, and your cultivation is even higher than hers.¡± ¡°I believe that the two of you will both become pillars of the sect in the future.¡± Li Ming said with a smile. However, Lu Lan shook her head and did not say anything in return. At this moment, Chen Qingke¡¯s swordsmanship converged, and green lotuses burst out from her natal magical treasure , instantly enveloping Fang Ao! Its power was astonishing! If one did not have a defensive magical treasure or a strong physical body, they would be crushed by this move! However, it was obvious that Fang Ao had a defensive magical treasure. As a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator and a member of the sect¡¯s Law Enforcement Hall, he naturally had a lot of good things. ¡°Junior Sister, you really are talented.¡± ¡°However, this move does not have much of an effect on me.¡± Fang Ao chuckled and raised his hand. Then, a black rod appeared in his hand. With a wave of his hand, countless rays of black spiritual qi surged and instantly dissolved the sword qi that trapped him! At the same time, Fang Ao took a step forward. He waved the black rod in his hand and smashed it directly at Chen Qingke! All of his movements looked extremely gorgeous, and the power that erupted was not to be taken lightly either. The two of them clashed fiercely! As the sword and black rod struck each other, the clanging sound resounded in everyone¡¯s ears. While the battle before them was a battle between two qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators, it instead looked more like a battle between body cultivators. However, they were not body refiners, so they could not keep this up for a long time. Such close combat was not only a competition of the density of one¡¯s spiritual qi, but also the quality of one¡¯s body. However, it was obvious that neither Fang Ao, who was in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, nor Chen Qingke could withstand extended exertions of their physical body. The exhaustion of their stamina forced them to choose to end the battle Chen Qingke withdrew her sword, and she raised her hand to summon a bronze cauldron! It was the Cauldron Transformation Art that Chen Qingke was best at! A huge cauldron appeared. The veined patterns on the cauldron were clear and apparent. Although the cauldron had not yet completely materialized, it was already very close! The huge cauldron swayed and let out a series of buzzing sounds! The spiritual qi that swirled around with her movements were thick and shocking. Under Chen Qingke¡¯s control, the cauldron suddenly came smashing down! Fang Ao stared at the cauldron as it came right at him. The power that erupted from the cauldron had already reached the late-stage foundation establishment realm! From this, it could be seen that Chen Qing was indeed talented. This caused Fang Ao to have a lot of thoughts. If he could not get such a woman, he could not let her continue to grow. As this thought flashed through his mind, Fang Ao did not dare to be negligent. He formed a hand seal and the black rod in his hand burst forth. He actually condensed the gathered black spiritual qi into a huge black wolf head! It opened its bloody maw and lunged directly at Chen Qingke¡¯s bronze cauldron! Boom! The two manifestations of spiritual qi collided! The sound of an explosion instantly erupted with astonishing might! Visible for everyone to see, the black wolf had managed to instantly tear the bronze cauldron apart! The aftershock caused the two people on the field to retreat. Regardless, it was obvious that Chen Qingke had passed the assessment. However, just as Fang Ao slowed down and was about to unwillingly announce that Chen Qingke had passed the assessment, a powerful spiritual qi fluctuation instantly drew everyone¡¯s attention! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 71 - Chapter 71: Opportunity to Breakthrough! Chapter 71: Opportunity to Breakthrough! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation In the square, spiritual qi suddenly burst into the sky! All the disciples that were present were shocked by the sudden eruption of spiritual qi. Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Chen Qingke. There was no doubt that the burst of powerful spiritual qi came from her. When Chen Qingke and Fang Ao exchanged blows just now, the bronze cauldron was shattered, and Chen Qingke was sent flying. At the same time, Chen Qingke had been under immense pressure! It was at that moment when her cultivation loosened! She was already at the intermediate-stage foundation establishment realm, and she was only one step away from breaking through to the late stage of the foundation establishment realm! She had finally gotten her opportunity to make a breakthrough through this battle with Fang Ao. Although the battle was merely a spar and Fang Ao had not actually used his true abilities, the pressure of fighting a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator was enough for Chen Qingke. She had successfully entered the late stage of the foundation establishment realm! When the spiritual qi gradually converged and dissipated, a smile surfaced on Chen Qingke¡¯s face. Breakthroughs in cultivation did not only require hard work or talent, luck also played a big part in it. A perfect example of this was the situation taking place right now, with the proper opportunity and setup, Chen Qingke had been able to break through. If a person was lucky and found an opportunity, they would then naturally be able to break through. With the increase in her cultivation, the pressure that she originally felt from the assessment also disappeared instantly. She cupped her hands and looked at Fang Ao. ¡°Thank you for your help, Senior Fang.¡± ¡°I have now entered the late stage of the foundation establishment realm.¡± Hearing Chen Qingke¡¯s words of gratitude, Fang Ao¡¯s face suddenly became a little unnatural. Originally, he had not planned to go all out when he fought with Chen Qingke. After all, the other party¡¯s identity and reputation in the sect were not to be easily dismissed, and she was also extremely talented. Placing all of that into consideration, Fang Ao naturally would not do anything untoward to Chen Qingke, especially with the consecrators present. However, he never expected Chen Qingke to make a breakthrough during the assessment. Moreover, he was directly involved in helping her breakthrough! It truly was completely outside of his expectations. The consecrators who had come to spectate were very satisfied when they saw Chen Qingke¡¯s breakthrough. It was naturally to the benefit of the sect to have such a talented and outstanding disciple. With Chen Qingke¡¯s apparent talent, it appeared that she would be able to complete her core formation and reach the golden core realm within the next two years! While the gap between the late-stage foundation establishment realm and the golden core realm may not seem huge to those who were not in the know, this was a gap that was incredibly difficult for ordinary people to traverse! Most cultivators who did manage to reach the late-stage foundation establishment realm were actually unable to ultimately make that one last step to reach the golden core realm. There were cultivators who, even after tens of years, could not make that breakthrough. But from talented Chen Qingke appeared to be, with how she had gone from the qi refinement realm to the late-stage foundation establishment realm in just one year, she could be regarded as a true prodigy! ¡°Junior Martial Sister, congratulations on your breakthrough.¡± Although Fang Ao was inwardly very dissatisfied with the fact, he could only congratulate the other party. With the consecrators present, he did not dare to act rashly. After all, the other party had originally already held great importance to the sect. And now, with her having broken through to the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, the sect would definitely pay even greater attention to Chen Qingke and take even greater care in nurturing her. After Chen Qingke completed the assessment, the other disciples also went forward to take the assessment. Among these people, Fang Ao attacked with greater resolution. Moreover, he seemed even more callous than before. There were even two disciples who were defeated by Fang Ao on the spot. His speed was so fast that he did not even give the other party any room to display their strength. Although the cultivation of the two disciples was indeed not high enough, it was obvious that Fang Ao had increased the strength he was using for the assessment. Out of the five disciples other than Chen Qingke, three of them had already failed the assessment. They would soon then have to face the punishment of the Law Enforcement Hall. Now, it was Li Ming¡¯s turn. He was the last to take the assessment. It was not because Li Ming wanted to be last to take part in the assessment, but because the Martial Hall, which he was in, simply had no presence in the Divine Will Sect. The reason for this arrangement was as simple as that. The Martial Hall, which was barely even known throughout the sect, was naturally at the very bottom of the ranks among the different halls. As for Li Ming? When he was in the inner and outer sect, he was already very famous. After all, he was someone who had been regarded as an up-and-coming genius and was the center of attention at the very beginning. It was only slightly later on that his image transformed into one of a good-for-nothing trash. In the end, he managed to reach the body cultivation foundation establishment realm before entering the core area of the Divine Will Sect. However, Li Ming entering the Martial Hall also made many disciples think that the sect had given up on him. After all, it was considered common knowledge that there was no future in body cultivation. Most disciples, not knowing much about Li Ming, believed that he would not pass the assessment. Li Ming¡¯s exploits during his latest mission were not revealed or announced to the rest of the sect. In fact, every disciple¡¯s mission recently had become strictly confidential. It was only the elders who were made privy to such information. It was also because of this reason that many disciples were not fond of Li Ming at all. ¡°Li Ming, it¡¯s your turn.¡± ¡°Let me remind you that if you fail this test, the punishment from the Law Enforcement Hall will not be light!¡± Fang Ao said. He already hated Li Ming, and his mood turned even worse after Chen Qingke¡¯s breakthrough. Now, he wanted to find someone to vent his anger on. It just so happened that Li Ming was a body cultivation foundation establishment cultivator. His skin was rough, and his flesh was thick, so he was the perfect candidate for him to let out his anger! ¡°Senior Brother Fang, please advise me.¡± Li Ming did not waste any time. This assessment was inevitable. Li Ming still wanted to get more resources from the sect after the assessment. After all, he did not have any spirit stones at the moment. Just relying on merit points to exchange for things he needed would not be enough. On the square, Li Ming walked forward. The surrounding disciples began chatting amongst themselves nonstop. ¡°He¡¯s Li Ming?¡± ¡°The person who reached the foundation establishment realm through body cultivation?¡± ¡°What is the use of cultivating your body? To become a sandbag?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that this kid¡¯s talent in qi cultivation is not bad. Even the elders of the inner and outer sect had advised him to cultivate qi, but he just did not listen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get to see just how powerful he really is. He¡¯s already been arranged to some Martial Hall by the sect. It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s been abandoned!¡± The disciples all started to mock Li Ming, holding him in utter disregard. The onlookers were all outstanding disciples of the sect. They were also the backbone of the sect. Chen Qingke was not happy about the disciples¡¯ attitude toward Li Ming, but she did not defend him as she usually did. After witnessing Li Ming¡¯s strength, Chen Qingke knew that her senior brother would use his own strength to shut these people up! ¡°You reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, right? Does that mean that you¡¯ll be fine even if I hit a little harder than usual?¡± ¡°Since you chose to cultivate your body to the foundation establishment realm, your defense should be pretty good.¡± Before they even began fighting, Fang Ao already began his verbal attack. At the same time, he was also giving himself an excuse. After all, even though he had just gone through three other disciples after Chen Qingke, Fang Ao had still not managed to vent his displeasure. Now that Li Ming had appeared before him, he naturally wanted to properly release his anger and dissatisfaction! At the same time, he also wanted Li Ming to pay for the arrogance that he displayed at him previously! Seeing Li Ming¡¯s calm expression, Fang Ao grew even more displeased. A mere body cultivator with a cultivation level that was merely at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm was not only disrespectful to his senior brother, but even seemed to regard him with contempt! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: The First Appearance of the Heaven Flipping Seal Chapter 72: The First Appearance of the Heaven Flipping Seal Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Junior Brother Li, let¡¯s begin.¡± Fang Ao snorted coldly, his eyes filled with contempt. He was obviously very confident in dealing with a mid-stage foundation establishment cultivator, and one who was also a body tempering cultivator. Moreover, Fang Ao was not a brainless person. The advantages of body refinement were speed, strength, physical defense, and so on. In short, the close-combat ability of machine guns. Even if he had a magic treasure, he could not do any damage to it. After all, fighting a body refiner in close combat was clearly the most foolish thing to do. It was also the stupidest choice. Hearing Fang Ao¡¯s words, Li Ming did not hold back. ¡°Since Senior Brother Fang is so generous, then Junior Brother won¡¯t be polite.¡± As soon as Li Ming finished speaking, he instantly started walking, trying to get close to Fang Ao. However, it was obvious that Fang Ao was prepared. He knew that in a battle with a body refiner, keeping a distance was the wisest choice. He immediately released his Spirit Qi, forming a huge wave that forced Li Ming to stop! Seeing this, Li Ming did not dawdle. He raised his hand and flipped it. Countless spiritual qi instantly gathered! Golden Crow spiritual energy surged out and completely fused into his palm. As the surrounding temperature rose, the Spirit Qi on Li Ming¡¯s body became more and more violent. Fang Ao was stunned when he saw Li Ming¡¯s reaction. Obviously, he did not expect Li Ming, a body cultivator, to have such boundless spiritual energy! Even if he had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, this massive amount of spiritual energy had completely surpassed that of disciples of the same realm! Fang Ao did not dare to be careless. He did not want to embarrass himself here. black spiritual qi around Fang Ao¡¯s body appeared like an abyss. Under the activation of the technique, the spiritual qi turned into a tide and instantly spread out from the bottom of his feet! In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded Li Ming. Before Li Ming could react, Fang Ao muttered. In an instant, countless black Spirit Qi gathered and formed a cage that completely enveloped Li Ming! ¡°Explode!¡± Suddenly, Fang Ao¡¯s hand seal changed again, and the cage also changed in an instant. It quickly exploded, and a ball formed by countless black spiritual qi appeared from the cage! With Fang Ao¡¯s explosive sound, the black spheres exploded in an instant! In an instant, black smoke surrounded Li Ming¡¯s body and enveloped him. Countless spiritual energy erupted at such a close distance. It was obvious that many disciples were shocked. Although Fang Ao hadn¡¯t used any high-level technique, Li Ming had been trapped in such a situation and was so close to him. But it definitely wouldn¡¯t be good! As the smoke dissipated. Fang Ao was also staring at Li Ming. The moment Li Ming appeared, Fang Ao was also stunned. At this moment. Li Ming walked out of the smoke as if nothing had happened. Other than the dust on his clothes, there was not even a single external injury. ¡°Shixiong Fangs technique is really strange.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite interesting, but it¡¯s just a little lacking in power.¡± Li Ming was calm and unhurried as he directly opened his mouth to tease. In Fang Ao¡¯s eyes, these words were like mockery. It made him even angrier! He immediately waved the black rod in his hand and instantly set off a gust of wind! Around the square, black spiritual energy was like black clouds, covering the sky and the sun! They gathered in front of Fang Ao. Spiritual Qi gathered and Fang Ao struck out with his palm. It instantly burst with astonishing power. All the Spiritual Qi gathered and formed a huge palm that pressed down on Li Ming! Hiss! ¡°This is a high-grade yellow-grade technique!¡± ¡°Senior Brother Fang is serious!¡± ¡°Li Ming is going to be in trouble. Even if his skin is thick, it¡¯s impossible for him to block it!¡± The gap between spiritual energy and cultivation was an insurmountable gap. Seeing the other side¡¯s overbearing attack, Li Ming did not let his guard down. He was just about to try out the power of this Great Sun Heaven Flipping Seal. With a flip of his hand gesture, Li Ming¡¯s body instantly became hot, and countless golden flames gathered! The Great Sun Heaven Flipping Seal appeared, and shocking power gathered in his palm. Li Ming raised his hand and threw out a palm. Just like Fang Ao, a huge palm print gathered in front of him! What was different was that this palm print was dazzling and incomparably hot. It was like the sun in the sky at the same time, flying over with extremely powerful power! Boom! Two completely different palm prints collided! The same power erupted with a huge commotion! The golden flames seemed to have opened its bloody mouth, swallowing the black spiritual energy that had nowhere to escape. It was as if the light had triumphed over the night! The Great Sun Heaven Flipping Seal completely suppressed Fang Ao¡¯s technique. Boom! With another loud bang, Fang Ao¡¯s figure retreated repeatedly, and his expression was extremely ugly. He had never expected that Li Ming would also know how to cultivate Qi. He had never expected that he would be wary of Li Ming in close combat from the beginning. However, he used a Qi cultivation method to directly resolve his attack completely! Not only did it neutralize the attack, but it also displayed an overwhelming power. Fang Ao was in the late stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. He could clearly feel that the power of Li Ming¡¯s palm far exceeded his own! In other words, this technique of his was at least a low-grade mystic technique! Only by doing so could he ignore the difference in cultivation and achieve such power! Looking at the power of this palm, Li Ming was also very satisfied. He immediately cupped his hands and said,¡±Senior Brother Fang, thank you for letting me go.¡±¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just learned the technique and haven¡¯t used its full power yet.¡± ¡°I wonder if Senior Brother Fang has passed the test?¡± Li Ming spoke one after another. In this assessment, Li Ming did not display the combat advantage of body tempering, nor did he display the ability of body tempering. Instead, he used his Qi Refinement ability to directly crush Fang Ao. They were both in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm! When he heard Li Ming say that he had not used his full strength, Fang Ao¡¯s face instantly darkened! He really wanted to make a move at this moment and kill Li Ming with all his might. However, with so many disciples watching and the Revered Elder present, Fang Ao could only grit his teeth and bury his hatred. ¡°I passed!¡± Fang Ao gritted his teeth and said. He was very unhappy. During the assessment, Chen Qingke had stepped on him to break through. After all, she was a beauty. However, Li Ming, a fellow that everyone despised, actually suppressed him. He even mocked and humiliated him after that! This made Fang Ao, who was originally arrogant, very angry. As the assessment ended, the few disciples also received the rewards that the sect should give. Of course, those who did not pass would naturally be punished. The assessment itself was not of much scale. It was just an assessment of the sect¡¯s Law Enforcement Hall. Although Li Ming¡¯s Qi Refinement strength surprised the disciples, they had never seen the combat strength of body refinement. They had thought that Li Ming had given up on body refinement and changed to Qi Refinement cultivation. After all, the elders had said that Li Ming was very talented.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: Marrow Cleansing Pill Chapter 73: Marrow Cleansing Pill Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation While Fang Ao did speak with apparent unwillingness in his voice, he did have to acknowledge that Li Ming¡¯s strength was more than enough for him to pass the assessment. Many of the people present, including the consecrators and the elders, originally thought that they would get to see a display of the viability of body cultivation from Li Ming this time. After all, he had already been in the body cultivation foundation establishment realm for quite some time now, and he had even reached the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm. Li Ming¡¯s performance in the secret mission last time was naturally highly valued by the consecrators. In fact, that was why they had made an appearance and come to make sure that the assessment proceeded in a fair and just manner. However, they were instead surprised by Li Ming¡¯s performance today. They no longer had any qualms with him cultivating his body, but even his qi cultivation had reached the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm. Furthermore, he had managed to learn a low-grade mystic-tier magical art for his qi cultivation and was able to use that technique to suppress a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator! The strength that he wielded was simply astonishing. Li Ming¡¯s talent allowed the consecrators to understand that when compared to Chen Qingke, Li Ming was also a rare genius! However, only a very small number of disciples in the sect were able to see just how valuable Li Ming was. After the assessment, the disciples dispersed. When all the disciples had already left, the seventh consecrator frowned and looked at the two people beside him. ¡°What do you think of Li Ming?¡± The fifth consecrator rubbed his chin and said, ¡°This person cultivates both his body and qi at the same time.¡± ¡°The world is so big. Just because the Eastern Continent does not have something does not mean that the places beyond it also do not have it.¡± ¡°But there is no doubt that this child¡¯s talent is no less than that of Chen Qingke.¡± ¡°I even feel that Divine Will Sect won¡¯t be able to hold him for long.¡± As soon as the fifth consecrator said that, the other person nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°However, do not forget that Li Ming is a disciple of the Martial Hall.¡± ¡°Moreover, I¡¯ve also done some investigations. It seems that the siphoning of spiritual qi that used to be present in the Martial Hall has disappeared. This change may have something to do with Li Ming.¡± ¡°Other than that, the low-grade mystic-tier technique he used just now is not in the scripture depository.¡± As the three of them discussed amongst themselves, they clearly came to the agreement that Li Ming was not someone ordinary! A mere Divine Will Sect may not be able to keep him in the future. Nevertheless, the Divine Will Sect needed a successor and a future. Among the many disciples, the ones with this talent to take up this role were Chen Qingke and Li Ming. However, Li Mings situation was special. After weighing the pros and cons, they obviously believed that Chen Qingke was still much more suitable to take up that role. ¡°Then, what about Li Ming?¡± ¡°How should we deal with him?¡± The seventh consecrator asked. Since he was not being groomed as a successor, there would naturally be some changes to be made. ¡°Everything can continue as they were before. He is still a disciple of Divine Will Sect.¡± ¡°Even if we cannot keep him, there is no need to turn him into our enemy.¡± The other two nodded in agreement. The assessment was over. Those who passed the test naturally became regarded as genuine core disciples of the sect. The resources they obtained were also much more than before. Li Ming had just returned to the Martial Hall when he saw the resources allocated to him by the sect. Moreover, Li Ming received a special token this time. It signified that he was the representative of the Martial Hall. Upon entering the core of the Divine Will Sect, the disciples of the Five Halls would obtain their own identity tokens, representing their respective halls. This was also the representation of their status as core disciples. However, this time, Li Ming was given not only resources, but also this identity token. He was also given a name list. On the name list were all the outer and inner sect disciples who were already in the process of cultivating their bodies. It was obvious that the sect wanted the Martial Hall to play its role. As the first person to reach the body cultivation foundation establishment realm since the sect¡¯s establishment, Li Ming was clearly the only one who they assigned the position of managing all other body cultivators. The following disciples would naturally use Li Ming as the standard for body cultivation. If they succeeded, they would likely be accepted into the Martial Hall. ¡°The sect really seems to enjoy exploiting free labor.¡± Looking at it again, there was actually a token at the back of the name list, which signified that he had also become the elder of the Martial Hall. This left Li Ming speechless. The sect¡¯s actions indeed left him somewhat helpless. He was busy cultivating, so how could he have the spare time and energy to manage others? Moreover, he was only in the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm, so how could he already act as an elder? Even though he felt helpless, Li Ming knew that body cultivation was different from qi cultivation. The only way to make progress was to train hard. There was not much need for guidance, and there were no shortcuts. Although Li Ming had the entry system, he had been cultivating diligently for three years without slacking off. Even with the entry system, he did not neglect his training at all. However, it was fortunate that these disciples were still at the beginning of body cultivation. If they wanted to achieve results, they would require a lot of time. In other words, Li Ming would not have to worry about them for the time being. On the contrary, this identity brought him more resources and assistance. This was especially the case in terms of spirit stones, which the sect actually gave him 30,000 of in one go! In order to prevent them from being absorbed by the black stone again, Li Ming prepared two storage bags in advance. The storage bags had an isolation effect, and the black stone could not absorb anything from inside it. Of course, the black stone still had its uses for Li Ming, so Li Ming would not completely ignore it. He reluctantly took out 10,000 spirit stones and gave them to the black stone, leaving the remaining 20,000 for his own use. To cultivators, spirit stones not only acted as cultivation resources, but also as currency. For example, going to the market, auctions, and most other exchanges all required spirit stones. Even daily necessities, food, and lodging all required spirit stones. ¡°I got quite a lot of things this time.¡± ¡°This should be enough to last me until I break through!¡± Li Ming was now in the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm. He was not far off from the late stage. He was currently already very familiar with cultivating his body. Although the Golden Crow Body Tempering Art could continue to bring Li Ming benefits, it could also improve his qi cultivation. However, as his cultivation level increased, Li Ming¡¯s physical body would soon no longer be able to bear it for much longer. Even though he did have the help of his entries, and they did allow him to grow rapidly, his physical body was still a physical body. Although he had reached the foundation establishment realm, he was still unable to break free from the shackles of his mortal body. If Li Ming wanted to break through this shackle, he would need a specific pill. The marrow cleansing pill! This type of pill required expensive medicinal ingredients, but its effects were extremely worth the trouble! Even if it was a mortal without any talent, as long as they could withstand the pain brought by the marrow cleansing pill, they would become a dragon amongst men. The transformation was akin to that of a fish leaping over the dragon gate! Therefore, many wealthy families in the mortal world would spend a lot of money to buy marrow cleansing pills so that their children could enter the immortal sect and step into the world of cultivation. Of course, marrow cleansing pills were also a very precious medicinal pill for cultivators. It was the best pill that they could use to break the shackles of the physical body. However, a person could only consume this pill once in their lifetime! They only had one chance! Immortal fate was ethereal to begin with. For a pill to have the ability to give a person a completely different life and change their fate, this was already an incredible deal! Although not everyone had the ability to withstand the pill and enjoy its effects, this was mostly only the case when it came to mortals. As a cultivator, it was virtually guaranteed that Li Ming would be able to easily break the shackles of his mortal body as long as he took the pill.. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: Division of Medicinal Pills Chapter 74: Division of Medicinal Pills Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Medicinal pills were also divided into different grades! They were divided into the first to ninth grades, and the third, sixth, and ninth were particularly special grades. To put it simply, the first to third grades of medicinal pills were the lowest tier of grades. The fourth to sixth grades of medicinal pills were considered to be in the middle, while the seventh to ninth grades were the top-tier medicinal pills! All medicinal pills were distinguished in this manner, but it was not that easy to distinguish what the exact grade of a specific medicinal pill was to the untrained eye. The grades that these pills came out to be mainly depended on the person who refined them. However, this field experienced an especially fundamental problem. That problem was that it was only cultivators who had at least reached the foundation establishment realm that were able to refine medicinal pills. Naturally, refining artifacts and medicinal pills was something that required a lot of time and effort to do. Therefore, most foundation establishment cultivators were not that willing to spend their valuable time and effort doing such things. That was also why there were specific cultivators who specialized in refining artifacts and pills. Because of the demand, different occupations emerged and evolved to adapt to the cultivation world. In the Divine Will Sect, the highest grade of pills that could be refined was the third grade. Li Ming believed that a third-grade pill should be enough to meet his needs. After all, Li Ming did not want to waste too much energy on this matter. It was more important and more efficient for him to use his time on increasing his cultivation. However, while Li Ming was deep in thought, the black stone began speaking. Every time Li Ming was deep in thought, the black stone was the first to detect it. Li Ming felt as if the black stone had some sort of telepathic ability. ¡°Brat, your physical body cannot be transformed by an ordinary marrow cleansing pill.¡¯ ¡°Ordinary alchemists have too weak a foundation establishment true fire, so the effect of the pills that they refine will be far from good enough to reform your body.¡± ¡°If you refine the pill yourself using your golden crow true fire, the effects of the pill you refine will naturally be much better.¡± ¡°Your golden core true fire is different from the foundation establishment true fire of other cultivators. It would be a great boon to any pill refiner.¡± ¡°Besides, you do not have to worry that this will hinder your cultivation.¡± ¡°Alchemy or pill refining is also a form of cultivation. It can train your control over spiritual qi and at the same time, it can also temper your character. It will be of great help to your future cultivation.¡± ¡°In addition, when you do refine pills, it significantly helps increase the spiritual qi in your body.¡± The black stone provided Li Ming with some really helpful advice. Hearing this, Li Ming was stunned. There were actually so many benefits to refining pills? Li Ming naturally understood the principle of polishing one¡¯s character. It was just that he felt that he was already a person who had a decent character. After all, he really only wanted to cultivate in peace. It was precisely because of this thought that he had never been able to perfect the Imperial Finger. However, there was simply no downplaying the value of increasing his spiritual qi. Anyway, as the saying went, having more skills will not weigh you down. Perhaps he could even obtain a useful entry through this endeavor. This was what he was truly interested in. Although the origin of the black stone was still a complete mystery to him, it was incredibly helpful when it came to important matters, and Li Ming did not really have a good reason to ignore its suggestions or advice. And so, Li Ming began collecting the ingredients for the marrow cleansing pill! The market was obviously Li Ming¡¯s first choice for this matter. Now that he had an identity token, it was much more convenient for Li Ming to leave the mountain. Li Ming was a lot more familiar with the market now and was able to directly make his way to a shop with rare herbs. The ingredients required to refine the marrow cleansing pill were quite rare. They were the supreme immortal grass, jade ganoderma, earth core berries, and the inner core of a demon beast with a foundation establishment cultivation. These materials were rather expensive. Li Ming had to ask around extensively in the shop before he managed to find supreme immortal grass and earth core berries. As for the remaining jade ganoderma and demonic beast inner core, he would have to ask the sect about them. Just the supreme immortal grass and the earth core berries alone had already emptied Li Ming¡¯s stash of spirit stones! He had initially received 20,000 spirit stones and exchanged his merit points for 50,000 more spirit stones from the sect. But now, he had spent all 70,000 already! Although his heart ached, Li Ming could only grit his teeth and endure it for the sake of the marrow cleansing pill. He had originally thought that the sect with the sect rewarding him handsomely for completing missions and passing the assessment, he would have quite a lot of money to splurge. In order to prevent the black stone from hogging too many spirit stones, he did not even let it touch them in advance. But now that he started gathering materials for pill refining, his pockets were already empty before he could even hold his money for that long. This left Li Ming feeling really helpless. Even with his cultivation, he was actually so poor in terms of resources. He felt that this was really embarrassing. After walking out of the market, Li Ming carefully began calculating. In the end, the sect provided him with the rest of the materials he needed, and he no longer needed to worry about his body and qi cultivation for the near future. The rest would be up to time. As long as he managed to refine the marrow cleansing pill and made another breakthrough in his physical body, Li Ming was confident that he would easily reach the late stage of the foundation establishment realm! In terms of medicinal herbs, the sect should be quite supportive in this regard! No matter what, Li Ming was a core disciple of the sect, and he cultivated both his body and qi. Even though the consecrators treated him differently, the sect still provided him with the pill refining materials he needed. At the same time, they also provided him with a furnace that specialized in refining pills. In the Martial Hall. With the medicinal ingredients ready, Li Ming directly checked the pill refinement method that the black stone had given him. This pill refining technique described how to extract, refine, and fuse each type of herb. Additionally, it clearly stated the required heat, timing, and so on. Secondly, the technique also mentioned how to fuse and refine the essence of these medicinal herbs together. Many things needed to be kept in mind while refining pills. There were many ways to use the herbs and showcase their effects. The Plant Encyclopedia clearly presented all the advantages and disadvantages of countless different plants and herbs. Fortunately, Li Ming had the help of his entries. He had a photographic memory and various vocabulary entries that increased his comprehension. All of these added together allowed Li Ming¡¯s learning ability to reach an unparalleled level. In the end, Li Ming only needed to spend two hours to completely master the process. Next, it was time for him to actually refine some medicinal pills. With the experience from refining a natal magical treasure previously and the help of the entries, his control during refinement was a lot more precise now. The golden crow true fire was injected into the cauldron, and the temperature immediately rose. As the temperature of the fire stabilized, he placed the medicinal herbs into the furnace to be refined and extracted. Of course, he did everything with great care and precision. Li Ming did not start refining the marrow cleansing pill immediately. After all, the medicinal ingredients for the marrow cleansing pill were very difficult to obtain. There was only one set of materials, so he did not want to waste them. Therefore, Li Ming picked out a lot of resources from the sect and used them to refine ordinary recovery pills. This kind of pill was simple, and refining them was not complicated either. They were the perfect way for Li Ming to practice pill refining. Moreover, Li Ming had an idea. Recovery pills were basic pills, and cultivators would carry them with them. Refining more would not cause any losses. Moreover, if he could obtain an entry from refining these pills numerous times, then that would significantly benefit him when the time actually came for him to refine the marrow cleansing pill! At the same time, his success rate would also increase. Although he could not be 100% sure that he would be able to obtain an entry, accumulating experience was a foolproof choice! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: Pill chapter 75: pill -refining entry translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation having understood the process of refining the basic recovery pill, li ming no longer hesitated and began refining the pills. pill refining was a rather basic task that a lot of foundation establishment cultivators got acquainted with. however, if they wanted to refine a pill successfully and for the pill that they refine to have a grade, they would need to spend time and energy studying it properly. this was also why most foundation establishment cultivators did not bother about refining artifacts or pills at all. this was because these things would seriously cost a cultivator a lot of time and energy. in the end, it could delay their cultivation significantly. he placed the herbs into the furnace one by one and controlled the flame to condense the herbs into essence. he would then bring the essence out and put it aside. he continued to do the same for the other medicinal herbs. merely the first step was already this complicated. however, this was just the beginning. after all the medicinal ingredients were refined, the next step was to fuse the extracted medicinal essences together. moreover, under the urging of a foundation establishment true fire, they would fuse, condense, be refined, and finally form into a pill. although li ming was already completely familiar with the operation of pill refining, he also understood that theoretical knowledge did not always translate to practical ability. this was the first time that was actually refining a pill, and due to his high concentration, the pill he refine completely shattered during the first condensation! the medicinal ingredients had just condensed and begun to form, but because the strength and control of the fire were not precise enough, all of his ingredients burned to ashes on the spot! the golden crow true fire was truly much more powerful than ordinary foundation establishment true fires, and this meant that he really had to be a lot more careful and precise with his control during the refining process. therefore, during the entire refining process, li ming made sure to keep his focus up and carefully watch everything as best he could. he did not dare to be careless at all. although the first attempt ended in failure, li ming obviously would not give up just because of that. with his mind highly focused, he continuously controlled the golden crow true fire. at the same time, he also had to pay attention to the condition of the medicinal ingredients. this multitasking caused li ming¡¯s focus to grow even stronger. in terms of spiritual qi, it surprisingly also began increasing involuntarily. it was an obvious result. with li ming highly focused, his spiritual qi absorption would also increase. there were even some who would manage to temper their minds and temper their bodies as they refined items. in the end, the long period of focus and precise control of his golden crow true fire forced li ming to be in a constantly tense state. in fact, this was also helpful for his body cultivation. however, at this moment, it was apparent that li ming was neither aware nor cared about this matter. after failing his first try, li ming immediately got ready to start his second try right away. the pill refining process was long and boring. for the entire day, li ming was completely immersed in refining pills. although he did not succeed the first few times, li ming clearly found the right feeling and successfully managed to refine a pill. however, li ming did not stop right then. instead, he continued to focus on refining. the box of medicinal herbs beside him had already become empty. on the side, there were numerous completed recovery pills! in total, there were over 300 bottles of them! li ming had also successfully obtained an entry related to pill refining after the over 300 rounds of refining pills! [blue entry: selective admission] [effect: success rate when refining pills is increased by 50%!] just this entry alone was enough to greatly boost li ming¡¯s success rate in refining pills! with the help of his other entries, li ming¡¯s pill refinement skills had improved greatly. in just one day, he had successfully refined pills over 300 times! even in the entire eastern province, the speed at which he learned and refined pills was probably unmatched! after all, this was his first time refining pills! ¡°hiss!¡± ¡°you¡¯ve mastered pill refinement in such a short period of time.¡± ¡°moreover, you actually managed to refine the most basic recovery pill to reach the fourth grade!¡± ¡°no wonder you can cultivate the golden crow body tempering art.¡± the black stone sighed as it complimented li ming. it had watched the entire process take place. although li ming had failed a few times in the beginning, that was completely within expectations. every foundation establishment cultivator would fail a few times in the beginning. however, li ming¡¯s speed at learning to refine pills was incredibly fast, the rate at which he improved was simply ungodly! from refining pills at the first grade, he quickly managed to raise the quality of his refined pills to the fourth grade! this speed of improvement was indeed unprecedented! pill refiners were a special profession that was separate from most cultivators. however, if one wanted to advance the quality of the pills that they refined from the first grade, they needed to continuously accumulate experience and increase their own strength at the same time. however, this was generally a very complicated undertaking. but for li ming, it was as if there were no such obstacles. he experienced a meteoric rise! he faced no obstructions! he used up all his materials, and he successfully refined most of them into pills. but li ming did not choose to stop there. he felt like he was on a hot streak right now; he felt as if he was at his best state. naturally, he wanted to strike the iron while it was hot! he decided to refine the marrow cleansing pill that he needed! he already had the medicinal herbs for the pill at the ready. li ming maintained his previous state of mind and he began refining in an orderly manner. after extracting the essence of the medicinal ingredients one by one, he began to condense and refine them one after another. everything seemed to go smoothly. with the experience he had accumulated earlier and the help of the newly-obtained entry, li ming could be said to have become a proper pill refiner! as the medicinal ingredients were refined, they condensed one after another. after refining over 300 bottles of pills earlier, li ming had become a lot more familiar with the process of condensing pills. even though the marrow cleansing pill was much more difficult than the recovery pill, with the help of his entry, everything still went extremely smoothly. an hour later. within the cauldron, the essence of several medicinal herbs condensed under the urging of the golden crow true fire. they slowly transformed, and the medicinal power slowly fused under the urging of the golden crow true fire. when it finally formed a complete medicinal pill, the spiritual energy it emitted actually caused the entire furnace to shake! this scene shocked li ming, who had been maintaining a high level of concentration all this time! he immediately stabilized his true fire. as the fluctuation increased, cracks began forming throughout the furnace! in the next moment, it exploded! boom! a loud bang sounded! in an instant, flames soared into the sky! the exploding furnace instantly flew up! the golden flames in the sky above the martial hall soared into the sky and instantly covered the entire sky! the medicinal power of the pill was so strong that it instantly caused the furnace to shatter! the grounds of the martial hall shook violently, causing the consecrators of the consecration hall to be shocked. the seventh consecrator immediately set off and headed straight for the martial hall. the martial hall was located in a remote area, and the closest place to it was the consecration hall. naturally, due to the extraordinary status of the consecration hall, few disciples dared to come here. therefore, the consecration hall was able to easily become aware of the movements at the martial hall. in addition, li ming himself was not simple and had long been under the surveillance of the consecration hall. now that such a commotion had occurred, it naturally made them curious as to what had taken place. at this moment, as the golden flames that filled the sky dissipated, li ming relied on his own control to finally preserve the marrow cleansing pill that he had refined during this explosion. after all, this was the main purpose of this pill refinement. with the marrow cleansing pill, he would be able to break the shackles of his physical body and would not have to worry about affecting his subsequent cultivation. after all, it was a pill meant for body cultivators. the effect that this marrow cleansing pill had was a huge boon for body cultivators.. Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Fourth chapter 76: fourth -grade medicinal pill! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation before li ming could take a closer look at the marrow cleansing pill in his hand, the seventh consecrator had already appeared. he had flown over on his sword and swiftly landed in front of li ming. ¡°seventh consecrator?¡± li ming was stunned when he saw the seventh consecrator appear before him. normally, nobody willingly came to the martial hall. li ming had never seen anyone other than the great elder, who had brought him here, visit the place. the other disciples had low cultivation levels and were afraid of this area, and the elders generally had no reason to come to this place. ¡°were you refining pills just now?¡± the seventh consecrator looked around and saw the shattered furnace and the pills placed beside li ming. there were so many of them that the seventh consecrator was dumbfounded! of course, what attracted the seventh consecrator¡¯s attention the most was the marrow cleansing pill in li ming¡¯s hand! ¡°this is¡­¡± ¡°a fourth-grade medicinal pill! ¡± the seventh consecrator¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the pill in li ming¡¯s hand. in the entire eastern continent, those who could refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill were extremely difficult to come across! many cultivators, even if they had already reached the golden core realm, were unable to refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill! refining pills was a much more troublesome affair than refining artifacts. most cultivators were absolutely unwilling to spend so much of their energy and time on this endeavor. therefore, those who could become pill refiners usually had to have a certain amount of talent and were those who were willing to be nurtured by the sect. this type of people had always been highly sought after by the various large sects and forces! the seventh consecrator did not expect li ming to be able to refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill! this talent! this is ridiculous! he had originally already been extremely impressed by the fact that li ming had been able to successfully temper his body to the point that he reached the foundation establishment realm. at the same time, he was even talented in qi cultivation and soon had his qi cultivation catch up to his body cultivation! however, it was completely outside of his expectations that li ming also had such monstrous talents in pill refining! this was truly a great surprise to the seventh consecrator. originally, they had already discussed that they would treat li ming as a core disciple and would not show him any particularly special care. after all, chen qingke was the one they had chosen to be the successor of the sect. in their eyes, they simply could not keep li ming. but now that he had such monstrous alchemy talent, things were much different. it would be best for the sect to keep li ming here for as long as possible! ¡°li ming, did you refine this?¡± the seventh consecrator still found it difficult to believe. the marrow cleansing pill was originally a third-grade pill. if one wanted to refine it to a higher grade, the requirements were harsh, especially for the person who refined it. they needed to have incredible pill-refining skills to perform such a feat! it was absolutely unheard of for someone who had just begun refining pills. moreover, seeing the pile of recovery pills at the side, he could not help but feel even more surprised. this basic medicinal pill was supposed to only be able to reach the first grade in terms of quality, but in the huge pile beside li ming, he had already spotted quite a number of them that were at the third grade! ¡°that¡¯s right. i am a body cultivator, so i required a marrow cleansing pill.¡± ¡°as for the recovery pills, they were for practice.¡± ¡°fortunately, i succeeded in the end.¡± li ming grinned at the seventh consecrator. however, when the seventh consecrator heard this, he only felt a wave of dizziness crash into his head. this guy, what did he mean by fortunately succeeded? even if others were to use recovery pills to practice and familiarize themselves with pill refining, it was virtually impossible for them to manage to refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill right after! ¡°li ming, i need a fourth-grade medicinal pill. if you can refine it, i can pay you 50,000 low-grade spirit stones.¡± ¡°what do you think?¡± ¡°i am willing to provide you with the materials and ingredients for the pill as well. ¡± the seventh consecrator spoke in quick succession. to reach the golden core realm, he required some pills to assist in his cultivation. but grade fourth-grade medicinal pills were hard to find. they were rare all throughout the eastern continent. although the divine will sect was the number one sect in the heavenly southern region, they did not have a fourth-grade pill refiner under them! but when he saw li ming, he found hope. li ming was stunned when he heard the seventh consecrator¡¯s words. 50,000 spirit stones? god d*mn! pill refining was a lot more profitable than he initially thought! li ming was naturally tempted to take on the offer. he had no reason to refuse more resources. furthermore, he still had something the greedy black stone. that little thing had already absorbed so many of his spirit stones. now that such a great offer had come knocking on his door, li ming had no reason to refuse. ¡°i can do it. however, i cannot guarantee that i will be able to refine the pill that you need in one try.¡± ¡°therefore, you might need to prepare extra sets of medicinal herbs for this pill refinement. li ming honestly told the seventh consecrator. he really did not covet the herbs, and he only said such to the seventh consecrator as he truly was not confident in being up to the task. after all, he was still very new to pill refining. during this period when he refined pills, li ming¡¯s body and qi cultivation improved. most importantly, the pill-refining techniques given to him by the black stone were clearly quite special. although the improvement that he had experienced during this time was not as good as direct cultivation, it showcased that he would not really be wasting his time even if he was refining pills. of course, the most important thing to consider was that he would be able to procure spirit stones by refining pills. although the sect did provide him with some rather regularly, that was far from enough to properly raise his cultivation. the higher the cultivation of a cultivator was, the more resources they would need to raise their cultivation. this was especially so for qi cultivators, merely absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth from the outside world quickly became insufficient. therefore, they would not only use spirit stones to exchange for goods and services, but also for cultivation. now that li ming was cultivating both his body and qi, he naturally needed a lot more resources. ¡°multiple sets?¡± the seventh consecrator was slightly stunned when he heard this. he immediately smiled and said, ¡°rest assured, i¡¯ve prepared three sets of medicinal herbs.¡± ¡°you only need to worry about refining the pill.¡± ¡°if you can refine it, not only will you get 50,000 spirit stones, but the sect will also reward you handsomely.¡± the seventh consecrator happily told li ming. hearing that, li ming no longer hesitated and immediately agreed to the offer. after seeing off the seventh consecrator, li ming turned his attention back to the marrow cleansing pill. ¡°not bad, kid. you actually managed refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill on your first try.¡± ¡°since you have such a promising future, give me half of the fifty thousand spirit stones you get, and i¡¯ll give you a unique set of pill-refining techniques.¡± the black stone said. this fellow had already started to divide the reward of spirit stones before he even got them. li ming was speechless. however, li ming also became curious when he heard the black stone mention pill refining techniques. anyway, he had already promised the seventh consecrator that he would be willing to refine pills in exchange for spirit stones in the future. it was a win-win for both sides anyway. if he had a better pill-refining technique, that would obviously be great. ¡°deal.¡± li ming agreed immediately. the black stone was straightforward and directly passed the pill-refining technique to li ming. li ming carefully looked at the pill-refining technique he just received. four symbols pill refining technique. it sounded very mysterious, and after li ming learned it, he understood what the black stone meant by unique. this pill refining technique adopted the four symbols¡¯ positions and used one¡¯s true fire to mobilize the four symbols to refine pills. it could be considered a particularly profound technique. however, li ming was not in a rush to learn or test out the technique just yet. after all, the seventh consecrator had not even sent the herbs over yet. what he was more concerned about at the moment was using the marrow cleansing pill to remove the shackles of his physical body! this was obviously the most important agenda for li ming currently. he had already reached the fourth level of the golden crow body tempering art. with the existence of the [wild growth] entry and the [martial dao prodigy], it could be said that li ming¡¯s improvements would be maximized! he would be able to achieve twice the results with half the effort, quite literally at that! however, the restrictions on his physical body were still holding him back. if he wanted to continue cultivating without any hindrances for a good while, he would need to cleanse his bone marrows! Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: Marrow Cleansing chapter 77: marrow cleansing translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation looking at the fourth-grade marrow cleansing pill, li ming placed it in his mouth and swallowed it! as the medicinal pill entered his body, it instantly diffused throughout his body. as it spread, the medicinal effects of the pill acted on every inch of his body! he experienced marrow cleansing, a process by which the impurities in his body were removed, allowing his entire body to sublimate. humans had one of the weakest bodies in this world. it could simply not be compared to the bodies of demonic beasts and demons. the very purpose of cultivation was to allow cultivators to break free from the shackles of their body. qi refinement, foundation establishment, core formation, nascent soul. with every step, qi cultivators would further abandon their physical bodies. however, the same could not be said for body cultivators. body cultivation focused on the fleshly body and used their physical body as the foundation of their cultivation. it was by constantly strengthening and improving their body that they increased their strength. what li ming needed to do right now was to break the normal limits of his body. previously, reaching the body cultivation foundation establishment realm only allowed his body to reach the limits of a mortal body. and now, the fourth level of the golden crow body tempering art was already pushing past the limits of what a mortal physical body should be capable of. thus, he needed to improve. he needed to refine his physical body into something even stronger! this was his true goal! he strived to reach the level of undying and indestructible! this was the ultimate goal of li ming¡¯s body cultivation! marrow cleansing was a step in that direction. as the medicinal effects continued to act on his body, a feeling as if countless ants were gnawing on him instantly filled his senses! he felt as if he was being eaten inside out. the feeling even permeated through his internal organs! it felt as if his guts were being torn to shreds! this pain was far more excruciating than anything he had ever felt; it was even more excruciating than when he had his body be tempered by heavenly fire! this pain was the greatest pain that li ming had ever felt since he started cultivating his body! just this point alone was enough to show just how dangerous marrow cleansing was. even if mortals were able to obtain marrow cleansing pills, it would clearly not be easy for them to withstand such pain. the piercing pain had caused li ming great suffering! even though he had been training his body for many years and was already used to feeling pain throughout his body, the torture of cleansing his bone marrows was an entirely new pain. the entire process repeated itself again and again inside li ming¡¯s body. two hours later. the pain in his body slowly subsided and turned into a clear stream, slowly transforming into a feeling of comfort. it was as if his internal organs had been reborn, as if every inch of his flesh and blood had upgraded. li ming could feel that his body seemed to have become much lighter. his body felt completely different from before. he was very surprised by this feeling. regardless, this feeling signified that the limits of his physical body had been hrnlz?n i at this moment, li ming had surpassed the limits of the human body! he had reached another level! feeling out his new body, li ming locked his eyes on the ruins in front of him. he lifted his feet and charged forward! his speed was actually three times faster than what he could have achieved beforehand even without using the wind lightning steps! then, he clenched his fist and launched a punch! boom! the moment he punched out, the stone pillar in front of him shattered into countless specks of dust! when he punched out, the surrounding stones were actually forcefully shattered by the wind brought forth! this was merely an ordinary punch. he did not use any martial skills or spiritual qi. despite that, he already displayed such shocking strength by relying solely on his body! seeing the results, li ming was very satisfied. this was great news for li ming. the golden crow body tempering art would now be able to guide him to bring his body even further. he had made ample preparations for his breakthrough to the late stage of the foundation establishment realm. but just as he was thinking about the steps he would take next, the seventh consecrator reappeared. when the seventh consecrator reappeared and looked at li ming, his eyes were filled with surprise. ¡°to be able to cultivate your body to such a level, it seems that you are indeed talented in body cultivation.¡± ¡°however, you cannot neglect your qi cultivation.¡± the seventh consecrator was clearly shocked after seeing the qualitative change that li ming¡¯s body had undergone in the short time he was gone. it was very clear that this was change brought about by the fourth-grade marrow cleansing pill from before. the marrow cleansing pill also brought agonizing pain, and it was generally only someone like li ming, who was a body cultivator, that could endure such pain. at this moment, the seventh consecrator actually came to look forward to what level li ming could reach in body cultivation. while he was thinking this, li ming also walked forward. ¡°i understand.¡± ¡°naturally, i will not delay my qi cultivation.¡± ¡°seventh consecrator, have you brought the medicinal herbs?¡± li ming did not waste any time. although in the eyes of outsiders, body cultivation was a waste of time and only served to delay qi cultivation, in li ming¡¯s eyes, body cultivation was his foundation. if he had not cultivated his body, could he have relied on his qi cultivation talent? had he done so, he would have long since been chased out of the sect. he would not have been able to reach the point he had today. ¡°i have them right here. i¡¯ll come and retrieve the pill in three days.¡± the seventh consecrator directly left after saying that. only the medicinal ingredients and the pill formula were left behind. ¡°fourth-grade medicinal pill, profound spirit pill?¡± li ming carefully examined the pill formula. after confirming that the medicinal ingredients he had were correct, he immediately began refining the pill. while his last furnace did blow up, fortunately, the seventh consecrator brought him a new furnace when he came to visit this time. moreover, the quality was much better than that of his last furnace. he refined according to the four symbols pill refining technique. with the four symbols as the main directions, he set up a true fire in the cauldron and began to refine the pill. this four symbols pill refining technique ingeniously borrowed the terrain to construct an illusory heaven and earth cauldron to refine pills. in this way, when refining pills, the pills would be able to absorb pure heaven and earth spiritual qi, making it easier for them to be refined successfully. coupled with the entry that li ming already had, his success rate in refining pills was exceptionally high. with the four symbols creating an illusory heaven and earth cauldron, li ming felt much more assured in being able to refine the profound spirit pill. the extraction of the medicinal ingredients went very smoothly. however, the fusion, condensation, and refinement of the pill would take a bit longer to complete. with the experience of refining over 300 recovery pills and the marrow cleansing pill, li ming had become much more familiar with the process of refining pills. therefore, li ming refined the profound spirit pill with greater confidence. while he was refining, li ming discovered that his other entries, besides the pill refining entry, were also helping him out. they allowed him to better focus on the task at hand, allowing him to complete it with a greater chance of success. his control over his flames and the integration of medicinal essence had all been significantly improved. after two hours, li ming sat in front of the furnace. due to the influence of the four symbols pill refining technique, a large amount of heaven and earth spiritual qi had gathered in his surroundings. the spiritual qi kept circling around him. while the pill was absorbing the spiritual qi, li ming¡¯s body also absorbed some of it on its own. ever since his physical body had broken through its limits, his body could automatically absorb spiritual qi. now that his body could absorb spiritual energy on its own, not only could it increase his qi cultivation, but the spiritual qi also had a certain tempering effect on his body! besides, the pill refining process also helped with tempering his body with the high temperatures that were exhibited by the furnace while pills were being refined in it, especially since he was using golden crow true fire to refine pills! Chapter 78 - Chapter 78: Fourth chapter 78: fourth -grade pill refiner! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation refining pills had now become an easy task for li ming. he faced no problems during pill refining. with the help of the four symbols pill refining technique, he urged to medicinal pill to form. throughout the entire process, li ming had been absorbing the spiritual qi that failed to be absorbed by the pill. besides that, the high temperature being emitted by the furnace allowed li ming to consolidate and stabilize his physical body which had just gone through a significant breakthrough! li ming was very satisfied with this kind of pill refinement. during this time, not only had he been able to hone his pill-refining skills, but he was also able to raise his strength. ¡°success!¡± suddenly, the golden crow true fire surged from within the furnace, and the profound spirit pill was shot out from the furnace! li ming swiftly reacted and stretched his hand to catch the profound spirit pill before placing it inside a small bottle that he had prepared earlier. looking at the finished fourth-grade profound spirit pill, li ming was very satisfied. his path of pill refinement could be considered to have stabilized. li ming naturally would not put all of his time and energy into refining pills. of course, if there was a worthy enough reward for the task or if he needed to refine pills for himself, li ming naturally would not shy away from the task. when all was said and done, he was still quite poor. ¡°this is the profound spirit pill?¡± ¡°it can increase the quality of a cultivator¡¯s spiritual qi, strengthen their golden core, and add elemental abilities to the golden core.¡± ¡°i did not expect there to be so many factors regarding the golden core.¡± li ming sighed. he initially thought that refining the fourth-grade profound spirit pill would take quite some time; he did not expect the entire process to go so smoothly. just as li ming was checking the pill, the seventh consecrator appeared. it was obvious that the seventh consecrator had been secretly observing li ming while he was refining the fourth-grade pill. when he saw that li ming had actually managed to refine the pill in a mere two hours, the seventh consecrator was dumbfounded! since when had refining pills become so easy? when the sect¡¯s third-grade pill refiners refined third-grade medicinal pills, they usually needed to spend at least half a day or even a day! however, li ming only used two hours to refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill! this kid¡¯s talent is absolutely abnormal! he had already managed to reach the body cultivation and qi cultivation foundation establishment realms in a relatively short period of time, and now he was even displaying such monstrous talent in pill refining! if he entered the wider cultivation world, his future would be limitless. ¡°not bad, you actually refined a fourth-grade pill so quickly.¡± ¡°li ming, follow me to the consecration hall.¡± as the seventh consecrator spoke, he took the profound spirit pill and left the excess herbs to li ming. li ming was curious, but he did not think too much about it. after all, the other party was the sect¡¯s consecrator. he was just a disciple. the disparity in strength between them was massive. ultimately, the divine will sect was still the first sect that he had joined, so he still held some feelings for the sect. consecration hall. when li ming arrived, he saw that there were several consecrators waiting for him, even the great elder was present. as the two of them walked in, the consecrators spoke. ¡°old seven, why did you call us over?¡± the consecrators were curious, and so was the great elder. however, when he saw li ming, shock and surprise surfaced in his eyes. after not seeing him for a while, li ming had actually reached the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm! this kid was indeed a genius! even though he had been delayed for three years, to be able to raise his cultivation in such a short period of time, he was indeed a great talent! ¡°everyone, i¡¯ve acquired a profound spirit pill. my cultivation will no longer stagnate.¡± ¡°in the coming sect conference, we will have a greater chance of winning.¡± the other consecrators were all stunned when they heard what he said. ¡°you got a profound spirit pill?¡± ¡°that¡¯s a fourth-grade pill. there¡¯s no fourth-grade pill refiner in the entire eastern continent. how did you get one?¡± the consecrators looked at the seventh consecrator in shock, clearly in disbelief. a fourth-grade medicinal pill was an absolute rarity in the entire eastern continent! once it was leaked, the other sects might immediately launch an attack! the value of a fourth-grade medicinal pill was simply massive! seeing how excited they were, the seventh consecrator immediately smiled and said, ¡°senior brothers, there¡¯s no need to be so excited.¡± ¡°there is a more important reason as to why i have called you here.¡± ¡°this fourth-grade profound spirit pill that i acquired was made by a disciple of our sect, li ming.¡± ¡°this child¡¯s pill-refining talent is unparalleled!¡± ¡°he can already refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill!¡± what the hell?! he could refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill? a foundation establishment cultivator who had just taken his first steps toward the dao could actually refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill? this was simply¡­ it was simply unbelievable! ¡°old seven, are you speaking the truth?¡± ¡°an intermediate-stage foundation establishment cultivator would have, at most, only recently come into contact with pill refining. how could he have possibly refined a fourth-grade medicinal pill?¡± obviously, the second consecrator found it unbelievable. a fourth-grade pill refiner generally had to at least be a golden core cultivator. there was no such existence in the entire eastern continent! ¡°i thought the same, but i saw the entire process happen with my own eyes. moreover, li ming even managed to refine a marrow cleansing pill to the fourth grade, but he has already consumed it.¡± ¡°regardless, having a fourth-grade pill refiner in the sect will significantly elevate our sect. that is the main reason why i asked all of you to come here.¡± ¡°moreover, the sect master is about to come out of seclusion. the seventh consecrator said as he looked at the pill in his hand. he fell into deep thought. a fourth-grade pill refiner was a priceless asset! previously, they had thought that they should treat li ming more normally and not be too biased toward him. however, they did not expect that he would become a fourth-grade pill refiner in the blink of an eye! this really gave them a huge surprise! ¡°li ming.¡± ¡°disciple is present.¡± li ming looked at the reactions of these consecrators. clearly, a fourth-grade pill refiner would be an immense help to the sect. after all, when it came to cultivating qi, regardless of what cultivation realm one reached, the help that medicinal pills could provide was indispensable. this was also the reason why pill refiners were usually more popular than artifact refiners. a lot of cultivators would have their own natal magical treasure, so cultivators who could refine artifacts were a lot more common than those who could refine pills. moreover, unlike artifacts, pills could directly be used to increase one¡¯s cultivation! li ming was already at the fourth-grade from the start, this gave everyone immense hope! ¡°great elder, what do you think?¡± the few consecrators turned their gazes and looked at the great elder. after all, since the sect master was not around, it was the great elder who had the strongest say. he was also the one with the highest cultivation among them! he had already reached the nascent soul realm! the great elder pondered and looked at li ming. ¡°a fourth-grade pill refiner would become the target of all the major forces in the eastern continent.¡± ¡°as such, the sect must keep this matter a secret and not allow it to leak to any other forces.¡¯ ¡°other than the few ot us and the sect master, no one else is allowed to know about this.¡± ¡°to the other disciples of the sect, just say that li ming is a third-grade pill refiner.¡± ¡°in addition, li ming, are you willing to become a consecrator of the divine will sect?¡± ¡°with your status as a fourth-grade pill refiner, you are qualified to become a sect consecrator.¡± li ming was instantly stunned when he heard the great elder¡¯s words. the rest of the consecrators were very much willing to comply with this arrangement. putting aside his cultivation, just his identity as a fourth-grade pill refiner was enough for him to become a sect consecrator! after all, in the entire eastern continent, there was not a single fourth-grade pill refiner! since he was already in the sect, he naturally had to be nurtured meticulously! Chapter 79 - Chapter 79: Do Not Worry About Resources chapter 79: do not worry about resources translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation becoming a sect consecrator while only having a cultivation base at the foundation establishment realm, this was something that had never happened in the divine will sect! but this time, they were breaking that standard all because li ming was a fourth-grade pill refiner! just this point alone made him qualified to enter the consecration hall and become a consecrator. once he became a consecrator, he would become the tenth consecrator of the divine will sect. the other consecrators did not have any objections to the great elder¡¯s proposal. li ming blankly stared, feeling a little surprised. he had not even properly stabilized his position as a disciple, yet he was now being offered to become a consecrator of the sect? ¡°this disciple thanks the sect for its kindness.¡± ¡°but with my foundation establishment realm cultivation, should the sect face any mishaps, you cannot expect me to take the lead, right?¡± li ming cupped his hands and asked. recently, the sect had not been very peaceful. li ming had already come face-to-face with such issues during his most recent mission. how tragic was a war between all the sects across the entire eastern continent? this was not a war that only targeted the divine will sect! it was a chaotic battle between all the sects! in such a chaotic battle, as a sect¡¯s consecrator, someone with a high position deemed equivalent to the guardians of other forces, it was naturally inevitable that he would have to take the lead in dealing with the powerful figures of other sects! however, li ming was only in the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm. although he cultivated both his body and qi, he was not heaven-defying enough that he was able to cross major cultivation realms and defeat somebody an entire realm above him. when they heard li ming¡¯s words, they immediately laughed out loud. ¡°li ming, rest assured, there is no way that any force would willingly have a pill refiner take the lead in any such matter. of course, there is nothing that we can do should it be the case that everyone becomes involved in the fight.¡± ¡°however, you really do not have to worry too much. a force like the diving will sect that has survived for so many years naturally has an incredibly deep foundation. ¡°if a problem truly arises, we can naturally deal with it.¡± ¡°the most important thing for you to concern yourself with at the moment is helping the sect refine the pills needed by the consecrators. other than that, do know that the sect master will be coming out of his seclusion soon.¡± ¡°since you have become a consecrator, you are not a part of the true core of the sect.¡± li ming nodded repeatedly when he heard the words of the consecrators. ¡°it is naturally not a problem for me to refine pills, but i also require a corresponding reward. after all, refining pills will delay my own cultivation.¡± li ming did not beat around the bush. since he had become a consecrator from becoming a pill refiner, it was only right for him to refine pills for the sect. however, he felt that it was still necessary that he be rewarded for his work. after all, since a fourth-grade pill refiner was so valuable¡­ it should not be too much for him to make such a request. ¡°rest assured, they will discuss this with you.¡± ¡°after becoming a consecrator, the sect will naturally act according to the rules. for now, li ming, you can head back first.¡± li ming cupped his hands slightly and turned to leave. he did not expect that just refining a pill would have brought him so many rewards. however, everything that just happened was greatly beneficial to him. having become a consecrator of the sect, he was undoubtedly granted a lot more protection. afterward, inside the divine will sect. an announcement was made. the announcement stated that the martial hall disciple li ming, who had recently entered the path of pill refining, had already become a third-grade pill refiner. recognizing his outstanding talent in pill refining, the divine will sect granted him the position of the sect¡¯s tenth consecrator! this piece of news instantly caused a commotion across the entire divine will sect! whether it was the outer or inner sect disciples, or the disciples of the five hall, they were all shocked! of course, most of them knew who li ming was. a person who had wasted three years in body cultivation and had even reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm that no one ever had in the past. in addition, after entering the core of the sect, he soon reached the foundation establishment realm in qi cultivation as well. these alone were already extraordinary. but now, he had even become a third-grade pill refiner! such talent was truly shocking! there were many disciples in the divine will sect who were also pill refiners. however, when they first entered the path of pill refining, they could not even refine a first-grade pill, let alone a third-grade one. however, li ming had managed to refine a third-grade pill in one go! this guy was simply a monster in the world! did he purposely wait so long to break so many records? after becoming the tenth consecrator, li ming¡¯s status was immediately revealed. at this moment, in the martial hall. as soon as li ming returned, he caught sight of many disciples gathered outside the valley. they either wanted to present him with gifts or wanted to request his services in refining pills. the outskirts of the valley were crowded with people. however, all of these people were obviously afraid of the strangeness of the valley. they still believed that their spiritual qi would be siphoned from them should they enter, so none of them dared to enter the valley. li ming brought chen qingke and lu lan in and ignored the disciples. as for the things they sent over? naturally, it could not be compared to what the sect had given him. ¡°junior brother li, you¡¯re really amazing. i did not expect that even your talent in pill refining is this monstrous¡± ¡°everyone in the sect is talking about you.¡± lu lan looked at li ming and sighed. as an intermediate-stage foundation establishment cultivator, he had been able to kill a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator by having cultivated both his body and qi! and now, he was even a third-grade pill refiner! it was important to note that he was at the third-grade from the beginning, which meant that his future potential was unlimited! ¡°it¡¯s a small matter. there¡¯s no need for such a commotion about it. ¡°also, this valley no longer has the problem that it did before. as such, you don¡¯t need to worry about losing spiritual qi. you can remove your true qi shield. it¡¯s honestly just blinding me.¡± li ming looked at the two women speechlessly. it was currently nighttime. when the two women entered the valley, in order to defend against the strangeness of this place, they directly condensed their true qi into a shield to resist the preconceived siphoning effect. however, not only did the shields have no purpose, but it also made them like two headlights. they were really blinding! hearing li ming¡¯s words, the two women finally reacted. ¡°senior brother, now that you¡¯ve become a consecrator, doesn¡¯t that mean that we should address you as elder now?¡± chen qingke looked at li ming. this senior brother of hers had always been extraordinary. ever since he entered the divine will sect, he had helped her in many ways. even though he was a good-for-nothing in the eyes of others, chen qingke had always believed that li ming was very powerful! just like now, he had achieved something that ordinary people could not. he even became a sect consecrator. li ming used his own abilities to prove that he was better and ruthlessly slapped the faces of those disciples who had once looked down on him! this made chen qingke admire li ming even more. ¡°you two can address me the same as before.¡¯ ¡°i¡¯m more used to it.¡± ¡°by the way, do you need any pills?¡± ¡°if you do, i can find some time to refine them for you.¡± it was rare for anyone to visit the martial hall, so li ming felt quite happy. it was also much more comfortable to have the identity of a consecrator. he did not need to worry about as many things now. he had more than enough time to cultivate. of course, the most important thing was that no one would come to find trouble with him. whenever his cultivation was interrupted in the past, that really made li ming unhappy. ¡°hehe, junior brother li, then i won¡¯t stand on ceremony with you.¡± ¡°i need a third-grade earth spirit pill to consolidate my cultivation and advance to the late stage of the foundation establishment realm!¡± ¡°senior brother, i need the same pill.¡± li ming immediately agreed to their request. ¡°alright, what herbs do you need? when the time comes, i can just make a request for them from the sect.¡± ¡°speaking of which, have you two recovered from your injuries since the last mission?¡± ¡°also, have there been any changes in the sect recently?¡± li ming asked curiously. and so, the three of them began to chat. sometimes, the cultivation world seemed quiet and everything just seemed perfect. however, at other times, it was akin to a bloody storm, an endless slaughter, along with countless schemes and plots, forming nothing but a world of malice and avarice. this was the cultivation world.. Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Late chapter 80: late-stage foundation establishment realm translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation currently. there were still three months before the sect competition. during this period of time, the various large sects were also testing each other. as the number one sect in the south heaven, divine will sect occupied an excellent position and became a priority target for other sects. however, this did not mean that there were no conflicts between the other sects. similarly, during this period, divine will sect had also sent disciples to stir up trouble in other sects. of course, the real highlight was the sect competition and the real war after the sect competition! every sect was accumulating strength, and the sect competition was an opportunity to show it. according to lu lan, there were still other variables in the sect competition. that was, there would be even more powerful forces appearing. he was leading this competition. the sect war in the east continent and the promotion of the sect were also closely related to them! with lu lan¡¯s explanation, li ming once again witnessed the vastness of the cultivation world. but at the same time, it also made li ming yearn for something in his heart. li ming yearned for the world outside divine will sect, the heavenly south, and even the east continent. he also wanted to know how big the world outside was. and how many geniuses are there? even the end point of cultivation was whether it was to ascend to immortality! these were all unknown, and it was precisely these unknowns that made countless cultivators yearn for them. li ming was no exception. he was just one of the tens of thousands of cultivators. he was just an illusory member of the masses. ants would always look up to mountains, and this was the case for these cultivators. that night, li ming was refining pills while chatting with lu lan. he had gained a lot of knowledge. at the same time, two tier 3 pills, the earth spirit pill, were also refined. alchemy was clearly a piece of cake for li ming and his team. the next day. li ming got up early and started his morning exercise. ever since he took the marrow cleansing pill and completely transformed his body, he had improved greatly. li ming circulated the golden crow body refining decree again. this time, he clearly felt an incomparable sense of smoothness! with the addition of the entry ¡®wild growth¡¯, his cultivation progress was obviously very fast. every punch was filled with shocking power! at the same time, the power in his body began to surge like waves! even the foundation establishment stone platform in his dantian shook. although the feeling of body refinement was painful, after experiencing the cleansing of the marrow and bones, this pain was even more so. li ming ignored him. instead, every punch, every kick, every movement became unusually smooth and smooth. the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual qi gathered and was continuously absorbed into his body. it allowed li ming to refine his body and qi at the same time. his conjured physique was not delayed. this feeling was naturally incomparably wonderful. spiritual energy flowed through every inch of his body, gathering all four meridians and eight meridians. the effect of body tempering was to stabilize his flesh and blood, strengthen his body, and temper his internal organs. internal and external cultivation can correct inner qi. unknowingly, li ming had been dancing in the courtyard for four hours. when the golden crow true fire was exposed from his body, he was like a scorching sun! as li ming restrained his movements, his gestures gradually slowed down. in the next moment, li ming opened his eyes and swung his arms! boom! a dull sound burst out from the inside! it was as if an ancient bell that had been sleeping for a long time had rung in li ming¡¯s body! accompanied by this dull sound, the golden crow body refinement realm broke through again! he directly entered the fifth level! with the addition of the words ¡®savage growth¡¯ and ¡®greedy feast,¡¯ it actually pushed it to the sixth level! at the same time, his body and qi refinement cultivation had also entered the late-stage foundation establishment realm! ¡°awesome!¡± li ming did not expect that after cleansing the marrow and bones, it would actually achieve such a good effect. he had actually done it to such an extent. li ming was indeed very surprised. moreover, at this rate, the golden crow body that had been integrated with the ancient spirit mysterious art was completely enough to support the golden core realm. at least for now, li ming didn¡¯t have to worry. cultivation increased, instantly refreshing and refreshing ¡°not bad.¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t expect you to reach the late stage of the foundation establishment stage in such a short time. you¡¯re even faster than chen qingke.¡± ¡°your talent is really enviable.¡± suddenly, a voice came from behind. he turned around and saw that the great elder had already appeared behind him. looking at the great elder, li ming immediately became respectful. after all, this was his guide. li ming was also very respectful to him. moreover, it was a nascent soul cultivator! ¡°greetings, first elder.¡± li ming bowed, and the great elder also raised his hand slightly. you are now the sect¡¯s worship, these disciples of the ritual number is not used.¡± ¡°this time, my junior brothers have already prepared all the pills, herbs, and pill formulas they need.¡± ¡°besides that, i also need medicinal pills. however, it might be a little difficult.¡± li ming didn¡¯t stand on ceremony when he heard first elder¡¯s words. ¡°no problem.¡¯¡±¡® ¡°however, great elder, have you prepared their rewards?¡± ¡°fifty thousand spirit stones each!¡± ¡°if it¡¯s less, i won¡¯t do it!¡± li ming¡¯s valiant and valiant posture also made first elder laugh helplessly. this kid was talented and had a good mentality. if he could maintain this mentality on the path of cultivation, it would not be bad. ¡°don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t lack spirit stones.¡± ¡°i came here personally because the pill i need is close to the fifth grade.¡± ¡°this pill is special. if your mental power is not strong enough, it will be very difficult to complete. however, a fourth grade alchemist can also refine it, but the success rate is not high.¡± ¡°that¡¯s why i prepared ten sets of medicinal ingredients.¡± the first elder said that li ming was also surprised. a pill that was close to the fifth grade? this piqued li ming¡¯s interest. he wasn¡¯t afraid of a fourth-grade medicinal pill, but head elder¡¯s was the one that was truly challenging. li ming was indeed curious. looking at the pill formula, li ming also began to size it up. tier 4 pill, spirit injecting pill. this spirit was not spiritual energy, but a soul. it corresponded to the first elder who had the cultivation of the nascent soul realm! it was also aimed at the nascent soul in his body! therefore, this pill was extremely important! at the same time, it also stimulated li ming¡¯s desire to win. ¡°great elder, don¡¯t worry. i will do my best.¡± ¡°i won¡¯t waste these herbs.¡± li ming counted the items. seeing that the great elder had left, li ming was not in a hurry to refine the pills. instead, he sat down to meditate and recuperate. his cultivation had just broken through and reached the late stage of the foundation establishment realm. naturally, he needed time to settle down. only in this way would he be steady when refining pills and would not make any mistakes. after all, he needed to refine eight fourth-grade medicinal pills this time, as well as the first elder¡¯s medicinal pills that were close to fifth-grade. this was also the first challenge in li ming¡¯s career as an apothecary. naturally, he had to be fully prepared! Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: Frenzied Pill Refinement chapter 81: frenzied pill refinement translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation two hours later. after li ming had consolidated his new level of cultivation, his aura similarly stabilized. after reaching the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, his overall strength had undergone a qualitative leap. there was a world of difference between him now and him when he was at the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm! li ming could very clearly feel the increase in his strength. every difference in cultivation often represented a huge gap, and this gap was generally considered insurmountable. this was why, in many cases, the difference of just a small realm could bring about a crushing display of strength. after resting for a while, li ming quickly placed his mind back into work mode. after all, he still had pills to refine! to be more specific, he had eight fourth-grade medicinal pills and one medicinal pill that was close to fifth-grade to refine. this challenge was somewhat difficult. but as li ming already had experience from refining the fourth-grade profound spirit pill, he was not that worried. the only thing really was that the pill that the great elder wanted him to refine for him made him somewhat curious. a pill meant for nascent soul cultivators was naturally extraordinary. even with the support of the entries, li ming still could not help but have his heart start pounding in anticipation. the great elder had prepared a whole ten sets of materials for the pill he needed. if li ming could succeed in one try, then the rest of the materials would belong to him. it was the same case for the other consecrated elders. if he succeeded on the first try, he would benefit significantly. however, li ming did not think too much into it and immediately took out the pill furnace he was provided. the furnace he was given this time was naturally different from the previous one. after all, this one was directly given to him by the consecrators, and its quality was top-notch in all aspects. after setting up the furnace, li ming raised his hand and waved it. a strong wind rose and instantly opened all of the boxes containing the medicinal herbs. because he had already refined the profound spirit pill once before, li ming¡¯s speed in pill refining had also increased, largely due to him being a lot more confident now. with the help of the four symbols pill refining technique and the help of his entries, everything from the extraction of medicinal ingredients to the condensation of the essence and so on went very smoothly. previously, refining a fourth-grade profound spirit pill had taken him a whole two hours. but now, li ming only needed a single hour to refine one! while the time it took the refine the pill was shortened, the quality did not decrease. in fact, the quality of the pill was even slightly better than before. therefore, after refining the first pill, li ming did not stop. high-intensity pill refinement was usually something that other pill refiners would consider a form of torture, but for li ming, it was a completely different story. after all, he cultivated both his body and qi, and his physical body was sturdy. the tiny bit of fatigue brought about by the pill refining process was not even enough for li ming to temper his body. an ordinary pill refiner who could persist in refining three times in a row would already be considered to have a strong body and great endurance. after all, pill refining also significantly taxed the pill refiner¡¯s soul, exhausting their mental strength. however, li ming had received a divine soul opportunity, so he had an even greater advantage in this regard! this was also why he was able to refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill previously. other than the help of the black stone and the effect of the entries, his strengthened soul gave him much greater control compared to other pill refiners, and it was a crucial aspect to why he was able to do what he was doing. everything that he had was indispensable! coincidentally, he had everything that he needed to succeed in this path. deep into the evening, in the front courtyard of the martial hall, the furnace that had been blazing for hours upon hours was finally extinguished. looking at the eight bottles on the ground beside him, li ming heaved a sigh of relief. the pill refining session this time was extremely successful. he had managed to successfully refine all eight fourth-grade profound spirit pills in one go! at the same time, li ming managed to save a lot of the materials. it was important to note that the herbs that could refine a fourth-grade pill were generally expensive. in the end, he decided to keep them for future use. as for the great elder¡¯s pill? li ming left it for tomorrow. he had already consumed quite a lot of time just from refining all the pills that he did today. even if he had become a lot more familiar with the process, that did not mean that the process was simple. moreover, refining so many pills at once naturally consumed a considerable amount of his energy. regardless, the toughness of his body had increased, and his soul had also been tempered and improved to a certain extent. pill refining had allowed him to experience a clear improvement in his control of spiritual qi, the toughness of his body, and the strength of his soul. the biggest difference between him and other pill refiners was that other pill refiners would tend to use up their vitality and all their energy when refining pills. additionally, they were unable to withstand the extreme heat of the refining process without surrounding themselves with their own spiritual qi, greatly reducing their efficiency. most of their cultivation relied on absorbing spiritual qi when refining pills to increase their cultivation. there was a large gap between them and li ming. although he was done refining pills for the day, li ming did not plan to rest. after a short rest, he immediately began to circulate the golden crow body tempering art and began training. after an entire day of refining pills, although his body was already a little tired, after beginning to cultivate his body, the fatigue quickly dissipated. it was replaced by a feeling that li ming was used to. at the same time, the effect of body cultivation was very obvious. his body had absorbed a large amount of spiritual qi when he was refining pills. now that he was properly cultivating his body, the spiritual qi began integrating with his body and transforming into his own strength. the effect was quite substantial. the sect promotion conference was imminent. the disciples of the various sects were all preparing for the upcoming battles. as the number one sect in the heavenly southern region, divine will sect¡¯s disciples were naturally not exempt from this. every single one of them was working hard on their cultivation. they were all working hard to increase their strength. li ming, on the other hand, continued switching between pill refining and cultivation repeatedly. the next morning, after li ming finished his morning cultivation and had some rest, he immediately began refining pills. after he completed this soul concentration pill that had a quality nearing the fifth grade, he could fully devote himself to his own cultivation. just by looking at the pill formula for this soul concentration pill that was nearing the fifth grade, li ming could tell that there was something fundamentally different about it when compared to the other pills that he had refined. however, li ming, who was already somewhat experienced, did not delay and began refining. although he wanted to save on materials, li ming could only do his best. as the materials were refined, li ming began preparing to fuse them. as each medicinal ingredient gathered together, li ming instantly discovered a problem. compared to other medicinal herbs, the rejection that these medicinal herbs had towards one another when they were condensing was much greater! it was as if they were on two opposing sides. it seemed as if they did not want to be associated with one another in the slightest. if he tried to forcefully merge them, it was as if they would much rather destroy themselves! li ming tried fusing them, but he did not expect that the rejection would be so great that the medicinal herbs would end up completely destroyed! even the entire furnace started to shake. this also meant that his first try had failed! even though he had failed once, li ming was not discouraged and chose to continue! he still had a lot more chances anyway. failure was very common, and it should not deter one from finding success. therefore, li ming began his next try without any pressure. this time, li ming observed everything much more carefully and seriously, looking for the common points among the different herbs that would then allow him to fuse them together. it had to be said that li ming¡¯s choice this time was correct. it was precisely by relying on the specific similar characteristics of the medicinal ingredients that they would then be able to fuse together to increase the chances of successfully refining the pill. together with a lot of other factors, under the refinement of the golden crow true fire, the medicinal essences slowly fused together. just this process alone took li ming a full hour! Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: Spirit Pattern Engraving chapter 82: spirit pattern engraving translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation although it was taking longer, it was obvious that he was making a lot more progress this time. after a while, he managed to successfully fuse the medicinal ingredients. although it was a little slow, li ming was extremely cautious throughout the entire process. he did not allow for any carelessness all throughout. with his mind highly focused, he finally managed to completely fuse all the medicinal ingredients together. however, this kind of medicinal pill required more than just fusing the medicinal herbs together. there were still other more complicated operations to undertake! for most medicinal pills of the fourth grade and below, all that was needed was to condense the essence of the medicinal ingredients, refine them, and then condense the pill. however, this soul concentration pill, which was very close to the fifth grade, was different. after the fusion was completed, li ming needed to pour the heaven and earth spiritual qi into it during the refining period. but when he was refining the pill, due to the pill refining technique that he was using, there was already a sufficient amount of spiritual qi that had been infused into the pill, so he did not need to infuse any more spiritual qi into it at all. however, this pill was unusual. above the fourth grade, the medicinal pills that were refined generally needed spirit patterns to be engraved onto to them. these so-called spirit pattern engravings were a symbol of high-grade pills. at the same time, the spirit pattern served the purpose of containing the spiritual qi inside the pill, greatly improving the quality and effect of the pill. it could be said that these engraving were symbolic of high-grade medicinal pills. the more complicated the spirit patterns were, the greater the effect of the pill. at the same time, their grade would generally be much higher. in this regard, every pill refiner also had a spirit pattern that belonged solely to them, which could also be considered their mark. although there had never been a pill refiner above the fourth grade in the eastern continent, this knowledge could still be found in some records concerning the entire world of cultivation, so li ming was able to learn about it. the next step that li ming needed to take was to use the heaven and earth spiritual qi to engrave spirit patterns onto the pill during the refinement process to enhance its effects. but as li ming did not have any experience in this, he simply followed his intuition and started engraving on the pill. this required the precise use of powerful mental strength. it was only in this way that he could control the fire, control the pill, and stabilize the pill all at the same time. then, while doing all that, he would have to divert some of his attention to control the heaven and earth spiritual qi to engrave spirit patterns onto the pill. during this process, he had to be especially careful. this was because the moment there was a mistake in any step of the spirit pattern engraving, the entire pill would be wasted! then suddenly! boom! when li ming began engraving, the pill exploded before he could even make the second stroke! he failed on the spot! it was obvious that engraving spirit patterns was not easy at all. every stroke was filled with deep meaning, and the control required for each stroke was incomparably taxing. although he failed again, it was clearly not enough to put him down. without hesitation, li ming started refining again. although the process was complicated and time-consuming, li ming still continued to refine tirelessly. inside the storage pouch, the black stone watched li ming¡¯s actions with curiosity. it had long known that li ming¡¯s soul and mental strength were powerful. li ming¡¯s soul and mental strength were not something that a normal foundation establishment cultivators could possess. even a golden core cultivator¡¯s soul strength would not be as strong as his. however, it was under such circumstances that li ming¡¯s pill refinement reached an abnormal level. looking at the monstrous existence that was li ming, the black stone clearly started having some plans. he was fellow who was treading the path of cultivating both his body and qi. he was cultivating the golden crow body tempering art, and his talent in pill refining was even more abnormal. as long as he was given enough time to grow, he would definitely become an overlord in the world of cultivation! the black stone began having some thoughts in its mind, but it did not voice them out. at this moment, it was more curious about whether or not li ming would be able to successfully refine the soul concentration. from the very beginning, the black stone had realized that li ming was not aiming for the fourth grade when it came to refining the soul concentration. if it was only a fourth-grade pill, there would be no need to engrave any spirit patterns. because once spirit patterns were engraved onto the pill, the pill would at least be at the fifth grade! this was a critical difference. very clearly, li ming was trying to refine a fifth-grade medicinal pill! he was challenging his own limits. at the same time, he was also making a breakthrough in his pill refinement ability! although he had failed several times, li ming¡¯s attitude had not changed. as he began engraving spirit patterns once again, li ming was even more focused this time. learning from his previous failure, it was clear that he had become much more familiar with the process. li ming already had some ideas on how to better control everything. with every stroke, li ming did not dare to relax in the slightest, because once he made a mistake, it meant that he had to start all over again! fortunately, the engraving of the spirit patterns went relatively smoothly this time. three hours later, he had finally completed engraving the spirit patterns. the pattern of a golden crow appeared on the medicinal pill. although it looked small on the medicinal pill and was relatively simple, but this seemingly simple pattern had taken up a lot of li ming¡¯s time! the moment the spirit patterns were carved, the pill was finally completely refined. the golden crow true fire burst out from the entire furnace and wrapped the pill within. this was the final step. as long as the remaining impurities in the pill were eliminated under the heat of the golden crow true fire, and the spirit pattern properly fused with the pill itself, the refinement would be complete! boom! as the golden crow true fire dissipated, the spirit patterns and the medicinal pill completely fused. the fifth-grade medicinal pill appeared before li ming¡¯s eyes. looking at the fifth-grade medicinal pill, he could see just how vivid the spirit patterns turned out to be. moreover, the spiritual qi that was being emitted from the pill was incomparably majestic, filling the entire martial hall with an extremely powerful medicinal strength! just a few sniffs could leave one feeling comfortable, especially in the soul. the refinement process this time had been especially taxing. even li ming himself could clearly feel the fatigue in his body and the weakness in his soul. however, under the auxiliary effects of this medicinal pill, all of these problems were directly alleviated. ¡°as expected of a fifth-grade pill, this soul concentration pill is really useful!¡± ¡°no wonder so many qi cultivators like taking pills.¡± using medicinal pills to cultivate could be said to be a shortcut to cultivation. it merely required one to take a pill to boost one¡¯s cultivation, there was barely any effort to it at all. that was also likely why although there were not many pill refiners, they were all very popular. it was because all qi cultivators required the help of medicinal pills during critical moments in their cultivation. for li ming, this was just the beginning. ¡°a qi cultivator¡¯s body is unable to intake a large amount of pills.¡± ¡°it is just that in comparison, you do not have to worry as much about that limit as others do. anyway, your speed is really not bad. you actually managed to refine a fifth-grade medicinal pill so soon.¡± the black stone¡¯s voice rang out, and li ming immediately grinned. ¡°of course.¡± ¡°although refining pills slightly delays my cultivation time, i cannot deny that it is quite interesting..¡± Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Pill Refining Completed! chapter 83: pill refining completed! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation hearing the black stone¡¯s words, li ming grew curious. ¡°do you mean to say that cultivators can¡¯t just keep on consuming pills to increase their cultivation?¡± hearing li ming¡¯s question, the black stone immediately and kindly explained, ¡°of course they can¡¯t. although pills are refined with medicinal ingredients that are rich with spiritual qi, and thus contain spiritual qi together with other effects, it is but merely an auxiliary item after all. it cannot be compared to actual heaven and earth spiritual qi.¡± ¡°this is especially the case for qi cultivators.¡± ¡°after all, qi cultivators do not have physically strong bodies. if they were to continuously consume pills, although their cultivation will indeed rise in a short period of time, their physical foundation will also be ruined by the huge amount of foreign spiritual qi, ultimately costing them their future potential.¡± ¡°in other words, people who choose to take pills to increase their cultivation repetitively are very weak.¡± ¡°that is, unless the cultivator¡¯s body can counter the detriments of medicinal pills.¡± ¡°however, even you are unable to completely do so. refining pills is a time-consuming affair, and the materials required to refine them will cost you spirit stones. in the end, this path is no doubt a difficult one.¡± after listening to the black stone¡¯s explanation, li ming acquired a better understanding of the matter. no matter how good pills were, they were ultimately just supplements. if a cultivator were to solely raise their cultivation through them, not only would they become lazy, but the side effects from doing so will significantly limit how far their cultivation can go in the future. all cultivators hoped to be able to reach as far as they could on the path of cultivation. they clearly would not wish to cause their future to be ruined just for some temporary boost if they could afford it. similarly, that was not something that li ming wanted. now that he had refined all the pills he was tasked to refine, he was left with a considerable amount of medicinal herbs. li ming did not stand on ceremony and directly stored them. of course, the black stone¡¯s extorting nature had not changed. it absorbed all of the good herbs. he did not maintain any courtesy with li ming at all. however, li ming did not pay this any mind. in any case, his cultivation did not require a lot of medicinal herbs. unlike spirit stones, medicinal herbs were obviously not that important to him. at the very least, in li ming¡¯s eyes, his most important goal was to cultivate with his feet on the ground. after all, he was first and foremost a body cultivator. li ming knew very well the benefits of the golden crow body tempering art. now that he had reached the late-stage foundation establishment realm, as well as the sixth level of the golden crow body tempering art, li ming was very satisfied with the progress that he had recently made in his cultivation. after finishing refining all the pills, li ming chose to rest for a while. once he had enough rest, he took the pills and headed to the consecration hall. as he was now a consecrator of the sect, when he was on his way to the consecration hall, any of the disciples who he came across greeted him warmly. ¡°hello, elder li.¡± ¡°greetings, elder li.¡± ¡°elder li, can you refine a pill for me?¡± these were all disciples who had once looked at him with disdain and ridicule, believing that his path of body cultivation had no future. but now, the situation had completely changed. even in the cultivation world, such contrasts existed. status and position were obtained through strength. if li ming had not become a pill refiner and only relied on the strength of his body and qi cultivation, he would at most be a core disciple of the sect. he would then not have obtained as many resources, he would never have received the polite greetings of the other disciples of the sect, and he would still have to play up to the people of power and influence. but now that he had become a pill refiner, the status and position that he had gained was clear as day. however, after more than three years of body cultivation, li ming had long seen through the hearts of others. after all, he had once entered with the title and identity of a prodigy. at that time, he was the center of attention. but that had changed, and he had become regarded as a fool and a waste. however, all of that has changed once more and he had returned to the limelight. if it was an ordinary person, they would probably not have been able to hold on at the lowest point. but li ming had managed to pull through. things that were commonplace would not shake li ming¡¯s thoughts and ideologies. his current thoughts were very simple. he wanted to cultivate and increase his strength. he would continue to advance on the path of cultivation, striving for immortality. this was what li ming wanted. this was also what he was doing right now. consecration hall. by the time li ming arrived, all the consecrators were already waiting for him. when they received li ming¡¯s message, they all rushed over anxiously. they had originally thought that li ming would have taken at half a month to finish refining all the fourth-grade pills that they had requested from him. however, it had only been two to three days, and li ming seemed to have already completed refining all of the pills. this left them extremely surprised. they had clearly underestimated li ming¡¯s talent in pill refining. ¡°li ming, you¡¯re already done refining all of the pills?¡± ¡°so fast?¡± the seventh consecrator stepped forward and looked at him with great surprise. previously, when li ming had helped him refine the pill he needed, he had already felt that it had been very fast. however, he did not expect that li ming would be able to refine so many more pills in such a short period of time. he could not help but be amazed at just how extraordinary li ming¡¯s talent in pill refining was. ¡°hehe, they¡¯re all done.¡± ¡°i sincerely hope that they do not disappoint all of you elders.¡± ¡°here are all the fourth-grade profound spirit pills.¡± as li ming spoke, he handed the profound spirit pills to the consecrators that had requested them. the profound spirit pill was one of the best pills for golden core cultivators. it could help them resolve some of the bottlenecks and problems in their cultivation. these things were naturally invaluable to them. after he had given out all the profound spirit pills, the great elder looked over. clearly, the medicinal pill that the great elder wanted was the real highlight of the task. after all, it was a pill that was nearing the fifth grade. refining such a pill would naturally not be easy. turning to look at the great elder, li ming immediately said, ¡°great elder, i have not managed to concoct a soul concentration pill that is close to the fifth grade. ¡± upon hearing this, the great elder did not express any worry or discontent. after all, li ming had just entered the path of pill refining not long ago. it was already amazing that he had managed to refine such a large number of fourth-grade profound spirit pills in such a short period of time. just that feat alone was not something that other pill refiners could compare to. regardless, it seemed that the pill that he required was just a bit too difficult for li ming at the moment. ¡°that¡¯s fine, li ming. your current pill-refining talent is already much more than enough to sweep across the entire eastern continent. if the other sects were to know about this, there is no doubt that they would come and try to snatch you for themselves.¡± ¡°you do not need to hurry to refine the pill that the great elder requested. there is still a lot of time to spare.¡± ¡°failure is common to pill refiners. if you do not experience failure even once, then have you truly learned?¡± a few of the consecrators began to comfort him. they were naturally happy to have obtained the pills they requested. although these words left the great elder feeling a little awkward, what they said was indeed the truth. pill refinement was indeed unlike cultivating to increase one¡¯s cultivation, nor was it fighting someone that was of a level higher in cultivation than you. the path of pill refinement was very strict. without enough strength and experience, it was generally difficult to have many achievements in this field.. Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: Fifth chapter 84: fifth-grade pill refiner translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation it was normal for a pill that approached the fifth grade in terms of grade to be failed to be refined. in the eyes of the great elder and the other consecrators, li ming¡¯s talent in pill refinement was already very abnormal. at this point, even if he did fail now, they still believed that li ming could eventually do it. after all, the pill was still within the level of fourth-grade medicinal pills. it simply seemed to them that li ming did not yet have enough experience, so it was normal for him to make some mistakes here and there. however, just as they were comforting li ming, he suddenly spoke. ¡°although i did not manage to refine a fourth-grade soul concentration pill, i did manage to refine a fifth-grade soul concentration pill. great elder, i believe that this should be just fine as well, right?¡± as soon as li ming said this, the entire consecration hall instantly fell silent. their eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at li ming! ¡°what?¡± ¡°a-a¡­ fifth-grade medicinal pill?¡± ¡°you refined a fifth-grade soul concentration pill?¡± ¡°brat, are you really a pill refiner? how did you manage to refine a fifth-grade medicinal pill so quickly?¡± ¡°i¡¯ve heard that a fifth-grade pill has a strict requirement for one¡¯s cultivation. the pill refiner must have at least reached the golden core stage!¡± ¡°while you are indeed in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, and are cultivating both your body and qi, it should not be possible for you to have refined a fifth-grade pill, no?!¡± all of the consecrators looked at li ming in absolute shock. clearly, they found it hard to believe that he had refined a fifth-grade medicinal pill. after all, that was a fifth-grade medicinal pill! it was something that they had never seen before in their entire lives. in the entire eastern province, there was no one who could even refine a fourth-grade medicinal pill, let alone a fifth-grade medicinal pill! yet this boy before them could actually refine a fifth-grade medicinal pill! this was simply too shocking! under the shocked gazes of the consecrators, li ming took out the fifth-grade soul concentration pill. the great elder took a closer look and immediately took the pill. looking at the golden crow spirit pattern on the pill, his eyes were filled with utter joy. a fifth-grade medicinal pill! it really was a fifth-grade medicinal pill! previously, he had already thought that requesting a fourth-grade soul concentration pill from li ming was a bit too wishful. but now, li ming had directly taken out a fifth-grade soul concentration pill, far exceeding his expectations. li ming had given him an especially huge surprise! this was the first time he had seen a fifth-grade medicinal pill despite him already having a nascent soul cultivation! this matter made the great elder extremely happy. ¡°there are indeed spirit patterns engraved onto it. this is indeed a fifth-grade pill!¡± after confirming it, the great elder felt out the energy contained in the pill in his hand, as well as the lifelike golden crow spirit pattern that was on the pill. the spirit pattern represented the identity of the pill refiner, which in this case was li ming. a fifth-grade medicinal pill was enough to stir up an all-out war between sects in the eastern continent! hiss! hearing the great elder¡¯s words, all the consecrators sucked in a breath of cold air. none of them had expected li ming to achieve such a feat! he had actually refined a fifth-grade pill just like that! this was simply unbelievable! since the great elder had personally confirmed it, they naturally had no reason to doubt it. ¡°li ming, i originally thought that you were a peerless genius for managing to cultivate both your body and qi. i did not expect you to have an even more monstrous talent in pill refinement!¡± ¡°the sect is truly fortunate to have you!¡± ¡°that¡¯s right, with a fifth-grade pill refiner our wing, how could the divine will sect possibly not rise?¡± ¡°do we even still need to worry about the promotion conference?¡± at this moment, all the consecrators were filled to the brim with excitement. they had already been very excited when they found out that li ming was a fourth-grade pill refiner, and now he had even become a fifth-grade pill refiner. this made them even more confident. li ming felt awkwvard when he saw how excited the consecrators were. he immediately said, ¡°this time, i actually failed two or three times before i managed to successfully refine the soul concentration pill. this fifth-grade soul concentration pill was indeed rather difficult to refine.¡± ¡°however, it should be easier once i increase my cultivation level.¡± why does he sound so regretful after only having failed two to three times? even if it was another fifth-grade pill refiner, they would not dare guarantee a hundred percent success rate. moreover, could failing two or three times even be considered a failure? was that not normal? why did they feel as if this kid was showing off to them? ¡°it is already beyond what is expected of you to have refined such a pill.¡± ¡°for now, you should rest well and cultivate well. you can simply refine pills when you have the spare time.¡± ¡°the consecrators also need to increase their strength as soon as possible. the sect promotion conference is imminent, and the sect master will be coming out of his seclusion after tomorrow.¡¯ ¡°at that time, li ming, come with me to meet him.¡± after all, he was a new consecrator and a fifth-grade pill refiner. with such a status, the great elder naturally wanted the sect master to see him. the future of the divine will sect was decided by the sect master. hearing that he would soon meet the sect master, li ming became curious about the other party. the reason why the divine will sect was able to become the number one sect in the heavenly southern region, and why the other sects in the heavenly northern region had been eyeing it covetously for a long time, was naturally because of the foundation of the divine will sect. but at the same time, the powerful strength that the divine will sect wielded deterred the other sects! and the person with the greatest strength in the divine will sect naturally had to be the sect master. the great elder was already at the nascent soul realm, so what about the sect master? li ming was curious, and he yearned to become stronger himself. to li ming, cultivation was what truly interested him. after receiving the rewards from the consecrators, li ming left the consecration hall. these few days of pill refinement had indeed left him with barely any time to cultivate. after li ming returned, he chose to cultivate in seclusion for three days. he wanted to reach the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm as soon as possible! however, it was obvious that this was not easy to do. the gap between the late stage of the foundation establishment realm and the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm was massive. if one wanted to cross that gap, they would need to continuously cultivate and also need an opportunity to make the breakthrough. for any cultivation stage, as long as a cultivator persisted in daily cultivation and came across an opportunity, they would naturally be able to break through. as for those who chose to take shortcuts, no matter how many opportunities were given to them, they would not be able to break through. this was because their foundation would not be solid enough, and they would not meet the conditions required to even breakthrough. li ming continued to temper his body day after day without stopping. three years of tempering his body had long since turned the training into a habit. even after he reached the foundation establishment realm, li ming¡¯s habits had not changed. he started from the most fundamental of skills to train and temper himself. then, he moved on to the golden crow body tempering art. as the golden crow true fire erupted on his body, heavenly fire tempered li ming¡¯s body. after cleansing his bone marrows, his physical body could now continue to improve unlike when it had been limited before. during the three days he trained, li ming tempered his body to his heart¡¯s content. although he did not feel any imminent breakthrough during this time, this training was particularly beneficial to the consolidation of his new level of cultivation.. Chapter 85 - Chapter 85: Fang Ao鈥檚 Background chapter 85: fang ao¡¯s background translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation during these past three days, li ming had been able to properly focus on cultivating. while he did not manage to have any breakthroughs, with the existence of the entries, that did not really worry him. he knew that as long as he cultivated diligently, he would eventually be able to break through. currently, li ming had numerous entries. moreover, those entries were not completely made up of mere low-tier entries, but were comprised of blue and purple entries as well. among the entries that he had, the purple entries were especially helpful to li ming. the purple entries that he currently had were [martial arts prodigy], [ravenous feast], and [wild growth]. the benefits that these purple entries provided him were irreplaceable. it was also because of these entries that li ming¡¯s talent had changed so greatly. having experienced and understood just how beneficial these entries were to him, li ming¡¯s main focus continued to be grinding more entries. however, while he did wish to acquire more entries, the conditions to acquire one remained mysterious. it had not gotten any easier to grind for any more entries. previously, he had been refined pills for a considerable amount of time, but he had not acquired a suitable entry. right now, even if li ming wanted to increase the number of entries that he had, it was somewhat difficult. it mostly depended on luck. after he concluded his cultivation for the time being, li ming tidied up his spirit stones. the spirit stones given to him by the consecrators added up to over 400,000. of course, the black stone had taken half of it, leaving li ming with only 200,000 spirit stones. this was the first time he had so many spirit stones. the thought of spending them suddenly appeared in li ming¡¯s mind. after all, the greatest value of spirit stones lay in what they could be exchanged for. otherwise, li ming would not have spent so much effort to get them. with that, he left the martial hall. li ming did not immediately head for the market. instead, the first thing he did was go and see chen qingke. previously, he had refined the earth spirit pill for her and lu lan. he now wanted to check on how they were doing. just as he arrived outside her cave abode, he saw fang ao. this guy still had that obnoxious arrogant look on his face, and the same could be said for his attitude. ¡°junior sister chen, join me on a mission. this is an order from the sect and also a suggestion from the elder of the law enforcement hall.¡± ¡°this will allow you to train more.¡± ¡°in addition, you will have nothing to worry about. you can trust that i will protect you during this mission.¡± while fang ao¡¯s words did not sound excessive, his expression and tone betrayed his wretchedness and greed. fang ao was someone who was incredibly notorious within the sect. however, because he was a member of the law enforcement hall, no disciple dared to openly refute him. ¡°could it be that junior sister chen plans to resist the orders of the sect?¡± fang ao pressured chen qingke even further. lu lan, who was standing next to chen qingke, was also present. she looked at fang ao with disgust. ¡°senior brother fang, what is going on with this mission? is it really from the sect?¡± ¡°if so, then why do i not know of this?¡± ¡°if you are only doing this because you have designs on junior sister chen, i advise you to give up on that idea.¡± lu lan directly exposed fang ao¡¯s thoughts on the spot. everyone knew that he was a lecherous man who coveted chen qingke¡¯s body. however, it was obvious that fang ao was not afraid of lu lan¡¯s threat. ¡°i¡¯m from the law enforcement hall,¡± he said coldly. ¡°i¡¯m simply inviting junior sister chen to help the law enforcement hall with a mission. is there any problem with what i am doing?¡± ¡°junior sister lu, do you perhaps have a problem with the law enforcement hall? or is it that you simply have a problem against me?¡± obviously, fang ao was still full of confidence and believed that he had nothing to worry about. generally speaking, even if a disciple were a member of the law enforcement hall, they would not act so unscrupulously in the sect and commit actions such as defiling fellow female disciples. however, whenever fang ao carried out any such vile acts, the sect elders merely sat there and did nothing. this situation was truly rather inconceivable. however, those who were familiar with fang ao knew that he had powerful backing, allowing him to be so bold and act in such an unrestrained manner. of course, li ming did not know of this. seeing and hearing fang ao be so aggressive, li ming naturally could not just stand idly by. li ming¡¯s voice rang out and instantly attracted the attention of a few people. she turned around and saw li ming walking over slowly. ever since he had become a sect consecrator, li ming rarely appeared in front of others. he had been constantly busy with refining pills. of course, having become a sect consecrator, he needed to be familiar with the rules and regulations of the sect. in terms of standing, the sect consecrators were above the elders of the various halls. his status and power had to be taken with great importance. when she heard what li ming said, lu lan smiled. seeing li ming appear, the two women felt relieved. ¡°li ming?¡± ¡°you¡­¡± fang ao was about to speak, but before he could finish, li ming raised his hand and slapped him! pa! the crisp sound stunned fang ao. obviously, he did not expect li ming to actually dare to attack him! however, before he could speak any further, li ming¡¯s voice could be heard once again. ¡°since i am a consecrator of the sect, the matters of the sect are my responsibility, and that includes its disciples.¡± ¡°if i find out that you bully or harm any of your fellow disciples again, it will not end with a simple slap the next time.¡± li ming spoke in a very simple and direct manner. he was delivering a simple and clear message to fang ao that his good days were over! hearing li ming¡¯s words, fang ao immediately looked at li ming with hatred. the other party was now a consecrator. the slap had instantly reminded fang ao of that fact. li ming was no longer the new disciple that he could bully at his will. now, li ming was already a sect consecrator and a revered pill refiner. his status was not something that he could compete with. even though fang ao was unhappy and angry, he did not dare to flare up at li ming. at least, that was the case when inside the sect. after all, the other party was a third-grade pill refiner, and he was also a consecrator. if he dared to make a move on the other party, that would be the end of him. ¡°consecrator, i have learned my lesson!¡± ¡°this disciple shall take his leave!¡± fang ao¡¯s face was gloomy as he gritted his teeth and left. with li ming having appeared, there was nothing more that he could do. he could not possibly fight a consecrator in the sect. regardless of whether he could win or not, as long as he fought, things would not end well for him. of course, this was because fang ao did not plan on having a complete falling out with the sect. after fang ao left, a smile emerged on li ming¡¯s face. he was still as easy-going as ever. ¡°that guy seriously is a scum of the sect.¡± ¡°how does the law enforcement hall even recruit people?¡± li ming asked curiously. he had been curious in the past, but back then, he was just a nobody, and his words carried little weight. as such, li ming could not change anything even if he wanted. however, things were different now. his words now carried much greater weight in the sect. although li ming only really devoted himself to his own cultivation, the divine will sect was the first sect that he had joined after all. moreover, he had even become a consecrator, a guardian, of the sect. hence, he believed that he had to help make the sect better. hearing li ming¡¯s words, lu lan said helplessly, ¡°that guy¡¯s background is not to be taken lightly. it is such that even the sect elders can only turn a blind eye when matters concern him.¡± ¡°as long as no one dies, they basically will not apprehend him for whatever he does.¡± lu lan¡¯s words made li ming even more curious. he could not help but wonder just what background fang ao really had. the divine will sect was such a big sect. how could it be afraid of the background of a mere disciple? was that not just ridiculous? Chapter 86 - Chapter 86: Returning to the Market chapter 86: returning to the market translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡°what¡¯s fang ao¡¯s background?¡± ¡°no matter what, the divine will sect is the number one sect in the heavenly southern region. why would they have to be afraid of something like that?¡± li ming failed to understand just what was causing the sect to act in such a manner toward fang ao. while it was true that the eastern continent was not small and had numerous sects, and that it was normal for there to be a few extraordinary people, li ming simply found it hard to believe that fang ao would have any sort of outstanding background. even in terms of cultivation, his talent was merely average. it was just that he had entered the divine will sect a little earlier than them and somehow managed to become a member of the law enforcement hall. but even so, that should be far from enough to warrant him being so arrogant, right? li ming was clearly puzzled, and lu lan understood that. ¡°in fact, in the eastern continent, the main forces not only consists of the sects, but also cultivation families.¡¯ ¡°some of these cultivation families are incredibly powerful and have a long and deep history.¡± ¡°fang ao comes from such a family. at the same time, that family supplies the sect with a considerable amount of resources.¡¯ ¡°that is also why the sect elders mostly turn a blind eye to his matters.¡± after hearing lu lan¡¯s explanation, li ming finally understood. no matter where it was, resources and connections always remained important. li ming originally thought that the cultivation world was solely built upon the simple law of the jungle, where strength reigned supreme. but now, it seemed that strength did not decide everything. ¡°who cares.¡± ¡°if that kid dares to mess around again, i will completely disregard his identity and punish him.¡± although li ming understood that there was a powerful force backing fang ao, he did not take it to heart. after all, no matter how powerful a cultivation family was in the eastern continent, could they compare to a fifth-grade pill refiner? even if he killed fang ao, the sect would be able to easily weigh the pros and cons, and they would not do anything to him. ¡°now that you are a consecrator, he won¡¯t dare to act rashly. i believe that he might even avoid causing any trouble in the future.¡± when lu lan said that, li ming nodded slightly. doing so would be fang ao¡¯s best option. otherwise, li ming would not let him off. ¡°by the way, how is your cultivation? did the earth spirit pill help?¡± li ming asked curiously. if he wanted to probe or sense someone else¡¯s cultivation, he would have to do so either when the other party was displaying their cultivation or during a battle. otherwise, it was only by having a cultivation that was a major realm over the other party that someone could achieve such a feat. although li ming¡¯s soul was powerful, that did not allow him to casually peer into another person¡¯s cultivation base. moreover, the higher the cultivation level was, the more difficult it was for people of similar cultivation levels to sense another party¡¯s actual cultivation level. ¡°of course the earth spirit pill was useful, we¡¯re already in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm. ¡°in fact, senior sister lu has already even reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm. chen qingke said happily. li ming was surprised to hear this. chen qingke was very talented, and her cultivation speed was very fast. in just a year, she had advanced from being a mortal to where she was today. someone like her was incredibly hard to come by. as such, she was naturally valued greatly by the sect. as for lu lan, she had entered the core of the sect earlier than them. based on her cultivation speed, she was just average. however, this time, she still managed to push slightly ahead by having reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm. this was quite surprising. ¡°not bad, not bad. since you have both broken through, we should go and enjoy a little trip.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve made a lot of spirit stones by refining pills for the other consecrators. we can go to the market and have a look around.¡± as soon as li ming said that, the love for shopping that was innate in women immediately surfaced on lu lan and chen qingke. even in the cultivation world, women remained mostly the same in terms of character. with that, the three of them headed down the mountain. the market outside the divine will sect was very large. in the past, only disciples from the heavenly southern region would come here often. however, things have clearly changed lately. the changes were mostly due to the competition between the sect, which was also going to be held in the divine will sect. hence, many people from other sects were currently staying in the market. consequentially, good and bad people mixed together in the market. with the appearance of many people from all kinds of sects, although the place was much more lively, it was also a lot more dangerous than before. recently, in the market, conflicts often arose. the group of three quickly arrived at the market. seeing how lively the market was, they became excited. jewelry and clothes were obviously their targets. fortunately, li ming now had 200,000 spirit stones. in this market, as long as he did not buy anything related to cultivation, he naturally had more than enough. ¡°senior sister, this dress looks good.¡± ¡°however, 100 spirit stones is a little too expensive.¡± ¡°this one¡¯s not bad either.¡± whether it was chen qingke or lu lan, they were both beautiful and had impressive figures. as they wandered around in the market, they naturally attracted the gazes of others. li ming, who was following by their side, could feel hatred and jealousy directed at him in countless gazes. he could not really do anything about it. however, it did not really affect them, so it did not matter. li ming paid the bill for whatever the two women chose. not long after, they went into a spirit clothing shop in the market. this shop specialized in making clothes for cultivators. these clothes were different from those of ordinary people. although the designs they had did not seem to be much different, the materials that were used in making the clothing were special. due to the materials used to make these clothing, they could withstand spiritual energy and remain undamaged in battle. they could even be compared to magical artifacts in some cases! of course, their price was not cheap either. ¡°senior sister, this set is not bad.¡± ¡°senior brother, this set costs 15,000 spirit stones.¡± chen qingke looked around for a long time. after a while, she and lu lan finally picked two pieces of clothing. they were the same design and had the same price. in total, they cost 30,000 spirit stones! if this was in the sect, this was the whole reward for a mission! furthermore, that would be in the case of a relatively dangerous mission. if it was in the past, li ming would not even dare to think about spending so many spirit stones for something like this. however, things were different now. with so many spirit stones, he naturally did not have to worry about this bit of spending. in any case, when the time came, he could casually refine a few more pills and earn back however many spirit stones he wanted. ¡°15,000 spirit stones is a little expensive, but¡­¡± before li ming could finish speaking, a voice came from behind him. ¡°it¡¯s just several tens of thousands of spirit stones. are all the disciples of the divine will sect so poor?¡± ¡°if it¡¯s merely worth tens of thousands of spirit stones, is it not the same as trash on the ground? does something like that even need to be bought?¡± the voice was sharp and ear-piercing, and it carried a thick sense of mockery. the speaker quickly attracted everyone¡¯s attention. li ming turned around and saw three young men walking in. each of them had a domineering expression on their face. looking at their attire, it was obvious that they were all from the same sect. judging from their uniform, they seemed to be from the three gods mountain in the heavenly northern region! although the climate in the heavenly northern region was not as good as the heavenly southern region, and it did not seem as rich as the southern region, that did not mean that the sects that were based there were poor.. Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Three Gods Mountain Disciples chapter 87: three gods mountain disciples translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation although the heavenly southern region only had the divine will sect as its only large sect, in the heavenly northern region, there were the golden dragon castle, three gods mountain, myriad monsters valley, and the heavenly demon sect. they kept each other in check and fought for resources. they formed a clear competitive relationship, but at the same time, this competition also made each of them stronger internally. in addition, there was another large sect right between the heavenly northern region and the heavenly southern region. this was a sect that could stand above the other sects and was on par with the divine will sect. endless sky holy land! all of these forces could contend with divine will sect. however, it was obvious that they were willing to stand together to suppress the divine will sect. after all, divine will sect occupied a much better position than their sects. moreover, there was no other sect in the surrounding area that could compare to it. this allowed the divine will sect to secure their position as the overlord in the heavenly southern region! just this point alone was enough to make those from the other sects incredibly jealous. that was all. as the disciples of the three gods mountain walked in, their arrogant words instantly attracted everyone¡¯s attention. lu lan and chen qingke frowned. they obviously did not expect to run into trouble while out buying clothes. the three of them did not think that there would be anyone who would act in such a way toward them. after all, they were at the foot of the divine will sect. although the market was open to everyone, it was virtually unseen for anyone in the market to be rude toward disciples of the divine will sect. however, from the attitude of the disciples of the three gods mountain, they did not seem to care about that at all. ¡°fellow daoist, if you do not have spirit stones, don¡¯t bring beautiful women out to shop.¡± ¡°you think it¡¯s expensive when it¡¯s just 10,000 spirit stones? don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡± ¡°beautiful ladies, we are all disciples of the three gods mountain and are in the late-stage foundation establishment realm. as long as the two of you are willing to accompany us for a night and discuss the dao with us, let alone tens of thousands, we can even buy clothes that cost hundreds of thousands for you.¡± the disciples of the three gods mountain spoke in quick succession while their eyes sized up chen qingke and lu lan. their intentions were clear as day. despite coveting the two girls¡¯ bodies, they dared to hide it under the blatant guise of discussing the dao. their actions were utterly despicable! chen qingke and lu lan clearly did not like such behavior. ¡°keep your mouths clean!¡± ¡°we are not at your three gods mountain!¡± lu lan immediately retorted with a cold face. if they were out shopping for clothes, that was their business. it did not matter how much they bought. after all, they had only come out here to have some fun and relieve some stress. however, there was actually someone so blind who had come out to cause them trouble. this naturally made them unhappy. ¡°who cares what mountain you are from? get lost immediately!¡± ¡°otherwise, we won¡¯t be polite!¡± chen qingke did not show any weakness either. in front of outsiders, she always had a cold look on her face, making her look valiant. it was obvious that the two women were very displeased with the three disciples from the three gods mountains. however, their threats only made the three disciples of the three gods mountain more excited. it was as if they had heard chen qingke and lu lan say something like, ¡°big brother, hit me.¡± excitement flashed across their faces, and their eyes were filled with lust. ¡°tsk tsk, these beauties from the divine will sect are really fierce.¡± ¡°however, since we have already made an invitation, and you are the host, shouldn¡¯t you satisfy us?¡± ¡°is this the attitude of your divine will sect?¡± ¡°is this how you treat your guests?¡± ¡°how disappointing.¡± as the three disciples spoke, they began advancing. it looked like they were planning on forcing themselves on the girls. they felt even more confident and relieved when they saw the indifferent look on li ming¡¯s face. a man actually brought two stunning beauties out at the same time. was he not just deliberately trying to make others jealous of him? the three of them were practically drooling at the moment. li ming watched as the three disciples from the three gods mountain advanced toward them without any fear. lu lan and chen qingke were about to make a move when li ming stopped them. ¡°three gods mountains, right?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t care where you come from.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not your place to be impudent here!¡± li ming took a step forward and stood in front of the three of them. his words were cold and merciless. he clearly had no intention of letting the three guys reach the two girls. li ming would never be polite to people with pig brains. so what if there were three of them? so what if they were three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators? li ming was not afraid of them in the slightest. he had wanted to test out how strong he was after taking foundation establishment pills and reaching the late-stage foundation establishment realm. this was the perfect opportunity to do so. since some buffoons had willingly presented themselves as punching bags right before him, there was no reason for him to refuse them! there was no need for so much nonsense! ¡°oh?¡± ¡°kid, you want to stand up now?¡± ¡°just now, those few spirit stones made you hesitate. now, you want to be a hero and save the damsels in distress?¡± ¡°if you don¡¯t want to die, get lost!¡± ¡°don¡¯t stop us from having our fun!¡± the young man leading the group of three spoke. his face was filled with disgust, and his eyes were filled with disdain. originally, at such a critical time, with the sects competition imminent, friction between the various large sects could not be avoided. at the same time, it was also indispensable. even if there was a conflict at the foot of the mountain and someone died, the divine will sect would not pursue the matter. similarly, the other sects would not pursue the matter. seeing how arrogant this person was, the other two also put on a condescending posture. they thought that they easily trumped li ming. looking at their childish actions, li ming did not dawdle. ¡°come, let¡¯s head out and exchange some notes. it would be a pity to destroy this nice shop.¡± ¡°i¡¯d like to see just how trashy the disciples of the three gods mountain are.¡± li ming said without hesitation as he walked out of the shop with chen qingke and lu lan in tow. li ming responded domineeringly, and he did not look afraid at all. this greatly angered the people from the three gods mountain! after all, li ming had just humiliated the three gods mountains with his words! ¡°brat, you¡¯ve got quite a big mouth!¡± ¡°if i don¡¯t kill you today, people might actually start taking the reputation of the three gods mountain lightly.¡± as the tension between the two parties grew, the area outside the shop began to garner the attention of countless people. some of the people that were drawn over were disciples from other sects who wanted to watch the show. at this moment, it was as if the hustle and bustle of the entire market had gathered here. the commotion continued to draw people over. everyone gathered around. the three disciples of the three gods mountain became even more arrogant as they saw the crowd gather. it was as if they did not care that they were bullying someone with their numbers. there were three of them against one li ming. ¡°senior brother, why don¡¯t you let us help you? the other party is made up of three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators.¡± chen qingke grew worried. she knew that li ming was very strong. however, it was simply hard to be that optimistic with li ming facing off against three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators all alone. ¡°it¡¯s fine. you and senior sister lu can wait at the side.¡¯ ¡°this will be resolved quickly..¡± Chapter 88 - Chapter 88: Completely Unscathed chapter 88: completely unscathed translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the three disciples of the three gods mountains were all arrogant and domineering. when they saw li ming actually stand in front of the two beauties and act like a hero, they simply laughed. even if li ming¡¯s cultivation level was also at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, so what? did he really think that he alone could stop the three of them, who were all in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm? was this no different from a joke? was this nothing but wishful thinking? even if it was a perfected-level foundation establishment cultivator facing three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators, they would have to take the fight very seriously. they would not have any room to be careless during the fight. and yet, a single late-stage foundation establishment cultivator, actually dared to confront all three of them on his own? were his actions any different from courting death? so what if they were at the foot of the mountain of the divine will sect? this market was open to everyone. even if they killed li ming here, the divine will sect would not dare to do anything. ¡°brat, do you really think you¡¯re the hero who saves the damsels in distress?¡± ¡°to become that hero, you must first check and see whether or not you have the capital!¡± ¡°there are some things that you simply cannot accomplish alone!¡± the young man leading the group of three snorted coldly. he was already used to seeing confident fools acting like heroes saving the damsels in distress. but in the end, it turned out that the supposed heroes were merely being overconfident and did not have the strength to save anyone. the group of three from the three gods mountain believed that li ming was merely a self-righteous person who wanted to show off. but could he really afford the consequences of his actions? ¡°who said i wanted to be a hero?¡± ¡°there¡¯s only the three of you, so why would i need any help?¡± li ming snorted lightly. chen qingke was a genius disciple of the divine will sect and had reached the late stage of the foundation establishment realm in just over a year. and as for lu lan, who was at the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm, she could probably deal with all three of them on her own. li ming only wanted to test out how strong he had become after reaching the late-stage foundation establishment realm, passing the transformation brought about by the marrow cleansing pill, and reaching the sixth level of the golden crow body tempering art, he had been refining pills recently. although he had indeed taken some time every day to temper his body, he had not gone through actual combat tempering. just raising his cultivation base would not allow li ming to have a solid foundation. this was especially so for body cultivation. it was only through actual combat that li ming would be able to learn how to better control his own strength. at the same time, he would be able to consolidate his foundation. this was his true goal. as for the three of them? li ming merely saw them as sandbags. ¡°hmph, you sure have big words. i hope you can still be so confident when you face your death in a while!¡± the young man leading the group of three was completely disdainful. in his eyes, li ming was just a clown. this was not the first time he had seen a person be extremely presumptuous before their death. such people did not have good endings. looking at the two beauties behind li ming, the group of three¡¯s eyes shone with excitement. they truly wanted to have a taste of the beauties. they did not take their opponent, who was alone and at the late-stage foundation establishment realm, seriously at all. ¡°brat, you¡¯re courting death. don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll make sure to make this quick!¡± the young man leading the group of three raised his hand, and the other two raised their hands at the same time. their respective magical artifacts appeared, and sharp lights burst out. the spiritual qi of the group of three erupted, and it actually set off a gust of wind! the crowd of onlookers in the entire venue was forced to move back! cultivators who were at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm were already considered people with extraordinary strength in the eastern continent. they were existences that could dominate a large area. under the full force of their aura, the three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators instantly rushed forward and attacked li ming. they waved their magical artifacts, and spiritual qi surged out violently from their bodies, turning into sharp lights that assaulted li ming! it was just an ordinary burst of sword qi, but it already possessed an astonishing might! just these flashes of sword qi were enough to make an intermediate-stage foundation establishment cultivator feel as if death was approaching. even late-stage foundation establishment cultivators could only choose to dodge. however, li ming did not panic at all when he saw the three flashes of sword qi coming straight at him. he did not even try to dodge. instead, he just stood there. streams of light surged around his body, and in an instant, a thin golden light covered his entire body. this was also the most commonly used defensive technique of qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators. for qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators, this technique did not consume too much spiritual qi, and it increased their weak defense. therefore, for those who had weak bodies, it was a great technique. but as for li ming who cultivated both his body and qi at the same time, the technique also significantly enhanced his physical defense. the level of his defenses was not something that a qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators could reach. the three flashes of sword qi landed and exploded around li ming! in an instant, dust flew and smoke swirled around! when everyone saw this scene, they were all dumbfounded. clearly, they did not expect that li ming did not have any intention of dodging the attacks of three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators. had he really just been acting tough earlier? after seeing the other party actually attack him, did he get so frightened that he could not even move? did he not have enough time to react? however, no matter what, the crowd was sure that it could not have been a good feeling to withstand three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators¡¯ sword qi head-on! however, as the smoke gradually dissipated, everyone¡¯s pupils instantly constricted. li ming stood in front of everyone, completely unharmed. his face showed a relaxed and disdainful expression. it seemed that he was not satisfied with the attacks of the three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators. ¡°don¡¯t you know that there¡¯s a law in battle?¡± li ming grinned. his physical body had indeed grown a lot stronger. the improvement brought about by the marrow cleansing and the growth brought about by reaching the late stage of the foundation establishment realm greatly improved the defense of his physical body. even when facing three late-stage foundation establishment sword qi attacks, he was easily able to withstand them with just his body. this was the benefit of body cultivation. how could some ordinary attacks harm the body of a body cultivator? this was obviously impossible! when the three opponents saw this scene, they were incomparably stunned. judging from the level of spiritual qi that li ming had displayed, it was clear that he was only at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm. however, if he really was at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, how was he able to sustain no injuries despite not dodging their attacks. it simply did not make sense. it was utterly unreasonable! in the end, they were only able to deduce one possibility! ¡°i did not expect you to have a defensive magical artifact that could block our attacks. it seems that your defensive magical artifact is quite powerful.¡± ¡°as expected of the number one sect in the heavenly southern region, the divine will sect is not to be taken lightly.¡± ¡°however, when you die, everything you have will belong to us!¡± it was obvious that the three of them and even the bystanders thought that li ming had some powerful defensive magical artifact. for qi cultivation foundation establishment cultivators, it was definitely a good thing to have a high-quality defensive magical artifact in addition to their natal magical treasures! after all, such things could save their lives at critical moments. even though their line of thinking was completely reasonable, especially since the eastern continent was almost entirely comprised of qi cultivators, they were unfortunately utterly mistaken. li ming had only relied on the strength of his physical body to block their attacks. however, li ming would not bother explaining everything to them. ¡°defensive magic artifacts?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t need such toys.¡± ¡°since you want to kill me, then i won¡¯t hold back.¡± li ming sneered and took a step forward.. in the next second, he flashed forward like lightning! Chapter 89 - Chapter 89: Actually Killing chapter 89: actually killing translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation as soon as li ming finished speaking, his figure flashed forward. before his three enemies could react, sharp glimmers of light were already right in front of their eyes! the golden flames shot past them, while the tyrannical and overbearing sword qi forced them to retreat! once they managed to catch sight of him again, li ming had already stabilized his body. the black gold sword in his hand was very eye-catching! golden flames surged on the black gold sword! the black sword that was in li ming¡¯s hand was none other than his natal magical treasure, the golden crow sword! this was the first time li ming had used it ever since he had refined it. he had never really properly tested its might. as such, he never expected that a simple dash and a swing of the sword would actually be able to unleash such power! the sharpness of the golden crow sword and the might it was able to display had exceeded li ming¡¯s initial expectations. it was obvious that he had refined this natal magical treasure of his really well. naturally, some of the merit had to be attributed to the materials the black stone had given him. the strange crystal, along with his golden crow true fire, allowed the power of his natal magical treasure to rise sharply. ¡°is this the power of my natal magical treasure?¡± ¡°not bad.¡± li ming looked at his golden crow sword and found it to his liking even more. previously, he had always fought using his fists in close combat. fighting in such a way was honestly quite troublesome. if he was outnumbered, like right now, as soon as his enemies were able to prepare well enough, it would be very difficult for him to fight them in close combat. but with his natal magical treasure, he could easily cause chaos among his opponents, forcing them to break formation. the three disciples from the three gods mountain were knocked back. before they could say anything, li ming¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°are you ready to die?¡± his voice was cold, and the moment he landed on the ground, a loud sound akin to a clap of thunder could be heard! the three of them had only just regained their composure when they saw li ming disappear in front of their eyes once again! they only saw a flash of white light before their eyes, along with a golden light. in the next instant, the golden crow sword had already pierced one of their chests! before the three of them could react at all, he had actually killed one of them! before they could react, one of them was already dead! ¡°how, now is rms possid1ef!¡± ¡°how can a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator have such speed?¡± ¡°could it be that this fellow has cultivated some kind of magical art?¡± obviously, the young man that had been leading the group of three was beginning to panic. the advantage that they had initially had was completely crushed the moment the other party displayed his strength. their opponent possessed both incredible speed and strength! they were not his match in the slightest. in fact, they could even feel that their natal magical treasures were completely incomparable to li ming¡¯s natal magical treasure! ¡°you bastard, that was clearly a sneak attack!¡± the young man shouted angrily. the three of them were completely unprepared and one of them had been directly killed by li ming. this caused them to lose their mind! regardless, it was obvious that the two were now very cautious of li ming. the moment their magical treasures moved, spiritual qi surged like a wave. spiritual qi danced along with the movements of the sword, bringing forth a stormy sea! the wave then aggressively crashed toward li ming! this wave was formed by spiritual qi and sword qi. while it might look gentle to spectators, it was actually extremely dangerous! moreover, this was also a low-grade mystic-tier magical art! this was also their strongest move! the moment they unleashed the technique, the momentum of the duel seemed to have completely reversed. low-grade mystic-tier techniques were very rare. but coming from a large sect, it was still possible for them to learn a technique of this level. nevertheless, this proved that their status in the three divine mountains was not low. moreover, their talents were not bad. the magical art appeared with terrifying might. it was as if it wanted to swallow li ming whole! he activated the great sun heaven-overturning seal and rushed toward the tide. li ming pushed his arm forward toward the wave! his palm print flew forth through the air, bringing with it the heat of the sun and shocking power. instantly, the wave was entirely obliterated! boom! the two powerful magical arts collided, and spiritual qi intertwined and distorted as they did. they were both low-grade mystic-tier techniques, and their might was on par with one another! the two sides¡¯ attacks were actually unable to do anything to the other for some time. however, li ming was different from them. to them, who were qi cultivators, using a mystic-tier magical art required a large amount of spiritual qi. but to li ming, he had a much larger store of spiritual qi thanks to his body cultivation. his supply of spiritual qi was completely incomparable to what the other party possessed. seeing that the collision did not yield satisfactory results, li ming chose to attack again! he used the wind lightning steps. when they saw li ming¡¯s figure disappear again, the two of them immediately reacted. they stood with their backs pressed against each other with their magical treasures held in front of them. they prepared themselves to defend against any of li ming¡¯s attacks! li ming watched as his two opponents took a defensive stance and focused their attention. despite his opponents having prepared for his attacks, li ming did not hesitate to launch another attack. he used wind lightning steps and flashed forward. li ming instantly appeared above the two of them! just as they raised his head, they saw that a bronze cauldron had already condensed in li ming¡¯s hand! flames raged on the cauldron, and the pattern of a golden crow could be seen vividly on its surface. it was not only the two of them, but the surrounding cultivators from the other sects also widened their eyes when they saw the cauldron. the signature technique that the divine will sect was most proud of was the cauldron transformation art! however, even if everyone knew about this fact, they were instantly dumbfounded when they saw the bronze cauldron that li ming had revealed! this cauldron was incomparably huge! it was as if li ming was holding a mountain in his hand! it was vast and shocking! the raging flames on the cauldron were like the scorching sun. it looked as if li ming was a giant at this moment! a giant that was holding the sun! the cauldron swayed, and an astonishing might surged. the heat wave and pressure that descended caused the ground around the two to instantly split apart! under the pressure, it burst forth! boom! as the cauldron descended, the dull sound of space being compressed was enough to make one¡¯s heart tremble. the two feared for their lives and used all their strength to urge their spiritual qi, using everything they had left to block li ming¡¯s attack! however! even when they put everything they had into their defenses, the moment the bronze cauldron fell, the two of them instantly disappeared before everyone¡¯s eyes! boom! an explosion sounded! the cauldron landed, and a huge pit appeared on the square! as the cauldron dissipated, the charred earth around them appeared, and it was pitch-black. at the very bottom, the two people had already been smashed by the cauldron until blood flowed from their seven orifices. their bodies were distorted as they were directly killed! hiss! this was a disciple of the divine will sect? was he not too powerful? the three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators were barely even able to fight back when faced against him! this guy was an utter monster! his speed was astonishing, and his explosive power was also astonishing! he was even able to condense such a large and vivid cauldron! while the spectators were still stunned by what they had just seen, li ming looked at the huge pit in front of him and muttered to himself. ¡°the cauldron is quite powerful when used at full strength..¡± Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: New Purple Entry! chapter 90: new purple entry! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation [new entry obtained!] [purple entry: heroic!] [heroic (purple): increases the effects of aura and attack modifiers, and increases power by 50%!] li ming had still been letting out a sigh after the battle when the prompt for having acquired a new entry suddenly emerged in his eyes. this surprised li ming. originally, he had only wanted to test his current level of strength. li ming knew that he could easily deal with three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators. as long as his opponents were not at least at the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm, they could not really pose any threat to him. after all, li ming cultivated both his body and qi. his combat strength was much greater than others. however, li ming himself did not expect that under such circumstances, an entry would actually appear. ever since his strength had increased, the methods by which he could obtain entries had become much more varied. now, he had even luckily obtained another purple entry! he now had several purple entries among his list of entries. from [martial arts prodigy] to [voracious feast] to [wild growth], the improvement that the purple entries brought to li ming were apparent. now, he had gotten another one. however, what li ming was truly looking forward to when obtaining a purple entry were actually the special effects that they came with! the entry that he just obtained could increase his strength! this meant that if he were to use a low-grade mystic-tier magical art now, with the buff from [heroic], the might of the magical art should be able to reach the level of an intermediate-grade mystic-tier magical art! the existence of such an entry undoubtedly increased li ming¡¯s combat strength considerably once again. he now had even stronger combat strength than before the battle! the buff that the entry provided was something that he had never come across before. ¡°junior brother li, are you alright?¡± when they saw li ming stand silently in the middle of the arena even after the battle had already concluded, lu lan and chen qingke went forward to check on him. hearing them, li ming came back to his senses. ¡°it¡¯s nothing.¡± he immediately smiled. ¡°it was just that i have not fought for quite a while, so i was finally looking forward to getting some exercise. but i did not expect the disciples of the three gods mountain to be so weak.¡± li ming grinned and said a few words, but the onlookers simply rolled their eyes when they heard what he said. was he implying that those from the three gods mountain could not even take a light beating? is he still speaking human language? as a major sect in the great northern region, the three gods mountain¡¯s strength and status were not low. moreover, three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators were extremely powerful figures no matter where they were placed in the eastern continent! however, such people could not even last an hour in li ming¡¯s hands! in fact, they were even killed on the spot! what exactly was going on? they had never seen a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator manage to have such an easy time killing three late-stage foundation establishment cultivators. in the entire eastern continent, such a case was very rare. however, when li ming spoke about the matter, it was as if he had merely been strengthing his body. how could anybody speak like that? since when could a late-stage foundation establishment cultivator be used as a punching bag for training by another late-stage foundation establishment cultivator? lu lan felt helpless when she heard li ming¡¯s words. every time she saw li ming make a move, it always brought her a different surprise. he always allowed her to see new things. the palm print that li ming had displayed earlier was shockingly powerful. it was a genuine low-grade mystic-tier martial art. there was also his cauldron transformation art. lu lan had thought that chen qingke¡¯s cauldron transformation art was already the best among the disciples of the divine will sect. however, after seeing li ming¡¯s display, she finally understood what it meant for there to be a sky beyond a sky! although li ming was only in the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, his strength was already enough to fight even those in the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm! at the very least, in lu lan¡¯s eyes, there was no one in the eastern continent who could compete with li ming at his level! ¡°these people from the three gods mountain were courting death.¡± ¡°after all, the current situation is special. if they die, so be it.¡± ¡°however, the people from the three gods mountain have always been vengeful. i reckon that they will find trouble with you first during the sect competition.¡± lu lan warned li ming. hearing this, li ming grew curious. the sect competition. logically speaking, he should not have to participate in it, right? after all, the sect had already made him a consecrator, so they could not possibly still have him go up on stage. ¡°what exactly is going on with the competition between the sects?¡± li ming was curious. the three of them left as if nothing significant had happened. along the way, li ming also asked carefully about the internal situation of the sect competition. to put it simply. the entire sect competition was a contest between several large sects in the eastern continent. however, this was not your ordinary competition. although it merely sounded like a competition between the disciples of the various sects, it was still a battle between foundation establishment cultivators. and in reality, it was even more than that. the elders and consecrators of the various large sects would also take action. there would be a lot of intense battles that would take place in such confrontations. after all, compared to the foundation establishment realm, the battles between golden core cultivators were much more fierce. and since li ming had become a sect consecrator, he would have to face off against golden core cultivators! the difficulty for him had increased sharply. these were all things that li ming needed to consider. no wonder the consecrators of the sect said that they would not let him go on stage as long as they still had the choice. it turned out that the consecrators also needed to fight. this was also the reason why they needed medicinal pills. there were only two months left before the sect competition. the conflict between the various sects also intensified during this period. the various sects were no longer mostly targeting the divine will sect. this caused the situation of the divine will sect to slightly improve during this time. all of the disciples began to cultivate with all their might. naturally, as a sect consecrator, the same went for li ming. previously, he was immersed in pill refining and had delayed a lot of his cultivation time. now, li ming put all his attention on body cultivation. the sixth level of the golden crow body tempering art was the stage li ming was currently at. he wanted to take another step forward. he continued to stabilize his cultivation and increase his strength. he tempered his body again and again. it was the only li ming needed to do, and it was the only thing that he did do. he practiced the golden crow body tempering art, and he repeatedly tempered his body with the help of his various entries. li ming improved very quickly. with the help of his entries and sufficient cultivation resources, li ming successfully entered the seventh level of the golden crow body tempering art in just a month! although his cultivation level had yet to increase, li ming could clearly feel that once he reached the eighth level of the golden crow body tempering art, he would be able to reach the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm! this step was also the first hurdle that one had to go through to enter the golden core realm. only those who had reached the peak of the foundation establishment realm would be qualified to fight with golden core state cultivators in the sect competition. li ming also wanted to see the strength of a golden core cultivator for himself. he felt that it would be very interesting to compete with those who had a higher cultivation base than he did. it was only by fighting with others that he could figure out where his limits were and understand how far he could go! cultivation was not just about hard work. actual combat was a vital part of cultivation. it was only through actual combat that one could sharpen themselves and stimulate their potential. this was what li ming had comprehended during the few battles that he had experienced.. Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Perfected Foundation Establishment chapter 91: perfected foundation establishment translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the essence of cultivation was to combine cultivation and actual combat. it was similar to reading books. if one only knew how to study and not put it into practice, then there was basically no point in having studied. it was the same case in cultivation. having a high cultivation level without actually being able to put it to any use would simply be a huge waste. such a career was too decadent and had no future. although li ming wanted to live a quiet life and cultivate freely, he could not avoid fighting. it was inevitable. the world was plagued with problems. as long as people were present, competition would as well. li ming could not stay away from such competition forever. so, he chose to join the competitions, and he had to do his best! with this thought in mind, li ming became even more interested in cultivation and increasing his strength. during the remaining month before the sect competition, li ming completely remained in seclusion. during this period, apart from a few consecrators who came over to get some pills from him, li ming spent the rest of his time in cultivation. the sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly. on this day, while practicing the golden crow body tempering art with the help of the blazing sun shining brightly in the sky, li ming tempered his body repeatedly. as he moved, the golden crow true fire around him moved as well. beneath li ming were piles of spirit stones. while circulating the golden crow body tempering art, spiritual qi flowed out from the spirit stones and was absorbed by li ming. ever since he mastered pill refinement, li ming no longer lacked spirit stones. on the contrary, he had more than enough resources. pill refiners, especially high-grade pill refiners, were the most popular occupation no matter where they went. and when it came to sects, they were regarded as valuable treasures. no matter how talented a person was, even if they were as talented as chen qingke, they would need pills for cultivation. if people only consumed some low-grade pills, the effects that the cultivator would receive would obviously not be ideal. high-grade pills were very difficult to obtain. in the entire eastern continent, there were no pill refiners above the third grade. and li ming was the only fifth-grade pill refiner in the eastern continent! of course, other than li ming, only a few of the sect consecrators knew about this. once it was leaked, it would definitely cause another uproar in the eastern continent! ¡°it¡¯s here!¡± in the courtyard, li ming¡¯s movements suddenly accelerated. as his arm shook out, flames soared into the sky from li ming¡¯s body. at the same time, rays of golden crow spiritual qi burst out like starlight! his entire body was shining brightly! as soon as his movements ended, li ming¡¯s aura instantly soared! the eighth level of the golden crow body tempering art! the perfected level of the body cultivation foundation establishment realm! the perfected level of the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm! at this moment, the aura emanating from li ming had become incredibly domineering! his cultivation had successfully broken through! he had reached the eighth level of the golden crow body tempering art, successfully entering the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm! the two months of arduous cultivation had clearly benefited li ming greatly. the results were excellent. li ming¡¯s cultivation had increased significantly. ¡°not bad, your cultivation speed is truly abnormal.¡± ¡°cultivating both body and qi has always been the slowest and most troublesome path of cultivation.¡± ¡°furthermore, you¡¯re even proficient in pill refining. despite such circumstances, your cultivation speed is actually still so fast.¡± ¡°your talent is truly monstrous.¡± the black stone seemed to be very clear about all kinds of situations. especially when it came to body and qi dual cultivation. this made li ming even more curious. what was the origin of this black stone? how did it know so much? ¡°who exactly are you?¡± ¡°the magical arts that you gave me were of the mystic tier, and the crystals you gave me to forge the golden crow sword with was also incredibly unique. now, you even seem to be quite knowledgeable on the path of body and qi dual cultivation. ¡± ¡°if i remember correctly, there had not been a single person who has cultivated both body and qi in the entire eastern continent for hundreds of years.¡± ¡°so how do you know so much?¡± li ming asked curiously. when li ming first discovered the black stone, he already had a lot of questions. however, when he first asked it questions, the black stone did not explain anything to him. these days, li ming came to realize just how profound the black stone¡¯s knowledge of the cultivation world was, so he naturally grew more and more curious. whether it was pill refinement or body cultivation, it seemed to know everything clearly. the black stone¡¯s response to li ming¡¯s question was simple. ¡°it¡¯s still too early to tell you.¡± ¡°you just need to know that i will not harm you.¡± ¡°as for the rest, you will naturally come to know the truth when you are strong enough.¡± the black stone¡¯s words sounded mysterious and unfathomable. it made it seem like a hidden expert. however, li ming did not care about its attitude at all. instead, he simply said, ¡°cut it out.¡± ¡°wait for me to become stronger?¡± ¡°what? you want me to avenge you or something?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not interested in that. all of this is merely an exchange between you and me. i give you spirit stones, and you give me what i need.¡± ¡°as for your matter, it depends on my mood.¡± li ming did not fall into the trap at all. he was not dumb, how could he not know the implications of the circumstance he was in? there was obviously a soul trapped in this strange black stone. it was most likely an old man. li ming was familiar with such storylines in his previous life. naturally, he would not allow himself to fall into such a low-level trap. hearing li ming¡¯s words, the black stone was speechless. this kid. back then, it had wanted to ask for help to recover a physical body. however, li ming had guessed it ahead of time. it was the same now. no wonder he was so talented and smart. he could understand so much things with just a few words. this was truly rather unbelievable. however, it did not matter. to be able to witness the rise of such a genius seemed to be a good thing. li ming honestly did not have many thoughts regarding the black stone. if he could resolve its past, he would naturally find a way to do so. if he could not, then there was no need to be persistent. ¡°don¡¯t worry, kid. i won¡¯t force you to do anything.¡± ¡°you can just continue to do whatever you need to do, i will continue to give you the same benefits.¡± ¡°you can rest assured that you will continue to receive benefits from me.¡± the black stone immediately expressed its opinion. after this period of time, it finally understood what kind of person li ming was. if he was forced to do something, it would obviously be of no use. on the contrary, it would only make things more difficult. the black stone¡¯s words put li ming at ease. the path of cultivation had always been illusory and mysterious. what li ming knew was limited to the sect he was in. in fact, li ming was not even that knowledgeable on the details of the entire eastern continent. with the existence of an encyclopedia like the black stone, he could avoid a lot of trouble. the black stone allowed li ming to understand certain things and have a glimpse of the wider cultivation world in advance. this was a good thing.. Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: Sect Master Comes Out of Seclusion chapter 92: sect master comes out of seclusion translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation with the black stone around, li ming was able to learn many things. but at the same time, li ming knew that just knowing certain things was not enough. the vast cultivation world was filled with all kinds of situations and circumstances. cultivators like him who had just entered the cultivation world yearned to uncover the mysteries across the world. for li ming, this was something he intended to do in the future. for now, he believed that he had to increase his strength and cultivation first. he believed that it was only by increasing his own strength that he would be qualified to roam the world freely. only then would he have enough strength to protect himself. although li ming had never come into contact with the outside world, he did not need to know that there were definitely many experts outside. the eastern continent already had golden core and nascent soul cultivators. these existences were all mountains that pressed down on the heads of foundation establishment cultivators. if he wanted to no longer be suppressed by such forces, he needed to have enough strength to contend with such existences! it was only then that he would have the ability to survive and thrive in the cultivation world! although he had reached the peak of the foundation establishment realm, there was still a huge gap between him and golden core cultivators. right now, li ming only wanted to increase his cultivation level so that he could better guarantee for the future. while li ming was deep in thought, the great elder appeared in the courtyard. looking at li ming, the great elder was surprised. it had only been a few months since they last met, but li ming¡¯s cultivation had already reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm! this speed was not inferior to chen qingke! the great elder was the clearest about li ming¡¯s situation. from the moment that he entered the sect, he was regarded as a proud son of heaven by everyone. unfortunately, during the first three years that he was in the sect, he dedicated all his time and energy to body cultivation. therefore, people thought that he was a useless person. however, ever since li ming reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, it took him less than a year to go the qi refinement realm to the qi cultivation foundation establishment realm. now, he had even reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm for both! furthermore, li ming was a fifth-grade pill refiner! with such talent, even if it was outside, he would definitely be a prodigy that all the forces would fight for! ¡°not bad.¡± ¡°your talent is indeed the strongest in the sect.¡± ¡°li ming, the time for the sect competition is approaching. moreover, today is also the day that the sect master will be coming out of seclusion.¡± ¡°follow me and welcome the sect master with the other consecrators.¡± the great elder did not praise him too much. in the path of cultivation, one should always guard against arrogance and impatience. although they had already stepped on the path of cultivation, many cultivators failed to free themselves of such natures. the fickleness and distortion of human nature had always been difficult to remove. it was even more so in cultivation. a heaven¡¯s favorite referred to those with outstanding talent, but it was not meant for those who were arrogant and complacent. fortunately, li ming did not care about such words, whether they were praise or slander. after all, he had already become immune to the opinions of outsiders during the three years that he was disregarded. his mental state had become incredibly firm. however, li ming was curious. why did the sect master need the consecrators to welcome them when they were coming out of their seclusion? speaking of which, ever since li ming entered the divine will sect, he had never seen or heard anything about the sect master. the sect master of the number one sect in the heavenly southern region should also be an absolute powerhouse. ¡°great elder, what realm is this sect master at?¡± ¡°ever since i entered the sect, i¡¯ve never seen the sect master. have they been in seclusion for three years?¡± li ming found himself puzzled about some things as he followed the great elder. the great elder was already in the nascent soul realm and was extremely powerful. in the entire divine will sect, he was a transcendent existence. he wondered how powerful the sect master was. ¡°the sect master¡¯s cultivation is naturally unfathomable.¡± ¡°i was already in the intermediate stage of the nascent soul realm before i last entered secluded meditation. with the help of the medicinal pills i used, i¡¯m still in the intermediate stage of the nascent soul realm.¡± ¡°the sect master has been in seclusion for ten years. the higher the cultivation level, the more time is needed.¡± ¡°of course, as a pill refiner, it might be a little bit easier for you when it comes to this aspect.¡± li ming could not help but smack his lips when he heard the great elder¡¯s words. the path of cultivation was indeed very complicated. the further he got, the more difficult it would get. he was only at the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm and it was still a challenge for him to reach the golden core realm. although it was only a matter of time before he broke through to the golden core realm, he still required a proper opportunity to do so. some people found it very difficult to wait for this opportunity. things like opportunities were not easy to come upon. it was extremely marvelous. therefore, many people would seek opportunities after reaching the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm. they would either cultivate bitterly or fight with others to find a breakthrough in battle. these were all common methods. of course, there were still cases where the cultivator¡¯s talent was simply limited, and that was the limit that they could reach in their lifetime. all in all, there were tens of thousands of cultivators, but just the single step from the foundation establishment realm to the golden core realm was enough to stop countless people. li ming also knew that his path of cultivation had just begun. entering the golden core realm was the beginning of true cultivation! although he did not know the sect master¡¯s cultivation level, he was at least above the intermediate stage of the nascent soul realm! as the number one sect in the heavenly southern region, the divine will sect naturally had its own strength. following the great elder, they passed through the back of the mountain and crossed the peaks of the five halls before arriving at their destination! it was also a mountain peak, but this mountain peak was supported by a magic array. it was also the location with the most abundant spiritual qi in the entire divine will sect, making it the most suitable place for cultivation. naturally, it was also the place where the sect master went into seclusion. when they arrived at the cave abode, spiritual qi had already leaked out of the door of the cave abode, and the majestic spiritual qi was like a hurricane. it burst out instantly! boom! with a loud bang, the cave¡¯s stone gate moved with a loud bang. the spiritual qi instantly appeared to be in a state of spinning up, shooting straight into the clouds! when the few consecrators saw this scene, they all bowed respectfully. as spiritual qi surged out, a figure emerged in front of them. li ming was also curious and nervous. the moment the stone door opened, the powerful pressure actually caused li ming to be unable to breathe for a moment! if it was not for the great elder¡¯s help and protection, li ming would have been sent flying by this pressure. it was also because of this that li ming was even more curious about what the sect master was like. as the smoke and dense spiritual qi dissipated, the figure that had emerged from the cave abode was finally clearly revealed. however, at first glance, li ming was stunned. ¡°she¡¯s the sect leader?¡± looking at the person who had appeared in front of him, he discovered that she had a slender figure. she was wearing a white dress, and her black hair danced in the wind, making her look graceful and unique. her face was especially cold and beautiful, causing one to be afraid when looking at her. she was like a fairy born from the immortal world, untouchable and unreachable. the rest of the consecrators bowed respectfully. only li ming sized her up curiously. he had thought that the sect master of divine will sect would be an old person who was even older than the great elder. he never expected the sect master to actually be such a beautiful woman! her aura was powerful, and her figure and appearance were top-notch! Chapter 93 - Chapter 93: Another Opportunity chapter 93: another opportunity translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation seeing this, li ming was surprised. he never would have thought that the sect master of the number one sect in the heavenly southern region would be a peerless beauty! ¡°sect master, you¡¯ve finally come out of seclusion.¡± after the few consecrators bowed, they stood up and looked at the sect master. everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with respect. they did not dare to show the sect master any disrespect. it was obvious that the beautiful sect master had a high status in their eyes. the sect master nodded slightly and her gaze immediately landed on li ming. a perfected level foundation establishment disciple? ¡°great elder, who is this person?¡± the great elder seemed to have been prepared for the sect master to ask him this question. he stepped forward and cupped his hands. ¡°sect master, this disciple is li ming.¡± ¡°he is the first in a hundred years to reach the body cultivation foundation establishment realm. he is now a dual cultivator of body and qi. he is also a fifth-grade pill refiner!¡± ¡°due to his attainments, i appointed him as the tenth consecrator of the sect.¡± when the great elder finished speaking, the sect master¡¯s expression changed. she looked at li ming in disbelief and sized him up. ¡°fifth-grade dill refiner?¡± ¡°great elder, are you sure?¡± the sect master obviously did not immediately believe his words. how could a perfected-level foundation establishment disciple be a fifth-grade pill refiner? this was completely illogical! no matter what, a fifth-grade pill refiner had to be at the late stage of the golden core realm! even if one was talented, it was impossible for them to reach the level of a fifth-grade pill refiner at the foundation establishment realm! this was truly unbelievable! facing the question, the great elder replied steadily, ¡°sect master, although it is indeed quite unbelievable, it is the truth.¡± ¡°my soul concentration pill was refined by li ming, and it even had his own unique spirit pattern. it was a genuine fifth-grade pill.¡± ¡°this is a good thing for our sect.¡¯ the great elder had been in the sect for many years. the sect master naturally knew his personality. moreover, the great elder¡¯s cultivation had already reached the intermediate stage of the nascent soul realm, and there were still traces of him having taken the soul concentration pill. the fact that there were still traces of the pill meant that he had not yet completely absorbed the medicinal effects of the pill. the great elder would not lie about such a thing. ¡°the fourth-grade pills that the few consecrators took were also refined by li ming. it is also because of his existence as a fifth-grade pill refiner that the overall strength of the sect has increased.¡± ¡°his actions have allowed the sect to have an even more stable position in this sect war.¡± after the great elder finished speaking, the sect master was also very surprised. she did not expect that after ten years of seclusion, such a huge change would actually take place in the sect. this was indeed unexpected. but overall, this was obviously a good thing. at the very least, the sect had been upgraded. ¡°fifth-grade pill refiner, we must not rashly reveal this to outsiders.¡± ¡°at the very least, the sect will have a certain advantage in this sect competition.¡± the sect master could be said to have accepted the fact. this was indeed a pleasant surprise for the sect. a fifth-grade pill refiner would be of great help to the sect. ¡°a fifth-grade pill refiner is indeed qualified to be a sect consecrator.¡± ¡°li ming, what technique do you cultivate?¡± ¡°i can see that your aura is blazing hot, so you should be cultivating the most pure and extreme yang cultivation technique.¡± li ming naturally did not dare to be negligent when the sect master asked. the aura that the sect master exuded was shocking. it appeared calm, but it brought great pressure on him, who was at a lower realm! li ming quickly cupped his hands. ¡°sect master, i cultivate the golden crow body tempering art. however, the golden crow body tempering technique art i practice has fused with the ancient spirit mysterious art.¡± ¡°that¡¯s why i can cultivate both my body and qi.¡± although the cultivation techniques and magical arts that cultivators practiced were generally kept as secrets, special circumstances and opportunities usually were. however, to li ming, there was no difference whether he said it or not. he was a disciple of the divine will sect, and the other party was the sect master. the divine will sect had taken good care of him over the years. as such, he did feel the need to hide much to the sect. of course, he still kept things like the black stone and his entry system as secrets. however, when li ming finished speaking, the sect master raised her eyebrows and looked even more surprised. she was even more surprised than before. ¡°golden crow body tempering art? and the ancient spirit mysterious art?¡± ¡°did you find this ancient spirit mysterious art in the scripture depository?¡± li ming hurriedly nodded. ¡°what about the golden crow body tempering art?¡± ¡°sect master, i obtained it by chance when i went out on a mission.¡± ¡°at that time, i was worried that i could not find any other suitable body cultivation technique, so i simply cultivated it.¡± li ming replied without any pauses in his speech. he did not explain in detail how he had obtained the golden crow body tempering art. after all, the woman who was the leader of the demons was too mysterious. it was still unknown whether she was good or bad. if he said it out loud, it would probably cause a misunderstanding. moreover, judging from the sect master¡¯s reaction, it seemed that she had some understanding of the golden crow body tempering art. ¡°your luck is not bad.¡± ¡°your talent is pretty good as well.¡± ¡°this golden crow body tempering art is incomplete. as for the ancient spirit mysterious art, it was actually a part of the golden crow body tempering art, and the two used to be one.¡± ¡°it is thus natural that you can cultivate both your body and qi.¡± ¡°however, it is difficult to endure the heavenly fire tempering of the early stages of the golden crow body tempering art, which is why this technique has been circulating for many years.¡± ¡°however, no one has been able to cultivate it.¡± hearing the sect master¡¯s words, li ming was also lost in thought. he did not expect the golden crow body tempering art to have such a bumpy history. that meant that the woman from before had probably chanced upon the technique, and he received it out of luck. of course, this was also because that specific entry he had received made it so that he had a greater affinity with demons. this was why li ming was able to take the opportunity. ¡°this is the second half of the ancient spirit mysterious art, and also the middle part of the golden crow body tempering art. it will allow you to cultivate until you reach the nascent soul realm.¡± ¡°since you have the talent, it¡¯s your fortune to be able to cultivate the golden crow body tempering art.¡± ¡°as a consecrator of the divine will sect, you should also know this. the sect will not treat you badly.¡± as the sect master spoke, she raised her hand and flung her hand. a ray of light then landed in li ming¡¯s hand. the light dissipated and an ancient scroll appeared. on it was the second half of the ancient spirit mysterious art. just as the sect master had said, this was also a part of the golden crow body tempering art. no wonder he was able to complete the fusion back then. it turned out that they were originally one. the golden crow body tempering art allowed one¡¯s body to reach the limit and allow it to become more conducive in absorbing spiritual qi. in the end, it was still the foundation of his qi cultivation. to put it simply, body cultivation was the foundation, and qi cultivation was the castle built on the foundation! the stability of the castle depended on the stability of the foundation! and they complemented each other. this was the golden crow body tempering art! ¡°thank you for your help, sect master!¡± li ming was overjoyed.. he was still thinking of going out and looking for an opportunity to complete his core formation, but now it seemed that he just received the opportunity he needed! Chapter 94 - Chapter 94: Cultivation Technique Breakthrough! chapter 94: cultivation technique breakthrough! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation if he could obtain the second half of the ancient spirit mysterious art, he would be able to further complete his golden crow body tempering art. moreover, according to the sect master, he would be able to cultivate the technique until the nascent soul realm! this undoubtedly provided li ming with much more room to grow! ¡°my name is fan shuang. i am the 23rd sect master of the divine will sect. since you are a fifth-grade pill refiner, you can be the chief guest of the divine will sect while being the tenth consecrator at the same time.¡± ¡°in the future, the divine will sect will not restrict you. however, during this time, you will still need to refine pills for the sect.¡± sect master fan shuang spoke. her voice was light but powerful. every single one of her words was clearly transmitted into li ming¡¯s ears. above the consecrators, there was the chief guest! li ming had thought that it was already a great favor for the great elder to have directly made him the tenth consecrator. he did not expect that the sect master would give him an even greater standing! the chief guest was not restricted. this was clearly for the sake of his future! after all, although the divine will sect was the number one sect in the heavenly southern region and had a high status in the eastern continent, that was only true in the eastern continent. the world consisted of much more than just the eastern continent! the world of cultivation has developed for tens of thousands of years. the world was vast and boundless. what li ming had seen was just the tip of the iceberg or a drop in the ocean. fan shuang was obviously considering li ming¡¯s future. that was why she gave him such preferential treatment. once he was restricted by the sect, no matter how talented li ming was, he would not be able to advance or improve. li ming was touched by the sect master¡¯s actions. ¡°however, while the great elder has said that you are already a fifth-grade pill refiner, i have never seen you in action before.¡± ¡°it just so happens that i¡¯m still one step away from the soul formation realm. the pill i need is also the fifth-grade soul concentration pill. if you can refine it, then what i said before will naturally come true.¡± ¡°to make it easier for you to refine the pill, you can cultivate here during the sect competition.¡± hearing fan shuang¡¯s words, li ming was amazed. it turned out that fan shuang had already reached the advanced stage of the nascent soul realm. she was only one step away from reaching the soul formation realm! with such cultivation, she was probably the strongest in the eastern continent! li ming had no intention of rejecting the sect master¡¯s request and the rewards. this was the sect master¡¯s cultivation ground, and the spiritual qi here was extremely abundant. it was obviously the best place for cultivation. naturally, it was also the most precious part of the divine will sect. by cultivating here, once he fused the portion of the ancient spirit mysterious art he just received with his cultivation technique and advanced in the golden crow body tempering art, it was very likely for him to make a breakthrough from the foundation establishment realm and reach the core formation realm! with the rewards that fan shuang promised, li ming was naturally willing to refine the pill for her. ¡°don¡¯t worry, sect master. i will not fail this task.¡± li ming agreed and did not dawdle. in any case, the sect would provide him the materials. he only needed to focus on refining the pill. a fifth-grade medicinal pill, the soul concentration pill. this was a genuine fifth-grade medicinal pill. it was not the same medicinal pill that he had managed to refine to the fifth-grade previously. although li ming¡¯s pill refining experience was not as good as some other experienced pill refiners, with the many buffs he had from his entries, pill refinement became much easier for him. inside the cave abode, li ming familiarized himself with the recipe while fan shuang watched from the side. after ten years of seclusion, she had reached a bottleneck. if she could successfully obtain this pill, she would have a greater chance of breaking through the shackles and becoming a soul formation cultivator! at that time, the divine will sect would be safe and sound in the sect competition! of course, this was only what she thought. although li ming was a fifth-grade pill refiner, whether or not he could really refine the pill successfully depended entirely on his luck. it was not an easy task. at this moment, after familiarizing himself with the pill formula, li ming immediately activated the four symbols pill refinement technique. then, with the help of the cauldron prepared by the sect master and the golden crow true fire, he began to refine the pill on the spot! when the golden crow true fire emerged, fan shuang was shocked. although she knew that li ming cultivated the golden crow body tempering art, it was still very troublesome to turn the foundation establishment true fire into the golden crow true fire when at the foundation establishment realm! reaching the body cultivation foundation establishment realm was difficult in of itself. it was like ascending to the heavens! it was then even more challenging to form the golden crow true fire. therefore, fan shuang did not expect that li ming had already cultivated the golden crow body tempering art to such a level! he infused the golden crow true fire, refined the herbs, and extracted their essence. however, li ming was relieved now. he did not have to worry about controlling the refinement with his powerful soul. he could even begin to study the ancient spirit mysterious art while refining the pills. after many refinements, coupled with the help of his entries, li ming became extremely proficient in pill refinement. at the final step of pill formation, the quality of the pill naturally depended on the number of spirit patterns. from the fifth grade onwards, the more spirit patterns that appeared on the medicinal pills, the higher the quality. the last step required li ming to personally manage things. but this also meant that he did not need to worry as much when it came to the refinement of the medicinal ingredients. because of that, li ming was able to spare some focus on the ancient spirit mysterious art. with the previous successful fusion as a precedent, li ming quickly found the key point this time. the two were originally one. after finding the incomplete part of the golden crow body tempering art, li ming naturally began to fuse the two techniques! as his body moved around, it looked like he was punching and twisting slowly, but the spiritual qi fluctuations that burst out with each swing were extremely powerful! his cultivation was slowly loosening! at the instant the ancient spirit mysterious art combined, the golden crow body tempering art also successfully leveled up! he had broken through from the thirteenth level to the fifteenth level! another two levels! that might not seem like much, but li ming¡¯s cultivation level instantly increased by a large margin! at this moment, li ming could clearly sense that he was one step closer to the core formation realm! unfortunately, although he had fused the techniques and increased his cultivation by another level, he still could not break through and advance to the core formation realm. it seemed that if he wanted to truly reach the core formation realm and enter the golden core realm, he still needed a suitable opportunity! four hours later, li ming successfully finished refining the herbs. in the end, this was still a genuine fifth-grade medicinal pill. the herbs he refined were very precious. fortunately, he had the golden crow true fire to speed up the refinement, allowing him to complete the refinement of the herbs in such a short time. the condensation and refinement began. li ming now fully immersed himself in the process of pill refinement. this process naturally required some time. refining a genuine fifth-grade pill would take li ming several days. during this time, the condensation and refinement of the pill were incredibly critical. these steps required his utmost care and attention. moreover, this was li ming¡¯s first time refining a genuine fifth-grade medicinal pill, so he naturally needed to be more cautious. under the control of his mind and the help of his soul, the golden crow true fire condensed. the essence of the medicinal ingredients began to be refined bit by bit. the essences began condensing li ming focused on controlling everything to avoid any accidents. the entire process was slow. for this, li ming spent a whole day! on the third day. the pill had just taken shape, and there was now only one final step left! that was to engrave the spirit patterns! spirit patterns were the symbol of a fifth-grade medicinal pill. and the engraving of the spirit patterns was naturally an extremely crucial step. it was also the key step that would decide whether or not a medicinal pill could become a fifth-grade pill! if he failed, the pill would self-destruct, and he would have to start all over again! Chapter 95 - Chapter 95: Pill Completed! Seclusion? chapter 95: pill completed! seclusion? translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation spirit pattern engraving was a threshold for pill refinement. it was extremely important! it was also related to the success or failure of the medicinal pill and the quality of the medicinal pill. therefore, spirit pattern pill refiners were often the only path to become true pill refiners. however, the eastern continent was just too barren. compared to the rest of the world, the eastern continent could only be regarded as the tip of the iceberg. not to mention anyone who had come into contact with spirit pattern engraving, there had not been a single pill refiner above the third grade in the entire eastern continent. at this moment, fan shuang¡¯s eyes were fixed on li ming, who was carving the golden crow spirit pattern on the pill bit by bit. with every stroke added to complete the spirit pattern, the medicinal pill would tremble. waves of powerful medicinal strength kept surging out! the spirit pattern engraving itself was a process of imposing restrictions on the medicinal pill. at the same time, it also helped to improve the medicinal strength and stabilize the quality of the pill. to li ming, the spirit pattern engraving portion was the most challenging part of refining pills. it was also the most troublesome. it was a test of his spiritual qi, the toughness of his body, and the perseverance of his soul. every stroke was a form of tempering for li ming. at the same time, every stroke greatly consumed his energy! the entire carving process took an entire three hours! the moment li ming¡¯s last stroke was placed, the golden crow true fire instantly shot up and enveloped the entire pill! in the next second, the powerful spiritual qi that burst out actually shook the entire cave abode! the cauldron cracked as the golden crow true fire roared. as the medicinal strength of the medicinal pill surged, the entire cave abode was filled with extremely potent energy! with li ming¡¯s current cultivation level, even if he cultivated both his body and qi, he would not be able to resist the impact of this energy! seeing this situation, fan shuang decisively made a move. she immediately stepped forward and stood in front of li ming. with a wave of her hand, she instantly blocked the wave of overbearing energy! ¡°are you alright?¡± ¡°with your cultivation, it would be very difficult for you to resist the backlash once you refine a fifth-grade medicinal pill.¡± ¡°you need to raise your cultivation before moving any further in the path of pill refinement.¡¯ fan shuang said after blocking the attack. seeing that li ming¡¯s face only turned pale and he did not suffer any injuries, she was relieved. at this moment, li ming raised his hand and took the pill wrapped in golden crow true fire into his hand. when the golden crow true fire dissipated, a complete medicinal pill appeared in front of the two of them! on the pill, there was a lifelike golden crow spirit pattern! compared to the previous time he refined a fifth-grade soul concentration pill, the spirit patterns this time were even more exquisite. ¡°sect master, the pill is complete.¡± ¡°i did not miss anything. however, because my cultivation level is not high enough, i could not withstand the wave of energy at the end. otherwise, the cauldron would not have shattered.¡± ¡°although there were some unforeseen events, this fifth-grade soul concentration pill is undoubtedly complete.¡± li ming looked at the pill and immediately handed it over with both hands. although a fifth-grade pill was amazing, it was completely useless to li ming. the only thing he could do now was to cultivate and find an opportunity to break through to the core formation realm. there was not much time left before the sect competition. if he could raise his cultivation to the next level, the risks would naturally decrease for him. fan shuang took the medicinal pill and inspected it. whether it was the spirit patterns or the energy of the pill itself, it was undoubtedly a fifth-grade pill! fan shuang did not expect that li ming could actually refine a fifth-grade pill! she had initially intended to not make things difficult for li ming even if he could not refine a fifth-grade pill. as long as he could refine a fourth-grade pill, she would still have given him preferential treatment. however, he actually managed to refine a fifth-grade medicinal pill in the end! this made fan shuang very excited. the higher one¡¯s cultivation was, the harder it was to raise one¡¯s cultivation. she had been in the late stage of the nascent soul realm for many years, and she had been lacking an opportunity to advance any further! however, this fifth-grade medicinal pill could increase her chances of successfully breaking through! it gave her hope in raising her cultivation! ¡°not bad.¡± ¡°if you have any questions regarding cultivation, you can ask me now.¡± ¡°after that, i need to take this pill before the sect competition.¡± hearing sect master fan shuang¡¯s words, li ming naturally did not dare to delay. he indeed had some questions regarding cultivation. whenever he asked the black stone for anything, he needed to give it something in exchange. now that he had someone else who he could ask questions without anything else in return, he naturally had no reason to refuse the opportunity. ¡°sect master, i want to know what to do to form my core.¡± ¡°what kind of opportunity do i need to complete it?¡± facing li ming¡¯s question, fan shuang sized him up and said, ¡°i¡¯ve never personally seen a body cultivator who has reached your level, so i¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°however, in terms of qi cultivation, it is a simple matter of condensing one¡¯s own spiritual qi into a golden core. this golden core needs to contain one¡¯s own soul. at the very least, one soul and three spirits need to be fused into it.¡± ¡°in fact, during the golden core realm, other than increasing your cultivation level, you are nurturing your golden core and preparing for the birth of your nascent soul.¡± ¡°every step of cultivation is a link between the previous and the following, each step is inseparable.¡± after fan shuang finished speaking, li ming did not get dismayed. instead, he chose to firmly remember these words. although he was not able to learn anything from the sect master about body cultivation, she was at least able to provide him with some information on the steps he would have to take for his qi cultivation. as for what he needed to do to further his body cultivation, li ming could only resort to exploring it himself. after all, he had nobody to reference from, so this was his only choice. fortunately, having been provided with a place that was so abundant in spiritual qi, li ming did not need to continue relying on various spirit stones to assist in his cultivation. as the cave abode opened. li ming was also at ease. there was still a month left before the sect competition! the sect master continued to cultivate in seclusion to digest the pill and seek a breakthrough. li ming was the same. of course, it was not exactly the same. he did not have any pills to use. he also had no past experience. the body cultivation foundation establishment realm was already a stage that no one else in his vicinity had achieved. his path of cultivation was much more difficult than others! inside the cave abode, li ming sat cross-legged with his mind full of thoughts. he had already reached the fifteenth level of the golden crow body tempering art, but he was stuck at the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm. it was very difficult for him to take the step into the core formation realm. according to the sect master, the qi cultivation core formation realm required one to condense one¡¯s own spiritual qi into a golden core. after fusing one soul and three spirits, one would condense and form a core before breaking through to the golden core relm. but in terms of body cultivation, what would he have to do? li ming racked his brains, but he had no one to ask. for some reason, the black stone seemed to have fallen silent ever since he entered this place. no matter how hard he tried, the black stone did not respond to him. li ming had no choice but to train the golden crow body tempering art repeatedly. he practiced it over and over again for several days without stopping! he never stopped! although his qi cultivation was enough to form his gold core, his body cultivation remained a headache for him. should he condense two golden cores? was there such a precedent? in the cultivation world, at least in the entire eastern continent, he had never heard of a cultivator who could reach the core formation realm twice. however, there was no other way. li ming could only rely on the abundant spiritual qi here to continuously practice the golden crow body tempering art! he hoped that he could use this natural method to try to break through the shackles! Chapter 96 - Chapter 96: Heavenly Tribulation chapter 96: heavenly tribulation translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation a month was not a long time. for cultivators, it was normal for them to go into seclusion for a few years or even more than ten years. during this month before the sect competition began, li ming cultivated nonstop. he practiced the golden crow body tempering art almost every day without pause. if he wanted to complete his core formation and enter the golden core realm by cultivating his body, he needed to temper his body nonstop every day through the golden crow body tempering art. ten whole days. li ming did not waste any time during these ten days. however, it was these ten days of cultivation that allowed li ming to gradually calm down. at the beginning, his mind was completely filled with thoughts of how he could further his body cultivation foundation establishment. but as time passed, his mind eventually immersed itself in pure cultivation. his mind was as still as water, devoid of any distracting thoughts. after some time, li ming could no longer even feel the movements of his arms. his body moved on instinct, moving without any conscious decisions! within his body, as the spiritual qi circulated, the golden crow, which had wrapped around the lotus flower on his foundation establishment stone platform, began to experience some changes. the golden crow began to condense, contract, and shrink in size. the events took place as if they were a matter of course. everything that took place happened outside of li ming¡¯s control. his muscles, blood vessels, bones, organs, and every inch of his body were being tempered by spiritual qi. waves of gentle yet powerful energy continuously circulated within his body. unknowingly, the meridians in li ming¡¯s body were slowly transforming from blood-red to golden. the entire process was carried out unconsciously. his cultivation circulated continuously. as his meridians changed, countless spiritual qi gathered and flowed toward his foundation establishment stone platform. the seemingly boundless spiritual qi continuously interweaved from the outside to the inside. after the transformation of his eight mysterious meridians, the spiritual qi became even denser. the golden crow on his foundation establishment stone platform also completely condensed. it all gradually formed a golden core! however, this was not the end. the golden core, which was supposed to be gold in color, suddenly changed at this moment. another color emerged and the golden core became composed of two completely different colors. the two colors intertwined, causing the golden core to be purple-gold in color. at the same time that the golden core formed, black clouds gathered above li ming¡¯s cave abode! this indicated the arrival of his heavenly tribulation! to advance from the foundation establishment realm to the golden core realm, not only did one need to cultivate sufficiently, but they would also need to endure the baptism of the heavenly tribulation. but in actuality, rather than calling it a baptism, it was more like a punishment. the path of cultivation was one where cultivators seized the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, competing with heaven and earth. while it might seem that cultivators were abiding by the will of the heavens, in reality, everything they did was to contend with the heavens! rising to the foundation establishment realm did not trigger a heavenly tribulation. it was only after one reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm and broke through to the core formation realm that a heavenly tribulation would descend! once a golden core appeared within a cultivator, it meant that they had truly broken away from the boundaries of mortals! if someone were to approach the heavens, they would naturally be punished by the heavens. of course, in the cultivation world, there have been countless cultivators and countless heavenly tribulations. not everyone could withstand their heavenly tribulation. many people would prepare many magical artifacts and treasures that would aid them in resisting the heavenly tribulation before triggering its descent. at this moment, inside the cave abode, li ming gradually became clear-headed. he had been completely immersed in cultivation earlier, and his body had unconsciously and automatically formed its golden core. it was only after he woke up and regained his senses that he was able to examine and understand what had happened. even if he had progressed in body cultivation, the core formation was still the same as that of ai cultivation. however, it seemed that while he cultivated both his body and qi, he only had one golden core. in the end, the two separate paths had fused. since he cultivated both his body and qi at the same time, this meant that his golden core would be a fusion of his two paths as well. ¡°i see.¡± ¡°the changes in one¡¯s meridians are the manifestations of body cultivation and core formation?¡± li ming could feel the changes in his body. in terms of strength, it had already increased by more than one level! the changes in his meridians were the most direct manifestation of his increase in strength. his meridians could now carry more spiritual qi and allow him to wield greater power. meanwhile, the golden core was the accumulation of his spiritual qi. however, the golden core still needed to draw his soul and three spirits into it, and he needed to undergo the upcoming heavenly tribulation before it was truly complete. it was only then that he could be considered to have officially stepped into the golden core realm! when he sensed the surging heavenly tribulation above him, the entire cave abode instantly collapsed the next moment! the dark sky appeared before li ming¡¯s eyes. ¡°this is the heavenly tribulation?¡± as lightning continuously crackled within the black cloud, a rumbling sound reverberated throughout the entire mountain peak! when the few consecrators guarding outside saw this scene, each and every one of them was incomparably shocked. they had thought that after li ming finished refining the pill for the sect master, they would only be waiting for the sect master to complete her breakthrough and enter the soul formation realm. therefore, everyone thought that what they were seeing was sect master fan shuang¡¯s heavenly tribulation. after all, although li ming had reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm, he had only just entered it. they absolutely would never have expected him to reach the core formation realm within just a single month. however, when the heavenly tribulation appeared above li ming, the consecrators were stunned. before they could react, they saw li ming leap and directly rush to the peak of the mountain! he had no intention of avoiding the heavenly tribulation at all. for li ming, tempering his body with all kinds of means was simply natural. he was already used to the golden crow body tempering art triggering the descent of heavenly fire. now that the heavenly tribulation had appeared, he felt that this was the best opportunity for him to refine his body. he believed that this would definitely allow his body to rise to another level! li ming naturally would not let go of such a great opportunity. on the mountain peak, li ming looked up and saw that the heavenly lightning was about to fall. without hesitation, he immediately circulated the golden crow body tempering art! as the tempering began, his movements followed suit, and a boom resounded! boom! the silver-white lightning was like a falling star. it was not a single bolt, but a ball, and it crashed down on li ming! the pressure it carried caused the entire mountain forest to instantly be crushed! as the lightning descended, the entire ball of lightning completely enveloped li ming! under the golden crow body tempering art, even though the lightning raged and constantly destroyed li ming¡¯s body, how could the body that he had cultivated and tempered through so many different means be so easily destroyed by the heavenly tribulation? on the contrary, under the stimulation of the lightning, the golden crow body tempering art broke through to the next level on the spot! he directly entered the eighth level! at the same time, his divine soul split apart. one soul and three spirits were separated and merged into his golden core. as the lightning invaded his body and merged into his golden core, a majestic power burst out from li ming¡¯s body! when the lightning around his body finally dissipated, li ming¡¯s body was completely bare. his exposed skin was smooth and flawless, and there was even a faint golden light radiating from it. the aura of his body rose, and his body and mind felt comfortable, leaving him very satisfied. the golden core realm! he had finally reached it! he initially thought that there would be some obstacles when it came to body cultivation and core formation, but now he understood. body cultivation could not really be called core formation, but rather purification! the purification of one¡¯s body! the purification of one¡¯s meridians, bones, blood, and organs! after entering the golden core realm, li ming had only purified his meridians, allowing his eight mysterious meridians to complete their transformation and become golden meridians! after that, he would have to achieve golden bones, golden blood, and internal organs. this was his path of body cultivation! tempering one¡¯s body and allowing it to transform into something purer and stronger. Chapter 97 - Chapter 97: New Mission chapter 97: new mission translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation his cultivation base had successfully broken through, allowing li ming to smoothly enter the golden core realm. as for the golden crow body tempering art, he had also successfully entered its eighth level. moreover, after experiencing the tempering of heavenly lightning, his physical body had been greatly strengthened. at this moment, the strength of his physical body had reached an unprecedented level! feeling the changes in his body, li ming was delighted. it was not easy for him to reach this far. to him, everything simply felt like a dream. after all, not long ago, he was still a person who practiced and dutifully grinded every day for even a single entry just so that he could increase his talent. in the first three years he had been in the divine will sect, he had barely made any progress. he had initially believed that he was simply not fated for cultivation. however, he eventually came to obtain high-quality entries one after the other. he then successfully reached the body cultivation foundation establishment realm, and now even the golden core realm! he had now properly stepped into the world of cultivation! while some people claimed that the foundation establishment realm was the first step into the world of cultivation, the golden core realm was where it was truly at! a foundation establishment cultivator only had a lifespan of 150 years, which was only slightly longer than a mortal. it was not really outside the scope of mortals. however, after reaching the golden core realm, the lifespan of a cultivator could reach 300 years! this was a huge difference! ¡°a golden core cultivator is indeed different.¡± ¡°however, i¡¯m afraid that it will be difficult to improve further.¡± li ming frowned. the path of body cultivation became more and more difficult the further he went. as he rose higher and higher in cultivation level, the more time it would take to make another breakthrough. moreover, he was cultivating both his body and qi, so one could only imagine the time it would take for him to make further progress. although he had obtained many entries that aided his talent and allowed him to increase his cultivation at a faster pace, that did not change the fact that it was still harder to do so. he was aware of this. ¡°congratulations. i did not expect you to go from the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm to the golden core realm in such a short period of time.¡± ¡°you truly are incredibly talented.¡± ¡°indeed, the fact that you are also talented in pill refinement no longer feels as unbelievable.¡± the few consecrators looked at him and went forward to congratulate him. their faces were filled with envy. after all, this was the first time they had seen such an all-rounded genius! not only was he a cultivator of both body and qi, but he was also a fifth-grade pill refiner! and now, he had completed his core formation in an extremely short period of time! he had even managed to withstand the heavenly lightning with his bare body. only body cultivators would dare to do such a thing, right? thinking about it carefully, li ming had only been muddleheaded for the first three years and had not made any progress. now, in less than a year, he had directly advanced from the qi refinement realm to the golden core realm! this speed was truly incomparable to ordinary people! ¡°you¡¯re too kind. i¡¯m just lucky. this place is rich in spiritual qi and is simply very suitable for cultivation.¡± li ming took out some clothes from his storage bag, put them on, and then turned around. seeing that the cave abode had taken some damage, he felt a little embarrassed. after all, this place was specially made by the sect master. ¡°is the sect master still in seclusion?¡± li ming looked at fan shuang¡¯s cave abode. seeing that there was no movement coming trom it, he grew curious. the nascent soul realm was already the realm of the strongest in the continent, and the sect master had already reached the peak of it. now, she was only one step away from breaking through to the next realm! he wondered if the pill he had refined would really work. ¡°that¡¯s right. the sect master¡¯s cultivation is profound. and this time, she¡¯s trying to break through the barrier. although she has the help of the pill you refined and has a higher chance of success, it will still be very difficult for her to succeed.¡± ¡°she probably still needs more time.¡± the great elder told li ming. once the sect master completed her breakthrough, the divine will sect would definitely be able to come out on top in the sect competition. it would become inevitable. this was an important time. the sect had many matters to attend to. this was also a period where the sect needed manpower. ¡°li ming, now that you have entered the golden core realm, as a consecrator and chief guest of the sect, you will have to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the sect.¡± ¡°the sect master is still in seclusion. there is an urgent mission that requires an elder to lead a team.¡± ¡°are you willing to take on this mission?¡± he generally would not reject any mission given to him. however, he had only just entered the golden core realm. he was still not used to his current level of strength, and wanted some time to consolidate his current cultivation. [system entry options] [accept mission: you will receive a purple entry after completing the mission!] [reject mission: you will receive a blue entry!] li ming was speechless when he saw the options that his system had presented him with. with this being the case, was there even a need to think twice? he would naturally accept the mission! although he already had a few good purple entries to support him, purple entries were still rare. as such, the more he had of them, the better! if he really could not use them, he could simply fuse or synthesize them with other entries. ¡°accomplishing matters for the sect is naturally a part of my duty¡± ¡°great elder, what is the mission this time?¡± li ming looked at the great elder curiously. the great elder replied, ¡°the mission this time concerns mine at the borders of the divine will sect¡¯s territory. demons plan to invade this mind. it is located right on the border that connects to the endless sky holy land. they will also send people there.¡± ¡°the mine basically belongs to the two sects.¡± ¡°but because of the sect competition, you will need to remain wary of the endless sky holy land.¡± after the great elder finished speaking, li ming had a general understanding of the situation. snatching the resources in the mine and eliminating the demons made it the perfect mission where he could fight and train himself. as for the people from the endless sky holy land? if it were the trash from the heavenly demon sect, then li ming would not have thought much and simply eliminated them whenever he encountered them. however, since the other party was from the endless sky holy land, as long as they did not take the initiative to stir up trouble with him, he naturally would not let them be. ¡°as for the members of your team, you are now a consecrator, so you can choose them for yourself.¡± li ming felt relieved after hearing the great elder¡¯s words. spirit will hall. li ming left the back of the mountain and headed straight for the spirit will hall. when it came to choosing people to join him on the mission, li ming immediately thought of those who he was familiar with. chen qingke and lu lan. after all, li ming was honestly not too familiar with the other disciples in the sect. it would be enough to let the two help him look for more team members. the rewards for this mission were generous. for the two of them, it would naturally be worth it. but for li ming, that was not necessary. after all, he was a consecrated elder of the sect, as well as a chief guest. he did not have to worry about resources at all. with chen qingke and lu lan¡¯s help, the team was quickly formed. their destination was the border. more specifically, the location of their mission was the core area of the border between the heavenly southern region and the heavenly northern region, the endless sky holy land. along the way, li ming asked around curiously. he did not know much about the major sects in the eastern continent. although he had come into contact with the heavenly demon sect and the three gods mountains before, he did not know much about them. as for the endless sky holy land, this was the first time he had heard of it. ¡°lu lan, what is the situation of the endless sky holy land?¡± ¡°the endless sky holy land is not inferior to the divine will sect. it is also a relatively neutral sect.¡± ¡°of course, they are also participating in the sect competition. moreover, they are always ranked in the top three in every sect competition!¡± ¡°they are the most powerful competitors of the divine will sect.¡± ¡°i heard that there¡¯s a young prodigy in their generation who¡¯s extremely talented. he¡¯s even stronger than junior sister chen.¡± ¡°however, i don¡¯t know how they would compare to you.¡± hearing lu lan¡¯s words, li ming grew more curious about the endless sky holy land.. Chapter 98 - Chapter 98: Endless Sky Holy Land chapter 98: endless sky holy land translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation a heaven¡¯s favorite. someone who was considered the strongest among the younger generation of the sect! just the name of a prodigy was enough to suppress countless people of the same generation. to be able to be called a prodigy in the sect, that was indeed extraordinary. of course, the most important thing was that this heaven¡¯s favorite from the endless sky holy land was even more talented than chen qingke. hearing lu lan¡¯s words, even chen qingke grew curious. ¡°the endless sky holy land actually has such a person?¡± ¡°if i can meet a person such as that this time, i really need to have a good spar with them!¡± chen qingke¡¯s face was filled with excitement. it looked like she was really eager to see how she would compare to such a person. they were both regarded as prodigies, so the competitive spirit she felt was naturally greater. in fact, it was the same for li ming. chen qingke¡¯s talent was already very outstanding, and now it seemed that there was an even more talented guy in the endless sky holy land. this naturally piqued li ming¡¯s interest. how much difference was there between him and the so-called heaven¡¯s favorites? it would obviously be exciting to compete with those who were considered the strongest in their generation! ever since he stepped into the golden core realm, li ming seemed to have become even more obsessed with the feeling of cultivation. he believed that on the path of cultivation, one could not just bury their head in bitter cultivation. more importantly, one had to seek out and face challenges in order to make further progress! this was especially true for him, who cultivated both his body and qi. he needed more battles and more opponents to test his abilities and to sharpen his own path! he deemed this inevitable. three days later, the group finally arrived at the border between the heavenly southern region and the heavenly northern region. the border area was a mountain range, the sunset mountain range. li ming and his group arrived at the mine in the sunset mountain range that belonged to both the divine will sect and the endless sky holy land. the mineral vein that mainly composed this mine could even produce mid-grade spirit stones, which would be of great help to cultivators. at the same time, it was also one of the two sects¡¯ foundations. it could provide them with a large number of spirit stones to ensure the growth of their sects. ¡°this place has always been filled with demons.¡± ¡°it is just that they did not dare to provoke the two sects in the past. they must think that due to the approaching sect competition, the two sects do not have the spare resources or attention to keep hold of this mine.¡± as lu lan spoke, the group finally saw the location of the mine. however, the mine was surrounded by demons! there were many of them. moreover, there were quite a few foundation establishment demons! ¡°fellow daoists of the divine will sect, you have come quite quickly.¡± while li ming was in the middle of deciding what to do, a clear voice sounded from behind him. he turned around and saw a group of youths dressed in a single style of clothes walking over. the leader of the group was a young man with a delicate face and a calm expression. it was obvious that these people were disciples of the endless sky holy land. ¡°everyone, i am a disciple of the endless sky holy land and the leader of this mission.¡± ¡°qin siyue, perfected level of the foundation establishment realm.¡± ¡°please guide me.¡± the young leader, qin siyue, had a refined attitude. he spoke with a warm and intimate tone, making it difficult for those who heard him to be annoyed with him. after all, this was a place shared by both sects, so they were on the same side. in addition, although many sects in the heavenly northern region were not on good terms with the divine will sect, the endless sky holy land was one of the few neutral parties. naturally, they would not attack them out of nowhere. listening to the other party¡¯s introduction, li ming also stepped forward and faced him with a smile. ¡°i¡¯m li ming, a consecrated elder of the divine will sect and the leader of this mission. ¡°i am at the early golden core realm.¡± when li ming introduced himself, the endless sky holy land disciples were stunned. a consecrated elder? early golden core realm? they looked at li ming, who appeared to be of the same age as them, shocked to discover that he had already reached the golden core real! it appeared to them that the divine will sect did indeed have an impressive foundation! they had thought that chen qingke of the divine will sect was already a genius for reaching the perfected foundation establishment realm in just over a year. however, they did not expect that there was another prodigy hiding in the divine will sect! ¡°i did not expect consecrated elder li to have already reached the golden core realm at such a young age.¡± ¡°then it appears that we will have to rely on you for this mission.¡± qin siyue maintained a humble attitude, but li ming did not completely buy it. ¡°fellow daoist, you¡¯re too kind.¡± ¡°there¡¯s no need to address me as a consecrated elder. i¡¯ve been in seclusion all year round and do not know much about the outside world.¡± ¡°since our two sects are working together, it¡¯s better to cooperate with each other.¡± ¡°right now, what we need to do is to drive these demons out and ensure the safety of the mine.¡± li ming spoke without pause, and the other party nodded. with the sect competition just around the corner, these were troubled times. the most important thing to do right now was to resolve this matter as soon as possible and return to the sect. ¡°since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s move.¡± ¡°let¡¯s end this quickly.¡± ¡°there are usually foundation establishment demons here.¡± not to mention for demons, golden core cultivators were rare even among all the cultivators in the eastern continent. cultivation for demons was complicated and difficult. the difficulty they faced in increasing their cultivation was several times that of human cultivators.those who had reached the golden core realm had a high status among them. both sides agreed. they would immediately launch an attack! although there were many demons here, there were many of them as well. moreover, the lowest cultivation level among them was at the late stage of the foundation establishment realm. it should be simple for them to emerge victorious. as soon as they got close enough, the disciples of both sects displayed their own respective abilities! the divine will sect¡¯s specialty was undoubtedly the cauldron transformation art. bronze cauldrons appeared one after another, causing great damage to the demons. in comparison, the endless sky holy land was not any worse. they were skilled in sword techniques, so they brought out all kinds of flying swords and sword arts! moreover, their lethality was particularly powerful! qin siyue, who was the leader of his group, dished out the fiercest attacks. while he spoke like a gentleman and appeared as gentle as jade, when he fought, he was like a god of war. he attacked ruthlessly and mercilessly! the battle was intense, and the two sects had the advantage. they quickly eliminated most of the demons. li ming relied on the strength of his physical body and did not need to use any magical arts at all. he simply relied on the fruits of his body cultivation to make his way through. he faced no obstructions as he moved through the group of demons. li ming¡¯s physical body was so powerful that even foundation establishment cultivators could not damage it. the same was true for these demons. after all, no one had ever cultivated body cultivation to such a level. qin siyue looked at li ming as he charged into the group demons alone. he clearly did not show any regard for the demons, and he did not even use any magical arts. he relied solely on his fists and the sword in his hand. wherever he passed, corpses littered the ground behind him! ¡°i did not expect your sect¡¯s consecrator to be so domineering.¡± qin siyue was stunned. although they were not in the golden core realm, it was not like they had never seen golden core cultivators fight. however, other people were only able to do so through powerful techniques and boundless spiritual qi, but li ming was the complete opposite. his body itself was terrifying, and he was able to completely ignore the attacks of these demons. a golden core cultivator¡¯s body should not be that strong. although their bodies were indeed slightly stronger than those at the foundation establishment realm, they were still naturally vulnerable to demons and monsters who were known for their physical strength. however, the sight before qin siyue¡¯s eyes overturned his knowledge.. Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: Lesser Divine Technique chapter 99: lesser divine technique translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the powerful physical strength that li ming displayed left the people from endless sky holy land dumbstruck! cultivators were powerful existences that far surpassed mortals. this was true. but at the same time, cultivators were weak. in a fight with a fellow cultivator, the slightest carelessness would lead to their death! this was especially true for cultivators below the nascent soul realm. before developing a nascent soul, their physical bodies were very important. however, they were also very weak. compared to demons and demonic beasts of the same realm, the bodies of human cultivators were extremely fragile. moreover, as there had never been a high-leveled body cultivator in the eastern continent, they had never seen anyone with such a powerful physical body! was it because he had reached the golden core realm? obviously, this idea was a bit far-fetched. not to mention the golden core realm, even if it was the nascent soul realm, the weakness of the body could not be changed. while nascent soul cultivators could give up on their physical bodies and possibly reconstruct them in the future, that did not mean that their bodies were strong. while they were stunned from shock, li ming had already completely decimated the demons! all of the demons in the mine either died or fled. those that remained no longer had any will to fight left in them. a devil that was even more terrifying than them was slaughtering them, and they had no way of retaliating against him. they naturally could not continue to battle in such a scenario. seeing the demons retreat, li ming let out a long sigh. in this battle, he did not use any spiritual qi, nor did he use any magical arts. he relied entirely on his physical body. fighting in such a way made li ming extremely excited. his physical body had received a great test. after entering the golden core realm, it was undoubtedly a good thing for li ming to have such a battle to temper his physical body. ¡°f-fellow daoist li, your cultivation method is really unique. your body is even stronger than those demons.¡± ¡°it seems that the divine will sect will emerge victorious this year.¡± qin siyue sighed. after cultivating for so many years, this was the first time he had seen such a ridiculous body. was this still within the scope of the human race? ¡°fellow daoist qin, you¡¯re too kind.¡± ¡°the outcome of the sect competition is not something that can be decided by one person.¡± ¡°as for cultivation, everyone has a different path. does your sect not also have a peerless prodigy?¡± ¡°i wonder how strong he is?¡± li ming grinned. although he had just engaged in a battle, he had barely consumed any energy. foundation establishment cultivators were nothing in front of a golden core cultivator. this was absolute. the suppression of cultivation was unchangeable. in addition, li ming also had a powerful physical body as a guarantee. because of this, he naturally had even more strength. hearing li ming¡¯s words, qin siyue smiled awkwardly. everyone had different cultivation methods. even if they came from the same sect, there would still be differences. li ming¡¯s strength naturally stemmed from his different cultivation method. such inquiries were quite unnecessary. ¡°the heaven¡¯s favorite of my sect is still in seclusion, but he¡¯s also an elder of the sect. as for his cultivation level, i¡¯m not too sure.¡¯ ¡°perhaps we will have a chance to see fellow daoist li fight him during the sect competition.¡± when the other party said this, li ming looked forward to it. to be able to fight with a true prodigy, he was excited to do so. although it would not be a life-or-death battle, it would at least allow li ming to have a clearer understanding of himself and improve himself. the most important part of body cultivation was to temper oneself through battle. the path of body cultivation especially stressed fighting with experts of the same realm. after the mission was completed, the two sects left some people behind to take care of the mine and left. after all, these were important times. they had already completed their mission by chasing away the demons and protecting the mine. next, they had to prepare with all their might for the sect competition! after the members of the two sects split up, not far from the mine, in the direction where the demons had fled, a woman stood on top of a large tree. her figure was graceful and beautiful. ¡°it has only been a few months, yet you have already cultivated the golden crow body tempering art to such a level.¡¯ ¡°little brother, big sister is looking forward to meeting you again in the future.¡± the beautiful woman¡¯s voice trembled, and as soon as she finished speaking, she turned into red smoke and disappeared. at the divine will sect. after the mission was completed, the disciples received their rewards. li ming also relaxed. he returned to the martial hall. even though li ming had become a sect consecrator and chief guest, and his status had risen greatly, the martial hall was still the same as before. he was alone. after all, body cultivation was a difficult path, and not everyone could do it. ¡°it¡¯s still more comfortable here.¡¯ in the courtyard. li ming sat in the rocking chair, relaxing. ever since he entered the divine will sect, knowing that his talent was extremely poor, he stepped on the path of body cultivation and cultivated day and night. he had never slacked off. he had not had much time to relax like he was doing now. now, his cultivation had broken through one level after the other in quick succession and he had reached the golden core realm. he felt that he could finally relax for a while. of course, it was not that li ming wanted to slack off. when done hastily, things can go awry. in the past three years, in order to consolidate his foundation and polish his foundation, li ming diligently cultivated the entire time. now that he had gotten so far, the fundamentals of body cultivation no longer had as clear of an effect on li ming. it was even more so after he had entered the golden core realm. relaxing occasionally was also a form of physical cultivation. ¡°kid, not bad. you know how to relax. this is good for you.¡± ¡°with your current status, you should be able to get a lot of spirit stones, right?¡± ¡°why haven¡¯t you sent me any recently?¡± suddenly, the black stone¡¯s voice rang out. li ming immediately took out the black stone when he heard it. he looked at the black stone in his hand with disdain. ¡°spit!¡± ¡°when my cultivation base broke through, i had to rack my brains on what to do. i tried asking you, but you never responded to me.¡± ¡°do you have any shame? why are you asking for spirit stones now?¡± li ming rolled his eyes. he was obviously very dissatisfied with the black stone¡¯s behavior. was this guy not clearly an assh*le? was it any different from a blood-sucking leech? ¡°huh? what do you know?¡± ¡°there is a rune formation on the mountain where the sect master of the divine will sect is located. that place can detect my weak aura. do you think the sect master would have let you stay if i was discovered?¡± ¡°cut the crap. let¡¯s make a deal. i¡¯ll give you a magical art that will allow you to take care of your dual cultivation and allow you to cultivate a lesser divine ability! ¡± ¡°and in return, you give me all your spirit stones.¡± hearing the black stone¡¯s words, li ming raised his eyebrows. a lesser divine ability? that was a magical art that was even more powerful than magical techniques! rumor had it that in the entire eastern continent, there were no more than five lesser divine abilities between the major sects! moreover, they were all prized secret treasures of their respective sects! it was said that the divine will sect also had a lesser divine ability, but li ming was not sure about it. now that he had reached the golden core realm, although he had the great sun heaven-overturning seal, the cauldron transformation art, and the imperial finger, having more techniques was still very beneficial to him. moreover, this was a lesser divine ability! li ming had no reason to refuse! Chapter 100 - Chapter 100: The Sect Competition Begins! chapter 100: the sect competition begins! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡°sure!¡± ¡°however, i only have 80,000 spirit stones on me right now.¡± li ming immediately agreed. in the previous mission, he had obtained the purple entry, relentless life. this entry greatly increased li ming¡¯s vitality and recovery ability! more specifically, it increased them by 100%! in addition to the recovery opportunity from one of his previous entries, his physical body was now even more monstrous! now, being able to cultivate a lesser divine technique would be greatly beneficial to li ming. ¡°deal!¡± the black stone did not waste any time. he collected the spirit stones and passed the lesser divine technique to li ming. as a ball of light entered his body, some information appeared in his mind. ¡°three yuan golden light art? ¡°regulate your spirit and breath, condense golden light, and nourish your flesh from the inside out.¡¯ ¡°if you cultivate it to the major success stage, you can obtain the chaos dharma idol.¡± li ming¡¯s eyes lit up after he read the information. this technique could reconcile some of the drawbacks of cultivating both his body and qi, and at the same time, it could also strengthen him! this technique was a more convenient way for him to nurture his golden core. moreover, after he cultivated it to the major success stage, he would be able to obtain a divine ability! the chaos dharma idol could increase the various functions of his physical body by 200%! moreover, during the casting period, he would be immune to physical damage! as expected of a lesser divine technique. it was indeed extraordinary! after receiving the technique, li ming could not wait to start cultivating it. there was only half a month left before the sect competition. during this remaining half a month, he naturally needed to improve and stabilize his current cultivation. the three yuan golden light art mainly used heaven yuan qi, earth yuan qi, and natal qi. the three yuans or origins combined to purify the golden light and absorb it into the body to nourish the body. the so-called heaven yuan and earth yuan were different forms of spiritual qi. there was a spirit in the heaven and earth, and it existed in the world. it was the sum of the spiritual qi of all things. among them, there were yin and yang and the five elements. the heaven yuan and earth yuan roughly divided them into two categories. his natal qi did not refer to spiritual qi, but the source of life. according to the technique, li ming began to cultivate with the support of his various entries. as his aura surged, it circulated according to the unique method of the technique, fusing and gathering bit by bit. however, when li ming tried to fuse the three types of energies, he realized that he could not do so. instead, trying to do so even caused great damage to his body! this time, he had actually hurt himself a little. fortunately, [relentless life] and the recovery opportunity allowed li ming to recover back to his peak state in an extremely short period of time. after that, he tried again and again. risks naturally came with the cultivation of various techniques, and the endeavor could never always be smooth sailing. even though li ming had many entries, he would still make mistakes when it came to unfamiliar things. however, these mistakes did not deter li ming. instead, it made him more focused. in the blink of an eye, half a month passed. on this day, a large crowd had gathered in the divine will sect. cultivators from all over the world and representatives from all major sects had arrived. it was as if the entire divine will sect was welcoming a hundred-year-old festival. it was unusually grand. the lively atmosphere enveloped the place. although it was a sect competition, it was also a prelude to the start of the war. however, during the sect competition, the disciples of the various sects were not allowed to have any conflicts, let alone take the lives of their competitors. this was a rule that had always existed, and no one dared to disobey it. therefore, the whole situation seemed harmonious. at the martial hall. chen qingke rushed over and looked at li ming, who was still meditating. golden light surrounded him, and his aura was extremely sacred! ¡°senior brother li, the sect competition is about to begin.¡± ¡°are you still cultivating? chen qingke interrupted. the sect competition was about to begin. and as a sect consecrator, li ming naturally could not be absent. after all, not only disciples were to be chosen for the competition, but also the elders of the sect. as chen qingke¡¯s voice rang out, li ming opened his eyes and dispersed the golden light around him. in this half a month, he had mastered the three yuan golden light art and made great progress. although he had not grasped the chaos dharma idol yet, he had already pretty much finished consolidating his foundation. unknowingly, half a month had passed. li ming did not expect the sect competition to have already arrived. the prodigies of the various sects would appear in this sect competition! ¡°let¡¯s go, junior sister.¡± li ming stood up and walked straight to the location without fixing himself up. the sect competition was held in the divine will sect¡¯s square, and the entire area had been expanded by more than three times! in this way, it was able to accommodate the disciples of the various major sects. when li ming arrived, most of the people were already there. there were people from the heavenly demon sect, three gods mountain, golden dragon castle, endless sky holy land, jade lady palace, myriad demon valley, and other large sects. above the arena, there were seats for the elders of the various sects. at this moment, only the divine will sect was lacking a person. li ming looked up and saw the great elder¡¯s signal. he immediately leaped up and took the remaining empty seat. when they saw li ming take his seat, the elders of the other sects were surprised. they were shocked to discover that, despite looking so young, he was an elder of the divine will sect. feeling out his aura, they discovered that he had reached the golden core realm! such a young golden core cultivator honestly surprised them! as everyone had arrived, the great elder stood up and swept his gaze across the crowd. ¡°everyone, the sect competition officially begins!¡± ¡°an elder of the shangguan clan of the central continent will preside over this competition!¡± ¡°let us all welcome elder shangguan!¡± as soon as the great elder finished speaking, all the elders and disciples of the various sects stood up one after another. all of them carried a respectful attitude, making li ming extremely surprised. although he had long known that there was an even stronger force involved in this sect competition, he did not expect all the sects in the eastern continent to be so fearful toward them! the central continent? it seemed like it was a place that was even more powerful than the eastern continent! as the great elder¡¯s voice fell, a blue light surged in the center of the square. as the blue light slowly dissipated, an old man¡¯s figure appeared! the moment this person appeared, the entire square turned tense. the powerful pressure he exerted made it difficult for all the cultivators to breathe! even the great elder, who was in the intermediate stage of the nascent soul realm, felt pressured! the cultivation of this elder of the shangguan clan was profound! when elder shangguan appeared. he looked old, but his gaze was extremely sharp. he glanced around and said in a clear voice, ¡°the eastern continent¡¯s sect competition will determine the ranking of the sects. all of the disciples and elders of the sects will participate.¡± ¡°the rules are simple. you just need to defeat your opponent!¡± ¡°but remember, you are not permitted to kill your opponent!¡± ¡°if you violate this rule, i will personally wipe out your sect!¡± as soon as elder shangguan said this, everyone instantly held their breaths, not daring to say a single word! it appeared that even if all the sects in the eastern continent were to band together, they would not be able to resist the whims of this single person from the central continent. this was an absolute suppression through strength! looking at the old man in the middle of the field, li ming¡¯s heart pounded. he originally thought that after seeing people with powerful cultivation like the great elder and the sect master, he had already seen genuine powerhouses. but now, the appearance of this cultivator from the central continent gave li ming a different feeling! Chapter 101 - Chapter 101: Battling Against Demons! chapter 101: battling against demons! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the sect masters and elders of the other sects were all standing and watching a distance away from the stage. at the same time, the disciples of their respective sects were also with them. the viewing area was several kilometers wide, and there were tables filled with all kinds of spiritual fruits and spirit teas. the low-ranking cultivators stood aside respectfully, serving them respectfully. although the divine will sect was clearly treated with great importance during this sect competition, the force from the central continent was clearly much stronger. merely by flaring out his aura, the elder from the shangguan clan from the central continent left everyone stunned. li ming¡¯s strength had already reached that of the golden core realm, and his combat power was astonishing. however, he knew that even he did not have a great chance of winning in this competition. due to the large number of people in the huge competition, it was expected that the battles between those at the golden core realm would only take place after about half a month. in the beginning, the battles would mostly be between the disciples at the foundation establishment and qi refinement realms. these battles hardly interested li ming. in fact, even if it was a battle between golden core cultivators, it might fail to catch his interest. but unfortunately, those at the nascent soul realm cherished their reputation too much, so they would not fight one another, causing the entire event to now feel rather boring to li ming. although the battles were quite lively on the first day, li ming became rather sleepy while watching them. as such, he simply decided not to go on the second day, and rather just wait half a month when it would finally be his turn to participate in the competition. while he was waiting, he just so happened to hear that a mineral vein of the divine will sect had been forcefully occupied by demons. the mineral vein was in the cangnan mountain range. the mineral vein was located in a large area of land, and there were more than a dozen large and small mines, each of which were practically bottomless. two teams from two separate sects gathered about 5 kilometers away from the mineral vein. they were observing the situation of the mines from a distance. most of the low-level demons outside the mines were of the first level, and there were a few level-two demons. a level-two demon possessed strength that was roughly equivalent to an early-stage foundation establishment cultivator. li ming¡¯s face was currently as dark as water. there were probably many more powerful demons inside the caves! ¡°everyone, i¡¯m afraid that the demons inside the mines are even more powerful. we must be extremely careful. junior brother qin, how do you think we should deal with these demons?¡± li ming turned to look at qin siyue and said calmly. qin siyue frowned, ¡°we will naturally follow brother li¡¯s lead. as you have said, i¡¯m afraid that there are indeed likely to be many higher-level demons in hiding. ¡± he paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°if we attack them head-on, although we are not afraid of them, we will inevitably suffer casualties. why don¡¯t we lure them out and attack them more strategically?¡± li ming nodded. qin siyue had the same idea as him. by setting up a formation, coupled with their magical treasures and immortal techniques, their chances of eliminating the demons would naturally be much higher than if they were to rush in recklessly. and so, they immediately started preparing. both sides had brought by cultivators who were proficient in array formations. the whole group sneaked their way to a location that was less than a kilometer away from the group of demons. this was their limit. if they went any further, the likelihood that they would be discovered would simply be too high. the mulberry spirit protection formation and the five-colored light formation were swiftly set up. one of these two formations was a defensive formation that could protect cultivators inside while the other was an illusion formation. they placed spirit stones into the formation cores and activated the formations. the two formations immediately began operating. a white light shield enveloped everyone, forming a sphere with a radius of about 40 meters. this mulberry spirit protection formation was a tier three formation. ordinary level one and two demons would not be able to enter the formation at all. even high-level demons would have to pay a huge price to break through it. two cultivators were responsible for using spirit beasts to lure demons over. when the demons around the mine saw the two snow-white spirit rabbits, they thought of them as nothing more than excellent delicacies and they immediately pounced over. as soon as the five-colored light formation was activated, five-colored light radiated out, causing the area to look like an immortal realm. the five-colored light did not have any killing power, but it could confuse its targets while concealing one¡¯s aura. it was especially effective on the demons, who basically lost all their senses. the demons were all shocked. they did not understand what had happened and why they were suddenly surrounded by the formations. in the formation, li ming looked at the surrounding scene and the corners of his mouth curled up. ¡± fellow daoists, get ready. once those demons gather, we will immediately launch our attack!¡± with his order, all the cultivators solemnly prepared themselves. at this moment, hundreds of demons had already gathered in the formation. they were immediately trapped in the illusion formation after losing their five senses. a few demonic beasts rushed out of the formation and saw the human cultivators not far away. they suddenly pounced over. a furry spirit wolf took the lead and pounced toward the human cultivators. at this moment, li ming shouted, ¡°attack!¡± the immortal cultivators had already prepared all sorts of offensive magical techniques and threw them out. for a moment, an extremely gorgeous scene emerged in the mountain range. all kinds of powerful magical techniques, such as the blaze technique, wind blade technique, and so on, were thrown at the demons. the spirit wolf at the front was the first to be attacked and was instantly annihilated. of course, compared to the attacks of the cultivators, the seven gold sword formation, which was set up together with the two defensive formations, was even more powerful. blades of silver sword light flashed in the formation, piercing the demons¡¯ bodies, leaving bloody holes in them. the massacre had officially begun. the deaths of the demons outside attracted the attention of those in the cave. several huge abyssal wolves emerged and rushed over. level three demons! they were equivalent to late-stage foundation establishment human cultivators. just the strength of these few beasts alone could not be underestimated! the rest of the demons followed closely behind, rushing toward them. it seemed that they intended to devour the teams from the two sects. there was also a huge broodmother spider among the demons. it was a level four demon! it suddenly shot out spider silk that covered the sky and trapped many cultivators. li ming sneered and said, ¡°that spider should be a level four demon. everyone, be careful and end the battle as quickly as possible!¡± as soon as he finished speaking, a flying sword turned into a stream of light and shot toward the spider. the flying sword was extremely fast. in the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of the spider and cut off one of its legs! the spider screeched in pain. the others looked at li ming in shock. they did not expect him to be so powerful! the remaining demons knew that they had encountered a troublesome enemy. a demon that looked like a black bull suddenly made its way over and bit the light barrier in front of li ming. the bull-like demon¡¯s teeth were extremely sharp, and it actually bit a hole in the light barrier. the expressions of the other cultivators changed, and they hurriedly used their a flaming spear appeared out of nowhere and shot at the bull-like demonic beast. the bull-like demonic beast opened its bloody mouth and swallowed the flaming spear. the flaming spear exploded instantly. the bull-like demonic beast wailed and retreated. the other cultivators took advantage of the situation to attack. for a moment, the demons fell into disarray. li ming seized the opportunity and activated his flying sword, killing another demon. the broodmother spider from before was already hiding behind, unwilling to come out. at this moment, a few more black bull demonic beasts roared angrily and charged over without care! these level three demons were extremely powerful, instantly creating several holes in the defensive formation. the two formation masters immediately chanted an incantation, and a yellow light appeared in their hands. a layer of pale yellow light enveloped the light barrier from before, and the black bull demonic beast crashed into the light barrier. bang! the light screen trembled for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal. the black bull demonic beasts did not seem to have expected this to happen. they roared in pain and crashed into the protective barrier without caring about anything else. however, the light barrier was clearly much stronger than before. boom! li ming¡¯s flying sword slashed down. a powerful wave of qi spread around him, and the few black bull demonic beasts were forced back a few steps. he slashed the black bulls into two halves with his sword. ¡°roar- a chaotic battle began, and both sides fought fiercely. the cultivators made good use of the formations. ¡°haha, this is awesome. we¡¯ve really made a killing this time.¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t expect these demons to be so weak.¡± ¡°i think these demons are all useless!¡± the cultivators were extremely excited, completely forgetting that they were here to hunt demons under the orders of their sects. these demons were all treasures. even the level one demons had materials that could be exchanged for a lot of spirit stones. but at this moment, li ming¡¯s expression turned solemn.. Chapter 102 - Chapter 102: A Fierce Battle against the Blood Spider! chapter 102: a fierce battle against the blood spider! translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation what li ming was most concerned about was whether there were level six demons among the group of demons. after all, these demons were just ordinary demons and did not really pose a threat. but what if a demon of the sixth level appeared? although level six demons were not as terrifying as level seven demons, they still made li ming extremely wary, especially when they were currently practically trapped in a formation. if a level six demon were to attack at this time, the situation would turn dire. as he commanded the cultivators to continue attacking, he looked around vigilantly. suddenly, his gaze locked onto the broodmother spider. this spider was obviously cunning. initially, it wanted to trap everyone with its spider silk. thinking of this, li ming took out his flying sword without hesitation and stabbed at the broodmother spider. one of the broodmother spider¡¯s legs had been cut off earlier. seeing that li ming was going after it, it turned around and ran. but how could li ming let it escape so easily? he threw out a spirit talisman, and the spider¡¯s body instantly stiffened. at the same time, li ming took out his flying sword again and cut off another one of the broodmother spider¡¯s legs. the broodmother spider shrieked in pain and kept twisting its body in an attempt to break free. however, how could li ming give it a chance to do so? his flying sword slashed out repeatedly, and the broodmother spider quickly fell. li ming had just retracted his flying sword when he suddenly felt danger approaching. he hurriedly moved to the side. with a bang, the place where he was originally standing was swept by demonic qi, leaving a deep pit. all of this happened in the blink of an eye. li ming had almost been seriously injured before he could react. he quickly retreated back into the defensive formation. an abyssal tiger appeared where li ming was previously. li ming narrowed his eyes. as expected, there was a high-level demon in this group of demons. a level five demon was equivalent to an early-stage golden core human cultivator! at this moment, the spider had already been minced into pieces. li ming looked at the pit with lingering fear. if he had taken that force on with his body, he would have been seriously injured if not dead! at this moment, a beam of light suddenly came from afar and arrived where he was in the blink of an eye. li ming looked up and saw that it was a golden core expert. her white clothes fluttered in the wind. it was actually a woman. she was none other than liu mengyun, the senior sister of qin siyue. ¡°junior sister qin, master was worried that you would not be able to handle things here, so he sent me to support you.¡± at this moment, li ming¡¯s heart tightened. a blood-red wheel expanded in the wind. in everyone¡¯s eyes, the blood-red wheel suddenly turned black and turned into a vast blood-red mis that enveloped everyone¡¯s heads. the surging blood-colored mist was like a monster that kept letting out shrill cries, causing people¡¯s hearts to tremble. liu mengyun shouted softly, and a jade pot-shaped magical treasure floated out. a ball of crystal clear light appeared from the jade pot. it was like a burning flame, turning from translucent to deep green. the blazing flames were wrapped in a thin layer of clouds and slowly rose. this flame emitted a terrifying pressure. the green flame wrapped around the mist and tore it apart. clang! a crisp sound similar to two pieces of crystal clashing together was followed by a series of miserable screams. the onlookers felt a sharp pain in their eardrums, and a trace of blood seeped out of their ears. this senior sister liu mengyun was actually so powerful! li ming had just entered the golden core realm, so he had not had the chance to learn suitable techniques just yet. the green flame emitted extremely thin blade lights. any blood mist that got close to it would be torn apart by the blade lights, turning them into extremely thin blood beads. the green flames seemed to have no end. but similarly, the blood mist constantly surged like an angry beast that kept squirming. the screams in the blood mist became louder and louder. the center of the blood mist suddenly collapsed and rapidly shrank. in the blink of an eye, the blood mist within a ten-meter radius disappeared and was replaced by a blood-red spider. this blood spider was taller than li ming. there were black patterns on its body that looked like runes. the spider¡¯s limbs were covered with huge spikes, and the tips of the spikes emitted a cold light. anyone could feel that if they were stabbed by these spikes, their bodies would be pierced. the blood spider¡¯s two palm-sized eyes stared at li ming emotionlessly. li ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat. however, at this moment, his heart was filled with sword intent. even in the face of an unprecedentedly terrifying level six demon, his will did not waver at all! liu mengyun¡¯s green flame carried a thin layer of water vapor. it suddenly turned into a ray of light and flew toward the blood spider. the spider suddenly raised its head and opened its mouth. it let out a miserable scream, and visible ripples appeared in the surrounding space with it as the center. the green flame suddenly shone even brighter, while the mist became denser and denser. the tiny sword energies crisscrossed around the flame, forming an invisible net! li ming¡¯s body trembled. he was shocked. the cry of this spider could actually cause damage to his divine sense! if not for his divine sense far surpassing ordinary people, he would have been severely hurt long ago. the other cultivators were much more miserable. they fell to the ground with pale faces. their divine sense had clearly suffered considerable damage. if it was not for the defensive formation, they would have suffered even greater damage! only liu mengyun remained undeterred as if she had not been affected at all. however, liu mengyun¡¯s green flame gradually dimmed and was exhausted. liu mengyun spat out a mouthful of blood! the strength of this blood spider was beyond her imagination! the jade pot was her natal magical treasure, and the clash with the blood mist had actually damaged her natal magical treasure. as for the other disciples, they naturally could not participate in a battle of this level. everyone else continued to fight with the other demons. although there were formations protecting them, there were too many demons. gradually, disciples began to be injured and die. seeing this situation, li ming knew that he could not wait any longer. li ming formed a hand seal, and a sword appeared in the air in front of him. under his control, the sword turned into a ball of green flames and hit the spider¡¯s front leg! at the moment of collision, the spider¡¯s body emitted a dense blood-red light to protect itself. the green sword and the sword qi slashed at the red light on the blood spider¡¯s body, scattering ice fragments all over the sky. however, it could not even break through the spider¡¯s defense. bang! the sword¡¯s body crashed into the bloody light. the originally calm blood -red light suddenly became extremely violent. it kept surging as if it would collapse at any moment.. Chapter 103 - Chapter 103: A Narrow Victory, A Difficult Battle chapter 103: a narrow victory, a difficult battle translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation roar! the blood-red spider raised its head and released a thunderous roar filled with boundless anger! the blood light on its body suddenly erupted. the thick blood light seemed to be condensed from thousands of drops of blood. li ming immediately felt a huge sense of oppression coming from the sword. this level of pressure was something that he had never felt before. it was as if there was killing intent directed at him from all directions. the sword was like a fish caught in a fishing net. at this point in the battle, li ming could not afford to have any distractions in his mind. he had thrown all his thoughts on spirit stones and magical treasures to the back of his mind. in his eyes, other than the blood spider, there was only his water-drop sword! the blood-red spider¡¯s compound eyes glared at li ming. thick killing intent and hatred emanated from it! li ming felt the fatal threat coming from the spider and instinctively used all of his skills! he poured all his spiritual qi into his water-drop sword. the thrill of fighting a life-and-death battle made him incredibly excited. at this moment, there was no other thought in his mind. there was only the instinct to fight and survive! li ming quietly floated in the air. while floating in the air, the surrounding spiritual qi surged toward li ming at an astonishing speed. a huge vortex formed at his position as he absorbed the heaven and earth yuan qi between the heaven and earth. to be honest, there was not much spiritual qi in the area, but the terrifying suction force emitted by li ming¡¯s body could be felt by those around him. not only did he absorb all the spiritual qi in the surroundings, but he also attracted the spiritual qi from further places. they had never witnessed such a violent and direct robbery of spiritual qi. moreover, he was doing this while in the midst of the battle. this was simply¡­ unbelievable! li ming did not know how much of an impact he had on everyone. he was like a beast that had been forced into a corner. all of his attention was on the spider in front of him as he racked his brains on looking for a way to survive the ordeal. in the end, he arrived at the decision of staking it all in one strike! he did not care about the condition of his body and desperately absorbed the spiritual qi around him. as spiritual qi was instilled into it, the water-drop sword shone even brighter. it began to emit crisp cracking sounds as it was brought to the limits of what it could handle! if liu mengyun¡¯s attack just now was like that of a silent girl, then the water-drop sword now was like a violent man! the blood spider¡¯s eyes flashed with fear, and it became even more irritable. it could not come to terms with the fact that the weak youth in front of it dared to repeatedly challenge its dignity. moreover, it could not believe that it even felt some fear toward the youth just now. it was absolutely enraged! after all, it was a level 6 demon! it was an existence that could run rampant without worry in an entire region! roar! roar! roar! the blood spider¡¯s body rapidly grew. in the blink of an eye, it had grown to the size of a small hill. the bloody light on its body flickered. it looked like a thick layer of blood film that kept sliding off its body. the blood fell to the ground, creating a sizzling sound. it emitted spiraling smoke, burning black holes into the ground. everyone understood that this was the final moment of the battle. suddenly, the sword light and the red light moved at the same time! they used the simplest and crudest method. they were like two mad bulls, fiercely rushing toward one another. boom! everyone was blinded by this dazzling light and could no longer see anything. the ground beneath them shook violently, shocking everyone as they hurriedly tried to stabilize their bodies. before everyone could open their eyes, the blood-red spider¡¯s miserable cry resounded in their ears. when they regained their senses, they saw that the blood spider had turned into a pile of mushy flesh. there were two deep wounds on its body. the sight was horrific. it had been completely killed. to them, this battle was so soul-stirring that it left them utterly dumbstruck. when everyone recovered from their shock, they looked at the battlefield. the other demons immediately fled as soon as they discovered that the blood-red spider had died. li ming slowly opened his eyes and his mouth which were currently filled with the scent of blood. when he saw the spider¡¯s body, he heaved a sigh of relief. after checking his body, he felt much more relaxed. his condition was much better than he had expected. other than some internal injuries, his meridians and dantian were not injured. what he had been most worried about earlier was damaging his dantian. to any golden core cultivator, this would be an incredibly difficult injury to recover from. luckily, he did not suffer such an injury. he landed on the ground with difficulty. he was already quite used to pain, so he was able to ignore it for the most part. thinking about it carefully, he seemed to have done this many times. as long as one did anything enough, they would become numb to it, even if it was something like enduring pain. there were still a few scattered demons in the mines, and they were handed over to the other disciples to deal with, while li ming treated his internal injuries. this time, he spent a very long time, a full 10 hours, before he finally woke up. although he would be able to recover from them, li ming¡¯s body had suffered a lot of damage. the full-force clash with the blood-red spider caused a lot of damage to his body. he must have been crazy at that time. why did he risk his life to fight the demons? but on second thought, that did not seem quite right. why did he have to fight so hard at that time? he could not really say why. li ming woke up from his meditation. he did not get up immediately. he quietly recalled the previous battle. this battle was very short and ended with one strike. however, everything that had transpired during the battle was in no way boring. instead, there were many things that had taken place that he had not thought possible in the past. he did not even hesitate to take the risk and absorb the spiritual qi from the outside world into his body, all so that he could unleash that attack. the precise control of spiritual qi, the divine soul attack, and the control of aura could all be used as reference. five more hours quickly passed. by the time he realized how much time had passed, he also realized that he was starving. after eating some food, li ming saw his fellow disciples. ¡°junior brother li ming.¡± when liu mengyun saw li ming, she immediately bowed. li ming returned the greeting. ¡°senior sister liu.¡± liu mengyun¡¯s face was filled with joy. this battle had not only helped the sect take back the precious mineral vein, but more importantly, they had killed a level 6 demon. the demon core of a level demon was considered priceless for them. fortunately, there were not many casualties among the sect disciples this time. overall, they had achieved an unexpected result. liu mengyun¡¯s status in the sect would naturally rise along with the success of this operation. therefore, she was very happy to see li ming. ¡°have you been thinking about how to purify the spiritual qi impurities in your body during this period of time?¡± liu mengyun asked leisurely. hearing this, li ming was instantly interested. ¡°do you know what i should ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± liu mengyun chuckled. ¡°to thank you for your contribution in this battle, i¡¯m willing to help you once.¡± ¡°thank you, senior sister!¡± li ming replied with a smile.. Chapter 104 - Chapter 104: Liu Mengyun 鈥榮 Reward chapter 104: liu mengyun ¡®s reward translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation liu mengyun flicked her sleeves. the sound of crystals clashing rang out. some materials were placed on the table. li ming looked at liu mengyun, waiting for her to continue. ¡°let me explain it to you clearly. it¡¯s actually quite simple.¡± liu mengyun had a calm look on her face as she spoke. ¡°between cultivators, monsters, and demons, it is the most difficult for cultivators to obtain spiritual qi.¡± seeing li ming¡¯s surprised expression, liu mengyun chuckled before saying, ¡°you must be wondering why it is so difficult for cultivators who use spiritual qi as their foundation to obtain spiritual qi. when it comes to monsters or demons, they both have an innate connection to spiritual qi. for example, when demons are born, they attract the energy between the heaven and earth, automatically absorbing the surrounding energy, filtering out the impurities, and using the absorbed energy to cultivate their own bodies.¡± ¡°what then do they do with the spiritual qi they absorbed? their bodies contain plenty of spiritual qi, but in terms of aptitude when it comes to qi cultivation, they cannot compare to cultivators. you have practiced a lot of cultivation techniques, so you should know what the essence of cultivation techniques are, right?¡± ¡°what?¡± li ming, who was listening attentively, blurted out. ¡°formations.¡± liu mengyun¡¯s eyes suddenly became extremely deep, as if she could see through the passage of time. ¡°all chants are formations in a sense. ordinary cultivation techniques are divided into several stages. the first stage is absorption. if one could not even absorb spiritual qi, then it is completely useless to try and cultivate. the next step is refinement. if a person cannot extract the impurities from the spiritual qi they absorb, they would be hard-pressed to use it and, using the spiritual qi might even cause harm to their body. the third level is storage. if they cannot preserve or store the spiritual qi that they had refined, then there is no point to absorbing spiritual qi. li ming was stunned. no one had ever told him of this perspective on cultivation techniques. liu mengyun¡¯s explanation was very simple. there was nothing obscure or difficult to understand about it. li ming thought about it and was touched. it was indeed as she said! ¡°a good cultivation technique allows a person to cultivate better and store more spiritual qi. isn¡¯t that how it is?¡± liu mengyun sighed. ¡°you must be very curious. how can monsters and demons absorb the spiritual qi in the world? they were born with a kind of magical technique. this is a gift to them from the heavens. however, monsters and demons are not as intelligent as cultivators. they had a treasure trove but were unaware of it. for tens of millions of years, they had been merely acting according to their instincts, which is why the progress of their cultivation is so slow.¡± ¡°alright, that¡¯s enough about that.¡± liu mengyun suddenly smiled. ¡°let¡¯s get back to your matter. in fact, your matter is easy to handle. you can even resolve it in one go. would you like to give it a try?¡± liu mengyun, who was already extraordinarily beautiful, had a smile on her face that would make the eyes of anyone that saw her light up in delight. even li ming could not help but look to the side to calm himself. ¡°what do i need to do?¡± liu mengyun was talking about something else. if this was a simple matter that could be solved once and for all, then there was a high chance that he would have to do something in exchange. ¡°consider yourself lucky to have met me.¡± liu mengyun said lazily, ¡°didn¡¯t i tell you that monsters and demons can naturally gather the energy of the world and convert it into their own energy? it just so happens that i¡¯ve done quite a bit of research on such naturally formed formations.¡± ¡°would such experts give up on such a method?¡± cultivators had captured countless monsters and demons. if the monsters and demons had any secrets, they would have long solved them. liu mengyun ridiculed, ¡°unfortunately, this thing that the heavens and earth bestowed upon them is probably something to prevent the extermination of monsters and demons! it is not that simple. it can only increase the purity of the spiritual qi in your body to a certain extent, but it cannot reach a perfect level.¡± li ming asked, ¡°to what extent can it be improved? will there be any adverse reactions? will the chant contradict my mental cultivation technique?¡± ¡°hehe, the exact extent of the improvement depends on your physical fitness, but there will at least be an improvement of several times compared to your current state. as for adverse reactions? well, how can there be something in this world that only brings you benefits without any drawbacks? you should know that there is always an exchange loss. as for the incantation, there was no problem.¡± liu mengyun was full of confidence as she spoke. li ming lowered his head and pondered. liu mengyun did not rush him. instead, she sat down slowly at the table. for some reason, li ming felt that the option he was about to make would have a huge impact on his life. however, he really could not explain why he felt this way. he had learned a lot of knowledge from liu mengyun. he hesitated. he had been very happy recently. although he still had some worries, he felt that everything was good. he was improving himself bit by bit, and every day was very fulfilling. at this rate, he would no longer have to worry about the issue of money. he could live very well and obtain an extremely high position in the sect. li ming, who had his head lowered, could not help but clench his fists. his body was trembling slightly. what did he want? he thought about it for a long time before he finally said, ¡°i¡¯ve decided, please help me resolve the impurities in my spiritual qi.¡± liu mengyun waved her hand, and some strange things were placed on the table. seeing all kinds of strange things on the table, li ming could not help but feel his scalp go numb. he had the illusion that some evil ritual was going to be carried out here, and those strange and fresh things that had just been taken out were like sacrifices. even the formations he usually studied would not be anywhere as strange and terrifying as this. ¡°we can only make do with what we currently have.¡± liu mengyun had a helpless look on her face. ¡°regardless, this should be enough to make the most basic level demonic pattern.¡± ¡°demonic pattern? what¡¯s going on? ¡°this matter is very difficult to explain.¡± liu mengyun picked up everything and looked at it carefully before saying, ¡°you can think of it as a type of rune, a natural rune. it is a formation made of flesh, blood, hair, and essence. haha, cultivators always hoped to be able to understand these subtle details, but how could these subtle details be so easy to understand?¡± ¡°what do you plan to do next?¡± ¡°don¡¯t be silly. can¡¯t you figure it out yourself?¡± liu mengyun looked at li ming as if he was an idiot. ¡°naturally, it¡¯s to make a demonic pattern on your body.¡± ¡°drawing a demonic pattern? would that not be very difficult to do?¡± ¡°if i can¡¯t do it, then that means that others can¡¯t do it either.¡± liu mengyun snorted coldly, her face filled with pride. liu mengyun wanted to say something, but she hesitated. although li ming was puzzled, he did not ask further. instead, he pointed to another set of materials and herbs. ¡°where are these materials for? are you these also for the making of the demonic pattern?¡± the ingredients on the table were very distinct. one side was made up of spiritual herbs, while the other was a demon¡¯s internal organs. ¡°let¡¯s begin then.¡± liu mengyun giggled. as she spoke, liu mengyun handed li ming a cup. ¡°oh.¡± li ming nodded as if he understood something. he drank the liquid in the cup in one gulp. he wanted to speak, but his vision blurred and he got sleepy. then, in a daze, li ming felt his clothes being unbuttoned. the pain began to spread throughout his entire body, but he was very sleepy.. the pain seemed to be very distant¡­ Chapter 105 - Chapter 105: Initial Success of Demonic Pattern chapter 105: initial success of demonic pattern translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation li ming flipped over and stood up. as soon as he stood up, he felt extreme pain. his entire body seemed to have been seriously injured, and the thick smell of blood assaulted his face. ¡°did you succeed?¡± asked li ming, who was shocked speechless by the scene in front of him. ¡°i did.¡± liu mengyun¡¯s tone was filled with joy. ¡°junior brother, your talent is truly outstanding. the demonic pattern fused with you very well.¡± liu mengyun smiled when she saw li ming grimacing in pain. ¡°i found this rune in the body of a bronze rhino demonic beast. it¡¯s very simple and can absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to strengthen the body. your entire body is covered in the bronze color of the demonic tattoo. coincidentally, you cultivate the golden crow body forging technique. as long as you hide it a little, no one should be able to notice it.¡± at this moment, li ming was shocked by the sight of his body. two red lines extended from his palm to his chest, then crossed at his chest, and then extended to his legs to his feet. on li ming¡¯s chest, there were two red lines connected together. seeing li ming¡¯s misgivings, liu mengyun said calmly, ¡°don¡¯t worry. after two days, these lines will completely merge with your body. even if others practice some eye technique, they should not be able to see through it.¡± li ming sighed. if he went out with such a scary tattoo, he would be in trouble. ¡°this demonic pattern is very easy to understand, but you should not hold too much hope for it. i did not have that many crystals and materials, so i could not make any good demonic patterns. regardless, this should be enough for he time being,¡± said liu mengyun calmly. li ming subconsciously moved his hand. when his hand touched the center of his brows, his fingers seemed to have touched something strange. ¡°what is this?¡± ¡°hehe, that¡¯s a demon¡¯s demonic core. while it cannot be compared to an actual demonic core, it should be enough for you,¡± said liu mengyun proudly. li ming had long known that monsters and beasts also had their own inner cores, while demons had their demonic cores. this was the most important basis for distinguishing between monsters and demons. although cultivators could also form golden cores, there were some differences. the inner core of monsters and demonic cores of demons were extremely crucial materials. however, he had only heard about them and had never seen any with his own eyes. ¡°demonic core?¡± li ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°you can test it out,¡± said liu mengyun. hearing this, li ming involuntarily began to circulate the fetal breathing spiritual technique. he immediately noticed the difference. the heaven and earth yuan qi in the world gathered toward him frenziedly. every pore on his body opened naturally, and the spiritual qi entered his body without any hindrance. his body was like a wonderful filter that easily filtered out the impurities in the spiritual qi. the filtered spiritual qi then turned into specks of starlight and fused into his body. the golden crow body tempering art that he cultivated also showed signs of breaking through. li ming was slightly stunned. just as liu mengyun had said, it was like breathing qi into one¡¯s body. he could not feel any obstruction. it seemed like he could completely absorb this spiritual qi without any problem. he was ecstatic! with these demonic patterns, his cultivation speed would be several times faster. he recalled the demonic core that liu mengyun had mentioned earlier. he was not sure what the demonic core looked like, but he was certain that the magic core was definitely useful for him when it came to storing spiritual qi. as expected, a diamond-shaped crystal appeared on his forehead. it was somewhat similar to the red crystal he had obtained earlier, but it was not as bright or pure as the red crystal. what surprised li ming even more was that his body had undergone such a huge change after the addition of the demonic core. if his previous divine sense was like a mist, then his current divine sense was like a tentacle with countless thin hairs. these slender tentacles floated around li ming and imprinted everything around him in his mind. his sixth sense had become more sensitive because he possessed divine sense. moreover, obtaining a demonic core made his sixth sense even more sensitive. following his will, these divine sense tentacles moved around with extreme agility, flying around his body. li ming, who had been a little nervous before, could no longer suppress the joy in his heart. he did not know about other aspects, but he was certain that he could cultivate much, much faster now. with just these two benefits, he felt that the procedure was surely worth it! with the improvements and his original inner core, his cultivation speed would increase several times. just as he was feeling smug, liu mengyun suddenly said, ¡°don¡¯t get too carried away. i¡¯ve never added demonic patterns or a demonic core on anyone else in the past, so you¡¯ll have to watch out for any repercussions.¡± ¡°you will have to research it yourself in the future. even if you absorbed spiritual qi quickly, if you fail to store it, then everything will be in vain.¡± the ecstatic li ming slowly calmed down. liu mengyun was right. the speed at which he absorbed spiritual qi was much faster than before, but it was useless if he could not store it. ¡°learning formations.¡± liu mengyun said, ¡°what you need to learn now is formations. ¡°learn formations?¡± li ming was stunned. ¡°that¡¯s right. it does not matter if you¡¯re a demon or a sword cultivator, the roots are still pretty much the same,¡± liu mengyun said in a deep voice. ¡°in the end, cultivation is a type of formation. these are all things that you will need to learn on your own. cultivation formations are very complicated, you needed to study them deeply. it will be very beneficial for your cultivation.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t understand either?¡± in his opinion, liu mengyun had outstanding talents. in terms of cultivation knowledge, he believed that she was definitely above countless others. how could he understand something that even she could not? it was rare for liu mengyun to show a serious expression. she said in an incomprehensible tone, ¡°it¡¯s difficult to explain, and it¡¯s meaningless if you don¡¯t experience it yourself.¡± even though he did not understand, li ming felt that liu mengyun¡¯s words were unusually serious. he silently remembered this point. when he returned to the sect, the people in the sect naturally praised li ming greatly. in addition to spirit stones and pills, the sect master even kindly allowed him to make a request. this was not because he had a sudden impulse. cultivation required a lot of medicinal pills, and li ming had always been struggling when it came to this regard. if he could refine pills, the cost of cultivation would be greatly reduced. at the same time, he could also refine pills to earn some spirit stones. although the sect master was a little puzzled, the sect master still agreed, ¡°you can go and learn from elder shi.¡± after seeing shi fengrong, he explained his intentions. ¡°from today onward, you will learn pill refinement from me.¡± shi fengrong said, ¡°i have ten sets of herbs here. if these are not enough, you can buy more for yourself.¡¯ ¡°the recipe for the fasting pill is in this secret room. you can browse through the things here at will, but if the pill formula¡¯s level is too high, you cannot browse through it. everything you want is in the pill refining room on the right. that¡¯s where you will refine your pills. alright, you can go..¡± Chapter 106 - Chapter 106: Learning Pill Refinement chapter 106: learning pill refinement translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation after saying that, shi fengrong turned around and walked into her pill room, closing the door with a bang. li ming was speechless. was this really an apprenticeship? he looked left and right, but there was no one else there. why did he always meet such people? he had followed liu mengyun¡¯s words, but she had never given him any explanation. however, the pill refinement master in front of him was even more overboard. she threw him to the side and let him study everything himself. when li ming stepped into the study, he was instantly dumbfounded. this was too exaggerated! in the study, hundreds of colorful jade slips floated in the air like naughty children. on each piece of jade, there were swirls of different colors. it was these swirls that lifted the pieces of jade up and down. ¡°fasting pill!¡± li ming muttered to himself for a moment before calling out in a low voice. the jade slips danced in the air without any movement. this was wrong! however, there was nothing else he could do in the study. li ming scratched his head in distress, unable to think of what to do. should he use his divine sense? after hesitating for a moment, he began using his divine sense. when his divine sense touched one of the swirls, a piece of information entered his mind. the ¡°illustrated book of pill formulas¡± was written by loos cultivators xiao lingjie and dong ming. it recorded more than 400 kinds of pill formulas or recipes. li ming was immediately interested. he used his divine sense to scan the jade slips, and the information on the jade slips appeared in his mind. soon, he found a jade slip that contained the method to refine fasting pills. there was a total of three basic methods to refine fasting pills. this was one of the most basic pills, and its effect was very simple. it filled one¡¯s stomach. after eating it, one could maintain a state of satiety for a long time. it was considered a relatively practical spirit pill. when he took the jade out, it flew towards him automatically. he took the jade slip and injected a trace of spiritual power into it. a method of refining fasting pills surfaced on it. however, li ming was once again dumbfounded! ¡°yellow stone, the fire of three, the air of clear dew, descent from the sky.¡± li ming recognized every word, but when all the words were put together, he was utterly confused. calm down. he had to calm down! li ming kept reminding himself that not to go crazy. in his opinion, entering the inner sect meant that his good days were coming! but now, he realized that he had made a huge mistake! he had merely jumped from one big pit to the next. moreover, he had taken the initiative to jump into the bigger pit, and he had even spent so much effort! previously, he was still worried about not being able to find a suitable master, but now, so what if he had found a pill refinement master? after a long while, he finally managed to calm himself down a little. li ming, who had been completely ignored by his master, was furious. it was just a fasting pill. what was the big deal? was this not just a simple task? after spending some time, he finally searched through all the hundreds of jade slips in the room. there were a total of 517 jade slips. there were only 21 jade slips that he could learn. the 21 selected jade slips floated in front of him. as for the [fire cloud pill chapter], li ming was not interested and threw it to the side. as for the [great origin pill chapter], he threw it to the back of his mind. li ming¡¯s eyes fell on the book, [introduction to pill refinement]. his eyes lit up and he grabbed it. this was exactly what he needed. he began to read the book with great interest. not long after, he was completely immersed in it. the content inside was very fresh to him. it was as if he had opened a door to a whole new world. [introduction to pill refinement] was not anything profound. it only talked about the most basic pill refinement techniques, including the proportion of various materials, how to use the pill furnace, how to control the flame, and so on. when he looked up again, the sky was already pitch black. he did not even realize that he had already spent several hours in the study. he let out a long breath, stood up, and stretched his body. his eyes were still a little blurry as if he was recalling what he had read just now. although the [introduction to pill refinement] was not a very profound jade slip, the information within was extremely detailed and could not be discounted. li ming knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. whether his master taught him or not, he looked at the jade slip again and again as if he had found a treasure. in the following days, he stayed in the study. perhaps it would come in handy at some point in the future. if he worked harder now, he would not have to worry about it in the future. if one day, he was penniless, he could use his knowledge to exchange for crystals. li ming chuckled. it was not until he was dizzy from reading that he remembered all the contents of the 21 jade slips. he suddenly remembered that his master had said that he could use the pill refining room on the right. now, he could not wait to go to the pill refining room. in the middle of the room was a two-meter-tall bronze cauldron with three legs and a round belly. there were some cushions and tables near the walls, and many items were piled on them. there were also ten sets of medicinal herbs that his master had prepared for him. li ming walked around the furnace and muttered to himself, ¡°so stingy.¡± however, one should not underestimate the huge object in front of him. in fact, it was a first-grade pill furnace. the most crucial part to the setup was the fire formation at the bottom of the furnace. there was an image of the yin-yang eight trigrams on the furnace. as long as one injected spiritual power into it, they could control the formation. when refining pills in the furnace, the control of the flame was the most crucial part. just like the [three weaves flowing fire] that li ming had seen earlier, there were three vertical and three horizontal lines interweaving. li ming placed one hand on the eight trigrams board, and spiritual power seeped out of his body. a flame rose beneath the cauldron. he followed the instructions in the [introduction to pill refinement] and carefully controlled the flame. the fire formation in this first-grade pill furnace was not very powerful. it only had six different forms. it did not take long for li ming to become familiar with it. the more he used it, the more li ming felt that this method of controlling flames was similar to the beginner [crimson flame art]. the cultivation techniques that cultivators practiced were generally divided into five types. they were either yin, yang, wind, fire, or lightning. everything in the world had its own system. the [crimson flame art] was a fire-attribute cultivation technique of the five elements cultivation techniques. however, even though it was once popular in the world, after the rise of sword techniques, it gradually became an independent system. most of the people who studied this system were loose cultivators. li ming wondered if the principles of the art of pill refinement and cultivation were the same.. Chapter 107 - Chapter 107: First Attempts at Pill Refinement chapter 107: first attempts at pill refinement translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation there had to be some connection between the [crimson flame art] and the fire controlling technique. the [crimson flame art] that he had bought earlier was very simple and crude. it could only be cultivated to the third level at most. there was no guidance for any further levels, so he could only refer to the first three levels. he closed his eyes and focused. he placed his hand on the eight trigrams around the pill furnace and carefully sensed the mysteries of this fire formation. after pondering for a long time, he made no progress. he vaguely felt that these two things seemed to be able to fuse together, but no matter how he pondered, there was no movement. he had no choice but to give up on this idea. he was just a rookie in pill refinement. it was still too early to say that he had created something. it was better for him to obediently make a fasting pill. otherwise, he would not know how to face his cold master by the end of the month. he had memorized all the pill formulas, and now he needed to put them into practice. on the table, there were more than ten sets of medicinal herbs. in this courtyard, the women from the other halls were responsible for the most basic of herbs. because what he was refining was the most basic pill formula, it was not difficult to refine it. carefully, he placed the different ingredients into the furnace according to the prescribed ratio. li ming sat cross-legged and focused his mind. he placed his palm on the eight trigrams board and injected his spiritual power into it. the bottom of the furnace was covered in a layer of faint red light. li ming carefully circulated the spiritual power in his body, his heart extremely nervous. two hours later, li ming¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat. he felt exhausted. maintaining a long-term and stable output of spiritual power was a big burden for him. damn it! two hours later, the ingredients in the pill furnace had only dissolved a little. at this rate, the ingredients in the pill furnace would only fully melt in a few hours. thinking about how he would have to use up his energy for several hours, li ming felt that it was troublesome. two hours later, he was drenched in sweat. at this moment, the spiritual power in his body was in a mess. puff! black smoke rose from the furnace, and a burnt smell filled the entire room. swoosh, swoosh, swoosh. without thinking, li ming withdrew the spiritual power in his body and sat on the ground, panting heavily. he was sweating profusely. firstly, he had consumed too much spiritual power. secondly, he had been right beside the furnace and was as such roasted like a cooked prawn by the flames that shot out from the furnace. he did not immediately start refining again. he only stood up with difficulty. at this moment, he felt powerless and did not want to move at all. he had never felt so tired before. during the battle, he needed to gather all his spiritual power, and during the refining process, he needed to slowly exhaust his energy. even with his current strength, he could not withstand such an extended period of exhaustion. if he was not careful, all his previous efforts would go to waste. in his opinion, any method of earning money was not that easy to do. it was easier said than done to earn crystals! he did not start refining immediately. he did not have many resources on hand. if he wasted all of them, he would be extremely poor. according to common sense, with his current realm, it should not be too difficult to refine a fasting pill. after thinking for a long time, he remembered that it might be that he had not controlled his spiritual power well earlier, which lead to what happened. after thinking for a long time, he finally meditated and adjusted his spiritual qi to its peak. then, it happened again. a burning smell once again filled the entire room. li ming panted heavily, sweating profusely. the second time! this time, he held on for more than six hours before no longer being able to endure any further. when he opened the lid of the furnace and saw a pile of black medicinal dregs, his mood immediately turned sour. however, he was already exhausted. other than looking, there was nothing else he could do. he had thought that this was just a skill and not physical labor. just one fasting pill was already so difficult. if he were to refine medicinal pills of higher grades, how much harder would it be? this time, he felt even more certain that his initial guess was correct. he was not proficient enough in pill refinement. when he injected spiritual qi, he wasted a lot of excess spiritual qi. although he was already at the golden core realm and these pills were nothing to him, because he had just started refining pills, if he was not careful, he would not have enough spiritual qi to even refine a single pill. according to the jade slip, it would take a total of 10 hours to complete. this meant that he had to last at least 10 hours. the speed at which his cultivation could increase was limited. the only thing he could do now was to increase his cultivation to a higher realm. after a while, li ming¡¯s breathing gradually calmed down, and his mind became clear. li ming held the pile of fasting pills, his eyes filled with joy. the fasting pill was as big as a longan. it was green and fragrant, making people want to swallow it at first sight. fasting pills were usually given to people who cultivated hard or were rich and powerful to save time. this time, he did not start immediately because the fact that he was able to succeed this time meant that his train of thought was correct. therefore, he had to ensure his success rate. there were only six sets of materials left, enough to make four bottles of fasting pills. in other words, he still had two chances of failure. in fact, on his third attempt, he almost succeeded, but because of a small mistake, he failed. his divine sense could help him observe the situation in the pill furnace and then he could make corresponding adjustments. divine sense is truly magical! li ming was delighted. other than pill refinement, he also modified some of his cultivation techniques. this way, he managed to save a lot more spiritual qi and greatly increase his efficiency. he was very clear about his own strength. the use of divine sense was very great, but his experience was just too little. even with the help of his divine sense, it could only play a very small role. however, even such a small change had benefited him greatly. he wondered if he should find some time to check if there are any similar jade slips in the sect¡¯s library. after all, he was an inner sect disciple. he would be a fool if he did not make a profit! he could not place his hopes on the master he got. he might as well do it himself. after refining four bottles of fasting pills. he returned to the stone room where he was cultivating. these fasting pills were enough for him to use for a few months. li ming was currently sitting cross-legged. a ball of stalagmite fire floated in front of him. in the milky white light, a faint yin fire bead was faintly discernible. his hands kept forming hand seals, and traces of spiritual power poured into the flame. the most important thing in refining this yin fire bead was not spiritual power, but his divine sense. he used his divine sense to control the flame inside the bead.. Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: The Difficulties of Artifact Refinement chapter 108: the difficulties of artifact refinement translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the magical art was complex, and he had to maintain it for an hour. li ming could immediately feel how difficult the task was going to be. he had obtained the [yin fire bead chapter] from liu mengyun and it was used to refine the yin fire bead he obtained from demons. ignorance could sometimes be the most terrifying thing. li ming did not even consider whether or not he could refine the yin fire bead with his current cultivation. he simply followed the method in the [yin fire bead chapter] and carefully began to refine a yin fire bead. mysterious symbols continuously shot into the stalagmite fire and penetrated into the yin bead. however, whether it was the stalagmite fire or the yin bead, they did not experience any changes. as time passed, fine beads of sweat began to seep out of li ming¡¯s forehead. the consumption of spiritual energy was just too much! at the rate at which it was currently being consumed, he would soon be completely exhausted. if his spiritual energy was completely exhausted, then the yin bead would be destroyed. when he thought of this, li ming could not help but think of the signboard in the shop that sold yin beads at a high price. he could not help but wonder if there were actually people who were willing to spend so much on yin pearls. the more he thought about it, the sadder he felt. it was as if there were many crystals floating right in front of him, but they only got further and further away from him. damn it! this damn [yin fire bead chapter] was simply full of loopholes! what was going on? li ming was anxious, angry, and unwilling! although his life was not under any threat this time, losing out on so many crystals felt like a sharp dagger was cutting through his body. if he could not refine the yin fire pearl this time, he would run to liu mengyun¡¯s place and have a good talk with her. he still did not know what was going on, but he was sure that he did not misinterpret the refinement method. however, the current situation was completely different from what was described in the [yin fire bead chapter]. the [yin fire bead chapter] said that he would have to last at least an hour, but there was not much spiritual energy left in his body. could it be that his cultivation was just not high enough? in the end, he still felt unwilling. he could only grit his teeth and hold on for as long as possible! he could not allow himself to just let this yin bead be ruined. he suddenly remembered that when he was refining pills, he used his divine sense to observe. therefore, he carefully injected a trace of his divine sense into his body. the spiritual energy consumption in his body decreased a lot in an instant. however, even with how it currently was, he would not be able to last long enough! li ming gritted his teeth and separated another wisp of his divine sense to carefully control a tiny wisp of spiritual energy. this small wisp of spiritual energy was guided into the spiritual vein under his feet. without this trace of divine sense, he would not even have the strength to control this wisp of spiritual energy. just those series of hand seals alone were enough to make him vomit blood. however, li ming could multitask. it currently felt like his head was split into three parts. it was a rather unbearable feeling. after a while, li ming felt a sharp pain! li ming gritted his teeth and held on! he used all his strength to make the wisp of spiritual qi circulate in his body, making it circulate faster and faster. as he moved, the spiritual qi circulated faster and faster. in the end, it actually turned into a small whirlwind. there seemed to be a force under his feet that attracted the whirlwind, and the surrounding spiritual energy was slowly converging into the whirlwind. li ming had never tried this method before, but now that he had crystals in hand, he could only bite the bullet. li ming had come up with such a risky idea when he was at his wit¡¯s end. the spiritual energy under his feet flowed faster and faster. gradually, streams of spiritual qi were absorbed into his body. the spiritual qi that was absorbed into his body quickly merged with the small whirlwind. the whirlwind then grew larger and larger. then, with a terrifying speed, it rushed towards li ming¡¯s dantian. chi! li ming could not help but gasp. the ball of stalagmite fire floating in front of him trembled violently and was about to collapse. he felt as if his foot had been pierced by a steel needle. the acupoint at the center of one¡¯s sole was one of the most important acupoints in a person¡¯s body. however, he had never used this acupoint to absorb any kind of spiritual energy. now that there was so much flooding in through it at once, how could he not feel pain? however, for the sake of crystals, he could endure it! with some unwillingness, li ming kept circulating the spiritual energy in his body to accelerate the absorption of spiritual qi. after the heaven and earth spiritual qi entered his body, it had to undergo a period of tempering before it finally became a part of his own cultivation. the purer the spiritual qi, the more powerful it would be and the more one could fluidly control it with one¡¯s will. it would not affect one¡¯s personality in any way. however, he could not care less right now. no matter how much spiritual qi he had, it was still a force that could at least alleviate his current predicament. the current him was like a hungry ghost who had not eaten meat for ten years. as long as there was a trace of spiritual qi, he would absorb it without hesitation. with the continuous influx of new spiritual energy, he was slightly relieved. as for the resulting yin fire bead, he could not be bothered with it any longer. it would be good as long as he could succeed. li ming was angry and annoyed. refining a yin fire bead was such a painstaking process. his legs were in pain, his divine sense was divided into three, and there was also the pain of the impurities in his body tearing apart his meridians. why must he suffer so much, all because of his love for money¡­ li ming was a little surprised that he was still in the mood to mock himself in such a situation. a person¡¯s body had to maintain a certain balance. if he was not careful, it would be destroyed, and all his efforts would be in vain. therefore, he endured the pain and tears and tried his best to maintain the stability of his body. in the stone room, li ming was like a whirlwind. the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual qi gathered towards him like a tide. in front of his body, a stalagmite fire was burning brightly. li ming¡¯s clothes fluttered in the wind, while bean-sized beads of sweat never stopped on his face. the spiritual qi in the room could no longer withstand his crazy absorption and was completely absorbed by him. only a trace of spiritual energy continued to flow from the ground and into his feet. his feet seemed to have been scalded by a hot iron. if one looked closely, one could see that his feet were spasming non-stop. when he finished the last part of the magical art, he finally could not hold on any longer and fell to the ground. he was so exhausted that he could not even lift a finger. his body was like a frog whose muscles had been drained, and his limbs kept twitching. as soon as he fell, he let out a miserable cry. the pain of his flesh being torn apart, the pain of his divine sense being damaged, and the bone-piercing pain from his feet all made him realize how terrible the situation was. with a loud scream, li ming forced himself to stand up and stumbled to pick up the yin fire bead from the ground. the originally grey yin bead was now like a piece of crystal clear glass that had been burned. there was a faint white mark within, like a cloud floating in the air. it was extremely beautiful! li ming¡¯s eyes revealed an intoxicated look. he could not bear to let go. he felt that all the pain he had suffered was worth it. he did not know how powerful this yin fire bead was, but looking at this beautiful bead, how could he bear to test it? he would definitely treasure it heavily. just as he was about to get up, he cried out in pain and fainted on the ground.. Chapter 109 - Chapter 109: The Mysterious Stone Tablet chapter 109: the mysterious stone tablet translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation he saw that his right leg was red and swollen just like a steamed bun. not to mention walking, even touching it lightly caused him a lot of pain. he had truly been no different from a greedy snake swallowing an elephant! li ming sighed. one step at a time, he made his way out of the stone room in a strange manner. he had spent a huge sum of money to exchange for this yin fire bead. as for the damage to his divine soul, that was easy to deal with. the soul-refining art was a technique specialized in treating soul damage. of greater concern were his meridians, which had also suffered some damage. however, he could heal them back up by going to the pill room and asking for some spirit pills. fortunately, although such injuries were not minor injuries to cultivators, they were common. therefore, the sect did not lack recovery pills for such injuries. when he entered his courtyard, he was stunned. a huge white bird was standing on the roof of his house. it had an arrogant look on its face, similar to that of a noble princess who was dressing up in front of a mirror. because he had made the greatest contribution in the battle against the demons, the sect rewarded him with a spirit beast and over 10,000 square meters of spiritual fields. this was a considerable amount of wealth. li ming only roughly knew the location of the spirit fields and did not have time to take care of it for the time being. the east hall was completely silent. everyone was pale, and some of them even had faint wounds on their bodies. eighth elder yuan qing¡¯s body was lying quietly in front of them. his face was green, and there was an indescribable strangeness about him. yun xia¡¯s eyes were currently dim. she had always been calm, but she could not help but feel a little frightened right now. they had taken turns scouring the area to find any clues. but now, they had actually been ambushed. this was definitely a premeditated ambush, and the target of the ambush was elder yuan qing. there were too many enemies, and all of them were wearing masks. their cultivation was very high, and their formation was very organized. elder yuan qing had been slain by them in just a few moves. if it was not for yun xia throwing out a lightning talisman that she had just refined without a second thought, she probably would not have survived. it was thanks to that talisman that she was able to survive. ¡°who are they?¡± the sect master¡¯s face was dark. as the true master of the divine will sect, someone actually dared to attack one of her elders in his own territory. this was an outright humiliation to her authority. ¡°i¡¯m not sure either. they did not use flying swords, but rather techniques of the five elements. moreover, the magic formations that they had set up were quite exquisite.¡± ¡°techniques of the five elements?¡± the great elder raised his head and revealed a somewhat surprised expression. ¡°most of the people who use the spell techniques of the five elements are loose cultivators. it¡¯s not easy to find them.¡± ¡°i¡¯m afraid so. although five-elements spell techniques were difficult to collect, they could still be bought on the market. if one wanted to collect them, it was definitely possible. ¡°they had come here for elder yuan! in that case, they should have had a motive. why did they target him?¡± everyone present was a wily old fox and naturally understood this point. ¡°it appears that they do wish for us not to chase the matters of the night during the day!¡± ¡°that¡¯s right, this is very interesting.¡± the great elder said, ¡°it seems that there is someone who wants to take advantage of the situation and fish in troubled waters. they could not allow us to find that demon first and decided to hinder us from doing so.¡± ¡°that demon?¡± yun xia was stunned. ¡°they are that demon¡¯s accomplices!¡± everyone looked at each other and their expressions became solemn. it was a group of people who had ambushed them. previously, they had thought that they were only facing a seriously injured lone demon, so they were not too worried. in their opinion, with the strength that they had as golden core realm experts, was it not but a simple task to deal with a seriously injured demon? no one had expected the situation to be so complicated. the news of the white star¡¯s appearance quickly spread throughout the entire world, and countless martial artists who wanted to kill monsters and demons would flock to it. a heavily-injured high-level demon was equivalent to countless crystals and magical treasures! the third elder shouted angrily, ¡°the loose cultivators are colluding with demons!¡± the great elder raised his head and said, ¡°can it not be a sect?¡± as soon as he said that, the entire hall fell silent. it was drizzling outside. looking at the hazy mountains through the window, li ming¡¯s mood was still a little low. li ming stood in the stone room and slowly opened his eyes. his soul-refining art had not improved much. there was still a long way to go before he could reach three breaths. with a thought, he entered his sea of consciousness. just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped. he suddenly turned his head and looked at a stone tablet that had suddenly appeared in his divine sense in disbelief. there were words carved on the stone tablet! why was there a stone tablet here? that¡¯s incredibly bizarre! there were some words carved on the stone tablet. he had vaguely seen them before, but he had never seen them clearly. but this time, he could see them! he quickly approached it, wanting to see what was written on the stone tablet. however, it did not take long for him to be stunned. the words [golden crow body tempering technique] were engraved on the stone tablet. after so many days of hard training, he already knew the [golden crow body tempering technique] like the back of his hand. with just a glance, he could already see some clues. he thought to himself, ¡°why would the [golden crow body tempering technique] appear here?¡± if it was a profound cultivation technique, he would not be so surprised. however, the [golden crow body tempering technique] was not that profound. it was merely a cultivation technique that had roughly three levels. suppressing his curiosity, he continued reading. it did not take long for him to gain something. there were some subtle differences between this technique and the one he had practiced before. there was much more content written in it. could this be the original version of the [golden crow body tempering technique]? li ming did not understand the situation. the [golden crow body tempering technique] was not a high-grade cultivation technique to begin with. even if it was slightly modified, it would not become a high-grade cultivation technique. thinking of this, li ming could not help but laugh at himself. he was too greedy. this stone tablet was a mystery to li ming. he subconsciously thought that if this stone tablet was related to a cultivation technique, it would definitely be a powerful cultivation technique. this was also the reason why he was shocked by its name when he saw it. after pondering for a moment, he decided to memorize the [golden crow body tempering technique] written on the stone tablet. just as he began memorizing this paragraph of text, he was shocked to find the paragraph of text actually disappeared into thin air. a ball of smoke condensed together and enveloped this paragraph of text. could this be a reminder to him that his way of cultivating the golden crow body tempering technique was wrong? he shook his head from side to side, trying to get rid of this inexplicable thought. no matter what, anything related to the divine sense was extremely strange. li ming, who had withdrawn from his sea of consciousness, refocused on the cultivation technique on the stone tablet.. Chapter 110 - Chapter 110: New Version of the Golden Crow Body Tempering Technique chapter 110: new version of the golden crow body tempering technique translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation compared to before, there were only five slight changes to the cultivation technique on this stone tablet. he had studied these five changes for a long time and discovered something shocking. these five seemingly-minute changes allowed the [golden crow body tempering technique] to take two completely different paths. while he was shocked, it was also within his expectations. it would be strange if there was no difference after changing parts of the cultivation technique. however, when he thought about it further, he found himself dumbfounded once again. he suddenly realized that the [golden crow body tempering technique] he had learned was much stronger than the [golden crow body tempering technique] on the stone tablet! this result was too hard for li ming to accept. his divine sense had grown stronger and his soul-refining art was obviously a high-grade cultivation technique, so why did the stone tablet that came about through his divine sense give him a copy of the [golden crow body tempering technique] that was inferior to the ordinary version? li ming found this situation difficult to believe. the [golden crow body tempering technique] was not a profound cultivation technique. it was a cultivation technique that was completely focused on tempering the physical body. in terms of effects, the [golden crow body tempering technique] that li ming practiced was undoubtedly much better. there was a spirit vein in this stone room, but the spiritual qi there could not be compared to the pure spiritual qi in li ming¡¯s body. with his original cultivation technique, li ming¡¯s cultivation advanced very quickly. what was going on? li ming felt like he was being joked with. was this a joke? the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case. besides, how could there be such a coincidence? he had just started practicing the golden crow body tempering technique, and yet another version of the technique had appeared before him? li ming could not be bothered to look at the golden crow body tempering technique on the stone tablet any further. this comparatively inefficient method of practicing the technique was simply a waste of time. the appearance of the stone tablet was very abrupt, causing li ming¡¯s heart to skip a beat. from then on, he would enter his sea of consciousness a few times every day to see if there were any new changes to this stone tablet. however, no changes took place on the stone tablet ever since. the stone tablet remained in complete silence, and so did his divine sense. li ming grew rather downtrodden because of this, but he continued to cultivate every day. however, every time he practiced the soul-refining art, he would think of those five subtle changes. these five strange changes were like ghosts that lingered in li ming¡¯s mind. there were a few times when li ming almost could not help but want to give it a try, but in the end, he endured it. time was precious, and he would not waste it for no reason. the arduous cultivation of the soul-refining art had changed him greatly. he seemed to have forgotten that his cultivation had soared. seeing that his sea of consciousness had become stronger, he was delighted. as expected! he firmly believed that the cultivation of the soul-refining art would definitely make his divine sense stronger! these days, his senior brothers and sisters were not around, so li ming was very relaxed. he trained hard every day and was free and at ease. li ming¡¯s guess was right. his beautiful life had just begun. the great elder¡¯s exhortations, as well as yuan qing¡¯s death, caused everyone to raise a trace of vigilance in their hearts. no matter how good a person¡¯s aptitude was, they had to preserve their lives in order to grow into an expert. in everyone¡¯s eyes, yuan qing did not lack talent. they even thought that he might have more talent hidden within him. however, he died young. because he was now dead, everything was meaningless. after li ming got his spiritual sense, he realized that his initial thoughts were wrong. for a versatile genius like li ming, the cultivation of sword techniques was secondary. what was most important to him right now was to keep his life. he would rather become a cultivator with strong vitality than a swordsman who died halfway. after these days of training, li ming¡¯s body had become much stronger. he was no longer as thin as a stick and had even gained some muscles. he had gradually adapted to the high-intensity training and the help of supplementary medicine. unfortunately, li ming still could not figure out what his master and the others were thinking. however, martial uncle xin¡¯s arrival still made him feel a little flattered, but inwardly, he was complaining incessantly! among all the seniors, martial uncle xin was the person he feared the most. sometimes, he could not help but fantasize in his heart that it would be great if someone else guided him in his cultivation. in the grass hut, martial uncle xin threw li ming a jade slip and then led him to a valley in the back mountain. li ming had been to this valley before. it had clearly been razed to the ground. there was an extremely eye-catching formation at the bottom of the valley. without any hesitation, martial uncle xin threw li ming into the formation. ¡°martial uncle, wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± martial unice xin ignored him and left. li ming looked around nervously. seeing that there was no movement, he was slightly relieved. could it be a magic formation that strengthened his physique? since it was something so good, then why didn¡¯t his martial uncle say so earlier? after a long time, there was still no response. however, without permission, li ming did not have the courage to escape the formation. he was left here by his martial uncle. if he escaped, he would definitely end up in an extremely miserable state. it was a mantra called the vajra seal mantra. li ming was shocked. just by hearing the name, he knew that it was definitely not a mantra from his sect. it was more like a chant from some buddhist sect. where did this come from? perhaps due to him having encountered numerous difficulties in obtaining jade slips in the past two years, but he was very interested in jade slips, especially the ones that recorded strange things. moreover, he did not need to spend any contribution points to obtain this cultivation technique. at least he did not receive it in vain. with a strong curiosity, he continued reading. as expected of the chants of a buddhist sect. the chants of the buddhist sects were usually very simple. however, they required extremely high talent and incredible tenacity. this cultivation technique fits exactly with that description. it was not difficult, but it required perseverance. if one could cultivate it for a long time, one¡¯s body would become as hard as a rock. if one comprehended it well enough, then they could even attain immortality. of course, li ming did not think much of what the cultivation technique stated it could do. now, no matter what kind of jade slip it was, it had to brag about how awesome it was. however, the jade slip stated that the vajra seal mantra could strengthen the body and temper divine sense. this part interested him very much. no matter the situation, staying alive was the most important thing. furthermore, once one cultivated to a certain realm, no evil could infiltrate one¡¯s body, and neither gods nor ghosts could do so either. li ming was shocked to find that the things he had learned seemed to have become more complicated. the more li ming thought about it, the more frightened he became. could it be that this was not a simple physique-strengthening magic formation? at this moment, a thin layer of mist suddenly appeared beside him. he could clearly see that this thin layer of mist was dissipating from the formation. his heart tightened as he wondered if he was going to be attacked. the thick fog quickly expanded. li ming¡¯s vision was completely covered, and he grew more and more anxious and careful.. Chapter 111 - Chapter 111: Body chapter 111: body-tempering sword formation translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation a sword light suddenly rushed out from the fog and slashed at li ming! li ming, who had been cautiously waiting for a long time, suddenly put his fingers together and shot out a sword light that clashed with the incoming sword light. the dazzling lights canceled each other out as soon as they collided. before li ming could come back to his senses, two more sword lights shot out from the fog! li ming did not say anything and simply focused on brandishing his two swords. now, there was a total of four sword lights shooting toward li ming from different angles. li ming was flustered. more and more sword lights appeared, so much so that li ming had greater and greater difficulty reacting to them. eventually, the sword lights began reaching and making small cuts on his body, causing him to scream in pain. it was only then that he realized just what kind of formation he was in! it turned out that it was a sword formation! but then he immediately began to question why he was thrown into this sword formation. a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. if it was not for his vast knowledge and experience, he would have already been forced to surrender! regardless, the purpose of this formation was to help him temper his body! who was the one who thought of using a sword formation to body tempering? li ming felt the urge to kill them. he was not stupid. when he thought of the [golden crow body tempering technique] and the vajra seal mantra, he was enlightened. each sword light was very small. although they were not life-threatening, each sword light possessed terrifying might. it had to be taken note of that ordinary flying swords could not hurt his body at all. when li ming had that thought, his heart trembled. could it be that he had been stabbed by so many flying swords that his skin had become so tough that ordinary flying swords could not pierce through it? a terrifying thought flashed through his mind, but he also had a premonition that his earlier thoughts were very likely to be true. the first round of sword rain had caused li ming to be hit seven times in a row. he was in so much pain that he raised his head and howled. fortunately, right after that, the fog dissipated slightly. however, li ming did not slack off because of this. if nothing unexpected happened, then another wave of sword light should be coming soon. martial uncle xin¡¯s personality was fully integrated with his sword. he would never let anyone have the slightest chance to breathe. and li ming was right to think that! just a few moments after he had cleared the first round of sword rain, the second round of sword rain had already appeared. he did not have the time to think too much. he jumped up and shot out sword lights of his own. although he had already comprehended sword intent, he was still hit twelve times under this round of attacks. this time, he did not curse his martial uncle, but he still activated his cultivation technique without hesitation. if he did not focus, he would soon be riddled with holes. under the second round of attacks, he had a much more difficult time holding on. each of the twelve attacks made his heart ache. fortunately, the golden crow body tempering technique was easy to understand and operate. at the same time, li ming finally managed to cultivate the vajra mental cultivation technique to the extreme before the third round of sword rain arrived. a golden light appeared on his body. before he could be proud of his achievement, the third wave of sword rain had arrived. as he listened to the continuous pitter-pattering sound that was just like the sound of rain, he was relieved from a considerable amount of pain. but soon after, the wave of sword rain this time was even more violent than the previous two waves. even li ming, who had the vajra mental cultivation technique, was a little dumbfounded. in the end, martial uncle xin carried the bruised and swollen li ming and flew toward his residence. the outer sect disciples who caught sight of them when they were on their way all revealed looks of pity¡ªtheir senior brother li ming was truly so miserable! of course, there were also rumors that emerged. one such rumor was that li ming had offended martial uncle xin, which then caused martial uncle xin to fly into a rage and punish him personally. another rumor was that senior brother li ming was actually practicing a supreme cultivation technique. this supreme cultivation technique was extremely ferocious. all the female disciples could testify to this. when li ming woke up from his room, he saw the flying spirit beast on his roof. he could finally rest. before leaving, martial uncle xin said that he would return in five days. of course, the sword formation could not be used every day. moreover, the practice of alchemy was also a compulsory course for him. if he did not improve the next time, he would be dead. the mental cultivation technique cultivation method of the [golden crow body tempering technique] had a slight healing effect. with just a slight circulation of the technique, li ming¡¯s body began to heat up. this gave him a fright. among all his mental cultivation techniques, the one belonging to the soul-refining art was the most comfortable. the peace of mind it brought him was indescribable. when the [golden crow body tempering technique] circulated in his body, it was not as intoxicating as the [soul-refining art]. however, the injured li ming felt that this warm sensation suited his current self much better. as the cultivation of the golden crow body tempering technique and the vajra seal were much simpler, he did not encounter any obstacles. they were not like the soul-refining art that made him nearly spit out a mouthful of blood every time he practiced it. after four hours, li ming felt refreshed, and the scars on his body had faded. he was ecstatic. he walked to the front of the spiritual field in the valley and glanced at the destroyed spiritual medicines with some heartache. the grade of this spiritual field was not high. and due to neglect, the originally weak spiritual medicines that had been in the spiritual field had ultimately degraded. li ming gritted his teeth and picked all the herbs that were about to mature but were still considered weak. he planned to sell them all. it was not easy for him to obtain his martial uncle¡¯s magnanimity and be granted five days of leave. li ming let out a sigh of relief as he welcomed the period of rest. he knew that this was only temporary and that he would have to go back to experiencing nightmarish training again in five days, so he decided to spend these five days of rest as well as he could. as he hummed a tune, he placed his hands on his head and flipped through the jade slips that he had borrowed from the scripture depository. once he relaxed, he could not help but think of earning crystals! this was something that could not be helped. he soaked in the medicinal bath every day and needed a large amount of medicinal herbs. and right now, he naturally had no source of income. besides, he had not learned any new pills. the jade slip mentioned a method called the water refinement technique. in this world, there were many ways to refine medicinal pills. most of the refining methods were based on refining flames, so the water refining technique was relatively uncommon. anyway, the water refinement technique seemed to be something that would allow him to make the most out of his current situation. this line of thought made li ming admire it very much. a person¡¯s life would always be affected by various factors, but most of the factors could not be changed. therefore, in this unfavorable situation, in order to achieve good results, one must have enough knowledge. there was a cold spring water in the stone room. it was not bad to use it to cultivate water attribute cultivation techniques. most of the medicinal pills refined by the water refinement technique were extremely cold. this was the limitation of the water refinement technique. but at this moment, li ming had no other option. there were many pill formulas related to the water element on the jade slips. he read ten lines at a glance and chose some pill formulas that were suitable for him to refine at the current moment, silently memorizing them.. Chapter 112 - Chapter 112: Buying Things from the Market chapter 112: buying things from the market translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation it seemed that he would have to go to the market. although he was short on money, he still had a few crystals in his pocket. moreover, with his current cultivation, going out to do missions would also bring him a considerable amount of wealth. he only had five days off. by the time these five days were over, it would be too late to earn money. he had slowly figured out the technique of disguising himself and sneaking around. it could even be said that he was very skilled at it. the effects of his cultivation over the past few days were extremely good. when li ming walked, it was as if he was flying. he was no longer like he was before. he changed his appearance and assumed the look of an ordinary man. he knew the market like the back of his hand. although the quality of the spiritual herbs here was not the best, it was still passable. anyway, the pills he was going to refine were not that high-grade. he dealt with his matters very quickly and felt much more relaxed. he walked around the area and had a look at what was for sale. as he was walking, he saw someone selling yin lightning beads. it was not only yun xia who knew how to refine yin lightning beads. while the method for refining yin lightning beads in large quantities had long been lost, that did not mean that it was difficult to condense them. moreover, there was more than one way to condense them. three thousand years ago, there was once a famous sect that specialized in condensing and refining all kinds of treasures. apart from that, they also obtained some other treasures. however, the nine heavens yin fiend formation was still the most famous in the devilish yin sect. the nine heavens yin fiend formation was made up of 3,600 yin objects of different colors. when all those components were properly set up to create a formation, it would create a terrifying killing formation. it was an incredibly fearsome formation that could even kill nascent soul cultivators. other than yin pearls, the yin fiend sect also sold many other refined treasures. similarly, killing treasures such as the yin lightning pearl were also gradually spread. because it was extremely powerful and easy to refine, many cultivators would bring some with them whenever they moved around. there were many kinds of medicinal herbs in the market, most of which were low-grade medicinal herbs. however, many of them happened to be the materials for refining medicinal pills through the water refinement technique. li ming was very satisfied with the good quality and cheap price. even if these herbs were lost, it would not cause him too much heartache. in order to avoid attracting attention, li ming still chose to buy the herbs separately in many different places to avoid attracting the attention of others. this was his habit of being cautious. even if he had already entered the golden core realm, he had not left behind this habit of his. after he finished buying what he needed from the market, li ming returned to the sect. by the time he woke up from his meditation, it was already late at night. he used inner sight to take a look at his sea of consciousness again, and he saw that not much had changed. however, it did get slightly stronger. li ming thought to himself. it seemed that he had to continue training well. he pulled himself out from his sea of consciousness and sorted out the various spiritual herbs he had bought in the market earlier. li ming¡¯s expression turned serious as he prepared to refine the spiritual herbs using the water refinement technique. it had to be noted that the water refinement technique not only consumed a lot of spiritual herbs, but also a lot of spiritual energy. li ming smiled bitterly. it seemed that earning spirit stones was the most important thing for him! putting aside the thoughts in his mind, he began to refine the materials according to the instructions in the jade slip. the water refinement technique and the fire refinement technique were completely different from one another. fortunately, he already had some foundation in pill refinement. moreover, the crazy amounts of refining he had done recently had allowed him to accumulate a lot of experience. the words on the jade slip of the water refinement technique were simple and clear. there was no pretentiousness to it at all, so he could easily understand it. this was also why every time he flipped through that jade slip, he would always feel comfortable and unknowingly immerse himself in it. on the other hand, flipping through the soul-refining art would always make him feel like he was dying. regarding the general process of the water refinement technique, li ming had repeatedly pondered over it countless times. although he could not be said to know it like the back of his hand, he was at least somewhat familiar with it. the most unique aspect of the water refinement technique was that one had to form a pill embryo at the first possible moment. the spirit pill was then born from the pill embryo. it was extremely magical. using magical arts and spiritual energy as veins, using various materials and herbs as flesh and blood, condensing the pill was then the most important step. each part was not only related to the success rate of refining the medicinal pill, but also related to the quality of the medicinal pill that ended up being refined. this was also the main reason why the water refinement technique was not as popular as the fire refinement technique. it was much more difficult to master all its rules. this was definitely a new test for li ming. fortunately, his current realm was much higher than the average pill refiner. the records on the jade slip were also very detailed. he patiently studied the more important parts. moreover, li ming had an advantage that others did not have, and that was his powerful divine sense. even his fellow disciples could not compare to him. the use of spiritual sense had a crucial impact on refinement. he packed up the spiritual herbs and went to the spirit spring in the stone room. the spiritual spring was extremely cold, and it was close to a spirit vein. after countless years of accumulation, the spiritual qi in it was extremely dense. li ming also checked the few spiritual herbs planted inside and found that they were growing well. only then did he feel relieved. with a thought, li ming¡¯s palm suddenly turned into a snowflake. strange symbols shot out from his hand toward the spring water. after those runes that were emitting a faint light entered the spiritual spring, they seemed to be attracted by something and slowly approached the other party. li ming¡¯s eyes widened and his gaze did not shift. his hands did not slow down at all. as li ming¡¯s fingers moved about, the runes that emitted a faint light began to move slowly. they were like a puzzle, joining together bit by bit. after changing his hand sign so many times, li ming¡¯s ten fingers were already numb. however, he could only endure. a single mistake would cause all his previous efforts to go down the drain. as the last glowing rune was placed into it, a stable ¡°frame¡± finally took shape. a faint blue light emitted from the rune and flowed continuously! without any hesitation, he did not even bother to wipe the sweat from his forehead and began to pour in the various materials that he had already prepared. after a while, a light green ball-shaped pill embryo quietly floated in the spring water. li ming was pleasantly surprised! success! he had already roughly grasped the water refinement technique. although it was only a little superficial, he had actually entered a new realm in pill refinement. this was a qualitative leap for li ming. although the water refinement technique consumed a lot of energy, some of the pills refined through it were quite valuable and sold at a high price on the market. therefore, li ming¡¯s plan to earn spirit stones through alchemy had basically been half-realized. what he needed to do now was to balance the time spent on earning spirit stones and cultivating.. Chapter 113 - Chapter 113: Earning Spirit Stones chapter 113: earning spirit stones translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation in the pill refinement room. li ming sat cross-legged and focused on controlling the stalagmite fire. he saw a drop of transparent liquid wriggling in the white flame. he stood to the side, holding his breath. his gaze focused on this milky white flame. suddenly, the stalagmite fire disappeared, and a crystal clear liquid quietly floated in front of li ming. a strange fragrance immediately filled the air. li ming skillfully used a special method to capture the liquid into a bottle that had been prepared beforehand before quickly capping the bottle. ¡°50 spirit stones, one bottle of clear snow pills,¡± said li ming lightly. ¡°senior, can you give me a discount? i¡¯ve already come here a few times!¡± ¡°no discounts,¡± said li ming expressionlessly. the man was speechless and reluctantly took out fifty spirit stones. li ming did not even look at the spirit stones, immediately putting them into his storage pouch before closing his eyes and sitting cross-legged. he began to regulate his breathing. then after a while, he said, ¡°next.¡± the doorman quickly let another person in. from the moment li ming took charge of this pill refinement room, he was shocked by the amount of business that came. the customer had somehow gotten a ball of strange white flame that was bone-chilling and asked li ming to refine an ice cold pill. recently, he had taken on all kinds of jobs, such as refining medicinal herbs, pills, and so on. he had never even heard of some of the jobs, but li ming took on as many as he could. this was all the result of what li ming had recently learned from the jade slips. with the lack of spirit stones on hand, li ming had no choice but to refine pills in the pill refinement room to earn spirit stones. most of what li ming did were intermediate steps, such as the purification and refinement of medicinal herbs. in comparison, refining pills consumed too much energy, and the efficiency was much lower. therefore, li ming tried his best not to take on pill refinement jobs. with li ming¡¯s absurd spiritual energy recovery speed, people could only watch in bafflement at how quickly he took on jobs. he was practically a pill refinement tool that never tired. manager li fengying was utterly dumbfounded. although she was not a pill refiner, she had a wide range of knowledge. was li ming really that amazing?! compared to the speed at which he recovered spiritual energy, his control over flames did not surprise her at all! li ming had never failed. regarding this, although li ying feng was surprised, she did not think of it as anything too strange. li ming was a genius in pill refinement, so it was no surprise that he was proficient in controlling flames. it was exactly this astonishing success rate that made him famous very quickly. everyone knew that he had great control over flames, and he also had a rare snow-white ice flame. although this ball of white ice flame was not of a high grade, its power was great. ice flames were difficult to come by, and it was even more difficult to find someone who possessed it. most of those who possessed ice flames were skilled in pill refinement and weapon refinement. who would want to make a semi-finished product? now, with a cultivator like li ming, who was willing to work to create semi-finished products, he naturally immediately attracted a large number of customers. li ming was refining medicine when a customer walked in under the guidance of the doorman. he stopped. li ming did not even look at the other party and asked directly, ¡°what do you want?¡± ¡°a fourth-grade true origin pill.¡± li ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard the order. he looked up at him and shook his head. ¡°i am unable to refine fourth-grade pills. you should go find someone else.¡¯ the stalagmite fire was only a second-grade fire source. if it was not for the fact that his divine sense was strong enough and his control over fire was good enough, a third-grade fire source was still the highest level that he could handle at the moment. as such, it was pretty much impossible for him to refine a fourth-grade true origin pill with his current capabilities. the man thought for a moment, ¡°can you handle a third-grade cold magnet?¡± ¡°i can try.¡± the man took out a black stone mixed with a few green ice crystals and handed it to li ming. ¡°200 spirit stones.¡± ¡°alright.¡± the person on the other end agreed in a very straightforward manner. a rich guy! li ming quickly took the third-grade cold magnet in his hand. he was also forced by his need for spirit stones to make money by refining pills. li ming spent a lot of effort to find ways to earn spirit stones. cultivating spiritual herbs was a good way to make money, but it also took a lot of time. what made him even more depressed was that even if he used all kinds of spirit plant techniques, it would still take more than five months to complete! he simply decided to rent out the over 10,000 square meters of spiritual fields he had been rewarded by the sect, earning him hundreds of spirit stones a year. this could also be considered as a subsidy for his cultivation. he had rejected the idea of cultivating plants early on without hesitation. in five months, he could earn tens of thousands of spirit stones by refining pills! the stalagmite fire was a rare ice flame after all, and it was extremely suitable to refine those extremely cold and yin objects. there were very few cultivators who could use fire sources, and those who could use ice flames were even rarer. and one of the few who were willing to create semi-finished products was li ming. originally, this kind of business did not have a high profit. as the end result was merely semi-finished products, only some processing fees could be charged. however, with his demonic core, li ming¡¯s control over flames had improved by leaps and bounds. the stalagmite fire seemed to have a life of its own in his hands, and the speed at which he refined things was extremely fast. at the same time, with his demonic pattern, his spiritual energy recovery speed was extremely fast. with a bit of breathing, his spiritual energy would be replenished. because he could not store enough spiritual energy, his cultivation did not increase much. for this reason, he had tried his best. the effect of the demonic pattern could only be said to be passable. he quickly realized that he had a near-perfect combination with his demonic core, coupled with the stalagmite fire and the demonic pattern! in the beginning, the business could only be said to be good, but later on, business was booming. the fees li ming collected were considerable. in the beginning, he only got dozens of spirit stones. but when he received better goods and orders, it directly increased to hundreds. his ask of 200 spirit stones was already the highest ask he had given recently, but he never expected that the other party would agree without a second word. if he were to refine something like this regularly, he would be able to earn more than 200 spirit stones a day. at this rate, it would not be long before he could earn a few thousand spirit stones. however, one has to grasp the time well when doing such a business. if not for the upcoming conference, it would be amazing if he could even receive thirty to forty spirit stones from the local cultivators. but even so, he still obtained huge benefits. he realized that it would be even better if he could use the three-revolutions fire formation. at that time, he could even use the formation to fuse fourth-grade spiritual herbs. however, he rarely accepted fourth-grade materials. most importantly, the danger involved was too great. if it was damaged, it would be a huge loss. fourth-grade medicinal herbs were so expensive that it made his scalp tingle.. Chapter 114 - Chapter 114: Doing Business chapter 114: doing business translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation this time, the other party only wanted a cold magnet, so li ming did not feel too pressured. he would get 200 spirit stones out of it. the other party had not bargained, so he felt that like he had gotten a good deal. in terms of sharpness, nothing could compare to a flying sword. however, there were also some things that the flying sword could not cut through. in fact, attempting to do so may even cause damage to the flying sword¡¯s performance. one of such things was the cold magnet. these cold magnets were meticulously forged. the stones from which they were forged had to maintain the magnetic fields, and doing so was a difficult task. however, this was not a problem for li ming. the demonic core seemed to suit him really well. the speed at which his divine sense was improving now made him feel a little shocked. with his divine sense becoming stronger, it had become nearly effortless for him to search through third-grade spiritual herbs. although fourth-grade spiritual herbs still were quite troublesome, with these tentacles, he could still quickly search through these spiritual herbs. not only could his divine sense improve his control over flames, but it could also allow him to have a deeper understanding of various medicinal herbs. this way, when he was smelting, it would be much easier, and his efficiency would be much higher. li ming did not dare to be careless when it came to 200 spirit stones. he closed his eyes and used his spiritual energy to scan the small cold magnet a few times. after confirming its location, he opened his eyes. the guest wearing a black veil and hood waited quietly. li ming, who had been resting with his eyes closed for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes. pieces of shattered cold magnets slowly floated up from li ming¡¯s palm. almost at the same time, a milky white flame silently appeared, and the surrounding temperature suddenly rose. the manager¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of surprise. li ming sat cross-legged. his expression remained unchanged. he was incredibly focused at this moment, using his divine sense to control the situation. his hands kept changing positions in front of him, turning into afterimages. the fire floating in the air turned into a thin white flame that surrounded the cold magnet like a small white snake. suddenly, the flowing flames accelerated. the man wearing the black veil saw a white light flash in front of him, twisting and turning, one after another! once the three revolutions fire formation was activated, the temperature in the room plummeted. even the bamboo hat man subconsciously took a step back. the flowing flames made him feel a bone-chilling coldness. the three revolutions fire formation was a simple formation that could increase the strength of flames, be it ice flames or raging flames. every time he circulated it, the power would increase by a bit. with his current cultivation, he could only circulate it three times at most. regardless, a 40% increase in power was enough. he concentrated and urged his divine sense. although he now had a demonic core and his control had greatly increased, it was still very difficult to use the three revolutions fire formation. he used his divine sense to carefully control the stalagmite fire. he could feel that his strength and spiritual energy were draining at an extremely fast speed, and a sense of fatigue was constantly assaulting him. li ming suppressed the impulse in his heart and carefully controlled his divine sense. with a whoosh, the fragments gathered together, and the cold magnet was completed. but then again, was the upper limit of humans not amazing? once upon a time, he could only earn tens of spirit stones a year. now, he could earn 200 spirit stones in just a day. in terms of pure income, li ming could be considered the number one figure in the entire sect. however, he did not feel rich at all. instead, he felt as if he had fallen into a cycle of becoming poorer and poorer! originally, he could have earned more spirit stones, but because of his cultivation, he was penniless. now, he had to work hard to earn money. however, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief. in this world, how could there be good things for free? he had already obtained great benefits, but without the soul-refining art, the yin fire bead, and the stalagmite fire, he would not have even been able to reach the foundation establishment realm. ¡°i did not disappoint you.¡± ¡°senior¡¯s fire-controlling technique is extraordinary!¡± the bamboo hat man took the cold magnet into his hand and exclaimed in praise. then, he happily paid li ming 200 spirit stones. li ming felt relieved after receiving the 200 spirit stones. ¡°you¡¯re welcome.¡± li ming¡¯s eyes were mostly attracted by the 200 spirit stones, so he replied casually. ¡°excuse me, did you sign up for the sword-testing conference?¡± the other party seemed to want to build a relationship with li ming. ¡°no, i have not.¡± li ming shook his head. li ming did not have much time to waste. the three revolutions fire formation just now had already drained all the spiritual energy in his body. even if the demonic pattern automatically absorbed spiritual energy, he still felt extremely exhausted. ever since he had gotten the demonic pattern, his understanding of the [vajra seal] had gotten deeper and deeper. in a short period of time, li ming had cultivated the vajra seal to the third level. when he started to circulate the mental cultivation technique, the muscles under his skin emitted a faint golden light. it was a phenomenon called bodily golden robe. according to the vajra seal, it should take at least five to six years to reach the third level, which was the bodily golden robe, and it would take more than ten years to reach the fourth realm, which was red lotus flowing gold. after cultivating the bodily golden armor, his defense had increased greatly. his body was unshakable, and ordinary flying swords could not pierce through his skin. li ming¡¯s current body was much stronger than before, but for some reason, his figure was still very slim. coupled with his iconic handsome face, he was very recognizable. the three revolutions fire formation had consumed too much of his energy. he had to rest as soon as possible. ¡°do you have any other requests?¡± ¡°hehe, i¡¯ll pay a visit to senior another day.¡± that person chuckled and turned to leave. li ming ignored him and closed his eyes again. the soul-refining art started circulating in his body again. a moment later, he pulled himself together again. li yingfeng saw this scene and immediately shouted: ¡°next.¡± other than the spirit stones, he had also accepted many other things. everyone had different needs, so the materials he needed to refine were different. in a day, he had to refine more than ten kinds of strange materials, including spiritual herbs and ores. in just these few days, li ming had refined over a hundred kinds of spiritual herbs, which were very beneficial to his path of pill refinement. at this moment, he was filled with gratitude for his choice. if he were in the sect, he would never have seen so many spiritual herbs. moreover, most of what he had come across were rare items. unfortunately, the stalagmite fire was a flame of extreme cold, and it could not refine many materials. the materials he could use were mostly of the cold nature. ¡°what? you can¡¯t do it? if you can¡¯t even refine this, how dare you do business?¡± a muscular man was holding a third-grade scarlet jade in his hand as he cursed.. Chapter 115 - Chapter 115: What Do People Live For? chapter 115: what do people live for? translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡°my flame is of cold yin nature, so it is unsuitable for refining materials of extreme yang.¡± ¡°damn it, this was a waste of my time. you have to f*cking compensate me for my time!¡± the other party¡¯s voice abruptly paused. at the same moment, his face was suddenly filled with horror as he stood rooted in place, motionless. li ming calmly retracted his sword intent. ¡°my apologies, but we really must be more understanding of one another.¡± this was not the first time he had encountered something like this. he was already experienced in this regard. one could imagine how powerful the pressure of a golden core realm cultivator was. the burly man did not say a word more and left dejectedly. li ming knew the importance of efficiency. time was money, and nothing was more important than time. after a day of working hard, his brain had gotten rather numb. he could not handle any more orders and shouted, ¡°everyone, that is it for today. please come again tomorrow.¡± li yingfeng gave everyone a tag, each with a number on it. the next morning, they would follow the order as stated by the tags. li ming let out a breath of relief and satisfaction as he had gained quite an ample amount this time. the transaction of 200 spirit stones was equivalent to his usual day¡¯s worth of profit. as usual, he gave li fengying two spirit stones as compensation to the sect for renting the sect¡¯s store. as long as he had another busy seven to eight days, he would be able to pay back the huge sum he owed. his mood immediately improved a lot. just as he was about to go back to rest, a voice suddenly sounded behind him. ¡°junior brother li!¡± li ming¡¯s actions came to a halt. he turned around and saw senior brother li zhengxuan standing at the entrance of the store. ¡°brother zhengxuan!¡± li ming was delighted. senior brother li zhengxuan seemed to have become a different person. he was wearing a tattered short robe, and his incredibly sharp sword qi was hidden. senior brother li zhengxuan¡¯s appearance was originally very ordinary, but his clothes right now were utterly without elegance. he looked like the most ordinary low-level cultivator. it could be inferred from this that senior brother li zhengxuan¡¯s cultivation had improved once again! however, the shock on li ming¡¯s face grew stronger and stronger. senior brother li zhengxuan has actually already entered the perfected foundation establishment realm! with his keen senses, he could see the clues at a glance. how was this possible? he had only entered the intermediate stage of the foundation establishment realm not long ago, yet he had already reached the perfected level of the foundation establishment realm! li ming¡¯s own improvement could also be said to be monstrous. however, li zhengxuan¡¯s cultivation speed was not bad either. li ming listened with great interest to the experiences of the past few days, and his spirits were raised. he was very happy because he believed that it was very normal for his senior brother to be able to do this. it would be too unfair if people like him were not known. at this moment, li fengying also rushed over after hearing the news. she recognized li zhengxuan at a glance and could not help but be overjoyed, ¡°senior brother!¡± li zhengxuan first greeted li fengying, then looked at li ming and laughed. ¡°come, come, let¡¯s have a good drink! let¡¯s get drunk!¡± the night sky was filled with stars. li ming brought li zhengxuan to the rooftop, drinking fine wine while enjoying the cool breeze. ¡°good wine!¡± li zhengxuan could not help but drink two big cups. ¡°hehe, this is peach blossom wine.¡± li ming said, ¡°since you¡¯ve come, how can you not have good wine? that¡¯s why i bought some.¡± ¡°haha! awesome, awesome!¡± li zhengxuan downed the cup in one gulp. in the courtyard below, li fengying repeatedly shook her head. the usually calm li zhengxuan and the usually calm li ming were completely different once they started drinking. ¡°fortunately, you came to participate in the sword-testing conference. there are many people this time, and i saw many experts.¡± li ming turned his head to take a look and said, ¡°however, i will defeat them and not leave a single one alive!¡± seeing li ming¡¯s face, li zheng xuan laughed out loud, ¡°good! kill them!¡± li ming chuckled and shouted. then, he held the wine pot and suddenly stopped talking. seeing li ming¡¯s expression, li zhengxuan could not help but ask with concern, ¡°is there something wrong?¡± ¡°senior brother, what do you think humans live for?¡± ¡°what do humans live for?¡± li zhengxuan could not help but straighten his body. he looked into the distance and said, ¡°i do not really know the reason for that. i only have one thought in mind, and that is to see what this sword looks like when it¡¯s cultivated to its peak.¡± ¡°supreme sword dao?¡± li ming muttered to himself as he looked into the distance. he stood on the roof and looked down at the night view. from afar, there were lights everywhere and shouts everywhere. li ming¡¯s tone was filled with pain. ¡°i want to find what i¡¯ve lost and what i¡¯ve forgotten.¡± he did not reveal his secret. otherwise, it would be too shocking. ¡°little brother, don¡¯t worry,¡± li zhengxuan consoled him, ¡°fate works in mysterious ways.¡± ¡°hehe, this is fate! today, when we brothers gather, we should not talk about such things! let¡¯s continue drinking!¡± li ming picked up the wine jar and poured it into his mouth. ¡°haha!¡± li zhengxuan also laughed loudly. he picked up a pot of wine and shouted, ¡°ha!¡± in the next morning, li zhengxuan set off for dongfu. li ming returned to the days when he had become rich. the current li ming absorbed spiritual qi much faster than before. however, the strange thing was that if he did not use the spiritual qi he absorbed into his body as soon as possible, it would gradually disappear, and he could not store it all. for a cultivator, the strength of their spiritual qi was directly correlated to the strength of their abilities. if they did not have enough spiritual qi, they would not be able to use at least 70% of the moves they had. the higher the level of the cultivation technique, the more spiritual qi it consumed. he was very suspicious if it was because there was a problem with his physique. ¡°without enough accumulation, it will be difficult for my cultivation to advance, and for my realm to increase¡­¡± things like formations were really too complicated. however, the world was vast and nothing was impossible. the demonic pattern itself was something that would not have even crossed the minds of countless others. in essence, the human body was a formation. when one of its attributes changed, there would definitely be a change in a part of the formation. as long as he found the source of the change and modified it appropriately, the problem would be solved. only now did li fengying notice that these days, li ming seemed to be a little off. his refining progress was much slower than before. every time he finished refining, he would be in a daze for a while. it was a stark contrast to his previous eagerness. could it be that he had earned enough spirit stones? she could not help but think so. li ming should also relax. li ming himself knew best what he had gained every day recently. li ying feng still could not believe that the seemingly quiet li ming could actually make such an exaggerated performance.. Chapter 116 - Chapter 116: Unwelcome Guests chapter 116: unwelcome guests translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation just his income for the past few days was equivalent to over five months of her shop¡¯s income. this was a frightening thing to think about. she had never thought that such a thing was even possible before. li ming was also a genius. her earlier guess was also soon confirmed. while li ming still continued to do business, he no longer accepted spirit stones. instead, he accepted jade slips. however, what made her feel strange was that he seemed to like jade slips very much. he would accept anything that he had never seen before. however, after observing him for a while, she realized that he was particularly interested in the jade slips related to formations. she gave him a thumbs up in her heart. the divine will sect was a sect that used swords. there were many sword techniques in the sect, but there were very few jade slips regarding other fields. collecting jade slips was naturally a good way to learn about other fields. it would also be of great help to his pill refinement skills in the future. every cultivator had to learn formations. it was fundamental. pill refinement, artifact refinement, and seals, all of them were inseparable from formations. everyone was well aware of this, but there was nothing they could do. the divine will sect was not a wealthy sect, so where could they get the spirit stones to nurture talents? she suddenly felt a little regretful. if only li ming were born into a prestigious family! ¡°i can only refine this much at most.¡± li ming passed a bottle of clear jade dew to the customer. the customer quickly accepted it and uncorked it. he smiled and praised, ¡°senior li¡¯s skills are indeed amazing!¡± he then solemnly put away the medicine bottle and quickly left. li ming did not stand up. he took out the jade slip he had just obtained, feeling quite happy. he had used his best techniques to barely succeed in making the clear jade dew all so that he could get this jade slip. this was a jade slip left behind by an unknown sect. it had been around for a long time, and there were three very complicated formations inside. after another refining session, he threw himself into his own work. during this period of time, his control over spiritual energy had improved by leaps and bounds. he had subconsciously trained himself in this regard, so he was much more ¡°stingy¡± with any bit of spiritual energy. however, even though his absorption speed was extremely fast, it still could not make him feel full, because his consumption was still unavoidable. however, he soon realized the problem. if one wanted to use spiritual energy to perfection, it was not just about precise control of spiritual energy, but also a deep understanding of the formation that was to be set up. when both were combined, it would be able to unleash the greatest power. since he only accepted jade slips, li ming¡¯s business was affected. however, those who could come here were mostly foundation establishment realm and golden core cultivators with some ability. these people more or less carried a few good-quality jade slips. everyone knew that li ming loved formations the most, so everyone would try their best to bring such jade slips. li ming¡¯s actions were not surprising. the stronger the cultivator, especially for those who were in the pill refinement or artifact refinement professions, the less they needed spirit stones. such people would usually make some strange requests. things like jade slips were of the most ordinary kind. even though the number of pills refined every day was far less than before, the number of jade slips that li mind received was increasing at an extremely terrifying speed. there were many types of jade slips that li ming received. although most of them were ordinary, there were some that were better, such as the one in front of him. suddenly, li fengying moved in front of li ming with a strange expression, and whispered a few words into his ear. ¡°three golden core cultivators came to visit.¡± when li fengying said this, even li ming was shocked. these were three golden core cultivators! ever since he started this business, some golden core cultivators had come to find him. for example, the bamboo hat man who requested a cold magnet was a golden core cultivator. the price that golden core cultivators could pay far exceeded that of normal customers. but at the same time, the materials they needed to refine were definitely very difficult. high difficulty meant high risk. if he failed, he would not be able to withstand it. this time, there were three of them! a commotion could clearly be heard outside. it was obvious that the three golden core cultivators were slightly unhappy. he had to raise his voice. ¡°the three of you, please come in!¡± the three of them entered in a single file. a man in a long red robe walked over with majestic steps. the person on the left was a man with an aquiline nose. he had a cold expression and gave off a feeling that he was not easy to get along with. on the right side of the man in red was a fierce-looking man. his body was sturdy and looked like a mountain of flesh. as soon as he got through the door, he scanned his surroundings. ¡°greetings, fellow daoist.¡± the leader, the burly man in a red robe, cupped his fists at li ming with a smile. ¡°greetings, senior brothers!¡± li ming did not dare to be negligent. he stood up and cupped his fists in greeting. the division of ranks between cultivators was very complicated. thus, most people were divided according to cultivation. the three of them were very pleased with li ming¡¯s attitude. even the hook-nosed man¡¯s cold expression warmed up a little. the leader smiled and said, ¡°i¡¯m here to ask you for a favor.¡± after saying that, he took out a black seed from his pocket and said, ¡°this fourth-grade black lotus seed¡¯s outer shell is extremely hard, and even flying sabers cannot cut through it. i came here this time to ask you to refine its outer shell.¡± ¡°just a reminder. if you destroy it, i will not let you off!¡± the fiendish man said in a deep voice. ¡°third brother, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± he turned to li ming and said, ¡°fellow daoist, do not bother with his nonsense. just focus on refining it.¡± facing the party of three, li ming¡¯s back broke out in cold sweat. for him to be able to reach this stage from an outer sect disciple, his perception was extremely good. with a glance, he could tell that these three people were not good people. even though the other party was saying good things, if he really destroyed the black lotus seed, then he definitely would not have a good ending. li ming keenly sensed that the three of them were surrounded by a faint smell of blood. the three of them used some unknown method to hide this wisp of blood essence, but under li ming¡¯s perception, how could it be hidden? this was a big deal! this was li ming¡¯s first thought. he shook his head and said sincerely, ¡°i really cannot refine a fourth-grade black lotus seed!¡± the red-robed man smiled and did not say anything. the hook-nosed man beside him said in a deep voice, ¡°since you can refine a cold magnet, how can you not be able to refine a black lotus seed?¡± the fierce-looking man¡¯s eyes became sharper.. ¡°let me tell you, whether you¡¯re willing or not, you have to refine it! otherwise, i¡¯ll smash apart your lousy shop!¡± Chapter 117 - Chapter 117: Forced Labor chapter 117: forced labor translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation he first handed a jade slip to li ming. ¡°fellow daoist li, there is no need for you to be so polite. why don¡¯t you take a look at the formation on this jade slip first?¡± after he finished speaking, he raised his head, his gaze landing on li fengying before he continued softly, ¡°why don¡¯t you put away the sound transmission talisman in your sleeve to avoid unnecessary trouble? li ming could not help but praise them inwardly. with just a few words, the party of three had left the two of them completely overwhelmed. after letting li fengying calm down, he gathered his courage and said, ¡°three seniors, you seem to have gotten the wrong information. while i did manage to refine a cold magnet once, it was only a third-grade cold magnet.¡± ¡°fellow daoist, are you looking down on me?¡± li ming felt his entire body tighten as if he were bound by something, making it difficult for him to move. li fengying stood beside him, her face turning pale white as she looked at the party of three with a gaze of utter horror. ¡°alright then! i promise you!¡± seeing that the situation was not to his favor, li ming could only grit his teeth and agree. while li ming was also in the golden core realm just like the other party, they were likely to already be in the perfected level of the golden core realm. ¡°hehe, you are smart. again, you have nothing to worry about. as long as you can refine it, the three of us will definitely not take advantage of you.¡± the red-robed man laughed loudly as if nothing had happened. at the same time, the pressure on li ming¡¯s body instantly disappeared. when li ming looked at the red-robed man once again, his heart turned cold. while this fellow looked gentle and refined, he was, in fact, a ruthless man. if he failed to refine what they wanted, the consequences would definitely be horrible. the divine will sect was quite far away from where he was currently at. if anything happened to them, even the sect master would not be able to save them in time. he did not take out the jade slip, rather only taking out the black lotus seed. the jade slip did not have much meaning to him right now. it was already very fortunate that he could survive. the three of them retreated to the side. the hook-nosed man glanced at li fengying, indicating for her to watch herself. li ming did not waste any time. he began to study the black lotus seed carefully. the black lotus seed was a fruit borne by the black lotus. it was an extremely rare spiritual herb that grew in extreme places like a swamp filled with miasma. due to the toxicity of the plant, its leaves had already rotted and turned white, while its flowers had turned black. the most valuable thing that could be obtained from the plant was the lotus seed it produced. all the venom absorbed by the black lotus would gather and fuse in its body, turning into a brand-new type of venom. when it bears a lotus seed, all the poison in its body would be concentrated on a small black lotus seed. the black lotus seed would germinate when it fell into the rotting soil and turn into a new black lotus. this new black lotus would absorb the surrounding poisonous miasma and turn into a new black lotus seed. after each cycle, the grade of the black lotus seed would increase. this fourth-grade black lotus seed had gone through at least four reincarnations. one could simply imagine the poison inside such a rare black lotus seed! holding the black lotus seed in his hand, li ming felt his mouth go dry. this was the first time he had refined such a powerful spiritual herb, so he could not help but feel a little nervous. the surface of the black lotus seed was extremely tough. even a flying sword could not leave a mark on it, so the poison inside did not leak out. if not for this, li ming¡¯s finger would have deteriorated at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the poison would have spread through his entire body extremely quickly. in barely any time, he would have turned into a skeleton. even a third- grade detoxification pill could not resist the toxicity of the black lotus seed, let alone the second-grade detoxification pill that li ming currently had. li fengying was usually in charge of the shop¡¯s internal affairs, so she had heard of the black lotus seed. her beautiful face was pale as she looked at li ming somewhat nervously. she took out a sound transmission talisman from her sleeve, but the hook-nosed man¡¯s gaze fell on her once again. a fierce look flashed across his eyes. as long as she did something they did not want, these people would immediately make their move. how dare these people be so presumptuous in the territory of the divine will sect! li fengying bit her lower lip, her gaze towards li ming filled with worry. the black lotus seed was definitely not something junior brother li ming could refine. it had already been extremely difficult for him to refine the fourth-grade cold magnet. refining the black lotus was even more difficult than cutting it open. moreover, it was an extremely poisonous object. if he was not careful, he could easily be poisoned to death. when she saw li ming¡¯s back, drenched in cold sweat, her heart skipped a beat. if only the sect master was here! her heart was burning with anxiety. if the sect master rushed over, with his strength, he would be able to deal with these people! li ming also had the same thoughts as li fengying, but he only delayed for a moment before sensing the hostility in the eyes of that fierce-looking man. he knew that he could not delay any longer. with a wave of his hand, the stalagmite fire quickly wrapped around the black lotus seed. the hostility in the three people¡¯s eyes instantly disappeared. they looked at li ming warily and unconsciously moved their legs toward the door of the shop. li ming understood that this was because they were afraid of the poison of the fourth-grade black lotus seed. even if the three of them were at the golden core realm, once they came into contact with its miasma, they would probably find themselves in dire situations. li ming wished he could throw the black lotus seed as far away as possible, but unfortunately, he was forced to work on it. if he refined this black lotus seed and was poisoned.. the milky-white flame surrounded the black lotus seed. the black lotus seed was like a black inner core, emitting a strange aura in the white flame. li ming made up his mind and threw away all distracting thoughts. since there was no way out, it was useless to think too much. he urged his divine sense with all his strength. in his other hand, there were five third-stage spirit stones. he began to set up a formation under his feet. the fiendish man looked at the red-robed man. the red-robed man waved his hand. he knew that this was a formation used to recover the cultivator¡¯s spiritual energy. seeing li ming¡¯s clean and neat movements as if he were facing a great enemy, he could not help but feel a trace of anticipation. after quickly setting up the five-elements spirit replenishing formation, li ming withdrew his right hand and placed it on his knee. his entire body relaxed. his gaze never left the stalagmite fire. in the milky-white flames, there was a black lotus seed that was jumping strangely and emitting a chilling aura. the cold sweat on his back had already evaporated, but li ming, who was immersed in his work, was not nervous at all. his mind was now filled with only one thought: how could he refine this fourth-grade black lotus seed? he quickly made up his mind. he did not have many options. he could only resort to the fourfold fire formation! the threefold fire formation was the one that li ming had used before. the fourfold fire formation was the higher-grade version of that.. Chapter 118 - Chapter 118: Fourfold Fire Formation chapter 118: fourfold fire formation translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation at this very moment, there was nothing more in the world that he hated more than rumors. it was clearly nothing but his refining of the cold magnet that brought all of this trouble. li ming smiled bitterly. before he entered the intermediate stage of the golden core realm, it should be impossible for him to refine this fourth-grade black lotus seed. even with the three-revolutions fire formation, he would not be able to refine fourth-grade black lotus seed. he closed his eyes and carefully felt the black lotus seed within the stalagmite fire, but soon, disappointment appeared on his face. under the embrace of the stalagmite fire, the black lotus seed did not budge at all. taking a deep breath, li ming¡¯s two fingers moved like flowing water, leaving afterimages in the air. for the first time, the red-robed man revealed a shocked expression. as the saying goes, outsiders could see the entire picture. although this set of finger techniques was not a profound move, it was superb and brought out the extremes of ¡°phantom fingers.¡± phantom fingers was displayed when a person¡¯s hands would leave afterimages in the air as they moved incredibly quickly. because of the overlap of the afterimages, there would be phantoms left in the air. li ming¡¯s fingers did not stop. before the afterimages of his fingers completely disappeared, new finger techniques appeared. in the end, his fingers became a series of continuous finger techniques. before reaching the late stage of the golden core realm, finger techniques were a very useful cultivation technique. everyone knew it, but there were also differences in strength. other than those who cultivate their bodies, there was not much difference in strength, flexibility, or strength. in other words, in terms of spiritual energy, early-stage golden core cultivators were of a level higher than foundation establishment cultivators, but in terms of finger techniques, there was not much difference. without a specific cultivation technique, one had to cultivate continuously if they wanted to improve their finger techniques. this expressionless young man¡¯s cultivation was average, but his finger techniques were amazing. the other two were also stunned. they looked at each other and saw joy in each other¡¯s eyes. the set of finger techniques before them filled them with confidence in li ming. at this moment, li ming¡¯s mind was clear and he was abnormally focused. his gaze was fixed on the milky-white stalagmite fire and the black lotus seed within it. as his fingers moved faster and faster, the dancing flame seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand. a white flame shot out from the flame. the stalagmite fire was a ball of thread, and the thread of fire was a thread that had been found. the white thread was still extending outwards. the white flame grew longer and longer. one end of the flame was still connected to the stalagmite fire. the flame circled around the black lotus seed. the stalagmite fire shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye. when the last bit of flame disappeared, the black lotus seed was revealed. streaks of white flames like agile white snakes revolved around the black lotus seed. li ming¡¯s movements suddenly changed. his hands were originally as fast as lightning, but now it was as if they were carrying an immense weight. the white flame split into two from the middle and turned into two flames. now, it was as if there were two small white snakes that circled around the black lotus seed. then, their speed suddenly doubled. strangely, the two flames did not collide. ¡°onefold fire formation!¡± the black lotus seed was as steady as a mountain, not moving at all. li ming¡¯s expression did not change. his fingers kept changing. two became four! the four thinner lines of fire formed an even thinner ring of fire in the shape of a cross. ¡°twofold fire formation!¡± the black lotus seed quivered slightly, producing a crisp sound. li ming stared at the black lotus seed in the center of the fire formation. he was not surprised. his movements became slower and slower, but the spiritual energy in his body circulated faster and faster. the eight threads of flame wrapped around the black lotus seed tightly like a cage of white flame. ¡°threefold fire formation!¡± compared to before, li ming¡¯s control of the threefold fire formation was much better. ever since he received the guidance of the stone tablet, li ming began to consciously train his control over spiritual energy. in addition, he had a lot of time to temper it every day, so his progress was rapid. the threefold fire formation which was extremely difficult previously had now become easy to perform. the black lotus seed trembled violently in the middle of the fire formation as if it would break free from the fire array at any moment! everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on the white flame cage in the sky. they knew that this was the most critical moment. in the center of the fire formation, the cold air was threatening, eight times colder than the stalagmite fire! cold fire was cold, while hot fire was scorching. ¡°fuse!¡± the fusion rate of cold fire would increase as the temperature decreased, while the fusion rate of hot fire would increase as the temperature increased. the threefold fire formation increased the cold energy of the stalagmite fire by eight times, and also increased its fusion ability by eight times! the eight-times fusion caused the originally motionless black lotus seed to undergo a slight change. faint dents appeared on the surface, a sign that it was about to be smelted. however, if it was just a fusion, he did not know how long it would take him to refine this black lotus seed. under the influence of the demonic core, li ming¡¯s divine sense was abnormally coordinated. moreover, no one noticed that his body was now softer than ever before. the easier it was, the more the demonic pattern could be used to its greatest effect, and it could also absorb spiritual energy faster. li ming¡¯s precise control of his spiritual energy had shown astonishing results in the past few days. the spiritual energy consumption of the threefold fire formation was only about half of his. he could feel the spiritual energy emitted from the spirit replenishing formation. li ming was slightly relieved. he had not used the spirit replenishing formation when he was refining it. but now, everything seemed to be fine. the spiritual energy in the spirit stones had some impurities, but this was not a problem for li ming. the demonic pattern automatically filtered them out. the spiritual energy in the spirit replenishing array continuously surged into li ming¡¯s body. he closed his eyes and did not move. he maintained the operation of the threefold fire formation and waited for the replenishment of spiritual energy. after this period of continuous experimentation, the consumption of his spiritual energy by the fourfold fire formation had already reached a very terrifying level. when the spiritual energy in his body recovered, li ming suddenly opened his his fingers moved like he was dragging a heavy stone! his skinny arm was shaking with difficulty, but his fingers were moving very steadily. everyone¡¯s eyes were white! the cage of flames became smaller and smaller turning into what looked like a white cocoon! the 16 flame threads spun around the black lotus seed at a speed so fast that no one could see them clearly. ¡°fourfold fire formation!¡± li ming¡¯s spiritual energy was being consumed at an alarming rate. he had only barely completed the fourfold fire formation, and there was not much spiritual energy left in him. he did not care about anything else and crazily absorbed the spiritual energy from the spirit replenishing formation. a huge amount of spiritual energy surged towards him. he was like a thirsty traveler in the desert, crazily absorbing all the water he could.. Chapter 119 - Chapter 119: Success chapter 119: success translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the sixteen-times fusion caused the tough surface of the black lotus seed to melt at a speed visible to the naked eye! li ming controlled his divine sense with all his might. the sixteen-times fusion meant that his use of spiritual energy had to be extremely precise. any deviation would cause the entire fire formation to collapse under the sixteen-times amplification! the three customers and li fengying were so nervous that they held their breaths. the shop was completely silent. the fourfold fire formation did not move at all, only the white flames continued slightly trembling. every time it shook, the four of them held their breaths. they understood that li ming was still too exhausted to activate the fourfold fire formation and was not that familiar with it. however, none of them could care about that right now. other than nervousness, the four of them were also shocked! it was too shocking! a foundation establishment cultivator was actually able to utilize the fourfold fire formation. if people found out about this, it would definitely cause huge waves across the entire dongfu and even the entire sky moon world! a threefold fire formation was already extremely difficult for early-stage golden core cultivators, much less a fourfold fire formation! however, this ordinary-looking kid in front of them could actually activate the fourfold fire formation! they had only come here because they heard that somebody had managed to refine a fourth-grade cold magnet. in fact, when they found out that li ming was only in the foundation establishment realm, they were very disappointed, but they still decided to give it a try. one had to know that a fourth-grade black lotus seed was not so easily destroyed! when li ming had accepted the deal, they had guessed that he would have something up his sleeves, but they had never expected him to bring out a fourfold fire formation! the fourfold fire formation was not a mysterious formation. it was actually a very common formation that many people knew. however, even though they knew, there were very few who could pull it out. the higher one¡¯s cultivation, the stronger one¡¯s control over spiritual energy. there was only one explanation for such an increase, and that was the increase in realm! take the threefold fire formation, for example. even though there would occasionally be early-stage golden core cultivators who could barely set it up, it was absolutely impossible for those cultivators to set up a fourfold fire formation. this was because the requirement that the fourfold fire formation had on the cultivator¡¯s spiritual energy and cultivation was more than twice that of a threefold fire formation. only when one reached the intermediate stage of the golden core realm could one achieve the requirements of the fourfold fire formation. however, right before their eyes was exactly what they had thought to be impossible. although the flames in the white light were still trembling slightly, there was no doubt that it was a fourfold fire formation! the three of them looked at li ming as if they were looking at a monster. li ming did not know about any of this. he had no time to care about anything else. he was solely focused on the black lotus seed! the holes on the black lotus seed grew bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper. finally, the crystal lotus seed within could be seen. li ming did not dare to relax in the slightest at this moment. he did not want to be bewitched by this crystal-clear lotus seed. it looked very beautiful, but in fact, it was a terrifying poison. even a tiny bit would kill him, and even the gods would not be able to save him then. he forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart and tried his best to stabilize his spiritual energy. at this time, the slightest mistake would be disastrous. the three of them also took a step back. they looked at the crystal-clear lotus seed with fear in their eyes. the ruthlessness of the black lotus seed was well-deserved! the spirit replenishing array formed by the five third-stage spirit stones provided li ming with a steady stream of spiritual energy. however, the spiritual energy in his body was still being drained at an alarming rate. his recovery speed was obviously not able to keep up with his consumption. there was not only one way to set up a spirit replenishing array, but the five elements spirit replenishing formation was the best he could set up at the moment. when the violent spiritual qi poured into his body, he would feel the pain of his meridians being torn apart. the spiritual qi that had just entered his body was being consumed at an even faster rate, making him feel extremely weak. waves of intense tearing pain came again and again. even with the support of the demonic pattern, li ming felt like he would soon go crazy. however, he knew that he could not let himself go crazy. the slightest movement would cause the fourfold fire formation to collapse. at that time, he would lose control of this crystal-clear lotus seed. its poison would cause everyone in the room to be unable to remain here for eternity. clenching his teeth, a trace of blood quietly flowed down from the corner of his mouth. li ming did not seem to notice it. his eyes widened in anger as he looked at the crystal lotus seed that was gradually revealing its true appearance! the cocoon of light formed by the 16 threads of flame emitted extreme coldness and suppressed the poison. as the surface of the lotus seeds peeled off, the three customers became solemn, and their breathing became heavy. chi! the five spirit stones in the five elements spirit replenishing formation suddenly crumbled into five lumps of powder! everyone¡¯s expression changed. he failed? amidst the dust, li ming¡¯s hoarse roar could be heard, ¡°argh!¡± just before the fire cocoon dissipated, a crystal lotus seed fell into a jade bottle in his left hand. then, he blocked the mouth of the jade bottle with lightning speed. the pink mist dispersed, revealing li ming¡¯s miserable figure. his hair, face, and body were all covered in powder. the blood at the corner of his mouth was mixed with powder, and it was a shocking sight. ¡°fortunately, i succeeded.¡± li ming placed the jade bottle in front of him with his right hand. his voice was hoarse and weak. one could imagine how bad his current condition was! the red-robed man waved his hand, and the jade bottle immediately flew into his hand. after checking it, his expression immediately became overjoyed. however, his expression immediately turned serious. then, he cupped his fists at li ming and said, ¡°fellow daoist, you¡¯re really capable!¡± after saying that, he placed the jade slip in front of li ming. after pondering for a moment, he suddenly turned his head and looked at the hook-nosed man. ¡°do you still have the [metal refinement chapter] from before?¡± ¡°yes.¡± the hook-nosed man was stunned for a moment before nodding his head. he then took out a jade slip from the pouch at his waist and handed it over. the red-robed man placed the [metal refinement chapter] in front of li ming and said sincerely, ¡°i hope that fellow daoist can forgive me for my intrusion just now. this is a jade slip that my little brother accidentally obtained. take it as our apology! in the future, if we encounter any trouble, we hope that you are willing to lend us a hand once again!¡± this person is very strong! li ming¡¯s heart trembled. it was not because he was thankful to the other party, but because he was holding back his anger. however, just from the name of the jade slip, li ming knew that he definitely had no way to resist. he could only force a smile and say, ¡°i hope it won¡¯t be as troublesome as today.¡± after the three of them left, li ming, who had escaped death, let out a long sigh of relief. his left hand, which was hidden in his sleeve, released the talisman. this time, his losses were truly too great! however, when he saw the two jade slips, he felt that his efforts were not in vain. li fengying was already scared out of her wits, hurriedly holding a large number of spirit pills and shoving them at him, trying to persuade li ming to go back to the divine will sect. this business was simply too dangerous.. Chapter 120 - Chapter 120: Returning to the Sect chapter 120: returning to the sect translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the following day, li fengying was absolutely stunned when she saw how li ming, who was half-dead just the day before, was already completely fine. to her, li ming originally looked like someone who might even be unable to withstand a gust of wind. as such, she could not help but wonder if he was merely acting tough. his internal injuries were much better than he had expected. li ming originally thought that he would need to rest for a few months, but he discovered himself recovering pretty quickly. however, it seemed that it would still take some time for him to fully recover. he had to go back before his injuries recovered. these golden core cultivators all had bad tempers. if another group of miscreants came, he would really be in hot water. riding silly bird, li ming rushed back to his courtyard. he finally heaved a sigh of relief when he returned to the divine will sect although the divine will sect was not big, the sect master and the others were still in the mountains. with their presence, nobody dared to go overboard and cause trouble. the scene of martial uncle xin suppressing all the enemies with a single sword strike on the night when senior brother li zhengxuan had risen to the foundation establishment realm was still vivid in his mind. sects that had at least four golden core cultivators guarding it could be counted on one hand in the entire continent. the only thing he felt regretful about was that senior brother li zhengxuan was not currently in the sect. after obtaining a pile of jade slips, he began living comfortably for some time. while he was recovering from his injuries, he studied the jade slips in his hand. he earned many types of jade slips, but the truly good ones were few and far between. in fact, he did not need too many jade slips. all the jade slips in the sect were open to inner sect disciples, and he could enter his master¡¯s library pavilion at will. putting everything else aside, just collecting these jade slips would take an unknown amount of time. however, the only thing the sect lacked was the formation jade slips that he urgently needed, so he could only use this method to gather them. he had collected quite a number of jade slips regarding formations, but they were all very fragmented and had no structured system to them. fortunately, li ming was not a very picky person. he was already quite satisfied just being able to obtain so many jade slips. among them, there was a [blue flower] that was extremely exquisite, but it was too feminine and was more suited for women. it was useless to keep it, and the current li ying feng rarely even went to practice the sword. she was busy doing business all day. however, when he arrived at the east peak, he found that his junior sister lin xue had also completed her foundation establishment realm and became an inner disciple under shi fengrong. he never thought that this little girl would actually become his junior sister. when he found a valley and saw the apple-shaped wooden sign with the words ¡°lin xue¡¯s home¡± written on it, he could not help but let out a chuckle. lin xue¡¯s valley did not have any barriers. lin xue, who was practicing her sword technique, was stunned when she saw li ming. she was overjoyed but immediately called out timidly, ¡°senior brother.¡± ¡°mm, very good.¡± li ming praised flatly. in fact, from his point of view, lin xue¡¯s sword technique was still full of holes. he threw the [blue flower] to lin xue and said, ¡°take a look at this.¡± after asking again, he understood. his master was still in seclusion and did not have the time to teach him anything. looking at the other party¡¯s round face full of sweat, li ming felt that he should be a good senior brother. he began to guide her bit by bit. he had been cultivating sword scriptures for a much longer time than qin cheng. although he was not as brilliant as li zhengxuan, he also comprehended two types of sword essence. his eyesight and perspective were much better than others. ¡°your foundation is not good enough.¡± as soon as li ming said this, lin xue felt like crying, but she forcefully held her tears back. ¡°hm, you can come to my valley to cultivate every day. when i¡¯m free, i will give you some pointers.¡± in the small courtyard, li ming, who was bathing in the sun, leaned lazily on a rattan chair. as he swayed, he thought about the jade slips he had memorized. not far away, lin xue was practicing her sword techniques without saying a word. her forehead was covered in sweat. silly bird stood proudly on the top of the tower, occasionally using her blue beak to tidy up the white feathers on her body. li ming had just been distracted by a difficult question. when he opened his eyes, he saw silly bird¡¯s smug face. he grew even more frustrated. he casually picked up a stone and threw it at silly bird. ¡°show off!¡± this sentence came out of his mouth. silly bird shrieked and flapped her wings to dodge the flying stone. her eyes were filled with disdain as she looked at li ming. lin xue, who was practicing her sword techniques, suddenly quivered. when she saw li ming shout at the blue-beaked snow goose, her big eyes narrowed. seeing lin xue¡¯s smile, li ming coughed and walked slowly toward xue lin like a senior brother. ¡°the greatest taboo when practicing sword techniques is to be distracted. you have to concentrate fully. only then can you¡­¡± lin xue was trying hard to hold back her laughter and had a weird look on her face. li ming was completely oblivious. he imitated the tone of the tablet spirit, shook his head, and ended with the lines, ¡°what else is there that is easier than cultivating sword arts? hm, practice a few more times and you¡¯ll get it! ¡± then, he waved his hand. ¡°i¡¯m going to go for a walk.¡± after saying that, he slowly walked out of the small courtyard. ever since lin xue came to li ming¡¯s place to cultivate every day, li ming¡¯s food supply has been increasing. li ming¡¯s appetite had also been increasing. she would cook delicious meat soup over a small fire, as well as food that was filled with spiritual qi. the only thing that made him depressed was that silly bird would always come to take some for herself. but there was simply nothing he could do when silly bird acted cute in front of lin xue. ¡°tsk tsk, that girl looks really good!¡± after leaving the valley, the tablet spirit¡¯s figure emerged. he licked his lips and looked back at the valley with a reluctant expression. li ming was already used to the expression on the tablet spirit¡¯s face. ¡°hmph, there are so many people from the divine will sect who want to kill demons and spirits. if you¡¯re not afraid of death, then go ahead!¡± ¡°they won¡¯t be able to see me.¡± the tablet spirit spoke with confidence. ¡°if you eat her, i won¡¯t have anything to eat. let¡¯s die together.¡± li ming smacked his lips. lin xue¡¯s cooking was really delicious. ¡°hmph, i won¡¯t eat her, but you should not let me starve forever. give me souls!¡± the tablet spirit snorted coldly. ¡°didn¡¯t you say that it would take some time for the yin fiends in the sword cave to form?¡± li ming said to the tablet spirit while shrugging his shoulders. the tablet spirit looked like it was drooling. ¡°one day is probably enough. let¡¯s get a few and satisfy my appetite!¡± without waiting for li ming¡¯s reply, he threw down a few spirit stones. his vision blurred, and li ming¡¯s figure disappeared from where he was. li ming had come to the sword cave more than once, but every time he came, he would be amazed. no one could imagine that there was actually another world in this cave. Chapter 121 - Chapter 121: Hunting a Yin Fiend chapter 121: hunting a yin fiend translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation this was not a place he came by every day, so li ming decided to condense a few more yin beads while he was there. yin beads were quite valuable, after all. moreover, refining yin fire beads could prove to be useful later on. although he had not tested them out, li ming was still very confident in the power of these beads bead. with them being so troublesome to refine, it would be strange if they were useless! he found a place where he would not be disturbed by the tablet spirit and where the yin qi was denser, and then he began condensing yin beads. ever since the tablet spirit told him that all magical arts were based on formations, he had been exploring this way of thought. however, reality was often cruel, as even the simplest magical technique appeared to be ever-changing. if the core of a magical art was truly a formation, it would be extremely difficult to find the location of the formation through the myriad changes. soon, he entered an out-of-body experience. during this time, his hands sometimes moved fast and sometimes slow, and there was no order to speak of. there was no expression on his face at all, and his eyes were empty as if his soul had completely left his body. the yin qi on his hands condensed at times, while dissipating during other times. however, he did not seem to notice any of this. his ten fingers moved about as if they were possessed. the tablet spirit opened its eyes and discovered li ming¡¯s condition. the yin qi that had been rushing into its body suddenly stopped. it closed its eyes again, and the yin qi in the surroundings gathered towards it at an even faster speed. the movements of li ming¡¯s fingers started to have a rhythm to them. the speed at which the yin qi gathered on his hand also became faster and faster. soon enough, a yin bead slowly formed on his hand. when the yin bead took shape, li ming woke up from his trance. he looked at the yin bead in his hand and a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. the only difference from before was that there was a slight increase in speed. if it was not for li ming having paid some attention to the time, he would not have even noticed this improvement at all. although it was only a small improvement, it still served as encouragement for li ming. although he was a little disappointed, he also knew that with his current level, it was still very difficult to learn the formations behind magical arts. but at least it proved that he was moving in the right direction. as long as he knew the direction to move in, he could go further. he made a bold change, and this change made his yin beads form even faster. perhaps in the future, if his attainments in formations were high enough, he would no longer struggle as he did today, li ming consoled himself. next, he did not waste any more time and focused on condensing yin beads, only stopping after condensing 30 yin beads. after absorbing enough yin qi, the tablet spirit was in high spirits. with a satisfied expression. it flew in front of li ming. ¡°go and kill a few vin fiends!¡± the expression on its face was like that of a hungry child. ¡°you can do it yourself.¡± li ming asked curiously. the tablet spirit was much stronger than him, so there was no reason for it to ask him for help. the tablet spirit pursed its lips and looked helpless. ¡°if i were to be the one to kill them, those yin fiends would not taste as good.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± li ming was skeptical. the tablet spirit shrugged its shoulders and did not say anything else. li ming thought to himself that it was best not to provoke this spirit too much. he was very clear about the desire that the tablet spirit had for souls. hunting yin fiends was much better than having it take souls from others. ¡°alright, but you know my strength.¡± the tablet spirit grew excited. ¡°how could there even be any powerful yin fiends here? hehe, hurry, we have to go in before your senior brother. we might even find something good.¡± ¡°why?¡± li ming asked, puzzled. perhaps it was because it needed li ming¡¯s help, but the tablet spirit did not show any impatience. he explained in detail, ¡°these yin fiends mostly emerge in places with extremely dense yin qi. they are born from yin qi and gradually form their own consciousness. from when they are born, they will continuously absorb the yin qi around them and become smarter.¡± ¡°once they gain enough intelligence, they can finally make use of their innate talent for cultivation, making their bodies even purer. some powerful yin fiends can even turn into demons or evil spirits. ¡°with them having been born from yin qi, they have an extreme aptitude toward yin and even have bodies of yin. they become incredibly difficult to deal with.¡± li ming was shocked. the words ¡°difficult to deal with¡± was something that rarely came out from the mouth of the tablet spirit. ¡°however, yin fiends are ultimately formed from yin qi. their formation takes quite some time.¡± ¡°your senior brother cleaned up all the yin fiends here just now. he¡¯s really a freak. not a single one was left! if it was not for this cave, the fiendish qi and bloodthirsty qi here would not have been formed so easily. sigh, this is fate!¡± the tablet spirit looked like it was sighing, which baffled li ming. he reminded him, ¡°you are not human, you have no life.¡± one man and one spirit entered the deepest parts of the sword cave. as they got deeper and deeper, the yin qi became denser and denser, and the tablet spirit¡¯s expression became increasingly cheerful. however, in li ming¡¯s eyes, all of this was so strange. this body of a spirit was indeed different from that of a human. the deeper he went, the more perturbed li ming felt. the surrounding environment was getting stranger and stranger, but li ming¡¯s divine sense was getting stronger and stronger. he could clearly feel a chill that made people shudder. it was like countless bugs were drilling around his body. the blood fiend at his feet was much thicker than outside. it was filled with endless hostility, and li ming¡¯s divine sense had to avoid it as much as possible. li ming could not help but feel a lingering fear when he thought about how his finger had almost touched something that looked like blood. li ming could tell at a glance how powerful the blood fiend was. this was not someone he could provoke. ¡°where are the yin fiends?¡± li ming¡¯s voice trembled as he spoke. the tablet spirit paused and looked around. suddenly, it pointed in a direction excitedly. ¡°there¡¯s one over there.¡± he took the lead and flew in that direction. the tablet spirit¡¯s body was erratic like a ghost. li ming could only grit his teeth and follow closely behind the tablet spirit. a pitch-black mist was surging in the corner of the wall. ¡°this is a yin fiend?¡± he never would have thought that the yin fiend that the tablet spirit spoke so frighteningly about was actually a ball of black mist that looked like it could not harm a thing. the tablet spirit shrugged its shoulders. ¡°yin fiends come in many different forms. you¡¯ve seen them many times, so you should not be surprised.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t want to see too much.¡± li ming muttered to himself as he looked at the ever-changing black fog in front of him. he suddenly had a feeling that he did not know where to start. ¡°how do i kill it?¡± ¡°that¡¯s easy. you just have to hurt it.¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s eyes lit up, and its face was filled with hope. ¡°heavily injure it!¡± li ming summoned the water-drop sword. under the constant nourishment of the spiritual spring, the body of the water-drop sword had already become crystal clear. after a few hand gestures, he made his move! a translucent ripple slowly rippled in front of li ming. the water-drop sword sank into the yin fiend¡¯s body. the sharp tip of the sword was as if it sank into water as its movement slowed. chi! the yin fiend suddenly rampaged.. Chapter 122 - Chapter 122: Formation Plates chapter 122: formation plates translator: dragon boat translation| editor: dragon boat translation li ming felt an excruciating pain in his head, as if a needle had been ruthlessly stabbed into his brain. at the same time, the water-drop sword was suddenly thrown into chaos. ¡°this is only the lowest-level yin fiend. it only has one ability, and it is this divine sense spike that you are currently experiencing.¡± the tablet spirit sneered as it said, ¡°don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even handle this.¡± then, another divine sense spike hit li ming. although his divine sense was massive, he had no idea how to use it. even with the divine sense he had, if he did not know how to use it, then it was no different from a waste of resources. when it came to divine sense attacks, divine sense defenses, and so on, he was absolutely clueless. his brain felt like it had been stabbed twice by a dagger, and he felt sharp, harrowing pain. the yin fiend¡¯s attack was invisible and untouchable. when his divine sense sensed it, the attack had already arrived. it was almost impossible to dodge it. as long as the tablet spirit had something to do with it, it¡¯s definitely not something good. li ming complained endlessly in his heart. after the yin fiend was struck by the water-drop sword, it was enraged and instinctively counter-attacked. apart from the divine sense spike that it repeatedly launched at li ming, it also charged at him like a wild beast. li ming felt the temperature around him drop abruptly. the yin qi was so thick that it was almost tangible. it surrounded him as if it wanted to drill into his body through his pores! right now, li ming felt as if he was being stabbed by thousands of needles. due to the extreme pain he was in, he could not help but let out a shrill scream. ¡°you¡¯re so useless. that senior brother of yours could split this thing in half with a single slash.¡± the tablet spirit sneered. at this moment, li ming did not have the time to bother about the tablet spirit. the water-drop sword returned to his hand. this time, he did not hesitate at all. the spiritual energy in his body surged and he prepared an attack! however, in the next second, he was scared out of his wits! the spiritual energy in his body suddenly went on a rampage! the black mist that surrounded him was like a sponge that absorbed all the spiritual energy in his body. how is this possible? if this continued, his spiritual energy would be exhausted in barely any time! ¡°devouring spiritual energy is something that any demon can do. oh, this little yin fiend cannot even be considered a fully-fledged demon.¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s words held a hint of disdain as it spoke to li ming. when li ming heard the tablet spirit¡¯s words, his interest was immediately piqued. devouring spiritual energy! inexplicably, the [vajra seal] appeared in his mind. he could not care about anything else right now and directly activated the [vajra seal]. in the black fog, a golden light suddenly shone. li ming¡¯s entire body seemed as if it had been plated with a layer of dark gold. success! li ming could clearly feel that the speed at which his spiritual energy was flowing out of his body had sharply declined. his dark golden skin was like a barrier that could stop him from losing his spiritual energy. without any hesitation, li ming wielded the water-drop sword! sword qi rose from the ground like a tidal wave and reverberated in the air. it created layers of waves like a tempestuous storm at sea! at this moment, the cold qi that had been accumulating for a long time surged out like a landslide and swept across everything! the pressure on li ming¡¯s body instantly disappeared. he held the longsword in his hand and was surrounded by a layer of light blue ice crystal fragments. ¡°it¡¯s been beaten up so badly by you, how can i still eat it?¡± the tablet spirit said unhappily. li ming was panting and could not be bothered with the tablet spirit. after a while, his breathing calmed down. however, when he thought of the danger he had just been in, he flew into a rage. ¡°damned humanoid demon! why didn¡¯t you warn me earlier?¡± the tablet spirit acted as if it had done nothing wrong. ¡°i thought that you would know. it¡¯s basic logic.¡± could this idiotic tablet spirit not see the trouble i was in? li ming sneered, ¡°i won¡¯t be helping you with this little task of yours any longer! you can do it yourself. ¡± the tablet spirit was dumbstruck. dumb tablet spirit! i¡¯ll kill you if you dare to play any more tricks on me! li ming was furious. ¡°it¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡± the tablet spirit followed behind him with a serious expression. ¡°originally, i wanted to tell you how to deal with yin fiends, but you should know that you have to experience it yourself to gain a deeper understanding.¡± li ming did not mind the tablet spirit. the tablet spirit looked at him and said slowly, ¡°look, with your ability, it really did not take much effort to destroy the newly formed yin fiend, did it? but you really are wasteful, how could you destroy it like that?¡± li ming did not even look at the tablet spirit as he said, ¡°why should i not destroy it after it hurt me?¡± ¡°yes, you¡¯re gravely mistaken if you think that way,¡± the tablet spirit said seriously. ¡°for example, if your master asked you to catch a live demonic beast, what would you do? you are a pill refiner yourself, so you should know that many demonic beast must be kept alive in order for the materials that can be obtained from them to remain effective. li ming ignored him. ¡°with your cultivation, it¡¯s already very lucky that you were able to kill him. however, you can¡¯t stay in the divine will sect and the heavenly origin supercontinent forever, right? after all, you still have a lot of things to do.¡± li ming paused and interrupted him without hesitation. ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°i¡¯m just teaching you some methods to deal with this kind of situation.¡± ¡°what methods are you talking about?¡± ¡°there are many methods.¡± the tablet spirit stroked its chin and said, ¡°however, at your current level, it¡¯s best to use formations.¡± formations? li ming was stunned, but his interest had been piqued. ¡°formations, what do you mean formations? will my enemies always give me time to set up formations?¡± a hint of disdain flashed in the tablet spirit¡¯s eyes, but it quickly disappeared. ¡°you know very little about formations. i¡¯ve seen powerful cultivators that can often set up a huge formation with just a thought. their techniques are ever-changing. i once saw a sword cultivator with twelve flying swords set up a powerful sword formation in an instant. it¡¯s extremely impressive.¡± ¡°that¡¯s the same as not saying anything.¡± li ming was disappointed. these days, although he had studied formations, he had only just begun to understand them. he still needed a lot of time before he could even begin studying more complicated formations. ¡°formation plate?¡± li ming was stunned and revealed a pleasantly surprised expression. ¡°do you actually know how to make formation plates?¡± in the formation jade slips that he had collected, even though there were records of formation plates, there was nothing about how to actually make them. he originally wanted to find some jade slips that could teach him how to make formation plates in dongfu, but because of the matter with the black lotus seed, he did not have the time to investigate and had to rush back to the sect. ¡°i don¡¯t.¡± the words of the tablet spirit were like a bucket of cold water being poured on li ming¡¯s head. the flame of excitement and hope that had been ignited in his heart with great difficulty was instantly extinguished. he looked at the tablet spirit with displeasure. the tablet spirit shrugged its shoulders. ¡°i don¡¯t know much about it either, but i do know where to find it.¡¯ ¡°where?¡± li ming blurted out. the tablet spirit said leisurely, ¡°i can tell you, but i think we should sign a contract first.. Chapter 123 - Chapter 123: Successful Creation chapter 123: successful creation translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation li ming was stunned for a moment before he came to a realization and asked, ¡°what do you want?¡± ¡°after i tell you, you have to give me fifty living yin fiends.¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s scarlet tongue licked at the side of its mouth, making it look indescribably evil. ¡°alright.¡± li ming agreed without thinking. ¡°hehe, in your library pavilion.¡± the tablet spirit glanced at li ming, a faint smile hanging on its mouth. li ming was silent. the divine will mountain had long since opened the doors of its library pavilion to inner disciples, and it was free of charge. when the sect master first announced this, li ming thought that there was something wrong with his ears. in his opinion, the sect master and the martial uncles were not generous people, so why would they offer something so valuable for free? however, despite his doubts, li ming still enjoyed this privilege. unfortunately, most of the jade slips in the sect were related to the sword. there were very few other types of jade slips, let alone high-grade ones in other fields. therefore, li ming could not really benefit from the jade slips in the library pavilion as much as others. li ming suddenly paused. he saw an acquaintance. ¡°senior brother luo ming!¡± wasn¡¯t this senior brother supposed to be in seclusion? li ming was shocked. when he looked at senior brother luo ming again, he noticed that he seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts. senior brother luo ming even seemed to be completely oblivious to his arrival. li ming did not hold any good feelings toward senior brother luo ming. there was no room for reconciliation between the two of them. however, li ming did not want to cause any trouble here, so he quietly searched the library alone. very quickly, he found a jade slip containing information on a formation plate inside. he was overjoyed. the tablet spirit had not tricked him. holding the jade slip, li ming quickly began studying. it was unknown how much time had passed as he studied. a formation plate was generally understood as a jade plate on which a formation had been set up beforehand. when needed, it could be released instantaneously. it was very useful. most formations could be made into simple formation disks. however, the power of the formation plate was still slightly inferior to a formation set up by magical artifacts. therefore, it was generally only used by low-level cultivators below the golden core realm. and among cultivators, loos cultivators were the most experienced in using formation plates. li ming felt that he was quite fated to be with these loose cultivators. for example, the spiritual plant magical arts that he had studied in the past were the specialties of these loose cultivators. the difficulty of making formation plates was directly proportional to the complexity of the formation that was being inscribed onto the plate. it had to be said that during this period of time, li ming had accumulated a lot of experience in the process of refining materials in dongfu. under his careful study, he gradually grasped the technique of refining formation plates. in the past, he studied formations only to improve his attainments in forging and pill refinement. he never thought that he could use that knowledge against his enemies. it was only when he began studying formation plates that he suddenly realized that formations could also be a very useful card in battle. it was already late at night when he came out of the library pavilion. he did not see senior brother luo ming anywhere, so he assumed that the other party had left. when he returned to west wind courtyard, lin xue had already left. silly bird was still perched on the roof, combing her fur repeatedly. he walked into the room and found a jade plate. after pondering for a moment, li ming began to make his first formation plate. he cut the jade plate into a thin piece the size of a palm. he did not need to carve too much. li ming used the water-drop sword to cut it into a rough circle. the most important thing was to seal the formation in the jade token, but what formation would he inscribe? since it was the first one, li ming chose the easy three-powers water formation. its only use was to make the surrounding water denser, thereby increasing the power of water-element cultivation techniques. setting up a formation required many techniques, but the most important thing was a talisman treasure. some cultivators would make small flags to set up formations. some people would make a string of beads to assist the formation. every cultivator was different, and the talisman treasures they used were different. all talisman treasures had one thing in common, and that was that they were large in quantity. the more powerful the formation, the more talisman treasures it required. however, in li ming¡¯s eyes, the talisman treasure was an existence that was far beyond his reach. with his current level, he was still unable to make talisman treasures. fortunately, the three-powers water formation did not require too many materials. li ming randomly picked three first-grade greenwood and cut them into small pieces. then, he carved the formation patterns on them. because this formation was very simple, the three crude talisman treasures were quickly drawn. li ming began to lay down the three-powers water formation. the three greenwood talisman treasures were placed in the positions of heaven, earth, and man. and two spirit stones were placed in the positions of the sun and moon. after doing all this, li ming formed a seal with his hands. a thin layer of fog quickly enveloped the small courtyard. silly bird was so surprised that she cried out loudly. she flapped her wings and soared into the sky. at this moment, li ming hurriedly took out the jade plate that he had prepared earlier and began to use the sealing technique. the surrounding water elements and the three water elements were all sucked into the jade plate, and a blue water rune appeared on the jade plate. li ming was delighted and quickly activated the array disc. the array disc flashed, and the three-powers water formation appeared on the ground, emitting water vapor continuously. the only difference was that the water vapor produced was much less than the actual three-powers water formation. interesting! li ming, who was full of vigor, began to make all kinds of formation plates. although they were all out of inferior materials, he was still happy and did not get tired of testing more things out. he only stopped when all the spiritual energy in his body was exhausted. however, there were more than ten formation plates of various types in his hand. the exhausted li ming fell asleep as soon as he laid down. after a while, he began snoring loudly. lin xue eventually woke li ming up. ¡°oh.¡± he responded. li ming forced his sleepy eyes open and mumbled. it had been a long time since he had slept so soundly. ¡°the sect master has invited you to head to the divine will hall.¡± ¡°divine will hall, don¡¯t disturb me¡­¡± li ming had just opened his eyes and was still in a daze. after a while, he came back to his senses and quickly sat up. he asked lin xue anxiously, ¡°wait, where idd you say that the sect master wanted me to go?¡± ¡°the sect master wants you to go to the divine will hall.¡± sobering up instantly, li ming leaped up like a gust of wind and flew out of west wind valley. what a joke! if the sect master told him to go to the divine will hall, then there must be something big to be announced! on his way to the divine will hall, he wondered what announcement the sect master would make at this time. when li ming arrived at divine will hall, he did not expect senior brother luo ming to be there as well. he bowed to the sect master on the main seat and retreated to the side. looking around, the rest of the martial uncles were not around. there were only three of them in the entire divine will hall. ¡°luo ming, li ming, the two of you should mentally prepare yourselves. in another month, the two of you will be following senior brother li zhengxuan to participate in the dongfu sword testing conference. during this period of time, you must work hard in your cultivation and not slack off.¡± from the moment li zhengxuan left the sword cave, no one had ever questioned his position as the eldest senior brother. it was said that the sect master had only decided on that day. luo ming did not say a word and bowed. li ming, who was not mentally prepared, stood there.. sword-testing conference? he was going to the sword-testing conference? Chapter 124 - Chapter 124: Joining the Sword chapter 124: joining the sword-testing conference translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation a moment later, he reacted and asked anxiously, ¡°sect master, did you make a mistake?¡± ¡°what mistake?¡± pei xuan clearly did not expect li ming to say such words. seeing the sect master looking at him as if nothing was wrong, li ming could only say, ¡°i¡¯m afraid that i can¡¯t do this. senior brother li zhengxuan and senior brother luo ming can handle this. my meager strength is still far from enough¡­¡± as his words trailed off, even luo ming found himself looking at li ming with a strange gaze. pei xuan chuckled. ¡°you¡¯re really letting down your name like this.¡± he narrowed his eyes and said in a gentle tone, ¡°when necessary, you can use the name of your sect. but in the same way, you must not back down from what the sect needs you to do.¡± li ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat. he was dead! the sect master must have discovered his feats in the departing moon sect! the sect master¡¯s gentle gaze felt no different from a sharp knife to li ming, causing his heart to tighten. he immediately retracted the words he was about to say. ¡°yes, yes, yes! of course! i was muddle-headed just now! it is naturally our duty as disciples of the sect to bring it glory. i am willing to give up everything for our sect!¡± the sect master laughed and said, ¡°there¡¯s no need to sacrifice everything. as long as you fight with all your might, you will benefit greatly.¡± li ming felt incredibly awkward, but fortunately, he was able to keep an expressionless face, concealing any flaws. ¡°sect master, i thought that the slots for the sword -testing conference were already filled?¡± ¡°hehe, each of the local sects has a few spots. alright, if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask your senior sister li fengying.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve already given her full responsibility for the logistics of this competition.¡± pei xuan waved his hand and dismissed the two of them. from the beginning to the end, luo ming did not say a word. he was like a wooden statue. li ming was too out of it to even say goodbye to him and simply went on his way. li ming still had not come back to his senses when he arrived at the entrance of the valley. he never thought of participating in this sword -testing conference. although he coveted the prizes, he knew his limits. when he was refining medicine, he had heard that this coming sword-testing conference was going to be the largest one in the history of the heavenly profound continent, and it was also the one with the most people participating. although he had performed well in the departing moon sect, it was mostly due to luck. there were many young disciples on the continent, but those who could reach the golden core realm at such a young age were all people like senior brother li zhengxuan. the golden core realm was a watershed. if one could not cross it before the age of 30, then it would be difficult to make it much further. even though li ming had great confidence in li zhengxuan, his confidence would be greatly reduced if he were to compare li zhengxuan to the entire heavenly profound continent. after all, dongfu was only one of the thirteen towns on the heavenly profound continent. clans of all sizes were scattered all over the continent. there were many sects and clans on the heavenly profound continent. most of these clans were cultivators from generation to generation. they were no different from ordinary sects, but they were more old-fashioned and would not accept foreign cultivators. compared to sects, clans had far fewer resources and magical arts. however, they also had their own specialties. they did not have many cultivation techniques, but they had been improved by generations. while the disciples of sects would have many cultivation techniques and magical arts to choose from, allowing them to become skilled in many things, the disciples from clans would master one or two magical arts to an extremely deep level. there were gains and losses to be had between the two. if a cultivation clan had an outstanding disciple, the resources they received would be far more than that of an outstanding disciple in a sect. there were so many experts. how could he, a mere foundation establishment disciple, participate? li ming¡¯s mouth twitched. in fact, he did not have high hopes for luo ming either. if there was any hope for the sect, it would probably lay with li zhengxuan. thinking of li zhengxuan, li ming could not help but feel a strong desire in his heart. how did he come out of the sword cave? this was also why li ming held some interest in this sword -testing conference. when the tablet spirit mentioned his senior brother, it would occasionally reveal a look of admiration because he had driven out all the yin fiends in the entire sword cave. forget it. since it was practically just a formality, li ming made up his mind. yes, he naturally had to put on a good show so that he would not be punished by the sect master. thinking of this, li ming threw this matter to the back of his mind and continued to do his own things. walking into the yard, he saw lin xue practicing her swordsmanship. she was sweating profusely and looked focused. li ming did not say anything. he just watched quietly and nodded lightly. lin xue¡¯s progress was very fast. her [blue flower] sword art had already taken some shape. to be honest, she was not very talented in the path of the sword. when li ming first taught her, he was only doing his part as a senior brother. however, as lin xue¡¯s progress got further and further, the effort she put in far exceeded li ming¡¯s expectations, his attitude towards lin xue gradually changed, and he began providing her with more and more care. the [blue flower] sword art was known for its gentleness. the deep blue sword light was sometimes thin and long, sometimes layered like an exquisite painting, and sometimes unrestrained like a huge painting. lin xue¡¯s current [blue flower] lacked killing intent, but it was lingering, feminine, and flexible. it had reached an outstanding level. what surprised li ming the most was that her sword actually possessed a tenacious quality. she was like a quiet and shy spider, lying on the porcelain and spitting out blue silk threads that weaved into a large blue net that enveloped the other party. this [blue flower] really suited her! li ming praised her in his heart and was happy for her. as long as she was given time, lin xue would definitely become a powerful sword cultivator. as for the other variant in the original version of the [blue flower], li ming felt that there was no need to force it. such a thing largely depended on the person¡¯s temperament. lin xue was not a straightforward person, so it would be difficult for her to understand this step. li ming was not a person who followed the rules. on the contrary, he felt that if lin xue continued to develop like this, she would definitely find her own path. li ming pondered for a moment and searched for sword arts that were useful to lin xue. most of these sword arts were suitable for women. just as lin xue finished her cultivation, she looked up and saw li ming standing beside her. she could not help but catch her breath and say timidly, ¡°senior brother¡­¡± ¡°mm.¡± li ming responded. seeing lin xue¡¯s eyes start to become teary again, li ming felt a headache coming on. he quickly stuffed the jade slips into her hand and said seriously, ¡°this is homework! look at them! don¡¯t be lazy! continue practicing!¡± after saying that, he fled back to the small house. this girl was pretty much perfect, if not for the fact that she was easy to cry. li ming shook his head. he could not do anything about lin xue. forget it, i should just let her cultivate on her own. she¡¯s already cultivated very well so far. li ming¡¯s mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts. soon, li ming threw this matter to the back of his mind and began his daily training.. Chapter 125 - Chapter 125: Testing Out the Formation Plates chapter 125: testing out the formation plates translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation his current cultivation was not very balanced. he spent most of his time using the cultivation chant. the [soul-refining art] and the [vajra seal] were both cultivation techniques that would cost him a lot of time. because of that, the time that he had for cultivating magical arts. while he had cultivated the spiritual plant aspect of the five-seeds cultivation technique, as he did not have the subsequent parts of it, he could not make any more progress in it. however, he would still spend some time every day to cultivate his finger techniques to prevent them from deteriorating. as for the [departing water sword art], after he had merged it with his sword intent, he realized that there was a huge difference between his. version of it and the description on the jade slip. the things in this book were no longer suitable for his new sword intent. unfortunately, it was very difficult to fuse sword intents together, let alone separate them. the only thing that made li ming happy was that his sword intent was much stronger than before. as for the others, they were all pill refinement and artifact refinement techniques. when it came to pill refinement, there was no need to talk about it. shi fengrong did not have that much time to teach him, so she simply gave him jade slips. she even removed the restrictions on some jade slips that required cultivation so that li ming could read them at will. this undoubtedly benefited li ming greatly. he became much more familiar with the usage of the stalagmite fire, and he had discovered many of its secrets. although he still could not fully understand many things due to his cultivation realm, his state of mind and knowledge were different from before. as for artifact refinement, he could be considered even more of an expert, just that his specialty lay in refining materials. as for the others, there was no need to say anything. they were too bad. however, he felt that using his fire seed to refine a magic treasure might be a good choice. when he was free, he would also look through some jade slips on artifact refinement techniques that his second martial uncle had collected. from this point, it could be seen how rare the magical arts he had mastered were! however, there was not much he could do. however, he could not tell the sect master. otherwise, he would definitely be scolded. his senior brothers and sisters would definitely teach him a lesson, telling him to focus on practicing his sword and not be too greedy. a powerful swordsman should have the confidence to slash through everything with one sword. however, li ming was not too keen on such a path. during this period of time, he did not study sword arts that much. he was a pragmatic person through and through. everything he did was driven and decided by what he needed. ever since he was almost hunted down previously, he had done what he could to ensure that he would not fall into such a dire situation again. if he wanted to earn spirit stones, he would work steadily. he had spent a lot of time on formations before, but because he lacked effective methods, even though he was studying them, he did not have much interest in it. but now that he had the formation plates, li ming¡¯s train of thought became clear. outside the window was a brand new world. li ming opened his eyes. the dark golden color on his body gradually faded. if someone were to cut li ming¡¯s skin, they would discover that there were pieces of golden fragments under his skin. the ¡°bodily golden robe¡± of the [vajra seal] became increasingly solid the day, and the demonic pattern seemed to complement the [vajra seal] really well. even li ming was shocked by the progress of the [vajra seal]. he originally thought that this [vajra seal] was a slow cultivation technique, but he did not expect that with the addition of a demonic pattern, there would actually be such a huge change. according to this progress, it would not be long before he could cultivate to the fourth level, ¡°red lotus flowing gold.¡± unfortunately, li ming knew nothing about this, he only knew to refine his body. while he did have the bodily golden robe now, and ordinary flying swords would find it difficult to break through his skin, his encounter with the yin fiends made him aware of how vulnerable he still was. even though his body was invincible, he still had no way to fight back against a divine sense attack. li ming suddenly felt a sense of sadness. he had enough divine sense, but he did not know how to use it. at the same time, he had cultivated his physical body to the level of bodily golden robe, but he had no idea how to use it. he knew the properties of the materials like the back of his hand, but he could not refine decent magical treasures. fortunately, he had already learned how to make formation plates. at least the formations he had learned had some use! ¡°start working!¡± the tablet spirit shouted. without waiting for li ming¡¯s reply, he threw the crystal out, and the man and the demon disappeared. ¡°don¡¯t forget our deal. fifty heavily-injured yin fiends.¡± the tablet spirit then emphasized, ¡°alive!¡± ¡°i know,¡± said li ming lightly. li ming was very self-aware. he had to pay back his debt, and it was a debt he owed the tablet spirit. it was not that easy to get benefits from the tablet spirit. these few days, he had already refined a large number of various types of formation plates. it was now the perfect time to use them to test their effects. ¡°there¡¯s one over there.¡± the tablet spirit immediately perked up and floated to a corner. li ming followed closely behind. a yin fiend silently floated in the corner. li ming realized that the mist on this yin fiend was much thicker than the previous one. ¡°what¡¯s going on? it looks even more difficult to deal with than the previous one.¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s eyes were fixed on the yin fiend, and its saliva was about to flow out. it did not turn around and asked, ¡°where do you think we are? the yin fiends can absorb yin qi here every day, so of course they grew quickly.¡± li ming was enlightened. this yin fiend was much stronger than the previous one. soon, it noticed li ming and let out a shrill cry before charging at him. almost at the same time, it shot over a divine sense spike. however, li ming was prepared this time. he chuckled and flipped his palm. a formation plate appeared in his hand and he casually threw it out! as soon as the formation plate was thrown out, it was as if it had been thrown into water. ripples appeared in the void before it disappeared without a trace. the yin fiend that was not far from li ming suddenly stopped. it was motionless as if it had lost consciousness. because he wanted to see the effect of the formation, li ming was not in a hurry to attack. instead, he wandered around. the yin fiend in the formation did not react at all and only circled in place. li ming could no longer hide the excitement in his eyes. his guess was right! the tablet spirit had once told him the requirements for a yin fiend to form. moreover, with the experience of the yin fiend using the divine sense spikes to attack him, li ming was certain that these illusion-type formations were very effective against the yin fiends. these yin fiends were all born from yin qi. although they could use divine sense spikes, their intelligence was not high, and they were easily confused by illusions and formations. the formation that he threw out was called the maze formation. it was the most basic bewitching talisman that was specially used to make the enemy lose their sense of direction. due to the material, li ming could not make a more complicated maze formation. a second-grade illusion formation was not very effective in actual combat. for cultivators above foundation establishment, it was almost ineffective. moreover, the effect of a second-grade maze formation activated by formation plate would be greatly reduced.. Chapter 126 - Chapter 126: Yin Needles chapter 126: yin needles translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation however, such a weak maze formation actually managed to trap a yin fiend. at that instant, li ming felt a sense of accomplishment! ever since the tablet spirit told him that if he could not increase the capacity of his spiritual energy, then he could at least increase the efficiency at which he used it. at the moment, all he knew and was good at were the lowest-level magical arts. moreover, the speed at which his cultivation increased was very slow because high-level magical arts and formations required a huge amount of spiritual energy. this had always disappointed him. however, it was impossible to take out the demonic pattern and demonic core. if he could not solve his problem when it came to his storage of spiritual energy, it meant that he would only ever be able to use low-level cultivation techniques. left with no choice, he could only cast his gaze toward those low-level magical arts and formations. he vaguely felt that if used well, some low-level magical arts and formations could also display extraordinary power. and this line of thought proved itself correct at this very moment! a mere second-stage formation was actually able to trap a yin fiend. his accurate judgment made him excited and also caused him to completely forget about the tablet spirit. his attention was currently completely focused on the trapped yin fiend. he wanted to see how long the yin fiend could be trapped inside the maze formation. he wondered what means the yin fiend would use to free itself from the formation. seeing that li ming was currently motionless, the tablet spirit became unhappy, but it forced itself to endure it. it also wanted to see what li ming was doing. the yin fiend within the formation went berserk. this could be seen from the churning yin qi around it. ever since it became trapped inside the formation, the yin fiend had shot out five divine sense spikes in quick succession, but they all missed and shot in all directions. this meant that the yin fiend had completely lost its ability to distinguish directions while inside the formation. chi! the yin fiend suddenly let out a sharp cry. amidst the surging yin qi, five gray needles shot out in all directions! crack, the formation broke apart. the five yin needles did not stop there either. instead, they continued to fly in different directions at varying speeds. li ming¡¯s expression changed as one of the yin needles shot straight at him! he quickly made a hand seal and activated the formation on the turtle shell. a translucent shield appeared in front of him. tink! the turtle shell shield shook, and the light of the shield dimmed significantly, but he remained safe. li ming was shocked. the power of this gray needle was indeed extraordinary! he knew very well how strong the defensive power of this shield was, yet it had almost been blown apart. if it had hit his body, there would definitely have been a bloody hole left behind! gritting his teeth, he threw out a [dragon-binding formation] formation plate! as soon as the formation plate left his hand, it immediately turned into three thin green ropes. as if the ropes had gained a life of their own, they all shot toward the yin fiends. the five tiny yin needles had obviously consumed a lot of the yin fiend¡¯s energy. its body had withered, and it failed to avoid the green ropes. the three green ropes were like three small snakes, firmly constricting the yin fiend. this was a very strange thing. the yin fiend was formed from yin qi, but the green ropes were able to bind it as if the yin fiend was a physical entity. li ming was relieved. this [dragon-binding formation] was a high-grade formation among the jade slips he had obtained. he had spent a large amount of resources to refine it. it was also one of his greatest trump cards. he did not expect it to have to use it so soon. ¡°do you need my help again?¡± li ming, who had calmed down, turned his head and asked the tablet spirit. ¡°no need.¡± the tablet spirit curled its lips and walked to the tightly wrapped yin fiend. the yin fiend seemed to be extremely afraid of the tablet spirit, and it kept screaming. the tablet spirit was unaffected by all the screaming. it walked towards the yin fiend and stretched out its hand to probe the yin qi. soon, the yin fiend¡¯s screams became weaker and weaker. the gray fog on its body surged towards the tablet spirit¡¯s palm at an astonishing speed. ¡°it¡¯s been a long time since i¡¯ve had something so delicious!¡± in the blink of an eye, all the yin qi was absorbed into his body. the three green ropes no longer had anything to bind and shattered. ¡°good, 49 more!¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s face seemed to have flushed red, and his smile also became even more charming. fortunately, li ming had prepared many formation plates for this trip to the sword cave, and the dragon-binding formation was just one of them. gradually, li ming began to familiarize himself with the characteristics of the yin fiends. the yin needles were the killing move of the yin fiends. once they used it, they would become weak. he learned that illusion formations were extremely effective against yin fiends. this made li ming sigh at how everything in the world had a counter. it was really mysterious. the deeper li ming¡¯s understanding of yin fiends became, the more skilled his hand movements became. he paid special attention to how the yin fiends used their divine senses. the yin fiends¡¯ usage of their divine sense was actually very crude and primitive. when he was facing his tenth yin fiend, li ming only needed to compress the yin qi into a needle to use the divine sense spike. after many practices, li ming could use it freely, but the power still made him a little dissatisfied. this thing could be used for sneak attacks, but it was useless when the target was on guard. the first time, li ming was caught off guard and suffered a huge loss. the tablet spirit showed his disdain and contempt. li ming immediately turned his gaze to the yin needles shot out by the yin fiends. he quickly realized that the power of these yin needles far surpassed his divine sense spikes. that was why he had forced the yin fiends into a corner and had them release tiny yin needles to investigate the move. his divine sense was much stronger than the yin fiends, so he could roughly figure it out after repeatedly checking. at the core of the yin needles was the divine sense, and surrounding the needles was a thick layer of yin qi. the power of the yin needles far surpassed the divine sense spikes. this move consumed a lot less energy than the divine sense spike, but its power was incomparable. the tablet spirit was greatly invigorated. he had swallowed more than ten yin fiends in quick succession. a faint ring of light had even appeared on his face. at the same time, his blood-red eyes and the blood-red crystals on his ears had become even more dazzling. in stark contrast to the tablet spirit, li ming¡¯s current mood was extremely terrible. he had spent so much effort to figure out the secret of the yin needle, but in the end, he could not use it. how could he not be frustrated? controlling his divine sense was not difficult for him, but he was not a yin fiend after all. how could he have such pure and dense yin qi? if he wanted to use yin needle, he needed yin qi. no matter how good he controlled his divine sense, without yin qi, li ming could not shoot out yin needles. wait a minute! li ming, who was following the tablet spirit with his head lowered, suddenly thought of something and stopped in his tracks. the tablet spirit floating in front of him was stunned. he also stopped and turned around with a blank expression on his face. li ming remembered the yin beads. was there not a wisp of yin qi in the bead? the yin qi contained within the yin bead was also much denser. the more li ming thought about it, the more excited he became. he took out a yin bead and thought about it carefully. his divine sense probed the yin bead. the yin qi in the yin bead was different from the yin qi around the yin fiends. its yin qi was more condensed and more solid. li ming still needed some time to learn how to control it with his divine sense.. Chapter 127 - Chapter 127: Seven Vortexes chapter 127: seven vortexes translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the name he assigned to the smaller version of the yin needle was yin thorn. li ming fell deep into thought. he was not afraid of getting lost, but he was afraid of not having any direction. now that he had a direction, his plan was more than half complete. the tablet spirit looked at li ming and revealed a contemplative expression. he did not say anything, and li ming unconsciously followed his footsteps. li ming did not even realize that the path he was walking was constantly heading downwards. the tablet spirit suddenly revealed a smile. chi! li ming shuddered and snapped out of his thoughts. he raised his head and saw a yin fiend charging at him! however, he had already grown familiar with facing yin fiends, so he did not panic. he swiftly threw out a formation plate. this formation plate was a maze formation, and it was very effective against yin fiends. it did not have high requirements for materials, so li ming had prepared it the most. the hundred treasures pouch on his waist was heavy and filled with all kinds of low-level formations. if he had not cultivated the vajra seal to the bodily golden robe level, and if his strength had not increased greatly, he would have probably been pressed to the ground by the weight of the formations. as expected, the yin fiend stopped moving when it met the maze formation. however, this yin fiend¡¯s performance gave li ming a great shock. yin qi surrounded its body, and three gray yin thorns shot out in all directions. the illusion formation was swiftly torn into pieces like a piece of paper. only then did li ming realize that the yin qi on this yin fiend was much denser than the previous ones he faced, and it was also much more condensed. in fact, because it was so dense, the yin fiend¡¯s body appeared a pitch-black color. damn it! this yin fiend isn¡¯t going to be easy to deal with! from the corner of his eye, he saw that the tablet spirit had already dodged to the side, a malicious smile on his face. li ming could guess with his toes that the appearance of such a yin fiend had to have something to do with the damn tablet spirit! however, at this moment, he could not care less. after the yin fiend shot out three yin thorns, it was safe and sound. in stark contrast to the yin fiend, li ming could not help but feel uneasy! in the hundred treasures pouch, there were only a few ordinary formation plates, such as the maze formation and the dragon-binding formation. however, they had all already been used. li ming staggered and narrowly avoided the yin fiend. however, when the yin fiend brushed past his body, it stirred up a gust of cold wind, causing all the hair on his body to stand on end. before he could retreat, three yin thorns suddenly shot out from the yin fiend¡¯s body! so close! li ming, who did not have the time to dodge, could only activate the tortoise shield of the fallen moon black tortoise armor! the extremely hard shield shattered like a piece of glass after a single yin thorn struck it. the yin thorn that struck the shield shattered as well, but the other two yin thorns continued to pierce through the air toward his face. li ming was scared out of his wits. at this crucial moment, his attention was unprecedentedly focused. he utilized every sliver of spiritual energy and divine sense that he had! he did not have the time to summon his flying sword! there was no time to take out the token! there was no time to take out the yin fire bead! at this moment, there was only one move he could resort to. this move was the [vajra seal]! ¡°grh!¡± li ming let out a muffled groan, and his entire body suddenly lit up with a golden light, which immediately dimmed right after. this light came and went quickly, giving people the feeling that it was but a fleeting light. a golden light flashed, and li ming¡¯s entire body became like a dark golden statue. his eyes were wide open, and his face was expressionless. he was like a buddhist warrior who had descended to the mortal world, filled with rage and anger! li ming did not have time to think. he stretched out his hand and grabbed the two yin thorns with his dark golden palms! strangely, his movements were very slow, but he gave off a heavy pressure. the formation on the bracelet was called heavy weight! right at this moment, the third- grade windrunner boots on his feet suddenly lit up. li ming grabbed the yin thorns. following two crisp sounds, the yin thorns seemed to have been crushed by a heavy hammer. they turned into yin qi and scattered in all directions. his hands trembled, and his ten fingers were in extreme pain. the vajra seal circulated in his body and nearly collapsed. however, he also knew that he could not relax at this time. he had to clench his teeth and push on! using [windrunning] and [shifting], li ming¡¯s figure became like that of a ghost, drawing a few arcs in the air and creating some between him and the yin fiend! panting, li ming stared at the yin fiend in front of him! the series of soul-stirring changes just now had left him with a lingering fear. he did not know how he had managed to hold on, and his heart pounded like a drum. he was too nervous just now and did not have time to be afraid. but now, when he had slightly sobered up, the fear in his heart surged again. what a terrifying yin fiend! the yin fiend seemed to have gotten a better understanding of li ming¡¯s strength. this time, it did not charge at him. it was currently in a stalemate situation with him. the surging yin qi in the surroundings gradually calmed down and stopped moving. li ming did not dare to be careless. the yin fiend in front of him was like a fully drawn bow. if he made any move, it might attack! when li ming reached out and touched the water-drop sword, the fear in his heart suddenly decreased sharply. his wildly beating heart also returned to calm. he suddenly realized what a flying sword meant to a sword cultivator. however, now was not the time to think about this. the most important thing now was to get rid of this detestable yin fiend in front of him! with the flying sword, li ming was relieved. he did not hesitate anymore and mercilessly launched an attack. this move was the seven vortexes! the yin fiend that had been prepared also launched an attack. sharp yin thorns shot out of the yin fiend¡¯s body. the yin thorns smashed into the seven vortexes. bang! bang! bang! the continuous explosions sounded like firecrackers being lit up. the seven sword light vortexes were destroyed in an instant, but the sword light vortexes did not weaken at all. instead, they became even stronger! the seven sword light vortexes and light pillars shattered. the surroundings were in chaos, and there were air currents everywhere. in this chaotic airflow, sword energies of different sizes cut and twisted in the air like sharp blades from top to bottom! the pitiful yin fiend was in the center of this power, and it was instantly turned upside down by countless sword light fragments. li ming was ecstatic. he had not expected seven vortexes to become so powerful after being shattered. the yin qi on this yin fiend was extremely dense. the damage caused by the sword light to it far exceeded that of ordinary yin fiends. looking at the yin fiends struggling in the rapid flow, li ming let out a sigh of relief. he had finally gained the upper hand. what a terrifying yin fiend! thinking back to the yin fiend he had killed with a single slash, the two were on completely different levels. suddenly, the yin fiend let out a shrill cry. the surrounding yin qi gathered towards it at an astonishing speed. li ming was shocked. the primal chaos energy was nearly exhausted, and even the broken sword energy had become dull. the yin fiend withdrew the yin qi on its body and its body suddenly solidified. when the sword light slashed on his body, it was like slashing on cowhide, emitting crisp crackling sounds. what should he do now? Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: Learning Through Observation chapter 128: learning through observation translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation this yin fiend¡¯s endless moves left li ming dumbfounded, and he could not help but complain inwardly. although he did not know what was going on with this vin fiend, he decided to strike first. one more time, seven vortexes! the seven sword energies swirled around the yin fiend. the seven vortexes immediately grew larger, and the rapidly spinning blades brought with them ear-piercing sounds that made one¡¯s hair stand on end. the yin fiend, which had been enveloped by the seven vortexes, continued to shrink. it had already shrunk to the size of a basket. the yin qi around it had already become so dark that it was like flowing ink. li ming gritted his teeth, and the spiritual energy in his body began to flow backward! ¡°break!¡± he shouted. the seven giant vortexes exploded at almost the same time, turning into fragments that flew everywhere! the location where the yin fiend had been took the most damage. in an instant, hundreds of sword lights shot out and struck the yin fiend. chi, chi, chi! ripples appeared on its pitch-black body. a trace of blood flowed out of li ming¡¯s mouth. he had just forcefully reversed the flow of his spiritual energy and caused damage to his meridians. however, his eyes lit up. this was the strongest seven vortexes he had ever unleashed! he understood that he could sometimes further increase the might of his sword moves. the second [seven vortexes] had caused quite a bit of damage to the yin fiend. it had become incredibly stable. its body, which had compressed again and again, was now like a thick puddle of ink. it floated in the air and looked strangely solid. it was only in the midst of the sword light that filled the air that its pitch-black body began to show signs of instability. occasionally, drops of pitch-black aura would seep out of its body. however, before it landed, the yin qi would have already dissipated. the attack that li ming just unleashed had completely infuriated the yin fiend! li ming could clearly feel that its anger emanating from its divine sense! at this moment, a pitch-black yin qi separated from the yin fiend¡¯s body. to li ming¡¯s surprise, the yin qi did not dissipate after leaving its body. suddenly, li ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat! he could feel that a trace of the yin fiend¡¯s divine sense had actually burrowed into the yin qi! yin thorn! thinking about the power of the yin thorns earlier, and then thinking about the pitch-black yin qi in front of him, he knew how powerful it would be if such yin qi was used to perform yin thorn¡­ li ming quivered! what should he do? should he use a talisman? or maybe the yin fire bead? the yin fire bead! li ming suddenly remembered. he had been thinking about how to use the yin qi in the yin bead to cast yin thorn. he had been troubled by the fact that the yin qi in the yin bead was too dense and difficult to control. he stared at the small ball of dense yin qi floating in front of the yin fiend and carefully sensed the changes within it. li ming suddenly had a feeling that the yin fiend in front of him was like an excellent teacher. it was teaching him step by step how to use yin qi and divine sense to condense a stronger yin thorn. he inexplicably took out a yin bead, and like the yin fiend, he injected his divine sense into the yin bead bit by bit. the tablet spirit, who had been watching the show from the side, was shocked. he looked at li ming in a daze. what was he doing? although this was the first time he used his divine sense, his control over his divine sense far surpassed the yin fiend. he was not wasting much time at all. his divine sense was stronger than the yin specter, and his control was also better. however, he had not known how to utilize these properties of his. but when he saw the actions of the yin fiend, he felt as if he had been suddenly enlightened. a thread of his divine sense that was like a thin needle entered the yin bead. however, he did not expect the yin qi in the yin bead to be so dense and his divine sense to be weak in comparison. he did not hesitate and quickly summoned several strands and had them merge into one. it was only then that he managed to have his divine sense bore into the yin bead! when his divine sense entered the yin bead, he immediately felt a shocking change! it was as if he had arrived in a hazy world. his entire body was surrounded by dense yin qi, cold and strange. li ming was a little absent-minded. when he felt a solid touch from the bottom of his feet, he came back to his senses! the sliver of divine sense that had entered the yin bead earlier was also emitted from his body. it had clashed with his own divine sense, which was why he suddenly fell in a trance. it felt like a lot had happened, but in fact, it all took place in an instant. a black yin thorn formed in front of the yin fiend. when the yin thorn took shape, li ming suddenly felt a strange, cold aura. fortunately, his yin thorn was also completed at the same time. it was strange that although the yin bead still looked like the same bead, it had turned from grayish-white to crystal clear without any impurities. although he was refining it step by step according to the yin fiend¡¯s method, li ming still did not have the slightest confidence. he made a prompt decision and raised his hand to throw the crystal-clear pearl out. the yin fiend launched its attack at the same time. the pitch-black yin thorn shook, and a whimper suddenly sounded. it was like the cry of a baby, and a gust of cold wind suddenly blew! seeing the terrifying aura of his opponent, li ming lost even more confidence. he forced himself to calm down and held the water-drop sword in his right hand. he made up his mind that if the situation went awry, he would use the heaven-burning water even if he had to suffer some injuries! he had just reversed the flow of his spiritual energy and had already injured his meridians. if he used heaven-burning water, his injuries would only be worse. but he had no other choice. only then did he realize that his greatest reliance was still the heaven -burning water. although the tablet spirit had described the yin fire bead as very powerful, he had never used it before. moreover, when this yin fire bead was being refined, it had almost been scrapped. he was not sure if the power of this bead would be greatly reduced because of this. he had already experienced the power of talisman weapons, but he needed some time to activate them. how could he use them at a critical moment? he could not help but let out a bitter laugh. although performing the [heaven-burning water] was not too difficult, it was still limited by his cultivation level. if he was not careful, he would suffer a severe backlash. he secretly decided that after he returned, he would start thinking about his life-saving measures. after getting into position, li ming was completely focused on the black yin thorn. the crystal clear bead drew an arc in the air, letting out nary a sound nor a wave of power. on the other hand, the black yin thorn exuded a shocking aura. the surrounding yin qi seemed to be drawn toward it. the cold wind blew against li ming¡¯s clothes, causing his heart to turn cold. the whistling wind could make any person¡¯s hair stand on end. those with weak wills would not be able to resist at all. the tablet spirit in the corner stared at the collision between the pearl and the yin fiend¡¯s yin thorn with a dumbfounded expression.. Chapter 129 - Chapter 129: Lucky chapter 129: lucky translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation there was no intense collision as expected, no dazzling brilliance, only the sound of a bubble being popped. however, following this slight sound, the buzzing sound that filled the sky suddenly stopped. at the same time, the bone-chilling sensation that he had been feeling suddenly disappeared. holding the water-drop sword, li ming, who was prepared to take on a fight to the death, was left not knowing what to do. the crystal bead that had been hit turned into a transparent ball of light, and the terrifying black yin thorn disappeared in the blink of an eye like a clay ox entering the sea. the ball of light carried the remnants of its power as it charged toward the yin fiend. the yin fiend seemed to have been hit by an immobilizing spell and was motionless. the yin fiend that was hit by the light ball did not even make a sound. like a snowman, it quickly melted at a speed visible to the naked eye. it disappeared along with the ball of light, leaving no trace behind. the moment the ball of light dissipated, li ming¡¯s mind suddenly shook. a moment later, li ming finally reacted. he stared blankly at the empty ground. wha- what was going on? when the ball of light and the yin fiend disappeared, the eyes of the tablet spirit standing behind him suddenly constricted, but it quickly returned to normal. ¡°tablet spirit, what, what¡¯s going on?¡± li ming turned around and asked. he thought of many possibilities, but he really had no idea what was going on. ¡°you¡¯re just lucky.¡± the tablet spirit revealed a disdainful expression. li ming did not believe the tablet spirit¡¯s irresponsible words. he took out another yin bead and sent a trace of his divine sense into it. when it turned into a crystal clear pearl again, he threw it out. pa, the crystal clear bead fell to the ground. with a flash of light, the bead disappeared without a trace. other than a moment of absent-mindedness, there was nothing else. li ming stood rooted to the ground, not moving at all. ¡°haha!¡± the tablet spirit laughed loudly. was it really luck? li ming was skeptical. could it be that this thing was only useful against yin fiends? ¡°it wasn¡¯t easy to encounter a good yin fiend, but it was destroyed by you just like that.¡± the tablet spirit looked disinterested. it casually threw out a few spirit crystals. li ming felt the world spin and he returned to the stone room. the moment the tablet spirit returned to the sea of consciousness, it sat cross-legged in front of the tombstone and closed its eyes to rest. li ming felt that this fellow must have eaten too much and was slowly digesting its food. after returning to his familiar stone room, li ming finally felt exhausted. throughout the day, his nerves had been extremely tense, especially after the last encounter with the yin fiends, which made his nerves even more tense. he did not care if the floor of the stone room was cold or not. he lay directly on the ground and fell asleep. a gentle green light lit up in front of li ming¡¯s chest. the green light turned into a thin stream and flowed into his body. the tablet spirit sat on the tombstone, its gaze cold as it looked into the distant void. the sword testing conference this time could be said to be a wave after wave, and many outstanding young talents emerged. the unique energy of the youths made this sword testing conference even more lively. young cultivators mostly focused on offense rather than defense. this was only the preliminary sword testing conference. the number of young cultivators rushing towards dongfu was still increasing. one by one, unfamiliar names quickly became recognized by everyone. li ming opened his eyes and got up from the cold and wet ground. he stretched his body and felt that his entire body was filled with strength. the entire stone room was deathly silent. from then on, he no longer relied on the spirit vein in the stone room but instead treated it as his own alchemy field. firstly, it was very quiet here, and no one would disturb them. secondly, it was also a good place to cultivate water-attribute cultivation techniques. he stared at the spirit pill in the spirit spring and took out the water-drop sword to soak in the spirit spring and nourish it. although this method did not have much effect, it could cause a fundamental change to the water-drop sword. then, li ming sat down cross-legged and began to ponder. entering the sword cave this time was a massive gain for him. the usage of formation disks, the functions of different types of formation disks, and the spirit sense spikes he had secretly learned from the yin fiends. although he had yet to fully understand it, he knew this route was feasible. it was just that he still could not figure it out. most importantly, he realized that he had yet to find a way to save his life. the combination of low-level moves could have a very good effect, but there were conditions. one had to be sufficiently prepared. however, under such circumstances, he needed more time to think about how to combine these spells. moreover, this seal soldier was a one-time use, so it consumed a lot of energy and wasn¡¯t the best choice. only the water-drop sword was the most reliable. however, he could only be somewhat at ease by relying on the water-drop sword. a true sword cultivator was full of confidence in his flying sword and sword technique, just like senior brother li zhengxuan. however, li ming was not one of them. he did not feel that he was a pure sword cultivator. this confidence was indescribable. his gaze landed on the yin fire bead. last time, he spent so much effort to successfully refine one. of course, he was unwilling to use it. he never knew how powerful the yin fire bead was. ever since he had refined all sorts of materials in east floating, his control over the stalagmite fire had reached a new height. with the help of the fire formation, he was confident that he could refine the yin fire bead into a relatively perfect product. he had never thought about this problem before. it was not until he entered the sword cave this time and experienced so many dangers that he realized the importance of life-saving methods. if he could have a few more trump cards at the critical moment, the outcome would be completely different. li ming walked into a remote valley about a hundred miles away from divine will mountain. the ancient trees here towered into the sky, making it the best place to hide. last time, the yin bead had posed a huge threat to him. he knew that this thing could not be exposed, so he was even more cautious. he steadied himself and took out the yin fire bead. the cloud patterns on it were stunning. this time, he decided to study it carefully. soon, he chose a method called [finger projection]. this was precisely what li ming wanted: a simple finger technique with great power. thus, he began to practice [finger projection] in the valley. [finger projection] was not difficult. there were only five moves in total, but the spiritual power involved was much more complicated. fortunately, although li ming¡¯s cultivation was not high, his control over spiritual energy was outstanding. he could still manage the level of control that this technique required.. Chapter 130 - Chapter 130: Reopening chapter 130: reopening translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation he only used four hours to practice [finger projection] to the point where he could use it. when he felt that it was about time, he stopped. he really wanted to know what effect it would have if he used this finger technique to control the yin fire bead. the yin fire bead between li ming¡¯s fingers turned into a white light and entered a big tree in front of li ming that had a girth that would span the arms of seven to eight people. the milky-white flame spread towards the tree at an unbelievable speed. in the blink of an eye, it wrapped the tree tightly, not letting go of the leaves. the originally lush tree lost all its vitality at this moment. as it was burned by the milky-white flames, the green leaves turned pale. soon, the entire tree turned pale white without a hint of green. the pale tree emitted a suffocating cold aura, and snowflakes floated around it. the snow-white leaves began to shatter inch by inch as if they had been blown clean by the wind. a gust of wind blew, causing snow to fall. pieces of white snow fell from the trees and drifted with the wind. a lush tree shattered before li ming¡¯s eyes, turning into a white powder that scattered with the wind. li ming was dumbfounded. he absent-mindedly returned to his courtyard. the power of this yin fire bead was genuinely shocking. if it hit him, li ming believed that even golden core cultivators might be unable to withstand it. however, since it was a life-saving trump card, the more powerful it was, the better! from then on, he wholeheartedly refined yin fire beads. with the help of the three-revolutions fire formation, the refinement of the yin fire bead was very successful. this yin fire bead was utterly different from the ones he had refined before. it was completely white and flawless. however, every time li ming refined a pill, he had to sit cross-legged and regulate his breathing. this treasure truly lived up to its name. the consumption of spiritual energy and divine sense was shocking. li ming looked at the 20 yin fire beads in his hand, full of confidence. from time to time, he would imagine just how terrifying it would be if he threw out all twenty of them at once. with a decent stock of yin fire beads, li ming cared much less about the yin thorn now. strangely enough, the tablet spirit seemed to have forgotten that it still lacked a lot of yin fiends and did not urge him to venture further into the sword cave. however, before he could adequately experience the joy of refining the yin fire bead, he immediately became unhappy. damn it! his cultivation actually stopped increasing! what was going on? this sudden attack made him feel like lightning struck him, and his mind went blank. after carving the demonic matrix, the speed at which his cultivation increased had already slowed down a lot. however, he was not worried because he knew his cultivation was still increasing. however, if his cultivation completely stopped increasing¡­ he simply did not even dare to think about the consequences! ever since the tablet spirit had reminded him, li ming had become very careful with the spiritual energy in his body. this also made him extremely sensitive to the changes in the spiritual energy in his body. he could sense even the slightest changes in them. currently, he was still in the foundation establishment realm, and his strength was advancing by leaps and bounds. he would spend a long time every day practicing the soul-refining art. he wanted to make up for his shortcomings through his own efforts. as long as he could increase the strength of his spiritual energy, that would be enough. previously, while the demonic matrix did cause his spiritual energy to slow down in terms of its growth, his cultivation was still steadily increasing. however, after five days had passed, his spiritual energy actually did not increase at all. this was something he had never experienced before! li ming was extremely anxious! if his spiritual energy could no longer grow, then his cultivation would remain at the foundation establishment realm forever! the unprecedented panic made him rush into his sea of consciousness. the tablet spirit sat cross-legged with its eyes closed. no matter how li ming shouted, it remained motionless like a statue. the tablet spirit was currently meditating, and it was not appropriate for him to ask the sect master and martial uncle for guidance. he would not take any chances and simply assume that second uncle and the others, who were famous figures among demon hunters, would not be able to recognize demonic patterns on his body. if his cultivation remained at the foundation establishment realm¡­ then what of his dream? how could he find the person who had changed his appearance and erased his memories? li ming collapsed to the ground as if all his strength had been sucked out. ever since he found out that his appearance had been altered and his memories erased, he had been reminding himself to find the reason for that dream. however, this belief that had kept him going was completely shattered at this moment. he was at a loss. late at night, he lay on the roof, the sound tablet ringing in his ears. he held his head with both hands and stared at the sky in a daze. his thoughts began to drift. when was the last time he laid down like this? ever since he made up his mind to find the answer to this question, he had never had the chance to sit on the roof and listen to the sound tablet again. various cultivation techniques and chants kept appearing in his mind, constantly reminding himself to work harder¡­ the sky was filled with stars. the exhausted li ming was like a child. he curled up into a ball and fell asleep as the sound tablet played. he was not dreaming. on the second day, the sun shone on the earth. it was very warm. when li ming opened his eyes, he felt refreshed. the depression from yesterday was swept away. he couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh when he thought of his pitiful look yesterday. it did not matter if his cultivation was stagnant. as long as he cultivated diligently, he would definitely be able to find the key to the problem. after a night of rest, he was full of energy and full of fighting spirit. even if he could no increase his spiritual energy, he still had his divine sense, array formations, spirit plants, pill refinement, weapon refinement, and other things! he looked at the spiritual energy in his body again. there were still no changes in it, but he did not become as depressed as last night. instead, he was able to remain extremely calm. he woke up from his meditation and thought about it carefully. he wanted to focus on the next step. not long after, he decided on his main direction: formations! formations became even more important when his cultivation had stagnated. formations were an unavoidable problem if one wanted to break through the bottleneck. formations were also very useful in refining pills and weapons. no matter which path one took, they could not be without spirit crystals. li ming was also faced with an unavoidable problem, which was how to earn spirit crystals. different from spiritual energy, his divine sense did not stagnate. it was just that he had a treasure mountain but did not know how to use it. he only had only two techniques related to divine sense, one was the divine sense spike, and the other was the yin thorn. the divine sense spike was not very effective, but the yin thorn was very effective. however, li ming gave up on both. the yin thorn had a high requirement for the purity and density of yin qi. li ming could only use yin beads in this regard, but yin beads were too conspicuous and would easily attract attention. however, when it came to life-or-death encounters, the yin thorn was not as useful as the yin fire bead as their power was simply incomparable.. Chapter 131 - Chapter 131: Opening Up Shop Again chapter 131: opening up shop again translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation li ming still held some hope for the [vajra seal]. he planned to look around a bit more and see if he could find any suitable body refinement cultivation techniques. perhaps, he could use the golden bodily robe and heavy weight to deal with the two yin thorns. hehe, i can also consider medicine talismans! he could refine spirit pills and magical treasures by himself. as for talismans, he could only draw talismans. the more li ming thought about it, the more excited he became about the idea. there was always hope to be found. even if he could no longer increase his spiritual energy, he still had other options he could opt for. there are times when people are pushed into a corner, and rather than cower, they instead burst out with even greater potential. early in the morning, li yingfeng opened the door and saw li ming standing at the door. she could not help but be startled and blurt out: ¡°junior brother, why are you still here?¡± li ming made an ¡°uh¡± sound and was left somewhat speechless. it seemed that senior sister li yingfeng had really been frightened by the black lotus seed he had refined. li yingfeng immediately felt that his reaction was inappropriate and quickly added, ¡°aren¡¯t you going to the sword testing conference? you should hurry up and prepare for the upcoming competition!¡± li ming shrugged. ¡°the sect still has eldest senior brother to rely on. to be honest, i really won¡¯t be able to do much in the competition.¡± when li yingfeng heard what he said, she frowned. ¡°little junior brother, you really shouldn¡¯t look down on yourself too much. you were able to comprehend sword intent at the foundation establishment realm. with such talent, other than eldest senior brother, who else in the sect can compare to you? how can you give up on yourself and your own progress?¡± li ming was sweating profusely. he knew that his senior sister was thinking for him, but he could not explain himself either. he could only bite the bullet and say, ¡°i¡¯m not giving up on myself. it¡¯s just that i¡¯ve been a little tight on money lately.¡± ¡°where did you use those spirit crystals? didn¡¯t you earn quite a sum of spirit crystals not too long ago? how did you already use them all up?¡± he couldn¡¯t say that there was a bottomless hole in his sea of consciousness that could ¡®eat¡¯ all of the spirit crystals. in fact, a few thousand pieces of third-grade spirit crystals was indeed a huge fortune for him. in the past, this was something he would not even dare to dream of. even in the entirety of dongfu, that was a terrifying number. yet just now, li ming told her that all the spirit crystals had been used up, how could li yingfeng not be shocked? ¡°one can never have enough spirit crystals.¡± unable to resist li ming¡¯s pestering, li yingfeng finally agreed to his request to help people refine things again. because of his previous reputation, li ming immediately attracted many cultivators the moment he opened shop. li ming did not know that he was now regarded as the best of all the production cultivators in dongfu. when he cut a fourth-grade cold magnet in half and refined a fourth-grade black lotus seed, li ming¡¯s fire control technique became even more sought after. because of how popular he was, the payment methods that li ming had declared to be used for his services, such as spirit crystals, jade slips, and magical treasures, were selling like hot cakes. even after a whole day of work, li ming did not show any signs of fatigue. he handed a jade slip to li yingfeng and said, ¡°senior sister, please help me check how many spirit crystals all of these materials cost.¡± li yingfeng took the jade slip and skimmed through it. ¡°all of this should cost about 50 third-grade spirit crystals. eh, little junior brother, you¡¯re actually interested in formations?¡± none of the items on li ming¡¯s list were of high grade. they were all of the first grade. 50 third-grade spirit crystals could easily buy all of the materials he needed. li yingfeng became even more curious in her heart as to how her little junior brother had squandered the several thousand third-grade spirit crystals he had previously received. ¡°indeed, i do find formations quite interesting. here¡¯s 50 third-grade spirit crystals.¡± ¡°no problem.¡± li ying feng readily agreed. she was familiar with all the shops in dongfu, so it was not difficult for her to purchase the items on the list. in terms of cultivation, her junior brother¡¯s aptitude was far superior to hers, so she believed that he had his own plans. fifteen days had passed, but li ming¡¯s cultivation level had not changed at all. the tablet spirit was still meditating. it was unknown as to when it would wake up. li ming shook his head and threw all these distracting thoughts to the back of his mind. he looked back at the small courtyard. this courtyard was the courtyard behind the shop. of course, it could not be compared to the courtyard in west wind valley. it was just a small courtyard. there were jade stones, gold threads, green bamboo, and everything else. most of these materials were first or second-grade materials. their value was not high, but the quantity was fairly shocking. li ming kept flipping through the materials, occasionally summoning the stalagmite fire to refine them into the required shape, and occasionally stopping what he was doing, falling deep in thought. materials flashed in his hands one by one. some were carefully placed in the corner, while others were casually thrown on the ground. after struggling for more than two hours, he only came back to his senses when the sound tablet¡¯s reminder ended. when it was time to earn spirit crystals, he stood up reluctantly. in the past, he did not care about formations because they were very difficult to learn. but now that he was fully focused on studying them, he discovered many mysteries within them. sword scriptures and magic scriptures were often ambiguous and required one to comprehend on their own. on the other hand, formations were a subject that involved the five elements of yin and yang. it was extremely complicated, but with a closer look, li ming could find some patterns in them. after li ming left, li yingfeng came to clean up. she sighed as she tidied up. no wonder her junior brother complained that he did not have enough spirit crystals. how would he ever have enough spirit crystals they flowed out of his pocket like water? whatever li ming needed, li yingfeng would buy for him. she had come to know of li ming¡¯s daily expenses like the back of her hand. every day, li ming would spend thirty to forty third-grade spirit crystals, or sometimes even hundreds of them, on materials. moreover, most of the materials li ming needed were low-grade. if they were middle-grade, the price would have been exponentially higher. she had never heard or seen formations like the ones her junior brother was making. his way of learning was different from others, and the crystals he earned were different as well. she wanted to persuade li ming to be thrifty several times, but when she thought of the spirit crystals that li ming could earn every day, she swallowed down her words. li ming would come here to do business every day for six hours at most. the rest of the time, he would spend among the mountains of materials. she paused and looked at a formation plate under her feet. in the beginning, he only made formation plates. but as time passed, he made fewer and fewer formation plates. in the end, he stopped making them altogether. why did he suddenly think of making formation plates? were they for the sword testing conference? li yingfeng picked up the formation plate from the ground and looked at it carefully but found that she could not understand the runes that made up the plate. she could not help but smile. whether it was senior brother li zhengxuan or junior brother li ming, they were both geniuses. how could ordinary people like her understand the thoughts of geniuses? the formation plates that li ming made were the first formation plates that li yingfeng had personally seen. she carefully placed the formation plates in the corner. after helping li ming clean up these past few days, she could easily distinguish which ones were useful and which ones were useless.. Chapter 132 - Chapter 132: Greedy for the Prizes chapter 132: greedy for the prizes translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation li ming¡¯s business today was ordinary. over the past two days, his business had begun to decline. this was inevitable. the reason why he could have such a vast harvest early on had largely been due to the sword-testing conference. those who could provide good goods were mostly cultivators from outside. cultivation was built on spirit crystals. li ming had known this for a long time, but he realized it more directly after learning formations. all formations were made of spirit crystals! it seemed that this path would not last long, and his research was about to end. however, he would soon participate in the sword-testing conference, so he did not have the time to think about how to earn spirit crystals. it was better to wait until the sword-testing conference concluded. after li ming finished all of this, li fengying handed him a jade scroll. ¡°what is it?¡± ¡°information about the participants of the sword-testing conference.¡± seeing li ming¡¯s strange gaze, li fengying hurriedly explained, ¡°the sect master instructed me to be a logistics personnel. how can i just sit here? oh, right, i¡¯ve got some more information about the sword-testing conference.¡± ¡°oh.¡± li ming put away his things and said casually, ¡°did you give it to eldest senior brother or luo ming?¡± li fengying¡¯s expression became gloomy, veins popping out on her forehead. it would have been fine if li ming had not mentioned it, but since he did, she could not help but become furious. the sect leader had instructed her to manage the logistics, and she had specially given the information she had gathered to her two senior brothers, luo ming and li zhengxuan. senior brother li zhengxuan was nowhere to be found, and senior brother luo ming looked at her with a strange expression. ¡°what¡¯s the use of this?¡± she was about to go crazy from anger. when she saw li ming¡¯s nonchalant expression, the dissatisfaction in her heart immediately rose to the highest point. she sneered and turned around to leave. li ming couldn¡¯t figure it out. he didn¡¯t understand how he had offended his senior sister. after returning to his room, he took out the jade slip and began to flip through it. there was a lot of information inside, especially information about those experts. it could be seen that senior sister had put a lot of effort into this. the more li ming looked, the more interested he became. for example, he fang of bright moon lake was known as the strongest among the younger generation of bright moon lake. although he looked gentle on the surface, he had earned the title of the strongest youth of bright moon lake by fighting. since two years ago, he had been challenging sects one by one without losing a single time. it was because of this that he was known as the number one expert of bright moon lake. bright moon lake had beautiful mountains and clear waters, and was filled with spiritual qi. it was many times more prosperous than dongfu, and there were many sects. the title of number one expert was genuine. after reading the information about fang qi, li ming had a vague premonition that this person would become a strong opponent for his eldest senior brother in the future. as for himself, he was not really bothered. if it was not for the sect master¡¯s order, he would not have even joined the sword-testing conference. if he had the time, he might as well earn more spirit crystals. next, he saw nangong yun, hai jun, and the others. none of them were easy to deal with. however, there were a few people whom li ming felt very familiar with sha ning from the departing moon sect and a few others. he even saw jiang peng from the xuanjian sect whom he had met a long time ago. however, shi xiang, who had given him the ice crystal sword, did not appear. eh? li ming¡¯s gaze fell on a figure wearing a black veil and a bamboo hat. wasn¡¯t this the person who cut the cold magnet here last time? this person was actually a contestant! he did not know anyone else. however, when he saw everyone¡¯s strength, he was speechless. golden core realm, they were all at the golden core realm! the cultivators who could pass the preliminary sword-testing conference were all golden core cultivators. such a lineup made li ming no longer have any thoughts of even trying. he even began considering whether or not he should admit defeat right from the start. however, the sect master¡¯s kind face suddenly flashed across his mind. he trembled violently and woke up abruptly. he quickly threw this thought out of his mind. a minor injury was a small matter, but if the sect master hated him, he would never have a good life! looking at this extravagant name list, he muttered in his heart that in his sect, only his eldest brother could win. even senior brother luo ming might not win. fortunately, there were no nascent soul cultivators. otherwise, he felt that his heart might really just stop beating. then, there were the rules of the sword-testing conference. senior sister li fengying also guessed that these three people definitely would not pay attention, so she listed them out in detail. there was nothing he could not understand about the rules. after the preliminary sword-testing conference ended, the sword test conference would officially begin. the first and second matches were all one-on-one fights without any rules! at that time, senior tian song zi would open the east hall¡¯s great pine pavilion so that everyone could enter. in the east hall¡¯s great pine pavilion, participants were allowed to attack any contestant until the opponent lost the ability to fight. the remaining ten people would be the final champions. in order to ensure that the participants didn¡¯t die, there would be ten or so nascent soul cultivators monitoring the entire process. as for who was strong and who was weak, it was up to these nascent soul experts to judge. tsk, tsk¡­ there are actually ten nascent soul powerhouses as judges. this lineup is really big enough! li ming could not understand why they had to spend so much effort and money to organize such a sword-testing conference. what was the use? well, maybe these big shots had their own plans. li ming casually looked down and suddenly became interested. then came the reward for the sword-testing conference. li ming¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked at the rows of rewards. his saliva almost flowed out. a fourth-grade green peak sword, a fourth-grade immortal beast belt, a fourth-grade golden crown, a third-grade water sleeved shirt, a third-grade heavenly silkworm armor, a third-grade frost python spirit armor¡­ there were a total of ten top-grade magic treasures. they were selected according to the final score. li ming finally understood. no wonder so many cultivators rushed over to dongfu to participate in the sword-testing conference. this was called motivation! his heart was itching. he stared at these things without blinking. his heart was burning with envy. he only hated himself for being too weak. these top ten talismans were all the best of the best. they were at least one or two grades higher than the ones he had snatched from the profligate sons of departing moon sect. there were a few rewards that made li ming want to sell his body to exchange for them. li ming greedily glanced at the rewards for the top ten. he was still not satisfied and continued to read. forget it. even if he couldn¡¯t get it, it was still a good thing to take a look. li ming comforted himself. these few days, he had been immersed in the world of formations and had consumed a lot of energy. now that he could finally rest, he was in a very good mood.. Chapter 133 - Chapter 133: Kunlun Jade Slip chapter 133: kunlun jade slip translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation he looked at the list casually, calculating the price of the prizes from time to time and drooling. suddenly, his gaze fell on a reward. he was stunned and immediately jumped li ming¡¯s eyes were fixed on the jade slip, not leaving them for even a second. [elementary understanding of formations], ranked 56th, second-grade magical treasure. the description of this jade slip was very simple. it was a basic jade slip for elementary formations, suitable for beginners to cultivate. however, what caught li ming¡¯s attention was the two small words ¡°kunlun,¡± which pointed out its origin! his heart skipped a beat! that was from kunlun! it was an item of kunlun! this name seemed to have a magical power that made li ming¡¯s heart beat wildly. after all, the heavenly origin supercontinent he was in, the origin of the nascent soul cultivators who had come to investigate it all came from a place called kunlun! in the heart of every sword cultivator, kunlun was a place they all dreamed of reaching. it represented power and strength. it was where the strongest sword cultivators resided. it was the true ruler of the entire cultivation world. there were not many rumors surrounding kunlun. in the eyes of most cultivators, kun lun was simply an unattainable existence, too mysterious. to be honest, when li ming first saw the name, he was stunned. to an ordinary disciple of a small sect on the heavenly origin supercontinent, this word felt so distant and unfamiliar. however, when he came back to his senses, he could not suppress the excitement in his heart. the bigger the sect, the more importance it placed on the cultivation of new disciples. they would make some jade slips for the new disciples to use for their cultivation. the cultivation techniques recorded on the jade slip were all-encompassing and varied. because the jade slips were all made by specialized people, their annual production was limited. there were not many left, and very few circulated. the basic jade slips of each sect were different and they each had their own characteristics. even if it was within the same sect, there would be different versions of jade slips according to the person in charge of making it that year. a small sect like the divine will sect naturally did not have any basic jade slips. every large sect would recruit a large number of new disciples every year. the more people they had, the more resources they had. however, in ordinary small sects, the elders would personally teach them. the kunlun elementary understanding of formations jade slip was something that li ming never even dreamed of acquiring. however, although this jade slip came from kunlun, it was only a very basic one. therefore, it was only ranked 56th among the rewards this time. most of the people in this sword-testing conference were golden core cultivators. as a result, such basic jade slips would not be of much help to them. moreover, this jade slip was about formations. if it was a basic sword technique jade slip, there would definitely still be many people who would drool over it. kunlun sword technique¡­ however, to li ming, the attraction of this jade slip was massive. in the divine will sect, there was not a complete set of formation jade slips. everything he had learned had been gathered from others, which made him feel very strained. if he could get his hands on a jade slip like this, it would be a huge boon to him. without thinking, he decided to do his best to get this jade slip! however, he quickly calmed down and began to think about how he might do so. in this test, this jade slip was not eye-catching. most likely, not many of the participants would be interested in this jade slip. however, no matter what, he had to pass the first two tests before he was qualified to even choose what he wanted. when he thought of the names of those golden core cultivators, li ming could feel his hair stand on end. however, he was not willing to miss this opportunity just like that. he was very unwilling! after thinking for a long time, he finally made up his mind. he did not care anymore. he would fight it out! this basic jade slip changed li ming¡¯s view of the sword -testing conference completely. he felt that he actually had to prepare himself. the number of cultivators in dongfu was constantly increasing. yesterday¡¯s preliminary sword test had already ended. there were still five days until the peak of the sword-testing conference. dongfu was not disturbed by the large influx of cultivators. after all, there were more than ten nascent soul experts guarding it. this made it the safest place on the heavenly origin supercontinent. ¡°do you want one? this is the latest name list for the sword-testing conference. with this name list, you don¡¯t have to worry when its time for the matches!¡± ¡°we will provide you with detailed information about the participants of this sword -testing conference, as well as the comprehensive strength rankings of countless top-notch experts. this will be your most reliable helper when betting on the contestants!¡± li ming heard these shouts as he walked around. his heart stirred. the competition list was released two days ago. however, this ranking was very interesting. he had only taken two steps when he heard a shout. it was still the same ranking, but it was completely different from the previous rankings. after walking for a short while, li ming heard four or five different lists. all of them had the same price of one third-stage spirit crystal. only later did he understand that all the gambling houses in dongfu were open. not to mention those who liked to gamble, even those commoners had more or less placed their bets to have some fun. supply would generally emerge when there was demand for something. li ming had already made up his mind to thoroughly study his opponent¡¯s background, so he simply bought the different rankings and analyses one by one. he took a look and realized that this ranking was really something. the person ranked first was none other than he fang, who had yet to lose. in almost every version, he fang¡¯s ranking was the highest. it could easily be seen that was the most popular. starting from the second name, the names of each version were different. however, the names of those in the top ten were more or less the same. however, what surprised li ming was that very few locals could enter the top ten. only zhang haowen had a common explanation in several versions: tian songzi¡¯s disciple, absolute home advantage! li ming was furious! suddenly, he thought of himself. he continued to read. there was nothing. there was nothing¡­ when he looked over, he realized that his name was at the end. beside him, there was a description: the only foundation establishment cultivator in the sword -testing conference. li ming was stunned for a moment before he flew into a rage! he took a look at the other versions and realized that his name was always the last for the same reason. no way, senior brother luo ming is also in the foundation establishment realm, so why do these say that i¡¯m the only foundation establishment cultivator? li ming felt that it was unfair and grew furious. soon, he found senior brother luo ming on the rankings. he¡­ he¡¯s reached the golden core stage! li ming was shocked! Chapter 134 - Chapter 134: The First Round chapter 134: the first round translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation when did senior brother luo ming reach the golden core realm? what kind of bullsh*t ranking is this? this is simply nonsense! li ming simply ignored those rankings. his purpose for coming out today was very clear. in the trading area, fu dong looked at li ming in surprise, but he quickly welcomed him warmly. ¡°brother ming, what brings you here? aren¡¯t you participating in the sword -testing conference?¡± however, his triangular eyes could not hide his smile. when li ming saw fu dong¡¯s face, he instantly grew furious and shouted angrily, ¡°what? is there a problem?¡± ¡°no, no, no!¡± fu dong waved his hand and said with a fawning expression, ¡°brother ming, no one can compare to you. if you want for someone¡¯s legs to break, then their legs will break.¡± ¡°alright, alright!¡± fu dong¡¯s words made li ming feel a little guilty. he then asked, ¡°are all of you done with the preparations?¡± fu dong grinned as he took out a jade slip and stuffed it into li ming¡¯s hand. ¡°ever since your opponent appeared, i¡¯ve been looking for him! these are all the records of an yang¡¯s previous battles, and some of them had been collected through other means.¡± li ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat. he knew that the price he had to pay for such a small jade slip was definitely not small. an yang was the enemy li ming was going to be facing soon. he had asked fu dong to help him investigate him. even though senior sister li fengying was also very hardworking, she usually just ran the shop. in this area, her connections were far inferior to someone like fu dong. li ming stuffed a bag into fu dong¡¯s hand. as soon as fu dong held the bag in his hand, he immediately understood the number of spirit crystals inside. however, he did not show any joy. instead, he stared at li ming expressionlessly and said, ¡°what is this?¡± li ming shook his head. ¡°this isn¡¯t for you. it¡¯s for you to use to gather information. i¡¯ll be depending on you for the information on my next opponent!¡± fu dong¡¯s expression lit up, and he laughed loudly. ¡°that¡¯s good. i¡¯ve placed a big bet on you. i hope you won¡¯t let me lose all my money!¡± ¡°oh, i hope i can win!¡± li ming shrugged. the other party was a golden core cultivator. the difference between him and his opponent was huge. he honestly did not have much confidence. he only wanted to do his best. he really could not resist the allure of basic formation jade slip from kunlun. his cultivation base was the lowest among those participating in this sword -testing conference, so he was naturally not favored. that was why he was arranged to be in the first round. if he lost the first battle, it would be a real humiliation! he would definitely not have a good ending once he got back! li ming cursed the person who arranged this match countless times in his heart. in the main hall. yang li¡¯s face revealed a strange expression. ¡°it¡¯s actually little ming who¡¯s going first.¡± pei xuan laughed lightly. ¡°this must be the doing of the departing moon sect. they probably want little ming to lose face. i mean, it¡¯s understandable.¡± ¡°understandable your sister! how dare they make things difficult for my disciple? you¡¯re courting death! i haven¡¯t yet used my myriad flowers hundred poisons¡­ the other three elders were all at a loss. they hurriedly stopped shi fengrong, who was about to go crazy, and tried to persuade her to calm down. ¡°it¡¯s fine. little ming is very cunning. he¡¯s definitely not going to just let himself be played with like this,¡± said pei xuan. ¡°the main objective for him even participating this time is for him to gain experience. as for face, we don¡¯t really care about that.¡± yang li laughed at the side, shi fengrong angrily sat down, and xu shan¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold light. yang li said, ¡°luo ming actually entered the golden core realm so quickly. it seems that his battle with little ming benefited him greatly.¡± ¡°luo ming¡¯s aptitude is not bad, but his past personality made it difficult for him to take a step forward.¡± pei xuan nodded, but the joy in his voice was apparent. shi fengrong¡¯s gaze swept the surroundings and suddenly frowned, ¡°where¡¯s li zhengxuan?¡± at a patch of wasteland. li zhengxuan was facing a man in white. ¡°who exactly are you? why did you come to my divine will sect?¡± li zhengxuan said in a deep voice. he was ready to unsheate his splitting rainbow sword at any moment. he did not know where this person came from, but he had sneaked into the divine will sect and was accidentally discovered by him. the other party¡¯s cultivation was higher than his. he had just walked out of the sword formation. after a long battle, coupled with the breakthrough of the golden core realm, it was the time when his spiritual power was at its best and his spiritual sense was at its sharpest. if it was under normal circumstances, he would definitely not be able to see through the other party¡¯s depth. however, the other party¡¯s strength shocked him greatly! this chase lasted over 150 kilometers. he had nearly lost track of the other party several times. what made him feel that something was wrong was that the other party did not seem to have used their full strength. however, li zhengxuan was brave by nature. although he knew the strength of the other party, he did not retreat at all. the fighting spirit in his eyes burned fiercely! ¡°i¡¯ve long heard that when young master li was in the foundation establishment realm, there was a phenomenon of heaven and earth. now that i¡¯ve met you, i must say that you live up to your fame. you seem to have gained a lot of benefits from this trip to the sword cave. your sect¡¯s [divine will sword] has finally come into being. it¡¯s really a great fortune.¡±his voice was gentle, like a clear spring. coupled with his handsome appearance, he was like a graceful young master, making it difficult for people to dislike him. li zhengxuan was even more cautious. other than his fellow disciples, no one knew that he had entered the sword cave, but this person seemed to know it all too well. if he was not sure if this person had been acting with intention or not before, then now, he could be certain that this person was secretly investigating the sect¡¯s information with ulterior motives. ¡°since you don¡¯t want to report your name, then i have nothing more to say to you.¡± the splitting rainbow sword appeared in his hand, and the tip of the sword instantly pointed at the white-robed man. the white-robed man felt his vision turn black as if he plunged into the void. it was empty and cold. the white-robed young man¡¯s eyes flashed as he praised, ¡°young master li, you are truly talented. this [divine will sword] will definitely shine in your hands!¡± as he spoke, he slowly disappeared. the moment he said the word ¡°hands,¡± his figure had completely disappeared. only his voice continued to echo in the air. li zhengxuan could no longer hide the shock in his eyes! despite having been under the pressure of his sword intent, the other party actually managed to disappear without leaving a single trace behind! he pondered for a moment, then stepped on the splitting rainbow sword and transformed into a long rainbow, rushing straight toward the divine will sect when his figure disappeared on the horizon, a figure slowly reappeared. ¡°so?¡± he looked at the sky and pondered for a moment. sky moon residence was one of the best places in the entirety of dongfu. it was located halfway up the mountain and was built along a spirit vein. it had a total of 47 cave abodes. there were all kinds of common magical treasures here and the spiritual qi was abundant. the cultivators who came and went all liked to rest here. however, the price was not cheap either. it cost ten third-stage spirit crystals a day to stay here. although li ming had earned a lot of money now, if he were to live in sky moon residence, the daily rent would make his heart bleed, not to mention its other services. the rooms in the sky moon residence, which was originally only at 50% capacity, were now overbooked. because of this, the daily rent had even increased from 10 third-stage spirit crystals to 50 third-stage spirit crystals.. Chapter 135 - Chapter 135: A Bet chapter 135: a bet translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation despite the massive increase in price, sky moon residence was still at full capacity with experts from all over the heavenly origin supercontinent staying in its rooms. sky moon residence mainly served high-quality goods. the spiritual food in the sky moon residence was all bought from the shao clan. the starry sky pavilion was the gathering place of those staying in sky moon residence. its roof was inlaid with many stones and crystals, creating a scene resembling a sky filled with dazzling stars. there were green vines stretching between various rooms, filling the pavilion with a green luster that made it feel more peaceful. ¡°brother an, you¡¯re really lucky!¡± everyone present was a cultivator participating in the competition. everyone¡¯s eyes revealed envy. everyone who was currently present fully believed that an yang undoubtedly had the easiest match coming up. an yang was delighted, but he said, ¡°i actually envy all of you for being able to fight proper battles. with who my upcoming opponent is, i probably won¡¯t be able to benefit much from the battle. he was born in the an clan, and the cultivation technique he cultivated was the extremely obscure raging star flaming hammer. it was a powerful and exquisite technique. ¡°brother an, don¡¯t say that.¡± one of the cultivators laughed loudly. ¡°don¡¯t you know what some of us would give to trade places with brother an? reputation and whatnot are all fleeting, the rewards are the real thing.¡± everyone in the room agreed. an yang begged for mercy and finally agreed to treat everyone to a meal. only then did everyone leave him alone. in a corner of the starry sky pavilion, there was an alcove. in this alcove, two people were drinking. if someone lifted the curtain, they would recognize the two of them at first glance. they were the two most likely winners of the sword -testing conference. one was none other than he fang, and sitting across him was a figure whose face was covered in a black veil. ¡°i originally wanted to find a quiet place, but we just had to come across such an ignorant fool.¡± he fang frowned slightly with a hint of helplessness and dissatisfaction on his face. he glanced at the black-veiled face of the person opposite him and said sincerely, ¡°i did not expect to meet you here. i thought it would be three to five years before i had the chance to see you again.¡± there was a hint of passion in his voice. no one would have thought that this mysterious and powerful cultivator sitting across him was a female cultivator. she stretched out her slender wrist and picked up the tea in front of her. she gently lifted a corner of the black veil, and her red lips gently touched the jade-like teacup. he fanes gaze suddenly became extremely eager. ¡°junior sister, are you not willing to let me properly see your face?¡±he fang stared at the other party and said calmly, but he could not conceal the excitement in his voice. ¡°senior brother, your heart is in a mess,¡± said su softly. the veil on her face did not waver at all. ¡°if your heart is in a mess, what of the heart lake sword?¡± a trace of anger flashed in he fang¡¯s eyes, but he did not flare up. instead, he suddenly closed his eyes. after a while, he opened them again, and his gaze became extremely clear. ¡°junior sister is right. may i know what your plans are after the sword-testing conference?¡± ¡°refine my sword.¡± ¡°oh.¡± surprise flashed across he fang¡¯s eyes. ¡°did you find the cold magnet you needed?¡± her calm voice trembled slightly. ¡°of course, i¡¯ve cut it into four pieces.¡± ¡°congratulations then.¡± he fang could not help a slight anger rise within him. if his little junior sister were to go and refine her sword, she probably would not be able to come out for three to five years. ¡°if i remember correctly, if you want to forge a cold magnet into a sword, you will first need to forge it into a sword embryo. how about¡­¡¯ ¡°i¡¯ve already found it.¡± su¡¯s voice returned to normal. ¡°you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± at this moment, a burst of laughter came from an yang¡¯s table. ¡°sigh, we have to be prepared for the next few days!¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. only brother an can slack off.¡± ¡°a mere foundation establishment realm cultivator, i¡¯ll look down on you if you don¡¯t manage to beat him in three moves.¡± ¡°why don¡¯t we make a bet?¡± ¡°good idea, three moves then!¡± ¡°then let¡¯s make a bet!¡± ¡°alright, alright. please be magnanimous and don¡¯t laugh at me.¡± an yang cupped his fists again. ¡°i knew it. see, even if i win, i have nothing to gain.¡± the crowd was once again in an uproar. he fang had been rejected by his little junior sister earlier, and he had been holding back his anger. now that he heard these people chattering, he could no longer hold back his rage from erupting. despite the flaming anger raging within him, his gaze turned ice cold. he was young and full of vigor, and he was also doted on by others in the sect. when had anyone dared to be so rude to him? his face immediately darkened. just as he was about to stand up and teach these people a lesson, he realized that his little junior sister had already stood up. what was she doing? ¡°i bet ten moves.¡± she said to an yang and the others. her voice was not loud, but it easily penetrated the gauze curtain. there was a seal formation on the veil to isolate her aura, but it was useless at this moment. there was silence on the table. an yang¡¯s expression became extremely unsightly. ¡°may i have the pleasure of knowing your name?¡± an yang smiled and asked with cupped fists. how could an yang tolerate being slapped in front of his good friends? because of the magical formation of the curtain, they could only vaguely see two figures and could not hear their voices. ¡°you don¡¯t need to care about who i am. will you acknowledge my bet?¡± su said indifferently. he fang was shocked. he knew very well how cold his little junior sister¡¯s personality was. she had never been interested in such things! but now, she was actually betting on someone. this¡­ how is that person related to little junior sister? he fang¡¯s eyes flickered as he pondered. if he did not agree in front of everyone, an yang would truly lose face. an yang was burning with rage, but his tone remained calm. ¡°since you want to make such a bet with me, then why would i have any reason to refuse. what would you like to wager?¡± ¡°feel free to wager however much you would like.¡± a calm voice replied from behind the curtain. an yang increasingly felt that the other party was mocking him. suddenly, a sly smile surfaced on his face. he reached into his chest and brought out a medicinal bottle. he opened the bottle cap, and a strong medicinal fragrance, along with rich spiritual qi, immediately filled the room. everyone present grew excited. those with some understanding of pill refinement even felt shocked. ¡°36 third-stage medicinal pills.¡± the blazing flame pill was a pill unique to the an clan. it used an earth core as a material and was a famous pill on the heavenly origin supercontinent. something flew out of the pavilion. an yang looked at it and grabbed it. ¡°third -stage moonlight flaming death.¡± the others present could not hold themselves back from abruptly standing up to confirm what an yang just said. their eyes immediately focused on the crystal bottle in an yang¡¯s hand. this crystal bottle was crystal clear and flawless. just the crystal bottle alone was already worth a considerable amount. contained within the bottle was something merely the size of a fingernail, and it looked like mist. moonlight flowing death, legends had it that there would be a bright moon during the mid-autumn festival every ten years. from this moon, moonlight flowing death would be created. this was priceless! this single bottle of moonlight flowing death was much more precious than an yang¡¯s blazing flame pill.. Chapter 136 - Chapter 136: Prodigal Child chapter 136: prodigal child translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation tao zhuer, yan mingzi, and hu shan strolled along the streets of dongfu. they loved seeing bustling scenes, and across the entire heavenly origin supercontinent, what could compare to the prosperity of dongfu? hu shan rubbed his fists and said excitedly, ¡°this is great! the preliminary competition is finally over! only the official competition is ever interesting!¡± tao zhuer¡¯s beautiful eyes were filled with infatuation. ¡°yeah, he fang is so handsome! i don¡¯t think there¡¯s any man as outstanding as him in the entire heavenly origin supercontinent! i love him!¡± hu shan cursed tao zhuer in his heart. he suddenly discovered that yan mingzi appeared unusually absent-minded. ¡°old yan, what¡¯s the matter?¡± yan mingzi replied cursorily and raised his head. then, a smile appeared on his face, ¡°i¡¯m just thinking about how to earn spirit crystals!¡± ¡°earn spirit crystals? are you out of money? do you need me to give you some?¡± asked hu shan. the three of them had fought side by side, so they had long since become good friends. yan mingzi shook his head. ¡°no, i just bought a new flying sword. because of that, i don¡¯t have much left. there¡¯s no rush, though. i can just take things slow. if i really am in trouble, i¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°aiyo, you got a new flying sword? hurry and bring it out for us to see.¡± tao zhuer immediately became excited. yan mingzi took out a blue flying sword and said indifferently, ¡°this sword is called deep ocean. it¡¯s a third-stage magical treasure.¡± hu shan took it and shook his head. ¡°this is incomparable to your previous water drop sword.¡± ¡°what are you saying?¡± yan mingzi rolled his eyes at hu shan. the three of them recalled their memories. tao zhuer saw his expression and quickly changed the topic. ¡°hey, tell us what plans you¡¯ve thought up to earn money.¡± even though yan mingzi¡¯s cultivation was ordinary, his ability to do business was the strongest among the three. as expected, yan mingzi grew more lively when he heard her question. he immediately said excitedly, ¡°the sword-testing conference, of course!¡± ¡°sword-testing conference? how?¡± hu shan asked curiously. yan ming zi patiently explained, ¡°we naturally can¡¯t interfere with other businesses. however, if we have some spare money on hand, we can gamble.¡± hu shan immediately lost interest and said, ¡°so it¡¯s just gambling, that isn¡¯t interesting at all!¡± ¡°old yan, don¡¯t mind him. tell me everything in detail.¡± tao zhuer said with interest. yan ming zi said excitedly, ¡°of course, it¡¯s not good to gamble, but this time¡¯s gambling is different from the previous ones.¡± ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°this sword-testing conference, although luck does play a factor in it, the real competition still depends on strength. there are certain rules. a person¡¯s strength won¡¯t change much in a short period of time.¡± ¡°in addition to the mutual promotion and suppression of magical arts and the advantages and disadvantages of magical treasures, although these factors can¡¯t be used to determine the outcome accurately, the general direction is still estimable.¡± ¡°how would you know?¡± hu shan sneered. how could he know what other people¡¯s magical treasures were?¡± yan mingzi nodded, ¡°this is the key. it is not easy to determine someone¡¯s true strength, but it is possible to estimate their level of strength based on their fights with outsiders. as for magical treasures¡­ i have some good eyes.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. old yan, you¡¯ve got a good eye for magical treasures.¡± on this point, hu shan was extremely impressed with yan mingzi. ¡°hehe.¡± yan mingzi had a proud expression, ¡°there are all sorts of ways we can gamble. just like betting on the battle between li ming and an yang, which has been in the limelight lately.¡± ¡°needless to say, an yang will definitely win!¡± hu shan was unconvinced. ¡°no matter how strong li ming is, he¡¯s an entire cultivation realm below an yang. how can he be a match for a mid-stage golden core realm expert?!¡± ¡°yes, i am!¡± yan ming zi echoed, but he swiftly changed the topic, ¡°however, this is still the most popular match in terms of betting. and that is because everyone is focused on betting on how long li ming can last against an yang.¡± ¡°there¡¯s such a thing?¡± hu shan opened his mouth wide. ¡°hehe, the odds for those who bet he will lose in three moves is still quite normal,¡± said yan ming zi. ¡°however, once it¡¯s past three moves, the odds start skyrocketing.¡± ¡°you didn¡¯t bet on something like that, did you?¡± hu shan asked. yan ming zi said proudly, ¡°i did. i bet on him lasting seven moves. the odds are 1 to 60.¡± ¡°do you really think that he can last seven moves against an yang?¡± hu shan was surprised. ¡°an yang isn¡¯t some nobody. he¡¯s the strongest among the younger generation of the an family. are you that confident in li ming¡¯s strength?¡± yan mingzi said with some interest, ¡°then what do you think about an yang going against senior brother sha ning?¡± ¡°of course he¡¯d lose!¡± hu shan did not even think twice before speaking confidently. ¡°senior brother sha ning is very strong! back then, he even defeated a golden core cultivator when he was at the foundation establishment realm.¡± ¡°ah!¡± when yan mingzi heard the last sentence, he was shocked, ¡°why haven¡¯t i heard of this before?¡± ¡°very few people know about this.¡± hu shan whispered unconsciously. ¡°senior brother¡¯s sword was obtained by snatching treasures! this was also the reason why he was punished by the sect master to reflect on his mistakes.¡± the other two were stunned. ¡°great, i didn¡¯t waste my spirit crystals.¡± the first thing that came to yan mingzi¡¯s mind was the spirit crystals in his hands. he chuckled, ¡°originally, this bet shouldn¡¯t have been so popular. the key is that someone placed a bet on an yang, then bet a bottle of moonlight flowing death and bet that li ming would last at least ten moves.¡¯ ¡°moonlight flowing death!¡± hu shan was at a loss and muttered to himself, ¡°what a prodigal child!¡± the silent tao zhuer suddenly spoke, ¡°what are the odds for li ming winning?¡± ¡°it seems to be 1 to 300.¡± he looked at tao zhu er in surprise. ¡°are you intending on betting on him? winning that is simply impossible!¡± ¡°why not?¡± tao zhuer said indifferently, ¡°i¡¯m just betting some spirit crystals for fun. even senior brother sha ning managed to defeat someone at the golden core realm while being at the foundation establishment realm¡­¡¯ her words came to an abrupt halt, and her eyes focused. the two of them saw that she was silent and were puzzled. however, when they saw her confused expression, they also looked over and were instantly stunned. a figure walked over. li fengying looked at her junior brother and could not help but shake her head. it did not matter if she arranged for her junior brother to be the first to compete. after all, the sect master¡¯s intention was to let her junior brother gain more experience. no one expected li ming to last that many moves against an yang. suddenly, someone came out and threw out a bottle of moonlight flowing death, betting that her junior brother would be able to withstand ten moves from an yang. this immediately caused a huge uproar. wasn¡¯t everybody just using her junior brother as a means of entertainment? during this period of time, her junior brother had been cooped up in his own small courtyard all day. it was unknown as to what he was up to. she was extremely anxious.. why isn¡¯t junior brother seizing the time to cultivate his sword technique? even if he is cramming at the last minute, it would still be useful no matter how slow he is at cultivating! Chapter 137 - Chapter 137: Senior Brother Is Here chapter 137: senior brother is here translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation in the past few days, shidi hadn¡¯t practiced much in his shop. did he think that he could win by relying on these miscellaneous low level formations? of course she wouldn¡¯t reject shidi learning formations, but formations were mostly used for pill concoction and artifact refinement. in battle, they weren¡¯t very useful. under such circumstances, how could there be any formations left! li zhengxuan stepped on the splitting rainbow sword and descended towards floating east like a rainbow. he returned to divine will sect and reported the news of the man in white to the sect master before rushing towards east floating. if he was late, he would miss his junior brother¡¯s competition. the moment he entered east floating city, li zhengxuan was shocked by the bustling scene on the street. he wasn¡¯t like li ming, who was excited about the sword-testing conference. such an opportunity was hard to come by. just thinking about it made one¡¯s blood boil. he suddenly thought of li ming and smiled. a lazy person like him would definitely not be interested in the sword-testing conference. thinking about it, his junior brother was unwilling to participate, but under the instructions of the sect master, there was nothing he could do. he felt that it was funny. junior brother¡¯s talent was not bad, but he was not interested in the way of the sword. it would be good if he could force him. li zhengxuan was a very simple sword cultivator (). his understanding of the sword was also very deep. in the beginning, li ming had been focused on the spiritual plant (), so he didn¡¯t think much of it. however, when li ming¡¯s talent in sword arts was displayed to the fullest, he was doing something else. li zheng xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel pity in his heart. suddenly, a voice sounded in his ear. ¡°can we make a bet?¡± ¡°three rounds. a foundation establishment realm building cultivator facing a golden core cultivator could only use three moves at most.¡± ¡°sigh, i really don¡¯t know what divine will sect is thinking. they actually let a foundation establishment brat come here.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. i heard that he mainly focuses on alchemy. why would he come here?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not certain who¡¯s the one who¡¯s embarrassed. how many people possessed the moonlight flowing death? how could a person who possessed the dying flowing moon not have good taste? in my opinion, this li ming definitely has some skills!¡± ¡°strength? hah! no matter how capable he was, he was only at foundation establishment realm!¡± li zhengxuan¡¯s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. he resisted the urge to go up and beat up this group of people. along the way, he heard many such conversations. he strode forward and arrived at the entrance of a casino. ¡°hey, young master, do you want to try your luck? recently, the most popular thing in east floating city is the betting of a few moves. it¡¯s very interesting¡­¡± just as li zhengxuan was about to speak, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear. ¡°take out all your spiritual crystals.¡± robbery? li zhengxuan was stunned and subconsciously turned his head away. in front of him stood two men and a woman. the three of them seemed to be extremely wary of the round-faced man and respected him. hearing this, the three of them immediately took out all the spiritual crystals. ¡°bet on li ming.¡± ¡°senior chang, this li ming¡­¡± yan ming zi couldn¡¯t watch any longer. ¡°hmm?¡± the round-faced man¡¯s gaze descended onto yan ming zi. yan ming zi¡¯s heart trembled, and he wanted to say something but stopped. hu shan and tao zhu er lowered their heads and stood obediently at the side, cursing yan ming zi in their hearts. old yan, you bastard, you¡¯re courting death. don¡¯t drag us down with you! li zhengxuan looked at the round-faced man in surprise. this was the first time he had heard of someone betting on his junior brother. he took a look. the clothes these three people were wearing were all the symbols of departing moon sect (de). didn¡¯t they have a grudge against his junior brother? brother chang, li zhengxuan seemed to understand something. the shop assistant who was guarding the door had an expression as if he was looking at a fool. his gaze landed on the crystal in yan ming zi¡¯s hand, and his saliva almost flowed out. these people were really prodigals. can¡¯t they give him these spiritual crystals? of course, he did not show it on the surface. instead, he praised,¡±¡±your eyes are as sharp as torches!¡± but after a moment of hesitation, he asked again, ¡°all on li ming?¡±¡± ¡°bet,¡± said the round-faced man. the round-faced man took the bet and turned to leave. yan ming zi and the others looked at each other and could only follow dejectedly. ¡°what a waste!¡± after the round-faced man left, the employees of the casino were like a tap that had opened the gate. they chattered to lee zhengxuan,¡±look, aren¡¯t they all hot-blooded? so far, no one had bet on li ming winning! do you think you¡¯re joking? what a waste¡­¡± as he spoke, he shook his head, his saliva splattering everywhere. ¡± fifty pieces of third grade spiritual crystals.¡± li zhengxuan handed the crystals over with a smile. ¡°alright, how many moves do you want to bet? look, these are the odds for each battle.¡± ¡°i bet on li ming winning.¡± li zhengxuan was still smiling. the waiter was dumbfounded. these few days, the bet between him and li ming had spread like wildfire in eastern floating, becoming the hottest topic in eastern floating. but to him, this was simply a form of mockery. how could he be compared to a newbie who had just entered the foundation establishment stage? what could a mere zhuji do? he did not believe it! however, he was not a reckless person. since that person could take out the moonlight flowing death, it was definitely not a joke. however, when he went to investigate, he didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. it turned out that li ming was a xiuzhe who focused on pill dao. looking at an yang¡¯s investigation of li ming, he knew that there was a spirit plant farmer, golden crow pill, and refining services¡­ a mere zhuji xiuzhe wanted to last ten moves from him, what a joke! thinking of this, an yang could not help but clench his fists. if li ming could really take ten moves, then he would become the laughing stock of the sword-testing conference, no, the laughing stock of the tian yuan continent! when he was mentioned, no one dared to say that an yang was the most outstanding disciple of the an castle. instead, they would say that an yang couldn¡¯t even defeat a kid in the early foundation establishment realm! he absolutely couldn¡¯t lose face! it was absolutely impossible! two balls of fire danced in an yang¡¯s eyes. ¡°what?¡± li ying feng¡¯s face was blank. she saw li ming stuff a spirit crystal into her hand and was instantly shocked: ¡°you want to bet on yourself? are you crazy? li ming gave her 300 pieces of third grade spiritual crystals! ¡°haha! junior brother is very courageous!¡± a hearty laugh suddenly sounded from outside the door. li zhengxuan strode forward and swept li ming from head to toe. he laughed loudly,¡±junior brother seems to have a well-thought-out plan! then i¡¯m relieved. hehe, i bet all my assets on you. if you lose, i¡¯ll have to pay everything! haha!¡± li ying feng looked at eldest shixiong and li ming as if she was looking at a lunatic. was this group of people stupid¡­ hearing this, li ming¡¯s heart warmed. everyone else thought that he would lose, but his senior brother felt that he would definitely win! he suppressed the excitement in his heart and smiled.¡±ln order to surprise an yang, i put in a lot of effort. a strange look flashed across his eyes.. Chapter 138 - Chapter 138: The Competition Begins chapter 138: the competition begins translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡°haha! junior brother, you always bring us surprises. that¡¯s great!¡±li zhengxuan laughed. he was really crazy¡­ li ying feng shook her head and turned to leave. if they were to bet then so be it, it wasn¡¯t even hers. east sword-testing conference (-) officially began. in the beginning, no one was very interested in this competition, but the stakes made this competition very popular. the number of xiuzhe who came to watch was so great that it made people dumbfounded. the gap between the two sides was too big, and the number of spiritual crystals involved was so great that it was interesting to watch. anyone who heard this bet would be curious to know how many moves li ming could last. how many moves could he last? how long? the sword-testing conference this time was called the eastern floating sword test conference. to everyone¡¯s surprise, it had attracted half of the young experts of the heavenly origin supercontinent. this sword test conference could be said to be the sword test conference of the tian yuan continent. there were many people who were skeptical about this sword-testing conference. they were also skeptical about the strength of the native xiuzhe. the cultivators outside had already proved their strength with their wonderful performance. but up until now, not a single xiuzhe from east floating had made a move. because of this, the xiuzhe of east floating did not have many rankings in each version. local xiuzhe had a certain quota and could not participate in the preliminary sword test. this was also why zhuji xiuzhe appearing in the official competition was a joke to many people. this was also the reason why this sword-testing conference was controversial from the very beginning. inequality between locals and outsiders, and so on¡­ however, tian song zi, who was hosting this competition, only said one sentence: ¡°this sword-testing conference (-) is called east floating sword test conference. ¡°the subtext of this sentence was that this was a sword-testing conference held for their own people (-), and it was already very good for them to come. the foreign xiuzhe didn¡¯t say anything, but the anger in his heart didn¡¯t dissipate. as the only zhuji xiuzhe in this sword-testing conference, li ming naturally became the target of everyone¡¯s attacks. many people were waiting to see him make a fool of himself. a large part of the reason for the few rounds of the bet was because they were adding fuel to the fire behind the scenes. ¡°so many people?¡± li ming glanced at the crowd and asked casually,¡±¡±senior sister, did you bet all the spiritual crystals?¡± li ying feng really wanted to turn around and leave. under such circumstances, shidi was still thinking about spirit crystals¡­ she suppressed her anger and said in a deep voice,¡±l¡¯ll bet!¡± i did it separately according to your instructions.¡± ¡°okay, that¡¯s good. haha!¡± there was no expression on li ming¡¯s face. his smile was extremely wretched and indescribably strange. oh my god! why did he have to follow this person? it was simply too embarrassing! she was extremely regretful now. why didn¡¯t she turn around and run just now? ¡°brother an, are you kidding me? your opponent is actually this kind of trash?¡±an yang¡¯s companion was in disbelief. an yang¡¯s face was ashen. he clenched his fists tightly, making cracking sounds. further away, on the clouds, were the sect leaders sect master elders of the various sects. pei xuan ( ) and the others were among them. this auspicious cloud occupied a vast area of several acres. there were tables placed on it, and all kinds of spiritual fruit and spirit tea were placed on them. disciples of various sects stood respectfully at the side. ¡°your sect¡¯s li ming is very interesting! are all your disciples like this?¡±the sect master of the moon leaving sect said. their cultivation levels were extremely high, so they could naturally see the commotion below clearly. they could also hear li fengying and li ming¡¯s conversation clearly. shi feng rong¡¯s brows rose, a trace of anger flashing through her eyes. pei xuan¡¯s expression did not change.¡± li ming is straightforward and humorous. he¡¯s quite interesting.¡± ¡°you have to know that the entire sect, including me, the sect master, is the same. the noble faction is rich and does not know the sufferings of the poor. haha!¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. i¡¯ve heard that you shouldn¡¯t talk about crystals in front of departing moon sect¡±¡±lt¡¯s normal for poor people like us to scrimp and save.¡± the moon leaving sect was rich and overbearing, and countless people were jealous. in addition, they were arrogant and did not have any good relationships. with just a few words, pei xuan ( ) made them stand on the opposite side of everyone. the sect master of the moon leaving sect was not stupid. looking at the malicious gazes around him, his heart trembled. his expression remained unchanged as he smiled and said, ¡°¡±everyone has their own difficulties. during this period of time, there were many people betting. sect leader pei knew the disciples of the sect well. how many rounds did sect leader pei think li ming could last against an yang? i bet three rounds!¡± as he spoke, he smacked his lips.¡± can you tell me some inside information? i think he should be able to last three moves.¡± shi feng rong¡¯s brows rose, and she was about to get angry when xu shan pulled her back. when pei xuan heard this, he put on a surprised expression.¡±¡±lnside story? you don¡¯t know? if i remember correctly, when li ming came to your sect, he even sparred with five of your sect¡¯s senior brothers. could it be that your disciples didn¡¯t report to you?¡± ¡°oh, is that so?¡± tian song zi listened with great interest, ¡°how is it?¡± pei xuan had a regretful look on his face.¡± the sect sect master of the moon leaving sect¡¯s expression had already become extremely ugly. he had wanted to use this opportunity to mock pei xuan ( ) and the others, but who knew that pei xuan would drag him into this. under any circumstances, there were many people who would hit someone when they were down. the xuanjian sect master knew this, but he still asked,¡±¡±so, four wins and one loss? yi, sha ning was already at jindan, why did he have to fight with zhuji xiuzhe?¡± ¡°now that you mention it, i¡¯m a little curious about this li ming. ¡°another person said. ¡°i won by luck!¡± pei xuan chuckled. the sect master of the moon leaving sect was now so regretful that his intestines were green. however, he could not explain that sha ning had not reached the golden core stage at that time. if this matter was said too much, it would only make things more embarrassing. therefore, he could only swallow his anger and not speak up. an yang had been waiting for a long time when li ming entered the arena. the longer this bastard stayed, the more he would become a laughing stock. he really hoped that the elder in charge of the competition would immediately announce the start of the competition so that he could smash this hateful kid in front of him into pieces with a hammer! because it was the first match, the referee was a yuanying xiuzhe to show the importance of the match. his eyes were cold as he swept his gaze across the two of them. in his eyes, there was no difference between the aurous core stage and the foundation establishment stage. the warning gaze swept across the two of them, and they couldn¡¯t help but shiver. the anger in an yang¡¯s eyes faded, and li ming¡¯s body also stopped trembling. ¡°other than spirit beasts, you can use any other method. however, if you admit defeat, the other party will not be able to attack again.. ¡°if one party falls into a coma, the judgment will directly fail, and the other party will not be able to attack again¡­¡± Chapter 139 - Chapter 139: Clone chapter 139: clone translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation an yang told himself to stay calm. however, he felt that the people around him were looking at him with mocking eyes, as if they were looking at a clown. however, he did not dare to say anything in front of the referee. he could only lower his head and suppress the anger in his heart. the referee spat out the last sentence and waved his hand.¡±let the competition begin!¡± an yang raised his head, his eyes filled with rage. he was like an angry lion, making people¡¯s hair stand on end! the fire hammer in his hand expanded in the wind and turned into a huge fireball, floating beside him. the dark red flame burned fiercely, and everyone within a hundred meters could feel the heat. an yang stood next to a ball of flames, looking so tiny. the flickering flames illuminated an yang¡¯s face. his expression was filled with killing intent! taking advantage of this gap, li ming flipped his hand and threw out a jade plate. those with good eyesight could recognize it at a glance. it was a formation plate! as soon as the formation plate was thrown out, it immediately turned into rays of light and disappeared into the air. most of the xiuzhe watching the battle had ridicule and disappointment on their faces. how could a mere second-grade maze formation formation do anything to a jindan xiuzhe? feeling the anger in his heart and seeing the other party¡¯s clumsy performance, a hint of mockery and intense anger appeared on the corner of an yang¡¯s mouth! how can a trash like him take ten moves from me? a grade two maze formation was not a threat to a jindan like an yang. chi. it was like a bubble being popped. there was a light sound, but it didn¡¯t cause any ripples. the light around an yang¡¯s body changed slightly. the maze formation could not resist the remnant power of the flame around an yang¡¯s body and was torn apart. in just a moment, the number of li ming standing in front of an yang had increased from one to five. ¡°ghost shadow separation talisman.¡± yan ming zi and the others who saw this scene from afar were greatly shocked. the three of them looked at each other. ¡°isn¡¯t that senior martial brother wang¡¯s pill talisman?¡± ¡°what a wretched posture!¡± senior brother wang was also dumbfounded and speechless. ever since he was defeated by li ming, plus the bet with east floating, he had caused quite a commotion. he couldn¡¯t help but feel interested in this skinned zombie competition, which was why he specially came over to watch. not only him, but almost all the disciples of the departing moon sect (de) had come out in full force, wanting to see how the skinning zombie was beaten up. the moon leaving sect had always been the ones who took the initiative to bully others and take advantage of others. this was the first time they had been bullied by others. it was too embarrassing! the disciples of the moon leaving sect gritted their teeth. they really wanted to rush over and skin that hateful zombie alive. especially when they saw li ming use senior brother wang¡¯s medicine talisman flowing, it made their hearts churn with new and old hatred. the surrounding xiuzhe all shook their heads. the phantom shadow split talisman was very useful in the battle of low level xiuzhe, but in front of an yang, it was useless. there were four phantoms and one true body. the phantoms could only be controlled by the true body. this was also why the shadow separation talisman was rarely used between high-level masters. it was because in order to control these shadows, one had to focus on them. the more shadows there were, the harder it was to control them. those illusions only had a confusing effect and did not have much lethality. the five li ming in the arena suddenly separated. ¡°eh?¡± senior brother wang¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw this. the medicine talisman sect was his, and the ghost shadow separation talisman was his forte. he couldn¡¯t be more familiar with it! however, even with his eyesight, he could not tell which of the five li ming was the true body! the five li ming moved in unison as they took out formation plate from their hundred treasure purses and threw them into the arena. in an instant, the sky was filled with dense formation plate that danced in the air like raindrops. how, how was this possible? the next moment, his expression froze and his mouth slowly opened, but he did not realize it. i can¡¯t tell, i still can¡¯t tell¡­ every movement of li ming was exactly the same as the real person. there was no awkwardness or distortion at all. other disciples might not be able to see it, but senior brother wang, who was extremely familiar with the phantom shadow talisman, knew what it meant. the phantom created by the ghost shadow separation talisman could not move. if he wanted to move, he had to use his spiritual power to control it. with senior brother wang¡¯s strength, he could at most control one of them. as for the other three, he was completely powerless. even he could not do this. what kind of powerful divine sense was this to be able to control four avatars at the same time to formulate a battle plan? his back was soaked in sweat. he suddenly had a strong feeling that this battle would not end so easily. in a place like the heavenly origin supercontinent where swordsmanship was prevalent, most people would not even bother to look at auxiliary methods like the phantom shadow talisman. however, senior brother wang had a deeper understanding of the shadow splitting talisman than anyone else. when he had exquisite control over each shadow, this talisman formation would pose a huge threat to his opponent! no, it should be said to be extremely dangerous! in the illusion, the naked eye could not see it. only a powerful divine sense could see it. however, to be able to control four phantoms at the same time, this person¡¯s spiritual power was definitely not weak. this battle had attracted the attention of many people. although the experts present didn¡¯t know as much about the phantom shadow charm as senior brother wang, they could still see it with their understanding of the battle. the disdain in many people¡¯s hearts disappeared without a trace. they began to think, if it were them, facing five enemies that they couldn¡¯t see through, how would they deal with them? tian song zi stood on the auspicious cloud and looked at li ming¡¯s performance. he couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°your sect¡¯s li ming is truly a talent that can be nurtured. previously, when zhang haowen said that he could comprehend sword intent at the qi condensation stage, i didn¡¯t quite believe it. now that i¡¯ve seen him, he¡¯s truly a talent!¡± ¡°he was able to comprehend sword intent at the lianqi stage?¡±as soon as he said this, everyone present revealed a shocked expression! this was the blessing of the heavens for divine will sect! there was a monster who could produce a phenomenon in the foundation establishment realm, and another genius who had already comprehended sword intent when he was in the qi refining realm! they felt admiration and envy in their hearts. they had all kinds of thoughts. the sect leader of departing moon sect (de) had an ugly expression on his face. ¡°he was able to comprehend sword intent at the lianqi stage?¡±shi feng rong, xu shan, and the others looked at each other, their faces filled with shock. only now did they realize that they actually knew nothing about this. when i come back later, i¡¯ll teach you a good lesson! shi feng rong¡¯s eyes flickered, her heart burning with rage. an yang couldn¡¯t tell which one was the real li ming.. Chapter 140 - Chapter 140: The Fierce Battle chapter 140: the fierce battle translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the cultivation technique of the an family castle did not place much importance on divine sense. when he saw the five li ming throw the formation plate onto the stage as if they had gone crazy, he wasn¡¯t angry. instead, he was happy to see it happen. the more powerful li ming displayed, the more face he would have after he won. in all fairness, the strength that li ming had displayed was already one of the best in the foundation establishment realm. however, he was facing a golden core xiuzhe. the difference between the two was far beyond his imagination! an yang¡¯s lips curled into a sinister smile. indeed, he couldn¡¯t tell which was real and which was fake, but did he still need to tell? the anger and humiliation in his heart were like a ball of scorching lava, wreaking havoc in every part of his body, causing him to feel intense pain! his body glowed with a strange red light, like a ball of crimson metal. the raging fire mental cultivation technique that the an family fort cultivated was pushed to its limit. he wanted to use a method that no one could doubt to obtain victory in this battle and silence all voices! he opened his arms and lowered his head. a huge fireball floated beside him and shot toward him. everyone couldn¡¯t help but look up at the rapidly rising fireball. they all knew that an yang would give it his all next time! li zhengxuan¡¯s face sank. he could feel the terrifying power contained within this fireball. beside him, lin xue and li fengying¡¯s faces were pale and ashen. they had considered the disparity in strength between the two sides, but when they saw the confidence shown by li ming, they thought that the disparity wasn¡¯t that big. but now, they knew that the difference between the two was too great. in the distance, the two of them floated quietly in the air, watching the battle. ¡°junior sister trusts li ming so much?¡± he fang¡¯s gaze swept across the scene and slowly said, ¡°the an family castle¡¯s flame hammer focuses on offense and defense, but it¡¯s also quite powerful. if we let him do as he pleases, even i will find it troublesome. su floated to his side and said casually,¡±let¡¯s compete. we¡¯ll naturally see.¡± he fang chuckled, ¡°junior sister seems to have a lot of confidence in li ming.¡± yes, i¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± yang su said nothing. when yan ming zi and the others saw this scene, they felt uneasy. hu shan hurriedly asked wang shixiong,¡±senior brother, how is it?¡± before he could finish his sentence, an yang suddenly shouted. pa, his fist smashed heavily on his chest. the two fists collided, and the fireball in the air suddenly exploded, turning into fist-sized fireballs that flew toward the arena below! ¡°fiery rain hammer¡±, this was one of the moves of the [raging inferno hammer]! weng weng weng weng! from nothing to something, from low to high, the whistling sound was like a tsunami that swept across the entire battlefield. the ground trembled slightly. the xiuzhe who had treated an yang as a joke just now had a drastic change in expression! the an family castle¡¯s flame hammer was truly worthy of its name! li zhengxuan¡¯s eyes were wide open as he stared at the battlefield. veins could not help but appear on his hands. on the auspicious clouds in the distance, none of the sect master spoke. their gazes were all focused on the arena. shi feng rong¡¯s expression changed greatly. this attack was definitely not something li ming could receive! pei xuan also felt a little regretful. he had originally only wanted to let li ming gain some knowledge, but he did not expect to force li ming into such a sorry state. they thought that li ming had already comprehended sword intent when he was in the foundation establishment realm, so they did not have any objections to li ming choosing to learn other contents. if they knew that this guy could comprehend sword intent at the qi layer¡­ if he ruined such a good seedling, how could he still have the face to see the ancestors? pei xuan¡¯s expression immediately changed. the expressions of the others also became extremely ugly. a cold glint flashed in xu shan¡¯s eyes, and a dagger suddenly appeared in his right hand that was hidden in his sleeve. only the sect master of the moon leaving sect gloated. just as everyone was stunned speechless by an yang¡¯s fiery rain hammer, senior brother wang suddenly raised his head. his eyes suddenly lit up, and he could not help but exclaim, ¡°¡±no¡­¡± yan ming zi and the others were startled by senior brother wang¡¯s voice, but they didn¡¯t have the time to ask any more questions. their eyes were fixed on him. at some point, a layer of faint golden fog had appeared on the battlefield. it was like golden sand grains, and it was insignificant compared to the rain of fire that filled the sky. molten metal formation! it was like a ball of golden sand mist, condensed from pure metal attribute energy. the molten metal formation was a very common metal element formation that could produce a lot of sharp metal element energy., the sharp golden light did not have any offensive properties. it was usually used when using metal attribute cultivation techniques. only then could it increase the power of metal attribute cultivation techniques. was he going to use the metal element technique? the surrounding xiuzhe all shook their heads. the metal attribute was sharp, hard, and broken. adding on the fire attribute, it was the strongest attack among the five elements. however, they could not think of anything that could withstand an yang¡¯s fire rain hammer. and those xiuzhe who had studied formations could see some clues. could this be a second or third-grade formation? such a large area of golden fog was definitely not a second-grade array. however, if it was a third-grade array, the activation time would not be so short. just as the flaming hammer was about to fall, the golden mist changed again. however, at this moment, no one cared about the changes in the golden fog. everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the five li mings. they were waiting to see how li ming would deal with them! ¡°no¡­¡± senior brother wang stared at the arena and muttered involuntarily. his forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his eyes were filled with disbelief! one, two, three, four, five¡­ how many formation plate did li ming throw out? in the eyes of the others, countless formation plate were dancing in the air like raindrops. only senior brother wang was silently calculating in his heart. he saw five li ming throwing out formation plate at a shocking speed. however, these illusory things were illusory. the phantom shadow talismans below the fifth grade could not catch illusory things at all. senior brother wang, who was sweating profusely, was completely impressed by li ming. it was already not easy to create such a realistic illusion, and he could even create an illusion that could throw out a formation plate. this divine sense was truly terrifying! senior martial brother wang couldn¡¯t even count how many formation plates there were. each formation plate was thrown at a different time, so he couldn¡¯t tell which one was real. however, he knew that li ming had thrown out at least seven formation plate! the battle had reached its climax. senior brother wang could feel that there was an extremely terrifying conspiracy hidden on the zombie¡¯s face! the fireball that was rumbling down rapidly changed shape in midair. hammer transformation.. Chapter 141 - Chapter 141: Three Chain Attacks chapter 141: three chain attacks translator: dragon boat translation | editor: dragon boat translation this was the most crucial step of the raging fire hammer. almost all the moves had to be hammered. when the flame turned into a hammer, its strength would be greatly increased. however, under normal martial skill, the process of the hammer forming was extremely short, so it was difficult to notice. it was only a big move like the fiery rain hammer that could turn the hammer into such a state and be discovered. if all these flames turned into flaming hammers, the entire arena would be destroyed! suddenly, something happened! three green chains suddenly shot out from under an yang¡¯s feet. they were like three green vipers, coiling around an yang. an yang was caught off guard and was entangled. [dragon-binding formation (-)], a third-grade formation! everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. this scene had happened too quickly without any warning! but more people still shook their heads. li ming was hiding just like that? the [dragon-binding formation (-)] was a high level formation that li ming had taken. even though not many people knew about it, to these golden core xiuzhe, they could roughly tell how powerful the [dragon tying formation] was. in their eyes, the power of the dragon-binding formation (-) was still acceptable, but it was absolutely impossible to control an yang. at most, in a few breaths, an yang would be able to escape! hehe, senior brother wang couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists. his face, which was drenched in sweat, suddenly turned red. only he knew that li ming was going to counterattack! an yang was furious! in front of so many people, he was actually entangled by a zhuji xiuzhe! his mind buzzed, and he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. his hair stood on end, his eyes were wide open, and his face was extremely distorted! ¡°die!¡± he poured all his spiritual energy into the three green chains, and his entire body burned. the dark red flames burned the green chains on his body clean, and the chains quickly became smaller. the spectators could not help but sigh. this was the disparity in strength! the power of the [dragon-binding formation (-)] could be considered powerful at the foundation establishment realm stage, but it was not enough against the winter core stage. moreover, although dragon-binding formation (-) had temporarily restrained an yang, li ming, who did not have any ultimate moves, could not do anything to an yang. he could not get close to an yang just by looking at the flames on his body. only senior brother wang firmly believed that this was the signal for li ming to counterattack. there must be a hidden trick behind this! however, what was different? he was shocked to find that this large ball of golden sand was actually mixed with endless water vapor! there was a pale white fog, and within the fog, there were many golden spots of light that flickered with beautiful light. what dense water vapor! everyone could see this clearly. xiuzhe who had some understanding of formations could recognize it at a glance. this was [water gathering formation]. however, the mist it gathered was much more than a normal second-grade water gathering formation! and those xiuzhe who were skilled in formations reacted immediately! ¡°metal water, what is this? it flows into the array and is added to the water gathering array!¡± ¡°then there should be an earth formation and an earth aiding metal formation! this is a three-pronged trap!¡± ¡°f * ck! look, three linked chains! ¡°three linked chains, what kind of operation is this? this guy actually knows how to use the triple chain?¡± the surrounding xiuzhe all cried out in surprise. up until now, this was the first time they had cried out so much at li ming! senior brother wang clenched his fists, but he didn¡¯t think his guess was right. his heart was filled with worry. hurry up, hurry up¡­ the fireballs that filled the sky came down on li ming¡¯s head. no matter what preparations he made or what ambush he set up, he could not avoid them! ¡°three linked chains, what a waste.¡± someone spoke, and the surroundings fell silent. with li ming¡¯s current strength, there was no way he could withstand this fire rain hammer! all of a sudden, the five li ming stopped in their tracks and looked up at the sky at the same time. li ming¡¯s vision went black. this fireball carried an astonishing power, making it impossible for him to dodge. li ying feng and lin xue¡¯s faces turned pale as they looked at the incoming fireball. that terrifying power made them not even have the courage to resist. senior brother li ming¡­ xue lin couldn¡¯t help but tremble. ¡°eh?¡± li zhengxuan¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°yes!¡± sha ning stood up abruptly. ¡°oh!¡± ¡°this is interesting.¡± a hint of surprise flashed across he fang¡¯s face. the fireballs that filled the sky expanded rapidly in front of his eyes, but he did not move. he looked up at the sky without blinking. the fireballs left long trails of flames behind them, like comets! however, this fire bead was round. it was not a hammer! golden light flashed in the field and a huge formation appeared. li ming was in the middle of the formation. at the same time, the jade on his waist also lit up. two identical formations appeared. double-linked ring, heart of flowing fire! the five li ming on the stage waved their arms in unison. li ming, who was under immense pressure, was in the middle of the formation. he could clearly feel that he had never been so relaxed before. his hands were like they were smeared with oil, and he didn¡¯t need to control them deliberately. the extremely complicated finger movements were like flowing clouds and flowing water, done in one go! in stark contrast to his smooth movements, his body was trembling non-stop, as if he was carrying a heavy burden! chi chi! with the four phantoms destroyed, li ming was no longer able to control them. even from afar, one could clearly see the veins on li ming¡¯s neck bulging like earthworms. flame control! he had only controlled the flames! while an yang was entangled, his control over the fire rain hammer was weakened, and the fireball had yet to form, he used the heart of flowing fire, which was linked in two, to increase his control over the flames and break the attack! ¡°what a clever little fellow!¡± tian song zi stood on the auspicious cloud and praised. the other sect master looked envious, but pei xuan ( ) and the others didn¡¯t show any pride. instead, they looked at the arena nervously. everyone was dumbfounded! no one had expected li ming to use such an unbelievable method to resolve an attack that far exceeded his strength. this was a ball of fire. li ming gritted his teeth and chanted in his heart over and over again. his divine sense extended in all directions without reservation and wrapped around the fireballs above his head. his finger movements constantly changed according to the senses of his divine sense. even with the help of the heart of flowing fire, even if an yang¡¯s control over the rain of fire was still a little lacking, even if he did not turn into a hammer, it was still not something that li ming could control. however, li ming had never thought of controlling it. ¡°open!¡± ¡± die!¡± li ming roared. this roar seemed to have exploded from his chest, and it was dull and deep. the rain of fire that filled the sky suddenly shifted to the two sides, revealing a gap! sunlight shone through the cracks, and the ground that was covered by shadows suddenly lit up.. Chapter 142 - Chapter 142: Five Five chapter 142: five five-elements spirit replenishing formation plates translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation a path of light shot into the sky. li ming stood on one side, an yang on the other, and in the middle was the ball of water vapor with specks of golden light. suddenly, for some unknown reason, the moment this light path appeared, a thought appeared in the minds of every spectator. a fatal blow! all the arrangements, all the ambushes, were so perfect, so unexpected. with so many ambushes, how could it not be a fatal blow? as li ming moved his finger, the water vapor in the middle began to drizzle. little cloud and rain art! everyone who was waiting for the final attack was stunned. if many people couldn¡¯t recognize the finger technique and formation just now, then they clearly recognized the water drop technique. no one cared how much time li ming had spent to finish casting the water drop art. the first thought in everyone¡¯s mind was why it was the water drop art. just as everyone was dumbfounded, a water-drop sword appeared in li ming¡¯s hand. all the sounds around him disappeared. li ming¡¯s eyes were only filled with fog. the five-elements spirit replenishing formation (five-) was also replenishing the spiritual energy in his body. go! li ming exclaimed in his heart. the water drop sword hung at his waist. as he took a short step forward, the windrunner boots under his feet flashed with light. his speed became faster and faster, and all the spiritual energy in his body was poured into the water drop sword. an yang was really angry. he had never been so angry before. originally, he had hoped to kill him in one strike to show his strength! but now, everything had become a bubble! even if he won in the end, what this despicable li ming did today was enough for people to relish in. she was the focus of their discussion, and she¡­ the flames around his body grew hotter and hotter. the green chains that were still struggling earlier could no longer withstand the scorching flames and were directly burned to ashes. he raised his bloodshot eyes, and only one sentence echoed in his mind. ¡°die!¡± in front of him, the rain clouds seemed to have changed. a figure jumped out of the fog. the moment he jumped out of the fog, the white fog immediately turned into a golden light, and the water vapor dissipated. when an yang saw that the figure that rushed out was li ming, a cold smile appeared on his face. however, when his gaze swept past li ming, his eyes suddenly widened! the water-drop sword (-) beside li ming transformed into a three-meter-long giant sword of water light! passing through the clouds, the surrounding water vapor was absorbed into the sword in his hand. a crystal clear water sword in the crimson flames became li ming¡¯s final attack. this move was water burning heavens! bang bang bang! the continuous explosions burned the entire arena into a sea of fire. the blazing crimson flames were dozens of meters tall. they rolled and danced in the flames, drowning the two of them. suddenly, snowflakes fell from the sea of fire. a blurry figure emerged from the sea of fire. as he moved forward, the blurry figure became clearer and clearer. who was it? everyone held their breaths. even a fool could see that whoever could walk out would be the winner. the rain of fire that fell from the sky blocked everyone¡¯s vision. what they saw was a huge water sword that was slashing toward an yang from below! did he hit it? but now? everything was finally about to come to light. the black shadow in the flames became even heavier. the man finally reached the end of the flames. he did not stop and took a step forward. a naked, charred leg stretched out from the flames. the weather on the tian yuan continent was very good. although there was a lot of rain, it was sunny most of the time. eastern floating was built on the mountainside and was bustling with activity. the cultivators who came and went were either flying on swords, riding spiritual birds, or riding magical artifacts. they gathered from all directions. divine will mountain was not far from east floating city. li ming was completely naked. he was soaked in the medicine bucket, and only his head was exposed. he would let out a hissing sound from time to time. this time, although he won, he was also heavily injured. as soon as he came out of the flames, he fainted. when he opened his eyes again, he was already inside the potion. beside the medicine barrel was a sound tablet. the jade plate was emitting a faint light. li ming had asked xue lin xue to get this for him. his attention was immediately drawn to the contents of the sound tablet. ¡°although the matches in these two days were very exciting, they were not as good as the first round! teacher xu, what do you think?¡± ¡°i think so too. although there were all kinds of competitions in the previous two days, they were far less eye-catching than the previous two days. however, thinking about it carefully, there are many reasons why the battle between li ming and an yang left such a deep impression on people.¡± ¡°in this competition, li ming¡¯s formations and formation disks are the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. even though i don¡¯t know much about these things, xu shi, you should know more about this than i do. can you help me explain?¡± ¡°no, no, no. to be honest, i was also present at that competition, so i was quite shocked. ¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because i¡¯m too interested in formations, but li ming¡¯s use of formations and formation disks has deeply moved me. many people are wondering how many array disks li ming threw away.¡± ¡°not bad! i¡¯ve been wanting to ask you for a long time.¡± ¡°a total of eleven!¡± ¡°so many?¡± ¡°he first threw out a maze formation, then threw out a few formation disks. they were the earth spirit formation, molten metal formation, and water gathering formation, forming a three-chain formation. i believe everyone still remembers the three green ropes that wrapped around an yang. after my investigation, this is a dragon trapping array, a high-grade formation. the last golden talisman was the flowing fire heart formation, which formed a double chain with the flowing fire heart control on li ming¡¯s body. ¡® that¡¯s clearly six formation disks!¡± ¡® hehe, the arrangement of these six array disks is extremely ingenious. however, li ming¡¯s cleverness is not limited to these. what he threw out were five five-elements spirit replenishing formation disks! ¡± ¡°five?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. li ming is only at the foundation establishment realm after all. his spiritual energy is far inferior to an yang¡¯s. he needs to replenish it. what¡¯s even more rare is that the placement of these five formation disks is very ingenious. as long as he moves to any place, he will be able to enter the range of the five-elements spirit replenishing formation (five-).¡± li ming, who was inside the medicine bucket, sighed in admiration. he didn¡¯t know who this xu shi was to be able to see through all of his arrangements so clearly. at the same time, he was also a little proud. it was a great feeling to be able to hear others praise him from the sound tablet! even the pain of the medicinal liquid entering his body was reduced by a lot. when he thought of his gains this time, his heart palpitated. ¡°are you very happy?¡± shi feng rong snorted coldly, her expression ice-cold.. Chapter 143 - Chapter 143: Ice Road Sword Intent chapter 143: ice road sword intent translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation li ming was dejected in the medicine bucket. he had forgotten that he was still on trial in public. the sect master, martial uncle xu shan, martial uncle yang li, and his master stood side by side and looked at his medicine bucket without blinking. ¡°i wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± ¡°scared? ¡°tell me, what do you not dare to do?¡± li ming saw that the situation was not right. his master was angry, but he could not figure out what he had done wrong, so he could only obediently agree. who knew that seeing li ming being so obedient, shi fengrong was even angrier.¡± you look honest and simple, but you are actually the most cunning and sloppy!¡± if it weren¡¯t for you treating me, i, as your master, wouldn¡¯t have known that you would have been played to death¡­¡± li ming couldn¡¯t understand it no matter how hard he thought about it. he was even more certain that he had done something wrong. however, there were too many things that he could not say. even if his master reprimanded him in front of him, he did not know what to say. to be able to make his usually stern master so angry, he was probably in big trouble this time! xue lin, li fengying, and the others stood at the side, not daring to breathe too loudly. in the end, they held back their laughter. ¡°ahem.¡± only when shi fengrong¡¯s anger subsided did pei xuan step forward. ¡® little ming, why didn¡¯t you tell us that you had already comprehended sword intent when you were in the lianqi stage?¡± the sect leader¡¯s voice was extremely gentle, but li ming, who was soaked in the hot medicine, couldn¡¯t help but shiver. in fact, li ming wasn¡¯t too afraid of his master. his master was a person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. although he was scolding him, his concern for him came from the bottom of his heart. among the four of them, li ming was the most afraid of the sect master. the sect master¡¯s tone was gentle, but for some reason, li ming was filled with respect for the sect leader who had saved his life. it turned out that he was able to comprehend sword intent at the qi condensation stage. li ming felt slightly relieved, thinking that there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. ¡°i just thought that sword intent can¡¯t earn ling crystals, it¡¯s not as good as spiritual plant aspect ()¡­¡± li ming pretended to stutter. the entire courtyard was silent. hearing li ming¡¯s answer, the four of them were all in the nascent soul stage, but they were still dumbfounded. the four of them looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. as for lin xue, li fengying, and the others, they were trying hard to hold back their laughter as their bodies trembled. moreover, a long time ago, li ming had thought so. therefore, he said it very naturally. everyone knew what li ming usually did. it was reasonable for a person who dared to risk his life to snatch the magic treasure from the moon leaving sect. ¡°earn spiritual crystals! all you think about is earning spiritual crystals! one day, you will be crushed to death by these spiritual crystals¡­¡± when shi feng rong heard that li ming had wasted her talent for such a ridiculous reason, how could she not be angry! ¡°even if i get smashed to death by these spiritual crystals, it¡¯s still worth it¡­¡± li ming unconsciously muttered. as soon as he finished speaking, he cursed in his heart. master and the others had sharp ears and eyes. wasn¡¯t this asking for trouble? once a person was injured, their self-control would decrease. shi feng rong was fuming with anger at li ming, her fingers pointing at him with trembling fingers. yang li revealed a helpless expression. he had such a greedy disciple, and his aptitude was so good. only pei xuan ( ) remained calm. his voice was still very gentle.¡±hmm, if i remember correctly, you started cultivating the li water sword technique after you reached the foundation establishment stage. then, what kind of sword intent did you comprehend before?¡± li ming was shocked! damn it! how could i have forgotten about this! the li water sword technique was a sword technique that he found in the library after he reached the foundation establishment stage. he had never thought that the sect master, who had always been silent, would be so concerned about him and know his li water sword scripture like the back of his hand. if the sect master knew about the existence of the tablet spirit.. li ming panicked. he had never been so nervous before. his heart was about to jump out of his throat. ¡°it¡¯s martial uncle¡¯s ice avenue sword intent.¡± this matter couldn¡¯t be hidden from him. he only knew two sword intent. if he made it up and the sect master gave him a test, he would be exposed. a cold light suddenly flashed in xu shan¡¯s closed eyes. li ming¡¯s answer shocked the three of them. even pei xuan ( ) was stunned. ¡°alright, show us.¡± yang li quickly said. as expected. li ming suppressed the fear in his heart, and a strand of tidal sword intent burst out from his body. this sword qi was very faint, but the cold air inside was absolutely the same as xu shan¡¯s ice avenue sword qi. ¡°who did you learn this sword technique from?¡± sect leader pei xuan ( ) stared straight at li ming. only then did the other three people realize that xu shan had never taught li ming the [ice avenue sword art]. moreover, li ming was only at the qi condensation stage, so how could he cultivate the [ice avenue sword art]? the gazes of the four elders were like fire burning his eyebrows, causing li ming¡¯s heart to palpitate. damn it, how was he going to cover up this lie? li ming didn¡¯t say anything, and the four of them couldn¡¯t keep their faces. the heavy atmosphere made lin xue, li fengying and the others pale. no matter which sect it was, secretly learning spells was a dead end! no one would be merciful to such a person! just as li ming was at the end of his rope and was on the verge of despair, he suddenly had an idea. ¡± it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s the night eldest senior brother built his foundation, ¡± he stammered.¡± i-i saw martial uncle¡¯s kui dragon.¡± the four of them who had a solemn expression earlier were now shocked. only then did they realize that xu shan had used the ice avenue sword art that he had been famous for a long time that night to chase away those xiuzhe who were watching the show! ¡°you only took a glance that night and you had some enlightenment?¡± xu shan, who had always been calm, could no longer hold it in. shi feng rong had a face full of surprise and a trace of apology, while the other three had faces full of shock, shocked to the extreme! even the sect master, who had always been calm, was dumbstruck. with just a glance, he was able to comprehend the sword intent within. this attainments in the sword path¡­ in the main hall. ¡°what do you think?¡± pei xuan asked the others. ¡°only second senior brother knows [ice avenue sword art], and he hasn¡¯t unlocked the seal yet. with li ming¡¯s current strength, even if he can learn it, it¡¯s impossible.¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only pei xuan smiled.¡± junior sister, don¡¯t be impatient. ice avenue sword scripture isn¡¯t that easy to cultivate.¡± i just saw that this guy was a little mischievous and wanted to scare him.¡± ¡°what a pity.¡± xu shan suddenly said. ¡°what¡¯s there to be regretful about?¡± yang li couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°this is the sword intent he comprehended himself, and now it has the power of a tide. if i continue to cultivate, it won¡¯t be difficult for me to reach the soul formation stage..¡± Chapter 144 - Chapter 144: Making a Profit chapter 144: making a profit translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡± it¡¯s just a pity that he mixed his sword intent with the li water sword essence. it looks like there are some changes, but in fact, the sword essence is mixed and it¡¯s already useless.¡± it was rare for xu shan to say so much. the expressions of the three changed. ¡°junior brother, are you saying that li ming has already been crippled?¡± pei xuan had always been expressionless, but at this moment, he was terrifyingly gloomy. as a sword cultivator (), he was very clear about the consequences of mixing sword intent. xu shan did not say a word, but the three people who were familiar with him knew very well. the three of them were also silent. the four of them looked depressed. it would have been fine if they did not know about li ming¡¯s talent, but now they knew that it would be extremely difficult for him to improve his ice avenue sword art. this was undoubtedly a huge blow to the four of them, who had always regarded the inheritance of their sects as their duty. ¡°it¡¯s my fault. i didn¡¯t notice him,¡± pei xuan said in a deep voice. among the four of them, shi fengrong was the one with the heaviest heart. a moment ago, she was still happy about li ming¡¯s talent, but now she knew that li ming¡¯s [ice avenue sword scripture] could no longer improve. ¡°senior brother, is there really no way?¡± she looked at xu shan and bit her lower lip. ¡°the only way is to purify your sword intent again. however, he didn¡¯t comprehend the li water sword intent or the ice avenue sword essence, so we can¡¯t guide him on how to advance.¡± xu shan muttered to himself. the divine hall fell silent again. just as everyone was feeling despair and self-blame, xu shan suddenly said,¡± he was able to comprehend the ice avenue sword intent by himself. this means that he is very talented. it is not impossible to recast the sword intent.¡± shi feng rong revealed a disappointed expression, suddenly raising her head, her phoenix eyes flashing: pei xuan and yang li¡¯s hearts moved. they were very clear that xu shan was usually silent, but once he spoke, there would definitely be a solution. their gazes landed on xu shan, waiting for him to continue. ¡°with his talent, the more sword scriptures he understands, the more likely he will be able to refine them. ¡°it¡¯s just that¡­¡± xu shan was deep in thought. ¡°but what?¡± yang li couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°he doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in cultivating the sword,¡± xu shan said. the three of them looked at each other. they were so focused on li ming¡¯s talent that they forgot the most important point. li ming was talented, but in the sect, he was a model of not doing his job properly. he only had one hobby, and that was to earn spiritual crystals. when did he take sword practice seriously? however, it was this person who had no interest in the tao of the sword that had astonishing talent! when xu shan said this, the three of them were immediately stunned. if li ming wasn¡¯t interested in the way of the sword, then it would be unnecessary for them to stay. as sword cultivator (), the four of them knew very well how difficult it was to cultivate the way of the sword. the higher one went, the more dangerous it was. without sufficient willpower, it was almost impossible to cultivate. in other words, unless li ming was willing to practice the sword himself, no one could force him out. the three of them couldn¡¯t help but recall what li ming had said before. he was willing to be smashed to death by spiritual crystals. pei xuan immediately felt a headache. what a troublemaker¡­ li ming naturally did not know how much the sect master and the others thought of him. he was immersed in his own medicine bucket, cheering and rejoicing that he had escaped death. and the demonic pattern on his body hadn¡¯t been discovered by the sect sect master and the others, which made him even more surprised and happy. however, upon closer inspection, he was shocked to discover that the demonic pattern had disappeared under his skin without a sound. thank goodness¡­ the demonic pattern hidden under his skin greedily absorbed the medicinal properties and restore li ming¡¯s body at a speed visible to the naked eye. he had discovered many benefits ot demonic pattern. they could absorb spiritual energy faster and strengthen his body faster. the cultivation speed of the [titan seal] was so fast because of them. for the next few days, he had been soaking in the medicine. this battle had greatly improved his status in the sect. with his current alchemy skills, he already had a certain understanding of the medicinal properties of the medicinal liquid. he knew that many of them were extremely precious medicinal herbs. li ming subconsciously converted it into spiritual crystals in his mind, which shocked him. this bucket of medicine was not cheap! this isn¡¯t the style of our sect! li ming thought so, but on second thought, he threw this matter out of his mind. this time, he had gained a lot. 300 pieces of third grade spiritual crystals was a huge sum of money to him. the reason why he was so generous was not because he had great confidence in himself, but because he had made up his mind to use up all these third grade spiritual crystals before the tablet spirit woke up. if the tablet spirit woke up, he would not have a single spiritual crystal left. the odds of li ming winning were 1 to 300, which meant that he would have to pay more than 90,000 pieces of third grade spiritual crystals. heavens! li ming felt as if countless spiritual crystals were flying above his head, and his soul was about to float. one spiritual crystal of the fourth stage was equivalent to 500 spiritual crystals of the third stage. in other words, one spiritual crystal of the fourth stage was equivalent to 180 spiritual crystals of the fourth stage! oh my god! what an enormous amount of wealth! it was said that li ying feng had specially invited eldest shixiong to accompany her in order to get such a large sum of money. fortunately, li ming asked her to bet on him, so he didn¡¯t attract anyone¡¯s attention. on the contrary, in the gambling den where li zhengxuan had placed his bet, the waiter looked at li zhengxuan with excitement. li ying feng¡¯s hands trembled as she handed the spirit crystal to li ming. at this moment, he completely threw the entrance jade slip of kun lun out of his mind. 180 pieces of spiritual crystals of the fourth grade were a huge fortune for him. with such a large sum of money in hand, li ming did not need to fight with his life on the line. it was just a jade slip from kun lun. he only needed to keep an eye on the owner of the jade slip and buy it. he was rich! he was rich! he was unprecedentedly rich. li ming was like a real tycoon. he couldn¡¯t wait to go to east floating to buy things. with such a large sum of money, he could completely plunder all the magic treasure shops in east floating. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only the big casinos were the ones who made a lot of money like him. they couldn¡¯t wait to have more of these kinds of gambling games every day. divine will hall was dead silent. ¡°it¡¯s over! this time, this kid is really dead.¡± ¡± i¡¯m not sure.¡± yang li revealed a helpless expression.¡± now that this guy has made a fortune, i even suspect that he¡¯s going to laze around and wait for death in the future, let alone practice his sword.¡± ¡°why don¡¯t we just snatch the spiritual crystals from his hands?¡± shi feng rong had a face full of anger. she was both angry and sad about li ming¡¯s lack of progress! ¡°it¡¯s inappropriate!¡± pei xuan shook his head.¡± these things were all rightfully obtained by him. what¡¯s the difference between us snatching them and bandits?¡± at that time, don¡¯t let him join any other sect.¡± the three of them were stunned.. Chapter 145 - Chapter 145: Still Participating? chapter 145: still participating? translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation that¡¯s right, an outstanding genius like li ming was the target of all the major factions fighting to rope him in. putting everything else aside, if he went too far and chased li ming away with reason, he would probably not let go of tian song zi, who was an expert who had a relationship with divine will sect sect. ¡°what should we do?¡± shi feng rong revealed a worried expression. just now, they were still calculating. since li ming was also a greedy person, they would use benefits to tempt him. however, li ming had suddenly made a fortune. even pei xuan () and the others envied him for having so many spiritual crystals. the current li ming had become the richest man in divine will sect! he wanted to rope her in, but with his meager wealth, it was simply impossible. pei xuan couldn¡¯t help but rub his aching eyebrows. in the next few days, li ming walked as if he was walking on cotton. there was only one question in his heart. how was he going to spend it? however, he quickly threw this question to the back of his mind. senior brother li zhengxuan¡¯s match was just around the corner. li zhengxuan¡¯s opponent was a sword cultivator named zuo lin. he was a pretty strong sword cultivator and could be ranked in the middle of the list of experts. having tasted the sweetness, li ming was just about to let li fengying place a bet, but the frightened li ying feng waved her hand desperately. she felt that her heart could no longer withstand such a big bet. li ming had no choice but to lead lin xue to a few big gambling dens to place their bets. the current li ming was already an influential figure in east floating. the workers in the gambling den recognized him with a glance. after going to two gambling houses, li ming had to ask xue lin xue to place a bet for him. li ming believed that the person who could win the most was none other than senior brother li zhengxuan (li)! therefore, he did not stand on ceremony and directly bet a large sum of money on his senior brother. however, he also restrained himself to avoid unnecessary trouble. however, he brought lin xue to all the gambling dens in east floating city and bet on senior brother li zhengxuan (li) winning. but in the gambling dens, li zhengxuan¡¯s winning rate was extremely low. they were even more confident in li zhengxuan because the gambling dens were all local forces. moreover, the news of the phenomenon of heaven and earth when li zhengxuan foundation establishment realm also spread like wildfire. as expected, senior brother li zhengxuan (li) defeated zuo lin and won the first round. in this battle, the strength that li zhengxuan had displayed had caught everyone¡¯s attention. and in this battle, li zhengxuan¡¯s ranking had risen even higher, steadily squeezing into the top ten. it was as if he was going to fight for the championship. although the odds weren¡¯t high, li ming¡¯s foundation was so strong that he won another ten pieces of fourth-grade spiritual crystals. ¡± with spiritual crystals, it¡¯s much easier to earn spiritual crystals.¡± li ming sighed. senior brother li zhengxuan had won. he was no longer interested in the following matches. although he had not recovered from his injuries, he was still thinking about how to spend spiritual crystals! for li ming, there was a very serious problem in front of him. how could he spend so many spiritual crystals? for him, it was not an exaggeration to describe it as serious. if he did not use up all these spiritual crystals before the tablet spirit woke up, he would not get even a single one. originally, his original intention was to not let the 300 pieces of third grade spiritual crystals fall into the hands of the tablet spirit (). now, it seemed that the situation had not improved and he had to spend more money. he had to spend it! before the tablet spirit ( ) awakens! li ming would definitely fly into a rage if the tablet spirit ( ) got his hands on so many spiritual crystals. in order to prevent the worst outcome from happening, li ming made a decisive move. however, before he could leave, he was summoned by the sect master to the divine hall. during this period of time, everyone was paying attention to him. he had to be cautious and decided to keep a low profile. it would be troublesome if he made the sect master and the others unhappy. ¡°little ming.¡± yang kai saw this scene and suddenly smiled. ¡°i heard you say that you don¡¯t plan to participate in the next competition?¡± ¡°sect master, it¡¯s not that i don¡¯t want to, but i can¡¯t do it. as you can see, my injuries have yet to recover. i don¡¯t know who i¡¯ll meet in the next round, but it¡¯ll definitely be a golden core expert.¡± ¡°if you lose, then you lose. if you get injured again, it will add insult to injury. it will have a huge impact on your future cultivation. i think that this sword test conference is a form of training for me. i have gained a lot this time. if i hurt my foundation because i want to win, wouldn¡¯t i be neglecting the essentials and pursuing the trifles?¡± the sect leader gave li ming a meaningful smile. li ming suddenly had a bad feeling. ¡°you¡¯re very thoughtful. very good. but now, the situation has changed. for some reason, one person has forfeited. therefore, one person will have a bye in this round.¡± ¡°senior tian song zi is very appreciative of your performance, so he gave this spot to you. you must work hard and not disappoint him. as for your injuries, don¡¯t worry. your master won¡¯t let you fight while you¡¯re injured.¡¯ li ming was dumbfounded. he still wanted to participate? how could they fight? the battle between him and an yang was so dazzling and successful in everyone¡¯s eyes. however, no one knew how much effort he had put in and how lucky he was to obtain the final victory. he had heard about an yang¡¯s past battles from fu dong and figured out an yang¡¯s weaknesses. in addition to the intense pressure that an yang had felt from the bet, he had used all sorts of methods. it could be said that he had used all his strength to win by a narrow margin. the gap between foundation establishment and golden core was too big. if it was any other contestant, he would have been finished long ago. other than yin fire bead, a killer move that could not be used in public, he used all the other methods. the sect leader actually wanted him to compete? how could they compete? he was at a loss. did the sect leader really think that it would be easy for him to defeat a jindan xiuzhe? it shouldn¡¯t be! he raised his head and looked at the sect leader, shaking his head in his heart. just as he was deep in thought, he heard the sect leader say with a smile,¡±you should be prepared.¡± li ming walked out of divine will hall dejectedly. he had yet to come back to his senses. a bye? how could such a thing happen? this was the last thing li ming wanted to hear. when he heard this voice, his entire body froze. when did this guy wake up? read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only however, he quickly reacted. from the tablet spirit¡¯s voice, he could hear a trace of urgency. it needed yin beads. without thinking, he took out five yin pearls and stuffed them into the tablet spirit¡¯s hand. the tablet spirit snatched them and disappeared without a trace. only then did li ming feel his heart thumping non-stop. damn it, the tablet spirit () was about to wake up! no! he had to spend all the spiritual crystals as soon as possible! li ming felt his butt heat up and quickly urged silly bird. he felt his heart pounding and his mouth dry. before the competition, he hadn¡¯t even seen a single spiritual crystal of the fourth grade, let alone 190 spiritual crystals of the fourth grade. the thought that such a large sum of money might not be his made li ming feel extremely uncomfortable.. Chapter 146 - Chapter 146: Buying the Dimensional Ring chapter 146: buying the dimensional ring translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation with the thought of using up spirit crystals, li ming came to east floating again. this time, he wasn¡¯t looking blindly. instead, he headed straight for the most high-end auction in east floating, the floating hundred treasure flying pavilion. hundred treasures island was the most upscale market in east floating. the things sold here were the best and most expensive in east floating. the magical treasures sold here were all top-grade, and the materials used were all rare treasures. the hundred treasure flying pavilion was built with a small mountain as its main body. it was built with supreme magic power and could always float in the air. there were countless restrictions. no one had ever dared to cause trouble in the hundred treasure flying pavilion. it was li ming¡¯s first time coming to the hundred treasure flying pavilion. if he didn¡¯t have 190 fourth-grade spiritual crystals with him, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to come to such a high-class place. this mountain was not very big, only about 20 acres in size. there were birds singing and flowers blooming in it. li ming couldn¡¯t understand the sound of nature, but these spiritual herbs and flowers gave him a fright as he was proficient in alchemy. heavens! these spiritual herbs and flowers were all rare items that he had seen on the jade slips. fourth-grade butterfly reed, fourth-grade black mushroom, four-grade red fire lotus. in fact, there was no need for too much ostentation. those tier 4 and 5 spiritual herbs were planted there. if one was not rich, they would have to walk carefully, afraid that they would accidentally step on them. that would not be worth it. a place like the hundred treasure flying pavilion didn¡¯t need to worry about the number of people inside. when li ming arrived, only one person had arrived. a steward wearing a black and golden silk robe came forward. his gaze was sharp. when he saw li ming, he immediately welcomed him warmly. you¡¯re an honored guest! that battle of yours made our east floating city proud! that move, the triple chain, stunned me. it¡¯s my honor to be able to serve you today!¡± the steward¡¯s tone was cordial and not flattering. the words he said made li ming feel a little proud, but it was not too exaggerated. he even controlled his voice very well so as not to disturb the guests who were choosing magical treasures not far away. what shocked li ming even more was that this affable manager was actually a golden core xiuzhe! li ming couldn¡¯t help but glance at the steward beside the other guest. that was right, that steward was also a golden core xiuzhe! there were more than two similar stewards. there were two more standing beside them, both of whom were at the golden core stage. a jindan xiuzhe was actually managing this place. this shocked li ming! he thought about the arena below. those golden core xiuzhe were fighting back and forth. how majestic was that? and even the manager of the hundred treasure flying pavilion was a golden core xiuzhe. he wasn¡¯t sure who the owner of the hundred treasure flying pavilion was, but he must have some background. li ming¡¯s handsome face also had an advantage. no matter what he thought, he would not show it. ¡°i¡¯m here to see if there¡¯s anything suitable for me.¡± li ming was shocked by the other party¡¯s cultivation and spoke more politely. ¡°oh, please take a look. if you like it, i will introduce it to you in detail.¡± the steward smiled, his face neither cold nor warm. li ming was dazzled by what he saw. he had quite a few good things on him, but only the jade slip on his waist could be placed on the shelf of the hundred treasure flying pavilion. the rest could not be placed. it was really good stuff! li ming swallowed hard, and his eyes lit up. he wanted to get all these things in one go, but every time he saw the price of these magical treasures, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him. ¡°this flying sword is a water soul crystal taken from the depths of the sea. each water soul crystal is at least fourth-grade. this flying sword was formed by the combination of the seven armature swords and had a myriad of transformations. the big dipper sword that was carried by the body of the sword could easily set up a big dipper sword formation. if there¡¯s someone like young master li who¡¯s proficient in formations, then it¡¯s even more ever-changing!¡± li ming looked at the price and saw that it was 600 spiritual crystals of the fourth grade. his heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked at the other item. ¡°this heavenly ice woven garment is made from sixteen thousand heavenly ice silks. it is extremely tough, and it will be difficult to destroy even if you fly. it can also absorb the spiritual qi of the world. there were a total of seven formations on it, each of them had their own magical uses and were all very useful. ¡°moreover, we specially tested it. its defense is very strong¡­¡± [price: 500 spiritual crystals of the fourth stage!] li ming left. li ming walked around the shelves one by one. every magical treasures was top-grade, but the price made him feel extremely desperate. in the end, he was a little numb. he might as well look at the price first. the steward did not rush him, nor did he show any impatience. he was full of professionalism. out of the corner of his eye, li ming saw that one of the items actually cost 100 fourth-grade spiritual crystals. he couldn¡¯t help but stop. an iron ring-like ring was placed there quietly. ¡® this is a half-damaged dimensional ring.¡± seeing li ming looking in that direction, the manager explained in a professional manner.¡± back then, the refiner tried to forge a fourth-grade dimensional ring. unfortunately, he failed in the end.¡¯ ¡°this dimensional ring is a little bigger than an ordinary third-grade dimensional ring, but it¡¯s also a little smaller than an ordinary fourth-grade dimensional ring. since the creator and the owner are very familiar with each other, he entrusted us to auction it.¡± ¡°dimensional ring!¡± a strong sense of joy surged in li ming¡¯s heart! he had never thought that the hundred treasure flying pavilion would sell a dimensional ring! dimensional rings were used to store items. his hundred treasures pouch had a similar function and could be used to store things. the dimensional ring was a higher-level storage magical treasures. its storage space was much larger than the hundred treasures pouch, and it did not carry any weight. in this aspect, it was far superior to the hundred treasure pouch. however, it was much more difficult to refine a dimensional ring than hundred treasures pouch. it was very rare to see it on the market, so its asking price was very high. if it wasn¡¯t for this unexpected fortune, li ming would have spent countless years to get a dimensional ring. the dimensional ring was a very useful treasure. li ming took out the spiritual read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only crystal without hesitation.¡± i¡¯ll buy it!¡± after obtaining the dimensional space ring, li ming couldn¡¯t bear to put it down anymore. ¡± young master li, you really have good eyes. this ring is nine cubic meters, which is twice the size of an ordinary third-grade ring. moreover, its price is only one-third of a third-grade dimensional ring.¡± ¡°the things hidden in the dimensional ring will never rot. even after a hundred years, they will remain intact. moreover, it¡¯s very easy to pick it up. with a thought, it¡¯ll be in your hands.¡± ¡± thank you,¡± the manager praised before handing a jade slip to li ming.¡± this is a jade slip that records the dimensional ring¡¯s restrictions. we¡¯ll give it to you for free.¡± young master li, you¡¯re indeed a formidable young man. you¡¯re the first customer to buy a dimensional space ring with a foundation establishment cultivation base after opening the shop for so long.¡± that was awesome! Chapter 147 - Chapter 147: Su Appears chapter 147: su appears translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation after putting everything in the hundred treasures pouch into the dimensional ring, li ming felt his body lighten. his hundred treasure purse was filled with all kinds of messy things. if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he had already made some progress in the [vajra seal], he would probably have been squashed by these messy things. however, now that he had put it into his dimensional ring, it was weightless. this feeling was simply too great! the nine cubic meters of space was empty. these things only occupied a small corner in this space. in such a large space, countless formation plate could be placed. it would be even better if he had the dimensional space ring! although he knew this, li ming still felt that the dimensional space ring was much better than hundred treasures pouch. no wonder it was so expensive. what made li ming the most satisfied was the dimensional space ring. it was simple and unadorned, just like an iron ring. there was nothing special about it. those who didn¡¯t know would never have thought that this seemingly ordinary iron ring was actually a dimensional ring worth 100 fourth-grade spiritual crystals. li ming knew very well that his current cultivation was not high enough. if he acted too ostentatiously, it would be tantamount to courting death. even though the security of east floating was very good, but murder, robbery, and disappearance were still common occurrences. he had not reached the point where he would lose his life for a dimensional ring. this simple and unadorned ring was to his liking. a hundred spiritual crystals of the fourth grade was definitely not a loss! li ming muttered to himself in satisfaction. he had 90 spiritual crystals of the fourth grade left. let¡¯s go! the manager was quite surprised at li ming¡¯s wealth. it was the first time he had seen a zhuji xiuzhe spend a hundred fourth-grade ling crystals without even blinking. little did he know that li ming was fighting against the tablet spirit () for time. if it weren¡¯t for the tablet spirit, he would definitely hide the 100 fourth-grade spiritual crystals in his pocket and not be willing to buy the dimensional ring. but now, it was better to use it up as soon as possible so that the spiritual crystals would be his. although the tablet spirit ( ) always took out some cultivation technique manuals in the name of equivalent exchange, li ming was so angry that he spat out blood when he thought of what he took out. from [fetal breathing spiritual technique to demonic pattern and then to the yao cores, there were all side effects. as for something like [fragrance awareness], he wished he could kill the other party. spending it, that¡¯s right. if you spend it too late, you¡¯ll cry to death. as li ming walked forward, he saw a five-colored pagoda. the five-colored pagoda had a total of fifth level, and each floor had a different color. li ming, who had a deep understanding of the five elements, recognized at a glance that this was a treasure with five elements, and each floor was of one element. ¡°this five-colored pagoda was created by a loose cultivator. at that time, this rogue cultivator wanted to refine an item that could strengthen his control over the five elements. in the end, during the process of his cultivation, he went berserk and his soul dissipated. the design of this magic treasure was very exquisite. although the materials of the fifth level pagoda were not the best, it was also very difficult to gather them. unfortunately, east floating advocated the sword path and very few cultivators knew the five elements. hence, no one cared about this treasure. i heard that young master li also cultivates ling plants. i think this five-colored pagoda is very suitable for young master li. if you are interested, we will also provide you with the jade slip left behind by the previous owner of the five colored pagoda for free.¡± the manager said. li ming glanced at the price tag. it was 50 spiritual crystals of the fourth grade. his heart skipped a beat.¡± this thing is quite good. this is the price¡­¡¯ ¡± i¡¯m sorry,¡± the manager apologized.¡± it¡¯s not that i don¡¯t want to, but we don¡¯t bargain here.¡± his words were polite, but his tone was firm. ¡± it seems that i have no room to bargain,¡± li ming muttered to himself. however, this five-colored pagoda was also very tempting to him. he could only say,¡± can i take a look?¡± ¡°no problem.¡± the manager took out the five-colored pagoda and handed it to li ming. as soon as he held the five-colored pagoda in his hand, li ming immediately felt a dense power of the five elements rush toward him. as a ling plant farmer, he was very familiar and sensitive to the power of the five elements. even the sword technique he cultivated later had five attributes. from the top of the tower to the base, there were metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. when he injected his spiritual energy into the pagoda, the five-colored light immediately flourished. li ming felt five extremely pure balls of five elements qi in his hand. with a thought, the little art of cloud and rain quietly circulated. he felt the surrounding water vapor suddenly gather towards his palm. it was too fast! li ming was shocked! it was more than twice as fast as when he used the little art of cloud and rain with his bare hands. what a powerful treasure! when li ming heard this, he knew how precious this treasure was. perhaps to others, this item was not very useful, but to him, it was very beneficial. ¡°this five-colored pagoda suits you very well.¡± li ming turned his head when he heard the voice. only then did he notice that someone was standing behind him. it was that person! li ming was a little surprised. in front of him stood a man wearing a black hood. it was the man who had cut a cold magnet at his place before. this person called su had a very mysterious background, but he was very powerful. in the previous battles, he had easily won and entered the top ten of each ranking. moreover, the bet between him and an yang had also put an yang in a desperate situation. it was also a great help to him. of course, they didn¡¯t have much of a relationship, and li ming didn¡¯t think that he was betting to help him. ¡°i¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± ¡°i only need you to help me with one thing,¡± su said concisely. the steward beside him also tactfully made way for them, afraid that he would disturb their conversation. li ming¡¯s heart trembled. fifty pieces of fourth grade spiritual crystals was not a small sum of money. it was a total of twenty-five thousand pieces of third grade spiritual crystals. it was not easy to give 50 spiritual crystals of the fourth grade for each favor. ¡°there¡¯s also this. there¡¯s a total of thirty-six blazing flame pills in the an family castle. refine something for me.¡± refining things? read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only li ming was relieved. he was most afraid of fighting. wait, that was not right. he remembered that he had almost lost his life trying to refine the ink-colored lotus seed. he immediately asked,¡± what do you want to refine?¡± ¡°let¡¯s refine these cold magnets into a sword embryo,¡± su said in a deep voice. ¡°i won¡¯t.¡± ¡± this thing is a fourth-grade weapon,¡± li ming said resolutely.¡± it takes a lot of effort to cut it. i don¡¯t have the ability to make it into a sword embryo.¡± ¡°you can do it.¡± ¡°you can refine the ink-black lotus seed and use this five-colored pagoda. you can do it.¡± su¡¯s tone was as calm as ever. it would have been fine if he hadn¡¯t mentioned the ink-black lotus seed, but the moment he did, the anger in his heart burned. if this bastard hadn¡¯t leaked the news, he wouldn¡¯t have such a business. he almost died here! Chapter 148 - Chapter 148: Lin Qjan chapter 148: lin qjan translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation su¡¯s casual words immediately made li ming¡¯s anger disappear without a trace. ¡°then, what about my second round?¡± li ming asked tentatively. ¡± in the second round, you will be a bye.¡± li ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat. this guy really had some skills. he even knew such a confidential matter. he had just received the news from the sect master, and this guy already knew. however, this did not hinder his interest in this proposal. the tablet spirit would wake up soon. once he woke up, the spiritual crystals would be snatched away. at that time, he would no longer be able to buy the basic jade slips of kunlun. if he wanted to obtain this jade slip, he had to compete. in the end, only one hundred xiuzhe could enter the sword test without any rules. even though these one hundred xiuzhe would receive rewards, the probability of them getting the jade scroll would be greatly reduced if they were ranked lower. however, li ming felt that there must be something hidden behind this. ¡°can you tell me how to refine this sword embryo?¡± ¡°on each sword blank, use moonlight flowing death to carve a formation. there are a total of four formations. this was moonlight flowing death. li ming shook his head repeatedly. with my current strength, i can¡¯t use the moonlight flowing death.¡± he was not being modest. although the moonlight flowing death was also a third-grade material, it was an extremely rare material with unique characteristics. it could be said to be a very high-grade material. although they were both rank-3, the difference was like heaven and earth. the so-called level was actually a more general term. sometimes he said it horizontally, and sometimes he said it vertically. the reason there was such a vague classification was not because the xiuzhe were negligent, but because the physical properties of many objects were extremely complicated. take stalagmite fire for example. it was a second-grade fire seed. the reason it was called a second-grade fire seed was because of its special nature. the same stalagmite fire, if nurtured for a long time and grew in a place with abundant spiritual qi, would evolve into a flame called the icy purple fire. if it was further developed, it would evolve into a flame called the yin wave fire. second stalagmite fire, third grade ice-purple fire, fourth grade icy flame. due to the difference in level, its characteristics would also be very different. in the eyes of xiuzhe, it was another type. some things, though of better quality, remained the same. take the third-grade and fourth-grade fire dragon grass as an example. although the color and density of the spiritual qi were different, it was easy to distinguish them. moonlight flowing death was the second. in fact, the latter was more likely than the former. this classification had existed for thousands of years. moonlight flowing death was a top-grade material in the truest sense of the word. it was extremely difficult to collect and refine. it was not a material that a foundation establishment cultivator like li ming could refine. li ming believed that he might not even be able to refine a first first-grade second-grade moonlight flowing death, let alone a third-grade one. i can¡¯t accept this order! whether it was refining pills or artifact refinement, there was a certain risk. this kind of danger not only meant failure, but also danger! the ling power was sucked dry, the soul was sucked away, the ling power reversed, and the poison invaded the body. the light ones would be severely injured, and the heavy ones would have their souls destroyed. refining things that were beyond his ability was even riskier. just like how demon beasts needed cultivators to hunt them, these spiritual herbs that had lived for hundreds of thousands of years were not so easy to kill. everything in the world had its own way of survival. these seemingly weak creatures hid fatal dangers under their fragile bodies. although li ming was usually in a hurry, deep down, he was a very careful person. but many times, when he did not have enough chips in his hands, he had no choice. low-level xiuzhe, if they didn¡¯t risk their lives, what else could they do? the other party¡¯s request was not worth the risk. ¡°sorry, i¡¯ve been quite busy recently.¡± li ming¡¯s face was blank. ¡°brother li.¡± suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. he was startled and turned his head to look. a white-robed man had appeared behind him at some point. li ming only felt that this person was very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. very quickly, li ming remembered where he had seen this person before. aiyo, wasn¡¯t this person lin qian? there weren¡¯t many people who were so handsome. brother fat sheep, a rich young master? this guy was still here? ¡°hey, lin qian, why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± li ming had a good impression of this handsome man in front of him. he was in a good mood when he saw him. ¡°haha, the sword test conference is so interesting. if i leave like this and miss brother li¡¯s wonderful performance, i will regret it for the rest of my life.¡± lin qian smiled. his attitude was gentle and his tone was humble. the relationship between the two of them had inadvertently become closer. lin qian¡¯s words made li ming a little embarrassed. hao ran, on the other hand, was speechless. lin qian¡¯s knowledge was much higher than his. although his little trick was a little clever, it depended on the target. however, with his handsome face, he would never blush. ¡°luck is also a kind of ability.¡± lin qian laughed. his gaze fell on su, who was wearing a black veil and a bamboo hat. he smiled,¡± i didn¡¯t expect to meet you here. please send my regards to zhenren wan.¡± ¡°who are you?¡± su¡¯s voice turned cold. a cold light flashed across her eyes through her black veil. his clothes fluttered in the wind as if he was ready to attack at any moment. having her identity exposed by a stranger made her shocked and angry. the expressions of the stewards present changed. li ming felt the temperature around him drop suddenly. he was shocked. this woman, who was already extremely mysterious, was even more mysterious in his eyes. lin qian was unmoved. smiling, he said,¡± junior sister has never met me. it¡¯s normal that you don¡¯t recognize me.¡± ¡°brother li, why aren¡¯t you interested in junior sister su¡¯s suggestion at all?¡± he asked li ming. i heard that if you¡¯re a local, you¡¯ll get some other rewards if you enter the top ten.¡± ¡°hehe, this is a secret.¡± lin qian chuckled. ¡°no matter how big the reward is, you have to be alive to enjoy it.¡± he could barely refine the fourth-grade cold magnet, but to engrave a formation on the sword base, especially on the moonlight flowing death, was not something he could do. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only the two of them were familiar with each other, so li ming spoke more casually. lin qian admired li ming¡¯s nonchalance. hearing this, he laughed out loud.¡± brother li, are you not confident?¡± when li ming and lin qian were talking, su did not say a word. no matter how stupid she was, she could tell that lin qian was helping her. from this point of view, lin qian did not seem to have any ill intentions.. Chapter 149 - Chapter 149: Agree chapter 149: agree translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation li ming smiled.¡± there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. i¡¯m only in the foundation establishment stage now. when i reach the golden core stage, you can come again. it¡¯s not difficult to offer a fair price.¡± the black gauze hat trembled slightly. how long would it take for li ming to reach the golden core stage? the path of cultivation was full of variables. no one knew how far they could go. on the path of cultivation, there were too many strange things. even the top heaven¡¯s favorite were not exempt. ¡°so this is brother li¡¯s concern. i have an idea that might be able to solve it.¡¯ lin qian was deep in thought. ¡°tell me.¡± li ming said lightly. although lin qian was knowledgeable, cultivation was not something that could be solved so easily. ¡°brother li, your divine sense is very strong. why don¡¯t you try the double-chain fourfold fire formation (fire)?¡± lin qian¡¯s voice was like thunder, piercing through the sky. his entire body seemed to be frozen, not moving at all. ¡°double chain fourfold fire formation (fire)¡­¡± li ming¡¯s eyes were dull and he seemed to have gone crazy as he muttered something. he sat down on the ground, took out a few spiritual crystals, and drew a talisman array on the ground. lin qian beckoned to one of the managers. the manager immediately left and closed the door. su looked at lin qian in surprise, but she did not say anything. she understood that li ming was in a state of enlightenment. this realm was not something that could be reached easily. once disturbed, it would be very difficult to enter this wonderful realm again. lin qian suddenly waved at su, then turned around and walked into another room. su hesitated for a moment before following him. when su entered the room, the sound in the room stopped abruptly. her heart trembled. the other party¡¯s strength was really too strong. ¡°don¡¯t worry, junior sister su. it¡¯s just a hush.¡± lin qian smiled. ¡°junior sister, do you recognize this?¡± he took out a jade slip. su¡¯s gaze pierced through the black veil and caught sight of the jade token in lin qian¡¯s hand. her body shook violently, and the calmness on her face vanished.¡± heart lake jade token!¡± lin qian smiled and generously handed the jade token to su. su held the jade card. the lake on the jade card was like a lifelike picture scroll. it appeared and disappeared from time to time. when the breeze blew, the surface of the lake sparkled like a mirror. she sensed a familiar aura from the jade token and the sect¡¯s unique restriction. she immediately understood that this was her sect¡¯s heart lake jade token! however, in our sect, we have never heard of any elder taking in a disciple. however, this heart lake jade plate is genuine! only the core elders of the sect had the right to hold it. her master also had one. even she and he fangping, as the two most outstanding people in the younger generation of the sect, did not have the heart lake jade plate. there was an iron rule in the sect, which was to look at the jade token as if it was a real person. su bowed and bowed again. ¡°junior sister, you¡¯re being too serious.¡± lin qian returned the greeting,¡±our ages aren¡¯t too far apart, so it¡¯s more appropriate to call us senior brother and sister.¡± besides, i haven¡¯t returned to the sect, so i don¡¯t have the right for you to call me martial uncle.¡± su was speechless and could only remain silent. the shock in her heart was too great. ever since senior brother lin appeared, she couldn¡¯t tell how deep he was. the more she thought about it, the more shocked she became. senior brother lin¡¯s cultivation was at least two realms above hers. which ancestor had taught such a terrifying person? she was delighted. fortunately, senior brother lin was one of them! seeing the bright lights outside, the stewards tactfully shifted their gazes away. li ming opened his eyes and saw su and lin qian. ¡°congratulations, brother li!¡± ¡°from now on, brother li¡¯s income will be greatly increased.¡± lin qian laughed. lin qian¡¯s words lifted li ming¡¯s spirits. he had just recovered from his shock. clasping his fists, he said,¡± i still have to thank brother lin. if not for brother lin¡¯s reminder, i would never have thought of this method.¡± ¡°this is all brother li¡¯s own credit. i just casually said it. i didn¡¯t expect brother li to actually do it. it really surprised me.¡± lin qian smiled and shook his head. li ming didn¡¯t say anything else. he lowered his head and savored the wonder just now. it was difficult for him to use words to describe his state just now, and it was also difficult for him to use words to describe what he understood. however, he felt as if a layer of window paper had been pierced through. many blurry areas that he had not noticed before were now clear. it felt so good! he stood in place and pondered for a moment. when he calmed down, he raised his head. only then did he realize that four hours had passed. seeing the spirit crystal fragments all over the ground, he felt ashamed. he had run to someone else¡¯s shop to test the formation and was still not kicked out. this shop was really kind. out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the door was tightly locked. he was stunned for a moment. then, lin qian waved to a steward, signaling them to open the door. only then did he realize. however, he was more curious about lin qian¡¯s background. from lin qian¡¯s words, he could guess that this young master was definitely someone with a powerful background. however, from the current situation, this person¡¯s background seemed to be stronger than he had imagined. seeing the manager being so polite to lin qian, li ming couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself. could it be that this hundred treasure flying pavilion was opened by lin qian? however, when he first met lin qian, he did not seem to have been to east floating at all. sensing li ming¡¯s gaze, lin qian smiled lightly, ¡°brother li, do you think you can succeed this time?¡± if brother li agrees, this five colored pagoda will be your reward.¡± ¡°in addition to what junior sister promised you, i can add one more thing. in the future, if brother li comes here to shop again, he can get a 20% discount. how is it, brother li, are you satisfied with this condition?¡± just as everyone thought that this condition was enough to tempt li ming, he shook his head. ¡°oh, brother li, if you have any worries, feel free to say it.¡± lin qian cupped his fists. ¡°i accept this deal.¡± ¡°as for the reward, brother lin has already given it to me,¡± li ming once again surprised everyone. ¡°i want to buy the five-colored pagoda.¡± li ming pointed at the five-colored pagoda again. as he spoke, he took out a handful of spiritual crystals. everyone couldn¡¯t help but be moved. in their hearts, the expressionless li ming with a low cultivation level suddenly became open and aboveboard. even su¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but reveal a strange expression. the current li ming was not the person she remembered at all. the current li ming didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of greed. was this his true face? read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only master was right. one should not judge a book by its cover. just as she was overwhelmed with shock, she heard li ming¡¯s distressed voice. ¡°don¡¯t forget to give me a discount!¡± when li ming came back, he had gained a lot. apart from the five-colored pagoda, he also had a lot of materials. he had also used up all his spiritual crystals. after all, he had the dimensional ring now, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about the weight of the materials.. Chapter 150 - Chapter 150: Studying the Five chapter 150: studying the five-colored pagoda translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the materials sold in the hundred treasure flying pavilion were of extremely high quality. li ming really could not think of where else he could buy these things. moreover, according to his estimation, he did not know when he would have to wait until the next time he wanted to come to the hundred treasure flying pavilion. in any case, these materials were all useful to him. looking at the mountain of materials in the dimensional ring, li ming felt satisfied. he didn¡¯t feel the heartache he felt when he spent all these spiritual crystals. at the same time, he heaved a sigh of relief. he no longer had any worries. hehe, tablet spirit (), i will let you know what a pauper is. in addition, there were four fourth-grade cold magnets, a bottle of intense fire pills, a bottle of moonlight flowing death, and a jade slip¡­this jade slip recorded the formations that were to be inscribed on the sword embryo. li ming had just walked out of the hundred treasures flying pavilion when he heard the anxious voice of the tablet spirit (). ¡°hahaha¡­¡± li ming laughed loudly. ¡°what are you laughing at?¡± the tablet spirit had just woken up from its meditation, and its reaction was clearly much slower. ¡°no¡­¡± ¡± why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± li ming tried to hold back his laughter.¡± i just bought something and used up all my spiritual crystals.¡± ¡°no more?¡± the tablet spirit said expressionlessly. ¡°no, i haven¡¯t.¡± li ming said firmly. being able to toy with the tablet spirit (), li ming was very happy. he rode on silly bird¡¯s back and hummed a messy tune. silly bird flapped its wings and stared at li ming. in the end, it couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and cried out, trying to suppress li ming¡¯s voice. li ming, who was originally in a good mood, flew into a rage and punched silly bird¡¯s head. ¡°why are you shouting? can¡¯t you hear that i¡¯m singing?¡± silly bird only felt dizzy and only reacted after a long time. she flew dejectedly. li ming screamed and finally flew back to west wind courtyard. as soon as he landed, silly bird plunged into the ditch and vomited. li ming cast a sidelong glance at the stupid bird and snorted.¡± the biggest sin you¡¯ve committed in your life is that you can¡¯t see my excellence¡­¡± after returning to the hut, he carefully thought about the day¡¯s events. slowly, he fell into deep thought. there were too many suspicious points in this matter. taking lin qian¡¯s identity as an example, when he first met lin qian, he was just a foreigner and had no understanding of east floating. however, after meeting him today, he was very familiar with the owner of hundred treasure flying pavilion. what made li ming even more surprised was that she actually called him junior sister su, but she didn¡¯t seem to know who lin qian was. su was a mystery to begin with. now, there was an even more mysterious lin qian. li ming suddenly felt that this matter had become a little confusing. su was slightly better off, but that lin qian who always had a smile on his face was hard to figure out. there seemed to be something hidden behind that warm smile, making li ming instinctively wary. this was also the reason why he insisted on buying the five-colored pagoda. although he had spent money to buy it, he also wanted to make himself feel better. the feeling of owing a favor was not good. moreover, owing a favor to a person of unknown origin was not only bad, but it was also life-threatening. he had too many things to do and too many answers to look for! li ming muttered to himself. his gaze fell on the five-colored pagoda. this was a half-finished five elements magical treasures, no wonder no one in east floating wanted to buy it. thinking about it, li ming understood. floating east was mainly a sword cultivator (). people who cultivated the five elements mainly refined pills and artifact refinement. there was no cultivator in east floating who could take out 50 fourth-grade spiritual crystals to buy a magical treasures for refining pills artifact refinement weapons in the hundred treasure flying pavilion. a half-finished product that wasn¡¯t fully formed could be sold for 50 spiritual crystals of the fourth stage, which showed its high quality. li ming could not help but feel glad. if he had really succeeded in refining the five-colored pagoda, then wouldn¡¯t he be unable to control it with his meager cultivation? after carefully reading the jade slip left behind by the rogue cultivator, li ming roughly understood the other party¡¯s intentions. he couldn¡¯t help but praise in his heart. this rogue cultivator was indeed ambitious! this loose cultivator planned to refine the five-colored pagoda into one of the five elements in the world, five balls of energy with five different attributes were continuously refined and finally transformed into five types of energy. then, they transformed into each other in the five-colored pagoda, forming a small world that was stable and harmonious. at that time, the power of the five elements would change on its own in the tower. as for what would happen, even the loose cultivator did not know. of course, this was only the creator¡¯s ultimate goal. this loose cultivator was not an ignorant person. before he achieved his final goal, this treasure still had many uses. for example, the five-colored pagoda was a special vessel. anything placed inside would be broken down into the power of the five elements in a very short period of time. of course, if it was something higher than the five-colored pagoda, it would be impossible. if it was used to activate the power of the five elements, the effect would be even better. the five-colored pagoda was originally a treasure that was made for experimentation. the jade slip contained many artifact refinement ¡®guesses. however, this was not something li ming needed to consider. this magical treasures had already exceeded the scope of his current ability to refine. li ming even doubted if he could refine it with his current cultivation. it was to put the five elements into it. tilting his head and thinking for a while, li ming suddenly snapped his fingers. a milky white flame shot out from his fingertip and entered the five-colored pagoda. the red area of the five elements pagoda suddenly brightened up. the moment the stalagmite fire entered it, it was refined into a ball of flame, coiling around the second level of the five elements pagoda. metal, wood, water, fire, earth, with metal as the top and earth as the base. li ming could clearly feel that the fire essence in the five-colored pagoda was becoming stronger. after the red light on the fire floor disappeared, it became even redder. this scene was beyond li ming¡¯s expectations. the stalagmite fire could increase the fire essence, this was not something that anyone would find strange. however, the stalagmite fire was a yin fire, so it did not have any reaction in the tower. after thinking about it for a while, li ming couldn¡¯t find any clues. he decided to stop thinking and continued to throw in all kinds of materials. as soon as the materials were placed inside, they were immediately refined into the power of the five elements. however, the color of the pagoda did not change at all. could it be that his level was too low? read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only li ming keenly grasped the crux of the problem. the things he had thrown in earlier were all first-grade items, but the five-colored pagoda did not move at all. after hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and threw a third-grade greenwood incense into the hole. the moment he threw the greenwood incense, the green light on the surface of the wood layer immediately flourished, and the wood essence qi became even denser. li ming wasn¡¯t happy that his guess had been confirmed. instead, he took a deep breath.. Chapter 151 - Chapter 151: Dissatisfaction chapter 151: dissatisfaction translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation oh my god! throwing in a third-grade greenwood incense only increased the wood essence qi in the pagoda by a little. how many high-quality materials would he have to throw in to fill it up? most importantly, he had to have good materials. li ming estimated that when the five elements essence inside reached a certain level, third-grade materials would not be enough. then, he would need fourth-grade, fifth-grade¡­ as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on his head, li ming¡¯s excitement immediately dissipated. with his current poverty, he would not take out so many precious things. li ming quickly gave up on the idea of continuing to refine it. he began to study the other uses of the five-colored pagoda. as he studied the five-colored pagoda, he discovered a very useful method. li ming discovered that he could extract the power of the five elements from the five-colored pagoda for his own use! this made him overjoyed. people who cultivated the five elements often had to nurture their own five elements essence. for example, a fire-type cultivator would use a special method to convert his spiritual energy into fire-type spiritual power at the beginning before he could use it. and when his cultivation level reached a high level, this spiritual energy would naturally turn into fire element essence. the fire element essence was much purer than the fire element spiritual energy. as it was continuously refined, it would become purer and purer. in the end, it would become the origin of the fire element. every move it made would be filled with the aura of fire. li ming was still stuck at the stage where he could transform his spiritual energy into five different types of spiritual energy. however, as long as there was the power of the five elements in the five-colored pagoda, he could extract them. this way, he could cast all kinds of five-element spells at will. the power of this move was much stronger than the five elements art that he displayed himself. the only thing he felt regretful about was that the power of the five elements in the five-colored pagoda would decrease with the passage of time. he had to constantly replenish it. when it condensed the origin of the five elements, it could automatically generate the energy of the five elements. to li ming, this was like the stars in the sky, far beyond his reach. li ming¡¯s calculation method was a little strange. he calculated how much power of the five elements would be consumed each time he cast a spell, and how much third-grade spiritual herbs would be exchanged for each power of the five elements, and how many spiritual crystals would be converted into third-grade spiritual herbs. heavens! it was too expensive! li ming¡¯s hands trembled in pain. he immediately made up his mind not to use the five elements essence qi in the pagoda unless it was absolutely necessary. magical treasures nowadays were all so expensive! they had money to buy it, but no money to feed it. even so, the five-colored pagoda was still very useful in li ming¡¯s eyes. it could increase one¡¯s control over the five elements, it could be used for spiritual plant (), it could be used for pill concoction, it could be used for artifact refinement, it could be used for formations. ¡°this little thing is quite good.¡± the tablet spirit suddenly appeared and looked at the five-colored pagoda in li ming¡¯s hand with displeasure. ¡°hehe¡­¡± being stared at by the tablet spirit (), li ming¡¯s heart trembled and he felt extremely awkward. however, he still threw this little thing into the dimensional ring without hesitation. ¡°good, you still have a dimensional ring.¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s voice became even more unpleasant. he finally understood the reason why there were no spiritual crystals. ¡± i¡¯m making an investment to earn spiritual crystals in the future. if i don¡¯t pay something, i won¡¯t get anything in return!¡± li ming¡¯s eyes widened as he spoke nonsense, but he was complaining in his heart. ¡°it seems that you are very dissatisfied with me.¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s expression suddenly became calm, and it unhurriedly broke its nails. there was nothing to be afraid of¡­ li ming, who was penniless, suddenly felt a surge of courage. it¡¯s all your fault for always giving me such rubbish! ¡°trash?¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s face revealed an extremely interesting expression as it was dumbstruck. it would have been fine if he hadn¡¯t said it. but now that he had, he became even angrier. he jumped up and scolded the tablet spirit ().¡±you still have the cheek to say it?¡± when have you ever given me anything good? fe, it almost took my life! my spiritual energy hasn¡¯t increased at all!¡± ¡°fragrance awareness my ass! and the yin pearls, a bunch of nascent soul old monsters. i was almost skinned alive by them and made soup for them! you scammer! you liar¡­ the tablet spirit stood rooted to the ground, staring blankly at the furious li ming. li ming cursed like a storm, causing the tablet spirit () to be stunned. ¡°it¡¯s not trash¡­¡± ¡°if this isn¡¯t trash, what is it?¡± realizing that it was intimidated by li ming¡¯s imposing manner, the tablet spirit () felt a little angry. its right eye was scarlet like a thin and long blood blade. it said coldly,¡±oh, what do you mean?¡± li ming was so choked that he couldn¡¯t speak. when he met the pair of sinister eyes of the tablet spirit (), he quickly retreated. i mean, you have to give me something without any aftereffects¡­¡± ¡°i am a demon.¡± ¡°the things i know are different from you xiuzhe. it¡¯s normal for there to be some side effects. the tablet spirit¡¯s words implied that if there were aftereffects, it couldn¡¯t be blamed on him. furthermore, it made it very clear that if it were to be given in the future, there would also be aftereffects. if the tablet spirit was determined to be unreasonable, then li ming had no choice. the difference in strength between the two was too great, so the weight of their words was naturally different. li ming could only remain silent. the monument spirit¡¯s gaze became more and more unfriendly. li ming could only brace himself and go up. he knew very well that if he admitted defeat every time, his reputation would drop by a bit, and his ending would become even more tragic. the tablet spirit ( ) felt a headache coming on. to make a horse run, one must first feed it. li ming was a person who only had money in his eyes, and his thoughts had become more meticulous. it was already impossible for him to lie to him again. however, he had plenty of time. thinking of this, the tablet spirit () felt uneasy. seeing this guy pestering him, he wanted to slap li ming to death. although he had a bad temper, he was not a fool. ¡°it¡¯s not surprising that there are problems when humans cultivate the demonic mental cultivation method.¡± the viciousness in the tablet spirit¡¯s eyes gradually subsided. his voice also became gentle.¡± but i have a few xiuzhe¡¯s mental cultivation methods. all the rewards in the future will be these few cultivation methods. if there are any side effects, then don¡¯t blame me.¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°it¡¯s a deal!¡± li ming was ecstatic and quickly corrected him. exchange and reward were two completely different concepts. exchange was a natural gain, but if it was a reward, it was completely different. ¡°up to you.¡± the tablet spirit spoke with a carefree tone, but he felt a headache in his heart. this fellow was really getting more and more difficult to deal with. ¡°but you have to hurry up!¡± ¡± what?¡± the tablet spirit sounded dissatisfied.¡± you¡¯ve earned too little spiritual crystals. i¡¯m still short of spiritual crystals!¡± ¡°i am only a zhuji xiuzhe..¡± Chapter 152 - Chapter 152: Absorbing the Medicinal Liquid chapter 152: absorbing the medicinal liquid translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the tablet spirit was rendered speechless by li ming¡¯s words. it knew very well that li ming had been troubled by the fact that his cultivation had stagnated. what¡¯s more, li ming was telling the truth. among zhuji xiuzhe, very few could earn more ling crystals like him. he couldn¡¯t do anything about this stubborn guy who was passionate about earning spiritual crystals. to be honest, if it was someone else, the tablet spirit () didn¡¯t think that it could do better than li ming. this guy was just a material to earn spiritual crystals. the tablet spirit discovered that li ming was extremely sensitive to everything related to him. he knew what to do without angering his opponent. yes, even among the demon race, there were not many people with such wisdom. the potential that li ming had displayed caused the tablet spirit ( ) to gradually change its view of li ming. it suddenly remembered that there was a fellow who had option li ming from the very beginning. its mood immediately became terrible, as if it had swallowed a fly. after saying that, his figure flashed and disappeared from where he was. li ming was not surprised by the sudden disappearance of the tablet spirit. he was secretly glad that every time he negotiated with him, it was an extremely dangerous matter. the tablet spirit was fine most of the time, but his temper was unpredictable. if he was not careful, he would end up in a very miserable state. fortunately, the effect was not bad. he was very satisfied with it. as for earning spiritual crystals, li ming didn¡¯t have to worry about it for the time being. he was extremely poor now. moreover, he still had to participate in the last sword-testing conference (-). he was determined to obtain the basic jade scroll of kunlun¡¯s array formation. even though he had a guarantee, li ming was still worried. there were more than a hundred xiuzhe in this stage, and in the end, only ten would be chosen. one could imagine how cruel this was. su¡¯s strength was very strong, and she had no problem protecting herself. but if he was added, it would be hard to say. he might as well rely on himself. he already had a rough plan in his mind. when he thought of his own idea, he was extremely excited and impatient! but now, he could only suppress the excitement in his heart, throw his plans to the back of his mind, and face the more pressing problem of recovering his injuries. the last time he fought with an yang, he had defeated the stronger one. although he won in the end, he was also seriously injured. under his master¡¯s emergency treatment, his injuries were finally mostly healed. unexpectedly, sect master suddenly asked him to participate in this sword-testing conference without any rules. coupled with that jade slip, his injuries became serious. his cultivation was too weak compared to others. if he didn¡¯t fully recover, even with su¡¯s help, he wouldn¡¯t be able to last until the end. of course, the most important thing was that he did not have to pay for the medical fees this time. in fragrant ginger yard, shi fengrong was facing a medicine barrel, her expression cold. li ming¡¯s entire body was soaked in the potion, and only his head was exposed. the potion was as black as ink and emitted a pungent smell. li ming, who was standing inside, felt dizzy. ¡°it stinks!¡± ¡°don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± shi feng rong said impatiently. when she saw li ming, the anger in her heart burned and she could no longer suppress it. such a genius was not interested in the tao of the sword, but rather, he was keen on earning spiritual crystals! why did he have such a greedy disciple? li ming could feel the strong displeasure in his master¡¯s words and immediately became much more obedient. in fact, he could already feel the power of this barrel of potion. the rich and active medicinal effects were like little bugs, drilling around in his body. however, the process this time was not as wonderful as he had imagined. li ming felt as if his body had been pierced by thousands of steel needles. when he heard his master talk about spiritual energy, he was stunned. fe, and the vajra seal, which of these two techniques was he using now? he thought for a moment and decided to circulate the [vajra seal]. the origin of fetal breathing spiritual technique unknown. if his master found out, it would be terrible. he was not afraid of the titan seal because it came from martial uncle xu shan. although the [vajra seal] that he had learned was based on a tombstone, there was only a difference of five words between the two. as soon as he circulated the [vajra seal], li ming had a completely different feeling from usual. these needle-like medicinal effects seemed to be attracted by a magnet and turned into dozens of streams that flowed into the major acupoints in li ming¡¯s body. then, they quickly merged into the spiritual energy in his meridians. in just a short moment, li ming felt that all the meridians in his body were blocked. he was shocked. he had never encountered such a situation before. oh my god! what kind of potion was this? what a domineering medicinal property! li ming couldn¡¯t care about anything else now. he activated the with all his might and tried his best to disperse the excess medicinal effects to every inch of his muscles and bones. the power of the medicinal liquid spread through his body, restore his injuries like rain nourishing dry land. the damaged parts were also being devoured crazily. outside the medicine barrel, shi fengrong¡¯s face was full of worry, and li ming¡¯s face was golden, as if it was made of gold. pei xuan, xu shan, and yang li had appeared beside shi fengrong at some point. ¡°this kid is really amazing.¡± ¡± what?¡± yang li was shocked.¡± his physical body is also so powerful? isn¡¯t he already at the golden body realm?¡± ¡°hmph!¡± xu shan snorted coldly,¡±l¡¯m not interested in sword techniques!¡± the other people¡¯s expressions also turned ugly. however, her talent in cultivation was outstanding. no matter what it was, she could advance by leaps and bounds. he could even silently cultivate the [vajra seal] into a golden body robe, but he had no interest in the sword techniques of his lineage. there were so many powerful sword scriptures in the sect, and they had opened their doors to them. other than the first time he saw it, this kid had never seen it again. how could pei xuan and the others be happy? ¡°this is also the reason why i insisted on letting him participate in this sword-testing conference (-).¡± even though pei xuan had good self-restraint, he was still furious by li ming. hmph, let¡¯s teach him a lesson. what is a swordsman? what is a swordsman the best?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right! the disciples of our own sect are actually not interested in our cultivation method at all. if the seniors find out about this, won¡¯t we lose face?¡± yang li, who was always laughing and joking, was also furious. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°i can¡¯t tolerate this!¡± xu shan revealed killing intent and shouted sternly. shi feng rong was originally still a bit worried, but now she couldn¡¯t help it and said angrily: li ming¡¯s actions made the higher-ups of divine will sect unite like never before to face the enemy together. li ming was fully focused on circulating his spiritual energy and knew nothing about the outside world. at this moment, all the spiritual sense and spiritual energy in his body were mobilized to the extreme.. this time, he didn¡¯t know what kind of spirit herb his master had thrown into the medicine bucket, but the medicinal effect was so strong that he felt like he was about to explode! Chapter 153 - Chapter 153: Advancement chapter 153: advancement translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the speed at which he refined the medicinal liquid was much slower than the speed at which he absorbed it. he gritted his teeth. he knew that as long as he could persist for a while, he would be able to obtain huge benefits. with his familiarity with alchemy, he naturally knew that the medicinal effect of this medicinal liquid was limited. as long as he could get through this, he would have enough time to absorb the medicinal effects. after the medicinal liquid entered his body, it quickly turned into golden light spots and fused with his muscles. his muscles glowed with a golden light. they were like tiny grains of sand that became denser. however, the growth of the golden light could not keep up with the growth of the medicinal effect. what frightened li ming the most was that the medicinal effect did not show any signs of weakening. it was still so powerful! the medicinal effects were like a flood that had burst through a dam, surging through his body. his meridians were already bulging, but the power of the medicinal liquid was still pouring into his meridians, causing them to expand at an astonishing speed. what made li ming even more anxious was that he couldn¡¯t stop! the surging spiritual energy mixed with the medicinal properties was like a wild horse that could not be stopped at all! damn it! ¡°this fellow is going to advance again?¡± ¡± huh?¡± li yang stared blankly at li ming in the medicine bucket. suddenly, he was stunned. he tilted his head and muttered to himself,¡± ah, why did i use the word again?¡± no one paid attention to him. everyone¡¯s eyes fell on li ming in unison, and their expressions were solemn. the golden light on li ming¡¯s face grew brighter and brighter. circles of golden light rippled like ripples, and his hair gradually turned golden. the displeasure on shi feng rong¡¯s face instantly disappeared without a trace, replaced by deep worry. ¡°what else is there in the [vajra seal] besides bodily golden robe golden robe?¡± pei xuan asked. xu shan treasured his words like gold and only said ¡°red lotus gold water¡±. ¡°body tempering¡­¡± ¡± what?¡± a trace of recollection appeared on pei xuan¡¯s face.¡± which level can allow you to have your own power?¡± ¡°the fifth level,¡± xu shan replied. pei xuan nodded in realization. ¡°at this speed, i¡¯m afraid we¡¯re not far from the fifth level. i d like to see what kind of supernatural power this kid will have if he can cultivate to the fifth level,¡± interjected yang li. everyone was silent. they really didn¡¯t know much about body tempering. kunhua was a world ruled by sword cultivator (). they only practiced the sword and did not care about the world. dhyana xiu were best at body tempering, and the sacred ground they cultivated in was the xuan kong realm. dhyana xiu were cultivators who focused on self-cultivation and pursued freedom. amongst xiuzhe, if one were to talk about the difficulty, it was probably the dhyana xiu. however, most of the dhyana xiu mental cultivation mental cultivation technique were very simple and easy to learn. as long as one had an unyielding heart, one could achieve something. however, this cultivation technique also had a characteristic. it was easy at the beginning, but later on, it became more and more difficult. it required a great deal of perseverance and wisdom. however, to be able to reach the fourth level in such a short period of time, li ming¡¯s talent was extremely rare. among dhyana xiu, the most terrifying were divine arts. the so-called divine power was an ability that would naturally appear when a person¡¯s strength reached a certain level. this was something that all xiuzhe envied. as long as one¡¯s cultivation reached a certain level, they would have a special ability. however, the specific divine power varied from person to person. some people had tried to figure this out, but so far, no one had been able to figure it out. however, even if li ming cultivated the [titan seal] to the fifth level, pei xuan () and the others wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with his innate ability. this was a group of sword cultivator ()! if dhyana xiu were calm, then sword cultivator ( ) were proud and pure. they only believed in their own swords. as an extremely aggressive xiuzhe, he indeed had the ability to be arrogant. the stronger the sect, the more this would be reflected. although divine will sect was only a small sect now, their ancestors had a large family and business. they were worlds apart from ordinary small sects. pei xuan and the others didn¡¯t even care about the other sects, so why would they be interested in any cultivation method other than sword cultivator ()? the higher li ming¡¯s attainments in body tempering were, the angrier they were. the ink-like liquid also gradually became crystal clear. li ming¡¯s trembling also gradually stopped. his dark golden face had a deeper color. if his face was golden in the past, then now, his face was dark golden. his face was still expressionless, but there was a hint of solemnity. the faces of pei xuan and the others darkened. if not for li ming¡¯s talent and status, they would have kicked him down the mountain long ago. li ming opened his eyes and saw four elders standing in a row in front of him. all of them had unfriendly expressions. his heart was filled with joy when he broke through to the fourth level of the [titan seal]. however, the gloomy expressions of the four elders immediately woke him up. ¡°less talking, more mistakes.¡± ¡°alright, my injuries have mostly recovered. your master has put in a lot of effort for you. you have to work hard and not disappoint your master. if you can¡¯t make it to the top ten in this sword test conference, you can go to your second uncle master to receive your punishment.¡± second uncle-master¡­ li ming subconsciously looked at his second uncle master and saw that his eyes were cold. although he was in the boiling medicinal liquid, he had the illusion that he had fallen into an ice cave. even his master and yang li turned around and left without saying anything. li ming was confused. what was going on? however, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not understand. but soon, he threw this matter to the back of his mind. he suddenly thought of what the sect leader had said before he left. top ten? did sect master drink too much? did he hear wrongly? li ming stayed inside and did not move for a long time. floating east, late at night, there were lights of all colors everywhere. the sword test conference was in full swing in east floating city. even at night, there was no peace and it was still bustling. all kinds of shouts rose and fell. in the pitch-black night sky, one could occasionally see sword lights, magical treasures, and the cries of spiritual beasts coming from afar. ¡°why did you stop me?¡± a cultivator dressed in ordinary clothes asked in a deep voice. ¡°you¡¯re not wei ping.¡± this person was lin qian, whom li ming had met in the hundred treasure flying pavilion. the xiuzhe immediately laughed.¡± you really know how to joke. if i¡¯m not wei ping, who else can i be?¡± ¡°you have to ask my sword this question.¡± lin qian sighed. wei ping¡¯s expression changed abruptly. his gaze turned sharp as a faint purple mist swirled in his hand towards lin qian. a flash of light! read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only the sharp sword light seemed to not be affected at all. it easily broke through the smoke and shot toward wei ping. roar! wei ping¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he let out an inhuman roar. his entire body was expanding crazily! chi! wei ping¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, and his roar stopped abruptly.. Chapter 154 - Chapter 154: Illusion Jade Slip chapter 154: illusion jade slip translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation there was a small hole in his chest, but strangely, there was not a drop of blood in it. ¡°the tenth.¡± lin qian replied softly. however, his eyes were filled with worry. in a private house in the east of the river. ¡°old luo is already dead.¡± ¡°have you found the murderer?¡± ¡°one hit, one kill. it¡¯s still that person. someone is watching us.¡± ¡°it¡¯s normal. the events of the day had caused an uproar. how¡¯s the progress of what we¡¯re going to do?¡± ¡°no progress. if it was really him, he would have contacted us. could it be¡­¡± ¡°don¡¯t think too much. it couldn¡¯t be an act. i don¡¯t know what he means, but we still have to do our part.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°continue to keep an eye on them. only we managed to sneak in.¡± the next time would be several months later. now that the battle in the blood world has reached a stalemate, we have to find this lord as soon as possible!¡± ¡°yes, sir!¡± everyone replied in unison. li ming was discussing with su in a small shop. since su had said that he would definitely get into the top ten, it would be a pity if he did not take the opportunity to make a fortune. however, entering the great pine pavilion in east floating was random. no one knew where they would be teleported to. su had told li ming all this information. she knew that as long as she gave him enough information, he would be able to come up with a countermeasure. the battle between li ming and an yang was the best proof. li ming asked in detail about the situation in the great pine pavilion. since he knew nothing about the sword-testing conference (-), he asked in detail. li ming was a very practical person. as long as he decided to win, he would spare no effort. ¡°it¡¯s very simple to link them together. you make two paper cranes, and we each take one. as long as you carve a yin-yang indicator on the paper crane, you can quickly locate the target.¡± ¡°once i enter, i won¡¯t move. find me as soon as possible.¡± ¡°alright.¡± su nodded without thinking. however, li ming¡¯s thick skin made her very speechless. ordinary men, even her senior brother he fang, would reveal a strong desire to protect her when they saw her. however, li ming was like a hooligan who lived off a woman, and he didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable at all. the two of them finished their discussion and left. as soon as li ming left, fang he walked over from behind. ¡°even if you help, he won¡¯t be in the top ten.¡± he fang was very certain. ¡°you want to be my enemy?¡± ¡°how could that be?¡± ¡°however, the sword-testing conference this time has gathered all the young experts of the heavenly origin supercontinent.¡± he fang¡¯s expression changed and he chuckled. however, his cultivation is not strong enough.¡± ¡°so?¡± su¡¯s voice was still cold, but she knew very well that this was just her bluff. she also knew very well that shixiong was waiting for her to beg him. but she did not speak. he fang glanced at him, stood up, and left. even with su¡¯s help, li ming was convinced that his chances of entering the top ten were miniscule. after all, his strength was the weakest among the many xiuzhe that came in this time. no one would be polite to him. he was like a toot little sheep that had barged into the territory of a group of lions! however, when he thought of his own thoughts¡­ li ming was eager to try! divine mountain. ¡°you know what? the sect leader said that he must let li ming enter the top ten! otherwise, you¡¯ll be punished by martial uncle xu shan!¡± ¡°f * ck! could it be martial uncle xu shan? could it be that the sect master had some opinions about senior brother li during this period of time? wouldn¡¯t it be more effective to punish him directly?¡± ¡°yeah, this is simply a fantasy.¡± ¡® sigh, senior brother li has offended the sect master this time. i¡¯m afraid he¡¯s in trouble.¡± xue lin listened to the discussions and felt as if something was stuck in her heart. she had not seen senior brother li for a few days. ever since shixiong returned, he had been staying in the valley until now. she looked worried. she wasn¡¯t afraid that her senior brother would be punished. as an inner sect disciple, she knew how much the sect master valued her senior brother. she knew very well that although shixiong only knew how to earn spiritual crystals on the surface, once he made up his mind to do something, he would spare no effort. a senior brother who did not care about his life was really too terrifying. however, if he was injured because of this¡­ xue lin bit her lip hard. for some reason, other than li ming, who was an upset, none of the other matches were unexpected. all the powerhouses who had high hopes on them easily passed the first round of the competition. although it was exciting, it was not outstanding. everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the last round, which was the sword test without any rules. out of a hundred people, only ten would win. without any rules or order, the entire great pine pavilion would turn into a chaotic battlefield. in the end, only ten people would be left. this was an expected battle. a showdown between the strong was inevitable, and there were many conditions that could be used¡­ everyone was looking forward to this battle. a few days before the competition began, senior tian song zi suddenly announced that the mirage illusion formation would be set up outside the great pine pavilion. at that time, all the battles in the great pine pavilion would be like mirages, appearing in front of everyone. this action caused a huge uproar in east floating. the previous sword-testing conference, which had no rules, attracted many gamblers. after all, no matter how exciting it was, it would not be exciting without seeing it with their own eyes. but tian song zi¡¯s actions made all the xiuzhe excited. this message was quickly sent to the sound tablet. at this moment, east floating became the focus of the heavenly origin supercontinent. there were countless xiuzhe, strong and weak. they continued to march towards floating east day and night. this was the pinnacle of the younger generation of the heavenly origin supercontinent! the top heaven¡¯s favorite of the heavenly origin supercontinent were all gathered here! the most dazzling cultivation techniques of the entire heavenly origin supercontinent would be displayed here! the most tragic battle would be played out here! how could he miss such a grand occasion? it was a rare opportunity to witness it with his own eyes. floating east was unprecedentedly prosperous. the various sects had also sent their disciples to watch the battle. although they were not able to participate in the sword-testing conference, they had benefited greatly from seeing how these young experts used their spells. usually, when xiuzhe fought with their enemies, they would be secretive. now that they could see it with their own eyes, no one was willing to let it go. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only during the battle between li ming and an yang, the price of the illusion jade slip had already reached 100 pieces of third grade spiritual crystals. now, it had already been sold out on the market. many people were filled with regret. if they could refine more illusion jade slips, they would be rich! most of those illusionary jade slips were bought by the major forces and were prepared to be given to the disciples who were proficient in array formations. it had to be said that the big sects were much more sensitive than the other sects on this point. from then on, the number of illusion jade slips kept increasing in every competition, but the price was never comparable to li ming¡¯s¡­ Chapter 155 - Chapter 155: The Eve of Battle chapter 155: the eve of battle translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation there were all kinds of xiuzhe everywhere in east floating. many xiuzhe seized this great opportunity to start trading. there were also people who took out things that they did not need to sell or exchange. some people started to buy at a low price and sell at a high price. the current east floating city was already the largest and most bustling market in the entire heavenly origin supercontinent. in the divine hall, li zhengxuan and the sect master sat cross-legged. their expressions were solemn and solemn. ¡°how is it?¡± ¡°you didn¡¯t meet any powerful opponents in the first two matches. do you have any regrets?¡± are you looking forward to this round?¡± ¡°i¡¯m looking forward to it. it¡¯s really exciting to be able to fight against so many experts!¡± li zhengxuan said bluntly. the sect leader nodded. to the elders of divine will sect, li zhengxuan was almost everything a sword cultivator should have. he was a steady and diligent person, but his state of mind was pure. in his heart, there was only the dao of the sword and no distracting thoughts. his talent in sword dao was also unparalleled in the world. in this battle, li zhengxuan¡¯s fighting spirit was high. he didn¡¯t show any fear, nor did he retreat, nor did he panic. thinking of this, li ming¡¯s figure appeared in pei xuan¡¯s mind. in the entire sect, only li ming could be compared to li zhengxuan. however, when he thought of that troublesome youth, he could not help but frown slightly. ¡°master, is something the matter?¡± li zhengxuan noticed his master¡¯s anxiety and couldn¡¯t help asking. among the elders of the sect, in terms of cultivation, martial uncle xu shan was the most powerful, and his master¡¯s strength was also unfathomable. li zhengxuan¡¯s current strength was no longer comparable to the past. the power that his master occasionally displayed always made him feel awed. what was it that could give his master a headache? ¡°i¡¯m fine.¡± pei xuan ( ) waved his hand when he realized that he had lost his composure. then, he pretended to be calm and collected, ¡°i don¡¯t know what li ming is thinking.¡± i told him that he must enter the top ten.¡± he suddenly thought of something and couldn¡¯t help but tease,¡± i heard that there are many people in east floating now. ying feng has been busy recently and her shop has been sold out. if that guy finds out that he missed a great opportunity to earn spiritual crystals, i wonder if he¡¯ll fly into a rage.¡± li zhengxuan listened to his master¡¯s teasing and felt relieved. he thought of his junior brother¡¯s greedy personality and couldn¡¯t help but laugh.¡± i think the latter is more effective.¡¯ ¡°haha!¡± pei xuan ( ) felt much better when he thought about the trouble li ming had been causing him recently and now that he was angry at him. ¡± your junior brother is quite talented, but he¡¯s too lazy. once he falls into a spiritual crystal, he won¡¯t be able to get out. he¡¯s not interested in practicing sword techniques at all.¡± ¡°i¡¯m sure junior brother can understand the good intentions of master and all the martial uncles,¡± said li zhengxuan. he couldn¡¯t do anything about this junior brother of his, but he also understood that with li ming¡¯s personality, he couldn¡¯t force him. ¡°your uncle-master xu shan has already prepared a set of punishment measures. he¡¯s just waiting for that stinky brat to deliver himself to his door.¡± when pei xuan said this, he could not help revealing a somewhat complacent expression. looking at his master¡¯s confident expression, li zhengxuan opened his mouth but closed it again. he had a premonition that his master¡¯s plan would not succeed. with junior brother¡¯s strength, wanting to enter the top ten was almost impossible. however, in this world, strength could not determine everything. moreover, he knew very well that no matter how smart his junior brother was, he had countless methods to use. his understanding of li ming was much better than his master and the others. li ming looked sloppy, but in fact, li ming was very stubborn and even a little crazy. others only saw shidi¡¯s talent, only he knew how this insignificant art of cloud and rain reached the fourth level. it was impossible to rely solely on aptitude for any cultivation technique. however, this was just a feeling. telling his master would be useless without evidence. moreover, he really wanted to know what his junior brother would do. li zhengxuan could see that his junior brother was serious this time. he had closed his door the moment he came back. li ming was like a soft spring, but the more he exerted force, the more explosive it became. a serious junior brother was indeed not to be underestimated. suddenly, he was filled with anticipation for the sword-testing conference. seeing li zhengxuan¡¯s expectant face, pei xuan () thought that li zhengxuan was thinking about the sword-testing conference. he recalled the past with his junior brothers and couldn¡¯t help but feel nostalgic. ¡°who are you going to fight this time?¡± he asked in a deep voice. when li zhengxuan heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up. he couldn¡¯t help but stand up and mutter to himself. ¡°where?¡± his eyes lit up as he spoke. west wind villa. li ming sat cross-legged with disheveled hair. his eyes were red as he stared ahead. ¡°something¡¯s wrong. ¡± he was still mumbling something. in front of him was a pile of messy materials, but they seemed to have a magical power that firmly attracted his attention. under her messy hair, a pair of red eyes sparkled. ¡°eh¡­ suddenly, his eyes lit up! luo ming sat on the mountain peak and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. he was in a daze for a moment. ¡°junior brother, are you still angry with me?¡± bai jie pursed her lips and asked pitifully. bai jie was speechless. back then, when li ming had severely injured luo ming, she had not even taken a look at him. however, no one had expected that luo ming was like a completely different person. he could actually enter the finals of the sword-testing conference (-), and the entire sect looked at him in a new light. bai jie also thought of all the things he had done to her in the past. she hoped to reconcile with him, but in luo ming¡¯s eyes, she was like a stranger. ¡°are you that heartless?¡± bai jie made one last attempt. ¡°no old feelings. it¡¯s late.¡± luo ming was straightforward. he didn¡¯t hide anything.¡± you should go.¡± listening to bai jie¡¯s cries, luo ming began to practice his sword technique under the moonlight. the sword light under the moonlight carried a trace of sadness. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only in the east hall, tian song zi looked at his beloved disciple and a trace of gratification flashed in his eyes. he said gently,¡± the ranking doesn¡¯t matter. it¡¯s just fame and fortune.¡± ¡°what you need is experience. when you fight with different people, there will be different moves. for example, sneak attacks, siege attacks, and all these moves will be experienced.¡± ¡°yes,¡± zhang haowen said with his head lowered. ¡°is there anyone who wants to fight?¡± tian song zi asked. ¡°i want to spar with yan yan.¡± tian song zi frowned.¡± this isn¡¯t a spar. this is a duel, a slaughter!¡± for some reason, his master¡¯s expression suddenly became so ugly. zhang haowen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. tian song zi waved his hand. yan yan is zuo mei tian¡¯s true disciple, he is not someone easy to deal with..¡± Chapter 156 - Chapter 156: Great Pine Pavilion chapter 156: great pine pavilion translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡°yes.¡± zhang haowen hesitated for a moment before bidding farewell and leaving. tian song zi looked at his beloved disciple and sighed in his heart. a deep worry appeared on his face. in the moon leaving sect, when the sect master saw sha ning standing in front of him, his expression immediately turned ugly. sha ning had a stubborn personality. seeing him standing in front of him so casually without the slightest bit of respect, the sect master¡¯s disgust for him grew even stronger. although sha ning was the number one person among the younger generation of departing moon sect, he had never been favored by the elders. ¡® sha ning,¡± the sect leader said hatefully,¡± li ming has caused the sect to lose face time and time again. this time, we must not let him off!¡± sha ning was unmoved. his eyes were lowered as he fell into a deep sleep in the hall. seeing sha ning¡¯s appearance, the sect master was even more furious. his voice suddenly rose. do you understand?¡± sha ning slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the sect master. why do you have to do this?¡± after saying that, he left without caring about the dumbfounded disciples and the exasperated sect master. east east hall was left behind by immortal east floating. it was the number one grotto-heaven in east floating. not only was it rich in spiritual qi, but it also had many mysterious mechanisms. for example, the great pine pavilion was one of them. the great pine pavilion was like an independent world, like the sword cave (). however, compared to the sword cave of divine will sect, east hall¡¯s great pine pavilion was much more famous. the mountain inside the great pine pavilion was steep and covered a vast area. in addition, the successive east hall masters would raise some spirit beasts inside. most of these spirit beasts were violent, so every generation of disciples, as long as they reached the golden core realm, would go to the great pine pavilion to cultivate. it was also because of this that so many people placed bets on zhang haowen¡¯s victory in the gambling dens. the great pine pavilion might seem like an unfamiliar place to others, but to zhang haowen, it was all too familiar. a grotto-heaven like the great pine pavilion that formed its own world needed to be refined with great dharmic powers. almost every sect with a foundation was established by the founder of the sect back then, spending a large amount of magic power. in the great pine pavilion, xiuzhe below nascent soul would not be injured no matter how they fought. of course, the spirit beasts inside couldn¡¯t. in east floating, only east east hall and divine will sect had eden treasures. the sect master and elders of the various sects were all envious when they saw tian song zi open the great pine pavilion, especially the sect leader of departing moon sect sect. from this, it could be seen how deep the foundation of a sect was. no matter how rich departing moon sect now, in the eyes of higher level xiuzhe, they were just a nouveau riche. grotto-heaven treasures could not be bought even with money. this kind of magic weapon not only consumed a lot of magic power, but also a lot of money. therefore, unless it was for the use of their own sect, no one would refine it and sell it. pei xuan and the others remained calm. they knew that the secret of the sword cave was far beyond the great pine pavilion. even they couldn¡¯t help but praise the power of their ancestors when they talked about the sword cave. although the four of them were the strongest experts on the tian yuan continent, they were far from enough to forge a cave dwelling. the one hundred xiuzhe participating in the competition were silent, but even more people had curious expressions. many of them had never entered the grotto-heaven before, so they were filled with curiosity. he fang and the disciples of the other large sects were either calm, arrogant, or disdainful. all of them revealed a sense of superiority. around the great pine pavilion, the mirage illusion formation began to operate. rays of colorful light slowly appeared above the great pine pavilion like fish. the light screen expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming clearer and clearer until it covered the entire sky of east floating. what appeared in front of them was a strange silence. the towering dark green mountains were steep and steep, as if they were painted with ink. spirit beasts shuttled between the mountains. it was rare to see such a clear mirage. many people could not help but click their tongues in wonder. the xiuzhe who came from afar all rejoiced. such a scene was rare. whether it was in the sky or on the ground, they could clearly see the huge mirage. the current scene in eastern floating was extremely strange. in the sky, it was a black mass. there were xiuzhe everywhere, high and low. there were people shuttling back and forth in the air, constantly exclaiming from all angles. some sat on the ground, some sat on chairs, and some sat on the roof, looking up at the illusion in the void. all xiuzhe! east floating gathered hundreds of thousands of xiuzhe. from afar, they looked like a group of ants, a black mass. ¡°what a huge formation!¡± ¡°it¡¯s really spectacular!¡± an elder from an external sect could not help but praise. ¡® tian song zi is really bold. no wonder he could become the master of east floating.¡± ¡°if only there could be such a grand occasion once every few years!¡± an elder beside him said. ¡°not easy! there were only a few sects on the tian yuan continent that possessed eden treasures. even if there is, no one would be willing to treat this as a stage like tian song zi, right?¡± ¡°not bad! which of the eden world¡¯s treasures were not unfathomable? this is the first time tian song zi has done this. what is he thinking?¡± ¡°i¡¯ve seen tian song zi. he¡¯s not a reckless person, he definitely has a scheme.¡± as they talked, their topic began to deviate from the original track. ¡°which side do you think has a greater chance of winning?¡± an elder said. ¡°where?¡± ¡°of course, who is this person? the heart lake sword sect is a big sect and is famous in this world. he fang is a rare genius that is rarely seen in a hundred years. it is difficult to find someone who can be compared to him.¡± on this point, everyone reached a consensus. ¡°who else is there besides you?¡± asked a taciturn old man. ¡°this woman called su is very mysterious, but very powerful.¡± ¡® hai jun¡¯s attainments in [little ghost sword] are very deep. i think he has a lot of hope.¡± ¡® lee zhengxuan¡¯s two battles were very straightforward. however, i¡¯ve never heard of this divine will sect it should be a small sect.¡± an elder said hesitantly. ¡°speaking of this sect, don¡¯t underestimate them. all three of them have entered the finals.¡± hearing this, the elder who thought highly of su sneered.¡± don¡¯t mention this again. li ming also entered the finals with a bye. it can be seen that divine will sect has a deep relationship with tian song zi.¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°although his cultivation is a little lacking, he¡¯s not completely useless,¡± said another elder. ¡°could it be that you have high hopes for him?¡± ¡°no!¡± the elder shook his head and said,¡± there¡¯s a huge gap between the building foundation stage and the golden core stage. besides, with an yang as a warning, no one will dare to underestimate him in the future.¡± ¡°a mere foundation establishment state cultivator, what ability can he have? it¡¯s probably almost used up. the elders of their sect just let him out to gain experience..¡± Chapter 157 - Chapter 157: Talisman Weapon chapter 157: talisman weapon translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡°who has confidence in him?¡± the old man who had confidence in su turned his head and asked the others. ¡°haha! if someone trusts him, i will appreciate it very much!¡± ¡°haha¡­¡± the group of elders discussed animatedly, their blood boiling. they would also interact with each other and look for good seedlings. li ming stood among the xiuzhe and looked around. although his face was expressionless, his eyes were filled with curiosity. in the dark, he was chatting with the tablet spirit (). ¡°tablet spirit (), which do you think is better, the sword cave or the great pine pavilion?¡± ¡°trash,¡± the tablet spirit said in a disdainful tone. li ming was speechless. he rolled his eyes and replied in the same tone,¡± aren¡¯t you a sky demon? can you do it?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not something i can play with anymore. it¡¯s not interesting at all,¡± the tablet spirit said shamelessly. li ming finally understood why the tablet spirit ( ) could be called a sky yao while he was only a zhuji xiuzhe. this was definitely due to his thick skin. yi, he noticed that someone was sizing him up. even though he fang had hidden it well, li ming could still feel something unusual from his eyes. something¡¯s not right! a small character like him could not enter anyone¡¯s eyes at all. he must be thinking too much. ¡°be careful!¡± the tablet spirit suddenly whispered. ¡°what?¡± li ming was stunned. ¡°someone just used a probing technique.¡± ¡°detection technique?¡± ¡± what?!¡± li ming was stunned for a moment before he was shocked.¡± no way!¡± just as he was about to look around, the tablet spirit ( ) suddenly shouted, ¡°don¡¯t look around!¡± li ming immediately did not dare to move and stood obediently on the spot. it was rare for him to see the tablet spirit ( ) so anxious, as if it was facing a great enemy. he pretended as if nothing had happened and looked around. no one revealed any strange expressions. it was as if no one had noticed that someone had cast a spell. li ming couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. to be able to use a probing technique on so many people without anyone noticing, how terrifying was the cultivation of the xiuzhe who used the probing technique! ¡°yes, i think i¡¯m being targeted.¡± the tablet spirit snorted coldly, but there was no fear in its tone. ¡°how did you find out?¡± li ming blurted out. ¡°it¡¯s just ¡®observing eye¡¯. i¡¯ve seen it a few times.¡± ¡°it¡¯s as annoying as the dhyana xiu¡¯s [heavenly eye]!¡± the tablet spirit¡¯s voice grew colder and colder, carrying a thick sense of disgust. listening to the tone filled with hatred and thinking about the vengeful nature of the tablet spirit, li ming could guess that it must have been tricked by this spell. ¡°did they find you?¡± he asked nervously. ¡± you¡¯re right.¡± the tablet spirit immediately revealed a smug expression when it heard this. it chuckled.¡± the enemy would never expect that i would be in your sea of consciousness.¡± although this fiery golden eyes was powerful, it was only able to detect demonic qi. don¡¯t worry, as long as you don¡¯t reveal any flaws, they won¡¯t know.¡± ¡°that¡¯s good.¡± li ming was relieved. at this moment, tian song zi moved. pairs of eyes looked at him at the same time. tian song zi¡¯s cultivation was deep, so he didn¡¯t seem to notice. he said, ¡°everyone, prepare yourselves. i¡¯ll take you to the great pine pavilion.¡± as he spoke, he began to urge his magic power. he stood straight and turned his hands slightly. a stream of spiritual energy surged out of his body. everyone could feel that the originally ordinary tian song zi was now majestic and majestic. his legs seemed to be rooted in the depths of the earth, indestructible. an oppressive aura was like a tide that enveloped the entire east floating city. other than those xiuzhe above nascent soul who had calm expressions, those below yuanying, even experts like he fang, couldn¡¯t help but reveal strange expressions. as for zhang haowen, he looked at his master with admiration. his heart was filled with pride. li zhengxuan was also affected. he did not show any fear. instead, he raised his head, the light in his eyes suddenly skyrocketing, and his fists involuntarily clenched. good heavens, this senior was really capable! li ming was shocked, but compared to tian song zi, second uncle master was truly terrifying. ¡°chi! ¡± tian song zi said. rays of light suddenly appeared under the feet of more than a hundred xiuzhe. with a flash of light, their figures disappeared. li ming felt dizzy. a cool breeze blew past his face, calming him down quickly. of course, he couldn¡¯t help but complain in his heart. tian song zi¡¯s teleportation method was much more comfortable compared to the teleportation talisman formation of the tablet spirit. he looked around and saw lush trees everywhere. occasionally, a gust of wind blew and he could smell a faint vapor. there was water! li ming¡¯s spirit was greatly boosted. wherever there was water, the power of the water element would become denser, which was very beneficial to him. he activated the invisibility spell and carefully dove in the direction of the pool. if one did not observe carefully, it would be very difficult to discover him. among the five spells, li ming¡¯s [little art of cloud and rain] cultivation was the highest, and his sensitivity to water flow was also the strongest. he walked less than 50 steps and found a pool. this was a pond that was about an acre in size. weeds were growing everywhere, and the excrement of spirit beasts was everywhere. li ming observed his surroundings and was quite satisfied. he was really lucky this time. he did not immediately release the paper crane. as he spoke, he took out a golden talisman. ¡°protector, protect!¡± behind li ming, the shadow of a golden giant was faintly discernible. the golden shadow condensed into form at a speed visible to the naked eye. a giant guard covered in golden armor stood majestically. li ming was relieved. with this seal soldier in hand, he could ensure his safety to a certain extent. under normal circumstances, seal soldiers were for golden core xiuzhe. this seal soldier was originally given to him by senior brother wang¡¯s family to save his life, but he had been forced into a corner by li ming and had no choice but to use it. who would have thought that after using the seal soldier, not only did he not win, but li ming also got a huge advantage. li ming looked at the awe-inspiring armored seal soldier, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. however, he felt pity in his heart. this seal soldier was going to be destroyed after he used it up. in east floating, the gap between an pill refiner and an armament master was not that big. other than that, there were even fewer xiuzhe who knew seals. no one could forge such a powerful seal soldier. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only he didn¡¯t know how senior brother wang¡¯s family managed to buy this magic treasure. with the protection of the seal soldier, he was relieved, but he did not release the paper crane in his hand. he thought of the plan that he had carefully designed, and his wooden face revealed a hint of pride. the last round was the sword test conference that wasn¡¯t restricted by the rules. in other words, only the last ten xiuzhe who stayed in the great pine pavilion could win. li ming was prepared to make good use of this! Chapter 158 - Chapter 158: Fight chapter 158: fight translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation unfortunately, his concealment technique was not brilliant. otherwise, he would have found a random place to hide his figure. perhaps he would have had a higher chance of winning. if he could think of this, so could the others. he suddenly remembered what the tablet spirit () had said about observing the eyes today. if there really was someone who knew how to observe the eyes, then it would be a waste for him to hide. hehe, you guys definitely won¡¯t be able to guess what i¡¯m thinking. li ming¡¯s fighting spirit was high! in the sky above floating east, the huge mirage could clearly see every detail of great pine pavilion. at this moment, the audience could see the participants and they were all excited. they were full of praise for this mirage illusion formation! groups of spectators stared at the screen and discussed. ¡°who do you think will be the champion this time?¡± yan ming zi asked. hu shan shook his head.¡± i¡¯m not sure either. where could it be? he¡¯s very strong!¡± tao zhu er suddenly cried out in alarm and pointed at the most eye-catching peak among the phantom peaks.¡± look over there!¡± at the same time, many xiuzhe noticed that the discussions on the main peak had disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye. everyone looked at the main peak. the great pine pavilion had a total of fifteen peaks that pierced through the clouds. among these fifteen peaks, the one in the middle was the most eye-catching. its mountain was extremely steep, like a huge sword. two figures stood at the peak of the main peak. li zhengxuan, he fang! he fang was the first person in this sword-testing conference! when he was in the foundation establishment stage, he had triggered the phenomenon of heaven and earth! they never expected that these two people would appear in the same place at the same time. no one had expected that the competition would reach its climax at the beginning! at the same time, many competitors in the great pine pavilion also looked at the two people on the mountaintop. the two of them were like two sharp swords, standing straight without hiding anything. many people could not help but heave a sigh of relief. these two were opponents that no one wanted to face. su looked at the place under the black veil and could not help but heave a sigh of relief. what she was most afraid of was that when her senior brother faced li ming, he would definitely not show mercy and would definitely not let him off. because she did not plead with him. however, why hadn¡¯t li ming released zhihe yet? she turned around abruptly. on the main peak, the wind howled. ¡°i didn¡¯t expect to meet brother li so quickly.¡± he fang smiled. li zhengxuan¡¯s expression was solemn, and he didn¡¯t say a word. his eyes were filled with fighting spirit, and a rainbow splitter sword had appeared in his hand. the surrounding air seemed to be pulled by a pair of invisible hands, slowly revolving around him. one circle, and the pressure of the divine decree emanated from his body. the smile on he fang¡¯s face disappeared. he could see that li zhengxuan was right in front of him, but his divine sense couldn¡¯t find li zhengxuan¡¯s location! it was a void, but it contained a sword intent! the xiuzhe below eastern floating discussed animatedly. they revealed puzzled expressions. this scene had already surpassed their understanding. meanwhile, the sect master and elders of the various large sects were in an uproar. ¡°who told me that divine will sect is just a small sect? li zhengxuan¡¯s sword technique is at least above the fifth stage!¡± ¡°the sword follows the heart! the next step was to transform! f * ck! who exactly was this li zhengxuan? how old is he?¡± ¡± divine will sect is determined to win. this kid has a bright future ahead of him!¡± ¡°it can¡¯t be?¡± ¡°i heard that when this kid was foundation establishment realm, he caused a change in the world. a sword qi shot into the clouds and shook the world. i thought it was just a rumor, but now it seems that it should be true!¡± pei xuan and the other senior brothers couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. ever since li zhengxuan was discovered by them, the four of them had put in a lot of effort on him. all the resources of the entire sect were on him. xu shan taught them step by step. this was the first time he opened a cave for his disciples. every once in a while, li zhengxuan would go to the sword cave (). the food and pills that he sent regularly were all refined from precious materials. if not for this, no matter how good li zhengxuan¡¯s aptitude was, it would be impossible for him to reach the golden core in such a short time. seeing the shock that lee zhengxuan had brought to everyone, the four of them looked at each other and smiled. they felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment and a trace of emotion. in the past, divine will sect lacked outstanding geniuses, which was a thorn in their hearts. however, li zhengxuan¡¯s sudden appearance surprised everyone. a faint smile appeared on pei xuan¡¯s face. occasionally, he would get some inspiration from li zhengxuan¡¯s training. his speed and improvement were shocking. with just a thought, he had a deeper understanding of sword intent. at this time, the xiuzhe¡¯s control of sword essence had already reached the point of perfection. there was a world of difference between controlling a sword and controlling sword intent. the former would affect the power of the spell, and the power of the spell required exquisite control over the spell to make it stronger. however, once one¡¯s control of the sword scripture reached its peak, it would be impossible for them to control it at all. if he wanted to reach a higher level, he had to comprehend the heart wheel of sword intent. any sword scripture was a ¡°technique¡± created by the xiuzhe who created it. if the latecomers learned it, it would be another kind of ¡°method¡±. li zhengxuan¡¯s understanding of the ¡®law¡¯ had already reached an extremely high level. only by comprehending one¡¯s own ¡°method¡± could one break through the rules and shackles of this sword scripture. when one reached the soul formation stage, it was equivalent to creating a new ¡± technique ¡°, a ¡± technique ¡± that belonged solely to oneself. therefore, the same set of sword techniques would become more and more different as one¡¯s cultivation increased. generally speaking, only when one reached the nascent soul realm could one reach this level. li zhengxuan was able to comprehend the ¡°law¡± with his golden core cultivation. such talent was truly terrifying! ¡°li zhengxuan¡¯s rapid progress is truly the fortune of our sect! to be able to cultivate the sword following heart at such a young age, even second junior brother might not be able to do it.¡± pei xuan praised. the four of them were tired of what had happened last time. the battle between the sects had already reached a white-hot point, so the four of them stood at the side with a group of inner sect disciples to watch the show. ¡°master, this means that eldest shixiong will definitely win?¡± ¡°not necessarily.¡± yang li shook his head. ¡°isn¡¯t shixiong¡¯s realm high?¡± li ying feng revealed a puzzled expression. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°the sword follows the heart. it¡¯s a transition period and also a chaotic period. it did not completely break the old rules, nor did it completely form a new sword technique. it¡¯s not very conspicuous in a fight.¡± ¡± on the other hand, if you have doubts in your heart, then the power of this sword technique will be greatly reduced.¡± the disciples of divine will sect all wore gloomy expressions. even pei xuan ( and the others had recovered from their joy and looked at the light screen with solemn expressions. li ming¡¯s cultivation was pitifully low. his eyesight was much worse than these jindan xiuzhe. with the protection of the seal soldier, he could focus on his plan.. Chapter 159 - Chapter 159: Placing Formations chapter 159: placing formations translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation he began to take out his things from his dimensional ring. in the blink of an eye, a huge pile of things had piled up in front of him. they were all messy things! li ming¡¯s heart ached when he saw the large pile of materials that cost a lot of spiritual crystals. ¡® hehe, i¡¯ll show you the power of spiritual crystals!¡± unfortunately, at this moment, everyone¡¯s attention was focused on li zhengxuan and he fang. no one noticed that there was a stiff face beside an inconspicuous small pool. it was trying its best to move a pile of materials out bit by bit like an ant! su looked at the skinny man in front of her with a cold gaze. she knew this person. hai jun, whose background was unknown, was proficient in the [little ghost sword] and had a set of strange shadowy movement techniques. in this year¡¯s eastern sword-testing conference (-), he was thought to be one of the people who had a chance of winning. hai jun was wearing a black robe made of some unknown material. it was as black as ink and had no luster at all. he was tall and slender, his arms were as thin as a stick, his eyes were as black as ink, and his body was surrounded by a strong yin qi. the two of them didn¡¯t say much. with a look, the two of them moved at the same time. she raised her slender hand and clenched it gently. hai jun only felt his vision blur. the entire world was spinning, and he instantly felt dizzy. [magnetic pole sword]. even without the sword in his hand, the power of the magnetic pole sword intent did not decrease. hai jun sneered. a trace of fierceness flashed in his eyes. his body swayed and he actually disappeared into thin air. su¡¯s slender fingers formed a claw and slashed to the side! a white bone ghost sword appeared out of thin air, as if a god had descended. one sword and one finger, as if they had discussed it beforehand, collided accurately. su let out a muffled groan. she realized that the other party¡¯s sword intent was completely suppressed at the tip of the sword. the collision between the two of them had caused her to suffer a huge loss. the cold sword intent followed her fingers and invaded her body, causing her to stiffen. the sword was snow-white in color and was made of some unknown bone. the tip of the sword was a skull. the skull opened its bloody mouth and bit the blade of the sword. four rows of sharp fangs crisscrossed, and two bean-sized ghost flames were slowly burning in its eye sockets. the sword hilt was made of seven copper coins and woven with straw rope. she didn¡¯t know the name of this white bone ghost sword, but she knew that it was definitely extraordinary. a trace of anger flashed in her eyes behind the black veil. it was the first time she had encountered such a thing. she didn¡¯t use her flying sword, which made her suffer a lot. although she was a little reluctant, she still took out a black flying sword. originally, she didn¡¯t want to use this flying sword before the new one was refined. the flying sword in her hand was called <>. it was of extremely high quality, but it was somewhat incompatible with her sword technique. as a woman who pursued perfection, she would rather not have an unsuitable flying sword. she did not take it out because she had lost, but because she was forced to use a flying sword that she did not want to use. once the attack succeeded, hai jun would definitely follow up the victory and give her no chance to breathe. if it was any other time, she could still slowly plan, but today, she was going to find li ming! she wasn¡¯t interested in the sword-testing conference, but her new flying sword was related to whether li ming could make it into the top ten. she had to end the battle as soon as possible! he gently turned the hilt of black radiance and raised the tip of the sword to block in front of him. everything around her was twisting violently. only she stood in the middle, not moving at all. at this moment, a white bone sword shot out from the air in front of her! yang su was indifferent. seeing su not dodge, hai jun was slightly startled. the bone sword in his hand stabbed out without hesitation. the skull let out a shrill scream, as if countless ghosts were wailing. if he was struck by this sword, there was no way he could survive. the flying sword flew at an unparalleled speed. in the blink of an eye, it almost brushed past the light veil on su¡¯s face. hai jun¡¯s heart was filled with joy and confusion. was su really that weak? there were many experts in this sword-testing conference, but among them, there were two people who were very mysterious. one was su, and the other was hai jun. these two people were of unknown origins. no one would have thought that the two most interesting people would actually become opponents. hit! hai jun was not happy because of this. instead, he looked surprised. he clearly saw that the sword had pierced through su¡¯s body, but in fact, the sword did not feel like it had pierced through her body. oh no! shocked, hai jun hurriedly retreated. for some reason, the bone sword had just sliced through three inches of her face. the cold aura made su feel very uncomfortable, but su did not even blink. she launched a counterattack! li ming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. he was quite satisfied with the formation in front of him. he formed a circle around the pond, which was one mile in radius, and made it the center of the formation. the water element power in the pond was much weaker than that of the lake and river, but it was enough for li ming. moreover, he did not have to worry about being broken. seven palm-sized green flags surrounded the pool, shining with light. these seven flags were all made of third-grade green wood. the flags were woven with third-grade silk threads and engraved with runes. these seven greenwood flags were like seven tree roots, absorbing the surrounding water elements and transforming them into wood elements. seven small lion-headed pill furnaces surrounded the flag, forming a second-grade [li fire formation] that surrounded the flag. beside the seven pill furnaces, there were twelve completed jade tokens. the twelve jade plates were connected by a thin golden thread. it looked like a thin golden thread that was winding around the seven pill furnaces. this was the complete picture of the threefold fire formation. forty-nine small pill furnaces gave off a faint light. they resonated with each other and formed a formation of the [great li fire formation]. using the water element as a guide, it turned into the wood element, and then into the fire element! the [li fire formation] wasn¡¯t a profound formation. generally, a low-grade pill furnace would be inscribed with such a formation. the level of the [great li fire formation] was much higher than the [li fire formation]. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only li ming¡¯s [great li fire formation] was made up of seven li fire formations! the seven li fire formations, under the support of the rich power of wood and the threefold fire formation, were much more powerful! what kind of high temperature was this? li ming couldn¡¯t wait to find someone to spar with. li ming turned the entire pond into a huge pill furnace! one could imagine how powerful this pill furnace was. however, he didn¡¯t know how powerful it was. the materials used in the previous experiments were very common, and the power was not bad.. Chapter 160 - Chapter 160: Nangong Yun chapter 160: nangong yun translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the great li fire formation in front of him used countless spiritual crystals, and more than half of them were bought from the hundred treasure flying pavilion. then, he found a bundle of three-foot-long iron nails in the pile of things and placed it on his shoulder. his right hand picked up an unusually large hammer! li ming¡¯s eyes flashed. hehe, this was just the beginning. sha ning was strolling leisurely on the mountain path, as if he was taking a stroll. his expression was lazy. from time to time, he stopped and looked at the distant mountain peak where li zhengxuan and he fang were fighting happily. occasionally, a few xiuzhe would see him. they all looked like they had seen a ghost and turned to run. he didn¡¯t chase them and continued to stroll. in the previous two battles, his opponents had the same ending, both of them were heavily injured! one had to stay in bed for six months, while the other had to stay in bed for eight months. in the eyes of most people, rather than fighting sha ning, it would be better to fight he fang. in reality, this was a option between being seriously injured and losing a battle. for most people, they would rather lose than be tortured by injuries that lasted for half a year. people like sha ning who walked around casually were all experts who were full of confidence in their own strength. most competitors would hide in a corner. the longer they could hold on, the higher their ranking would be. this was a principl that everyone knew. at their level of cultivation, what they lacked the least was patience. sha ning met the first xiuzhe who didn¡¯t run when they saw him. this was an ordinary-looking xiuzhe. sha ning had never seen him in the previous battles. his face was sallow, and his nose bridge was high. he was dressed in casual clothes, and his expression was calm as he looked at him with interest. sha ning suddenly sniffed and turned his head.¡± this aura is a little familiar,¡± he muttered. that person was stunned at first, but then he was overjoyed. sha ning didn¡¯t understand why the other party was so happy. at the same time, he didn¡¯t understand why he could sense a familiar aura from the other party. however, he didn¡¯t think too much about it. instead, he reached out to grab the copper ring on his collarbone. the ear-piercing sound of metal rubbing against each other made people shudder. he slowly pulled out the blood spider sword from his collarbone. sha ning noticed that the other party¡¯s gaze towards the blood spider sword had changed from the previous ecstasy to disappointment. disappointed? for some reason, a smile appeared on sha ning¡¯s face. her hair that was like steel needles was like a forest of swords, and there was a hint of killing intent. luo ming carefully hid in a valley. compared to eldest brother¡¯s calmness and sha ning¡¯s indifference, he was much more cautious. he sat cross-legged with the flying sword floating beside him. he closed his eyes to rest. he was like a hunter waiting for his prey to take the bait, waiting for the other party to emerge from the entrance of the valley. what awaited him was a well-prepared lightning strike. recalling his previous arrogance, he calmly reflected on himself like an outsider. he had originally planned to use the divine sword intent and the empty sword scripture to restore the divine sword intent. however, he had unknowingly embarked on another path, a completely different path. although his talent was not as good as lee zheng xuan, he was still outstanding. before lee zheng xuan and li ming appeared, he was the most talented disciple in the entire divine will sect however, because of the sect¡¯s attention, his temperament became more and more arrogant and arrogant. li ming¡¯s attack was like a huge bell that woke him up from his thoughts. after coming back to his senses, luo ming worked even harder. the biggest beneficiary of the sect opening the records room this time was luo ming. no one knew what li zhengxuan had obtained sword cave, but eldest shixiong had no interest in these books. li ming was only interested in pill concoction, artifact refinement, and formations. other than [ice avenue sword scripture], he wouldn¡¯t look at any other sword techniques. but luo ming was different. he racked his brains and tried to merge [empty sword scripture] and [divine sword scripture] into one, but he still had no clue. he could only find another way and read through all the sword scriptures in the sect, hoping to get some spiritual sense from them. the cloud sword technique, the red flame sword technique, and the green glass sword technique were all fourth-grade sword techniques that he had repeatedly studied and pondered over. no one would have thought that empty sword scripture and divine sword intent were actually successfully mastered by him with the help of these three sword scriptures! however, this new sword technique was very different from the divine sword technique. luo ming gave it a name, called ¡± my separation ¡°! zhang haowen couldn¡¯t find any trace of yan yan and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed. his gaze landed on a golden armor guard not far away. he recognized this golden armor guard. it was a seal soldier. the xiuzhe outside might not know that li ming had option departing moon sect (de) to challenge, but the people in east floating were discussing animatedly. zhang haowen had also heard that li ming had obtained a seal soldier. he had never expected li ming to be so close to him. zhang haowen shook his head. he was not interested in li ming. even though the other party¡¯s performance was outstanding, zhang haowen would not bully a zhuji. moreover, his master had a good relationship with divine will sect, and he did not want to ruin it. he was thinking in his heart whether he should help li ming if there was a chance. but soon, he did not have time to think because he found a powerful opponent. a burly man with a huge sword in his hand was walking towards them step by step. the other party had already noticed him. zhang haowen could feel that the other party¡¯s aura was increasing at an alarming rate. in this sword- testing conference, the most dazzling grassroots xiuzhe was nangong yun. this burly man was a genius himself. the combination of the second-grade martial skill technique, vajra arts, and the second ¨C grade martial technique, mountain splitting sword, was even more amazing. he was only twenty-four years old and had a bright future ahead of him. nangong yun was the biggest person in this assessment. he was more than one meter tall, like a moving mountain. the muscles on his body were tight, as if someone had carved them out with an axe. on his naked body, there was a faint golden light unique to the vajra arts, giving people a strong sense of oppression. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only his steps were large, steady, and heavy, giving off the feeling of a landslide. li ming only felt a tremor under his feet. he looked up, but his vision was blocked by the dense forest and he could not see nangong yun. after muttering a few times, he began to work again. the three-foot-long nail glowed with a cold blue light and was engraved with dense runes. li ming spat on his palm, picked up the hammer, and activated the diamond seal. he smashed the hammer on the ground.. Chapter 161 - Chapter 161: Nine Revolutions Earth Formation chapter 161: nine revolutions earth formation translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation a total of nine huge iron nails were nailed to the ground by li ming. with fixed positions, a talisman array was set up. after doing all this, li ming did not bother to wipe his sweat. he stood in the middle of the magic formation with a solemn expression. his ten fingers flicked continuously and hurried sounds sounded from his mouth. the dark blue light spread out in all directions with the nine nails as the center. in the blink of an eye, everything within a 30 -meter radius of li ming was enveloped by the dark blue light. ¡°freeze!¡± li ming shouted. the spreading blue light suddenly paused. it brightened for a moment before disappearing. li ming let go of the spiritual energy in his hand and panted heavily. good heavens, even though this nine revolutions earth formation wasn¡¯t some high-level formation, the consumption of spiritual energy was really too great. the nine revolutions earth formation was a second-grade formation that was unique. it could make the surrounding soil as hard as steel and prevent enemies proficient in the earth attribute from ambushing from underground. after the underground defense was done, the next step was to defend in the air. this time, li ming chose the dragon -binding formation. as long as one was trapped in the dragon-binding formation, even golden core cultivators would not be able to break free in a short time. all li ming needed was this short time. for the sake of caution, li ming set up six dragon-binding formations at once, covering almost all directions. everyone¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t completely focused on li zhengxuan and he fang. there were still people who noticed li ming¡¯s actions. ¡°what does he want to do?¡± yan mingzi looked at hu shan blankly. hu shan was also stunned. he shook his head in a daze. ¡°i¡¯m not sure either.¡± tao zhuer also had an expression as if she had seen a ghost. in the gathering place of the divine will sect, everyone had a strange expression. ¡°senior brother li ming¡¯s thoughts¡­¡± li yingfeng choked until her face turned red, and only after a long while did she spit out two words. ¡°so unique!¡± lin xue¡¯s eyes lit up with admiration. ¡°he actually came up with such a wonderful idea! awesome!¡± when the other disciples heard this, their expressions became strange. ¡°how embarrassing!¡± yang li covered his forehead and sighed. he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. shi fengrong looked ashen. ¡°when i go back, i¡¯ll definitely teach him a lesson!¡± he¡¯s really a disgrace to our divine will sect!¡± the cold light in xu shan¡¯s eyes was like thousands of sharp blades dancing in the air. a blade light flickered in the air. his voice seemed to be emitted from a ten-thousand-foot ice cave. it was so cold that it made one¡¯s heart palpitate.¡± we have to let him know what a true sword cultivator is!¡± even pei xuan, who had a calm temperament, felt frustrated. he seemed to be able to hear the memorial tablets of the ancestors of divine will hall rumbling. ¡°how embarrassing, how embarrassing!¡± ¡°how shameful¡­ ¡°a bunch of good-for-nothing grand disciples. i, i¡¯m going to climb out of my grave!¡± pei xuan¡¯s heart trembled. when he saw li ming in the illusion, who was still controlling the formation without giving up, a wave of anger rushed to his throat. his face was flushed red and his fingers were trembling. at this moment, lin xue¡¯s tender voice sounded. ¡°why should i be ashamed? senior apprentice¡¯s formation looks so powerful!¡± pei xuan felt dizzy and almost suffocated. fortunately, li zhengxuan was there. this was his self-consolation. the battle between li zhengxuan and he fang quickly became intense. at the peak of this mountain, the surrounding mountains were all tiny. only a few white clouds were floating in the air. li zhengxuan¡¯s strength had exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. in fact, in terms of cultivation, li zhengxuan was the winner. however, in a real battle, higher cultivation did not mean it was more likely to win. however, even if li zhengxuan was defeated in this battle, no one would doubt his ability. even if he fang won, li zhengxuan would still become the strongest young genius on the heavenly origin supercontinent. he fang was well aware of this, which was why his expression was so gloomy. he did not expect that there was actually someone in this world who could defeat him. even if there was, it was definitely not from the heavenly origin supercontinent. who was li zhengxuan? what kind of place was the divine will sect? if this was a few months ago, who would have heard of this sect? an unknown guy actually stole his light in public. he fang¡¯s eyes flashed with hatred, and the sword in his hand became even sharper. the few elders who were watching shook their heads and sighed. he fang¡¯s heart lake sword was originally a calm lake without any ripples, but now, he fang¡¯s sword technique was ferocious and completely different from the ethereal and illusory one before. although he looked stronger, in reality, his strength had already decreased. li zhengxuan was not afraid at all. he faced the fierce sword attack head-on. he had a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. compared to he fang¡¯s handsomeness, the difference was like heaven and earth. however, his calm square face made him more charming. only a few nascent soul experts with sharp eyes could see the flash of confusion in his eyes. this was the chaos and instability of the heart chakra stage of sword intent. a few elders and sect leaders took the opportunity to teach their disciples what the changes in sword intent were. the divine sword technique was what li zhengxuan relied on! the long-lost divine sword technique was finally displayed by him. even pei xuan and the others were dumbfounded. as for the surrounding powerhouses, they were even more shocked by this scene. it was difficult to compare! on the heavenly origin supercontinent, a sixth-grade sword technique was the strongest! he fang felt extremely uncomfortable. li zhengxuan¡¯s sword seemed to have no physical body, coming and going without a trace. however, what depressed him the most was that sword essence! he could feel the sharp and condensed sword intent, but when he blocked it, it was as if he had slashed into the air. it was as if this sword intent was just a phantom and did not have a physical body. however, if he left it alone, his body would be riddled with holes. he fang had never suffered such a huge loss before. the sword intent of this person in front of him was extremely strange and did not conform to common sense at all! the heart lake sword technique that he cultivated was the ultimate technique of the heart lake sword sect. it was ranked high among the fifth-grade martial artists. could it be that this person¡¯s sword technique was of a higher level than the heart lake sword technique? it didn¡¯t exist! how could a small, remote sect have a cultivation technique of the fifth grade and above? read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only he fang stared at li zhengxuan, his teeth clenched so hard that they made cracking sounds. his sword qi became even sharper. if he couldn¡¯t figure it out, he might as well not think about it! he fang made up his mind! ¡°our sect¡¯s divine sword technique is really amazing!¡± compared to li ming¡¯s depression, yang li was full of praise for li zhengxuan¡¯s battle. xu shan did not have the time to say anything else. his eyes were wide open as he looked at li zhengxuan without blinking.. Chapter 162 - Chapter 162: Reappearance of the Divine Sword Technique chapter 162: reappearance of the divine sword technique translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation pei xuan¡¯s gaze was dull as he looked into the distance. his lips trembled as he muttered to himself. ¡°master, i didn¡¯t disappoint you¡­ the divine sword technique had always troubled him. now that it finally saw the light of day again, it made him extremely excited. the strength of the four of them was well-known among the demon hunters, but they were willing to hide in east floating because they wanted to inherit the torch. now, not only did li zhengxuan have such a talented disciple with a limitless future, but the divine sword technique had also reappeared in the world. he was excited and could not suppress it. under such circumstances, everyone knew that the divine will sect was undoubtedly the number one sect on the heavenly origin supercontinent! with such an exquisite sword technique and such a peerless genius, the divine will sect was simply unbeatable. some of the quick-witted ones were already thinking about whether they should build a good relationship with this sect that suddenly appeared after the sword-testing conference ended. as for the others, such as the sect master of the departing moon sect, their faces were ugly. before this, the divine will sect could only be considered a faction that could not be underestimated. now, the divine will sect was one of the top factions on the heavenly origin supercontinent. the departing moon sect could no longer resist. at this moment, li zhengxuan was like a blazing sun, emitting a dazzling light, while the other competitors were like stars under the scorching sun, eclipsed. li ming was completely oblivious. he was fully focused on the formation in front of him. he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and started to set up the formation called sun moon light formation. su¡¯s fierce counterattack was beyond hai jun¡¯s expectations! three hurried voices sounded from behind the black veil. the obsidian sword in front of him suddenly lit up with a dazzling light. the surrounding air seemed to be pulled by a pair of invisible hands. there was no wind, but it gave people the feeling that the void was collapsing. the bone sword in hai jun¡¯s hand buzzed. the two balls of ghost fire in the skeleton¡¯s eyes were like candles in the wind, swaying. hai jun was shocked! the essence energy around su¡¯s body was extremely chaotic, and the white bone sword was like a small boat in a storm, swaying on the verge of collapse. at this moment, the connection between him and the white bone sword was almost severed! what kind of sword technique was this? shocked, hai jun quickly retreated. su immediately reacted and sneered. her right hand which was holding the obsidian sword suddenly loosened. the black longsword did not fall to the ground. instead, it floated, spinning at high speed and letting out a clear cry like a bell. when the bell rang, countless magnetic threads that were as thin as hair formed a huge net and covered the white bone sword! magnetic pole shield. without their flying swords, they were like ferocious tigers that had lost their teeth and claws. hai jun wouldn¡¯t let it go just like that. a cold light flashed in his eyes as he turned around and disappeared. ghost escape! at the same time, his figure appeared in the magnetic field! he was willing to die? su was slightly startled. as soon as he entered the magnetic field, hai jun¡¯s figure flashed and grabbed the white bone sword in his hand. with the white bone sword in hand, hai jun heaved a sigh of relief. he finally understood su¡¯s sword technique! the most powerful aspect of the magnetic sword technique was that it could mobilize the elemental energy between heaven and earth, thereby interfering with and isolating the connection between the flying sword and the cultivator. when cultivated to an extremely high realm, one could control the heaven earth yuan qi at will and even open up a world with endless power. however, su was still a long way from that level. hai jun gripped the bronze sword hilt and shook his wrist. the white bone sword let out a shrill cry and a black mist gushed out from the sword. black mist drifted out of the flying sword and exploded, turning into wisps of smoke that shot out in all directions. in the blink of an eye, a dense group of little ghosts appeared in the surroundings. these little ghosts were pitch-black in color, with ugly faces, round bellies, short limbs, and green eyes. they were ferocious and terrifying. countless little ghosts floated around hai jun, making one¡¯s hair stand on end. his eyes were strangely black and unfathomable. his originally shriveled and ferocious face was now devoid of any life, as pale as a corpse. su¡¯s expression finally changed! hai jun grunted and pointed at the sword in su¡¯s hand. little ghosts asking for directions. ¡°squeak!¡± the little ghosts in the air shrieked in unison. their expressions became ferocious, and their bodies swayed, turning into countless black shadows that pounced toward su. these little ghosts were extremely fast, appearing and disappearing in the air! ghost escape! these little brats actually knew how to use ghost escape! at this moment, su didn¡¯t dare to hold back. her right hand looked light, but it was actually extremely heavy as she slapped the spinning obsidian sword. the obsidian sword spun in front of her like a spinning windmill. an invisible magnetic force suddenly spread out in all directions. a slender finger as white as jade pointed at the center of the black halo. magnetic wheel shield. the invisible magnetic field around the light wheel suddenly became more powerful. circles of ripples spread out like water waves. a circle of invisible ripples quickly enveloped su¡¯s entire body. it was like a never-ending black storm, crackling and crackling. the little ghosts seemed to never get tired and pounced on su again and again. the invisible ripples were like a lake in a storm, constantly rippling, but no matter how the little ghosts attacked, they could not move at all. the two of them were in a stalemate for a moment, and neither of them had the upper hand. hai jun¡¯s black eyes stared at su who was behind the magnetic wheel shield. his figure suddenly disappeared, along with countless little ghosts. it came and went quickly! su¡¯s breathing became rapid, but she didn¡¯t dare to move her fingers. after confirming that hai jun was not there, she released her hand and put away the magnetic wheel shield. only then did she realize that her back had unknowingly been drenched in sweat. li ming, who was originally full of confidence, seemed to have woken up from a dream at this moment. he realized that he had underestimated the strong people of this world! after calming down the chaos in her body, su made up her mind to find li ming immediately. the earlier they found li ming, the greater their chances of winning. so far, she had not received the paper crane that li ming had left behind, which made her very worried. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only how could that wooden face be so unlucky? did something happen so quickly? she subconsciously sped up. if she had a flying sword that suited her¡­ li ming had already thrown the matter of the paper crane to the back of his mind. he was fully focused on studying the sun and moon light formation. the sun moon light formation was a fourth-grade formation that he had refined for someone else. he only had one of this kind of fourth-grade formation now. therefore, after he obtained it, he spent a lot of time studying it. he came to a very profound conclusion, as long as it was a fourth-grade formation or above, nothing was simple.. Chapter 163 - Chapter 163: Formation Defense chapter 163: formation defense translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation on the surface, the sun moon light formation didn¡¯t look too complicated. most of these sub-formations were second-grade formations. the most important ones were only third-grade formations. but the more he thought about it, the more he felt the profoundness of the sun moon light formation! each sub-formation was not difficult. he could easily complete it, but if he connected them together, it would be difficult. the smallest, the sun moon light formation, was made up of eighteen sub-formations. each sub-formation would have one more sub-formation than before. the sun moon light formation, formed by the 36 sub-formations, was extremely powerful. if li ming was trapped inside, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get out. this time, li ming chose the sun moon formation of the 72 sub-formations. seventy-two sub-formations were twice as many as 36 sub-formations, but the difficulty of setting them up was worlds apart. of course, this wasn¡¯t just a simple upgrade. the mountain of materials was mostly used by him to set up the sun moon light formation. if this formation was set up properly, li ming felt that if any golden core cultivators were to fall into it, it would be very difficult for them to escape unscathed. the sun moon formation was even more profound and unfathomable. if one couldn¡¯t find the core of the formation, it would be very difficult to break it with just strength. but in the center of the formation, there was a huge ¡°pill furnace¡± that li ming had carefully prepared! unfortunately, he did not have the time to imagine the scene of the other party being burned to ashes. he had to set up as soon as possible. setting up each of the 72 sub-formations required a lot of effort. thus, li ming planned to first create a sun and moon formation made up of 18 sub-formations. on this basis, he added another 18 to form a sun and moon formation with 36 sub-formations. slowly expanding the scale was to prevent people from finding trouble with him, and he did not have the strength to fight back. he was very proud of himself for coming up with such a brilliant idea. my cultivation level is too low. i won¡¯t compete directly! looking at the formation he had set up, li ming felt that victory was within his grasp. with the pond as the center, countless formations were set up around the pond. jade pieces, copper cauldrons, and nails were emitting dazzling light. the puddle that was originally half an acre of land had now become five acres. in the beginning, many people didn¡¯t notice li ming, but when the formation array of five acres was completely formed, colorful lights crisscrossed. in comparison, the golden armored soldiers summoned by the seal soldiers seemed insignificant compared to this enormous formation. this formation belt was too eye-catching. in the huge illusion, it was very easy to be noticed. therefore, many people¡¯s attention was focused on this dazzling place. everyone was at a loss and stood rooted to the ground. the expressions of pei xuan and the others became abnormally ugly. their cultivation was profound, so they could hear the conversation of the surrounding people clearly. ¡°i heard that this guy is from the divine will sect, he¡¯s very powerful!¡± ¡°no way, is it the divine will charm sect?¡± pei xuan raised his eyebrows, and the other three people¡¯s faces darkened. an impulse that they had never felt before surged into their hearts. they wished they could rush to the great pine pavilion right now and cut li ming with their saber to apologize to their ancestors! there was another round of whispers. ¡°i see!¡± a cultivator suddenly stood up. he had a look of realization and was extremely excited. ¡°what do you know?¡± his friends gathered around him when they heard what he said. ¡°li ming¡¯s true goal is the great pine pavilion! he wants to swallow the great pine pavilion bit by bit. yes, the book says that this is called ¡®nibbling.¡±¡® at this moment, not to mention pei xuan, even the disciples of the divine will sect were flushed red, wishing they could dig a hole to bury themselves. ¡°your disciple is useless! i¡¯ve let down grandmaster¡¯s expectations!¡± pei xuan¡¯s tears flowed down, extremely sorrowful. xu shan¡¯s hand unconsciously rested on the flying sword. his voice seemed to come from the depths of hell. ¡°i will tell him that he can forget about going to the divine will charm sect!¡± yang li, who was usually smiling cheekily, gritted his teeth. ¡°i won¡¯t give you a single spiritual crystal!¡± shi fengrong seemed relaxed. ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll heal him. he¡¯ll be fine, just go ahead.¡± the surrounding disciples were all dead silent at this moment. they subconsciously distanced themselves from these furious elders. li ming, who had no idea that he had caused public outrage, was proud of himself. he was like a hard-working ant that continued to expand. only five acres of land was not big enough! among the 72 sub-formations, once the sun moon light formation was set up, it would be a huge formation group that occupied a total of 15 acres! li ming gave this idea a name, it was formation defense. today was the day the formation defense became famous! li ming was smug! the battle between sha ning and the sallow-faced man had entered a white-hot stage. he was much stronger than when he fought li ming. every time he waved, there would be a blood-red sword light with a pungent smell. however, the sallow-faced man in front of him had a calm appearance. the copper spear in his hand was spinning. a layer of green light appeared on the copper spear, drawing a green curtain in the air. however, none of the blood-red light could penetrate this seemingly thin barrier. ¡°only superficial?¡± sha ning¡¯s eyes narrowed. his fingers trembled slightly, and the blood spider sword flew out of his hand. as soon as the flying sword rose into the air, it formed a huge black shadow in midair. bang! read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only six limbs as thick as wrists stomped on the ground, causing a cloud of smoke and dust to rise. the entire ground shook. a blood spider glared fiercely at the yellow-faced man. at this moment, its body was twice as big as when it fought with li ming. the six spider legs were all slender and full of spikes. the limbs had also become thicker and sturdier. the black patterns on the blood spider¡¯s body also became more obvious. it faintly emitted a metallic luster, letting people know at a glance that this was an extremely hard spider. the most terrifying thing was its face. on its flat face, one could vaguely make out some human features. his blurry face carried an indescribable malevolence, and a violent aura assaulted his face. ¡°hmm, very good. to be able to cultivate this cultivation technique to a realm that is close to human form, you are very talented.¡± the sallow-faced man said. ¡°but there are still some parts of your cultivation technique that you haven¡¯t practiced well. if you don¡¯t correct them, it will bring you endless trouble.¡± for the first time, sha ning¡¯s expression turned serious. from his words, it could be heard that he was very familiar with this cultivation technique.. Chapter 164 - Chapter 164: Secret Opponent chapter 164: secret opponent translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation although sha ning came from the departing moon sect, the technique he cultivated was not from this sect. he had taken it from the cultivator he had killed along with the blood spider sword. however, this cultivation technique was incomplete. it was obvious that the previous owner had obtained this cultivation technique from somewhere else. although the blood refinement technique was powerful, it was also much more dangerous than ordinary arts. if one was not careful, they would be counterattacked by the blood refinement technique. although sha ning was a strong and overbearing person, he was extremely cautious in his cultivation. that person¡¯s words struck sha ning¡¯s heart. ¡°how?¡± sha ning suddenly put away the spider. ¡°how?¡± ¡°come back to me after the competition,¡± the man said with a look of approval. sha ning was shocked. regardless of whether the other party was lying to him or not, from the man¡¯s movement technique, the other party¡¯s strength was definitely above his. compared to the earth-shattering commotion of the others, the fight between sha ning and the sallow-faced man happened in a flash, and no one noticed it. meng qing was like a cheetah, carefully moving through the forest. he was best at hiding and assassination. he had once escaped from the hands of a nascent soul cultivator, but this time, he was even more cautious. the area of fifteen mountains was very large, but a hundred golden core cultivators fighting here seemed insignificant. on the contrary, this battlefield was too small. the smaller the battlefield, the more intense and chaotic the battle would be. what made him most afraid was that these 99 people were all his enemies. unlike normal cultivators, his goal was very clear. however, every time he thought of this, he had an inexplicable feeling. was a mere foundation establishment cultivator worth spending so many spiritual crystals to kill? he felt disdain in his heart. how could a foundation establishment cultivator pass the last stage? however, since he had already taken the spiritual crystals, he had to do his best. without credibility, he would not be able to do business in the future. due to the limitations ot his cultivation base, he couldn¡¯t do much. he was also living on a tight budget. he came to the sword-testing conference because he wanted a share of the rewards. who knew that this time, his luck was really too good? the reward was quite generous, and most importantly, the other party was asking for the only foundation establishment cultivator in this sword-testing conference. if the target was someone else, he would be a little uncertain, but if it was li ming, he agreed without thinking. he had personally witnessed the battle between li ming and an yang. to be honest, he admired li ming¡¯s ability to defeat someone stronger than him. he had always suspected that an yang was the one who had placed the order. an yang must have been indignant about being eliminated, so he had secretly caused trouble. however, what did this have to do with him? he had never been someone who would go against spiritual crystals! nowadays, it was not easy to survive. other than his invisibility skill, his combat strength was average, so he could not take on many missions. he was very confident in this mission. he believed that li ming would be able to defeat an yang. on one hand, it was because an yang had underestimated him. on the other hand, li ming was well prepared. if it were him, he definitely wouldn¡¯t let li ming have so much leeway. from the very beginning, he had no intention of making a move openly. although li ming¡¯s strength was far inferior to his, he still chose to do an ambush because his goal was only the spiritual crystals. however, in order to do this, he had to find li ming first. this was what gave him the biggest headache. however, this was also reasonable. if there were no difficulties, no one would be willing to pay such a high price to hire him. he carefully controlled his body, moving slowly in the forest like a hazy shadow. the color of his entire body blended into the surrounding environment. he concealed his aura, making it difficult for others to discover him. because of this, no one noticed him along the way. he was extra cautious today. there were golden core cultivators everywhere, and there were some powerful cultivators among them. if they saw him, he had no chance of winning. right, there was a canyon ahead. meng qing planned to go over and take a look. after all, li ming¡¯s cultivation was much weaker than others. he did not dare to run around recklessly. after taking this job, he had thought that li ming would most likely hide in a corner and rely on formations to deal with his opponent. therefore, he had been observing every corner of the road carefully. the entrance of the valley ahead was very narrow. meng qing did not dare to let his guard down and carefully walked through the entrance of the valley. in the valley, luo ming¡¯s eyes were tightly shut. the flying sword beside him floated quietly. he was like a living volcano. on the surface, he looked calm, but in fact, the sword intent in his body was surging crazily. the first match of ¡°self separation¡± was today! an indescribable excitement grew in his heart. this excitement was like a silent flame burning in every part of his body. however, he was like an old monk. he did not move and suppressed the excitement in his heart! the airflow around him surged like a small tornado, whistling in the small valley. however, the strange thing was that the entrance of the valley did not move at all despite the strong winds in the valley. suddenly, he opened his eyes! there was someone there! although it was limited by his cultivation and experience, there were many mysteries in it. even xu shan was full of praise for it. luo ming, who was sitting cross-legged, willed the surrounding rocks and trees to become illusory and gradually disappear. in the end, they turned into nothingness. even the tiniest thing was so clear in his perception. it was as if a drop of ink had suddenly appeared on a snow-white piece of paper. even though it was very small, it could be seen clearly. meng qing¡¯s entire body had blended into the environment, and the naked eye couldn¡¯t discover him. however, in luo ming¡¯s eyes, there was another person! the excitement that had been suppressed for a long time finally had a place to vent. however, his expression was solemn. he raised his right hand, put his thumb and pinky together, and pointed the other three fingers at the sky. the flying sword that was floating quietly in the air suddenly opened its blood-red eyes like a beast that had just woken up from a deep sleep, revealing its ghastly white teeth. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only a loud and clear cry soared into the sky. on the sword, red and green light mixed, like a pair of red and green spirit beasts with intertwined necks, extremely happy! ¡°separate!¡± that sigh was ethereal as if it was right beside his ear. the red and green light began to turn white, and the joy on the sword also began to dim. a lonely feeling was emitted from the sword, like the autumn wind.. Chapter 165 - Chapter 165: Kill You All chapter 165: kill you all translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation the white mist-like flying sword flew very slowly. it was like a piece of ice that melted rapidly in the air. the moment luo ming made his move, meng qing realized that he had been exposed. he didn¡¯t dare to delay. with a leap, he rushed out of the valley! the other party¡¯s flying sword made his heart skip a beat. what kind of sword technique was this? especially when he saw the other party¡¯s flying sword slowly disappear in the air, the sense of danger in his heart reached a new height. he trusted his intuition the most. every time he felt that something was wrong, he would sense that there was danger! but just like today, the only time he had encountered a strong danger was when he was being chased by a nascent soul cultivator. heavens! weren¡¯t all of them golden core cultivators? could it be that he had run into he fang? damn it, he couldn¡¯t be so unlucky, right? meng qing¡¯s expression changed drastically. although this sense of danger was not as strong as the one he had encountered before, it was still firmly ranked second. he was shocked and no longer had any scruples. all the spiritual energy in his body was poured into his back and he was about to rush out of the valley! behind him was a solid shield that looked like a turtle shell. he had just taken a step when an invisible force hit the spiritual shield on his back. the extremely hard spiritual shield was instantly shattered. pfft! meng qing¡¯s eyes widened as if he had been struck by lightning. he spat out a large mouthful of blood and fell unconscious. a figure landed on the ground and looked at the unconscious meng qing. ¡°you¡¯re defeated,¡± he said indifferently. after saying that, he grabbed meng qing and disappeared in a flash. however, before he left, he looked at luo ming with surprise. yan yan¡¯s expression was a little ugly. in the battle between li zhengxuan and he fang, the strength displayed by both sides far exceeded his own. this made him, a proud person, feel very unhappy. he was in a bad mood, but he did not hide his emotions. the sword intent surged all over his body, waiting for someone to fall into his hands. as the eldest senior brother of the dong qi sword sect and zuo meitian¡¯s favorite disciple, yan yan¡¯s cultivation was not low. he didn¡¯t hide his presence at all. normal cultivators would turn and leave when they saw him. even those who had the ability did not want to consume their spiritual energy too quickly. everyone understood that whoever exhausted their spiritual energy first would be eliminated. this round was not only a test of strength but also perseverance. he heard the sound of fighting coming from the front. he snorted coldly and walked straight over. nangong yun¡¯s entire body was glowing with golden light. he held a huge sword in his hand. his huge body was like a small mountain. he glared at them with an imposing aura. nearby, zhang haowen was dressed in a white robe. although he wasn¡¯t as outstanding as he fang, he was still gentle and refined. the slender jade bamboo flying sword revolved around him, not inferior at all. both of them were very strong, especially the mountain splitting sword. it was extremely ferocious. every move and stance carried a thunderous roar. the sword light rolled like waves. the power was so great that it was enough to split mountains and rocks! the elders of the various sects who were watching the battle between the two were all amazed. ¡°this nangong yun is really talented. the mountain splitting sword, a second-grade sword scripture, can display such power in his hands! if this kid is properly nurtured, he will definitely become a grandmaster in the future!¡± ¡°that¡¯s right! whoever can take him in as a disciple will have one more expert!¡± however, no one was surprised by zhang haowen¡¯s strength. the elders of the divine will sect also turned to nangong yun. ¡°senior brother, this kid is really powerful! do you want us to bid as well?¡± yang li stared at it without blinking, as if he was looking at a treasure. pei xuan thought about it and shook his head helplessly. ¡°this child is a good seedling, but you know our situation. just li zhengxuan alone is enough to give us a headache. with the addition of an even more troublesome li ming, it will be even more difficult to deal with. ¡°luo ming has improved a lot during this time. his personality has matured a lot. with a little training, his future is limitless.¡± while everyone was worrying about not having a single outstanding disciple under their command, pei xuan was worrying about why there were so many outstanding disciples. ¡°you don¡¯t have to worry about money. after this sword-testing conference, i¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be impossible for us to endure like before. if you want to fight for something, you should fight for it. i¡¯ve been holding it in for the past few years.¡± when yang li said this, he was quite bold. pei xuan smiled slightly, a trace of splendor flashing in his eyes. xu shan suddenly interrupted. ¡°there¡¯s no cultivation technique that¡¯s suitable for him.¡¯ only then did everyone realize this. nangong yun¡¯s talent was indeed not bad, but this also depended on the cultivation method he cultivated. even though vajra arts and mountain splitting sword were only second-grade cultivation techniques, because they were cultivation techniques suitable for him, their power had increased greatly. if the cultivation technique was wrong, he did not know how far he could cultivate it. anyone with eyes could tell with a glance that nangong yun was a cultivator who cultivated a special technique. ¡°isn¡¯t vajra arts li ming¡¯s cultivation method?¡± shi fengrong asked. ¡°why don¡¯t we ask him to cultivate the vajra arts as well?¡± pei xuan smiled bitterly. ¡°the vajra arts is only a third-grade body tempering technique. it¡¯s circulated in many sects. it is very difficult for us to come up with a good condition. forget it, i don¡¯t want to bring them all here. if that happens, they will be delayed.¡± the others were also silent. they also knew that there was no sword scripture suitable for nangong yun in the sect, so they gave up on this idea. ¡°eh?¡± yang li suddenly pointed at the mirage. ¡°look, this guy seems to be yan yan. he¡¯s quite close to li ming.¡± however, when their gazes fell on li ming, they were furious. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only previously, the five acres of land that was emitting light was extremely eye-catching. now, that area had doubled in size, reaching ten acres! what was he doing? this was the first thought that came to everyone¡¯s mind. the second thought was, ¡°i¡¯m dead! this is too embarrassing!¡± the original five acres of formations were only a small part of this lush mountain range, but now, it was like a huge patch, shining brightly. li ming tirelessly went in and out of the formation. if one observed carefully, one would find that he could not hide the excitement on his face. if it was someone who could read lips, they would be able to tell what he was saying at a glance. ¡°fight me, i won¡¯t kill you!¡± Chapter 166 - Chapter 166: Yan Yan Is Here chapter 166: yan yan is here translator: dragon boat translation editor: dragon boat translation ¡°i can¡¯t beat you with my cultivation. i¡¯ll take out a spirit crystal and smash you to death. spirit crystals can make people submit obediently!¡± ¡°i don¡¯t have money, but i¡¯m shameless¡­¡± however, lip reading was not difficult. many people knew it, so many people could understand such words. pei xuan and the others felt that their fragile minds had been greatly impacted by this sword-testing conference. now, the people around them were laughing. they felt like they were being mocked. they were scared out of their wits. god bless! the sect master of divine will sect! the famous ice avenue sword! yang li and shi fengrong were nascent soul experts! but now, everyone was on their last breaths because of a foundation establishment disciple. yan yan was indeed heading towards li ming. although he wanted to compete with zhang haowen, zhang haowen and nangong yun were fighting fiercely, so he couldn¡¯t interfere. it was not a glorious thing for them to do anything for victory. be it zhang haowen or yan yan, they were both proud people. they would never allow themselves to bully the weak. he had no choice but to change his target. the seal soldier¡¯s golden head, which was taller than the forest, was like a lighthouse in the dark, pointing yan yan in the right direction. ¡°this is going to be interesting! yan yan met a stiff-faced man!¡± ¡°this is retribution! what i hate the most is people who use spirit stones to trick people! ¡± ¡°you¡¯ve disgraced our east floating sword cultivator! yan yan, i will support you! how embarrassing, hurry up and kill him! what a disgrace!¡± when pei xuan and the others heard the anger of the surrounding east floating sword cultivators, they wished they could clap their hands and cheer. ¡°phew!¡± yang li sighed. ¡°alright! he finally stopped!¡± ¡°losing to yan yan isn¡¯t a disgrace.¡± pei xuan heaved a sigh of relief. xu shan nodded his head, which was rare. the three of them spoke in unison. they all hoped that yan yan could end this battle as soon as possible so that li ming would not make a fool of himself here. they all felt that letting li ming enter the finals of the sword-testing conference was the stupidest decision they had ever made in their lives. the reputation and points that li zhengxuan earned for the sect were far less than the part that li ming made the sect lose face. this caused them to suffer heavy losses. only shi fengrong had an unhappy expression. ¡°why is yan yan here? i hate that old man zuo meitian to death!¡± she suddenly turned her head. ¡°why don¡¯t we ask li zhengxuan to get li ming out?¡± pei xuan was deep in thought. ¡°it¡¯s not good for our own people to fight our own people!¡± ¡°let yan yan kick li ming out first, then let li zhengxuan kick yan yan out!¡± yang li suggested. xu shan, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spat out a word. ¡°wonderful!¡± li ming and yan yan¡¯s bets were soon hung at the entrances of the major casinos, and the waiters shouted at the top of their lungs. ¡°ten moves bet, shocking east floating! the biggest dark horse in the last two matches, would it be a dark horse this time? it is about to be revealed! this is an earth-shattering gamble. if you don¡¯t participate, how can it be considered perfect?¡± ¡°come and take a look! a powerful sword against a powerful shield! what? not even a shield? oh my god!¡± ¡°look, is there a shield as strong as a turtle in this world? this is the strongest turtle formation this year!¡± ¡°look at the name li ming gave his masterpiece! this was a complete defense rune array! just this name alone gives people an inexplicable sense of security. it¡¯s worth your bet!¡± ¡°the odds are one to five hundred! isn¡¯t this enough? i swear on my reputation that there won¡¯t be any more odds than this! think about it, last time, it was our legendary li ming who single-handedly planned an earth-shattering gamble. countless people earned a lot from it! my neighbor wang xiao¡¯er¡¯s aunt¡¯s son only bet ten crystals¡­¡± fu dong rolled his eyes and placed all the spiritual crystals in his hand on the sword. ¡°it¡¯s not that i have confidence in you,¡± he muttered. ¡°it¡¯s the grudge between me and the east qi sword sect!¡± fu dong had recognized yan yan! the last time, yan yan and another disciple of the east qi sword sect were traveling together. it was also at that time that the other disciple of the east qi sword sect injured fu dong. it was at that time that li ming helped him, so their relationship became even closer. his eyes were red as he bit his lip. he couldn¡¯t help but break out in cold sweat for li ming. he had heard of yan yan¡¯s strength. moreover, with the grudge between the two of them, yan yan would not show mercy. li ming¡¯s divine sense was far superior to ordinary people, and he quickly discovered yan yan. yan yan walked up to li ming unhurriedly. actually, li ming already had the thought of running away. he could still hold on to a sliver of hope for normal cultivators. however, facing experts like yan yan and zhang haowen, he had no chance of winning. the formation defense that he was proud of had a huge flaw. once it was activated, it could only passively defend. the last time the two had met, nothing good had happened. moreover, because of him, another east qi sword sect disciple had been chased out of east floating. alright, since he couldn¡¯t escape, then he would stay here! li ming made up his mind. when he acted shamelessly, he did have some dignity. wasn¡¯t it just yan yan? looking around, he saw countless shiny materials that looked like sparkling crystals, flowing with a dazzling luster. a sense of pride arose spontaneously! even if it was the tablet spirit called the sky demon, i could beat him up with spiritual crystals. you¡¯re just a golden core cultivator. i don¡¯t believe that i can¡¯t kill you! in fact, li ming wasn¡¯t very confident. his sun moon light formation had only set up 45 sub-formations. he was still 27 sub-formations away from completing the 72 sub-formations. a mother-child formation like the sun moon light formation had a special characteristic. the more sub-formations there were, the stronger it would be. moreover, its power did not increase according to the number of sub-formations. instead, it increased according to the number of six, 12, 36, and so on. li ming estimated that these 72 sub-formations were more than four times stronger than the 36 sub-formations from before. of course, the difficulty of setting it up was also very different. once the number reached a certain level, the difficulty would increase exponentially if he wanted to add another one. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only but now, he did not have the time to think about this problem because he had no other choice. yan yan did not stop at all. step by step, he continued to approach li ming. li ming took out a five-colored pagoda without saying anything. the five-colored pagoda rose into the sky and expanded with the wind. in the blink of an eye, the pagoda had grown to the height of a person. the five-colored pagoda flew over the pond, and the pond below was immediately covered in a thick mist. the rolling mist rushed to the bottom of the five-colored pagoda at an extremely fast speed. from afar, it looked like the five-colored pagoda was lifted by the mist.. Chapter 167 - Chapter 167: Seven Plum Sword Chapter 167: Seven Plum Sword Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The five-colored pagoda suddenly became bright. Five-colored rays of light flew out of the pagoda and entered every formation. The jade pieces, iron nails, and bronze cauldrons inside the formation were like bright lanterns. Colorful lights poured into the pond, lighting it up. In their eyes, the dazzling array of glyphs was like a huge piece of gold embedded in the green melon hat of a landlord. They looked like a nouveau riche, and they disdained it. However, when the formations were activated, all the formations lit up in a flash. What a splendid scene! No one saw it. Only the most important forbidden area of the sect would have such a large formation belt. and it was no small forbidden area. Whether it was the Divine Will Sect or the East Floating Hall, it was the same. The Heart Lake Sword Sect had it, but it had never been used. It had been hundreds of years since the last time it was used. The cultivators that were densely packed around East Floating were completely stunned by this scene! The battle between Li Zhengxuan and He Fang was undoubtedly much more brilliant, and their techniques were also much more powerful. However, in front of this huge formation, it seemed insignificant. With Li Zhengxuan and He Fang¡¯s cultivation, each sword light was more than a meter long, at most two meters. No matter how gorgeous it was, it couldn¡¯t compare to the formation with a radius of ten miles. For a time, East Floating fell into a deathly silence. After a while, everyone recovered from their shock. All of East Floating City was in an uproar. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators shouted in unison. From the initial silence to the current clamor, the cultivators with low cultivation only felt their ears buzz and could no longer hear any sound. Their eardrums buzzed from the shock. It took them a while to recover. However, their discussion did not stop. Instead, it became more and more intense. ¡°It¡¯s worth it! This trip was worth it!¡± ¡°What a big deal! I have to say, this Li Ming is really capable. He always brings us surprises!¡± ¡°Formation defense?¡± Just as everyone was dumbstruck, the formation was fully activated. The formation of ten acres suddenly changed. A crescent moon hung high above the pond, shining brightly. Green mist rose from the formation and covered everything. In the fog, circles of light, large and small, floated in the air, gathering and dispersing, as agile as fish. Three people were standing on the roof of a residential building in East Floating City. ¡°Li Ming is worthy of being a formation genius. He comprehended the Sun Moon Light Formation so quickly, truly amazing! Fortunately, we didn¡¯t offend him that day.¡± They were the three people who had asked Li Ming to refine the Ink-colored Lotus Seed that day. ¡°Hmph, he¡¯s just a foundation establishment cultivator who borrowed external power. What can he do?¡± The fierce man snorted coldly. ¡°The weaker the cultivation, the better.¡± ¡°Are you trying to use force? Don¡¯t forget that he has a very powerful senior brother!¡± The fierce man shook his head. Li Zhengxuan¡¯s tyrannical attitude made the three of them tremble in fear. ¡°We have too few people. His eldest senior brother is a good helper.¡± The hook-nosed man said. ¡°He¡¯s only at the foundation establishment stage. No matter how strong the formation is, it can¡¯t be that strong.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you have good talent.¡± The man in red said. ¡°Although Li Zhengxuan is powerful, he is alone. The three of us don¡¯t need to be afraid of him.¡¯ The red-robed man had a lot of say, so the other two did not object. Moreover, what he said was the truth. Many cultivators knew formations, but there were very few who were proficient in formations. Those who were slightly famous would either demand an exorbitant price or be unwilling to take risks. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the fierce man said with a smile. ¡°If he dares to have any ill intentions, we¡¯ll bring out the Black Lotus Yin Flag that we just refined. We can test its effects. ¡°But how do we convince Li Ming? He¡¯s not that easy to fool, and we can¡¯t force him.¡± The red-robed man was very confident about this. ¡°We¡¯ll lure him. Li Ming is easy to lure, needless to say, a sword fanatic like Li Zhengxuan might also be persuaded.¡± Just as the three of them were chatting, Yan Yan had just stepped into the range of the Sun Moon Light Formation. The moment the formation was activated, Yan Yan was slightly startled. He immediately recovered and his footsteps were neither fast nor slow, just like a steady expert. However, the terrifying aura he emitted proved that his fighting spirit had already risen to the peak. Li Ming¡¯s figure flashed and disappeared into the array. The green mist lingered around as if it had formed a world of its own. Countless light circles of various sizes were full of spirituality. The two light circles collided from time to time, like glass colliding, emitting a clear and pleasant sound. The clanking sounds echoed in the fog. They were erratic, but they did not dissipate for a long time. As far as the eye could see, there was green mist everywhere, and there were circles of light that looked like schools of fish. Not only Li Ming, but even the jade stones scattered on the ground had disappeared. Clang! Clang! Yan Yan couldn¡¯t help but snort. As one of the most outstanding disciples of the youngest generation in the East Qi Sword Sect, he had learned sword arts from his master, but his attainments in formations could only be considered half-baked. What did it matter? He was not afraid at all. One sword can break all techniques. This referred to the sword cultivator! Impossible! He had long forgotten about his hatred for Li Ming. He had never taken it to heart. His disciples were expelled from the sect because he was inferior to them, and he could not be bothered. He didn¡¯t really hate Li Ming, but he definitely didn¡¯t like him. Unfortunately, Zhang Haowen met Nangong Yun first. He looked at Zhang Haowen and Nangong Yun, who were in a heated battle, with some regret. Then, he looked at Li Ming and felt even less interested. Even without Zhang Haowen, Nangong Yun was still a good option. Why did he have to choose Li Ming? As he thought, he summoned his flying sword. This flying sword was very special. It was shaped like a plum branch. The plum branch was knotted like a green bone, filled with ancient power. There were seven beautiful flowers on the branch, as if they had just been picked, emitting a faint fragrance. ¡°Seven Plum Sword? It is Zuo Meitian¡¯s Seven Plum Sword?! It seems that he has high hopes for Yan Yan!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°This is the most powerful sword technique of the East Qi Sword Sect, the ¡®Seven Plum Sword¡¯? It is indeed extraordinary! Zuo Meitian is really bold to give such a top-grade flying sword to a golden core disciple!¡± Everyone¡¯s faces were filled with shock. The Seven Plum Sword was the most famous flying sword of the East Qi Sword Sect, and it was also the fourth-grade flying sword that was most compatible with the Plum Splitting Sword Technique. However, the most famous thing about this flying sword was its owner, Zuo Meitian.. Chapter 168 - Chapter 168: Secret Realm Chapter 168: Secret Realm Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Zuo Meitian was also a famous figure on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent. He was known for his brutality and made people fear him. All these years, he had been cultivating in seclusion. It was said that he was teaching his disciples. Now, it seemed that it was true. To be able to give a treasure like the Seven Plum Sword to Yan Yan was enough to show how much he loved him. Those who coveted the Seven Plum Sword immediately threw their greed to the back of their minds. The juniors were easy to deal with, but if the juniors were beaten up, the elders would not be easy to deal with. The four disciples of the Divine Will Sect had solemn expressions on their faces. Even though they wished that Li Ming had already withdrawn from the competition, when they saw Yan Yan take out the Seven Plum Sword, their expressions changed slightly. Zuo Meitian was known for his savagery, and his disciple Yan Yan wasn¡¯t easy to deal with either. They were not afraid that Li Ming would lose, but they were afraid that Li Ming would be injured. If Yan Yan¡¯s temperament was the same as his master Zuo Meitian, then Li Ming would probably be in trouble today! But now, Li Ming¡¯s formation has been pushed to the limit. It was difficult for them to see the situation inside through the illusion. A crescent moon was dancing in the middle of the green formation! To everyone¡¯s surprise, Li Ming did not act as if he was facing a great enemy. Under the cover of the formation, he silently came to the other side and was still setting up the child formation of the Sun Moon Light Formation! With one more sub-formation, the Sun Moon Light Formation would be able to display a greater effect. His speed was extremely fast, and he was already familiar with the 45 sub-formations. He guessed that Yan Yan was probably testing him at the beginning, so he decided to take this opportunity to make use of this time. It was nothing more than to see who was faster. Let¡¯s see if your sword technique breaks the formation first or if my formation is stronger! Li Ming steeled his heart, and his hands suddenly sped up. No one would have thought that Li Ming could still persist in setting up the array at such a critical moment. Li Zhengxuan¡¯s clothes were tattered, and his body was covered with tiny sword marks. He looked exhausted. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he could still hold on, the referees would have stopped him long ago. He Fang¡¯s expression was very calm. The malevolence and viciousness on his face had long disappeared. Everyone had high hopes for him. Up until now, he had not lost a single battle. How could he not see his situation clearly? Once he realized what was going on and made the necessary adjustments, Li Zhengxuan immediately fell into a disadvantageous position. His heart was like a calm lake, without any trace. Li Zhengxuan tried his best to resist. If it wasn¡¯t for his deeper understanding of sword intent, which allowed him to dodge or block at critical moments every time, he would have been defeated long ago. However, he still couldn¡¯t block He Fang¡¯s attack. He Fang was no longer as anxious as before. He became calmer and calmer. The gap between the two of them was constantly widening. Different cultivation techniques were also worlds apart. Some sword techniques were violent and overbearing, each move was like a thunderbolt, showing no mercy. Some sword techniques focused on a prolonged battle. They didn¡¯t seek to kill in one move, but they won by using one move after another. It was like nibbling away at the opponent until they couldn¡¯t fight back. For example, He Fang. ¡°He Fang is indeed powerful. He has already cultivated the Heart Lake Sword to perfection at such a young age! Even Bo Rong couldn¡¯t do this back then.¡± Tian Songzi couldn¡¯t help but praise. After a pause, he couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°This Li Zhengxuan is also very powerful! Putting aside the fact that he was able to cultivate the Sword Following Heart at the golden core stage, just this temperament alone is already very rare. Even in a desperate situation, he refused to yield. This kid¡¯s future achievements are limitless!¡± ¡°Not bad. I¡¯m afraid that in the future, the other sects in our East Floating City will have to depend on the Divine Will Sect.¡± The sect master of the Moon Departing Sect looked at Tian Songzi and said. The moment these words were said, many people from the small sects in East Floating revealed displeased expressions. Although Tian Songzi understood this, he didn¡¯t point it out. He said indifferently, ¡°The strong are respected. The stronger you are, the better you will be treated.¡± Does sect master Feng think that Divine Will Sect is not strong enough?¡± ¡°What?¡± Feng MO was speechless. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that the Divine Will Sect¡¯s appetite is too big!¡± he argued. A trace of disgust flashed in Tian Songzi¡¯s eyes. He looked around and said in a deep voice, ¡°Divine Will Sect has been keeping a low profile all these years. If they are greedy, not to mention the cultivation of sect master Pei and the others, just the power of Ice Avenue Sword alone is something that not many people in our East Floating can resist.¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s expression relaxed. If this was the case with the Divine Will Sect, how could they resist? Tian Songzi said in a deep voice, ¡°The Divine Will Sect is a part of East Floating. If they are strong, then East Floating will be strong. If East Floating is strong, you will also receive great benefits.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I don¡¯t think sect master Pei and the others are the kind of people who would snatch other people¡¯s things. If we can take another step forward in these 13 towns, it will be a great thing!¡± Someone echoed. Everyone agreed in unison. Tian Songzi¡¯s prestige in East Floating was unparalleled. For many years, he had always been fair and everyone trusted him. The sect master of the Moon Departing Sect stood beside him, his expression uncertain. Tian Songzi suddenly stood up. Everyone understood that he was going to speak, so there was silence. ¡°Many people don¡¯t know why I organized this sword-testing conference.¡± Although his voice wasn¡¯t loud, it carried a trace of dignity. Everyone¡¯s spirits were lifted and they listened attentively. Those who were smarter could already tell that this was no small matter. ¡°Perhaps some people know, and perhaps some people don¡¯t, that the Blood World is showing signs of instability.¡± At first, there was silence, then an uproar. ¡°No way!¡± Someone exclaimed. ¡°It can¡¯t be?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there many experts there?¡± Even the sect master of the Departing Moon Sect was stunned on the spot, fear gradually appearing in his eyes. The Blood World was like a buffer zone between cultivators and demons. This was a good place to hunt monsters. As long as you were strong enough, you could get what you wanted. Spiritual Crystals, magical treasures, precious materials¡­ Generation after generation of experts had made a name for themselves here. This place was like a cultivator¡¯s backyard, a treasure trove. Therefore, when Tian Songzi told them that the Blood World was becoming unstable, no one realized what was going on with the sword-testing conference or what it meant. When people thought about how the Blood World was formed, they finally understood. No matter how calm they were, they couldn¡¯t help but change their expressions. ¡°Really?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°There was no news at all before!¡± Fear spread in everyone¡¯s hearts, and they asked this question at the same time. Everyone understood that since Tian Songzi said this, it must be true. Tian Songzi had far more sources of information than them. Tian Songzi let out a long breath. ¡°I will open the secret realm for the top 100 local cultivators of this sword-testing conference.¡± It was another piece of heavy news! Chapter 169 - Chapter 169: A Plum Blossom Chapter 169: A Plum Blossom Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Secret realm! The secret realm was like a small world. No one knew how this world was born. However, every realm had secret realms, just in different numbers and without patterns. Every secret realm was different, but they all had one thing in common. Any mystic realm would have extremely dense spiritual qi. If one could cultivate inside, it would be twice the result with half the effort. In the mystic realm, because the spiritual qi was extremely dense and there were few people, there would be a lot of rare spiritual herbs and spirit beasts. In some secret realms, there might even be a ¡®cave abode¡¯ left behind from ancient times. No one would have thought that East Floating Hall had a secret realm! He was indeed the true East Floating Master. His wealth was so abundant that it was hard to imagine. ¡°This mystic realm was discovered by the founder when he first built it in East Floating. Unfortunately, cultivators above the nascent soul stage cannot enter, so we have never opened this mystic realm.¡± ¡°This time, the catastrophe is coming. All disciples of any sect who are in the top 100 of the sword-testing conference can enter the secret realm. However, whether or not they can obtain anything depends on their luck.¡± Tian Songzi said. The fear on the faces of the sect masters instantly disappeared. In East Floating City, there were not many disciples in the top ten. However, in the top hundred, almost all the core disciples of the sects would appear here. ¡°Thank you, Senior! I¡¯m really ashamed!¡± A sect master stepped forward and bowed to Tian Songzi. The other sect masters also stood up and bowed to Tian Songzi to thank him. They had never heard of any sect that would allow the disciples of other sects to enter their own mystic realm. Tian Songzi¡¯s broad-mindedness made people respect him. Even the sect master of the Departing Moon Sect, Feng MO, didn¡¯t hesitate and bowed. Tian Songzi was not happy at all. He only sighed. ¡°The torch flame is passed down. With the torch flame, there is an inheritance!¡± Everyone¡¯s hearts sank. After hearing Tian Songzi¡¯s words, they knew that the situation was much more serious than they had thought. Yan Yan saw the rings of light that looked like they were alive. Without any hesitation, he walked into the formation. He took a step forward, and everything around him changed. He was standing on an empty plain. Above his head, countless halos of different sizes swam around him like a school of fish. In the light blue mist that was like the dawn, the clanging sounds became even more emereal. Circles of mischievous and nimble light circles hung high above his head. A curved moon hung in the sky, shining bright moonlight that blurred the surrounding fog. How could a foundation establishment cultivator set up such a formation? Yan Yan was a little surprised and couldn¡¯t help but look at Li Ming in a new light. Although his attainments in formations were not deep, under Zuo Meitian¡¯s careful guidance, his foundation was deep. It was not something that Li Ming, a disciple who had become a monk halfway, could compare to. Although he didn¡¯t know what kind of formation Li Ming had set up, he could understand what the formation in front of him represented. He had already made up his mind to put away his underestimation. This Li Ming could definitely be considered a formation genius. Yan Yan walked inside slowly, his face brimming with confidence. So what if he was a formation genius? He was not afraid at all. Instead, he went from being depressed at the beginning to being excited now. Yan Yan, who was originally filled with fighting spirit, was even more imposing at this moment! With a flick of his wrist, he pinched the plum branch into a circle. A plum blossom trembled slightly and left the branch, floating in the air. A Plum Blossom. The plum blossom silently dissipated into the air and turned into a pink ball of light. The ball of light seemed to be pulled to both sides by a pair of invisible hands. It quickly became flat and thin, and a faint sword intent suddenly spread out from the pink ball of light. The slender pink sword light didn¡¯t have a trace of warmth. Instead, it turned into a real sword light. The cold and murderous aura soared to the extreme! Yan Yan¡¯s pupils contracted slightly. It was as sharp and awe-inspiring as the pink sword light just now! As he moved, the light circles that filled the sky were like a group of frightened fish. The tinkling sounds were like raindrops and continuous! ¡°Go forth!¡± Yan Yan shouted and pointed the pinched plum blossom forward. The sharp and slender pink sword energy suddenly flashed, bringing with it a shocking pink light as it entered the circle of light. The sword light was extremely sharp, and the rings of light shattered like bubbles. Countless fragments fell from the sky like snowflakes. Under the bright moonlight and in the green fog, the specks of light made the killing aura of this sword less bleak and more poignant. Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Yan Yan¡¯s strength was not on the same level as An Yang¡¯s. The power of the attack just now made his heart tremble. If he still had the thought of striking first in his heart just now, then Yan Yan¡¯s attack made him realize how unreliable this thought was. This was the only way. If Yan Yan discovered his whereabouts, with his half-baked sword intent, he would be defeated in less than three moves. After making up his mind, the last bit of distracting thoughts in Li Ming¡¯s mind disappeared, and he moved even faster. Hurry up! Faster! Yan Yan frowned. The halos were like bubbles that broke upon contact. However, their numbers were endless! Unknowingly, his sword intent had been weakened by more than half and lost all its sharpness. However, the halo above his head did not decrease at all. More importantly, he couldn¡¯t find Li Ming! He looked around but did not see Li Ming. He knew that in this formation, one couldn¡¯t trust what they saw. However, when he used his spirit sense to scan the surroundings, he would always be disturbed by some inexplicable interference. He couldn¡¯t make an accurate judgment. All the signs indicated that the formation Li Ming had set up was extraordinary. However, Yan Yan did not panic at all. When others saw how fierce he was, they would think that he could not wait to find Li Ming and defeat him. But that was not the case. He loved battles and challenges. The stronger Li Ming was, the more his fighting spirit rose. He wanted to destroy Li Ming¡¯s formation! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What could be more satisfying than destroying the other party¡¯s reliance? Thinking of this, Yan Yan¡¯s blood began to boil! When the Sun Moon Light Formation was activated, its power was so great that it shocked everyone. It wasn¡¯t just the spectators of East Floating, even the cultivators of Great Pine Pavilion were shocked by this sudden light! Even though the cultivators with meticulous thoughts were filled with curiosity, they did not leave. Instead, they obediently stood where they were. However, any cultivators with some ability would charge towards the spot of light without hesitation. Su increased her speed to the fastest. She ignored the cultivators around her and instead urged the spiritual power in her body to move forward at the fastest speed.. Chapter 170 - Chapter 170: Watching the Show Together Chapter 170: Watching the Show Together Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The obsidian under her feet emitted a powerful suction force. Her entire body was like a twisted shadow, faintly discernible. Compared to other flying swords, the flight of the Obsidian Sword was more like a gliding motion. However, her speed was too fast. She left a sharp sound in the air and went straight for the dazzling light. This guy didn¡¯t even let go of the paper crane! Flying in the air, Su¡¯s brows furrowed countless times. She was extremely disgusted by Li Ming¡¯s actions. This kind of guy who knew that he was no match but still pretended to be pretentious was the easiest to be hated by his peers. Although she had never treated Li Ming as her partner, she had refined the flying sword and needed Li Ming¡¯s help. She could not sit idly by. If Li Ming couldn¡¯t get into the top ten, it would be meaningless no matter how high her ranking was. What she hated the most was someone causing trouble for her! Just this once! When this matter was over, she did not want to see such an annoying person again. Suddenly, she recalled Lin Qian¡¯s words. For some reason, she felt a little irritated. Sha Ning walked leisurely, but the light emitted by the Sun Moon Light Formation was something that no sword light could compare to. ¡°What an interesting person.¡± On a small mountain, a figure disappeared into thin air and then appeared out of thin air not far away. This repeated. Due to his speed, his figure did not have time to dissipate before he arrived in front of them again. With every step he took, he would leave an afterimage on the spot, appearing very strange. Hai Jun used Ghost Evasion and arrived far away in the blink of an eye. His speed was not inferior to the flying sword in the slightest. But the direction he was heading in¡­ Along the way, everyone who saw him was dumbfounded and craned their necks. That was the area where they had seen the light earlier! Luo Ming had originally planned to wait for his prey to take the bait, but a flash of light suddenly appeared in the sky, causing him to be slightly startled. This scene¡­ This was not something that could be caused by a sword light. In fact, the person who could create ¡°Self Separation¡± was undoubtedly intelligent. He quickly understood what it was! Formation! It must be a formation! He did not know what to say. Among all the cultivators in this sword-testing conference, the only one who was willing to put down his dignity as a sword cultivator and work on formations was Li Ming. ¡°How unlikable.¡± Luo Ming muttered helplessly and stood up with his flying sword. He had been with the sect master and the others for a long time, so he knew their thoughts better. Why don¡¯t I just kick him out directly, lest he makes a fool of himself¡­ He didn¡¯t know what the sect master was thinking, but he knew that his sect elders definitely wouldn¡¯t have any objections. In fact, Luo Ming was quite curious. The battle with Li Ming was undoubtedly a major turning point for him. If he had been a little indignant and angry in the beginning, then as time passed, the unwillingness in his heart towards Li Ming gradually disappeared. If it wasn¡¯t for Li Ming, he would probably still be as muddleheaded as before. That would be too terrifying¡­ However, he had no intention of thanking Li Ming. Of course, he was curious. When he fought Li Ming, there was a huge difference in their cultivation levels. Why did Li Ming win in the end? Moreover, he had also seen Li Ming¡¯s battle at this year¡¯s sword-testing conference. Li Ming¡¯s cultivation was much lower than his opponent¡¯s, but in the end, Li Ming still won. Li Ming¡¯s series of dazzling actions had broadened his horizons, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for him. He really couldn¡¯t understand why Li Ming, with his talent in sword cultivation, would choose to learn so many random things instead of good sword cultivation. Ever since he had created Self Separation, his comprehension of sword arts had become deeper and deeper, and his horizons had also become higher and higher. He could tell at a glance that although Li Ming¡¯s methods were shocking, it would be a huge obstacle in his future cultivation. For sword cultivators, having too many impurities was a big taboo. However, although he shook his head, he was also very curious about what Li Ming would do. He was a cunning fellow with countless tricks up his sleeves. He was also very scheming. If he could do such a thing twice, he would not it only once. Moreover, there were many strong cultivators at this year¡¯s sword-testing conference, and the gap between Li Ming and them was getting bigger and bigger. He didn¡¯t know Li Ming very well, but he knew that Li Ming was definitely not someone who would surrender without a fight. If he didn¡¯t teach him a lesson, he wouldn¡¯t give in. He was not a person who would sit and wait for death. He was very smart and capable. Such a monster, how could people not have a glimmer of hope? ¡°It¡¯s not bad to go and take a look.¡± Luo Ming muttered and flew out of the valley on his sword. Sha Ning walked to the side of the formation first, and behind him, Su and Hai Jun followed closely. These three people were not easy to deal with. Soon, Luo Ming also appeared nearby. Facing the three experts, he appeared very calm. Without any hesitation, he sat on the ground and the flying sword floated in front of him. ¡°Eh?¡± Sha Ning revealed a look of surprise as his gaze landed on Luo Ming. Su and Hai Jun¡¯s gazes landed on Luo Ming at the same time. From their point of view, Luo Ming seemed to have disappeared into thin air, but they could see that he had not left. The three of them were shocked. It seemed that this disciple of the Divine Will Sect was quite capable. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting anymore!¡± Nangong Yun mumbled and turned to leave. No matter who it was, seeing so many people whose strength was not inferior to theirs, they would not be willing to exhaust their strength. Zhang Haowen did not say a word and also retreated. He was too lazy to fight. There were too many experts here. If someone suddenly attacked, he would not be able to withstand it. However, these people¡¯s gazes did not land on the two of them. Their gazes were all focused on that formation. The two of them looked at each other and looked at the formation at the same time, walking over with the mentality of watching a good show. Soon, another person came to watch. It was the sallow-faced man that Sha Ning had seen earlier. Occasionally, there would be cultivators who landed outside the formation. Those who dared to come here to watch the show were all experts who had great confidence in their strength. At this moment, other than Li Zhengxuan and He Fang who were fighting fiercely at the main peak, almost all the experts had arrived. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This strange scene not only shocked the other competitors, but even the cultivators watching from East Floating were shocked. W-what was going on? The scene in front of them was strange no matter how they looked at it. A group of people were gathered outside the formation that hung the moon. Every single one of them was an expert. Looking around, almost all of the top ten experts were gathered here. This was a gathering of powerhouses. Without sufficient strength, one would not even be qualified to greet them.. Chapter 171 - Chapter 171: Not Even Fighting Chapter 171: Not Even Fighting Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The battle between He Fang and Li Zhengxuan, which had been the most eye-catching, was immediately thrown to the back of everyone¡¯s mind. Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Li Ming. Strange! This was too strange! These experts were from various sects, and some of their origins were far above East Floating Hall, but at this moment, they were craning their necks in unison and staring at the formation arrays on the light beam. It was as if there was a peerless beauty hidden in the formation! Pei Xuan and the others were also stunned. The disciples of the Divine Will Sect behind them were even more stunned. ¡°W-what is this?¡± Yang Li stammered. Pei Xuan¡¯s lips trembled and he didn¡¯t know what to say. He looked down and couldn¡¯t say a word. Xu Shan, who had always been silent, was dumbfounded at this moment. His eyeballs almost fell out of his eyes. Shi Fengrong covered her mouth, her eyes wide open. She didn¡¯t realize that the position she had been maintaining was already somewhat stiff. ¡°They are¡­ Do you want to watch the show?¡± Yang Li stammered. ¡°They didn¡¯t even fight. They just wanted to watch the show.¡± Pei Xuan only felt a gush of blood rushing straight to his throat. His eyes went dark and he almost fainted. When he raised his head, his face was already flushed red! Oh my god! Ancestor! Please spare me! If he was still regretting letting Li Ming participate in the last round of the competition, then now, he simply wanted to smash his head against the wall! Yang Li¡¯s words were like a bolt of lightning that exploded in his ears. Just to watch this good show, they all stopped fighting.. Unlike outside, inside the formation, Sha Ning and the others could see clearly, but Li Ming was nowhere to be seen. Yan Yan¡¯s A Plum Blossom made many people cast sidelong glances at it. In fact, Yan Yan did not feel good either. He only felt that his punch had landed on a ball of cotton. It was soft, and all the strength in his body had been unknowingly melted away. He could not help but frown slightly. It was not that the other party was difficult to deal with, but he did not like this. What he hated the most was this kind of soft feeling. Most sword cultivators didn¡¯t like to fight with gentle opponents. If they couldn¡¯t kill with one strike, it would be an endless battle! However, such an opponent had extremely strong self-defense abilities. It was almost impossible to kill him in one blow. In the end, the battle became a kind of physical labor. Moreover, most of the sword cultivators did not have that much stamina. Who would have thought that Li Ming would pull this trick?! Yan Yan rubbed his head. Yan Yan¡¯s sword attack shocked Li Ming. His hand trembled and almost destroyed the formation. Even though he was very familiar with the Sun Moon Light Formation, that was only in theory. Such a large formation required an astronomical number of spirit crystals. Even if he wanted to practice normally, he didn¡¯t have that many. Fortunately, the first sword ray was blocked, and the light circle returned to its original state without any damage. This made Li Ming slightly relieved. He had just started learning the Sun Moon Light Formation, but its arrangement and materials gave him a headache. However, he didn¡¯t have time to figure out exactly what he needed. This was something that could not be helped. Ever since the sect master had asked him to participate in the last sword-testing conference, he had been pondering. Only now did he barely understand the principles of the formations. Furthermore, he had set up the Sun Moon Formation of the 72 sub-formations! He desperately wanted to get the jade scroll for Kun Lun¡¯s basic formations. Even if he was forced to do so, he still went all out and his hands moved extremely fast. The intense pressure did not make him panic. Instead, it made him feel refreshed and excited. He released all of his divine sense and focused it like never before, allowing him to see everything clearly. Because of the long period of practice, his ten fingers were very nimble. His Vajra Seal had already reached perfection. His strength was much greater than that of an ordinary sword cultivator. He could easily carry a large piece of material. His divine sense was even more terrifying. The entire formation was covered by his consciousness. Nothing could escape his senses. He was like an afterimage, quickly setting up formations! Countless materials poured down from his hands and were accurately thrown to the designated location. His fingers were like a blooming flower, constantly changing. Ripples of spiritual energy followed his fingers and entered the array. With the help of the formation, Li Ming hid his figure. No one could see him. No one knew where Li Ming was, but everyone believed that he must be hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to strike. At the critical moment, he would give Yan Yan a fatal blow! No one would have thought that this enormous formation in front of them was just an incomplete formation! Raising his head and looking at the bright moon in the sky, Yan Yan¡¯s frustration calmed down a little. Although he was arrogant, he was not stupid. In fact, how could someone who could stand out among so many people be stupid? These halos were not the key to breaking the formation. He stood on the spot, the light circle above his head like a fish swimming in the water. It did not attack him at all. Could it be the moon? The moon in the sky was lifelike and didn¡¯t look like a formation at all. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just the moon, the entire formation looked the same as the real thing. However, he knew very well that everything in front of him was an illusion created by the formation. In this world, there were no formations that could not be broken, just like there were no sword cultivators that could not be defeated. Every rune array had its weakness, which was the key point to breaking the rune array. Yan Yan¡¯s eyes lit up. He stood there and fell into deep thought. Zhang Haowen had just stopped when he felt someone approaching. He turned around and saw Nangong Yun, who was still fighting with him, holding a ridiculously large saber. He could not help but be on guard. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Nangong Yun¡¯s voice was very loud and carried some curiosity. Although he had deliberately lowered his voice, everyone could hear it clearly. Zhang Haowen was a little surprised at first, but when he saw Nangong Yun¡¯s expression, he realized that Nangong Yun was not joking. He suddenly realized that Nangong Yun was a rogue cultivator, and he immediately understood. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The basic knowledge of itinerant cultivators was much worse than key disciples like them who had been nurtured since childhood. Zhang Haowen realized that everyone was looking at him. Master had said that one must be polite, one must be polite¡­ Zhang Haowen cleared his throat and said softly, ¡°Yan Yan is thinking of a way to solve this¡­¡± ¡°Do we still need to consider?¡± Nangong Yun¡¯s eyes widened as he raised his voice to interrupt Zhang Haowen. ¡°Just destroy it. I knew it. You guys are thinking too much. If I¡­.¡± Chapter 172 - Chapter 172: A Real Man Chapter 172: A Real Man Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Nangong Yun¡¯s voice was already loud and clear. With his voice, it was like rolling thunder, causing Zhang Haowen¡¯s ears to ring. The veins on Zhang Haowen¡¯s forehead were throbbing. He had never thought that this guy would say so much! Someone laughed softly, and the veins on Zhang Haowen¡¯s forehead bulged again. Elegant¡­ ¡°This formation is a little tricky. It¡¯s not that easy to break it¡­¡± He laughed bitterly. Nangong Yun interrupted Zhang Haowen once again. He looked at Zhang Haowen in confusion and widened his eyes again. ¡°What¡¯s there to study? Can¡¯t we just destroy it? However, this fellow¡¯s figure, tsk tsk, is even smaller and more exquisite than my lover. It¡¯s somewhat similar to yours. If it were me¡­¡± The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He clenched his fists, tore his clothes, and punched his chest like a gorilla. Small and dainty¡­ Zhang Haowen¡¯s handsome and elegant face suddenly distorted. The spiritual energy in his body was almost out of control. It was like a violent torrent that was about to erupt! Elegant¡­ Nangong Yun didn¡¯t notice it at all. His eyes were red and he couldn¡¯t wait to look at the formation. He wanted to give it a try, but his mouth didn¡¯t stop at all. ¡°Look at the swords you guys are using. They are only as thick as chopsticks. A real man should use something like this!¡± He raised the huge sword in his hand and waved it in the air with a smug expression. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand. My lover said it has to be big! The bigger the better! A real man should use a giant sword!¡± ¡°Are you really a man?¡± He asked hesitantly. Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Zhang Haowen. Zhang Haowen, who had been holding it in, finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. His face was as dark as ink, and his handsome face became a little distorted. What elegance! He said angrily, ¡°Shut up! Let¡¯s continue fighting!¡± Nangong Yun was dumbstruck. He shook his head violently like a rattling drum. ¡°I only fight with men!¡± Then, he ignored Zhang Haowen. He raised giant sword in his hand and pointed it at the formation. His eyes were wide open as he roared excitedly, ¡°I¡¯m going to cut this formation! I¡¯ve never seen such a thing before! Haha, watch carefully! See how a real man would break this damn formation!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he took large strides and plunged into the array! Zhang Haowen was so angry that he lost his composure and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t go! I¡¯ll get you!¡± His body moved and turned into a white stream of light. He followed closely behind and entered the formation. When Su first heard Nangong Yun¡¯s unpleasant words, she was secretly delighted. However, this sudden scene shocked her. It was already too late to stop him! Damn it! There were three people inside the formation, and they weren¡¯t people Li Ming could deal with. Thinking of this, she looked anxious. She kicked her feet, grabbed the Obsidian Sword, and rushed towards the Sun and Moon Formation. Seeing Su dive into the formation, Hai Jun¡¯s eyes flashed coldly, and his figure suddenly disappeared. The sallow-faced man was shocked. Without saying anything, his body flashed and he rushed towards the formation. ¡°Interesting!¡± Sha Ning muttered to himself. Finishing, he quickly walked into the formation. Compared to the others, his speed was much slower. Luo Ming stood up and patted the dust off his body. He looked helpless. ¡°How can someone like you be my fellow disciple?¡± After saying that, he also walked over. The other cultivators hesitated for a moment. Then, people rushed in one after another. The cultivators that charged in all had excited expressions on their faces, and their fighting spirit was high! These people were all fearless! Almost all the strongest people in the sword-testing conference were in the formation. It was a rare opportunity to fight with them. If they missed such a grand occasion, they would regret it for the rest of their lives. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! One figure after another flew towards the formation. A green shadow, under the moonlight of the crescent moon, emitted a faint green mist. It was like a huge vortex that attracted the cultivators nearby and kept pouring in. All the spectators in East Floating were dumbfounded! Although the illusion could be presented in front of them, their conversation could not be transmitted, so the outside world did not know what exactly happened. This scene was completely out of their expectations. Even the knowledgeable Tian Songzi was dumbfounded, muttering to himself, ¡°Why is Haowen so excited? What¡¯s going on?¡± He had never seen Zhang Haowen so excited. In his heart, this beloved disciple had always been gentle and polite. This¡­ What exactly happened? No one could say for sure. Those who were able to enter the formation were all experts, all of them the elites of the younger generation of the various organizations on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent. They had boundless prospects, shouldering the hopes of various sects, receiving the best teachings from the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, and using the best flying swords¡­ These people¡­ They seemed to have gone mad. Their faces were filled with burning fighting spirit as they stared at the formation! What kind of temptation was this¡­ Whether it was the people in the sky or on the ground, they all seemed to have been frozen. No matter what realm the cultivators were in, they were all dumbstruck. They did not move, did not make a sound, and were like statues. Yang Li¡¯s expression was a little strange. He was in charge of the business and had traveled all over the world, so he had some understanding of lip reading. Those who could read lips had the same expression. They were shocked by Nangong Yun¡¯s words. The surroundings were too quiet. It was so quiet that it made one¡¯s hair stand on end. Yang Li wanted to say something but hesitated several times. This strange silence seemed to have become a kind of pressure. No one spoke. Pei Xuan¡¯s mind was in chaos. He had lost the ability to think. Everything before his eyes was so unbelievable. All his wisdom and experience were gone at this moment. His eyes became dull. How could there be such a troublesome fellow in his sect? Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of bees flapping their wings grew more and more, like a tidal wave, rolling over. Everyone felt a roar in their ears. For a moment, all sounds disappeared. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A moment later, the voice gradually calmed down and returned to normal. Shocked, strange¡­ All kinds of emotions were intertwined on everyone¡¯s faces, and they could no longer maintain their composure. ¡°Nangong Yun¡¯s words are even more powerful than ten flying swords!¡± Yang Li couldn¡¯t help but praise him. That¡¯s right, he was praising someone! He was experienced and knowledgeable, so he knew the use of words. Shi Fengrong asked impatiently, and when she heard Yang Li¡¯s words, everyone was stunned. She didn¡¯t expect such a rough man to be so ruthless. Well, maybe he did it unintentionally.. Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: The Formation Expands Chapter 173: The Formation Expands Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The only one who didn¡¯t think this way was Tian Songzi. Tian Songzi could imagine how furious his disciple was, to actually make him lose his composure! He was the same. His old face was filled with killing intent. The surrounding sect master naturally wouldn¡¯t provoke Tian Songzi under such circumstances. Tian Songzi had been in East Floating for many years, not only because he had surpassed his predecessors, but because his strength was unfathomable. ¡°What a man! Use the great sword!¡± This news quickly spread among the cultivators. All the cultivators who used giant swords raised their heads and puffed out their chests with pride. However, most of them didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Only then did everyone react. The confusion in Pei Xuan¡¯s eyes dissipated quite a bit. Everything had a limit. Sometimes, once the limit changed, the essence of the thing would change. Take formations, for example, Pei Xuan used to feel embarrassed using formations. However, when Li Ming¡¯s formation was able to create such a commotion and capture a group of experts in one fell swoop, Pei Xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. Which sect¡¯s disciple could set up such a powerful formation? Regardless of whether Li Ming¡¯s formation won or lost, after this battle, perhaps some people would laugh at Zhang Haowen, but no one would laugh at Li Ming and his formation. After figuring out the ins and outs of the matter, everyone¡¯s curiosity was piqued. What was going on inside the formation? With so many experts gathered together, what would happen? How to break the formation? Everyone was curious! At this moment, Lin Xue suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Senior Brother¡¯s rune array seems to be¡­ It seems to have expanded a little!¡± Hearing Xue Lin¡¯s words, everyone¡¯s attention was immediately attracted by Li Ming¡¯s formation. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s getting bigger,¡± Xu Shan suddenly said. Pei Xuan, Yang Li, and the rest could not help but be shocked. As for those disciples, they were even more confused. One after another¡­ Li Ming, who was still busy setting up formations, was dumbstruck. What were these guys doing? Were they crazy? He was only stunned for a moment before he flew into a rage. Just Yan Yan alone had exhausted him, and they actually stabbed him in the back! Yes, in Li Ming¡¯s eyes, this group of people¡¯s actions were like backstabbing! Although he did not know why these people were so hostile to him, it was obvious that these people were not there to help him. The most annoying thing was backstabbing! Li Ming gritted his teeth! At this moment, he didn¡¯t have any thoughts of winning. With so many experts charging into the formation, it was simply a fool¡¯s dream for him to win. Despicable! Too despicable! I¡¯ll fight it out with you! He seemed to be able to see the Kun Lun jade scroll waving goodbye to him as it moved further and further away. He felt unspeakable sadness and anger in his heart. It was this sadness and anger that made Li Ming quickly make a decision. He had to teach those who wanted to take advantage of others and hit them when they were down! If you want to take advantage of me, I¡¯ll knock your teeth out! He did not think of a way out. His eyes were red as he used the most unpleasant words to scold these bastards! However, the speed of his hands became faster and faster. Materials flew out of his hands one by one. He could feel the blood in his body boiling. This was a wave of extreme anger! ¡°Aiya! The formation is getting bigger and bigger!¡± ¡°It has indeed grown bigger!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t everyone hear what Nangong Yun said? The bigger the better! A little bigger!¡± ¡°If I were Li Ming, I would definitely run away at once. They¡¯re trapped here anyway! Haha!¡± ¡°Escape? Where could he escape to? Once he left the formation, he would die! If there was someone stronger than him outside, without the protection of the formation, he would die very quickly.¡± The crowd discussed animatedly. No one understood why Li Ming¡¯s formation was still expanding. There were all kinds of guesses, but no one could guess what Li Ming was planning. Could it be that he still had a trace of fantasy in his heart? No one would think that way. There were too many experts here! The experts of the Sword Test Conference were all here! Anil Any one of them was enough to defeat Li Ming. Moreover, with so many experts gathered together, the entire formation would probably collapse immediately! Had it already fallen apart? Li Ming knew what everyone in the formation was thinking. He laughed coldly in his heart, but he didn¡¯t hesitate at all. The Sun Moon Light Formation was a fourth-grade formation. If one didn¡¯t have some ability, how could one be worthy of its grade? They might be able to break this formation, but they couldn¡¯t break it with one or two swords. Before finding the flaw of the formation, it was impossible to destroy it with brute force. It was easier said than done to find a flaw¡­ However, no one dared to enter the formation again! At this moment, the inside of the formation had become the most dangerous place in the Great Pine Pavilion! The moment Su stepped into the formation, she felt as if she was in a wasteland. The cold moonlight shone on her body, making her feel like she was dreaming. She looked around, but she was at a loss and did not know where to start. This bastard! Why hadn¡¯t he released the paper crane yet? Her heart skipped a beat! She had forgotten that Li Ming had never leaned on her. When Nangong Yun charged into the formation, he seemed to have been injected with new energy. He circulated the Vajra Arts to the limit, and golden light surrounded his body. Coupled with his majestic figure, he was like a god of war! With a roar, the Mountain Splitting Sword slashed down! This sword shot straight into the sky! An incomparably sharp sword light shot out from the long sword in his hand and disappeared into the light circle in the air! Clanging sounds rang out continuously, as if glass bottles were being shattered one after another. When Hai Jun saw this scene, he was shocked. If this sword was aimed at him, it would not be easy for him to block or dodge But unexpectedly, the attack that he found troublesome did not have any effect. It was like an extremely sharp and domineering sword that slashed across the surface of the lake, and the lake quickly returned to calm. Hai Jun quickly noticed that something was wrong. He followed Su into the cave, but he did not find Su. Instead, he met Nangong Yun. Could it be that this formation could change his position? His divine sense was also disturbed by a layer of invisible ripples, and he was unable to display its intended effect. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Hai Jun¡¯s heart trembled. Unlike others, he did not look down on Li Ming at all. He was best at plotting and scheming. It did not mean that just because one¡¯s cultivation was higher than his, one would definitely win. Moreover, although there were many people who charged into the formation, if they couldn¡¯t find a flaw, it would be very difficult to retreat unscathed. Where was the flaw? Just like Nangong Yun, many cultivators immediately attacked the moment they entered the formation, but what was shocking was that their attacks were like stones sinking into the ocean, without any effect.. Chapter 174 - Chapter 174: Unhappy Chapter 174: Unhappy Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Those experts with high cultivation stopped what they were doing and began to think of a way to break it. Yan Yan never thought that there would be so many people charging into the formation at the same time. He couldn¡¯t help but frown slightly. These people were annoying! They were simply a group of flies! He hadn¡¯t even had the time to break the array, and these guys had already come to cause trouble. This made him very unhappy. Even though he had yet to discover the flaw of this formation, Yan Yan did not believe that he could not deal with a Foundation Establishment disciple. But now, everything had been messed up. These people were like lunatics who had suddenly appeared. As soon as they entered, they started hacking wildly. He composed himself, sneered, and put away the Seven Plum Sword. You idiots! I¡¯d like to see what can happen! Having just tried it once, Yan Yan was very certain that this formation was not as simple as he thought. He was slightly shocked. How could a foundation establishment cultivator set up such a formation? Although he didn¡¯t quite believe it, it was true, and he had tried it himself. It was good to let them be cannon fodder. Yan Yan¡¯s eyes flashed coldly. Li Ming was still immersed in setting up the formations. His speed was extremely fast, and he had already set up the 63rd sub-formation. There were only nine sub-formations left. He would be able to finish setting the 72 sub-formations of the Sun and Moon Formation. The 72 sub-formations of the Sun and Moon Bright Formation! Hehe, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony! Li Ming, who was already exhausted, suddenly became spirited. He increased his speed and continued to expand. He was filled with anticipation for the Sun Moon Formation. He had never seen the power of the 72 sub-formations. Now was the best time to experiment! At this moment, a shrill scream came from the formation! A cultivator was trying to use a flying sword to slash at the crescent moon in the air. However, his actions triggered the seemingly harmless halo! First, a light circle wrapped around him and then suddenly shrank. No one would have thought that those halos that looked like they could be shattered with a poke would actually have such power! The sword cultivator let out a shrill scream, rolled his eyes, and fainted. Just as everyone was in shock, a dark golden rope suddenly descended from the sky and bound the unconscious cultivator. ¡°Unconscious. Judged as failed. Eliminated.¡± A faint voice entered everyone¡¯s ears, followed by a deathly silence. Everyone knew that this was the referee who had been hiding in the dark and had come to their rescue. The judges for this round were all nascent soul cultivators. One look and one could tell that they were no ordinary people. In the formation that no one could understand, they could do it with ease. Everyone was shocked and filled with anticipation. In terms of cultivation, the nascent soul and golden core seemed to be only one step away, but the difference between the two was like heaven and earth! For these golden core cultivators, the nascent soul was the realm they dreamed of, but they also knew how difficult this realm was. On the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, the golden core was already the mainstay, but those who could reach the nascent soul stage were experts. Every year, many people would fail, but no one would give up. If they could make it through, they would soar into the sky. Other than that, there would be a longer lifespan. Everyone wanted to live longer. But now, they could only be envious because they were still young. Although they were talented, their cultivation was still too low. Among these 100 people, those who could reach the intermediate stage of the golden core realm could be counted on one hand. Moreover, the higher one¡¯s cultivation was, the harder it was to advance. It was extremely difficult to reach the nascent soul before the age of fifty. Li Ming also heard it clearly, but there was no jealousy in his heart. He almost cursed! The referee¡¯s sudden voice made his hand tremble. almost destroving the sub-formation he had set up. Fortunately, he used a lot of spiritual energy to stabilize it. Everything within the formation was covered by his divine sense. He naturally knew what this cultivator had encountered. Hehe, this was just the beginning! However, he did not raise his head because he did not have time to think about it. He was only six formations away from completing the 72 formations of the Sun and Moon Formation! When he finished setting up all 72 sub-formations, not only would the power of the formation increase by several times, but it would also have a function that he was very interested in, which was control. He had tried to control formations before, but they were all relatively simple formations. He had never controlled such a large and complicated formation before. There was a huge difference in power between a formation with someone controlling it and one without. Most importantly, if he could control such a huge formation, how great would that be? The experts in the formation were not fools. Everyone had their ideas. Luo Ming was still waiting on the spot. Even though his God intent domain was already suppressed by the formation until there was only an extremely small space left, he did not make any movements. In his mind, he was already calculating how he could make his God intent even bigger. The two of them were both on the defensive. Su anxiously paced back and forth within the formation. Where did this bastard hide? As for Sha Ning, he was strolling around the formation with a curious look on his face, and so was the sallow-faced man. Hai Jun appeared and disappeared like a ghost. Only Nangong Yun was roaring crazily. The giant sword in his hand was getting faster and more ruthless as he slashed at the formation. No one dared to get close to him. Heavens, look at Nangong Yun¡¯s ferocious face and then look at his crazy expression. Whoever dared to get close would be killed by his sword. Meanwhile, Zhang Haowen was like a gust of wind as he quickly scanned the formation, looking for Nangong Yun. Strangely enough, this formation was only about ten acres in size, but inside the formation, everyone felt like they were in a vast wasteland. Occasionally, they would meet a few people, but most of the time, they would brush past each other. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But compared to the leisure of these cultivators, the other cultivators in the formation were fighting much more intensely. In the air above the formation, the two judges chatted while looking at the formation from time to time. One of them was wearing a long green robe and had a square scarf on his head. He was Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator. The other one was wearing spiritual armor. He was a famous expert on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, Wei Fei. ¡°I have to say, I like this Li Ming. The 72 sub-formations he set up, hmm, this is a good idea.¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator smiled slightly. ¡°Although the arrangement of this formation is still a little crude, it¡¯s already awe-inspiring for him to be able to do this with his foundation establishment cultivation.¡¯ ¡°Haha!¡± Wei Fei heard this and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°However, Pei Xuan and the others didn¡¯t intend for you to accept such a disciple. What a pity. If he could become your disciple, his attainments in formations would definitely be unmatched..¡± Chapter 175 - Chapter 175: Attack Chapter 175: Attack Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Wei Fei said this because Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator was one of the few sword cultivators who were proficient in formations. ¡°No matter which sect it is, they would treat such a talent like a treasure.¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator shook his head. When he said this, his expression was a little bleak. He had been looking for a suitable disciple, but there had been no results. Although his current disciple had put a lot of effort into sword arts, he had no interest in formations. Formations were Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator¡¯s forte, but now he couldn¡¯t find someone to teach, how could he not be depressed? As long as he could make Li Ming his disciple, he was willing to spend any amount of money. However, he also knew that this was impossible. Ordinary sects would not agree to it, let alone the Divine Will Sect, which wanted to restore its reputation. The name of the Ice Avenue Sword might not mean much to ordinary cultivators on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, but to nascent soul experts like them, it was like thunder. ¡°Haha! Itinerant cultivator doesn¡¯t need to worry! Although this Li Ming won¡¯t join any other sects, the entire Divine Will Sect will probably have a headache!¡± Wei Fei¡¯s tone was filled with schadenfreude. Wei Fei was right! Pei Xuan also felt an incomparable headache at this time. Since things had already come to this, how could he still care about winning or losing? To him, it didn¡¯t matter whether he won or lost, but how could he properly train a guy like Li Ming? There was no doubt that after this battle, Li Ming¡¯s reputation in formations would rise to another level. In their eyes, Li Ming had always been a teenager who was not easy to discipline. And now, this problematic youth would become a celebrity and a very famous one at that! When Pei Xuan thought of such a famous, rich, and talented genius youth in the sect, he felt like a mouse pulling a turtle and didn¡¯t know where to He had no idea that Li Ming was already penniless. The spirit stones that Li Ming had won previously were an astronomical figure for him. Even Pei Xuan did not expect that Li Ming would squander them so crazily! Li Ming¡¯s heart trembled. The formation was under immense pressure. He didn¡¯t expect Nangong Yun to be like a madman, with each sword strike getting fiercer and fiercer! Did I offend you? Li Ming¡¯s heart was burning with anger. If this continued, it would not be long before the Sun and Moon Light Formation was broken by this barbarian¡¯s brute force! He knew that he couldn¡¯t be the same as before and focus on setting up formations. Once the formations were destroyed, the formations he set up would lose their effect. Nangong Yun finally made his move in the Sun Moon Light Formation! After seven or eight consecutive attacks, they all disappeared without a trace, as if they didn¡¯t affect the formation at all. His train of thought was very simple. The reason why he did not destroy this piece of junk was definitely because he had been too gentle. Nangong Yun was furious! His entire body was covered in a thick layer of golden light. Even the huge sword in his hand was covered in a thick layer of golden light, making him look like a golden lion. His eyes turned into a dazzling golden light as he stared at the circle of light in the sky. Those wandering halos seemed to sense his threat and moved closer to him. Nangong Yun¡¯s aura was too strong, like the sun in the night sky. Zhang Haowen¡¯s expression turned even uglier as a terrifying light flashed in his eyes. Without any hesitation, he turned around and flew towards Nangong Yun! Everyone could feel the astonishing fighting spirit and sharp aura from Nangong Yun¡¯s body. His next attack would be earth-shattering! Eh, was he going to break the formation? Yan Yan shook the plum blossom in his hand in boredom. It seemed that it was time to change his opponent. Who should he look for? That Sha Ning seemed to be very powerful¡­ Not only did Yan Yan think this way, but the imposing manner that Nangong Yun displayed also caused Sha Ning, who was a carefree person, to involuntarily change his expression. Su¡¯s face turned pale! She was dead! Even she didn¡¯t dare to face Nangong Yun¡¯s next attack head-on! Even the other cultivators in the formation didn¡¯t dare to block it head-on! But if Li Ming lost, then his flying sword¡­ The formation was about to shatter. She was in complete despair! Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Roar! A roar that wasn¡¯t weak at all came from the formation. A giant covered in golden armor with a blurry face swooped down from the sky and smashed in front of Nangong Yun. Seal soldier! Nangong Yun raised his golden eyes and a smile appeared on his face. It was an indescribable cruelty! He had gone completely crazy. Whoever dared to approach him, he would tear them into pieces! ¡°Go to hell!¡± A loud shout resounded through the clouds. Nangong Yun¡¯s eyes were wide open as he roared like a lion. The golden light on his body suddenly expanded. He swung the sword in his hand and slashed down at the seal soldier. It was a pair of cold and oppressive eyes! The armor on the seal soldier¡¯s body suddenly lit up with lines like worms. His left foot stomped on the ground and the ground shook. His right foot silently pulled back and his right hand was already in front of his chest. He arched his lower body and tightened his right arm. Like an arrow released from a bow, he smashed into the golden sword ray! ¡°Born for battle!¡± A deep voice exploded in the dark clouds like low thunder. A golden fist condensed into a material form and smashed down like a huge hammer with the power of thunder! Golden Light Sword Radiance versus Golden Light Fist! Boom! A muffled sound like a heavy hammer smashed into everyone¡¯s hearts. There was no explosion or light. The two golden lights collided like two sparks and then disappeared. ¡°Die!¡± Nangong Yun¡¯s body shook violently. His golden eyes became even more furious. He roared, ¡°Die!¡± The huge sword in his hand emitted a dazzling light like a scorching sun. In an instant, the crescent moon in the sky paled in comparison! Mountain Splitting Sword! When the tip of his sword fell, the golden sword tip brought with it a faint sound of breaking through the air. Suddenly, as if something was torn apart, an extremely miserable scream sounded! The golden sword light was like a golden crescent moon, piercing through the air and shooting toward the seal soldier! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The patterns on the seal soldier¡¯s body became brighter and brighter, wriggling like worms. On his face, his eyes appeared especially deep and serene, still looking indifferent. ¡°Born for battle!¡± The seal soldier said firmly and punched out! Another punch! The golden fist smashed down with an unstoppable aura! Chapter 176 - Chapter 176: Seal Soldier Chapter 176: Seal Soldier Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation With another muffled sound, the ground shook violently, and everyone¡¯s hearts were in a panic! Some of the cultivators watching changed their expressions and retreated. Nangong Yun¡¯s huge body shook once again. His long hair stood up and fluttered in the wind. After two consecutive attacks, Nangong Yun¡¯s fighting spirit had reached a new height! His eyes suddenly lit up with a scorching light, like two golden flames. The golden light around his body suddenly shrank, and a thin armor appeared on the surface of his body. The huge sword in his hand was covered in a layer of faint golden light, like a dancing flame! As if he knew that the final moment had arrived, the flashing symbols on the silent seal soldier¡¯s body were like wriggling earthworms, following his armor and crazily surging toward his right fist. The spirit in the seal soldier¡¯s eyes dimmed and became empty! ¡°Go to hell!¡± A loud shout was like a bolt from the blue sky. The blue-green mist spread out in all directions with him as the center, forming an empty space with a radius of one meter. A loud roar was heard! He swung his sword slowly! There was no sound of air being torn apart! However, Nangong Yun¡¯s muscles seemed to be trembling along with his movements. While his sword was still in the air, he could feel a suffocating force that cracked the ground! ¡°Born for battle!¡± His voice was very low, but it was filled with a shocking power that filled everyone¡¯s hearts. All the runes on its body entered its right fist. Its body became dim, and other than its fist becoming brighter, the rest of its body became blurry, like a ball of golden fog that would disappear at any time. It was the same action as before! He took a step forward and threw a punch! It was a crystal clear fist! This punch did not hit Nangong Yun. Instead, it exploded in mid-air when Nangong Yun¡¯s giant sword slowly landed on the ground! Boom! This dull sound was much more muffled than the previous two, but all the cultivators who saw this couldn¡¯t help but shiver! Da da da! Nangong Yun took three steps back. The golden armor on his body turned golden again, and he looked weak. In front of him, the place where the seal soldier was standing was empty! ¡°Good opponent!¡± Although Nangong Yun looked dispirited, he couldn¡¯t help but cheer. He looked at the seal soldier with a hint of regret in his eyes. At this moment, Zhang Haowen¡¯s furious voice filled with hatred rang out in his ears. ¡°Nangong Yun! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± At a corner of the Sun and Moon Light Formation, Li Ming spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered on the ground in front of him. It was a shocking sight. He controlled the seal soldier. The attack just now had already exceeded the limit of what he could withstand. He was only controlling the seal soldier, but he was already heavily injured. He couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by Nangong Yun¡¯s strength! He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grimaced. Barbarians! Go play with Zhang Haowen! Forcefully suppressing the spiritual energy surging in his body, he gritted his teeth and started to set up formations again. Nangong Yun exchanged three moves with the seal soldier, dazzling everyone and making them jump with fear. This was pure brute force, without any technique or evasion! Many people were shocked. Although Nangong Yun¡¯s strength was still acceptable in the eyes of the outside world, as a grassroots cultivator, everyone¡¯s evaluation of him was not high. Most people only felt that his potential was acceptable, but no one knew that his strength had already reached an extremely terrifying level. Many people¡¯s hearts turned cold when they thought about how Nangong Yun was like a god of war just now. However, there was another person who was even more unexpected, and that was Li Ming! Although seal soldiers were rare, it was very difficult to attract attention using them. Most sword cultivators didn¡¯t care about these talismans that would disappear after they were used up. Of course, the most important thing was its power. None of the seal soldiers they had seen before were this powerful! More importantly, the person controlling this seal soldier was only a foundation establishment cultivator! This simply subverted many of the inherent concepts in their hearts. There was a huge disparity in strength between the two. Just one seal soldier was not enough to turn the situation around. However, Li Ming took it just like that. Although it was only three moves, it was a miracle in everyone¡¯s eyes. Until now, the weakest participant in the sword-testing conference had yet to appear. This showed a problem. Li Ming still had a backup plan! The formation didn¡¯t change at all. The light circles above Nangong Yun¡¯s head also disappeared. They were still dancing in the air. Li Ming¡¯s astonishing performance had piqued the interest of many. For example, Sha Ning had only entered the formation because he was interested. However, because of Li Ming¡¯s strength, he was very interested. He really wanted to know how far Li Ming could go. More than one person thought so. In midair, Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator praised. ¡°Not bad. He can actually take three of Nangong Yun¡¯s attacks. Very powerful.¡± Wei Fei was also surprised. ¡°His divine sense seems to be very strong. This is rare. Could it be that the Divine Will Sect is good at divine sense?¡± Wei Fei nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Su¡¯s mouth behind the black veil opened slightly. The three moves just now were too much of a blow to her! Unlike others, she had seen Senior Brother Wang use seal soldiers when Li Ming challenged the Departing Moon Sect. They looked exactly the same, but their power was worlds apart. She even felt that this seal soldier could probably kill three of the seal soldiers she saw last time. Perhaps Li Ming really had a way that did not require him to do anything¡­ This was the first time she doubted herself. Suddenly, she recalled the words that Senior Brother Lin Qian had told her. Hidden in her sleeves, a copper coin had unknowingly appeared in her slender palm. In the middle of the coin was a huge eyeball. The huge eyeball was flickering. Almost at the same time, the sallow-faced man¡¯s expression suddenly changed. His body suddenly stiffened as if he had been petrified, and there was no trace of human aura left. The coin in Su¡¯s hand flickered. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Su¡¯s heart tightened. Although this Senior Brother Lin was very good, he was just too suspicious. She was skeptical of everything Senior Brother Lin said. If not for Senior Brother Lin¡¯s token, she would have already attacked. ¡°Candle Eye was used again just now.¡± The tablet spirit suddenly appeared and said. ¡°As long as you behave yourself, no one will be able to find you,¡± Li Ming said. ¡°You seem to have encountered some problems.¡± The tablet spirit was interested. In his opinion, Li Ming was a coward who always put his own safety first. He had never heard Li Ming say such words.. Chapter 177 - Chapter 177: Taking Advantage of Someone in Danger Chapter 177: Taking Advantage of Someone in Danger Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°These bastards are really taking advantage of me!¡± Li Ming gritted his teeth, but his movements did not stop at all. ¡°Are you going to fight them to the death?¡± The tablet spirit had a gloating expression. Li Ming couldn¡¯t be bothered with this demon who had nothing better to do. ¡°You have a magic core. Why don¡¯t you try to use the magic core to activate your consciousness and control the rune arrays?¡± The tablet spirit seemed to finally have a trace of conscience. Using a magic core to activate his divine sense? ¡°No need.¡± Li Ming shook his head without hesitation. ¡°The Sun and Moon Light Formation has 72 sub-formations. You can only control them after they are completed.¡± ¡°The Sun and Moon Light Formation isn¡¯t the only one you¡¯ve set up,¡± the tablet spirit said indifferently. That¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t I think of that?! Li Ming suddenly realized that he had made a huge mistake. He had only cared about completing the Sun and Moon Light Formation of the 72 sub-formations, but he had forgotten that he had not only set up the Sun and Moon Light Formation! This was a huge formation area! ¡°In fact, other than allowing your divine sense to grow faster, the magic core has another function, which is to distract you!¡± The tablet spirit was too kind today. It was rare to see someone teaching Li Ming for free. ¡°Distraction?¡± Li Ming rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re distracting me at a time like this?¡± ¡°A distraction is to divide one¡¯s divine sense into several parts, each of which is responsible for different things. Most demons will be distracted,¡± the tablet spirit said expressionlessly. ¡°A truly powerful demon can divide their divine sense into many, or even tens of thousands. How powerful is that?¡± But now, Li Ming couldn¡¯t care less about why the tablet spirit would help him so abnormally. He was shocked by the tablet spirit¡¯s words! This sentence was like a bolt of lightning that exploded in his mind. Distraction! He could divide his divine sense into several parts and be responsible for different things. He had always treated his divine sense as a whole. He had never thought of splitting his divine sense into several parts to deal with different things. He suddenly thought of spiritual energy. Since spiritual power could be reduced to zero or rounded up, could his divine sense also be reduced to zero or rounded up? It can¡¯t be true, right? Li Ming, who hadn¡¯t stopped moving, suddenly stopped! Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the battle between Zhang Haowen and Nangong Yun. After three rounds, Nangong Yun was completely suppressed by Zhang Haowen and had no strength to fight back. Zhang Haowen had also changed from his gentle demeanor to a fierce and decisive one. Every strike was a fatal one, causing everyone in the formation to feel a chill down their spine. An honest person was really scary when he lost his temper! The only one who felt bored was probably Sha Ning. He wasn¡¯t too interested in such a battle. With a sweep of his gaze, everyone stopped. Nangong Yun exchanged three moves with the seal soldier. The momentum was so great that it attracted almost all the cultivators in the formation. Although the battle between Nangong Yun and Zhang Haowen wasn¡¯t as intense as before, they weren¡¯t at a disadvantage in terms of technique. One was a country bumpkin without any sect background, and the other was the beloved disciple of the leader of East Floating! Once the two of them started fighting, it would definitely be a brilliant battle that would make one¡¯s eyes dizzy! At some point, the cultivators in the formation had regrouped. Sha Ning raised his head and looked at the circle of light floating in the sky. He looked at the crescent moon and revealed a somewhat tempted expression. He retracted his gaze and saw Yan Yan looking at him from afar. Their eyes met in the air, like two peerless sharp blades meeting in the air, shooting out countless sparks! The two arrogant young experts stared at each other for a moment. ¡°Fight?¡± Suddenly, Yan Yan¡¯s voice sounded with a hint of provocation. ¡°Not interested!¡± Sha Ning¡¯s gaze only lingered on Yan Yan for a moment before returning to the sky. The circles of light shuttling freely in the sky seemed to be even more attractive to him. Yan Yan¡¯s pupils constricted, but he didn¡¯t say anything to anger him. Sha Ning¡¯s viciousness and ruthlessness were unparalleled in this sword-testing conference. All the competitors would subconsciously retreat in front of this ruthless character, even Yan Yan was no exception. ¡°Why don¡¯t we break this formation and decide who wins and who loses?¡± Yan Yan¡¯s expression calmed down. ¡°Hmph!¡± Sha Ning was still as arrogant as ever. He did not even look Yan Yan in the eye. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m afraid that you might not be able to break it.¡¯ Yan Yan could clearly feel the disdain from the other party. His expression was very ugly. He snorted coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t think too simply of me.¡± ¡°You can try.¡± Sha Ning¡¯s expression was indifferent as he pointed into the sky. When Yan Yan heard this, he didn¡¯t waste any time and the Seven Plum Sword aDDeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the three plum blossoms turned into three rays of light and soared into the sky. Yan Yan intended to show Sha Ning his might. The moment he made his move, he used the Three Play that he was so proud of! The three streaks of sword qi were like three fish swimming in the air, spinning in the air and heading straight for the crescent moon. Li Ming, who was thinking about how to distract himself, suddenly felt something strange in the array and was shocked. When would these people stop? He remembered that this fellow seemed to be the first to provoke him! His anger was out of control. Li Ming, whose heart was burning with rage, erupted once again! I¡¯ve been unhappy with you for a long time! A green light flashed in Li Ming¡¯s eyes. His hands, which had just stopped moving, began to move again. He finally realized that now was not the time to think about this. Although these people who took advantage of the situation looked disgusting, each of them could crack formations. If he didn¡¯t set up the Sun Moon Light Formation as soon as possible, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with these people. He subconsciously began to think about how to deal with the experts in the array. He had completely forgotten that these people were all stronger than him. However, the same problem was placed in front of Li Ming. Before completing the 72 sub-formations, he had to stop them and not let them break the array! The 72 sub-formations were about to be set up, but now they were being messed up by this group of people. Previously, he had used the seal soldier to stop Nangong Yun from breaking the formation, so how could he stop Yan Yan now? Do you think I only have seal soldiers? Li Ming gritted his teeth and cursed Yan Yan a hundred times in his heart, but at the same time, his divine sense was like a stream that silently seeped into it. His body leaned forward slightly, his back arched, and his chest puffed up like a bow. He maintained this strange movement and did not move at all. His eyes were slightly narrowed, like a hunter who was ready to attack. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Yan Yan¡¯s three swords were like a piranha that had fallen into a school of fish! Any light circle that tried to get close was instantly shattered. The three revolving sword energies didn¡¯t slow down at all. With a hair-raising whistle, they shot toward the moon in the sky! In his opinion, this moon was the key to breaking the formation! Once the moon was destroyed, the array would naturally collapse.. Chapter 178 - Chapter 178: Looking for Someone Chapter 178: Looking for Someone Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation These light circles were like a thick layer of cotton clothing, impenetrable by swords and spears, but sharp awls could easily pierce through cotton clothing. The three sword energies spun around and formed a sharp vortex. Each sword¡¯s energy was like a sharp dagger with extremely strong penetrating power! The light shield that blocked his Single Plum Blossom was easily penetrated by the Three Play! The speed of this sword was so fast that even the light circles could not keep up. However, these light circles seemed to have a life of their own. They knew that they couldn¡¯t stop the sword light in time and directly flew towards Yan Yan! Rays of light poured down from the sky and covered Yan Yan! Even with Yan Yan¡¯s strength, he didn¡¯t dare to rashly try. The cultivator who withdrew had left a deep impression on everyone! Twin Flying Sparrows. Two plum blossoms floated down from the branches, like two colorful butterflies, circling around Yan Yan. The light circles falling from the sky had just approached Yan Yan when they were shattered into countless pieces with a clang! However, the light circles in the sky were merciless, covering Yan Yan again and again. Clang! Clang! The crisp sound was endless as if countless cups had broken at the same time! Fragments flew everywhere around Yan Yan. Occasionally, they would be blown into pieces by the two dancing plum blossoms. Yan Yan was unharmed in the shattered light. ¡°Young man, you¡¯re quite energetic.¡± The sallow-faced man who had appeared out of nowhere clucked his tongue. ¡°He¡¯s silly,¡± Sha Ning looked up at the sky and said indifferently. ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s fine. It saves us a lot of effort.¡± The sallow-faced man laughed loudly. ¡°What do you want?¡± Sha Ning¡¯s gaze shifted to the sallow-faced man. ¡°What do you mean?¡± The sallow-faced man asked in confusion. ¡°Your strength surpasses anyone here. And you¡¯ve been running around as if you¡¯re looking for something. This is the Great Pine Pavilion. I haven¡¯t heard of anything inside. The only explanation is that you are looking for someone.¡± The sallow-faced man stopped smiling and his eyes became sharp. Sha Ning¡¯s expression was indifferent. The sallow-faced man suddenly clapped his hands and laughed. ¡°The world knows that you¡¯re violent and bloodthirsty. But they don¡¯t know that you¡¯re also a meticulous person. I underestimated you.¡± ¡°I have no enmity with you.¡± From the beginning to the end, Sha Ning had a calm expression, as if he was telling a story that had nothing to do with him. ¡°There¡¯s none here.¡± The sallow-faced man sighed softly. The disappointment on his face could not be concealed. ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡± Chang Heng¡¯s expression was indifferent. He did not explain the reason for his regret. In Li Ming¡¯s sea of consciousness, the tablet spirit sat on a stone tablet and looked into the distance. An inexplicable smile appeared on his face. It was filled with ridicule, nostalgia, loneliness, and coldness¡­ Compared to the tablet spirit¡¯s imposing manner, Li Ming was like an arrow, ready to be fired! Although the moon wasn¡¯t a vital point, Li Ming knew what would happen if it hit him! He did not have time to think too much. The light of the three azure chains suddenly lit up. Dragon-Binding Formation! The azure chains landed just right, blocking the spiral sword light. Different from the Dragon-Binding Formation that Li Ming had used previously, these three azure chains formed a chain that could lock up three sword rays! The three sword lights fiercely collided with the chain. The toughness of the chain was beyond Yan Yan¡¯s expectations. He twisted it forcefully, but the chain was not broken! Just as Yan Yan was in a daze, a flaming net suddenly appeared in the air. It was a huge net of deep blue flames. The seven Green Wood Flags absorbed a large amount of water-type spiritual qi and turned it into endless wood-type spiritual energy. Beside the Green Wood Flags, there were seven second-grade small lion head furnaces. The lion¡¯s mouth spat out dark red flames that intersected in the air. After the intersection, the flames dimmed. Twelve jade tablets were used as the foundation of the formation. Using the scarlet gold threads, he set up the Threefold Fire Formation around the seven pill furnaces! After three revolutions, the flame was almost transparent! Seven nearly transparent fireballs shot into the sky and intertwined with each other. Forty-nine small pill furnaces formed the Great Separation Fire Formation! Once the formation was formed, all the fire threads trembled. The sparkling and translucent fire threads became sparkling and translucent again, with a faint blue color. This was the huge blue net in the sky! The dark blue fire net blocked the three sword energies perfectly! Yan Yan¡¯s expression changed! This fire net separated him from the three sword energies! At the same time, the chains of the Dragon-Binding Formation wrapped around the three sword lights were suddenly pulled! Bang! Everyone was shocked by the sudden fire! The dark blue flames were silent, like a huge dark blue spider web, covering their heads. However, this light blue flame made everyone¡¯s expression change drastically. The terrifying high temperature made everyone shudder! How powerful would a blue flame be? The deep blue flame burned silently. The rune array was like a huge furnace! Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator and Wei Fei, who were in midair, witnessed this scene and were extremely shocked. The water in the pond was steaming hot, turning into streams of water that flowed into the Green Wood Flags. The green wood qi entered the lion-head furnace and turned into a red flame, forming a big net between the Threefold Fire Formation and the Great Separation Fire Formation. Wei Fei was dumbfounded and mumbled, ¡°Amazing! This is amazing!¡± Li Ming was in a dilemma! Sweat dripped down from his forehead. He had underestimated the difficulty of controlling the Great Separation Fire Formation! In order to better display his power, he strengthened his formations at all costs, which made his control even more difficult. The series of operations just now, although dazzling, was also quite difficult! Although Li Ming¡¯s control had improved by leaps and bounds, the difficulty of controlling the formation still made him suffer a huge loss. In that short moment, his entire body was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been fished out of the water. This was too difficult! Damn it! Li Ming¡¯s heart jumped. He activated all his divine senses and carefully controlled every minute change in the formation. Formations were an extremely complicated subject. If there was a slight mistake, it would cause a huge difference and the power would be greatly reduced. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was especially so for people like Li Ming, who used all kinds of formations as the foundation to form a formation group. It was even more complicated. Li Ming was completely unaware that his lips had already been bitten until a trace of blood appeared. He carefully used the five-colored pagoda to control the fire net! Seeing that Yan Yan¡¯s attack had been blocked, Li Ming did not have the time to rejoice. This was the limit of what he could endure. The fire net was almost out of control! Li Ming¡¯s eyes were wide open, and his veins were bulging. Once he lost control, he would lose.. Chapter 179 - Chapter 179: Yan Yan Defeated Chapter 179: Yan Yan Defeated Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation This was the most powerful flame he had ever encountered since he started alchemy. The fire net that was out of control would soon collapse. The dark blue flames would completely destroy the entire formation. NO! However, he was barely able to do it. He could feel the spiritual qi in his body being consumed at an extremely fast speed. His meager cultivation had become his weakness again! But at this moment, he couldn¡¯t think too much. He needed to make a choice! He didn¡¯t have time to think. He let out a muffled groan and used all his strength! A huge net of deep blue flames suddenly descended from the sky. The cultivators in the formation immediately became restless. Was Li Ming going to capture all of them in one fell swoop? He didn¡¯t know the immensity of heaven and earth! Many cultivators revealed mocking expressions. To them, a foundation establishment cultivators was provoking them. How could this group of arrogant people endure the provocation of a foundation establishment disciple? Many of the participants were eager to test the power of this fire net! Suddenly, a low and hoarse voice slowly came from the formation. ¡°Bind!¡± The fire net that covered the sky and the earth suddenly shrank, enveloping Yan Yan within. This also shocked the cultivators who were prepared for battle. They all looked over to watch a good show. No one would be stupid enough to block that fire net for Yan Yan. Yan Yan flew into a rage. His face darkened. The Seven Plum Sword turned into a black light and flew towards the fire net. The Seven Plum Sword soared into the sky and turned into a huge sword light, mercilessly slashing at the fire net. The blue fire net shrank again, sucking him and his sword in. When the sword light hit the fire net, Li Ming spat out another mouthful of blood. His face turned pale. But at this moment, how could he retreat? He bit his tongue hard. The fresh blood had a salty taste, stimulating his nerves and making his whole body full of strength. There was not much of his divine sense and spiritual energy left. A trace of blood flowed out of Li Ming¡¯s nose, but he did not notice it. When the last wisp of his divine sense entered the five-colored pagoda, it suddenly emitted a dazzling five-colored light, shining under the crescent moon in the sky! Yan Yan¡¯s expression finally changed! Before the fire net even got close, the scorching temperature made his heart skip a beat. Not daring to be negligent, he leaped up and followed closely behind the flying sword. All the spiritual energy in his body was injected into the flying sword. His only thought now was to escape from this fire net! The sword intent of the Seven Plum Sword suddenly became sharp, like the cold wind on the cliff. He seemed to see a tall and straight red plum, standing proudly! Chi! Yan Yan watched the flying sword pierce through the fire net and was secretly pleased with himself. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. ¡°Go to hell!¡± Li Ming¡¯s low roar was like a bolt of lightning that exploded in the array! The fire net suddenly shrank! Yan Yan only felt blue flames in all directions. It was as if he was in a huge alchemy furnace and could be burned to ashes at any time. He was shocked and did not have time to think. He immediately propped up the spiritual armor on his body! Countless dark blue flames crashed into Yan Yan! Yan Yan¡¯s shrill scream rang out. The sword light of the flying sword suddenly became chaotic. Just when everyone thought that Yan Yan would die for sure, those blue flames suddenly disappeared into thin air. However, there were still many sparks that hit Yan Yan¡¯s spiritual armor. The defensive power of the East Qi Sword Sect was not very strong to begin with. The power of the blue flames was so great that even Yan Yan, who was wearing the spiritual armor, was in a sorry state. His entire body was charred, and the spiritual armor on his body was destroyed. He fell from the sky like a charred wooden stick. The other cultivators in the formation all paled! Who fell down? It was Yan Yan! The power of this formation was so great that even Yan Yan suffered a great loss. Those cultivators who wanted to immediately break the formation immediately stopped. When they saw Yan Yan unconscious and in a sorry state, they could not bear to look at him. Oh my god! Even Yan Yan couldn¡¯t block it. Was this a formation that a foundation establishment cultivators could set up? This was the question in everyone¡¯s mind. Moreover, Li Ming had still shown mercy in the end. If he had not shown mercy. all the deep blue flames would have hit Yan Yan. It was hard to say whether Yan Yan would have survived. In other words, even golden core cultivators could lose their lives in the formation Li Ming set up! Everyone was stunned. In an instant, the cultivators fighting in the formation all stopped. Everyone¡¯s expressions became incomparably ugly because they were still in the grand array! He was already delirious from that attack just now. How could he still have any scruples? His divine sense and spiritual energy were all exhausted, and he fainted on the ground. It was because of this that the flame was extinguished. When Li Ming slowly woke up, his fighting spirit had already disappeared. He really did not know the immensity of heaven and earth! Just a moment ago, he actually went head-on with Yan Yan! He suddenly tilted his head. He remembered that before he fainted, he had defeated Yan Yan! The corner of his mouth curled into a smile, but it looked a little strange when paired with his expressionless face. How long had he been unconscious? He struggled to stand up and looked around. Hmm, I¡¯m still in the formation?! Could it be that these people had yet to break through the array? Li Ming felt that this thought was too laughable. He was still in a daze from the battle he had just defeated Yan Yan. Li Ming didn¡¯t know that because of the Vajra Seal, he only spent the time for an incense stick to burn before he woke up from his coma. If not for that, he would have needed several days to wake up from his coma. However, he never expected that during the time he was unconscious, no one went to break the array. On the contrary, the cultivators in the formation began to kill each other. Su, Hai Jun, and Sha Ning all joined in and wiped out all the cultivators in the formation. Wei Fei and Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator were busy in the formation. Sha Ning and the others were also playing it safe. They had already witnessed the power of the array formation just now, so no one dared to let their guard down. To break this formation, he had to use all his strength. However, if there were other enemies around, how many people would dare to take the risk? If Li Ming could understand this, he would be proud of it. A foundation establishment cultivator that could make so many golden core cultivators so fearful¡­ what kind of glory was this?! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, Li Ming, who had woken up, was attracted by the incomplete Sun and Moon Light Formation in front of him. In reality, although he seemed to have won the battle with Yan Yan, it was a battle that resulted in both sides suffering. He forcefully activated the seal soldier to fight with Nangong Yun, causing his injuries to worsen. He was unable to fight back at all. He lost everything! This was the first thought that came to Li Ming¡¯s mind! When he saw the Sun and Moon Light Formation, his heart was bleeding. This feeling of bleeding was much stronger than the pain in his body.. Chapter 180 - Chapter 180: Cooperation Chapter 180: Cooperation Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation What a waste of so many crystals! For this competition, he spent a lot of spiritual crystals to buy materials from the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion. He had a feeling that he had spent a lot of money but lost a lot. NO! Li Ming gritted his teeth and stood up. He was determined to obtain the Sun Moon Light Formation that had been set up with 72 sub-formations! As for the Kunlun Jade Scroll, he didn¡¯t have the mood to think about it anymore. He just couldn¡¯t let the materials that had already been consumed go to waste. He had thrown so many things in, so there had to be some movement. While Li Ming¡¯s heart ached, he also comforted himself in his heart. But now, he no longer had the strength to continue setting up. He had to replenish his spiritual energy and divine sense in the shortest time possible to hear this ¡°sound.¡± Then, a strange scene happened. Li Ming cultivated in the array in peace, replenishing his spiritual energy and divine sense. The other cultivators were fighting each other. Perhaps the other cultivators could not compare to those people, but those who could enter were all strong. Moreover, they were not fools. They immediately understood the intentions of Sha Ning and the others. Of course, they would not sit still and wait for death. If one person couldn¡¯t do it, then the two of them would work together. Amidst the angry roar and the whistling of the swords, Li Ming calmly entered a meditative state. After the time for three incense sticks to burn, he slowly opened his eyes. There was a demonic core mo matrix. Other than the tablet spirit, no other cultivators he had seen had recovered spiritual energy and divine sense faster than him. In just a moment, there were only five people left in the formation. Su, Hai Jun, Sha Ning, the sallow-faced man, and Luo Ming. Both Zhang Haowen and Nangong Yun were exhausted from the battle, and it could even be said that they had died together. However, they were ambushed by Sha Ning and the sallow-faced man. The remaining people had long been eliminated. As for Yan Yan, he had already been rescued by Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator. Li Ming turned a blind eye to the five of them. He endured the injuries on his body and continued to set up the Sun and Moon Light Formation. At this moment, he set an extremely realistic goal for himself. He would finish setting up the Sun Moon Light Formation of the 72 sub-formations! Su suddenly walked towards Luo Ming, and Luo Ming couldn¡¯t help but be on guard. ¡°You are Li Ming¡¯s senior brother?¡± Su had already made up her mind to make a deal with him. She did not expect that this guy who lived off a woman would not make any movements until now. A person who lived off a woman could not care about winning or losing, but she could not. ¡°Yes.¡± Luo Ming was surprised. ¡°One against one,¡± Su said quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll go deal with Hai Jun.¡± Luo Ming was even more surprised. Could this person be an old friend of Li Ming¡¯s? Was it true? His brain was spinning rapidly, weighing the pros and cons. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll deal with the sallow-faced man,¡± he said without hesitation. Although he did not know if it was true or not, it did not seem to be harmful to him. The two sides instantly separated. The other three also heard their conversation. Sha Ning was unmoved. The sallow-faced man smiled and disappeared from his spot. Everyone looked for a place to start the battle. Only Sha Ning did not move. He looked up at the halo above his head, deep in thought. Li Ming did not care about the situation in the array. Once he made up his mind, he did not hesitate at all. The injuries on his body had a great impact on him, and the flow of spiritual energy had become somewhat slow. Ever since the start of the Fetal Breathing Spiritual Technique, he had never felt the pain of his divine sense being injured. But in the first two battles, even his most skilled divine sense couldn¡¯t escape injury. This was the consequence of fighting someone of a higher cultivation level. Even with the support of the formation, he could not avoid being injured. However, if one only looked at his appearance, no one would think that his internal organs were severely injured. His eyes were calm, focused, and clear, without any distracting thoughts. Although his finger movements were not as fast as before, they were still smooth and had a unique charm. In midair, Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator could not help but sigh. Wei Fei also had a look of approval. ¡°In the Foundation Establishment Stage, he took three sword moves that Nangong Yun used all his strength to do and even severely injured Yan Yan. This ability is worth being proud of! The heavens are looking out for the Divine Will Sect! With one Li Zhengxuan and one Li Ming, we don¡¯t have to worry about them for the next hundred years!¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator sighed inexplicably. ¡°Too bad he is born in the wrong times. Who would be able to survive the chaos? Wouldn¡¯t it be a pity if such a genius dies?¡± Wei Fei laughed, ¡°But I don¡¯t agree with the Itinerant Cultivator. The more outstanding one was, the more they needed to be tempered. In this chaotic world, heroes were born! Without chaos, there would be no heroes!¡± Hearing this, Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator chuckled. ¡°Brother Wei is right. I¡¯m really old.¡± Without any distractions, Li Ming¡¯s speed of setting up the array formation also increased a lot without him realizing it. Without any thought, all the materials flowed through his fingers, and his spells were naturally formed. Not long after, the Sun Moon Light Formation was set up! He stared blankly at the formation that had completely taken shape in front of him, and a hint of disbelief appeared on his face. In an intense battle, he had suffered serious injuries. He woke up from his coma and gradually calmed down. From the desire for victory at the beginning to the despair in the end, to the concentration in the end, victory and defeat were no longer important to him. He was like a statue, standing in the formation without moving. Li Zhengxuan¡¯s vision was covered by a bloody mist, and his vision was a little blurry. His body was covered in dense sword marks. Blood dyed his clothes red, making his face blurry. He had become a bloody man! Many people who were watching this battle couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. Even Tian Songzi couldn¡¯t help but ask if they should stop this battle. Pei Xuan did not stop the competition, but he clenched his fists tightly. His nails dug deep into his palms, but he did not notice it. He Fang wasn¡¯t any better. There were three more wounds on his body. The wounds weren¡¯t too deep, but his chest was soaked in blood. His sword intent was as erratic as ever, but everyone could feel his weakness. No one would think that He Fang was weak. It was normal for him to be exhausted from continuous battles. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He Fang also realized that his situation was getting worse, but he had no other choice. Two hours ago, Li Zhengxuan was already riddled with injuries and was on the verge of collapse. But two hours later, Li Zhengxuan was still holding on. He looked like he would fall at any moment, but he did not fall. Every time He Fang thought that he could defeat his opponent with just a little more strength, he would find that his strength only left a wound on his opponent¡¯s body. It did not have any effect. His opponent could always block it. Li Zhengxuan hadn¡¯t fallen yet, but He Fang realized that he had been forced into a desperate situation. The three sword scars were the best proof.. Chapter 181 - Chapter 181: Divine Sense! Chapter 181: Divine Sense! Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation His sword technique was like a huge net, trapping the enemy within and then slowly depleting the enemy¡¯s strength until the enemy had no room to survive and was suffocated to death. Although his move succeeded, the other party did not give up. For a moment, the situation was in a deadlock. The enemy was tougher than he had imagined. The spiritual energy in his body was being consumed at an alarming rate. The long sword in his hand was also fading at a speed visible to the naked eye. His speed was getting slower and slower. Finally, the enemy found an opportunity to launch a counterattack! The further he went, the more shocked He Fang became. Li Zhengxuan was like a ferocious beast that did not know fatigue, and more like a seal soldier that did not know pain. The sword ray brushed past his body. Other than a muffled sound and a spray of blood, it did not affect him at all. In this battle between the hunter and the beast, the hunter was gradually at a disadvantage. Li Ming¡¯s formation dazzled everyone and shocked them. However, the battle between Li Zhengxuan and He Fang had given everyone a shock that came from the bottom of their hearts! As time passed, the voices of the discussion gradually died down, but more people revealed sympathetic expressions. They saw a bloodied man who was covered in blood and did not say a word. He was fighting and struggling desperately. His body swayed in the air as blood dripped from his body. Everyone lost interest in talking. Even though Li Zhengxuan did not win, in everyone¡¯s eyes, there was only that bloody back. The fight in the Great Pine Pavilion continued. The Sun Moon Light Formation attracted the attention of most of the experts. This made many people feel excited. They believed that the battle for the top ten would become even more intense. However, the reality was the complete opposite of what they thought. Without the deterrence of the strong, many cultivators who were prepared to hide no longer hid in the corner because they had no pressure and no patience. The battle became more intense. However, no one dared to approach the Sun Moon Light Formation and the main peak. The Sun Moon Light Formation was like a mysterious monster with its mouth wide open. No one knew what was hidden in this formation. The battle at the main peak made all the cultivators who saw this scene tremble in fear! Even the Great Pine Pavilion¡¯s referees were staring intently at these two places. They couldn¡¯t wait for the matches in the other places to end as soon as possible. Li Ming felt as if he had fallen into a big gray bubble, and his surroundings were filled with a strange gray. Even though he was wrapped in spiritual armor, he was not isolated at all. It was as if he was completely naked and soaked in a gray substance. It was indescribably strange, but also indescribably familiar. He seemed to be very familiar with these gray things. What exactly was this thing? He seemed to understand everything but also seemed to not understand at all. He stretched out his hand, wanting to grab something, but it was empty. What was this place? What was going on? He kept feeling that something was wrong with him, but he couldn¡¯t figure it out. He was a little confused. He did not get any clues from the surrounding environment, only a feeling of deja vu. What was going on? Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but frown and ponder. He wanted to know the answer. He reached out his hand again, wanting to grab the gray thing, but found that it was empty. This thing was similar to air. It could be seen but not touched, Li Ming thought to himself. Wait, you can¡¯t touch it.. Li Ming¡¯s spirit jolted. He recognized this thing! Divine sense! It was divine sense! When he realized that this was his divine sense, that familiar feeling suddenly became even stronger. There was a small island below him, burning with raging flames. Balls of scarlet flames danced in the air. A black-robed man sat on a stele. There was also a river. The water was turbid and only had two colors. Knowledge Sea! This was the sea of consciousness! Li Ming could see the shock on the tablet spirit¡¯s face. He could not help but shout loudly, but no matter how he shouted, the tablet spirit could not hear him. He could only give up and look around. The entire sea of consciousness was covered by these gray things. This scene was beyond Li Ming¡¯s expectations. In his mind, he could only see endless darkness and stars. That¡¯s right! He remembered that there were four stars in the sky! As expected, he looked up and saw the stars in the sky. There were four stars in the sky. One was very bright, while the other three were slightly inferior. When he entered the sea of consciousness, he always felt that these four stars were very far away. But now, he realized that these four stars were like four small boats floating on the wall. He seemed to understand something. At this moment, the four stars suddenly emitted specks of starlight. Like silver sand, the specks of light entered the gray divine sense bit by bit. However, the gray divine sense was too huge, so the specks of light seemed insignificant. However, the four stars were constantly shooting out starlight, and the speed was very slow. Li Ming didn¡¯t know what these sand-like stars were for, but he could feel that his divine sense was undergoing some kind of change. Wei Fei and Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator were both staring at He Fang and Li Zhengxuan¡¯s match. Not only them, but all the judges of the Great Pine Pavilion were also staring at the match. Inside the formation, Li Ming opened his arms as if he was trying to hug something. He was like a puppet, unmoving, and his eyes were lifeless. The air around him seemed to have been ignited and crackled! The explosions around Li Ming became more and more rapid. He could clearly see the air exploding, forming a tiny vortex. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator was proficient in formations, and his divine sense was also very powerful. However, when his divine sense came within a foot of Li Ming, it was as if it had encountered an invisible wall that could not be penetrated. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He was slightly startled. He was in the nascent soul stage, while Li Ming was only in the foundation establishment Stage. Logically speaking, the strength of his divine sense was not something that Li Ming could compete with. But now, he had been stopped by an invisible force. This kind of situation would only happen if the divine sense of the two people was equal. However, he quickly came back to his senses. He guessed that Li Ming¡¯s divine sense must have had some strange movements, and the explosions around Li Ming confirmed his guess. Compared to spiritual energy, cultivators had much less understanding of the divine sense. Even Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator, a nascent soul cultivator, did not have a deep understanding of divine sense. On the market, countless jade scrolls cultivated spiritual energy, but those that cultivated divine sense were extremely rare. They were not even valued by people and could be said to be the least popular.. Chapter 182 - Chapter 182: Change Chapter 182: Change Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Among cultivators, most of them were talisman cultivators who specialized in the divine sense. However, even talisman cultivators paid attention to spiritual energy. Just like Zen cultivators, although they were known to be the most proficient in body tempering, they were more focused on cultivating spiritual energy. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator was proficient in formations, but his main cultivation was not talisman cultivation, but sword cultivation. The Tian Yuan Continent was a backwater place, a small world where sword cultivators reigned supreme. How could there be any profound methods to cultivate the divine sense? Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator himself had a set of divine sense techniques. This set of divine sense techniques was a side branch of his sect. Because he was very interested in formations, he had learned them for some time. However, these were all secondary. A sword cultivator¡¯s main cultivation could only be practicing the sword! Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator also didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened to Li Ming¡¯s divine sense. Wei Fei was startled by Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator¡¯s voice, but he only glanced at Li Ming before looking away. He was also at the nascent soul stage, so he could tell at a glance that Li Ming¡¯s divine sense had changed. But to him, divine sense was not the right path. Even if he cultivated divine sense well, what use was it? Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator thought for a while, but he couldn¡¯t think of a reason. He then looked at Li Zhengxuan and He Fang. Li Ming could feel that his divine sense seemed to be quietly undergoing some kind of change. However, what exactly was this change? He looked at the star and the starlight that was slowly spreading in his divine sense. He had a vague feeling that this change would continue. The light of the stars spread extremely slowly. If it wanted to spread to this place covered by many divine senses, it would probably take some time. Retracting his gaze, he began to ponder the matter of the ¡°Divine Sense Separation¡± mentioned by the tablet spirit. His divine sense felt like it was within reach. This was the first time he saw the true face of divine sense. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was his imagination or something else. It was difficult for him to judge, so he didn¡¯t think too much about it. His divine sense was so close that he would naturally think of the word ¡®Distraction¡¯ or divine sense separation. The tablet spirit did not say how he could separate his divine sense. Li Ming looked around. His sea of consciousness was surrounded by gray fog. It was too big and couldn¡¯t be seen or touched. Li Ming felt that he didn¡¯t know where to start. He tried to communicate with the surrounding divine sense as usual. Just as he was thinking, the surrounding gray divine sense suddenly swarmed over. Soon, he grabbed a ball of gray divine sense in his hand. Li Ming was overjoyed. However, before he could be happy for long, the divine sense in his hand disappeared without a trace. However, he was not depressed because of this. This was within his expectations. He knew from the start that it would not be so easy to do divine sense separation. After that, he conducted many experiments and gained a lot of experience. He could control his divine sense, and it was very easy. However, his divine sense was like a grain of sand. It was easy to crumble it into a ball in his hand. Once he let go, it would scatter all over the ground. Once Li Ming¡¯s consciousness was cut off, this divine sense would immediately return to its original state. Li Ming felt that something was wrong. As far as he knew, a separated divine sense could move on its own to a certain extent. Otherwise, it would be no different from him dividing his divine sense into countless small strands and controlling several small strands at the same time. The divine sense was formless and intangible, so it could be shaped at will. When dealing with Yan Yan, he used the Great Separation Fire Formation. At that time, the Dragon-Binding Formation, Separation Fire Formation, Three Turn Fire Formation, and Great Separation Fire Formation were all controlled by him at the same time. To be able to control four different formations at the same time, Li Ming¡¯s usage of divine sense had already reached an extremely fine level. At that time, his divine sense was like an octopus with four tentacles. Strictly speaking, this process wasn¡¯t simultaneous. There was a sequence between the four formations. However, the time interval between these four actions was very short. It could be said that they were completed almost at the same time. Li Ming could only control four formations at the same time. This was not truly Multitasking. As for divine sense separation, it was truly multitasking. In a single thought, he could complete several actions. Since that was the case, it meant that divine sense and consciousness should be separate! Li Ming was deep in thought. Although the divine sense couldn¡¯t be seen or touched, it could be divided like spiritual energy. Mind was a person¡¯s thoughts. How could thoughts be separated? This was simply a fantasy! Li Ming knew that he was wrong. He suddenly remembered the demon nucleus in his body. Just as this thought flashed through his mind, the surrounding environment changed again! His sea of consciousness approached him at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a moment, the tablet spirit arrived not far from him. Li Ming saw the tablet spirit suddenly open its eyes and look around, but its face was at a loss. Before he could call out to the tablet spirit, his body had already passed through the sea of fire and entered the sea of consciousness. Only then did he discover the demon core! Only then did he realize that this demon core was actually hidden in the center of his sea of consciousness. Li Ming immediately looked at the tablet spirit in a new light. It was able to place the demon core in the center of his sea of consciousness. This ability was really not small. In the past, he thought that his sea of consciousness was a small island, but now he knew that it was a round ball. He often walked on the surface of the round ball. The round ball was hollow, and there was a demon nucleus inside. The demon nucleus was only the size of a walnut and shaped like an urchin. Around it were countless tiny tubes that looked like blood vessels and vines. Li Ming did not know what they were. These tubes connected the demon nucleus to the sea of consciousness. The demon core was planted later, which meant that this meridian vine was also planted later. Ever since the demon nucleus was planted, his control over his divine sense had greatly increased. Li Ming guessed that this should be the reason. He suddenly had a flash of inspiration. If he followed the structure of the demon nucleus¡¯ sea of consciousness, could he make his divine sense more stable and not be like a scattered grain of sand that could not be condensed? The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was so. Thinking about it carefully, the reason why his divine sense hadn¡¯t dissipated was because his sea of consciousness was still there. With this demon nucleus, he could better control his divine sense. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He finally had a glimmer of hope, but soon, he encountered another problem. Then, what could he use to replace the sea of consciousness and the demon nucleus? He did not have the ability of the tablet spirit to get anything from the outside. He looked at the demon nucleus and secretly hoped that it would bear fruit like the vines. However, this absurd thought flashed across his mind. He felt that his idea was not wrong. He just needed to come up with a feasible plan. He began to wander in his sea of consciousness, looking for a substance that could be used as a nucleus.. Chapter 183 - Chapter 183: Star Beads Chapter 183: Star Beads Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation It was strange that he could see the tablet spirit, but the two of them seemed to be in two different spaces. No matter how he shouted, even if he walked past him, the tablet spirit still did not sense anything. After trying a few times, he gave up and started looking for new cores. However, after circling his sea of consciousness, he found nothing. Could it be that there was something wrong with his way of thinking? He couldn¡¯t help but shift his attention to his divine sense, carefully sensing that familiar feeling. His brows were tightly knitted, and he fell into deep thought. At this moment, a star suddenly floated in his field of vision. His eyes suddenly focused. Around this star, there was a faint layer of divine sense, like a layer of faint gray fog, enveloping this star! Li Ming¡¯s eyes lit up! Starlight! That¡¯s right, why did I forget about Starlight? He carefully stretched out his hand, wanting to grab the starlight. The starlight gently fell on his palm, but he could feel that there was a layer of faint spiritual energy on the starlight. This spiritual qi was much denser than the spiritual qi in other places. That¡¯s right! Li Ming decided to give it a name. Star Sand. This was because when he got close to it, he realized that it was not a ball of light, but a substance that looked like sand. Realizing this, Li Ming crouched down near the four stars and collected the star sand. The star sand that the four stars spewed out wasn¡¯t too fast. Li Ming spent a of effort to get a handful of star sand. He planned to use the star sand he had on hand to give it a try. Star sand was a type of sand that was very scattered. If one wanted to form an inner core, one had to fuse all the star sand. Li Ming was already familiar with refining. He was now considered a half-baked expert in fire control. But soon, he was disappointed because he could not summon stalagmite fire. In the absence of flames, wanting to fuse them together was simply a fantasy. Fire! He couldn¡¯t help but look at his sea of consciousness, only to see a sea of fire! These dark red flames might come in handy, Li Ming thought to himself. However, at this point, he could only take a gamble. Just as this thought rose in his mind, a fiery light suddenly shot out from the sea of fire and headed straight for him! Li Ming was dumbfounded by how smooth it was. Previously, he was unable to control the fire in his sea of consciousness at all. However, after thinking about it, he found nothing. Regardless of whether he could succeed or not, he had to try first. He did not hold back at all. Instead, he controlled the dark red flame and began to refine the star sand. With a trace of dark red flames, it lingered in the star sand like a dancing dancer! A bean-sized bead appeared in Li Ming¡¯s hand. It emitted a faint starlight, but it was not dazzling. This bead was perfectly round and flawless, and it was as light as a feather. It was enveloped by a thick layer of divine sense, and the light it emitted made it look inconspicuous. Li Ming knew that he had already succeeded halfway! He also felt a strange feeling. Everything he saw was so strange, so mysterious, so indescribable, so incomprehensible. But what did it matter? He even hoped that this situation could last longer and not be a dream! But soon, he stopped thinking about it. Li Ming decided to name this round bead, which was made from star sand, Star Bead. Star Beads could automatically attract people¡¯s divine sense, but that alone was far from enough. If one were to say that this huge ball of gray fog was his entire divine sense. The attraction of Star Beads was negligible. This bit of divine sense was too useless. Fortunately, Li Ming¡¯s divine sense could still be used. He began to pull out his divine sense, gathering the Star Beads and compressing them. No one noticed Li Ming. Even Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator was staring at Li Zhengxuan and He Fang without blinking. The victor of this battle was about to be decided. Li Zhengxuan was covered in blood, and He Fang had three more sword wounds. Not to mention talent, just in terms of pain tolerance, he was miles away from Li Zhengxuan. No one could deny this. What kind of monster was this? Every time he moved, his wound would be affected, and it was so painful that he wanted to scream. He could clearly feel that his physical strength was being sucked away. He only felt his head buzzing and his vision blurring. There was not much spiritual energy left in his body, and his meridians were already damaged. However, the person in front of him was so heavily injured. Why was he still continuing? Li Zhengxuan had more injuries than him, so how could he act as if nothing had happened? The blood all over Li Zhengxuan¡¯s body made people wonder how he had endured until now. Li Zhengxuan¡¯s cultivation was far inferior to his. Logically speaking, his meridians should have been damaged long ago, but why¡­ When He Fang saw the bloody man in front of him, a strong sense of powerlessness suddenly rose in his heart! There were no explosions, no airwaves, no wind. There was no movement within one foot of him. However, no one noticed that whether it was Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator or Wei Fei, they were all focused on the battle between Li Zhengxuan and He Fang. Even they, who were in the middle of an intense battle, were completely unaware. Li Ming stopped helplessly. A grayish-black divine sense ball the size of a bamboo basket floated in front of him. This was Li Ming¡¯s previous result. His divine sense was constantly compressed by him and finally condensed into a ball. With the Star Bead as the core, the divine sense outside did not dissipate. He focused about 10% of his divine sense on this consciousness ball in front of him. The density of the divine sense ball had reached its limit and could no longer be compressed. Because it was too dense, it looked more like a piece of wood, so people could not see the planet inside clearly. Success? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Li Ming was not confident. Although he had made it, he really did not know how to use it. The tablet spirit had only said a few simple words. However, the current him was still unable to communicate with it. Moreover, he had a premonition that if he left this place now, it would be almost impossible for him to return to this strange place in the future. How to use it? Looking at the gray, stone-like divine sense ball in front of him, Li Ming was caught in a dilemma. He had a strange feeling with the divine sense ball. Li Ming had a flash of inspiration, and the ball of divine sense in front of him immediately circled him. Interesting! Chapter 184 - Chapter 184: Natal Magical Treasure Chapter 184: Natal Magical Treasure Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming immediately became interested. He didn¡¯t need to control it at all. With just a thought, the divine sense ball would react. It was too fun. Li Ming had never felt so relaxed before. Even if he could use Little Art of Cloud and Rain as he pleased, no matter how familiar he felt, it couldn¡¯t compare to this feeling of being like a fish in water. He was having a great time playing with the divine sense ball. To him, nothing was impossible. However, he soon discovered something. This fog-like divine sense strongly rejected the divine sense ball. Around the divine sense ball, an empty space appeared. His divine sense and divine sense ball came from the same source, why would there be a rejection? The tablet spirit had never said that the split divine sense would reject the main body. What was wrong with this? Just as he was hesitating, an extremely bold idea suddenly appeared in his mind. How about he put the divine sense ball in his magical treasure? One was because the divine sense ball and his divine sense were repelled, so he had to find a suitable position for his divine sense ball. And the divine sense ball was his bloodline connection, if he could put it on a magical treasure, how good would that be! If the magical treasure could be connected to his mind and become a part of his body¡­ The more Li Ming thought about it, the more he felt that this was a brilliant idea! He also felt that the divine sense ball that was connected to him didn¡¯t have any resistance to his thoughts. With this thought in mind, he did it! Li Ming¡¯s mind raced as he thought about what magical treasures were most suitable for him. Not long after, he chose the magical treasure that was most suitable for him, the five-colored pagoda! He did not have many magical treasures on him, so the range of options was not large. The five-colored pagoda was a small world, which was perfect for storing the divine sense ball. The five-colored pagoda could turn ordinary things into the power of the five elements. Moreover, his divine sense did not belong to the power of the five elements, so he did not have to worry about turning it into the power of the five elements. Besides, in his eyes, the half-finished five-colored pagoda was the magical treasure with the most potential and mysteries in his hands! Just as this thought flashed through his mind, the light ball of divine sense in front of him had already disappeared. In the next moment, Li Ming felt that he was in a place filled with the essence of the five elements. This was the inside of the five-colored pagoda! Li Ming was overjoyed. At the same time, the five-colored light in the formation suddenly flourished! The four people in the formation, as well as Sha Ning, who was looking at the light circle, all stopped what they were doing and raised their heads in shock. A five-colored pagoda appeared above the formation and emitted extremely dazzling five-colored light. It was so dazzling that even the moon at the top of the five-colored pagoda lost its color. The five-colored pagoda was like a rising sun, dazzling. The appearance of the five-colored pagoda had also undergone earth-shattering changes. The tower was glowing with a crystalline light. The colorful pagoda became more and more exquisite and pure. The eaves of the pagoda had also become straighter, like huge eaves. The body of the pagoda had also become slimmer, and the tip of the pagoda had become a sharp sword! The sudden light shocked everyone. ¡°Natal magical treasure!¡± Xu Shan was the first to react. His eyes suddenly lit up, and his tone was filled with excitement! The other three looked at the five-colored pagoda in the illusion with their mouths agape. The light emitted by the five-colored pagoda and every detail of the five-colored pagoda showed that it was extraordinary. After a moment, the three of them finally came back to their senses. Pei Xuan immediately turned his head and stared at Xu Shan. ¡°Is this really a natal magical treasure?¡± The disciples behind him looked at each other. They could feel a trace of excitement and nervousness in the sect master¡¯s tone. Their hearts were filled with curiosity. What was this? How could it make Uncle Xu Shan and the sect master so excited? ¡°It can¡¯t be wrong!¡± The other three people could not hide the joy on their faces. Xu Shan was proficient in artifact refinement and had never boasted. Since he was so certain, it must be true. This was a natal magical treasure! Li Ming actually had his own natal magical treasure! If Xu Shan could think of this, the others could also think of this. Many people revealed surprised expressions. The so-called natal magical treasures were talismans that were inextricably linked to cultivators. These talismans could only be found by chance. A natal magical treasure was much stronger than an ordinary treasure and had many benefits that made people drool. As the cultivator¡¯s cultivation increased, it would become stronger and stronger. Moreover, it was connected to the cultivator¡¯s consciousness, allowing the cultivator to unleash its power to the extreme. The so-called ¡°natal¡± represented a part of the cultivator¡¯s body. Naturally, there was no need to worry about it being taken away by others. This was the origin of a natal magical treasure. It could not be used by others if was snatched away. Every cultivator desired to have a natal magical treasure! However, it was strange that natal magical treasures could not be refined by someone. Usually, they were condensed from some kind of heavenly and earthly treasure under certain special circumstances. Until now, no one could explain why there were natal magical treasures. Of course, as natal magical treasures, there were many advantages and disadvantages. Because their relationship with the cultivator was too close, their damage would also affect the cultivator. Generally speaking, natal magical treasures were used to save lives. No one would have thought that a foundation establishment cultivator would have a natal magical treasure! Li Ming¡¯s luck had made countless people envious. The light of the five-colored pagoda gradually dimmed and finally returned to nothingness. At this moment, the crescent moon in the sky suddenly turned into a full moon, becoming even brighter and hanging high in the sky! The full moon was as big as a disc, and countless moonlight threads hung down from the disc like a silk curtain. The moonlight hanging in the air seemed to be fluttering in the wind as it silently passed through the freely swimming circles of light. In the blink of an eye, rings of light of varying sizes were strung together by the moonlight threads, forming a string of wind chimes! As the full moon shone, the threads that were hanging down shook in unison, and thousands of light circles buzzed! Clang! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The crisp sound rang throughout the entire Great Pine Pavilion, echoing in every corner. The aura of the Sun Moon Light Formation seemed to have changed! Countless halos rang out at the same time. It was an indescribably beautiful sound that fell into everyone¡¯s ears. However, the expressions of the five people inside the formation changed. Even Sha Ning, who had always been calm, couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes. Without any hesitation, he reached out and swiped on the copper ring. The Blood Spider Sword was taken out. His gaze swept across the others. Everyone looked as if they were facing a great enemy. The sallow-faced man who had been firmly suppressing him had a solemn expression at this moment, and the bronze halberd in his hand was placed horizontally in front of him. When the rings¡¯ roar entered their ears, it made their spiritual energy tremble and their blood boil! Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: Killing Move (1) Chapter 185: Killing Move (1) Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Just the rings lighting up at the same time already had such great power. This made the five of them nervous. Even the dumbest person would know that this formation was completely different from before. A full moon hung high in the sky. Strands of moonlight were weak and delicate. The circles of light were like a beautiful painting. However, the five of them were not in the mood to appreciate this beautiful scenery. What they saw was a murderous aura! Su could no longer maintain her calm behind the black veil. Her face was filled with shock. Such a formation, such a phenomenon, could a foundation establishment cultivator really do it? Li Ming¡¯s image in her heart had been completely overturned. There seemed to be a long shadow on his face that was unfathomable! Could it be that she was wrong from the beginning? Circles of light hung down from the threads of the moon, swaying gently, elegant and gentle. She stared at the moon in front of her, unable to move her eyes away. The light circles shook slightly, and strands of killing intent spread out from the light circles, silently filling the entire light circles. She felt her mouth go dry. She had been wondering why Li Ming did not send out those paper cranes. Now, she finally knew that Li Ming did not need her help. But now, her entire body was stiff and she did not relax at all. She did not even blink. The sword technique she cultivated belonged to the magnetic force, and it had an extremely powerful probing ability. This extremely tiny killing intent seemed to be harmless, but in fact, it could gather together and form a fatal blow. More importantly, she had become the target of this murderous aura! How could this be¡­ Why would he treat me as an enemy? Su was puzzled, but there was no time for her to think about it now. The only thing she could do was to prepare for battle. She had a strong feeling that if the array was activated, it would definitely not be easy to block it. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator, Wei Fei, and the others all had ugly expressions. ¡°Do you know what kind of formation this is?¡± Wei Fei lowered his head and looked at it. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think that these formations should be of the fourth grade or higher. However, the reason why he can have such power should be because of his natal magical treasure.¡± He had to admit that his judgment was wrong. In the past, he only thought that Li Ming had some talent, and his understanding of formations was only average. However, from the current situation, the formation that the other party had set up had already exceeded his cultivation. However, if that was all, he would only be slightly surprised. What really surprised him was that the other party actually had a natal magical treasure! Li Ming was really lucky! He could not help but feel a little jealous. His cultivation level was much higher than Li Ming¡¯s, but he did not even have a natal magical treasure. Not only was he envious of Li Ming¡¯s natal magical treasure, but even Wei Fei was secretly sighing at the unfairness of the heavens. However, they also knew that this kind of treasure could only be encountered by chance and not sought after. It was useless to envy it. In addition, the two of them were nascent soul cultivators with strong willpower and would not be affected by the outside world. Their emotions quickly calmed down. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Wei Fei frowned and said disdainfully, ¡°Is this a one-on-five fight? You don¡¯t know the immensity of heaven and earth just because you have a natal magical treasure!¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator didn¡¯t answer. He had made mistakes in his judgment time and time again, which made him realize that the less he said, the fewer mistakes he would make. Moreover, from the dense array formations below, Li Ming probably wasn¡¯t acting on impulse. What puzzled him the most was Li Ming¡¯s current situation. Inside the formation, Li Ming was still maintaining his extremely strange posture, his eyes blank. The air around him seemed to have solidified and did not move at all. If one observed carefully, one would find that the light circles that were close to him seemed to be pushed away by an invisible force. It was as if all the changes had started when Li Ming entered this strange state. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator felt uncertain. The five-colored pagoda floated quietly above the pond. On the tip of the sword, there was a star shining, echoing with the full moon in the sky. The moon flickered. Clang! Clang! Suddenly, the circle of light on the moonlight trembled, and a low buzzing sound spread out in all directions like waves. The five people in the array stiffened. At this moment, they no longer had the mood to tangle with the other party. They were shocked to find that Li Ming had no intention of holding back. ¡°Aiya! How unlucky!¡± Luo Ming felt powerless. This guy was a lunatic! The flying sword floated beside him, ready to attack at any moment. As he said this, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and a hint of anticipation appeared in his heart. It had been a long time since the last time the two of them had fought. He had always wanted to fight Li Ming again, but he had never found a suitable opportunity. Now that he had such an opportunity, the fighting spirit in his heart burned fiercely. Whether it was Li Ming or Li Zhengxuan, in Luo Ming¡¯s eyes, they were both geniuses of their lineage. Senior Brother Li Zhengxuan was like a mountain that was too high to be climbed. In front of him, there was only despair. Li Ming, on the other hand, had a different style. Usually, when people saw him, they would subconsciously look down on him. However, if they really fought, they might not win, and he could give people a pleasant surprise. His expression was solemn. The white bone sword in his hand had two green flames. In his eyes, they were like the whimpers of ghosts. Li Ming had yet to recover from this wonderful feeling. This was an intoxicating state, a feeling of knowing everything like the back of one¡¯s hand. He stood there like a bystander, quietly watching this scene. The Five-colored Pagoda was in the formation, connected to his mind and controlling the Sun and Moon Light Formation! Every detail of the Sun Moon Light Formation moved through his mind like flowing water. He could not see, but he could feel it. This was the feedback from the five-colored pagoda. Originally, he only wanted to complete the 72 sub-formations of the Sun and Moon Light Formation, accumulate more experience, and comprehend more of the mysteries of the Sun and Moon Light Formation. But now, he could see every detail of the formation clearly. This was also the reason why he wanted to test the power of the Sun and Moon Light Formation! Just as this thought appeared in his mind, the five-colored pagoda had already activated the formation! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The ringing that was originally like a tide suddenly disappeared. The huge formation suddenly became deathly silent. It was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe as if there was a huge stone pressing down on one¡¯s heart. The five people in the formation were extremely nervous. This deathly stillness was like a piece of lead being pressed down. This was the prelude to the attack of the formation. The full moon suddenly became extremely bright. It released its strongest light without any restraint. In the blink of an eye, the originally bright moon seemed to have been ignited. The dazzling light illuminated it like a ball of fire! Clang! A crisp sound suddenly rang out from the circle of light closest to the full moon! Chapter 186 - Chapter 186: Killing Move (2) Chapter 186: Killing Move (2) Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The crisp sound meant that his killer move had begun. It was as if there was a force coming from the moonlight. It was like a relay race, rings of light rose and fell. Clang, clang¡­ The crisp sound went from slow to rapid, like a tide! Looking down from the sky, the rings of light falling from the full moon were like dominoes, shaking in circles! The vibration of the first circle of light was the lightest. The second circle of light shook more violently, and the booming sound was louder. The third ring of light shook even more violently, and the sound it made was even louder! This series of changes happened too quickly. In the blink of an eye, the energy extended from the end of the moon thread to the last circle of light! On every thread of the moon, a circle of light lit up. One circle of light after another, the power of the circle of light became stronger and stronger. Finally, it reached the last circle of light, and the buzzing of the circle of light reached its limit! Clang! The five people in the formation felt their vision blur. Everything around them was shaking violently. They couldn¡¯t even stand properly. The five of them were shocked. Su held the Obsidian Sword horizontally in front of her. Her right hand held the hilt of the sword while her left hand pushed against the blade. ¡°Protect!¡± she shouted. A terrifying magnetic force exploded from her body! Luo Ming didn¡¯t take the flying sword in front of him. Instead, he stretched out his right hand and opened his fingers. He spat out two words in an indifferent and empty voice. ¡°Self-Separation!¡± The ethereal sword intent was like a demon, dancing around him. The Blood Spider Sword in Sha Ning¡¯s hand actually transformed into a Blood Spider and blocked in front of him. The Blood Spider¡¯s entire body glowed with blood-red light as if it had just been fished out of a blood pool! The Blood Spider shouted and was about to charge forward. The sallow-faced man had already put on a thick bronze armor. The thick armor covered his entire body, revealing only his eyes. He held a bronze spear in his hand. The spear was straight. He took a stance and roared, ¡°Break!¡± In front of Hai Jun appeared a child who looked like he was only six or seven years old. He was chubby and had fair skin. He was wearing a red undergarment and had dark green eyes! ¡°Attack!¡± Hai Jun¡¯s eyes flashed as he shouted. Hai Jun launched the Little Ghost King! The five of them used their trump cards at the same time because they felt a huge danger! The Sun Moon Light Formation was activated without any probing. The moment it attacked, it was the greatest killing move! In the formation, the lion-headed copper furnace that Li Ming used to set up the Separation Fire Formation turned into countless fine powders at the same time. The steel nails turned into ashes, the jade token turned into ashes, the plants turned into ashes, and the ground turned into ashes¡­ The pond within a mile radius suddenly turned into a cloud of mist! Moon Chime Sound Crushing, the strongest move of the 72 sub-formations, the Sun and Moon Light Formation! Lin Qian floated quietly in the air, staring at the huge and clear illusion from afar. He could not see the situation inside the array clearly, but the appearance of the five-colored pagoda still shocked him! Others might not know what the five-colored pagoda was, but he had seen Li Ming buy it from the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion. Although the five-colored pagoda had its unique features, it was still a half-finished product. To him, this was not a good magical treasure, let alone a natal magical treasure. However, what the five-colored pagoda had just revealed was that it was a genuine natal magical treasure! Something must have changed recently. At this moment, the mirage suddenly shook, and the image became blurry. Nothing could be seen. Seeing this scene, the originally excited crowd could not help but gasp. What was going on? Could it be that there was something wrong with the Mirage Illusion Formation? Lin Qian was also shocked. The stability of the Mirage Illusion Formation was unquestionable. Did something happen in the Great Pine Pavilion? Not only him but even Tian Songzi thought the same. Setting up the Mirage Illusion Formation had cost him a lot of effort. Now that such an unforeseen event had occurred, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°The Mirage Illusion Formation is theoretically fine.¡± A sect master beside him was also puzzled. ¡°Exactly.¡± the others said. The Mirage Illusion Formation was a very mature and stable formation. It had been used to perfection. Although the formation he set up this time was larger, there was nothing special about it. Tian Songzi raised his eyebrows. ¡°Fellow Daoist, did you discover anything?¡± Tian Songzi¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change and he smiled. Sure enough, when he finished speaking, the light screen immediately returned to normal. Everyone¡¯s eyes were immediately attracted to the light screen. A trace of surprise flashed across Tian Songzi¡¯s eyes. The Great Pine Pavilion was a cave abode of magical treasures that the successive masters of East Floating Hall controlled. Just a moment ago, he felt a powerful spiritual energy coming from the Great Pine Pavilion. This spiritual force made the Mirage Illusion Formation unstable. This spiritual energy was like a meteor, flashing and disappearing. He looked at the formation of the light screen. What kind of power was this? Could it be Li Ming? Or was it someone else? He wasn¡¯t surprised or sad that Zhang Haowen was eliminated. Zhang Haowen would benefit greatly from this experience. The rest didn¡¯t matter. Perhaps Zhang Haowen would have a grudge against him, but Tian Songzi couldn¡¯t wait for him to encounter such a situation. Although Zhang Haowen was usually gentle and respectful, he did not understand this world. There was a strong sense of pride in his bones. The temperament of a profligate young master was very common among the inner sect disciples of any sect. Tian Songzi looked at the formation again. He couldn¡¯t help but look at Pei Xuan in a new light. In the entire Divine Will Sect, only Luo Ming still had a bit of a rich kid aura. Whether it was Li Zhengxuan or Li Ming, they didn¡¯t have a trace of a rich kid¡¯s aura. These two youths were the two highlights of this sword-testing conference. Moon Chime Sound Burst! Everything in the array was crushed into powder. Smoke and fog filled the array, and the smoke and dust became smaller and smaller! Amidst the smoke and dust, Li Ming was like a god, motionless. His eyes were empty and cold, without any emotion. When the dust arrived in front of Li Ming, it was like an invisible wall that blocked his body. The most powerful move of the 72 sub-formations, the Sun Moon Light Formation, caused the entire Great Pine Pavilion to tremble! The invincible sound wave was like a tornado that swept through the entire Great Pine Pavilion. Young spirit beasts bled from their mouths and noses and fell to the ground. Wherever this sound wave passed, all the cultivators were shaken until their blood surged. The spiritual energy in their bodies was almost out of control. Everyone was shocked! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The cultivators outside the formation were all affected, and the pressure on the five people inside the formation was even greater! Su¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed, and her face was filled with pain. She had underestimated this grand array! The spiritual energy in her body was almost shattered into pieces by this loud bang. Her original magnetic shield also shattered with this loud bang. She gritted her teeth and did not dare to hold back at all. The spiritual energy in her body surged into the obsidian sword crazily! The magnetic force twisted the space and enveloped her within. Her figure became faintly discernible.. Chapter 187 - Chapter 187: Ejected from the Formation Chapter 187: Ejected from the Formation Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Luo Ming wasn¡¯t any better. A trace of blood flowed out of his mouth. His cultivation was far inferior to the other four, and he was injured in just one move! However, the corner of his mouth suddenly curled up. The fighting spirit in his eyes did not weaken. Instead, it became even fiercer and crazier! Last time, you were beaten so badly by me, but you refused to admit defeat. Now, I¡¯m in such a miserable state¡­ How can I lose to you? His eyes suddenly widened. The flying sword floating in front of him let out a crisp cry. The sword trembled slightly, and like a stream of light, it sank into the soil under his feet and into his body. ¡°Self-separation!¡± He half-knelt on the ground while facing the sword in his hand. A melodious voice sounded beside him. The ghost-like figure in front of him suddenly became clear. A young girl in plain clothes with long hair draped over her shoulders had a sorrowful look in her eyes. She sighed lightly and raised her slender wrist. The green-red light belt left his hand and protected the two of them. Sha Ning¡¯s expression was indifferent. The ground beneath him cracked inch by inch and turned into dust that filled the sky. He did not move at all. The blood spider opposite seemed to have been stabbed by something.l As if it was excited, it let out a series of hisses, and the black runes on its body suddenly lit up. A layer of black-red light shield protected the two of them. The sallow-faced man wore heavy armor and held a bronze halberd in his hand as he shouted. The spearhead of the copper spear emitted a dazzling light. Although it did not hit its target, it seemed to be greatly obstructed. It was extremely difficult to strike again and again. The light of the spear tip became even more dazzling, to the point that no one dared to look directly at it! In front of Hai Jun, the Little Ghost King let out a childish voice and waved his white lotus-root-like arms. Layers of pale green light shields were stacked on top of each other as he waved his arms. A thin layer of green light shield, like an eggshell, shattered as soon as it formed. Hai Jun¡¯s expression changed drastically. The Little Ghost King seemed to be angry. He stopped moaning and a trace of malevolence appeared on his tender little face. He waved his arms in a strange posture. Every movement was strange and terrifying, just like a wizard¡¯s dance! An azure light belt quickly circled Hai Jun and the Little Ghost King, and there was a miserable scream mixed within. Li Ming, who was in a strange state, suddenly felt ripples in the space around him. His apathetic and lightless eyes lit up slightly, and there was a trace of life in them. Li Ming only felt a cool sensation all over his body. The comfortable feeling of being wrapped by his divine sense had disappeared without a trace. There was nothing left¡­ His eyeballs moved, and a full moon hung above his head. The bright moonlight was like a string of bells. ¡°Not good!¡± Li Ming¡¯s first thought. Why did he wake up at this critical moment? Before he could think further, he felt as if he had been hit by a small hill that was rushing over. ¡°Pfft,¡± He spat out a large mouthful of blood and flew backward like a sandbag. The strongest attack of the 72 sub-formations of the Sun Moon Light Formation, Moon Chime Sound Crushing, collided head-on with Sha Ning and the other four! This was the strongest collision in history! Bang bang bang! A blindinz white light, like a rising sun. An earth-shattering force swept in all directions. The Sun and Moon Light Formation could not withstand this terrifying impact and instantly shattered into pieces! Poor Li Ming woke up at a critical moment, and his strength had fallen to normal. How could he withstand such a powerful impact? Fortunately, the Sun and Moon Light Formation blocked most of the attacks, but even so, Li Ming suffered a huge loss and was heavily injured. The five-colored pagoda glowed with a faint luster. Cracks appeared on its surface. It let out a cry and turned into a beam of light that entered Li Ming¡¯s body. Sha Ning and the others were not any better. This kind of head-on clash was beyond their imagination. Before they could react, they were ejected out of the array. None of the five were spared. Each of them was covered in wounds, including Sha Ning. Everyone had a horrified expression. Through the light screen, the audience in East Floating could not see the scene. However, the sudden blurring of the light screen caused many people to speculate. Just as everyone was puzzled, the mirage that had just been restored suddenly burst out with a dazzling light. Many people¡¯s eyes turned white from this sudden change, and they couldn¡¯t see anything. East Floating was in chaos. The terrified people instinctively wanted to save themselves. All of East Floating was filled with screams. A moment later, everyone¡¯s eyes returned to normal, and the situation stabilized. Everyone was scared out of their wits. Their gazes fell on the mirage at the same time. Chi! Tens of thousands of people gasped in unison. It was a rare sight, and it was quite a spectacular sight. On the screen, Li Ming¡¯s position was completely different. The pool disappeared, the forest disappeared, and the formation disappeared. What replaced it was a huge pit. It was ten meters deep and fifty meters wide. Looking at this shocking pit, everyone¡¯s heart turned cold and they involuntarily swallowed their saliva. There were 15 huge cracks around the pit. Each crack was more than five meters wide, and the longest one was more than three miles long! Even the shortest one was a thousand feet long! When everyone saw this ¡°urchin,¡± they would shudder and be frightened! What kind of strength was this? If the spectators of East Floating were this shocked, then the cultivators in Great Pine Pavilion felt even more shocked. The moment this light appeared, the destructive power made everyone deeply experience what terror was and what death was! No one wanted to continue fighting. Fear filled their hearts, but their feet seemed to have been enchanted, and they could not help but rush towards the pillar of light. Looking at the huge pit, all of them felt powerless and collapsed to the side. The various sect masters of East Floating gathered together and a furious roar suddenly sounded. ¡°G-Great Pine Pavilion.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget.¡± ¡°I definitely can¡¯t forget¡­¡± The first thing Li Ming felt when he woke up was pain! All the bones in his body seemed to have fallen apart. Even the slightest movement would cause bone-piercing pain. He immediately became obedient and did not dare to move. A familiar medicinal fragrance assailed his nose, and he immediately recognized where he was. Sigh, these days were too difficult to endure. He had to go to Fragrant Ginger Garden for every match. This time, he was seriously injured. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Ahem.¡± Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the right. Eldest Senior Brother? Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to look to the right. When he saw it, he couldn¡¯t help but let out an ¡°Ah!¡± It hurt! Li Ming struggled to turn around and was shocked to see his eldest senior brother lying beside him. A person whose entire body was wrapped in gauze until only his eyes could be seen was lying on a bed.. Chapter 188 - Chapter 188: Deciding the Ranking (1) Chapter 188: Deciding the Ranking (1) Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°Eldest Senior Brother?¡± The person who was wrapped up like a dumpling and invincible was the eldest senior brother?! ¡°Yes.¡± The person wrapped in gauze replied. ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping for such a long time after fainting. We were all worried sick.¡± ¡°Eldest Senior Brother, who beat you up like this?¡± ¡°Hehe, I fought He Fang and ended up like this.¡± Li Zhengxuan said leisurely. ¡°That pretty boy can¡¯t be that strong, can he?¡± Li Ming was skeptical. ¡°He¡¯s not much better himself.¡± Li Zhengxuan chuckled. ¡°In the end, I still managed to slash him twelve times.¡± Li Ming was sweating profusely as he listened. Twelve slashes, even if that pretty boy was a big carrot, he would probably become a small toothpick by now. But thinking about it, it was understandable. In the same generation, who could suppress the eldest senior brother until he could not resist? Although Li Zhengxuan was the eldest senior brother that Li Ming respected like a god, when he saw his eldest senior brother¡¯s current sorry state, the depression caused by his injuries immediately dissipated. We¡¯re in the same boat¡­ ¡°Junior Brother Luo, are you feeling better today?¡± Li Zhengxuan suddenly shouted in Li Ming¡¯s direction. Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but turn his face to the left. On his left side was a bed. Luo Ming was lying on the bed. Although he was not in a sorry state like the eldest senior brother, he still looked sickly. His face was pale, and it was obvious that his injuries were not light. Some brothers were in the same boat¡­ Li Ming was stunned. When Luo Ming saw Li Ming, his expression turned strange. Li Ming suddenly remembered that he was the one who injured Luo Ming. That strange feeling had long disappeared, but Li Ming could clearly recall the scene at that time. If Li Ming could still move his face, his expression would definitely be very ugly now. Because he was in a special state at that time, he performed very well. If he recovered from his injuries and set up the Sun and Moon Light Formation again, the power of the Moon Chime Sound Crash might not even work once in ten times. ¡°Senior Brother, are you feeling better?¡± Luo Ming turned to Li Zhengxuan and asked. His current state of mind was much better than before. Although Li Zhengxuan was once his sword servant, he was now the eldest senior brother of the Divine Will Sect. The stronger one was, the higher one¡¯s status was. This was the sect¡¯s rule. And now, no one in the entire Divine Will Sect would doubt Senior Brother Li Zhengxuan¡¯s strength. In front of Li Ming, Luo Ming still had a trace of fighting spirit, but in front of Li Zhengxuan, he was completely convinced. ¡°Much better.¡± Li Zhengxuan¡¯s voice didn¡¯t sound like he was seriously injured, he was in a good mood. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be able to recover after a while.¡± All three of them were injured and lay on the bed, unable to move. At first, Li Ming and Luo Ming were still a little distant, but after this period of time, their relationship gradually became harmonious. Later on, even their conversations were very harmonious. Previously, Li Ming had never had a good impression of Luo Ming. After interacting with him this time, he felt that Luo Ming was not as bad as he thought. On the contrary, his personality was very direct, without the slightest bit of pretentiousness. He was a very real person. The two of them had fought twice before, and both of them had suffered heavy losses. It could be said that the current situation was also due to the feelings of the two of them fighting each other. Both of them admired each other¡¯s ability. The relationship between Luo Ming and Li Ming was unquestionable. The current Li Ming was already one of the most influential people in East Floating. In the final battle, the result of a one-on-five fight spread throughout East Floating City. The scene of a single person fighting five people was not seen by anyone, but the terrifying hole in the Great Pine Pavilion was seen by everyone. Li Ming was very self-aware of his strength. Every time Eldest Senior Brother and Luo Ming talked about this matter with him, he always felt a little guilty. Moreover, from his perspective, Luo Ming¡¯s strength far surpassed his. ¡°Senior Brother, I saw a woman in front of you the other day. Who was she?¡± He asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s my sword spirit,¡± Luo Ming immediately became embarrassed and stammered. ¡°So, you¡¯ve already embarked on the path of spirit transformation?¡± Li Zhengxuan immediately understood. He looked at Li Ming¡¯s puzzled expression and thought of how this guy didn¡¯t do his job properly. He couldn¡¯t help but explain earnestly, ¡°There are many ways to practice the sword. There are all kinds of methods. It¡¯s all-encompassing. The sword spirit was one of them. It mainly cultivated sword intent and condensed a sword spirit. But¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Senior Brother Luo to be so attentive to people.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but glance at Luo Ming. Seeing that Li Ming still didn¡¯t understand, he smiled and explained, ¡°People who cultivate sword spirits are mostly meticulous. They can be considered to have transformed their emotions into swords. In the beginning, you need to use your will to guide it and slowly form a sword spirit.¡± Only then did Li Ming react. Luo Ming¡¯s face immediately turned red. ¡°After all, our sect uses swords. Your swordsmanship can¡¯t fall behind.¡± Li Zhengxuan looked at Li Ming and said. ¡°Uh.¡± Li Ming replied vaguely. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He suddenly thought of the jade scroll from Kun Lun which slipped past him. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is there a ranking for this sword-testing conference? Who entered the top ten?¡± ¡°We¡¯re so heavily injured. How can we know what¡¯s going on outside?¡± Li Zhengxuan shook his head. Li Ming glanced at Luo Ming, who was also at a loss. ¡°Next time Lin Xue and the others come, I¡¯ll ask them,¡± Li Ming said. The three of them were taken care of by Li Fengying and Lin Xue. None of their masters and elders appeared.. Chapter 189 - Chapter 189: Deciding the Ranking (2) Chapter 189: Deciding the Ranking (2) Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The three of them didn¡¯t realize that the ranking of the sword-testing conference was a very tricky matter. Li Ming¡¯s final attack had stopped the battle. Tian Songzi looked at the Great Pine Pavilion being destroyed and felt pain in his heart. He quickly stopped the competition. No one raised any objections. They had already lost their interest in fighting after that attack. Most of the cultivators that walked out were scared out of their wits and absent-minded. What was even more unexpected was that the cultivators had been in low spirits for a long time. This far exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. This also made their sect elders worried. One could imagine how much that attack had affected them! However, as the host of this sword-testing conference, Tian Songzi had many things that gave him a headache. The Great Pine Pavilion¡¯s losses could be slowly compensated in the future. What he needed to deal with now was the ranking of the sword-testing conference. This problem was very difficult to solve! Because the competition had been interrupted, the number of cultivators in the Great Pine Pavilion had already exceeded ten. And these cultivators were mostly people with average strength. In the end, Li Zhengxuan and He Fang were both heavily injured and fainted. The other dazzling competitor, Li Ming, was also heavily injured and unconscious. It was not an easy task to enter the top ten. Pei Xuan and the others had not shown up these few days because of this reason. Who would have thought that a group of nascent soul experts would actually fight like a group of children in a room? Some slammed the table, some cursed, and some mocked. It was very lively. Pei Xuan and the other three came out of East Hall. Even with their current cultivation, they looked extremely exhausted at this moment. Su was lying on the bed. Even now, her face was still covered by a black veil. ¡°Are you feeling better today?¡± Lin Qian asked with concern. Su nodded silently. Lin Qian revealed a guilty expression. He took out a jade bottle and said softly,¡± I didn¡¯t know that this would happen. This time, I¡¯ve harmed you.¡± This Essence Clearing Pill is a great tonic. Take it.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Su quivered. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the jade bottle in Lin Qian¡¯s hand. She had naturally heard of this Essence Clearing Pill. This was an extremely precious and rare pill that was especially suitable for female cultivators to consume. It was extremely beneficial for cultivation, and it would be a waste to use it to treat injuries. ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± Su no longer looked at the jade bottle. Instead, she turned to Lin Qian, her tone cold. She had naturally heard of this Essence Clearing Pill. However, she still knew how precious this medicinal pill was. Although the Heart Lake Sword Sect was one of the top sects on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, it did not have the right to take out a pill as great as the Essence Cleansing Pill.. Chapter 190 - Chapter 190: The Elders Are Angry Chapter 190: The Elders Are Angry Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Su was lying on the bed. Even now, her face was still covered by a black veil. ¡°Are you feeling better today?¡± Lin Qian asked with concern. Su nodded silently. Lin Qian revealed a guilty expression. He took out a jade bottle and said softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that this would happen. This time, I¡¯ve harmed you.¡± This Essence Clearing Pill is a great tonic. Take it.¡± Su quivered. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the jade bottle in Lin Qian¡¯s hand. She had naturally heard of this Essence Clearing Pill. This was an extremely precious and rare pill that was especially suitable for female cultivators to consume. It was extremely beneficial for cultivation, and it would be a waste to use it to treat injuries. ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± Su no longer looked at the jade bottle. Instead, she turned to Lin Qian, her tone cold. She had naturally heard of this Essence Clearing Pill. However, she still knew how precious this medicinal pill was. Although the Heart Lake Sword Sect was one of the top sects on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, it did not have the right to take out a pill as great as the Essence Cleansing Pill. Before this, she had thought that Lin Qian was the disciple of an elder of her sect. It was only when the other party took out the Essence Clearing Pill that she realized that Lin Qian was not a disciple of her sect. Then, where did the token in Lin Qian¡¯s hand come from? What was his purpose? Lin Qian chuckled. His expression was calm as he placed the Essence Clearing Pill in front of Su. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t have any grudges with Junior Sister.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the matter you asked me to do?¡± He asked again. Seeing Lin Qian¡¯s calm expression, Su hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t him.¡± Lin Qian was not surprised by this. He nodded and said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Junior Sister. Rest assured and recuperate. Leave the matter of refining the sword to me. I definitely won¡¯t let you down.¡± With that, he left. Su looked at that figure. The more she looked, the more she felt that this person was unfathomable. In a quiet valley, Sha Ning and the sallow-faced man were chatting. Although the two of them looked unharmed, their complexion and spirit were far inferior to before. The two of them were not spared either, and both suffered varying degrees of injuries. ¡°This is what you wanted.¡± The sallow-faced man handed a jade scroll to Sha Ning. Sha Ning took it and put it away without even looking at it. ¡°This is my deposit.¡± Seeing that Sha Ning did not move, the sallow-faced man was very satisfied. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the other half when this matter is over. I¡¯ll tell you the exact time then.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Sha Ning nodded without batting an eyelid. With that, he walked out without looking back. When Li Ming and the other two saw the sect master and the few elder uncles, they immediately became extremely obedient. ¡°Hmph, you guys are really good. You went to the sword-testing conference and all of you came back injured.¡± Shi Fengrong¡¯s face was tired. Seeing the three people, her originally bad mood became even worse. She was responsible for the injuries of the three of them. The three people were as silent as cicadas in winter. Even though Shi Fengrong was the youngest among the sect¡¯s elders, the consequences of offending her were unimaginable. Pei Xuan and the rest also had gloomy expressions. They had been dragged to East Hall for a few days, and now they had to clean up their mess. Their mood was naturally not too good. Moreover, all three of them were seriously injured. This was not a small expense. ¡°Alright.¡± Yang Li went forward to persuade him, ¡°You guys are really too much. You¡¯ve made yourselves into such a sorry state. As seniors, how can we not be worried? Remember, winning or losing a match is just a fleeting cloud. Only by staying alive can you have a chance to turn the tables. But if you lose your life, what¡¯s the point of winning?¡± The three of them agreed in unison. Pei Xuan¡¯s expression eased up a little. He continued, ¡°Your elder uncle is right. Remember, the three of you bear the heavy burden of the future revival of the sect. If you don¡¯t even cherish yourself, wouldn¡¯t you be letting down the cultivation of the sect? Hehe, but this time, everyone performed well.¡± ¡°Because of the special circumstances of this competition, the final score is calculated by the nascent soul seniors. All of you are in the top ten. Li Zhengxuan is ranked second, Li Ming is third, and Luo Ming is seventh.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we unconscious at that time?¡± Luo Ming couldn¡¯t help but ask. Pei Xuan then told everyone what happened at the sword-testing conference. Li Zhengxuan and Luo Ming immediately understood, but they looked at Li Ming as if they had seen a ghost. This guy was the culprit that caused the interruption of the competition! Li Ming¡¯s mind was blank, and his eyes were lifeless. He had completely given up on the basic jade scrolls for Kun Lun formations. But now, the sect master suddenly said that he had obtained third place. Didn¡¯t that mean that the jade slip could be obtained! ¡°Who¡¯s first?¡± ¡°He Fang!¡± Pei Xuan glanced at Li Zhengxuan. He was afraid that Li Zhengxuan would be unconvinced, so he quickly explained, ¡°He Fang¡¯s cultivation level is not as high as yours, but he has always been suppressing you. If we really fight to the death, his chances of winning are higher.¡± There was one thing he did not say. The Heart Lake Sword Sect was one of the top factions on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent. Who would dare not give them face? ¡°Yes. He Fang is the most powerful opponent I¡¯ve seen so far. I¡¯ve learned a lot from him.¡± Li Zhengxuan nodded nonchalantly. Pei Xuan was quite satisfied with Li Zhengxuan¡¯s open-minded attitude. Luo Ming was just about to speak when he saw Elder Uncle Xu Shan coldly glance at Li Ming and hurriedly shut his mouth. Could it be that Elder Uncle Xu Shan disliked Junior Brother Li Ming? He was very puzzled. Logically speaking, Junior Brother Li Ming¡¯s performance this time could already be considered outstanding. Why was Elder Uncle Xu Shan still not satisfied? He glanced at Li Ming without batting an eyelid and saw that the other party¡¯s eyes were erratic and somewhat absent-minded. The relationship between the three of them had improved by leaps and bounds over the past few days. Luo Ming couldn¡¯t help but break out in a cold sweat for Li Ming. He was about to speak, but he held back. Elder Uncle Xu Shan¡¯s gaze was too vicious, even more vicious than a flying sword! Li Ming slowly recovered from his confusion. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°When can I receive the award?¡± Only then did Li Ming come back to his senses. When he saw the four elders¡¯ expressions were terrifyingly gloomy, he could not help but shiver. Oh no! The four of them glared at Li Ming fiercely, making his hair stand on end. No one expected that the first person to break the depressing atmosphere was actually Xu Shan. However, when he said this, it was as if a cold wind blew past, causing the temperature of the entire room to drop by several degrees. ¡°Good! Good! Good!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After saying ¡°good¡± three times, Elder Uncle Xu Shan turned around and left without any hesitation. Pei Xuan and Yang Li¡¯s expressions were similarly ugly as they turned around and left. Shi Fengrong¡¯s face was pale, her gaze wishing she could tear Li Ming into pieces. Li Ming had the ability to read people¡¯s expressions. When he saw his master¡¯s expression, he had a bad feeling. He muttered to himself, ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°Very good!¡± Shi Fengrong smiled faintly and turned to leave. Li Ming was dumbfounded. The sudden change shocked Li Zhengxuan and Luo Ming.. When had they ever seen the elders so angry? Chapter 191 - Chapter 191: Seclusion Chapter 191: Seclusion Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°Junior Brother, what¡¯s going on?¡± Li Zhengxuan asked after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Yes.¡± Luo Ming was upset as well. ¡°You¡¯re making such a huge commotion with the elders! You¡¯re dead!¡± Li Ming could hear a hint of schadenfreude in his tone. However, he was not in the mood to pay attention to this guy now. When he thought of the word ¡°good¡± that Elder Uncle Xu Shan and his master said to him, he felt his hair stand on end. After offending his master, his days would not be good. Now, all the elders had been offended by him. Moreover, from her tone just now, it seemed that he had offended her badly. What made Li Ming even more aggrieved was that he still hadn¡¯t figured out what he had done wrong. Logically speaking, his performance this time was not bad. Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. Only Li Zhengxuan revealed a thoughtful expression. His master, sect master, and the others were angry at him, but Li Ming was helpless. However, he was a straightforward person. He knew that worrying was futile, so he stopped thinking about it. When he thought about how he was about to obtain the basic jade scrolls of Kun Lun¡¯s formations, his worries instantly vanished. With Shi Fengrong, their injuries recovered even faster. In just a few days, the three of them could move freely. As long as they rested well, their injuries would recover. The three of them had been lying on the bed for a long time, so they decided to go out and get some fresh air. On the peak of the mountain, the wind howled, and the three of them looked relaxed. After lying on the bed for such a long time, he finally understood how comfortable this cool breeze was. ¡°The rise of our sect is only a matter of time!¡± Li Zhengxuan sighed as he looked at the back of the person who was cultivating hard at the foot of the mountain. The atmosphere in the Divine Will Sect changed drastically. Along the way, the disciples of the Divine Will Sect were cultivating hard. All the disciples looked at them with reverence. The current Divine Will Sect was thriving and full of vitality. The expressions of the disciples were filled with confidence and fighting spirit that they usually did not have. Li Zhengxuan and the other two could see the anticipation for the future in these people¡¯s eyes! Walking in the mountains, the three of them had a particularly deep feeling. ¡°Yes!¡± Luo Ming nodded. ¡°Our sect¡¯s position will be completely stabilized in this sword-testing conference. It will be unstoppable!¡± His eyes were also filled with hope. The biggest beneficiary of the sect¡¯s prosperity was them. On the path of cultivation, without enough spirit stones, materials, and cultivation techniques, one would never be able to keep up with the pace of others. No one knew what Li Ming was thinking about. As he blew on the tassel, he was thinking about something. ¡°Junior Brother, what are you thinking about?¡± Li Zhengxuan saw that Li Ming was a little absent-minded and asked. ¡°I¡¯m wondering when I can receive the award.¡± Li Zhengxuan couldn¡¯t help but smile. Luo Ming also had a helpless look on his face. However, he felt a little strange. ¡°You¡¯re so greedy. Why would you choose such trash? There are obviously many good magical treasures.¡± Li Ming chose the jade scroll, which shocked Li Zhengxuan and Luo Ming. They had thought that Li Ming would choose a fourth-grade magical treasure or above, and the worst would be a third-grade treasure. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Li Ming rolled his eyes at him. Luo Ming wasn¡¯t angry. He thought of the expressions on the Sect Leader¡¯s and the others¡¯ faces when Li Ming asked for the jade scroll and could roughly guess why they were so angry. He and Li Zhengxuan looked at each other. Neither of them reminded Li Ming, but they just laughed. They were able to get out of bed and walk, and the three of them quickly returned to their own residences. No one stayed in Fragrant Ginger Yard any 1011geL. Li Ming returned to his West Wind Courtyard. He lay lazily under the sun and raised his head from time to time to see the silly bird showing off its unique skills on the roof with a lonely expression. If it was before, Li Ming would have thrown a stone at it, but after not seeing it for a long time, he actually missed it. Lin Xue was peeling fruits of different colors for Li Ming. These fruits were brought by Li Yingfeng, and Li Yingfeng and Li Ming were chatting casually. ¡°Hehe, I hope you can recover as soon as possible. This time, Junior Brother has shocked everyone with a single brilliant feat. When the rankings were released, everyone was dumbfounded.¡± Li Yingfeng had a thought and smiled. ¡°Nangong Yun entered East Floating Hall and became Zhang Haowen¡¯s senior brother.¡± ¡°As for Yan Yan, I heard that he was seriously injured. In the entire Dong Qi Sword Sect, you are now the most disliked person. East Floating City has been very idle recently. Everyone is resting and recuperating. Therefore, the price of the medicine on the market has also risen¡­¡± Li Ming bit the fruit until it was fragrant. He mumbled, ¡°Whatever. This has nothing to do with me¡­¡± ¡°Junior brother, you have to recuperate well. Recently, there have been many people who came to my place, all to find junior brother. Your reputation for being proficient in formations had spread throughout the entire continent. In addition to the fame of the Golden Crow Pill, many people have come for you.¡± Li Ming was instantly energized. There was no news that made him more excited than this! He could be said to be penniless now! He had bought all the materials from the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion and set up a huge formation area at the sword-testing conference. However, in the end, he chose a jade scroll as a reward. There were no spirit stones at all. Thus, when he heard about this from Li Yingfeng, his eyes immediately turned red. But he thought for a moment and shook his head. Li Yingfeng said, ¡°Of course, rest up. When your body recovers, everything will be fine. Right, two days ago, senior Tian Songzi suddenly announced that as long as local cultivators were in the top hundred of the sword-testing conference, they could enter the secret realm.¡± ¡°Secret realm?¡± Li Ming¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°The secret realm is in East Floating? Is he that generous?¡± ¡°Yes! I heard that senior Tian Songzi specially prepared it for the local young cultivators.¡± Li Yingfeng explained. The two chatted for a while more, but Li Ming was no longer in the mood because Li Yingfeng had brought too much information. Seeing this, Li Yingfeng left him a lot of healing medicinal pills before bidding farewell and leaving. After sending Li Yingfeng away, Li Ming let Lin Xue cultivate while he Dondered. Then, he made up his mind to enter seclusion, closed-door cultivation! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Li Ming¡¯s decision to enter seclusion was not a spur of the moment. In fact, he had many things he wanted to ask the tablet spirit for advice, such as splitting his soul. However, when he opened his eyes, he discovered that the tablet spirit had already entered a meditative state. No matter how he called out to it, it was useless. He had no choice but to think about it himself. He had too many things to consider. And a large part of the reason why he was in such a hurry to enter closed-door cultivation was because of the information Li Yingfeng had told him about this mystic realm.. Chapter 192 - Chapter 192: Regulate Meridians Chapter 192: Regulate Meridians Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Li Ming knew what a secret realm was. That was why he had made up his mind to go into seclusion! There were countless opportunities in the mystic realm. If he was lucky, he would be able to get one or two good materials. That would be a huge gain. However, if you treated this mystic realm as your spiritual field and could pick as you pleased, then you were gravely mistaken. But now, Tian Songzi actually wanted them to explore. Clearly, this secret realm was an undiscovered place. If it had already been explored by others, then the treasures inside must have been taken away by others. There was no need to let others in. In the mystic realm, opportunities and dangers coexisted. There were many demonic beasts, and any treasure would be guarded by a powerful demonic beast. Other than monsters, it was even harder to guard against the human heart. interests, and contradictions. Unlike the competition in the Great Pine Pavilion, there were no referees here, nor were there any stops. The competition would be more blatant. He wouldn¡¯t find it strange if someone killed him for the treasure. This was the world! However, it would be foolish to refuse to enter because of this reason. If one wanted to obtain a treasure, one had to have sufficient strength and luck. Although he had gotten third place, Li Ming knew that a large part of the reason for this ranking was luck. He was most skilled in formations. He estimated that the sect master would definitely let the three of them travel together, and the trident of the Divine Will Sect would undoubtedly be the strongest team. The second strong would be Zhang Haowen and Nangong Yun¡¯s team. However, Li Ming didn¡¯t want to become a burden. Other cultivators might avoid them because of their strength, but those monsters wouldn¡¯t recognize them. He had gained too much insight from this sword-testing conference. He wanted to study the Five-colored Pagoda. The tablet spirit always had problems at the most critical moment. Li Ming could not help but complain in his heart. In the main hall. ¡°Is he preparing to enter seclusion?¡± Pei Xuan pondered. Xu Shan was still expressionless. Both of them seemed to have a headache. Yang Li touched his forehead and said, ¡°He needs to go into seclusion for some time for the insights.¡± ¡°What insights?¡± As soon as Shi Fengrong mentioned this matter, she was filled with anger. At that time, when she was watching the battle, she still remembered clearly how those people had mocked her. ¡°Insights on what? Or perhaps, gain insights to earn spirit stones?¡± When she thought about how Li Ming wanted to receive the award after he got third place, her face was filled with anger. Why did she have such a disciple who did not like to practice the sword and loved money so much? She couldn¡¯t help but steal a glance at Second Senior Brother¡¯s frosty face, and the anger in her heart towards Li Ming grew even stronger. She knew very well that Second Senior Brother was angry. This bastard had offended Second Senior Brother! Shi Fengrong was secretly angry and made up her mind to find a chance to teach this brat who didn¡¯t know the immensity of heaven and earth a lesson. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let him go into seclusion.¡± Xu Shan suddenly spoke, but his words shocked everyone. The few of them grew up together and understood each other very well. How could Shi Fengrong be the only one who could see Xu Shan¡¯s anger? Seeing that Li Ming was still engrossed in studying formations, Xu Shan did not stop him. In their opinion, Xu Shan should personally take action and capture Li Ming to teach him a deep lesson. Only then could he walk on the right path. The Divine Will Hall was silent. Everyone was shocked by Xu Shan¡¯s attitude. In this silence, Xu Shan¡¯s cold voice sounded, carrying a sense of majesty. ¡°I want him to know why sword cultivators can dominate the entire world of Cultivators!¡± ¡°He can¡¯t go to a sect that cultivates formations.¡± The cold voice carried a hint of killing intent. causing the hearts of the three to tremble and a hint of pity to rise in their hearts. At this moment, Li Ming did not know how determined was Elder Uncle Xu Shan. He quickly received his reward. As expected, the jade scroll was in his hand, which surprised many people. Even though the sword-testing conference had ended, all sorts of news about it continued to stir up waves in East Floating and even the entire Tian Yuan Continent. Some people praised him, while others mocked him. Li Ming¡¯s choice of prize in the top ten was definitely unexpected. This person¡¯s actions were always unexpected. Li Ming did not care about this. With the jade scroll, he no longer had any scruples in his heart. He simply focused on cultivating. He walked straight into the stone room, sat down cross-legged, and began to meditate. He checked his body and realized that there was something wrong with his body. His injuries this time were much more serious than he had imagined. After his master¡¯s treatment, the meridians in his body had mostly recovered. However, compared to his peak, the meridians had shrunk a lot. Li Ming was determined to cultivate his meridians well. It was not difficult to regulate the meridians. As long as one nourished and infiltrated the meridians with their spiritual power, they would be able to make the meridians glow with new vitality. However, this was a very delicate job, requiring a lot of patience. Fortunately, Li Ming wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Instead, he slowly adjusted his meridians. Taking advantage of this time, he began to observe his body. As soon as the surrounding spiritual power got close to him, it would be absorbed by the mo matrix. The mo matrix would automatically absorb spiritual power. What made Li Ming feel even more curious was that not only could it absorb spiritual power, but it could also filter out the impurities within. Condensing spiritual power was an indispensable part of a cultivator¡¯s cultivation process. Spiritual energy that had not been refined could not be used and would cause harm to the user. However, with this magical mo matrix, Li Ming did not need to spend too much time refining it. The storage of spiritual power was still a problem. The spiritual power was absorbed into the body from the mo matrix, circulating through the meridians of the body, and then spreading throughout the body. The place in his body that stored the most was his dantian. Compared to the spiritual energy he absorbed, this bit of spiritual energy was simply a small pool. The remaining spiritual energy could not be stored, so it returned to his body after traveling through his meridians. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, Li Ming didn¡¯t think that was the problem. The body of a cultivator was like a large vat. Now that the amount of things that this vat could hold was decreasing, then there was definitely something wrong with this vat. This meant that there must be a problem with his dantian. As expected, when he looked inside his dantian, he suddenly realized that it was no wonder his cultivation was growing so slowly. The dantian was like a pool, and the spiritual power was like the water in the pool. However, this pool was very strange. The higher the water level, the higher the walls of the pool. In this way, the reserve of spiritual energy would be even more. However, the problem lay in the mo matrix. He did not know what the tablet spirit was thinking, but a mo matrix had coincidentally passed through his dantian.. Chapter 193 - Chapter 193: Putty Chapter 193: Putty Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation It was like two holes in the wall of a pool. When the water in the pool exceeded the holes, spiritual energy would escape from the holes. This hole was not small. In this way, no matter how much water was poured in, the water level inside would not rise. Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It could be said that he had suffered a great loss in this sword-testing conference because of his lack of cultivation. Because his cultivation was too low, he could not fight head-on with others. Sometimes, unexpected methods could catch people off guard, but as time went on, it was not so easy to use. Damn it! Although he had found the crux of the problem, he did not know what to do. Changing his own dantian was definitely not something a small foundation establishment cultivator like him could do. He had no choice but to open his eyes. Cultivation could only be done slowly and could not be rushed. However, since he had already figured out the ins and outs of the matter, he could slowly think of a way. Compared to the stagnation of spiritual energy, his divine sense had advanced by leaps and bounds. In his sea of consciousness, another star appeared. In fact, before the sword-testing conference, Li Ming didn¡¯t like the Fetal Breathing Spiritual Technique. Although it could increase spiritual energy, it was more to increase divine sense. However, for Li Ming, the importance of divine sense was not as great as spiritual energy. Moreover, it seemed to be very helpful for the cultivation of divine sense, but there was no practical method. For an extremely realistic person like Li Ming, this thing was useless. However, the Fetal Breathing Spiritual Technique was much more important than any other cultivation technique. That mysterious feeling, the illusion of specks of star sand, that familiar feeling, it was like a part of his body¡­ Li Ming looked at the five-colored pagoda in his hand and felt that the five-colored pagoda had a great sense of intimacy with him. It was as if it was a part of him and was so familiar. The reason he was in seclusion this time was also for the five-colored pagoda. He had suffered heavy injuries from that collision, and the five-colored pagoda had suffered heavy damage. His injuries were treated by his master, and the damage to the five-colored pagoda was handled by him. The five-colored pagoda in front of him no longer had any luster. There were fine cracks on the body of the pagoda. If he could not feel the connection between his flesh and blood, Li Ming would have thought that this was his five-colored pagoda. Feeling the weak aura emitted by the five-colored pagoda, Li Ming could not help but touch it. He immediately closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness in the five-colored pagoda. As soon as he arrived at the five-colored pagoda, he was stunned by the scene in front of him. Inside the five-colored pagoda, the five balls of power of the five elements were dim and dull at this moment, as if they would dissipate in the next moment. The divine sense ball weakly floated between the five elements, no longer as lively as before. The Five Elements World in the five-colored pagoda was already on the verge of collapse! Li Ming¡¯s expression was unusually ugly. The situation was much worse than he had expected! The power of the five-colored pagoda was still fresh in Li Ming¡¯s memory. More importantly, this feeling of blood connection gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this magical treasure. Although no one could figure out the specific refining process so far, this did not prevent it from becoming Li Ming¡¯s most powerful magical treasure. To Li Ming, this was no longer as simple as a magical treasure. Since he could control formations, wouldn¡¯t he have another helper? Moreover, he had a vague feeling that if the five-colored pagoda was really destroyed, he might be affected as well. There was no free lunch in this world. This magical treasure was connected to his flesh and blood, just like his left and right arm. If one of his shoulders was cut off, how could he be unscathed? No matter what, the five-colored pagoda had to be repaired. Li Ming gritted his teeth, took out all the materials from his spatial storage ring, and threw them into the pagoda. The five-colored pagoda seemed to be hungry. As soon as the materials left Li Ming¡¯s hand, they were immediately absorbed by it. One by one, the materials were sent into the five-colored pagoda. Soon, they were broken down and transformed into the power of the five elements. Li Ming¡¯s heart ached as he watched the materials pour into the five-colored pagoda. He had spent a lot of money to get these materials, but now they were being used to feed the five-colored pagoda. However, this method was still very useful. The cracks on the five-colored pagoda began to heal slowly. He could feel that as the materials poured in, the Five Elements World of the five-colored pagoda began to stabilize. However¡­ Looking at the empty spatial ring, Li Ming felt his heart ache again. One sword-testing conference had made him bankrupt. He wanted to spit out a mouthful of blood. What made him even more depressed was that after the pagoda absorbed the last material, the five-colored pagoda still hadn¡¯t recovered to its original state. Its color was much dimmer than when it was in good condition. Oh my god, how many materials would it take to restore it? How many spirit stones would that cost? Not only did Li Ming not have a single spirit stone, but all his materials had also been used up. It had been a long time since he had been so poor! Suddenly, a small piece of putty-like object flew out of the five-colored pagoda and landed in Li Ming¡¯s hand. Li Ming was dumbfounded. This was the first time he had seen the five-colored pagoda spit out something. Soon, the information in the five-colored pagoda let him know the origin of this piece of putty. Everything in the world was divided into five elements. This saying was very general. In this world, there were a few things that did not belong to the five elements. Li Ming¡¯s eyelids twitched uncontrollably! You actually spat out something dirty! This kid was simply condescending! In his embarrassment, he raised his hand and wanted to throw the putty in his hand at the five-colored pagoda. The five-colored pagoda seemed to have sensed Li Ming¡¯s anger and staggered back. However, at this moment, Li Ming¡¯s raised hand suddenly froze. The anger in his heart instantly dissipated. Not in the five elements? That¡¯s right, this thing was not among the five elements! There were very few things that did not belong to the five elements, but without exception, they were all extremely rare. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this time, what did rare mean? In other words, expensive! Li Ming was instantly energized. That¡¯s right, the more precious something was, the higher its value! Since the putty in his hand did not belong to these five attributes, its value could be imagined. As if he had found a precious treasure, he carefully took out the putty in his hand and put it into a jade bottle. Then, he put the jade bottle into a sandalwood box. Finally, he put the jade bottle into his spatial ring. One day, I¡¯ll go and inquire about the value of this putty.. Chapter 194 - Chapter 194: Looking for Su Chapter 194: Looking for Su Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The five-colored pagoda was temporarily stabilized, and he had also found another wonderful use for the five-colored pagoda. This made Li Ming¡¯s mood extremely good. When he saw the five-colored pagoda, he remembered the star sand that was slowly dispersing in his divine sense. However, he checked his divine sense and found nothing unusual. However, this was also within reason. With the speed at which the stars released the star sand, it would still take a long time to completely cover the star sand. Li Ming estimated that he probably needed more star sand to change his body. Of course, this was just his guess. Perhaps, all of this would not change. The problem of his consciousness was quickly thrown to the back of his mind. His attainments in formations had exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations, and his confidence had increased greatly. The last move of the Sun and Moon Light Formation, the Moon Chime Sound Crash, was extremely powerful. When he thought of this move, he couldn¡¯t help but get excited. What kind of terrifying power was this? When he thought of this move, his heart was filled with excitement! To be able to fight against five people alone, and each of them was far stronger than him. With the five-colored pagoda guarding, even if it was only one move. However, that battle was something he had never imagined. Even now, when he recalled that battle, he felt like he was dreaming. If he had a deeper understanding of formations, a higher control over formations, and a higher method of setting up formations¡­ A battle like the previous one might repeat itself. Moreover, he now had a basic formation jade scroll passed down from Kun Lun! Li Ming suddenly had some confidence in his future. Lin Xue was engrossed in practicing her swordsmanship while her senior brother was cultivating in seclusion. For some reason, without her senior brother, her pursuit of swordsmanship had lessened. Lin Xue reminded herself that this was not a good idea. However, the sword in her hand was still heavy, and her footsteps were also very flimsy. ¡°You have to focus on cultivating your sword technique!¡± A voice suddenly sounded from behind. ¡°Senior Brother!¡± Lin Xue¡¯s hands stopped. She turned around and her apple-like face suddenly showed a touch of surprise. Li Ming tapped Lin Xue¡¯s forehead and put on the posture of a senior brother. He scolded, ¡°You don¡¯t practice your sword properly. Do you want to be beaten? Oh, look at how well you¡¯ve trained your sword. It¡¯s just a facade¡­¡± Lin Xue couldn¡¯t help but squint her eyes when she saw her senior brother talking non-stop. After reprimanding Lin Xue Xue, Li Ming leaned back in his chair lazily. He had no intention of setting an example. The silly bird, who was on the roof, looked at Li Ming with disdain and tidied up her feathers. The sunlight shone on his body, making him feel very comfortable. ¡°Senior Brother, have you come out of seclusion?¡± Lin Xue asked timidly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s over.¡± This time, his gains were truly too great. Kun Lun truly lived up to its reputation! Every time he thought about it, Li Ming felt a deep respect for this legendary sect. More than once, he secretly rejoiced in his heart that he had chosen this jade scroll back then. Even though it was only a basic jade scroll, there were all kinds of formations inside, making him dumbstruck. In his eyes, this Encyclopedia of Basic Formations was worthy of its name! Li Ming was also a jade scroll collector, but he never thought that a jade scroll would contain so much information. Compared to them, his sect¡¯s jade scrolls were too simple and crude, so simple that it made one feel ashamed. Other than the two hundred basic formations, there was also a large amount of analysis. The Kun Lun formation grandmasters¡¯ analysis had benefited him greatly. The few ideas he was proud of were all recorded in this jade scroll. The words on the jade scroll were like a sharp knife. Under its analysis, it easily broke down the connection inside. Li Ming was mesmerized. This was not learning, but enjoying! When he received this jade scroll, he seemed to have been possessed and could not extricate himself. He didn¡¯t sleep, didn¡¯t eat, and didn¡¯t drink. Sometimes, he seemed to be dreaming, and sometimes, he seemed to be laughing crazily. When he read the last sentence on the jade scroll, he felt a sense of loss. A basic jade scroll had such great power! The benefits he obtained far exceeded his expectations. He was like a child swimming in a pond who suddenly saw the vast ocean. ¡°Senior brother, are you still in seclusion?¡± Lin Xue asked nervously. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± He suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, ¡°Where are Luo Ming and Eldest Senior Brother now? What are they doing?¡± ¡°Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Brother Luo Ming are both cultivating.¡± Lin Xue squinted her eyes. ¡°Oh.¡± Li Ming didn¡¯t mind. East Floating. The sword-testing conference was over, and all the experts went home. East Floating City instantly became empty, but compared to before, it was much livelier. This sword-testing conference had allowed East Floating to shine in the 13 towns. Especially since the day Tian Songzi agreed to open the secret realm wasn¡¯t far away. Although they could not participate, many people still chose to stay. Some of the larger chambers of commerce had people waiting there. Li Ming rode on the silly bird¡¯s back and flew straight toward the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion. There were more people in the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion than he had imagined. This was beyond his expectations. This was his second time here, and he was no longer as nervous as he was the first time. It was the same steward from last time who came up to welcome him. When he saw Li Ming, he congratulated him repeatedly, ¡°Congratulations! Young Master Li is indeed powerful. That last move was truly breathtaking!¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°Haha, thank you, Young Master Li!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Li Ming was stunned. ¡°Hehe, Young Master Li¡¯s ability is unpredictable. I didn¡¯t expect that you could refine the five-colored pagoda into a natal magical treasure! This will benefit our shop.¡± Li Ming finally understood. However, he understood that it was not because of the sudden increase in the number of customers in the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion, but because the five-colored pagoda had actually become his natal magical treasure! How could someone like him, who had a deep understanding of magical treasures, not know what a natal magical treasure was? This was his natal magical treasure. Although he was excited in his heart, he did not show it on his face. He still looked proud. ¡°Haha, great. Give me a discount in the future!¡± When the manager heard this, he could only smile. ¡°Is Miss Su here?¡± Li Ming did not mind and said bluntly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Yes, please follow me!¡± The manager hurriedly made an inviting gesture. Li Ming made up his mind to finish refining the things he promised to Su before entering the secret realm. Su had been waiting for a long time. Even though she wasn¡¯t sure if Li Ming would come. She didn¡¯t help Li Ming at the sword-testing conference like she said. She did not rush to the Divine Will Mountain immediately. Instead, she waited here because she trusted Lin Qian. She did not know why, but she had absolute confidence in this youth of unknown origin.. Chapter 195 - Chapter 195: Refining the Blazing Flame Pill Chapter 195: Refining the Blazing Flame Pill Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°When will it start?¡± Li Ming said. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry.¡± She took out a jade bottle and handed it to Li Ming. ¡°This is An Jiabao¡¯s Blazing Flame Pill. Take it. I¡¯ll help you stabilize the effects.¡± He hesitated for a moment before taking the jade bottle. As soon as he opened the bottle cap, a scorching hot breath hit his face. Completely red pills lay quietly in the bottle. The stalagmite fire was a cold flame, while the medicinal power of this pill was a blazing flame. The two flames had completely different attributes, and it would be extremely difficult to fuse them. However, Li Ming decided to give it a try. The Golden Crow Pill he had eaten before was also a blazing flame. In the quiet room, the two of them sat side by side, one in front and one behind. ¡°The Blazing Flame Pill is made from underground magma. It contains magma and is extremely powerful. Be careful.¡± After saying that, she didn¡¯t waste any time. She stretched out a hand and placed it behind Li Ming. Li Ming stuffed the Blazing Flame Pill into his mouth. The pill melted in his mouth and turned into an extremely hot air current. This heat flow was like lava, scorching hot. Li Ming felt as if a hole was about to be burned out of his body. What a strong medicinal effect! He didn¡¯t dare to hesitate at all. He quickly circulated his spiritual energy and wrapped up this heat! If he allowed this warmth to rampage through his body, it would not be long before his meridians were damaged. Li Ming¡¯s exposed skin had already turned red, like a piece of red-hot iron. Su did not dare to slack off at all. She circulated her spiritual energy and carefully transferred it into Li Ming¡¯s body. Feeling the spiritual energy coming from behind him, Li Ming did not panic. Instead, he observed carefully. His divine sense was already extremely strong, and with the body being his, he could easily see through Su¡¯s spiritual energy. What a strange power! Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but be moved. Su¡¯s spiritual energy didn¡¯t flow like water, but strands of silk threads. These threads were like small fish swimming, looking extremely strange. He remembered that she cultivated magnetism. Could this be the secret of her cultivation? Li Ming couldn¡¯t help but remember. Su had never thought that by helping Li Ming refine his medicinal power, he would have a deeper understanding of the secrets of her spiritual energy. This was not because she was careless, but because Li Ming¡¯s current divine sense was far beyond ordinary people. Who would have thought that an early foundation establishment realm cultivator would have such a strong divine sense? At this moment, Li Ming finally realized the difference between the golden core stage and the foundation establishment Stage. Su¡¯s spiritual energy was not strong, but it was endless. The overbearing Blazing Flame Pill could not move an inch in front of her spiritual power. Li Ming understood that it was time for him to make a move! The essence energy could only help him stabilize the medicinal effect. As for how to refine it, that would depend on him. He didn¡¯t immediately use his spiritual energy to attack. Instead, he used his spiritual sense to sense the power in the pill. Su carefully controlled her spiritual energy. This was Li Ming¡¯s body, so the power she controlled was much weaker. After a long time, Li Ming¡¯s spiritual energy still did not move at all, showing no signs of advancing. Why didn¡¯t he make a move? She couldn¡¯t help but frown. She didn¡¯t know why Li Ming was stalling for time. Could it be that he didn¡¯t know how to refine the medicinal power? Just as she was puzzled, the spiritual energy in Li Ming¡¯s body suddenly shook. Two extremely tiny streams of spiritual energy shot out, rushing toward the medicinal pill that she had just stabilized. Just this bit of spiritual energy? She was a little unhappy in her heart. What the hell was this kid doing? How long would it take to refine that little bit of spiritual energy of his? She stabilized the medicinal effects, but the effects of the Blazing Flame Pill were too overbearing. Even though it was suppressed by her spiritual energy, it continued to struggle like a trapped beast. The spiritual energy in her body was being transferred bit by bit, although the rate of loss was very slow. At this moment, the other two streams of spiritual energy circled over from behind. Not enough! Su couldn¡¯t help but want to remind him that refining the medicinal effects consumed a lot of spiritual energy, so he mustn¡¯t be stingy at this time. Before she could say anything, two more streaks of spiritual energy attacked! Two! Two more! In just a short moment, the spiritual energy in Li Ming¡¯s body had already turned into more than 80 strands of spiritual energy. Su was dumbfounded. What, what was going on¡­ What happened next caught her by surprise. More than 80 strands of spiritual energy were like slippery loaches that didn¡¯t leave their hands, drilling into the spiritual power that wrapped around her Blazing Flame Pill. In the blink of an eye, the violent and overbearing medicinal power was divided into seven or eight parts by Li Ming¡¯s extremely thin wisp of spiritual energy. The originally powerful medicinal pill was swallowed by this trace of spiritual energy. In just such a short while, the medicinal effect of the pill had already been refined until there was not much left. Not long after, the medicinal effect of the Blazing Flame Pill was completely dissolved. After refining it, a wisp of scarlet flame was extremely pure. Such pure flames were rare. Thinking back to what Su had said before, that this medicinal pill was refined from underground magma, he finally understood why the flames in this medicinal pill were so pure. The Yin Fire Bead Chapter had a description of fire. Many types of earth fire belonged to high-level flames, but there were also some special aspects. To him, this wisp of pure earth fire was simply a tonic! Li Ming carefully controlled the stalagmite fire. When the stalagmite fire surfaced, a wisp of cold yin energy immediately spread in the air. A milky white flame enveloped the dark red flame. A wave of coldness and a wave of heat strangely blended. Li Ming could feel that after absorbing this wisp of earth fire, stalagmite fire seemed to have some subtle changes. However, due to the restriction of the earth fire, this change was not very obvious. This result made him slightly stunned. The trouble he expected did not happen. Instead, the process of fusion and absorption was beyond his expectations. Thirty-six Blazing Flame Pills meant that there were 35 earth fires left. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little impatient. If the thirty-six streams of magma earth fire fused with stalagmite fire, what would it look like? Since there was no problem, Li Ming moved even faster. He quickly threw a Blazing Flame Pill into his mouth. Su stabilized her spiritual energy, a layer of sweat appearing on her forehead. She was already struggling. Li Ming¡¯s movements were extremely fast. One pill after another, he did not give her any time to rest. She wanted to stop, but she held back. A golden core cultivator asking a foundation establishment cultivator to rest was something she could never say! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, she only needed to stabilize the pills and speed up the refinement and consumption. If Li Ming did not say anything, how could she? All she could do was persevere! She still couldn¡¯t figure out how Li Ming did it. Logically speaking, cultivators would consume more spiritual energy, but why did Li Ming not show any signs of fatigue even after consuming more than a dozen Flame Pills? How could this be? He was a foundation establishment cultivator! Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: New Stalagmite Fire Chapter 196: New Stalagmite Fire Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Su gritted her teeth. She used her spiritual energy to tightly wrap around the medicinal effects of the Blazing Flame Pill. Li Ming¡¯s spiritual energy needed to drill in to have more contact with the medicinal effects. Therefore, she knew Li Ming¡¯s spiritual energy changes like the back of her hand. Although she knew it very well, she still couldn¡¯t believe it. Li Ming was able to control dozens of spiritual energy streams with ease. This was clearly not the first time he had encountered such a thing. This was the first time she had seen Li Ming¡¯s extremely strange refining method, and she could not help but praise Li Ming¡¯s train of thought. Dividing the medicinal strength into several portions and then refining it would greatly increase the efficiency of the refinement. She was surprised to find that the spiritual energy was as sharp as a knife. Although they did not have much strength, they could easily cut the medicinal power into pieces. Her cultivation was much higher than Li Ming¡¯s, and her horizons were much higher. Of course, she knew how to do this. As long as he found the weakest part of the medicinal effect, it would have such an effect. But the problem was, how could Li Ming be so fast and so accurate to find the place where the medicinal effect was the weakest? She used her spiritual energy to wrap the pill, but she knew that she could not do this. Not to mention her, even her Senior Brother He Fang would not be able to do this! Li Ming¡¯s secret was probably here! Thinking of this, the shock in Su Xin¡¯s heart gradually faded. As the saying goes, everyone has their strengths. For Li Ming to be able to display his strength at a sword-testing conference, how could he not have something unique about him? She was a little too surprised. She regained her composure and started to admire Li Ming¡¯s ¡°performance.¡± Li Ming¡¯s exquisite control of spiritual energy could be called a ¡°performance.¡± Dozens of spiritual energy were easily controlled by him. The cooperation between them was like a thousand orderly troops. The violent and overbearing effect of the pill was like a ferocious beast that was easily torn apart. This series of operations was fast, accurate, clean, and without the slightest hesitation. Watching them perform was also a pleasing thing to the eye. However, this also exposed Li Ming¡¯s lack of spiritual energy. Such precise control might be useful in formations, but it wasn¡¯t very useful in sword arts. Soon, Su made her own judgment. In her opinion, although Li Ming was very strong, his weakness was also very obvious. In other words, Li Ming¡¯s strength could only be fully displayed in a special environment. She thought back to the sword-testing conference. The large array that Li Ming had set up had left her dumbfounded. Didn¡¯t it create an environment for her to use it? She couldn¡¯t help but shake her head. Li Ming¡¯s strength was just a fake strength to her. There were too many restrictions. Sword cultivation was a great journey. No matter what the situation was, one could firmly grasp their own life in their hands! At the thought of this, she could not help but feel more and more excited about the sword embryo she was going to forge. After six hours, Li Ming swallowed the last Blazing Flame Pill and refined it into a wisp of lava flame. The thirty-sixth magma earth fire merged into it, and the stalagmite fire that had been silent for a long time finally had a world-shaking change! The stalagmite fire suddenly grew bigger and its momentum increased greatly. Li Ming¡¯s heart tightened. This was the most important moment. The stalagmite fire was expanding crazily like a ferocious monster. Its cold and violent aura spread in all directions. Even Li Ming¡¯s meridians were affected as if they were being pricked by needles. Su immediately withdrew her spiritual energy. At this time, her spiritual energy was of no use to Li Ming and would only become a burden to him. She opened her eyes and saw Li Ming shivering in front of her. A thin layer of frost floated on his forehead. What terrifying cold flames! Su couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. Her gaze towards Li Ming was filled with anxiety. If the fusion failed this time, then she could forget about her sword embryo. Li Ming¡¯s heart was also in his throat. He had already done everything he could. Next, he could only rely on God¡¯s arrangements. As time passed, the raging stalagmite fire gradually calmed down, and the expanding flames also slowly shrank, finally stopping. The newly formed stalagmite fire was formed! The current stalagmite fire was no longer the same as before. First of all, its body was more than three times larger than before, and in terms of structure, it had undergone earth-shattering changes. Before this, it was white. However, the current stalagmite fire had three layers. The outermost layer was still a layer of milky white flames, while the middle layer was a layer of dark red flames. Although it was just a wisp, it was easily distinguished. The three layers of flames were different. The white one was stalagmite fire, the dark red one was the magma earth fire from refining the Blazing Flame Pill, and in the center was a ball of pitch-black flame. What was that? Li Ming was interested. After taking a closer look, he finally understood. This wisp of black flame was the poison he had been contaminated with when he was refining the ink-black lotus seed! If not for the change just now, he would not have noticed it. This seed contained such a lethal poison. What was even more unbelievable was that this poison could turn into fire! The new flame was very different from the previous flame. His control over it was also very different. The Yin energy was greatly reduced, and the transformation of ice and fire became more convenient. However, what was the use of that wisp of black flame in the deepest part? This made Li Ming puzzled. Among the three layers of flames, stalagmite tire was the lowest level, followed by the magma earth fire, and the highest level was the black flame that Li Ming had no idea what it was. On second thought, Li Ming felt relieved. The flames of the stalagmite fire were only second-grade. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry but was constantly exploring. This was a completely different type of flame. Even the Yin Fire Bead Chapter didn¡¯t have any records of it. As such, Li Ming needed to feel it himself. Immersed in the process of exploring the new flame, Li Ming did not know how long had passed. Su was relieved when she realized that the ice on Li Ming¡¯s body had disappeared. Seeing that Li Ming seemed to have entered a meditative state, she did not urge him. She simply sat cross-legged at the side and began to recover her spiritual energy. Anyway, she had already waited for so long. A few days was not a big deal. Li Ming sat like this for three days without moving. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only When he opened his eyes again, other than exhaustion, there was more excitement in his eyes. Su decided in her heart. Another day passed, and Li Ming¡¯s body had recovered to its peak. He was ready to start refining the sword embryo. Li Ming did not let Su watch from the side. If someone saw it, he was afraid that he would be disturbed. He came to a quiet room. In the quiet room, all the materials and some spirit stones had been prepared so that he could use them to recover his spiritual energy. Li Ming took the spirit stones with a smile. From this moment on, he would stay in this cultivation room until the refinement was completed. Su held her sword and stood guard at the door.. Chapter 197 - Chapter 197: Sword Embryo Formation Chapter 197: Sword Embryo Formation Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation He took out a jade scroll from his bosom. The jade scroll recorded the formations that each sword embryo needed to be engraved with and the method of refining it. There was nothing special about the refining method. He understood at a glance. His attention immediately focused on the four formations. He had never seen these four formations before. Just this was enough to pique his interest. The jade scroll had detailed descriptions of these four formations. Li Ming was dumbfounded. This was a fourth-grade formation! The four fourth-grade formations were all different! Only now did he understand why Su had never found someone who could refine this sword embryo. Each sword embryo had to be engraved with a fourth-grade formation. Four sword embryos were four fourth-grade formations. Moreover¡­ There was a mysterious relationship between the four formations. He had thought that he was fully prepared, but now, he knew that refining the sword embryo was much more difficult than he had imagined! He could not help but shake his head. He had really suffered a loss in this mission! The difficulty of this mission was enough to make Su pay a huge price. Li Ming was filled with regret for missing such a good opportunity. Because he was penniless now. His gaze landed on the formations again. First, he had to decipher these four formations. If he couldn¡¯t understand it, how could he carve so many formations on such a small sword embryo? If it was in the past, he would definitely turn around and leave without saying anything. He definitely couldn¡¯t do four completely different fourth-grade formations. However, his flame had just been upgraded, and he had the help of the Kun Lun jade scroll. After studying the Kun Lun introductory formation jade scroll, Li Ming¡¯s confidence had reached its peak. He chose the challenge! He studied the four formations according to the description in the jade scroll. At this moment, he finally realized how much benefit this Kun Lun jade scroll had given him! After comprehending the Kun Lun jade scroll, Li Ming¡¯s thinking and vision improved greatly. Fourth-grade formations had many aspects that were difficult to understand, let alone four fourth-grade formations. However, Li Ming persisted and used five days to roughly understand these four formations. When the four formations appeared in front of him, an indescribable sense of satisfaction arose spontaneously. All his fatigue was swept away. He only felt comfortable all over, wishing he could roar into the sky. Li Ming did not use the Double Chain Fourfold Fire Formation that Lin Qian suggested. He wanted to use this opportunity to test out a new flame. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not my thing,¡± Li Ming thought. Four Cold Magnets were placed in front of Li Ming. He had cut them into different sizes last time. But now, this was not a problem for him. He set up a spirit-gathering array around him and sat cross-legged. A five-colored pagoda floated in front of him. The five-colored pagoda could make his control over the power of the five elements stronger, and his control over flames was one of them. With a flip of his palm, a new flame appeared three inches above the top of the pagoda. Li Ming gave the new flame a name, ¡°Ink White Flame.¡± Since no one had given it a name, then it would be given a random name. The core was black, the middle was dark red, and the exterior was milky white. The inky-white flame burned quietly. It was no longer as violent as before. It was extremely docile. Li Ming¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness. He threw the smallest Cold Magnet in his hand into the Ink White Flame. He poured his spiritual energy into the Ink White Flame, and the flame suddenly expanded, tightly wrapping around the Cold Magnet. The first thing to do was to use flames to extract the impurities from it. This was a long process. However, Li Ming was not one of them. His divine sense was so strong that he could easily distinguish the location of these Cold Magnets. Therefore, his speed increased by a large margin. A day later, the impurities in the Cold Magnet were removed. During this period of time, he had to maintain a stable output of spiritual energy. With the help of the five-colored pagoda, this difficult process became much easier for him. Then, it was the shape of the sword. Li Ming took a deep breath and suddenly increased the output of his spiritual energy. The ink-white fire rose. In the quiet room, two completely different auras, one cold and one hot, constantly collided, emitting crackling sounds. The Cold Magnet slowly melted in the flames and finally turned into a pool of molten iron. Unexpectedly, the liquid in the furnace was not crimson, but a strange greenish-black with an extremely cold aura. The five-colored pagoda started to spin under the white flame. It spun faster and faster, and soon, it turned into a five-colored light shadow. It was as if an invisible force was pulling the liquid metal, causing it to begin to transform. As time passed, Li Ming¡¯s forehead began to sweat. His breathing became heavier and heavier, and he seemed to be having a hard time. However, under his control, the five-colored pagoda did not slow down at all. Instead, it was getting faster and faster! In the light, the liquid metal slowly flowed and gradually formed the shape of a sword. Only then did Li Ming get a chance to catch his breath. The spirit-gathering formation beside him had long been exhausted by his spiritual energy and turned into ashes. This was the real highlight! Li Ming¡¯s eyes were wide open, and he did not relax at all. The melted metal liquid gradually solidified, and the originally green-black liquid suddenly turned blue. Li Ming¡¯s heart was in turmoil. His hands were like blooming flowers. Spiritual light flew out of his hands and entered the fiery red sword embryo. The sword embryo did not move at all. No, just this little bit of fire was not enough! Li Ming gritted his teeth and urged the spiritual energy in his body. The black flames in the deepest part of his body licked the sword embryo clean like a thin and black tongue. At the same time, he made a hand seal. Another stream of light entered the flames. The azure sword body suddenly shone brightly. The formations seemed to be carved on the sword body, extremely clear. Li Ming did not stop at all. His eyes were wide open, and the spiritual energy in his body circulated crazily. His hair stood on end. His entire body was like a huge vortex, sucking in all the spiritual energy in the array. The tide was surging towards him. A huge amount of spiritual energy poured into his body. Even with the support of the demonic mo matrix, he still felt unbearable pain. But now, he didn¡¯t have the time to scream. His fingers moved faster and faster, continuously shaking. One formation after another entered the sword embryo. This high-intensity refining process lasted for a full six hours. A trace of blood silently flowed from the corner of his mouth and slid down his cheek. His ten fingers paused in front of him, and a bright beam of light hit the sword embryo. Whoosh! ¡°Buzz!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The sword embryo shone brightly, then dimmed and disappeared. A small dark blue sword floated in the air. In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed. Su, who was waiting outside, suddenly raised her head. A hint of joy flashed across her eyes. Four green and black sword bases were floating in front of her.. Chapter 198 - Chapter 198: More Putty Chapter 198: More Putty Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Each sword seemed to carry an invisible magnetic force. When her fingers touched one sword, the other three swords would slowly float up with her movements. However, these four swords occupied four different positions. The joy in Su¡¯s eyes became even stronger. Her hands kept forming sword seals, and the four swords danced around her like a lantern. ¡°It¡¯s a masterpiece!¡± The shop manager praised. ¡°The four swords combined into one, able to attack and defend, truly exquisite beyond compare! If it can be tempered more, the power of this sword will reach an unimaginable level!¡± Li Ming looked exhausted, but he was in high spirits. Once the sword embryo was formed, he felt much more relaxed. ¡°Good, I didn¡¯t disappoint you. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°Li Ming, please wait!¡± Su suddenly said. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything during the Sword-Testing Conference, but you kept your promise and helped me refine the Sword Embryo. I¡¯m extremely grateful, so I¡¯ll give this Moonlight Flowing Death to you!¡± Su¡¯s eyes were very sincere. She liked these four swords. Of course, Li Ming accepted it without hesitation. Moonlight Flowing Death was a treasure! ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll accept it,¡± he took the gift and said sanctimoniously. He thought of something and turned to look at the manager. ¡°I have something here. Can you take a look for me?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The manager hurriedly replied. If it was before, they would not dare to underestimate Li Ming. When he refined four sword bases, Li Ming¡¯s artifact refinement skills immediately made him look at him in a new light. The manager and the others were businessmen after all, and they were in the magical treasures business. How could they dare to offend a cultivator with a bright future and who was proficient in artifact refinement? Li Ming flipped his hand and took out the wooden box from his storage space. He opened the box and showed a jade bottle inside. Seeing Li Ming¡¯s seriousness, the two of them became even more curious about the treasure he took out. Li Ming handed over the jade bottle. ¡°This thing isn¡¯t in the five elements, but I don¡¯t know what it is. Can you help me take a look?¡± ¡°Not in the five elements?¡± Su¡¯s expression changed slightly. The manager¡¯s expression also changed, but he still kept a straight face. A person¡¯s vision is the most important criterion to measure a person¡¯s strength. He did not want to embarrass this person. He carefully opened the bottle cap and poured the powder into a white disk. After examining it for a moment, he said solemnly, ¡°I can¡¯t tell what this thing is either, but it¡¯s definitely not something from the five elements. It doesn¡¯t look like a single material, but more like a mixture of several materials. It¡¯s very strange.¡± He just felt that it was a little strange. It was already very difficult to find something that did not contain the five elements, let alone such a complicated composition. Li Ming was stunned. He suddenly remembered that the materials he had thrown into the five-colored pagoda were of various types. The composition of the powder was probably very complicated. He could not help but look at the shopkeeper in a new light. ¡°I wonder how much this thing is worth?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to decide.¡± The manager shook his head. ¡°If it¡¯s a material, I can give you a reasonable price. However, the composition of this thing is very complicated. It should have some special effect. Or maybe it¡¯s used to refine a flying sword instead of using materials with the five elements. If you use it to refine a flying sword, you can increase the quality of the flying sword.¡± ¡°If I can add this thing before refining the four sword embryos, the quality will be greatly improved,¡± he said in a deep voice as he looked at the four flying swords floating in front of Su. A trace of unwillingness flashed in Su¡¯s eyes, but now that the sword embryo¡¯s formation was complete, she didn¡¯t say anything. Li Ming¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Not of the five elements but can increase the quality of the flying sword? I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± Seeing Li Ming¡¯s interest, the manager smiled and said, ¡°If it¡¯s not something of the five elements, it¡¯s hard to come by and expensive. Moreover, the materials are different, so the effects are different. However, they have one thing in common, and that is, they have a great affinity for spiritual energy, especially for spiritual energy that doesn¡¯t have many attributes.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t good for an itinerant cultivator who specializes in the power of the five elements, but for us sword cultivators, it¡¯s a great thing. Most of the sword cultivation in this world is not of the five elements.¡¯ He originally wanted to say that most of the Five Elements Sword Techniques were useless, but he suddenly remembered that Li Ming cultivated the Five Elements Sword Techniques, so he immediately changed his words. When Li Ming heard this, he was immediately interested. As a sword disciple, he immediately understood the value of the putty in his hand. ¡°If it¡¯s only used to refine flying swords, can you give me an estimate?¡± Li Ming said. ¡°Two hundred spirit stones of the third-grade.¡± ¡°Three hundred spirit stones of the third-grade. I wonder if Young Master Li can give this to me?¡± Su suddenly asked. Having interacted with Li Ming a few times, she had some understanding of his personality. Although this guy was cunning and difficult to fool, as long as there were enough benefits, he could still be persuaded. ¡°Good!¡± Li Ming agreed without thinking. Three third-grade hundred spirit stones had already exceeded his mental limit. Moreover, the putty was extracted from the five-colored pagoda and could be easily obtained. Su took out the spirit stones and handed them to Li Ming. With these spirit stones, Li Ming felt a lot more at ease. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It was true that people had to lower their heads under other people¡¯s eaves. Although three hundred third-grade spirit stones were not a large number, it was not a small amount. He could only buy one item at the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion. Li Ming could only leave reluctantly. Although the things in the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion were good, not everyone could afford it. His target was those merchants with relatively low prices, like Meng Ran. Among the people that Li Ming knew, Fu Dong was considered one of the top figures. He had a wide network and could often obtain materials that were difficult to find. However, when it came to a large number of materials, he did not have the slightest advantage. Meng Ran had worked with Li Ming once before. The cooperation between the two of them was very pleasant. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Meng Ran was stunned when he saw Li Ming. Then, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s my honor to have Young Master Li here!¡± Li Ming was currently in the limelight. In the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, he was in the limelight. Meng Ran¡¯s attitude was also very humble. ¡°Boss Meng, do you think I¡¯m too old?¡± Li Ming¡¯s first sentence shocked Meng Ran, but Li Ming¡¯s second sentence made him feel relieved. ¡°Boss Meng, isn¡¯t it too much to treat an old friend like this?! You can call me Little Li.¡¯ It was no wonder Meng Ran was so nervous. Compared to the unknown in the past, Li Ming was already a famous figure in East Floating. The Divine Will Sect was mysterious and unpredictable. No one knew their style of doing things, so outsiders were very careful in front of them.. Chapter 199 - Chapter 199: Demonstrating Strength Chapter 199: Demonstrating Strength Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Meng Ran was experienced and knowledgeable, so he naturally pretended to be very familiar with him. ¡°It¡¯s not alright for you to call me Boss Meng and for me to call you Little Li. Just call me Old Meng.¡± With such a reputation, Li Ming¡¯s words and actions were no different from before, without a trace of arrogance and despotism. Thinking about how he had to deal with the core disciples of the various large sects every day, Meng Ran could not help but sigh in his heart. If the Divine Will Sect did not prosper, then there would be no justice. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s good. We¡¯re all old friends.¡± Li Ming said with a smile. He had dealt with Fu Dong and the others many times, so he was very familiar with this kind of thing. Meng Ran also smiled and pointed at Li Ming. ¡°I knew it. You must have something to do today. Tell me, are you here to sell or to buy?¡± ¡°Old Meng knows me best. I¡¯m going to buy some five elements materials.¡± ¡°Five elements materials? What do you want these for?¡± Meng Ran looked confused. Suddenly, he remembered something. ¡°Oh, look at my memory. You¡¯re an artifact refiner and a pill refiner!¡± Li Ming did not explain further. Instead, he asked with a smile, ¡°I want to choose a few materials with stronger five elements. Do you have them here?¡± ¡°Okay, do you want the average one or the better one?¡± ¡°Average.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± Meng Ran nodded and said to Li Ming. With that, he led the way. Meng Ran¡¯s backyard was in the front of the store. Li Ming followed behind him. He crossed the shop and came to the back. After passing through the courtyard and entering the inner room, Li Ming realized that the door to the inner room was surrounded by restrictions. Even though Li Ming was knowledgeable, he couldn¡¯t help but feel shocked. There were many powerful restrictions among them. Other than that, there were also countless bewitching and confusing restrictions. Just as he was puzzled, Meng Ran¡¯s figure suddenly stopped. He formed a few hand seals and a light door suddenly appeared in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Meng Ran took the lead and stepped in. Li Ming¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he followed closely behind. With one step, the world before him suddenly opened up. Hundreds of pine shelves that were 10 feet tall were neatly placed together. The shelves were filled with all kinds of materials, and a strange fragrance floated in the air. It was Li Ming¡¯s first time seeing such a spectacular scene. He thought to himself that Meng Ran¡¯s business seemed to have far exceeded his expectations! Meng Ran hid his strength and was not an ordinary person! Li Ming felt his footsteps become lighter. He was stunned and subconsciously looked at the ground. ¡°Brother Li?¡± Meng Ran smiled when he saw Li Ming¡¯s surprised expression. ¡°I believe Brother Li doesn¡¯t come to this warehouse often.¡¯ ¡°The floor of the warehouse has a Levitation Array. The people inside can float in the air and easily get things. Even if you accidentally drop something on the ground, it won¡¯t be broken.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Li Ming immediately understood. He kicked his legs slightly, his body floating in the air like a light feather. What was even more amazing was that he could change his direction in the air. This was too amazing! A smile appeared on Meng Ran¡¯s face. He had brought Li Ming to the warehouse because he wanted Li Ming to see his strength. The Divine Will Sect would prosper in the future. If he wanted to cooperate with such a sect, he first had to have enough strength. ¡°These are all five elements materials. Take whatever you want. Yes, I¡¯ll give you a discount.¡± Meng Ran smiled. It was a discount and not a free gift, which made Li Ming feel even more comfortable. ¡°Thank you, Brother Meng!¡± Li Ming said sincerely. People with strength were respected. Li Ming dived into it and began to pick and choose. His requirements for the materials were very special. He did not care about the grade of the materials. As long as they had the five elements, the Five-colored Pagoda was not picky. The main goal of the Five-colored Pagoda now was not to increase its quality, but to recover its vitality. Therefore, he did not have much thought about high-grade materials. Moreover, according to Li Ming¡¯s style, he planned to maximize the cost-performance ratio by choosing the cheapest materials with the strongest power of the five elements! Li Ming, who had returned to the sect, was in a good mood. When he thought of Meng Ran¡¯s dumbstruck appearance, he felt secretly pleased. As if he were robbing the man, he bought all the materials that were not commonly used from Meng Ran. Three hundred third-grade spirit stones were not a lot but were more than enough to buy some low-grade materials. Five-colored Berries were first-grade materials that contained rich Five Elements Yuan Qi. However, because the Five Elements Yuan Qi was too chaotic, it was only used when refining pills. There were twenty of them in a bundle, and each bundle cost ten second-grade spirit stones. The Golden-Spotted Snake-scented Herbs contained rich metal attribute energy. It was an auxiliary material for refining flying swords, but because it had too many substitutes, it could only be considered a low-grade material. The dried Golden-Spotted Snake-scented Herbs weighed two taels each and were sold for five second-grade spirit stones. The Seven-colored Vines were called the Seven-colored Vines because they were colorful and looked like a rainbow. When thrown into a flame, they could increase the power of the flame. A bundle weighed ten pounds and was worth 15 second-grade spirit stones. When he moved all the materials he had bought into the courtyard, the silly bird flew over the roof and inspected the materials. Then, he returned to the roof with a disappointed expression. There were no ¡°snacks¡± that he wanted to eat. Li Ming didn¡¯t have the time to deal with this lazy creature. He summoned the Five-colored Pagoda. Fortunately, he had cultivated the Vajra Seal. Looking at the mountain of materials, Li Ming took a deep breath and circulated the Vajra Seal. He took off his outer clothes and revealed his torso. He shook his arms and began to move. He tied up the Five-colored Berries in bundles of ten, and the Golden-Spotted Snake-scented Herbs danced on his fingertips like raindrops. The Seven-colored Vines, which weighed ten pounds each, were the most tiring. Li Ming worked like a laborer. In the courtyard, Li Ming was sweating profusely. He was still humming loudly. ¡°Pagoda, you¡¯re a cow. You eat grass and make milk¡­¡± The Five-colored Pagoda seemed to be drunk. It swayed and absorbed all the materials. When the last material was sucked into the pagoda, the Five-colored Pagoda fell to the ground with a thud. Li Ming was stunned. He couldn¡¯t care less about his bare upper body. He squatted down and reached out to touch the Five-colored Pagoda. There was no reaction at all! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A moment later, the Five-colored Pagoda rolled twice on the ground and climbed up shakily. Li Ming¡¯s tense heart immediately relaxed and he laughed loudly. ¡°Hey, I thought you were full. In the end, it¡¯s not enough!¡± The Five-colored Pagoda seemed to have heard it, it shook, and with a ¡°wah¡± sound, something sprayed out and fell to the ground. It spun around and stopped moving. Li Ming was delighted. Could it be that it spat out the putty again? Those things were valuable like spirit stones! However, when he took a closer look, he was disappointed. It was not mud, but a small bundle of Five-colored Berries. ¡°Little Pagoda, you don¡¯t like this thing?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but raise his head and ask in surprise. The Five-colored Pagoda shook again and rolled past Li Ming.. Chapter 200 - Chapter 200: Setting Up an Array at the Back Mountain Chapter 200: Setting Up an Array at the Back Mountain Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation On the roof, the silly bird looked at the five-colored pagoda rolling on the ground with pity. He lowered his head and tidied his feathers in all seriousness. What disappointed Li Ming was that this time, the Little Pagoda didn¡¯t SDit out anything. This made his plan fail. However, under the nourishment of the vast essence of the five elements, the five-colored pagoda seemed to have some improvement, but it was much dimmer than before. After all, these were all low-level materials. Although the quantity was enough, the quality was a lot worse. Li Ming had no choice. From his previous two experiences, he could tell that the materials that could produce putty were all of high quality. Now, every time Li Ming stared at the five-colored pagoda, it would tremble. ¡°Little pagoda, if you could eat this and poop it out, how good would that be!¡± Li Ming said with a regretful expression. The body of the five-colored pagoda shook violently, and it made puking sounds. At the back of Divine Mountain. The five of them stood in the air. From below them, the entire valley had become a mess. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s done!¡± Yang Li couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The others also looked exhausted. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Your sect is really generous! It¡¯s very rare to see such a huge formation even in the forbidden areas of the various large sects.¡± In the formation in front of them, there were five Nascent Soul Realm cultivators who had razed three mountains to the ground and opened up five ravines, forming nine streams that enveloped the entire back mountain. If this was not a big deal, then the entire Heavenly Origin Supercontinent would not be a big deal. ¡°For that guy, we suffered heavy losses!¡± Even a calm person like Pei Xuan felt his heart ache. There was the reward for Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator and countless materials. The Divine Will Sect had lost more than half of its members. Yang Li, who was in charge of finance, had an ugly expression on his face. He gritted his teeth and said. ¡°Let that kid suffer.¡± ¡°Are you sure that guy can¡¯t break it? His talent in formations is very high.¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator was furious. Pei Xuan immediately berated Yang Li. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude to Itinerant Cultivator!¡± Yang Li pursed his lips. As a nascent soul cultivator, he wasn¡¯t afraid of Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator. However, under the scolding of his senior brother, he still shut his mouth. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator¡¯s breathing calmed down slightly. A hint of redness appeared on his aged face. He sneered. ¡°I¡¯m not boasting, but with the help of the four fellow Taoists, I¡¯ve also used all my skills to build this array. It¡¯s hard to say in the future, but now, it¡¯s my best work in years. If the five of us can¡¯t even stop a foundation establishment cultivator, we might as well commit suicide.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to imprison him. We¡¯re going to let him practice his swordsmanship.¡± Yang Li¡¯s face turned red, but he still argued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator rolled his eyes at him and snorted coldly. ¡°This formation is heavily bound. The only way to break it is to cultivate the sword intent to the level of the sword following the heart. Only then can you comprehend the mysteries and find a way out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± Pei Xuan saw that the two of them were at daggers drawn and quickly tried to smooth things over. Xu Shan, Shi Fengrong, and the others all watched from the side. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator looked as if he had not had enough. ¡°Fellow Taoist Xu¡¯s sword is so pure and sharp. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen it in my life. I really admire it! However, everyone still has to be careful. After entering this formation, unless you comprehend sword intent, you won¡¯t be able to come out.¡± ¡°Furthermore, in order to prevent this brat from using the formation to escape, I set up 18 layers of restrictions on this formation, making it impregnable! If the four of you attack together, this formation will be very difficult to block, but the people inside won¡¯t be able to escape.¡± When everyone heard this, they could not help but hesitate. If something really happened to that fellow, they would not be able to help. ¡°Fellow Taoists, there¡¯s no need to worry too much. I specially left a few places in this formation for him to rest. With his attainments in formations, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to find his birthplace.¡± ¡°Moreover, although you can¡¯t enter this array, you can still see the situation inside. I have some small teleportation gates here that can be used to transport resources into the array.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go find him.¡± Xu Shan suddenly said. As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared from where he was. Li Ming leaned against a rattan chair and lazily basked in the sun. As time passed, he had nothing to do. It was said that the sect leaders requested a delay in the opening of the mystic realm this time of many sects. This sword-testing conference was extremely beneficial to these young cultivators. After they returned to the sect, they immediately went into closed-door cultivation. Now that many people had not come out of seclusion, they naturally had to postpone the opening of the mystic realm. Eldest Brother was still cultivating, and Luo Ming was also sent to the sword cave. Thinking about it, Li Ming found it strange. Since Luo Ming could enter the sword cave, why didn¡¯t the sect master and the other elders allow him to enter? He did not care if he could enter the sword cave. What he cared about was that these few days were unexpectedly calm. Elder Uncle Xu Shan and the others actually did not come to look for him. Li Ming¡¯s heart turned cold when he thought of Xu Shan saying the word ¡°good¡± to him while he was healing. Even under the sunlight, the cold air on his body could not be dispelled. He had a feeling that this matter would not end so easily. There must be something waiting for him inside. At this moment, Xu Shan landed from the sky. In an instant, Li Ming felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His hands and feet were cold. Xu Shan shouted coldly, grabbed Li Ming, and soared into the sky. Elder Uncle¡¯s flying speed was extremely fast. The biting cold wind made Li Ming unable to even open his eyes. ¡°Elder Uncle, where are we going?¡± Li Ming asked carefully as he resisted the wind. ¡°Practicing the sword.¡± Xu Shan¡¯s face was stern. ¡°Sword training?¡± Li Ming heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t anything strange. Sigh, it seemed like he was going to the back mountain. Could he be going to the back mountain to guide him in sword practice? Below him was a huge formation. The formation he had set up at the sword-testing conference paled in comparison to the formation before him. When did our sect have such a huge formation? No, he had already come here many times! Next, Li Ming saw the Sect Master, Elder Uncle Yang Li, his master, and an unfamiliar old Taoist. However, why were these people looking at him with such strange gazes? Just as he was puzzled, Elder Uncle Xu Shan suddenly let go of his hand. ¡°Ah!¡± Li Ming howled in pain. He could only feel the wind blowing in his ears, and he could not control his body at all. At this critical moment, he suddenly circulated the Vajra Seal! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A golden figure fell to the ground. Bang! The earth shook and dust flew into the air. The golden figure was slammed into the ground, forming a human figure. Li Ming felt as if his internal organs had shifted. He opened his eyes in a daze, stood up with difficulty, and spat out the soil in his mouth. Fortunately, I¡¯ve practiced before.. Chapter 201 - Chapter 201: Ruthless Chapter 201: Ruthless Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation He sucked in a breath of cold air in pain. His entire body was about to fall apart. Even though he had already practiced the Vajra Seal to the Red Lotus Golden Water level, he was still in pain after being thrown like this. However, he also heaved a sigh of relief. Since he had suffered a loss, it should be over. What was this place? No way! In front of him, there were layers and layers of sword intent that were endless and dense. It was impossible to dodge! Li Ming had the urge to cry. What was happening? While Li Ming was in a daze, Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator, who was outside, was overjoyed. ¡°This formation uses the four of our sword intents to guard the four symbols. Fellow Taoist Xu Shan¡¯s sword intent is the sharpest. He guards the core and uses the nine spiritual springs as a medium to flow in the formation and circulate continuously. The five sword intent merged together and then disappeared. Unless it reaches the level of the heart, there¡¯s no way to find a chance of survival. ¡°Even if you are in the nascent soul Stage, it is useless if you don¡¯t have enough sword intent. Using force to break the formation is courting death!¡± ¡°The formations of Itinerant Cultivator are unpredictable. It¡¯s my first time hearing of someone being able to integrate sword intent into the formations!¡± Pei Xuan praised. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator was secretly pleased with himself, but he did not lose his sense of propriety. He said modestly, ¡°If your esteemed sect did not have a favor to ask of me, I really would not have thought of such a method.¡± He sighed. ¡°As the judge, I personally witnessed your sect¡¯s Li Ming¡¯s battle. To be honest, I¡¯m also very impressed.¡± ¡°However, Fellow Taoist Xu Shan is right. If sword cultivators don¡¯t practice the sword, how can they be called sword cultivators? I just didn¡¯t expect that you would do this to a disciple of your sect. It¡¯s Li Ming¡¯s fortune to be in your sect!¡± Pei Xuan shook his head. ¡°Wealth and treasures are secondary, but people are the most important. The sect would be strong if the people were there. Since he is a disciple of our sect, we naturally have to do our part. I hope he will wake up soon so that our efforts will not be in vain.¡± The other three also had solemn expressions. Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator was filled with veneration. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sect master Pei. This kid is very smart. He will understand everyone¡¯s good intentions.¡± Pei Xuan chuckled, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the help of Itinerant Cultivator, it would be hard to say. What a headache!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯ll learn through experience that out of all the Taoists in the world, only the Way of the Sword is the strongest.¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator said proudly, ¡°A single sword can break all techniques. His little tricks are like floating clouds under the sword intent.¡± The reason why he dared to say such arrogant words was not because he was very confident in his formation, but because he was very confident in the sword intent of the four people. He had heard before that among the four elders of the Divine Will Sect, Yang Li was good at management, Shi Fengrong specialized in pill-refining, and the sect master Pei Xuan lived in seclusion, indifferent to worldly affairs. Although he had heard of this Ice Avenue Sword, he had never seen it in person, so he didn¡¯t feel much about it. It wasn¡¯t until he set up the formation that he realized that the Divine Will Sect, which had displayed astonishing strength in the sword-testing conference, was keeping a low profile. Including him, his sword intent was the weakest among the five, which made him feel very ashamed. The power of Xu Shan¡¯s sword intent was something he had never seen in his life. It was much stronger than those experts who had been famous for a long time. He was originally worried that the sword intent of these four people would affect the stability of the formation, but now he knew that he had underestimated them. Xu Shan¡¯s sword intent on protecting the core, especially, was even more impenetrable. The power of this formation was much stronger than all the formations he had set up before. Even if someone was a nascent soul stage powerhouse, it would not be easy to break through this grand array. The only thing he felt pity for was that such a powerful formation was only used to trap a foundation establishment cultivator. This made him feel very unaccomplished. However, he was more than happy to take this opportunity to befriend the Divine Will Sect. Especially after witnessing the terrifying strength of the four of them, he was filled with anticipation for the future of the Divine Will Sect. The elders were all very strong and were very attentive to their disciples. Moreover, there was no lack of genius among their disciples. How could such a sect not prosper? Pei Xuan looked at everyone¡¯s exhausted appearance and smiled slightly. ¡°This kid has brought us a lot of trouble. Let him enjoy himself. Let¡¯s go and rest first and drink my tea.¡± Wu Ling Itinerant Cultivator immediately agreed. Li Ming didn¡¯t know that the elders outside had already left. He didn¡¯t do anything. He was very familiar with this huge dragon in front of him because he had been slashed by this thing countless times. This was Second Elder Uncle¡¯s sword intent. He gritted his teeth and suddenly burst into tears. ¡°Master! I know I was wrong! I promise to correct myself in the future. Please let me out¡­¡± Although his master looked cold on the surface, she cared a lot about him. If he begged his master for mercy, his master might be soft-hearted and let him go. After shouting for a long time, he shouted himself hoarse, but he did not hear any sound. The bitterness in Li Ming¡¯s heart was like a flood that had broken through a dam. His heart was rising and falling in this bitterness. He still couldn¡¯t understand what he had done wrong to make the sect master and the others so angry. As he roared, he didn¡¯t dare to move. The dragon swam around him leisurely. Its cold eyes swept across his body from time to time, causing him to feel cold all over. He was sure that if he moved, the dragon¡¯s claws would tear him into pieces. This was the real deal! He was on the verge of tears and his entire body was trembling. When he saw Second Elder Uncle¡¯s real dragon, only then did he know how different the imitations made by the tablet spirit were from the real one. A fear that came from the bottom of his heart emerged. No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, this fear was like an uncontrollable weed that spread wildly in his heart. After shivering for a full two hours, the dragon slowly left. When it left, it looked as if it was saying that it would come again. As the dragon completely disappeared, the powerful aura also dissipated. The empty ground was as if nothing had happened. At this moment, Li Ming finally relaxed a little and began to carefully observe his surroundings. Soon, he realized that he was trapped in a formation. Thinking of the scene he saw in the sky, he could not help but shiver. Oh my god, are they trying to kill me? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He was still shocked by the scale of this formation when he was thrown in by his Second Elder Uncle. He had to admit that he had underestimated Second Elder Uncle¡¯s disdain for him! Li Ming, who had regained his senses, recalled his previous scream. He did not receive any response, so he knew that the sect master had made up his mind to make him suffer this time. Before this, he was already prepared to be punished by Second Elder Uncle and the others. He had long been prepared for flogging, reflecting on his mistakes, special training, and so on. However, he had never expected Second Elder Uncle and the others to be so ruthless.. Chapter 202 - Chapter 202: The Grand Ending Chapter 202: The Grand Ending Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation As expected, the Sword Dragon returned. ¡°Second Elder Uncle really thinks highly of me.¡± Li Ming smiled. The roar just now was just a cover-up to weaken everyone¡¯s expectations. Otherwise, if he really achieved great results, how would these old fellows save their pride? The Vajra Seal was released. The red light turned from air to water and then solidified into a red golden lotus. After it appeared, it directly blocked in front of him, forming a solid defense. He had spent a lot of time and energy to create the Red Lotus Golden Water. Now, everything seemed to be worth it. Roar! The Sword Dragon roared and swayed its body, stirring up a gust of wind. It twisted and turned into a long whip, whipping down! It directly hit the Red Lotus Golden Water. He was whipped so hard that he swayed back and forth. He almost broke a few times, but he still managed to pull through. Li Ming took advantage of the fact that the sword dragon¡¯s attack was ineffective and floated forward. This time, it was his turn. After a few hours of confrontation, both sides fought for more than a hundred rounds, and the Sword Dragon was gradually unable to hold on. Although it didn¡¯t have intelligence, it knew how to avoid harm. It couldn¡¯t beat Li Ming, but it could run. The Sword Dragon turned around and fled. Li Ming naturally wouldn¡¯t let it get what it wanted. He chased after it at an absurd speed. Sword Dragon¡¯s speed was inferior to his, so it could not afford to be delayed. Li Ming¡¯s every move was very powerful. It didn¡¯t look like he was at the foundation establishment level. Instead, it looked like he was in the nascent soul realm. The Sword Dragon moved left and right and could not resist. In the end, it collapsed, and the array formation was also damaged. Xu Shan had yet to drink a mouthful of tea when his proudest work was gone. He was so shocked that his jaw dropped. Everyone looked at him strangely. The sound of discussion rose everywhere. ¡°The sword dragon is destroyed. Is this kid really strong, or is Xu Shan deliberately going easy on him?¡± ¡°Actually, many people are saying that the older Xu Shan is, the lower his ability is. Isn¡¯t this proven?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if he deliberately went easy on Li Ming, but if he doesn¡¯t deserve the position and still wants to occupy it, then there¡¯s really a problem with his character.¡± Xu Shan felt embarrassed. He felt that these words were like knives cutting at his flesh. ¡°Interesting.¡± After all, he was one of the top experts on the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent. This test was of great importance. If the Sword Dragon could be broken, then what Li Ming could do was naturally very impressive. ¡°Sword Intent Saint.¡± He used his true trump card. Countless sword intents transformed into a saint who wore an ancient holy robe and stood in the air. When he opened his eyes, countless saint lights surged into the sky. Holy qi sprinkled down like sunlight. Those who were touched by holy qi fell into fear. The damage was happening at all times. Xu Shan¡¯s actions caused a huge commotion. ¡°Second Senior Brother¡¯s method is a little too much, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yang Li said. The others also started discussing. It was unusual for holy qi to scatter, and it was not for a strong enemy. It did not seem reasonable to use such a heavy hand to test a disciple! ¡°Isn¡¯t it all because this brat is restless!¡± Xuan Fengrong said. Everyone was shocked, but they quickly calmed down. The two of them had a close relationship and shared the same thoughts. Moreover, Li Ming had indeed gone too far. He tore apart the Sword Dragon in front of everyone and made Xu Shan lose face. After all, as an elder, who could bear this? Everyone was outside the formation and had to follow the rules. However, they were afraid that something would happen in the array, causing Li Ming to have an accident and be unable to explain to the sect master. They could only choose to observe closely and act in a hurry. They had to ensure Li Ming¡¯s safety as much as possible. Li Ming was paying attention to the materials left behind after the Sword Dragon collapsed. He discovered that there were a large number of five elements in it. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s about what I thought.¡¯ He had already predicted the composition of these godly spirit skills, but he was not certain. Now that there was proof, everything was clear. He immediately separated a large amount of the five elements and obtained a large amount of Moonlight Flowing Goblet and Black Magnetic Stone. There were also Five Elements Fruits, Heaven Earth Heart, and other items. Every single one of them was priceless, and each one cost more than 300 spirit stones. Suddenly, a saint¡¯s shadow tore through the air and changed the appearance of the world. Li Ming¡¯s vision was filled with snow. Everything had disappeared. He knew that this was the will of a saint. Second Elder Uncle could not bear to lose face and was furious! No matter how urgent the matter was, it was not as big as what was in front of him. He took thousands of materials into his bag. The last few were melted by the holy light. The saint¡¯s will transformed into a sword and stabbed over at him! From top to bottom, it formed a sea of swords! Li Ming struck out with his sword. The sea of swords broke through from the center, and his Sword Heart was broken. Once the sword heart was broken, the sea of swords dissipated. It caused another round of controversy. The saint¡¯s sword was broken, but the Ice Avenue Sword was not affected. Then, he sent out the Ice Avenue Sword, which posed a great threat. Li Ming blocked the sword. Many parts of his body were torn, and blood was flowing out. However, he gritted his teeth and endured for several hours, but he was still not broken through. ¡°Second Senior Brother, are you going to kill this child?¡± ¡°Hurry up and stop!¡± ¡°This is just a test, not in-fighting!¡± Yang Li, Pei Xuan, and Itinerant Cultivator could no longer sit still and opened their mouths! ¡°Second Senior Brother, that¡¯s enough.¡± Even Xuan Fengrong was dumbfounded. Xu Shan was also very surprised and put in a difficult position. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this kid to be so powerful and persistent!¡± The problem at hand was extremely serious, and he had no choice but to make a choice. However, the saint quickly collapsed, and the sword light erupted! Xu Shan and the others were stunned. The sword intent was getting stronger and stronger, as if it was going to break through the sky. This was a fact that even the sect master could not change. Many people were extremely nervous. ¡°If this kid had waited for us to attack, there would still be time.¡± ¡°But now that he has activated the saint¡¯s fury, he is no longer under anyone¡¯s control! ¡± ¡°Stop the test!¡± ¡°Hurry up and save him!¡± They rushed in one after another, but they were blocked back. Many of them were injured. Such a situation stunned many people and they could not believe it. ¡°Due to a moment of carelessness, we suffered heavy losses.¡± ¡°If something really happened to Li Ming, how should we explain it?¡± This was a huge responsibility! Xu Shan felt like he was about to collapse. The Senior and Junior Brothers and Sisters were all looking at him with sympathetic eyes. Xuan Fengrong patted his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll clean up after you after you¡¯ve been expelled.¡± Xu Shan was speechless. ¡°Do I need you to clean up the mess?¡± It seemed that he had only reached the top after half his life. In the end, one careless move and he lost the entire game. Only then did he understand the principle of ¡°the moon is narrow, the moon is full, the moon is waning.¡± Once a person reached the peak, it would immediately be a downhill path. If he didn¡¯t always think of danger in times of peace and maintain a sense of danger, something would happen sooner or later. Just as he was about to write a self-reflection and resign from his position as an elder. The saint suddenly lowered his head. The world returned to normal, and the array formation was deactivated. When Li Ming walked over, the holy qi all over his body fused with the saint¡¯s will. Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on the Ice Avenue Sword in his hand! ¡°Whoever has the Ice Avenue Sword¡­¡± ..is the sect master.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°You can also command the world. No one dares to disobey.¡± ¡°Could it be, could it be that this brat.. Xu Shan gulped, but in the face of reality, he had to be cautious, sincere, and realistic. ¡°Greetings, Sect Master!¡± He took the lead and bowed to greet the new sect master. Soon after, the voice echoed throughout Divine Will Mountain and quickly spread across the Heavenly Origin Supercontinent, leaving behind countless legends!