Light-Chasing City had existed for ages, bearing the mottled touch of time. Within the city lay a fourth-tier Fire Spring; once shallow night fell, it could be manually controlled to illuminate the entire city as bright as day.
"Uncle Meng, it's quite lively over there. A lot of people are placing bets, and quite a few betting lines have opened," Qin Ming said, stopping in his tracks with an eager gleam in his eyes.
He possessed a modest fortune now. Those departed adversaries—such as Wang Nianzhu, Qi Huai'en, Ge Qianxun, and the rest—had generously gifted him their day gold after their deaths.
"Gambling is a terrible habit. You need to kick it," Meng Xinghai said sternly.
Qin Ming explained, "I'll soon be traveling far to study, and I want to buy a courtyard residence in a corresponding megacity so it'll be convenient to practice my arts."
Meng Xinghai said, "In truly influential megacities, four-tusked white elephants roam the streets and azure phoenixes pass through the sky. Blessed with nature's treasures and remarkable people, the property prices in such places are far higher than you imagine. The bit of day gold in your hands wouldn't even buy half a room, let alone a courtyard manor."
Qin Ming realized he was still impoverished.
Having received a lecture, he thought it over and felt placing a bet wasn't worth much anyway. Most of his day gold was stored at the City Lord's Manor; he carried very little on him.
Behind them, Li Qingyun smiled and secretly sent a voice transmission: "Are these bookmakers reliable?"
"With your profound cultivation, are you afraid they'll default on their debts? I'm certainly not," Meng Xinghai replied.
No one knew Qin Ming's foundations better than them. Guaranteed profit—why wouldn't they enter the fray? The two exchanged a smile.
As for the youth ahead of them, he had only a dozen or two day gold pieces on him, so why get involved? A habit like gambling couldn't be indulged; he needed to be knocked down a peg when necessary.
Qin Ming paused again and said, "Uncle Meng, we're taking a huge loss. Look over there—Light-Chasing City is selling tickets! You can't watch the duel without one, and the prices are outrageously steep!"
He finally understood why he had heard people buzzing with excitement in the streets, and even passersby discussing the duel between the two cities. Someone had clearly fueled the flames, intentionally hyping it up.
Meng Xinghai remained calm. "No matter. A portion of these proceeds belongs to our Chixia City."
Qin Ming was dazed. A single duel, yet business was everywhere!
The martial arena of Light-Chasing City was vast, paved with the hardest black gold stone.
There were elevated platforms and VIP suites where seat prices were astonishingly high, yet the tickets had long sold out.
Upon entering, Qin Ming surveyed the surroundings. In the standard viewing area, people in front had seats, while those toward the back could only stand. The dense, dark crowd packed the perimeter completely.
"Lately, folks outside have been saying that our Light-Chasing City's 'number one' is truly just a candle's glow—that if placed in other cities he'd get thrashed, unable to rival the bright moon. Sigh, it really leaves a sour taste in my mouth to hear that."
"Yeah, he can probably only compete against Chixia City. Guess it's a crouching dragon meeting a fledgling phoenix. Let's see if there are any surprises."
Qin Ming stood there expressionless. His opponent hadn't even taken the stage, yet this bunch of spectators had already 'struck.' Their mouths were quite sharp and mean.
In the VIP seating, he spotted a woman in black. Her figure was graceful and slender, like an immortal lotus rooted in the mortal dust. Sitting there quietly, she exuded an ethereal, transcendent aura.
Although she had altered her appearance, Qin Ming could still deduce that she had to be Li Qingyue.
If an outsider wished to pay the price to read that secret scripture brought from deep within the night mist world, they would normally have to travel to the outer realm.
Now that Li Qingyue possessed a near-immortal item, her status had risen dramatically, surpassing other core disciples. If she wished to read it, she could already keep it by her side.
It just so happened that the outer realm's pure land had arranged an opportunity for her to bathe in a spirit pool rich with immortal resonance to enhance her constitution. Passing through this place, she had brought the book along to visit her old friend.
Qin Ming also wanted to use this opportunity to impart to her the two scriptures he had obtained from the near-immortal item and the remnant metal sheet.
...
Light-Chasing City's "number one" entered the arena. Half a head taller than an average person, he was burly, solid, and powerful. His facial features were distinctly contoured, and his bright eyes seemed to shimmer with a faint fiery glow.
"Huh? That's not Jiang Hong. Who is this? I've never seen him before."
Many showed surprised expressions. They had thought it would be Jiang Hong, the city's reputed genius, but the "number one" handpicked by the city lord wasn't him?
"I am Chen Yuan." The youth who entered announced his name. Spirited vigor radiated from his brows and eyes. Clad in red-gold armor, he possessed an extraordinary bearing.
Outside the arena, some immediately understood. This was a "migratory bird" of the Grand Examination season—a top performer who temporarily "migrated" from another city, choosing one that lacked stiff competition specifically to seize the title of "number one."
Instantly, many eyes lit up. Now this would be a real spectacle! He was very likely the "number two" or "number three" from some megacity.
Clearly, this Grand Examination "migratory bird" Chen Yuan was bound to be a full notch stronger than the local Jiang Hong!
"You truly love walking right on the edge of the red line," Meng Xinghai said with an unamiable expression, looking at the somewhat celestial-looking middle-aged man beside him.
Qi Daoming smiled. "It's not as if he's a mutant—just a 'migratory bird' at the eighth Newborn stage. Purely small stakes. For the duel between our two cities, splitting the profits evenly counts as a win-win."
Meng Xinghai swept his gaze over him. "He could step into the Outer Sage realm at any moment. His heavenly light is already overflowing."
Qi Daoming laughed. "Brother Meng, since you care so much, could it be you placed a heavy wager on the betting lines? In that case, I'm quite looking forward to it."
Meng Xinghai said, "You'd better get the 'fallen fruit' ready. I hear this year's batch is of fine quality, each one crystalline and translucent, shimmering with five-colored divine light."
The mysterious ancient tree rooted in the Heavenly Light Pool produced tender shoots and buds in early spring that, out in the wider world, were the exceedingly precious five-colored spirit branches.
The fruit it bore went without saying—its value was staggering!
At present, the ancient tree rooted in the Heavenly Light Pool had only recently blossomed and set fruit; it was far from ripe and nowhere near harvest season.
Although the fruit grew densely on the branches, under the relentless battering of heavenly light, most could not hold on and fell prematurely to the ground. That was the origin of "fallen fruit."
In the arena, after stating their names, the two youths engaged immediately without another word.
Both sprinted like lightning, clashing and separating in rapid succession.
Qin Ming had even slain Outer Sages, so naturally he felt no fear toward the youth before him. However, he was holding back. If he were to blow right through Chen Yuan at the eighth Newborn stage from the outset, it would likely startle the snake in the grass, making certain members of the Cui clan even more restless.
A faint golden haze flowed over his body—his cultivated Golden Light Shroud.
According to the spiritual resonance Qin Ming had experienced with that ancient book, a woman had once cultivated the golden light until it was thicker than city walls, standing within it as though impervious to all arts.
Chen Yuan was actually formidable. At the eighth Newborn stage, he possessed over six thousand jin of strength, and heavenly light overflowed from his body, carrying a faint fiery glow.
He charged forward, stomping cracks into the black gold stone floor that rivaled solid iron. Augmented by thousands of jin of force, he resembled a colossal beast.
His heavenly light force was like firelight, spilling slightly past his skin to illuminate each strand of his hair with a crystalline, fiery-red sheen.
With a thunderous boom, he slammed a fist forward. Streaks of thunder and fire erupted in the air—an astonishing sight.
Qin Ming wore a serious expression. This Chen Yuan was indeed powerful; if he truly advanced to the Outer Sage realm, he would be a clear notch above many of those Qin Ming had killed on Mount Luofu.
Just as Meng Xinghai had said, true geniuses disdained serving as gold-armored guards—aside from the few invited as hired muscle.
*A rare thunder-fire technique combined with the eighth Newborn stage—he truly deserves to be called a city's number one,* Qin Ming evaluated.
With a thud, Qin Ming reached out and caught the fist flashing with thunder and fire.
Instantly, a muffled rumble of thunder seemed to echo through the air.
The golden light on Qin Ming's hand was extraordinarily dense. For the Golden Light Shroud to be mastered to such a degree was rare even among practitioners at the Newborn stage.
Chen Yuan's thunder-fire force could already be released outward slightly, yet it could not penetrate that layer of golden light.
Under Chen Yuan's feet, numerous fissures webbed across the black gold stone floor before it shattered entirely, thunder-fire heavenly light blasting out from beneath his soles.
"He blocked the thunder-fire force. Is he cultivating a protective art? On the surface it doesn't look like the method from the silk book, but it's hard to tell what's inside."
"His strength is excessively immense!"
At that moment, in a VIP suite, Cui He and Cui Shuning were conversing as they closely watched Qin Ming's performance.
Both looked grave. They were in full agreement that after embarking on the Newborn path, Qin Ming's performance undeniably matched that of a mutant, or perhaps even surpassed it.
This left mixed feelings in their hearts. Cui Chongxuan, whom the clan focused heavily on nurturing, was currently only transitioning toward becoming a mutant with the aid of the Six Imperials Heart Scripture.
Qin Ming and Chen Yuan traded blows rapidly. Palms clad in golden heavenly light force collided repeatedly with fists flowing with thunder and fire, producing deafening booms that made the massive arena seem to tremble lightly.
Li Qingyue smiled. She knew Qin Ming was holding back; otherwise, how could there be any suspense?
Yet the surrounding spectators were in a frenzy, for this was a level of performance that only the "number one" of a megacity could display.
It was understandable that a "migratory bird" drawn by the Grand Examination would be powerful, but who could have guessed that the youth from Chixia City was equally formidable, standing toe-to-toe with him?
In the arena, the thunder-fire heavenly light force on Chen Yuan's fists grew increasingly terrifying, unleashing bursts of thunderous roars.
However, Qin Ming had cultivated the Golden Light Shroud to an advanced level. With left fist and right palm glowing with brilliant golden haze, he countered blow for blow, fully capable of withstanding the impact directly.
Suddenly, Qin Ming's expression shifted slightly. He sensed ripples of conscious spiritual light at Chen Yuan's glabella.
*Someone advancing along dual paths?* Qin Ming realized Qi Daoming had truly found a formidable figure, determined to defeat Meng Xinghai's Chixia City.
He didn't wish to keep trading blows. Suddenly accelerating, he parried the incoming fist imprint with one palm with a sharp crack, while his other hand formed a fist and blasted into his opponent at lightning speed.
Evidently, Chen Yuan's conscious spiritual light was still far from Pure Yang, clashing with his thunder-fire heavenly light force such that they could not erupt simultaneously. As he quietly shifted his mode of attack, he was "caught off guard" and struck by two consecutive punches, sending him flying sideways through the air.
"So fierce! That was amazing!"
"This fight ought to make the front page of the night papers!" someone shouted. The spectators clutched their fists in immense excitement.
Those who knew the truth were rendered speechless, feeling this was a battle that should have ended long ago.
Ignoring the cheers all around him, Qin Ming strode directly off the stage.
Meng Xinghai smiled. "A fine harvest today. Oh? Qi Daoming, your expression looks rather stiff. Don't tell me you wagered heavily on this? A little gambling is harmless fun, but don't get too greedy."
"Child..." Outside the arena, an elderly man chuckled kindly, his face full of benevolence as he waved to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming's fine hairs stood on end. That was Fifth Master Cui! The old codger who had enticed him to cultivate the silk book back then had actually come in person. This was an exceedingly perilous moment.
Black mist billowed as a figure silently approached Fifth Master Cui. Li Qingyun appeared and threw an arm around Fifth Master Cui's neck. "Old brother, it's been a long time! Come, let's go have a couple of drinks."
"I..." Fifth Master Cui took a terrible fright. He hadn't even realized someone had closed in so near! His entire body went rigid. With an arm hooked around his neck, he was powerless to move and was hauled away under duress.
Not far off, Cui He and Cui Shuning felt their skin crawl. That was Fifth Master Cui, a man of terrifying strength, yet he had been tucked under someone's armpit and marched off without being able to struggle.
Goosebumps broke out over the two of them. Genuinely frightened, they turned and left immediately.
"Here, I brought out the full text of the scripture for you."
Inside a quiet chamber, Li Qingyue smiled like morning glow piercing through clouds and mist, radiant and beautiful. Her dark hair flowed with a crystalline sheen, and a faint immortal mist curled around her body.
The book was by no means thin. After flipping through barely a dozen pages, Qin Ming realized he had previously underestimated it; it contained specific methods describing how to elevate oneself.
"And these..." Li Qingyue placed several metal ingots onto the table. "The Overlord Lance was too conspicuous, so I dismantled it and extracted the jade iron from within."
She then added, "As for that 'exotic metal' similar in composition to the Eight Trigrams Furnace, I only managed to get two pieces in the end."
Qin Ming looked at her with a smile. "I have gifts for you as well."
Chapter 130