A gentle breeze drifted past, stirring ripples across the mirror-like blue lake and rustling the emerald bamboos. Tang Jin's fine hair fluttered, and a faint ripple disturbed her exquisitely flawless face.
What was this youth from Black-White Mountain talking about?
Tang Jin's eyes resembled clear springs, limpid and striking, yet now they showed signs of freezing into a cold, deep pool. "Who gave you the courage?" she asked faintly.
This youth from Black-White Mountain was merely at the ninth Newborn stage, yet he actually wanted to challenge her!
Qin Ming remained placid. "On this somewhat flawed Newborn path of ours, if we don't even believe in ourselves, we might as well eat dust. It's just a spar within the first realm—what kind of courage does that require?"
In truth, Tang Jin was extraordinarily strong, with genuine combat achievements to prove it.
In the past, when the green-robed woman from the Fangwai Immortal Land had resisted senior experts and successfully seized the greatest fortune of Black-White Mountain, Tang Jin had dared to hunt her down alone, determined to claim half the opportunity for herself!
Ling Yu instantly lost his composure. He had been the one who came to challenge Qin Ming, yet the youth from Black-White Mountain bypassed him entirely, the actual opponent, to fight Senior Sister Tang instead.
He said in a deep voice, "You are crossing the line. Senior Sister Tang possesses celestial talent—how could she bully the weak? Do you know her past? She once ventured alone into the pure lands, immortal lands, and yang lands to issue challenges by herself."
"Is she that much older? She isn't much older than me," Qin Ming remarked, though he was still somewhat surprised. Was this black-robed woman truly so fierce?
Tang Jin said, "Duel Ling Yu. If you win, I will give you the Heishui Scripture and a Flesh and Blood Soul Nurturing Technique to satisfy your needs, along with five thousand pieces of day gold."
Prizing her status, she would not deign to fight Qin Ming herself. A layer of frost seemed to glaze over her beautiful face, restoring her aloof and ethereal demeanor.
Xiao Wu piped up, "Sister Tang, isn't that snapping the lion's maw shut? You're biting off who knows how much day gold my bro rightfully deserves!"
"Do you even know how to speak?" Both Tang Jin and Ling Yu glared at him.
Xiao Wu added, "Sigh, when it comes down to it, Sister Tang, you're just afraid Brother Ling Yu will lose, aren't you?"
Ling Yu suddenly felt an intense urge to beat him up!
With an impassive expression, Tang Jin said, "Who carries that much day gold around for no reason? This is all I have."
"The Young Ancestor fought Xin Youdao; you two definitely got a cut," Xiao Wu muttered.
"It's already spent!"
Qin Ming smiled and said, "Actually, I have little interest in day gold—a token amount will do. But the Dragon Snake Scripture is essential, and the Flesh and Blood Soul Nurturing Technique for my brother must be of the highest grade. As long as those two requirements are met, whether it's five thousand pieces of day gold or ten thousand doesn't matter to me."
Wu Yaozu immediately nodded in agreement. "That's right. Our desire for day gold is very low; bringing it up too much is too vulgar. We are only interested in scriptures."
Ling Yu looked at the two of them out of the corner of his eye, barely holding back his exasperation. These two were certainly singing a different tune earlier, driving up the price on the spot.
Tang Jin frowned. While her lineage possessed similar arts like the Immortal Butterfly Scripture, they had truly never collected the Dragon Snake Scripture.
"Choose another uncanny art..."
Qin Ming shook his head. "I follow the path of Patriarch Qingtian and need the Dragon Snake Scripture to lay my foundation. I too desire divine strength capable of holding up the heavens with both hands. Since you let me name the stake, it has to be this."
Ling Yu spoke up, "Senior Sister, aren't we going to conduct an exchange with Shanhai Academy? They have an unreleased version of the Dragon Snake Scripture. See if we can trade for it."
Evidently, he craved this battle beyond measure.
Tang Jin had half a mind to give up, but seeing how fixated he was, she finally knitted her delicate brows and nodded.
"Actually, there is another very important point I forgot to mention," Qin Ming said again.
"Don't push your luck by piling on demands," Tang Jin said displeasedly.
Qin Ming replied, "Not at all. You surely know my identity by now. I have some grievances with the Cui clan, and I originally wanted to study here quietly. But your disruption has disturbed my peaceful life. Without a guarantee, I have no desire to participate in such a meaningless duel."
Tang Jin showed no expression. "What a demand... A simple spar with you, and we're supposed to act as your protectors?"
"Caw, caw, it's fine, I don't think it's excessive." The purple-eyed crow flew over. It actually spoke up for the youth from Black-White Mountain, leaving Tang Jin somewhat stifled.
Ling Yu was equally at a loss for words. Was Master Wu turning his coat?
The purple-eyed crow explained, "Think about it. The lad was blending in nicely and living peacefully. Then we showed up. If he gets exposed because of us, his life really could be in danger. Giving him a guarantee is only fair."
"Whose side are you on?" Tang Jin glared at it, slightly annoyed.
The purple-eyed crow transmitted mentally, "Doesn't your teacher need all kinds of prodigies to test his techniques while building a dual-path integration system? There are realms ordinary people simply cannot step into. If he defeats Ling Yu, it proves his constitution is exceptionally off the charts. We could have him test and verify the new methods."
This explanation gave Tang Jin pause. After brief contemplation, she reluctantly agreed.
Ling Yu said, "What uncanny arts do you have? If it's already in our lineage's collection, it'll be useless."
"The Yimu Scripture," Qin Ming casually offered the scripture he had won from the Cui clan.
"We don't have that one." Ling Yu nodded. Among wood-attribute uncanny arts, they possessed the Qingmu Scripture.
The simple and honest Xiao Wu scratched his head. "Hold on, brother, is there any point in asking? Thinking you can win scriptures from my bro—aren't you getting way ahead of yourself?"
"How about you and I have a fight first?!" Ling Yu felt that if he didn't beat this fellow to a pulp, it would become another knot in his heart.
Tang Jin chided him, "What has become of your composure? Even if Feixian Mountain in the depths of the night fog collapsed right before your eyes, your heart should remain undisturbed."
Master Wu said, "Each of you return and prepare. Tomorrow, meet punctually at Shanhe Academy's Martial Arena No. 1 for the spar."
"Agreed!" Both sides consented.
Qin Ming said, "Miss Tang, before the duel tomorrow, I hope you will already have the Dragon Snake Scripture in hand."
Tang Jin paused her step, took a deep breath, and swiftly departed, her slender figure swaying gracefully.
Not far away, Qian Chuan hardly dared to breathe. He was on duty here once again, and witnessing this scene made him feel as though his heart would stop.
He couldn't hear the conversation, but he knew why they had come: Ling Yu wanted to challenge this previously unknown youth.
"Don't blabber," Tang Jin warned him as she passed.
Tang Jun was also in the distance, fully aware of what was happening. Young Ancestor Ling Yu was truly going to challenge that youth? The revelation sent shockwaves through his heart.
Xiao Wu said, "Bro, raising the stakes at the very end—I've got a lot to learn from you."
Qin Ming shook his head. He hadn't intended to arbitrarily raise the price on the spot; rather, the circumstances demanded it. The outcome was favorable, however, as Master Wu seemed to look upon him with favor.
***
That night, Ling Yu's entire body glowed as if silver feathers were fluttering out one after another, accompanied by a billowing rain of light, carrying an aura reminiscent of feathering into an immortal.
Streaks of lightning coiled around his exterior. Soon after, a ray of pure yang conscious spiritual light cast down like a fishing line into the boiling heavenly light force within his body, evoking various marvelous phenomena.
Advancing along dual paths simultaneously and dominating certain domains, his lineage was indeed extraordinary.
Otherwise, even for a ninth-stage Newborn mutant, such divine phenomena could scarcely manifest when heavenly light blossomed.
With a booming rumble, his body jolted violently, and an even more formidable aura erupted outward. He stood up in astonishment, quickly saying, "Senior Sister, Master Wu, I... I actually broke through to the second realm."
Master Wu said, "It's normal. You consumed the ethereal bamboo shoot, entered the Phoenix Nest, and received assistance from your teacher, granting you an astonishingly solid foundation. You were already at a critical juncture, so it was only natural for you to break through."
***
Qin Ming reviewed everything he had learned, practicing various uncanny arts as his heavenly light force flowed naturally.
In the past, at the Six Imperials ancestral court, he had fused four uncanny arts, allowing him to overpower Lu Zizai's Two Imperials force. But when Lu Zizai deployed the Three Imperials force, he had been unable to withstand it.
Lu Zizai had mentioned, however, that mastering the Three Imperials force was the absolute limit in the Newborn path's first realm.
Qin Ming had always held himself to the highest standard: he had to fuse at least six uncanny arts during the Newborn stage. Only then would he not fall short of any heavenly light force.
At present, his five-elements uncanny arts were fully perfected, and he had preliminarily mastered the Golden Cicada force. If he could obtain the Dragon Snake Scripture, he would command seven uncanny arts during the Newborn stage—more than enough.
***
The next day, Martial Arena No. 1 at Shanhe Academy was closed to the public.
Qian Chuan was at a loss for words. Being privy to the secret, he had been dragged here for duty to guard the entrance!
Tang Jun felt equally helpless. As a prominent figure in the academy and a formidable senior, he had come early to clear the grounds, only to end up... doing odd jobs.
Senior experts were coming in person today, treating the matter with great importance.
Spectators were few. Xin Youdao and Cheng Rui arrived; after their widely watched duel, Xin Youdao and Ling Yu had unexpectedly become friends.
Next, Master Wu flew in, and Tang Jin appeared as well, standing at the edge of the spacious martial arena.
Xiao Wu was astonished to see Zhao Minghui, the graceful middle-aged woman from the library, arrive in the company of two nearly bald old men. Even Tang Jin stepped forward to pay her respects to the pair.
The two elders were emaciated and frail, an aged state that immediately brought to mind senior figures of the Newborn path. In truth, they were indeed higher-ups of Shanhe Academy's Newborn path.
As for the two principals, Qin Ming and Ling Yu were already standing in the arena.
Qin Ming couldn't help glancing at Tang Jin and Master Wu. Had they brought in outsiders?
One of the two elders nodded and said, "Let us see your performance. Within this Kunjun domain, no Cui clan or any other monsters and demons can reach their hands in."
This served as a clear guarantee for Qin Ming.
Ling Yu said, "I have already broken through to the second realm. I can be considered an Outer Sage, standing in the Yellow Court domain. I will suppress my cultivation to fight you."
Qin Ming shook his head. "No need. Use your full power and unleash your strongest techniques!"
The moment these words left his mouth, the spectators' expressions shifted. Xin Youdao and Cheng Rui were stunned—was this former 'nobody' truly so conceited?!
Qian Chuan at the gate and Tang Jun on chore duty looked as if they had seen a ghost, their expressions completely frozen. Was he going to fight across realms?
If it were anyone else, it might be one thing, but this was Ling Yu, a Young Ancestor of his generation!
Even if he had been no match for the mysterious youth in the first realm, he had now stepped into the second realm, yet was dismissed so casually?
Zhao Minghui was also quite astonished. No matter how brilliant a person was, facing an off-the-charts Young Ancestor, how could they possibly achieve a cross-realm upset?
"What confidence!" Even the two elders' expressions rippled.
What kind of storms hadn't they witnessed? What era lacked dazzling, heaven-sent geniuses? Yet they had never seen anyone reverse the odds across realms against a Young Ancestor-grade talent.
"Could there truly be a surprise in store?" One elder showed a look of anticipation.
Tang Jin could no longer stay calm either. A divine gleam shone in her clear eyes as she fixed her gaze on the arena.
"Perhaps he is stronger than the other one, or perhaps he could even fight two at once," Master Wu transmitted to her privately.
"Impossible!" Tang Jin shook her head.
"We shall see," Master Wu said, not making any wager with her this time.
"You are truly arrogant!" Goaded by the remark, Ling Yu let his heavenly light force surge. Bound by pride, he utilized only the power of the first realm.
He moved like a flash of teleportation. A distance of over twenty meters closed in the blink of an eye as he swooped before his opponent, driving a fist toward the figure.
In that instant, brilliant clouds bloomed in midair as though an auspicious celestial phoenix were crying out, its plumage radiating divine splendor and showering an endless rain of light that shook the arena!
Yet Qin Ming stood his ground, motionless. Keeping his left hand behind his back, he simply extended his right hand and pushed straight forward.
With a tremendous boom, thunder seemed to detonate from the heavens!
The entire Martial Arena No. 1 roared, the ground trembling incessantly.
The black robes on Ling Yu's body shattered in places, his dark hair flying wildly backward as he was blasted over a dozen meters through the air. When his feet struck the ground, they carved terrifying fractures into the lapis lazuli paving stones.
The arena fell dead silent, everyone struck speechless with shock.
Ling Yu's talent was by no means mere talk; he far surpassed other geniuses! Yet right now—
A jarring voice broke the silence: "One palm strike, that's one thousand pieces of day gold!"
It was, of course, Xiao Wu, who felt that this was merely Brother Ming's standard performance.
"Use the power of your second realm," Qin Ming said calmly, standing where he was. Since everyone present was in the know and senior experts were watching, he felt it was time to display genuine skill. Only by proving his extraordinary value could he earn further recognition, secure conveniences, and gain the protection of the senior elders in this domain.
Chapter 197