"Please... Fairy Tang? What is he doing?"
Some onlookers were baffled. Tang Jun, for one, was still in a daze. Having just witnessed a youth rise up and overcome a Young Ancestor across realms, he had yet to recover his wits.
"No way..." Qian Chuan suddenly had a flash of realization.
Over the past few days, no one understood that youth better than he did. He instantly guessed the truth: was he actually about to challenge Tang Jin?
Sure enough, upon hearing those words, Tang Jin—clad in black robes with a slender, graceful figure—saw her fair, striking face darken slightly.
"Please... what is he inviting Fairy Tang for?" Cheng Rui asked in a low voice.
"Quiet!" Xin Youdao hurried to shush her.
In truth, even Zhao Minghui had not understood at first. She had been smiling until she noticed Tang Jin's dark expression, only then realizing what was happening.
The two elders, Yu Gensheng and Zhao Ziyuan, sucked in breaths through their teeth. This lad was truly bold! Then, both of them beamed, happily settling in to watch the show.
The purple-eyed crow had a peculiar look in its eyes, secretly pressing its beak together in amusement.
Steadying his swaying body, Ling Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stepped forward at once. "Our duel is already over. My senior sister will not participate."
He was genuinely worried, for this youth from Black-White Mountain truly seemed invincible within the same realm.
"It's merely a simple spar," Qin Ming said.
Ling Yu sighed. In this duel, he had not even managed to glimpse the height of the "Founding Patriarch Mountain." It was truly a deep regret, leaving him with thoroughly mixed feelings.
When he recalled being knocked out cold by a single palm strike earlier, he had felt indignation, believing he had been ambushed. Now, thinking it over carefully, if the other party were not extraordinarily brilliant, how could he have closed the distance so abruptly? Everything had been foreshadowed.
"This battle has concluded," Ling Yu insisted. He knew full well that his senior sister was proud and arrogant. Otherwise, she would not have ascended to the pure land, immortal land, and yang land back then to issue solo challenges. If the youth from Black-White Mountain challenged her so openly, he felt his senior sister would definitely take the field.
Qin Ming said nothing, merely smiling toward the aloof woman.
Tang Jin glared back, naturally understanding his intention. His rebellious ambitions truly refused to die. For a moment, the arena grew quiet.
"It's just a spar. Sister Tang, how about I duel you instead?" Xiao Wu spoke up, breaking the silence.
"The youngsters these days—each one is bolder than the last," the elder Yu Gensheng marveled. He knew very well what kind of person Tang Jin was—exceptionally formidable.
"Hmm?" Soon after, he noticed something unusual about Xiao Wu. The boy looked unremarkable, yet dared to challenge Tang Jin. That was extraordinary. Another fine seed!
Tang Jin shot Xiao Wu a fierce glare, then walked toward Qin Ming. "Are you certain you want to challenge me?"
"Certain!" Qin Ming replied with utter conviction.
Tang Jin had a tall, slender figure, standing quite high for a woman—only slightly shorter than Qin Ming. Her lotus steps swayed with enchanting grace.
"Don't you regret it!" she said as she approached. Her black hair fluttered, and her exquisite, jade-white face seemed dusted with frost, appearing all the more coldly glamorous.
Everyone perked up. The renowned Fairy Tang was actually stepping into the ring! This was an exceedingly rare sight. Though young, her fame was resounding, and she had long been capable of dueling figures of the older generation.
"Come on!" Qin Ming could hardly wait, divine brilliance swirling in his eyes.
"*Caw, caw!*" Seeing Tang Jin take the field, the purple-eyed crow could not hold back a couple of chuckles.
Tang Jin whirled around instantly and shot it a cutting glare. She felt this creature had truly turned traitor, eating from her hand while aiding the outsider. Was it that eager to see her defeated?
In the arena, colorful mist drifted like rising clouds and glowing vapor. Standing within his five-colored light wheel, Qin Ming looked like a banished immortal, pure and transcendent. He raised his five-colored blade.
"Please!" he called out, preparing to go all out and stage an overwhelming sweep. Within the domain of the first realm, he possessed absolute confidence.
"Heh..." Tang Jin chuckled. Like thawing ice, her normally cold countenance suddenly bloomed into a radiant smile. Yet Qin Ming felt that disaster was looming!
Sure enough, there was no follow-up. He remained frozen in his stance, utterly unable to move.
Tang Jin had gone all out from the very start, controlling the entire field with unfathomable cultivation.
Qin Ming's fluttering sleeves hung rigid in midair. The five-colored light wheel and the swirling rainbow mist beside him came to a complete standstill. This pocket of space seemed to have solidified.
He could not even manage a wry smile, forced to maintain his confident expression, holding the five-colored blade in one hand as he faced the black-robed woman walking lightly toward him.
Xiao Wu shouted, "Miss Tang, that's not playing fair! My brother clearly wanted to spar with you in the first realm!"
"Did he specify fighting in the same realm?" Tang Jin asked placidly.
Wu Yaozu countered, "He said so last time! Naturally there was no need to emphasize it again today."
"Last time? I forgot. But everyone heard him just now." Tang Jin smoothed her hair, swaying gracefully as she arrived before Qin Ming with a faint smile.
Neither Xiao Wu nor Qin Ming had imagined that someone so aloof and proud could display such a side. Everyone was speechless. The illustrious Fairy Tang was resorting to such methods against a first-realm youth, which bordered on cheating.
Tang Jin circled Qin Ming once, stretched out a fair, slender hand, and flicked the five-colored blade, eliciting a crisp chime.
"Alright, let's call it a day," the elder Zhao Ziyuan spoke up.
Yu Gensheng lightly waved his wide sleeve, and Qin Ming found himself able to move again. He immediately backed away several paces. That had truly been a near-miss where joy turned to sorrow.
"In a real fight, which opponent would match your cultivation level?" Tang Jin said indifferently.
What could Qin Ming do? The agreed-upon spar had fallen through simply because her cultivation was far higher, meaning whatever she said went.
"Don't look unconvinced. Even if we fought at the same level, you still wouldn't be able to do anything to me," Tang Jin said calmly.
"I don't believe it," Qin Ming shook his head.
"I'll give you a chance!" Tang Jin retreated, opening up sufficient distance. Her body shone with shimmering light, and her black robes billowed as though she intended to duel a second time.
Qin Ming rubbed his hands together, his patience pushed to the limit.
The next instant, a straw rope appeared in Tang Jin's hand. Light yellow and unremarkable in appearance, it suddenly blazed with dazzling golden light, expanding and darting forward like lightning.
With a whoosh, both Yu Gensheng and Zhao Ziyuan moved. Though they appeared aged, the moment they sprang into action, they were like a passing tempest. The entire martial arena trembled violently, rumbling with thunderous force.
Like colossal beasts on the move, they swept their wide sleeves, whipping up howling gales that nearly blew Qian Chuan, Cheng Rui, and the others off their feet. Stumbling backward into the distance, the onlookers were thoroughly shocked.
The two elders were simply too fast, planting themselves right in front of the straw rope.
Tang Jin hurriedly withdrew her hand, realizing the youth from Black-White Mountain had truly become their precious darling. She had not even struck with heavy force; she only wanted to bind him.
The purple-eyed crow had been preparing to enjoy the show, only to be dumbfounded again. "The rope hanging from your master's rafters... wasn't it tying up a... You brought it out?"
"A different one," Tang Jin replied.
Hearing this, everyone immediately understood that it was an extraordinary treasure crafted by a Grandmaster. Facing an opponent of the same cultivation realm with such an item was simply insurmountable!
"Alright, today's sparring ends here," Zhao Minghui declared. She then went over to speak with Qian Chuan, Tang Jun, and the others in person, solemnly warning them not to spread word of this.
Tang Jin put away the straw rope and looked at Qin Ming. "Even in the first realm of the Newborn path, you aren't necessarily invincible. The night mist world is vast and boundless. Never underestimate unknown opponents. What's more, there are other paths, a hundred flowers contending in beauty, each continuing to blaze its own trail." Mentioning only this, she let the rope loosen completely before it vanished into her sleeve.
Hearing her words, Qin Ming nodded.
Yu Gensheng and Zhao Ziyuan were already all smiles. Looking at the youth before them, their hearts surged with excitement, and they mused inwardly that there might still be hope for the Newborn path.
At present, the prospects for this path were bleak. No one had blazed new trails on it for many years. With several founding patriarchs on the verge of passing away, it was highly likely to be cut off entirely.
Qin Ming sensed their genuine sincerity. These two highly respected elders truly favored him. Holding his hand, they examined him closely, felt his bone structure, and repeatedly praised him.
One of the elders' clouded eyes even turned slightly red, overcome with a trace of sorrow. "Watching geniuses emerge crop after crop on the other paths, with brilliant figures continually rising, and then looking back over all these years at those few on our Newborn path who managed to display a flicker of brilliance only to end up becoming followers of others... my heart truly aches."
Zhao Ziyuan said, "Old Yu painstakingly taught six disciples in his lifetime, treating them like his own sons and daughters. In the end, some died, some were crippled, and others couldn't bear the loneliness or endure the slow progress of this path, unable to hold out until they simply vanished. Alas."
Yu Gensheng gazed into the distance, letting out only a soft sigh.
Then, he turned to Qin Ming. "We won't make demands of you. We only hope you survive and walk far enough along this path. Let nature take its course."
All of this was because they had experienced too much. They had harbored excessive expectations, only to be met with disappointment time and time again—geniuses dying young, prodigies falling, and figures who occasionally shone brightly only to suddenly wither away.
Qin Ming said, "Thank you, Seniors, for thinking so highly of me. I am merely a Newborn who has just embarked on the path. I have no grand, stirring speeches to make; I simply want to keep my feet on the ground and take things one step at a time."
"Good!" Both elders nodded. They had feared that defeating Ling Yu across realms might make him overly confident, but seeing his current state, they felt much more at ease.
Zhao Ziyuan remarked, "Child, cultivation requires frequent sparring and exchange; one cannot work behind closed doors. In a while, I'll find a top prodigy from the immortal land for you, so you can fully understand that path."
Yu Gensheng objected. "At this stage, bitter cultivation is paramount. Women will only slow down this child's speed in drawing the five-colored blade. That descendant of yours is a pearl, and there's no worry of her failing to marry. There's no need to be in such a hurry."
"What do you know..."
Qin Ming stared blankly, unable to get a word in.
Xiao Wu leaned in, thoroughly envious. Even someone like Brother Ming, who seemed destined to end up alone for life, was being fought over like this. When would his own grandmother's wish ever be fulfilled?
"These are the Dragon Snake Scripture and the Physical Body Soul-Nurturing Art." Tang Jin walked over and handed across two books.
Qin Ming gave the latter to Xiao Wu, clutching the Dragon Snake Scripture himself in great excitement. This was a wondrous art practiced by Patriarch Qingtian; in the end, his divine strength had been peerless, capable of holding up the heavens with both hands.
When Tang Jin handed over the five gold notes, her fair fingers pinched them tightly, reluctant to let go. This was all her personal day gold, and parting with it pained her immensely. Yet she had to hand it all over.
Ling Yu hung his head, not daring to look at her, whispering only, "Senior Sister, I'll pay you back in the future."
Qin Ming pulled the gold notes away with a firm tug, clutching them in his grip with a broad smile. "Fairy Tang, to be honest, I don't care much for day gold."
"Then give it back to me!"
Qin Ming nodded. "That's not out of the question—if you give me another wondrous art."
"I'll give you the Immortal Butterfly Scripture." Tang Jin's eyes lit up instantly.
"No need, we already have that here!" the two elders shouted simultaneously. Did he need to buy that? They had exchanged for it long ago.
Watching the five gold notes tucked into Qin Ming's lapel, Tang Jin felt her heart bleed. Even a fairy walking among the mortal dust needed day gold.
"Sister Tang is truly a good person," Xiao Wu chuckled.
Instantly, the "good person" raised her pale fist, itching to smash both him and Qin Ming.
"All of you, come over here!" the two elders said at the same time, their tones abruptly turning solemn.
Chapter 200