In truth, the weapon spirit had already preliminarily acknowledged Qin Ming, considering him extraordinarily gifted—a fine prospect even in the ancient eras before civilizations experienced ruptures.
Yet it felt this youth of later generations was far too casual and nonchalant before it, sorely lacking a good lesson to knock him down a peg.
The weapon spirit decided to ramp up the difficulty and teach Qin Ming a proper lesson, showing him just how terrifying true prodigies were back during the peak prosperity of prehistoric superpowers.
"There is quite a lot of heavenly light accumulated within your body. It seems you share a few similarities with the body refinement path of the ancient immortals, so I shall start from this angle," the weapon spirit said rather haughtily.
In reality, it could barely contain its impatience and had resolved to strike at Qin Ming's strongest domain, snuffing out his arrogant bluster.
Qin Ming replied, "My system is all about the human body undergoing continual rebirth; even the arts I cultivate experience grand nirvanic transformations alongside it. Perhaps it was inspired by prehistoric immortal civilizations."
The weapon spirit said, "Mm, then try this chant. Connect to heaven and earth with heavenly light and fish for otherworldly substances."
Jiang Ran stood poised and graceful, her dark hair fluttering in the night breeze. Full of energy, she wore a faint smile as she watched it all unfold calmly.
Qin Ming listened carefully. Soon, numerous 'threads' flew out from his body—some resembling silk threads drawn from golden fabric, some rippling like sunset clouds, others hanging like purple qi from the highest heavens...
Outside his body, the heavenly light manifested in form, wispy like fine silk, extending into the void to capture the free-floating spiritual substances drifting in the night mist.
Afterward, a glowing little lake appeared at the end of each thread, as if piercing through some barrier and accelerating the absorption of spiritual substances.
"This ancient method of yours... is decent, but I feel there is still room for improvement," Qin Ming remarked. As he spoke, the heavenly light within him burst forth and expanded across the night sky.
Thicker threads extended outward, as if stirring the night sky, and his flesh-and-blood body turned into a vortex of spiritual substances, wildly devouring them.
The weapon spirit fell silent in an instant. It had imparted an art, yet this later-generation youth had not only executed it without the slightest impediment, but had even optimized and supplemented it on the spot?
Qin Ming said, "It's not that I created a method on the fly. Later generations have scriptures to reference, and I'm merely standing on the shoulders of predecessors to make a few tweaks."
Seeing his nonchalant, indifferent demeanor, the weapon spirit grew furious. It had wanted to put the youth in his place, yet the boy made the difficult seem effortless, talking casually with a faint air of detachment.
Qin Ming asked, "Did the ancient immortal cultivation civilization rupture even before your era?"
Hearing this, the weapon spirit could truly bear it no longer. It was the one being ridiculed and looked down upon!
Even though it knew the rascal was trying to swindle benefits out of it, if it didn't give him a profound lesson, it would never purge the sullen frustration choking its chest.
The weapon spirit said in a deep voice, "Come, take another move from me!"
Jiang Ran's skin was jade-white, her entire being immersed in immortal radiance. She pursed her lips in a smile—the old weapon spirit had actually been provoked into taking things seriously, holding its nose as it 'spoon-fed' him.
Qin Ming acted nonchalant, saying, "Don't try to fool me with remnant arts from after the civilization ruptured this time. There's really no challenge in that."
The weapon spirit countered, "If you can master this secret art, you can be considered to have barely stepped close to the prodigies of antiquity."
Qin Ming shook his head and plopped down onto a bluestone slab, growing all the more casual. "Can we just get straight to the point? Find an art with a much higher difficulty."
The weapon spirit believed that if it failed to stump this kid today, it would be dragging the reputation of ancient civilizations through the mud. It had to suppress this insolent youth!
However, there was no way it would leak its faction's foundational supreme techniques.
With an attitude like his, he still wanted to fleece it? Not a chance.
In truth, it was also primarily restricted by a Dao Oath; it could not pass down the supreme true scriptures to outsiders.
It decided to find a scripture that had once circulated widely in the world and was unconstrained by Dao Oaths, yet remained extraordinarily obscure and abstruse.
Soon, the weapon spirit settled on a target text and said, "Come, look at these three diagrams first. Consider it an appetizer. If you can master them, then we can talk about the rest!"
Qin Ming adopted a grave expression, looking deeply lost in thought as he earnestly pondered the three true form diagrams.
He had cultivated this before—it was the general outline of the Destiny-Altering Scripture.
The weapon spirit was finally satisfied. At long last, it had stumped the youth before it; he hadn't comprehended it right away.
The Destiny-Altering Scripture was of paramount importance to Qin Ming. It could alter root bones, enhance innate talents, and prolong life; most importantly, it could help him fine-tune the circulation pathways of his silk book method.
Moreover, this scripture had subsequent chapters, though they were quite incomplete. Currently, it was known that Pugong possessed a page, which Qin Ming had already obtained at the exchange gathering.
Qin Ming sat in silence, in no hurry to reveal his progress. He was well aware that the Destiny-Altering Scripture was indeed immensely difficult; if he showed instant comprehension, he would likely spook the spirit and raise suspicion.
His brow furrowed deeply. As time ticked by, he looked joyful one moment and distressed the next, deliberately pacing his cultivation of the scripture to hit specific milestones.
The weapon spirit felt quite gratified. Finally, it had subdued this arrogant brat. It felt that this was how a glorious civilization ought to be—a single scripture suppressing later generations!
Besides, even if this text leaked out, it was no big deal. In its era, many factions possessed copies of it.
The Destiny-Altering Scripture was profoundly abstruse, yet also rather of a 'chicken rib' nature—tasteless to abandon, but offering little meat. In the old era, it was considered a supplementary scripture, yielding the best results only when paired with other faction-guarding true scriptures.
Most importantly, it was extraordinarily difficult to master. Throughout history, those who truly grasped this scripture were either madmen or flawed martial fanatics.
What normal person would exhaust their mental energy cultivating it? With that time, it was far better to comprehend another supreme true scripture for far superior results!
Time flew by, and Qin Ming had been sitting in meditation for a long time.
The weapon spirit chuckled, thoroughly relaxed and at ease, and said, "Well? Can't figure it out, can you? If you can't, just forget it."
"Mm, almost there. Give me a bit more time." Qin Ming was as good as his word. Half an hour later, he mastered the three true form diagrams and demonstrated them on the spot.
The weapon spirit was struck dumb, sinking into silence for a long while.
Finally, it couldn't resist asking Jiang Ran in secret, "Is he a lunatic? The kind of person who goes crazy every now and then?"
"No!" Jiang Ran replied.
The original weapon spirit of the Mysterious Maiden Celestial Dagger-axe spoke up as well: "Is the secret art you gave him... the Destiny-Altering Scripture, which only abnormal people could possibly master?"
Throughout this, Jiang Ran said nothing further. She knew Li Qingyue had once gifted Qin Ming the Destiny-Altering Scripture, which he had treasured like an invaluable gem.
"Are there follow-up pages? Bring them on," Qin Ming said nonchalantly.
"Fine. Those three diagrams were merely an introduction; now begins the genuine scripture." The weapon spirit was thick-skinned, feeling not the slightest embarrassment as it displayed three pages of scriptural teachings.
Qin Ming said, "Bring out a few more pages; I'll comprehend them all in one go."
The weapon spirit replied, "Of the genuine scripture, only these three pages circulated outside. Whether there are subsequent parts, even I do not know."
Qin Ming felt a twinge of regret and began contemplating them. He had seen the first page before and had long since mastered it, but the latter two pages made his eyes gleam with immense joy.
In his view, this was by no means a useless art. It already touched upon esoteric lore, pointing toward the secrets of heaven and earth. Most critically, it was helpful in resolving the issue of bodily explosion caused by the Chaos force.
Qin Ming spent a considerable amount of time carefully scrutinizing and studying them.
Naturally, knowing there were no further pages, he comprehended them far faster than before, no longer concealing his abilities.
This left the weapon spirit questioning its very existence. How had Qin Ming gotten faster and faster? It desperately wanted to say: *You are definitely abnormal! This art isn't meant for ordinary people!*
Yet the weapon spirit couldn't slap its own face by admitting the truth, leaving it suffocatingly frustrated.
Qin Ming spoke in a calm tone, "This scripture finally has some substance. The flame of civilization in your era wasn't too dim after all. Still, it didn't manage to stump me. Think carefully again."
He didn't mention the wager reward because he didn't want this to end just yet.
Jiang Ran was equally in sync, remarking, "These pose no challenge."
Qin Ming nodded from atop the bluestone slab. "I have a tough, resilient heart. I don't fear setbacks or defeat. Senior, ramp up the difficulty for me!"
The weapon spirit truly wanted to fling several faction-guarding true scriptures right into his face.
Yet doing so would let the brat off far too cheaply, not to mention forcing it to violate its Dao Oath.
"All scriptures require practical application; only then can true gold be tempered in the crucible," the weapon spirit declared.
It refused to spoon-feed him any longer, not even useless arts.
Mainly, the boy was blatantly fleecing it, and with such an attitude, leaving it completely aggrieved.
"How shall we practice?" Qin Ming asked.
"You lean toward the body refinement path, so let me test your endurance," the weapon spirit said, channeling the heavenly lights lingering in these ruins.
In the past, the Divine Capital had suffered the flames of war and naturally weathered attacks of heavenly light. A corner of it had plummeted down, leaving remnants of diverse otherworldly substances still lingering here today.
Qin Ming nodded. "Wonderful. What I love most is taking action and testing things firsthand."
When he saw the heavenly lights, his spirits instantly soared.
The weapon spirit showed no courtesy, channeling nine kinds of heavenly light to surround the youth before slowly driving them toward his physical body.
To its shock, it discovered that Qin Ming withstood them!
"Again!"
Once more, it drew upon heavenly lights, increasing the count to over a dozen varieties. Some could sever a person's lifespan, possessing the power to ruin physical bodies.
However, giving consideration to Jiang Ran, the weapon spirit maintained propriety and had no intention of harming him; once the lights drew near, it held them poised without discharging their full lethal might.
Seeing Qin Ming motionless, his body appearing frozen stiff on the spot, the weapon spirit chuckled. "Well? Don't dare move, do you?"
"I'm moved!" Qin Ming responded.
He truly hadn't expected that a mere corner of the Divine Capital would harbor so many kinds of heavenly light. Unfortunately, he had already absorbed eighty percent of them before.
Even the few varieties he had never encountered could hardly harm his physical body and served merely as tonics. After all, he had subdued even eight types of sacred baleful aura.
"You still dare to move?" The weapon spirit urged the heavenly light forward, scorching his physique.
"Senior takes such good care of me, I am truly moved!" Qin Ming let out a comfortable groan. How long had it been since he had bathed in heavenly light? Right now, he was thoroughly satisfied.
"You're still being stubborn, kid?" The weapon spirit channeled all the remaining heavenly lights—nearly twenty kinds—and gradually increased the volume, slowly enveloping the youth before it.
Qin Ming said, "Senior, it turns out you have a fierce face but a warm heart. You're truly a good person."
Then, he let out a burp, wearing an expression of pure bliss.
This provided immense benefit to Qin Ming's cultivation, saving him several months of arduous effort!
The weapon spirit was infuriated; it was practically serving him hand and foot!
Qin Ming absorbed massive quantities of heavenly light, looking unsatisfied. "Is there more?"
The weapon spirit lapsed into gloomy silence. Only after a moment did it speak: "Have you ever heard of sacred baleful auras? Famous body refinement titans could easily absorb three or more!"
Qin Ming showed an expectant look. "Senior, do you possess legendary sacred baleful auras? Bring on everything you've got!"
The weapon spirit felt this youth was an abnormal freak. No wonder he could master the Destiny-Altering Scripture—he was truly different from ordinary people!
It said in a deep voice, "There aren't so many sacred baleful auras here. However, I can temporarily simulate them and exert their influence upon you to see if you can endure it."
Qin Ming nodded. "Please guide me, Senior."
The weapon spirit said, "Watch closely. These are the legendary Four Sacred Baleful Energies of earth, fire, wind, and water. If cultivated to the highest realm, their wondrous uses are infinite!"
Even the original spirit of the Mysterious Maiden Celestial Dagger-axe concurred, saying, "For instance, opening a grotto-heaven that hangs high above the nine heavens requires this kind of power."
The weapon spirit of unknown origin felt confident this time and remarked coolly, "Do you truly wish to try? It might injure your physical body."
Qin Ming was speechless. Back when he refined sacred baleful auras, he had indeed endured immense torment and had even suffered shaved lifespan. Yet he had successfully endured it, and multiple sacred baleful auras had grown alongside him. What was there to fear now?
He knew that fusing and refining four kinds of sacred baleful auras was indeed considered a terrifying feat.
For, as far as he knew, even the strongest drudge of the ancient immortal dao arena had merely absorbed the Four Symbols Sacred Baleful Energies, yet that had already allowed him to disdain all of Night Province and become a legend.
Moreover, that individual had purportedly broken out of the shackles of the drudge path, and his ultimate achievements were definitely far beyond a lesser god or Feathered Immortal.
"What, afraid?" The weapon spirit spoke with boundless self-assurance. If it could take physical form, it would surely have both hands clasped behind its back by now.
To set the mood, it began simulating the four sacred baleful energies of earth, fire, wind, and water!
Naturally, it did not unleash them immediately; after all, so many sacred baleful energies were exceedingly dangerous for the youth before it.
Qin Ming said nothing. Right before its eyes, he directly manifested the four sacred baleful energies of earth, fire, wind, and water.
"This..." The weapon spirit was dumbfounded. What was the point of simulating them? The kid had directly displayed them, leaving it thoroughly embarrassed!
Just a moment ago it had been leisurely and composed, but now it was stunned, feeling deeply unsettled. It desperately wanted to ask: *Are all youths of later generations this ferocious?*
Jiang Ran knew things were nearing an end. She secretly asked the dagger-axe's original spirit whether it knew what the wager reward was and what properties it possessed.
"The prize is quite good. The extraordinary power contained within once tore through the Divine Capital. Even though only a fraction remains today, it is more than enough for people of your cultivation realm. If utilized properly, it might help you break through bottlenecks and elevate your Dao cultivation."
"That is indeed not bad!" Jiang Ran nodded.
"Senior, shall we continue?" Qin Ming asked.
Stubborn to the end, the weapon spirit retorted, "In our era, some youths were even more ferocious, fusing and refining even more sacred baleful auras than you."
"Is that so?" Qin Ming smiled and directly added the metal-attribute sacred baleful aura.
And he did not stop there, swiftly adding the wood-attribute sacred baleful aura as well.
The weapon spirit stared wide-eyed. Just like that, it had reached six kinds?
In order to gather the full Five Elements sacred baleful aura, Qin Ming had once made a trade with the sun elven race. Aside from obtaining the 'earth dragon,' he had also acquired the wind-attribute sacred baleful aura.
Now, as he manifested them in this manner, six sacred energies emerged together, causing both weapon spirits to gasp in night mist.
Jiang Ran remained very calm. Back when Qin Ming had ascended to the immortal land to exchange for the Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Classic, the two had sparred behind closed doors, so she was already well aware of his true foundation.
She knew full well that this was still not all Qin Ming had.
"This..." The weapon spirit was shocked to the verge of complete despondency. Its so-called earlier tests had truly lacked any real challenge.
Only after quite a while did it recover its wits.
Right at that moment, beyond displaying the Five Elements sacred baleful energies and the wind-attribute sacred baleful aura, two more kinds appeared outside Qin Ming's body. They were even more extraordinary: black and white light interweaving—the yin-yang sacred baleful aura!
Behind him, a Taiji diagram was slowly rotating.
In an instant, eight sacred energies descended upon the world, and Qin Ming was enveloped by all manner of wondrous spectacles!
Chapter 409