To get targeted even like this—did the people of the Godkin Society have the noses of spirit mastiffs? They had tracked him down purely by scent.
During the brief exchange of pleasantries, Qin Ming quietly resonated with them. Though the individuals present wore warm smiles, the depths of their eyes were completely placid, their wills resolute.
The chief auctioneer, with his crane-white hair and youthful countenance, made an inviting gesture. "Distinguished guests, you have all traveled far to attend the Kaiyuan Grand Gathering. Meeting out here in the front hall makes it seem as though we lack hospitality. Why not move to the side hall, take a seat, and savor a cup of fresh Spirit Sprout tea?"
Qin Ming suspected that this old man, whose brows carried a gentle immortal air, had received kickbacks and was essentially acting as a broker.
The atmosphere was harmonious. At the very least, Qin Ming detected no heavy malice for the moment, so he maintained a smile and did not immediately lash out.
Given the choice, he naturally had no wish to cause a massive scene. The Kaiyuan Grand Gathering had only just concluded, and there were far more than just a few grandmasters in the vicinity.
On either side of the side hall stood twelve thick nanmu pillars carved with cloud dragons. Their scales were inlaid with "liquid gold," and beneath the crystal chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling, the dragons' scales seemed to open and close slowly, as if alive.
The floor was covered in a luxurious carpet woven from the pelts of advanced exotic beasts, interwoven with secret gold and embroidered with constellations that shimmered brilliantly, making one feel as if standing atop the starry skies recorded in ancient texts.
Qin Ming asked, "I am merely an obscure rogue cultivator of no renown. May I ask what matters bring you all to seek me out?"
Dressed in black robes, Divine Son Lin Shuyue was exceedingly polite. Smiling, he invited him to sit. "Brother Dingming is far too modest. As a grandmaster, you would be treated with courtesy wherever you go."
Lin Shuyue candidly stated his wish to invite him to join the Godkin Society.
The chief auctioneer was tactful and perceptive; after having tea served, he quietly withdrew.
Qin Ming timely showed a look of surprise and said, "I am unremarkable in every way. I wonder how I managed to catch the discerning eye of the Godkin Society?"
The Godkin Society was mysterious and formidable. Its upper echelon was composed of high gods from the night mist world, its presence spread far and wide, and its foundation was unfathomably deep.
As a divine son, Lin Shuyue had gentle eyes and spoke with humble yet noble grace: "Brother Dingming, you were born with gold-patterned divine eyes, one in a million among the tigerfolk, with immense potential. Our Godkin Society has only recently arrived in this region, and we are eager for fresh blood, thirsting for talent."
Qin Ming's eyes bore faint gold patterns, which were actually the interwoven Script of the Primal Myriad Thunderbolts.
He looked put on the spot and said, "This..."
The hall fell quiet for a moment.
The tea table was polished from ink jade, gleaming with a dark luster. Within teacups as thin as cicada wings, the unfurling Spirit Sprout tea wafted a fragrance of bitter coolness mingled with sweet crispness, wisps of spiritual mist rising gently.
From behind the tea table, a silver-haired elder spoke up gravely: "Observing Brother Tiger, your vitality is vigorous. To reach the grandmaster domain in the prime of your years means your future achievements are limitless; you might even become a deity one day. Coming to our Godkin Society, your prospects will certainly be incomparably radiant."
He was a veteran grandmaster named Qian Ye, whom Divine Son Lin Shuyue had introduced earlier.
Qin Ming said, "I am already over eighty years old. While not old among grandmasters, compared to the truly pinnacle figures, I can hardly be called young."
Dressed in black, Divine Son Lin Shuyue maintained his amicable demeanor, and Grandmaster Qian Ye kept his smile. Both considered such natural endowment already formidable—a grandmaster under a hundred years old was still regarded as vigorous and in their youth.
Qin Ming let their words go in one ear and out the other; he was merely playing along to keep up appearances.
Beside them sat a young man and woman who remained very quiet, sipping their spiritual tea. Both were reserved yet confident, having barely spoken throughout.
Lin Shuyue had introduced them as well: they were the Godkin Society's two most outstanding prodigies in this region, possessing tremendous potential and the qualification to compete for the seat of a chief deity in the future.
Qin Ming said, "Brother Lin cannot be fifty yet, surely? And yet you are already a grandmaster. With such gems before me, please cease your misplaced praise of this old bag of bones."
The black-clad man smiled at this and said, "Merely good fortune."
His heart remained completely unruffled. What sort of aptitude did he possess? He was the illustrious scion of a god; how could an ordinary grandmaster compare to him?
With strands of silver-white hair, Grandmaster Qian Ye chuckled and said, "Actually, the Divine Son is even younger than Brother Tiger guesses."
He truly could not help correcting him directly, feeling in his heart that comparing Hu Dingming's endowment to the Divine Son's was a slight to the latter.
Qin Ming gasped in wonder. "I was presumptuous just now. In the future, Brother Lin is destined to look down upon this vast land, achieving heights that we can only look up to."
Lin Shuyue laughed heartily and brushed it aside with modest words. His mind was steadfast; he felt worthy of any praise. With boundless potential, how many could possibly stand shoulder to shoulder with him?
Then he extended the invitation once more: "Brother Dingming, we invite you with the utmost sincerity. If our society has nothing else in abundance, we certainly possess no shortage of paths to godhood."
Qin Ming politely declined: "I haven't joined any organization in all these years, mainly because I'm accustomed to a free and undisciplined life."
As for what they said, he did not believe a single word.
Qin Ming did not mind drinking tea and chatting slowly with them, because as time passed, if the other party grew impatient and their emotions stirred, he would be able to resonate and capture a wealth of valuable information.
Next, he took the initiative to pluck at their heartstrings.
Qin Ming looked toward the young man and woman and said, "These two Daoist friends are far superior to how I was in my youth. With the Godkin Society filled with such talents, I feel too ashamed to join."
The red-haired man was named Wang Pan. Between his brows was a lotus pattern, and he brimmed with heroic spirit.
The woman was named Xu Jingyue. With bright, captivating eyes and an exceptionally stunning countenance, she wore purple robes, appearing ethereal yet carrying an unmistakable air of nobility.
Evidently, their true ages exceeded their youthful appearances. Both had reached the fourth realm's consummation and could attempt a breakthrough into the grandmaster realm in another year or two.
They smiled faintly, a ripple passing through the depths of their eyes. Proud to the core, Hu Dingming—approaching ninety—was indeed somewhat mediocre in their estimation.
Their true backgrounds were even more elevated than what was publicly known; hailing from the deeper regions of the night mist world, they had received focused cultivation from the Godkin Society. Barring any accidents, they were destined to become branch heads in the future and attain godhood.
Even though Hu Dingming possessed gold-patterned divine eyes, one in a million, the two of them still looked down upon him with condescension.
Sure enough, Qin Ming caught their subtle emotional fluctuations. These two were brimming with confidence, and deep down, they hardly cared about him at all.
Wang Pan and Xu Jingyue did not slip in etiquette in the slightest. Both responded with smiles, according the tigerfolk grandmaster before them sufficient face and respect.
Lin Shuyue said, "Brother Dingming, regardless of whether you join the Godkin Society, our meeting today is fated. I shall gift you a cultivation art to show my sincerity."
There was such a good deal? Qin Ming immediately rose and expressed his gratitude.
Lin Shuyue said, "The Myriad Apertures Illumination Art is a renowned scripture for refining the physical body and nourishing essence, energy, and spirit. It holds great fame deep within the night mist world. Regrettably, I have only obtained a single volume, which is only useful to cultivators below the level of great grandmaster."
Grandmaster Qian Ye chimed in, "This art is extraordinary. If one could obtain the complete scripture, even the gods would covet it. I've heard that our Society President has been searching for it."
Hearing this, Qin Ming revealed a look of delight. "To tell the truth, my physical body has some issues, so I am in dire need of such secret arts to nourish it." He thanked him once more.
The Myriad Apertures Illumination Art was suited to many races, possessing broad applicability. Once initial mastery was attained, a thread would traverse the body, piercing through the various apertures.
Later, four phenomena would accompany it: quaking, resonance, radiance, and roaming.
Specifically: all apertures quaking in unison, resonating with Daoist tones...
Lin Shuyue said, "Brother Dingming, please study this marvelous art first while considering whether to join the Godkin Society. We shall also confer among ourselves, hoping to extend our utmost sincerity to persuade you to stay."
"For Brother Lin to hold me in such high regard truly makes me feel ashamed," Qin Ming replied.
The four stood and temporarily departed the side hall.
Qin Ming had encountered quite a few true scriptures. Testing the technique on the spot, he immediately realized that the origin of this Myriad Apertures Illumination Art might truly be extraordinary.
Perhaps Qian Ye had spoken the truth, and the old president of the Godkin Society truly was searching for the complete scripture.
In a Heaven-grade room sealed by a barrier from the outside world, Lin Shuyue looked toward the dream bug sealed within the glacial crystal and communicated with it secretly.
The dream bug glowed faintly, transmitting a weak voice: "My condition is very poor right now. I cannot yet be completely certain whether he is the 'Fourth Hope'; I only have intermittent sensations. He may be the person I am looking for."
Less than a finger knuckle in length, its form shifted between insect and human. Its transparent wings rippled with starlight, giving rise to wisps of light rain, as if it were forcing itself to cast a technique.
Finally, the golden needles piercing its body quivered slightly, oozing more blood. Its light dimmed as it spoke: "Stall him for a quarter of an hour. Let me accumulate some more strength, and then I will sense him carefully."
It informed them that this tigerfolk expert was not a true grandmaster, nor was his age likely eighty. His innate spiritual radiance was obscured, but presumably it was not weak.
"Could it compare to Wang Pan, Xu Jingyue, and the Divine Son?" Grandmaster Qian Ye questioned.
Barring any mishaps, Wang Pan and Xu Jingyue would be the branch heads of this region in several hundred years.
The title "Divine Son" was no mere honorific; a god-level old monster had fathered a child late in life and doted upon Lin Shuyue with utmost care, viewing him as his sole surviving lineage.
The dream bug said, "The spiritual essence leaking from him is astonishing."
No one questioned the dream bug's judgment. It was most sensitive to those with peerless natural endowment; otherwise, how could it borrow vessels to comprehend the Dao and cultivate?
Wang Pan and Xu Jingyue both looked surprised. Did that Hu Dingming actually possess such profound depth?
Divine Son Lin Shuyue was also taken aback and said, "He isn't flesh medicine, but truly possesses supreme talent?"
"Go offer him all manner of preferential treatment and stall him for now. I will muster my strength to make the final determination."
The dream bug possessed the ability to pursue good fortune and avoid calamity—a truly extraordinary skill. It had once sensed vaguely that within this region, there might exist a power capable of delivering it from its peril.
For this reason, it had followed its heart and the guidance all the way here, not hesitating to cause a great stir in hopes of resonating with that "healing light."
"This is only one thread. In the distance, there are three other threads, all exceedingly strong. The old gods and great grandmasters are observing them in person. Should we call them back?"
The dream bug said, "Those three threads are very important as well."
Its so-called pursuit of fortune and avoidance of disaster could not achieve precise pinpointing. The various lights of hope were intertwined, so it could only grasp the general direction and filter through them.
The only reassuring aspect was that Hu Dingming, who might be the fourth thread, was not at a high realm and was within their control.
"He wants to take his leave," the chief auctioneer knocked on the door and reported.
"Hold him!"
Lin Shuyue, Qian Ye, and the others appeared, doing everything in their power to persuade Qin Ming to stay in front of the side hall, sparing no expense to do so.
"Brother Dingming, please wait a moment." The Divine Son held out a hand to stop him.
Soon, a woman with silver hair cascading to her waist appeared. Her skin was porcelain fair, and her face was bewitching and gorgeous, bearing a wild grace. It was none other than the White Tiger female grandmaster who had been auctioned off earlier.
Evidently, she had been purchased by the Godkin Society.
"What is the meaning of this?" Qin Ming asked.
Lin Shuyue said, "I noticed earlier that Brother Dingming wished to bid on your fellow clanswoman. We are willing to gift her to you to foster a wonderful story."
Qin Ming was astonished. The Godkin Society was truly willing to pay an enormous price. This tigerfolk female grandmaster possessed formidable talent, being a descendant of the deceased White Tiger Heavenly God. She had commanded an astronomical price at auction, yet they were giving her away just like that?
He said, "At that time, seeing a member of my clan in dire straits, tears welled in my eyes unbidden. I wanted to save her, yet lacked the strength."
The White Tiger female grandmaster's silver hair fluttered as her beautiful eyes blinked, casting several glances at him.
Qian Ye said, "A beauty for a hero. Both of you possess extraordinary tigerfolk bloodlines. If you join together, you will likely produce offspring of the highest pedigree."
Qin Ming shook his head: "This old man is approaching ninety and unworthy of such a female grandmaster. If your esteemed society could grant my clanswoman her freedom, that would be for the best."
Hearing that he had only become a grandmaster at such an age, the White Tiger female grandmaster felt rather disappointed and somewhat puzzled. While Hu Dingming was uncommon, compared to a pinnacle endowment like hers, he clearly paled in comparison. Why was the Godkin Society placing such high value on him and striving so hard to recruit him?
Qian Ye said, "Naturally, we are willing to hand over the slave seal. Whether Brother Dingming wishes to regard her as a Dao companion, a junior sister, a disciple, or a maidservant is entirely up to your heart's desire."
Their sole requirement was inviting Qin Ming to join the Godkin Society.
Qin Ming's heart sank. How desperate were they that they no longer even concealed it? On the surface, the White Tiger female grandmaster was stronger than him and possessed higher talent. Who would make such a losing deal?
He spoke up: "Very well, I can join. However, I have urgent business to attend to today, so I must take my leave first."
At the same time, he held out his hand to ask for the slave seal.
Lin Shuyue said, "Brother Dingming, one must exercise caution. Some will resort to any means for cultivation, unaware that the so-called prey might also be a hunter, willing to enter the game as bait and tumble through the mortal dust. Regarding this White Tiger female grandmaster, we have yet to ascertain her true depth. Why not wait here for two days?"
Qin Ming shook his head. "I will return in a few days."
He turned to leave, unwilling to waste any more time.
"Wait," even the chief auctioneer moved to block him.
"Just what do you mean by this?" Qin Ming's face darkened.
The dream bug transmitted a voice: "It is confirmed. He is the fourth thread. In fact, I have a vague feeling that he might surpass the other three threads and resolve my predicament."
Its final judgment was not crisp—one could even call it exceedingly hazy. It relied entirely on an innate instinct, following the wondrous and profound primal intuition of the dream bug race.
Lin Shuyue, Qian Ye, and the others conferred secretly: it would be better to take him down directly; they must never let this person escape.
At that moment, Qin Ming felt the malice rising from the group. Without a word, he struck with explosive violence.
The chief auctioneer was also a member of the Godkin Society and was closest to Qin Ming, making him the first to feel that terrifying, scorching aura like a blazing sun. Qualified to participate in this, his cultivation was naturally extremely high; he was a genuine grandmaster.
Now, his complexion changed abruptly. His heart palpitated in shock, feeling as if a radiant mountain had slammed down over him.
At this level, it was difficult to catch someone off guard. Going all out, he let out a thundering roar that seemed capable of shaking heaven and earth. Golden glow erupted from his arms, tearing his garments apart.
He practiced an esoteric technique that caused his arms to instantly swell massively. Like divine gold cast in brilliant yellow, they were engraved with all manner of mystical symbols as he met his opponent head-on.
Boom! At the first instant of impact, he was violently jolted, coughing up mouthful after mouthful of blood.
In an instant, everyone present felt their hair stand on end. Was this still the tigerfolk expert who, in their eyes, fell far short of pinnacle endowment?
Even the dream bug had said that his true realm might not be that of a grandmaster.
Yet right from the start, he had shattered and injured a veteran grandmaster expert who had mastered an extraordinary art!
The others struck simultaneously, lunging forward with killing intent while releasing piercing whistles to summon the members of the Godkin Society.
Qin Ming's tiger eyes widened roundly, his furry ears perked upright and emitting undulating ripples of light, while his steel-whip-like tiger tail swept outward like a heavenly blade in all directions.
In his right hand, Hunyuan force erupted furiously. Heavenly light coalesced into a massive sledgehammer, which he swung downward to crush his opponent.
"This is..." The chief auctioneer, formerly displaying crane-white hair and a youthful, immortal poise, was now battered by the heavenly light hammer until his eyes were bloodshot. His palms and golden arms spasmed uncontrollably, and he felt as though his entire body were tearing apart.
Qin Ming's spirit field expanded outward, holding off the others. His Hunyuan force continued to detonate, the heavenly light hammer terrifying beyond measure. In just a few strikes, he hammered the chief auctioneer's golden arms until they blew apart!
"How can this be?" The grandmaster could not believe it. Having trained his arms to the highest level, they were reputed to be able to prop up the heavens—supreme in hardness and strength, impervious even to rare treasures.
Yet now his arms were gone, his shoulders dripping with gore, his shoulder blades blown completely away.
Qin Ming smashed downward repeatedly with the heavenly light hammer, smashing the chief auctioneer's physical body into pieces, blowing it apart until blood and bone fragments spattered everywhere.
His pure yang consciousness fled in terror. Barely entering the fight, he had already lost his physical form—it was simply inconceivable!
Falling upon the onlookers' eyes, this sight felt utterly ferocious.
"For a split second, I sensed it—his entire being was shining, his spiritual nature so dense it could barely dissolve. The true age of his divine soul is only in his early twenties!" the dream bug transmitted.
"What?" Hearing this, Divine Son Lin Shuyue was profoundly shaken. How was that possible? What background did this man have? A grandmaster in his twenties was unheard-of!
Earlier, though he had maintained a friendly expression and conversed smilingly with Hu Dingming, he had held high arrogance inside, looking down upon an eighty-odd-year-old grandmaster.
Suddenly confronted with the truth, his scalp tingled with shock, finding it hard to accept.
Could this person come from the depths of the night mist world, a disciple personally fostered by a decaying Heavenly God?
Wang Pan and Xu Jingyue were equally appalled. Originally proud and haughty, looking down on older grandmasters, they now heard that Hu Dingming was actually a notch younger than them, and they exchanged horrified glances.
A grandmaster of such an age! Could such a terrifying individual hail from those legendary races?
They refused to believe this was Hu Dingming's true identity; he had likely possessed the body. His spiritual field clearly far outstripped his physical form, his vitality and consciousness strength existing on completely different tiers.
As the battle erupted, figures converged from all directions. Qin Ming bared his tiger fangs and roared, channeling the unique Chaos force into waves of consciousness. In an instant, many of the encircling attackers were covered in fractures before blowing apart one after another.
At the same time, he unleashed the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe without holding back, using this supreme art to confront the silver-haired Grandmaster Qian Ye, who was intercepting him head-on.
"This is..."
In that instant, Grandmaster Qian Ye's aged face wrinkled in dread, seized by the horror of an impending apocalypse. He decisively shifted sideways and retreated violently, believing that even his strongest trump card could only withstand a few blows before crumbling before that giant axe.
The axe radiance was terrifying, cleaving relentlessly toward Qian Ye.
Pfft! Despite his desperate evasion, one of his arms flew off. Qin Ming snatched it in his grasp and took the storage bracelet.
Using the nine-colored sword baleful aura, he swiftly breached the restrictions, retrieved the slave seal from the bracelet, and then, with a resounding clang, cleaved open the White Tiger female grandmaster's Dao-sealing ring with the Inner Landscape Heaven-Opening Axe.
Immediately, he shone the slave seal toward the White Tiger female grandmaster as runic radiance surged. He called out, "Fight alongside me to break out, and I will grant you freedom afterward!"
"Hmm?!" Suddenly, Qin Ming felt a momentary trance in his spirit, followed by a chill creeping up his spine. He sensed someone closing in—an expert moving against him—yet he had failed to detect their tracks!
Boom! With no choice, his strongest methods erupted. Layer upon layer of divine rings stacked around his body. Governing all techniques with the doctrine of the silk book, he was bathed from head to toe in Chaos force.
In the dark, a tiny figure let out a cry of alarm and shot away. Barely an inch long, its transparent wings flapped with mottled starlight, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
It had attempted to silently invade Qin Ming's spirit field just now, but had failed.
This was not the dream bug's true body, merely one of its insidious, unpredictable methods.
"It's him!" At that moment, the dream bug's true body snapped open its eyes within the glacial crystal, filled with shock.
It transmitted rapidly to inform everyone: "His spiritual density is appalling! Fortunately, he bears no fluctuations of past-life wisdom; otherwise, I would have thought he was some old monster reborn. He is a prodigy unseen in centuries!"
These words alone shook the hearts of the Godkin Society to their core. A being evaluated in such terms by a dream bug was undeniably someone of peerless talent.
The dream bug added, "His talent is even greater than I anticipated. I am too weak and can only judge by partial primal instinct."
The members of the Godkin Society were left dumbfounded, and then frenzy overtook them. If they captured this man and used the dream bug's assistance to borrow his vessel to comprehend the Dao and cultivate, what an incredible opportunity would that be?
Undoubtedly, pairing someone of such endowment with the dream bug would be a magnificent fortune for the Godkin Society.
Capturing him was tantamount to stripping him of his innate gifts and taking his place!
"Everyone, come quickly!" Divine Son Lin Shuyue roared.
Even though Wang Pan and Xu Jingyue were not yet grandmasters, they decisively unleashed the power of their pinnacle domains. Joining forces, they actually radiated the aura of a grandmaster.
Wang Pan was bathed in extreme yang divine light, like a great sun blazing across the sky, radiating solar power.
Xu Jingyue was bathed in moonlight, hanging high in the night sky and radiating lunar power.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, the divine powers of the sun and moon circulated between them, resonating and vibrating until the two could rival a grandmaster.
Simultaneously, an old treant bearing a miniature forest upon its head strode forward at high speed.
Moreover, across the night sky, silver butterflies pulled a carriage, bearing Grandmaster Red Bird closer.
On the street, the ground trembled as a fifteen-meter-tall giant covered in golden fur approached; this mutated, upright ape demon had actually originated from the Godkin Society as well!
By now, Qin Ming and Lin Shuyue were locked in fierce combat. This was not Qin Ming's own physical body, so he was indeed clumsy and ill-suited to it, which also proved that the Divine Son before him was far from ordinary.
Seven-colored divine lights burst from Lin Shuyue one after another, forcibly withstanding dozens of Qin Ming's attacks.
However, he felt sharp pain across many joints, battered by his opponent's terrifying heavenly light.
At the same time, the one-armed Qian Ye and the chief auctioneer's pure yang consciousness launched fierce assaults, while the solar and lunar divine powers shot down from the night sky, intending to engulf Qin Ming as well.
Together with the several grandmasters who had already arrived, Qin Ming was surrounded.
Yet he felt no fear. After testing his mettle today, he realized that having reached the late Mind Lamp realm, he was even stronger than he had anticipated.
He was truly prepared to go all out, engaging in a bloody battle and robbery right here. He knew that at least one piece of exotic metal had fallen into the hands of the Godkin Society.
Coupled with the dream bug and the miraculous flower "Reappearance in the Mortal Realm," the exorbitantly priced auction lots gathered here were truly not few!
Furthermore, the White Tiger grandmaster had also been one of the auction items.
"All of you, hand over your storage bracelets, or face death without mercy!" Qin Ming threatened and intimidated all the grandmasters on the spot.
"Are you fucking out of your mind?!" The newly arrived veteran grandmasters were thoroughly enraged.
In an instant, cracks appeared across Qin Ming's tiger body as myriad rays of divine glow burst forth. As he continued to elevate his Hunyuan force, this borrowed body could no longer withstand the load.
Yet once freed from such constraints, he became even more terrifying—like a dazzling blazing sun rising anew from the abyss to illuminate the world of night mist.
Chapter 521