N to 41
Chapter 30: Feng Wu
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yuan Chong glared at Lu Ming and taunted him.
Feng Wu’s face darkened as she remarked, “Yuan Chong, what’s with the attitude? Lu Ming is my friend.”
“Friend? Haha, we have a lot of friends, and not everyone can fit into our team. I’d just like to know what level is his cultivation on?” Yuan Chong said coldly.
“Sixth Grade Warrior Realm,” Lu Ming replied with a sardonic smile.
“Hahaha, Sixth Grade Warrior Realm? Junior Feng Wu, you’d include a Sixth Grade Warrior Realm trash into our group? Even our weakest is a Ninth Grade Warrior Realm. That piece of grade six trash will definitely hold us back.”
Yuan Chong laughed scornfully as he mocked Lu Ming.
Disdain flashed across the other two young men’s eyes, but they remained silent.
“Miss Feng, it looks like I’m not welcomed here. I’ll make a move then.” Lu Ming cupped his fists towards Feng Wu and walked away.
“Wait up, Lu Ming!” Feng Wu cried as she grasped his hand hurriedly. She glowered at Yuan Chong, her eyes filled with fury as she growled, “Yuan Chong, that’s too much. I warn you, if you ever say something like that again, we’ll go our separate ways!”
“Feng Wu, you..”
Yuan Chong’s face dripped with malice. He did not expect Feng Wu to speak to him like this because of Lu Ming.
He looked at Lu Ming with resentment in his eyes, but he did not say anything else.
Right after, Feng Wu looked at Lu Ming pleadingly and whispered, “Lu Ming, I promised Big Sis Mu Lan to bring you along. If you leave, how am I gonna face Big Sis Mu Lan?”
Speechless, Lu Ming looked at Miss Pretty Girl Feng Wu who wanted him to stay because she was afraid of Mu Lan.
“Let’s follow them for the time being, gather some news and we’ll look for opportunities to leave.”
Lu Ming thought about it, and nodded, “okay then, we’ll team up.”
“That’s great!” Happiness was evident on Feng Wu’s face.
Yuan Chong’s face darkened further as he saw Feng Wu and Lu Ming whispering amongst themselves.
There were already people who went into the Midnight Hills.
Some formed groups of threes, while some were in groups of fives. There were also some solo rangers who disappeared into the Midnight Hills.
“Let’s go too, then.” Feng Wu announced.
She was clearly the pack leader. The five of them hurried into the Midnight Hills.
The Midnight Hills had a perimeter range of thousands of kilometers. It was a forest filled with sky-high trees and demonic beasts as beastly roars could be heard regularly.
“The outer 15 kilometers of the Midnight Hills are filled with ordinary beasts instead of demonic beasts. If we want points, we’ve gotta go in beyond the 15-kilometer range,” Feng Wu said to them.
Everyone nodded and made their way fleetingly into the deeper parts of the Midnight Hills.
Yuan Chong sprinted at full speed with a taunting smile on his face as he thought, ‘Let’s see how you catch up with me, you trash!’
His smirk was wiped off his expression right away as soon as he saw Lu Ming cover a 0.6-meter distance in a single step. Lu Ming ran beside Zhou Hao and Zhou Xu without breaking a sweat.
‘This trash has pretty good techniques.’ Yuan Chong thought to himself foully.
In their pack, Yuan Chong and Feng Wu both were in First Grade Master Realm while Zhou Hao and Zhou Xu were in Ninth Grade Warrior Realm.
Yuan Chong could have gone faster, but Zhou Hao and Zhou Xu would have been left behind.
What he did not know was that Lu Ming was only at 50% of his speed.
At the Fifth Stage of comprehension and practice, Perfect Divine-like Usage of Dragon Serpent Steps meant that each step Lu Ming took could cover a distance of 1.5 meters.
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After an hour, the five of them were 15 kilometers deep into the Midnight Hills and they slowed down to watch out for the appearance of demonic beasts.
Roar!
A ferocious black panther leaped towards Zhou Hao from within the bushes with its claws gleamingly sharp like knives, ready to kill.
“Wrong target!” Zhou Hao bellowed as he threw a punch that collided with the black panther’s claws.
Boom!
The black panther flew backward and slammed heavily on the ground. It rolled for several rounds before it ran away as fast as it could.
“Metal Black Panther, a mere Sixth Grade First Level demonic beast. Let it go, Zhou Hao. It has no metal pieces on it,” Feng Wu cried.
Zhou Hao wanted to go for it but stopped after he heard what Feng Wu said.
“Our mission is to earn points, so we’ll avoid those without metal pieces to save time and energy,” Feng Wu continued.
The rest nodded and continued on their journey, only to stop after a short while.
Feng Wu frowned as her gaze swept the area and commented, “Someone’s following us.”
“I’ve realized that too,” said Yuan Chong.
Lu Ming frowned because he felt a looming intent to kill him from the beginning.
“Who is it? Come out now!” Feng Wu ordered.
“Haha, Junior Sister Feng, you have such sharp senses!”
A humorless laugh rang from the left as two young men appeared.
“Wei Ziming!”
Recognition flashed in Lu Ming’s eyes as he recognized Wei Ziming, the person he had slapped at the restaurant in the Mystical Sword City.
Wei Ziming stared venomously at Lu Ming, and beside him was someone that looked like Wei Ziming but younger.
“Was it you, Wei Ziyou? Why were you following us?” Feng Wu snapped.
He was Wei Ziyou, Wei Ziming’s younger brother. It was common for the more famous geniuses to know each other.
“Junior Sister Feng, Senior Brother Yuan Chong, this is none of your business. I’m only here for him, Lu Ming!” Wei Ziyou smiled and pointed.
Feng Wu’s face darkened. “What do you want with Lu Ming?”
“Nothing much. He just slapped my brother twice a few days ago, so I’m just here to destroy both his hands. You’d better not get yourself involved, Junior Feng,” Wei Ziyou replied.
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“But I will get myself involved because Lu Ming’s my teammate now,” Feng Wu insisted.
“Feng Wu, I’d say, you’d better mind your own business!” At that moment, a voice rang from the right side, and another two young men appeared.
They did not hide their cultivation level as they both released the energy from the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm. Even if it was just the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm, it caused a drastic change in Feng Wu’s expression.
“You’re from the Duanmu Clan. What are you guys doing here?” she shrieked. It was easy to recognize people from the Duanmu clan since all of them had a tree symbol sewn on their sleeves.
“We’re here for Lu Ming, of course! His life is ours now,” one of the Duanmus replied with a faint smile.
“Are you going to kill Lu Ming?” Feng Wu’s complexion paled.
How many people had Lu Ming offended? It was no wonder that Mu Lan wanted her to protect Lu Ming.
At the side, Yuan Chong smiled gleefully. Lu Ming really had a death wish when he offended the Duanmu Clan.
‘Duanmu Clan, Wei Ziyou, you both came like the rushing wind indeed.’ Lu Ming surveyed his surroundings, looking for a place to break out. He refused to sit around and wait for them to kill him.Chapter 31: Ambush
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Haha, it seems there’s no need for me to make a move, Lu Ming!” Wei Ziyou snorted.
“That won’t do. Nobody will be taking Lu Ming away today!” Feng Wu said resolutely. Her announcement shocked everyone around her.
The faces of the two youths from the Duanmu Family darkened. “Feng Wu, do you really want to go against the Duanmu Family? Our rage isn’t something that you can handle.”
“Junior Sister Feng Wu, it isn’t sensible to cross the Duanmu Family and the Wei Brothers just for the mere Lu Ming. I think we should keep our hands to ourselves!” Yuan Chong quickly chimed in from the side.
“Silence! Anyone who wants to go for Lu Ming will have to go through my blade first!”
Clink!
A swathe of razor-sharp Sword Qi shot out from Feng Wu’s sword as she unsheathed her blade. Immediately, a boulder that was around the size of a man was sliced in half.
She emanated the aura of Master Realm.
The faces of Wei Ziming, Wei Ziyou, and the two youths from the Duanmu Family, as well as Yuan Chong, darkened.
Yuan Chong, in particular, was greatly affected. He was gritting his teeth together.
The eyes of Wei Ziyou and the two Duanmu Family members lit up. While Lu Ming was an easy target for them, it would be difficult to deal with Feng Wu.
Although Wei Ziyou had cultivated to the First Grade Master Realm, the two youths from the Duanmu Family were only on the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm, so the two youths from the Duanmu Family ultimately decided to step down.
“Feng Wu, do you really think that you’ll be able to keep Lu Ming safe? Let’s see how you handle yourself when my family sends even stronger people over! Hmph!” Wei Ziyou sneered. With a twist of his body, he retreated together with Wei Ziming.
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“Rest assured, Lu Ming. The Midnight Hills stretches on for over 500 kilometers. The Duanmu Family won’t be able to find us as long as we’re careful,” Feng Wu said as she walked up beside Lu Ming.
“Thank you very much!” Lu Ming smiled feebly.
To be honest, Lu Ming was confident that he would be able to wriggle out of the crisis even without Feng Wu.
He was able to travel over three meters in a single step using the Dragon Serpent Steps. He believed that even an ace in First Grade Master Realm would not be able to catch up.
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However, Lu Ming was still thankful that Feng Wu stood firmly on his side despite the current situation.
“There’s no need to be courteous with me. Let’s continue the journey!” Feng Wu said as she turned around. She shot a glare at Yuan Chong and walked forwards with large strides.
Wu Feng then proceeded to take the lead. She changed directions after a certain distance to stop the Duanmu Family and Wei Ziming from catching up.
They had traveled over 50 kilometers in the woods by the evening.
During their journey, they encountered a few demonic beasts that had several metal plates with points on them, and they successfully obtained a few pieces of metal tablets.
The metal tablets were light and thin. Two of the tables were etched with the number “1” on top, while the other had the number “2” etched on it. They had two plates worth a point, and another worth two.
The night quickly arrived. They started a fire and caught a demonic beast to cook as food.
The Midnight Hills was even more precarious during the night. The demonic beasts that appeared were even more ferocious, so they decided to rest for the night and continue the search for metal tablets during the day.
After they finished their meals and extinguished the fire, they found a secluded corner and meditated while resting respectively.
The night passed without a single word being uttered. On the second day, they continued their search for demonic beasts with metal tablets on them.
However, within the Midnight Hills’ territory which spanned over 500 kilometers, there were countless demonic beasts while there were only around 7,000 demonic beasts that held metal tablets. It was hard to find them within the vast confines of the forest.
Three days soon passed just like that.
In those three days, the five of them had managed to find six tablets worth one point and three tablets worth two points. The points totaled to twelve, which was only enough for one person to pass.
As the sky was nearly plunged into darkness on the third day, they found a Silent Shadow Wolf. A metal tablet with the number “10” hung on the neck of the wolf.
“It’s a tablet worth ten points! Get it.” Wu Feng joyfully gave pursuit in a flash.
The Silent Shadow Wolf was a First Grade Second Level demonic beast.
A normal demonic beast that was in First Grade Second Level would usually hold five points, while ten points were reserved for demonic beasts on the Second Grade – or even the Third Grade – of the Second Level. It was a rare sight for a metal tablet worth ten points to be on a demonic beast of First Grade Second Level, so they definitely would not make light of the opportunity.
“Let’s chase after it together!” Feng Wu yelled behind her.
Zhou Hao and Zhou Xu, who were behind her, also rapidly darted to the front.
However, the Silent Shadow Wolf boasted great speed, thus Wu Feng was unable to catch up in a short time. In the mere span of a few breaths, Wu Feng and the Silent Shadow Wolf were nowhere to be seen.
Lu Ming started to use his technique to catch up, but a figure flitted across and blocked his path. It was Yuan Chong.
“Yuan Chong, are you planning to make a move on me?” Lu Ming furrowed his brows.
“Hehe, Lu Ming, you piece of trash! Wu Feng is truly a dumb b*tch for taking you under her wing, but I, Yuan Chong, have no intention of being involved with you!”
A strong surge of Qi enveloped Lu Ming as Yuan Chong pointed his sword at him.
“Yuan Chong, you should be 17 this year, aren’t you?” Lu Ming suddenly asked.
“That’s right! So what?” Yuan Chong replied.
“You’re still in the First Grade Master Realm at the age of 17, so I guess that makes you worse than trash. I’ll be able to surpass you in two months!” Lu Ming said.
“That’s hilarious! Do you think you’ll be able to beat me in two months, a mere piece of trash in Sixth Grade Warrior Realm like you? You’re making me laugh! But too bad you won’t get the chance.” Yuan Chong flashed a chilling smile.
At that moment, the silence in the woods around them was interrupted as two figures appeared. They were the two youths from the Duanmu Family before.
“I guess you’re still smart, Yuan Chong. Thanks for your cooperation. You can go now,” one of the youths from the Duanmu Family said.
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“Haha, Lu Ming! Just accept that this is your fate!” Yuan Chong burst into laughter. He flitted towards the direction of Wu Feng and the Silent Shadow Wolf in a flash.
“Lu Ming, would you like to send yourself to the afterlife, or do you need our help?” one of the youths from the Duanmu Family mocked as they stared at Lu Ming after Yuan Chong left. They looked as if they already had him cornered.
“With just the two of you? The Duanmu Family really does look down on me!” Lu Ming sighed. Suddenly, he stomped his foot on the ground before charging towards the two youths from the Duanmu Family like a flash of lightning.
Swish!
In the midst of charging, a blade of light flashed towards one of the youths with the intent to maim.
Offense was the best defense!
Now that they were archenemies, Lu Ming would no longer be gentle.
The two youths from the Duanmu Family were startled. They never expected Lu Ming to be so daring. As someone in Sixth Grade Warrior Realm, he was facing two people in the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm, and had actually made the first move.
Furthermore, his strike was sharp, ruthless, and concise.
“Retreat!”
The duo hastily stepped back.
Poof!
Despite their efforts, Lu Ming’s blade still sliced across one of their chests. The slash went as deep as the bone, causing blood to immediately flow out.
‘That’s a pity. Just a little more and I would’ve been able to slice apart his heart. Ninth Grade Warrior Realm is certainly strong!’ Lu Ming sighed as he consoled himself.
He had no problems massacring a martial artist in Eighth Grade Warrior Realm with his current combat power. On the other hand, while he had no problems with battling against someone in the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm, it was hard for him to kill one.
“You dare to hurt me, Lu Ming? I’ll tear you into a thousand pieces!” the youth that was injured by Li Ming roared at the top of his voice. He was sweating from the fear of what just transpired. Meanwhile, the other youth was darting towards Lu Ming at a rapid pace.
“Then, let’s duke it out.” Lu Ming charged ahead as well.Chapter 32: Completed Blood Meridian
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In an instant, the three of them clashed against each other.
Ding! Ding!
The blades glimmered in the air as they crossed against each other. Sparks were flying everywhere amidst the intense sounds.
Both of the youths from the Duanmu Family cultivated Inferior Yellow Level sword techniques. They had only cultivated to the Outstanding Dexterity stage and were far below Lu Ming’s proficiency in sword arts.
However, their individual cultivation was higher than Lu Ming’s by a whole three Grades. They had the upper hand for a moment as they teamed up together.
‘I’ll end the injured one first!’
Lu Ming’s eyes flashed like lightning, and an endless stream of the Lustrous Sword Technique swarmed the injured youth.
“How can he be so strong? He boasts such combat power even though he’s merely on the Sixth Grade Warrior Realm! Such a person cannot live. He must be killed!”
The two youths from the Duanmu Family were astonished as Lu Ming’s power exceeded their expectations.
Roar! Roar!
The roars of two beasts rang out. A bloody red glow emanated from the backs of the Duanmu Family’s two youths as two black panthers appeared. There were three red-coloured meridian focal points on the bodies of the black panthers. It was evident that the youths’ blood meridians were Third Level blood meridians.
The two black panthers then pounced on the respective youths’ bodies. In that instant, black glows drifted out from their body as their Qi increased dramatically.
It was an eruption of the blood meridian!
The eruption of their blood meridians increased the two youths’ speed by 30%.
Blood meridians always had an affinity towards a certain attribute. Some blood meridians would have a higher affinity to defense while others would have a higher affinity to offend, as well as increase speed.
The attribute that had the affinity would get a boost when a blood meridian erupted.
Normally, a First Level blood meridian’s eruption would boost an attribute by one-tenth.
A Second Level blood meridian’s eruption would boost an attribute by two-tenths.
With that logic, an attribute would increase by 90% when a Ninth Level blood meridian erupted, which was nearly twofold.
The blood meridians of the Duanmu Family’s youth were partial to speed, which increased by three-tenths after their blood meridians erupted.
No matter which attribute was boosted, it also implied the increase in combat power.
Naturally, some higher grade blood meridians would have an affinity for several attributes, which would also mean that those attributes would be boosted in tandem with each other.
Several attributes being boosted at one time would signify an even more terrifying increase in combat power.
After their blood meridians erupted, the combat power of the Duanmu Family’s youths increased significantly as they started to crush Lu Ming.
‘That’s a pity. I can’t make my blood meridian erupt because it hasn’t completely grown yet. I guess that’s my weakness.’ Lu Ming pondered as he battled against the duo with all his might.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
In that instant, someone arrived with a swooshing sound once again.
“Haha, time to die, Lu Ming!”
It was Wei Ziming and Wei Ziyou.
Swish!
Wei Ziyou swung his sword before he even arrived. A flash of green Sword Qi burst out from his blade. It was a remote manifestation of Sword Qi which was unbelievably sharp as it was aimed at Lu Ming with the intention to maim.
“Danger!”
In that instant, Lu Ming was enveloped with an urgent sense of danger as every strand of hair on him stood on their ends.
The Sword Qi of a Master Realm was not something that he could withstand right now.
He wanted to dodge it but was firmly stopped by the Duanmu Family’s youths.
Zing!
At that moment, a sharp sound sounded from the opposite direction. There was another slash of Sword Qi flying towards Lu Ming.
There was another Master Realm martial artist who wanted Lu Ming dead.
Two Master Realm martial artists were teaming up together, and two youths in Ninth Grade Warrior Realm were blocking Lu Ming’s way. They were driving him into a corner, putting him in a precarious situation.
‘I’ll enter the Supreme Shrine!’
If he was not able to withstand it, he could only take shelter in the Supreme Shrine. Although it may ultimately result in the Supreme Shrine being exposed, it was better than getting killed.
However, his expression immediately changed as he realized that he could no longer enter the Supreme Shrine as it did not react to him in his mind.
“Could it be that I can’t enter the Supreme Shrine while in battle? Am I going to die here? No, I can’t let myself die!’ Lu Ming screamed in his mind. In that instant, his mind was hyperfocused as his blood boiled. He wanted to find a silver lining in that hopeless situation.
Suddenly, an intense itch spread as a red beam shot up from his spine. At the same time, a peculiar whoosh of energy surged from his spine into his entire body.
‘This is the power of a blood meridian. My blood meridian has finally finished growing! Blood meridian eruption!’
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Without any time to think things through, Lu Ming immediately made his blood meridian erupt. A black glow started to spread across his body.
Zing! Zing!
It was at that moment that the two Sword Qi slashed across Lu Ming’s body.
Two sharp energies penetrated his body the moment the Sword Qi hit him. An intense round of pain spread all over him as a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.
‘The Sword Qi’s power seemed to have diminished by half!’
Lu Ming could instantly sense that the power of the Sword Qi that landed on him was halved. If it were in full power, there was no chance that he could have handled it.
‘Could it be because of my blood meridian?’
He racked his brains for a second, but there was no time for second thoughts. Lu Ming took a step forward and darted towards the wounded youth from the Duanmu Family like a gust of wind.
The youth from the Duanmu Family did not expect Lu Ming to be still alive after being hit by the Sword Qi from the two Master Realm martial artists. He wanted to defend himself, but it was too late.
Poof!
A sword slid across the youth’s throat like a bolt of light as blood squirted everywhere. Lu Ming’s figure darted ahead in a flash as he used the Dragon Serpent Steps.
“Lu Ming, how dare you kill a disciple from the Duanmu Family!? You’re courting death!” someone screamed in a frenzy.
Lu Ming took a hurried glance and saw who the furious yell came from.
It was one of the Master Realm martial artists that had made a move. With rosewood patterns sewn onto the hems of his sleeves, he was evidently a young disciple of the Duanmu Family.
“Duanmu Family, I swear that I will eventually raze you to the ground.”
The murderous impulse within Lu Ming was thick as he flitted onwards while forcefully bracing against his own injuries.
“Follow him!”
Behind Lu Ming, Wei Ziyou and the martial master from the Duanmu Family were in hot pursuit.
However, Lu Ming had cultivated the Dragon Serpent Steps to the Fifth Stage, so he could traverse over three meters in a single step at a speed that outmatched even a First Grade Master Realm.
Wei Ziyou and the other person had no chance of catching up with Lu Ming.
After half an hour, Lu Ming managed to throw them off his scent. Then, he found a cave and darted into it.
Huff! Huff!
He gasped for air as he sat in the cave. His body was pulsing with pain. Although he had blocked the Sword Qi from the two Master Realm martial artists, the injuries that he had sustained were not light.
‘Let’s see if I can enter the Supreme Shrine now!’
At the thought of that, Lu Ming’s body disappeared and reappeared in the Supreme Shrine.
‘Could it be that I can’t enter the Supreme Shrine when in battle or in danger? Why is that?’
Unable to figure it out, Lu Ming was rendered speechless. It seemed that it would be impossible to hide from danger in the Supreme Shrine. He needed to rely on himself.
‘Let’s focus on nursing my injuries!’
Lu Ming started to nurse his wounds as he sat on his knees and started to recite the True War Dragon Technique.
Soon, he recovered from his injuries after three days.
Buzz!
Lu Ming’s mind entered his spine. There was a radiant beam of red with a black worm the size of a finger that manifested within the light.
The worm was limbless, but it shone with a brilliant black as if it was made from powdered black jade.
‘Is this my blood meridian? Why isn’t there even a single meridian focal point?’ Lu Ming was speechless.
Chapter 33: Unbelievable Blood Meridian Ability
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Blood meridians were categorized into nine Levels, and each Level had its own number of meridian focal points.
A First Level blood meridian would have a single meridian focal points while a Second Level blood meridian would have two. The amount would increase based on the Level.
However, there was not even a single meridian focal point on Lu Ming’s blood meridian.
Could it be a Zero Level blood meridian? Nobody had ever heard of such a thing before.
Furthermore, Lu Ming had tested it before. His blood meridian’s absorption rate of the Spirit Energy around him was comparable to that of a Fourth Level blood meridian.
‘I also shaved off half of the Sword Qi when my blood meridian erupted. Could my blood meridian have a special skill?’ Lu Ming pondered as his eyes flashed with excitement.
This skill was truly terrifying if it could really block half of someone’s attack. Lu Ming could not wait to test it out.
At that moment, he exited the Supreme Shrine and entered the woods in search of demonic beasts.
It was not long before he found one.
The Flame Wolf was a demonic beast on Seventh Grade First Level. With the ability to spit fireballs, it boasted great strength.
Roar!
The Flame Wolf opened its gaping mouth and roared when it noticed Lu Ming. A fireball gathered and flew towards Lu Ming.
“It’s time to test the power of my blood meridian when it erupts!”
At the thought of that, a fountain of power surged from Lu Ming’s spine into his body. His body started to shine a brilliant dark hue that emanated a devouring aura.
Lu Ming did not dodge but allowed the fireball to land on him instead.
In that instant, he could clearly feel the power of the fireball being continuously consumed by the dark shine of his body until only half of its power remained.
He took a step back and avoided the remaining half of the fireball.
‘So, apparently, the attack wasn’t blocked, but rather, it was devoured. Half of its power was devoured!’ Shock flashed across Lu Ming’s eyes.
At that instant, the power from the blood meridian within Lu Ming’s body disappeared without a trace.
‘For real? It’s only been a single breath. It deactivated too quickly!’ He was speechless.
It was then that the Flame Wolf shot another ball of flame out.
However, Lu Ming was unable to make his blood meridian erupt another time despite trying to do so. He understood that it was because the strength of his blood meridian was depleted and needed time to slowly recover.
However, wasn’t the duration too short?
He was aware that the average Warrior Realm martial artist could hold an erupted blood meridian for approximately one minute.
The strength of the blood meridian would be depleted after approximately a minute and required time to recover.
The power of the blood meridian would increase in Master Realm, allowing it to erupt for approximately two minutes. The duration would increase with the growth of cultivation from thereon.
However, Lu Ming could only erupt his blood meridian for the span of a single breath!
An average breath would only take two seconds. That was a whopping thirtyfold difference compared to others!
It seemed that although the ability to block half of an attack’s power was seemingly overpowered, it could only be used at a crucial moment.
Also, how strong of an attack would it be able to withstand? Everything had its limits, and Lu Ming did not believe that his blood meridian would be able to withstand an attack from someone several leagues above him.
He needed to find out about all this.
No matter what the outcome was, Lu Ming was still satisfied. This skill would be able to turn the tables in a crucial moment, so it could definitely be used as a trump card.
Bam!
He took a step with the Dragon Serpent Steps and evaded the Flame Wolf’s attack before retaliating with one attack himself.
Poof!
A blade pierced the Flame Wolf’s heart, and it thrashed around as it took its last breath.
‘I wonder how long it’ll take before my blood meridian fully recovers.’
His black worm-shaped blood meridian manifested as he thought about it, but Lu Ming wanted to observe a little while longer.
It was at that moment that something peculiar happened.
The black worm-shaped blood meridian suddenly widened its mouth towards the Flame Wolf’s corpse and created a strong suction.
Nine droplets of blood essence darted out from the Flame Wolf’s wound and were swallowed by the worm-shaped blood meridian in one go.
At the very next moment, an immense power surged from Lu Ming’s spine. The power melded together with Lu Ming’s Essential Qi, causing his cultivation to spike erratically. He instantly ascended from beginner of Sixth Grade Warrior Realm to peak beginner of Sixth Grade Warrior Realm.
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Buzz!
A pale-red meridian focal point then appeared on the black-worm-shaped blood meridian. It shone ever so brilliantly in Lu Ming’s eyes.
Lu Ming was stunned, he took a moment before he reacted.
“My... my blood meridian can devour the blood essence of demonic beasts and convert it into Essential Qi? And on top of that, my blood meridian can increase in Levels?”
Lu Ming was murmuring to himself as his eyes shone brilliantly. His heart was wild with joy.
It was already unbelievable that blood essence could be devoured and converted into Essential Qi.
However, level advancement was unheard of.
Everyone knew that a blood meridian’s Level was fixed. Bar the exceptions of peculiar cases, a blood meridian was normally unable to advance Levels.
However, his blood meridian had broken all the rules by being able to advance Levels.
Lu Ming could distinctly sense that the blood essence he consumed from the Flame Wolf just now was divided into two.
One half was converted into Essential Qi, while the other half was absorbed by his blood meridian.
It was because of that that caused an improvement in both Essential Qi and blood meridian.
If he continued on with devouring blood essence from demonic beasts, would the Level of his blood meridian continuously advance?
Advancement to the Fifth Level, the Sixth Level... The Eight Level and Ninth Level, or even surpassing that. It was not impossible.
Lu Yao’s Fifth Level blood meridian was nothing!
Hahaha!
Lu Ming broke into a loud guffaw.
“Time to hunt some demonic beasts!”
Lu Ming could not wait to hunt for some demonic beasts and begin testing.
It was not long before Lu Ming found another demonic beast in the Eighth Grade First Level. Furthermore, there was a metal tablet worth two points on the demonic beast.
Lu Ming defeated the beast and kept the metal tablet. He circulated his blood meridian and once again extracted nine droplets of blood essence from the demonic beast.
Blood essence was the soul’s cumulation of a living being and contained a massive amount of energy.
Legends told that no matter human or beast, there were only nine drops of blood essence in a single body.
The blood essence was once again divided into two after it being consumed by the dark worm-shaped blood meridian. One half was converted to Lu Ming’s Essential Qi. In that instant, Lu Ming made a breakthrough in his cultivation and reached mid Sixth Grade Warrior Realm.
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As for the blood-red meridian focal points on the blood meridian, although it did not level up, its color was a shade deeper.
Surely enough, the blood essence of a demonic beast on the Eighth Grade First Level had a stronger effect than that of a demonic beast on the Seventh Grade.
“Let’s call you the Spirit-Devouring Worm. I’m coming after you, Duanmu Family! Time to continue!”
Lu Ming dubbed the dark worm-shaped blood meridian the Spirit-Devouring Worm. Then, he proceeded to hunt down demonic beasts within the Midnight Hills in a frenzy and absorb their blood essence.
His cultivation increased at an insane pace. In just over one day, his cultivation ascended to the Seventh Grade Warrior Realm, successfully breaking through to the peak top of Eighth Grade Warrior Realm after three days.
Surely enough, the Level of his blood meridian had increased during that moment. Another meridian focal point appeared as it turned into a Second Level blood meridian.
After relentlessly hunting demonic beasts for three days, Lu Ming finally figured out a part of the countless mysteries his blood meridians held.
The first thing was that there was a cap for the blood meridian’s skill to absorb half the power of an attack. He discovered that it only worked against demonic beasts that were five Grades above him, at most. It was ineffective against anything more than five Grades.
For example, if Lu Ming was in First Grade Warrior Realm, it would only work against someone below the Sixth Grade Warrior Realm. It would be rendered completely useless if he met someone on the Seventh Grade Warrior Realm or above.
The eruption of the blood meridian initially only lasted for the span of a single breath. It would take three hours after erupting before it could be used again.
However, there was a change after the blood meridian advanced by a Level. For every Level that the blood meridian advanced, the duration of its eruption would increase by another breath span.
The duration of Lu Ming’s blood meridian eruption had increased to three breath spans when his blood meridian advanced to the Second Level.
Similarly, the time that was required for the strength of his blood meridian to recover was reduced slightly.
All this motivated Lu Ming even more.
Chapter 34: Successive Breakthroughs And A Comeback!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
While Lu Ming was traversing through the woods, there was a sudden change in his expression as he murmured, “It’s like we’re two bad pennies, but you’ve come at the right time!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
At that moment, several sounds pierced the silence around Lu Ming as figures appeared from the sides, his front, back, and left flank.
Wei Ziyou and Wei Ziming stood in front of Lu Ming while there were four members of the Duanmu Family behind him. Apart from the young martial artist of Master Realm, there were another three youths.
To his left, there was a youth donned in a brocade garb who was emanating a strong aura. He was a Master Realm expert.
The moment they spotted Lu Ming, the people from these three sides formed a circle with him in the middle.
Three of them were in First Grade Master Realm while the other three were on the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm. Wei Ziming could be dismissed as a non-factor.
“Let’s see where you can run to now, Lu Ming,” Wei Ziming said as he glared at Lu Ming.
Lu Ming casually glanced at Wei Ziming. “You piece of trash, have a duel with me if you’ve got what it takes!” He laughed.
“You’re a dead man walking, Lu Ming. I shan’t bother to have a dispute with a dead man!” Wei Ziming snarled.
“Lu Ming, you dare to kill a disciple of my family, the Duanmu Family?! You’re courting death!” the young Master Realm martial artist from the Duanmu Family insulted.
“I’m courting death? Your family wanted me dead first. The way you put it, I guess I can only die without retaliating, huh?” Lu Ming said.
“That’s right. My Duanmu Family wants you dead, so there’s nothing you can do except to accept your fate. How could a lowly scum like you compare to the lives of the Duanmu Family’s disciples?” The Duanmu Family’s youth scoffed. He was confident, arrogant, and unreasonable.
“Hehe!” Lu Ming smiled. He did not bother to squabble with someone like him. “And what about you? I don’t think I know you. Are you someone from the Duanmu Family as well?” he said as he shifted his gaze towards the youth in the brocade garb.
“Haha, Lu Ming, since you’re about to meet your end, I’ll let you in on this. Senior Brother Ning Feng sent me. You’re as bold as brass to offend Senior Brother Ning Feng when you’ve just joined. Are you tired of living?” The youth in the brocade garb smiled. “Alright, stop spouting nonsense with him. Let’s kill him now. I don’t have the time to squabble with him.”
He was Duanmu Fei. As he finished speaking in an icy tone, he charged towards Lu Ming in a frenzy. A green Sword Qi pierced through the air with a sharp whistle.
Wei Ziyou and the youth in the brocade garb did not make a move, as they thought that one person was enough to deal with Lu Ming.
Lu Ming stomped his feet on the group as Duanmu Fei’s Sword Qi was about to land on him. He used the Dragon Serpent Steps and dodged the Sword Qi before darting away like a bolt of lightning.
His target was the youth of the Duanmu Family who was in Ninth Grade Warrior Realm.
Clang!
His blade whistled as a beam of Sword Qi was sent flying.
With Lu Ming’s cultivation at top Eighth Grade Warrior Realm, the youth from the Duanmu Family was unable to avoid Lu Ming’s Sword Qi even if he was on full alert.
Poof!
The blade directly pierced the youth’s heart.
It was a kill in a single blow!
‘Devour!’
With a single thought from Lu Ming’s mind, a strong pull gravitated from his palms, pulling out nine droplets of blood essence from his opponents’ wound. It traveled across Lu Ming’s arm and was devoured by the Spirit-Devouring Worm.
This was the method of using the Spirit-Devouring Worm that Lu Ming had figured out over these few days. He could apply the devouring aura on his hands and silently absorb the blood essence of others.
“Ah! Lu Ming, you’re looking for death!” Duanmu Fei bellowed furiously as he charged towards Lu Ming.
An icy smile formed on Lu Ming’s lips. He did not go head-on against Duanmu Fei, and he used the Dragon Serpent Steps to charge towards another youth who was in Ninth Grade Warrior Realm.
With the Spirit-Devouring Worm continuously refining the blood essence at the same time, a surge of energy poured into Lu Ming’s body.
The energy contained within the blood essence of someone in Ninth Grade Warrior Realm was immense, allowing Lu Ming to increase his cultivation at a mind-boggling speed.
His cultivation was already at top Eighth Grade Warrior Realm, but it constantly closed the distance to Ninth Grade Warrior Realm.
Swoosh!
Although the youth from the Duanmu Family tried his best to avoid it, his speed was incomparable to Lu Ming’s. He was instantly killed with a flash of the blade.
Lu Ming absorbed his blood essence at the same time.
Crash!
With the surging Essential Qi from the blood essence of the two Ninth Grade Warrior Realm experts, Lu Ming finally broke free from his shackles and made another breakthrough. His cultivation reached the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm instantly.
“Damn it! What are you two waiting for? Start making a move together and destroy Lu Ming!” Duanmu Fei howled.
Within these few days, a total of three people on the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm from the Duanmu Family had fallen to the hands of Lu Ming. Youngsters who were in the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm below the age of eighteen were considered elites, even in the Duanmu Family. After the three of them died in one go, he had no idea how to explain it to the seniors of the Duanmu Family when he returned. That was why he loathed Lu Ming from the bottom of his heart.
“Kill him!”
“End him!”
Wei Ziyou and the youth in brocade screamed as they charged towards Lu Ming.
Since Lu Ming killed two experts on the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm in one go, his prowess had exceeded their expectations. Their dignity was the last thing on their minds as they formed an alliance.
Duanmu Fei and Wei Ziyou sent a flash of Sword Qi flying while youth in the brocade garb unleashed a golden palm.
A sharp whistling sound could be heard as they teamed up and charged towards Lu Ming.
“Haha, a brilliant move! Let’s see how strong Master Realm is!” Lu Ming chuckled. His confidence skyrocketed as his cultivation broke through to the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm.
Bam!
Lu Ming darted towards Duanmu Fei with a twist of his body without caring about the attacks from Wei Ziyou and the youth in the brocade garb coming from behind him.
“Die!”
The trio’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
“Blood meridian eruption!”
At that moment, Lu Ming’s blood meridian erupted as a layer of dark light glistened brilliantly.
It was also the same moment that the attacks from Wei Ziyou and the others landed on Lu Ming’s body.
However, they were bewildered when they did not see Lu Ming die. His body merely swayed for a moment, but the sword in his hand did not stop. It darted out like a surge of lightning and pierced through Duanmu Fei’s heart.
Not even in his wildest dreams did Duanmu Fei expect Lu Ming to survive attacks from three people and even manage to make a counterattack. He was unable to dodge in time even if he wanted to.
Lu Ming pierced his heart in a poof. His sight turned black as he fell heavily onto the floor.
Duanmu Fei died!
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‘There’s still two breaths left!’
Lu Ming’s mind was spinning as he sliced his sword towards the youth in the brocade garb.
“Ah! Die!”
The youth in the brocade garb almost lost his nerves when he witnessed Duanmu Fei’s death. He then unleashed two consecutive strikes from his palm.
However, Lu Ming recklessly allowed the strikes to land on his body. Without even pausing for a moment, the blade in his hand sliced through the throat of the youth in the brocade garb.
Blood went spurting everywhere from the clean slice across the youth’s throat. His hands grasped at his neck as his eyes were wide with mixed emotions, including dissatisfaction, pleading, and hate.
“Retreat! Hurry!” Wei Ziyou howled in terror from the side. When Lu Ming successively killed two experts in Master Realm, Wei Ziyou lost his courage and fled in horror.
“Don’t you think it’s too late to leave now?” An icy smile hung on Lu Ming’s face as he pursued Wei Ziyou with a twist of his body.
Chapter 35: Ascension to Third Level Blood Meridian
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As Lu Ming traversed over sixteen meters in a single step using the Dragon Serpent Steps, Wei Ziyou had no chance of escaping.
Hardly had over ten breaths passed before Lu Ming was right behind Wei Ziyou.
“I’m going all out!” Wei Ziyou yelled. His blood meridian erupted as he turned around and charged towards Lu Ming.
He understood that begging for his life or even throwing threats was useless. He could tell that Lu Ming’s moves were cruel, firm, and concise from the way he made a move just now.
Even a talented disciple from the Duanmu Family had been killed just like that. He was unbelievably bold and would definitely not fear the Wei Family.
Clang! Clang!
Their blades clashed against each other as they faced each other in a magnificent battle.
The eruption of Lu Ming’s blood meridian had ended well before that moment. However, with the help of the True War Dragon Technique and the Fourth Stage of the Lustrous Sword Art, he towered over Wei Ziyou.
Wei Ziyou’s sword technique was merely an Inferior Yellow Level sword technique that was in the Fourth Stage.
Their blades clashed as they waged war for over tens of moves. Lu Ming’s sword technique grew in speed until he finally pierced Wei Ziyou’s heart with a stab.
Wei Ziyou lost in a head-on battle and losing spelled his death.
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Lu Ming then looked somewhere else with a sneer and went in pursuit of that direction.
Fleeing for his life, Wei Ziming wanted nothing more than to grow another pair of legs at that moment.
“How can he be so strong? How?! He even butchered Master Realm martial artists. Little brother is no match for him even if he was stronger! I must flee and ask Father to send powerhouses to kill Lu Ming,” Wei Ziming growled as he was making a run for it.
“Are you still thinking about killing me at a time like this?” Suddenly, a voice rang out beside Wei Ziming.
“Ah!” Wei Ziming screamed in fright. He turned his head around to see Lu Ming leering at him, and he felt chilled to the bone.
Wei Ziming dared not continue his escape. He stopped in his tracks and kneeled in a heartbeat as he began to plead, “Lu Ming, spare me! I’m begging you!”
This gave Lu Ming a slight surprise. It turned out that Wei Ziming was weak-willed, a completely different person from Wei Ziyou.
“I’ve already killed Wei Ziyou. Do you think I’ll let you off?” Lu Ming smiled feebly.
“Lu Ming-no, Brother Ming, don’t worry. I won’t utter a word about what happened today. Also, you’ve killed Wei Ziyou, so that’s great! He was more talented than I am. I lived in his shadow and always wanted him dead. Now that he’s gone, nobody will contest my position as the Lord of the Guardian Fire City,” Wei Ziming begged pleadingly as tears and snot slid down his face.
2
However, his mind was a howling fury. If he lived to tell the tale, he would definitely return Lu Ming the favor back by tenfold or even a hundredfold.
“If I don’t kill you, aren’t I just waiting for your revenge? Do you think I’m that stupid?” Lu Ming smiled.
“No...” Wei Ziming yelped. He tried to get up and take off, but his head flew into the distance at the flash of a blade.
“One of them got away. What a pity!” Lu Ming murmured.
There was still a youth from the Duanmu Family who was in the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm. He turned around with all his might and was so quick that it was impossible to catch up with him.
Pfff!
Lu Ming’s body swayed as a mouthful of fresh blood suddenly spurted out from his mouth.
‘The attacks of Martial Realm are really strong!’ He sighed.
He had erupted his blood meridian and blocked the attacks of Duanmu Fei and others just now. Although he was protected from half the power of those attacks, and another portion with the protection from the Ninth Grade Warrior Realm, he was still injured.
However, it was worth the injury in exchange for the lives of three Master Realm experts.
From the perspective of combat power, Lu Ming might not have been able to handle three of them, even if he had the Spirit-Devouring Worm.
Lu Ming had used the peculiar skill of the Spirit-Devouring Worm to surprise them just now and defeat them in one go, so Duanmu Fei and the youth in the brocade garb did not even get the chance to erupt their blood meridians.
Lu Ming wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and returned to the battlefield. He consumed the blood essence of Wei Ziyou, Duanmu Fei, and the youth in the brocade garb.
After that, he left the area and found himself a secluded spot to begin refining the blood essence.
The blood essences of the three Master Realm experts held immeasurable energy. Even if only half of it was converted into Essential Qi, it would significantly accelerate Lu Ming’s journey in his cultivation.
At the same time, the injuries that he sustained were rapidly recovering.
After the blood essences of the three Master Realm martial artists were fully refined, another pale red meridian focal point appeared beside the two red meridian focal points on the Spirit-Devouring Worm.
It was a Third Level blood meridian. Lu Ming’s blood meridian had ascended to another level, reaching the Third Level.
At the same time, Lu Ming’s cultivation had reached the peak top of Ninth Grade Warrior Realm. He was just shy of breaking into Master Realm.
However, it was that small gap that was blocking Lu Ming’s journey.
‘I’ve been improving too rapidly in this period of time. My Essential Qi is too impure and my foundation isn’t solid enough. It’s no wonder I can’t make the breakthrough.’
With the increased amount of blood essence devoured came the drawbacks. After all, the improvement did not come from his own cultivation, so his foundation was not solid and his Essential Qi was impure.
Were it not for that, he would have been able to step into Master Realm with the blood essence from the three Master Realm experts.
‘I’ll have to stop devouring blood essences and spend some time consolidating my foundation.’
Lu Ming believed that his Essential Qi would once again be pure and viscous after spending some time consolidating his foundation which would naturally lead to him breaking through the Master Realm.
Lu Ming then found another spot to move to. He did not continue to hunt for demonic beasts but concentrated on cultivating the True War Dragon Technique and other martial arts skills instead. He spent a total of nine days cultivating.
After nine days of grueling cultivation, Lu Ming’s Essential Qi was no longer impure. It had returned to being pure and viscous while his foundation was solid.
Naturally, it led to Lu Ming’s cultivation breaking through into the Master Realm.
Swish!
A black Sword Qi shot out when Lu Ming slashed his sword, chopping a tree that was as thick as a human waist.
Essential Qi was able to physically manifest in the Master Realm. It was unbelievably strong and was able to form Sword Qi and Qi strikes.
“My Essential Qi is several times thicker now! If I were to battle against Master Realm martial artists like Wei Ziyou and Duanmu Fei, I’d be able to end them in one move.” Lu Ming’s eyes glimmered brightly. “Let’s try out the Dragon Serpent Steps.”
Over that period of time, his other martial arts skills did not improve. However, the Dragon Serpent Steps made another breakthrough, reaching the Sixth Stage called the “One with Martial Arts” stage. It was the highest stage of a martial arts skill.
Bam!
In an explosion of Essential Qi and the vibrations of his muscles, Lu Ming’s figure darted around like the wind. The leaves that had fallen onto the ground were dancing in the air while his figure was already 23 meters away.
Make no mistake, it was 23 meters. The supposed distance traversed in the “One with Martial Arts” stage was a little over 12 meters. However, his breakthrough to the Master Realm allowed him to achieve his current distance.
A higher level of cultivation would naturally lead to a greater effect when using the same martial arts skill.
‘There are still four days left from the end of the trial. I’ll have to do my best to find those point-worthy metal pieces.’
Lu Ming darted away and disappeared into the woods.Chapter 36: Saving The Damsel In Distress
1
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lu Ming had killed at least ten Sixth Grade First Level demonic beasts before this and there were point-worthy metal pieces on some of them.
He had five two-point metal pieces and three one-point metal pieces, totaling up to 13 points.
He has also gotten a total of 12 points from Wei Ziyou and the rest.
Lu Ming now had 25 points which were enough for him to be upgraded to be a Bronze apprentice.
With a hundred-to-one shot of getting first place, merely being upgraded was not enough for him. The first-place winner would be rewarded with a Spirit Condensing Fruit.
He would fight for it with all his might even if he was currently far behind in terms of points.
Lu Ming put his Dragon Serpent Steps to full use and zipped through the woods. He went straight for demonic beasts with point-worthy metal pieces on them, skipping all the ordinary demonic beasts.
By nightfall, he had gotten another one-point metal piece and a two-point metal piece which brought him to a total of 28 points.
Clang!
Suddenly, Lu Ming heard fighting sounds near where he was.
‘Someone’s there.’
Lu Ming could vaguely see firelight flickering up ahead through the canopy of trees from where the sound came from.
‘Let’s take a look!’ He moved towards the bonfire up ahead and saw four people by the bonfire: Feng Wu, Yuan Chong, Zhou Hao, and Zhou Xu.
However, things were not as he would have expected.
Zhou Hao and Zhou Xu lay limply on the ground, their faces a sickly pale color.
Feng Wu had her sword drawn, but her body was shaking. Her face held the same shade of white while her eyes filled with rage as she glowered at Yuan Chong. “Yuan Chong, why did you poison the meat?” she snarled.
With his sword drawn and a warped expression, Yuan Chong snickered, “Why?! Feng Wu, you b*tch, I’ve pursued you endlessly for the past two years. Why didn’t you accept me?! You even yelled at me because of that b*stard Lu Ming before this. I’ve had enough!
“You’ve now been poisoned by my Unscented Tissue-paralyzing Drug. Let’s see how you’ll fight it! I’ll make you my woman today, haha!”
Feng Wu’s face was distorted with rage as she yelled, “How dare you, Yuan Chong!? Big Sis Mu Lan will make you pay for this when the test is over!”
“Mu Lan? Heh heh. That b*tch will become the Duanmu Family’s play toy sooner or later. Also, did you think you were gonna leave this place alive?!” Yuan Chong jeered.
“Are you gonna kill us?!” Feng Wu sputtered. She could barely stand upright as she struggled to maintain her balance.
“Heh heh, Feng Wu, I’ll take care of you personally after I ‘take care’ of you, so you’ll only belong to me,” Yuan Chong taunted.
“You...pervert!” Feng Wu’s face was as pale as death. With a shiver, she collapsed onto the ground.
“Senior Brother Yuan, don’t kill me! Have your way. Take your time with Feng Wu. I promise not to breathe a word of whatever happened today!” Zhou Hao cried.
“Me too, Senior Brother Yuan! I swear I’ll die a painful death if I say anything at all!” Zhou Xu added.
“Unfortunately, I believe that dead people are the best secret keepers.” Yuan Chong walked towards Zhou Hao and Zhou Xu with a sinister smile on his face.
“No, nooooo, have mercy on me!” the two of them cried out in extreme terror.
Slash! Slash!
Yuan Chong’s sword gleamed as it slit open Zhou Hao and Zhou Xu’s throats.
“Now, it’s just you and I.” He then turned and sauntered towards Feng Wu.
“You-No!” Feng Wu’s face was deathly pale as she fearfully tried to scuttle backward. Unfortunately, she could barely move a limb after being poisoned by the Unscented Tissue-paralyzing Drug.
Glee filled Yuan Chong’s heart upon the sight of a paralyzed Feng Wu. He walked to her side and grabbed her by the arm.
Riiiiip! Debris of cloth flew everywhere.
“Die a horrific death, you filthy animal!” Feng Wu cried out in despair. At that moment, she gave up all hope. She treated Yuan Chong like a friend, so she certainly did not expect him to be such a monster.
She was supposed to enjoy life, especially her youth, but she was going to die here. In addition to that, she would be defiled before she died. Feng Wu wanted to end it there and then.
“This place is so secluded. Did you think that someone would rescue you?” Yuan Chong mocked Feng Wu as he leaped towards her.
Just then, a voice rang out, “Excuse me, my apologies.”
Alarmed, Yuan Chong turned upon hearing that voice. Feng Wu was ecstatic as hope glimmered in her eyes. Both looked pointedly to where the voice came from.
“Lu Ming!”
“It’s you!”
Yuan Chong and Feng Wu exclaimed at the same time.
With his arms folded, Lu Ming strode towards them with a faint smile on his face and said to Yuan Chong, “What? Disappointed to see me alive?”
“I’m a little disappointed indeed. You survived the Duanmu Family and Wei Ziyou. Too bad you’re a foolish one.”
“Since you ran away, you should’ve found yourself a corner and hid like a dog till the test is over. Instead, you’re right here. Why? Are you gonna play hero and save the damsel in distress, you piece of trash? Hahaha!” Yuan Chong chuckled scornfully as killing intent flashed through his eyes.
“Lu Ming, why are you here? Hurry, go now. You’re no match for Yuan Chong.” Feng Wu had hope when she saw that someone found them, but that hope turned to despair when she realized that it was Lu Ming.
“Senior Sister Feng Wu, I’m distinctly firm with my gratitude and grudges. I’ll repay them accordingly. You’ve helped me with Wei Ziyou once, so I’ll repay the kindness now by saving your life.” Lu Ming smiled.
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“Save her? Lu Ming, you piece of trash, how’re you gonna save her?” Yuan Chong laughed.
“With my fist, of course!” Lu Ming’s face hardened as he swung his fist towards Yuan Chong.
“Do you wanna die?” Yuan Chong thrust his palm and attacked Lu Ming. He was going to increase Feng Wu’s despair by destroying Lu Ming’s cultivation. Only that would elevate his joy.
Unfortunately, ideals were not reality. When his palm collided with Lu Ming’s fist, he felt a gush of immense Essential Qi from the latter that dissolved his Essential Qi immediately.
A bone-breaking pain erupted in his arm. Yuan Chong yelped as he was forced backward. “Master Realm?! Impossible! How are you already in Master Realm, Lu Ming?” he cried out in disbelief.
“Master Realm?” Feng Wu’s eyes shone with hope upon witnessing what had happened.
“Yuan Chong, I told you I’d defeat you in two months. Well, it looks like I only needed half a month.” Lu Ming smirked coldly.
“Want to defeat me? Don’t even think about it! Go to hell!” Yuan Chong bellowed furiously as immense intent to kill gleamed in his eyes. He took his sword up and attacked Lu Ming.
Lu Ming and Feng Wu had to die. If not, when the test was over, his journey in the Mystical Sword Sect would end too.
Chapter 37: Killing Yuan Chong
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Slash!
Lu Ming swung his sword nonchalantly and his sword-light shot out like lightning.
Pffft!
The sword-light pierced through Yuan Chong’s wrist, completely severing his tendons.
“Ahh!” Yuan Chong howled in pain as he retreated in a frenzy.
‘How did it end up like this? It’s only been about ten days. How did Lu Ming become so strong?! How?!
‘No, I refuse to accept it! I can’t die. I must run away and report this to the Duanmu Family and their experts, so they can kill Lu Ming once and for all! Then, I’ll get my hands on Feng Wu. I still have hope!’
Various thoughts spewed out within Yuan Chong’s mind.
“You’ve run out of chances,” Lu Ming stated as the light from his sword pierced through Yuan Chong’s heart.
That was all it took to put an end to Yuan Chong’s thoughts for good.
“Curse you, Lu Ming!” Yuan Chong roared with regret. Lu Ming was so firm that he did not give him any chance at all.
Almost immediately, Yuan Chong’s life flowed out of him and Lu Ming soundlessly devoured his essence.
From the side, Feng Wu gawked at Lu Ming. She was blown away. When Lu Ming disappeared about ten days ago, she thought that something bad had happened to him. She looked for him for a few days but to no avail.
Lu Ming shockingly appeared out of thin air just moments before and displayed such an overpowering advantage over Yuan Chong and killed him in the process. This was all too bewildering for her.
Had Lu Ming been suppressing his abilities before this?
It was possible.
“Are you okay, Senior Sister Feng Wu?”
Lu Ming walked towards Feng Wu, grabbed her, and ran as fast as he could. The wind roared in their ears as the night breeze slapped their faces continuously.
Feng Wu peeled her eyes open and found Lu Ming speeding through the woods with her in his arms.
He glanced at her and smiled. It was a genuine, pure, platonic smile with no ulterior motives.
“The smell of blood would’ve attracted beasts. We need to move!”
Lu Ming dashed through the woods.
In no time, they found a quiet cave five kilometers away. Lu Ming placed Feng Wu down and draped his coat over her. Then, he sat in Lotus Position, closed his eyes, and meditated.
Feng Wu glanced at him deeply and proceeded to forcefully expel the drug from her system.
At the break of dawn, she managed to expel all the drugs from her system and recovered from the paralysis.
Lu Ming opened his eyes.
“Why’d you disappear, Lu Ming?” she asked without warning.
“Yuan Chong.” There and then, Lu Ming told Feng Wu everything that happened the past ten days since Yuan Chong blocked his way. However, he kept mum about his blood meridians, of course.
“That Yuan Chong is really a monster! How could he also gang up with the Duanmu Family?” Feng Wu gritted her teeth.
“Alright, now that you have all the poison expelled, I’ll be on my way,” he said.
“Why don’t we work together, Lu Ming? Experts from different halls have started to band up. From what I know, there’s a super genius in the Duanmu Family by the name of Duanmu Jue. He’s the strongest newbie in the White Tiger Hall.
“He’s teamed up with many experts from Duanmu Family and the White Tiger Hall to scavenge for point-worthy metal pieces everywhere because he’s aiming to get first place. If you bump into them alone, it’s gonna be really dangerous, so I think it’s best that we both team-up. At least, we can watch each other’s backs,” she explained as she held him back.
“The Duanmu Family? Do you know where they are?” Lu Ming’s eyes shone as he asked.
“I do know where they are, but what are you planning?”
“To grab their point-worthy metal pieces, of course!”
A cold smile was etched on Lu Ming’s face as he added in his heart, ‘I’ll take it as a small part of their interest repayment.’
“You want to rob the Duanmu Family? It’s too dangerous!” Feng Wu paled.
“I’m not gonna face them head-on, so what’s there to fear?” he answered.
“Alright, we’ll go together then.” She swung her fists in the air, her ponytail swish-swashing as a glint of excitement grew in her eyes. Feng Wu was a mischievous one too.
“Haha, let’s team up then!” Lu Ming laughed.
“Wait!” Feng Wu yelped and scurried towards the bushes. In a short moment, when she walked out, she had changed into a different set of clothes.
‘Storage rings!’
Lu Ming was slightly moved.
Storage rings were rings made by powerful inscribers that gave its bearer space to store things. It was extremely expensive and scarce. Even families as huge as the Lu Family could not afford one.
There was more than what met the eyes when it came to Feng Wu.
“Thanks for your coat!” She tossed the coat back to Lu Ming and led the way as the pair made their way toward the deeper parts of the Midnight Hills.
Chapter 38: Collecting Interest
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lu Ming and Feng Wu hid in a humongous tree beyond 25 kilometers.
Two young men were eating roasted meat near that tree.
“Let’s quickly finish up and proceed so we don’t get in the way of what the Duanmu Family’s planned.”
“Got it, it’s a big thing to help the Duanmu Family capture a Lightning Leopard cub.”
“Of course, the cub was to be presented to Young Lord Duanmu Lin.”
The two newbies of the White Tiger Hall ate as they spoke.
‘A Lightning Leopard cub!’
Lu Ming and Feng Wu were shocked.
The Lightning Leopard was one of the few exquisite demonic beasts that carried lightning in its blood and was as fast as the wind.
A full-grown Lightning Leopard was at least a Fourth Level demonic beast which was equivalent to a Leader Realm martial artist.
Lu Ming was especially intrigued as his eyes glowed with excitement.
The Lightning Leopard’s blood was one of the three important ingredients to cultivate the Second Stage of the True War Dragon Technique. One of them was the Spirit-condensing Fruit, and the other two were the Lightning Leopard’s blood and the Blood Mist Rocks.
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Lu Ming definitely needed to obtain the Lightning Leopard’s blood.
Soon, the two White Tiger Hall apprentices got up and journeyed ahead after they were done eating.
“Let’s follow them!” Lu Ming said to Feng Wu who nodded and snuck behind the two White Tiger Hall’s apprentices with him.
A few kilometers into the journey, the two White Tiger Hall apprentices lit a handful of dry grass, and billows of white smoke spread into the woods.
At the same time, the same white smoke appeared from a few other directions. Only the north side was clear from the white smoke.
Swoosh!
Not long after that, a silvery-white shadow darted out from the woods and dashed northwards.
‘It really is a Lightning Leopard!’ Lu Ming thought.
Clearly, the Lightning Leopard was afraid of the white smoke, so it ran towards the area that was clear of smoke.
“The Lightning Leopard is out! Let’s corner it towards that canyon over there!” A loud voice rang out as silhouettes headed towards the leopard’s direction.
The two White Tiger Hall’s apprentices followed suit with Lu Ming and Feng Wu close on their tail.
After a while, a canyon was in sight. Four people were guarding the entrance of the canyon while the Lightning Leopard and the rest of the people were nowhere to be seen. They might have entered the canyon earlier on.
“Let’s check it out!” Lu Ming grinned and made his way towards the canyon.
“Stop! The Duanmu Family has business here. Get the f*ck out of here!” one of the four Duanmu disciples ordered as Lu Ming and Feng Wu came near.
“Last I recall, the Midnight Hills don’t belong to the Duanmu Family. Who are you to tell me where I should go?” A cold smile hung on Lu Ming’s face as he took long strides towards the canyon.
“How dare you, you brat?! Are you looking for trouble?” the same Duanmu disciple roared. He looked carefully at Lu Ming as recognition flashed through his eyes and he cried out, “I remember! You’re Lu Ming! Haha, of all the places you choose to go, you had to come here. Now then, leave your head here!”
He unsheathed his sword and attacked Lu Ming right away.
In a flash, Lu Ming’s sword was faster as it went through the Duanmu disciple’s chest in a poof.
That Duanmu disciple was only in Ninth Grade Warrior Realm and was no match for him at all.
“You...you killed a Duanmu disciple! That’s it! You’re finished!” The other three guarding the canyon paled and cried out in disbelief.
They were not disciples of the Duanmu Family. They were one of White Tiger Hall’s new apprentices with much lower cultivation levels at only the Seventh and Eight Grade Warrior Realm.
Swoosh swoosh!
Another beam of sword light shone and sliced through their throats.
It was Feng Wu.
The three White Tiger Hall’s disciples fell to the ground, their eyes bulging without any breath left in their bodies.
Lu Ming looked at Feng Wu in surprise as he did not expect her to also kill without hesitation.
1
“Let’s see if they have point-worthy metal pieces on them.”
Carefully devouring their essence in concealment, Lu Ming searched all four bodies. However, essence from a Warrior Realm martial artist was of little use to him.
Alas, Lu Ming and Feng Wu found a total of 26 points on them, so they divvied them up to 13 points each.
They continued to make way towards the canyon.
The canyon was at least a thousand meters tall with smooth, marble-like rock linings on both sides. No wonder the Duanmu disciples had chased the Lightning Leopard here.
In this canyon, no matter how fast the Lightning Leopard was, it could not escape.
At the end of the thousand-meter canyon, smooth marble-like rock linings surrounded the space too.
Five people were surrounding a white fur ball in the middle. The white furball was a Lightning Leopard cub which was as small as a dog. Its fur was as white as snow with strands of lightning buzzing through its body.
Blood soaked the leopard cub’s fur. It laid on the ground wounded while it observed its surroundings with sad, helpless eyes.
“Be careful. We need it alive. Just injuring it will do. This Lightning Leopard’s meant to be given to Young Master Lin as a pet so he can extract the leopard’s blood for cultivation every month,” a young man instructed.
Judging by his clothing, he was undoubtedly a Duanmu disciple, and he was the only one out of the five.
“Don’t worry, Brother Duanmu! What matters to Young Master Lin is of my topmost priority!”
“That’s right!”
The other four chimed in agreement.
Eh?
Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching, and when they turned around and found Lu Ming and Feng Wu, their expressions changed.
“Lu Ming? What’re you doing here?!” the Duanmu disciple cried out in bewilderment.
“Why can’t I be here?” Lu Ming answered with a faint smile.
“The people at the canyon’s entrance...what did you do to them?” the Duanmu disciple questioned sternly.
“Killed them, of course!” Lu Ming answered nonchalantly.
“What?! You killed them? You b*stard! Everyone, he’s wronged the Duanmu Family. Let’s kill him!” the Duanmu disciple bellowed.
“I’ll slaughter him!” A gray-robed young man flew out as he pummelled his fist towards Lu Ming’s head, intending to make Lu Ming’s head explode with a punch.
The wind whistled as the gray-robed young man’s fist cut through the air, accompanied by the explosion of his First Grade Master Realm’s Essential Qi.
Boom!
With one foot stomping heavily on the ground, Lu Ming shot out like an arrow. His sword flashed as quickly as a shooting star.
Pfff! The gray-robed young man had a deep laceration across his chest as Lu Ming’s sword punctured his heart, slicing it into half.
“You...” That was all the young man could utter before he collapsed and died.
Lu Ming killed a First Grade Master Realm expert in just one move.
The other four of them could not believe their eyes. “Guys, let’s slaughter him altogether!” the Duanmu disciple exploded.
Boom! Boom! ...
All four of them made their blood meridians explode.
The Duanmu disciple had a Fourth Level blood meridian while the other three had Third Level blood meridians.
They were all in First Grade Master Realm.
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS
Riise
From 15 Feb 2020, Coins spent on books that aren’t selected will be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded.
The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation.
Thank you for your understanding.Chapter 39: Lightning Leopard’s Blood
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Duanmu Family was indeed powerful to have gathered so many experts together since there were only a hundred people amongst the new apprentices to have cultivated to the level of Master Realm.
All four of the White Tiger Hall apprentices attacked Lu Ming and Feng Wu with all of their might.
Chirp!
A chirp was heard as Feng Wu unleashed her blood meridians. Her Fifth Level blood meridians were in the form of an Ice Soul Bird.
Fifth Level blood meridians were considered one of the top meridians amongst the new apprentices.
“Slay!” Feng Wu cried out as she attacked.
Lu Ming moved in quickly as he started his assault.
Clang! Clang!
A symphony of weapons clashing and Essential Qi exploding could be heard as they fought.
There was only one person from the opposing party fighting Feng Wu. The other three were going against Lu Ming.
Nevertheless, Lu Ming fought swiftly, and his Essential Qi and swordsmanship were undefeatable.
Lu Ming cut one of his three opponents into half after a few mere moves.
Blood was spilled yet again as Lu Ming’s sword stabbed another opponent in the heart.
The three Master Realm martial artists were as fragile as babies in front of Lu Ming. They did not even stand a chance. Finally, only the Duanmu disciple remained.
‘How is Lu Ming so strong? Didn’t that old geyser Lu Yunxiong say that he’s only a low-level martial artist?! He lied to us!’ the Duanmu disciple roared in his heart. He could not care less about the Lightning Leopard anymore as he tried to run for his life.
1
From behind, Lu Ming pierced his heart with his sword immediately. It was impossible to run away from him.
Ahh!
At the same time, a desperate cry was heard on the other side of the battlefield as Feng Wu killed the other White Tiger Hall apprentice.
A Fifth Level blood meridian carried more destruction than a Third Level blood meridian! Her eyes flickered as she gaped at Lu Ming.
‘The three martial artists that were on the same level as he was were no match against him at all, and all that happened even before he unleashed his blood meridians. That’s crazy! No wonder Big Sis Mu Lan had such high hopes of him!’ Feng Wu pondered.
Lu Ming walked towards the Lightning Leopard.
“Huhuuuu...,” whimpered the Lightning Leopard. It lay on the ground with severe injuries on its body as it looked at Lu Ming with eyes filled with despair.
Lu Ming’s heart went out for it as he was reminded about the time when Lu Yao and Lu Yunxiong had stripped him of his blood meridians.
If this Lightning Leopard ended up in the Duanmu Family’s hands, it would not end well.
“What’re you gonna do with this Lightning Leopard cub, Lu Ming? I think you should carry it out because a Lightning Leopard cub’s really precious out there.” Feng Wu suggested.
Lu Ming asked with a laugh, “Do you have an empty jade bottle and some healing medicine with you, Senior Feng Wu?”
“Yep!” Feng Wu nodded as she conjured two jade bottles out of thin air. One of them was empty while the other one contained a healing medicine to aid muscle repair and stop bleeding.
“Thanks, Senior Feng!” Lu Ming thanked Feng Wu as he approached the Lightning Leopard with the jade bottles in his hands.
Roar!
The Lightning Leopard growled and bared its fangs as Lu Ming went near it.
“Don’t worry, lil’ fella. I won’t kill you. I won’t take you away. I just need a little bit of your blood, then I’ll help you heal.” Lu Ming smiled as he promptly seized the cub by its neck.
Since the cub was already hurt and there was blood oozing out of its wounds, Lu Ming filled the empty jade bottle with about half a bottle of its blood, kept it, and poured the Muscle-repairing Bleed-stopping Medicine onto the Lightning Leopard’s wounds.
The Muscle-repairing Bleed-stopping Medicine was a top-notch medicine. Within seconds, the cub’s wounds stopped bleeding.
“Go on. Find a place to heal yourself, lil’ fella. Don’t get captured again now,” Lu Ming said as he patted the cub’s head.
1
“Huhuuu!” The Lightning Leopard cub whimpered as it stared at Lu Ming with puppy eyes, surprised about why Lu Ming would let it go.
On the side, Feng Wu was caught by surprise too. “Are you really letting it go, Lu Ming? Lightning Leopard cubs fetch a hefty price out there, you know.”
“We’re gonna take more point-worthy metal pieces from the Duanmu Family in a while. I sure won’t have the time to babysit it.” Lu Ming laughed.
Huhuuu..
The Lightning Leopard cub ran to Lu Ming and rubbed its head against his leg. Then, it ran to Feng Wu’s leg and did the same.
1
“What a clever little fella! It’s so cute!” Feng Wu praised as her eyes sparkled.
Huhuuuu...
The Lightning Leopard whimpered as it looked deeply at Lu Ming, then it turned and ran out of the canyon at lightning speed.
Lu Ming chuckled before searching for point-worthy metal pieces on the corpses, conveniently devouring their blood essence.
The blood essence of five First Grade Master Realm martial artists was beneficial to Lu Ming.
“They are indeed Master Realm geniuses! They have 30 points each.”
The point-worthy metal pieces made Lu Ming and Feng Wu thrilled. There were a total of 153 points from the five of them combined.
Feng Wu only took 50 points and gave the rest to Lu Ming since if it was not for him, she would not have won against the five other First Grade Master Realm.
Lu Ming’s goal was to be the first, so he unabashedly kept the rest of the 83 points. He now had 124 points now.
“Give me a moment please, Senior Sister Feng.”
Lu Ming sat down in Lotus Position and started to cultivate the blood essence he devoured.
The blood essence of the five First Grade Master Realm martial artists was very condensed, and as it continued to be converted to Essential Qi, Lu Ming’s cultivation rose at an alarming rate.
A short while later, Lu Ming shuddered.
“Second Grade Master Realm!” His eyes glinted.
Yuan Chong, six First Grade Master Realm martial artists, and a few Warrior Realm martial artists’ essence contributed to Lu Ming’s breakthrough in cultivation.
However, his blood meridians were still on the Third Level.
“Let’s go, Senior Sister Feng!” Lu Ming got up and said to Feng Wu.
She looked at Lu Ming curiously. His breakthrough was so subtle that she did not even notice it. She was just intrigued about why Lu Ming had sat down to cultivate, then got up after a short time.
Feng Wu did not pry into his reasons. After all, everyone had their secrets, didn’t they?
Both of them exited the canyon and continued their journey towards the inner parts of the Midnight Hills. Most of the Duanmu Family’s teams were deeper in the woods.
An hour later, Lu Ming and Feng Wu noticed a pattern carved on a tree, so they stopped. It was the carving of a very lifelike Vermillion Bird on the tree bark.
“What does this mean?” Lu Ming asked.
That was the third time they were seeing a similar carving on the trees in the past hour.
“This is a sign specific to the Vermillion Bird Hall. Someone’s calling out for the Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices. You see, the bird’s head points in that direction. That’s where the gathering’s at.”
“Oh, I see!”
Lu Ming was new to the Vermillion Bird Hall, so he knew nothing about that. He was not like the other geniuses in the bigger cities who had done their research about the Mystical Sword School before enrolling.
“They normally wouldn’t gather apprentices like this. What could’ve happened? Let’s take a look, shall we?” Feng Wu suggested, slightly confused.
“Sure!” Lu Ming nodded.
Then, he and Feng Wu walked towards the direction that the Vermillion Bird pointed in.
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS
Riise
From 15 Feb 2020, Coins spent on books that aren’t selected will be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded.
The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation.
Thank you for your understandingChapter 40: The Vermillion Bird Hall’s Number One Expert
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Night fell as Lu Ming and Feng Wu followed the trail of the Vermillion Bird pattern for another ten kilometers.
They were greeted with a huge bunch of bonfires as the flames leaped and danced in the night.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
A few shadows appeared out of nowhere and stopped them from going further.
“Who are you? This is a Vermillion Bird Hall gathering. Are you the Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices?” one of the shadows asked.
“That’s right. We’re the Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices. My name’s Feng Wu,” Feng Wu replied.
“Haha, oh, it’s you, Junior Sister Feng! This way.”
A burst of laughter rang out near the bonfire area as a young man walked toward Feng Wu. This young man was tall and lean. His arms were lanky and his eyes glinted, emitting a dangerous aura.
“Yin Kai, it’s you!” Feng Wu was stunned as she laid eyes on the young man.
‘So, this is Yin Kai?’ Lu Ming’s eyes flickered.
Before the test started, Lu Ming had gathered some information from Feng Wu. The famous Yin Kai was known as the number one expert among all of Vermillion Bird Hall’s new apprentices.
Legends had it that he had only been seventeen when he awakened a Fifth Level blood meridian, and achieved a cultivation of Fourth Grade Master Realm.
Yin Kai’s gaze swept past Lu Ming without lingering and landed on Feng Wu as he invited her, “Junior Sister Feng Wu, let’s talk over there.”
Yin Kai led them to one of the bonfires. There were about five bonfires where nearly fifty Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices were gathered.
The bonfire they were led to had eight people seated around it. All eight of them had great presence and were Master Realm experts.
A few of them had such an abnormally strong presence that they seemed like they were far beyond being in First Grade Master Realm.
They nodded when they saw Feng Wu. Since no one knew Lu Ming or had heard his name before, he was automatically disregarded.
“Senior Brother Yin Kai, did you guys carve all those Vermillion Bird patterns?” Feng Wu asked.
“That’s right. I ordered someone else to do it. Junior Sister Feng Wu, I suppose you guys followed the carvings here, am I right?” Yin Kai replied with a faint smile.
“Yep, we’re here only because of the Vermillion Bird carvings and we wanted to know what’s up. Senior Brother Yin, why have you gathered the Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices with the Vermillion Bird carvings?”
“Junior Sister Feng, I’m sure you already knew that there was a 500-point metal piece this time around,” Yin Kai’s eyes sparkled as he replied.
“A 500-point metal piece? Did you guys find out where it was?” Feng Wu was shocked.
Lu Ming was also caught by surprise.
The 500-point metal piece! Everyone wanted to get their hands on it because it signified that its owner could get the first place. It was essential.
“That’s right!” Yin Kai nodded and continued, “Apart from us at the Vermillion Bird Hall, the White Tiger Hall, the Azure Dragon Hall, and the Onyx Tortoise Hall found it too. That’s why I’m gathering people because this 500-point metal piece mustn’t fall into the hands of the other three halls. We haven’t won since eight years ago.”
“You want to get your hands on this 500-point metal piece so that you’ll be the Apprentice Champion, Senior Yin?” Feng Wu’s eyes flashed.
“Of course!”
From the side, a stony-faced young man said, “Other than Senior Yin Kai, who else in the Vermillion Bird Hall is worthy of being the Apprentice Champion?”
1
Feng Wu pursed her lips and refused to respond to the stony-faced young man’s statement and asked, “Do you have any idea what kind of demonic beast has the 500-point metal piece?”
“It’s on a mutated black-scaled monitor lizard. This black-scaled Monitor Lizard is a Ninth Grade Second Level demonic beast. If we were to combat it head-on, no one in all the four halls could take this metal piece away.
“So, we’ve come to an agreement. Since the black-scaled Monitor Lizard loves to eat silver-eyed rabbits, as long as we manage to capture and spike these rabbits, the lizard will fall into a deep sleep. By then, all four halls will fight for that 500-point metal piece.
“What do you think, Junior Feng? Stay back and help me, won’t you?” Yin Kai coaxed.
“What do we get after helping you?” Lu Ming asked unexpectedly.
“What will you get? What do you mean?” Yin Kai frowned.
“The reward for helping you out, of course! Let’s make a deal. We’ll help you get the 500-point metal piece so that you’ll be the Apprentice Champion, but you’ll give us the Spirit-condensing Fruit when you’ve claimed your first place reward. What do you say?” Lu Ming answered.
Lu Ming aimed to get the Spirit-condensing Fruit. As long as he could get it, what harm was there in giving Yin Kai a boost?
“You want the Spirit-condensing Fruit?” Yin Kai’s face darkened.
“You brat, you really don’t know any better. Assisting Senior Brother Yin so he becomes the Apprentice Champion is a corporate glory for all Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices! As long as you’re in the Vermillion Bird Hall, you should just help out unconditionally. Yet, you still want a reward for helping out? Delusional!” the stony-faced young man uttered darkly.
1
His name was Yuan Lang, a well-known genius in the current batch of new Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices. He was a Third Grade Master Realm.
“Hurhur!” Lu Ming chuckled coldly. He finally understood. Yin Kai carved the Vermillion Bird pattern, gathered the Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices, and expected them to help him grab the Apprentice Champion title for nothing.
Lu Ming did not have the habit of blindly helping someone out. Besides that, he was not even close to them in the first place!
“Corporate glory for all the Vermillion Bird Hall apprentices? What a pompous sounding phrase.” Lu Ming looked at Yuan Lang mockingly and taunted, “Since it’s for the glory of the Vermillion Bird Hall, sure thing! When we get the 500-point metal piece, give it to me so that I’ll be the Apprentice Champion for the Vermillion Bird Hall’s glory.”
Upon hearing that, Yin Kai, Yuan Lang, and his followers’ faces darkened like an impending thunderstorm.
“Who the heck do you think you are? You, the Apprentice Champion?” Yuan Lang barked.
“Oh?” Lu Ming’s voice dripped with sarcasm. He turned and looked at Feng Wu with such disdain as he asked, “Senior Brother Feng, are you gonna stay? I’m done entertaining them.”
“Nope, not interested. Let’s go then!” Feng Wu replied and was about to leave with him.
“You two! Stand right there!” Yuan Lang bellowed.
Swoosh!
His body moved quickly as he prevented Lu Ming and Feng Wu from leaving.
“What does this mean, Yin Kai?” Feng Wu turned and questioned Yin Kai in rage.
Yin Kai answered with a malicious smile, “This time, I must be the champion, so take out all the metal pieces you have right now!”
“Yin Kai, you...” Feng Wu was so mad. She did not expect Yin Kai to be so despicable.
“It’s okay if you don’t wanna fight with us. Just leave your point-worthy metal pieces with me.” Yuan Lang looked at Lu Ming scornfully.
“Who are you to block my way? F*ck off like the dog that you are!” Lu Ming raised his voice.
“What an arrogant brat! Well, to be this arrogant, you’ve gotta have what it takes. Let’s see what you’ve got!” Yuan Lang mocked, forming his hands in the shape of an eagle’s claws, and assaulting Lu Ming.Chapter 41: Fighting A Third Grade Master
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Lu Ming, be careful!” Feng Wu’s expression shifted as she cried out.
Yuan Lang’s cultivation had reached the Third Grade Master Realm and was not something a First Grade Master could compare against. She was afraid that Lu Ming was no match for him.
“Flame Dragon Fist!”
Neither did Lu Ming dodge nor back down. He delivered a punch instead.
Bam!
As Lu Ming’s fist and Yuan Lang’s clawed hand collided, energy surged in all directions. Both of their figures glowed and they fell back three steps. In that exchange of blows, they were evenly matched.
‘A Third Grade Master is powerful indeed!’ Lu Ming’s eyes gleamed as he thought to himself.
With a massive gap between each level, the Master Realm was difficult to surmount. It was not something the Warrior Realm could rival.
For instance, back when Lu Ming was on the Sixth Grade Warrior Realm, boosted by three divine meridians, his True War Dragon Qi was twice as condensed as ordinary Essential Chi. In addition to his refined martial arts, he could rise above three levels and battle against Ninth Grade Warriors.
However, in the Master Realm, this was not possible.
The additional power of the three divine meridians was still rather obvious on the Warrior Realm. Nonetheless, in the Master Realm, this power did not appear to be as useful.
The main function of a divine meridian was exhibited through one’s talent and potential instead of one’s direct physical strength.
Therefore, now that Lu Ming’s cultivation was at Second Grade Master Realm, based on his own Essential Qi, he could rise above one level at most to battle against a Third Grade Master. With his refined martial arts, suppressing or even killing a Third Grade Master was not a problem. However, he would be in trouble if he encountered a Fourth Grade Master.
Of course, this was assuming that Lu Ming’s blood meridian had not exploded.
When both of them drew back, the people around them were startled.
Feng Wu was delighted. She never thought that Lu Ming could actually exchange equal blows with Yuan Lang.
‘Just how strong is Lu Ming really? He must have been hiding his strength, yet Big Sis Mu Lan asked me to protect him? It’s more like he should protect me!’ Feng Wu thought to herself, somewhat flabbergasted.
By one side, Yin Kai and the rest were gripped by surprise. They had never heard of Lu Ming before. Where did he come from? He had such a formidable cultivation level!
Yuan Lang’s expression darkened, twisted by a murderous desire. He roared, “Lu Ming, take this – Eighteen Hawk Claws!”
Zing zing!
Yuan Lang’s hands drew something out from his waist. In an instant, he was wearing metal gloves.
His clawed hands struck out rapidly and in succession, hitting nine times in a flash. The nine claw attacks targeted the nine vital points of Lu Ming’s body.
Driven by Essential Qi, the sharp metal gloves sliced through the air, whistling piercingly as they did so.
“That’s a Superior Yellow Level martial arts technique. Too bad his cultivation is lackluster. He’s barely broken through to the Third Stage.”
A cold smile tugged at Lu Ming’s lips, then he unsheathed his longsword and wielded the Lustrous Sword Technique.
Zing zing!
The blades of sword light whipped through the air as Lu Ming slashed twelve times in an instant.
Clink! Clink! ...
The longsword and the metal gloves collided time and again as the two figures crossed each other midair.
At last, the sounds suddenly stopped as they separated.
Pffft!
Suddenly, Yuan Lang’s body shuddered and he spat a mouthful of blood out.
Defeated, a wound had appeared over his chest, deep enough to reveal his bone. If Lu Ming had not restrained his own strength at that crucial moment, Yuan Lang would have been dead.
“You can scram now.” Lu Ming cast an indifferent look at Yuan Lang, then started to walk forward.
Clang! Clang! ...
Weapons were unsheathed successively. Following that, a girl dressed in white cried out, “Lu Ming, there are so many of us here with Senior Brother Yin Kai. Did you think that you can leave?”
“Yin Kai, what are you doing? All of you are really going to stop us?” Feng Wu said with an unhappy look.
Yin Kai stared at Lu Ming gloomily without speaking.
“You may try and see if you can stop me, but I guarantee that the subsequent losses aren’t something you can endure.” Lu Ming lifted the longsword with a placid gaze which contained an unflinching will. His icy voice caused them to shiver involuntarily deep in their hearts.
Yin Kai stared at Lu Ming for a long while. His eyes flashed brightly and he suddenly laughed. “Haha, this is all a misunderstanding. Junior Brother Lu Ming, you are impressive indeed. I’ve learned so much from this. I hope that we can be friends in the future.”
“Senior Sister Feng, let’s go!” Lu Ming did not even glance at Yin Kai as he turned to leave.
“Lu Ming, I was careless this time. Next time, you’ll pay for my disgrace today many times over.” Yuan Lang’s cold voice rang out from behind them.
“Next time? You’d better wished that there’s no next time,” Lu Ming said casually. After that, he and Feng Wu vanished into the mountain woods.
After both of them left, the white-clothed girl asked Yin Kai, “Senior Brother Yin, are we letting them go just like that?”
“Lu Ming possesses great fighting powers. Moreover, our main target now is to compete against three other halls for the 500-point metal piece. We mustn’t lose any manpower!
“After this test is over, I’ll have a plan to deal with him. I’ll make him sorry.”
As Yin Kai glared at the direction in which Lu Ming and Feng Wu had left, his eyes glittered dangerously.
A thousand meters away.
“Junior Brother Lu Ming, Yin Kai is a petty person. After you’ve insulted him like that, he won’t forgive you so easily,” Feng Wu expressed somewhat worriedly.
“He’d better not come looking for trouble with me!” Lu Ming smiled faintly. He was not fazed about someone like Yin Kai.
Feng Wu’s pretty eyes shimmered. Although she had known Lu Ming for quite some time, she realized that she could not figure him out completely. From her point of view, he seemed unfathomable.
“Lu Ming, what will you do next?” she asked.
“What should I do next? I don’t wish to miss out on the 500-point metal piece.” A smirk flitted over Lu Ming’s lips.
Feng Wu widened her eyes as she exclaimed, “Are you thinking of snatching it from the jaws of danger?”
“Why not!” With a grin, Lu Ming then climbed up a tree that was over 20 meters tall. From this distance, he watched Yin Kai and the rest. He was going to track Yin Kai’s group and snatched the 500-point metal piece from them.
‘This guy sure is interesting!’ Feng Wu looked at him, then climbed the tree and sat on the branch as well.
The darkness dissipated, and the light of dawn emerged over the horizon.
Far away, Yin Kai and the rest had extinguished their bonfire and were heading into the depths of the Midnight Hills.
Lu Ming and Feng Wu followed them from a distance.
They traveled for more than ten kilometers. After that, Yin Kai’s group stopped below a large mountain. Beneath this peak was a gigantic cave. It was terrifyingly pitch-black inside.
A crowd of over a hundred people had already gathered before the cave.
“Those from the White Tiger Hall and the Azure Dragon Hall have arrived,” Feng Wu said softly to Lu Ming.
“Mm!” Lu Ming nodded.
“Lu Ming, if you fight later, there are a few people you must be wary of.” Feng Wu pointed to a youth who was wearing white robes with green embroidered sleeves and a purple jade belt. “That guy is Duanmu Jue. He’s the strongest amongst the new batch in the White Tiger Hall.”
After that, she pointed at another youth in green robes. “That one’s called Huang Yu. He’s the foremost expert amongst the Azure Dragon’s new apprentices.”
“Mm!” Lu Ming made a soft, affirmative sound again.
Feng Wu rolled her eyes. Surely he was being too calm. These were all top geniuses who were strong contenders for this year’s Apprentice Champion.
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