Chapter 11: Could a Seemingly Fake News Be True?

News of the entire strength of the Liu family being slaughtered quickly spread throughout the great city.

Numerous powers were shaken to their core!

In just one day, Qin Ming had wiped away his reputation as a worthless individual, and the name of a prodigy began to rise steadily.

The patriarch at the second level of the Bitter Sea Realm was slain?

Such a cultivation level was already impressive in Qingzhou.

Yet Qin Ming was still just a youth, already able to challenge the elder generation of cultivators. His future potential was immense!

No one knew exactly what had happened to Qin Ming.

Why had his strength suddenly skyrocketed?

“Youngsters are truly formidable!”

Someone sighed, eyes filled with complexity.

“Indeed, this Qin Ming boy’s future is boundless. Handsome and refined, and he even packages the bodies of those he kills to take away.”

Whispers rose one after another.

That day, on the long street of the great city, a mysterious cultivator clad entirely in a black robe appeared.

He set up a small stall, beside which stood a small wooden sign.

On it was written: “Willing to pay handsomely for discarded martial arts manuals, no restrictions on grade!”

Indeed, this black-robed cultivator was Qin Ming himself.

The reason he sought to purchase martial arts manuals was simple.

Having tasted the sweetness of the “Nine Heavens God-Slaying Sword Technique,” he wished to perfect a second move, even a third.

With just the first ultimate move, he could instantly obliterate cultivators at the second level of the Bitter Sea Realm.

What if he perfected a second move?

A third?

Qin Ming was a very pragmatic person.

If one punch wasn’t enough to kill, then throw another.

He deeply believed in the truth of overwhelming numbers — more sons to fight, gang up on the enemy.

Having offended the Divine Xuan Dynasty, he didn’t know when such a power might come to claim him.

In short, it was best to gain the strength to protect himself and the Tongtian Immortal Sect before then.

Time was pressing!

Improving one’s power boiled down to three main paths.

First, powerful martial arts.

Second, profound cultivation realms.

Third, a strong backing.

Qin Ming planned to start with the first two, as they were relatively simpler.

“Heavy payment, discarded, no restrictions?”

Many cultivators gathered around upon seeing the words on the sign.

Who didn’t have a few martial arts manuals they couldn’t refine?

They had been worried no one would take them off their hands.

Now, with a buyer appearing, many cultivators’ hearts blossomed with joy.

At that moment, a bearded cultivator approached, staring intently at the sign for a long time before making a move to overturn Qin Ming’s stall.

“Last time I was cheated out of my life savings by a heavy payment scammer. I bet you’re just another fraud here showing off.”

Fortunately, Qin Ming explained quickly and saved his stall.

The bearded cultivator, half doubtful, handed over his discarded martial arts manual and indeed exchanged it for some spirit stones from Qin Ming.

Throughout the process, the bearded man was straightforward, not asking for exorbitant prices.

Qin Ming knew this wasn’t because the other party was kind-hearted.

Instead, he was hiding his identity.

In this way, no one would mistakenly think he was wealthy just because he was a Daoist and raise the prices.

With this example set, surrounding cultivators eagerly stepped forward to trade.

Beyond the crowd, two women lingered.

One wore a cyan robe and a thin veil, concealing her true features.

Her figure was graceful and slender; her long legs hidden by a long skirt, only a faint glimpse of her white, creamy ankles showing.

Through the veil, one could roughly discern the contours of her face.

She was undoubtedly a great beauty.

Moreover, the ethereal aura she carried was utterly enchanting.

Beside the woman in cyan stood another girl in a red dress. Though also stunning, she paled in comparison.

“Miss Ling Xuewei, is this person crazy? Collecting discarded martial arts manuals? And the grades are all low—what is this, picking up scraps?”

The red-dressed girl frowned deeply, puzzled.

Ling Xuewei, the woman in cyan, spoke with a cold voice, like a tranquil mountain valley.

“There exists a genius in the Immortal Mansion who can refine myriad methods, extracting from countless paths the essence that suits themselves.”

“But clearly, this person lacks the enlightened spirit where Dao and Law intertwine.”

“Moreover, such a feat is beyond the reach of a mere Soul Formation Realm cultivator.”

Anyone listening carefully would be shocked by her words.

Immortal Mansion?

“Miss, you say that the Heavenly Path Great Demon God you have long sought vanished here? But we’ve never been able to find him. Should we give up recruitment efforts and return home?”

Hearing this, the woman in cyan pondered for a moment before replying, “You return to Central State and join Elder Chen and the others in returning to the Lingxu Immortal Mansion. I will remain here for a while.”

The red-dressed girl shook her head slightly.

She found it hard to understand. Just a genius from Xuanyao Continent—what was so worthy of attention?

Why would they bother to send someone down from Lingxu Immortal Mansion to recruit him?

But she dared not argue and obeyed, leaving first.

Shortly after, Ling Xuewei also departed from the great city.

From afar, Qin Ming packed up his stall with satisfaction.

Today’s harvest was good—he had exchanged for nearly thirty thousand volumes of martial arts manuals!

He just didn’t know if he could refine a second ultimate move from them.

To others, these were discarded martial arts manuals.

But in his hands, he could extract the most essential martial power, turning it into nourishment for the Nine Heavens God-Slaying Sword Technique.

“Hm, I’ll go to the Hundred Severed Mountains to refine the second ultimate move, and kill some monsters along the way to refine from them.”

With a flash, Qin Ming left the great city, heading for the Hundred Severed Mountains.

There was a paradise for adventurers and beasts alike.

But one could always encounter terrifying beast tides, and a single misstep could lead to being devoured by monsters.

It was said that even cultivators at the ninth level of the Bitter Sea Realm dared not guarantee their safety deep within the Hundred Severed Mountains.

At that moment, on the vast borderlands of Qingzhou, a man dressed in funeral robes appeared.

He was enveloped in a faint aura of death.

At his waist hung a censer, with three incense sticks burning—symbolizing short life and misfortune.

The swirling incense smoke rose from his waist and was inhaled into his mouth and nose.

He rode the wind and frost, rushing forth.

As he traveled, he cursed loudly.

“That brat is too cunning—he actually sealed a drop of his essence in the Wild North of Barbaric Wasteland.”

Speaking, he opened a silk pouch and took out a jade slip.

Holding it, he quickly scanned the information within.

This information was transmitted remotely by a spy from the Yin Corpse Sect.

“Qin Ming, the most devoted of Tongtian Immortal Sect, Qingzhou’s number one sycophant, a worthless fool without guile, indecisive, bullied by anyone, human or dog.”

“Relying on the elders of Tongtian Immortal Sect, he slew Prince Ye Chen, cultivation unknown, Dao-bone innate.”

The funeral-robed cultivator’s eyes brightened as he read.

A worthless fool?

Then this mission wouldn’t be difficult!

In truth, this mission had been passed down in layers.

The Divine Xuan Dynasty’s top general, Ye Wuyun, had urged the Yin Corpse Sect to deal with the death of Prince Ye Chen.

The Yin Corpse Sect’s patriarch passed it to the sect leader.

Finally, it trickled down to this junior elder.

And the pay was pitiful.

Just a few coins? Risking his life?

Adhering to the principle of preserving his life, he had planned to come here to stall, then report back that he couldn’t complete the task.

But now things were different.

Dealing with a “worthless fool” would be a piece of cake.

He continued to peruse the information.

“Recently, Qin Ming slew the Liu family’s patriarch; cultivation rumored to be terrifying, possibly reaching the second level of the Bitter Sea Realm!”

Yet the funeral-robed cultivator was unimpressed.

Even if he were at the second level of the Bitter Sea Realm, or even the eighth, it would only be a cultivation level comparable to his own.

This boy was definitely marked for death.

From worthless to prodigy—such a transformation wasn’t so easy.

Could it be that the seemingly real news was false, and the seemingly false news was true?