Chapter 87: Chapter 70: Zhong Ming: With Flying Dragons on Their Face, I Just Don’t Know How to Lose

"So luxurious."

The seven-story Golden Jade Tower truly lived up to its name, filled to the brim with extravagant jewels and precious jade. Even from a distance, Zhong Ming could see a treasured glow emanating from within.

Even Zhong Ming, who was used to the sight of towering skyscrapers, found himself marveling at the sheer opulence.

As he observed the Golden Jade Tower, others were secretly observing him.

’So that’s Zhong Ming? He looks so ordinary.’

Sizing up the figure below, Yi Yunyan’s brows furrowed slightly.

Next to her stood a tall, heroic-looking man dressed in a set of golden armor.

This man was Ye Cheng, the grandson of the Third Elder of the Golden Armor Sect.

He was supposed to be Yi Yunyan’s powerful ally, invited today to challenge Zhong Ming—or at the very least, to test the upper limits of his power.

But after what Yi Yunya had said in the tower earlier, Yi Yunyan didn’t dare to make a rash move.

As for Ye Cheng... he wasn’t a fool either.

If Zhong Ming’s strength was comparable to his own, Ye Cheng wouldn’t mind making an effort for the sake of winning the beautiful lady’s favor, not to mention the resources she represented.

But if Zhong Ming truly possessed extraordinary talent, he was unwilling to offend him.

Even though they belonged to different sects, getting on the bad side of a top-tier prodigy would mean endless trouble for him.

However, because Zhong Ming had never shown his strength, they couldn’t be sure whether he was truly capable or if Yi Yunya was just bluffing.

And so, they observed.

After a period of scrutinizing him, the two of them frowned, discovering that Zhong Ming had no aura of power at all, appearing instead just like an ordinary person.

This was the wonder of the Sword-Containing Seed. After acquiring it, Zhong Ming’s Magical Power, Divine Soul aura, and any other excess energy were all channeled through the Silver-White Tree into the Sword Seed, nourishing its form and building its momentum.

This, in turn, caused the aura around Zhong Ming to be retracted so completely that not a trace remained.

His ordinary-seeming appearance... did nothing to make Ye Cheng underestimate him.

’Not a single trace of his aura is leaking out. His technique for concealing his presence is brilliant.’

’But we can’t gauge Zhong Ming’s strength from his concealment alone.’

At this, Yi Yunyan sighed. "Ugh, won’t anyone step up and provoke Zhong Ming, make him show us what he’s got?"

As she spoke, Yi Yunyan glanced around, fervently hoping for some brainless idiot... some brave soul to show up.

Unfortunately, none of the Yi Family disciples aiming for the steward positions were actually fools.

At first, they’d assumed the Zhong Ming that Yi Yunya was backing was on par with them. In that case, there was nothing to discuss; they would all just compete on their own merits.

But Yi Yunya’s calm and confident, even arrogant and unrestrained attitude, made them uncertain and suspicious, and they all wanted to wait for someone else to make the first move and test the waters.

And when a group of clever people with different thoughts gathered, the end result was that Zhong Ming had already entered the Golden Jade Tower while they were still watching from the sidelines.

...

These people didn’t step forward, but Zhong Ming felt all of their gazes.

And this prompted him to ask Yi Yunya a question.

"Did you really have to go this far?"

Instead of participating in the Golden Jade Tower’s month-end assessment, he would make them take the initiative to befriend him. This would give him the upper hand in any cooperation. It was all Yi Yunya’s idea.

This was also a risky move.

If it didn’t succeed, Yi Yunya would be in a very difficult position.

"Hee hee..." Yi Yunya giggled at his words, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiling sweetly. "Are you worried about me, Senior Brother?"

"Yes."

She had helped him so much recently; he wouldn’t forget a debt like that.

Such a direct response made a flicker of surprise flash through Yi Yunya’s eyes, but she quickly composed herself and returned to normal.

But, inevitably, the smile on her face became more genuine.

The next moment, hugging Zhong Ming’s arm, she answered his question: "Senior Brother, the key to whether this succeeds or not doesn’t lie with me. It’s all up to you."

At this point, her expression became serious. "The Seven Peaks competition at the end of the month... Senior Brother, are you confident you can take first place?"

These words fell on his ears, and a confident smile appeared on Zhong Ming’s face. "I will win."

As he said those three words, Zhong Ming closed his eyes and took stock of his own power.

With Magical Power several times more potent than it was in his early Qi Cultivation stage, Zhong Ming no longer had to punch above his weight when facing other prodigies.

Now that they were in the same realm, Zhong Ming could finally display a bit of the true edge of his various Swordsmanship and Magic Techniques, many of which had already reached the Third or even Fourth Realm.

’Now, if I were to face Senior Brother Shi Yun again, I wouldn’t need to get into a drawn-out fight. A single Dripping Water - Sword Pulling would force him to exhaust all his Heart Power just to defend against it.’

Thinking of this, Zhong Ming glanced at the Sword Seed suspended in his Sea of Consciousness. Feeling the berserk power within it, he thought that if this strike landed true, even a late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator...

’Phew... I’m finally on the same starting line as the other top prodigies in terms of cultivation level.’

Besides the existing improvements, Zhong Ming hadn’t wasted any time these past few days.

While exploring how to get the Dao Rhyme Dragon Flood to settle in his Sword Seed, Zhong Ming had also been continuously practicing the Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique.

Thanks to the Flow of Water Dao Rhyme and the existence of Mind Reading, the progress of Zhong Ming’s Cultivation Technique had reached: [Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique: Third Realm Refinement (13584/14200)].

’My Water Affinity is a huge boost for the Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique. Water now feels like an extension of my own body. When I’m next to a stream, I can cast Magic Techniques from the Water Dragon Technique series using the current, consuming almost none of my Magical Power.’

’With over ten hours of training a day, compounded by the power of Heaven Rewards Diligence, this Cultivation Technique can reach the Fourth Realm in a day at most!’

’Advancing one Cultivation Technique every four to five days... by the end of the month, I’ll be able to level up two more...’

With so many Fourth Realm Cultivation Techniques, Zhong Ming felt his advantage was so overwhelming that he couldn’t imagine how he could possibly lose.

...

"You must be Zhong Ming."

Just as Zhong Ming was immersed in the improvement of his own strength, a gentle yet dignified voice suddenly sounded from his side.

Turning his head to look, he saw a woman dressed in luxurious clothes leaning on the railing of the second floor, nodding at him.

"That I am. And you must be Lady Yi?"

Yi Qing: "You can call me Auntie, just like Yun Ya does. That child has bet everything she has on you. I hope you won’t let her down."

"I won’t. I will forever cherish the help Yun Ya has given me."

After a few casual words with Zhong Ming, Yi Qing let him go.

But after the two of them left, Yi Qing fell into thought.

’I can’t sense any aura from him at all. This Zhong Ming... he’s certainly got a few tricks up his sleeve.’

As a Wind Fiend Unity stage Cultivator, if Yi Qing used her full power to sense him, she would be able to perceive the situation inside Zhong Ming’s body.

It’s just that doing so would be too offensive.

’Besides, there’s no need. I’ll just hold onto the anticipation.’

...

"Auntie, what do you think of the person Seventh Sister found?"

Just as Yi Qing was pondering, the Yi Family disciples scattered throughout the Golden Jade Tower all came over.

Unable to gauge Zhong Ming’s strength themselves, they saw Yi Qing speak with him and instinctively assumed that someone of their aunt’s power could surely see how profound he was.

This prompted them to start asking questions.

Yi Qing couldn’t help but give an amused smile at the scene.

"You want to know Zhong Ming’s strength?"

"Uh-huh."

Seeing them all nod with expectant looks, Yi Qing spoke: "If you want to know, then go find out for yourselves."

"Huh?"

The dumbfounded looks on Yi Yunyan, Yi Shan, and the others made Yi Qing even more amused.

—She had no intention of telling Yi Yunyan and the others. These people were her nieces and nephews, and so was Yi Yunya. She didn’t want to show favoritism.

Yi Yunhai and the others understood their aunt’s intention from her attitude, and they exchanged uncertain glances.

"What should we do now? Continue to test him, or just let it be?"

Just as Yi Qing was preparing to watch the show, and Yi Yunyan and the others were conflicted and hesitant, not knowing what to do, two more people walked over.

It was a man and a woman.

The man was a rather amicable and portly middle-aged man.

The woman, on the other hand, was alluring and flirtatious.

The arrival of these two made Yi Qing’s expression turn cold.

As for Yi Yunyan, Yi Yunhai, and Yi Shan, these juniors, they subconsciously shrank behind Yi Qing.

The two before them were Yi Qing’s peers, the Vice Tower Lords of the Golden Jade Tower, and also her greatest rivals.

When faced with powerful figures from outside their family, respectfully staying out of the way was the safest choice for Yi Yunhai and the others.

"Qin Rou, Dong Jinhai, what are you two doing here?"

As Yi Qing spoke, the distance and coldness in her tone were barely concealed.

In response, Dong Jinhai didn’t seem to care at all. Instead, he laughed heartily and said, "Yi Qing, we’re all colleagues. No need to be like this."

On the other side, Qin Rou glanced in the direction where Zhong Ming and Yi Yunya had left. Then, exuding a gentle charm and carrying a faint fragrance, she looked at Yi Qing with a probing gaze: "These past few days, I’ve heard that someone in your Yi Family has found a super-prodigy, even going so far as to shatter a jade for him. Was that him just now?"

Hearing this, Yi Qing waved her hand nonchalantly. "You two certainly have too much time on your hands. It’s just the juniors fooling around. What’s there to pay attention to?"

Although she had yet to confirm whether Zhong Ming’s talent was extraordinary, he was still with Yi Yunya and was an asset to their Yi Family.

Therefore, Yi Qing didn’t want to reveal Zhong Ming’s situation, so she deliberately downplayed his importance, saying his matter wasn’t worth much attention.

Alas, Qin Rou and Dong Jinhai didn’t believe her at all.

An ordinary genius was indeed not worth their time, but the matter of the shattered jade was different.

Especially since the two had also heard about Yi Yunya’s words at noon. That confidence and unrestrained audacity forced them to take this matter seriously.

’Ignoring the rules and treating the other Yi Family disciples as if they were nothing... The prodigy Yi Yunya found is very likely a candidate for a Celestial Level retainer.’

’And Zhong Ming isn’t a Loose Cultivator; he comes from the Seven Profound Sect. If he truly has the talent of a Celestial Level retainer, in the future, he could even influence the decisions of the Seven Profound Sect’s Sect Leader...’

Thinking of this, the two felt their trip was even more necessary.

After all, the position of Tower Lord of the Golden Jade Tower required not only outstanding personal strength but also the support of powerful factions.

A candidate for a Celestial Level retainer, plus the Seven Profound Sect, was worth them wasting time and energy to pay attention to and win over.

As for Yi Qing, she was trying every means to deny this and send the two of them away.

"I’ve also looked into Zhong Ming’s situation. He only has a third-grade Spiritual Root. Someone like him will inevitably have to spend much more effort to catch up to the cultivation progress of a true prodigy."

"How far do you think the Seven Profound Sect must have fallen to make someone with a third-grade Spiritual Root a True Disciple?"

This made Qin Rou chuckle lightly. "Sister, your words are a bit narrow-minded. A Spiritual Root is only useful in the early stages. For a true powerhouse, cultivation depends on temperament and comprehension."

Yi Qing: "You’re the one who’s narrow-minded. Which true powerhouse doesn’t possess both a top-tier Spiritual Root and comprehension? How outstanding do you think Zhong Ming’s comprehension would have to be to offset the disadvantage of a third-grade Spiritual Root?"

"Not to mention, it’s not even certain Zhong Ming has any comprehension to speak of."

"Yun Ya is backing him just because he... he’s handsome and has an excellent temperament. Yes, that’s it..."

In order not to let Zhong Ming attract the attention of the two, Yi Qing kept belittling him, saying he had won Yi Yunya’s favor with his looks.

However, she had to stop before she could finish her disparaging words.

ROAR!

As the few of them were talking, a heaven-shaking dragon’s roar suddenly erupted from the True Intent Area.

Accompanying the dragon’s roar was a domineering and majestic aura.

BOOM!

This immense aura pressed down on Yi Yunyan, Yi Yunhai, and Yi Shan, making them feel a sense of suffocation, as if being crushed by an invisible mountain.

The slightly weaker Yi Yunyan was even forced to collapse to the ground under the pressure.

However, at this moment, Yi Yunyan didn’t care at all about her sorry state.

Struggling to turn her head under the heavy pressure, she looked towards the True Intent Area, her face filled with terror and disbelief.

"This is... How is this possible..."