Chapter 268: Xuan Yin Ming Stone

A massive blood-red fist shadow instantly locked down all the qi around Chu Tianhe.

It radiated an oppression that made his heart tremble with fear.

Even his most prideful Thunderclap Sword Intent shattered instantly under the blood-red demon monkey's blow.

What kind of terrifying body cultivation art is this?

The onlooker cultivators stared in stunned silence at Qin Ming's strike.

They scrambled to flee—anyone caught in the backlash would be dead or lose half their life.

Before the mountain-sized blood-red fist shadow, Chu Tianhe looked no bigger than an ant.

Boom! The fist shadow descended, unleashing a violent collision atop the peak.

A powerful shockwave surged outward in all directions.

When the dust settled and the crowd regained their senses,

they saw that the earth-shattering punch launched by the bearded giant Long Dao Ren had been effortlessly blocked by Nalan Xi's golden pagoda.

"Young Long, the outcome is clear—let it end here."

Nalan Xi was equally astonished; she hadn't expected Long Dao Ren's strength to be so formidable, not even Chu Tianhe could stand against him.

She had originally intended to rescue "Long Dao Ren," but the situation flipped abruptly—now she was saving Chu Tianhe. Just as he himself had claimed, he struck without restraint—truly a brute. Had that punch landed on Chu Tianhe, he'd be dead or crippled.

Qin Ming retracted his blood qi true Gang and landed, bowing to Chu Tianhe across from him: "Your courtesy."

Chu Tianhe's face flushed red then pale—he knew full well that without Nalan Xi's intervention, he could never have withstood that brutal punch.

He had hoped his sword art had advanced greatly, aiming to uphold his sect's honor and claim a second-rank perfected beast core as a bonus.

Who could have imagined Long Dao Ren's body cultivation was this terrifying—able to crush his sword technique bare-handed?

Is this even a human? "Cough! Long friend, your prowess is truly formidable—I yield!"

Any clear-eyed observer could tell who was stronger—Chu Tianhe accepted defeat cleanly, without stubbornness.

The other four Golden Core elders regarded "Long Dao Ren" with unmistakable surprise.

Moreover,

Qin Ming had just exchanged a move with True Person Nalan Xi of Canghai, yet he realized the gap between himself and a Golden Core elder remained vast.

Between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment lies an impassable abyss—a difference in fundamental power. No matter how strong a Foundation Establishment cultivator may be, they are nothing before a Golden Core elder.

Even pseudo-Golden Core elders, though capable of channeling a fraction of Golden Core power, remain vastly unequal in rank.

Unless Qin Ming could fully master the third transformation of True Gang Forming and achieve a qualitative breakthrough in his body, he still could not match a Golden Core elder.

At this moment,

Whirr! The surrounding cultivators erupted in exclamations.

"Unbelievable! Long Dao Ren defeated the pseudo-Golden Core elder of Lingjian Mountain!"

"Incredible! He caught a spiritual weapon bare-handed—is this what body cultivators can do?!"

"After this battle, Wei's Foundation Establishment rankings will change."

"Correct—Chu Zushi isn't an ordinary pseudo-Golden Core. Defeating him means Long Dao Ren can surpass Gu Tongshan in second place and Xiang Zehao of Shennong Sect in first."

"Who would've thought? One strike decided victory—Long Dao Ren's strength is plain to see."

"I've never seen such monstrous blood qi from a cultivator before!"

"Long Dao Ren's name will once again echo through Wei's cultivation world—no, likely all three other nations will hear of him, hahaha!"

…

The surrounding cultivators chattered endlessly, but under Nalan Xi's orders, they dared not linger and quickly dispersed.

Chu Tianhe wiped the blood from his lips, swallowed a pill, and his complexion improved considerably.

Then, with obvious embarrassment, he said to Qin Ming: "Long friend, could you return my Nirvana Sword?"

"Oh? Isn't this my spoils of war?" Long Dao Ren, Qin Ming's disguise, rumbled in reply.

"Wasn't it agreed before the duel that we'd add a bonus?"

Chu Tianhe froze, then hurriedly said: "This sword is one of our sect's Twelve Famous Swords—I cannot wager it!" Qin Ming paused, then asked: "Then what will you offer to reclaim your spiritual sword?"

Chu Tianhe sighed bitterly, pulled several items from his storage bag, and displayed them before Qin Ming:

"Long friend, choose any one of these items—they're no worse than a second-rank perfected beast core. See if anything catches your eye."

Qin Ming immediately focused his gaze—the items Chu Tianhe listed were all rare treasures in the cultivation world.

Second-rank high-grade elixirs, top-tier cultivation techniques, second-rank supreme-grade spiritual materials—all were there.

Qin Ming stared at the items, hesitating.

"Choose the black ore."

At that moment, the Shitian Rat in his spirit beast pouch transmitted a thought to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming no longer hesitated—he reached out, seized one item from the pile, and pulled a black ore into his hand.

"Huh? He actually chose that second-rank Xuan Yin Ming Stone?" Chu Tianhe had braced for heavy loss, yet this unexpected turn surprised him.

It slightly lifted his previously sinking spirits.

Then Qin Ming took the Jipin spiritual weapon "Nirvana Sword" from his storage bag, gently caressed its blade, and murmured with slight reluctance: "What a fine sword."

Yet he could not, under everyone's eyes, covet Lingjian Mountain's sect treasure—he tossed the Nirvana Sword back to Chu Tianhe.

Immediately afterward, he secretly transmitted a thought to the Shitian Rat: "Why did you make me pick that black stone? It looks ordinary."

The Shitian Rat chuckled: "The black stone itself is ordinary, but it hides secrets. This isn't a safe place to examine it—find a quiet spot later, and you'll see."

"I sense something valuable inside, but I can't clearly make out what it is."

"Are you certain?"

"Mm-hmm! Absolutely certain!"

Hearing this, Qin Ming relaxed—he trusted the Shitian Rat's innate treasure-sensing talent; it wouldn't misjudge.

Next,

The commotion ended. "Long Dao Ren" bid farewell to Nalan Xi and departed from Canghai Peak.

Jin's Lingjian Mountain not only failed to regain face—it lost it entirely.

Just one day later, Guan Mo, a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator from Lingjian Mountain, arrived at Qin Ming's inn with his disciples to apologize.

"Long friend, I was wrong before—I beg your mercy!"

After returning home, Guan Mo had been severely reprimanded by his own Chu Zushi, who vented all his fury over losing to Qin Ming onto him.

Now he regretted it bitterly: "It was just a fragment of a magic treasure! Not even a real one!"

Qin Ming didn't make things difficult for Guan Mo—he dismissed him casually.

…

Inside the inn room,

Qin Ming cast a barrier seal, then pulled out the Xuan Yin Ming Stone.

He had researched this second-rank high-grade Xuan Yin Ming Stone ore before—he knew it could be used to forge high-grade Yin spiritual weapons, but this piece was clearly insufficient in quantity.

He extended his spiritual sense into the ore, only to find its Xuan Yin energy absorbed his probing awareness—completely obscuring its interior.

He sent out his spiritual sense to probe the ore's interior, but discovered the spirit ore radiated a mysterious yin force that absorbed his spiritual sense, leaving him unable to see its internal structure at all.

"If there's nothing inside, you'll till the fields for ten years."

Qin Ming's gaze sharpened—he clenched his hand with sudden force, and the entire Xuan Yin Ming Stone crumbled into black powder.

In an instant—a black light fell from within.

Qin Ming's eyes flashed—he swiftly reached out and seized the black light in his palm.

He looked closely: a pitch-black seed core lay in his hand, radiating an icy, extreme Yin force.

He stared closely—a pitch-black seed lay in his palm, emitting a chilling, supreme yin force.

(End of Chapter)