Chapter 71: The Final Card [Request Follows!]

Night was deep, and all sounds were still.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one for Qin Ming.

He lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Qin Ming could never have imagined.

In the blink of an eye, several of his neighbors had been wiped out without explanation.

His mind kept replaying Feng Yuan's words; he decided not to sleep at all, instead carefully planning his next steps.

……

The next day, the rising sun awakened all things.

Qin Ming rose, opened the window, and exhaled a long, heavy breath.

After a night of thought, he had made his decision.

He ate breakfast.

Qin Ming arrived on the seventh floor of Juxuan Pavilion.

Across from him sat Gu Qingzhao, ethereal and detached.

"Gu Daoist, the situation is chaotic, with a storm brewing—I wish to purchase some powerful items for protection. Do you have any recommendations?"

Gu Qingzhao smiled calmly and replied, her breath fragrant: "Of course I do."

With that, she took several items from her storage pouch and placed them before Qin Ming.

"Yin Lei Zi—a single-use consumable; once activated, even Foundation Establishment cultivators must avoid its wrath."

"Fubao: Jin Ling Zhuan—still usable three times, its power equals a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the early stage."

……

Qin Ming spent a vast sum of Spirit Stones to purchase five Yin Lei Zi and the Jin Ling Zhuan Fubao; his pouch's Spirit Stones shrank by more than half.

But it still wasn't enough.

As he packed up the items on the table, he casually asked Gu Qingzhao: "By the way, Gu Daoist, I have a question."

"How strong is Master Huangfu within your pavilion?"

Gu Qingzhao's expression flickered with slight surprise at the question, but she answered plainly:

"Master Huangfu is the strongest of our pavilion's three Protectors in Wei State."

"Without exaggeration, though his cultivation is only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, his true power ranks among the top ten among all Foundation Establishment cultivators in Wei State."

Who would have thought that Hu Fuqi, with his refined and scholarly appearance, was so formidable!

Hearing this, Qin Ming now had a clear sense of where he stood.

He concluded his transaction with Gu Qingzhao.

Qin Ming took his leave.

As he reached the first-floor lobby, he heard disciples from a sect gossiping at a drinking table.

"Ugh, we've been stuck in this godforsaken place for over half a year—why hasn't our sect ordered us to seize that third-rank Spirit Vein yet?"

"Exactly! We can't just sit here wasting time forever!"

"You're fools?"

"Whoever moves first against that third-rank Spirit Vein will have the executioner's blade fall on their head."

"Look at Lingyu Men and Jinyun Valley—they've occupied the vein, but dare they openly exploit its resources?"

"Don't you know your own strength? Is a third-rank Spirit Vein or an ancient ruin so easy to claim?"

"Do you know why our Upper Sect, though fully aware of the third-rank Spirit Vein, hasn't sent anyone to Yunze Dahuang?"

"They're waiting for someone to lose patience and jump out—ready to kill one to warn a hundred!"

Qin Ming paused only slightly in his steps, then left Juxuan Pavilion.

The "Upper Sect" mentioned by those sect disciples—Qin Ming knew exactly who they meant.

In Wei State, Lei Yuanzong, with its Jin Dan Laozu in residence, was the undisputed supreme power.

It governed seven second-tier forces: Lingyu Men, Jinyun Valley, Baihua Sect, Shennong Men, and three other cultivation families with False Jin Dan cultivators.

Qin Ming's own cultivation family belonged to the third-tier; such families consistently produced Foundation Establishment cultivators generation after generation.

Yet even with the entire Qin family's resources, they could barely cultivate just one Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Below them were countless Qi Condensation families and other minor forces.

Gu Qingzhao had already hinted to him that the current bizarre situation was very likely being orchestrated by Lei Yuanzong. None of the seven second-tier forces dared move against the third-rank Spirit Vein or the ancient ruins, because Lei Yuanzong had yet to declare its stance—each feared retaliation.

So they could only turn their attention to lone cultivators.

Because it was possible that some third-tier force, secretly backed by the Upper Sect, was already eyeing their positions, ready to replace them at any moment.

For now, Yunze Dahuang had fallen into a delicate stalemate—no one wished to be the first to break the balance.

Because whoever moved first to claim this cake would likely be targeted and destroyed by a coalition of other forces.

Qin Ming left Qingyang Market directly.

He activated his Spirit Light Flying Shuttle and headed straight for Yunmeng Mountain.

After half an hour of high-speed flight, he arrived at Yunmeng Mountain, shrouded in mist and clouds.

He landed on the mountainside and informed the guards.

Soon, the guard returned, speaking with deep respect: "Daoist Qin, Master Huangfu requests your presence!"

Following his memory from last time, Qin Ming quickly reached Hu Fuqi's cave dwelling.

The protective formation before the cave rippled, revealing an entrance.

Qin Ming stepped inside.

Inside the cave's study pavilion, Hu Fuqi was writing calligraphy with a brush, his strokes bold and dynamic.

Seeing Qin Ming arrive, he set down the brush in his hand and hurriedly called out, "Qin Xiaoyou has arrived! Come, come, help me see how the characters I practiced today turned out?"

Hearing this, Qin Ming respectfully bowed to him first.

Then he walked over and lowered his head to examine the calligraphy copybook.

To be honest, he couldn't make out anything special about it.

"Excellent calligraphy! Graceful as a startled swan, vigorous as a swimming dragon; truly, the ink flows abundantly, and the brushwork is powerful!" Qin Ming recited every idiom he could think of, offering some timely flattery.

After all, he would soon be asking a favor of this person.

Hearing this, Hu Fuqi smiled with understanding, pointed a finger at Qin Ming, and said, "You kid really know how to talk."

"Speak up, what matter brings you to me?"

"Senior Huangfu, I wish to redeem the promise you made to me," Qin Ming stated his purpose directly.

Hearing this, Hu Fuqi's face broke into a warm smile. "Speak up, what do you want me to do?"

A hint of guilt flashed in Qin Ming's eyes; he cleared his throat, steeled his courage, and spoke: "This humble one has heard that Senior Huangfu is a existence of unparalleled strength, not just personally, but within the entire Immortal Realm of the State of Wei."

"I have long admired you, and this time I wish to use your promise simply to broaden my horizons."

"Senior Huangfu... could you demonstrate for me the single most powerful spell technique of your life?"

Hu Fuqi: "???"

"Qin Xiaoyou, have you thought this through? Is that really all?"

Hu Fuqi also looked completely puzzled, unable to quite grasp this kid's line of thinking.

"Very well, since I promised you, I will not go back on my word."

"Follow me outside; this place is too small to facilitate its execution."

Seeing his agreement, Qin Ming's expression immediately brightened! The two left the cave dwelling and then flew out riding their magical artifacts.

Half an incense stick's worth of time passed.

Even Yunmeng Mountain behind them was no longer visible.

Qin Ming also felt puzzled; was it really necessary to travel so far just to cast a spell technique?

Finally.

Hu Fuqi came to a halt, his sleeves fluttering, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

Then he turned his head and said to Qin Ming, "Watch closely; I will only perform this once."

Qin Ming's heart surged with excitement; this was his first time witnessing a Foundation Establishment expert cast a technique, so he obediently nodded.

The next moment.

Hu Fuqi began to move.

And so.

Qin Ming witnessed with his own eyes, from the time he transmigrated to the Immortal Realm until now.

The most shocking scene of all!...

Immediately following this, the purple 【Spell Replication】 leaf in Qin Ming's sea of consciousness vanished. (End of Chapter)