Chapter 57

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Chapter 57: Back to Ding Kang

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," Elder Zheng said, his heart skipping a beat under Ming He’s piercing gaze. It felt as though a fierce beast had locked eyes with him, sending a shiver through his very soul.

"Don’t know?" Ming He’s lips curled into a slow, deliberate smile as she stared at him. "Very well. I’ll remember you."

With that, she closed her eyes and began circulating her spiritual energy. In an instant, her aura sharpened, and the energy gathered above her head, forming a swirling vortex. The sunlight bathed her in a radiant glow, so dazzling it was nearly impossible to look at directly.

She was… breaking through her realm!

Elder Zheng felt an inexplicable pang in his chest as he watched her, though he quickly suppressed the strange sensation. Even if she broke through, it was only the first level of the Xuan Wei realm. Why should he feel fear? He was a cultivator of the ninth level of the Wind Master realm, after all.

First level of Xuan Wei!

The spiritual energy surged around Ming He, washing away the bloodstains and injuries she had sustained on the Floating Cloud Ladder. It showed no signs of stopping, continuing to swirl around her like a protective cocoon.

Second level of Xuan Wei.

Under the watchful eyes of the three, Ming He slowly opened her eyes. The depths of her dark peach blossom eyes still held a sharp, unyielding brilliance. In less than a moment, standing before the Floating Cloud Ladder, she had leaped from the first level of Xuan Wei straight into the second.

Her gaze swept lightly over Elder Zheng before she stepped back onto the Floating Cloud Ladder. This time, her speed was even faster than before. The previous twenty-five hundred steps took her only a few hundred breaths to conquer, and she stood firmly on the twenty-five hundredth step before lifting her foot to continue upward.

"Two thousand nine hundred twenty-nine steps! Comprehensive ranking: eight hundred ninety-seven." A flash of spirit light illuminated the Floating Cloud Monument at the base of the Floating Cloud Ladder. Elder Zheng’s eyes widened in disbelief as a line of characters floated into view.

Ming He wiped the sweat from her forehead and, with a finger pointed like a sword, inscribed her name on the Floating Cloud Monument. She then turned to Elder Zheng with a radiant smile. "The Floating Cloud Ladder is nothing special, is it?"

She continued, her voice brimming with confidence, "With such talent as Qu Lingyun’s disciple, are the elders satisfied?"

She didn’t know the exact connection between her master and the Floating Cloud Sect—or Elder Zheng, for that matter—but she wasn’t about to let anyone look down on her without a fight.

"Eight hundred ninety-seven!" Elder Zheng stared at the ranking, his mind reeling. That ranking was second only to Mu Qian, a disciple of Chiyu Peak. Yet Mu Qian was at the fifth level of the Xuan Wei realm, while Ming He had just broken through to the second level.

Truly, Qu Lingyun’s disciple was a prodigy.

But the mention of Qu Lingyun’s name stirred a deep resentment within Elder Zheng, overshadowing any admiration or astonishment he might have felt for Ming He’s talent. In that moment, he was consumed by a single thought: he must not allow her to enter the sect.

Qu Lingyun had been exceptionally talented, but what good had it done? She had forced heaven and earth into their current state. Who could say her disciple wouldn’t become another Qu Lingyun?

If it weren’t for Qu Lingyun—

Elder Zheng exhaled sharply, his words cutting like a blade. "Your abilities are indeed impressive. However, you previously claimed your cultivation was at the peak of the Spirit Guiding stage. Now that you’ve broken through, your earlier achievement no longer counts."

"I say you cannot enter Floating Cloud, and so you shall not," he declared coldly, his gaze shifting to Master Xu, who stood nearby with a conflicted expression. He added quietly, "Does Master Xu wish for another Qu Lingyun?"

At those words, Master Xu’s resolve wavered. "Forget it," he said with a heavy sigh, his figure vanishing in a flash from the base of the Floating Cloud Ladder.

"Hmph!" Ming He snorted, unbothered. Deep down, she had anticipated this outcome the moment she reached the twenty-five hundredth step. The higher one’s cultivation, the thicker their skin—such shamelessness was nothing new to her.

"Elder," she said, her tone calm but firm, "since I cannot enter the sect, I’ll take my spirit stones now."

Elder Ye hesitated, his expression flickering with unease. "How many spirit stones?"

"Fifty thousand," Ming He replied lightly, her words causing Elder Ye’s eyes to widen in shock. She added, "Low-grade."

"…Oh," Elder Ye muttered, reaching into his storage ring and pulling out a small storage pouch. He handed it to her reluctantly. "Take this for now. I’ll retrieve the rest from the attendant disciple guarding the sect later." He couldn’t just let her keep them—after all, he wasn’t exactly wealthy himself.

"What are your plans now?" Elder Ye asked as he led Ming He out of the sect. "You could stay in Yun Mo City for the time being. Once the peak master emerges, they won’t dare to stop you from entering the sect."

"Is Shishu really that powerful?" Ming He murmured, a hint of surprise in her voice. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, "Is Chu Yi Qing in the sect?"

Though her real name was Qin Chu Yi, she had chosen to use a pseudonym within the Floating Cloud Sect. It was clear she didn’t want her true identity revealed, and Ming He had no intention of interfering.

"Chu Zhenchuan hasn’t returned to the sect since her last outing," Elder Ye replied, his tone tinged with surprise. He hadn’t expected her to know such a prominent figure.

"Alright, I understand," Ming He smiled, unperturbed. "Please inform Shishu that after he emerges, he need not come looking for me. I have my own way to enter Floating Cloud Sect—a method that will earn everyone’s genuine respect and acknowledgment."

After speaking, she didn’t glance back at Elder Ye or the Floating Cloud Sect behind her. Instead, she returned to Yun Mo City, clutching the disciple token for the teleportation array. The thought of two-way teleportation amused her; it had indeed proven useful.

Now, off to Ding Kang City! She had a month left.

When she told Elder Ye in Floating Cloud Sect that she had a way to enter, she wasn’t speaking idly. She truly had a plan.

The Dragon and Tiger Rankings.

Ming He clenched her fist, her heart surging with excitement at the thought. This was the genius competition hosted by the Lord of the Central Region, where the most talented young cultivators from the five regions gathered, ranked by strength, with restrictions on cultivation level and age.

The Dragon and Tiger Rankings in the central region referred to the Heavenly Dragon List and the Earthly Tiger List, limited to those at the Wind Master realm—a level she couldn’t yet reach. Her focus was on the Small Dragon and Tiger Rankings.

The Small Dragon and Tiger Rankings, known as the Young Dragon List and Young Tiger List, were not hosted by the central region but were instead a competition among the Eastern Region’s most promising talents. The age limit was under twenty years old, with a minimum cultivation level of the Xuan Wei realm. Only the top one hundred from each list would be recognized.

In a month, the event would take place in Dongfeng City, the Eastern Region Main City, adjacent to Ding Kang City.

Those who made it onto the Dragon and Tiger Rankings were the elite of the five regions, and naturally, those who ranked in the Small Dragon and Tiger Rankings were the Eastern Region’s top talents.

Once she claimed the top spot, no major sect in the Eastern Region would dare turn her away. By then, there would surely be those who regretted underestimating her. She couldn’t wait.

……

A bright light flashed, and Ming He stepped out of the teleportation tower. She glanced at the familiar buildings before heading straight to the city gate, where she found the boy named Er Hu. "Do you know where I can find an affordable place to stay around here? I need it for a month."

"My lady?" The boy looked at her, startled, but quickly suppressed his surprise and glanced at her with a hint of pity. "There are some."

He led her to a small shop. "This is the person in charge of renting and selling properties in Ding Kang City, under the City Lord’s Office. The properties he manages are on the outskirts and are more affordable. If you’re interested, you can rent from him."

After the introduction, Er Hu hesitated before handing back the ten lower-grade spirit stones Ming He had given him as a tip. "You were quite generous the first time; consider this one on me."

With that, he quickly disappeared, likely returning to the city gate to wait for more business.

Ming He held the ten lower-grade spirit stones, feeling as though she’d been mistaken for a destitute cultivator. After a moment of silence, she entered the shop and rented a house on the outskirts of Ding Kang City for a month, paying ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones—equivalent to one hundred middle-grade spirit stones.

She had initially considered buying the property but realized she didn’t have enough spirit stones.

After receiving the stone key from the shopkeeper, Ming He placed the spirit stones Er Hu had returned into her storage ring and decided to head toward Baiyu Building.

She remembered she still had a Wind Master realm demon wolf corpse to sell.

"Look, it’s that blue-clad cultivator who bought the mermaid. Why is she back?"

"You haven’t heard? The mermaid escaped, and she lost fifteen thousand middle-grade spirit stones."

"Not just that—I heard she spent all her spirit stones on that mermaid and is now renting a house on the outskirts from Lord Luo for a month."

"How tragic. She doesn’t seem like someone of importance. Maybe all her spirit stones were swindled by that mermaid."

As soon as Ming He entered Baiyu Building, she overheard the whispers—some curious, some sympathetic, others regretful.

Mermaid? So Bai Mengjiao had been seen in the city after Ming He left?

And the news about renting a house—did information spread that quickly in Ding Kang City? She had just paid ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones to rent a house for a month, yet everyone already knew.

She paused for a moment, finally understanding the meaning behind Er Hu’s gaze at the city gate.

Facing the curious and sympathetic stares, Ming He calmly approached a servant, who guided her to the second-floor platform for beast materials.

"Dear customer, our transactions at Baiyu Building conclude at the moment of payment. Anything afterward is beyond our responsibility," the servant said quickly, likely fearing Ming He was there to demand compensation for the escaped mermaid.

"I’m here to sell a demon wolf corpse," Ming He cut in, tossing the corpse onto the platform and halting his unnecessary speculation.

"Understood," the servant replied, forcing a smile. His respectful demeanor was tinged with stiffness as he called over other servants to assess the wolf’s value.

Fifteen minutes later, the demon wolf was carried away by black-clad guards, and the servant presented a small storage pouch. "The demon wolf you provided was at the eighth level of the Wind Master realm. Its value is fifty thousand middle-grade spirit stones, five hundred upper-grade spirit stones, and five top-grade spirit stones. Which would you prefer?"

Now he was certain—this blue-clad cultivator was extraordinary but lacked common sense.

Extraordinary because she could produce a Wind Master realm beast’s corpse; lacking common sense because she hadn’t even extracted the demon core before selling it.

She must be a disciple of some powerful figure, but without proper guidance. He made a mental note to report this to the building master.

"Fifty… fifty thousand?" Ming He was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected a demon to be worth so much. How much would Ji Wu Xu, the young leader of the Demon Race, be worth?

Her mind briefly wandered to the ancient cave dwelling, but she quickly dismissed the thought. She couldn’t kill her.

"I’ll take one top-grade spirit stone, one hundred upper-grade spirit stones, and the rest in middle-grade spirit stones," Ming He said lightly, masking her surprise to avoid appearing inexperienced.

"Understood," the servant replied, handing her the storage pouch.

With the pouch in hand, Ming He strode out of Baiyu Building, her steps confident. She cast a casual glance at the cultivators who had mocked, pitied, or regretted her situation, then made her way to the rented house.