Starting with warding off evil and disaster, one can ascend to immortality after countless tribulati

News of Zheng Xin's tragic death during the competition quickly reached the Zheng family, the young master of one of the four great families of Tongzhou.

The Zheng family found it hard to accept that he had been so brutally murdered. Kneeling beside Zheng Xin's body, a stout middle-aged woman sobbed and spoke with resentment.

"What does it mean to make a mistake in a contest? Every sword strike is aimed at a vital point, and that can be considered a mistake!"

That bastard Jiang Ming clearly did it on purpose.

Previously, my son had unintentionally offended him, and the conflict escalated. Zheng Xin then asked me to find a retainer to help him.

Not long ago, that guest retainer died a violent death, and now, Xin'er has also been brutally murdered by Jiang Ming. Who can say that all of this is just a coincidence!

The woman's desperate roar made the elders' faces turn ugly. After a moment of thought, a ninth-rank elder broke the silence and expressed his opinion.

"This matter absolutely cannot be left like this. Blood must be paid for blood. I will go to the Wanfa Sect to negotiate and make them hand over the murderer, so that the Zheng family can get justice."

"Alas, with three Foundation Establishment True Persons from the Myriad Laws Sect in charge, how could they possibly give us any face? In my opinion, let's just let this matter go."

Zheng Xin provoked someone else, and due to his lack of strength, he died miserably in the ring. It's not reasonable for us to continue pursuing this matter...

I heard someone trying to smooth things over, attempting to minimize the problem and resolve it peacefully.

The woman was immediately displeased. She looked at the Zheng family patriarch with a resentful tone, "Husband, say something!"

Can we really let Xin'er die like this, without knowing why?

"We can't let this go. This item must be used to make them pay for their crimes in blood, otherwise people will think our Zheng family is a pushover!"

"Hmph, this brat doesn't know his own strength when he attacks, and judging from the description, he's obviously a vindictive person."

Since we've already made an enemy, we might as well eliminate them now!

"No, no, the other party also has a background. If we kill him, the Tuoba family, the Cheng family, the Ye family, and even the Wanfa Sect will probably not let it go."

Will we be able to withstand so much anger then? For the sake of the family's survival and prosperity, let's put this matter to rest.

"When a person dies, everything ends. Zheng Xin brought this trouble upon himself by messing with the wrong person. We elders have no reason to clean up his mess."

"The family cannot afford to offend so many powerful forces because of a junior. Clan leader, you must think carefully before you act. Don't let anger cloud your judgment."

Two completely different viewpoints rang out in the Zheng family council hall. Several elders of the clan held their own opinions, which inevitably made the atmosphere at the scene somewhat restless.

Seemingly disturbed by the commotion here, the Zheng family patriarch, who had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, emerged from seclusion.

The old man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and looked very energetic. The only flaw was a black birthmark on his face, which made him look somewhat fierce.

As the old man walked in, everyone fell silent and stopped talking.

Looking at the corpse in the hall, the Zheng family patriarch showed surprise, shook his head, and his face turned ashen. "The Tuoba family really went all out."

The fact that he's willing to pass on a technique like the Primordial Sword Formation to an outsider suggests that this Jiang Ming is indeed quite exceptional and may have the potential to reach Foundation Establishment in the future.

Xiao Wu, you can have another son if you lose him, but don't drag the whole family down with you. I don't want the Zheng family to make too many enemies.

"By my order, send some resources to that brat as an apology and let this matter drop."

Sitting in the patriarch's seat, the Fifth Elder looked grim, but out of respect for the patriarch, he ultimately refrained from raising any objections.

His own son died, and not only did he not pursue the murderer, but he also went to admit defeat and let the matter drop.

Our ancestor is really senile!

He readily agreed and watched the Zheng family patriarch leave. Clan leader Zheng Xuan said nothing more and then dispersed the crowd.

His gaze gradually turned cold as he looked at his trusted confidant and whispered instructions. Then he looked at the woman kneeling on the ground and spoke earnestly.

"Madam, don't be too sad. Just leave this matter to Li Qing. He is a ninth-level cultivator. I'll have him go to the Myriad Laws Sect."

Don't worry, I won't let that kid get away with it...

Despite his perfunctory words, Zheng Xuan felt utterly helpless.

He has already ordered his retainers to investigate Jiang Ming's background.

When the time comes, we'll see who's truly capable. If Jiang Ming is indeed incredibly powerful, we'll hand over the Zheng family's resources as an apology.

If Jiang Ming is just all show and no substance, then no matter what, the other party should be made to suffer a bit to vent their anger.

After leaving the Zheng family, Li Qing opened the storage bag handed to her by the clan leader. Seeing the resources inside, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

As a ninth-rank guest elder, he couldn't obtain this many resources even after a whole year of hard work.

Now, the Zheng family is willing to spend so much for a junior.

Silently swapping the resources in her storage ring, Li Qing headed straight for the Myriad Laws Sect.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, Jiang Ming felt his ninth-level cultivation, and his mood instantly soared to its peak.

"Congratulations, Jiang Ming, it seems there's nothing wrong with the Emptiness Proof Method." Tuoba Youyou looked at him with delight, genuinely happy for Jiang Ming.

At the same time, he was also happy that he had a way out.

She also had some understanding of the method of emptiness proof. If she couldn't build a foundation through the earthen city wall in the future, she could walk the same path that Jiang Ming had taken.

"Congratulations, young master, on achieving your goal." After considering for a while, Qing'er finally spoke softly. Her cultivation level was not high, and she had only been able to get to where she was today thanks to Jiang Ming giving her food.

Seeing Jiang Ming step onto the ninth step, she was naturally delighted.

After all, as Jiang Ming's servant, she could only benefit from his success.

Nod in response.

Upon hearing the token ring, Jiang Ming immediately rushed to the competition platform.

Upon arriving here, Jiang Ming saw a ninth-level cultivator negotiating with Elder Duan with an unfriendly expression, and he secretly felt that something was wrong.

I immediately figured out where this person came from.

When Elder Duan saw Jiang Ming coming over, he wanted to protect him behind him.

Sensing the aura emanating from him, they immediately stopped in their tracks, utterly astonished!

He originally thought that the eighth-level perfection was Jiang Ming's limit during this period, but he didn't expect that Jiang Ming had reached the ninth level after only a few days.

This reminds me of the close relationship between Jiang Ming and Tuoba Youyou.

An idea immediately flashed through Elder Duan's mind.

Could it be that Jiang Ming married into the Tuoba family and obtained a suitable ley line?

That's probably it, otherwise how could he have broken through so quickly?

Having found his answer, Elder Duan immediately stood beside Jiang Ming, ready to speak up for him at any time.

"Ninth rank?" He frowned.

Li Qing, who was ordered to cause trouble for Jiang Ming, couldn't help but change her expression.

He is fifty years old now and only recently entered the ninth level, which is considered relatively young among those around him!

Jiang Ming is not even thirty years old, yet he has reached this level?!

What an extraordinary talent! If this speed were governed by the laws of the Immortal Dynasty, it would be understandable!

But for Jiang Ming, a legitimate cultivator, this was truly astonishing!

This kind of genius, let whoever wants to offend him do so, I can't afford to mess with him!

After silently muttering a few words to himself, Li Qing remained remarkably rational. He took out his storage bag and immediately changed his intentions.

"Ahem, Brother Jiang, I am here on behalf of the Zheng family patriarch to apologize on behalf of Zheng Xin."

He inadvertently provoked you, leading to his own demise. It's all his own fault, and you have no one to blame but himself.

Please accept these resources. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!

He handed the storage bag, intact as it was before the switch, back to Jiang Ming.

Li Qing felt no regret whatsoever; on the contrary, she was overjoyed at her decision. It would have been unwise to deceive a genius for a few resources.

If he gets caught, he'll be caught in the middle and won't be liked by either side. Not only will Jiang Ming hate him, but the Zheng family won't let him off easily either.

Rather than putting yourself in danger, it's better to stay out of this mess.

"The Zheng family is quite pragmatic." I didn't expect them to change their attitude so quickly, going from aggressive to amiable in an instant.

Jiang Ming sighed with emotion, and his desire to improve his strength grew even stronger.

He's only at the early stage of the ninth rank, yet he's already making a powerful family wary. Who knows how these people will try to curry favor with him when he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage?

So this is what it's like to be on vacation?

"Your cultivation speed is truly the fastest I've ever seen in my life." Elder Duan remarked, his eyes filled with a profound meaning.

Jiang Ming wanted to explain, but the other party waved his hand, advising him as if he were an experienced person, "No need to say more, I understand."

Choosing to marry into another family for the sake of spiritual cultivation is not shameful at all.

If I had had your awareness back then, I might be doing much better now.

A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. Seeing Elder Duan's expression, Jiang Ming immediately realized that he had misunderstood.

He had no intention of explaining it.

Nodding, he let Elder Duan let his imagination run wild.

He then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and took his leave.

Upon opening the storage bag and seeing the cultivation resources worth 200,000 spirit stones inside, Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but look at the Zheng family with newfound respect.

As expected of one of the four great families of Tongzhou, their magnanimity is truly admirable. Since the Zheng family is willing to find a way out, Jiang Ming naturally won't press them further; it's better to resolve conflicts than to perpetuate them.

If the other party can really forget about Zheng Xin.

Jiang Ming naturally didn't mind setting aside the conflict and shaking hands to make peace.

……

at that time.

Inside the council chamber of the Zheng family residence.

Clan Chief Zheng Xuan sat on a tiger-skin chair, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Li Qing and asked her questions repeatedly.

"Can you believe my eyes? How could it be Rank 9? Xin'er has only been dead for less than half a month, how did he manage that!"

Nodding, Li Qing stammered, "It is indeed at the ninth level, and it has already condensed its power, but its power is very complex."

It seems to be a heretical sect, but I'm not sure.

"Patriarch, why don't we listen to the Ancestor and let this matter drop..."

Sitting in the chair, Zheng Xuan seemed to have aged ten years, but in the end, reason prevailed.

Regardless of whether they are from unorthodox sects or not, a ninth-level cultivator under the age of thirty should not be underestimated.

It seems that this matter can only be dropped.

Despite feeling utterly helpless, Zheng Xuan was unable to avenge his deceased son. As the clan leader, he had to consider the interests of the entire clan.

In his eyes, offending Jiang Ming was clearly not in the family's best interest.

Back in his room, when faced with his wife's question, Zheng Xuan remained silent for a long time before frowning and saying, "Don't mention Zheng Xin anymore. Just pretend you never had this son."

Don't try to take revenge through your maternal family. The Zheng family is someone you can't afford to offend, and neither is the He family.

We have to think about the future. We can't afford to offend a genius so badly...

The woman cried and threatened to kill herself; she clearly could not accept this outcome.

Seeing that she was ungrateful and couldn't tell right from wrong, Zheng Xuan was furious and immediately slapped her, his voice full of coldness.

"That's settled then. If you dare to cause any more trouble, get back to the He family and see how they react."

Who would want to cause trouble for a thirty-year-old ninth-level cultivator over a dead man!

……

Sitting cross-legged in the cave, Jiang Ming handed over all the resources he had obtained to Tuoba Youyou.

Now, Jiang Ming's focus in cultivation has gradually shifted.

For him now, elixirs are no longer important.

Most importantly, find a suitable Sword Edge Gold technique to cultivate, then condense a new image and integrate it with the current momentum.

At that time, within Jiang Ming's domain, the imagery of different fruit positions will all be able to play a role, and will surely show great potential during battles.

Receiving so many resources, Tuoba Youyou was a little overwhelmed, but considering that the two of them were already Daoist partners, she ultimately accepted them shyly.

She then very proactively unbuttoned her collar and tenderly embraced Jiang Ming as they fell asleep.

After a brief moment of pleasure, Jiang Ming did not linger.

After bidding farewell to Tuoba Youyou, he began to enter the upper courtyard.

Very similar to the system of the Middle Court, those recruited by the Upper Court are no longer considered disciples.

Any disciple who reaches the ninth rank can choose to stay and take up a position in the sect. Of course, this also depends on which position is more lucrative and which is a low-paying job.

Ultimately, everything comes down to ability.

If your strength is at the bottom, when assigning positions, you can only serve as an elder in the outer sect, enjoying a large number of contribution points and a small number of high-grade spirit stones every month.

A single top-grade spirit stone is worth a thousand spirit stones.

Back when Elder Qin was working in the outer sect, Zhou Yi used him as an example, mentioning that Elder Qin would receive two hundred spirit stones every month even without doing anything.

The two hundred spirit stones mentioned here actually refer to high-grade spirit stones, which is equivalent to an income of two hundred thousand spirit stones per month.

From this perspective, Qin Lao's help at the time was practically charity, since he didn't need Jiang Ming's petty gains at all.

The reason I was willing to help was purely out of a kind heart.

Unfortunately, before Jiang Ming could report back, Elder Qin collapsed on his way to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

It's been a long time since we've seen Old Man Li. I wonder if he failed in his attempt and has passed away somewhere in the shadows.

With a sigh, Jiang Ming stopped worrying about it.

After receiving the resources from the upper courtyard, he immediately returned to his luxuriously decorated cave to cultivate.

Once upon a time, he lived in a damp and cold stone chamber.

At that time, his idea of ​​such a cave dwelling remained entirely in his imagination.

Today, all of these ideas have become reality.

After a moment of reflection, Jiang Ming didn't mince words and, taking advantage of the vast resources available to the Upper Academy, immediately began searching for a suitable Sword Edge Gold cultivation technique.

The resources available to the Myriad Laws Sect vary greatly depending on one's cultivation level.

When Jiang Ming was in the lower courtyard, most of the cultivation techniques he came into contact with were at the fifth level, and the third level techniques were extremely rare.

Now that you've entered the Upper Academy, even the lowest-ranking cultivation technique in the Scripture Pavilion is at the third rank. Although the collection isn't large, every single one is a masterpiece!

Having found a second-tier Sword Edge Gold cultivation technique, Jiang Ming immediately borrowed it, then returned to his cave and silently began cultivating...