Becoming a god begins with the evolution of acupoint supernatural powers.

Upon hearing Li Mingyuan's address, the crowd erupted in excitement.

"It really is Qin Zhonghai, a vice-pavilion master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion!"

"The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is a powerful force second only to the Daoist tradition, with branches in every county. Its status in our Chiyun County is extremely prestigious, and no one dares to provoke it. Pavilion Master Qin is of noble birth; could his presence here today be for the Li family?"

"I don't know, but in any case, being able to meet Pavilion Master Qin made the trip worthwhile!"

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Lu Ming, who had just stepped off the stage, was also secretly surprised.

Qin Zhonghai's arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention, and even he, who had just finished his arena battle, was ignored.

He had vaguely heard of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion before; it seemed to be an intelligence business, but he never expected it to be so prestigious.

As Lu Ming was secretly wondering why Qin Zhonghai had come, he saw Qin Zhonghai walk straight up to him and ask:

"What kind of lightness skill do you practice? Could you reveal a little about it?"

Lu Ming was taken aback, wondering what kind of lightness skill he had learned. All he had shown from beginning to end was the ability to fly over grass. As for the "Azure Cloud Technique on Flat Ground," he hadn't even mastered it yet and wasn't proficient in using it.

"Lu Ming, this is Pavilion Master Qin of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has a unique feature of exchanging lightness skills for lightness skills. If you are willing, Pavilion Master Qin would be very happy to make an exchange with you."

Li Mingyuan winked at Lu Ming from the side.

This is a great opportunity to establish a connection with the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's heart skipped a beat. The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion actually allowed people to exchange lightness skills for lightness skills?

However, his skill in flying on grass was learned from Li Youning. Thinking of this, he turned to look at Li Youning. Li Youning understood what he meant and quickly nodded to him.

"Since it's given to you, you can do whatever you want with it."

Lu Ming then nodded and said, "I cultivate the skill of flying over grass."

Qin Zhonghai frowned slightly. "Flying on Grass" was merely a third-rate lightness skill, yet the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion also possessed it. No cultivator there possessed such a light and graceful agility as Lu Ming. Could it be that he was practicing a special modified version?

He immediately took out a manual from his person and handed it to Lu Ming, saying, "I have a second-rate lightness skill here, the Water-Walking Technique. Would you like to trade with me?"

Lu Ming's eyes lit up. It really was possible to make an exchange? And it was a third-rate exchange for a second-rate one. Of course he wanted to make the exchange.

He has already mastered the basics of Grasshopper and acquired an extra 1 point of leg technique experience, so this manual is no longer useful to him. However, a new manual might provide him with additional bonuses.

He didn't yet know how much of a boost a second-rate technique could provide, so this was a good opportunity to test it out.

However, before making the exchange, he asked, "If we're going to make the exchange, I need a light-foot technique with a different concept from Grasshopper's."

Qin Zhonghai nodded slightly, "It's about floating on water."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming immediately took out the Grass-Walking Manual without hesitation and exchanged it with Qin Zhonghai for the Water-Walking Manual.

Qin Zhonghai took the manual and flipped through it briefly. He immediately realized that it was just an ordinary manual for flying on grass, exactly the same as the one collected in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

But he didn't feel cheated; instead, he looked at Lu Ming with new respect.

Lu Ming was able to cultivate the ordinary Grass-Flying Technique to such a light and graceful feel, as if using lightness skills was effortless.

This shows that Lu Ming has a very high talent for lightness skills. As for how high it is, it's hard to say right now.

"Sect Master Qin!"

"Sect Leader Qin, it's been a long time."

"How has Pavilion Master Qin been lately?"

Just then, many people rushed over to greet Qin Zhonghai.

The four leaders were all distinguished and dignified.

Hearing the discussions around him, Lu Ming was secretly alarmed.

Of these four people, three are Guo Zhengwei, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Weiyuan Escort Agency; Yin Zheng, the leader of the Red Serpent Gang; and Zhu Lie, the master of the Blazing Flame Martial Arts School.

There's a saying in Chiyun County: "Two gangs, three halls, three great families," referring to several top-tier powers within the city. The three great families are the Chen family, the Shen family, and the Zhao family.

The Blazing Flame Martial Arts Academy is one of the "Three Academies," and its master, Zhu Lie, is a top-tier expert in Chiyun County with a distinguished status.

Weiyuan Escort Agency and Red Snake Gang are slightly inferior and are not among the "Two Gangs, Three Halls, and Three Families", but Guo Zhengwei and Yin Zheng are also powerful figures in their own right.

The three people who just appeared on the stage belong to these three factions respectively.

The fact that these three were able to arrive so quickly to greet Qin Zhonghai clearly indicates that they were watching nearby and paying close attention to this arena battle.

Lu Ming understood. The Chen and Shen families had a close relationship with the Li family in the past, so they couldn't take action themselves. They had to let these forces take the lead to completely destroy the Li family.

Besides these three, there was also a general wearing leather armor who arrived. This man was Han Tieyi, the head of the city defense department!

As soon as Qin Zhonghai arrived, the leaders of several forces came out to greet him. The eventful gathering here excited many onlookers.

In response to the greetings from the four powerful figures, Qin Zhonghai simply smiled and nodded casually.

"You are all very busy people, so it is quite rare that we can gather here today."

"Hehe... With such a large number of martial artists gathered here, I had no choice but to come," Han Tieyi, the head of the city defense department, said with a wry smile.

"I've long heard that Pavilion Master Qin has a discerning eye. Now that we've met, I would like to ask Pavilion Master Qin to take a look at these few good-for-nothing disciples of mine and see if there are any who I find acceptable," Zhu Lie, the head of the Blazing Flame Martial Arts Academy, suddenly said.

Behind him were several teenagers and young men, all looking at Qin Zhonghai with admiration.

Martial arts training, aside from competing on one's own talent, is nothing more than relying on secret manuals, renowned teachers, and resources.

The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is arguably the most powerful force in the city. It has no shortage of secret manuals, renowned masters, or powerful cultivation elixirs!

There was once someone who, while serving in the military service, was noticed by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and joined the pavilion. With the help of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, he won first place in the Military Service Division.

Then, relying on his initial advantage, he rose step by step and eventually joined a major sect, achieving instant success.

Tianji Pavilion is not a Taoist sect and will not prevent others from joining a major Taoist sect!

So when Qin Zhonghai appeared, Zhu Lie quickly brought several disciples over, intending to try his luck.

Not only Zhu Lie, but also Yin Zheng and Guo Zhengwei. Even Han Tieyi arrived hastily with only a few soldiers.

At this moment, Qin Zhonghai glanced at the many disciples brought by the four, a smile playing on his lips, and said:

"As the saying goes, a great teacher produces great students. Your disciples are all outstanding individuals. For example, Guo Yuan has already reached the level of flesh refinement in just the second month of his martial arts training. His future is promising."

Upon hearing this, Guo Yuan's face flushed red with excitement.

A hint of disappointment appeared in Guo Zhengwei's eyes. Qin Zhonghai was actually just being polite. He said that everyone was a dragon among men, meaning that they were all pretty much the same and didn't meet his standards.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset, realizing that it would indeed be difficult to gain Qin Zhonghai's favor.

It's already quite good that Guo Yuan received individual praise from Qin Zhonghai; he's better than the disciples of Yin Zheng and Zhu Lie.

Qin Zhonghai said politely, then turned and left. As he boarded the carriage, he glanced at Lu Ming, who was no longer conspicuous in the crowd, his eyes flickering.

Although there were many disciples of famous masters present, none of them could match Lu Ming.

He forgot the disciples of the four powerful figures as soon as he saw them, no different from the onlookers, but Lu Ming was like a firefly in the dark, whom he had already remembered.

Whether Lu Ming is worth the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's efforts to win him over remains to be seen.

He traded his second-rate skill of water-skimming for Lu Ming's third-rate skill of grass-skimming. One of his intentions was to see how long it would take Lu Ming to master water-skimming and to further examine his talent for light-footed skills.

There are still nearly two months left in the military service this year, so he's not in a hurry.