Chapter 118: Revelations and Overtures from All Sides

As soon as Qin Ming spoke, his words immediately clashed with the atmosphere of the scene, making him appear remarkably out of place.

"Hold on!"

Before the three alliance leaders of the Loose Cultivator Alliance could speak, Yu Wanhe of Bican Island stood up abruptly and questioned Qin Ming coldly, "Such a major event has occurred in the Lingqi Archipelago, and all the islands are united in purpose. Why is it that only your Wangyue Island is backing out? What is the meaning of this?"

"Could it be that you are in league with the culprits, or perhaps with the Zhao family?"

The burly middle-aged man from the Loose Cultivator Alliance also stepped out instantly, blocking Qin Ming’s path.

Yu Wanhe was incredibly overbearing and completely unreasonable, slapping a heavy accusation onto Qin Ming the moment he saw an opening.

"Island Master Yu, you can eat whatever you want, but you cannot speak whatever you want."

"Since you have no evidence, do not point fingers at me," Qin Ming replied expressionlessly.

In his words, he did not give the slightest bit of face to this Foundation Establishment cultivator. To be honest, he had just swept the area with his divine sense, and among the cultivators present, only Huo Qianqiu, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, could exert any slight pressure on him. The others, including the newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator Yu Wanhe, were not up to par. In fact, they were not even as capable as Luo Rong, whom Qin Ming had killed instantly with his poisonous flames.

Qin Ming simply did not want to invite unnecessary trouble; it did not mean he would hide his strength forever. In any case, his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage could not be kept secret for long.

Yu Wanhe was furious upon hearing this, not expecting a mere junior at the Qi Refining stage to speak so insolently and dare to talk back to him. In the world of immortal cultivation, where the hierarchy of status was strict, how could he allow such audacity?

"Hmph! What a blind and ungrateful junior."

"I heard earlier that you dared to oppose my Yu family. Today, I will teach you a lesson so you can remember your place."

Boom!

As Yu Wanhe finished speaking, the mana fluctuations belonging to the Foundation Establishment stage were fully released, startling everyone present. They had not expected Qin Ming to be so rude and disrespectful to a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Yu Wanhe channeled his mana and reached out! With the powerful aura of the Foundation Establishment stage locking onto him, he struck with the speed of lightning. His gaze was sinister, and his attack was ruthless, leaving almost no room for maneuver.

The burly middle-aged man blocking Qin Ming’s path took a few steps back, putting on a look as if he were ready to enjoy the show. The three Foundation Establishment alliance leaders at the head of the hall exchanged glances, with no intention of stopping the conflict. The cultivators of the Yu family from Bican Island were invigorated, watching their ancestor prepare to show off his divine might and vent their anger.

Qin Ming’s expression remained calm, his gaze sharpening. He no longer concealed his cultivation, and a formidable mana, comparable to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, erupted violently!

Boom!

An even more massive spiritual pressure descended upon the hall. Its power far exceeded that of Yu Wanhe, causing the nearby Qi Refining cultivators to collapse in a wretched state.

Qin Ming’s gaze was cold. He formed a seal with one hand, and a giant wooden thorn spell, over a zhang long, instantly condensed in the air before him, emitting terrifying fluctuations. The loose cultivators behind were scared out of their wits by the power of this spell. With a flick of his finger, the wooden thorn transformed into a green rainbow, piercing through the void and striking directly at the charging Yu Wanhe.

Swish!

Yu Wanhe was caught off guard by the sudden change, his face etched with shock and confusion. He could not comprehend how a minor cultivator, who was at the late Qi Refining stage just a moment ago, had suddenly transformed into a Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself. Seeing the terrifying spell incoming, Yu Wanhe hastily switched from offense to defense, releasing a yellow earth-element mana shield to cover his body.

Bang!

The wooden thorn struck in an instant, and a massive explosion echoed through the hall! A figure was sent flying, crashing heavily into the wall of the hall and leaving a large hole, with dust and smoke filling the air. Yu Wanhe, who had just been acting so arrogant and unruly, now lay in the pit without a sound, his life or death unknown.

Even among Foundation Establishment cultivators, there is a gap! The degree of mana condensation, both in quality and quantity, was not on the same level.

Wow!

"Found... Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

The people of the Lingqi Archipelago present were shocked beyond belief. The three Foundation Establishment alliance leaders at the head of the hall also displayed reactions of immense shock; this sudden development exceeded their expectations.

Li Yuanqing was secretly terrified. A single strike to instantly cripple a cultivator of the same rank—was this the true strength of a spiritual planter? Even Huo Qianqiu stared at Qin Ming, his eyes flickering, lost in thought.

The members of the Yu family, who had expected their ancestor to display his power before all the island masters, were stunned. The situation had reversed in an instant, and their ancestor had been smashed into the wall. Yu Pinghai and Yu Tao were both dazed, their faces pale, their hearts filled with horror. Their legs trembled uncontrollably. They never imagined that this ordinary-looking loose cultivator had quietly broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Moreover, his strength was clearly not on the same level as their ancestor’s.

Subsequently, Qin Ming’s gaze fell slowly upon the burly middle-aged man from the alliance, and he asked in a cold tone, "Just you? You want to stop me?"

The burly middle-aged man was instantly drenched in cold sweat, his heart filled with regret. He never expected that the "pseudo-spiritual root" loose cultivator he had once looked down upon would turn out to be a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"I... I am sorry, Senior Qin, I..."

Before the burly man could finish his sentence, Qin Ming waved his hand, and a blade of gang-qi slashed toward him! The man felt as if his throat were being throttled; his pupils constricted, and his face turned ashen!

Bang!

At that critical moment, Huo Qianqiu made his move. He raised his hand and summoned a small blue-gold shield, which grew instantly to protect the burly man, barely neutralizing the attack.

The burly man had his life saved, and just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief, *slap!* Huo Qianqiu struck him across the face, sending him flying and spitting blood.

After doing this, Huo Qianqiu turned back to Qin Ming and cupped his hands, saying, "So Fellow Daoist Qin has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Ignorance is no excuse, but I hope you will spare his life; I will punish him on your behalf."

Qin Ming said calmly, "Alliance Leader Huo, may I leave now?"

"Naturally. Since Fellow Daoist Qin does not wish to join the Loose Cultivator Alliance, you are free to come and go as you please."

"Also, congratulations to Fellow Daoist Qin on your breakthrough. Once matters here are settled, I will certainly visit your island to pay my respects."

Qin Ming nodded. Facing a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, he felt he should show some courtesy, so he returned the gesture, "Then I shall await your visit on my island, Alliance Leader Huo."

He then called for Wu Jiang and, under the awestruck gaze of everyone, walked out of the hall. Wu Jiang was incredibly excited and felt honored; he had not expected that Fellow Daoist Qin, who had only recently advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, would be so strong. Not only did he cripple Yu Wanhe with a single spell, but even Alliance Leader Huo, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, had to show him respect.

Once Qin Ming and the others left, the hall descended into chaos.

"I never imagined the Master of Wangyue Island had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage!"

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I suddenly remember—wasn't it Senior Qin who cultivated the Spirit-Perching Rice half a year ago?"

"At that time, many fellow cultivators wanted to visit Wangyue Island to seek rice but were all turned away at the gate, unable to see him."

"So he is a second-tier mid-grade spiritual planter; it’s no wonder he succeeded in reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."

"The Yu family is truly unlucky; they just became a Foundation Establishment family only to kick an iron plate."

"Unlucky? They were simply too arrogant and unscrupulous. Senior Qin taught them a good lesson; I’ve long despised them."

"We’re in for a good show."

"In two days, I, from Little Leaf Island, intend to visit Wangyue Island to pay my respects to Senior Qin and build some goodwill."

...

After the meeting, the three leaders of the 72-Island Loose Cultivator Alliance sat in a private room.

Li Yuanqing spoke first, deeply moved, "I didn't expect this young man to be so extraordinary. I still remember the island-seizing battle years ago, where he overwhelmed the crowd and forced back Zhao Chanzhen of the Zhao family to capture his island."

"Now, in a blink of an eye, he has become a Foundation Establishment cultivator just like us."

Alliance Leader Huo stood with his hands behind his back, looking out the window, and nodded, "Yes... I fear Fellow Daoist Qin’s strength is far from what appears on the surface!"

"If it were to come to a real fight, even I could at best only tie with him."

The elderly woman, looking frail and old, said in disbelief, "How is that possible? How long has he even been at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"..."

"By the way, what about the Yu family?"

"We originally wanted to go along with the plan and use Yu Wanhe, but I didn't expect him to be crippled by Fellow Daoist Qin. This must be fate."

"The Yu family is no longer a significant threat; let’s leave them for later."

"Let’s hurry and prepare for the tasks ahead."

Two days later, news of the Master of Wangyue Island achieving the Foundation Establishment stage and displaying his immense power at the headquarters of the 72-Island Loose Cultivator Alliance on Fengqi Island spread everywhere. Even in the holy land of loose cultivators, Canghai Immortal City, the news was the talk of the town. In this place, the successful Foundation Establishment of any loose cultivator was a topic of great interest and a major focal point. For the countless loose cultivators in the city, it was a great source of inspiration.

At Mirror Snow Pavilion, Gu Qingzhao had received the news on the very day it happened. She had simply been too busy with pavilion matters to get away. On this day, a joyous look appeared in her beautiful eyes, and she instructed Shopkeeper Liao, "Go and prepare some generous gifts. In a few days, I will go to Wangyue Island to visit Fellow Daoist Qin."

Shopkeeper Liao agreed and said with envy, "Who would have thought! Times change and people change; Fellow Daoist Qin is truly remarkable. Before we knew it, he had reached this stage."

...

On Wangyue Island, Qin Ming had Wu Jiang and his wife handle the reception of visiting cultivators.

"News of my breakthrough will spread over these few days, and there will surely be many visitors. I do not care for noise; for ordinary forces, you may simply accept their calling cards."

"If I encounter someone I cannot easily refuse, I will come out and receive them personally."

Wu Jiang patted his chest and guaranteed, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin. I have spent thirty years in the Lingqi Archipelago and am familiar with all the forces, big and small. I will certainly handle this properly."

Being a receptionist for a Foundation Establishment cultivator was something ordinary Qi Refining cultivators could only dream of. After all, it also represented, to a certain extent, a close relationship with this Foundation Establishment cultivator. Moreover, they were renting a place on Wangyue Island.

...

In the following days, forces from nearby spiritual islands came one after another to deliver their calling cards to Wangyue Island. Wu Jiang and his wife handled things well, keeping everything organized. Occasionally, larger forces would visit, and Qin Ming would personally receive them one by one. The three leaders of the 72-Island Loose Cultivator Alliance also came and stayed for half a day.

A few days passed, and most of those who were expected to come had already arrived.

On this day, Qin Ming finally found some peace and was tending to his spiritual fields. Wu Jiang arrived with a strange expression and reported, "Fellow Daoist Qin, the Zhao family, one of the seven great powers, has come to pay a visit."

"What... how should we handle this?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming stopped what he was doing and frowned slightly, "Why has the Zhao family come too?"

"Do you know who from the Zhao family has arrived?"

Wu Jiang replied truthfully, "It is the eldest young master, Zhao Wuji, and the ninth young master, Zhao Chanzhen."

Qin Ming knew that since the Zhao family had arrived, it would not be right to turn them away, and it would put Wu Jiang in an impossible position.

Therefore, he said lightly, "Fine, invite the two young masters of the Zhao family in."

A moment later, a steady-looking young man and the Zhao Chanzhen he had met before were led by Wu Jiang to the guest hall on Wangyue Island. Seeing them arrive, Qin Ming put on a smile and cupped his hands, "Two young masters, I apologize for the lack of a proper welcome. Please, come in and take a seat, and have some spiritual tea."

Qin Ming glanced at them slightly. Zhao Wuji’s cultivation was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage; however, his strength must be among the best in this realm, and even Qin Ming found him hard to read. Zhao Chanzhen had also broken through to the early Foundation Establishment stage; when he had come to fight for the island years ago, he was already at the peak of Qi Refining. It stood to reason that with his talent and the Zhao family's resources, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage would not be difficult for him.

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Qin on your breakthrough; your path to immortality has advanced further."

"This is a small gift, a token of our appreciation."

Zhao Chanzhen smiled slightly and handed Qin Ming an exquisite jade box. Just by looking at the packaging material of the jade box, one could tell that the contents were surely of great value. Qin Ming took the jade box, did not open it, and put it away calmly.

Zhao Chanzhen then introduced to Qin Ming, "This is my older brother, Zhao Wuji."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao."

"Fellow Daoist Qin."

After the two sides exchanged greetings, and since they were guests, Qin Ming brewed a pot of Spirit-Gathering Tea for them. The Spirit-Gathering Tea, brewed with spiritual spring water, had an ethereal aura, and its fragrance filled the room. The two brothers took only one sip and felt a surge of spiritual energy flowing through their bodies, slowly nourishing their divine sense—it was deeply refreshing and invigorating.

"Good tea!"

"As expected of Spirit-Gathering Tea, Fellow Daoist Qin, would you be willing to sell some to me?"

Qin Ming heard this and smiled slightly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, you joke."

He then took out a small box of Spirit-Gathering Tea and gifted it to the two of them as a return gift.

Next, the three began to chat idly.

"Thinking back, it has been several years. The first time Fellow Daoist Qin and I met was on this very island."

"Back then, during our duel, I was truly terrified by your Yin Thunder Beads! Hahaha!" Zhao Chanzhen joked. Intangibly, he was trying to grow closer to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming heard this and said modestly, "Haha, fortunately, Fellow Daoist Zhao yielded; otherwise, I would not have been able to become the master of this island."

Back then, if it hadn't been for Zhao Chanzhen appearing halfway, Qin Ming would not have been able to secure Wangyue Island at such a low cost.

The group chatted for a while. Seeing the timing was right, Zhao Wuji appropriately extended an olive branch to Qin Ming, offering extremely generous conditions. The status of a second-tier mid-grade spiritual planter, combined with that of a second-tier alchemy master, would grant him the status and treatment of an inner-sect elder in any major force. Furthermore, Qin Ming was now a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Qin Ming, upon hearing this, naturally could not agree. He politely declined the Zhao family's invitation. Just as he had done with the 72-Island Loose Cultivator Alliance, he did not want to get involved in the struggle between the two sides and clearly stated his neutral stance.

Before the two Zhao young masters came, they had already understood that Qin Ming had the backing of the Mirror Snow Pavilion. They did not truly expect to recruit him. Their visit was mainly to probe Qin Ming’s attitude.

After chatting for the better part of the day, the two young masters of the Zhao family took their leave.