Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-428

Moments later, Lu Ping’s attention was attracted to something, causing him to glance toward the front. Zeng Wu hadn’t detected anything and continued leading the way in excitement.

Zeng Wu hadn’t expected the man who gifted him spirit stones and pellets to be a Core Forging Realm cultivator. During their most recent trip, Zeng Wu and his companions stumbled upon an abandoned cavern from ancient times. Their discovery was fruitful, but plenty of things were beyond their understanding because they were all solitary cultivators with limited chances to acquire more knowledge. As they could not identify the items’ value, they feared being taken advantage of by the vendors or losing their lives after being robbed by higher-level cultivators who saw their goods. Right as they were feeling lost and helpless, Zeng Wu discovered Lu Ping purchasing spirit materials.

Lu Ping had left quite an impression on Zeng Wu by lending him a helping hand all those years ago. Unlike other prideful higher-level cultivators, Lu Ping was very friendly and kind to him. Zeng Wu also believed that Lu Ping bore no ill intentions toward them, judging by how he gifted him spirit stones and pellets back then. The fact that Lu Ping was also a knowledgeable Core Forging Realm cultivator further strengthened Zeng Wu’s confidence in getting Lu Ping to look at their trophies.

Zeng Wu and his companions were confident in the value of the items they had discovered. If one of these items piqued Lu Ping’s interest, they would be rewarded handsomely because Lu Ping was an alchemist.

All of a sudden, the pair witnessed a scene taking place in front of them. Zeng Wu’s expression twisted because that was where his companions were. Zeng Wu turned around immediately and sprinted toward the area after receiving a nod from Lu Ping.

“Now that’s interesting. I wonder what these little ones acquired that managed to attract the attention of the ten top sects.” Lu Ping’s lips curled upward before he unleashed his aura, forcefully splitting the crowd apart and clearing a path for himself.

The ruckus was brought to a stop in an instant after Lu Ping announced his presence. When he arrived, he saw Zeng Wu and his companions arguing with some Blood Condensation Realm cultivators.

Being in the mid to late-Blood Condensation Realm, these cultivators had become bullies, taking advantage of their superior cultivation levels. The opposing cultivators cornered Zeng Wu and his companions despite the latter trying their best to reason with them.

From their clothing, Lu Ping identified them as people from the Xuan Ling Sect, Water Mist Sect, Swift Plume Sect, and two other cultivators that didn’t belong to the top ten sects.

Lu Ping clearly knew these guys were nothing but pawns with masterminds behind them. Mockery filled his eyes as he glanced at the crowd before temporarily eyeing Zeng Wu and his companions. Lu Ping started going through the items Zeng Wu and his companions acquired as if nothing had happened.

After a quick browse, Lu Ping could already identify the cause of the trouble.

The items were daily household goods made using low and average-quality spiritual materials, rendering them practically worthless. It was also obvious that they were part of the same batch and from the same place. In other words, the cave that Zeng Wu and his companions discovered once belonged to a very powerful cultivator. This conclusion could be reached based on how extravagant the cultivator was in crafting household items with spiritual materials.

As Lu Ping was browsing through the items, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes as he reached his hand toward an item that looked like a broken tile.

Suddenly, a roar sounded out, “Who are you? Where did you come from, fool? These are all ours! We paid for them! Get lost!”

Lu Ping frowned, but an attack was already being sent his way.

With his immensely powerful divine revelation, Lu Ping had already detected the sinister intention of this particular cultivator before he even attacked. The rumblings of thunder sounded out in the attacker’s ears as the energy flow of the attack was disrupted by Lu Ping’s furious grunt, dissipating in mid-air before it could even land on Lu Ping.

Right as the attacker made his move, a man blending in the crowd also made a move. However, his target wasn’t Lu Ping but the Xuan Ling Sect’s disciple that had attacked Lu Ping. Instead of trying to hurt him, the man in the crowd hurled a defensive item at the attacker.

It was clear as day that everything that happened was a setup to embarrass Lu Ping publicly. Little did they know that Lu Ping had already seen through their motive, allowing him to catch them off guard. Instead of launching a physical attack like they had anticipated, Lu Ping retaliated with his divine revelation, crippling the attacker instantly.

It was over so quickly that the man hiding in the crowd, who wanted to protect the attacker, could not react. Grimacing, the man could only watch on angrily as the attacker's heartspace was shredded into pieces. Even if he survived, the attacker’s cultivation career was ruined; he would no longer be able to become a cultivator. At the same time, the man was shocked at the prowess of Lu Ping’s divine revelation, effortlessly leveling the power of a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator.

Lu Ping clapped his hands and stood up, “I must admit that I admire your bravery. Do you not know the rules set by the alliance? A fight between cultivators is strictly prohibited. This leads me to my next question, does this young man from the Xuan Ling Sect think the island belongs to his sect? He thinks he can take advantage of anyone as he pleases, and then the victims must accept their fate?”

Lu Ping wore a sneer on his face as he fixed his gaze on the man who had now walked out from the crowd. The man retrieved his defensive item from the attacker, and scowled, “The island is not our sect’s property, but we’re all part of the island. As a disciple of the Zhen Ling Sect, you attacked one of your fellow cultivators on the island. Aren’t you breaking the rules as well by doing so?”

Lu Ping burst out laughing, but there was no warmth to it. His tone was icy as he spat out his next words, “That is a joke! I, a Core Forging Realm cultivator, was attacked by a puny Blood Condensation Realm cultivator for no reason. Am I supposed to do nothing? Am I supposed to let him humiliate the pride of a Core Forging Realm cultivator like that?”

Lu Ping did not allow the man to speak as he continued, “Actually, I greatly admire this Blood Condensation Realm cultivator from your sect. He’s actually gutsy enough to attack a Core Forging Realm cultivator! I must give it to him! It's no wonder that he’s a Xuan Ling Sect disciple! He’s practically made of bravery!”

There was nothing but obvious mockery in Lu Ping’s words that were directed at the Xuan Ling Sect and its disciple.

Meanwhile, the crowd was getting larger and larger. When the words rolled out of Lu Ping’s tongue, a round of laughter erupted from the crowd, further plunging the man into embarrassment.

Some people present could already tell this was yet another clash between the Xuan Ling Sect and the Zhen Ling Sect, which had now become a norm in the region. However, it was very strange for Xuan Ling Sect’s disciples to be brave enough to attack a Core Forging Realm cultivator. In fact, everyone thought he deserved it, especially when he was being rude toward a Core Forging Realm cultivator.

However, the cultivators who had been around from the start had witnessed exactly what happened. The Core Forging Realm cultivator from the Xuan Ling Sect instantly shrouded the attacker with his defensive item as soon as he made his move. However, their attempt to humiliate Lu Ping had been foiled, leaving the Xuan Ling Sect embarrassed.

“How terrifying! His divine revelation demolished a late-Blood Condensation Realm cultivator’s heartspace just like that!” The crowd stared at Lu Ping with awe and horror while stumbling backward unconsciously. The crowd moved back and created a larger space in the center.

“All right then. Very well!” The man’s face twisted before he pointed a finger at Lu Ping, and said, “Who are you? I challenge you to a fight outside the island. Are you brave enough to accept my challenge?”

He turned to a cultivator in brown beside him, and said, “Junior Brother Sha, why don’t you come and arbitrate our fight?”

The cultivator discreetly glanced at Lu Ping. His expression wasn’t pleasant as he hurriedly dragged the man from the Xuan Ling Sect to the side and whispered something to him.

As they conversed, they would turn around and look at Lu Ping from time to time. After they returned, the man shot a piercing glance at Lu Ping but spoke no further about the challenge. Instead, he stood there silently and showed no signs of leaving.

The clothing of the cultivator in brown told Lu Ping that he was from the Swift Plume Sect, causing Lu Ping to grin coldly. Lu Ping picked up the broken tile again, looked at the shocked Zeng Wu and his companions, and said, “This is mine now. What do you want in return? Spirit stones or pellets?”

The two female cultivators in Zeng Wu’s group, who had remained steady and determined against the unreasonable cultivators, found themselves at a loss for words out of fear.

On the other hand, Zeng Wu quickly returned to his senses. He hurriedly said, “Master Lu, we obtained these items during our trip overseas and know nothing about them. If you’re interested in any of them, you can just pay a price that you see fit.”

Lu Ping kept mum for a second, before he replied, “All right. I won’t take advantage of you. I’ll also make it clear to you all. This item was probably once part of a powerful item. Even if it’s just a broken piece, rendering it useless, it’s still precious because of what it's made from. Here are 60 mid-tier spirit stones and six bottles of Blood Condensation Realm pellets as payment for it.”

Zeng Wu took the inter-spacial pouch from Lu Ping with both hands. His expression was delighted, but after realizing something, his happiness left him. In the meantime, his companions were also very happy and excited; they hadn’t expected to acquire so many resources.

Zeng Wu pleadingly looked at Lu Ping before gathering his companions around him. Lu Ping did not know what they discussed, but he continued browsing their goods while waiting for Zeng Wu.