Chapter 101: Ability Enhancement

Cao Renjian did not even dare to lift his head now; he feared that in the very next instant, he would simply vanish from this world.

“Very well. Since that is what you all want, I shall oblige.” A cold, bloodless smile curled at the corner of Qi Ming’s mouth.

Spiritual energy surged within his hand, and light burst forth at once.

That force seemed almost alive as it spread toward Cao Renjian and the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace.

“Ah!”

The moment the radiance touched the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace, he could no longer hold back a piercing scream.

His expression twisted horribly, as if he had been struck by lightning. The power looked gentle enough, but once it entered the body, it immediately began to wreak havoc.

Soon afterward, Cao Renjian, the Sect Master of Myriad Sword Sect, also began to cry out in agony.

The two men seemed to be enduring unspeakable torment, both on the verge of fainting.

Listening to their screams, Qi Ming’s brows knitted tightly together.

These two were utterly useless.

It was only a little power, and yet they were screaming as though they had been flayed alive.

Qi Ming almost suspected that he had chosen the wrong people from the start.

He raised his hand and swept his sleeve. The shrill cries vanished at once, and the surrounding space fell silent, as if nothing had happened.

All that remained were the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace and Cao Renjian, mouths wide open, faces contorted in pain, both of them unable to make a sound, as though they had been struck dumb.

In truth, they were in too much pain even to notice whether they could still speak.

No one knew how long it took before the man lying on the ground, wracked with pain, slowly came back to his senses.

The two of them looked as though they had lost a life to the torment, drenched in sweat from head to toe.

“Have they finished yet? Why are we still waiting on these two useless fools?” the middle-aged man beside Qi Ming said irritably.

The task assigned to them had still not been completed, and it felt as though he had been slapped in the face. If this had been back in their original world, such a thing would never have happened.

They would already have succeeded. Why waste time waiting here?

“Enough.” Qi Ming was not nearly so impatient.

He raised his hand once more and dispelled the spell he had cast upon the two men.

Two heavy breaths echoed in the chamber.

“Ma... Master.” At last, the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace managed to steady his breathing.

There was no longer any pain in his body. The agony from before now seemed like it had never existed at all. He only felt a profound lightness within himself, and an indescribable force flowing through his veins.

“Use your spiritual power,” Qi Ming said coldly.

The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace and Cao Renjian beside him struggled to their feet and circulated their power.

The instant they did, both of them trembled with excitement.

They had once been only at the Supreme Realm, but now they had actually reached the level of Quasi-Immortal!

Heavens above, that was the difference between the Supreme Realm and the Quasi-Immortal Realm!

An entire chasm, one they could not hope to cross even after a thousand years of cultivation!

Yet now, after only a bout of pain, their strength had risen by an entire tier. If that were the case, then even enduring such agony a few more times would be worth it!

“Many thanks for Master’s gift! Many thanks, Master!” Cao Renjian’s eyes shone. He was almost ready to slam his head into the ground.

This was something he would never have obtained even after several lifetimes of cultivation!

He had dreamed for so long of becoming a Quasi-Immortal, and it had always seemed impossible. But now, he truly was one.

“Many thanks, Master. This time, we will surely not fail our mission. We will thoroughly investigate both the Extreme Path Sacred Land and the Ziyan Sacred Land!” the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace said.

This old fox naturally understood the true reason this mysterious figure had elevated their strength.

“We shall see how you perform,” Qi Ming said coldly, and in the blink of an eye he vanished from before them.

Within the chamber, only Cao Renjian and the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace remained.

“Brother Cao, the time is about right. Return to Myriad Sword Sect at once and gather your people. In three days, we will surely make the people of the Extreme Path Sacred Land and the Ziyan Sacred Land look foolish. By then, all of Southern Border will be ours!”

The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace spoke with a smile.

“Good! I’ll go prepare at once!” The Sect Master of Myriad Sword Sect was now brimming with energy, eager beyond restraint, and could hardly wait to rush over to the Extreme Path Sacred Land and the Ziyan Sacred Land to stir up trouble.

In his mind, he had already envisioned all the cultivators of Southern Border kneeling at his feet, cheering and rejoicing.

Cao Renjian was overjoyed beyond measure.

As soon as he left Rufu Palace, he hurried back to Myriad Sword Sect as fast as he could.

After Cao Renjian departed, the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace looked coldly into the empty air before him and snorted.

“What a brainless fool. By the time he dies, he may not even know how he died.”

After a moment’s thought, he also left the secret chamber.

...

For the past three days, Southern Border had been in an uproar, everyone fervently discussing how the Extreme Path Sacred Land and the Ziyan Sacred Land were opening their gates wide and allowing anyone to challenge them.

Though many believed the two sacred lands were inviting wolves into their home, there were still no shortage of sects that were delighted to see such a thing happen.

After all, only when matters grew chaotic would people like them have any chance of gaining some advantage from it.

“What do you think? Which side will win this challenge?”

“It has to be the Extreme Path Sacred Land and the Ziyan Sacred Land. They’ve lived in Southern Border all this time; this is their turf!”

“How is that possible? Are you looking down on the strength of the sacred lands of the Central Plains? Let me tell you, when it comes to fighting, the Central Plains is full of talent. We’ve never been afraid!”

The various factions argued day after day, all waiting for the outcome of the clash between the two sides.

As for the Extreme Path Sacred Land and the Ziyan Sacred Land, they had spent these days busy visiting Zhu Xiaoyuan, and had no time to waste on those people’s idle chatter.

The appointed day soon arrived.

As expected, the Extreme Path Sacred Land withdrew its sect-protecting grand formation and waited for the challengers to arrive.

Myriad Sword Sect had prepared itself two or three days earlier, worried that the Extreme Path Sacred Land might not dare to show up on time.

At this moment, Cao Renjian of Myriad Sword Sect and the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace had assembled not far from the Extreme Path Sacred Land.

“Brother Cao, why not take the lead today? With your imposing bearing, they’ll probably be too afraid to even fight. They’ll just surrender on the spot!” the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace said ingratiatingly.

Cao Renjian laughed heartily, very satisfied. “Holy Lord, what are you saying? Your bearing is no less remarkable. I’m nothing but a small-time joke.”