I Only Stomp on Weaklings

In the dimly lit first level of the dungeon, prisoners in the cells on either side of the passage shouted their grievances upon hearing someone pass by.

Chen Ming and his companion turned a deaf ear to the cries.

Tang Shouzheng said mysteriously, "I heard that even several of our Hall Masters were alarmed. Last night, there were intense fluctuations of aura in the Hall of Reincarnation and the Hall of Heaven Patrol. These two Hall Masters have been in seclusion for years."

Chen Ming wiped away a cold sweat secretly and regretfully said, "Too bad I was immersed in the visualization map at the time, completely unaware of the outside world, and missed such a rare spectacle in a millennium."

"There will always be chances. The Nine Heavens have opened once, proving it has a new master. It will definitely open again in the future."

"I wonder who the master of the Nine Heavens is?" he said, with a hint of envy in his tone.

"Anyway, our Emperor probably won’t get a good night’s sleep. I heard all the ministers were summoned for a morning court meeting, and even the two Hall Masters who just emerged from seclusion were called over by an edict."

Chen Ming said, "No matter how remarkable the Nine Heavens are, it’s just a Secret Realm. Can it make the Emperor anxious?"

Tang Shouzheng said, "Since the ancient Three Sovereigns, every dynasty has at least controlled one of the Nine Heavens until the fall of the Jing Dynasty two thousand years ago. All tokens of the Nine Heavens were lost, and the world officially entered an era of vying for supremacy. Now the Nine Heavens suddenly have a new master, which is not a good omen."

He didn’t say it out loud, but did the new master of the Nine Heavens herald chaos for the world?

Chen Ming said, "The theory of fate is elusive. To say someone has become the master of one of the Nine Heavens and can become the ruler of the world, I don’t believe it."

Tang Shouzheng said, "Actually, I don’t quite believe it either. The world is relatively peaceful now, and life is still bearable. Who would want to get caught up in war?"

Chen Ming thought, in this martial world, it doesn’t quite align with the people’s historical perspective. The sheer force of individuals, these powerful beings, are the key influences on the world’s fate.

Anyway, he had no intention of becoming Emperor. Once he becomes powerful enough, living freely and unrestrained is much better.

...

As usual, Chen Ming spent several hours challenging all eighteen First Grade, earning about half as much as yesterday. About a million points, still quite good.

As they were leaving, Tang Shouzheng remembered something, "It’s strange, yesterday after we saw that cultivator who had been sitting for fifty-seven years, he died and turned into a pile of ashes. At first, I thought he had managed to escape somehow, which gave me quite a scare. I quickly called someone from the Heavenly Master Mansion, and later it was the junior Heavenly Master who came over and confirmed the old man was indeed dead."

"Such a coincidence?" Chen Ming’s complexion changed slightly, "I heard these cultivators have bizarre means, making them difficult to guard against. Should I have someone from the Heavenly Master Mansion take a look?"

Tang Shouzheng relaxed upon hearing this and softly reminded, "Our visit to see the old man yesterday must not be known to the Heavenly Master Mansion people. It’s best not to invite trouble. Better fewer things to worry about than more."

"You’re right, big brother. But why does the Heavenly Master Mansion care so much about that person?"

"Well, the old man hasn’t committed any crime. It was people from the Heavenly Master Mansion who brought him over to be detained in the dungeon. Probably, he offended someone in the Heavenly Master Mansion."

"I see."

Chen Ming left the dungeon, thanked Tang Shouzheng, and departed alone.

"That old Taoist sure is lucky."

He thought to himself, to be honest, he was indeed a bit worried that the old man’s escape might involve him.

But he couldn’t ask proactively, lest he arouse Tang Shouzheng’s suspicion.

Now he could finally rest easy, as Tang Shouzheng, not wanting to take responsibility, had actually covered up their meeting with the old man.

In this way, the Heavenly Master Mansion would only believe that the old man truly died, without suspecting him.

...

Upon returning to the Duke Jingguo’s mansion, he went back to his small courtyard, intending to question the old Taoist.

Once inside the door, he heard a voice say "Master," full of grievance.

He looked up, somewhat surprised, "It’s you?"

It was Gu Xianyu’s maid Xiaoe.

He had forgotten about this person, and now she suddenly appeared, naturally surprising him.

The little maid was even more aggrieved, tears nearly falling.

"Seeing you’re safe, I’m relieved," Chen Ming comforted, "When I didn’t see you in Xiazhou City, I thought you... thankfully."

Only then did Xiaoe break into a smile, recounting what happened after they parted ways.

It turns out, when news of Chen Ming’s disappearance reached Xiazhou City, coincidentally Xia Mudan had also been taken away by her mother, and the Xia Family was in chaos with no one to deliver a message for her.

So she could only make the trip herself to notify Gu Yuyin of the news.

Then she returned to Xiazhou City and heard that the master was safe and had already gone to the Capital City. Only then did she follow, arriving ten days later.

Judging by her appearance, she had endured a lot of hardships on the journey.

Finally, Xiaoe said, "Seeing Master safe, the servant feels at ease."

"Alright."

Chen Ming thought, you might as well run halfway, maybe you’ll live a bit longer.

Xiaoe looked around and said softly, "When the servant entered the city, I saw Miss Xia’s carriage. The servant followed it and noted where the carriage went."

Xia Mudan has finally arrived in the Capital City.

Chen Ming shook his head, "It’s not appropriate for me to see her now. Alright, you’ve just arrived in the Capital City, go rest well first. Come to attend me tomorrow; I will go back to my room to practice now."

"Yes."

...

"Master Wangchenzi, Master Wangchenzi, Master Wangchenzi!"

After three rings, Chen Ming’s consciousness once again entered that strange space and met the mysterious old Taoist.

"Master Taoist, you’ve caused me some trouble."

Chen Ming started pouring out his grievances as soon as he arrived.

The old Taoist’s face turned solemn, "Did the people from the Heavenly Master Mansion come looking for you?"

Taking the opportunity, Chen Ming asked, "How did you offend the Heavenly Master Mansion? What kind of deep-seated hatred makes them imprison you for fifty-seven years?"

This matter needs to be clarified for him to feel at ease.

The old Taoist, noticing his expression, had a suspicion in his heart and said, "Very well, since you want to know, I’ll tell you. It’s all because of the Longevity Cultivation Technique passed down by my sect. It was my own competitive nature in my youth that wanted to experience the supernatural skills of the leader in cultivation, the Heavenly Master Mansion. However, I accidentally revealed a flaw, which led to this disaster."

"Longevity Technique?"

Chen Ming was startled, "Master Taoist, are you from the Longevity Sect?"

"Not at all," the old Taoist shook his head emphatically, "The Longevity Technique is not exclusive to the Longevity Sect. Our sect’s cultivation technique is of orthodox Taoism, a technique to avoid calamity entirely. Its supernatural powers lie in evading disaster and avoiding catastrophe, though not adept at fighting, it allows one to live long."

"Then may I ask your age?"

"I am not worthy; I have lived until today, not yet reaching three hundred years. Two hundred ninety-seven years."

Chen Ming found it hard to believe, knowing that the limit for First Grade powerhouses is roughly one hundred thirty years.

The Divine Treasure Realm also rarely lives to two hundred years.

This old man, whose cultivation is equivalent to First Grade, has lived nearly three hundred years?

He asked, "Why did you tell me this truthfully? Aren’t you worried I’ll covet your Longevity Technique?"

The old Taoist laughed heartily, "Our sect’s Longevity Technique aims to evade disaster and avoid calamity entirely. It does not fight with others, severs love, and avoids entanglement with karma. Can you do that?"

"..."

Chen Ming indeed cannot. He is just a common person, has family, has friends, and when bullied, he retaliates; all debts must be repaid.

For cultivation techniques like this, even if one can achieve longevity, what joy is there in life?

"Master Taoist has truly judged me correctly," he said. "However, I’m still a bit worried; rumors say that the Heavenly Master Mansion has the ability to calculate fate. If they happen to calculate me, how can I defend against it?"

"You can rest assured about this; the Heavenly Master Mansion’s ability to calculate depends entirely on an artifact from Emperor Xi, which is now in your possession."

"Speaking of that Turtle Shell," Chen Ming sighed, "You’ve kept me in the dark, senior. This Turtle Shell that activates Qingwei Heaven is indeed one of the Nine Heavens? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

The old Taoist laughed, "You were quite wary of me before. If I had told you the truth, you might not have dared enter Qingwei Heaven for quite some time. That would have been missing an opportunity."

Seeing the old Taoist’s clear gaze and penetrating insight, Chen Ming felt a chill in his heart and asked, "Is there a way to avoid it? If every time I enter Qingwei Heaven, celestial phenomena appear, it’s too conspicuous and doesn’t match my personality."

"There is indeed a way; you simply inform that artifact before you open the Secret Realm."

If there’s a way, why not say it earlier?

Chen Ming grumbled in his heart, then asked about another matter, "It’s said the Nine Heavens haven’t been opened for two thousand years. Could it be that the Heavenly Master Mansion doesn’t know this Turtle Shell is the key to opening Qingwei Heaven?"

The old Taoist retorted, "If they knew, would this Turtle Shell have ever fallen into your hands?"

Chen Ming thought it made sense.

If the Heavenly Master Mansion knew the importance of this Turtle Shell, they certainly wouldn’t let it be taken outside and lost.

So the question arises, the Heavenly Master Mansion is the holy land for cultivators in the current world, yet even they do not know this secret. Yet this old Taoist does.

He jokingly said, "Master Taoist, aren’t you tempted by such a supreme treasure?"

The old Taoist shook his head, "Such things concerning the fate of the human race are evaded by me at all costs; how could I be involved?"

Chen Ming bowed, "Thank you for your guidance, Master Taoist. I won’t disturb you any longer."

He then left.

...

After returning to reality, Chen Ming took out the Turtle Shell and before opening the Secret Realm, silently thought, "Do not reveal celestial phenomena."

Then, he entered the Secret Realm once more.

He toiled all night, capturing eleven ghosts and harvested 1.1 million Experience Points.

The total Experience Points once again broke 5 million points.

Chen Ming returned to reality, took a pellet of elixir to restore the consumed Gang Yuan, and meanwhile pondered the "Godslaying Needle."

This secret technique has a marvelous similarity to Sword Intent, but the hardest part is honing the thought to be supremely yang and firm.

The most direct method is visualization under the sun.

In this world, the most yang and firm thing is none other than the sun.

Unknowingly, it became daylight.

Chen Ming’s Gang Yuan recovered to seventy to eighty percent; it must be said, the elixirs of the Gu Family are indeed effective.

"Success!"

The "Godslaying Needle" has finally reached the introductory stage, "Godslaying Needle" (1st Tier 1/100000).

Is it true that this secret technique only requires 100,000 Experience Points for the first tier?