Black Gold Ring (Seeking Collection!)

"So how are the realms of us martial artists divided compared to cultivators? For example, the True Qi Realm—what does it correspond to in cultivation?"

Wu Ming had long accumulated a bellyful of questions, and having run into Feng Han, who seemed to have some experience, how could he let him off?

Feng Han, however, furrowed his brow. "Martial arts and Daoist arts are two completely different things. Why must there be a corresponding realm?"

Wu Ming was frustrated. "So there's no common ranking of realms?"

"Of course not!" Feng Han's tone carried a chill. "The true ranking is strength... When two Grandmasters clash in a life-or-death fight, the one who survives is naturally stronger than the dead one! Every famous powerhouse under heaven today has fought their way through a sea of corpses and blood!"

Wu Ming nodded. "I understand. True strength is the proper application of timing, terrain, and unity. Techniques have no inherent superiority, only differences in power!"

Feng Han nodded, a hint of approval in his expression that said 'this one can be taught.'

'I was too fixated...'

But Wu Ming's heart was bitter. "Great Zhou is a real world! Not a game... There's no need for so-called balance! Magic and physical paths don't need equilibrium either... If your talent is high, your aptitude good, and your resources abundant, you can naturally choose a stronger path. The gap starts from the very beginning! And the distance from ordinary people only widens, never shrinks!"

"And between different paths, there are no identical realms. Whether you're strong or not, you only know after a fight!"

"If that's the case... this 'Samurai' class I've taken is far too common. Catching up to those favored by heaven would take far more effort and energy, and even then, it'd be half the result for twice the work. Since I have the Main God Hall in hand, should I consider changing classes?"

Though the former wastrel had poor talent and could only walk the martial path, the current Wu Ming had the Main God Hall backing him. As long as he had enough merits, basic Daoist incantations, even shamanic arts and Gu techniques, were all within reach. There was no reason he couldn't forge a path uniquely suited to himself.

Poor Feng Han, who had seen Wu Ming as decent material and thought he'd found a good student.

He had no idea that Wu Ming was already considering jumping out of the meat-shield samurai pit and throwing himself into another faction's arms.

If he knew, he'd probably have already smashed down with an eagle claw.

After a morning of practice, Wu Ming's appetite soared. At noon, he wolfed down three large bowls of fragrant millet rice, chewed through half an oiled sesame chicken, a bowl of tender, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork that was rich but not greasy, plus several vegetable dishes. Only then did he nibble on some post-meal fruit and leisurely head off to find Wu Qing.

"The cost of this one meal is probably enough for an ordinary family to live on for half a month or more..."

As he walked, Wu Ming's mind churned. "My current appetite is already two or three times that of an average man, and I can't go a single meal without meat. How could an ordinary family afford that? No wonder the folk saying goes, 'Poverty breeds scholars, wealth breeds warriors, and cultivating arts bankrupts a house.' It seems the costs increase in that order!"

"I heard from Feng Han that you've already broken through to the True Qi Realm. Very good!"

Wu Ming entered Wu Qing's boudoir, catching the faint, elegant scent of pine resin, and only then felt a slight sense of impropriety.

But Wu Qing seemed completely unbothered.

Before her was only a pot of clear water and fresh fruits like pine nuts. Clearly, her Daoist arts were profound, and she had even begun attempting to abstain from grains, which made Wu Ming's heart tighten.

"Since you've reached the Fifth Layer of Body Refinement, the Turtle Breath Technique is no longer suitable for you. This is the follow-up, the Spirit Turtle Qi Cultivation Technique! It's enough to train you to the Extreme Transformation Realm. Study it yourself first, and ask Feng Han if you don't understand!"

Wu Qing let out a faint sigh. "Your sister has been away for three days and must return to the Dao Academy now!"

"Spirit Turtle Qi Cultivation Technique?"

The ancient tome in his hand still seemed to carry lingering warmth and fragrance, stirring Wu Ming's heart. He forced himself to calm down and asked, "I see that Feng Han is also a talent. Can we win him over with this technique?"

"Of course. This man has a clean background, but he lacks a foundation. If you can recruit him, it would be a good thing! But remember, techniques must not be passed on lightly. Keep that in mind!"

Wu Qing nodded casually.

Wu Ming's expression turned solemn. He knew that in this world, the Nine Layers of Body Refinement in martial arts were: Heart Settling, Skin and Flesh, Muscles and Bones, Internal Strengthening, True Qi, Innate, External Gang, Internal Gang, and Extreme Transformation!

The first four layers were about clarifying the mind and seeing one's nature, tempering skin, flesh, muscles, bones, and internal organs—a process of building a foundation.

From True Qi, to Innate, and then to Extreme Transformation, it was merely the cultivation and transformation of true qi.

One Turtle Breath Technique and one Spirit Turtle Qi Cultivation Technique were enough to train all the way to the peak of the Ninth Layer! Wu Qing had spent a great price to obtain them. Even in an ordinary minor noble family, they would be passed down as heirlooms. If an ordinary person fully grasped them, they could turn their life around and change their fate.

Even if Feng Han's own Qi Circulation Cultivation Method was already set and couldn't be easily swapped, he could still pass it on to his family and descendants. It might even be the spark for a family's rise!

Of course, precisely because of this, Wu Ming wasn't foolish enough to hand it over directly.

One reason was that no reward should be given without merit. Another was that if he gave such a heavy reward now, what would he do later?

"Rest assured, Sister. I understand!"

Wu Ming replied with a faint smile.

For some reason, watching this younger brother who had suddenly matured, knowing when to advance and retreat, understanding gain and loss, a trace of melancholy appeared on Wu Qing's face. She then pulled out an unremarkable black ring, dull and lusterless, and slipped it onto Wu Ming's finger.

"Is this... a magical artifact?!"

Wu Ming's pupils contracted as he exclaimed in awe.

He knew quality when he saw it. Though the ring's exterior was pitch-black and unassuming, layers of cloud patterns were arranged with great regularity, and the inner ring was densely packed with fine runes.

Most importantly, the moment he put it on, a thread of true qi in his dantian began to stir restlessly. How could he not recognize its value?

"This is the Black Gold Ring, a low-grade magical artifact. It can injure people from a distance. That Lin Qi fellow died by it back then. It requires true qi to activate, which is why I didn't give it to you before. But now, there's no problem..."

Wu Qing spoke lightly, but Wu Ming's heart was deeply shaken.

A magical artifact! Even if it was only the lowest grade, its value was completely incomparable to that fire technique thumb ring from before.

"Sister... if you give this to me, what about you...?"

Magical artifacts weren't common goods. Wu Ming even suspected that this was the only one Wu Qing had on her.

"Rest assured. For now, no one in the Dao Academy can trouble me!"

Wu Qing waved her hand with considerable authority, then softened her tone. "Just keep it! Also... I've been working to get you admitted into the Dao Academy. That Spirit Turtle Qi Cultivation Technique was derived from Daoist incantations and aligns with nature. You must not slack off..."

"...Thank you, sister!"

Seeing the resolve in Wu Qing's eyes, and knowing that this woman always kept her word—a promise as hard to take back as a team of four horses—Wu Ming did not refuse. He took the item and silently committed it to memory.

'Though I am no longer the Wu Ming of before, since you treat me with sincerity, I will repay you with utmost devotion. I will surely protect you completely.'

Wu Ming had always believed in 'when one attains the Dao, even one's chickens and dogs ascend to heaven' and 'repay a drop of water with a gushing spring.'

He naturally could not tell Wu Qing the great secret of the Main God Hall, but in the future, once he grew strong, he would surely shower her with blessings.

After all, he had taken on her brother's identity and accepted so many benefits for nothing. If he didn't repay her, his own conscience would not be at ease.

Of course, he was still in his weak period now, so he wouldn't be overly sentimental. He simply accepted it.

Night fell.

Wu Ming lay on the soft couch, dismissed the servants and maids, pillowed his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes slightly, calling out to the Main God Hall in his mind.

[Ding! Detected Reincarnator number Gengshen 69. Main God Apostle requests connection. Authority verified. Access granted!]

In an instant, Wu Ming felt himself connect to a vast, mysterious space that seemed to exist everywhere.

An ordinary Reincarnator could only passively receive the Main God Hall's summons. How could they treat the Main God Hall like home, entering and leaving as they pleased?

But Wu Ming had his own authority, allowing him to return anytime, anywhere.

"If in the future, the Main God Hall can allow true-body traversal, that will be the greatest trump card! Then, though the world is vast, few will be able to do anything to me!"

As long as he could store his real-world physical body inside the Main God Hall, it would be nearly the perfect sanctuary.

Unfortunately, the Main God Hall did not yet have this function. When Reincarnators carried out missions, their physical bodies in the real world were their greatest weakness.

[Ding! Detected Reincarnator carrying a low-grade magical artifact. Will you consume fifty minor merits to bring it in as one?]

"Damn! Even I have to pay?!"

Wu Ming was a bit annoyed, but of course he chose no.

Though he wanted to appraise it, there would be plenty of chances before the next reincarnation mission. Merits were precious—he couldn't waste them like this.

A flash of light, and Wu Ming arrived once again in that white, boundless space, gazing up at the majestic Main God Hall above the nine heavens.

"Now I'm just a bit annoyed. Those cultivators—especially the ones entering for the first time—must be crying their eyes out..."

Though the martial arts instructor Feng Han held a prejudice, Wu Ming had gathered information from many sources and combined it with his own experience. He knew that in the Great Zhou World, Daoists, mages, shamans, and other spellcasting professions were unequivocally the high-class elite!

Of course, precisely because of this, these spellcasting professions relied heavily on external objects, especially at the very beginning, when they were forging their Dao Foundation!

At this stage, Daoists and mages were like those Confucian scholars who had not yet achieved mastery and could not travel abroad—they spent their days reading scriptures and nurturing their qi. If they wanted to cast spells, with their pitifully meager mana, they absolutely had to rely on talismans and magical artifacts!

And yet, new Reincarnators entering the Main God Hall had not a single merit to their name...

"This is practically a scam that kills without compensation..."

Wu Ming opened the exchange list and saw the equipment section: "And the exchange prices for magical artifacts and various tools are on the high side, even requiring great merits and heavenly merits. Is it because the Main God Hall is currently only a spiritual world, so it discourages exchanging for physical artifacts?"

Drawing on his past life experience, Wu Ming made bold assumptions and began to grasp the Main God Hall's underlying logic.