"You want to try?"
Lu Qingyan was taken aback to hear Lu Ming volunteer, then hesitated. Although Lu Ming possessed a sub-heaven-grade divine ability bone, he had yet to complete his second bone refinement. Whether in the strength of his Primordial Qi or his mastery of the divine ability he had cultivated, he seemed to fall short of Luo An from the Red Sand Hall.
Lu Qingyan worried that Lu Ming might be injured and have his cultivation progress affected. After all, he was the Lu Clan's last seed of hope.
Compared with Lu Ming's safety, never mind a little damage to the Thunderfire Hall's reputation-even the hall's closure mattered less than a single hair on his head.
"Father, Grandpa probably sent me with you today because he wanted me to temper myself a little." Sensing Lu Qingyan's hesitation, Lu Ming immediately smiled and stoked the flames.
Sure enough, the hesitation vanished from Lu Qingyan's eyes as soon as he heard that. He turned to Zhu Lian and said with an icy look, "You want a fight? Then the Thunderfire Hall will oblige!"
Zhu Lian chuckled. He glanced at Lu Ming standing behind Lu Qingyan, then lifted his chin at the young man beside him named Luo An. "Luo An, take good care of him," he said meaningfully.
Luo An grinned, his smile brimming with viciousness.
He pressed a hand against the railing on the second floor and vaulted straight down into an open space on the first. Then he looked up and casually beckoned Lu Ming with a finger.
Lu Ming vaulted down as well, landing calmly opposite Luo An.
Steward Xu of the Qingchuan Merchant Association waved a hand, and the association's guards stepped forward to clear a space where the two could fight without interruption.
The commotion immediately drew many eyes, and people eager for a spectacle gathered around.
Before long, news of the contest between the Thunderfire Hall and the Red Sand Hall spread through the merchant association, stirring up a chorus of whispers.
In a private room by a window on an upper floor of the merchant association's building, three pairs of eyes also turned toward the disturbance below.
"Oh? That's Lu Ming."
Surprise flashed through the eyes of one of the three. She wore a green dress, and her skin outshone frost and snow. Her waist was already slender, but with a sash loosely tied around it, it looked small enough to encircle with one hand.
She was Zhou Fuling, the niece of Market Master Zhou Xuan, whom Lu Ming had met at the market office a few days earlier.
Besides Zhou Fuling, two other young, beautiful girls of distinguished bearing were in the room.
One wore pink. She had a graceful figure and a charming, lovely face. Her peach-blossom eyes seemed capable of speech, and a gentle flutter of her lashes made it hard for anyone to look away.
Her name was Yan Zhizhi, and she came from the Yan Clan, one of Qingyuan Market's two great divine ability families.
The other girl wore a white dress. Her beautiful face was cool and proud, and her dark hair fell down her back to her waist like a waterfall.
Her name was Li Shuang, and she came from the Li Clan.
Over the past few days, Zhou Fuling had been meeting the direct descendants of the two great divine ability families at Zhou Xuan's arrangement. Things had gone smoothly, since both families also intended to sound out the new market master, and the two sides had readily hit it off.
So today, Zhou Fuling had invited the two young ladies of the divine ability families to a small gathering in a private room at the Qingchuan Merchant Association.
Now, Yan Zhizhi and Li Shuang had also turned their eyes toward the commotion on the first floor.
Yan Zhizhi gave it no more than a casual glance before losing interest. Direct descendants of divine ability families like them had always looked down somewhat on disciples of Qingyuan Market's divine ability halls.
In their eyes, those disciples were nothing but mud-legged peasants.
Even if a promising talent occasionally emerged, a shortage of cultivation resources would leave that person trailing behind the direct descendants of the divine ability families.
Li Shuang, however, knitted her slender brows slightly when her gaze passed over Lu Ming.
Her subtle expression did not escape Zhou Fuling's notice. Smiling, she asked, "What is it? Miss Li Shuang, do you know Lu Ming?"
Before Li Shuang could answer, Yan Zhizhi suddenly giggled. She looked back, studied Lu Ming carefully for a few moments, and said with a smile, "So he's Lu Ming from the Thunderfire Hall? He's decent-looking, I suppose. No wonder he's bewitched that young lady of the Li Clan, making her run to the Thunderfire Hall every day."
Though she was smiling, there was unmistakable mockery in her words.
Li Shuang's pretty face immediately turned cold. She stared at Yan Zhizhi. "Don't talk nonsense. What do you mean, bewitched? Sister Jingyi only goes to the Thunderfire Hall often because Lu Ming saved her back then, and she remembers that kindness."
"So you're saying there's nothing between them? Then why did I hear that when our Yan Clan wanted to discuss a marriage alliance with the Li Clan some time ago, your sister Jingyi rejected it in public?" Yan Zhizhi giggled.
Li Shuang gave her a contemptuous look. "Your elder brother? Is he worthy of Sister Jingyi?"
Bang!
Yan Zhizhi slammed her small hand on the table, much of her smile fading. She snorted coldly. "My elder brother has a high-grade divine ability bone. He's the foremost member of the Yan Clan's younger generation. Why isn't he worthy of her?"
"And if my elder brother isn't worthy, could it be that your Li Clan wants this mud-legged peasant from the Thunderfire Hall instead?"
Li Shuang said coldly, "I already told you, there's nothing of that sort between Sister Jingyi and Lu Ming. If you dare wag your tongue again and damage her reputation, don't blame the Li Clan for falling out with your Yan Clan!"
Yan Zhizhi arched a dark brow. Hearing how strongly Li Shuang had put it, she could hardly keep provoking her. She merely said in a barbed tone, "It seems your Li Clan doesn't think much of this Lu Ming either."
Listening to the two girls trade barbs, Zhou Fuling grew somewhat interested. From their words, however, it was clear that neither knew Lu Ming had also awakened a high-grade divine ability bone. That was only natural: divine ability families had always been proud and generally did not go out of their way to inquire about affairs in the divine ability halls.
"It looks like Lu Ming is going to fight that Red Sand Hall disciple here..." Zhou Fuling said.
"If I remember right, he hasn't opened his bone yet, has he? Even if he has, it can't have been long. With the meager resources those divine ability halls have, who knows whether he's even finished his first bone refinement? With that little strength, he still dares jump out and fight to prove himself. He really doesn't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is." Yan Zhizhi made no attempt to conceal the disdain in her voice.
This time, Li Shuang did not argue. She had no connection with Lu Ming either, and as long as Yan Zhizhi did not drag Jingyi into it, she could not be bothered to respond.
Zhou Fuling said nothing either. She simply watched the two facing each other in the open space on the first floor. From what she could sense, the strength of the Red Sand Hall disciple's Primordial Qi suggested that he had completed two bone refinements. That did indeed put him a step above Lu Ming.
Does Lu Ming intend to compete with that man in divine abilities? Although he has a high-grade divine ability bone, it's only been about half a month since he opened it. At most, he's completed one bone refinement, hasn't he? Besides, what divine ability could he cultivate in half a month? Even if he managed it, he could only have reached minor accomplishment at best. He'll most likely lose to his opponent. How rash of him, Zhou Fuling thought to herself.
Under the many interested gazes, Luo An gave Lu Ming a malicious smile. "I hear you awakened a high-grade divine ability bone, kid?"
His smile held both hostility and envy.
He knew very well that Lu Ming, with his high-grade divine ability bone, would soon leave him far behind. When that happened, he would no longer be qualified to be Lu Ming's opponent.
But fortunately... that was in the future.
At the very least, he was still stronger than Lu Ming now!
"Kid, with a high-grade bone, you should've stayed hidden. You came out to show off now, so you've got no one to blame but yourself for asking for trouble!"
"Watch me break both your hands today and cut short your progress as a chosen talent!"
A ruthless look appeared in Luo An's eyes as he held out both palms. The next moment, roaring flames rose from them, radiating heat that could burn wood and melt metal.
Lower divine ability, Blazing Fire Palm.