Thunderfire Hall, the Divine Ability training ground.
Hundreds of figures trained there, sweating like rain as they painstakingly cultivated their divine abilities. Waves of Primordial Qi rose around them, and flashes of lightning and fire appeared incessantly, filling the grounds with chaos and noise.
But at that moment, quite a few of the male disciples training in the hall were distracted, casting glances toward the steps of the training ground. A girl in an emerald-green dress stood there, her skin exceptionally fair. She had a delicate brow, graceful eyebrows, bright eyes, and pearly teeth; a glance from her was enough to stir a man's heart.
Her figure was slender and graceful, with a narrow waist and ample breasts. Even her casual, languid pose as she leaned against the railing by the steps was enough to set hearts itching.
Though Senior Sister Gao Yu of the hall was already enough to make their heads spin, compared with the girl before them, she lacked a measure of refinement and noble bearing.
Yet none of them actually dared let their blood rush to their heads and go over to speak to her.
That was because Hall Master Lu Jin had personally welcomed her in. They had heard that this beautiful girl was the niece of the master of Qingyuan Market. Given her status, she was not someone ordinary disciples of a third-tier Divine Ability Hall like them could approach.
So they could only steal glances at her between bouts of divine ability cultivation.
Zhou Fuling paid those appraising glances no mind; presumably, she had long since grown accustomed to them over the years. But after waiting a good while without seeing Lu Ming come out, she could not help growing a little impatient.
"What is that brat doing? Making me wait for him, of all people."
Zhou Fuling pursed her red lips and muttered to herself. In the past, she naturally would not have been willing to wait, but after witnessing Lu Ming's stunning performance at the hall gathering, she could not help feeling a little more patient.
"Miss Zhou, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Fortunately, after hearing the news Lu Jin had brought him, Lu Ming had hurried to the Divine Ability training ground. Looking at the pretty girl waiting before him, he spoke with an apologetic expression.
Zhou Fuling tilted her head slightly and studied the upright young man before her. His features were well-proportioned and somewhat handsome, and he had a gentle air about him. All in all, he was an approachable young man who could easily leave a favorable impression at first sight.
But... having seen with her own eyes the ferocity and hint of unruliness Lu Ming had displayed at the hall gathering, Zhou Fuling knew that this brat was quite good at putting on an act.
So Zhou Fuling's impression of Lu Ming now was that he was a fairly gentle young man who strived to improve, but once someone crossed his bottom line, the ruthlessness hidden in his bones would show itself.
"Miss Zhou, what's wrong?" Seeing Zhou Fuling look him over as though he were a stranger, Lu Ming could not help finding it a little odd. They had met a few times by now, after all. They weren't exactly close, but surely they weren't strangers either.
"Do you know what people out there are calling you now?" Zhou Fuling asked teasingly.
"What?" Lu Ming was taken aback. He had spent the past two days recuperating and had seldom even come to the hall.
"Thunderfire Killing Prodigy." Zhou Fuling could not help laughing.
The corner of Lu Ming's mouth twitched. Which bastard was out there ruining his reputation? He had better not find out, or he'd chop the bastard's mouth to pieces.
"When divine abilities clash, they have no eyes. Sometimes you can't pull back in time, so it's hard to avoid being just a tiny bit heavy-handed," Lu Ming explained.
Zhou Fuling did not comment. She waved her hand and said, "Come on. Let's not keep my fourth uncle waiting too long."
"Is the market master going to reward me with the Pattern-Transforming Lesser Yuan Pill? There was no need for you to come all this way yourself over such a small matter, Miss Zhou," Lu Ming asked with a smile.
"The Pattern-Transforming Lesser Yuan Pill?" Zhou Fuling was taken aback for a moment before remembering that it was the reward Zhou Xuan had promised back then. She had not bothered to remember such a small matter, and she could not have come to fetch Lu Ming this time because of it.
"The Pattern-Transforming Lesser Yuan Pill is just a small matter to take care of along the way. My fourth uncle has something else to discuss with you. It might be an opportunity for you, provided you can seize it, of course."
Lu Ming was taken aback. What did that mean? Market Master Zhou Xuan had something else to discuss with him? And from the sound of it, it didn't seem simple.
That made Lu Ming stop in his tracks. He scanned his surroundings, looking for Lu Jin. He couldn't understand Zhou Xuan's intentions, and felt it might be safer to have Lu Jin accompany him for something like this.
"What? Worried he'll harm you? If you're scared, you don't have to go," Zhou Fuling said with a laugh when she saw this.
"What kind of person is the market master? If he wanted to harm a mere disciple of Thunderfire Hall like me, he wouldn't need to go about it in such a roundabout way." After thinking it over, Lu Ming felt somewhat reassured. After all, there was no bad blood between Thunderfire Hall and Zhou Xuan, and the man truly had no reason to act against him.
"Then let's go." Zhou Fuling turned and headed for the market office, with Lu Ming following behind.
Inside the Divine Ability training ground, the many Thunderfire Hall disciples watching the scene could not help breaking into a flurry of gossiping whispers.
"Wow, the young hall master went off with the market master's niece."
"Heh heh, could it be that the noble lady has taken a fancy to him?"
"Wouldn't be surprising if she had. The young hall master has a High-Grade Divine Ability Bone, and he's especially gifted at cultivating divine abilities too. Given time, he might even become a Divine Ability Grandmaster."
"If he really becomes a Divine Ability Grandmaster, let alone the market master's niece, even the daughter of the prefect of Fengyang Prefecture would be a worthy match for him."
"I'm so jealous. I don't want to work hard either. Cultivating divine abilities is so bitter."
"Stop being jealous. Your hand's about to burn to a crisp."
"..."
The market office.
In the office's inner courtyard, Lu Ming saw Zhou Xuan again. The market master was dressed in casual clothes, carefully tending to some medicinal herbs that were clearly quite rare at a glance. Lu Ming waited a while before Zhou Xuan finally came over with a smile.
"Lu Ming, congratulations on your brilliant performance at the hall gathering." Zhou Xuan's smile was gentle, without the market master's commanding presence he usually displayed in public.
"I haven't yet thanked you for making the 'superior Primordial Qi' available, Market Master. With that cultivation environment, Thunderfire Hall can recruit many new disciples. My grandfather told me that when I saw you, I must thank you on Thunderfire Hall's behalf." Lu Ming cupped his fists, gratitude on his face. Whatever Zhou Xuan's purpose in making the superior Primordial Qi available, Thunderfire Hall had indeed benefited greatly from it.
"You won it all through your own strength." Zhou Xuan waved a hand and studied Lu Ming, then took a wooden box from his robes, opened it, and held it out.
"Here, this is the Pattern-Transforming Lesser Yuan Pill I promised you before."
Lu Ming hurriedly accepted it with both hands. Inside the wooden box was a perfectly round, emerald-green pill. A rich medicinal fragrance wafted from it, and the smell alone made the Divine Ability Bone in Lu Ming's body rumble with yearning.
Unconcealable delight appeared on Lu Ming's face, and he bowed in thanks once more.
A Barrier-Breaking Pill of this caliber might not amount to much in Zhou Xuan's eyes, but to a Divine Ability Practitioner like Lu Ming, who had now completed three rounds of bone refinement, it was a wondrous treasure. If Wang Chen of the Golden Gang Sword Hall had obtained such a Barrier-Breaking Pill before the hall gathering, Lu Ming would have faced more than an incomplete Divine Ability Dharma Mark. It would have been hard to say who would have won then.
And now that Lu Ming had this Pattern-Transforming Lesser Yuan Pill, he was confident he could attempt to shatter the Divine Ability Barrier within a month, condense a true Divine Ability Dharma Mark, and become a Great Divine Ability Practitioner.
Even Zhang Yue back then, after completing three rounds of bone refinement, had lacked a Barrier-Breaking Pill and had been forced to spend several months stubbornly breaking through that Divine Ability Barrier.
So now, however Lu Ming looked at this newly arrived market master, he seemed to have something of a benefactor's bearing. After all, whether it was the superior Primordial Qi or the Pattern-Transforming Lesser Yuan Pill, both had been like charcoal delivered in the snow to Thunderfire Hall and Lu Ming.
After Lu Ming put the pill away, Zhou Xuan suddenly spoke.
"I heard Fuling say before that you have a talent for sensing pill Qi?"