Chapter 213: Limiter rune-1

The soul Qi ball was constantly releasing energy into the soul Qi space. Lu Ming felt that the amount of soul Qi contained within that ball is far greater than what he expended while lifting them.

"Isn't the quantity too low if it had been storing soul Qi for such a long time?" The Keeper said that the soul Qi supplied by the soul beads were coagulation of all the soul Qi which were utilized by all the previous candidates. The energy present within Lu Ming's soul space was too little when compared to the soul qi expended by the contestants.

"The whole altar seems to be an emperor grade artifact in itself. Although you are the only one who was able to reach the end of the process, the one who placed it here clearly left it for the younger generation. If you could take possession of the whole artifact, you could get all the stored soul Qi it had accumulated over the years. I couldn't begin to comprehend the amount stored for all this time."

"How vast could it possibly be?"

"The amount should be enough for you to jump 2-3 realms in soul cultivation. I hope that satisfies your appetite."

Lu Ming was speechless upon hearing this. 2-3 levels in cultivation. Just a small fragment was capable enough to provide soul Qi required to break through the advanced stage of soul grandmaster. 2-3 levels would be scary. Just what kind of entity would he become with its help.

"Another benefit you have over others is the fact that since its establishment you are the only one who managed to reach the endpoint. Which means only you know about this function of the altar. If the function of soul qi storage was known, many practitioners would have tried to take possession of it already. You need to break-through the emperor level fast. It is the basic requirement for refining this artifact."

"What else is required?"

"An artifact like this is bound to have a secret mark left by the previous owner. It means you either need to gain his approval or become more powerful than him to be able to refine this artifact. Based on your meeting with the founder, he was a saint grade practitioner, and hence you wouldn't be able to snatch it. The only other way is to gain his approval."

"It must the fact he was referring to. He hoped that we would meet again in the future, and he would be giving me a special gift. I hope the gift he was referring to is the altar."

"We shouldn't be so sure about that. Can you place the map anywhere in this region?" The mysterious map which suddenly emerged within Lu Ming's mind must be located in a treasured location. 

"I did scan the whole region but was not able to find any such location. We need to wait for the future when we roam around the world. You might be able to locate a region which is synonymous to this map."

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The crowd which was silent a moment ago was cheering Lu Ming's performance. They just saw the birth of a monster within the Pill Valley's test. The inner elders present were looking at the stage with anticipation in their eyes. Participants upfront now hold the highest record by achieving the maximum possible score. The record before it was of 93 beads and was created by a prodigy of the past.

"I need to contact the brat and take him as my personal disciple." The same thought rang in the minds of every elder present.

The first elder was looking at the scene with content in his eyes. His disciple didn't betray his expectation. As expected, he exceeded them by a large margin. Lu Ming achieved the highest possible score on this test.

"My disciple has already laid the stage for my comeback." The Hall leader couldn't agree more with the first elder's comment. They wanted Lu Ming's performance to be in the top 10 so that the balance held by the Ten families is broken. This would lead to a situation that was suitable for the comeback of the duo. But Lu Ming seems to have achieved something they never comprehended. 

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On the other side of the stands, Xuan Ying was having some different thoughts. The situation was well within the line of his expectations, but the result achieved was contrastingly different from what he had expected.

"I guess I need to set-up the meeting fast. The young miss absence is going to be noticed soon enough and this result is going to have a big impact on the future between the two of us."

Lu Ming's performance was followed by the remaining participants after which the elder in charge came forward and declared the end of the round.

"I wish all the participants of the next round good luck. You are officially eligible to join the valley as core disciples and you sixteen will be competing two days from now in the final round. Since the performance this year has been so dazzling, to hype up the situation we have made certain changes within the last round under the orders of the valley master."

"We hope you will be able to continue this incredible streak in the third round."

Both the audience and the participants began to exit the stadium one after the other. Lu Ming too exited the stadium and was about to rush towards the market, when a figure came before him. The familiar figure belonged to the manager who was handed the list of demands.

"Can I know the reason for this intrusion?" Lu Ming decided to feint annoyance and naivety. He couldn't act familiar with the manager as he hadn't seen his face earlier this morning.

"I hope to invite sir to our humble lodging at the brown-stone merchant guild. Elder Xuan Ying is awaiting your presence in response to the demands made earlier." The last words were spoken with a low yet stern tone.

Lu Ming nodded in response and followed the man to the brown-stone guild. He was taken to the upper floor, where only the top VIPS were allowed to visit. A beautiful door soon appeared in front of Lu Ming's eyes, and when opened one could see a luxurious establishment with intricate embroidery all over the walls. A beautiful table was set in the middle, with just a single old man sitting across. 

When Lu Ming entered, the Old man lifted his eyes to follow him through his passage of the whole room. Lu Ming started walking in his direction, but a sudden pressure began to emanate out of Xuan Ying's body.