At the Energy Warriors Association.

  The vice president and a few others watched silently.

  Although they had dark eye circles, it was an easy feat for the Energy Warriors to stay up throughout the night. At most, they would have thinning hair.

  There was no issue at all!

  Suddenly…


  The beam of light that represented the descent of illusory energy disappeared!

  The Illusory Realm had come to an end. However, everyone was surprised that Lu Ming who should have broken through had yet to wake up.

  “What is happening?”


  “Still in the midst of a breakthrough?”


  “That cannot be. Lu Ming’s energy is much higher than the total energy of a dozen cultivators. Ye Liang broke through in ten minutes. Why would Lu Ming take so long?”


  “God knows.”


  Everyone was puzzled.

  Right then…


  Pfft!

  Lu Ming spat out a mouthful of blood.

  Everyone was appalled.

  They had yet to come back to their senses when Lu Ming spat another mouthful of blood.

  “What’s wrong with him?!”


  “Let me take a look.”


  The vice president’s expression changed slightly.

  They would be in big trouble if Lu Ming was in danger.

  Therefore he leaned forward to sense and he had an odd and absurd look on his face.

  “What’s the matter?”


  Everyone found it odd.

  “Lu Ming is still a three-star.”


  The vice president was confused. “I don’t know the details. It is very messy inside. But, he seems to be lunging at the barrier and in the midst of breaking through.”


  Shush!

  The entire world suddenly quietened down.

  Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

  Breakthrough?

  Lu Ming was still a three-star?

  Wait a minute.

  That was to say, Lu Ming did all that to break through to a four-star?! They thought that this was an easy feat.

  Shush!

  Everyone was dumbstruck.

  “Isn’t he a super genius?”


  Someone asked weakly.

  Yes.

  Speaking of Lu Ming, everyone felt that he must be a super genius!

  Given his performance in the Illusory Realm, one could tell that he was powerful and he was invincible among his peers. But why was it that he took so long to break through?

  No.

  That was not right.

  This was not simply taking a longer time!

  He used one hundred times the energy needed by others yet he still could not break through. This was…


  “Therefore, he is only a loser?”


  “His energy increase was merely based on the energy given to him by Lu Yan!?”


  Someone exclaimed in shock.

  Everyone glanced at each other and felt upset.

  If that was the case…


  There was no need for them to re-cultivate! Perhaps Lu Ming knew that he could not break through to a four-star and hence he worked very hard at cultivating while he was a three-star!?

  Hence…


  Their mindsets changed.

  “Oh…”


  The vice president was delighted.

  Not bad! Not bad!

  Look, the geniuses had a good mindset now.

  Tsk tsk.

  If that was the case, there was no need for the previous batch to come and counsel them!

  Hence…


  He arranged for everyone to wait while Lu Ming completed his breakthrough.

  He wanted the geniuses to know that the person who traumatized them needed an enormous amount of energy and an extra day to break through to four-star!

  And afterward…


  He had yet to break through!

  Wasn’t this exciting?

  Wasn’t this stimulating?!

  Look, he might be stronger than them when he was a three-star, however, they had nothing to fear since they were four-star now!

  They were heaven’s pride!

  The future belonged to them!

  Hence…


  The geniuses felt much better. Their mindset changed and they began to sympathize with Lu Ming…


  Sigh.

  What a pitiful fellow.

  He had to go through great pains to break through to four-star. What about the future?

  He would not be able to go far!

  Since that was the case, they had nothing to worry about.

  After a long time…


  The aura around Lu Ming changed and he became a four-star.

  “He is a four-star now,” the vice president said lightly.

  “Yes.”


  The geniuses looked indifferent.

  Look.

  He took so long to become a four-star…


  It turned out that Lu Ming was only powerful with the help of his cards…


  Heh.

  …


  “Not bad.”


  The vice president was pleased with the geniuses’ attitude.

  He was very pleased.

  After a long silence.

  Just when the geniuses had a correct mindset, Lu Ming woke up.

  At that moment.

  Lu Ming opened his eyes.

  After the endless battle within his body, his sharp mental strength burst out when he opened his eyes.

  Bang!

  A thought landed!

  At that moment.

  Everyone could see a roaring ocean in front of them and a towering mountain range…


  Pfft!

  The geniuses spat blood!

  Ye Liang who had broken through to a four-star could feel tsunami-like boundless energy rushing at him when he met his gaze…


  Pfft!

  Ye Liang spat out blood on the spot!

  …


  How was that possible?!

  Everyone was shocked.

  It was understandable that two-star cultivators could not withstand the pressure. But Ye Liang had broken through to four-star. Why couldn’t he withstand Lu Ming’s gaze?!

  “You…”


  Ye Liang stared at Lu Ming with disbelief.

  That mental strength…


  That energy…


  Shush!

  Lu Ming stood up.

  He swept his gaze over everyone. When his sharp gaze landed on them, for a moment, they were reminded of the scene in the Illusory Realm.

  They remembered the fear of being dominated by him…


  “Lu Ming!”


  The vice president’s voice boomed. “Control your senses.”


  “Yes.”


  Lu Ming came to his senses.

  As he had just broken through, he couldn’t really control his energy.

  Hence…


  He shut his eyes slightly and contained the aura that he released unknowingly. The huge pressure that was as stifling as a towering mountain finally disappeared.

  “Your energy…”


  The vice president was shocked.

  He could feel that Lu Ming’s energy was extraordinary!

  How could this be possible?!

  After breaking through to four-star, one could finally start the path of cultivation. The cultivators had two paths to choose from!

  The first path was energy quality.

  One could maintain ten thousand points of foundational energy to increase one’s quality!

  One could seek to break through as fast as possible!

  One could improve one’s speed!

  One could seek to jump to another level!

  The second path was the energy quantity.

  If one was not content with ten thousand points of energy, one could increase one’s energy level. One could use high capacity abilities to increase one’s combat effectiveness!

  Some people would be invincible among their peers!

  Although they would take longer to advance, they still had high combat effectiveness!

  However…


  No matter which path they chose…


  They needed time and hard work!

  But, Lu Ming…


  The vice president sensed that Lu Ming had an enormous amount of energy. It seemed to be like the infinite sea.

  To hell with it!

  How much energy does the child have?

  He must be very powerful if Ye Liang who has just broken through spat out blood on the spot?

  The vice president was silent.

  The geniuses were silent.

  They were not fools. They could feel Lu Ming’s aura when he woke up. It was foolish if they continued to see Lu Ming as a loser who had difficulties breaking through!

  Lu Ming…


  Might have used a special method to break through!

  He sought to be more powerful, to explore his limits and adopt more difficult methods!

  To think that they sympathized with Lu Ming just now!

  …


  “Why did things turn out like this?”


  Ye Liang looked dazed.

  He knew that he could not be compared to Lu Ming. But he had never imagined that after breaking through to a four-star, the gap would be so huge! He knew that he could not defeat Lu Ming!

  However…


  He spat blood upon meeting his gaze…


  That was too much!

  He did not have titanium alloy eyes!

  Could it be that…


  He was a real four-star genius?

  Suddenly…


  He felt regretful.

  “Old Zhao. I feel like re-cultivating as well,” Ye Liang said.

  Zhao Yunshan looked toward the sky.

  Just when he thought that like him, Lu Ming would be stuck at the bottleneck, Lu Ming showed him with a glance that his breakthrough was unlike the rest.

  Indeed.

  It was totally different!

  An ordinary breakthrough would not be that powerful!

  The vice president looked at them and turned to give instructions to the assistant. “Tell those people to come as soon as possible. They must be fast, if not it will be too late.”


  “Okay.”


  The assistant felt helpless.

  …


  At this moment.

  The Illusory Realm officially ended.

  In the end…


  The results were: Lu Ming, Zhao Yunshan and Ye Liang have broken through, while the rest ended up as two-stars. The results for this batch was a new low.

  There were all kinds of low records!

  However, there was a good record.

  “Well… President, there is a positive record, should we record it down?” the assistant asked.

  “What is that?”


  The vice president was shocked to know that there was a positive record.

  “Although many people only took a few seconds, while Ye Liang and Zhao Yunshan took less than ten minutes, and Lu Ming has a longer breakthrough time, the average time for a break through…”


  “Yes…”


  “Uh—


  The average breakthrough time has broken the record,” the assistant said weakly.

  Shush!

  The vice president looked glum.

  This record had always been the most important aspect, however, right now…


  “Enough of this.”


  The vice president sighed.

  This talk about records…


  Isn’t it embarrassing to have a bunch of two-stars?

  “Yes.”


  The assistant had no choice but to obey his orders.

  …


  Over on Lu Ming’s side.

  He had just broken through.

  He had no understanding of what being a four-star meant.

  In his impression, the Energy Warrior Association was ready for this. They had prepared materials for the four-star cultivators who had just broken through to have a deeper understanding of what being a four-star meant.

  However…


  He had yet to have any interaction or meals and he was being sent out.

  Lu Ming was confused.

  Why were the big-shots at the Energy Association being so stingy…


  It was just a meal…


  Forget it.

  He would spend his own money.

  “Dee— I am sorry. The association refuses to have any transactions with you.”


  Eh?

  Lu Ming looked bewildered.

  What was happening?

  Perhaps they had black-listed him?

  That should not be… he did not do anything…


  Forget it.

  He would just go back.

  …


  It was very late at night.

  Lu Ming hurried back to Qing Ming City.

  Phew.

  Cold winds flew past him.

  The entire Qing Ming City was enveloped by the cold.

  “This is strange.”


  Lu Ming frowned slightly.

  The Lunar New Year was over. Why was it still so cold?

  Especially…


  This type of sinister coldness…


  “Brother, did you just come back?”


  The boss of a roadside stall asked with a smile.

  “Yes.”


  Lu Ming nodded slightly.

  “Do you want a bowl of cold noodles?” the boss asked.

  “No.”


  Lu Ming was speechless.

  This was crazy. Who would have cold noodles in the winter!

  …


  “Is this our target?”


  “No.”


  “Shall I make a move?”


  “Don’t complicate things.”


  “Alright.”


  “Don’t be reckless. It has been very chaotic in Qing Ming City recently. Due to the appearance of the spirit bodies, people from all trades have gathered here. Behave yourself!”


  “Alright.”


  “Don’t give me a perfunctory answer. Let me tell you, the Qing Ming City is very dangerous. Xiaojiu’s team has been caught.”


  “Is this true or not? Why?”


  “Because they sold hot dried noodles…”


  “Huh?”


  “Aren’t they out of their mind to sell hot dried noodles in the winter? This will make people gather at their stall. I heard that on the day they set up the stall, long queues had already formed. Many people frequented the stall and then they were done for.”


  “Why?”


  “Two police officers went for noodles as they were very popular… They thought that they were discovered and they exposed their abilities on the spot and fled. In the end they were caught.”


  “This is why we sell cold noodles. Do you understand?”


  “Alright.”


  “Don’t give me a perfunctory answer! Remember, this place is very odd! We are here to complete the task, don’t complicate things!”


  “Do you understand?!”


  …


  A distance away.

  Lu Ming who had moved away stuck out his ears, as they twitched.

  Sigh.

  This was the con of being a four-star, his hearing had become more acute. The two men were clueless and they did not keep their voices down…


  What else could he say?

  After leaving that street, Lu Ming called Zhang Wei.

  “Hello.”


  Zhang Wei’s voice was deep.

  “Why aren’t you sleeping?”


  Lu Ming was surprised.

  Zhang Wei was silent.

  He suddenly had the urge to beat someone.

  He called in the middle of the night and woken him up. Yet he asked why he wasn’t sleeping? Damn it. He had just fallen asleep!

  However…


  He knew why Lu Ming would ask that question.

  “Qing Ming City has become like this recently,” Zhang Wei said in a low voice, “The alerts on our communication devices have been set to the highest level. We have to respond whenever we are needed.”


  “Understood.”


  Lu Ming was in awe.

  It was hard on these people given the state Qing Ming City was in.

  “Then I will get to the point.”


  Lu Ming said, “There is a man who sells cold noodles by the bus stop… He seems to be in cahoots with another gang. You can decide what to do with them.”


  “Really?”


  Zhang Wei was surprised. “That’s good. I can have better meals tomorrow.”


  Lu Ming was speechless.

  He suddenly came to his senses.

  Could it be that the gang that was caught a few days ago was preparing hot dried noodles…


  Tsk tsk.

  Outstanding!

  …


  He hung up the phone.

  Lu Ming hurried back.

  On his way, he saw several cultivators who were dressed up weirdly. They seemed to be from other districts. They must have come in the middle of the night to search for spirit bodies.

  However…


  It was not that easy to catch spirit bodies.

  Heh.

  Lu Ming ignored them and hurried toward a familiar street downtown.

  In the shop.

  There were faint lights.

  He opened the door and saw that a young lady was dozing in the shop. She rested her elbow on the table, while her head swung about.

  Duang!

  There was a loud sound and Xiaobai knocked onto the table.

  “Ah!”


  Xiaobai massaged her head. “That’s painful…”


  Upon finishing her words…


  She leaned against the table with a dazed look.

  Heh.

  Lu Ming’s lips curled to reveal a smile.

  “Xiaobai?”


  Lu Ming touched her little head.

  “Hum.”


  Xiaobai sensed a familiar aura and she leaned against him. “Master, you are back… Eh, you’re hot! Master, you are back!”


  Lu Ming looked confused.

  What did it mean?

  Since when was he cold?!

  “Why don’t you go inside to sleep?”


  Lu Ming was helpless.

  “I am not sleepy yet.”


  Xiaobai said happily, “Oh, by the way, the food is still hot.”


  Eh?

  Lu Ming looked toward the table. The lights on the rice cooker were still on. He opened it and saw piping hot dishes inside it. It seemed that Xiaobai had prepared them in advance.

  “Let’s have dinner.”


  Xiaobai served the food.

  Heh.

  Lu Ming felt warm inside.

  After the meal, he realized that Xiaobai was leaning against the table, deep in her sleep.

  This girl…


  To think that she said she wasn’t sleepy.

  “Xiaobai.”


  “Hmm…”


  “Go back to sleep.”


  “Hmm…”


  Lu Ming was helpless.

  He had just broken through to a four-star and he had many things to handle. But he was clear about what was important. He would think about cultivation tomorrow.

  The time was just right.

  He felt drained these past two days. He should get some rest.

  Hence…


  He carried Xiaobai to bed and went to sleep.