A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 256 Identity Exposed

At this moment, he could clearly feel the gazes coming from all directions—there were the playful scrutiny of Nascent Soul cultivators, and the undisguised schadenfreude and curiosity of cultivators of the same level. Everyone seemed to be waiting for a good show to unfold.

In the main hall of the Void Heaven Palace, although the Star Palace forbids bullying the weak, everyone knows how little force that prohibition can have when facing a notorious mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator like the Barbarian Beard. Disobeying him could mean certain death in an instant.

Luo Ming's mind raced, and almost instantly he suppressed all his resentment and anger. He took a deep breath and prepared to rise as instructed and silently retreat. Circumstances were beyond his control; this humiliation had to be swallowed, and he would deal with it another day…

However, the moment he made the slightest movement, the bearded man suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" and a clear look of surprise flashed in his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes.

"Wait!"

The rough voice rang out again, abruptly stopping Luo Ming's movements.

Luo Ming's heart tightened. He looked up, his face showing a perfect mix of confusion and apprehension, but he was already on high alert. His inner energy surged within his dantian, and his fingers twitched slightly in his sleeve. The magic weapon, the Wind-Escape Shuttle, had been quietly activated, ready to be used at any moment.

If this bearded man were to make a rash move here, he would have no choice but to flee immediately and abandon the opportunity presented by the Void Heaven Palace.

The bearded man's piercing eyes were now openly scrutinizing Luo Ming from head to toe, his gaze intense as if he wanted to see right through him.

Although the restrictions here are strong and suppress divine sense probing, Luo Ming can still feel a heavy, mountain-like, and furnace-like aura locking onto him. It is an instinctive perception generated after the physical body has cultivated to an extremely high level, which is more direct and brutal than divine sense scanning.

"Tsk," the bearded man clicked his tongue, his bushy beard trembling, a hint of interest appearing on his face. "I didn't realize you... had such a solid physical foundation! Your body-refining technique has a touch of my old self!"

Before he finished speaking, a sense of alarm rose in Luo Ming's heart! He thought to himself that although the Concealing Yuan Technique could hide his magic power, it was not so easy to conceal his massive blood and qi. Moreover, with the Barbarian Beard's peak Nascent Soul stage body refinement cultivation, he really could not hide it with his current methods.

"Come on! Try taking a punch from me!"

The bearded man was a man of action who would fight without hesitation. As soon as he finished speaking, his fist, as big as a sand bowl, suddenly burst out with dazzling golden light. A violent and unparalleled sense of power instantly condensed, and the fist seemed to grow out of thin air, transforming into a giant, golden fist phantom that was more than ten feet in size. With a suffocatingly fierce wind, it slammed straight at Luo Ming on the stone pillar without saying a word!

Luo Ming's pupils contracted sharply, and he inwardly groaned. Could this bearded man have truly refined his body to the point where his mind was as rigid as iron? In this entrance hall, where fighting is strictly prohibited and everyone is watching, he's just going to start a fight without warning?

At this critical moment, Tianjing Sanren's urgent telepathic message resounded in his mind: "Don't panic! This punch may seem powerful, but it's merely an empty shell; it doesn't truly intend to take your life! He's testing your physical foundation! You only need to withstand it with your physical cultivation techniques. Do not dodge, and even more so, do not use overly sophisticated magic weapons or spells to demonstrate the true strength of your physical body! If you dodge or try to cheat, it will only arouse his suspicion or even displeasure!"

With his vast experience, the Heavenly Mirror Hermit instantly discerned the Bearded Man's intentions.

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming, though still finding the bearded man's actions incomprehensible, had already made his decision. In a flash, he "barely" revealed a trace of shock, anger, and determination on his face, as if he had been forced into a corner. The Myriad Spirits Blood Technique within his body suddenly activated, and his blood and qi surged like a tide!

"drink!"

With a low roar, just before the golden fist struck, a thick, solid, dark red, crystalline blood armor with faintly flowing spiritual patterns on its surface suddenly appeared on his body, firmly protecting him. The appearance of the blood armor even brought with it a dense aura of blood pressure, though far less domineering than the bearded man's, it still possessed its own resilient and fierce power.

The next moment—

boom!!!

The golden fist slammed solidly into the blood-red armor!

A deafening explosion resounded throughout the hall, and a violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact, creating visible ripples. The seemingly sturdy blood-red armor only lasted for less than a breath before its surface was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and then it shattered completely with a "bang," turning into countless blood-red light spots that dissipated into nothingness.

Using this immense force, Luo Ming was sent flying backward from the stone pillar like a stone struck by a heavy hammer. He finally staggered and landed dozens of feet away, his footsteps making a dull thud.

His face flushed an unnatural red, and his breathing became slightly rapid and disordered. Clearly, taking that punch head-on was not easy, and his blood and qi were shaken.

He quickly circulated his internal energy to suppress his surging blood and qi, barely calming his inner breath. Then, without hesitation, he bowed deeply to the bearded man who was still standing in the same spot, maintaining his punching stance. His voice, though tinged with suppressed panting, clearly stated:

"Thank you for your mercy, senior."

This bow, delivered with extreme humility, acknowledged the vast difference in strength between the two sides and also indicated that the other party had not truly intended to kill. (Is this a preference for fantasy novels?)

The bearded man slowly withdrew his fist, the golden light around him fading. He stared at Luo Ming, who stood ramrod straight but was slightly pale, dozens of feet away, and then looked at his own fist that had just thrown the punch. Instead of anger, his rugged face revealed an undisguised appreciation, or even surprise.

"Good! Good lad!" His voice boomed like a bell, making the hall reverberate. "With a mere mid-stage Core Formation cultivation, you've actually honed your body-refining techniques to a level comparable to mid-stage Core Formation, and withstood a tenth of my punch without sustaining serious injury! Your physical talent is no less than mine back in the day! What's your name?"

These words shocked the entire audience!

All eyes turned to Luo Ming again, but the meaning behind their gazes was different. Before, it was a mixture of amusement and schadenfreude, but now it was tinged with shock, curiosity, and even fear.

Lady Wen's actions of wiping the black sword had completely stopped at some point, and for the first time, her cold eyes looked at Luo Ming with a hint of seriousness, especially at the pure blood energy he had just used to condense the blood armor.

Wan Tianming frowned slightly and snorted coldly, whether out of dissatisfaction with the barbarian's behavior or surprise at Luo Ming's displayed body-refining strength, it was unclear.

After Luo Ming withstood a casual blow from the barbarian, Qing Yizi stared intently at Luo Ming's face, then looked thoughtful, seemingly lost in thought.

Just as everyone was marveling at how Luo Ming's physical cultivation was valued by that barbarian, two surprised and doubtful voices rang out.

"Wang Chan?"

"Luo Ming!"

The name Wang Chan was uttered by Tian Wuzi, who was next to Wan Tianming. At this moment, Tian Wuzi was a little unsure. Back when he went to the abyss to capture the mutated whale Kun, he happened to meet a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation. The Xuan Turtle spirit beast in that person's hands left a deep impression on him, and its bloodline strength was no weaker than that of the Li Turtle under his senior brother's hands.

He never expected that after a hundred years, this person would not only have advanced his magical power to the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation, but also reached the mid-stage Core Formation level in body refining. He remembered that when he met Luo Ming a hundred years ago, he did not see any traces of body refining on the other party.

The name Luo Ming came out of the mouth of the Extreme Yin Ancestor, who was staring at Luo Ming with a hostile expression. If it weren't for the fact that the Barbarian Beard was nearby, he probably would have caused trouble for Luo Ming.

Upon hearing the two voices, Luo Ming knew something was wrong. In his efforts to resist the punch from the bearded man, he had inadvertently revealed his face, allowing these two old men to recognize him.

Luo Ming glanced at Tian Wuzi, who was whispering something to Wan Tianming, and at the Yin Ancestor, who was staring at him like a venomous snake. His mood sank to the bottom.

This was different from his original plan. Once his true identity was exposed, he would be in danger here. If he were to be targeted by some Nascent Soul cultivator...

At this moment, the bearded man first looked at Tian Wuzi and the Extreme Yin Ancestor with a puzzled expression, then looked at Luo Ming and said, "Hehe, I didn't expect you to be such a troublemaker, just like me back in the day, haha!"

The bearded man let out a loud, gruff laugh, then looked at the Yin Ancestor beside him and said, "Yin Ancestor, this man is now my disciple. If you dare to do anything behind my back, be careful, my fist won't recognize you." With that, he shook his fist.

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming immediately looked astonished. "Wait, how did I become your apprentice?"

The Old Ancestor of Extreme Yin, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, seemed about to say something, but upon seeing the bearded man's fist, he wisely shut his mouth.

At this moment, Wu Chou, standing beside the Extreme Yin Ancestor, stared at Luo Ming in shock. He had almost died at Luo Ming's hands years ago, and he never expected to encounter this person today. Just as he was about to say something to the Extreme Yin Ancestor, the Extreme Yin Ancestor transmitted his voice to him:

"This man has now been targeted by this bearded man, so we can no longer openly take action against him. Moreover, we will need to rely on the bearded man to deal with Wan Tianming later, so we cannot afford to offend him now."

After finishing speaking, the Yin Ancestor's voice unconsciously revealed a hint of ruthlessness as he said, "However, teleportation within the Void Heaven Palace is random. If we encounter this person, we can just deal with him without having to confront the Barbarian Beard here."

"Hehe, Ancestor is wise. This person severely injured his grandson back then. We must refine this person into a Heavenly Capital Corpse Puppet. With this person's body, the corpse puppet that is refined will surely be even more powerful."

Just as the grandfather and grandson surnamed Wu were secretly discussing things, Han Li, who was in the distance, looked at Luo Ming with an expression full of disbelief.

"Isn't this Senior Brother Luo? I never imagined that after more than a hundred years, Brother Luo would have become a peak mid-stage Core Formation cultivator."

Han Li couldn't help but recall the scene when he and the other person escaped from Tiannan together. After arriving in the Chaotic Star Sea through that ultra-long-distance teleportation array, the two of them first obtained residence permits for Kui Xing Island. Later, they each found an island to cultivate in seclusion and made a promise to return to Tiannan to take revenge after their cultivation was advanced. But at the time, they only took it as a joke from the other person.

Later, he saw Luo Ming's name and portrait on the wanted list on Kui Xing Island and realized that the other party had been wanted by the Six-Linked Palace for some unknown crime. He even secretly went to Lingbang Island to check it out.