Chapter Thirty-Seven: You're Finished

  Sun Ming suddenly found it was Ling Xiu, and considering he still had to rely on him for food in the future, Sun Ming put away the Fan Tian Seal. The wicked smile from before instantly disappeared, replaced by an expression of utmost grievance, accompanied by a spirit that seemed to be on the verge of exhaustion, as he controlled the flying sword to hover beside Ling Xiu, as if a gentle breeze could blow him over.

  "Ling Xiao, Elder, you have to take responsibility for me! Heaven One Elder only allowed me to come here because your Ling Tian Sect could guarantee my safety. But since I arrived, I almost died at the hands of these two every day. If it weren't for the life-saving artifact given by our sect leader, I would've died in your Ling Tian Sect today!" Sun Ming said, spitting out the blood he hadn't fully coughed up, as he complained to Ling Xiao.

  Ling Xiao looked at Sun Ming with a smile on his face and transmitted his voice.

  "Alright, Lingming, stop pretending. I've been keeping an eye on you all along. You don't have any major issues, but you still managed to destroy three flying swords. As compensation, pay attention to my cues later and take what you can from them. This Xuanjian Sect controls several large crystal mines, and their disciples, especially these so-called elite ones, usually have a lot of crystals on them. I'll just say this much for now; how much you can gain from this will depend on yourself."

  Sun Ming heard this and suddenly turned bright red with emotion, feeling that he had wasted so many expressions, such good acting skills were seen through by him from the very beginning.

  "Didn't I tell you as your master, there's a wisp of divine consciousness that has always been paying attention to you? It should be Ling Xū. You're quite good, not even thinking about it, this time you've lost face and lost big." Yun Zhongzi said with some schadenfreude.

  Sun Ming's face turned black as he silently stared at Xuan Qing and Xuan Ying. At this time, the crowd behind had just arrived.

  Sun Ming just wanted to speak, but unexpectedly Xuan Ying on the side started to attack first.

  "Ling Xiao Elder, is this the hospitality of Ling Tian Sect? You actually allowed your people to harm others! I will definitely report this to my sect leader and ask you to give us an explanation."

  "It's just, our Xuanjian Sect has had three flying swords destroyed on your Lingtian Sect's turf, one of which was a spiritual artifact. Now, when we look for those Refining Masters Alliance people to refine equipment, we have to prepare two sets of materials. Destroying these three flying swords is equivalent to us having to pay out six flying sword materials in the future to get back three such flying swords. You should give us some compensation, shouldn't you?" Xuanxuanzi said with a brazen face, as if his injuries had all healed already.

  "Hmph, it was you who started the trouble in the first place, and yet we're being held responsible! Is this how the Xuansword Sect usually handles things?" Tiankui said with a face full of anger.

  "This Spirit Bright is a guest invited by my master, and none of us have the qualifications to order him around. Are you people from the Mystic Sword Sect really that superior? Letting him cook for you, Spirit Bright is a five-star alchemist, and having a five-star alchemist cook for you, how arrogant can you be!"

  Yun Lei seemed a bit sarcastic and looked down on the three of them as he said, his expression similar to that of looking at those ornamental spiritual beasts.

  "Hmph, a five-star equipment master? Ling Xuan elder and fellow brothers, have you ever seen someone become a five-star equipment master at the Golden Core stage? The genius equipment master of the Equipment Refining Union, Mu Rong Yun Lian, was already considered a prodigy when she obtained the five-star equipment master token at the Yuan Ying stage. This kid is only at the Golden Core stage and has already become a five-star equipment master, are you guys joking?" said Xuan Qing.

  "Little kid, tell me the truth, how did you get this Five-Star Refiner's Spirit Badge? Could it be that your sect secretly gave it to you to show off and deceive people? If so, we will notify the Refiner's Union to impose sanctions on your sect." As soon as Xuan Ying finished speaking, there was a flurry of discussion around her. Some said Sun Ming had stolen an unranked refiner's spirit badge, some said he was the illegitimate son of a certain refiner sect leader, and others even claimed that he had picked it up to show off and deceive people.

  Sun Ming looked at the crowded and chaotic crowd around him, cleared his throat and said.

  "This piece of Five-Star Refining Master's Spirit Badge is indeed something I obtained from the sect." Before Sun Ming could continue, he was interrupted by Xuanxuanzi.

  "Hmph, good that you admit it. Just wait for the Equipment Repair Union to sanction your sect! You actually let a mere Golden Dan stage disciple carry something as important as the Five-Star Refining Master's spirit tablet? Your sect has quite the nerve! Our Xuanjian Sect has a pretty good relationship with the Equipment Repair Union, if you beg me, maybe I can get our sect's seniors to put in a few good words for your sect."

  "It seems that the Instrument Repair Alliance has nothing to do with our sect, so why should we let them punish us? There's no reason for it." Sun Ming continued to say foolishly.

  "It was originally a sect that didn't even qualify to enter the Lianqi Repair Alliance, I really suspect how your sect got a five-star alchemy master's spirit plate, could it be that you guys forged it?" Xuan Qing said disdainfully.

  "Why fake it? We have plenty of five-star alchemists' spirit cards in our sect, what's the point of faking one? Are we so full that we're bored?" Sun Ming said with a innocent face.

  "Hmph, so you've actually forged this many alchemist spirit plaques. It seems we must inform the Alchemist's Guild about this. This is a major event, and we can't let you fake goods harm the noble profession of alchemy." Xuan Ying said with a solemn face, Sun Ming finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

  "I'm dying of laughter, someone actually said that our sect forged the Alchemist's Spirit Plate, saying we're fake goods. Tian Kui, do you find this funny or not?" Sun Ming turned around and asked.

  "This is ridiculous, I don't know if it's because your sect hasn't been active in the Cultivation Realm for too long, or if your seniors didn't teach you well. You actually said that we forged the Spirit Tablet of the Refining Master? If we did, then the Refining Union must be fake too." Tian Kuai sneered.

  "Lingming, after this task is over, go back and discuss with your sect's seniors. It's also suitable to let some disciples go out for experience. After all, the star domain you are in can only be considered a marginal area of the Xiantian realm. Such a powerful sect is on a third-rate Xiantian planet... it's a bit... Cloud Thunder smiled and said."

  "It was originally a third-rate Xiantian planet's sect, humph, I won't let you off." Before Xuan Qing could finish speaking, Xuan Xuanzi stepped forward and interrupted him.

  "Step down, dare I ask if this spiritual brother is from Yunshen Star, Huoyun Mountain Range?" Xuanxuanzi's face was tense.

  "Wow! I didn't expect that among the talented disciples of Xuanjian Sect, there are still those who know our sect. Our sect hasn't been active in the cultivation world for many years, and its former glory is no more. It's actually being ridiculed as a fake Spiritual Artifact Forging Sect? This is irony!" Sun Ming said word by word.

  Xuan Xuanzi's face turned white as soon as he heard Sun Ming's words, and his body almost fell off the flying sword. Looking back at his two fellow disciples, they still had a disdainful gaze towards Sun Ming.

  "Master Brother, what's wrong? Didn't we already surpass the third-rate Xiantian planet's sects? Even if they're powerful, so what? Can they still threaten our Xuansword Sect?" Xuanqing said with a confident face.

  Xuan Xuanzi's face turned pale as he said, "You know that the Alchemist Spirit Plaque is a standard for measuring an alchemist's level, but do you know where it came from? The Alchemist Spirit Plaque was first used by a sect called Qilingzong many years ago, and later adopted by all the equipment repair schools. Back then, Qilingzong suffered heavy losses in the war against the demon path, and many young disciples were assassinated by the demon path cultivators. One thousand years ago, the sect sealed off its mountain and stopped entering the cultivation world. Anyone who wanted to refine a treasure had to bring their own materials to Yunyuan Star's Qilingzong, unless it was a special situation, in which case the alchemists of Qilingzong would not leave Yunyuan Star. The level of Qilingzong's alchemy far surpassed that of the Equipment Repair Alliance. Because Qilingzong is located on Yunyuan Star, which is at the edge of the cultivation world, it has been forgotten by most people. Only those who need to refine top-grade treasures will go to Qilingzong. I know this because my master, Zhen Yichang's, sword, the Yilingsword, was refined in Qilingzong."

  "Is that the top-grade spiritual sword?" After receiving a positive response, Xuan Qing and Xuan Ying also looked at Sun Ming with pale expressions.

  "In the lower realm, many have committed sins. Forgive me, Master Ming." The arrogant energy that Xuan Ying had earlier was now gone, and he looked like a defeated rooster as he begged Sun Ming. Xuan Ying and Xuan Qing also seemed to have lost their earlier arrogance, standing behind Xuan Xianzi with their heads bowed in silence.

  "Oh no, oh no, what's going on here? I'm just a cook in the Golden Elixir period, and you're treating me like a fake. What are you doing? I can't take this." Sun Ming said with a scoundrel tone.

  "I didn't know that Brother Lingming was such an outstanding alchemist, I'm really sorry, and I hope you can forgive me." Xuanxuanzi also knew that he was in the wrong today. If the sect found out that he had offended the Qilingshan, which seemed to be on the verge of opening a new branch, those elders would not let him off easily. So he just bowed his head and apologized, while Xuan Ying and Xuan Qing looked at their eldest brother continuously apologizing and knew they had kicked an iron plate today, so they didn't speak up either, standing behind Xuanxuanzi with their heads lowered in silence.

  "Alright, Lingming's Xuanjian Sect is also considered a major sect. Their true elder and your sect's Tianhuo have a good relationship, so don't make it too difficult for them. Just extort them moderately, after all, they are now our guests at the Lingtian Sect." Just as Sun Ming was about to mock the three again with his vicious words, Ling Xiao's voice transmission came through. After hearing it, Sun Ming thought to himself, "Tianhuo that old scoundrel's friend's disciple, humph! You think you can bully me and not let them suffer greatly? I won't be satisfied if they don't bleed heavily!"

  "Hmm, I won't pursue it further, but what about the 1,000 high-quality crystal stones you guys lost in that bet just now?" Sun Ming said lazily.

  "Isn't it just 400 high-quality crystal stones in total? How did it become 1,000?" Xuan Ying said in a low voice.

  "Shut up, I'll handle this. Let's make the Lingming happy for now. We've offended the Qingling Sect, and the sect's elders won't let us three off easily." Xuanxuanzi said in a low voice, then turned to Lingming and asked: "Lingming, brother, this one thousand top-grade crystal stones is not a small amount. Even if we add up all the storage rings of my brothers and me, it's still not that much. Can you give us a discount?"

  "Whatever, I'll just report back to the sect and see what they have to say. Attacking a Refining Master or a Five-Star Refining Master is no small crime in the Cultivation Realm."

  Xuan Xuanzi's expression was uncertain, but eventually he seemed to have made up his mind and took out a crystal stone from the storage ring with trembling hands.

  "This is a top-grade crystal, I wonder if Junior Brother Lingming will be satisfied?" Xuanxuanzi said with a pained expression.

  Sun Ming didn't take his eyes off Xuanxuanzi's hand that held the crystal stone from the moment he took it out.

  "Of course, I'm very satisfied, extremely satisfied." Sun Ming had actually never seen this top-grade crystal before, but from the sudden increase in spiritual energy, he knew that this crystal was extraordinary. He reached out and grabbed it, ignoring Xuanzi and the other three.

  Xuan Xuanzi was in pain, but the news of Qilingzong's descent from the mountain had to be reported to the sect. He cupped his hands and said to Ling Xuan, "Ling Xuan Elder, let these two junior brothers participate in this exchange, I have to return to the sect for a while."

  "Alright, you can go back now. Don't take it to heart, Lingming is also inexperienced and doesn't understand human relationships." said Lin Xiao.

  Jian Ge didn't pass Sanjiang's audit, but I'll keep working hard! Where are the votes and collections?!