I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

Shen Ming noticed that as the carriage passed in front of him, a barely perceptible divine sense landed on him.

He didn't change his appearance and stood out very well in the crowd.

You look at me, and I look at you.

Shen Ming activated his Eye of Truth to look over, wanting to know the true face of this Li family prodigy.

The next second, he immediately looked away, his face showing some embarrassment.

It didn't say it was a woman!

Inside the carriage, Li Weiyang inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine.

She was baffled; the snow-white dress she was wearing was a battle suit, impervious to water and fire, and it had seemed as if it hadn't existed just moments before.

"what happened?"

There was another woman in the carriage, her close friend, Wang Ru from the Wang family.

“An interesting person,” Li Weiyang said.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ru immediately lifted the curtain and looked outside. Without even asking which one it was, her gaze naturally fell on Shen Ming.

"Don't be so obvious." Li Weiyang was both embarrassed and anxious. She had been using her divine sense just now and believed that she wouldn't be discovered.

"Qingqing, you have such good taste. She's really good-looking," Wang Ru commented.

"What? I was talking about his unique aura. I'm not that superficial," Li Weiyang said.

"Yes, yes, yes, you look at temperament, I look at face, there's no conflict."

Wang Ruo thought of something and said, "That's good. Such a young Supreme Realm expert, let's invite him to the Martial Arts Tea Party."

"Oh?" Li Weiyang was also somewhat intrigued.

Xuanhuang City gathers all the Supreme Realm experts from the Xuanhuang Continent, and can summon top geniuses to gather together.

The Enlightenment Tea Ceremony arose in response to this need.

Shen Ming met the invitation criteria for the tea party.

"good."

So the convoy stopped.

Li Weiyang stepped out of the carriage; she was tall and slender with snow-white skin.

Her face was veiled, obscuring her features, but her eyes were bright and deep.

Shen Ming had already seen her face; she was outstanding among the women he had ever seen, second only to Li Miaozhen.

"Junior brother, what is your name?" Li Weiyang asked, her voice poised and confident despite wearing a veil.

Given her Dominator Realm cultivation level and age, it's perfectly reasonable for her to address Shen Ming as Junior Brother.

"Ming Sheng."

"I am Li Weiyang, junior brother of Mingsheng. Do you have time to enjoy tea and discuss the Dao at Xuanhuang Tower?" Li Weiyang invited.

Martial arts tea party!

Upon hearing this, everyone in Xuanhuang City knew what it meant, and they burst into exclamations, with countless envious gazes gathering around them.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister, but I have something to attend to. I'll make it up to you next time."

Shen Ming came to Xuanhuang City to wait for people from the Eternal Academy to pick him up. Given the extraordinary circumstances and his relationship with the Li family, it would be strange if he had agreed.

“Junior brother, you must have other concerns. Don’t worry, Xuanhuang City is on this battlefield outside the domain. We must put aside past grudges and unite against the common enemy.” Li Weiyang was incredibly intelligent and saw through his concerns.

"Alright, I'll come if time allows," Shen Ming declined.

"..."

The people next to him rolled their eyes. "What a show-off!"

The most beautiful woman in Xuanhuang City invited me to a martial arts tea party, a place that countless people yearn for.

You seem so unwilling.

Li Weiyang nodded slightly, somewhat sullenly, and returned to the carriage without saying a word.

"I never thought you'd run into trouble, Weiyang. Didn't you say she had a special temperament? I didn't expect her to have such a temper," Wang Ru teased.

“He seems to be resistant to our Li family,” Li Weiyang said.

"What's so strange about that? The five great families of the Central Region have made countless enemies."

"Who knows."

……

Shen Ming ignored the stares of the crowd and left with Zhou Li.

Zhou Li's attitude became increasingly respectful, convinced that Shen Ming was no ordinary person.

Originally, he planned to arrange for Shen Ming to stay at his family's restaurant, but now he changed his mind and brought Shen Ming to his residence, treating him as an honored guest.

"What is tea tasting and philosophical discussion?" Shen Ming asked curiously.

Zhou Li thought to himself, "You finally asked. I've been keeping it to myself the whole way here."

"Every six months, the young Sovereign Realm and Supreme Realm experts gather at the Xuanhuang Tower to discuss martial arts and inevitably spar with each other."

All five prefecture lords were once among the top ten on the Central Region's Supreme Ranking. Young Master, if you go, receiving a few words of guidance from them will be of great benefit.

"My path to supreme power is unique, and no one can guide me."

Shen Ming shook his head and said, "Why can't I sense the spiritual energy in the city? Isn't Xuanhuang City built on a spiritual vein?"

"Beneath Xuanhuang City lies the Xuanhuang Mother Qi, which is strictly controlled by the City Lord's Mansion."

Young Master, there is a consensus in the outer battlefield: when you see any cultivation resources, you should first consider whether they belong to someone.

If you encounter a fruit tree and see spiritual fruits on it, don't pick them indiscriminately. If you do, someone will jump out and make you pay a hundredfold in compensation.

Here, all resources must be exchanged for money; it's impossible to focus solely on cultivation in the grotto-heaven like in the sect.

The entire outer battlefield is a blessed land, rich in spiritual energy and resources, but these are concentrated in the hands of powerful forces.

Take Xuanhuang City as an example. Its spiritual veins contain pure Xuanhuang Mother Qi, but it is controlled by the City Lord's Mansion and must be purchased with money.

"How do I buy this gas? How is the price calculated?" Shen Ming asked in surprise.

"The City Lord's Mansion is divided into Cup, Hold, River, and Sea based on the number of Mothers. Moreover, it must be done in a specific cultivation room. Any Xuanhuang Mother Qi that has not been absorbed will be taken back."

This is incredibly profitable!

"Does no one else have any objections?"

The Primordial Qi is a natural resource of the outer battlefield. Even if the Primordial City were built upon it, such greed would surely provoke widespread wrath.

"Young master, therefore the city lord's mansion has set two special conditions."

First, those who distinguish themselves at the Martial Arts Tea Party can absorb Mother Qi for free to cultivate.

Secondly, the amount of Xuanhuang Mother Qi purchased (amounting to 'Chuan' or higher) will be discounted accordingly for the cultivator's absorption.

If it's fully absorbed, you don't need to pay a penny; if you absorb one-third, you get a one-third discount.

At this point, Zhou Li smiled mysteriously and said, "Young Master, do you know the purpose of these two conditions?"

"Let those who have the ability to oppose benefit." Shen Ming pointed this out directly.

Whether it's excelling at the martial arts tea ceremony or absorbing a large amount of Xuanhuang Mother Qi, it all demonstrates the ability to oppose.

Therefore, the city lord's mansion won them over to their side, making money off the common people.

If anyone dares to say this is unfair, the city lord's mansion can say: If you're so capable, then meet these two conditions yourself.

This makes people overlook the inherent injustice, which explains why they were so enthusiastic in inviting him to the martial arts tea party.

Zhou Li was astonished. It took him a long time to figure this out, yet Shen Ming, so young, already knew this so soon after arriving.

"How many source stones are needed for such a massive amount of Xuanhuang Mother Qi?" Shen Ming asked.

"what?"

Zhou Li was startled. The question itself wasn't difficult; what surprised him was that Shen Minggang knew about these things, expressed his dissatisfaction, and asked such a question.

Could it be that they're planning a rebellion against injustice?!