Chapter 162: Taking a Master (Part One)

The secret movement technique known as the Myriad-Line Flow was widely circulated, yet it was restricted exclusively to the ranks of the immortals. This did not mean it was easy to master; rather, it was exceptionally difficult.

Without achieving a certain level of comprehension regarding the origin laws of space, attempting to perfect the Myriad-Line Flow was utterly impossible.

Even the Single-Line Flow required a perception of the fluctuations within the spatial laws. The Nine-Line Flow demanded a rudimentary grasp of a sliver of spatial law, while the Hundred-Line Flow represented a true crossing of the threshold into the origin laws of space.

It was universally acknowledged that the origin laws of space and time were the two most difficult laws to comprehend. To achieve comprehension at the Star-Traveler level already marked one as a rare prodigy. Yet, for someone to master the Hundred-Line Flow—even among immortal powerhouses—was enough to leave Man Luo unable to maintain his composure.

"Splendid!" Man Luo praised heartily. "Qin Ming, demonstrate the Cleaving-Void Saber Technique as well. Let me see to what extent you have mastered it."

He had already learned Qin Ming's true name.

"Understood!" Having slaughtered all ten thousand opponents, Qin Ming unleashed the Cleaving-Void Saber Technique, dedicating even greater focus this time around.

One strike severs mountains and rivers, two strikes divide the firmament, three strikes behead the stars, four strikes fracture the nebulas, five strikes split the galaxy, six strikes divide the cosmos into three parts, seven strikes apportion the universe into six as I reign supreme, eight strikes part it into nine with no rival left in the world, and nine strikes deliver twelve slashes to slay the immortals!

With a single saber in his grasp, Qin Ming felt the entire world belonged to him.

The Cleaving-Void Saber Technique possessed a total of nine stances.

He consecutively unleashed five strikes. As the sixth strike began, it trembled slightly, surprisingly splitting into three identical saber projections. Each projection carried solid, substantive force, and all were entirely identical.

One strike generating three outputs, tripling the force.

Qin Ming withdrew his saber, stood straight, turned around, and asked, "Senior, how was that?"

"To think you have comprehended this spatial saber technique to such a degree! With your current cultivation level, unleashing the sixth strike would allow you to slay ordinary Universe-level powerhouses. If combined with the Hundred-Line Flow, while perhaps insufficient to sweep across the entire Universe level, you would have little to fear from most!" Man Luo showered him with unending praise. The more he looked at Qin Ming, the more fond of him he became. An impulse to take the youth on as a disciple rose within his heart, though he ultimately shook his head and thought to himself: *With a genius of this caliber, I truly lack the qualifications to take him as a disciple. Furthermore, since the path of space is not my primary discipline, accepting him would simply be a waste of his innate talent. Besides, if word got out, I would have nowhere to hide this old face of mine!*

"Wait a moment!" With those thoughts swirling, Man Luo nodded to Qin Ming and immediately dispatched a message.

Deep within the universe lay a vast territory, permeated by a dense, malevolent aura potent enough to shatter the souls of Star-Traveler powerhouses on the spot, causing them to perish instantly.

Yet hovering suspended in mid-air amidst this region was a solitary palace, having stood watch for who knows how many hundreds of millions of years.

Seated cross-legged inside the palace was a powerhouse clad in crimson robes, with hair as red as fire and a rhombus-shaped crystal embedded between his brows. Even with his eyes closed, the boundless divine might filling the palace caused the very space around him to warp.

Suddenly, the powerhouse opened his eyes. A screen materialized automatically before him, playing the video of Qin Ming executing the Myriad-Line Flow and the Cleaving-Void Saber Technique.

After merely glancing at it, his indifferent gaze remained completely devoid of ripples.

"This is Qin Ming, hailing from a primitive planet, possessing ordinary human bloodline, twenty-four years of age. He has comprehended the Hundred-Line Flow and the sixth stance of the Cleaving-Void Saber Technique!" Man Luo's voice echoed from the transmission. "Do you want him? If not, I shall recommend him to someone else!"

"Originating from a primitive planet? Ordinary human? Twenty-four years of age? Man Luo, you aren't trying to deceive me, are you? A genius with this level of comprehension is difficult to encounter even once in tens of millions of years!"

"I wouldn't dare deceive you of all people!" Man Luo replied instantly.

The two had already established a connection.

"I am coming over immediately!" The red-haired powerhouse separated a wisp of his consciousness into the virtual universe, directly traversing a thousand layers of space to descend into the spatial killing fields of the Black Dragon Mountain island.

The instant this killing space arrived, the surrounding fabric of space warped, saturated with an aura of absolute destruction that caused Man Luo's expression to change. He hastily threw up a protective barrier around Qin Ming and complained with displeasure, "You are still as reckless as ever. No wonder they exiled you to that place, leaving you stuck there for billions of years!"

Beside him, Qin Ming felt his heart pounding with fear.

The aura from just a moment ago had nearly caused his consciousness to collapse.

It was simply too formidable; even Yu Bo from back then could not compare to it in the slightest.

"Man Luo, if anyone else dared speak to me like that, I would have slapped them into oblivion!" The red-haired powerhouse had already materialized, completely retracting his aura. Yet his pair of eyes remained filled with absolute indifference toward all things.

"If not for our ironclad friendship from back then, how would I dare act presumptuously before you? Have I grown tired of living?" Man Luo laughed. "What do you think of the one I recommended? Ever since you took command of that place, you faded from the public eye and rarely accepted disciples."

The corners of the red-haired powerhouse's mouth twitched into a faint smile. "The few disciples I took in back then left me bitterly disappointed; not a single one possessed the potential to surpass me. As time passed, the inclination simply faded. However, this one has managed to spark a fraction of my interest."

As he spoke, he looked over at Qin Ming. Even with all his aura retracted, the gaze alone caused ripples to tear through Qin Ming's sea of consciousness, destabilizing his willpower.

"Display everything you have!"

His voice was indifferent, brooking no argument.

"Yes!"

Qin Ming responded with utmost respect.

He stimulated his ninefold spatial domain and executed the Myriad-Line Flow movement technique. An endless expanse of cyan airflow flooded a sixty-kilometer radius, giving rise to one hundred illusory clones.

Every single clone was simultaneously executing the Cleaving-Void Saber Technique.

His movement technique had likewise accelerated to the absolute limit!

The illusions flickered in and out of existence, and the Cleaving-Void Saber Technique progressed seamlessly from the first stance to the sixth. However, this time, a large portion of the clones failed to manifest the sixth stance.

Just as he was about to halt, a sudden epiphany struck Qin Ming. The Myriad-Line Flow movement technique grew even faster, transcending its previous limits and abruptly stepping into an entirely new realm.

"This...!" Man Luo stammered in disbelief. "To think he would comprehend the origin laws of wind at a juncture like this."

"Rare indeed," the red-haired powerhouse uttered two words.

"To receive such an evaluation from you is the true rarity!" Man Luo remarked. "Well? What do you think?"

"He barely qualifies to become my registered disciple."

"Barely? You people always set your standards ridiculously high!"

"You simply lack ambition. Look at my disciples—which of them is inferior to you?"

"I am merely enjoying life."

Man Luo offered a helpless, bitter smile.

Qin Ming had already come to a halt, standing respectfully in place.

His sudden comprehension of the origin laws of wind had caught him completely by surprise as well.

Perhaps, after concentrating his mental focus to its absolute peak and driving his speed to the extreme, he had inadvertently taken that crucial step forward.

Naturally, this was also inseparable from his long period of accumulated foundation.

"The Hundred-Line Flow, the sixth stance of the Cleaving-Void Saber Technique—you barely qualify to become my registered disciple. Are you willing?" the red-haired powerhouse asked directly.

"This...!" Qin Ming hesitated slightly before replying, "On my home planet, an immortal powerhouse once perished. My friends and I inadvertently inherited his legacy, and under the demand of the lingering intelligent lifeform, we already underwent a master-disciple ceremony!"

"A dead immortal? Who was it?" Man Luo interjected.

"Huyan Bo!"

"Huyan Bo? So it was him!" Man Luo shook his head with a chuckle. "I knew back then that if he failed to make a breakthrough, his death was certain! That Huyan Bo possessed genuine talent, but unfortunately, he was far too arrogant and solitary, unwilling to join any major faction. If it were merely that, it would have been fine; he still could have roamed the universe carefree. Yet he insisted on acting tyrannically, leaving no paths of retreat and offending people everywhere. Without any backing or powerful factions behind him, it would have been a miracle if he hadn't been killed."

"This...!" Qin Ming's expression turned slightly unsightly.

"In the universe, acknowledging one master, two masters, or even multiple masters is entirely normal. Of course, one must still respect their teachers and value Dao!" Man Luo laughed. "The fact that you didn't directly accept him as your master on the spot, but instead stated the truth, shows good character! The person standing beside me possesses a heaven-shaking background. His attainments in the spatial path are exceedingly rare across the entire universe. To take him as your master is your honor and your great fortune; do not let it slip away."

"Are you willing?" the red-haired powerhouse asked once more.

"Greetings, Master!" How dare Qin Ming hesitate any longer? He dropped instantly to his knees in kowtow.

His previous hesitation was merely a measure to demonstrate his integrity.

One of his reasons for entering the dueling arena was to earn money, but his second objective was actually to attract Man Luo's attention and latch onto a powerful backer. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to draw the attention of a monstrous entity of this caliber.

Although he did not know the man's title, he could be certain that Man Luo couldn't even hope to catch up to this person's coattails.

"Get up!" The red-haired powerhouse's expression softened slightly.

"Master, since I have acknowledged you as my master, I cannot keep anything hidden from you!" Qin Ming hesitated before speaking.

"There is more?" The red-haired powerhouse frowned.

"Master, back when I reached the planetary level, I automatically comprehended a divine ability!" Qin Ming stated. "The previous intelligent lifeform forbade me from telling anyone because the implications were far too vast. But now that I have taken you as my master, I cannot withhold it!"

"What kind of divine ability requires such secrecy?" Man Luo shook his head. "The spatial domain you comprehended, along with your attainments in the spatial path, are already extraordinary. Could it be related to this aspect? At most, it is merely a talent for affinity with space; it's nothing major!"

"Speak!" The red-haired powerhouse commanded cleanly and decisively.

"Teleportation!" Qin Ming spat out the two words.

Having formed a rough guess regarding the red-haired powerhouse's cultivation level, there was no longer any need for concealment.

Voicing it aloud would undoubtedly elevate his own value.

"What? Say that again?" Man Luo cried out in shock. "Teleportation? How is that possible? I am an immortal, and after studying the path of space for countless years, I have yet to comprehend teleportation. How could you possibly master it?"

A trace of surprise flickered across the red-haired powerhouse's face, and a brilliant light ignited within his eyes. "Show me!"

"Understood!" Qin Ming acknowledged. His figure flickered consecutively, leaving behind countless afterimages within the sixty-kilometer radius, appearing as though he materialized instantly with no temporal intervals between movements.

Utterly silent, devoid even of spatial fluctuations!

"It truly is teleportation!" Man Luo's voice trembled!

"Splendid!" A genuine smile finally surfaced on the red-haired powerhouse's face.