Chapter 200: Chapter 121: Candlelight Heart Eye, Stage Three
A major reason the two of them came over was curiosity.
Neither Ji Qingkang nor Ji Qingyue could understand where Zhong Ming, a man from a minor sect, found the audacity to treat all the young prodigies of Qingyue County City as mere challengers.
Of course, having such thoughts also made one thing clear: they didn’t have high hopes for Zhong Ming.
No, it would be more accurate to say that of all the people who had come to Crescent Lake, almost ninety-nine percent of them didn’t believe Zhong Ming could last until the end.
And the ones who thought this way weren’t just Ji Qinghui, Ji Qingkang, Ji Chengping, and the surrounding onlookers.
Even his collaborator, Ji Qingyue; Yi Yunya, who saw Zhong Ming as a Celestial God; Sect Leader Zong Chengze, who viewed him as the sect’s greatest hope; and Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng—none of them believed Zhong Ming could win.
Their reasoning was quite similar to what Ji Qinghui had said.
They believed that with the Prefecture City’s countless prodigies, even someone as strong as Zhong Ming couldn’t possibly endure a continuous gauntlet of challengers.
However, they also knew Zhong Ming had made a deal with Prince Qinghe. For that reason, they didn’t try to stop him, only hoping he wouldn’t get too seriously injured.
At that moment, Zong Chengze and Yi Yunya were repeatedly admonishing Zhong Ming.
"Zhong Ming, a single loss is nothing. Don’t let your pride get the best of you. The moment you feel you’re outmatched, concede immediately."
"Live to fight another day," Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng added concisely.
As for Yi Yunya, she hugged Zhong Ming’s arm tightly, her eyes red-rimmed. "Zhong Ming," she said, "in my heart, your Talent for comprehension is the greatest. That kind of aptitude always shines later on. You don’t need to be in such a rush to prove yourself..."
Their collective worry and lack of faith left Zhong Ming speechless, but he appreciated their concern. He nodded and said, "Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I would never be reckless with my own life."
With that, Zhong Ming closed his eyes, letting the morning sunlight wash over him.
The sunlight didn’t just scour Zhong Ming’s physical body with Sun Star Power; a powerful ability was also gestating within him.
It wasn’t just his `Star Heaven·Divine Monarch` Cultivation Technique that was related to his physical body.
His other Celestial Level Cultivation Technique, `Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation`, was also intimately connected to it.
In fact, the very reason Zhong Ming had learned `Star Heaven·Divine Monarch` was because the `Divine Treasure: Candlelight Heart Eye` awakened by `Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation` was too powerful. His physical body had been too fragile to withstand the Heart Eye’s further evolution.
Now, although the Candlelight Heart Eye had fused into his Dao Seed—the Morning Star·Candlelight Dragon—its evolution was still ongoing.
Completing the First Realm of `Star Heaven·Divine Monarch` had finally made his body strong enough to bear the third stage of the `Candlelight Heart Eye`’s power.
And at this very moment, that power was gestating.
However, the third stage of the Candlelight Heart Eye required an immense amount of Solar Power. Zhong Ming also had a vague premonition: ’To achieve a perfect gestation for the Candlelight Heart Eye, I must use pure Solar Power.’
This meant that, for the time being, Zhong Ming just had to get more sun.
...
While Zhong Ming was cultivating, the atmosphere inside Ji Qingyue’s residence was exceptionally tense.
Clutching the declaration that had spread throughout the city, Ji Qingyue’s beautiful face was frozen, and uncontrollable anger churned in her eyes. "Who changed this declaration?"
Zhong Ming’s insistence meant Ji Qingyue couldn’t issue a clarifying statement.
But given her temperament, she would never have issued such an arrogant and domineering proclamation. The matter was far too important. In fact, she had personally drafted the statement, staying up all night to write it.
And it was obvious that the declaration had been altered before its release.
Its tactful wording had been twisted into a mockery of Qinghe Prefecture City’s prodigies.
"C-Commandery Princess... this subordinate was drunk last night. I was confused, it was an accident..."
A white-haired old scribe knelt on the floor, trembling as he sobbed and made excuses.
But Ji Qingyue didn’t believe a word of it.
"Confused?" Ji Qingyue sneered, her knuckles turning white. "This document has to pass through three levels of review. You were confused? Was everyone else confused too?"
’Was it Third Brother? Or Seventh Brother?’
Following the principle that the mastermind is whoever stands to gain the most, Ji Qingyue’s suspicion immediately fell upon her two younger brothers.
But she quickly shook her head. ’It can’t be them. For that document to be released, it had to pass through more than one person’s hands. No matter the circumstances, it’s impossible that all of my subordinates were bribed without me hearing a single whisper.’
’In all of Qinghe Prefecture City, the only one who could pull this off is...’
She looked up toward her father’s residence, and her slender fists clenched tightly.
At the same time, being quite sharp, she quickly deduced her father’s intentions.
’He’s using Young Master Zhong Ming as bait to stir the waters of the Prefecture City, forcing all the hidden undercurrents and big fish to the surface...’
For Prince Qinghe’s Mansion, it was actually a brilliant move.
However, this action undoubtedly threw Zhong Ming into the eye of the storm, making his situation even more perilous.
And this made the noble-hearted Ji Qingyue feel a pang of guilt toward Zhong Ming.
...
"I’m sorry, Young Master Zhong Ming..."
Zhong Ming raised an eyebrow as he watched Ji Qingyue bow her head in apology. Realizing what must have happened, he said directly, "You don’t need to apologize. This has nothing to do with you. Besides, choosing to get involved was my own decision."
Seeing that Zhong Ming wasn’t angry, Ji Qingyue let out a sigh of relief.
