A chi-long flame flowed, reflecting off the shock-filled faces in the dojo.
The silence lasted for dozens of breaths before being suddenly torn apart by a wild wave of noise, making the entire dojo seem to shake.
“A chi-long flame?! Am I seeing things?!”
“A chi-long flame with a sharp edge... this is the Initial Success stage of the Flame Blade!”
“He cultivated the Flame Blade to Initial Success in just one shichen?!”
“How is that possible?! Back then, even Zhang Yue took several days to reach a chi-long flame...”
...
Gasps of shock rose and fell continuously, filled with sheer disbelief.
Fang Lang also stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the chi-long flame extending from Lu Ming's right palm. The fiery glow was crimson and condensed, with a sharp edge flowing through it. Compared to this, his previous half-cun of slightly scattering firelight truly seemed laughable.
But...
How was this possible?
After all, even with Zhang Yue's High-grade Divine Ability Bone, when he first cultivated the Flame Blade, he had only produced a four-cun flame, which was not even half of Lu Ming's current achievement...
This defied all logic!
Unless... this wasn't Lu Ming's first time cultivating the Flame Blade, but rather something he had practiced for a long time!
Perhaps he had already awakened his Divine Ability Bone a few days ago, and Hall Master Lu Jin had personally taught and guided him!
Fang Lang's blank expression softened slightly. This speculation was highly reasonable. After all, the Thunderfire Hall was currently facing a major storm and desperately needed some shocking news to suppress the unrest.
And clearly, Fang Lang was not the only one making this guess. The other disciples exchanged looks, sharing the same thought.
For a moment, whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
Lu Qingyan withdrew his slightly dazed gaze from the chi-long fiery glow in Lu Ming's palm. Although he had known from the start that with Lu Ming's talent, initiating into a Lower Divine Ability wouldn't be difficult, the speed of directly reaching Initial Success in a single shichen still gave him quite a shock.
This was simply too fierce.
Lu Qingyan sighed inwardly, then raised his head to look at the suspicious and uncertain Thunderfire Hall disciples. With a faint smile, he said, “There is no need to find this unbelievable. It is perfectly normal for Ah Ming to have this kind of speed.”
Normal, my foot!
Many Thunderfire Hall disciples wore bizarre expressions. Even the honest Yuan Da could not help but scratch his head.
“Second Hall Master, this is not normal. Even with my Mid-grade Divine Ability Bone, I only managed a half-cun flame,” Fang Lang could not help but say.
“You have a Mid-grade Divine Ability Bone, so of course you only have a half-cun flame.”
“Then why did he—” Fang Lang immediately countered.
“Because Ah Ming has a High-grade Divine Ability Bone,” Lu Qingyan replied unhurriedly, a faint trace of a smile playing on his lips.
If Lu Ming's chi-long flame was a pebble thrown into a calm lake, then Lu Qingyan's simple, plain words were undoubtedly a thousand-jin boulder rolling down from a mountaintop.
It instantly shattered the lake's surface, whipping up monstrous waves.
The impact of these words was too strong—so strong that everyone was temporarily unable to snap out of it, falling into a dazed, speechless stupor.
Fang Lang felt as if his head were buzzing. The words “High-grade Divine Ability Bone” instantly left his mouth dry and his body burning hot.
A High-grade Divine Ability Bone?!
Was this a joke?
Fang Lang had made all sorts of guesses about how Lu Ming could produce a chi-long flame in a single shichen, but the only thing he had never considered was that Lu Ming might possess a High-grade Divine Ability Bone...
Because the probability was simply too low.
A High-grade Divine Ability Bone was a genius bone. Since the founding of the Thunderfire Hall, only one person, Zhang Yue, had ever possessed one.
So how could Fang Lang have ever guessed that Lu Ming had actually awakened a High-grade Divine Ability Bone?
The many Thunderfire Hall disciples remained dazed for a long while before gradually snapping out of it. Once the shock passed, a wave of pleasant surprise naturally welled up.
Zhang Yue's departure had brought a massive negative impact to the Thunderfire Hall. As members of the hall, they naturally shared in both its honor and its disgrace.
In the midst of this storm, the awakening of a High-grade Divine Ability Bone by their Little Hall Master, Lu Ming, would undoubtedly improve the Thunderfire Hall's situation significantly.
No one doubted whether Lu Qingyan was telling the truth. After all, a High-grade Divine Ability Bone could not be faked, and Lu Ming's speed in cultivating the Flame Blade this time was indeed highly convincing.
“Congratulations, Little Hall Master!”
“Our Thunderfire Hall indeed has great fortune! Although we lost Zhang Yue, our Little Hall Master has also awakened a High-grade Divine Ability Bone. Moreover, his comprehension of divine abilities is even a cut above!”
“It seems it won't be long before the Little Hall Master enters the Dharma Inscription Realm and becomes a Grand Divine Ability Practitioner.”
“More than just a Grand Divine Ability Practitioner! With a High-grade Divine Ability Bone, becoming a Divine Ability Master is a certainty, and he might even have hope of becoming a Divine Ability Grandmaster in the future!”
“If that day truly comes, we'll all rise along with him! Hahaha!”
...
The numerous Thunderfire Hall disciples all wore smiles at this moment, laughing as they congratulated Lu Ming.
This time, the title “Little Hall Master” carried a bit less playfulness and a bit more respect than before.
Because of this, the atmosphere in the entire Divine Ability Dojo became cheerful, completely washing away the faint, lingering sense of depression from earlier.
When a genius possessing a High-grade Divine Ability Bone appeared in a Tier 3 Divine Ability Hall, it undoubtedly brought people an inexplicable sense of security and anticipation.
Previously, this security and anticipation had been brought by Zhang Yue. Now, after his departure, Lu Ming had filled that void.
Although the current Lu Ming was only just starting out, his future was full of promise.
Lu Ming did not act arrogant either. He dispersed the crimson firelight on his right palm and smiled, returning the gestures of greeting to everyone.
Watching the re-energized atmosphere in the dojo, Lu Qingyan also breathed a sigh of relief. A High-grade Divine Ability Bone indeed possessed a magical charm. Even though Lu Ming had only just awakened it, when it came to stabilizing people's hearts, he was even more effective than an established Grand Divine Ability Practitioner like himself.
Lu Qingyan turned around, his gaze landing on Fang Lang, whose expression was slightly stiff. A warm smile appeared on his face as he asked with concern, “By the way, Fang Lang, what did you want to say earlier?”
A flash of resentment and disappointment crossed Fang Lang's eyes, and he shook his head awkwardly. “Nothing, nothing. I only wanted to ask the Second Hall Master to give me more guidance when you have the time.”
Fang Lang's mouth was filled with bitterness. Originally, he had wanted to take advantage of Zhang Yue's departure to put some pressure on Lu Qingyan, trying to see if he could obtain the status of a personal disciple so he could leech off the Thunderfire Hall's resources for free.
But despite all his calculations, he had never expected things to turn out like this.
This Lu Ming... had actually awakened a High-grade Divine Ability Bone!
At this moment, the pride Fang Lang had felt due to his Mid-grade Divine Ability Bone instantly vanished by more than half.
He could forget about the free resources of a personal disciple. Lu Ming was the Hall Master's biological grandson and had now awakened a High-grade Divine Ability Bone. No one was qualified to compete with him for the hall's resources.
Thus, he tactfully and quietly crushed his original ambitions.
Seeing Fang Lang's dejected expression, Lu Qingyan did not press him further. Instead, he said, “Awakening a Mid-grade Divine Ability Bone is still considered very good talent. In the future, if you face any difficulties in your divine ability cultivation, you can seek me out at any time. Furthermore, your hall fee will be halved from now on.”
For a Tier 3 Divine Ability Hall, someone with a Mid-grade Divine Ability Bone was also a rare talent. With proper nurturing, he would become a Grand Divine Ability Practitioner in the future.
Therefore, although it was impossible for Lu Qingyan to accept him as a personal disciple of the Thunderfire Hall, he still granted him some benefits to put his mind at ease.
“Thank you, Second Hall Master!”
Hearing this, Fang Lang was instantly overjoyed. His family background was ordinary, and the annual hall fee was quite a burden. Now that Lu Qingyan had halved it and agreed to give him more guidance, it was already an unexpected pleasant surprise.
“Alright, everyone continue practicing.”
Lu Qingyan clapped his hands, while also dispersing the other disciples who were watching the commotion to go back to their training.
Looking at the dojo, which had regained some of its vitality, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The negative impact brought by Zhang Yue's departure had finally been diluted a lot by the newly born High-grade Divine Ability Bone that was Lu Ming.
However, immediately afterward, Lu Qingyan began to worry again.
Although the unstable hearts within the hall had been suppressed, the external storm and its influence were not so easily pacified.
After all, over the past two years, Zhang Yue had indeed been the face of the Thunderfire Hall—a genius with a High-grade Divine Ability Bone, young and possessing limitless potential.
Among the hundred disciples in the dojo before him, many had been attracted here precisely by Zhang Yue's reputation.
“In another month, it will be the annual Divine Ability Hall Meet of Qingyuan Ward. Without Zhang Yue as our star attraction, how many new disciples will the Thunderfire Hall be able to recruit at this meet?”
This Divine Ability Hall Meet was a big day for all the Divine Ability Halls in Qingyuan Ward. On that day, a large number of new disciples would arrive, and the various halls would naturally employ all sorts of means to compete for them. After all, for these Divine Ability Halls, the annual hall fees collected from recruiting disciples made up the bulk of their income.
In previous years, as long as the Thunderfire Hall showcased Zhang Yue, a genius with the potential to become a Divine Ability Master, he would serve as a walking advertisement, attracting many newcomers who wished to embark on the path of divine abilities.
But now that Zhang Yue had left, who else could serve as the face of the Thunderfire Hall?
Although Lu Ming possessed a High-grade Divine Ability Bone, he had only just completed his first bone refinement, and his strength was not yet sufficient.
They couldn't possibly have the old man, their Hall Master, personally step forward to recruit newcomers. That would only make the other Divine Ability Halls mock them for having no one left in the Thunderfire Hall, which would damage their reputation for nothing.
But if the recruitment results were poor when the time came, the Thunderfire Hall's income for this year would plummet, leaving them unable to purchase various cultivation resources.
Yet, right now was precisely the critical moment when Lu Ming needed these cultivation resources the most.
A Sub-Heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone indeed possessed transcendent talent, but without sufficient cultivation resources to support it, its luster would fade significantly.
Lu Qingyan sighed softly, turning his head to look at the youth who remained immersed in cultivating the Flame Blade. Usually emotionally stable, he could not help but curse inwardly.
That bastard Zhang Yue.
He was too fucking expensive to feed.
Rate on N.U.
