Zhou Ming did not even think, activating his Sword Qi Gu, twisting his waist and turning to slash fiercely backwards.
With a clang! A bone arrow was deflected by the Sword Qi.
"Oh? That kid actually dodged it?"
Along with a slightly surprised male voice, the figures of three people appeared out of thin air, surrounding Zhou Ming.
Zhou Ming's expression was somewhat solemn. All three individuals exuded the aura of Two-Turn Gu Masters, and their sneering faces revealed undisguised malice.
"Greed at the sight of wealth? When was I targeted?"
Zhou Ming silently reflected, suddenly realizing that he had been a bit too high-profile today.
Going back and forth between shops and stalls, spending a large amount of primeval stones to purchase Gu without any concealment, it was no surprise that he had been targeted.
"When did I become so careless?"
Zhou Ming was startled, only then realizing that the large influx of money in the past few days had unknowingly lulled him into a false sense of security, making him complacent and arrogant. He had forgotten his usual caution, like treading on thin ice, and completely lost his vigilance, acting like a child playing in the Market with gold, yet he was unaware of it.
"Indeed, at all times, one must constantly reflect and never relax their mindset in the slightest."
Zhou Ming secretly warned himself that he wouldn't be so lucky every time, and that his sense of crisis could save him.
If he continued with such a careless mindset, he would fall sooner or later.
At this moment, among the three people surrounding him, the one directly in front of Zhou Ming spoke:
"Kid, since you've discovered us, we won't beat around the bush. Hand over all the Gu and primeval stones on you, and we'll let you go, how about it?"
Zhou Ming sneered, "I am a member of the Zhou Family. Don't you fear the Zhou Family's retaliation if you dare to rob me?"
Upon hearing the words "Zhou Family," the three individuals not only showed no signs of backing down but instead revealed cruel smiles.
"So what if it's the Zhou Family? Let them try to extend their reach here!"
"Kid, we were originally going to let you go unharmed, but since you're bringing up the Zhou Family to scare us, hmph, very good. Now I demand you sever an arm, or you'll leave your life behind!"
Facing the threats of the three, Zhou Ming remained completely unfazed, nodding calmly and saying, "It seems you have a grudge against the Zhou Family. Judging by your appearance, you don't seem like wandering Demonic Gu Masters; rather, you resemble those from a Family. There are only a few Families that have a grudge against the Zhou Family and show no fear of them. So, are you from the Wenren Family, the Fu Family, or the Kou Family?"
He paused, then continued, "Looking at your expressions, I know I must be right. I bet you're all thinking of killing me to silence me right now, even though you never intended to leave me alive from the start."
"However, I'm not interested in guessing which Family you belong to, nor am I interested in playing any 'cornered beast fighting' games with you."
"Heh heh, I'm still quite grateful to you all. You've sounded an alarm for me, allowing me to timely awaken myself and avoid regretting it when a greater crisis appears."
"Then, let's consider taking your lives as thanks the next time we meet. Goodbye."
Leaving these words, amidst the attacks that the three individuals had already reacted to and launched, Zhou Ming's figure suddenly vanished without a trace.
Only three individuals with grim expressions remained, staring intently at the spot where Zhou Ming had disappeared, unwilling to give up trying to find any clues of his departure.
Main God Space.
Zhou Ming expressionlessly handed over the Gu one by one, watching his reward points continuously climb, finally stopping at 25919. All forty of his Gu were gone.
Afterward, he spent 6500 reward points to exchange for 13 pure Soul Crystals in one go.
"Next, I won't go back for now. I'll cultivate here in seclusion until I Break through to Two-turn."
Counting the primeval stones on him, there were still over three hundred. A hint of determination flashed in Zhou Ming's eyes.
These primeval stones would be more than enough to support more than ten days of cultivation.
He currently only had one Sword Qi Gu, and he had already bought enough food for this Sword Qi Gu for over ten days. With nothing else to distract him, Zhou Ming focused entirely on cultivation in the coming days.
It must be said, if one disregards other factors, the Main God Space is absolutely a recluse's paradise. All kinds of food and drinks are available, and various entertainment facilities are abundant.
Whether Zhou Ming was hungry, thirsty, tired, or weary, the Main God Space could resolve it.
Even if he stayed alone for too long and felt lonely, he could go to the public space, haggle with stall owners, pick up some overlooked treasures, and alleviate his loneliness.
Eleven days passed in a blink of an eye.
Only two days remained until the next mission began.
In the Main God Space, Zhou Ming sat cross-legged on a cloud bed, surrounded by primeval stones. He held two primeval stones in his hands, continuously absorbing the natural true essence within them to replenish himself.
Within his Aperture, a dramatic change was occurring, with surging waves crashing against the Aperture wall incessantly.
Finally, at a certain moment, with a "crash," the Aperture wall seemed to buckle under the pressure and eventually shattered.
The boundless sea of true essence underwent a profound transformation at this instant. The originally dark green seawater now completely turned light red.
And the shattered Aperture crystal membrane reconverged, only to transform into a water membrane, yet it was thicker and tougher than the crystal membrane.
"Finally, I've Broken through."
Zhou Ming opened his eyes and let out a heavy breath.
More than ten days of seclusion, coupled with Grade A Aptitude and sufficient primeval stones, made Breaking through to Two-turn not difficult.
"Very good, the increase in strength is enough to support bolder actions from me."
"There's still more than a day until the next mission begins. I'll go earn enough primeval stones first, and then, once the next mission's hint is released, I'll buy some corresponding Gu to specifically enhance my strength."
In the previous mission, Zhou Ming received a reward: he could get a hint for the next mission. However, this reward would be issued one day before the mission starts, and there was still some time left.
"Main God, exchange for twenty Sword Qi Gu!"
Zhou Ming roared.
Immediately, twenty Sword Qi Gu appeared before him, and 8000 reward points were instantly deducted accordingly.
"Return!"
When Zhou Ming chose to return, the voice of the Main God sounded in his mind.
[Due to the Reincarnator's increase in strength, the next time you leave the Main God Space, returning to the Main God Space will require a payment of 2000 reward points.]
"This..." Zhou Ming was stunned.
Returning to the Main World, he was still at the same place where he had entered the Main God Space before.
Now, the surroundings were empty; not a single person could be seen. The three individuals from before naturally wouldn't wait here for Zhou Ming for over ten days.
Zhou Ming did not tarry for a moment, turning back and rushing to the Market.
He was currently closest to this Market and didn't want to go far out of his way to other Markets to sell the Gu on him.
Moreover, he also wanted to see if he could run into the three Gu Masters who ambushed him. If possible, he might be able to lure them in and directly avenge himself.
Of course, the prerequisite was that he needed to first buy enough Two-turn Gu to increase his own strength.
Soon, he entered the Market and began selling the Gu on him.
A single Sword Qi Gu could be sold to a shop for a price of 800 primeval stones. Moreover, this Two-turn Gu was much more popular than the One-turn Leaf Blade Gu, making it easy to sell.
But Zhou Ming's goal was not just to sell them; he also needed to spend the primeval stones he acquired to exchange for suitable Gu to arm himself.
Zhou Ming consciously distributed the Gu to various shops, one by one, until the last one was sold. He now had 16,000 primeval stones, a huge sum far exceeding all his previous gains.
And this last shop was also the largest shop in this Market.
"Do you have Relic Gu here?"
After selling the last of the Gu on him, Zhou Ming asked the Gu Master in front of him.
Relic Gu is a series of Gu, all of which are one-time consumption Gu, with the effect of raising a Gu Master's cultivation by a small Realm.
The One-turn is Bronze Relic Gu, which only works on One-turn Gu Masters. The Two-turn Scarlet Iron Relic Gu is only effective on Two-Turn Gu Masters.
The Rank Three Silver Relic Gu, Rank Four Gold Relic Gu, and Rank Five Amethyst Relic Gu all have the same effect, but they apply to different tiers of Gu Masters.
Compared to other Gu, the price of Relic Gu is simply outrageous.
A One-turn Bronze Relic Gu could sell for around two thousand primeval stones, a Two-turn Scarlet Iron Relic Gu would rise to eight thousand, a Silver Relic Gu would skyrocket to fifty thousand, and a Gold Relic Gu could even sell for three hundred thousand.
The 16,000 primeval stones Zhou Ming had just earned could at most buy two Scarlet Iron Relic Gu, and that depended on whether the shop had them in stock.
However, Zhou Ming didn't need two Scarlet Iron Relic Gu; he only needed one.
Upon hearing that Zhou Ming wanted to buy Relic Gu, the Gu Master in front of him immediately beamed with joy and said, "Guest, we have One-turn Bronze Relic Gu and Two-turn Scarlet Iron Relic Gu here. How many do you need?"
"One Scarlet Iron Relic Gu is enough. Also, do you have any Two-turn Wood Path storage Gu here?"
"Of course." The Gu Master rattled off a string of names of Two-turn Wood Path storage Gu, but their functions differed, as did the food required to nourish them.
After a comparison in his mind, Zhou Ming chose the Flower Bud Gu. This Gu was not expensive, costing only 780 primeval stones, and Zhou Ming quickly acquired it.
With this Gu, Zhou Ming essentially had a portable miniature space, greatly enhancing his endurance.
Next, Zhou Ming inquired about some Two-turn Wood Path and Soul Path Gu, and quickly assembled two sets of complementary Gu. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough money.
"To gather both of these sets of Gu, a few thousand primeval stones are nowhere near enough!" Zhou Ming sighed.
Fortunately, he had anticipated this outcome and wasn't disappointed. He then asked about which Two-turn consumption Gu were available.
Unfortunately, this time he only picked out fourteen Gu that were not duplicates of previous ones. Buying all of them only cost a little over two thousand primeval stones.
Finally, he selected six more non-duplicate Gu from those two sets, exhausting his primeval stones down to single digits, leaving him unable to buy anything else.
Choosing an unnoticed spot, Zhou Ming returned to the Main God Space. As expected, this time there was a deduction of 2000 reward points.
Submitting all the Gu he had (including the Relic Gu and Flower Bud Gu), another 9680 reward points were added to his account.
He opened the exchange list and searched for Scarlet Iron Relic Gu.
"It costs 400 reward points to exchange, heh heh, as expected." A faint smile appeared on Zhou Ming's lips, and he directly exchanged for three Scarlet Iron Relic Gu.
Using all three Gu in one go, Zhou Ming's Realm instantly soared.
Two-turn early stage... Two-turn middle stage... Two-turn high stage... Two-turn Peak!
In just a few breaths, Zhou Ming's cultivation had risen from newly entering Two-turn to Two-turn Peak!
This was the powerful effect of Relic Gu!