Chapter 294 : Transcendent Influence
Chapter 294: Transcendent Influence
After completing the Bloodline Modification for Qiu Tieyi and the others, Zhou Ming temporarily remained in the Lake-center Small Building to acclimate himself to his rapidly surging strength, while also refining the methods he had previously used in battle.
For example, the Blood Descendant Secret Technique and the Sand Convergence Secret Technique—these two had once formed the very foundation of his advancement to Ruler.
However, now that he possessed the bloodline of the Spirit Molting Snake Emperor, the Blood Descendant Secret Technique’s effects—mobilizing bloodline power and condensing the will of the snake swarm—had been completely replaced by the innate abilities of the Spirit Molting Snake Emperor bloodline.
As for the Sand Convergence Secret Technique, relying on the racial enhancement granted by the Spirit Molting Snake Emperor bloodline, its might far surpassed that secret technique.
Of course, since the Spirit Molting Snake bloodline had not yet been widely propagated, the Sand Convergence Secret Technique could still provide Zhou Ming with a small amount of value for the time being.
Although these two secret techniques were no longer strictly necessary, Zhou Ming did not choose to abandon them, because all the spells he had researched had been derived from these two secret techniques.
Even though he could now cast spells entirely through bloodline power, their might would ultimately suffer some degree of reduction. Therefore, Zhou Ming decided to continue using these two secret techniques as the core of his spellcasting system.
What he needed to do now was elevate these two secret techniques to a higher-tier level.
While Zhou Ming was refining his secret techniques and adapting to his surging strength, Ding Mowen and Mu Ye successfully advanced to Professional Beast Tamers.
The profession systems they chose were Beast Knight and Shepherd respectively.
For the two of them, both barely in their early twenties, to advance to Professional Beast Tamers would have been enough to cause a sensation in the outside world. Unfortunately, their brilliance was ultimately overshadowed by Zhou Ming.
As time passed, news of Zhou Ming’s advancement to Transcendent Master gradually leaked out.
Advancing to Transcendent Master in his early thirties—this piece of news stirred a tremendous uproar within the Alliance. Even though it was known that Zhou Ming had chosen a flawed system, that only highlighted the difficulty of his advancement.
After all, within the Alliance, how many could advance to Legendary Saint?
Even among Transcendent Masters, very few could guarantee that they would successfully advance further.
Given Zhou Ming’s age, he still had three hundred years ahead of him. Once Blue Star was swallowed by Tamu World, no one dared to assert whether he might advance another step beyond.
Among the numerous forces, the weakest—Qi Family and Han Family—had already fallen into a state of panic.
In the face of the word “Transcendent,” right and wrong no longer held meaning. Even if Zhou Ming struck against them within the base, Alliance Officials would at most evacuate the innocent.
Because at least within the Alliance, the moment Zhou Ming advanced to Transcendent, he had already leapt off the chessboard—no longer a piece to be manipulated at will.
Thus, once the news of Zhou Ming’s advancement to Transcendent Master spread, all factions within Qinghui Base severed ties with the Qi Family and Han Family.
Apart from those two families, the upper management of Golden Flower Group also gathered together to discuss how to respond to the potential retaliation of a Transcendent Master.
Golden Flower Group was more than ten times stronger than the Qi and Han Families combined, and it possessed intricate interest networks and various connections. However, there were also many forces that wished for their demise.
For example, the other four major factions within Qinghui Base were all eager to seize this opportunity to carve up Golden Flower Group.
At the top-floor conference room of Golden Flower Group’s headquarters, over a dozen board directors had gathered.
The conference room was shrouded in smoke; cigarettes never stopped burning in their hands, and the worry on their faces was unmistakable.
It should be noted that they were not only directors of Golden Flower Group—they also possessed High-level Professional Rank Beast Tamer strength.
“Speak. What do we do now?”
In the dimly lit conference room, Jin Bufan, chairman of the group, broke the silence.
“What do we do? Do you really think that man would dare to massacre people inside Qinghui Base?”
“If internal unrest breaks out within the base, we won’t have it easy—nor will he.”
“Besides, it’s not like we don’t have backing. The benefits we send up every year are not small. Would the people at Alliance Headquarters really just stand by?”
The man who spoke appeared to be over fifty, with a broad face and thick hair. His temper matched his appearance—like an enraged lion repeatedly slamming the table before him.
Yet everyone present could sense the hollow fear beneath his bluster.
“Fang Wu, stop deceiving yourself. This time those people won’t act for us. They might even trade us away in exchange for a chance to participate in the development of the Passage into the Dark Domain.”
The middle-aged man sitting beside Jin Bufan sneered coldly, tearing away the final veil.
Just as he had said, if Zhou Ming had merely advanced to Transcendent Master, they might still have had a chance to struggle.
But now, he controlled a passage into the Dark Domain, had invited three Transcendent-level Experts from Qinghui Base to participate, and had deep ties with the Duanmu Family of Yunhai Base.
Such power was not something they could resist.
Moreover, the other four major factions within Qinghui Base were likely already discussing how to divide them up. After all, this time a Transcendent-level Expert stood at the forefront.
“Duan Zhifu, are we just going to sit here and wait for death?”
Fang Wu immediately retorted after hearing Duan Zhifu’s words.
Yet no one answered.
Just as the atmosphere fell into dead silence, a young woman seated behind Jin Bufan suddenly spoke.
“Uncles, if you don’t mind, may I share my thoughts?”
“Oh? Yushu, do you have a way to get through this crisis?”
Everyone present in the conference room was a director of Golden Flower Group. The reason the young woman could sit there was because her father was Jin Bufan, seated at the head.
Although she was a woman, her ability to manage the company far surpassed most men.
Upon hearing that Jin Yushu had an idea, Duan Zhifu felt a flicker of anticipation.
“It’s only a simple viewpoint. If I’m mistaken, I hope you won’t be offended.”
“Go ahead, Yushu.”
Even Fang Wu, who had previously been the most agitated, urged her on. The others also signaled their agreement.
“Since all the uncles agree, I’ll speak briefly.”
Jin Yushu stood beside her father and presented her thoughts.
“Previously, due to certain factors, we offended that young Lord Zhou. But in reality, we did not cause him any actual loss.”
“Of course, that does not mean he won’t hold a grudge.”
“However, it does leave room for maneuver—room to apologize and offer compensation.”
“If we are to make amends, we must show sincerity. Besides offering thirty percent of the group’s profits, I propose we present the Qi and Han Families as tribute.”
“Although Lord Zhou has advanced to Transcendent Master and has invited other Lords to cooperate in developing resources within the Dark Domain, committing slaughter within Qinghui Base would ultimately stain his hands.”
“So why don’t we take the initiative and become his blade? Perhaps we can use this opportunity to establish a connection with him. After all, developing resources in the Dark Domain requires considerable manpower and material resources.”
“Yushu, your idea is good. But if we make a move, Alliance Officials won’t just sit idly by.”
After hearing Jin Yushu’s proposal, Duan Zhifu felt tempted, yet he still hesitated because of the rules within the base.
“Uncle Duan, do you think the three Lords within the base would be unwilling to give that young Lord Zhou some face?”
“You must remember—he has invited them to cooperate in developing resources in the Dark Domain.”
No one present was a fool. They immediately grasped Jin Yushu’s meaning. This time, not only would they use the heads of the Qi and Han Families as compensation, but they would also take the opportunity to offer a favor to the three Lords within the base.