1639
Chapter 1639 – Doubts
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At this time, the entire auction was stirred into a frenzy!
Many people stretched out their necks, waiting for the sale of the Heavenly Fire Symbol to begin!
"How come it hasn't started? I have to buy a Heavenly Fire Symbol no matter what today!" A peak Holy Lord martial artist secretly swore to himself as he gripped his fists. He had a half-step World King blood enemy. If he had this Heavenly Fire Symbol then he would have the capital to take revenge!
It wasn't just him who had this idea, but many others in the audience. At this time, many people who had mocked Lin Ming's fifth grade Heavenly Fire Symbols before were now eagerly waiting to buy one of them.
There was also another group of people that were hoping to buy these fifth grade divine runic symbols and then gather a team of researchers to unravel them. If they could somehow encounter a stroke of luck and crack open its secrets then that would be worth a massive amount of wealth!
Of course, if they knew the fate that had befallen Shadow Overflow, they might not have had such thoughts.
Everyone had different thoughts, but without exception all of them were looking forwards to the auction of the Heavenly Fire Symbol, a look of hope and greed in their eyes. At the same time, the suspicious and derisive color in their eyes had transformed into respect.
The Asura Road was a world that revered the strong. If one displayed a mighty enough performance, a shocking enough performance, then one could earn sufficient respect.
This was the fairest law of all.
Song Wen was happy to see such powerful divine runic symbols. But, he also didn't forget what his responsibilities were.
"Elder Xue, can you judge the value of Sir Lin Ming's fifth grade divine runic symbols?"
Everyone calmed down, all of their eyes focusing on Elder Xue.
No matter how powerful this fifth grade divine runic symbol was, the main purpose of this test was to evaluate its price.
Elder Xue thought for a moment. Then, he slowly said, "The potency is equal to a medium sixth grade divine runic symbol, but when factoring in its ability to rebirth itself as well as the lowered requirements for maximum use, its value far outstrips that of a normal sixth grade divine runic symbol by several dozen times. There has never been a similar case before this so it is hard for me to put forth an accurate value. That will be something that must be determined through the auction…"
"Dozens of times over a sixth grade divine runic symbol!?" Someone gasped, their voice shaking. If this were true then many people present wouldn't be able to afford it!
Song Wen faintly smiled. He swept his eyes over the impatient bidders. Seeing the desire thick in their eyes, Song Wen had already begun planning in advance.
He struck his auctioneer mallet on the podium and then stretched out his words as he said, "Sir Lin, our Runic Pill Trading Organization will purchase your 10 Heavenly Fire Symbols! As for the price, that can be discussed later…"
As Song Wen spoke, the entire arena hall was left stunned!
Even Lin Ming was startled. He thought that Song Wen was going to continue with the auction of the 10 Heavenly Fire Symbols, but he never thought that the Divine Runic Masters Guild would want to buy them up instead!
What was the meaning of this?
Could it be that the Divine Runic Masters Guild wanted to buy these Heavenly Fire Symbols to study and collect them?
Lin Ming didn't believe that the Divine Runic Masters Guild, with its countless masters, needed to use these 10 Heavenly Fire Symbols to fight off some enemy force. Moreover, without an auction it would be difficult to set an appropriate price. After all, this was the first time this sort of Heavenly Fire Symbol had ever appeared so it was impossible to set a base price; everything would have to be determined by the market.
But as Song Wen finished speaking, the arena hall actually exploded in rage!
"Are you joking with us!? You had us watch this scene for half a day and now you aren't selling them!?"
"You motherfucker, I am going to buy a Heavenly Fire Symbol no matter what, so what is the meaning of your Divine Runic Masters Guild buying anything!?"
"You had us watch this show and then came up with these tricks at the end, it's as if you think we are monkeys!"
Many of the martial artists present were rough desperados. After being stunned by Song Wen's words, they became livid with anger! Martial artists often had short and explosive tempers. Once Song Wen lost control of the scene, this would not be a joke.
However, Song Wen remained calm and composed as he faced this scene. He faintly smiled and said, "Please be patient everyone. I am not saying that there won't be any sold, only that these 10 finished divine runic symbols will not be sold. Didn't we say that there would be a sale of promissory notes? Those can be exchanged for the improved Heavenly Fire Symbols produced by Lin Ming. If any of you wish to purchase in advance then you may bid during the auction for them."
What? The auction for promissory notes would begin like this!?
Many of those present were apoplectic with rage, feeling as if all of their blood was rushing to their head! The completed divine runic symbols wouldn't be sold but the promissory notes would! They all had the impulse to rush up the auction stage and punch Song Wen in the face!
However, this was a seller's market and there was only one place to purchase these divine runic symbols, nowhere else. Even if the Divine Runic Masters Guild played this dirty trick and only sold promissory notes, everyone could only eat their dissatisfaction.
Seeing the audience's reaction, Xiao Moxian's heart blossomed with joy.
"Hehe, look at those snobby fellows who dared to look down on my Big Brother Lin. Now there's nothing to sell to them and they can only pay in advance before receiving anything! This feels great!"
Seeing everyone's resentful expressions, Xiao Moxian couldn't help but gloat a little.
And standing near Xiao Moxian, Lin Ming naturally didn't have these playful thoughts. Rather, he looked towards Song Wen, trying to figure out what his intentions were.
The more he thought, the more Lin Ming couldn't help but praise in his heart. This was truly a skillful move!
If those 10 completed Heavenly Fire Symbols were sold at the start, then because the quantity was too low, the ones buying them would mostly be peak Holy Lord martial artists.
These people would buy them for their personal use. Because they didn't have much wealth, the price wouldn't be too high.
And once they bought them, this would set an approximate base price for Lin Ming's Heavenly Fire Symbols.
Following that, it would be difficult for the auction of the Heavenly Fire Symbols promissory notes to surpass this price.
This was because in everyone's hearts, buying the finished product should definitely be more expensive. As for selling promissory notes, they would be cheaper. After all, this was the risk one paid for promissory notes!
Thus, the sale of these 10 complete divine runic symbols would inevitably affect the auction of the promissory notes. Once an approximate price was formed in everyone's mind, it would be impossible to sell for a sky-high price. It had to be known that these promissory notes would form the bulk of Lin Ming's income, and having such a situation would cause him to suffer a great deal!
On the other hand, if the promissory notes were sold first and not the completed ones, then the promissory notes would sell for a great deal. This was the so-called hunger marketing strategy.
Even though this was a simple matter, Lin Ming could sense how crafty and intelligent Song Wen's decision was. No wonder the Divine Runic Masters Guild would allow Song Wen, someone who wasn't a divine runic master and who also had a low cultivation, to become the president of the Runic Pill Trading Organization.
"Everyone, let us begin the auction of Sir Lin's promissory notes. These promissory notes will be guaranteed with the reputation of my Divine Runic Masters Guild. Sir Lin, how many Heavenly Fire Symbols do you plan on selling in advance?"
Song Wen slyly smiled as he faced Lin Ming. Facing the disdainful eyes of the crowd, Song Wen turned a blind eye to them all, and in fact became even more confident of himself. The main purpose of this treasure fair was to earn money. As the president of the Runic Pill Trading Organization, he had to place the duty of making money as his top priority.
As for others looking down on him and cursing him in their hearts, he didn't bother caring at all.
Lin Ming narrowed his eyes. He thought about the amount for the moment and then said to Song Wen, "First sell 500. I will place a soul mark on a divine runic symbol as a promise of debt and when the time comes the person can exchange this divine runic symbol for the promised goods."
Lin Ming's voice wasn't loud, but his words spread to everyone in the audience.
500 promissory notes?
Everyone was stunned. Just how many points was this!?
This motherfucker, wasn't he earning points too easily!?
Moreover, if this concerned 500 promissory notes, then the final price would involve hundreds of millions and billions of points! This caused many people to almost faint from anger!
If Lin Ming had said these words not too long ago then he would have been called an idiot by everyone. But the current situation was different. After going through the testing array formation, everyone was able to see just how powerful this fifth grade Heavenly Fire Symbol was!
A fifth grade Heavenly Fire Symbol was able to severely wound a World King level vicious beast. If such a thing were placed in a battlefield and used en masse…
Thinking of this, some people began to stream with a cold sweat.
Such powerful divine runic symbols… if an influence were to possess these items then they would absolutely be weapons that could change the tide of a war. And the most important point was that these fifth grade Heavenly Fire Symbols had to be grasped in their hands; they absolutely could not allow enemy forces to obtain them!
Many people realized this point. But… with such a large transaction and also buying only promissory notes… many people were lacking the confidence to bid on them!
What if they couldn't cash them in later?
This was not a small amount. Even an Empyrean Holy Land had to mull over this massive wholesale trade!
As everyone was feeling faint of heart and wavering between bidding or not, a black-cloaked old man flew out like a ghost from the VIP suites.
His long robes trailed behind him as he flew high into the skies above the arena hall. His entire body was covered in a thick black fog, hiding his appearance.
He was Shadow Overflow!
Shadow Overflow's appearance caused Lin Ming to frown. Although he didn't know who Shadow Overflow was, he knew that this fellow was the old man who always followed behind Duke Fullmoon and was extremely hostile to him.
Shadow Overflow's appearance attracted everyone's eyes.
Beneath his voluminous black cloak, Shadow Overflow's lips moved. His hoarse throat began to squeeze out words, "I acknowledge that the might of these Heavenly Fire Symbols is unparalleled! But because this is a massive transaction that has no real items and only promissory notes, I have my suspicions… do these Heavenly Fire Symbols originate from your hands?"
Shadow Overflow's words were forceful and menacing. As he looked at Lin Ming, the air between them turned cold!
As this was said, many bidders frowned. They also had these doubts in their hearts. In truth, many of them also thought of this. They thought that these Heavenly Fire symbols were not drawn by Lin Ming but were obtained by him from some mystic realm, or, perhaps they were inherited and there were only these 10 and no others.
If so, then these promissory notes written by Lin Ming were nothing but pieces of scrap paper! As for the guarantee of the Divine Runic Masters Guild, so what?
In truth, what Shadow Overflow was really saying was that he found this entire situation hard to accept. A young junior like Lin Ming had actually demolished him when it came to the divine runic arts!
Not only did Shadow Overflow think this, but many other people skilled in the divine runic arts found it hard to believe that Lin Ming could have such attainments in the divine runic arts. It was simply unreasonable!
The appearance of the black-cloaked man didn't surprise Lin Ming. Even if the black-cloaked man didn't appear, there would be someone else that stood up to question him.
To sell promissory notes on the stage of the Divine Rune City Auction House, and for an amount that would even give Empyrean Holy Lands pause, this was not an easy matter at all. The representatives of the large influences would be ruined if they were deceived!
Lin Ming moved. His clothes fluttered as he flew through the air and fell atop the auction stage. He faintly smiled and said, "Since you have such doubts, how about I draw one in front of the audience!"
Chapter 1640 – Exposed
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As soon as Lin Ming finished his words, Shadow Overflow's lips twitched; he hadn't thought that Lin Ming would suggest such a thing.
This sort of suggestion was simply being more courageous than the heavens.
When a divine runic master drew up divine runic symbols, they usually did so in the peaceful environment of a divine runic room. Even then, there was a considerable failure rate.
Moreover, this sort of improved Heavenly Fire Symbol had over 2000 tiny runes; the complexity in drawing one up surpassed the majority of sixth grade divine runic symbols!
Under the watchful gaze of the audience, what would Lin Ming do if he failed!?
If his mindset was poor then he would panic after the first failure. Moreover, in order to draw up such a complicated Heavenly Fire Symbol it would require a massive amount of Lin Ming's soul force. Even if a peak fifth grade divine runic master were to try, they could likely only attempt it once. If they failed they would have to wait several hours for a second try, and the success rate would drop even lower!
In this sort of situation, there was no divine runic master that would attempt to draw up a divine runic symbol that reached the limits of their skill in front of a giant audience. There was only a single explanation for this, and that was Lin Ming had reached an ultimate peak of confidence in his divine runic arts skills!
If Shadow Overflow could think of this, so could the other divine runic masters in the audience. All of them were frightened by Lin Ming's words. He was simply being far too confident. Wasn't he afraid that he would fail?
"It seems that this Heavenly Fire Symbol… is really made by this brat…" Shadow Overflow couldn't help but accept this blow to his self-confidence. But, he didn't think that Lin Ming would dare to boast at such a time.
But, suddenly…
Shadow Overflow's originally gloomy and decrepit face suddenly lifted up with a bizarre smile. Hidden beneath the shadows of his black cloak, his eyes began to shine with a brilliant light.
"Although it may be true you drew up those divine runic symbols, you are far too young and far too arrogant and cannot stand others questioning you. However, what you don't know is that as a peak dark divine runic master, I have special methods to observe and copy the technique of other divine runic masters! If you draw up a divine runic symbol in front of me then that is the same as revealing all of your secrets to me!"
Thinking of this, the avaricious greed in Shadow Overflow's eyes became increasingly thick. When a normal divine runic master drew up a divine runic symbol they would always reveal some secrets. And for these secrets, while orthodox divine runic masters might not be able to discern anything, if they were to be seen by a dark divine runic master, they would be far more easily understood! And Shadow Overflow was someone who was particularly skilled in this field!
In particular, Shadow Overflow had already tried to unravel Lin Ming's Nirvanic Tribulation Flame Symbol before. At the time, Shadow Overflow had already obtained a thorough understanding of the tiny rune system and overall structure of the Nirvanic Tribulation Flame Symbol. The only question that baffled him was how to fuse in the Asura Heavenly Dao Laws. Now, Shadow Overflow believed he would be able to find the hints to doing so by watching Lin Ming!
Even if Lin Ming failed, Shadow Overflow would still be able to see many things. Moreover, he could even kick Lin Ming while he was down and send that brat rolling off a cliff.
At this time, in the auction hall arena, there were many other dark divine runic masters that had the same thoughts as Shadow Overflow.
These dark divine runic masters all needed to buy materials so they definitely wouldn't miss Divine Rune City's treasure fair auction. Of course, they had hidden their status before entering. Some of these people had even been part of Shadow Overflow's team that tried to copy the Nirvanic Tribulation Flame Symbol.
They all held the same thoughts that Shadow Overflow did in their hearts. Many of them were secretly celebrating this event.
"This bull-headed youth is far too hot-blooded and arrogant, he can't even withstand a few insults! To dare to draw up a divine runic symbol publicly, good! Very good!"
"Haha, the master who passed down their inheritance to this brat must be feeling stupid. This brat wants to show off and even have a demonstration of his skills in front of everyone, he's just waiting for us to unravel his inheritances. Once we figure out how to create this Heavenly Fire Symbol, we'll have our own open auction! At that time, not only will money be rolling in but our futures will be limitless! Hahaha!"
Some divine runic masters thought. Their faces began to burn red with excitement and their breaths quickened.
For a time, many dark divine runic masters reached out faint threads of soul force that lingered around Lin Ming. The frenzy in their hearts had been ignited by Lin Ming and they were eagerly awaiting his performance.
These dark divine runic masters that coveted the peak fifth grade Heavenly Fire Symbol had to be at least peak fifth grade; in other words, a peak Holy Lord realm cultivation. Some of them were even World Kings.
These people observed Lin Ming's actions with their dark divine runic secret techniques. They emitted their soul perception, taking note of his every movement. This was an extremely impolite action but none of them were worried because their cultivations were far higher than Lin Ming's, and in addition to their unique dark divine runic techniques that spied on others, even if they were to spy on people with a similar boundary they still wouldn't be discovered.
"Hehe… if you can really prove that then I will certainly believe you will honor those 500 promissory notes. I have no problem with that."
Shadow Overflow licked his withered lips, tamping down the excitement and hope in his heart. He agreed to Lin Ming proving himself by drawing up the divine runic symbol in front of everyone.
"Then hurry up and begin!"
Many people urged from beneath the auction stage. Many of these people were part of the ordinary audience who shouted out purely because they wanted to experience the birth of a miracle with their own eyes. But, many of them were also dark divine runic masters hidden in the crowd.
"Alright."
Lin Ming languidly laid out a divine runic pen as well as a simple array disc commonly used to draw divine runic symbols. But, he didn't immediately take out the materials. Rather, he stood there, his hands behind his back as he slyly smiled at Shadow Overflow.
Seeing Lin Ming's eyes on him, Shadow Overflow felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't know why, but Lin Ming's eyes seemed to see through him, causing a chill to creep up his back.
"W-what are you…"
Shadow Overflow saw Lin Ming stare at him for several breaths of time and faltered a little. He frowned, "How come you aren't drawing the Heavenly Fire Symbol? Were you just bluffing all this time?"
He was deliberately stirring up Lin Ming, but how could Lin Ming fall for this bait?
Lin Ming suddenly smiled and stared at Shadow Overflow's obscured face. After a long pause, Lin Ming then slowly said, "Yes, I do believe… I know who you are…"
Shadow Overflow never imagined that Lin Ming would say such words. His body shook and he nearly lost his balance as he floated in the air.
His eyebrows wrinkled together. He pretended to be calm, "I have no idea what you are speaking about!"
"Mm, it's fine as long as you know who you are… isn't that right, Grandmaster Overflow…?"
Lin Ming unhurriedly said without a hint of doubt in his voice. His lips curved up in a playful smile. With this, the entire audience was stunned!
Shadow Overflow had risen to fame many years ago and was far more famous and well-known than Lin Ming was!
Even those that didn't belong to the world of divine runic arts knew the name of Shadow Overflow. Or better to say, they knew of his infamy. He was a notoriously cruel character, evil and vicious, a completely abhorrent person!
Not only did he copy the divine runic symbols of others, but his character was poor and he was sinister and vicious, a bloodthirsty and lustful man!
He plundered the proud young female disciples of small sects to use as his living furnaces, and killed off tens of millions of mortals as a sacrifice to refine his ghost streamer. In short, he was a man that stooped to any evils!
It was also said he gathered thousands of proud women to establish his harem. Wherever he went he would have squads of golden-armored warriors following him as well as dozens of charming maids. He would have flood dragons pulling his carriage and spirit flower petals would sprinkle the ground ahead of him. This opulent transportation
was just like a divine emperor travelling abroad!
Towards this type of person, many people felt nothing but utter scorn.
Shadow Overflow's complexion became increasingly ugly. He couldn't figure out how Lin Ming had discovered his identity!
He had never met Lin Ming openly face-to-face, and even when they briefly bumped into each other he had used all sorts of arcane techniques to conceal his cultivation and aura. In this situation, Lin Ming was still able to recognize him!
Could it be that… he had sensed his divine runic arts technique?
How was this possible… he was only a Divine Lord and also a mere human, so how could Lin Ming discover his sense!
Shadow Overflow could not believe this!
And his guess was right; Lin Ming had discovered Shadow Overflow's dark divine runic arts technique!
Lin Ming had inherited Torchriver's memories. Torchriver was not some good or righteous individual and he also had an understanding of the spying arts of dark divine runic masters. As for Lin Ming, because he had a powerful soul force and he also cultivated the Divine Mist Heart Mantra, he had an extremely keen sense. He was able to instantly catch onto Shadow Overflow's spying sense and then contrast it with Torchriver's memories to understand what it was.
A dark divine runic master that he couldn't see the cultivation of, they had to be at least at the sixth grade or peak sixth grade.
Such a dark divine runic master was hostile towards him and had been targeting him from the very start of the auction fair. When all of these factors were combined, Lin Ming didn't need to be a genius to know it was that Grandmaster Overflow who had tried to rashly unravel his Nirvanic Tribulation Flame Symbol and had lost several hundreds of millions of points as a result!
Seeing Shadow Overflow continue putting on an act at this moment, Lin Ming smiled and said, "Grandmaster Overflow, I've heard so much about your grand name before, but, I must apologize for meeting you under such circumstances. I wonder, have you fixed those array discs you broke when you tried to unravel my Nirvanic Tribulation Flame Symbol?"
Lin Ming's words were brutal enough, especially to be said in the presence of everyone. No matter how patient Shadow Overflow was, even he couldn't withstand such shame.
The defeat of that research team was an eternal pain in his heart. Not only was it a loss of wealth but more importantly a loss of his reputation and an impact on his confidence!
From the depths of his soul, he wished that he could flay Lin Ming alive!
And at this time, all of the other dark divine runic masters in attendance felt a foreboding premonition rise over their hearts. Seeing the situation turn bad, all of them withdrew the spying sense they had cast on Lin Ming and restrained their auras in fear of being discovered.
But this sudden change left Lin Ming chuckling. He walked forwards several steps and swept his eyes over the entire audience.
His eyes paused in several places before he slowly said, "I haven't even started to draw anything so why would all of you retreat like this? Just now it seems there were… 19 senses… hmm, I wonder if I missed any?"
As Lin Ming spoke, all of the dark divine runic masters in the audience felt their hearts skip a beat, a cold sweat forming on their backs!
They had stretched out their sense to peek at Lin Ming, but their sense had been noticed by him. It was just like a few thieves entering a mansion to steal some items. Even if they tried to cover their tracks there would still be clues.
Although they knew there were over a dozen some people that had also stretched out their senses, they couldn't affirm whether it was truly such a precise number like 19!
Chapter 1641 – Stay If You Want
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This boy, he was able to discover everyone looking at him, even the much stronger Shadow Overflow? How was this possible?
If Lin Ming discovered these dark divine runic masters, that meant that this young junior far surpassed their attainments in soul force. Thus, it was no wonder that these dark divine runic masters began to drip with a cold sweat!
This was too terrifying!
They even suspected that Lin Ming was an old monster hiding in the body of a youth!
At this time, Lin Ming flicked his hand and dozens of golden shining runes flew into the air. They scattered in different directions like a pack of homing pigeons, zooming to 19 different places where they paused in the skies.
These people sat in ordinary seats and also in ordinary rooms. But without exception, all of them had a peak Holy Lord cultivation or above!
As the audience saw the cultivation of these people, all of them sucked in a breath of cold air!
They weren't idiots. With things having come this far, even those that didn't understand the divine runic arts knew what was happening. These people all spied on Lin Ming but were actually seized by him instead!
And, the key point was that if these people weren't Holy Lords then they were World Kings. Yet, their spying had been discovered by a simple Divine Lord realm junior!
Many people felt this was unbelievable. They stared at Lin Ming's dantian, wanting to see if they could find a clue, but without a doubt all of them verified that he was truly a middle Divine Lord realm martial artist!
What was going on here?
"Is he some old monster in disguise?"
However, a Great World King level powerhouse shook his head and said, "No, only an Empyrean would be able to disguise their cultivation and skeletal age to such a perfect degree beneath the gaze of several hundred thousands of heroes. But, an Emyprean would not do something so boring as to deceive a group of juniors. Not just that, but we even have two strong Empyreans personally attending this event, so wanting to fake anything in front of them is as difficult as ascending to heaven!"
The Great World King's words were a confirmation of Lin Ming's cultivation and age.
This left many people stunned speechless.
And at this time, on the auction stage, Song Wen overcame his initial shock at Lin Ming's abilities. Slowly, his complexion became dark and gloomy. "Those 19 friends marked by runes, could you kindly stand?"
Song Wen's voice was calm and filled with forceful aggressiveness.
These dark divine runic masters, although they couldn't be seen in the light of day, were still people with status. They had never been treated like this before!
No one moved. Song Wen thought little of it. He coldly coughed, saying, "You may be considered our peers, but I must apologize that we do not welcome your kind here. Our Divine Runic Masters Guild has always drawn a clear line with dark divine runic masters!"
Song Wen's original intention was to protect Lin Ming and to prevent any secrets from his drawing of the Heavenly Fire Symbol to leak out. But, he never imagined that as he said this, Lin Ming would instead laugh and smile, saying, "Elder Song, there is no need to do that. As the saying goes, good relations always lead to wealth. Although I pointed them out, that doesn't mean I wanted them to be evicted. If they want to see, they can certainly stay and learn."
"What!?"
Lin Ming's words left everyone dumbfounded, whether it was Shadow Overflow, the other dark divine runic masters, the audience, or Song Wen. Just what was Lin Ming planning?
"Well, however…" Lin Ming suddenly changed his tone.
"I do have a condition. I cannot allow them to freely stay for nothing. To those 19 dark divine runic masters I just marked, if you wish to stay then you need to pay a viewing fee of 30 million points. Of course, if I fail in drawing up my Heavenly Fire Symbol then the fee will be completely refunded."
Lin Ming's words and actions left everyone panic-stricken!
One person was 30 million, that meant 19 people were nearly 600 million!
Wasn't this money just too easily earned!?
30 million was not a small amount. Even the price for a VIP suite was 30 million, and that was something only a large influence like an Empyrean level influence would pay for. As for World King level influences, they would only rent out ordinary rooms.
For instance, these dark divine runic masters were mostly in the ordinary rooms. Of course, the reason for choosing an ordinary room, besides cost, was also because they wished to remain low-key.
30 million points was also a price they could pay. Dark divine runic masters dabbled in transactions of the underworld and all of them were fairly wealthy. Even so, they couldn't take out 30 million points without paying; that price would definitely leave them feeling a bit of pain.
Hearing Lin Ming say such words, Elder Xue was a bit worried. He said with a sound transmission, "Lin Ming, don't be impulsive here. These dark divine runic masters have existed for billions of years and have an immeasurably long inheritance. The number of secret techniques they possess is incalculable. If you let them watch and mimic you then that is too dangerous. If your inheritance was revealed…"
Old Xue was indeed concerned for Lin Ming. Lin Ming's inheritance was far, far too valuable. He feared that Lin Ming would be too confident in himself because Shadow Overflow had failed in unraveling the Nirvanic Tribulation Flame Symbol before. After all, copying without seeing and copying with seeing were two completely different concepts.
Before Lin Ming replied to Old Xue, Shadow Overflow smiled and said, "The newborn calf really doesn't fear the tiger. Not only do you not fear us copying you as we watch, but you even want to take our money! Interesting! How interesting! Good, I will put forth these 30 million points!"
With Shadow Overflow's wealth, he certainly didn't care much about 30 million points.
But at this time Lin Ming suddenly sneered. He looked towards Shadow Overflow and spread his hands, "I'm sorry, but it seems you didn't hear me clearly just now. I asked those 19 dark divine runic masters that I marked to pay a 30 million viewing fee if they wished to stay and watch, but you are not included in those 19 people. If you want to stay then the fee is a bit higher at 200 million. Whether you want to stay and watch is all up to you."
"What!?"
Shadow Overflow nearly choked on himself.
He glared at Lin Ming, hate thick in his eyes, "What is the meaning of this!"
Lin Ming simply didn't bother with Shadow Overflow's sharp and cutting vision. He indifferently said, "This price is decided by me. If you don't want to stay then I am not forcing you to! Grandmaster Overflow, you are already so infamous outside that you will surely be able to see more details than these other dark divine runic masters. If I do not charge you a higher fee then it is not fair to any of them!"
"You - !!" Shadow Overflow's face turned red with rage. Even for him, taking out 200 million would be painful!
Lin Ming's viewing fees were decided after calculating the net worth of Shadow Overflow and the other dark divine runic masters. It was a price that they didn't want to pay, but one that they weren't willing to refuse and give up on.
At this time, Song Wen stepped forwards, "Everyone, if you do not wish to pay the viewing fee then I must ask you to leave. This Divine Rune City Auction originally did not welcome the likes of you dark divine runic masters!"
Song Wen also praised Lin Ming in his heart. This boy was truly not easy to deal with. If anyone underestimated him because of his age, then they would simply be stupid idiots!
To draw up a peak fifth grade improved Heavenly Fire Symbol under the gaze of the audience, to dare allow a group of peak fifth grade and sixth grade dark divine runic masters spy on the process, but to also sit back and receive money, this level of daring was not something an ordinary person could possess!
Even an established sixth grade divine runic master like Elder Xue wouldn't be brave enough to do this!
Good! Good! Very good!" Shadow Overflow repeated as he cast off his black cloak, revealing his old and withered face. His filthy eyes were currently shimmering with a faint blood red light.
"Then I will pay this 200 million!"
Shadow Overflow was stirred to anger by Lin Ming!
At this point, it was the same as Lin Ming declaring war on him!
A junior that wasn't even a hundred years old was declaring war on the infamous Shadow Overflow. If he didn't dare to meet this challenge then he would be made a laughingstock by everyone he knew!
Shadow Overflow threw out a jade slip with 200 million points within. At the same time, from all over the arena, 19 jade slips flew up one after another, each one having 30 million points within it!
Divine runic masters were proud and arrogant people and even dark divine runic masters were the same. These people did not believe in superstitious nothings, they believed in themselves!
Even if they couldn't unravel the Heavenly Fire Symbol they would still be able to see many things. This would be greatly beneficial to them in the future. With that, these 30 million points weren't wanted at all.
Lin Ming received all of these jade slips and gave them to Xiao Moxian. Xiao Moxian looked at the shining point cards in her hands and put all the points within them in a larger contribution points jade slip.
Feeling the contents of the large points jade slip rapidly grow, Xiao Moxian grinned from ear to ear. "Big Brother Lin makes money far too easily. Let alone selling those Heavenly Fire Symbols or selling those promissory notes, you have already earned 800 million…"
As the audience heard Xiao Moxian speak, they seemed to wake up from a stupor. Before this they had been laughing at the idea of Lin Ming selling promissory notes at the Divine Rune City auction, thinking he would make a joke of himself. But now, before the promissory notes were sold, he had already earned 800 million points. This amount of points earned in such a short period of time was far too abnormal!
In the VIP suites, Suya spat out a light breath. She felt more and more that the youth on stage was unfathomably deep. She thought she understood Lin Ming, but the truth was that she never understood him at all. With every step Lin Ming took, she was always amazed by whatever astonishing matter happened next!
800 million points, that was the same as stealing! But, this blatantly wild grab for money was completely justified. To have a group of dark divine runic masters and even the famed Shadow Overflow obediently fork over so much wealth, if Suya had only heard of this but didn't see it with her own eyes, she would think whoever said this was insane!
"Little Brother Lin, you may begin at any time." Song Wen nodded towards Lin Ming. He was also curious where Lin Ming's self-confidence came from. "There is no need to set up a temporary divine runic room, I have already sent people to bring over the required array discs."
To refine divine runic symbols required all sorts of intricate array formations, otherwise Lin Ming's efficiency in drawing up divine runic symbols would be much lower.
"Hehe, what's the point of having array formations? You have an old man here willing to be an assistant!" Old Xue stepped forwards, taking the initiative to volunteer himself.
The main role of an array formation was to help in processing materials. But no matter how good a seventh grade array formation was in processing materials, it wouldn't be as good as having a real sixth grade divine runic master!
To have Old Xue as an assistant, that was an absurdly luxurious matter. Many people who knew Old Xue's status in the Divine Runic Masters Guild were left flabbergasted by this.
"Thank you senior!" Lin Ming felt a warmth in his heart. He could feel Elder Xue's concern towards him. Drawing up a Heavenly Fire Symbol wasn't easy at all. Without the support of large-scale high grade array formations here to support him, having an assistant here would s
save him a great deal of soul force and make it easier to draw up the Heavenly Fire Symbol.
"Haha, what are you being so polite for? When the divine runic symbol is finished, you can just give me 100 million from those 800 million points you received just now!"
Old Xue laughed. Lin Ming choked on his words. This old man, he really wouldn't change no matter what. The truth was that to Lin Ming giving away 100 million wasn't a problem at all, but he knew that Old Xue was in truth just joking around with him.
Chapter 1642 – Lin Ming VS Shadow Overflow
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Lin Ming took out a specialized divine runic table from his spatial ring as well as various piles of materials.
As Lin Ming took out the materials, he no longer concealed any of his actions from the spying Shadow Overflow. Shadow Overflow's neck was stretched out like a rooster as he licked his dry lips. His complete focus was concentrated on Lin Ming's every move lest he miss a single detail.
"The materials he uses aren't strange; they are all materials required for drawing a Heavenly Fire Symbol. There are also several more types…" Shadow Overflow mumbled, "They aren't too cheap but they aren't too expensive either."
Shadow Overflow instantly judged.
At this time Elder Xue had already picked up some of the materials and began processing them with precise skills. He removed the inferior parts of materials and then broke them down…
Lin Ming took out some nine-flame grass. His fingertips were like precise scalpels as he made an accurate cut on each blade of grass.
His soul force merged into the nine-flame grass, immediately drawing out the essence of the juice.
A strange tractive force emerged from Lin Ming's palm, cleanly pulling out every drop of essence juice. His fingers seemed to dance in the air, every movement he made like passing clouds and flowing water, smooth and clean, giving off a whole and balanced feeling.
As they said, laymen watched for fun, experts watched for interest.
In the eyes of ordinary people, Lin Ming's movements only had a faint aesthetic sense.
But for some divine runic masters, the more they watched the more immersed they were. Without knowing it, they began to mimic Lin Ming's movements, drawing their hands in the void to capture the precise trajectories of his movements.
They knew that these ghostly movements involved the subtle changes in angle and power of extracting the juices.
These changes seemed ordinary but there was actually a profound meaning behind them. Only these divine runic masters were able to sense some of the mysteries within.
Shadow Overflow's face darkened. Just Lin Ming's movements in extracting the essence of the juice were enough to leave many fifth grade divine runic masters red with shame!
Drawing up a divine runic symbol was in many ways a form of art.
Lin Ming focused all of his concentration into drawing the divine runic symbol. After completing the first step of extracting the essence of the materials, he directly stepped into the next stage.
The divine runic pen dipped into the juice essence and drew a bright path through the air like a chain of stars. A brilliant soul force spilled out into the void, marking the juice essence.
As Lin Ming began to draw up the tiny runes, he perfectly calculated every small change in his mind.
These deductions were accumulated over the last several months. Even the slightest possible change was recorded in his mind. Now, all he needed to do was to perfectly display them.
Every tiny rune was like a tiny flower that bloomed on his fingertips.
Small lines of soul force appeared between the tiny runes, interspersed, connecting them together, revealing a sense of mystery and beauty.
Even for those that didn't understand the divine runic arts, this was a shockingly beautiful scene.
To think that the decidedly dull divine runic arts could be so enchanting.
At this time, Shadow Overflow's eyes were fanatical. His body shivered as he held his breath and focused on Lin Ming's every moment, recording even the smallest detail into his mind.
The other divine runic masters who had spent points all remembered Lin Ming's movements with everything they had.
However, they discovered that they weren't able to follow him!
It wasn't that they couldn't remember Lin Ming's movements, nor was it that they couldn't see the tiny runes he drew up, but because they didn't know what the meaning behind his drawing was!
Even if they used all sorts of dark divine runic analyzing techniqu
techniques, they still couldn't analyze just how these tiny runes were connected.
Once they missed the tiniest detail, it was easy to be lost on every following stroke.
Some dark divine runic masters had already begun dripping with a cold sweat!
Lin Ming took a long time to draw up the Heavenly Fire Symbol. In the blink of an eye, six hours had passed.
This wasn't an easy process for Lin Ming. His forehead was dripping with crystal clear beads of sweat. As for Xiao Moxian standing beside him, she didn't even dare to help wipe Lin Ming, lest she disturb him.
After those several months of attempts, Lin Ming's chances of drawing up those two improved divine runic symbols had greatly increased.
For the Heretical God Symbol, he had a 60-70% chance of success. As for the Heavenly Fire Symbol, he had a 90% chance of success.
A 90% chance couldn't be considered a guaranteed 100% success rate. But, if Lin Ming revolved the Divine Mist Heart Mantra to the limit and didn't hesitate to consume every last bit of his soul force to draw up the Heavenly Fire Symbol, then he could bring the success rate up to 100%!
As the last tiny rune appeared in the void, the 2000+ runes seemed to come to life. As they floated in the air, they looked like a galaxy, exuding a vast aura of energy.
Om ~ !
A pitch black power of fire submerged into the middle of the runes, carrying with it a strange aura of Laws.
This flame was the nirvanic flames that Lin Ming possessed!
"Xian'er!" Lin Ming said. In truth, he didn't need to say anything; Xiao Moxian was already transferring the nirvanic flames into him where they gathered into the divine runic symbol.
Xiao Moxian's nirvanic flames were far purer than Lin Ming's.
This scene left many in the audience startled with amazement. This black-clothed young girl had followed Lin Ming everywhere. They originally thought she was only a flower vase that was there to look good, but they never imagined the flames she commanded could be so pure. Moreover, her attainments in the Fire Laws seemed to have reached… the seventh level Concept!!
This was a boundary that left many fire-attribute World Kings weeping with shame! And this young girl also seemed to be of similar age and cultivation to Lin Ming.
Just what in the world was this? Wasn't this just a match made in heaven? This was too odd!
At this time, Lin Ming's actions sped up. His hands left afterimages in the air as he fused tiny bits of pitch black flames into the center of each rune.
All of these runes seemed to have been gifted with life. A small dark phoenix was stored into each one, shaking as if they wanted to spread their wings and soar away.
Dark flames jumped over all the runes, dancing amongst them.
Everyone watched with bated breath, not even daring to blink their eyes in case there was the smallest change in the flame runes.
Shadow Overflow watched all the more intensely. He even stopped breathing. The most critical time had come!
What he didn't understand the most was how Lin Ming fused the Asura Heavenly Dao into the divine runic symbol. But now, Lin Ming was beginning this third step, the fusion of the Asura Heavenly Dao!
Lin Ming flicked his finger and a deep blue god rune shot out. This was a rare blue soul level god rune and one of the necessary materials.
At this time, the Asura Heavenly Dao Laws descended, drawing unbelievable lines in space. The path of these lines was elusive and unpredictable. Ordinary people only needed to glance at them a single time to feel dizzy.
"This is it! This is it!"
Shadow Overflow widened his eyes so much that they nearly popped out of their sockets. This was the moment he had been waiting for! But, he was completely unable to understand the pattern of these Laws at all! He wildly roared in his heart. At this time, a brilliant white light flooded out, covering Shadow Overflow's field of vision. Even so, he wasn't willing to close his eyes. He stubbornly persisted even as the light scorched him and his eyes turned blood red!
This was a brilliance radiated by the Asura Heavenly Dao. Even a World King powerhouse would feel pained by staring into this light. As for a Divine Lord or Holy Lord realm powerhouse that didn't understand the Asura Heavenly Dao, they might have simply lost their eyesight by now!
Shadow Overflow's eyes began to drip blood. He naturally knew that these strange patterns were the true reason as to why Lin Ming's divine runic arts were so powerful!
However, even though he used all the dark divine runic arts techniques at his disposal, even though his eyes bled, he still wasn't able to read the patterns or comprehend what was happening!
"How could this be!! Where have I gone wrong!?!?"
Shadow Overflow nearly went crazy as he tried to grasp something. However, time was rapidly passing.
When that endless brilliant glory condensed together, it converged with all the strange Heavenly Dao Law patterns, condensing onto a single ordinary symbol paper.
Heavenly Fire Symbol – complete!
Lin Ming let out a long breath of relief. He had consumed a great deal of energy just now. In order to guarantee a 100% success rate with this Heavenly Fire symbol, Lin Ming hadn't held back any use of his soul force. This also made the Heavenly Fire Symbol he just drew even more perfect!
After finishing all of this, Lin Ming fell onto the divine runic table, propping himself up with his right hand.
As for Old Xue, he had already hurriedly received the divine runic symbol.
Closing his eyes, Old Xue sensed the runic structure within and sighed in praise!
"Good brat, this Heavenly Fire Symbol is even better than the first one I used!"
Old Xue's words caused the audience to gasp in marvel. At this time, without saying a word further, Song Wen immediately activated the testing array formation!
Even though no one suspected Lin Ming any longer, only by witnessing the truth for themselves could they be shocked!
When the dreamscape of the Great Desolate appeared and the vicious beasts manifested, a dreadful explosion filled the air and roiling flames surged forth. Old Xue's actions were quick and decisive. He used the Heavenly Fire Symbol that Lin Ming just made to burn down a World King vicious beast!
This power was far too terrifying! It was even stronger than the first test!
If this were used by a peak Holy Lord, then although the strength would be weaker than that displayed by Old Xue, as long as it struck it wouldn't be a problem to severely wound a World King!
At the conclusion of the test, Old Xue glanced at Shadow Overflow with relish in his eyes. He cheekily grinned and said, "I must say Old Shadow, I think you nearly snapped your neck in half trying to get a good look just now. Tell me, did you discover anything interesting?" Although Old Xue wasn't a dark divine runic master, he could tell from Shadow Overflow's grim complexion that he hadn't had any harvests at all. At this time, Shadow Overflow's face was darker than the bottom of a pot!
Shadow Overflow didn't say anything. He composed himself, deeply staring at Lin Ming, not bothering to conceal the deep killing intent in his eyes. Then, without further ado, he silently returned to his VIP suite.
"I won't see you off." Song Wen faintly smiled. He stepped onto the auction stage and loudly said, "Everyone, the auction will begin soon. Little Brother Lin…"
"Of course." Lin Ming responded. He took out a special symbol and used a divine runic pen to leave behind a soul force mark. This mark had Lin Ming's unique soul fluctuatio
within it; it was impossible to fake.
Song Wen used this light promissory note that Lin Ming just drew up and placed it on the auction stage platform. He said, "Everyone, my Divine Rune City Auction House will now auction off Mister Lin's promissory note. If there is no objection, then we shall begin!"