Qin Ming searched around the room.
Finally, he found a mechanism under the bed and gently pressed it.
With a loud rumble, a secret door appeared before him.
He thought for a moment and then jumped down toward the door.
Inside was a long, dark passage.
Every ten meters along the walls, there hung an oil lamp.
Just as Qin Ming emerged from the passage, a cold blade was pressed against his face.
It was a Wujin blade! The person holding the knife was the woman in green, Qing Xuan.
Two men suddenly appeared behind Qin Ming.
One was short but robust in build.
The other was thin and weak, with red-dyed hair.
His unconventional look did resemble someone from the Blue Star.
At that moment, the door to the room ahead opened.
A beautiful woman walked out from inside.
She wore a white dress, her body full of graceful curves, and her expression radiated a holy brilliance.
She raised her jade-like hand and waved it.
"Put down the knife."
Qing Xuan frowned.
"Master, this guy might be a spy."
"That's right, Master," the sturdy man behind her added in agreement.
"Master, he caused the death of two of our men at Beiku Ridge. He must be a spy."
The beautiful woman waved her hand toward Qin Ming.
"Your name is Qin Ming, right? Come over and sit."
She shot a mildly angry glare at her disciples.
"My uncle's talent is in lie detection. How could he be wrong about someone?
As for your losses at Beiku Ridge, that's because you were careless and underestimated the enemy."
The young girl, Qing Xuan, reluctantly put away her Wujin knife.
"Master, even if we don't suspect him as a spy, he still needs to pass the entrance test!"
Qing Xuan kept her guard up, staring at Qin Ming.
"Listen up, we're all travelers from different worlds. My uncle is locked in the Demon Suppression Tower, and you know this.
So, if you want to converse with us, you have to prove your identity."
Qin Ming nodded, already used to being tested.
"First question: recite the multiplication table."
Qin Ming: … |ʘᗝʘ|
"Qing Xuan, didn't you come from Min Kingdom? You know the multiplication table too?"
"I don't, but my master knows it. Just recite it."
"One times one is one, one times two is two…"
"Second question, recite the periodic table of elements."
Damn, this? What if the traveler isn't good at chemistry?
"Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron… I can't remember the rest."
"Alright." The beautiful woman sitting at the table waved her sleeve.
"Your uncle must have already assessed him, no need to ask further. Come over here."
"Qin Ming, let me introduce myself first. I am Yun Shuiyao, the leader of the Yanhuo Hall of the Five Elements Alliance.
Mu Sizhe, who is locked in the Demon Suppression Tower, is my junior, and the three standing here are my disciples."
"My eldest disciple, Ma Qiang."
The short but muscular young man gave a slight bow to Qin Ming.
"My second disciple, Liu Zonghuo."
The elegantly red-haired man nodded at Qin Ming.
"My third disciple, Qing Xuan, you've met her before!"
Qing Xuan still held the Wujin blade in both hands, her expression unreadable.
Qin Ming sat down at the table as invited.
Yun Shuiyao poured him a glass of dark beverage.
Qin Ming took a sip.
"Such a familiar taste."
"You should recognize the taste."
Qin Ming nodded.
"Cola! I didn't expect that travelers can even make cola."
"Don't underestimate the travelers of this world. For thousands of years, countless travelers have come to this world, and they've created countless things."
"Senior Yun, I have many questions. Mu Sizhe said I could ask you."
"Go ahead."
"Why do they want to kill the travelers?"
"You've asked the toughest question right away. Killing travelers wasn't always the case.
From what we currently understand, the first traveler likely arrived before the year 2000.
The real fallout with the natives happened about 1600 years ago."
"1600 years ago? It's been going on for so long? What's the reason?"
"The specific reason—some travelers say it's because they came and took many of this world's resources, leading to a rebellion from the natives.
Others say it was the batch of travelers who came 800 years ago; their violent and cruel nature sparked hatred from the natives.
The true cause remains unclear even now!"
Yun Shuiyao poured Qin Ming another glass of cola and continued.
"We've sacrificed so much to uncover the truth. In the past thousand years, countless travelers have died."
Qin Ming was quietly shocked.
"Then what does Mu Sizhe mean by the 'natives are beasts'? What does that mean?"
Qing Xuan, still holding the Wujin knife, walked over and spoke.
"Didn't you see that night? I stabbed just an inch away from your lungs.
Before you passed out, you must have had at least ten breaths to stay awake."
Qin Ming silently cursed.
Crazy beauty! She just stabbed without warning, nearly killing me!
But she was accurate.
Qin Ming indeed stayed conscious for ten breaths.
Yun Shuiyao slightly furrowed her beautiful brows and gently said,
"From what we travelers know, once the natives reach the Spiritual Connection level, they awaken the Beast Form!
Their speed and strength multiply by several times, even tens of times.
No one really understands their cultivation mechanism, and travelers call them beasts! But remember! The seniors have verified that the Beast Form is not the same as a Dharma Form!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming suddenly had an idea.
Perhaps the indigenous people themselves are not beasts, but rather, it's a method of cultivation they practice after reaching a spiritual realm, similar to the soul bones and soul rings mentioned in novels the speaker has read. However, this is just a guess, and no one can say for sure.
"So, how many of our travelers are there right now? And what is this so-called Five Elements Alliance of yours?"
"On the surface, there should be no fewer than five thousand travelers! As for how many are scattered or hidden, it's unclear. Over the past thousand years, we've gradually formed organizations while being hunted by the indigenous people. The main forces within our organization have formed three factions."
"First faction: The Five Elements Alliance. Our goal is to investigate the origin of the hatred between travelers and the indigenous people. We don't casually bully or slaughter the indigenous people, but when encountering criminals—whether they are indigenous people or travelers—we kill them swiftly and without hesitation."
Qin Ming nodded in agreement.
"The second major faction is the Azure Dragon Guild. The Azure Dragon Guild has three vice-presidents: the White Tiger, the Black Tortoise, and the Vermilion Bird, with the Azure Dragon serving as the president. The number of travelers under their banner is larger than those in our Five Elements Alliance. Their ideology is simple: All indigenous people should die!"
"The third major faction is the Way of Heaven Sect. The members of the Way of Heaven Sect are extremist travelers. They believe themselves to be the children of destiny.
Regardless of whether someone is an indigenous person or a traveler, they must submit to them. They are ruthless in their methods, killing both travelers and indigenous people in their quest for world domination…"
Qin Ming was deeply shocked. This information was something he had never understood before. The world was far more complicated than he had imagined.
"Do all travelers awaken their talents? Because I saw some travelers in the Demon Suppressing Tower who were in a terrible state after being imprisoned. If they had talents, they shouldn't have ended up like that!"
Yun Shuiyao stood up from her seat. She looked at a small waterfall in the courtyard and softly said, "I can say with certainty that every traveler carries a talent, and each one has only one."
Qin Ming was stunned. While others only had one talent, his talent was duplication—he could replicate other talents.
Plus, he had the bonus from the Heavenly Locking Gourd, giving him a lucky boost. His luck was truly extraordinary!