Chapter Ninety-Four: Securing the Prize

The people on the island all turned toward the sound.

More than a dozen cultivators descended from the sky, all dressed in the Zhao clan’s white robes.

The speaker was a young man with a chilly face, his body radiating the full-circle power of the Qi Refining stage. Two elder Foundation Establishment cultivators followed closely behind him.

Even Li Yuanqing, standing at the center of the grounds, darkened at the sight of their arrival.

“So it is Zhao family’s Ninth Young Master, Zhao Chanzhen!”

“Why is he here?”

“People from the Zhao clan?”

“They aren’t here to stir up trouble, are they?”

“The Zhao clan and our Loose Alliance have always been on peaceful terms for decades.”

“Why today...”

...

Li Yuanqing’s expression turned cold. Raising an eyebrow, he asked the Zhao family’s people in a hard voice, “Young Master Zhao, what is the meaning of this?”

“Are you planning to interfere in the affairs of our Seventy-Two Loose Alliance?”

Zhao Chanzhen faced the Foundation Establishment cultivator before him without the slightest fear.

He said, “Heh. Since this spirit isle is ownerless, why should my Zhao clan not be allowed to bid as well?”

“Senior Li, that would be unreasonable, wouldn’t it?”

At this, Li Yuanqing sneered. “Your Zhao clan is already being driven to exhaustion fighting the Spirit Feather Sect in the Cloud Marsh Wastes. I never expected you would still have the leisure to come here and bid on a spirit isle of no consequence.”

At those words, Zhao Chanzhen’s face turned extremely ugly, visibly provoked.

“You need not trouble yourself over how the war in the front lines is going, Senior Li.”

“This time, our Zhao clan has come precisely to take part in the struggle for this spirit isle.”

“To put it plainly, if you want to exclude my Zhao clan, that is impossible.”

Clearly, the Zhao clan’s stance was already very firm.

The two Zhao Foundation Establishment elders also revealed sharp looks, staring fixedly at Li Yuanqing.

The whole scene instantly sank into a strange silence.

Li Yuanqing could not make sense of it. Why would the Zhao clan suddenly insert themselves into this matter?

And why were they so unyielding?

For the sake of a low-value island, they would rather break with the Zhao clan and shatter years of balance.

It was hardly worthwhile.

After weighing things over and over, he asked directly, “The current bid for the spirit isle has already reached twenty thousand spirit stones.”

“Does Young Master Zhao intend to raise it further?”

Seeing Li Yuanqing soften, Zhao Chanzhen’s lips curled slightly.

“I believe this island’s overall value, once assessed, is not worth that price.”

“It should be auctioned in another manner!”

Li Yuanqing’s eyelid twitched again at the words, and he said in a low voice, “What manner do you propose?”

Zhao Chanzhen immediately replied, “In the world of cultivation, strength is what counts. Naturally, the truth should be decided by combat.”

“Let us do this: any cultivator present who can produce ten thousand spirit stones may participate in the struggle for this spirit isle.”

“Life and death will not be counted. We draw lots and duel. The final victor, upon paying ten thousand spirit stones, will obtain ownership of the island.”

“Fair and just. The result will be recognized not only by your Loose Alliance, but by our Zhao clan as well.”

“If one does not even have the strength to defend an island, what use is it to win it by auction?”

After saying this, Zhao Chanzhen waited for the Loose Alliance’s reply.

His words may have sounded rough, but not unreasonable.

Yet in truth, he intended to use his power to pressure others and take this island at the lowest possible cost.

However scattered the spiritual veins might be, it was still a second-rank spirit isle.

The members of this Loose Alliance were all Qi Refining family cultivators; not one of them had a Foundation Establishment cultivator. How could they compare with the Zhao clan’s deep and enduring foundations?

The cultivators present began discussing it in a flurry.

No one had expected such a development.

Li Yuanqing’s expression changed repeatedly. Turning around, he went to confer with several of the Loose Alliance’s higher-ups.

After a short while, Li Yuanqing returned to the field and said to the Zhao family, “Deciding the final ownership through combat is not impossible.”

“However, our Loose Alliance also has two conditions.”

“First, the cultivators taking part in the contest must be limited to the Qi Refining stage. The combat will be a friendly sparring match, and should stop short of injury. Taking a life is strictly forbidden, or one will lose the right to compete.”

“Second, the spirit stones paid must be raised to fifteen thousand.”

Li Yuanqing had evidently seen through the Zhao clan’s intentions and raised the price by five thousand outright.

In this way, even if the spirit isle were seized by the Zhao clan, the Loose Alliance’s losses would not be great and would remain within an acceptable range.

“Agreed!”

Zhao Chanzhen exchanged a few words with the two elders, then nodded in consent.

The two sides reached an agreement.

Next, Li Yuanqing ordered the chairs removed, leaving a larger open space in the middle.

“All right, you have all heard it.”

“If any of you have designs on this island, you may come forward and register for the draw.”

“I shall serve as judge for this contest, so you may rest assured about your safety.”

As soon as Li Yuanqing finished speaking, most of the cultivators who had been bidding earlier withdrew in an instant.

As for the Zhao side, Zhao Chanzhen himself stepped forward. Once he entered the field, the faces of the loose cultivators all grew extremely grim.

“Sigh. I never expected Zhao Chanzhen to make a personal appearance.”

“Fellow Daoist Qin, I... advise you not to join this contest,” Wu Jiang said with a sigh, hesitating as he tried to dissuade him.

Qin Ming frowned. “Does this Zhao Chanzhen have some special reputation?”

“This man is among the strongest of the Zhao clan’s younger generation. He has remarkable cultivation talent and reached the peak of Qi Refining at a very young age.”

“They say he has already brought the Zhao clan’s Azure Origin Sword Art to an extraordinary level.”

“I hate to discourage you, but the loose cultivators who just went up to register are probably no match for him,” Wu Jiang explained.

Qin Ming nodded.

Still, he was quite satisfied with this island. It was well suited for his solitary cultivation.

If he searched for another island, it might not even be better than this place.

In moments, Qin Ming had made his decision.

Fifteen thousand spirit stones he could accept.

As for Zhao Chanzhen...

Compared with those core disciples of the Spirit Feather Sect who had died by his hand, how would he measure up?

Afterward, under Wu Jiang’s watchful gaze, Qin Ming walked into the field.

Wu Jiang was instantly stunned. “This... no, did I not explain myself clearly?”

...

Qin Ming stepped forward, registered his name, drew his lot, and then withdrew to wait outside the field.

There were not many cultivators taking part in this duel.

Less than twenty in all.

These were mostly late-stage Qi Refining cultivators and those at the peak of Qi Refining who had confidence in their own strength.

The others, seeing Zhao Chanzhen enter the fray, had largely abandoned the contest.

Once the lots were drawn, the duels began at once.

The loose cultivators who drew the first round took the stage to fight.

Soon, brilliant spells were flying wildly across the field.

The onlookers gasped in amazement.

After all, duels between late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were not something these lower-level loose cultivators could often witness.

The battle quickly reached its conclusion.

Among the participants was, to everyone’s surprise, a beast-tamer who summoned a black leopard demon beast at the later stage of first rank.

That amounted to two against one, and he won with ease.

After two matches in a row, an unlucky Qi Refining ninth-layer loose cultivator drew Zhao Chanzhen.

With a single sword strike, Zhao Chanzhen severed the man’s arm and kicked him from the field.

Seeing such a sharp sword art, every cultivator taking part in the contest changed expression.

Thereafter, every loose cultivator who encountered Zhao Chanzhen immediately conceded.

Qin Ming also went up twice and drew late-stage Qi Refining opponents both times.

But under the sweep of his divine sense, which rivaled that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his opponents’ spells were full of glaring flaws.

He casually cast a few basic wood-type spells and sent them out of the field.

As expected, in the final deciding match, only Qin Ming and Zhao Chanzhen remained.

Zhao Chanzhen looked solemnly at Qin Ming, who stood across from him with an unremarkable face.

A hint of caution flashed through his cold features.

Truly, one could not judge a person by appearance.

He had also watched Qin Ming’s two previous duels, both of which had been won with remarkable ease and composure, using only a few basic spells to defeat his opponents.

His true abilities were probably still hidden.

The atmosphere on site reached its peak in an instant.

Just as everyone thought a fierce and blood-stirring battle was about to begin...

Suddenly, the corner of Zhao Chanzhen’s eye twitched. He forced out, “I admit defeat! I forfeit.”