68: If you can't reach an agreement, then use your fists!

Inside the reception hall, there was a deathly silence.

Steward Qin's face turned from ashen to a morbid, flushed red.

It was as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"What did you say?"

"You want my Heavenly Treasure Tower to sell its Eastern Wasteland Foundation to you?"

He laughed out of extreme anger, and his Void Refinement Stage Aura erupted violently!

The tables and chairs in the entire reception hall instantly turned to dust.

The two Soul Transformation Protectors behind him also stepped forward at the same time, their eyes as cold as knives.

"A little fatty in the Golden Core Stage dares to speak such arrogant words!"

"Who gave you the courage!"

A terrifying pressure, like a landslide or a tsunami, pressed down heavily on Wang Duojin's head!

Wang Duojin's face turned pale.

He felt as if his Divine Soul was about to be crushed directly by this force.

The gold abacus in his hand shone brightly as the one hundred and eight Minor Heavenly Star Arrays were instantly activated, turning into a starlight shield that firmly protected him.

Crack!

The shield lasted for less than a breath before it was covered in cracks.

Wang Duojin let out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

But there was not a hint of fear on his face.

He just looked at the enraged Steward Qin and showed a pitying smile.

"My Revered Master often says..."

"Some people just don't understand human speech."

"You have to talk to them with your fists."

Just as Steward Qin's palm, powerful enough to shatter mountains, was about to fall...

"Burp~"

A soft burp, carrying a heavy scent of wine, echoed leisurely from the corner of the reception hall.

Enforcement Elder, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

He didn't stand up.

He didn't even spare Steward Qin a glance.

He simply raised his hand, brought the Wine Gourd at his waist to his lips, and took another swig.

It was such a simple action.

Yet Steward Qin's world-destroying palm strike suddenly froze in mid-air.

He, along with the two Soul Transformation Protectors behind him, was like a mosquito trapped in amber—unable to Move a single inch.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

For the first time, an extreme, indescribable fear appeared in Steward Qin's eyes.

He couldn't feel any Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

He couldn't even feel any Killing Intent.

But he knew he was finished.

The slovenly drunkard before him was a terrifying existence he didn't even have the right to look up to.

"Senior... spare me..."

He used all his strength just to squeeze those few words out of his throat.

Enforcement Elder finally put down the Wine Gourd.

His half-drunk, half-awake eyes lazily glanced at Steward Qin.

"My third Disciple is talking business with you."

"You're being too noisy while I'm drinking."

His voice was flat.

Yet it was like an invisible heavy hammer smashing ruthlessly against Steward Qin's Divine Soul.

Pfft!

Steward Qin and the two Protectors behind him all spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground like limp mud.

The power that had restrained them also dissipated.

Wang Duojin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and climbed up from the ground.

He walked over to Steward Qin, who was slumped like a dog, and looked down at him.

"Now, can we talk business properly?"

Steward Qin trembled all over, not even daring to raise his head.

"Yes... yes... Senior... no, Chairman... please speak, please speak..."

"I said just now, I'm buying all of Heavenly Treasure Tower's properties in the Eastern Wasteland."

Wang Duojin's face once again wore that mercenary smile.

"I'll give you ten million Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Will you sell?"

"I'll sell! I'll sell! I'm selling!" Steward Qin nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at grain.

Forget ten million; even for a single penny, he would have to sell now!

"Very good." Wang Duojin nodded with satisfaction.

He pulled a contract from his robes.

"This is the equity transfer agreement. Sign it and leave a thumbprint."

Steward Qin's hands shook as he took the contract. Without even looking at it, he bit his fingertip and pressed a bloody thumbprint onto it.

"Get lost."

Wang Duojin waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.

"Go back and tell your Tower Revered Master."

"From now on, this land of the Eastern Wasteland is named Chu."

"If he's not satisfied, he can come and talk to my Revered Master anytime."

Steward Qin felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty and scrambled out of the reception hall.

Watching that pathetic retreating figure, the smile on Wang Duojin's face grew even more brilliant.

He walked over to Enforcement Elder and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Elder Feng, for protecting this Disciple."

Enforcement Elder waved his hand and took another swig of wine.

"The Sect Master ordered me to ensure your safety."

"However, kid."

He glanced at Wang Duojin.

"Next time, don't play it so close to the edge."

"This old man's heart can't take the scare."

Wang Duojin chuckled and fished out a long-sealed jar of Monkey Wine from his Storage Ring.

"Elder, you're joking. Wasn't this all within your calculations?"

"This jar of wine is to show my respect to you."

Enforcement Elder's eyes lit up. He snatched the wine jar, pulled the stopper, and took a huge gulp.

"Mmm, a teachable youth indeed."

...A few months later.

Within the Myriad Dao Divine Sect, everything was thriving.

The twenty thousand newly joined Disciples, after their initial shock and excitement, had gradually adapted to Sect life.

Utility Disciples were responsible for tending to the medicinal fields and raising Spirit Beasts daily. Although it was hard work, the Spiritual Qi in the Sect was so dense it was almost tangible, making every one of them feel reborn.

Outer Sect Disciples sweated between the transmission hall and the Martial Arts Field, Cultivating desperately to earn contribution points and exchange them for higher-tier Cultivation Techniques.

Inner Sect Disciples had already begun forming small teams to enter various illusions through the dao conveying jade wall, battling Yao Beasts to hone their practical combat skills.

The entire Sect was immersed in a positive, albeit frenzied, atmosphere of internal competition.

On this day.

The sound of a bell echoed throughout the entire divine mountain.

All Disciples, regardless of what they were doing, stopped their work and looked up toward the direction the sound came from.

It was the Sect Master Hall.

A majestic yet slightly lazy voice spread to every corner of the divine mountain.

"You have been here for three months, and your Foundation is stable."

"To test your cultivation results and select the elite..."

"This Seat has decided that in three days, the first Myriad Dao Grand Competition will be held at the central Martial Arts Field."

"All Disciples of my Sect, whether Utility, Outer, or Inner, may register."

"The Grand Competition is divided into 'Martial Combat' and 'Literary Combat'."

"Martial Combat will take the top hundred. Literary Combat will select one chief for each of the four paths: Pill, Tool, Array, and Talisman."

"The winners will be rewarded with Earth Rank Cultivation Techniques and High Grade Spiritual Artifacts. They will also have the chance to accompany This Seat to the Central Continent to see the true scenery of the great world!"

The voice faded.

The entire divine mountain was silent for a moment.

Then, a mountain-shaking, tsunami-like roar of fanatical cheering erupted!

"Central Continent! The Sect Master is taking us to the Central Continent!"

"Heavens! Earth Rank techniques! High Grade Spiritual Artifacts! I wouldn't even dare to dream of this!"

"Let's do it! In this competition, I must break into the top hundred!"

All the Disciples went wild.

Raging fires burned in their eyes.

It wasn't just a desire for rewards, but an infinite longing for the future... Three days later, at the central Martial Arts Field.

There was a sea of people, and every seat was taken.

Dozens of massive arenas floated in mid-air.

Grand Elder Mo Yuan stood on the high platform, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"The Myriad Dao Grand Competition begins now!"

"First round: Melee!"

Following his command...

Tens of thousands of Disciples were randomly teleported to different arenas.

Each arena featured a hundred-person melee where, in the end, only one person could remain standing.

The battle erupted instantly!

Spiritual light flashed, and Magic Treasures flew everywhere.

Screams, shouts, and the clashing of weapons blended into one.

The arenas for the Utility Disciples were particularly brutal.

Most of them had low cultivation and rudimentary techniques, so their fights looked more like Mortal street brawls.

Yet, it was also the most hot-blooded.

"Bang!"

A sturdy Utility Disciple was sent flying by a punch and fell off the arena.

Ergou panted heavily, shaking his somewhat numb fist.

He hadn't learned any Martial Skills.

All he had was the brute strength he'd developed from fighting in his village...

...and the ruthlessness he'd honed along the way just to stay alive.

"Next!"

With bloodshot eyes, like an enraged wolf, he pounced on another opponent.

On the high platform.

Ye Chenfeng looked at the thin, dark youth rampaging in the arena, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

"This kid has a bit of my shadow from back then."

"It's just the courage of a commoner, nothing more," Zhao Wuyou commented indifferently from the side.

"That might not be true," Wang Duojin said, waving his fan and grinning. "I think he's 'great wisdom appearing as folly.' Look, he never actively attacks the strong ones; he specifically picks on the weaklings. This is the art of war!"

The melee lasted for an entire day.

When the sun set...

In the end, only two hundred or so people emerged from the tens of thousands of Disciples.

That Utility Disciple named Ergou, relying on his suicidal ruthlessness and extraordinary endurance, miraculously stood until the end.

He was covered in wounds, yet he became the most dazzling dark horse of the event.

The second day: Literary Combat.

The four paths of Pill, Tool, Array, and Talisman were tested simultaneously.

Gongsun Yan, without any suspense, took the Pill Path Chief position with a furnace of perfect-quality 'Foundation Establishment Pills'.

The Array Path Chief position was claimed by the Outer Sect Disciple named Wang Duojin with an exquisite 'Chain Labyrinth Array'.

The third day: Martial Combat Finals.

After rounds of elimination, only ten people remained on the final arena.

Among them was, remarkably, the Utility Disciple named Ergou.

He had become a living legend within the Myriad Dao Divine Sect.

A monster who had fought his way from a utility position, through the outer Sect, and into the inner Sect finals.

His opponent was the recognized chief of the Inner Sect Disciples.

A sword dao Genius who had shone with blue light and been taken as a Personal Disciple by Transmission Elder Shi Potian: Lin Yi.

"I forfeit."

However, to everyone's utter shock...

...when Ergou faced the highly anticipated Lin Yi...

...he merely glanced at the shimmering longsword in his opponent's hand and cleanly raised his hand.

"Why?" Lin Yi frowned.

"Can't win," Ergou replied matter-of-factly.

He had self-awareness.

He had made it this far on brute force and perseverance.

But against a true Sword Cultivator Genius like this, he couldn't even touch the corner of the other's clothes.

The entire audience was in an uproar.

On the high platform, Wang Duojin slapped his thigh.

"See! I told you he was smart! He knows when to advance and when to retreat, what to take and what to leave! This boy has the talent of a general!"

The final battle unfolded between Lin Yi and Ye Wushang.

One was the exemplar of a righteous Sword Cultivator, his sword techniques upright and honorable.

The other was a mysterious demonic cultivator, his Moves treacherous and ruthless, every strike aimed to kill.

This battle drew everyone's attention.

It was also seen by countless Disciples as a Peak confrontation between the Righteous Path and the Demonic Path within the Sect.

"Clang!"

The sword collided with a pitch-black weapon that looked like a Bone Blade.

Lin Yi's sword was as fast as lightning.

But Ye Wushang's movement was like a ghost.

The two fought from the stage up into the sky, their Sword Qi and Devilish Qi dyeing half the sky black and white.

"Heavenly Dao Sword, Noble Spirit!"

Lin Yi let out a long cry, his man and sword becoming one as he turned into a brilliant sword light, slashing toward Ye Wushang.

"Demonic Shadow, Thousand-Fold Kill."

Ye Wushang's figure instantly split into thousands of afterimages, each one striking a lethal blow.

Boom!

A violent explosion rang out in the sky.

Two figures were sent flying back at the same time.

A wound so deep it showed bone appeared on Lin Yi's chest.

Ye Wushang's body was also charred black by the noble Sword Qi.

Both were actually injured!

"You are strong."

Lin Yi wiped the blood from his mouth, the Battle Intent in his eyes growing even stronger.

"Again!"

He charged forward once more.

Ye Wushang didn't speak; he just gripped the Bone Blade in his hand and met the charge.

This battle lasted for a full three hours.

In the end...

...just when everyone thought the two would end in a draw...

...a flash of decisiveness crossed Ye Wushang's eyes.

He actually didn't dodge or block, taking Lin Yi's sword strike head-on.

He allowed the sharp blade to pierce through his shoulder.

Meanwhile, the Bone Blade in his hand was pressed against Lin Yi's throat at a tricky and eerie angle.

"You... lost."

Ye Wushang spoke hoarsely, blood constantly pouring from the corner of his mouth.

The entire field was dead silent.

Everyone was stunned by Ye Wushang's suicidal ruthlessness.

Lin Yi looked at the Bone Blade against his throat, felt the cold Killing Intent, and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he gave a bitter laugh and dropped the sword in his hand.

"I lost."

He lost with complete conviction.

Ye Wushang had won the final victory of this Grand Competition in the most tragic way possible.

He also used his strength to silence all the Disciples who held prejudices against 'demonic cultivators'... The Grand Competition concluded.

A hundred-person elite team led by ten individuals, including Ye Wushang, Lin Yi, Ergou, and Wang Duojin, was officially assembled.

In front of the Sect Master Hall.

Ye Chenfeng walked up to the youth named Ergou.

"Are you willing to take me as your Revered Master?"

Ergou was stunned. He looked at the legendary Senior Brother before him, the peerless Prodigy on the Eastern Wasteland's hidden dragon ranking.

He suddenly knelt down and kowtowed three times, 'bang bang bang'.

"This Disciple... this Disciple is willing!"

Inside the hall.

Chu Xuanjin looked down at Ye Wushang, who was kneeling on one knee and covered in wounds.

"From this day forth, you are my, Chu Xuanjin's, sixth Personal Disciple."

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for successfully recruiting Divine Grade Disciple 'Ye Wushang'!]

[Settling rewards...]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Divine Rank Demonic Cultivation Technique "Ten Thousand Demon Suppressing Hell Canon"!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Divine Ability 'Shadow Stealth'!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Cultivation Infusion! Host's cultivation has broken through to the [Mahayana Middle Stage]!]

A force even more vast and majestic than before poured into Chu Xuanjin's body.

He felt he was one step closer to Ascension to the Immortal Realm.

He stood up and walked out of the hall.

His gaze swept over the hundred vibrant and fiery-eyed elite Disciples below.

His voice echoed throughout the entire divine mountain.

"Our goal—"

"The Central Continent Sacred Domain!"

---

PS: Holy cow, things are really picking up. There are actually 65 requests for updates; before, it was 20-something at most.

Updates will be a bit slower lately. I plan to finish an unfinished post-apocalyptic novel I wrote before. Although it went off-track, I should see it through to the end.

There's also a new book I just started, a One Piece fanfic: "Sailing: Akainu is Numb, I'm More Extreme Than Him".