904: The Order of the Holy Tomb: A Game of Wits

...

Xie Weilou looked at the Confucian Sage, quietly waiting for him to continue.

The Confucian Sage stroked his beard and said, "This time, the great fortune, as you learned yesterday at Hundred Flowers Mountain, involves the Great Sages Tomb of the Eastern Wilderness. I hold one half of the incomplete map, and Zhongzhou Academy holds the other. Only when the two are combined can the true location of the Great Sage's Tomb be found."

He continued, "However, merely finding the location of the tomb does not grant entry; a Saint Tomb Token is also required."

If it were only about the map, he wouldn't need to negotiate with Zhongzhou Academy; both sides could simply present their maps.

The most crucial element is the Saint Tomb Token. There are too many wolves and too little meatthe quotas are limited!

"A Saint Tomb Token?" Xie Weilou showed a thoughtful expression.

The Confucian Sage said, "Initially, Li Fusheng, a group of people from Zhongzhou Academy, and I found the map and the Saint Tomb Tokens in a peculiar place. I obtained half of the incomplete map and two Saint Tomb Tokens, while Li Fusheng and the Zhongzhou Academy group obtained the other half of the incomplete map and eighteen Saint Tomb Tokens."

"According to the information we possess, to enter the Great Sages Tomb of the Eastern Wilderness, one must hold a Saint Tomb Token. One Saint Tomb Token allows only one person to enter."

The Great Sage's Tomb is extremely dangerous. The Saint Tomb Token is the basic requirement for entry; without it, entry is impossible.

If one attempts to force entry, they will certainly be crushed into dust by the power accompanying the Great Tomb.

"So, your negotiation with Zhongzhou Academy is for the sake of the Saint Tomb Tokens?" Xie Weilou asked with a smile.

The Confucian Sage nodded. "That fellow Li Fusheng approached me a long time ago, wanting me to hand over my half of the map so we could open the Great Sages Tomb of the Eastern Wilderness together. Unfortunately, I only have two Saint Tomb Tokens. If I went like that, I would certainly suffer a great disadvantage."

He only has two Saint Tomb Tokens and can only bring one person, whereas Li Fusheng can bring seventeen people.

If it comes down to fighting for resources, he would definitely suffer a huge loss.

The Confucian Sage smiled faintly. "That is why we are negotiating this matter. If they want me to hand over my half of the map, there is naturally no problem."

"My demand is for Zhongzhou Academy to provide eight more Saint Tomb Tokens. This way, both sides would have an equal number of tokens and could bring in an equal number of people, making the competition relatively fair."

Xie Weilou said, "But Zhongzhou Academy obviously wouldn't agree."

"That fellow Li Fusheng naturally wouldn't agree to this, but he genuinely wants to open the Great Sage's Tomb. After some discussion, we finally reached a decision: to have a contest between Zhongzhou Academy and Hongru Academy."

"As long as Half-Saints do not participate, members from both sides can challenge the other's academy. Life or death does not matter. For every match Hongru Academy wins, we gain one Saint Tomb Token. If we can win eight matches, we will obtain eight Saint Tomb Tokens. Currently, you have already won two matches, so my Hongru Academy has gained two more Saint Tomb Tokens."

When the Confucian Sage reached this point, a broad smile appeared on his face.

Xie Weilou winning two matches in a row is a good omen.

Currently, Dongfang Zheng and the others have gone to Zhongzhou Academy, also for the sake of the Saint Tomb Tokens. Even if they don't win every match, as long as they win a few more, there won't be any issues.

Xie Weilou asked, "What if Hongru Academy loses?"

The Confucian Sage laughed and said, "That fellow Li Fusheng is very confident. He said that if Hongru Academy loses four matches, I will then have to hand over my half of the map, and we will proceed to open the Great Sage's Tomb together. However, I still wouldn't have to give up my two Saint Tomb Tokens, and I could bring one person with me."

Now that Xie Weilou has won two matches, he already holds four Saint Tomb Tokens.

Dongfang Zheng and the others only need to win three more matches, and he can then bring Xie Weilou and six others along.

If those few individuals put in some effort and win a few more matches, the surplus Saint Tomb Tokens can also be given to those who need them.

Next, they just need to wait for the results.

Xie Weilou asked, "How much more time is needed before the Great Sages Tomb of the Eastern Wilderness opens?"

The Confucian Sage spoke with a solemn expression. "A Saint's Tomb, while hiding Opportunity, is also dangerously unpredictable. This is not just about you young people competing for Opportunity; it is also about us old fellows risking our lives. Therefore, we need three more months to prepare."

He and Li Fusheng have been stuck at the Half-Saint realm for a long time. When the Great Sage's Tomb opens, they might find a chance for a Breakthrough inside.

They will certainly have to risk their lives then, so they must prepare thoroughly, or they could easily fail.

"I see." Xie Weilou nodded.

There is still some time before the Great Sage's Tomb opens. Before that, he needs to resolve a few matters first.

His purpose for coming to the Eastern Barrens this time was to investigate information about Elder Gu. He must resolve this matter sooner rather than later.

The Confucian Sage smiled broadly. "If you want to bring more people into the Great Sage's Tomb, you can also go challenge Zhongzhou Academy!"

Since Xie Weilou won two matches, in the Confucian Sage's view, those two Saint Tomb Tokens rightfully belong to Xie Weilou.

If he can continue winning, he can bring even more people to the Great Sage's Tomb.

Xie Weilou thought for a moment. "Why wait for another day when today is perfect? I shall go to Zhongzhou Academy today!"

Going to Zhongzhou Academy, challenging them is secondary. His main goal is to play another game of chess with Shi Qingxuan and investigate the matters concerning the demonic Divine Stone and the azure scale.

Currently, the candidates for Elder Gu are Shi Qingxuan, Marquis Zhenyu, and Prince Qing. Observing them carefully will surely yield results.

If he cannot find anything significant, he can only risk using the most primitive method.

The Confucian Sage drank a cup of fragrant tea and said, "Go! Choose whatever you are most skilled at."

"Zhongzhou Academy!" Xie Buxian's heart stirred. Cui Tao had been taken to Zhongzhou Academy; if he went there, he should be able to see her.

However, after thinking it over, he immediately suppressed the impulse in his heart.

Seeing Cui Tao now would be meaningless, and might even bring disaster upon himself and cause a lot of trouble for Big Brother Xie.

"Continue improving!" Xie Buxian closed his eyes.

At a time like this, self-improvement is the key; he must not cause trouble.

"..." Xie Weilou looked at Xie Buxian, a look of approval appearing in his eyes. Being able to suppress his inner impulse was commendable.

"Buxian, come with me to Zhongzhou Academy." Xie Weilou smiled faintly.

Hearing this, Xie Buxian immediately opened his eyes and shook his head, saying, "I cannot cause trouble for Big Brother Xie."

Xie Weilou smiled and said, "It's not a problem! You are now a Disciple of the Confucian Sage, and your status is extraordinary. Who would dare touch you in this Eastern Barrens City? Besides, don't you still have me?"

A person can occasionally bow their head, but they cannot be timid their entire life.

The Confucian Sage showed a smile toward Xie Buxian. "Buxian, it's good for you to go out and look around. As long as I live for one day, no one will dare harm a single hair on your head."

When Xie Buxian heard this, he stood up and said with a serious expression, "Then I will go and see with Big Brother Xie."

"Let's go!" Xie Weilou tucked his hands into his sleeves and walked out of the courtyard with a smile.

"..." Xie Buxian quickly followed him.

If he was truly going to Zhongzhou Academy, he was actually still a little nervous.

He wasn't afraid of those old fellows, but he was thinking of Cui Tao, wondering how she was doing now.