72: Chapter 72 The Gamble

After exploring the trade fair, Lin Qing and the others prepared to return to the top floor. However, as soon as they stepped onto the seventh floor, a thick smell of gunpowder assailed their senses.

In the central hall of the seventh floor, Sect Master Shen Yurong, Yuan Kun, and the third person were facing off against a group of people dressed in Daoist robes. The atmosphere was incredibly tense, and the air felt stagnant and heavy.

Yun Nian paused her steps and immediately lowered her voice, explaining quickly in a tone only those beside her could hear:

"They are from Songyun Temple. Within the borders of Qingzhou, they are the third mid-tier power besides Luoxia Valley and Tiger Hall. Their momentum has been very strong these past few years, and they've always wanted to suppress us."

Lin Qing looked up upon hearing this, his gaze calmly scanning both sides of the confrontation. He silently led Yun Nian and the others to stand behind Sect Master Shen Yurong's trio.

In the center of the Songyun Temple crowd stood a middle-aged Daoist. He wore a navy-blue cloud-patterned Daoist robe with intricate pine needle embroidery at the hem and a Ziyang Cap on his head. His face was lean, yet it carried an aggressive air of arrogance. He was the Temple Master of Songyun Temple, Daoist Guishan.

Daoist Guishan's lips curled into a mocking smile as he spoke first:

"Sect Master Shen, tell me, as fellow mid-tier powers within Qingzhou, why are your Luoxia Valley and Tiger Hall arranged on the top floor of this airship by the Heshun Chamber of Commerce, while my Songyun Temple can only stay below?"

There were many Cultivators traveling to the Capital for the Heavenly Pride Competition. The combined number of participants and leaders from the three mid-tier Qingzhou powers exceeded twenty, accounting for more than a quarter of the airship's total passengers.

The airship had seven floors in total, and the top floor had limited space. It was impossible to accommodate everyone from the mid-tier powers. The Heshun Chamber of Commerce's arrangement was based on the ranking of power, strength, and heritage, which wasn't considered biased.

Songyun Temple was a power that had risen suddenly in recent years. In terms of the number of Fifth-Stage experts, revenue from their industries, and the scope of the territory they controlled, they were far inferior to Luoxia Valley and Tiger Hall, which had been established in Qingzhou for many years. The Chamber's arrangement was perfectly reasonable and could not be considered mistreatment.

Daoist Guishan's words were purely intentional provocation, using the situation as a pretext to cause trouble.

Sect Master Shen Yurong naturally understood this. On her usually calm and expressionless face, the chill grew heavier, and her voice turned colder:

"Guishan, the division of the airship's resting areas is the arrangement of the Heshun Chamber of Commerce and has nothing to do with my Luoxia Valley. You are free to take it up with the Chamber's manager. Coming to Luoxia Valley is pointless; I have no obligation to explain anything to you."

Instead of backing down, Daoist Guishan burst into loud laughter upon hearing this:

"I can naturally guess the reasons behind the Chamber's arrangement. It's nothing more than them feeling that your Luoxia Valley and Tiger Hall are stronger and have more heritage than my Songyun Temple."

"However, everyone in my Songyun Temple is quite unconvinced by this!"

Daoist Guishan's gaze was sharp as he locked onto Sect Master Shen Yurong and said forcefully:

"Sect Master Shen, since verbal disputes are meaningless, why don't we have a wager and let strength do the talking?"

On Luoxia Valley's side, Elder Yuan Kun immediately stepped forward and scolded with a solemn expression:

"A wager? Why should we bet with you? You are intentionally provoking us. Do you really think my Luoxia Valley is easy to bully?"

Daoist Guishan ignored Yuan Kun entirely and simply stared at Sect Master Shen Yurong, saying slowly:

"What? Could it be that Luoxia Valley doesn't dare to accept Songyun Temple's wager? Are you afraid?"

Sect Master Shen Yurong's face darkened completely, her fingertips tightening slightly. Her cold voice carried suppressed anger:

"Don't bother with cheap provocations. Just say how you want to bet."

Seeing Sect Master Shen Yurong relent, a glint flashed in Daoist Guishan's eyes as he stated the terms of the wager word by word:

"It's simple. We will bet on the final rankings of our respective participating Disciples in this Heavenly Pride Competition. Whoever's Disciple ranks higher wins."

"As for the stakes—" Daoist Guishan paused, his tone becoming incredibly solemn, "My Songyun Temple will put up Xilin Market to bet against your Bianxia Market!"

"What?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yuan Kun's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in shock,

"Guishan, have you lost your mind?!"

It was no wonder Yuan Kun reacted this way.

Bianxia Market was the core industry of Luoxia Valley. Its annual revenue accounted for over thirty percent of Luoxia Valley's total income.

And the Xilin Market that Daoist Guishan put up was the lifeblood of Songyun Temple, accounting for fifty percent of their annual revenue.

On the surface, the stakes were just two markets, but deeper down, this was a gamble on the future and survival of the two Sects!

Once lost, the side that lost their market would see their Sect's strength decline rapidly. Before long, they would fall out of the ranks of mid-tier powers.

This was a wager they could not afford to lose.

Daoist Guishan watched Sect Master Shen Yurong's shifting expression, the mockery at the corners of his mouth deepening as he pressed her further:

"What? Sect Master Shen, you don't dare to accept?"

Sect Master Shen Yurong's expression flickered between light and dark, but she had no way out now. If she didn't accept, Luoxia Valley's reputation would be severely damaged, and only a slow death would await them.

She slowly turned around, her gaze sweeping over Yun Nian and the others before finally settling on Lin Qing.

Lin Qing felt Sect Master Shen Yurong's gaze and sighed softly. He didn't say much, only nodding slightly.

In truth, even if Lin Qing hadn't nodded, Sect Master Shen Yurong had no other choice. She had to accept this wager today.

Sect Master Shen Yurong took a deep breath, then turned back to look directly at Daoist Guishan. Her voice was cold yet incredibly firm:

"Fine. Luoxia Valley accepts this wager."

Just as the hearts of the Luoxia Valley group were racing and Daoist Guishan was showing a triumphant look, a coarse and heavy voice suddenly drifted over:

"Wait a moment."

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a group of Cultivators in sturdy attire walking over slowly. The man leading them was burly, with broad shoulders and a resolute face. He was the Sect Master of the other major mid-tier power in Qingzhou, Sect Master Hu Wanshan of Tiger Hall.

Sect Master Shen Yurong's brows furrowed as she asked in an unfriendly tone:

"Sect Master Hu Wanshan, what do you want now?"

Sect Master Hu Wanshan grinned, his gaze moving between Daoist Guishan and Sect Master Shen Yurong as he spoke bluntly:

"Nothing much. I just found this wager interesting and wanted to join the fun by placing a bet."

"I bet on Songyun Temple to win, and I'll also put up one of Tiger Hall's core markets. Sect Master Shen, will you accept this additional wager or not?"

This single sentence caused Sect Master Shen Yurong's chest to heave violently, her whole body trembling with rage.

Now that Tiger Hall had suddenly intervened, Luoxia Valley would have to face the targeted pressure of two mid-tier powers simultaneously. The stakes had doubled, and the pressure was pushed to the limit.

Seeing this, Daoist Guishan immediately threw his head back and laughed. Clearly, even he hadn't expected Tiger Hall to pull such a move.

Sect Master Shen Yurong's fingertips turned white with anger as she gritted her teeth. She could no longer maintain her usual calm and cold demeanor, squeezing out each word through her teeth:

"Fine, very well! My Luoxia Valley accepts them all!"

After saying this, she stopped looking at the smug faces of Daoist Guishan and Sect Master Hu Wanshan. With a wave of her long sleeves, she led the Luoxia Valley group away.

On the other side, while the Tiger Hall group was returning to their rooms, a young participating Disciple couldn't help but step forward and whisper to Sect Master Hu Wanshan:

"Sect Master, I feel that Luoxia Valley might not necessarily lose. There's a youth named Lin Qing in their team whose strength seems terrifying."

Sect Master Hu Wanshan waved his hand, showing no concern at all as he slowly shook his head:

"You don't understand. This time, Luoxia Valley is doomed to lose."

Seeing the confusion on the faces of the Disciples and Elders, Sect Master Hu Wanshan lowered his voice and revealed a secret:

"Why do you think Songyun Temple dared to use Xilin Market as a stake? It's because Songyun Temple is actually a power planted in Qingzhou by the Qiushan Sect, one of the three top-tier Sects of the Great Qi Dynasty!"

"Songyun Temple has been able to grow rapidly over the years entirely because of the Qiushan Sect's support behind the scenes. Daring to set such a wager this time means the Qiushan Sect must have sent them a true young Prodigy. Luoxia Valley has no chance of winning."

A Tiger Hall Elder beside him paled upon hearing this and said hurriedly:

"Sect Master, since Songyun Temple has the Qiushan Sect as a backer, why are you still standing with them to suppress Luoxia Valley? If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold! If Luoxia Valley falls, the next to be consumed by Songyun Temple will be us. How will we resist a Songyun Temple backed by a top-tier Sect then?"

Sect Master Hu Wanshan's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness and helplessness as he said in a deep voice:

"I naturally understand the logic of the lips and teeth. But what can I do? This wager was destined to happen. Even if I spoke up for Luoxia Valley, it wouldn't change the outcome. Luoxia Valley will still lose."

"Rather than waiting for Luoxia Valley to slowly decline, it's better for us to take this opportunity to enter the game and get a share of the spoils. Once Luoxia Valley loses the wager and we carve up its industries, Tiger Hall's strength can reach a new level."

"Only then will we have the qualifications to challenge Songyun Temple and its backing from the Qiushan Sect. If we watch Luoxia Valley perish and gain nothing, that would be the true dead end!"

The Tiger Hall group looked at their Sect Master's shrewd eyes and fell silent, saying nothing more.

Meanwhile, back with Luoxia Valley.

Lin Qing finished reading through the Heaven-Grade Whip Technique. After recording it into the System, he returned it to Xing Mian and headed straight for his room.

Before leaving, he instructed Yuan Chong and the others:

"Unless there is something important, do not disturb me. I will remain in seclusion until we reach the Capital."

Closing the door and isolating himself from all the noise and distractions outside, Lin Qing sat cross-legged on the bed and began to take stock of the martial arts and Cultivation Techniques he currently needed to practice.

Five Pulse Opening Methods, the four basic techniques besides the Breath Concealment Technique, and the newly acquired Heaven-Grade Whip Technique.

He couldn't finish them all; there was simply too much to practice.

Thus, Lin Qing began another long period of seclusion. The airship flew steadily above the clouds, gradually approaching the Royal Capital of Da Qi.