78: Chapter 78 Sun Shao-ping

Just as Lin Qing and Sun Shaoping returned to the lobby, Yun Nian and the other three had also finished their bets and returned to the lobby entrance.

All four held their betting slips in their hands, their faces filled with anticipation. When they looked at Lin Qing, they noticed a strange youth in white standing beside him, and their faces couldn't help but show expressions of surprise.

In their impression, Lin Qing didn't like making friends, and they had never heard him mention anyone else on ordinary days. Seeing an extraordinary youth standing side-by-side with Lin Qing now naturally filled their hearts with surprise.

Sun Shaoping noticed the four gazes directed at him and immediately took a step forward, giving them a gentle smile and taking the initiative to greet them.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Sun Shaoping, and I am an old acquaintance of Lin Qing."

Yun Nian and the others responded politely. Had it been any other ordinary Sect Disciples, they would have been beyond excited and scrambled to curry favor upon learning that the person before them was the Great Qi Dynasty's once-in-a-century number one Genius.

But while Yun Nian and the others were surprised, they didn't show looks of adoration. In their hearts, Lin Qing, who had been with them day and night recently, was also a peerless Prodigy.

After all, Lin Qing had dared to boast that he was guaranteed a spot in the top five.

One had to know that the second stage of the Heavenly Pride Competition was a brutal elimination tournament where opponents were decided by drawing lots. Only someone with the confidence to fear no one would dare say they were guaranteed a top-five finish.

Among all the participants, other than Lin Qing, perhaps only the Third Prince had such confidence.

After the brief introductions, Sun Shaoping turned slightly and lowered his voice to say to Lin Qing:

"Lin Qing, it's been a long time. Shall we find a quiet place to have a good chat?"

Lin Qing nodded slightly, not declining.

He turned to look at Yun Nian and the other three, instructing them in a calm tone:

"I have important matters to discuss with Sun Shaoping. You guys go back first; no need to wait for me."

After the four left, Sun Shaoping took Lin Qing to an elegant restaurant on the commercial street. The restaurant was a quiet haven amidst the bustle and was quite famous in the Royal Capital.

The two went straight to the second floor and requested a private room by the window. They closed the door, isolating themselves from the noise outside. The waiter respectfully served the wine and food before retreating quietly.

Inside the private room, only Lin Qing and Sun Shaoping remained.

Sun Shaoping could finally no longer suppress the confusion in his heart and asked:

"Lin Qing, how did you come to the outside world?"

This question had been churning in his mind from the moment he recognized Lin Qing.

Hearing this, Lin Qing shrugged indifferently, picked up his wine cup for a small sip, and replied casually:

"How else? I just picked a direction and kept walking until I came out."

His answer was an understatement, but Sun Shaoping knew it couldn't be that simple. He knew all too well how dangerous the Hundred Thousand Mountains were.

In truth, the existence of the Xia Kingdom was no secret to the high-level figures of the various nations surrounding the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Over the years, he wasn't the only Cultivator who had entered the Xia Kingdom.

However, the overall strength of the Xia Kingdom's Martial Artists was low, and there were no noteworthy resources produced within its borders. Thus, the surrounding nations adopted a non-interference policy, letting it run its own course.

Therefore, it was possible that Lin Qing had been brought out by other external Cultivators, which is why he asked. But for Lin Qing to have walked out by himself—he couldn't help but be shocked.

The Hundred Thousand Mountains spanned millions of miles and were fraught with extreme danger. Not only were there several Sixth-Order Monster Beasts with terrifying strength entrenched within, but Fifth-Order Monster Beasts were also countless.

The higher the order of the Yao Beast, the stronger its sense of territory. If one was cautious enough and had excellent luck, it was possible to avoid Sixth-Order Monster Beasts.

But Fifth-Order Monster Beasts were different. Some Fifth-Order Monster Beasts didn't have the qualifications to carve out a territory in the Hundred Thousand Mountains and could only roam and hunt. Therefore, it was almost impossible to completely avoid them.

To walk out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, one had to survive the maws of Fifth-Order Monster Beasts.

At this moment, Sun Shaoping had to admit that this young man, who wasn't even a Martial Artist over a year ago, had now surpassed him.

He prided himself on his extraordinary talent and was even hailed as the number one Genius of Great Qi in a century, yet compared to Lin Qing's terrifying growth speed, the talent he was so proud of seemed so mediocre.

Sun Shaoping shook his head helplessly, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face as he raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Sun Shaoping abruptly looked up and stared intently at Lin Qing, the light in his eyes startlingly bright.

Lin Qing felt uncomfortable under his gaze, put down his wine cup, and said:

"If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to stare at me like that."

Sun Shaoping still didn't look away, his tone urgent and solemn:

"Lin Qing, if I bet my entire fortune on you making it into the top five, will there be any accidents?"

In his eyes, Lin Qing could now be described as unfathomable. He didn't have absolute certainty of making the top five himself, but Lin Qing very likely possessed such strength.

Lin Qing looked at Sun Shaoping's sincere and eager gaze. The man was his benefactor; there was no need to hide such a small matter.

A faint smile curled at the corner of Lin Qing's mouth, and he spoke slowly in a calm tone:

"Don't worry, there won't be any accidents."

Those few short words were like a reassuring pill for Sun Shaoping.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Sun Shaoping slapped the table in excitement, stood up, and said urgently:

"Lin Qing, I won't chat with you any longer. I'm going back to the chamber of commerce to place my bets right now. If you need anything later, come find me directly at the Sun Family."

With that, Sun Shaoping was about to leave in a rush. He suddenly stopped at the door, slapped his forehead, and turned back to Lin Qing. He took out a blue-covered booklet from his Storage Ring and handed it to Lin Qing.

"Take this. Consider it an investment in you, but you must not pass it on to others."

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly and reached out to take the booklet. On the cover, five large words were written in vigorous and powerful calligraphy—Void Moon-Chasing Shadow.

It was the Heaven Rank Movement Technique passed down through the Sun Family.

Lin Qing looked up at Sun Shaoping, but Sun Shaoping didn't give him a chance to speak. He turned again, pushed open the door, and walked away quickly.

...

At the same time, inside a luxurious inn in the Royal Capital, in a top-floor room covered by an isolation Formation, there were two figures surrounded by a faint Devilish Qi.

One of them bowed and reported to the seated man:

"Senior Brother Fang Chao, according to our investigation during this period, Ya Jiu did not die at the hands of those Sect Elders."

The man called Fang Chao rubbed the white porcelain teacup in his hand and didn't speak.

The person continued:

"On the day of the incident, all the accompanying Sect Elders were busy restraining the Sixth-Order Monster Beasts. They had their respective Disciples scatter and flee to find places to hide. No Elders left until the Sun Family's sixth-order expert arrived at the battlefield."

"And Ya Jiu never appeared on the battlefield from beginning to end."

"However, many of the Disciples who scattered to hide died. We confirmed afterward that it was Ya Jiu's handiwork."

"Based on the timeline, Ya Jiu lost his life exactly during the period he was hunting down those Disciples."

Fang Chao's fingers rubbing the teacup paused slightly. He slowly raised his head. In the dim light, his eyes were cold and sharp, yet his tone was extremely flat:

"In other words, while Ya Jiu was hunting down those scattered Sect Disciples, he was killed in return?"

"Yes." The person nodded heavily, his tone certain. "All current clues point to this conclusion."

As he spoke, he took a step forward and respectfully handed over a thin register, continuing:

"Senior Brother, this is the list we collected of all the Sect Disciples and accompanying Elders who were on that flying ship that day."

Fang Chao reached out, took the register, and flipped through it casually. His gaze swept over the names and their respective Sects with an indifferent expression, showing no emotion.

A moment later, he closed the register, placed it on the table, and a cold, interested smile curled on his lips.

"Interesting."

"A dignified Outer Sect Disciple of the Xuanye Demon Court with a cultivation at the Fifth-Order Peak was actually killed while hunting a group of fourth-order Sect juniors!"

"It seems the Great Qi Dynasty has produced a true peerless Prodigy!"

He looked up at the bustling scene of the Royal Capital outside the window, a thick killing intent flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"We should take a good look at this Heavenly Pride Competition as well."