95: Chapter 95 The Aftermath of the Bet

After returning to Luoxia Valley and a few days of excitement, Lin Qing settled his mind once again and began a brief period of secluded cultivation.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Spirit Sea Realm (Breakthrough Time: 1,800 days)

Talent: Innate Mysterious Fetus, Ultra Instinct

Fused Cultivation Techniques: Xuanye Demon Scripture (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques:

Spell Mastery Rating: Low (Soul Searching Technique, Flowing Cloud Shattering Moon Blade...)

Recorded Spells:

The Elder area on the mountainside was quiet and elegant, far from the noise and bustle of the Disciple area, making it perfectly suitable for Lin Qing to digest his recent gains.

For Lin Qing at his current stage, as long as it wasn't a Cultivation Technique or Spell that crossed too many ranks, he could Cultivate it to Perfection within a few days.

As the Rank Six Cultivation Technique, the Xuanye Demon Scripture, began its automatic operation, the Breakthrough time on the panel finally changed. 1,800 days—roughly five years.

In the eyes of an ordinary Cultivator, completing the cultivation of an entire major Realm like Rank Six in just five years would definitely be called impossible.

But for Lin Qing, this speed was very average. Fortunately, this was just the Breakthrough speed after cultivating a single technique; once he collected more techniques to Cultivate later, the time would be drastically shortened.

After reaching Perfection in the technique for raising his Realm, Lin Qing finished cultivating his Intermediate Spells. At this point, he had mastered three Intermediate Spells: Flowing Cloud Shattering Moon Blade, Soul Searching Technique, and Beast Taming Technique.

Although his overall Spell mastery hadn't reached Intermediate yet, his mastery of the Flowing Cloud Shattering Moon Blade still significantly enhanced his offensive capabilities.

As for the Soul Searching Technique, it was truly formidable—an essential Spell for killing and looting; its greatness needed no further explanation.

After finishing his cultivation of techniques and Spells, Lin Qing began testing the Medicinal Pills he had accumulated, focusing on verifying the effects of the spirit gathering pills.

Cultivation in the Spirit Realm is essentially the breathing in and out of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. A Cultivator absorbs the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and circulates it through the cycles of their Cultivation Technique; the amount of Spiritual Qi absorbed directly determines the efficiency of their cultivation.

The purpose of items like spirit gathering pills and Spirit Gathering Arrays is to assist Cultivators in absorbing more Spiritual Qi, thereby increasing cultivation efficiency.

However, in the territory of the Great Qi Dynasty, Spirit Gathering Arrays only existed within the six top-tier powers. A Sect like Luoxia Valley, even if they had the methods to set one up, could not afford the Materials for the arrangement.

Similarly, spirit gathering pills were considered Advanced resources in Great Qi. The spirit gathering pills in Lin Qing's hands were all obtained from the Disciples of the Xuanye Demon Court.

He first took out a Rank Five spirit gathering pill and swallowed it, feeling a slight increase in Spiritual Qi absorption efficiency, about ten percent.

Twelve hours later, sensing that the medicinal power of the Rank Five spirit gathering pill was exhausted, he took out a Rank Six spirit gathering pill and swallowed it. The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, and its rich, pure medicinal power instantly spread through his limbs and bones.

For a moment, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi converged toward him like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, continuously pouring into his body.

Lin Qing focused his mind to feel the change; the efficiency of his Cultivation Technique had increased to twice its normal state.

Not only that, but his Innate Mysterious Fetus also enjoyed the boost. If he took one spirit gathering pill every day, he would no longer need to keep Spirit Stones on his person for absorption. The concentration of Spiritual Qi gathered by the pill far exceeded the meager Spiritual Qi dissipated by Spirit Stones.

Meanwhile, in Luoxia Hall, the Sect's high-ranking officials were gathered together, and the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

Sect Master Shen Yurong sat in the main seat, her brow slightly clouded with gloom. Below her, several Elders were lined up on both sides, each with a solemn expression.

Yuan Kun, who had returned not long ago, looked at the heavy atmosphere in the hall and asked,

"Sect Master, Elders, has some trouble befallen the Sect?"

Shen Yurong raised her eyes to look at Yuan Kun and slowly explained the situation:

"Previously, on the Flying Boat to the capital, we made a bet with Tiger Hall and Songyun Temple. Now, Tiger Hall's market has been successfully handed over without any issues. However, some problems have arisen with Songyun Temple's Xilin Market."

"Oh? What happened with Xilin Market?" Yuan Kun's brow twitched slightly.

Shen Yurong replied, her voice still carrying a hint of irrepressible anger:

"In terms of the handover process, they didn't openly go back on their word or make things difficult; they generously handed over the management rights of the market. But behind the scenes, they played some tricks."

"After the first round of the Heavenly Pride Competition ended, they went ahead and collected five years' worth of taxes from all the merchants in Xilin Market in one go!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yuan Kun's face suddenly darkened, matching the others. At the same time, he said angrily:

"Five years of taxes?! This is simply preposterous!"

"In other words, for the next five years, not only will we be unable to gain a single bit of profit from Xilin Market, but we will also have to waste manpower and resources to manage it for nothing."

"Songyun Temple's actions are far too dishonorable!"

A female Elder nearby spoke up to soothe him:

"Elder Yuan Kun, please calm down. We are gathered here today precisely to resolve this matter."

Shen Yurong nodded slightly and continued to analyze the details:

"Songyun Temple's move is not without its flaws."

"First, market taxes are generally collected quarterly, and they are rarely collected much in advance, let alone five years. This in itself is against the rules."

"Second, the timing of their tax collection was extremely deliberate; they were clearly intending to sabotage our Luoxia Valley."

"Besides this, we have uncovered even deeper inside information."

"The reason Songyun Temple was able to persuade all the merchants to obediently prepay five years of taxes is that they privately promised to reduce the taxes for all merchants by half. Greedy for profit, the merchants were naturally willing to cooperate with Songyun Temple to deceive Luoxia Valley. Once we take over, everyone else will enjoy the benefits of the tax cut, and all the losses will be borne entirely by our Sect."

Yuan Kun stood up indignantly:

"Simply despicable!"

"Does Songyun Temple think there is no one left in Luoxia Valley? Sect Master, why don't we just go to war with Songyun Temple! Over the years, Songyun Temple has played all sorts of insidious tricks in Qingzhou, and this time they've actually bullied their way onto Luoxia Valley's head!"

The hall instantly fell into silence. Sensing the oppressive atmosphere, Yuan Kun said disappointedly:

"What do you all mean by this? Could it be that our Luoxia Valley is afraid of their Songyun Temple?"

Shen Yurong looked at Yuan Kun and revealed the truth:

"I received news from Tiger Hall that Songyun Temple is being supported by the top-tier power, the Qiushan Sect."

As these words fell, Yuan Kun's face froze, and he sat back down in his seat.

The Qiushan Sect!

That was a top-tier great Sect that far surpassed Luoxia Valley and Songyun Temple. There was more than one Rank Six Cultivator within that Sect. When the time came, if they just sent any Rank Six Elder over, Luoxia Valley wouldn't even have the right to argue.

In the face of absolute power, so-called rules and reason are often fragile.

The Elders looked at each other, all silent and speechless; no one could think of a way to satisfy both sides.

Going head-to-head, they were no match for the Qiushan Sect and would only invite total destruction; enduring it and taking a massive loss for five years for nothing left everyone unwilling.

After a long time, Yuan Kun frowned, broke the silence, and spoke slowly:

"Sect Master, Elders, we are now in a dilemma. Perhaps... we can ask for Lin Qing's thoughts."

Yuan Kun knew Lin Qing's true strength, but he maintained his discretion and did not reveal it publicly; he only made the suggestion.

Everyone in the hall was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Shen Yurong fell into silent thought for a long time, a flash of deep reflection crossing her cold eyes, before she slowly nodded:

"We can."

Her gaze swept over everyone as she frankly stated her plan:

"My original plan was that if Lin Qing ultimately wasn't chosen in the Chuyun Immortal Sect's entrance examination this time, I would designate him as the next Sect Master of Luoxia Valley and Cultivate him with all our resources."

"Now that we've encountered a major matter concerning the Sect's development, it's fine to ask for his opinion."

As her voice fell, the Elders were first stunned, then one after another they nodded. With Lin Qing's natural talent, taking over the Sect was more than appropriate.