497: bet

That's right, this is absolutely a "peerless treasure"!

And it is a "peerless treasure" that has been verified by a Martial King!

If this kind of treasure were taken to an auction in the Imperial Capital, it would definitely fetch a sky-high price.

Xu Chuanzhong stared fixedly at the piece of universal gold in his hand, his expression filled with despair. How could such a good treasure only be this small?

"Huh? Wait! Those two convoys! And the ten convoys that Long Yuan sent to the front lines—didn't Long Yuan say that they were all forged from this kind of treasure?!"

As this thought crossed his mind, Xu Chuanzhong couldn't help but gasp in shock!

This piece of metal was already a peerless treasure, and since those convoys all used this type of metal, wouldn't that mean every single qilin war chariot was priceless?

Heavens...

At this moment, Xu Chuanzhong was completely stunned. He could no longer imagine how powerful a qilin war chariot forged from such metal would be. Based on the results he had just verified, they could completely rampage across the battlefield between the Human Race and the Sea Race, becoming invincible!

He was now fully convinced of his previous judgment: the reason those Sea Race powerhouses outside Linhai City had collectively sustained injuries for no apparent reason was entirely because of those qilin war chariots!

Those flashing lights didn't look simple at all; they might be some kind of extremely powerful fire-type weapon.

Just as Xu Chuanzhong was letting his imagination run wild, a slightly mocking voice suddenly came from nearby: "Yo, isn't this Brother Xu? Why are you dazed here in the middle of nowhere by yourself? Tell me, you didn't create this big crater just to vent your frustration, did you?"

Xu Chuanzhong looked up and discovered a flying boat appearing in the sky not far away. There were four figures on the flying boat: two middle-aged men and two young girls. One of the red-haired middle-aged men was standing at the front, looking at him with great interest; it was this red-haired man who had just spoken.

"Qi Xuming?! Geng Nanfeng?!"

Xu Chuanzhong was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected these two old acquaintances to arrive. But thinking about it, it made sense. This kind of flying boat wasn't something ordinary people could own. In the Great Ming, only top-tier noble families and absolute powerhouses could possibly possess such a flying boat. It was an aerial vehicle driven by Xuan Power, not known for its speed, but primarily for leisure and sightseeing. The amount of xuan stone consumed during flight was definitely not something an ordinary Xuan Practitioner could afford; usually, only the elder class of those super noble families could enjoy it. As the Old Ancestors of the Qi Family and Geng Family, Qi Xuming and Geng Nanfeng certainly had the qualifications to possess one.

"What are you doing here?" Xu Chuanzhong huffed.

"Haha, this isn't a Forbidden Ground; surely you're allowed to come here, but I'm not?" Qi Xuming laughed loudly.

"Huh? Your condition..." Xu Chuanzhong suddenly noticed something, staring at Qi Xuming with a suspicious expression, looking him up and down...

"What's wrong with my condition?" Qi Xuming was speechless. Everyone said this Xu Chuanzhong had a somewhat eccentric personality, and now it seemed that was indeed the case.

"Have you been over-supplementing recently? You look quite a bit younger, but you must be careful; using too many drugs has side effects!" Xu Chuanzhong said.

"Oh? I haven't taken any drugs recently. At our Realm, the effect of drugs is already very small. If one wants to improve, the only way is through hard training!" Qi Xuming said shamelessly.

Xu Chuanzhong retorted with a face full of disbelief: "Forget it, with your talent, you still want to improve? It's impossible without popping pills!"

"Haha, Brother Xu is mistaken there. Brother Qi's strength has truly advanced a step further, and I can guarantee that he absolutely did not take any pills!" The blue-robed middle-aged man, Geng Nanfeng, stroked his beard and laughed from the side.

"What? You dare to guarantee that?!"

"That's right, I can vouch for it!" Geng Nanfeng said with certainty.

"Good! Do you dare to make a bet with me?" Xu Chuanzhong's eyes rolled, and a cunning expression appeared on his face.

"A bet? What kind of bet?" Geng Nanfeng asked curiously.

"Do you see this piece of metal in my hand?" Xu Chuanzhong raised his right hand high; in his palm was the piece of universal gold that Long Yuan had given him.

"I see it, what about it? Isn't it just a piece of metal?" Geng Nanfeng said.

"Let's make a bet: if Brother Qi can cause any deformation or damage to this piece of metal, I will believe that he didn't take pills but instead increased his strength through hard training. Otherwise, well, cultivation gained by popping pills like his isn't even worth mentioning!" Xu Chuanzhong sneered.

Upon hearing this, Geng Nanfeng couldn't help but look at Qi Xuming. Given their Heart-Nature, they naturally knew that this old rascal Xu Chuanzhong couldn't be kind enough to just make a bet; there must be some ill intent hidden in it. However, the two of them really didn't believe that the piece of metal was that hard. Not to mention Qi Xuming, even Geng Nanfeng was confident he could cause that piece of metal to deform or sustain damage.

Qi Xuming pondered for a moment. With his current cultivation and the Fireball Technique he had Cultivated, how could he possibly lose in such a bet?

He gave a disdainful smile and said: "If Brother Xu wants to bet, then I, Qi, will naturally accompany you to the end! However..."

"However, what?"

"How can there be a bet without a wager?"

"A wager? What kind of wager do you want?" Xu Chuanzhong asked.

"Hmm, how about this: I'm also quite interested in the piece of metal in your hand. Since you dare to take it out for a bet, it must have some unique features. So, if I can cause some damage or deformation to it, this piece of metal will belong to me, how about that?" Qi Xuming said.

"Fine! But what if you can't do it?" Xu Chuanzhong huffed.

"Can't do it? How is that possible?!" Qi Xuming laughed loudly.

"There is nothing impossible in this world! Just tell me what wager you can put up?" Xu Chuanzhong said loudly.

"Alright, if I can't do it, I'll compensate you with a hundred-year-old ginseng, how about that?" Qi Xuming said dismissively. A hundred-year-old ginseng could serve as a family heirloom for ordinary people, but to him, it was just enough to qualify as a wager.

"A hundred-year-old ginseng? Very well, then it's a bet!" Xu Chuanzhong chuckled and raised his hand, tossing the universal gold to Qi Xuming. To him, this hundred-year-old ginseng was already in the bag.

After receiving the universal gold, Qi Xuming examined it carefully, his eyes shining with brilliance, and he couldn't help but marvel. This piece of metal was truly stunning; not only was it sparkling like beautiful jade, but it was also seamless, without a single flaw to be found. He almost couldn't bear to damage it.

Geng Nanfeng and the two young girls beside him were also dumbfounded. It was their first time seeing such a stunning treasure; did they really have to break it?

Qi Xuming frowned and said: "Brother Xu, are you sure you really want to destroy it?"

"What? You don't have confidence?" Xu Chuanzhong mocked.

"Hehe, I just think it's flawless and don't want to destroy it. Since you say so, then I won't be polite!"

With that, he squeezed hard with his hand!

Everyone stared intently at the metal in his hand, various thoughts racing wildly in their minds...