Night.
The betting market closed.
At a secluded spot.
Su Yuan and Senior Brother Gu met.
Su Yuan looked a bit nervous, while Gu Qingzhu appeared calm.
Su Yuan swallowed, saying, "Senior Brother Gu, I'm afraid we can't keep this under wraps. You must have connections with Golden Core Elders, right? How about we share some of the profits to spread the risk?"
Gu Qingzhu's expression was serene, his mind as calm as a lake. He showed a slight smile: "Junior Brother, why are you so flustered? It's just a few Spirit Stones. Can anyone really kill for wealth within the Sect?"
"That's true, but with so many Spirit Stones, I'm genuinely a bit scared! If someone finds out the exact amount, I wouldn't dare to leave my home, not just at night, but even during the day," Su Yuan said with a bitter smile.
Sect Leader Gu patted Su Yuan's shoulder: "Small potatoes, just small potatoes!"
Sect Leader Gu, a dignified Nascent Soul expert, had seen it all. He didn't care about this small betting market at all. He only got involved because he found it interesting. He eagerly awaited Su Yuan's expression when he learned the truth; it would surely be spectacular.
"By the way, how many Spirit Stones are there in the total market?" Sect Leader Gu asked casually.
"Quite a lot. I think we should still find a Golden Core Elder. If we have connections, finding a Nascent Soul Elder would be even better," Su Yuan's voice carried a hint of astonishment.
"Tell me," Sect Leader Gu waved his hand.
"1.38 billion Spirit Stones!" Su Yuan blurted out.
Sect Leader Gu, who had been standing calmly, lost his footing and swayed, almost falling over. He quickly regained his balance with his profound Cultivation, but his body still trembled slightly!
He widened his eyes, placing both hands on Su Yuan's shoulders, his breathing slightly hurried as he asked, "How much? How much did you say?"
Su Yuan's face flushed red, and he said uncomfortably, "Senior Brother… gently!"
Sect Leader Gu came to his senses, quickly released his hands, and personally straightened the wrinkles on Su Yuan's clothes at the shoulders, smiling amiably: "Uh, I didn't hear clearly just now, Junior Brother Su, how much did you say it was?"
"Um, 1.38 billion Spirit Stones!" Su Yuan repeated.
Though Sect Leader Gu had calmed down, he was still very shocked: "How could there be so many?"
Su Yuan explained, "Some Disciples asked if they could use contribution points instead of Spirit Stones for betting. I thought it was fine, so I agreed. I didn't expect it to grow so much! Also, this is the first time the betting market has opened for the Grand Competition, and everyone wants to get involved and participate, so this amount isn't too exaggerated."
This isn't exaggerated?
Sect Leader Gu gasped, already pondering how to spend so many Spirit Stones. The important thing was, he earned this money. Even if he gave half to the Sect, he would still have half!
"How many Spirit Stones do you expect to earn?" Sect Leader Gu asked, his voice slightly hurried.
"Not much, maybe one or two hundred million," Su Yuan replied.
This drop in magnitude caused Sect Leader Gu's expression to change instantly: "How could it only be this much?"
"This is already a lot!" Su Yuan coughed, "Didn't we initially only aim to earn a few million Spirit Stones?"
Sect Leader Gu took a deep breath: "The past is the past, and now is now. Since there's an Opportunity to earn so many Spirit Stones, we should naturally earn as much as possible!"
Su Yuan sighed: "There's no helping it. Too many people. Later, the information became transparent, and everyone regained their rationality, so the success rate of betting isn't low. If it weren't for the competitive factor between the various peaks, we wouldn't earn much at all, and might even lose! We're lucky."
"Oh? Which peak is most likely to win?" Sect Leader Gu recalled the information and asked, "Is it Lingjue Peak?"
"Exactly!" Su Yuan affirmed, "Although Lingjue Peak doesn't have anyone in the top five, it has three in the top ten! Lingjue Peak excels in spiritual power, both in quality and quantity, especially in arena battles. Many fights turn into prolonged battles, increasing their chances of victory! Many Disciples from other peaks even bought Lingjue Peak to win across peaks!"
Sect Leader Gu fell into thought upon hearing this.
His gaze involuntarily fell upon Su Yuan.
Su Yuan felt a bit uneasy under the scrutiny. He coughed and said, "How about we still ask a Golden Core Elder to step forward? We can't control so many Spirit Stones."
Sect Leader Gu smiled and nodded: "You have a point. I'll find someone to back us up. At that time, some of the profits might be distributed, just be aware of that. Of course, I won't shortchange you on your share! You'll get at least three million."
Su Yuan's expression relaxed slightly. Even if it was only three million, he would be very content.
Sect Leader Gu suddenly said, "During the Grand Competition, there are certain restrictions on Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and the like, but fewer restrictions on Magical Artifacts, because being able to activate a Magical Artifact is also part of one's own ability. I remember you don't have any good Magical Artifacts, do you?"
Su Yuan was startled: "Senior Brother Gu, what do you mean? I'm not participating in the Grand Competition this time!"
Sect Leader Gu looked at Su Yuan strangely. He had checked, and Su Yuan had already signed up. Did he still want to lie to him?
Sect Leader Gu continued, "I'll give you a Magical Artifact as a reward in advance. After all, you've put in so much effort."
"Oh? Really?" Su Yuan said in surprise.
"Naturally. What type of Magical Artifact do you need?"
"Uh, do you have a set of sword-type Magical Artifacts? Preferably seven or more!" Su Yuan said expectantly.
"Seven?" Sect Leader Gu was startled, "A Qi Refining Realm Cultivator is doing well if he can activate two!"
"Uh, I just need them as spares. What if one gets damaged?" Su Yuan said.
"Alright, I'll look!"
Sect Leader Gu's Divine Sense entered his Storage Ring, and he began searching.
Su Yuan scratched his head. Senior Brother Gu's words had a very wealthy and powerful tone. As expected of a Core Disciple!
Although he was a Core Seed Disciple, he still hadn't felt any difference between this identity and that of an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple.
'Three hundred years ago, I seem to have collected a set of top-grade sword-type Magical Artifacts. Where did I put them?'
Sect Leader Gu's Divine Sense swept back and forth within the enormous Storage Ring, quickly locating a sword box.
Sect Leader Gu's eyes lit up: "Found it!"
Then he waved his hand, and a massive sword box appeared before the two of them.
Su Yuan jumped in surprise. This sword box was as tall as a person and extremely wide, looking like a thick door panel.
"This..." Su Yuan was stunned.
Sect Leader Gu patted the sword box, chuckling, "This is one of my collections! How is it?"
Su Yuan curiously examined the sword box, unable to discern anything, and shook his head, "I can't tell anything."
Sect Leader Gu smiled faintly, waved his hand to lift the lid, and the sword box opened.
A dense Sword Qi immediately surged skyward!
The vast Sword Qi rushed out like a storm in all directions. When it impacted Gu Qingzhu, it felt like a gentle breeze, but when it blew onto Su Yuan, his body was like a bottomless pit, effortlessly absorbing the overflowing Sword Qi.
Far from being harmed, Su Yuan actually felt very comfortable.
"Hmm?" Gu Qingzhu was stunned. He had initially wanted to see Su Yuan make a fool of himself, but at this moment, he was truly surprised. This kid was very unusual!
Su Yuan looked up. Inside the sword box, there were a total of nine Flying Swords! They emitted sword halos of various colors: green, red, white, purple, yellow, black, gray, blue, and so on!
Upon each sword body, sharp Sword Qi intertwined. They seemed to connect with each other, their auras resonating, vibrating the air, and startling to the heart!
Sect Leader Gu introduced, "These nine Flying Swords are all top-grade Magical Artifacts! They were refined by a Great Master of Artifact Refining in one go, and they have extremely close connections to each other. Paired with the sword box, they form a complete set of swords, greatly reducing the difficulty of control. They can be said to be the best of the best, and their name seems to be the Nine Stars Linked Pearl Sword!"
Su Yuan looked at these swords and began to doubt Gu Qingzhu's identity. He felt that the identity of a Core Disciple was insufficient; he must at least be a True Disciple or a Golden Core Elder.
This set of Magical Artifacts was simply too perfect. One must know that top-grade Magical Artifacts are very difficult to refine; they can only be produced after meticulous refinement, with no flaws or imperfections. Even a first-tier top-grade Magical Artifact is not easy to refine.
Yet here, a full nine of them appeared at once, and they even formed a complete set, their value immeasurable! They had reached the level of collectibles!
This Senior Brother Gu was very unusual!
Su Yuan slowly raised his head, swallowing, and asked, "Senior Brother Gu, are you really giving this to me?"
"It's for you! If you don't want it, I'll take it back!" Gu Qingzhu extended his hand.
Su Yuan quickly reached out and placed his hand on the sword box, then his Divine Sense enveloped the entire sword box, placing it into his Storage Pouch. The entire Storage Pouch was instantly crammed full.
Su Yuan was in high spirits.
Sect Leader Gu also smiled and nodded: "Very good. If this cooperation can be successfully completed, I will give you a great Opportunity!"
Su Yuan said indifferently, "Those Spirit Stones are enough; they're enough for me to Cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Realm! As for Opportunities, I won't force it!"
"Hmm?"
Sect Leader Gu looked at Su Yuan in confusion, suspecting that he had some misunderstanding about Spirit Stones above three million, thinking that was only enough for Foundation Establishment? It was enough to reach the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment!
"Cough cough, alright, I'll get busy now. You should also go back and refine the Magical Artifact! These are top-grade Magical Artifacts, and refining and controlling them won't be easy. You'll need to spend some time! Who knows, you might even get to use them," Sect Leader Gu hinted.
"Mm." Su Yuan nodded casually.
He was naturally looking forward to the performance after refining the top-grade Magical Artifacts. He had created the "Seven Stars Profound Truth Sword Scripture" himself, but hadn't personally used it yet!
The two parted ways, each returning to their residences. As for the Spirit Stones from the betting market? They were temporarily Sealed at the Main Peak's Martial Arts Plaza.
Upon returning to his residence, Su Yuan eagerly took out the sword box and played with the Flying Swords.
"Good swords, truly good swords!"
Su Yuan was extremely delighted. His Divine Sense probed into a sword, and he unexpectedly sensed a faint spirituality!
"This is..." Su Yuan was pleasantly surprised.
"This is the rhythm of transforming into a Spiritual Artifact!"
He was greatly surprised. One must know that Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm use Spiritual Artifacts, and the difference between a Spiritual Artifact and a Magical Artifact lies in its spirituality!
With spirituality, a Magical Artifact gains a "Soul," becoming autonomous. This can reduce the Cultivator's consumption, lower the difficulty of control, and also enhance the Spiritual Artifact's power.
And within this Flying Sword, a trace of spirituality had been nurtured!
He quickly checked the other Flying Swords, and indeed, each sword contained a trace of spirituality!
He then examined the sword box and found the sword-nurturing spiritual patterns within it. The efficiency of these spiritual patterns for nurturing was very low. How long must these Flying Swords have been nurtured to develop a trace of spirituality?
"What exactly is Senior Brother Gu's identity? He just gives away such Magical Artifacts, worth at least a million Spirit Stones combined!"
The more Su Yuan looked, the more he liked them. He immediately began to inject his Profound Truth Qi and Divine Sense to refine them. As for the Grand Competition? It didn't matter. He just had to wait for his share of the money!
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