Chapter 90: Master Sheng

Hearing this, Tu Yao narrowed his eyes but did not respond, instead changing the subject to ask:

“Master Sheng, our Fuzhou City obtained the Qilin blood only through an extremely rare chance, yet we know nothing of its origin.”

“You just said the Qilin blood appears roughly once every sixty years—where exactly does it come from? Does the Qilin, a divine beast of fire, truly exist?”

The gray-robed elder, Sheng Shi’an, shook his head and said:

“Has anyone truly seen the divine beast Qilin? No one in the martial world has. But most believe it must exist—otherwise, how could Qilin blood have continuously appeared over so many centuries?”

Tu Yao’s expression turned thoughtful:

“Then has no one ever tried to find the fire Qilin?”

“Of course, many have searched in the past. But after hundreds or even thousands of years without success, few now bother seeking such an elusive divine beast.”

Sheng Shi’an spoke with lowered eyes, then shifted his tone:

“Yet whenever Qilin blood appears, it sparks a new wave of searches for the divine beast. The martial world will likely grow quite lively in the coming days.”

Hearing this, Tu Yao slowly nodded and fell silent for a moment, choosing not to press further on the matter.

His gaze returned to the wooden boat below where Li Muxian sat, and he asked:

“That martial expert who snatched over a hundred jade plaques from afar—what do you think of his strength, Master Sheng? Could you stop him if he acted?”

The gray-robed elder Sheng Shi’an fell silent for several breaths, his aged face clouded with thought, then said:

“The method he used to seize the jade plaques resembled the sword-controlling technique of the martial world, but perhaps due to the distance, I detected no trace of sword qi.”

He slowly turned his head toward Tu Yao and added:

“I have never clashed with him, so I cannot judge his true strength precisely—but without doubt, he is unquestionably a Tianren cultivator. Moreover, his ability to conceal his presence is extraordinary; we must treat him with utmost caution.”

Tu Yao gave a slight nod and said:

“With you and me personally watching him, there should be little danger. But…”

His gaze fixed on Li Muxian’s wooden boat below, and he narrowed his eyes:

“Master Sheng, have you never suspected that the one who acted earlier might have been him?”

“I’ve roamed the martial world for most of my life—what kind of people haven’t I seen? He’s just a young boy. You don’t seriously believe there exists a martial genius who reached Tianren at such a young age?”

The gray-robed elder Sheng Shi’an directly dismissed Tu Yao’s suspicion, saying:

“Ever since the jade plaques were snatched en masse, I’ve kept my eyes on him. I can confirm—he shows no trace of true qi, nor any sign of having acted.”

“Moreover, I’ve observed—he is not disguised. Thus, there is only one plausible explanation: they are both of great background, with powerful allies behind them.”

Hearing this, Tu Yao said nothing—he too felt the idea unlikely, and had only asked casually.

Then he spoke softly:

“There’s still time before the final trial begins. We should be able to uncover their identities.”

…

Not long after, as the vortex at the center of the underground lake ceased spinning, a deep, bell-like gong echoed from the darkness above.

Immediately after, a resonant voice drifted down:

“The time has come. All honored guests, cease your competition for jade plaques.”

Simultaneously, all vortices on the lake vanished rapidly, and every wooden boat gradually came to a standstill.

Two hundred and ten wooden boats floated around the lake’s heart, dim or bright, like scattered stars in twilight.

Then, from the darkness above, ten black iron chains suddenly descended.

The chains precisely fastened to the iron clasps of ten wooden boats lit by candlelight, then dragged them swiftly toward the lake’s center.

Li Muxian and Li Yuanling’s boat was among those ten; they let themselves be pulled, and soon arrived at the lake’s heart.

Soon, a rumbling roar rose from beneath the lake’s center—the water before them split rapidly, revealing a stone-and-wood ramp descending into the depths.

The ramp led to the lake’s bottom, where a circular pit, several feet across, yawned in utter darkness, occasionally spilling forth the sound of rushing water.

“The top ten honored guests shall enter the final trial through this path.”

The resonant voice echoed above the ten boats, then continued:

“Boat No. 21, accumulated marks: one hundred ninety—ranked first!”

No sooner had the words ended than the iron chains binding Li Muxian and Li Yuanling’s boat tugged violently, hauling it forward into the ramp ahead of all others.

At the same time, the nine other boats floating nearby all turned their gazes toward Li Muxian and Li Yuanling.

Many wore expressions of wariness, especially three women on one boat—upon seeing the pile of jade plaques on the boat, they immediately recognized the culprit who had stolen their own plaques.

“It’s her!”

Shu Wan’er and the others had recognized Li Yuanling on the boat—they never imagined the woman who had once been stripped of every jade plaque now stood as the overwhelming, unchallenged leader in total count.

Li Yuanling, too, noticed the three women staring at her. She immediately held up her pile of jade plaques and directly faced them, flaunting them without mercy.

Then, glancing at their pitiful handful—fewer than ten plaques—she sneered, turned away, and refused to look back, dripping with mockery.

Shu Wan’er and the others’ expressions darkened instantly, yet they still cast wary glances at Li Muxian and Li Yuanling before turning away in silence.

The scene of their jade plaques being snatched from afar still burned in their memories—the martial strength of the one who acted was too terrifying; they dared not confront Li Yuanling and her companion.

In a corner among the remaining nine boats, a seemingly unremarkable vessel held Zhang He, who narrowed his eyes as he watched Li Muxian’s boat vanish into the ramp. Only then did he quietly turn to Han Meiyan before him:

“Holy Maiden, do you know who I just saw?”

Han Meiyan sensed his gaze and turned toward the ramp, speaking gravely:

“Both of them have mediocre martial cultivation. To gather so many jade plaques, they must have powerful backing. Avoid provoking them unless absolutely necessary.”

Zhang He bowed quickly and said:

“Holy Maiden, rest assured—I understand this well. But perhaps you don’t know—I’ve actually met this man before.”

“And… he is the Eighth Imperial Prince recently acknowledged by Emperor Yuanwu.”

Hearing this, Han Meiyan’s expression shifted sharply, her eyes gleaming as she fixed them on Zhang He:

“Are you certain?”

“I confirmed it with Song Shanyue—absolutely certain!” Zhang He nodded.

For a moment, Han Meiyan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she murmured:

“Then this is an excellent candidate for defection.”

(End of Chapter)