Chapter 429: The Xian Sect Grand Competition Begins

Although it was called the "Free Trade Zone," the Xiang Jianzong allowed outside cultivators to set up stalls here, and whether one made or lost money depended entirely on one's own eye.

But a little procedure was still required.

One had to first apply at the Alchemy Cauldron Pavilion, pay a fee of two hundred spirit coins, then see if there were any empty stalls available, and only after obtaining the relevant certificate could one start setting up a stall.

Normally it took three to five days to get approved, and if one wanted to set up again afterward, one had to reapply — somewhat similar to what was called a "black market" in ancient times.

Originally it had only been meant to train the eye of the disciples under the Alchemy Cauldron Pavilion, but somehow it had taken off.

Zhao Ruohan naturally couldn't wait three to five days, since the Xian Sect Grand Competition would have already started by then.

So, Chi Jiuyu had to act as guarantor.

With a Xiang Jianzong disciple as guarantor, the certificate could be obtained in no time.

Alchemy Cauldron Pavilion, Business Processing Area.

Through Chi Jiuyu's channel, after taking the Xiang Jianzong disciples' internal passage, it was quickly Zhao Ruohan's turn.

"Hello, I plan to sell some idle items in the 'Free Trade Zone.'" As she spoke, she handed over two spirit coins with a denomination of one hundred each.

Nowadays, the physical forms of spirit coins on the Central Continent came in two types: "paper" and "coin."

Both were currency made by sealing an equivalent amount of spiritual energy within them using the latest generation of "Spirit-Locking" technology, and the spiritual energy lost over a hundred years would not exceed one ten-thousandth of the total.

They were jointly issued by the Qidaxian Sect and the Orthodox Alliance — after all, it was a well-established system.

Generally speaking, no one would be stupid enough to make "counterfeit coins." Putting aside the great risk, they would be locked onto by the method of tracing cause to effect.

Moreover, the value of a spirit coin was tied to the amount of spiritual energy contained within it, so counterfeiting made it very hard to recoup the cost.

"I'm acting as her guarantor." Chi Jiuyu added from the side.

"……"

What does Little Uncle Ancestor want to do this time?

"Alright, please wait a moment."

Whatever she wanted to do, Little Uncle Ancestor had been a strange one for far more than a day or two — as long as it followed procedure, it was fine.

"Please show your identity certificate."

"Oh." Chi Jiuyu took out the identity jade token from her storage ring and handed it over.

And so, with her guarantee, Zhao Ruohan successfully obtained a certificate valid for one day.

……

……

Soon, the two left the Alchemy Cauldron Pavilion and came outside.

Passing through the bustling crowd, they finally stopped in a relatively remote corner.

All the better spots had been picked over, and what was left were some out-of-the-way places — this one already counted as pretty good!

Just as Zhao Ruohan took out a spirit-wood table and was about to lay out the things she wanted to sell.

Chi Jiuyu, whose eyes had been glancing around, suddenly said: "Quick, look, Little Zhao — that looks like your brother."

"Hmm?"

Zhao Ruohan looked up and saw her own brother squeezed into the bustling crowd, staring at his phone screen and grinning foolishly.

"……" This guy was beyond saving. "He's not important."

Still the same old line.

"Tsk tsk."

Chi Jiuyu clicked her tongue twice, took out a small stool, and sat down.

Her Hehuan Laozu was here today to set up a stall too!

Zhao Ruohan withdrew her gaze, thought for a moment, and still spread a brocade woven from the silk of the Illusory Cloud Silkworm King over the spirit-wood table.

The Illusory Cloud Silkworm was a special spirit insect of the Illusory Cloud Star System.

It lived among the clouds of specific planets, fed on Clear Cloud Primordial Qi, and the silk it spun was extremely tough, with a certain anti-law effect — top-grade material for crafting dharma robes.

Out of ten thousand Illusory Cloud Silkworms, only one King Silkworm emerged, and it spun only nine feet of silk in a year.

Not to mention that its effects comprehensively surpassed ordinary silk — dharma robes made from brocade woven with it, if worn for a long time, could also cleanse the root bone and repair hidden injuries.

To actually use this as a tablecloth……

Chi Jiuyu curled her lip, already used to it.

She had now accepted the setting that Little Zhao was very rich.

After laying down the tablecloth and arranging the items to be sold, Zhao Ruohan also set up a wooden sign — 【Only accepting barter, special spirit-plant seeds prioritized】.

Spirit-plant seeds?

"Little Zhao, you seem to really like growing things, huh?"

Zhao Ruohan pressed her lips together: "Just a hobby."

"Oh, I thought it had something to do with your innate divine ability." Chi Jiuyu said casually while playing with her phone.

"……"

Hmm?

After getting no reply for a while, she raised her head, just about to say something.

Only to find that Zhao Ruoming had somehow already arrived in front of the stall, his gaze strange: "You're setting up a stall?"

Zhao Ruohan's gaze held a hint of pity: "Yes."

"……"

What the hell are you pitying me for!

"Yo! Brother Dog, how many catties of tea leaves have you bought lately?" Chi Jiuyu greeted him.

Zhao Ruoming's face darkened, and he suddenly felt that coming over had been a complete mistake.

"Zhiwei isn't that kind of person."

After saying that, he turned to leave—there was no need to waste time on these two mentally unstable people.

But the next moment, a voice from the side made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Senior sister?"

"Ye Shijie Jiuyu?!"

Confusion and delight.

The newcomers were Zhang Yunlu and Lin Xuanxuan.

As for why Lin Xuanxuan also called Chi Jiuyu "senior sister," according to her explanation—

"We're all buddies!"

"Ah, it's little Yunlu and little Lin," Chi Jiuyu said warmly, "this is little Zhao, Zhao Ruohan, a real fairy, and that one is Brother Dog, Zhao's older brother."

Who the hell is Brother Dog!

"This is my junior sister Zhang Yunlu, and that's Lin Xuanxuan from Jishi Valley, a genius alchemist."

As for why Zhang Yunlu didn't get any extra introduction…

She's Chi Jiuyu's junior sister! That alone proves how awesome she is!

"Hello," Zhao Ruohan nodded slightly.

"Hello," Zhang Yunlu replied calmly.

"Hello, Ye Shijie Zhao!" Lin Xuanxuan was very enthusiastic, "and Senior Brother Gou…"

"My name is Zhao Ruoming," Zhao Ruoming hurriedly said.

"Huh?" Lin Xuanxuan looked flustered, "You're not the one who got cried over in last year's Xian Sect competition… Sorry, sorry!"

"…"

You might as well just call me Senior Brother Dog.

Damn it!

How does everyone know about this!

He took a deep breath, suppressed his disbelief, and forced a smile.

He'd stopped because he realized Lin Xuanxuan was an alchemist from Jishi Valley.

Since she's one of Jishi Valley's competitors in the Xian Sect tournament, she must know Zhiwei—after all, Zhiwei is so outstanding.

As he thought this, his gloom vanished completely, and his smile grew even more "genuine."

Lin Xuanxuan nervously shuffled behind Zhang Yunlu, secretly clutching a few poison pills that could knock someone unconscious.

Zhang Yunlu also regarded him seriously. Zhao Ruohan: "..."

Turning to Chi Jiuyu, she said seriously, "This time, I will definitely beat you."

Chi Jiuyu: "..."

Wait, does his innate divine ability actually have some side effect?

"Ahem!" Zhao Ruoming also sensed something was off—he cleared his throat and regained composure. "Ye Shijie Lin, since you're an alchemist from Jishi Valley, do you know someone named Ye Zhiwei?"

Ye Zhiwei…

"What do you want?!" Lin Xuanxuan's eyes filled with suspicion.

Zhao Ruoming's tone was sincere: "Ye Shijie Lin, I'm in love with Zhiwei."

Zhao Ruohan explained coolly: "Online romance."

Zhao Ruoming's expression turned solemn: "We've been in contact for a year and a half."

Zhao Ruohan placed a jar of tea leaves on the table: "Bought two hundred jin of tea leaves."

!

Zhao Ruoming pulled out his phone and showed Lin Xuanxuan the avatar labeled "Zhiwei": "We agreed to meet after the tournament, but since last night, I haven't been able to reach her. So I wanted to ask you—what are Zhiwei's hobbies? So I can prepare some gifts."

Zhao Ruohan sighed helplessly and looked at Lin Xuanxuan, who was still hiding behind Zhang Yunlu: "You understand now, right?"

Zhang Yunlu: "..."

Such an old scam.

Someone actually fell for it.

He turned to Chi Jiuyu and found she had somehow produced a bowl of sunflower seeds and was watching the scene with great interest.

Hearing this, Lin Xuanxuan slowly stepped out from behind Zhang Yunlu.

"Don't you realize you've been tricked?"

So that's it!

"No, no, Zhiwei isn't that kind of person," Zhao Ruoming said firmly, pointing at a message on his phone screen. "This is love!"

Oh no, this kid is truly beyond saving!

But the next words from Lin Xuanxuan left everyone stunned.

"Hmm… I'm not sure if it's the same person, but I do have a senior sister named Ye Zhiwei, and over the past year she's given away a lot of tea leaves."

Ahhh…!

There really is such a person!

"Given? Not bought?" Zhao Ruohan frowned at the tea leaves on the table.

"She never asked me for a single spirit coin—those were all gifts I bought for her!" Zhao Ruoming's voice grew heated. "The tea leaves were just her return gifts!"

Chi Jiuyu, who had been cracking sunflower seeds, suddenly seemed to remember something and opened the joint announcement issued by all Gedaxian Sects.

"Hey! Isn't there a Ye Zhiwei among the Soul Transformation competitors from Jishi Valley?!"

"Yeah, Ye Shijie Ye is really impressive!" Lin Xuanxuan turned to Zhao Ruoming. "After arriving at Jian Sect yesterday, she went straight to alchemy—if it's really her, she probably hasn't seen your messages."

"Let me see!"

Zhao Ruohan, heart racing, reached out to snatch Chi Jiuyu's phone.

But Chi Jiuyu casually dispersed his magic power: "Don't you have one yourself?"

"Oh! Sorry, sorry! Hahaha!" He snapped back to reality, fumbling to pull out his phone. "It's definitely! It's definitely!"

At that moment, a towering, imposing man over eight feet tall walked over.

He rubbed his shiny bald head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Uh… are you guys selling things here?"

He glanced uncertainly at Zhao Ruohan, then opened his massive palm—inside lay an open jade box.

On deep red velvet rested a seed no larger than a fingertip, its interior a jade-green hue, adorned with purple patterns.

"Can you tell me where this seed came from?"

"Found it by accident—I have no idea what it is."

More precisely, it was found during the last Outer Realm Trial, when I and my junior uncle wiped out the Purple Qing Monastery.

"I was hoping to find a gullible Jishi Valley buyer this time and offload it."

Lin Xuanxuan: "..."

I hate cultivators of the body the most!

Zhao Ruohan thought for a moment: "Pick any two items from the table. Trade them for your seed, how about that?"

"Done!"

He'd only hoped to get something in return.

Then, the giant left with the brocade woven from the Phantom Cloud Silkworm King's silk and a vial of potion.

Zhao Ruohan also left soon after, his expression electric with excitement.

He was probably heading to find Ye Zhiwei.

Chi Jiuyu cracked sunflower seeds, tossing a handful to Zhao Ruohan: "Never thought there really was such a person."

"Not certain yet."

Zhao Ruohan took down the jar of tea leaves from the table.

"It might not be the same person."

…

…

That day, Zhao Ruohan failed to meet Ye Zhiwei.

Due to his overly… 'abnormal' demeanor, he was apprehended by Jishi Valley's team leader as soon as he arrived nearby and handed over to the Xiang Jianzong's Silutang patrol disciples.

Though the Xian Sect Grand Competition had been held many times, this was the first time a contestant had been caught and imprisoned for trespassing into other Xian Sect teams' quarters to harass fellow competitors.

Master Xiao Yu was utterly stunned upon hearing the news.

Wait, Junior Uncle, are you messing with me?

Though speechless, he still had to go retrieve him.

Without delay, he abandoned his plans with Ziyue… and rushed off to the Xiang Jianzong's Silutang to fetch him.

To prevent him from causing more trouble, after retrieving him, Master Xiao Yu consulted the sect and had him locked up.

After this ordeal, Zhao Ruohan finally calmed down and began preparing for the upcoming Xian Sect Grand Competition.

Since Zhiwei… Ye Zhiwei is also entering the Xian Sect Grand Competition, he must work even harder, so he can meet her during the competition.

Otherwise, he might get eliminated before even seeing her…

In short, Zhao Ruohan, after all this, finally ignited his fighting spirit.

Time slipped away, and as the competition rules were fully released, most contestants no longer acted casually.

Even Chi Jiuyu, who claimed he was just here to "kill time," quietly sought out Bie Xuening to refine his "Destruction of the Four Symbols" technique before time ran out.

The Hehuan Sect was different: aside from the three who had attained the Supreme Legacy of "True Self," the rest were still slacking.

The Charm Cultivators, Celestial Humans, and Joy Cultivators all continued to loaf.

As for Charm Cultivators, no point in pushing harder—they'd never outdo those freaks anyway. Better to livestream and grab some traffic!

Celestial Humans, among the rarest of modern cultivators who've broken the cycle, focus not on immediate cultivation but on adjusting their mindset.

Joy Cultivators need no explanation—they're even fewer than Celestial Humans, walking the path of planting golden lotuses in fire; rushing won't help.

Thus, the remaining three days passed swiftly, and finally, the day of the Xian Sect Grand Competition arrived.

Compared to previous years' bustle, this year's Xian Sect Grand Competition felt unusually "quiet."

Inside the modest open-air arena,

the sky was clear, the sun bright.

Floating in the distance were several cloud platforms; before them hung a tiny, marble-sized sphere, motionless.

Within it, the myriad faces of life were frozen in place.

It was the Xuanxiang Realm—the trial ground for this Xian Sect Grand Competition!

Hum~!

A chilling sword intent shattered the clouds.

A streak of swordlight, appearing from nowhere, landed atop the central cloud platform, taking form as an ancient, ethereal elder with white hair and a youthful face, clad in a purple-gold sect leader's robe.

Master Du Ruoheng, Sect Leader of the Xiang Jianzong! (End of Chapter)