Chapter 101: The Pay-to-Win Alliance Reasserts Its Power!

At midnight, the Spirit-After Sword danced through the air; Guo Ming took Da Bao’s place and intercepted the Jade-Faced Rakshasa charging toward Chu Danqing.

“Such a fine face—why side with bandits?” Guo Ming said, and the Spirit-After Sword flashed silver, piercing straight for the Jade-Faced Rakshasa’s chest.

The Jade-Faced Rakshasa’s pupils contracted; she hastily brought her sword back to defend.

Though she managed to parry the Spirit-After Sword, she was too slow to evade—it pierced through her shoulder blade in an instant.

Blood splattered, and her left arm went limp.

“You’ve got some skill,” Guo Ming said, surprise flickering across his face.

He could see that aside from her looks, the Jade-Faced Rakshasa’s cultivation was mediocre, her qi crude and shallow.

Yet her swordplay was unexpectedly refined.

Even if she excelled in close combat and sword technique, what did it matter? The gap in strength between them was too vast.

Guo Ming not only had higher base stats, but also superior talents and high-quality skills, plus an illustrious lineage, access to rare treasures and elite mentors—how could she possibly compare?

Just the Chuancheng skill from the Twelve Zodiac Sword Scripture alone must be at least Fine quality.

The Jade-Faced Rakshasa’s skills were high, but at most, only Excellent quality.

“Spit! Damn thief!” The Jade-Faced Rakshasa spat, then turned and fled.

With death looming, she cared for nothing else.

But whether she could escape depended on whether Guo Ming allowed it.

The Spirit-After Sword turned back, its light flashing instantly through the Jade-Faced Rakshasa’s forehead.

Even with her peerless agility, her body dropped lifeless to the ground.

Her death struck terror into her subordinates.

When they snapped out of shock and tried to flee, the Spirit-After Sword had already felled them like a string of candied haws.

Each screamed and wailed, trying to run—but not one could match the Spirit-After Sword’s speed.

Soon, they were all dead.

Guo Ming sheathed the Spirit-After Sword and returned: “Looks like Brother Chu hasn’t had an easy time lately—always being hunted.”

Chu Danqing’s face showed weary resignation: “Bandits are everywhere, and this Grand Coordinator Xiong is being targeted by court schemers—there’s no peace on the road.”

Da Bao returned with a chest—Excellent quality, its patterns shimmering.

Inferior to Cheng Chun’s Excellent-quality chest.

It could very likely yield another basic skill.

Or perhaps it contained the Jade-Faced Rakshasa’s full set of three skills.

After Chu Danqing introduced him, Guo Ming bowed to Xiong Zhigang—just a courtesy.

“Only a few days have passed, and you’ve grown stronger again,” Chu Danqing said, glancing at Guo Ming’s panel.

Last time they met, his five attributes were all 18; now they were all 19.

“Family blessings—I can’t compare to Brother Chu,” Guo Ming noted that Chu Danqing had completed his Five Elements Spirit Seal, and the power bolstering him had grown stronger.

He also realized this power seemed to grow alongside Chu Danqing’s own strength—not fixed.

“This time I came in haste, and I’ve only found two of the secret techniques you requested.”

“Luckily, both are exactly what you need.” Guo Ming handed Chu Danqing two scrolls.

【Skill Scroll: Five Elements Foundation Strengthening Technique】

【Type: Derived Skill】

【Quality: Common】

【Effect: After use, gain the derived skill Five Elements Foundation Strengthening from the Five Elements Spirit Beasts Scripture—increases HP and MP, and improves Dao Foundation quality upon Foundation Establishment at max level】

——

【Skill Scroll: Five Elements Spirit Pearl】

【Type: Derived Skill】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Effect: After use, gain the derived skill Five Elements Spirit Pearl—refine your Five Elements Qi Orbs into Five Elements Spirit Pearls for new effects】

“The Foundation Strengthening Technique pairs with the Nourishing Essence Technique—though crude, it’s effective.”

“This Spirit Pearl isn’t for enhancing beast summoning—it aids your cultivation and can store MP as backup.”

“I heard from my elder brother that besides the Spirit Seal and Spirit Pearl, there are also the Spirit Banner, Spirit Inscription, and Spirit Talisman.”

“If all five are mastered, when your Five Elements Spirit Beasts Scripture is complete, they can form the Lesser Five Elements Spirit Array from the lineage’s Chuancheng .”

“My elder brother has already sent people to find the remaining three sets—they’ll be gathered within ten days.”

“The technique to forge a Lesser Five Elements Dao Foundation in the hands of the Flowing Lotus Recluse is harder to obtain—but I’ve asked Lu Yin to intercede; it’s no problem.”

Guo Ming outlined everything he’d arranged for Chu Danqing in recent days.

“Then… there’s one more thing,” Guo Ming suddenly rubbed his hands and said: “I recall you don’t have a suitable weapon for self-defense.”

“I went out of my way to find you something fitting.” Guo Ming pulled out a nine-jointed staff: “It was incredibly hard to find—even my family couldn’t locate such a low-quality item.”

His challenge was finding an Excellent-quality summoning weapon for Chu Danqing—with emphasis on Excellent quality.

“Ah, you want the Shadow of Cold Spring,” Chu Danqing knew exactly what Guo Ming desired.

He hadn’t used it much anyway—when outnumbered, he just rushed in; when outmatched, he called for help.

With no use for it, he handed it over immediately.

Guo Ming seized it at once, his face alight with joy.

Chu Danqing examined the staff’s details.

【Green Vine Nine-Jointed Staff】

【Type: Equipment · Nine-Jointed Staff】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Durability: 100/100】

【Vine Summoning (Active/Passive): Activate by spending 1 MP, or automatically summon a thorn vine every 10 seconds to fight for you—lasts 1 minute, max 6 vines】

【Equipment Requirement: Spirit 5】

Chu Danqing realized Guo Ming had truly thought this through—he’d found an item similar to the Shadow of Cold Spring, not only fitting his summoning style but also more flexible.

Yet he noticed one thing: this weapon had no direct attack power—it relied entirely on the thorn vines.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t swing it to strike, but damage would be low, and improper use would rapidly drain durability—or destroy it outright.

“Brother Chu, the Shadow of Cold Spring has grown stronger,” Guo Ming said—he was now a temporary ally of Chu Danqing and held partial Dimension Adept permissions, so he could view the Shadow of Cold Spring’s panel.

“I gave it a slight boost,” Chu Danqing replied.

“Then thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Guo Ming immediately tucked it away: “I see you have matters to attend to—could you send me back now?”

He had nothing left to discuss; their last meeting had been less than five days ago.

Better to return and figure out how to strengthen his own Shadow of Cold Spring.

Chu Danqing made no delay—he sent him back immediately. The Leyuan counted the entire hour, even though the conversation and cleanup had taken at least forty minutes.

【Detected unnotarized skill scroll and equipment, provided by alliance partner—you may choose standard notarization or waive notarization】

【1. Notarize: Common quality costs 100 Leyuan points, Excellent quality costs 2000 Leyuan points】

【2. Waive notarization: Item will be returned with you upon dismissal】

【2. Injustices will be returned along with the repatriation】

【Detected Excellent-quality equipment Shadow of Cold Spring (Three True Spirit Awakenings) carried by alliance partner—you may pay a transfer fee to complete transfer or waive transfer】

【Detected: Covenant partner carries an Excellent-tier equipment, Shadow of the Cold Spring (Triple True Spirit Awakening), affiliated with a Reserve Dimensional Apostle. You may choose to pay a processing fee to complete the transfer, or forfeit the transfer】

【2. Waive transfer: Item remains where it is】

（Note: If transferred item later gains quality upgrades or enhancements, no additional fees apply）

（Note: If the transferred item’s quality improves or enhancements increase upon next carrying, no additional fee will be charged）

Two Leyuan prompts followed in quick succession, making Chu Danqing’s heart ache.

He understood Guo Ming’s gifts required notarization—but why charge him a fee for giving away his own item?

The Blood Oath Alliance should be renamed the Pay-to-Win Alliance.

He checked the details: the Excellent-quality equipment transfer fee was 1000 points; the remaining 1500 were for the three awakenings.

Had there been no note, Chu Danqing would have insisted Guo Ming wait until he was wealthier before accepting it.

Given Guo Ming’s fondness for the Shadow of Cold Spring and the Guo family’s wealth, their next meeting might see it upgraded to Fine or beyond.

For Chu Danqing, this was good news.

He completed notarization and transfer—the deduction notice appeared immediately.

【You have returned your alliance partner. Dismissal cognitive rationalization complete. Duration: 1 hour. Cost: 100 Leyuan points】

His Leyuan points shrank again, driving home the hard truth: pay to grow stronger.

“This Guo family’s young master has an unusual background—why have I never heard his name?” Xiong Zhigang asked curiously.

“He’s rather low-key,” Chu Danqing evaded—he couldn’t say Guo Ming was from another world, where his family had produced three generations of prime ministers.

That might violate Leyuan taboos and trigger forced expulsion.

Xiong Zhigang, hearing this, did not press further.

“Master Chu, evil must be eradicated utterly,” Zhao Mingqian approached, having finished clearing the corpses with Da Bao, Yuan Shanhu, and Xiong Zhigang’s old servant.

“With the Jade-Faced Rakshasa gone, Rakshasa Gorge is vulnerable—now is the time to strike,” Yuan Shanhu added.

The Jade-Faced Rakshasa was their core—without her, Rakshasa Gorge was no threat.

The Jade-Faced Rakshasa is the core pillar; without her, Rakshasa Gorge cannot be relied upon.

"I think that makes sense," Xiong Zhigang naturally supported: "Perhaps we can find some clues by searching through the outlaw stronghold of the Jade-Faced Rakshasa."

"If we find the mastermind behind this, we can prepare accordingly."

Leaving aside how the Jade-Faced Rakshasa seized this Rakshasa Gorge and built it up to its current state, simply her age and martial prowess suggest she could not have achieved this without the backing of a major power.

Judging by her age, she is only two or three years older than Zhao Mingqian, yet her strength far surpasses his.

Talent and diligence are indeed important, but the saying "poverty in literature, wealth in martial arts" clearly shows that martial cultivation requires considerable wealth.

Zhao Mingqian is from Canluo, the largest sect in the realm; for the Jade-Faced Rakshasa to so decisively overshadow him, her origins must lie within the imperial court.

Yet the imperial court is rife with factions, and Xiong Zhigang needs clues to confirm which one is behind her.

"It’s feasible, but who among you knows the way?" Chu Danqing asked the critical question.

The Jade-Faced Rakshasa has been able to act with impunity until now not only because of her raw strength and ability, but also because the location of her outlaw stronghold is crucial.

(End of Chapter)