Chapter 246

"Take your positions, take your positions!" Su Lin shouted, holding a script rolled into a trumpet shape.

"Song Shuhang's Senior Gao Sheng has already entered the arena. Has Ye Fan's prop been brought? Got it? Go ahead then."

"Weigong Shilang, Weigong Shilang, where are you? Hurry up and film—the special effects are all ready for you."

Weigong Shilang stepped out from the crowd, holding a script, and hesitated: "Do I really have to say this line? Isn't it too over-the-top?"

"Why worry? This scene's been ultra-enhanced for you. After filming, you can go back to work. Honestly, don't work yourself to death every day—staying back to relax isn't bad either." Su Lin shouted again to the crowd: "The Exotic Objects Competition proceeds as normal. Everyone not delivering lines can just do their own thing—no need to notify anyone else, understood?"

"You're the director, you decide." Xiao Yan shrugged.

Su Lin put away the script and said:

"OK! First scene of the Forbidden Series—action!"

"Liu Li Ge, get ready! We're going on!"

"By the way, who's fighting today? Place a bet for me."

"Senior Gao, can the Heavenly Dao Wonders still be used as prizes?" Seeing Qu Yanping voiced his doubt, while silently estimating the number of cultivators around—already hundreds, and still growing.

The figures given by the mortal government were surely meant to calm hearts—the real number might be a hundred times higher…

"Senior Qu clearly never entered the Cultivation Realm in his entire life," said Gao Sheng, portrayed by Song Shuhang, smiling warmly.

"The number of Heavenly Dao Wonders isn't large, but it's far from small—some are strong, some weak. Who knows what this year's wonder will be? If it's one of those unidentified negative wonders, you're in deep trouble~"

Negative wonders? Another new piece of information—do Heavenly Dao Wonders come in positive and negative types?

Before he could ask further, Gao Sheng continued on his own: "Seventeen years ago, a water tribe cultivator obtained a Law Fruit, didn't identify it, and swallowed it. Guess what happened?"

"What happened?" Seeing Qu Yanping politely chimed in.

Gao Sheng grinned mischievously: "He could never go into water again—anytime he did, his cultivation energy vanished completely. Hahaha!"

A water tribe member who couldn't enter water…

"That's pretty tragic," Seeing Qu Yanping laughed along, surprised such side effects existed. "Forgive my ignorance, Senior Qu—what kind of Law Fruit did this water tribe cultivator obtain?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Sheng actually looked envious.

"It was a remnant of a Sun God's Law. Though cursed by the Sea God and shunned by all waters, as long as he never entered the sea, he remained the Sun God of the mortal world."

"Instant ascension!"

Seeing Qu Yanping felt as if he'd just heard a tale from a mortal storybook—but then he remembered his own fortune, and the wings that could halt time. Compared to that, divine relics weren't so strange after all.

There's a saying in the mortal world: Life is a play.

"Do you know what this year's Heavenly Dao Wonder is?" Seeing Qu Yanping asked casually.

"I heard it's a jade flute and a musical score retrieved by Lord Dongting from an ancient battlefield. No one knows its exact function," Gao Sheng replied, then pulled out a dozen Spirit Stones and said to Seeing Qu Yanping: "Senior Qu, betting's about to close—want to join me for some fun?"

So it's a musical-type Heavenly Dao Wonder?

Before Seeing Qu Yanping could think further, he instinctively wanted to refuse Gao Sheng's offer—those Spirit Stones exceeded his entire net worth.

'If I refuse, I'll seem uncooperative. I should chat more with this Gao Sheng to gather more information.'

'It's just one Spirit Stone—I can always go work in a factory if I lose.'

'Besides, I might not even lose.'

After weighing his options, Seeing Qu Yanping smiled and said: "Alright, perfect chance to experience the charm of the Exotic Objects Competition."

He followed Gao Sheng to a group of elegant palace-dressed women with identical attire and beautiful faces. Cultivators rushed forward to hand over Spirit Stones, and the women returned each with a golden paper slip of varying sizes.

It looked like purchasing a voucher? Seeing Qu Yanping observed briefly and understood the rules.

"My core flying knife! This pill! All as collateral!" A familiar voice rang out ahead: "I'm betting on A-Qi!"

"Understood, please wait a moment," the palace-dressed woman calculated and said: "Approximately two thousand Spirit Stones. Do you accept?"

The voice was resolute: "Accepted! All-in!"

"Kuangdao Sanlang, you're overdoing it again. If you keep this up, you'll bet away your underwear," said a man dressed like a Confucian scholar, shaking his head. "Small bets are fun; big bets ruin your body."

Kuangdao Sanlang?!

Kuangdao Sanlang?!

That cultivator was already dead! Seeing Qu Yanping's spine chilled with shock.

He had seen the man named Kuangdao Sanlang pierced through by Zui Ri's sword, torn apart by countless sword qi—how could this be?! But the voice—yes, unmistakably that cultivator's.

"Shut up! If it weren't for that bastard Zui Xing stabbing me in the back, I'd already be rich by now, aaaaah!" Kuangdao Sanlang turned, eyes red, furious at the man behind him.

"That guy's qi is withered, can't even stand straight—how's he supposed to fight A-Qi? That's a man even I couldn't defeat."

"This time I'm guaranteed profit! I'm winning! Even Mr. Guangming can't stop me!"

"Sir, your betting slip," the palace-dressed woman handed him a stack.

Kuangdao Sanlang took the slips, glanced at them, and gripped them tightly—as if clutching his future.

He turned and walked away from the front, stopping suddenly as he passed Seeing Qu Yanping.

'His cultivation level shouldn't be able to detect my Tianmu Technique's surveillance.'

'Could he have some secret treasure? But that's a technique even rare in the Immortal Realm—only a few great divine beings in mortal legends possess it.'

Seeing Qu Yanping's heart tightened, forcing himself to remain calm and stand still.

"You," Kuangdao Sanlang rubbed his chin and spoke, "are Gao Sheng, right?"

"Senior Kuangdao Sanlang, long time no see! Didn't expect you to win the resurrection match so fast—congratulations!" Gao Sheng raised his hand with a cheerful smile.

"Congrats my ass! I lost the Heavenly Dao Wonder and the True Dragon Egg, got hunted for seven days and nights, and now I've lost three days straight here!" Kuangdao Sanlang cursed, then said to Gao Sheng: "Good nephew, got any Spirit Stones? Lend me one—I'll go get a bowl of noodles."

Gao Sheng's eyelid twitched, forcing a stiff smile: "Senior Kuangdao Sanlang… really, you've got to stop."

Without realizing it, Senior Kuangdao Sanlang had bet everything he owned in reality—if he wasn't mistaken, that was his core "flying sword."

Kuangdao Sanlang chuckled, slinging an arm around Gao Sheng's shoulder, pointing in a direction:

"See over there? Yes, that old woman with hair almost all white—how's she supposed to fight A-Qi?"

"I scouted ahead already, even chatted with her. She said herself she's just here to participate—she hasn't fought anyone in years. Her biggest hobbies are mentoring disciples and drinking tea."

"Listen to me, bet everything on Ah Qi later."

Kuangdao Sanlang slapped Gao Sheng on the shoulder, gave him a thumbs-up, then left, his steps light as if already imagining his return on investment.

"Senior Gao, did your elder revive?" Seeing Qu Yanping withdrew his gaze and feigned hesitation as he asked.

"Oh, I heard he got killed recently while fighting over a heavenly dao relic. I don't know the details—he's always getting himself killed, reviving several times a year; everyone's used to it." Gao Sheng said coolly: "But I didn't expect him to revive so fast—did Mr. Guangming open a backdoor for him?"

"Is revival that easy?" Seeing Qu Yanping asked, suppressing his shock—he didn't ask who Mr. Guangming was; one couldn't swallow an elephant whole, better to inquire gradually.

"Who doesn't have a few revival spells these days?" Gao Sheng looked at Seeing Qu Yanping with puzzlement: "Brother Qu, you haven't been exposed to the Cultivation Realm your whole life, have you?"

A few revival spells

What kind of world is this? I know about soul possession—but revival spells? These aren't things ordinary cultivators can even touch!

"Sigh." Seeing Qu Yanping wore a gloomy expression: "Senior Gao, you don't understand—my master threw me out without saying a word. He handed me hundreds of jade stones, calling them spirit stones, and I made a fool of myself because of it."

"You really are unlucky," Gao Sheng gave him a sympathetic look: "Brother Qu, who are you betting on? Ah Qi Senior's odds don't seem very high."

"I'm betting on that old man. I don't have many spirit stones—I need high odds." Seeing Qu Yanping smiled.

He had just used his Heavenly Eye technique—he didn't know how strong Su's Ah Qi was, but the old man's inner power was incomparably stronger than Kuangdao Sanlang's.

The only question was: despite possessing immense spiritual power, why did their internal power structures seem so different? Could cultivation techniques cause such changes?

"Makes sense—if you're betting, bet on high odds." He pulled out twenty spirit stones and told the lady in court robes: "All on Auntie Ping."

"Ladies and gentlemen, pillars of the righteous path, titans of the demonic path, those neither male nor female, and all you annoying ones I hate!"

"Welcome to this year's Heavenly Dao Relic Championship!"

"I'm your friend, the most handsome of all Mr. Guangmings! Mr. Guangming #007!"

A man with radiant wings sprouting from his back, clad in battle armor, stood at the center of a field the size of two football pitches, holding a microphone and shouting:

"No more talk—let us welcome the much-anticipated—Heavenly Dao Relic!!!"

"After the year 2000, we found this shattered jade flute and the hidden box beneath it in the Penglai Ruins and Tian Guang Ruins; inside the box was a musical score."

"After restoration, we confirmed it can still be used—but what happens when it's blown, we cannot determine."

"Maybe you'll get beaten up by some big shot—hahaha, I'm just joking."

"Commercial break: This Heavenly Dao Relic Championship is jointly sponsored by Ye Zhetian Daoqi Selection, Huoyudan Alliance, Liyue Immortal Court, the Tarot Society (not the Cult of the False God), and Nidhogg Dragon Conglomerate."

Mr. Guangming #007 recited the ad lines at breakneck speed, his lips flapping rapidly:

"Buy authentic dao artifacts from Ye Zhetian Trading! For dao emperor weapons, look only to Ye Zhetian Trading! Ye Zhetian Trading—let you cover the heavens with one hand, fight until the great dao is worn to dust!! Welcome all sects to bulk purchase!! Now with group orders at 30% off—the first hundred get the same dao art used by Hun Tian Di in his youth as a gift!"

"From trash to triumph, reclaim your peak, live another life—buy pills at Dan Alliance! Download the Dan Alliance app now to claim up to ten thousand spirit stone vouchers! Dan Alliance is also recruiting alchemists from all realms—brothers, join me and shatter the heavens!"

"When traveling far from home, you'll miss your wife and concubines—Liyue Immortal Court's Cave Heaven Technique perfectly solves all spatial management problems! Shoubashou Sect teaches you how to cultivate your own Cave Heaven World! Creation experience awaits at Liyue Immortal Court Education! Enroll now for 10% off tuition!"

"Praise the Great Mystery Lord, the King of Time and Space, the Destiny Beacon, the Avatar of the Source Fortress, the Ruler of the Spirit Realm—the Great Master Yuzhe! Sorry to disturb you, Eastern cultivators—those interested may visit the Yuzhe Sect's Dongtinghu branch to meet Father Amon and learn of Yuzhe's glory."

"Nidhogg Dragon Conglomerate seeks high-paid emotional gurus, psychologists, and hypnosis masters: our heir is over twenty but still can't open a harem, obsessed with cultivation and refusing to return home—he urgently needs treatment. P. S.: Ming Fei, come home and inherit the family business!"

Seeing Qu Yanping stared blankly at the host in the arena's center.

What is he even saying?

With a thunderous boom, a man across the distant spectator stands charged toward the sky, sword in hand.

"They do this nonsense every year…" Gao Sheng shook his head: "All the ads are real—but full of traps."

Soon after the ads ended, a jade flute, cracked and mended with gold, appeared mid-air before the crowd, displaying the Heavenly Dao Relic.

Seeing Qu Yanping sat in the spectator seats, his pupils revealing mysterious runes as he slowly analyzed the restored jade flute.

Like the previous Heavenly Dao Relic he'd seen, its origin was unclear—but he could parse its laws.

Though this was slightly reckless and uncharacteristic of his usual caution, for some reason, he felt examining the Heavenly Dao Relic alone wouldn't cause major harm.

Following his gaze,

【Judging by material, it appears forged from an extremely resilient jade, with traces of immortal dao—did an immortal leave this behind? And the residual aura remains remarkably potent.】

What of its origin? Its history seems traceable…

Seeing Qu Yanping conceived this thought and sought to investigate how this object came to be, how it formed.

Following a thread so faint it was nearly nonexistent, as if crossing vast spans of time and space.

Suddenly, he saw a world—where auroras stretched for ten thousand li, and auspicious clouds draped like jade robes.

【I finally see it—you were born in this age, and suffer more than anyone else; you must sever eternity alone.】

An unknown language—but he understood the voice. Who was its master…?

Crack

Something seemed to shatter—a sensation of ice cracking echoed from deep within.

"Brother Qu! Brother Qu!" Gao Sheng's voice sounded beside him: "Your eyes are bleeding—are you alright?!"

"Huh?!" Seeing Qu Yanping snapped back to reality—his cheeks felt warm. He touched them and found them crimson. He stammered: "How… how…?"

A searing, agonizing heat burned his eyeballs. Seeing Qu Yanping bent over, clutching his eyes as blood droplets fell through his fingers.

"Brother Qu? Don't scare me like this!" Gao Sheng cried in panic: "Did something go wrong with your cultivation?!"

Just as Seeing Qu Yanping felt his soul would split apart, a pure, bright light fell upon him.

A mocking voice echoed at his ear:

"Someone dares to probe this Heavenly Dao Relic before I've even finished speaking."

"Let's all welcome the thirteenth fool in the history of the Heavenly Dao Relic Championship!"

Amid thunderous applause and cheers, Seeing Qu Yanping came to his senses—finding himself bathed in light, the center of everyone's attention!

"Young man, your eye technique is interesting," Mr. Guangming #007 chuckled sarcastically: "But your brain's as dull as a brute's."

"Though this relic seems traceable, it conceals great terror. Please, fellow cultivators, keep yourselves and your juniors under control—do not use divination, tracing, or fortune-telling. Oops—shouldn't I have said this first?"

Not just Seeing Qu Yanping—many spectators in the stands were also counterattacked and spat blood.

"Alright, let's forget this little mishap! Please welcome today's combatants!"

"Su Shi's Seventh vs. Granny Ping!!!"

A handsome man with sword-like brows and starlit eyes stepped forward, dragging a long blade; he held his head high, his eyes brimming with confidence.

Opposite him stood an elderly woman with kind, gentle eyes.

She hunched her back, adjusted her glasses, and emitted only a faint trace of spiritual energy, appearing frail.

The stark contrast instantly filled those who had bet on Granny Ping with despair.

"Su Shi's Seventh of Tianhe, I humbly seek your guidance," said Su Shi's Seventh, though he had no strong impression of his opponent, he treated every adversary with solemn respect.

"Polite," Granny Ping smiled in praise.

"Ready!" Mr. Guangming raised his hand, then brought it down: "Begin the battle!"

Su Shi's Seventh's gaze sharpened—he vanished from his spot in an instant, his blade raining down like a storm, icy blades striking Granny Ping's body.

No, it seemed to land—but no wounds appeared on her, and Su Shi's Seventh felt no impact.

Mr. Guangming began commentary: "The match explodes at once! Su Shi's Seventh launches a furious assault—how will Granny Ping counter?"

"Huh? Granny Ping's right fist clenches—golden light flickers—this is…"

Under the gaze of the entire arena, and amid Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang's roaring shouts, Granny Ping unleashed a punch!

Hum—!

"It's a shockwave!!!"

A tidal wave of spiritual power resonated as Granny Ping's fist struck the ground, like a pebble dropped into a lake—ripples of shockwaves spread outward from the arena!

The city of Yueyang trembled under dazzling golden waves, unable to calm down for a long time.

Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang's betting tickets scattered across the ground; he sat dazed, eyes vacant.

"It's over…"

During the college entrance exam, comments are disabled—they'll be restored in a few days. To all readers taking the exam, good luck!

(End of Chapter)