Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu put away the handphone. “Let’s go.”

Tuba and Tutou revealed excited looks. They had no idea where Qin Yu’s confidence came from, however, they didn’t doubt him at all. Since His Highness believed he would win, then he could certainly achieve it.

Surname Jiang, just wait a moment and you won’t even be able to cry!

Heavenwait Temple was the location of the competition. As such, it was already crammed full of people. The Internal Affairs Division sold admission tickets and every cultivator below the rank of Protector needed to purchase one at the cost of a hundred spirit stones. The profit from this was considerable.

Of course, a single Heavenwait Temple wasn’t able to meet the needs of all the cultivators that wanted to watch the competition. Thus, the Internal Affairs Division set up a synchronized projection screen. For ten spirit stones, one could buy a standing ticket. Tides of people surged about in the great square outside. Just roughly counting, there were several thousand people already.

Qin Yu might have only brought Tuba and Tutou, but these two massive fellows were over ten feet tall and wore large black servant robes that hung tightly on their bodies, accentuating their drum-like muscles all over. With the large black crystal glasses that hung above the bridge of their noses, their auras completely flattened most others. They were like magnets that attracted all eyes wherever they went.

So, just as the three people walked out from a small transmission array they were immediately discovered by sharp-eyed Black Demon Sect cultivators. Numerous eyes veered towards them.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but right after Qin Yu’s group entered the square, from another small transmission array on the other side, more flashes of lights occurred.

Grandmaster Jiang was the first to step out. Behind him were several of his most outstanding subordinates and disciples. Purple Spring had already recovered from his wounds and was wickedly glaring. If looks could kill, then Qin Yu, Tuba, and Tutou would have long since been slashed and hacked into pieces by swords and spears and axes.

In the large square, the eyes of countless cultivators brightened.

Grandmaster Jiang smiled. “Grandmaster Yao, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

Qin Yu lightly said, “Grandmaster Jiang.”

“Today’s conflict is not necessary. If Grandmaster Yao hands those two cheap servants to my disciples to deal with, I will consider this gambling fight abolished.” Grandmaster Jiang’s eyes flashed. “I am very sincere…”

“No need.” Qin Yu interrupted him and moved towards Heavenwait Temple.

“How bold! With just you, you dare to offend my master!?”

“Yao Bin, you would rather do things the hard way! You have thrust yourself into a dead end!”

“You don’t have the qualifications to make my honorable master your enemy!”

Over a dozen disciples watched Grandmaster Jiang be insulted and flew into a rage. They roared out in anger.

Tuba and Tutou stopped and stared at them. Their eyes were ice cold and a terrifying killing intent that left one despairing erupted from their bodies.

“To those who dare to disrespect our grandmaster, death!”

In an instant, it was like a scene of death and slaughter arrived. Those shouting people suddenly shut up as their bodies trembled and their faces whitened. They couldn’t contain the fear in their eyes.

Qin Yu didn’t turn his head as he said, “There will soon be a result, so why waste your breath on them?”

Tuba and Tutou restrained their auras. “Yes, grandmaster.”

They followed respectfully behind.

This caused the hearts of the surrounding cultivators to shiver.

While many people had heard that Grandmaster Yao had two extremely fierce subordinates working for him, it wasn’t until this moment that they understood just how vicious and mighty these two barbarians were.

That aura was enough to crush all Divine Souls. Could it be that they both had an extraordinary strength comparable to a common Blue Sea?

And what was most terrifying was the killing intent that these two barbarians emitted.

Only by experiencing endless fields of slaughter and ruin, by emerging from seas of blood and death, could one have tempered such a terrifying killing intent!

With this killing intent supporting them, even if there were two cultivators with similar strength to that of these two barbarians, they still wouldn’t be a match!

At this time, countless people looked towards the back of the black-robed figure, awe in their eyes. Disregarding all else, just the fact that he had subdued these two formidable people was a feat worthy of praise. Without strength, this would have been impossible.

Could it be that Grandmaster Yao was a hidden Blue Sea powerhouse?

Grandmaster Jiang’s complexion changed for a moment before he composed himself. He humphed and a divine sense swept out, awakening his disciples from their daze. He said, “Now, I really am looking forward to this competition with anticipation.”

A calm voice was supported by magic power, entering into the ears of all cultivators present. They felt the light pressure contained in every syllable.

Blue Sea realm!

Moreover, it was at least at the Revered Blue Sea level. Otherwise it would have been impossible to easily accomplish this.

Grandmaster Jiang was unexpectedly a Revered Blue Sea super powerhouse. This surpassed everyone’s expectations, leaving them even more excited.

Everyone knew that for an alchemist, refining pills had considerable cultivation requirements. Grandmaster Jiang had a profound boundary, thus his alchemy skills must be truly amazing!

It seemed that Grandmaster Yao’s unfathomable depths had stimulated Grandmaster Jiang…this competition was truly one worth watching!

Grandmaster Jiang had no expression as he moved towards Heavenwait Temple. His disciples followed closely behind him, their faces dark and gloomy and their hearts filled with pure and vicious hate. They had actually been frightened speechless by two mere barbarian servants. This was disgraceful!

Their hearts itched with revenge. After their honorable master emerged victorious, they would surely find some way to jail those two barbarians and torture them to death to assuage the hate in their hearts.

Tuba and Tutou’s eruption of killing intent and Grandmaster Jiang’s counterattack had already roused the interested of those in Heavenwait Temple. Sitting on spacious chairs, several great figures waiting for the competition to begin opened their eyes, interest and shock shining in their pupils. They glanced at each other and then several of them got up at the same time to stand in welcome at the entrance to the hall.

In the world of cultivators, strength itself was a status. And amongst the demonic path, this was the highest level criteria. Since Grandmaster Jiang and Grandmaster Yao had sufficient strength then they should naturally give them their due respect.

“Grandmaster Jiang, Grandmaster Yao, you’ve finally arrived.” Among the several people, a middle-aged man smiled and spoke. Looking at where he stood, he was clearly the one with the highest status here.

Jiang Taishou cupped his hands together, “Elder Xu.”

Qin Yu bowed.

Everyone exchanged greetings, talking about trivial topics. But, from the small details in the conversation, one could see what positions they took in their hearts. For instance, Elder Xu first greeted Jiang Taishou. However, it was Qin Yu who was the first one to enter Heavenwait Temple.

As this scene fell into the eyes of those in the hall, the cultivators who had tossed their hand into the betting ring all let out a breath of relief. It seemed that Grandmaster Jiang really was the likely victor here.

If so, they had won the bet!

Elder Xu lightly coughed. “Grandmaster Jiang, Grandmaster Yao, it isn’t early anymore. If your preparations are complete, let’s begin the gambling fight.”

Grandmaster Jiang smiled and Qin Yu didn’t oppose.

“Very well. Then let us ask Elder Zhao from the Internal Affairs Division to preside over the competition. The rest of us can watch from the observation platform.” Elder Xu smiled and left with the others.

The Internal Affairs Division’s Elder Zhou was a non-smiling and dour old man with gray hair. He said with deep respect, “Grandmasters, the contents of today's gambling bet are concerning alchemy. Then, please choose the topic.” He clapped his hand and two disciples from the Internal Affairs Division came in, carrying a large round disc. “Grandmasters, please place your hand atop the disc.”

Countless streams of light flew about in a circle on the disc, looking like nebulas in the night sky.

Grandmaster Jiang stepped forward. He casually tapped a finger on the disc and a stream of light flew out.

“Grandmaster Yao, this is yours.”

Qin Yu didn’t know what the disc was, but he wouldn’t reveal that at this moment. He casually placed a finger on it.

A second stream of light flew out.

Elder Zhou flicked his sleeves and the two streams of light fused together. After a moment, they crept together, turning into two large characters in the air: Dispel Poison.

Pa –

The characters scattered, turning into streams of light that flew back into the disc. Elder Zhou waved his hand and the two disciples carried away the disc.

“Grandmasters, today’s gambling fight topic is dispelling poison.” Elder Zhou turned his hand and took out a jade slip. “This is the process of how the competition will occur. We will choose poisons from the sect that are of a similar level. Whichever grandmaster can solve it first will be considered the winner.

“Of course, the premise is that you two grandmasters must rely upon your own methods to dispel the poisons and cannot draw the support of foreign objects. Otherwise, you will be judged as having lost.”

This sort of gambling fight method could decide victory and defeat and wouldn’t damage the participating cultivators. It was a custom established by the Black Demon Sect long ago to avoid unnecessary internal losses.

“Hold on.” Jiang Taishou’s eyes flashed. “I feel that this method of competition is unfair. After all, there are countless poisons in the world and it is impossible for someone to fully grasp them all. If one were to encounter a familiar poison, then even if they are inferior to their opponent there is still a chance they could win. Moreover, everyone has different individual physiques. Even if we receive the same toxins, there will be differences in how we process them.”

Elder Zhou frowned. “What is Grandmaster Jiang trying to say?”

Jiang Taishou smiled. “Simple. Grandmaster Yao and I will both personally try the poisons. We will not judge victory and defeat on how long it takes to dispel the poisons. Rather, as long as we can dispel the poison within a quarter hour, then we can enter into the next test of poison, all the way until one side is unable to dispel the poison or admits defeat. Without a doubt, this method of gambling fight is far fairer. Of course, there is a certain degree of risk to it. If your strength is insufficient, you might be injured by the poison. I wonder if Grandmaster Yao dares to agree?”

The conflict in the square had moved Grandmaster Jiang to true anger. This surname Yao simply didn’t know his place, so he decided to give him a lesson he would never forget!

Whoosh –

The entire Heavenwait Temple was thrown into an uproar. The faces of many Black Demon Sect cultivators shook as excitement began to rise in their hearts. They never imagined that Grandmaster Jiang would be so swift and fierce in his decisions. Not only did he want to clearly show who was the winner and loser, but he even had the intent to kill others!

Hehe, it had to be known that demonic path poisons were not easy to provoke. If there was a small accident and the poison corroded the body, even an alchemy grandmaster would feel sorrow and pain.

“This…” Elder Zhou had an awkward expression. The Internal Affairs Division was supposed to manage conflicts between sect members and avoid the unnecessary loss of cultivators. This was one of his responsibilities.

Elder Xu’s eyes flashed with a strange light. He said, “Elder Zhou, the person who raised the gambling fight to begin with has made a request. If his opponent doesn’t object, then changing the rules is also permissible. There has been precedent before within the sect, so you do not have to feel awkward about it.”

Elder Zhou cupped his hands together. “Yes, I understand.” He stood up and looked at Qin Yu. Then, he respectfully said, “Grandmaster Yao, you have heard Grandmaster Jiang’s request. Do you agree?”

Qin Yu’s complexion became strange. As he looked at Jiang Taishou and his light and breezy expression, he couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his lips.

This person, was he seeking death?

His silence caused Grandmaster Jiang’s smile to widen. “Grandmaster Yao, there is no need to be afraid. If you think this isn’t proper, I won’t force you.”

Qin Yu was silent for several breaths of time. He said, “Since…Grandmaster Jiang is like this, I can only risk my life and accompany this gentleman!” As he spoke he seemed to lack energy. There was a helpless expression on his face that seemed to indicate he was forced to agree. Grandmaster Jiang’s smile brightened with disdain and smug self-satisfaction.

This expression fell in Qin Yu’s eyes. Hidden beneath his black robe, a light smile appeared. Since someone chose the road to death themselves, if he didn’t push them along, wouldn’t he be wronging Grandmaster Jiang’s amazing intellect?

Elder Zhou sighed, but his complexion didn’t change. He said, “Since the two grandmasters have agreed to change the competition rules, then we will change the method in light of this.” He lifted his hand and said, “Bring in the poison!”

A sealed jade pagoda was brought into the temple and placed on a long table. Elder Zhou carefully ripped off the first level sealing talisman on the pagoda. Two dark lights flew out, each one wrapping around a drop of ash brown-colored liquid. Elder Zhou drew back several steps and waved his hand. “Two grandmasters, please inspect it. If there is no problem, the gambling fight will officially begin.”

Grandmaster Jiang smiled. “It looks like my luck is quite good. This first challenge is dirty soul night. I’ve researched this in the past, so I can see if it’s real or fake with a glance. There is no further need to inspect it.”

This move was to show the crowd that his proposition had been fair. Otherwise if the gambling fight had begun with dirty soul night, he would have taken the advantage.

Grandmaster Jiang glanced over at Qin Yu and frowned. He seemed to have not heard his words at all, and instead walked forward and directly swallowed down that drop of dirty soul night…this performance was as if he didn’t place him in his eyes at all!

Grandmaster Jiang was angered. He sneered inwardly. Since this person was going to be so rampant, he would make him suffer!

The play had just begun!

He brought the drop of dirty soul night up to his lips and swallowed it down.

Many Black Demon Sect cultivators in the temple gulped. This was the demonic path poison especially used to corrode the soul – dirty soul night. Although it couldn’t be regarded as an extreme poison, once a person was contaminated by it, eliminating it was quite troublesome. Moreover, this poison had a very strong contaminating effect. If one didn’t thoroughly dispel it and it invaded the soul, they would have to live out the rest of their life withstanding the corrosive pain!

And now they watched as these two people didn’t even bat an eye as they swallowed it. The psychological impact of this was intense.

Three minutes passed. Grandmaster Jiang opened his eyes and lightly said, “I have dispelled the poison.”

An Internal Affairs Division cultivator walked forward with a treasure specially used to detect and measure poisons. After several breaths of time, a blue light glowed, indicating that all the poison had disappeared.

Not too far away, ‘Grandmaster Yao’ was still silent, as if he were bitterly forcing out the poison.

“Hehe, if it weren’t for the change in rules, Grandmaster Jiang would have already won!”

“It looks like the results of today’s gambling fight have already been decided.”

“People have a reputation for a reason. If Grandmaster Jiang can be ranked third, he must be unfathomably deep!”

Grandmaster Jiang smiled indifferently. “It’s no problem. The deadline hasn’t arrived, so we can wait longer.”

Another three minutes passed. Only then did ‘Grandmaster Yao’ let out a long breath. “I have dispelled the poison.”

A similar examination was conducted, proving the poison was gone.

Elder Zhou said, “Two grandmasters, is there anyone that would like to admit defeat? Otherwise the gambling fight will continue.”

Seeing no response, he lifted a hand and tapped down. From the first level of the pagoda, two more dark lights shot out. Within these dark lights were two nearly identical-looking leaves. They were verdant green as if formed from jade. Just by looking at them one could sense the powerful vitality contained within.

“Fallen lost leaf!” A Black Demon Sect cultivator couldn’t help but shout out loud.

Within the crowd, there was a sound of many people sucking in a cold breath.

Some people didn’t know what this thing was, but once they obtained an explanation, fear rose in their eyes.

In places of extreme cold and extreme yin, when numerous coincidences gathered together, an extremely strange plant could be born. It was bred by the heavens and earth, and after growing for a thousand years, its complete essence energy would gather into the leaf that grew the highest. Then, the main body would wither and die.

This leaf was called the fallen lost leaf!