Two days later, inside a certain pavilion in the Market Town.
“Fellow Daoist, are you also here to place a bet at the Gambling House?”
As Ji Wangshu had just stepped into the Gambling House, a staff member’s voice came from beside him.
He immediately nodded, swept his gaze around the place, and asked, “Yes, that Immortal Sect’s Sect Grand Competition. I want to take a look at the Sect Competition Odds.”
“Fellow Daoist, this way.”
The staff member pointed him toward a certain area.
It was crowded with female cultivators dressed in all kinds of clothing, some of them Loose Cultivators and others from small sects.
“A mere Foundation Establishment Stage Sect Grand Competition has so many people paying attention to it?”
Ji Wangshu muttered under his breath.
The staff member beside him had extremely sharp ears and naturally heard his quiet question.
She smiled slightly, moved closer to Ji Wangshu’s ear, and explained, “Fellow Daoist, you may not know this.”
“Although this Immortal Sect’s Sect Grand Competition is limited to participants below the Golden Core Stage and is only held once every ten years, the first and second-place winners are basically always qualified to reach the Nascent Soul Stage.”
“That’s why so many people pay attention to it.”
Seeing how close she was, Ji Wangshu took two steps forward to increase the distance between them.
He did not want her fragrance sticking to him and then getting him scolded by Mu Zhiming again.
After hearing the staff member’s explanation, he nodded slightly, but his doubts only grew stronger.
‘The first and second-place winners merely have the qualifications to reach the Nascent Soul Stage, yet so many people pay attention to them?’
‘Back at Yixiu Sect, Master only accepted disciples with Heavenly Spiritual Roots and even said that as long as they practiced the techniques she gave them, reaching Deity Transformation would be no problem.’
‘Judging from the examples of Little Junior Sister, Yu Zengmiao, and the others, who reached the Golden Core Stage in less than twenty years, what Master said should not be false.’
‘Then that can only mean one thing.’
‘Either a sect like the Immortal Sect is the norm among cultivation sects, or my own Master is unfathomably powerful, with two floors’ worth of depth…’
Ji Wangshu shook his head and walked into the Betting area.
He struggled to squeeze through the crowd of women beside him and walked to the front, where he saw a large table.
The table was covered with various placards bearing the names and basic introductions of the competitors.
The odds were written underneath, making it convenient for people to place bets at any time.
He casually glanced over them and looked at several names.
“The fifth Elder’s newly accepted eldest disciple—Zhu Diexia. She entered the Inner Sect only half a year ago and has already reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. A strong contender for the Eight Strong Candidates.”
“The Direct Disciple of the Peak Master of Chai Mao Peak—Kong Yinzi. He has mastered the Dao Kong Sword Technique to perfection and is in the late Foundation Establishment Stage. An absolute favorite to win the Championship!”
“The biological son of the Peak Master of Yun Qianli Peak—Qiyue Huo. He gained inspiration while cooking as a Mortal and created his own Tossing Ladle Sword Technique, which has already reached the pinnacle…”
Ji Wangshu poked at the names of these people, trying his best to match them with the figures in his memories.
After a moment, he suddenly understood.
‘Oh, I’ve seen all of them at the Plaza every afternoon.’
‘But…’
‘They’re all just roadside weeds.’
‘None of them pose much of a threat to Mu Zhiming.’
Then he saw the two placards at the very top, whose odds were also the lowest.
“Su Qingyue, the Sect Master’s Direct Disciple and the oldest Senior Sister. Record: After returning from training down the mountain, she fought a Golden Core Elder to a draw while at the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation. She is the person with the greatest chance of winning this Championship.”
“Mu Zhiming, the Sect Master’s Direct Disciple and an unparalleled Sword Genius who rarely appears in public. Record: Went down the mountain one year ago to practice Demon Subduing, used a Forbidden Secret Art to wipe out a Demon Sect branch, and is suspected to be Blind. Her chances of winning this Championship are extremely slim.”
Ji Wangshu looked at the odds of the two again, his brows tightly furrowed.
Su: 2.5, Mu: 7.5.
“Sigh, if only they were a little higher.”
Ji Wangshu thought to himself as he untied the Storage Pouch from his waist and directly threw it onto Mu Zhiming’s placard.
Bang!
The Storage Pouch landed heavily, causing the Gambling House to fall silent and drawing countless sidelong glances.
“Fellow Daoist, you…”
The staff member touched the Spirit Stones inside the Storage Pouch.
It was bulging with Spirit Stones, and the clattering sound alone was greater than the total amount she had handled today.
“I’m placing a bet. What else would I be doing?”
Ji Wangshu waved his hand and was about to leave when the staff member hurriedly called after him.
“Fellow Daoist, judging by your handsome appearance, you must come from an excellent family.”
“Isn’t there a little too much money in here?”
“You should know that small gambling is harmless, but excessive gambling is damaging.”
Ji Wangshu looked at the staff member in surprise.
‘What the heck, there are actually Gambling House employees who persuade people not to gamble.’
‘This Gambling House in the cultivation world is pretty strange.’
Although he thought that, he had absolutely no intention of turning back to take his money.
He waved his hand and walked forward without looking back, his voice drifting from his lips.
“I’m rich. I can do whatever I want…”
One hour later, outside the Mountain Residence.
“I can afford to be reckless when I’m spending someone else’s money.”
“If it were my own money, I wouldn’t bet a single coin…”
Ji Wangshu thought to himself as he looked toward the Courtyard.
A moment later, his eyes widened.
“Huh?”
He looked up at the sky again.
The sun was clearly still like a red candle, lying on the horizon, with not even the slightest sign of darkness.
‘What’s going on?’
‘At this hour, Mu Zhiming isn’t practicing Sword Practice?’
Ji Wangshu looked around the Courtyard in disbelief.
He released his Spiritual Sense and swept the area, but he still could not see Mu Zhiming anywhere.
‘How rare.’
Ever since Ji Wangshu had entered this Courtyard, Mu Zhiming had either been practicing Sword Practice or on her way to practice Sword Practice.
For more than 180 days, there had not been a single day when it was otherwise.
‘Could it be that the Sect Grand Competition is tomorrow, and this girl is feeling pre-competition anxiety too?’
Ji Wangshu rubbed his chin and sighed.
The next moment, he felt someone poke his clothes with Spiritual Energy, and a tingling sensation spread throughout his body.
“You were… looking for me?”
Ji Wangshu turned his head.
Mu Zhiming was bent slightly forward.
She was still wearing that off-shoulder robe, revealing her fair shoulders and pristine collarbones.
Her chest was still as full as ever, no matter how tightly the fabric wrapped around it.
A blue waist sash matching the color of her hair was tied around her waist.
Below that was a light gauze skirt covering her fair calves, creating a hazy, dreamlike feeling through which one could see beauty as though through mist.
It added a few more hints of softness to her temperament.
Further down were her crystalline toes, white with a hint of pink, stepping on the bluestone slabs.
Spiritual Energy slowly surrounded them, preventing even the slightest speck of dust from touching them.
Ji Wangshu’s gaze lingered slightly on her curves and toes before he coughed lightly and looked away.
His eyes then fell upon the hands she was hiding behind her back.
One hand held a pair of Cloud Pattern Shoes, seemingly just taken off, with heat still rising from them.
The other hand held a bag, with the shape of its contents faintly visible.
They were Osmanthus Cakes.
‘She’s really quite the foodie.’
Ji Wangshu thought to himself.
“…Aren’t you coming in?”
Mu Zhiming tilted her head and bent her body a little farther forward.
From Ji Wangshu’s angle, he could just glimpse a corner beneath her collar.
“Oh, oh, coming in, coming in.”
A moment later, the two of them sat on the stone bench beneath the Plum Blossom Tree as they usually did.
“How many Spirit Stones… did you bet just now?”
Mu Zhiming rested her delicate hand against her chin.
She pulled up the sleeve of her light-blue robe slightly, revealing her elbow as she propped it against the stone table and asked softly.
The Black Eye Veil quietly faced the man before her.
“Oh… 45,700 Spirit Stones. I bet all of them.”
Ji Wangshu answered indistinctly while chewing on an Osmanthus Cake.
There were still some crumbs at the corner of his mouth, and he swallowed another mouthful as he spoke, his voice muffled.
“…You trust me that much?”
Mu Zhiming had never expected him to bet everything.
Her crystalline toes gently stepped against the bluestone slabs, making a pattering sound.
After a moment, they naturally relaxed again.
“Of course I trust you.”
Ji Wangshu’s throat moved as he swallowed a large mouthful of crumbs and answered.
At the same time, he added inwardly, ‘It’s not my money anyway…’
He then looked toward Mu Zhiming, only to find her staring at him.
Ji Wangshu felt rather embarrassed under her gaze.
So he avoided Mu Zhiming’s gentle gaze beneath the Eye Veil.
He looked at the sky, then at the Plum Blossom Tree, subconsciously rubbed his nose, and asked, “You’re… not practicing today?”
Although he had complete confidence in Mu Zhiming, as the saying went, one should sharpen one’s sword before battle.
“Spiritual Energy perception… I’ve practiced it enough.”
“So… there’s no need to practice anymore.”
Mu Zhiming spoke awkwardly.
Her delicate foot curled slightly as she naturally leaned against the stone bench.
Her calf formed a straight line, and beneath the hem of her gauze skirt was a soft and fragrant Absolute Domain that could not help but make one want to lie down within it.
Ji Wangshu was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
The hand holding half an Osmanthus Cake stopped in midair.
‘Once she can perceive Spiritual Energy, she doesn’t need to practice anymore?’
‘Doesn’t that mean that as long as Mu Zhiming can see, she won’t need to practice Sword Practice anymore?’
He was silent for a moment before still saying softly, “Since the Sect Grand Competition is tomorrow, it would be better to practice with the Sword.”
“Burp—”
Ji Wangshu bit into the Osmanthus Cake in his mouth and let out a full burp.
Today’s Osmanthus Cakes were also his favorite, with a mildly sweet flavor.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without the Wooden Sword.”
He suddenly remembered this and asked doubtfully, holding up the Osmanthus Cake with his fingers.
For the past six months, Mu Zhiming had always used the Wooden Sword to practice with him or practiced Spiritual Energy with Chen Miao.
He had never seen what she looked like when seriously wielding her own Sword.
“You… want to see?”
Mu Zhiming’s Black Eye Veil shifted slightly.
Sunlight filtered through the Plum Blossom Tree and fell upon the man’s face, reflecting the anticipation in his eyes.
Then she took her own Sword from her Storage Pouch.
Spiritual Energy condensed at the tip of the Sword.
Without even raising her head, she first slashed out two Sword Intents.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The two Sword Intents passed close by Ji Wangshu’s body and slashed toward the rear.
Ji Wangshu felt his body stiffen.
A chill ran through his neck, and even the Osmanthus Cake between his teeth seemed to freeze for a moment.
After a while, he mechanically turned his neck and looked toward the Plum Blossom Tree behind him.
A sword mark remained on the trunk, which would take several people to encircle.
It extended deep toward the roots, measuring seven or eight inches deep.
Sword Qi still lingered upon it, causing the branches at the top of the tree to tremble slightly and sending countless Plum Blossom petals fluttering down.
Plum Blossom petals fell from above in a shower.
Some were silently sliced in half the moment they began drifting down, so quickly that even the petals themselves seemed unaware.
More than forty Plum Blossom petals had fallen onto the bluestone slabs below.
Not a single one was untouched in the same way, and the cut marks on every petal were exactly identical.
Seeing this scene, Ji Wangshu’s eyes widened.
Even the Osmanthus Cake hanging from his mouth had lost its flavor.
Although his talent for Sword Practice was not particularly high, he could still tell that this was Sword Intent.
Sword Intent could usually only be comprehended by Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators.
Yet at this moment, it had appeared on Mu Zhiming’s Sword, the Sword of a late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.
Mu Zhiming rotated her left wrist and sheathed her Sword behind her.
Her delicate foot gently kicked Ji Wangshu’s calf.
She spun half a circle, as though giving him a massage, and softly parted her red lips.
“Why didn’t I practice Sword Practice today…”
“Because… as long as I perform normally, I’ll be the Champion…”