262: Chapter 261 A Great Treasure Appears

"Great suggestion! Senior Sister Jiang is right!" As soon as she finished speaking, the various Cultivators chimed in one after another.

Trading among Cultivators was originally a key part of the Exchange Conference. Everyone spent most of the year in secluded cultivation, so they inevitably had idle treasures or resources they urgently needed. Exchanging in this way could both revitalize idle assets and compensate for their own shortcomings; naturally, no one was willing to miss out.

The moment the words left her mouth, a Cultivator took the lead and stood up, taking out a lustrous jade pendant from a Storage Pouch and saying enthusiastically, "I have a Heart-Clearing Jade Pendant here. It can calm the mind and resist minor Divine Soul interference. I'd like to Exchange it for a Mysterious Grade Magical Artifact."

"I have a Mysterious Grade Low Grade longsword to Exchange for your Heart-Clearing Jade Pendant!"

A Cultivator immediately responded and took out his own Magical Artifact. After the two inspected them and confirmed everything was correct, the Exchange was completed smoothly, both wearing satisfied smiles.

With the first transaction as a start, the private room instantly became lively. Cultivators took out their treasures and placed them on the table: various Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, Spiritual Plants and Ores used for cultivation, and even fragmented Cultivation Technique Jade Slips. They called out to one another, negotiating Exchange conditions in an exceptionally fervent atmosphere.

Some exchanged Spiritual Plants for Medicinal Pills, some exchanged Magical Artifacts for Cultivation Techniques, and others exchanged Ores for cultivation resources; everyone got what they needed, enjoying themselves immensely.

Jiang Lijuan, Lin Hao, and the others also took out their idle treasures to participate in the trading.

Qin Changsheng's Divine Sense, however, quietly spread out, slowly scanning every treasure on the table.

His core purpose in coming to the Qingyun Tower was to gather Intelligence on heavenly dao fragments and Core Formation medicinal ingredients. Now that the trading had begun, he naturally had to check carefully; perhaps he could find something he needed.

His Divine Sense was like invisible threads, passing over each treasure one by one, carefully sensing the aura of each item.

However, in the end, Qin Changsheng shook his head in disappointment.

He found that there was simply not a single treasure here that he needed.

...

The second floor of Qingyun Tower.

Qin Changsheng's figure appeared here.

Qin Changsheng had come here to attend the gathering of his fellow townsmen from Beihai Prefecture.

He wanted to understand why Lin Yao was able to win the championship of the Heavenly Sword Sect Outer Sect Grand Competition.

And whether Lin Yao was truly the Demon Empress.

Just as Qin Changsheng reached the second floor, he saw many of his fellow townsmen gathered there.

They had surrounded Lin Yao in the center, offering their congratulations for her winning the Heavenly Sword Sect Grand Competition championship.

"Senior Sister Lin, congratulations, congratulations!"

"I didn't expect the championship of this year's Heavenly Sword Sect Outer Sect Grand Competition to be won by you!"

"Senior Sister Lin, you are an Inner Sect Disciple now!"

"Senior Sister Lin, how did you suddenly become so powerful!"

"In the future, Senior Sister Lin will surely be like Martial Uncle Hu, becoming the number one on the Southern Region Prodigy Rankings, or even more powerful than Martial Uncle Hu, becoming a legend of our Beihai Prefecture and even the entire Southern Region!"

Congratulatory words rang out one after another. Surrounded by the crowd, Lin Yao's cheeks flushed slightly.

However, hearing everyone's praise, her face was full of smiles.

Especially when she heard she might be more powerful than Hu Nan, the corners of her mouth could hardly be kept down.

Nevertheless, Lin Yao remained very humble, saying, "Thank you all for your kind words, Senior Brothers and sisters. I was just lucky, I'm not that powerful, and I wouldn't dare compare myself to Senior Brother Hu Nan."

"Fellow townsmen... Senior Sister Lin just won the Grand Competition championship!"

"Let's sit down first and hear why Senior Sister Lin's cultivation Speed is so fast!" Zhao Lei hurriedly stood up to smooth things over.

Hearing Zhao Lei's words, the crowd sat back down at the tables.

Their gazes all turned toward Lin Yao.

As for Qin Changsheng's arrival, they didn't pay much attention to it.

After all, Qin Changsheng's cultivation was not high, and his talent was poor.

There was no way he could compare to Lin Yao, who had already won the Grand Competition championship.

Lin Yao also sat down on a chair. She scanned the room once before speaking, "Junior Brothers and sisters, my achievements today are not due to any extraordinary talent or fortuitous encounters. I was simply fortunate enough to be taken as a Disciple by an Elder, and thanks to Master's meticulous guidance, I have made some progress."

"What? You were taken as a Disciple by a Sect Elder?"

"Senior Sister Lin, when did this happen!"

"How come I haven't heard about it!"

"Senior Sister Lin, you've hidden it too well!"

For a moment, the envious voices of the fellow townsmen rose and fell, every face filled with longing.

In the Heavenly Sword Sect, Elders held exalted status and deep foundations. Being taken as a Disciple by an Elder was an Opportunity that countless Disciples dreamed of. Ordinary Disciples found it hard even to see an Elder once, let alone become their Disciple.

With such an Opportunity, no wonder Lin Yao could make such rapid progress in a short time and seize the Outer Sect Grand Competition championship with a cultivation of Qi Refining Stage 7.

Hearing Lin Yao's words, Qin Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly.

For the past year, he had been gathering Intelligence within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

He hadn't heard of any Elder taking a Disciple.

Lin Yao saying this must mean she was hiding something.

Half an hour later, the gathering of the Beihai Prefecture townsmen ended.

Everyone stood up and left the place.

...

Flowing Fire Sect.

Because many anomalies had recently appeared in the Liuhuo Mountain Range,

many Cultivators had come here.

Qin Changsheng also controlled Wang Cheng to come here.

He sent Wang Cheng here to determine if there were any heavenly dao fragments within the Liuhuo Mountain Range,

and where exactly these heavenly dao fragments were located.

With a thought, Qin Changsheng summoned the Heavenly Dao Trait Intelligence.

As Qin Changsheng began his search, a line of small characters appeared on the attribute panel.

[heavenly dao fragment: Special treasure, containing rich Heavenly Dao power, can upgrade a Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait.]

[Held by: None]

[Location: West side of the Liuhuo Mountain Range]

[Time of Appearance: One month from now]

Looking at the content on the attribute panel, Qin Changsheng's eyes were full of joy.

He hadn't expected that there really were heavenly dao fragments in the Liuhuo Mountain Range.

Moreover, even the time the heavenly dao fragment would appear was marked clearly.

After Qin Changsheng finished searching for the heavenly dao fragment, he began searching for other treasures.

[thousand spirit flower: Special treasure, can be used to refine Golden Core]

[Held by: Shen Bing]

[Location: Inside the Flowing Fire Sect!]

[golden marrow ganoderma: Special treasure, can be used to refine Golden Core]

[Held by: Chen Erniu!]

[Location: Flowing Fire Sect!]

"thousand spirit flower!" Qin Changsheng glanced at the attribute panel and shook his head slightly.

This Shen Bing was a member of the Yao Race; it would be difficult for Qin Changsheng to obtain the thousand spirit flower from her hands.

However, upon seeing the holder of the golden marrow ganoderma, a flash of joy appeared in Qin Changsheng's eyes.

Because the holder of this golden marrow ganoderma was Chen Erniu.

Given the relationship between Hu Nan and Chen Erniu, he might be able to obtain this golden marrow ganoderma.

...

Main Sect Hall of the Flowing Fire Sect.

Shen Guhong sat on the main seat.

Below the hall, Shen Bing, Wang Cheng, and others stood there respectfully.

After a moment of silence, Shen Bing raised her head and looked toward Shen Guhong on the main seat: "Father, your daughter has a matter she does not understand?"

Shen Guhong slightly raised his eyes, "Speak your mind."

"Father, why did you spread the news that a treasure is about to appear in the Liuhuo Mountain Range?" Shen Bing asked in confusion.

"The Liuhuo Mountain Range is our Flowing Fire Sect's territory. The treasures inside should rightfully belong to our Flowing Fire Sect. Now that the news has spread throughout the Southern Region, that treasure will certainly not be ours."

She was truly puzzled. Shen Guhong had always been meticulous and steady in his actions; why would he do something that seemed so disadvantageous?

If the treasures of the Liuhuo Mountain Range were collected secretly by the Flowing Fire Sect, it could both strengthen the Sect and avoid unnecessary conflict. But now that the news had leaked, it had instead attracted countless greedy eyes, which was simply illogical.

Looking at Shen Bing's confused expression, a faint smile curved on Shen Guhong's lips as he said, "Do you think the treasure in the Liuhuo Mountain Range is really appearing naturally?"

Shen Bing was slightly stunned, the confusion in her eyes growing: "Father, you mean..."

Shen Guhong slowly stood up, his gaze looking toward the distant Liuhuo Mountain Range outside the hall: "Because that treasure was placed there by me."

"What?!" Shen Bing's eyes were filled with shock; she clearly hadn't expected Shen Guhong to put a treasure there.

Shen Guhong slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below: "Do you all think I really want to hand over the treasure to others?"

He paused, then slowly revealed the truth, his tone flat yet permeated with ruthlessness: "On the west side of the Liuhuo Mountain Range, there is a Wangyue Valley. What is inside that valley?"

"Father, Wangyue Valley has many violent Yao Beasts..." As Shen Bing said this, her eyes suddenly lit up.

She also instantly understood Shen Guhong's meaning.

Shen Guhong wanted to use the name of a treasure to lure all the mainstays of the Southern Region's Human Race to the Liuhuo Mountain Range.

When the core Cultivators, Foundation Establishment, and even Golden Core level experts of those various Sects gathered in the Liuhuo Mountain Range to fight for the treasure,

he would then lure out those violent and bloodthirsty Yao Beasts from Wangyue Valley.

Those Yao Beasts had been nourished by the malevolent energy of Wangyue Valley for years; they were violent in nature and powerful in combat. At that time, they would surely slaughter frantically!

Looking at everyone's expressions, Shen Guhong nodded slightly and continued, "Whether it is breaking the Seal or nurturing the younger generation of the Yao Race, the blood of many Cultivators is needed!"

"The blood of these Cultivators will be used exactly to break the Sealing Tower and nurture the Yao Race's younger generation!"

"Father, your foresight is deep; your child is ashamed of her own inferiority," Shen Bing hurriedly said.

"Go, continue spreading the news of the treasure's birth!"

"Lure all those prodigies of the Human Race into the Liuhuo Mountain Range!" Shen Guhong waved his hand.

"Your child obeys!" Shen Bing cupped her hands and retreated.

Wang Cheng and the others also retreated one after another.

After Shen Bing walked out of the hall, she beckoned to Wang Cheng and the others.

Wang Cheng and the rest quickly came to Shen Bing's side.

Without any redundant pleasantries, Shen Bing asked directly, "Do you all know where Hu Nan is now?"

Wang Cheng hurriedly bowed in response: "Reporting to Senior Sister, Hu Nan should still be within the Heavenly Sword Sect."

Hearing this, Shen Bing's brow furrowed slightly, a flash of impatience in her eyes.