Chapter 090
Chapter 90: Elder Sheng
Hearing this, Tu Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, choosing not to reply directly. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, “Elder Sheng, our Floating Boat City happened upon the Qilin blood purely by chance. We truly don’t know its origins.”
“You mentioned earlier that Qilin blood appears almost every sixty years. Where exactly does this blood come from? Could there truly be a divine beast, a Fire Qilin, existing somewhere in this world?”
The grey-robed elder Sheng Shi An slowly shook his head. “Whether or not the divine beast Fire Qilin truly exists, no one in the Martial World has ever seen it with their own eyes. Still, most believe that it must be real. Otherwise, how could Qilin blood keep appearing year after year?”
Tu Yao’s expression grew thoughtful. “Has no one ever tried to find the Fire Qilin?”
“Of course, people have tried in the past,” Elder Sheng replied, his eyes cast downward. “But no one has ever succeeded in hundreds or even thousands of years. Gradually, fewer people bother seeking such a mysterious and elusive creature.”
His voice shifted suddenly as he continued, “However, each time Qilin blood surfaces, it ignites another rush of adventurers eager to search for the Fire Qilin. I’m sure the Martial World will become lively again soon.”
Tu Yao nodded slowly. After a moment of silence, he decided not to pursue the subject further. Instead, his gaze drifted downward toward the wooden boat carrying Li Mu Sheng.
“Elder Sheng, regarding that martial expert who remotely snatched away over a hundred jade tokens earlier, what do you think about his strength? Could you hold him back if he acted against us?”
Elder Sheng Shi An remained silent for a few breaths, a thoughtful expression appearing on his aged face. “The way he captured those jade tokens resembled the Sword Controlling Art, a famed sword skill of the Martial World. Yet, perhaps because he was so far away, I did not sense any Sword Qi.”
He turned slowly to Tu Yao and added, “I haven’t fought him directly, so it’s hard to gauge his exact power. But without question, this person is definitely a Heavenly Union Stage Expert. Moreover, his technique of concealing his presence is extraordinary. We must treat him with utmost caution.”
Tu Yao gave a gentle nod. “With you and I personally overseeing things, there should be no major trouble, but…” His gaze again drifted to Li Mu Sheng’s boat below, eyes narrowing. “Has Elder Sheng never suspected that the one who acted might actually be him?”
Elder Sheng Shi An immediately rejected this guess. “I’ve wandered the Martial World most of my life and have seen countless characters. You can’t possibly believe such a young child could reach the Heavenly Union stage, can you? Since the jade tokens were taken, I’ve kept my eye on him closely. He showed no Qi fluctuations nor any signs of taking action.”
“I’ve also observed carefully,” Elder Sheng continued, “and he’s not disguised. There’s only one possibility: these two have significant backing, someone powerful assisting from the shadows.”
Tu Yao remained silent, knowing his earlier suspicion was likely incorrect. It had been just an idle thought.
After a moment, he quietly spoke again. “There’s still time before the final round. We should be able to uncover their identities by then.”
…
Not long afterward, the swirling vortex at the center of the Underground Lake ceased. From the darkness above echoed the ringing sound of a great bronze gong.
Then a deep, resonant voice filled the space, “The appointed hour has arrived. Esteemed guests, cease your battles over the jade tokens.”
At the same time, the vortex swiftly vanished, and all the wooden boats gradually stilled upon the lake’s surface. Two hundred and ten boats floated gently around the heart of the lake, their lights flickering softly, resembling distant, dim stars.
Suddenly, ten dark iron chains descended from the blackness above. Each chain attached precisely to one of the ten boats whose candles burned brightly. Swiftly, the chains pulled these boats towards the center of the lake.
The boat carrying Li Mu Sheng and Li Yuan Ling naturally numbered among these ten. Pulled along smoothly by the iron chain, they quickly reached the center.
Soon afterward, with a low rumble from deep beneath Lake Heart, the waters parted, revealing a stone-and-wooden pathway descending into the earth. At the path’s end lay a large, pitch-dark cavern. Echoing faintly from within was the steady rushing of water.
“The top ten honored guests shall enter the final stage here,” announced the resonant voice, before continuing clearly, “Boat Number Twenty-One, with one hundred ninety jade tokens, takes first place!”
As the voice faded, the iron chain attached to Li Mu Sheng’s boat jolted suddenly, swiftly pulling them forward down into the dark passage.
All around, gazes from the occupants of the other nine boats followed Li Mu Sheng and Li Yuan Ling, their eyes filled with wary respect. Among them were three young women whose eyes narrowed at the large pile of jade tokens on Li Yuan Ling’s boat. They instantly understood that the culprit behind their own lost tokens was before them.
“It’s her!” Shu Wan’er and her companions immediately recognized Li Yuan Ling. They hadn’t expected the girl they’d robbed earlier to now hold an overwhelming lead in tokens.
Noticing their stares, Li Yuan Ling deliberately held her heap of jade tokens aloft, openly flaunting her victory. After glancing disdainfully at the pitiful few tokens in their hands, she turned away dismissively, her mockery unmistakable.
Shu Wan’er and the others’ faces grew grim, yet they turned their gazes away silently, cautious and unwilling to provoke trouble. The memory of losing their tokens so suddenly remained vividly fresh in their minds. The martial expert behind Li Yuan Ling and her companion had displayed such terrifying strength that confronting them seemed impossible.
Meanwhile, on another less conspicuous boat among the remaining nine, Zhang He quietly watched Li Mu Sheng disappear into the underground path before turning to the woman beside him, Han Mei Yan.
“Holy Maiden, guess whom I’ve just seen?”
Han Mei Yan, sensing his pointed gaze, looked thoughtfully toward the cave entrance. Her voice grew serious, “Neither of those two seem especially strong. For them to gather so many tokens, they must have powerful support behind them. Unless absolutely necessary, it’s best we avoid conflict.”
Zhang He quickly bowed respectfully. “Holy Maiden, rest assured. I fully understand this. But there’s something else you may not know—I’ve actually encountered that young man before.”
He lowered his voice further, adding, “Moreover, he is none other than the recently acknowledged Eighth Prince, approved by Emperor Yuan Wu himself.”
At his words, Han Mei Yan’s eyes brightened instantly. She stared directly at Zhang He, “Are you certain?”
“I confirmed it personally with Song Shan Yue,” Zhang He nodded solemnly. “There’s absolutely no mistake.”
At this revelation, Han Mei Yan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, a sly smile tugging at her lips. She murmured quietly, “Then he might indeed be an excellent candidate to turn to our cause.”