Chapter 249

Chapter 249: Placing Bets

The people of Flying Cloud Sect wore different looks, but all of them glared at Immortal Lord Chang Li’s group before unwillingly pulling their eyes back. The rumors had hit Flying Cloud Sect hard. People from other sects now looked at them with odd, contemptuous eyes.

“Is everyone here?” Ziwei Pavilion Master glanced around. “You already know the basics of Starfield Plain, so I won’t repeat them.”

He lifted a small device and said: “This is a space artifact that transfers items. It works like a storage bag, but anything you put in it will be sent by the Teleportation Formation at the bottom to outside the Barrier Ward.” He gestured toward several empty plots of ground nearby.

Flags with the names of each sect and auction pavilion stood on those plots. Projection Stones could not be used in Starfield Plain, so this was a more direct way to see what everyone found. It also made the Meet feel like a contest. And it saved them from carrying extra storage bags.

Ziwei Pavilion Master added: “Of course, this artifact does not teleport cultivators. The Barrier Ward will teleport you to random areas. To make sure you can find the way back out, each artifact has a Locator Thread. Inject Spiritual Power and it will appear.”

That also meant this Treasure-Seeking Meet would be fought as solo runs.

He raised his hand and sent Spiritual Power into the artifact. A thin thread uncoiled and connected to a crystal on the side. Disciples who entered Starfield Plain could follow the thread back to the exit.

Then attendants handed an artifact to each disciple taking part in the Meet.

Ming Xi and several other sect leaders walked up to Ziwei Pavilion Master and asked: “Let us confirm one more time. There is no real danger inside Starfield Plain, right? We will not risk our disciples’ safety no matter how many treasures are inside.”

Ziwei Pavilion Master smiled and answered neatly: “There is some danger, but only mid to low level Demonic Beasts. I believe that will not be a problem for the disciples of your sects.”

“Please make your final preparations. In one quarter of an hour, the Treasure-Seeking Meet will officially begin.”

After greeting Mei Mei, Jiang Chu, and the others, Shen Sang Ruo put away her space artifact. Behind her, Song Wei Yan and the rest were eager to go. They would fight for Ninghua Sect, and even more for Linglong Pavilion. Everyone was alert and ready.

Daoist Wu Wei stroked his beard and muttered: “How odd. I remember there was no Barrier Ward here in the past.”

Starfield Plain sat on the western edge of the cultivation world.

Shen Sang Ruo teased him with a smile: “Your ‘in the past’ might be a bit too long.” Then she asked: “Sect Master, you have been here before?”

“Yes. I came west to visit an old friend and stopped by this place.”

She had the faint feeling he clenched his teeth when he said “old friend.” In truth, that friend’s sect was far from here. Daoist Wu Wei would never tell Shen Sang Ruo that his so-called stopover was a brawl that raged all the way to this spot.

“So many years have passed. It is normal for a new Barrier Ward to appear. I was only making small talk. Time is almost up. Let’s enter now,” Daoist Wu Wei said, smiling again.

“Alright,” she replied. She and seven others stepped up to the Barrier Ward.

Then they walked in.

Disciples from the other sects also entered Starfield Plain one after another.

Outside the Barrier Ward, everyone sat on the prepared seats. The auction pavilion representatives looked especially relaxed and pleased. For them, they would soon get many treasures without lifting a finger, so of course they were happy.

They quickly warmed up and started to gamble. They bet on which empty plot would show a treasure first, whose haul would have the best quality, and who would collect the most items.

“Place your bets, place your bets!”

Naturally, they only bet on the sects they cooperated with. Ziwei Pavilion backed Flying Cloud Sect. Amber Pavilion backed Beast Taming Sect. Winter Vault Pavilion backed Heavenly Sword Sect. Jade Gem Pavilion backed Artifact Forging Sect. Bamboo Serenity Pavilion backed Alchemy Sect. The wealth of the top auction pavilions was no joke. Every Pavilion Master bet with grand gestures.

Daoist Wu Wei’s fingers itched. Pretending not to see Immortal Lord Chang Li’s deadly glare, he sneaked over to the Pavilion Masters.

Ziwei Pavilion Master smiled at him and said: “Sect Master Wu Wei, would you like to place a bet too?”

“A little, yes, just for fun. I cannot match the grandeur of you Pavilion Masters,” Daoist Wu Wei said, eyes narrowing to slits.

“Please,” Ziwei Pavilion Master replied, making a welcoming gesture. He could already tell this old fellow loved to gamble. “Just for fun”? He did not believe that at all.

Daoist Wu Wei walked over to the piles of Spirit Stones laid out as wagers. From his robe he took out a cloth pouch, then unwrapped layer after layer before finally extracting three high-grade Spirit Stones. With a bold sweep of his hand, he placed one on each of three bets.

With that pose, anyone who did not know better would think he had just laid down three million Spirit Stones.

Ziwei Pavilion Master was speechless.

That was it?

His expression started to crack, and the corner of his mouth twitched. The other Pavilion Masters also wore strange looks. In their entire lives, none of them had seen single-digit Spirit Stones used like this. They had thought Daoist Wu Wei was being modest, but they had no idea how stingy he really was. One Spirit Stone per bet was his limit.

“I am done. I will head back first,” Daoist Wu Wei said, hands clasped behind his back as he sauntered away, ignoring the disdainful looks. His skin was thick. Heh.

Not long after he sat down, Heavenly Sword Sect’s plot showed the first treasure of the day: a Purple Cloud Lotus that could make a deep, bone-revealing wound close at once.

Winter Vault Pavilion Master cupped his hands and laughed: “I will accept these Spirit Stones, thank you.”

Daoist Wu Wei watched the Spirit Stone he had just taken from his own pouch leave him forever and clutched his chest in pain.

Immortal Lord Chang Li’s eyes gleamed with glee: “Serves you right.”

Soon, other plots began to show all kinds of treasures. Each person’s trophies carried a unique mark so they could be told apart.

But the people of Ninghua Sect noticed something odd. Among the many treasures, not a single one bore Shen Sang Ruo’s mark.

Shen Sang Ruo was the only Nascent Soul Stage cultivator among everyone who entered Starfield Plain. She should have been faster than the rest at collecting treasures. This strange situation made Immortal Lord Chang Li and Daoist Wu Wei both frown. [Did something happen to her?]

The other sects and auction pavilions noticed too.

Beast Taming Sect Master Guan Hui lowered his voice and curled his lip: “So much for the so-called number one of the younger generation. Just an empty title. I say she is nothing special.”

Around the field, people felt a mix of worry, trust, and eager curiosity. They whispered and guessed at what Shen Sang Ruo might have run into.

As for Shen Sang Ruo herself, the moment she passed through the Barrier Ward, she was teleported into a dark space, and she kept falling.