Great Chu's "Twelve Kings" (Two-in-One)

Next, Chang Kong gave Liu Ying the book "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain" to read, but unfortunately, Liu Ying was unable to trigger any plot events in "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain" even after the Bookstore closed for the day.

"Let's go to the Bookstore again tomorrow," Chang Kong suddenly said on the way back to the inn.

"Master, we only bought two tickets," Liu Ying whispered a reminder.

They had already spent over 300,000 Spirit Crystal to buy these two exclusive numbers. If they went again tomorrow, it would mean spending another 300,000. In this way, they would have spent almost all of their earnings from the auction in just two days.

Chang Kong sighed. Since he began cultivating, this was the first time he had ever encountered a situation where he didn't have enough Spirit Crystal. The books in the Mysterious Bookstore were indeed magical, but they were also a Bottomless Cave. Even a powerful being like him at the Spirit Emperor level was struggling to find enough, wishing he could split a Spirit Crystal in two.

"Go buy two more tickets. The 'Twelve Kings' resource competition, which takes place once every ten years, is coming soon. Your brother is already past his prime, and apart from you, all the other young members of the Zhang Clan are useless. If you can get that eighth-tier spirit sword, you might be able to bring a good ranking to the Zhang Clan this year."

The Great Chu had twelve kings of different surnames, known as the 'Twelve Kings'.

They had all followed Emperor Chu the Conqueror since he rose to power. After the establishment of the Chu Kingdom Emperor Chu the Conqueror, Emperor Chu the Conqueror, to express his gratitude, enfeoffed these twelve men as kings of different surnames within the Great Chu, and they are historically known as the Twelve Kings.

In addition to bestowing titles, Emperor Chu the Conqueror also designated twelve Spirit Crystal Vein Mine and declared that as long as the Great Chu did not perish, these twelve Spirit Crystal Vein Mine would belong to the Twelve Kings of different surnames.

As the name suggests, Spirit Crystal Vein Mine is a mine that produces a lot of Spirit Crystal.

Although these twelve Spirit Crystal Vein Mine are all rich in Spirit Crystal, their yields vary. Some veins can yield hundreds of millions of Spirit Crystal year, while others can only yield tens of millions.

As a result, a disagreement arose among the Twelve Kings regarding the ownership of this Spirit Crystal Vein Mine, since everyone wanted to control the vein with the highest yield.

But can you really snatch a good Spirit Crystal Vein Mine just by talking? Obviously not. So the 'Twelve Kings' came up with a plan: to hold an internal resource competition among the 'Twelve Kings' every ten years, and to determine the priority of each family based on the final ranking, so that they can obtain the mining rights of the Spirit Crystal Vein Mine for the next ten years.

For example, if the Zhang Clan wins first place in this competition, then the Zhang Clan will be the first family to choose a vein mine, and the best Spirit Crystal Vein Mine will fall into the Zhang Clan; the second-ranked family will be the second to choose, and so on, and the last-ranked family will naturally only be able to pick up the Spirit Crystal Vein Mine that everyone else has chosen.

To participate in this internal resource competition among the 'Twelve Kings,' one must first be a descendant of the 'Twelve Kings,' either a direct descendant or a branch descendant; secondly, one must be no older than thirty. As long as these two requirements are met, one can participate in the resource competition among the 'Twelve Kings' and strive for better Spirit Crystal Vein Mine for their family.

Zhang Liu Ying's ancestor was one of the Twelve Kings of the Great Chu.

This year, the once-in-a-decade internal resource battle among the 'Twelve Kings' will take place on January 20th, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

So when Liu Ying heard Chang Kong mention the internal resource struggle among the 'Twelve Kings', she swallowed back the words of advice she had intended to give and nodded silently.

The importance of the resource struggle among the 'Twelve Kings' is undeniable, as it will directly impact the rise and fall of the 'Twelve Kings' families over the next decade.

"Master, Liu Ying, wait for me." Suddenly, Zhang Yunji's voice came from behind.

The Chang Kong and Liu Ying lingered.

Zhang Yunji jogged over and caught up with the two, a smug look on his face. He said, "Master, you don't need to stay at the inn anymore. My mansion is huge. Let's move in together."

Chang Kong remained silent and continued walking forward.

Zhang Yunji looked puzzled and asked Liu Ying, "Liu Ying, what's wrong with Master?"

"Master is probably a little depressed," Liu Ying replied softly.

"Frustrated? What's wrong?" Zhang Yunji slapped his forehead, as if he had remembered something, and said, "Does Master want my Sacred Beast? No problem, I'll give it to Master when we get back. Anyway, the Sacred Beast is useless to me for the time being, and I can't use it to level up, so I might as well give it to Master."

Liu Ying shook her head and said, "No, how could Master possibly want your Sacred Beast?"

"What's wrong with Master?"

"Last night, Master wanted to film a mansion."

"That's great! Which spot was it filmed at? Is it close to my place?" Zhang Yunji asked with delight.

"It's quite close," Liu Ying whispered.

Zhang Yunji clapped his hands and said happily, "That's great! It's convenient to visit each other since we live close by. I was wondering why my master didn't respond when I asked him to stay at my place. Turns out he already had someone!"

"What Master wants to photograph is Mansion No. 88."

"Eighty-eight? Eighty-eight is a good number! Eighty-eight..."

Although Liu Ying failed to obtain the eighth-tier spirit sword from "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain", the news that the new book from the Mysterious Bookstore could yield a spirit weapon had already spread throughout the entire Dubian Town.

On the outskirts of Nine Heavens Mountain, one can often see highly skilled cultivators leveling up with their little spirits.

"Elder Lan, what rank has your Ponyta reached?" a passing cultivator asked casually.

The cultivator known as Elder Lan smiled as he watched his Ponyta battle a third-tier spirit beast, saying, "Third tier already, it'll be fourth tier soon."

A passing cultivator looked on in surprise and exclaimed, "That's really fast! I see many little elves still hovering between the second and third tiers, but Elder Lan, your Ponyta is about to advance to the fourth tier!"

Hearing praise for his little sprite, Elder Lan's smile deepened, but he humbly replied, "Not at all, it's already very slow. I saw a fourth-tier Charmander just a couple of days ago. Compared to it, my Ponyta is still a bit lacking."

"Elder Lan, excessive modesty is just arrogance, haha!" A passing cultivator couldn't help but tease him, but as soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and said with a puzzled look, "Elder Lan, I heard that a great figure's little elf has been stuck at the fourth rank for some time, but no matter what, he just can't advance to the fifth rank. Is that true?"

In Dubian Town today, the million cultivators have all formed their own circles to varying degrees.

For example, the Pokémon community is organized by practitioners who own Pokémon. They often gather together to exchange experiences and insights on training Pokémon. Therefore, for outsiders, the most convenient way to learn about the Pokémon community is to ask the practitioners within it.

Elder Lan, possessing his own little sprite, naturally belonged to this circle and knew far more than outsiders. Upon hearing a passing cultivator inquire, Elder Lan couldn't help but sigh and said, "That's right, there is such a thing. It's said that the great figure's little sprite has already hunted dozens of fifth-tier spirit beasts, and its Spiritual Power has long reached the standard for a fifth-tier spirit beast. However, its little sprite just hasn't advanced and remains at the fourth tier. Because of this, the great figure is very worried and has been sighing and lamenting in the Pokémon Tavern every day these past two days."

The Pokémon Tavern is a place that only serves cultivators who possess little elves. It is also a gathering place for cultivators who possess little elves. It is said that the Pokémon Tavern is backed by the Wantong Chamber of Commerce, Zhao Xiaodao, the maid of the President Gongsun, runs to the Pokémon Tavern every few days.

"Haven't you found the root of the problem yet?" asked a passing cultivator.

In a few days, it will be time to enter the world of Pokémon again. He has already bought an account for that day, planning to catch a Pokémon and then register for the Pokémon Championship a few months later. So he is quite interested in what's happening in the Pokémon community.

Elder Lan shook his head and said, "Because only that important figure's sprite has reached the peak of the fourth tier, while everyone else is still hovering around the third or fourth tier, we can't Analytic where the problem lies yet."

"That's really a headache," a passing cultivator couldn't help but sigh.

"But Elder Lan, have you heard? The Mysterious Bookstore has released a new book," a passing cultivator changed the subject.

Elder Lan nodded and said, "Of course I know that. It's all over Dubian Town. It's two books of Yellow Quality, isn't it? One is called 'The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain,' and the other is called 'The Art of War.'"

"Yes, those are the two books." The passing cultivator nodded and said, "But Elder Lan, did you know that the books in the Mysterious Bookstore can not only increase cultivation, obtain martial arts techniques, and capture little spirits, but also obtain spiritual artifacts?"

"Obtained a spiritual artifact?" Elder Lan was somewhat surprised. A spiritual artifact is like a cultivator's second life, and its importance is self-evident.

"You don't know yet, do you?" A passing cultivator chuckled and said, "It's all over town now. The newly released book, 'The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain,' features an eighth-tier spirit sword right from the start, called something like the Purple Ying Sword. It's absolutely awesome."

"An eighth-tier spirit sword!" Elder Lan exclaimed, his white beard practically sucking up from his chin as he gasped.

"Hehe, it's a pity, Miss Liu Ying didn't manage to bring out the Purple Ying Sword." The passing cultivator's words carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"Ponyta, come back." Suddenly, Elder Lan took out Poké Ball, recalled Ponyta, and turned to run back into the town.

"Elder Lan, where are you going?" a passing cultivator asked in surprise.

"Go to the trading market and buy a number for tomorrow." Elder Lan's voice drifted from afar, but he was now just a Phantom Organization.

Such things kept happening throughout Dubian Town, and the name of the book "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain" began to spread. Overnight, millions of cultivators knew that this book "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain" contained spiritual weapons. As long as everyone could complete the story missions in the book, they could take out an eighth-tier spiritual sword!

As a result, that very evening, the trading market was once again buzzing with activity as people bought up exclusive phone numbers for the next day, and prices skyrocketed.

Then Chang Kong's face darkened even more.

Yesterday I spent 350,000 on two exclusive phone numbers, and today I spent 500,000!

It increased by 150,000 in just one day!

The next morning, the long street in front of the Mysterious Bookstore was already packed with people, all there to see if anyone could enter the world of "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain" and retrieve the eighth-tier spirit sword.

The process is the same: opening the door, collecting tickets, and entering the room.

However, a special number appeared today, belonging to a woman in a long red robe.

Despite having all the advantages, she didn't choose "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain," but instead took "The Art of War" instead, leaving the group of people somewhat puzzled.

"Could that copy of 'The Art of War' have some unknown power? Is it even more important than an eighth-tier spirit sword?" The cultivators inside and outside the Bookstore looked on with puzzlement as the woman in red robes approached the private room with "The Art of War."

"It's a pity we're in a private room, otherwise we might have been able to see something," one of the cultivators sighed.

Reading in a private room is a bit pricey, but the advantage is the high level of privacy. No matter what you're learning inside, no one outside can hear a thing.

Unlike sitting in Bookstore lobby reading books, comprehending martial arts techniques is fine, but there are no special effects. Once you've grasped something, you can keep it to yourself, and others won't be able to tell anything.

Those cultivators who occasionally manage to enter and capture Pokémon are out of luck. Not only do they know what Pokémon you've obtained, but they can also see your every move inside the book and deduce your true cultivation level from your physique and reaction speed.

If your cultivation level is high, that's fine, but if it's low... the only outcome is being cornered outside the Bookstore, forced to either hand over the sprite or wait to die.

This kind of thing has happened many times in Dubian Town over the past month.

There are at least eighty to one hundred cultivators who have died at the hands of assassins.

Not to mention the cultivators who level up with their Pokémon in the Nine Heavens Mountain, who face assassination attempts from different directions every day. So, Dubian Town, though seemingly prosperous, is actually in utter chaos.

In today's "Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain," since the woman in red robes with the special number didn't make the choice, the ending naturally falls into Chang Kong's hands.

There's no other reason than that Chang Kong's strength is undeniable. If you insist on competing with him, you might be able to win, but whether you'll even see the sun rise tomorrow is uncertain.

The spirit sword is wonderful, but you need to be alive to wield it.

"Liu Ying, you continue." Chang Kong handed "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain" to Liu Ying, then ran to browse the books on the blue bookshelf, trying to find a book that interested him. What was that book "First Intimate Contact" from yesterday even about? He couldn't understand it at all.

"Hmm." Liu Ying naturally knew that this might be her last chance. If she didn't seize the opportunity, the eighth-tier spirit sword would basically be gone.

Liu Ying opened the book and turned to the place she had read yesterday. She read it carefully, trying her best to immerse herself in the book, to become a character in it, and to experience the world of "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain".

"Hey you two, are you really that slow to understand?" Ma Feifei couldn't help but complain as she looked at Lin Wuchi and Li Beiguo.

Damn it, it's the second day! The two of them watched all day yesterday, and they didn't react at all! If we use comprehension to describe intelligence and stupidity, then these two are the two dumbest people Ma Feifei has ever met since he came into this world, without a doubt!

Lin Wuchi and Li Beiguo lowered their heads, not daring to look at Ma Feifei.

Ma Feifei tapped the table, looked at the two of them with a serious expression, and said, "I'm telling you, if you can't figure this out today, you don't need to eat. You'll only get to eat when you understand it."

"Shopkeeper, we understand now!" Li Beiguo said, feeling wronged.

Ma Feifei was taken aback and asked, "What did you figure out?"

"Don't scare yourself when you're tomb raiding; you might scare yourself to death."

"..."