Guang Chengzi shrugged and spread his hands. "Then forget it!"
With that, he turned to leave.
Duobao's gaze flickered as he stared at the two Acquired Spirit Treasures in Guang Chengzi's arms, his mind constantly calculating.
Suddenly!
"Senior Brother, wait!"
Guang Chengzi turned to Duobao in confusion. "Junior Brother, is there anything else?"
Duobao took a deep breath, as though he had made an enormous decision.
"Senior Brother, I'll bet with you, but we need to change the stakes!"
"Go on."
Duobao chuckled, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
"The time Bai Ze takes to fully master the grand array will still be wagered on two Acquired Spirit Treasures.
But whether he can break through or not will be wagered on True Dragon Blood Essence!"
How could Guang Chengzi fail to understand Duobao's intentions when he saw that sly grin? Yet he did not mind in the slightest.
He nodded slightly and agreed.
"However, I no longer have any True Dragon Blood Essence. The Dragon Clan has been somewhat unsettled recently. If I lose, can I replace it with equally precious True Phoenix Blood Essence?"
Duobao thought for a moment, then nodded without hesitation. In any case, he was not confident he could win the True Phoenix Blood Essence. As long as he could win the Acquired Spirit Treasures, that was enough!
At the same time, he could not help but grow curious. Why did Guang Chengzi possess True Phoenix Blood Essence, something as precious as True Dragon Blood Essence?
"Senior Brother, both True Dragon Blood Essence and True Phoenix Blood Essence are exceedingly precious. Why do you have both?"
Guang Chengzi shook his head with a laugh. "I never said the True Phoenix Blood Essence was on me.
But Junior Brother, if you lose, what will you use as your stake?"
Duobao had long made his plans and answered smugly.
"If I lose, I'll repay you with the blood essence of the first Treasure-Seeking Mouse in heaven and earth, and the first Bai Ze in heaven and earth."
Guang Chengzi frowned slightly and looked at Duobao in surprise. Duobao, however, remained smug and unconcerned, looking as though he had gained an enormous advantage.
Guang Chengzi could not help gaining a new appreciation for his junior brother's shamelessness.
After pondering briefly, he said, "You and Bai Ze are both Innate Divines. Together, you are no less valuable than a True Dragon and True Phoenix.
Those stakes will do."
"Of course!" Duobao laughed loudly. "My blood essence and Brother Bai Ze's are extremely precious!"
Guang Chengzi smiled gently at that. Lost blood essence would take several hundred years to recover.
Looking at Duobao, who was still exhilarated and had completely forgotten the loss he had just suffered, he thought:
This time, consider it a lesson in paying for your own temperament!
Within a mysterious space in the small courtyard.
Venerable Lingbao, refreshed and invigorated, continued playing the unfinished game of chess with Venerable Yuanshi, whose expression was as calm as still water.
"Junior Brother, your disciple truly never learns from his mistakes. He has no idea how precious blood essence is."
Venerable Lingbao was equally helpless.
"It isn't that Duobao doesn't realize it. He simply cannot move when he sees treasures!
He did not see at all that Guang Chengzi was letting him have his way!"
Venerable Yuanshi picked up a white piece and pondered.
"Should I tell Guang Chengzi to stop this here?"
Venerable Lingbao shook his head. "No need. That brat deserves to suffer a little!
Otherwise, who knows what sort of trouble he might cause in the future!"
Venerable Yuanshi did not insist after hearing that. After all, there were still some existences in the Primordial World that even he was wary of.
With Duobao's restless temperament, he would inevitably provoke some remnants of Chaos that Pangu had not completely slain!
Tap!
Venerable Lingbao placed a piece and looked at Venerable Yuanshi. "Senior Brother, Bai Ze has already cultivated outside the array for a thousand years, hasn't he?"
Venerable Yuanshi nodded slightly. Picking up a black piece, he considered for a moment before placing it in a corner.
"Junior Brother, what are you trying to say?"
"Recently, my disciple has constantly been talking about Bai Ze in my ear. It has become unbearably irritating."
Venerable Lingbao paused before continuing.
"Thus, I took a look during my leisure time and discovered that this child's talent in arrays is astonishingly high.
In my view, the Prohibitive Array that took me nearly ten thousand years to devise would take no more than six thousand years for him to fully break."
"Hehe."
Venerable Yuanshi chuckled and set down the white piece in his hand, looking toward his junior brother.
"Previously, you avoided this child as though he were a venomous snake and guarded against him closely. Why have you now taken an interest in him?
The Primordial World does not lack exceptionally gifted individuals."
With a wave of Venerable Lingbao's hand, the figures of Bai Ze and Duobao immediately appeared above the chessboard.
Seeing Duobao's smug expression, he gave a bitter smile.
"My eldest disciple is flamboyant and arrogant, thinking no one is worthy of his notice. Sooner or later, he will suffer for it.
But Bai Ze is cautious and careful, yet steadily strives forward. If this child remains by his side, then even if Duobao causes trouble, he can mediate from the sidelines. In the future, I will have one less thing to worry about."
Venerable Yuanshi looked at Venerable Lingbao with a smile, saying nothing.
Venerable Lingbao felt guilty beneath Venerable Yuanshi's gaze.
Before long, he confessed. "As expected, I cannot hide it from you, Senior Brother. Eldest Senior Brother said this child would become an uncertainty in the future.
Yet he did not say whether he would bring fortune or calamity to us. Still, the future has no fixed course.
I believe that if we can bring this child under control early, then no matter what uncertainty he may be, he will not be able to stir up any waves."
Venerable Yuanshi did not reply immediately. Instead, with a sweep of his sleeve, two cups of emerald-green tea appeared.
After taking a small sip, thoughts churned in his mind. Only after a long while did he say:
"What Junior Brother says is not without reason. At present, the Heavenly Dao is still immature, and no one can predict what the future holds.
But this matter is of great importance. We should wait until Eldest Senior Brother returns before discussing it further.
Still, he may remain in the courtyard for now."
Venerable Lingbao was not surprised by Venerable Yuanshi's answer. After all, Eldest Senior Brother was devoted to cultivation and paid no heed to worldly matters.
All matters, great and small, within the courtyard were handled by Second Senior Brother.
Moreover, he had not expected Second Senior Brother to agree immediately.
As long as Bai Ze was allowed to remain, he would always stay under his watchful eye.
He did not want to watch such an uncertainty wander aimlessly through the Primordial World.
Venerable Lingbao drained the spiritual tea in his cup in one gulp.
This immediately earned him a glare from Venerable Yuanshi, who said helplessly:
"Junior Brother, this is Enlightenment Tea from the summit of Mount Buzhou. Drinking it like an ox drinking water is truly wasting something so fine."
"Haha, no matter how precious tea is, isn't it meant to be drunk?"
Venerable Lingbao laughed unconcernedly, then looked toward the scene manifested on the chessboard: Bai Ze comprehending the Dao, and Duobao making his wager.
"Senior Brother, with Bai Ze's cautious nature, how long do you think it will take before he enters?"
Venerable Yuanshi looked up at Venerable Lingbao and chuckled. "Tired of waiting?"
Venerable Lingbao smiled and toyed with a chess piece. "Watching the disciples below fool around has made my hands itch a little."
Venerable Yuanshi shook his head with a laugh. "In my opinion, Duobao's temperament comes from you!
Very well. Since you are tired of this game, let us play a round to pass the time."
With that, both of them turned their gazes toward Bai Ze on the chessboard.
Before you continue