Chapter 17

"Qinghui, you went away and not only failed to restore your Inner Core, but your cultivation has fallen this far. What will you do at the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament tomorrow? You'll only bring shame on the sect if you go. Should we send someone in your place?" Ye Rufeng pressed his advantage, hoping Ye Qinghui would back down.

[What's it to you whether he's improved? You're an old man throwing your seniority around, picking a fight with your own nephew. What kind of skill is that?]

[No matter what, he's not giving his spot to your bandit of a disciple, Ye Qingyun.]

[Go home, wash up, and get some sleep.] Ye Zhenzhen puffed out her cheeks, her face full of indignation.

"Martial Uncle, thank you for your guidance. Your cultivation is simply so high that juniors like us can only gaze after you from afar. There's no need to replace me. I'll do my utmost at the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament and fight for the sect's honor," Ye Qinghui replied with perfect courtesy.

Weak Water: Don't let my name fool you. I'm the strongest water there is.

Chapter 17

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Held once every five years, the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament was a major event in the Cultivation World. Organized by the Immortal Sects Alliance, it drew mostly disciples from the Five Great Sects, the southern schools, the northern factions, and cultivation families, as well as a few Rogue Cultivators.

The tournament venue was Jade Pool Island, an island with the air of a holiday resort. Its scenery was beautiful, its vegetation lush. Tall, straight palm trees grew everywhere, while tropical flowers competed to show off their colors.

Winter had already begun. Though cultivators generally had protective robes and did not fear the cold, Jade Pool Island's mild weather and its birdsong and fragrant flowers were a delight to both body and mind.

Immortal Venerable Shen oversaw the Immortal Sects Alliance's daily affairs, so naturally he had chosen the tournament venue too. He claimed it was to give everyone a better place to compete, but in truth, it served his own interests. Jade Pool Island was a resort owned by the Kongtong School, and food and lodging there cost a fortune. Immortal Venerable Shen wanted to boost the island's revenue directly while raising its profile for future profits.

Entrants had to meet two requirements: they had to be at least fifteen years old, and their cultivation had to be above Golden Core but below Spirit Transformation. Every participant also had to pay a registration fee of 2,000 Superior Spirit Stones. More than five hundred people had signed up, meaning registration alone had brought in over a million Superior Spirit Stones.

Any sizable sect arrived by flying boat. Yet Cloudsky Sect, one of the five great sects, had come with Sect Master Ye Ruheng leading several dozen members on Azure Luan. It looked rather shabby, and sects such as Heavenly Secret Palace laughed at them.

"One of the Five Great Sects, and you can't even afford a flying boat. What a disgrace," Heavenly Secret Palace's Sect Leader, Jiang Buqun, sneered. For years, he had wanted to push Cloudsky Sect out of the Five Great Sects and put Heavenly Secret Palace in its place.

Immortal Venerable Shen came over with a broad smile and a warm welcome, even as he poured oil on the fire. "The Immortal Sects Alliance is reimbursing the Spirit Stones used to power everyone's flying boats for this tournament. Sect Master Ye, coming here on Azure Luan must have been tiring, and you can't claim a reimbursement. What a pity."

"However"—Immortal Venerable Shen changed tack and pointed to a flying boat moored on the south side of Jade Pool Island—"this luxurious Dragonfish Flying Boat is the grand prize of the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. It travels by sea, land, and air, and the organizing committee paid Spirit Treasure Pavilion a full 500,000 Superior Spirit Stones for it. Whoever takes first place wins the boat. Sect Master Ye, your people had better give it their all. If your eldest disciple Ye Qinghui happens to win, you can sail home in it."

He knew Ye Qinghui had lost his Inner Core and stood almost no chance of winning. He had said it deliberately to mock Ye Ruheng.

As always, Ye Ruheng was graceful and dignified, with the bearing of an immortal. The provocation did not anger him. He took his time examining the boat, then said mildly, "It is indeed impressive. That dragonfish looks extraordinary. May Immortal Venerable Shen's kind words come true, and may we have the good fortune to ride this boat home."

[Daddy, I like this boat. It's definitely going to be ours.] Ye Zhenzhen's eyes shone as she stared at it. She had recently begun teething, and whenever she smiled, a tiny canine tooth peeked out, making her look adorable.

Hearing her, Xie Jingshu and Ye Ruheng both looked at her fondly.

But Immortal Venerable Shen spotted the string of Heaven-and-Earth Pearls around her neck, and his heart ached. That string had once been his treasure, until Ye Zhenzhen had snatched it from him at her full-month celebration. Every time he remembered it, he still could not let it go.

At this Immortal Sects Grand Tournament, he would have his revenge. He would strip a layer of skin off Cloudsky Sect.

"Immortal Venerable Shen." Ye Rufeng stepped forward with Ye Qingyun. "My disciple Ye Qingyun hadn't reached Golden Core before, so he couldn't register for the tournament. But recently he suddenly grasped the true meaning of cultivation, and his progress has advanced a thousand miles a day. He's now reached Golden Core Late Stage. Could you make an exception and let him register here?"

"Well..." Immortal Venerable Shen certainly remembered how Ye Rufeng had summoned him to Cloudsky Sect on the day of Ye Zhenzhen's full-month celebration to collect the Seven-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone. Not only had he failed to get the divine artifact, but he had also lost a Superior Beast-Binding Rope, 100,000 Superior Spirit Stones, and a string of Heaven-and-Earth Pearls. Though he still needed Ye Rufeng to watch Ye Ruheng for him, he had no intention of agreeing so easily. "The entrant list was finalized long ago. Adding someone at the last moment would hardly be fair. However..."

"However what?"

"If you're willing to pay 50,000 Superior Spirit Stones, we can make an exception for your disciple. I doubt anyone would object."

"50,000 Superior Spirit Stones!" Ye Rufeng's face changed despite himself. That was fifty times the registration fee—an outrageous demand! Yet the first-place prize was a flying boat worth 500,000, and the top ten would all receive various spirit artifacts. It was a gamble worth taking. After all, take a chance and your motorcycle might turn into a bicycle.

Gritting his teeth, he rummaged through his Heaven-and-Earth Bag alongside Ye Qingyun and his other disciples. They finally scraped together 40,000 Superior Spirit Stones, leaving them 10,000 short.

"No matter." Immortal Venerable Shen took the Spirit Stones at once. "We can put the remaining 10,000 on Cloudsky Sect's account. You can pay it back later."

Hearing that the debt would go on the sect's account, Ye Rufeng regretted emptying his own pockets. But what was done was done. He could only swallow the loss. With a trace of bitterness in his smile, he nodded. "Thank you, Immortal Venerable Shen."

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