Chapter 18

Ye Rufeng's move spurred disciples from many other sects into action. More than a dozen who had missed registration each handed over fifty thousand Superior Spirit Stones and signed up on the spot.

Immortal Venerable Shen grinned from ear to ear. More than half a million had come in already. If only he could hold the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament every year.

He announced happily, "Today is the first day of the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. You can find somewhere to stay and familiarize yourselves with the venue and the competition format. The tournament will officially begin tomorrow."

Every extra day they stayed on the island was another day they spent money, and the more money he would make.

The Cloudsky Sect party had barely explored the island before they discovered Jade Pool Island’s outrageous prices. Even the most basic room cost a hundred Superior Spirit Stones a night—enough to stay for months elsewhere. With more than ten people in their party, one night would cost them over a thousand Superior Spirit Stones. It was daylight robbery.

Better rooms were even more expensive: eight hundred, eighteen hundred, even thirty-eight hundred Superior Spirit Stones a night. Each price came with a fancy name, like Sunrise View Room or Fairyland Ocean View Room.

The most eye-catching option was an Ocean Beast Viewing Room connected to the island's Ocean Spirit Beast Pavilion. Guests could watch all kinds of ocean spirit beasts swimming beyond the glass without leaving their rooms. It even sounded fun—until they saw the staggering price of 8,888 Superior Spirit Stones a night.

Ye Zhenzhen: ...

[Is it really this easy to make Spirit Stones?!]

She badly wanted to stay in an Ocean Beast Viewing Room, but she couldn't bear to let Immortal Venerable Shen pocket all that money. So she coaxed her parents into pitching a tent on an empty patch of ground and staying for free.

As for food, she didn't want to spend a single coin on the island's offerings either. A grilled lobster cost eighty-eight Superior Spirit Stones, while a grilled Sea Fish went for 108.

But she absolutely couldn't bear to part with the Spirit Fish she had caught in the Illusory Forest.

So she urged her senior brothers and sisters to catch fish and shrimp on the spot. [Get out a bigger beast-catching net and put some of the Spirit Herb Senior Sister usually collects inside it.]

Perhaps Ye Qingyao's Spirit Herb held a special appeal for the fish and shrimp. Before long, the Beast-Binding Rope was full of Sea Fish and shrimp that had swum straight into the trap. They thrashed about, still clamping their mouths around stalks of Spirit Herb even after they were caught.

[Looks like Spirit Herb is a huge draw for these fish and shrimp.] Inspiration struck Ye Zhenzhen. [If we take some Sea Fish and shrimp home and feed them Spirit Herb every day, will they turn into Spirit Fish and spirit shrimp?]

She had only one tooth, and it had barely poked through, but that didn't stop her cravings. This time, she wanted more than seafood soup. She wanted grilled fish too.

Without another word, Ye Qinghui set about cooking a pot of fish-and-shrimp soup, while Ye Qingchuan used Spirit Fire to grill the fish.

Freshly caught by the sea, the live fish and shrimp filled the air with a rich aroma as they cooked. Even without seasoning, they tasted so delicious one's eyebrows might fall off. Ye Zhenzhen normally loved her mother's milk best, but now her heart had changed. [I declare Eldest Senior Brother's seafood soup my new favorite.]

[It's so good! Another pot, please!]

Then she tasted Ye Qingchuan's grilled fish, and her heart changed again.

[Oh my heavens! Oh my heavens! Oh my heavens!]

[Third Senior Brother, how are you such an ordinary-looking little genius at grilling fish? Your control of the heat is incredible! The skin is crisp and fragrant, the flesh tender and juicy, and the flavors have so many layers that they just keep going.]

[Hurry up and grill more to sell! It'll definitely do better than the seafood barbecue on this island.]

Ye Qingchuan had a particular gift for fire techniques and an exceptionally keen sense for controlling heat. But he had never imagined his talent would be put to use grilling fish. He couldn't help laughing.

What he never expected was just how popular his grilled fish would become.

Many passing fellow cultivators caught the aroma and found themselves drawn over. When they learned a fish cost fifty Superior Spirit Stones, they thought it was a little pricey. Still, it was clearly much cheaper than the grilled lobster at eighty-eight.

Besides, the fish was crisp outside and tender within. One light bite brought the fragrant crunch of the skin together with the succulent flesh, releasing a cascade of flavors and textures that lingered long afterward.

Some people copied them and grilled fish to sell, but theirs couldn't hold a candle to Ye Qingchuan's. They only made his stand out more, and word spread from sect to sect.

In less than half a day, they sold two or three hundred fish and took in more than ten thousand Superior Spirit Stones. Ye Zhenzhen grinned from ear to ear.

Many fellow cultivators followed their example and pitched tents by the shore, making their own natural ocean-view rooms. At night, they could open the tent canopies and gaze at a sky full of stars; by day, they needed only to lie inside to watch the sunrise over the sea.

Jade Pool Island had three thousand guest rooms. Immortal Venerable Shen had expected them to fill up for the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament, but more than half remained empty. Business at the island's seafood barbecue stalls was nowhere near as good as he had imagined either. He was so furious he nearly went over and overturned the Cloudsky Sect's tents and grilled-fish stall.

"How dare they!"

"Just wait until tomorrow's tournament. I'll make you regret this!" he fumed.

Ye Zhenzhen: I really am an ordinary-looking little genius at making money.

Chapter 18

At dawn, the first ray of sunlight rose over the horizon, and everything on Jade Pool Island awakened beneath its orange-gold glow.

For the fourth time, Ye Qinghui took out Weak Water and watered the Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree seed. Unsurprisingly, the seed grew even more scorched. Its deep brown had turned completely black, and it looked utterly lifeless.

Ye Qinghui: ...

Could this thing really become a Bodhi Spirit Pill? He was baffled all over again.

This Immortal Sects Grand Tournament had two rounds. The first was a group stage: more than five hundred contestants were divided into sixteen groups for one-on-one matches. The contestant with the highest score in each group would advance to the second-round elimination tournament.

Ye Qinghui was placed in Group Three. While the other groups had only one or two contestants at the Golden Core Late Stage, Group Three had three who had reached that stage or beyond. And since those who didn't know the truth also believed Ye Qinghui was at the Golden Core Late Stage, Group Three was widely dubbed the "group of death," where four powerhouses would fight for supremacy.

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