The Situation in Town

A corner of the small town.

A mansion.

Seven or eight young people gathered here.

Among them were familiar faces from Yu Tunzhou, Chang Jian and Ji Pan, as well as Prefect Liu Zhizhou from Dongting.

Invited Liu Zhizhou surveyed the room, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Zhang Buyu, Jiang Yungu, neither of them are here?"

Chang Jian sneered, "Their courage has been shattered by that Yu Tunzhou."

Liu Zhizhou, naturally skeptical of such claims, asked, "What exactly did they reply?"

After hearing my invitation, Zhang Buyu remained silent for a long time, then muttered something about how he shouldn't have done this, that he was wrong last time, and that it was utterly inexplicable!

"As for Jiang Yungu, I haven't even seen a shadow of him. I reckon his spirit has been completely shattered, and he's finished."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhizhou frowned slightly and glanced at the room full of young men.

During each dispute, people from various families in the town would come, and they were always divided into different classes.

Geniuses of Zhang Buyu, Jiang Yungu, and myself, at this level, should have no problem surviving and leaving the cave heaven. The only key is whether they can obtain enough Martial Fortune to forge Immortal Foundation.

The young talents gathered inside the room at this moment would be considered top geniuses and outstanding figures in any county or prefecture outside, but they were not enough here.

Compared to them, they were just there to make up the numbers; if they could even manage to snag a few strands of luck in the Martial Fortune world, they would already be making a huge profit.

Liu Zhizhou spoke bluntly, "Are you planning to let ants overwhelm an elephant? A week has already passed. As long as that Yu Tunzhou isn't dead, he should have absorbed most of that Martial Fortune, and his strength will definitely have improved even further."

Chang Jian immediately interrupted, "His previous victory over Jiang Yungu was entirely due to the terrain and a sneak attack; his true strength didn't exceed the required level. Besides, he's only at the Qi Ingestion Realm; he couldn't possibly be at the difference between an ant and an elephant."

Ji Pan's gaze turned cold and sharp. "Yu Tunzhou can launch a sneak attack, then so can we!"

Liu Zhizhou raised an eyebrow, guessing the answer, "You're planning to make your move tomorrow night during the battle for destiny? Have you already decided to give up on competing for Martial Fortune?"

The group exchanged glances, and one of the young men, named Zhang Luzhou, slowly said:

"Dragon Maiden Liu, you must have heard it too. As long as you kill Yu Tunzhou, you will obtain enough Martial Fortune to forge Immortal Foundation. Does the struggle for destiny still matter?"

In my view, this battle for destiny has turned into a "battle of the Yu Tunzhou and the human head!"

Liu Zhizhou sneered inwardly.

These idiots, in the past, it's not impossible that no one would break through the encirclement and eventually seize the Immortal Foundation, but the proportion would be pitifully small.

It now appears they're going all in, betting directly on the head of the Yu Tunzhou group.

But is that person really so bloodthirsty?

Chang Jian's gaze was dark as he slowly said:

"We are different from Zhang Buyu and the others. Even if they don't win the Martial Fortune, with their talent and background, they can still receive the Profound Qi from the forces behind them after they leave."

"But we are different. For us, even just a wisp or two of Martial Fortune is enough to give us a head start over our peers in the sect. If we can forge a Immortal Foundation, that would be a meteoric rise to the heavens!"

"On this point, Dragon Maiden Liu should share our stance, right?"

Liu Zhizhou remained noncommittal. Even without the support of her family, with her talent, she was far from being at her wit's end and in need of a desperate gamble within this celestial realm.

She asked directly, "What are your plans for tomorrow night? Putting everything else aside, finding that guy is a problem in itself, isn't it? He didn't even show up in front of everyone last time."

"We'll set up surveillance tomorrow, sending men to guard the mountains and forests, tracking his movements," Ji Pan said. "In addition, we will also capture Chen Xuanye."

Are you sure Chen Xuanye is really connected to Yu Tunzhou?

"It's not important anymore," Ji Pan said calmly. "Since we're ready to make a move, what's a deposed crown prince of Northern Chen? He'd better really be connected to Yu Tunzhou."

"You must also be careful about Xie Linchuan and his group's movements," Liu Zhizhou warned.

"Although we don't know how Yu Tunzhou managed to seize all the Martial Fortune last time, he would never be with Xie Linchuan and the others," Chang Jian said, his eyes gleaming. "Perhaps this time we can uncover Yu Tunzhou's secrets."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhizhou was truly tempted.

Yu Tunzhou's last attempt to monopolize all the Martial Fortune was truly astonishing.

This has never happened before in history!

They inquired with their elders, but to no avail; they had no clue whatsoever. Even the local guards could not find an answer.

Moreover, the various garrison commanders were powerless to stop it; the defection of the various factions in the Northern Dark Continent prevented them from driving away Yu Tunzhou...

Liu Zhizhou suddenly looked at the person who had just spoken:

"Zhang Luzhou, are you going to make a move too?"

The latter was a young man with a cold demeanor. He said in a detached tone, "The reason why the Northern Dark Sea Faction hasn't targeted Yu Tunzhou is because of Lu Huaiqing. We have absolutely no connection with Yu Tunzhou."

Liu Zhizhou narrowed her eyes. She knew about this matter as well. She had also heard that Lu Huaiqing would temporarily take over the position of resident Buddhist School, and now he would be living next to Yu Tunzhou...

"Dragon Maiden Liu, I have said all I need to say. Are you willing to join us?"

What should be added?

Is this an alliance cobbled together by a bunch of losers and trash?

Liu Zhizhou's gaze swept over Chang Jian and Ji Pan, inwardly grumbling, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked:

"One last question: if Yu Tunzhou is ultimately killed, how should the Martial Fortune be divided?"

Chang Jian and the others had clearly already discussed this. "Find the town keeper to act as a notary, and the one who received the Martial Fortune will give half a share to each of the others, with the remainder going to him."

Half-finished...

Liu Zhizhou immediately lost interest.

If the profits are split equally, this team has some basis for cooperation.

But half a percent?

Even if each person gets half a percent, the remaining amount is still over 60%.

The fact that they can accept such an uneven distribution clearly shows that these guys all have their own agendas and are all aiming to grab the last kills. They will definitely use all sorts of tricks in the final crucial stage.

That concludes the understanding.

Liu Zhizhou stood up. "I'm sorry, I don't intend to participate in your plan, but I still wish you success, since eliminating Yu Tunzhou is beneficial to everyone."

Chang Jian remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What do you think is wrong, Dragon Maiden Liu?"

Liu Zhizhou walked outside without looking back.

"Your people are not united."

As Liu Zhizhou returned to her residence after leaving the mansion, she stopped at a corner and glanced to the side. A severely injured man at the entrance of the alley suddenly stopped, looking at her warily as if facing a formidable enemy.

Liu Zhizhou narrowed his eyes.

Compared to previous conflicts, this one is actually quite mild; so far, very few people have died.

The fundamental reason is that Xie Linchuan and others failed to seize the Martial Fortune, so their original advantage not only failed to expand further, but was instead narrowed.

Otherwise, in previous years, those who gained the upper hand would have already rallied fellow cultivators to launch a purge against rival sects.

Unless the latter stays at home, or can even resist the urge to go out when others block their door.

This is how an advantage at one step leads to advantages at every step.

Once two or three factions emerge in the town and divide up all the remaining disciples, a standoff will ensue, creating an initial stalemate.

During this phase, the number of deaths was relatively low.

The above is the "process" of past disputes.

Even with some discrepancies, the final result will be roughly the same.

This time, everyone has to "thank" Yu Tunzhou for stealing all the luck from the first round of Martial Fortune, thus forcibly delaying the process.

Another week has passed.

His own Qi Ingestion Method had reached the eighth level.

It would be very difficult for Xie Linchuan and the others to break through to the ninth level within a week.

Therefore, this battle for destiny is the key!

Thinking of Chang Jian and his gang, Liu Zhizhou's smile deepened.

Whether they succeed or not, they will affect the Yu Tunzhou in swallowing up the Martial Fortune, and at that time they will be the beneficiaries.

Speaking of which...

Life is truly unpredictable.

Liu Zhizhou's initial joy vanished abruptly, and he sighed.

A little over a month ago, a country boy who didn't even have a proper cultivation method and was condemned to death by Master Luo had quietly risen above his peers without anyone noticing.

The Jiang Household mansion.

The elder of the Jiang Household asked with great interest, "Why didn't you, Jiang Yungu, agree to Chang Jian's group this time?"

Having finally recovered from his injuries, Jiang Yungu said sullenly:

"My great-aunt said that if I were to cooperate with someone in the future, I must never choose to cooperate with fools if I wanted to succeed. Last time, I cooperated with a bunch of fools, which is why I ended up like this today."

This way.

Humming a little tune, Liu Zhizhou, returning to his residence, suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if facing a formidable enemy!

A person slowly walked out of the alley ahead.

It was Yu Tunzhou, who hadn't left the mountain since the last battle for destiny!

Hey, why does this guy have such dark circles under his eyes?