Chapter 107: The Content of the Jade Slip

Xu Qing was never stingy with spirit stones essential for cultivation, but he lived very frugally. Even after significant gains, his only indulgence was adding three eggs to his breakfast.

Consequently, he was remarkably well-informed about the wanted criminals in the main city. Even though the wanted notices on jade slips were updated periodically, he meticulously memorized them. After all, every spirit stone counted, and with luck, he might even uncover more valuable items from a target's storage bag.

At this moment, he instantly recognized the corpse before him. It belonged to a pirate from a maritime organization, valued at about fifteen spirit stones. While this sum was insignificant to Xu Qing now, it was undoubtedly a considerable fortune for the mute boy. To think such wealth was simply handed over to him...

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed as he gazed in the direction the mute boy had departed. He could clearly see the boy had deliberately waited for him, seemingly just to hand over this wanted criminal. "Is this a trick?" Xu Qing murmured, ignoring the corpse at his feet as he walked away, his figure quickly disappearing down the street.

After Xu Qing's figure receded, the wanted criminal's corpse on the ground drew the attention of passersby. Most avoided it, but a few disciples, their eyes gleaming, paused to observe before preparing to approach. However, just as they drew near, a small but agile figure, darting like a wild dog, suddenly burst from a nearby alley, directly to the corpse. Crouching there, his eyes shone with a fierce possessiveness, like an animal guarding its food, as he glared menacingly at anyone who dared to approach. His teeth, sharpened and serrated unlike a normal person's, were now bared, radiating an aggressive aura that made the approaching cultivators pause.

Following a brief standoff, the surrounding disciples, noticing the bite marks on the corpse, one by one chose to retreat. Only the mute boy remained, crouching beside the body, seemingly lost in thought, his expression reflecting a rare mix of bewilderment and dejection.

As time passed, dusk soon descended. The boy remained beside the corpse until nightfall, then silently dragged it into the alley and followed the wall back to his dwelling.

His residence was not a magic boat, but a simple, humble shack. The monthly cost was significantly lower than a berth. He approached cautiously, not using the door, but circling to the back wall where he pushed aside some loose bricks and squeezed inside. In the darkness of the shack, he let out a long breath, then silently squatted in a corner, positioning himself to see both the window and the door. After staring blankly for a while, he looked down at the wanted criminal's corpse beside him, his dejection deepening.

After a long moment, he hesitated, then felt around on the wanted criminal's body. It seemed he hadn't checked the criminal's pouch before; now, taking it, he opened it to reveal three spirit stones, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes. He immediately clutched them, cautiously scanning his surroundings before safely putting them away. He then meticulously counted his own accumulated spirit stones, which totaled seventy-seven.

After counting, he squatted there, his expression once again turning to dejection. Finally, he took out a rough stone, opened his mouth, and began sharpening his teeth, making them even more formidable.

Yet, at only the third level of Qi Condensation, he remained utterly unaware that Xu Qing was standing outside his shack, coldly observing his every move.

Xu Qing was inherently cautious and vigilant. Even if the other person's cultivation was inferior to his, he remained equally wary. From his perspective, the day's events presented only two possibilities: it was either a genuine gift or had an ulterior motive.

In this cruel and chaotic world, anything was possible, so he wouldn't accept this gift. Instead, he would leave, hide, and observe in secret before deciding whether to act. "Is he trying to curry favor because of the fear he showed me a few days ago?" Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, looked at the boy inside the shack, pushed open the door, and entered.

The moment Xu Qing stepped inside, the boy in the corner immediately bared his teeth, poised to erupt. But upon recognizing Xu Qing, his body trembled violently, his eyes filled with extreme terror, and he froze, unable to move.

"What did you see?" Xu Qing asked slowly, standing at the doorway as he tossed a jade slip. Moonlight illuminated him, casting his shadow into the shack, very close to the mute boy.

The mute boy pressed himself tightly against the wall as he took the jade slip. This was something his captain had once inquired about, which he had refused to reveal even under threat of death. Yet now, without hesitation, he immediately etched his message into the slip and cautiously handed it back to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took the jade slip, and as his spiritual energy flowed through it, his expression abruptly changed. His eyes glinted coldly. After a profound look at the mute boy, he took out eight spirit stones, tossed them over, and turned to leave.

Seventy-seven plus fifteen plus eight equaled one hundred, an amount sufficient to exchange for a magic boat. Even after walking away, Xu Qing's right hand remained tightly clenched around the jade slip. Upon returning to his berth and stepping onto his magic boat, he suddenly crushed the jade slip into dust. Then, expressionless, he entered the cabin, sat cross-legged, and began his cultivation.

A night passed. The next morning, Xu Qing, his expression unchanged, went to Zhang San's. He delivered the array crossbow he had acquired from the Vajra Sect, and under Zhang San's craftsmanship, it was installed on his magic boat, becoming one of his deadliest trump cards, second only to divine power.

"This is a real treasure, Xu Qing. With a Foundation Establishment power source, your magic boat can be upgraded to a true magic ship," Zhang San said with a smile just before Xu Qing left. He then glanced left and right, lowering his voice. "Xu Qing, are you participating in the Grand Competition? It should be happening in the next few days. I'm planning to join to make a fortune. If you're going, we could team up." "I will go," Xu Qing nodded. Zhang San chuckled, saying nothing further.

Xu Qing cupped his fist and left. As he walked through the port, he noticed that shops across the peaks were bustling with Seventh Peak disciples buying items, their numbers significantly higher than usual. More magic boats were also returning to the harbor. He even encountered several unfamiliar faces, each exhibiting cultivation fluctuations at least at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Condensation. A few, like himself, had even reached the Grand Perfection stage. Clearly, these Seven Blood Eyes disciples had either been in secluded cultivation or roaming the seas, only now returning upon news of the Grand Competition.

With just a glance, Xu Qing could clearly sense the chilling, deeply ingrained killing intent emanating from them.

He also heard that the Lingbei tribe of the West Coral Islands had recently become incredibly anxious, constantly seeking aid from other foreign tribes while repeatedly dispatching envoys to the Seven Blood Eyes for peace talks. This made Xu Qing recall his captain's words and his own suspicions. "So, could the true target be the Merman race?" Xu Qing murmured. That very night, a familiar visitor arrived outside his boat.

"Xu Qing, Xu Qing! You're back and didn't even tell me? Don't you consider me, Huang Yan, a brother?" Huang Yan shouted from outside the magic boat, his expression showing a hint of displeasure. Hearing the voice, Xu Qing stepped out of the cabin and saw Huang Yan, a smile gracing his face. Since joining Seven Blood Eyes, he had met many people, but only a select few felt truly genuine to him, and Huang Yan was one of them. "I came back to deal with some minor matters," Xu Qing explained. Huang Yan didn't mind, laughing heartily as he sat down on the bank. As with his previous visit, he chose not to board the boat. After sitting, he leaned in and whispered, "Xu Qing, I found out a huge secret today!"

The word "secret" immediately put Xu Qing on alert, reminding him of his captain's secret, valued at one hundred spirit stones. Before Xu Qing could speak, Huang Yan, with a hint of pride, quickly began to elaborate: "Don't you feel something's off about the Seventh Peak this time? While the target and destination are usually announced in advance, I just find this time too deliberate. Knowing the Seventh Peak's usual nature... I'm convinced the Grand Competition's location is definitely not the Lingbei tribe. Based on my analysis and investigation, I've concluded the true target this time is the Merman race!"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. After a quick glance at Huang Yan's expression, he didn't need prompting this time to feign a look of surprise. Seeing Xu Qing's reaction, Huang Yan immediately felt a swell of satisfaction and pride. "Haha, well, it's actually nothing much. My senior sister told me all this. We tell each other everything now!"

"After learning this news, I immediately started investigating Merman Island intelligence. As soon as I heard you were back, I rushed to share it with you. How about that, am I a good brother or what?" Huang Yan said, tossing Xu Qing a jade slip. Then he lowered his voice again. "I was particularly surprised by my findings. The Merman race is incredibly wealthy! Their tribal lands span four islands: Imagi, Secluded Isle, Juying Isle, and Miae Isle. Each island is packed with treasures. Based on my intelligence gathering, the most valuable and lesser-known ones are all summarized on this jade slip."

Xu Qing caught the jade slip and poured spiritual energy into it to inspect its contents. Huang Yan, who seemed to have memorized everything, began to speak, swaying his head. "I put a lot of effort into acquiring this, let me tell you. On Miae Isle, there's an armor called the Armor of Miae, hidden within Miae Volcano. It's a magical artifact-level armor that the Merman race has been crafting for a thousand years. This thing is incredibly valuable, but unfortunately, we can't get our hands on it."

"And on Imagi, there are vast quantities of Merman Tears, comparable to spirit elixirs. But even more valuable than those is a single drop of Imagi's Tear. Imagi was the name of the Merman ancestor, and this tear was his last before death, now embedded in their crown."

At this point, Huang Yan produced two eggs, tossing one to Xu Qing before puncturing his own and sipping from it as he continued. "As for Secluded Isle, it's a graveyard with countless buried treasures. The most significant item there, however, is a single feather. Do you know whose it is? It belongs to the Blazing Phoenix! Do you know who the Blazing Phoenix is? That's the King of the Western Forbidden Zone of the Truth Mountain Range in Southern Phoenix Continent, and the undisputed ruler of Southern Phoenix Continent. You must know why it's called Southern Phoenix Continent, right?"

"Lastly, Juying Isle is also quite astonishing. It's rumored to house multiple pill vaults, likely containing many Foundation Establishment pills. My senior sister went there to snatch some before, and I predict the competition will be fierce this time as well."

"But that's not all; on Juying Isle, there's a treasure worth five hundred thousand spirit stones, called the Spirit Breath Lamp!"

"The Spirit Breath Lamp is the Merman race's sacred Foundation Establishment artifact, housed within the Foundation Establishment Tower in Juying Isle's main city. It's exclusively for Merman cultivators to undergo Foundation Establishment, much like our Seven Blood Eyes' Foundation Establishment area that costs a hundred spirit stones per hour. The difference is, ours reportedly relies on divine blood to protect disciples during Foundation Establishment, whereas the Merman race depends on this lamp."

"Such artifacts for protecting disciples during Foundation Establishment exist in every major sect and clan, though they vary. The Merman race's lamp, however, is actually quite ordinary in effect, which is why the larger sects and clans don't bother with it."

"The reason it's valued at five hundred thousand spirit stones is because last time, after my senior sister stole it, she blackmailed the Merman race for two million spirit stones. They eventually negotiated it down to five hundred thousand and bought it back. Oh, and rumor has it that this Spirit Breath Lamp also conceals clues to some divine temple, but no one has found them in all these years. My senior sister couldn't locate them either, which is why she sold it back. All the specifics are in the jade slip; you can read it later."

Xu Qing remained silent upon hearing this. He found it unsettling that he was still concerned about tens of thousands of spirit stones, while the other person spoke casually of millions. After poking his egg and taking a sip, he still couldn't suppress the thoughts stirring within him, which now turned into a surge of excitement.

After blurting everything out, Huang Yan began to chat about his senior sister. He did most of the talking throughout, with Xu Qing listening. This peculiar dynamic, however, made Huang Yan feel very comfortable.

It was very late when Huang Yan, having finished his egg, patted his stomach and stood up to leave. Before departing, he burped and whispered, "Xu Qing, I know you likely won't, but I still need to warn you: don't be foolish enough to chase first place this time. The core disciple status isn't important; resources are the main focus during the Grand Competition, you'll see."

"Actually, few people truly care about rankings; everyone's just aiming to get rich. And listen, only the two of us know this information. I consider you a brother, so don't spread it around. When we get to whichever island, we'll grab what we can and make a huge profit first!"

Xu Qing nodded. Huang Yan, contentedly patting his belly, departed, taking out a jade slip as he walked to send his senior sister his usual sweet nothings.

Watching Huang Yan disappear into the distance, Xu Qing sat on the boat deck and turned to gaze at the forbidden sea, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. Gentle waves rolled in, causing the boat to sway slightly. In the moonlight, his shadow stretched across the deck beside him, part of it reaching into the sea, blending with the dark water.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze from the distance, swept it over his shadow, his eyes glinting coldly. A single sentence from the jade slip the mute boy had given him surfaced in his mind: "It's sleeping..."

Time passed. Three days later, early in the morning, the identity tokens of all Seventh Peak disciples throughout the Seven Blood Eyes Sect vibrated simultaneously. A solemn voice echoed within the minds of all disciples: "All disciples participating in the Grand Competition, assemble and form ranks at the central altar within one-quarter of an hour. The Seventh Peak Grand Competition will now commence!"