Chapter 1231: Rules

Wind Rises in the Nine Provinces

“Of course, there are always exceptions. Such incidents have occurred in previous Divine Sea Contests. Therefore, when the number of participants decreases to a certain extent, the Reincarnation Tree will give you some insights at regular intervals,” Yang Qing added.

The Reincarnation Tree has always adhered to the principle of not interfering in the disputes between major realms. It merely provides an environment for the top Divine Sea cultivators from those realms to compete, offering tangible benefits to the winners.

Initially, there were no such insights. However, several Divine Sea Contests saw the unexpected situations Yang Qing mentioned. Some individuals were naturally adept at concealing themselves, managing to gain an advantage.

Such abilities are rare, but they caused dissatisfaction among most races. Their powerful cultivators fought fiercely, gaining nothing, and instead becoming stepping stones for others. This imbalance led to strong demands and suggestions from the powerful cultivators of various races. The Reincarnation Tree could only change some rules. It still wouldn't directly intervene in this level of competition, but it could provide some insights at certain times.

“Insights?” Lu Ye questioned, puzzled.

“It will pinpoint the exact locations of certain high-ranked and low-ranked individuals in your minds. This way, even those who wish to hide will be unable to!”

Lu Ye asked, surprised, “There are rankings?”

Yang Qing smiled slightly. “Of course, there are rankings! The place of the Divine Sea Contest is called the Primordial Realm. Legend has it that it is a desolate land from the time when heaven and earth first opened, and also the ancestral land where the Reincarnation Tree was born. The Reincarnation Tree uses its own power to integrate this ancestral land into itself. Every hundred years, it gives birth to a large amount of spiritual energy that can help Divine Sea cultivators advance to the Star-Host realm. Some get more, some less, but no matter what, for you Divine Sea cultivators, this is a huge prize. There’s only so much, and whoever gets more or less will be determined by rank! The higher your rank, the more you get.”

Lu Ye understood. Although there would eventually be a hundred spots, it was impractical to distribute benefits equally. Determining allocation by rank seemed reasonable.

However, the Reincarnation Tree’s insights would not be friendly to those ranked high or low.

Because if everyone wants to get a bigger share, they must first eliminate the high-ranked individuals. Therefore, the higher one’s rank, the more likely they are to face a concerted attack.

As for those ranked low… they are surely weaker. Eliminating them means one less competitor. Everyone can do that math.

It’s likely no one would want to be marked by the Reincarnation Tree at that time.

“How are the rankings determined?” Lu Ye had a hunch, but he still wanted to confirm.

“Naturally, by killing enemies. The more you kill, the higher your rank!”

It was simple and direct.

“Additionally, besides rankings, there’s another rule you must remember: at regular intervals, the scope of the Primordial Realm will shrink, until it finally becomes an area only ten thousand li in circumference.”

This rule also directly encourages fighting among cultivators.

The Primordial Realm is vast. If it remained so large, it would be difficult to determine the top hundred. But if it continuously shrinks, it will increase the opportunities for cultivators to encounter and fight each other.

By the time it shrinks to a ten-thousand-li radius, it will be an environment where enemies are everywhere!

“The Divine Sea Contest has two criteria for ending. One is time, a three-month period. It will end when the three months are up. If more than a hundred people are still alive at that point, then the top hundred will be chosen, and everyone outside the top hundred will be eliminated. The other is the number of participants. If the time limit hasn't been reached, but the number of participants has dropped to only a hundred, it will end immediately.”

Lu Ye nodded silently. These two criteria made perfect sense.

“The Primordial Realm also contains various rich resources, such as rare flowers and exotic plants that can be used for alchemy. Because its environment is the closest to the primordial wilderness from the time of creation, the flora grown there are basically impossible to find elsewhere. If you have the chance, you can collect some; they might be useful later. Of course, spiritual jades and crystals are also available. When you advance to the Star-Host realm, you will need these things. If you have the energy, you can collect and prepare them in advance in the Primordial Realm.”

“I’ll remember that,” Lu Ye nodded.

Through his conversation with Yang Qing, the truth of the Divine Sea Contest unfolded before Lu Ye. He felt no fear, but rather a sense of anticipation.

Basically, all cultivators from various races participating in the Divine Sea Contest shared this mentality. They were all figures who led an era in their respective realms. Gathering here, it was truly a gathering of elites, and everyone wanted to know if they would be stronger than others, and if there would be anyone stronger than themselves.

Those who were genuinely timid were almost nonexistent.

From the information he currently possessed, the Divine Sea Contest in the Primordial Realm was a tremendous trial for every Divine Sea cultivator participating, but also a great opportunity.

Aside from other things, the numerous rare flowers and exotic plants found only in the Primordial Realm were very appealing. Moreover, spiritual jades and crystals were typically beyond the reach of Divine Sea cultivators, but the Primordial Realm offered them an opportunity to prepare for the future.

The Divine Sea Contest was still a few days away from starting, as the Primordial Realm had not yet opened. This was why many cultivators from different realms had gathered here.

Such an opportunity to bring together many powerful individuals from across the starry sky was rare. Powerful cultivators from various realms also intended to use this chance to foster relationships and discuss cooperation.

There were also those setting up stalls; almost every realm had people doing this. They brought unique local products from their respective realms and traded them for goods from other realms.

Lu Ye followed behind Yang Qing, wandering around and listening as he introduced different races, their characteristics, and points of caution. Watching Yang Qing haggle with stall owners, Lu Ye found it quite eye-opening.

Yang Qing probably realized his previous behavior was inappropriate, so after Lu Ye returned from his trial, he intentionally helped him catch up on common knowledge of the starry sky.

At this moment, he truly seemed like a diligent elder, guiding a junior through trials and tribulations.

Lu Ye felt meticulous care and earnest advice...

Of course, it would be even better if Yang Qing didn't haggle with others.

Just a moment ago, Yang Qing was squatting in front of a stall owner’s stand, playfully handling an item of spiritual quality, engaging in a serious battle of wits with the owner.

Lu Ye stood at a distance, eyes downcast, pretending not to be familiar with Yang Qing.

“Fellow Daoist, this Glazed Emerald Heart Lamp is the proud creation of my realm's strongest refiner. It has the effect of clarifying the mind and spirit. Five thousand spiritual jades is truly not a high price,” the stall owner said earnestly.

“Three thousand!” Yang Qing retorted, resolute.

“How about this, for a fated buyer, I see that you genuinely like this item. Let’s say four thousand spiritual jades. I can’t go any lower; if I do, I won’t be able to account for it later. I’m only selling on behalf of someone else.”

“Three thousand!” Yang Qing stuck to his price, showing no awareness of the give-and-take involved in bargaining.

“Thirty-five hundred!” the stall owner looked troubled.

“Just three thousand!”

The stall owner sighed. “Fine, fine. If that’s the case, then three thousand it is!”

Yang Qing tossed the Glazed Emerald Heart Lamp down, patted his backside, and stood up. “I don’t want it anymore!”

The stall owner was dumbfounded. If this weren't the Reincarnation Tree, he would have grabbed Yang Qing and reasoned with him.

Lu Ye, however, was unfazed, as Yang Qing had done this many times along the way.

According to Yang Qing, he was simply practicing his bargaining skills and had no intention of buying anything.

Moreover… he didn’t have much spiritual jade on him. Let alone three thousand, he couldn’t even afford three hundred.

So, despite being a dragon, he was actually a penniless one.

After rejoining Lu Ye, Yang Qing didn’t forget to earnestly teach him: “When bargaining with people in the future, you must be bold and thick-skinned. Don’t be reluctant to haggle, or you’ll end up losing out!”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Lu Ye nodded repeatedly, adopting an attitude of agreeing with everything he said.

On the platform, there were many powerful individuals like Yang Qing, wandering around with their juniors to broaden their horizons. Most were simply sightseeing, but some were genuinely doing business, as opportunities to exchange goods with other realms were rare.

Lu Ye did have some local products from various races, but those were merely obtained from the previous tree realm and were not suitable for display in this environment, so he didn’t give them much thought.

Arriving at another stall, Yang Qing squatted down again. Lu Ye habitually moved away.

Staying with such an elder, there was nothing else, but it was easy to incur resentment. The stall owners couldn’t do anything to Yang Qing, but they could certainly instruct their juniors to target Lu Ye.

There were several treasures on that stall, all glowing brilliantly, clearly of extraordinary quality. Yang Qing casually picked up the most dazzling one and said, “One spiritual jade!”

Lu Ye was stunned. Previously, Yang Qing’s offers at least had some semblance of reasonableness, but one spiritual jade… that was a bit too much.

Lu Ye thought to himself that if he were the stall owner, he wouldn’t even acknowledge Yang Qing.

But what surprised him was that the stall owner actually showed a troubled expression, and after Yang Qing displayed a fierce gaze, the other party bit his lip and said, “Deal!”

Lu Ye was dumbfounded, completely bewildered by what was happening in this world.

Even with his limited experience, he knew that such a treasure could not be bought for one spiritual jade. This stall owner… must have a serious problem with his brain.

What made him even more stunned came next. Yang Qing said, “I don’t have any spiritual jade. I’ll owe you!”

Saying this, he stood up, took the item, and left. Yet, the stall owner showed no intention of stopping him, merely gazing at Yang Qing’s retreating back with immense resentment. Beside the stall owner, a Divine Sea realm junior also watched, wide-eyed.

Meeting Lu Ye’s extremely puzzled gaze, Yang Qing smiled slightly. “He offended me earlier. This is just a small lesson.”

Only then did Lu Ye understand, but he quickly realized something was wrong. The Divine Sea cultivator beside the stall owner was glaring at him, eyes blazing, as if to engrave his appearance deep into his soul.