Chapter 170: Victory Assured

Victory!

With true masters present and one side holding an absolute advantage, the fierce battle did not last long. The Xuanzhou forces did not completely wipe out the Jizhou forces. Some who tore off their outer garments, indicating they were not carrying Chongji Crystals, faced no obstruction during their escape. As a result, several hundred people managed to flee.

After clearing the bloody battlefield, a pile of bulging black cloth bags was found at various locations. The combined Jizhou forces had not stored the Chongji Crystals in one place; clearly, each group had kept their own.

Li Sanshan, standing guard over a pile of counted Chongji Crystals, raised his arms and shouted, "Ten thousand seven hundred and fifty-three crystals!"

With over ten thousand Chongji Crystals harvested in a single battle, Xuanzhou erupted in cheers. In the mirror image, the cheering Xuanzhou forces and the piles of Chongji Crystals stirred envy and admiration among many viewers.

Chi Rang, the Xuanzhou Domain Lord, chuckled joyfully. Other domain lords had complex expressions, while the Jizhou Domain Lord stood up, kicked over his chair, and stormed off. Young Master Nan slumped into his chair as if gravely ill, muttering something unintelligible. The forces in the mirror image did not stop; like Wang Sheng's group, they rapidly continued their pursuit.

On the other side, Wang Sheng's forces were also filled with laughter and joy. Everyone walked out of the cave, chattering loudly, with arms over shoulders, celebrating with the world. With their strength, they didn't need to put in as much effort as Gui Rou's group. Catching the richer targets and plundering them would be enough. Laughter erupted in the cave.

An individual with a severed arm sat on a rock, caressing the stump, also wearing a look of satisfaction, feeling it was worth it. They had accounted for themselves, both to others and to themselves. Shi Chun, sitting atop the hill, saw everyone's joy. A faint smile touched his face, though it was somewhat reserved; he couldn't laugh as heartily as they did. Finally, he lay back, arms folded behind his head, gazing at the cool, twinkling stars amidst the laughter.

Those sects that might qualify to contend for Tang Zhen's ranking celebrated even more exuberantly, their joyous laughter echoing. They only wished for wine, their hearts filled with heroism, daring to compete with the vast starry sky. With victory in hand, the thought of returning to Tang Zhen with their names on the record of achievements, and the glory of their triumphant return, filled them all with joy.

Inside a simple cave after nightfall, the glow of the Tan Jin Flame Qi seemed somewhat eerie. There were quite a few channels for horizontal communication between the two sides, so they also had a grasp of Xuanzhou Qingqing's harvest situation.

Gui Roujiang spoke first, "I just heard news that Gui Rou's group fought another battle today, but their harvest was low, only about a hundred Chongji Crystals."

Mulan sighed noisily, "How is it that as the grand assembly approaches, our harvest is getting worse?"

The harvested Chongji Crystals made Mulan Qingqing's heart sink; there were only about two thousand. In their previous continuous raids, they believed they had targeted rich objectives, yet each successful attempt yielded only a dozen or so crystals. This made Mulan Qingqing and the others increasingly anxious with each battle, realizing their harvests were similar to Gui Rou's group's.

Wan Daoxuan said, "If the sect's side gets a bit more harvest these days, they might gather ten thousand crystals. Judging by their trend, even if we fight relentlessly, it will be hard to catch up to them. We can't keep fighting non-stop; it's too exhausting, and against a strong opponent, it's hard to say who would win. In other words, with this situation, we are basically doomed to lose."

Guan Yingjie finally spoke, "Did you come here just to boost others' morale and diminish our own?"

Gui Roujiang said, "Brother Guan, you exaggerate. We say these things merely to illustrate a point: only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you have a chance of winning. If this continues, we will undoubtedly lose." The key issue was that even if their harvests were similar to the sect's each time, they were running out of time; the grand assembly was only a few days away. Mulan added, "Counting the time, the grand assembly begins in seven days. This means we only have seven days left. If this trend continues, we can at most gather another twenty thousand crystals, and that's assuming our harvest rate doesn't decrease."

Li Sanshan's expression changed, his voice sinking as he said quietly, "Our harvest yesterday wasn't actually low; only today's was. Today was just an isolated incident. Yesterday's harvest capability is our true standard, and it will naturally resume starting tomorrow."

They only then realized that the sect's words when facing the military remonstrance might have been true: the opposing side had put in considerable effort, ascertaining the target's number of Chongji Crystals before acting. They couldn't help but ponder how the sect's scouts managed this. They couldn't figure it out, truly couldn't. Was the gap in ability between people really that vast?

Xuanzhou Qingqing sat cross-legged on a mat, with Guan Yingjie also seated below. Both were silent, having realized one thing: from the trend of the past two days, it was highly likely they would lose to the sect's side. They didn't need reminding that they were destined to lose. The four members of Suyuan Sect had already calculated this outcome while sitting in glum silence.

Xuanzhou Qingqing appeared as usual, still seemingly cold as ice, but deep down, she was filled with despondency. "This is utterly frustrating," she murmured. Losing when forces were comparable was one thing, but her own side, commanding a group of elites, had lost to a mere ragtag group. The sheer magnitude of the ability gap truly disheartened her.

Footsteps sounded from outside the cave. It was Li Sanshan and two others. They peered inside, and only after their eyes adjusted to the light did they walk in.

Li Sanshan said, "We're not doing much better ourselves. We've only managed about fourteen thousand over the past two days. Excluding the ten thousand from the first battle, our harvest over these two days is actually not outstanding compared to the sect's past achievements. I must say, I have gained a new understanding of the sect's capabilities." After saying that, he, Gui Rou, and Wan Daoxuan all showed peculiar smiles.

Gui Roujiang said, "Brother Guan, starting tomorrow, the counting of harvested Chongji Crystals should be handled by specialists, and they should announce the public figures."

Wan Daoxuan said, "It's an unchivalrous victory, but the key is that we can't use force against them. All's fair in war. Resolving this peacefully is the best approach."

Seeing their fervent gazes, Xuanzhou Qingqing knew she could no longer stop them. They had found such a significant loophole, and she knew she couldn't block them, so she could only tacitly agree. Xuanzhou Qingqing looked somewhat troubled, "Winning against them through deception, isn't that a bit unchivalrous?"

Li Sanshan lowered his voice and said, "Before coming here, the three of us discussed it. We absolutely cannot sit by and let our reputation be ruined." He continued, "The three of us discussed it. Even if our final harvest isn't as good as the sect's, there's still a way to recover. In fact, the key to winning or losing lies in the competition rules. If we can make the other party willing to negotiate a change in the rules, that would be a different matter."

Guan Yingjie, confused, asked, "Don't beat around the bush with me, what do you mean?"

Li Sanshan asked, "If they knew they were destined to lose and we were certain to win, and we gave them one more chance to try their luck, do you think they would be willing?"

Guan Yingjie suddenly understood, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "They know we've won. If we give them another chance... yes, they'll surely accept."

Wan Daoxuan said, "It would be an utter disgrace, utterly unacceptable."

Guan Yingjie also said, "Sister, don't worry. They brought this upon themselves with their greed; no one else is to blame. Moreover, the competition rules did not stipulate that deception couldn't be used." Mulan said, "Exactly. Gui Rou, there's no need to worry. The chance to win was originally in their hands, but they were greedy. If they hadn't been greedy, they wouldn't have fallen for this trap. They are the ones who will regret it afterwards."

Li Sanshan added, "Exactly, Brother Guan's point is valid; there was no agreement preventing deception. If there's any dispute later, we can tell everyone that if it weren't for our convenient method, and our reluctance to cause too much bloodshed, why would we have stayed put? We would have acted earlier, and our harvest would not have been inferior to theirs. With two strategies in hand, we win either way. We clearly hold the winning hand, so how can it be an unchivalrous victory?"

Wan Daoxuan said, "Exactly! If they can deceive, we will accept it without question!" Mulan clapped her hands in approval, "Excellent, excellent!"

Li Sanshan said, "Of course, we still need to work hard. If we can truly surpass them in actual harvest, then naturally there's no need to resort to unconventional methods."

The target for the second battle numbered only a few hundred, and the Xuanzhou forces swept them away with overwhelming power.

During a raid before dusk on the seventh day, they encountered the most disheartening event. After the target was defeated, their leader, roaring in sorrow and rage, tore open a white cloth bag and released all the Chongji Crystals. The number was unknown, but it was certainly large. Although the leader was hacked to pieces by the enraged Wang Sheng forces, the scattered Chongji Crystals could not be recovered. Wang Sheng's forces had toiled in vain.

Mulan said, "Yes, Wang Sheng's elite actually lost to this ragtag bunch of scoundrels. This will become a huge joke later. From now on, whenever we encounter someone slightly challenging, this incident will be brought up to humiliate us. Brother Guan, can you bear this? The problem is, how will we, from Wang Sheng, face these smaller factions and give them orders in the future? The shame is unbearable for me."

Finally, everyone's gaze turned to the person who could make the final decision. "That makes sense," they agreed.