Chapter 185: Dividing the Fruits of Victory

The climax!

With so many people in the training ground, there were bound to be quick-witted and sharp-eyed individuals. Gradually, they started to notice Shi Chun’s change of direction. Word spread like wildfire, and the entire training ground became bustling with excitement.

Was Shi Chun going to attribute those Vermillion Crystals to Shengzhou's name, as if they were Shengzhou's people's? If not to Shengzhou, where else could they go?

But the cause-and-effect relationship was truly baffling. Aside from anything else, how could so many people from Xuanzhou simply stand by and watch Shengzhou’s people walk off with all the Vermillion Crystals?

Every theory had major flaws, leaving everyone confused about what was truly happening. They could only await the final outcome.

Bian Jixiong, Elder Ke, and Elder Yin of Wukang Mountain exchanged glances repeatedly. They were also constantly being greeted by people around them, but the problem was they had no idea what was going on. They genuinely knew nothing.

The only thing they could understand was that those two rogue disciples were now flying around using the magic treasure Wind Scale. There was no doubt about the treasure's origin; it was clearly stolen from some faction. Hopefully, there would be no one left alive to bear witness, as that scoundrel dared to kill anyone.

The night was deep. Usually, by this hour, many spectators at the training ground would have left, especially the VIPs, who mostly only observed the general trend during prime time. But this time, hardly anyone was leaving.

Even the elegantly dressed noblewomen, some of whom found it incomprehensible or uninteresting, remained because of the presence of important figures.

For them, whether someone was first or not, such minor advancements were merely trivial amusements. They didn't really care for it.

Kang Shan thought for a moment, "Let's divide it. You all have some, and it wouldn't be right if I didn't, especially since I'm the team leader."

At the entrance of Xun Gate, by this hour, most of the people who were supposed to enter had already done so. The scene of people crowding in was no longer visible. Only sporadic individuals, or groups of two or three, were seen, and large organized groups were almost nonexistent, making it appear somewhat desolate.

It was Kang Shan who decided to change their flight direction. After a long period of observation, someone suddenly exclaimed loudly, "Look! They're turning!"

"Why are they going back there?" Xiang Shengzhou wondered. "Are they sure they can make it into the top ten?"

Kang Shan immediately lifted his clothes, revealing torn pant legs with bloodstains on his leg, and pointed to a tear in his clothing on his abdomen. "Lan'er Qingqing isn't that easy to deal with. I got injured too. Let Jinliang put some medicine on me. I'll have to take off my clothes. Don't you want to watch? If you really want to, I don't mind this one time."

Before long, the three returned to the canyon that showed signs of collapse. The excavated cave entrance was still there. After a quick search to confirm it was safe, the three entered the cave.

So the two women walked off swaggering. As they reached the cave entrance, Xiang Shengzhou called out again, "The address needs to change! It's not 'Junior Sister' anymore. Wumulan, I am your Senior Sister now!"

Such a treasure couldn't be easily leaked. Therefore, it was worth putting in a bit more effort to protect it. Xiang Shengzhou immediately grew wary, asking, "What are you doing behind my back?"

Applying medicine wasn't the real reason. Kang Shan merely wanted to return the treasure robe inside to Wu Jinliang. Otherwise, if Wu Jinliang took off his worn outer robe, it wouldn't be about revealing a secret or not, but the fact that this robe sometimes appeared and sometimes didn't, and often appeared on Shi Chun, with its size also changed, would raise suspicion.

By the seal's opening, Bian Weiying was constantly craning her neck in anticipation. Alone, she stood out prominently.

The amounts stolen by those motley crowds were not reliable as reference, as they were all faked, and Xiang Shengzhou knew this.

He didn't want to elaborate on that matter. It was a warning from an extraordinary expert. He could tell Wu Jinliang, but he wouldn't tell Xiang Shengzhou.

With a clatter as they landed, the three went out, then turned around and entered the adjacent cave.

Moreover, she was very beautiful. The armored guards occasionally looked at her. After waiting for a while, another guard came forward and asked, "Still waiting, or are you going in?"

A magic treasure capable of such transformations was more valuable than spatial treasures. To put it plainly, its ability to expand and contract integrated some capabilities of spatial treasures, making it an extremely high-grade item, more valuable than even a Qiankun Lei.

There was nothing else to it. The two exchanged glances and tacitly started undressing together. Wu Jinliang said, "Yes, bringing back a pile of rocks would look too bad."

In short, not everyone was interested in this grand event. Many, many people had no interest in paying attention.

Xiang Shengzhou felt a headache looking at those Vermillion Crystals. The higher-ups had asked her to acquire some Vermillion Crystals for merits. Now, with so many extra, it would be impossible to hide where they came from. So many people in Xuanzhou knew about it, so the credit couldn't be solely attributed to her. Taking out these merits would dilute the specific merit she desired.

Xiang Shengzhou thought about it and agreed. Then she suddenly asked, "Who was it that struck you down at the very last moment of the fight?"

If he didn't have that confidence, he wouldn't have divided the spoils of victory this way. Being first was enough; there was no need to be excessively ahead.

Kang Shan nodded slightly after hearing this. "Jinliang is right, getting into the top ten shouldn't be a problem. My share should secure first place." The fake Vermillion Crystals made by the elite troops displeased Wu Jinliang. He crushed many of them, as they looked better and were more regular than his own fakes.

Kang Shan thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "Never mind. Victory or defeat doesn't hinge on this single red one. It feels quite ordinary. Let's give it away as a gift."

Chi Rang, who had been pacing back and forth in the corner, also heard the shouts. He immediately reappeared, standing with his hands behind his back, intently watching the ethereal screen.

After the exchange was completed, Kang Shan took out a white cloth pouch from his Qiankun bracelet and reached in to pull out the red Vermillion Crystal.

Wei Mo, who had been leaning back in his chair, grasping the armrests, immediately straightened up and stared intently, leaving the backrest.

Xiang Shengzhou rolled her eyes and snapped, "Get lost! Whether each continent built more or fewer Xun Gates, what did that have to do with them?"

Given this, Xiang Shengzhou worried less. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take half, and the rest goes to Bian Weiying. Will she want it?"

Shi Chun mentioned something, and Wu Jinliang immediately understood, quickly changing direction and leaving.

The two women immediately pulled at the bracelets on their wrists, ripping off the fake Youxia Mountain tags and casually tossing them aside.

As they spoke, a streak of light descended from the sky, slowing down. Three figures, holding large piles of white cloth pouches, appeared in mid-air and floated down to the ground.

Wu Jinliang grunted in understanding; he even guessed who it was meant for. It was always like this: whenever something novel was obtained, it was given away as a token of affection to that particular person.

Kang Shan gestured towards the large piles of white cloth pouches they were carrying through magic. "We're faking it, and they're faking it too. Most of what's inside are just rocks. We have to clean them out. If we take back a pile of rocks, do you expect the Royal Court to sort through them for us?"

"Let's go check the place where we were previously in seclusion."

From the window of the small building, Young Master Nan clutched his chest. His already pained and unsightly expression now looked even more severe. With these repeated changes, he felt like he really couldn't take it anymore. What exactly did those two little devils want to do? Couldn't they just be clearer?

She raised her hand and showed off the bracelet on her wrist. She was "Wumulan Eight," and the two women were Seven and Nine. These numbers were originally listed according to their previous sect ranking.

To put it bluntly, it was like a bunch of country bumpkins fighting over a few bones; there was nothing interesting to see.

Wu Jinliang, who was about to put away the illuminating Sandalwood Gold, paused in surprise. He asked in a low voice, "How should we deal with this? Should we hand it over too?"

Xiang Shengzhou thought about it and agreed. Her eyes showed a hint of surprise and doubt. She sensed a different meaning in the words of the short person.

They preferred to be around people like Young Master Nan, who could effortlessly spend tens of billions in Sandalwood Gold with a wave of his hand, or spend time with people like Miao Dingyi. Even if it was boring, it felt meaningful and not dull. Xiang Shengzhou curiously asked, "What are we going there for?"

After a long period of busy work, and after removing most of the rocks, the total count of Vermillion Crystals was tallied. It amounted to seventy-seven thousand eight hundred and eighty-four pieces. Excluding the eight thousand or so pieces they already had, it meant that Shi Chun and Qingqing had actually acquired about seventy-two thousand pieces from their side. The two then returned to the adjacent cave and joined the counting work. Therefore, he had no other opinions. He would let their leader decide and turned to leave first. "My share should be fine, right? Heh heh." Wu Jinliang chuckled, knowing it wouldn't be far off.

Having left Yangjing and the all-encompassing light, a pile of white cloth pouches was tossed onto the ground. Kang Shan said, "Junior Sister, you clean these up first. Jinliang, come with me to the adjacent cave."

So Wu Jinliang pulled approximately half of the remaining items towards himself. "Half for me, and the rest you..." he said, turning to Kang Shan, "Do you want to share with Bian Weiying?"

He knew, however, that their leader must have a reason for doing this. He could guess a little, even if he felt it wasn't necessary. But it didn't matter; it was just a mutated Vermillion Crystal. Whether it was kept or given away was up to the leader. Anyway, the harvest this time was substantial, and he himself was very satisfied. Without the leader's capability, he wouldn't have obtained it.

Wu Jinliang said, "Whether you want it or not, I won't spit out meat that's already in my mouth. Even if I'm expelled from Wumulan later, I'll still have food. Let whoever wants to stay in that rotten place stay there."

Kang Shan unceremoniously allocated roughly half of the white cloth pouches to himself. He said, "Half for me; you all divide the rest."

Bian Weiying, looking back, instantly smiled radiantly. Wu Jinliang chuckled, saying with a strange look in his eyes, "I knew it." After packing their bags, the group once again set off, riding the Wind Scale. As he spoke, he casually grabbed the fake name tag, ripped it off, and said, "Don't forget this!" Such questions, unanswered by anyone, only ghosts would know.

"Heh heh," Wu Jinliang's mouth stretched to his ears again, and suggestive words readily followed. "If you've seen it, you're responsible!"

Wu Jinliang interjected, "Who can guarantee anything absolutely? After all, people from over a hundred continents are competing, forming countless forces, big and small. No one can guarantee that nothing unexpected will happen. However, judging from the amounts seized by Lan'er Qingqing's side each time... let's just say, the richest elite troops from Jizhou, numbering one to two thousand people, only have about ten thousand Vermillion Crystals in total. With your current quantity placed on a personal ranking, getting into the top ten shouldn't be a problem."

Kang Shan saw her concern—that she wanted to marry Bian Weikang legitimately. So he reminded her, "Even if you share half of these with Bian Weiying, it's still a lot. In the rankings, it should still get you into the top ten and suppress any internal Wumulan gossip about your status."

Kang Shan said, "You're overthinking it. Others in Wumulan wouldn't dare, but I'm an exception. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to try and get close to Bai Shuchuan and his group. I have my own ideas." While they were busy, the mirror image observing the canyon wasted a lot of time, and it made those watching the mirror image even more anxious. Wu Jinliang said, "If there's no benefit, I'm just listening foolishly."

Many people in front of the mirror exchanged bewildered glances. Many were familiar with the canyon, as most people recognized Kang Shan and his group of three from their advancement through that canyon.

Once the treasure robe was on Wu Jinliang, it resumed its proper size with a flick of his magic. He didn't immediately discard his worn outer robe; instead, he put it back on, playing the part completely.