This was Luo Chen’s first time meeting Mi Shuhua. He was the "Old Man Mi" Qin Liangchen often mentioned, and the Gang Leader of the Poshan Gang. With a head full of white hair, a round face lined with wrinkles yet glowing with vitality, and a large belly, he resembled a constantly smiling Maitreya Buddha [1].

In the mortal world, he would appear no different from a wealthy old gentleman. However, Luo Chen, along with every rogue cultivator in Dahe Market, knew that this man’s seemingly kind demeanor was far from simple.

It was widely known that Foundation Establishment was the first major hurdle on the path of cultivation. In this realm, the land was rich, and the spirit energy was abundant, making it theoretically easy to overcome this hurdle. Yet, only one in ten thousand cultivators succeeded in Foundation Establishment.

For sect-affiliated cultivators, Foundation Establishment was relatively easier. The reason lay in the formula for the Foundation Establishment pill, which was monopolized by major sects. Even if a formula occasionally leaked, the sects would spare no expense to reclaim it. If they couldn’t reclaim the formula, they would ensure the person who obtained it was brought back, dead or alive.

Thus, ordinary rogue cultivators, unless they had extraordinary opportunities, could only yearn for the few Foundation Establishment pills leaked annually by the sects. However, the appearance of each Foundation Establishment pill often brought turmoil. At auctions, these pills often fetched astronomical prices.

As a result, despite the large population of rogue cultivators in Dahe Market, very few had achieved Foundation Establishment over the years. Over the past century, as cultivators came and went, only two Foundation Establishment cultivators had emerged from Dahe Market and Mi Shuhua was one of them.

After achieving Foundation Establishment, he became the leader of the Poshan Gang. This man had a magnanimous nature and was very kind to low-tier cultivators. He often helped those who struggled to survive. Even when some cultivators died tragically in the mountains, he would do his best to provide for their families. Because of this, he gradually won people’s hearts.

Under his leadership, the alliance of impoverished rogue cultivators, which had initially struggled for cultivation resources in the mountains, grew stronger.

Now, the Poshan Gang was the largest force in Dahe Market, apart from the six major sects. The gang had over a hundred late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators, over a thousand mid-stage ones, and countless low-tier rogue cultivators who depended on them for a living.

Take Luo Chen, for example—when he initially refined fasting pills, he greatly benefited from the Poshan Gang’s resources. As cultivators who frequently ventured into the mountains had the highest demand for fasting pills.

Outside the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, Mi Shuhua stood with hundreds of people, gathered around a large jade plaque.

Ignoring the tens of thousands of onlookers outside, he pointed at the jade plaque and said loudly, "In this battle, I hope everyone will work together to defeat our opponents.

"The victors may claim all the spoils; I, Mi Shuhua, will take nothing.

"For those who die in battle, their families can rely on me. If they have children with spirit roots, I will spare no effort to nurture them into cultivators.

"Additionally, if we win this battle, I will reward everyone with a Foundation Establishment pill. Of course, there’s only one, so whoever first perfects the ninth stage of Qi-Refining will use it. Once that person achieves Foundation Establishment, I will work with them to secure more pills for everyone else.

"Our Poshan Gang seeks only to break through the mountain blocking the path of immortality and achieve Foundation Establishment for everyone!"

As these words were spoken, the hundreds of cultivators from the Poshan Gang shouted in unison, "Victory is certain in this battle!"

The spectators outside, however, were utterly stunned. Mi Shuhua actually had a Foundation Establishment pill in his possession. Moreover, he was willing to give it away as a reward to someone else. What an incredible gesture!

At the same time, they fervently discussed the various promises Mi Shuhua had made. Seeing this, Luo Chen couldn’t help but marvel at Mi Shuhua’s generosity. No wonder he earned the loyalty of Big Brother Wang Yuan and Big Brother Qin.

His gaze swept over the Poshan Gang cultivators, each of them brimming with excitement, as if they couldn’t wait to leap into battle. Wang Yuan stood among them, his gaze icy. Qin Liangchen and his wife, Murong Qinglian, were also present, standing tall and fearless. Fellow Daoist Zeng was also among them, standing closest to Mi Shuhua in the central circle.

From the murmurs of others, Luo Chen learned that Zeng Wen was the "Sick Tiger" of the Poshan Seven Tigers.

As his curiosity peaked, the passageway beside the jade plaque let out a rumbling sound.

Under the gaze of thousands, the grand doors slowly opened. A long, pristine corridor was revealed, with seven Foundation Establishment cultivators standing at the entrance, their expressions calm.

Another Foundation Establishment cultivator emerged from within. It was none other than Miao Zhen, the steward of the Sword Pavilion, well-known among Dahe Market cultivators.

After some polite words, he stepped aside to clear the passage.

Without hesitation, Mi Shuhua led nine late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators into the passageway. The remaining gang members either presented jade tokens as entry tickets or handed over special iron plaques for inspection before entering.

Luo Chen blinked as he observed the iron plaques, realizing he might have one too.

Once all the Poshan Gang members had entered, the rogue cultivators finally approached the massive jade plaque. They didn’t rush to enter, knowing full well their participation in the grand opening ceremony would differ from that of the Poshan Gang.

"So this is the list for the eighteen deathmatches. I’ve been waiting days for this."

"Let me take a look at who’s fighting whom so I can place my bets."

"With my fifty years of experience in Dahe Market, I know most of the experts in both gangs. It’s obvious who will win and who will lose!"

Nine matchlists were displayed, arranged vertically from one to nine. Battles of this scale among late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators were rare, so everyone was deeply invested. But as soon as the crowd gathered, someone let out a surprised exclamation.

"Who’s Min Longyu? Does the Dajiang Gang even have such a person?"

"And this Bai Qi—I’ve never heard of this name before."

"Yang Rusheng? I think I’ve heard that name before. Wait, isn’t he a rogue cultivator from Tianye Market? When did he join the Dajiang Gang?"

"Shameless! The Dajiang Gang actually hired outsiders."

"Even as a local faction, they resorted to external help for the fight. Doesn’t that count as cheating?"

Cheating? Of course not! The rules initially disclosed only restricted the participants’ cultivation realms but never prohibited hiring external help.

The Poshan Gang, however, chose to field their own trusted experts.

The comparatively weaker Dajiang Gang had somehow recruited four rogue cultivators from the outer region. Some were vaguely known to the crowd, while the origins of the others were entirely unknown.

Still, despite the scorn, what mattered most to the gamblers was predicting the outcome of the battles.

"No matter where they’re from, they’re still bound by the Qi-Refining Realm’s limitations, so it all comes down to their skills."

"Exactly. If they aim for five wins and four losses, the battle order becomes crucial."

"The first match is critical for a good start; both sides will go all out. Let me see who’s fighting."

"Han Dang, the leader of the Poshan Seven Tigers, the Devouring Heart Tiger. Isn’t this a guaranteed win? I’m going all in!"

"Brother, you’re so bold! Betting requires strategy. Do you even know what tricks Min Longyu, Han Dang’s opponent, has?"

"Haha, you know nothing. Han Dang is someone at the peak of the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, ready to break through to Foundation Establishment anytime. That Min Longyu is nobody from who knows where. There’s no way he’s a match. Strategy? Going all in is a strategy!"

Amid the discussions, Luo Chen used the Spirit Eyes to scan the battle list and the sequence. The first, fifth, and final ninth battles were undoubtedly the three most important confrontations. Both sides were unlikely to give up on these three matches and would definitely deploy their strongest fighters.

The Devouring Heart Tiger_Han Dang, versus Min Longyu; Broken Blade_Xu Renke, versus River Dragon_Gao Tingyuan; and Mad Blade_Wang Yuan, versus Xiao Wuyan.

Seeing these matchups, Luo Chen’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He was surprisingly familiar with most of the participants in the last two matches.

Is Brother Wang really that strong? Mi Shuhua placed him in the crucial final slot.

Gao Tingyuan’s participation was expected, but his luck seemed poor as he was matched against Xu Renke. The name of Broken Blade surpassed even that of the Devouring Heart Tiger. His battle prowess was overwhelming, truly unmatched among peers in the Qi-Refining Realm. If he were to die on the Debate Platform, that would be perfect.

It was decided, Luo Chen was now a decade-long fan of Broken Blade Xu Renke and would cheer madly for him when the time came!

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, ticket sales and inspections had begun at the entrance to the Debate Platform.

Some cultivators who had placed bets eagerly entered the passageway.

"Forget it for now, let’s buy tickets quickly!"

"Only ten thousand tickets are available, and after deducting the complimentary ones for the two factions’ guests, there won’t be many left."

"Give me one ticket. Here are a hundred spirit stones!"

Even after subtracting the complimentary tickets, over nine thousand were still available. The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion would make nearly a million spirit stones just from ticket sales for this grand opening alone! And that didn’t even include the profits from the trade fair, auction, and betting tables.

Luo Chen patiently wandered outside, occasionally glancing at the betting tables or listening to discussions about the likely winners and losers under the jade plaque. The atmosphere was reminiscent of watching the World Cup in his previous life, where fans compared players from both teams in detail. From defense to offense, strategy to individual skills, and even appearance or aura of menace—everything was up for discussion.

You can’t deny, the vibe was pretty good!

Time passed quickly, and midway through, hundreds of members of the Dajiang Gang arrived. They didn’t linger at all, merely glanced at the jade plaque before entering.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Luo Chen focused on the much-discussed River Dragon_Gao Tingyuan. He was a stout man radiating a fierce aura. He looked nothing like the pauper Gao Ting’e he had killed, making it hard to believe they were brothers.

Gao Tingyuan seemed to have seen his opponent’s name, which explained his grim expression. But he couldn’t lose his composure. Being placed in the critical fifth position indicated that Boss Wang Haichao greatly trusted his strength, expecting him to secure a win for the faction.

Could he afford to show fear?

To this, Luo Chen could only say,

Serves you right!

As the cultivators entered one by one, even a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, the crowd outside remained dense. Over ten thousand people surrounded the jade plaque, eagerly awaiting the start of the Debate Platform’s grand opening.

The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion had announced that the jade plaque was imbued with Water Mirror, which would transmit live visuals of the event. It was said that to maintain the Water Mirror, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion had arranged for two Foundation Establishment cultivators to take turns casting it.

Of course, some people were heartbroken at not securing an entry jade token. After all, the Water Mirror on the jade plaque could only display visuals, without any sound. However, the program list hinted at dance and music performances too!

Amidst the lively and noisy crowd...

Someone suddenly raised their arm and shouted. "My younger brother has an urgent matter at home. I’m selling a ticket—highest bidder wins!"

1. Maitreya Buddha refers to a bodhisattva in Buddhist tradition who is prophesied to appear in the future as a fully enlightened Buddha. He is often depicted in Buddhist art as a serene, meditative figure or, more popularly in East Asian culture, as the Laughing Buddha, a cheerful and plump figure representing happiness and prosperity. ☜