Chapter 564 - Ling Clan’s Provocation

Humiliating the patriarch was no different from humiliating the entire clan. As the three elders of the clan, they naturally couldn't stand idly and watch. This was why they stepped out immediately to defend their clan's honor.

"Old man, why don't you cut out a Golden Spirit Fruit's seed if you're so capable?" Chen Ruoyan took a step forward to defend Liu Wuxie.

Being called an 'old man' in front of everyone made the Ling Clan's three elders furious. They looked like hungry wolves, wanting to pounce on Liu Wuxie to kill him.

"Liu Wuxie, do you dare to gamble with us? We will take you as our master if we lose, but if you lose, you must kneel and apologize to the Ling Clan. Furthermore, the Golden Spirit Fruit's seed will be ours," the Ling Clan's grand elder stepped forward to challenge Liu Wuxie.

"I see, so this is your Ling Clan's true intention!" Liu Wuxie replied with a sly smile. The Ling Clan provoked him, intending to seize the Golden Spirit Fruit's seed through gambling.

"You can put it that way," the Ling Clan's grand elder admitted openly, not hiding his intentions.

After all, everyone could see what was going on even if Liu Wuxie hadn't said it. It was a disgrace for the Ling Clan to lose to an outsider, and who would trust them to appraise stones in the future?

If no one sought them for their service, the Ling Clan's income would plummet, and their status would also fall.

"The Ling Clan's three elders will gamble with Liu Wuxie? This is going to be interesting! They're the most skilled appraisers in the Ling Clan!" The crowd buzzed in excitement, but a person tried to slip away.

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed as Teng Yue spat out blood and collapsed.

"Liu Wuxie, y-y-you..." Teng Yue stammered but took his last breath before finishing his sentence.

"Don't think I've forgotten you just because I'm talking to someone else," Liu Wuxie said coldly, his voice cutting through the air like ice. His tone was indifferent, as though killing Teng Yue, a cultivator at the eighth level of the Astral River Realm, was nothing more than a trivial act.

Regarding cultivation, Teng Yue was much stronger than Liu Wuxie, but he met with such an ending. Many spectators in the surroundings felt a chill running down their spines, seeing how Liu Wuxie killed someone in the Astral River Realm without lifting a finger—just by gambling with stones.

Li Hongda's chest nearly blew up with fury to see another true disciple fall to Liu Wuxie.

"Liu Wuxie, I swear I'll chop you into pieces and feed your corpse to the dogs!" Hundreds of Azure Crimson Gate disciples in the surroundings surged forward, thirsty for revenge against Liu Wuxie.

After all, it was madness to kill a disciple of the Azure Crimson Gate so openly in front of so many people.

Chaos erupted across the guild, and experts from the Azure Crimson Gate closed in. Their resolve was clear—Liu Wuxie had to die today, or the Azure Crimson Gate couldn't show their faces in Serene Sea City again.

After all, who else besides Liu Wuxie could pull such a feat of killing a true disciple in front of two elders in the Nascent Transformation Realm?

Right from the beginning, Liu Wuxie had only used his words and barely moved a muscle. Jian Xing'er had even handled the stone cutting.

"Now, do you understand the consequences of gambling with me? Do the three of you still want to take the risk?" After killing Teng Yue, Liu Wuxie looked at the Ling Clan's three elders with a mocking smile. After all, the stakes were too high if they were to lose.

"Brat, do you think you can scare us off with a few words?" one of the Ling Clan's elders retorted. He continued, "Do you dare to gamble with us? We'll leave Serene Sea City if we lose, but if you lose, you will have to hand the Golden Spirit Fruit's seed to us, on top of kneeling and kowtowing."

The Ling Clan had ruled Serene Sea City for centuries, and they naturally wouldn't be frightened by Liu Wuxie's words. Moreover, they had already made their threats and had no choice but to see it through, as they would lose respect if they backed down.

Liu Wuxie's eyes grew colder because he thought killing Teng Yue was enough to set an example to deter everyone else. Then, he could quietly buy a few stones and return to the inn to cut them in peace.

However, he didn't expect the Ling Clan to keep pressing on, leaving him no room for retreat. He knew he had to accept because the Ling Clan wouldn't let this matter rest.

"Liu Wuxie, the Ling Clan has issued you a challenge. Don't waste our time; let us know if you accept it."

As cultivators, refusing a challenge was an act of cowardice.

"Since the Ling Clan is so eager to be erased from Serene Sea City, I'll naturally be happy to oblige," Liu Wuxie said. Murderous intent swept out of him, transforming into a menacing presence that filled the air.

"What terrifying murderous intent!" Those in the surroundings gasped in shock, overwhelmed by the murderous intent Liu Wuxie gave off.

Murong Yi, standing nearby, felt a shudder of fear with deep shock in his eyes. She couldn't imagine how many people Liu Wuxie had slain to accumulate such murderous intent.

Murderous intent wasn't something that could be conjured with the will, but it was the result of long years of bloodshed, like how soldiers would take a few years to dissipate the murderous intent after returning from the battlefield.

A broad and sly grin spread across the faces of the Ling Clan's three elders after hearing Liu Wuxie's response. But little did they know that Liu Wuxie had already seen through their ploys, including their appraisal method.

"Like before, both sides will pick three stones, and whoever with the higher value will win," the Ling Clan's grand elder declared the rules of their gamble.

The Golden Spirit Fruit was rare and didn't appear often. The last one that appeared before today was centuries ago.

"Let's begin," Liu Wuxie said, waving his hand dismissively. He didn't want to waste time and shifted his gaze over to the area occupied by the Sky Rift Valley. He had no intention of picking stones sold by the Azure Crimson Gate.

Once again, everyone's emotions peaked. They became eager to witness what was undoubtedly the most significant gamble in Serene Sea City's history.

No one had dared to challenge the Ling Clan over the years because those who challenged them had lost everything.

The Ling Clan's three elders didn't just inspect the aura belonging to the Azure Crimson Gate but the Sky Rift Valley and Demonic Heart Palace to search for suitable stones.

The process lasted two hours before the three elders of the Ling Clan had selected their stones. They all agreed upon the three stones.

The three stones were moved to the open space, ready to be cut.

"Liu Wuxie, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and pick your stones!" the Ling Clan's three elders urged. While they had carefully picked the stones, Liu Wuxie remained standing in the same spot.

Picking stones required patience. Standard methods included observing the patterns, knocking on the stone, and feeling the surface for any hint of spirituality.

When the Ling Clan's three elders completed their selections, Liu Wuxie finally entered the area designated for the Sky Rift Valley.

Liu Wuxie had already picked his three stones in less than three minutes. The prices were much higher this time, reaching fifty thousand spirit stones.

It was pale compared to the stones the Ling Clan's three elders picked. Each of the stones they picked was valued over one million spirit stones.

"I'll start first!" The Ling Clan's third elder began to cut the smallest stone picked from the Demonic Heart Palace's area—one he had personally chosen.

His technique was flawless. Each stroke was so smooth that he looked like a master carving a masterpiece. There was no doubt that the Ling Clan's three elders were more skillful compared to ordinary people.

Whether they could cut open a spiritual essence, their technique was already a spectacle. Every chip of the stone that fell off was the same size, without the slightest variation.

This couldn't be attained within a day but through years of diligent practice.

"What skill! As expected of the Ling Clan's three elders!" the crowd murmured in admiration. Anyone who could let these three pick a stone for them would be set for life.

"I recognize that technique! The Ling Clan even named it Spirit-Cutting Blade," the crowd exclaimed. Many people in Serene Sea City had learned this famous technique. However, only a few could achieve the same level of mastery displayed by the Ling Clan's three elders.

The stone shrank from over half a meter in height to a small oval in mere moments.

"What a strong spirituality!" someone gasped when the Ling Clan's third elder cut the stone, and a powerful outburst of spirituality came from within.

Cutting stones was a delicate task because if one cut too much, the spirituality would be damaged, and if the cut was too light, it would not be revealed.

"It must be a supreme-grade spiritual essence!" Cheers erupted from the crowd, all amazed by this sight. The loudest cheer came from the Azure Crimson Gate; they could already foresee Liu Wuxie's death.

"Hurry up and cut it!" The stone hadn't been completely cut open, but its spirituality was a sign that there was a treasure. The crowd was eager to see whether it contained a high- or supreme-grade spiritual essence.

After a brief rest, the Ling Clan's third elder continued to cut the stone. Each slice separated a small fragment, the size of an infant's fist. The spirituality grew stronger as the oval-sized stone began to shrink.

When the Ling Clan's third elder made the last cut, a high-grade spiritual essence the size of a fist appeared and hovered before everyone.

"What a large piece of high-grade spiritual essence," exclamations came from the crowd. Such a large piece of spiritual essence was rare in the world.

Holding onto the spiritual essence in hand, a satisfied smile appeared on the face of the Ling Clan's third elder.

"The Ling Clan's appraisal method has grown stronger than before to find such a large piece of spiritual essence."

The crowd's eyes sparkled with excitement. A piece of the spiritual essence at this size was worth at least seven million mid-grade spirit stones.

If the other two stones could also reveal such a large piece of spiritual essence, Liu Wuxie's chance of victory would be slim, even if he uncovered another Golden Spirit Fruit's seed.

"Liu Wuxie, it's your turn now!" The Third Elder of the Ling Clan stowed away the spiritual essence with a smug expression, then turned his gaze toward Liu Wuxie, his eyes gleaming with provocation.

Liu Wuxie walked to the three stones he had picked and pulled out a dagger. There were no fancy techniques, but his cut was smooth and rhythmic.

"This is strange. His cutting method seems rough and ordinary, but each cut is perfectly aligned with the veins on the stone," someone muttered from the crowd in puzzlement.

Liu Wuxie's technique might be simple, but if one looked closely, it appeared that he was breathing in sync with the world.

The three elders of the Ling Clan exchanged a look and could see the surprise flickering in the depth of each other's eyes. The highest level of stone cutting wasn't about mastering a fanciful technique but blending seamlessly with the natural patterns.

Though their skills might seem impressive, they knew deep down that they still had a long way to go to reach Liu Wuxie's level.

A powerful outburst of spirituality swept across the entire area a minute later.

"Spiritual essence! He cut open a spiritual essence!" Everyone was shocked to see Liu Wuxie cut open a spiritual essence.