Chapter 481: To Whom the Prize Belongs

Ji Wu was among the five who had yet to emerge. Still, he remained unseen!

The beam of light narrowed further, nearly vanishing entirely.

Just then, the beam trembled violently, and a blurry silhouette suddenly appeared. At the very last moment before the mirror vanished, someone forced their way out.

The person looked utterly disheveled, barely making it out before Zhitian Peak closed. Staggering mid-air, he fell straight into the water below.

When he surfaced and his face came into view...

A wave of sighs swept through the Tianxing Alliance camp.

Qin Sang’s gaze sharpened instantly, and the relaxed expression on his face vanished. The person was Ji Wu!

He had truly believed Ji Wu had perished inside, one major headache removed. But unexpectedly, the man had clawed his way out at the final moment.

Ji Wu’s aura was chaotic, his robe in tatters. His left arm hung limp, clearly injured, and his entire body bore the signs of a narrow escape from death. By the time he flew over to Snake Granny, he was still gasping for breath.

With his level of cultivation, it was rare to see him in such a sorry state.

What stunned everyone even more was that when Ji Wu handed over his Elemental Star Stones, there were over three hundred of them.

Aside from Qin Sang, Ji Wu had collected the most stones.

The crowd silently examined Ji Wu. For him to come out at the last moment, he had clearly faced something serious. His injuries and shredded robe sparked no small amount of speculation.

Upon learning he wasn’t the top collector, Ji Wu couldn’t hide his disappointment. He glanced at Qin Sang, then quietly faded into the crowd.

The beam of light vanished completely. The lake surface returned to stillness, leaving no trace that Zhitian Peak had ever existed.

Snake Granny tapped her snake staff lightly, and the pouches of Elemental Star Stones arranged themselves in a row before her. She then raised her voice and declared, "The results are clear. There's no need to count any further, is there?"

The golden-armored general let out a cold snort, swept up all the Elemental Star Stones, and turned away, barking angrily, "A bunch of useless trash!"

With that, he stamped a foot, transformed into a beam of golden light, and stormed off.

The remaining Tianxing Alliance cultivators exchanged glances, looking embarrassed and dispirited. They departed in silence.

...

Stargazing Island.

Snake Granny seemed to be in excellent spirits. She smiled warmly at everyone, offered a few words of encouragement, and gestured for Vice Island Master Xiao to bring out the rewards.

Ten beams of light appeared once again.

This time, everyone already knew to whom these treasures would belong.

Those not eligible could only gaze with envy.

Most of those envious gazes were fixed on Qin Sang.

"As agreed, the ten cultivators who collected the most Elemental Star Stones in this Zhitian Peak trial have earned the right to choose a treasure," Snake Granny announced, "Qin Sang of Shaohua Mountain, Ji Wu of the Demonic Flame Sect..."

Senior Brother Rong was not among them.

After calling out the names, Snake Granny continued with a smile. "But defeating the Tianxing Alliance in this wager was a group effort. The rest of you also contributed. Stargazing Island has decided to reward each of you with a top-grade artifact. Choose one freely."

With a wave of her hand, dozens of glowing streams of light shot forth, each containing a different artifact, dazzling the crowd.

The sight reminded Qin Sang of that moment back in the Kuiyin Sect, when Yi Tianye had forced them into becoming spies. Though it had been decades ago, the memory remained vivid.

It had been the greatest crisis of his life, and also the greatest turning point on his path to immortality.

Blessings and misfortunes are intertwined.

Qin Sang thought with deep emotion.

Most of the high-level cultivators present didn’t care much for top-grade artifacts, but they weren’t about to refuse a gift. Smiles appeared on many faces as they each picked out their preferred item.

"Qin Sang!"

Once the others had finished choosing, Snake Granny pointed at him. "You placed first. You may choose first."

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Qin Sang took a deep breath. Amidst a sea of disappointed gazes, he spoke without hesitation. "I would like the Snow Spirit Lotus and the Iris Flower."

Snake Granny showed no surprise. With a flick of her hand, the two spiritual herbs flew into Qin Sang’s hands on their own.

The Snow Spirit Lotus exuded a faint chill, while the Iris Flower radiated a warm current in sharp contrast.

Both herbs were sealed with barriers to preserve their spiritual essence. As he cradled them carefully, Qin Sang’s breathing grew slightly heavier. He delicately stored them in his Mustard Seed Pouch.

He could feel several unfriendly gazes settling on him but he felt no fear. No one dared to act recklessly within the Thousand-Illusion Array of True Waters.

And even after leaving the Chaotic Island Waters, he no longer feared anyone.

"Second, Ji Wu!"

Snake Granny’s voice jolted Qin Sang from his thoughts. He instinctively turned to look at Ji Wu, only to see the man gazing at the Profound True Pill—the treasure second only to the two spiritual herbs. And yet, Ji Wu wore an expression of hesitation.

In the end, he made a choice no one could have predicted.

"I choose the Restorative Pill."

The moment Ji Wu spoke, an uproar swept through the hall.

The Restorative Pill might be more valuable than the Profound True Pill, but for a Fake Core Realm cultivator, no healing pill could compare to one that aided in Core Formation.

The cultivators queued behind Ji Wu were first stunned, then overjoyed.

Even Snake Granny appeared slightly surprised but didn’t question it. She simply handed the Restorative Pill to Ji Wu.

Qin Sang silently watched Ji Wu store away the Restorative Pill, a sudden sense of urgency rising in his chest. That pill wasn’t like other healing pills—it was effective even on Core Formation Realm injuries.

If placed in an auction, it would trigger a bidding frenzy.

Daoist Jiupao had been gathering healing pills for years now. His injuries must have partially recovered already. If he were to obtain the Restorative Pill as well...

Qin Sang clenched his fists tightly.

The excitement he’d felt from obtaining the two spiritual herbs had now been considerably dampened.

Soon, all the treasures had found their owners.

After offering their farewells, Qin Sang and the others took their leave. Only the two island masters remained in the great hall.

"Senior Red-Hair made the wager agreement with the Tianxing Alliance. Now that the trial for Foundation Building disciples is complete, we’ll need to prepare for the second round. How should we proceed? Are we to disperse the rest of the disciples and leave only a select few behind?"

Vice Island Master Xiao asked softly.

Snake Granny shook her head. "The Tianxing Alliance won’t withdraw that easily. Besides, how we conduct this second match hasn’t been finalized yet. Senior Red-Hair messaged me earlier. He said that this outcome counts as evenly matched, and it's an excellent opportunity for the disciples of all sects to temper themselves. There’s no need to withdraw. We’ll remain here and send out troops every ten days to engage in skirmishes with the Tianxing Alliance. Only when the Ziwei Palace opens will it be time to sound the retreat."

Vice Island Master Xiao pondered for a moment and sighed. "Training is well and good... but casualties are unavoidable. Even though this trip to Zhitian Peak wasn’t too dangerous, four highly promising disciples were still lost. One of them... was my junior nephew."

Snake Granny showed no such sentiment.

"Such is fate. No one else is to blame. You can’t protect him for a lifetime, Daoist Xiao. In the past, how many fellow cultivators had talent beyond ours? And how many of them still remain? Even Leng Yuntian, whose aptitude was inferior to both yours and mine, has become a great Spiritual Infant cultivator and sect leader in his own right."

"Him?"

A flicker of disdain crossed Vice Island Master Xiao’s face, but he said nothing more.

The two conferred for a while longer, then went their separate ways.

...

After leaving Stargazing Island, Qin Sang declined all invitations. He exchanged brief pleasantries with Senior Brother Rong and the others, then, amid a chorus of congratulations, rode his sword back to his own cave dwelling.

After sealing the entrance, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the floor and sank deep into thought.