Before Su Lin could even react, how had his two Junior Sisters already accepted the bet?
"Brother Qin, the joke is a bit over the top. These two Junior Sisters of mine have been cultivating in the Sect year-round and rarely go out, so they are not very familiar with the Ways of the World. Brother Qin, please stop teasing them; let us drop the bet."
Although Su Lin had a lot of confidence in Luo Yunbing and her sister, he always felt he could not see through Qin Xiao. To be safe, he still hoped the wager would be called off.
"Senior Brother Su, do not interfere. This is no longer just about a wager. We definitely have to show him what our sisters can do. Do not feel heartbroken when paying out Spirit Stones tomorrow."
Luo Yunshuang directly rejected Su Lin's suggestion.
"Brother Su, you saw it yourself-they are the ones insisting. Naturally, I have no reason to back down either, since I am the one who brought it up. If Brother Su is interested, you can join too. Brother Su, do you not want to give it a try? A free ten million Spirit Stones, you know."
Since Su Lin also possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root, Qin Xiao naturally wanted to try his luck. What if he could rope him in as well?
"Brother Qin, you jest. Since the Junior Sisters insist, I cannot persuade them otherwise. You are all still young, just playing around for a bit. I will not participate."
Su Lin was already getting a headache. This Qin Xiao actually planned to recruit him too. Although he did not know what trump cards Qin Xiao held, he had no desire to take the risk.
"If Brother Su does not wish to participate, then forget it."
Qin Xiao felt a slight pang of disappointment at losing a Heavenly Spirit Root.
In Qin Xiao's eyes, not making a gain was equivalent to taking a loss.
"Brother Cang, are you interested? Ah right, that is Senior Brother Gong Yuan, correct? At the late-stage Nascent Soul, you surely want to give it a try, right? Ten million Spirit Stones for the taking."
Having temporarily tricked two from the Mysterious Yin Sect, Qin Xiao set his sights on the Pure Yang Sect.
"Brother Qin, it has been a few months, and you are still as amusing as ever. However, the three of us brothers have no interest."
Cang Xing, much like Su Lin, feared unforeseen complications and flatly refused.
"Junior Brother Cang is right. I have no interest in this either."
Gong Yuankui, who had remained quiet until now, also chimed in.
"Little Brother Cang, you must be interested, right? I am practically giving away Spirit Stones here. Although you are also a key cultivation disciple nurtured by the Sect, do you not want to earn more Spirit Stones? That way you can catch up to your elder brother and Senior Brother all the sooner. Your talent is so exceptional; do not let it go to waste."
Seeing that the older ones were difficult to dupe, Qin Xiao turned his attention to Cang Chen.
"The Sect has already provided me with ample resources. I will take your kind intentions as received."
Cang Chen was indeed somewhat tempted, but since his elder brother had already spoken, he could not easily go against his brother's decision and thus chose to refuse.
"The Pure Yang Sect has deep roots and vast holdings, so naturally your resources are plentiful-I do not doubt that. How about this: I will sweeten the stakes. If you can defeat my two disciples, on top of the ten million Spirit Stones, I will add an extra one hundred drops of Spirit Liquid. If you manage to defeat the three of us master and disciples consecutively, the stakes will be tripled. Now, Little Brother Cang, do you have any thoughts on this?"
Not agreeing? Then he would just keep raising the stakes until you did.
"Although you gifted each of us ten drops of Spirit Liquid, can you truly produce such a massive wager?"
Cang Chen was finally tempted. Spirit Stones alone did not hold immense allure for him, but those one hundred drops of Spirit Liquid moved him deeply, and a consecutive victory would triple the payout. His only remaining worry was whether Qin Xiao could actually produce such a fortune.
"You can rest easy on that score. Eldest Miss Ling is right here, is she not? Let her stand as my guarantor. You can rest assured now, can you not?"
Qin Xiao had no intention of pulling out his resources right then and there. Such wealth could be left for them to guess at, but never displayed, lest trouble follow.
"How did this suddenly involve me?"
Ling Ruoxue had been watching the spectacle from the side, entirely unsure of what Qin Xiao was plotting, only to suddenly find herself dragged into it.
"Just say whether you will guarantee it or not. Your elder brother told me to look after you properly, and look-I am taking good care of you right now. If you refuse to guarantee, do not blame me for what follows."
Qin Xiao half-threatened, even dragging Ling Wushuang into the fray.
"Fine, my Immortal Dao Merchant Association will guarantee it. If Qin Xiao loses and fails to produce the wager, you may come to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association to collect."
Ling Ruoxue also wanted to see how the situation would unfold. Besides, she knew Qin Xiao possessed sufficient wealth, and her guarantee cost her nothing, so she was more than willing.
"Big Brother, I am sorry. I want to try. Very well, I agree as well."
Seeing that the Immortal Dao Merchant Association was backing the bet and feeling a genuine urge to test himself, Cang Chen gave his assent. His innate talent was extraordinary-which was how he had managed to keep pace with his brother's cultivation level-but his ambitions extended far beyond merely catching up to his brother.
Cang Xing had never expected his normally obedient younger brother to rebel this time around.
"I know. If I lose and become his disciple, I will report the truth to the Sect. Furthermore, he already stated that this is a private apprenticeship and does not involve our backing Sect."
The reason Cang Chen dared to agree was because Qin Xiao had previously established that the apprenticeship was a private matter and would not entangle their respective sects. Otherwise, apprenticing to Qin Xiao would be tantamount to betraying his sect, and no amount of temptation would have given him the courage.
The two Luo sisters shared the exact same sentiment. Even if they lost, it was nothing more than a private master-disciple arrangement; but if they won, it was a guaranteed windfall, and they possessed absolute confidence in their own abilities.
"Very well, three it is. One must not be too greedy." Qin Xiao was satisfied once Cang Chen agreed. A person should never bite off more than they could chew.
After some further conversation, the dishes began to arrive one after another.
"Alright, the food is here. Let us all eat."
Seeing that a substantial number of dishes had been served, Qin Xiao proposed digging in.
Everyone proceeded to eat while chatting idly.
They bantered back and forth for an entire hour until nearly all the dishes had been served. Qin Xiao tasted every single dish, and his stomach was already stuffed to the brim. He had no choice in the matter-he needed to test the dishes.
"Since everyone has eaten their fill, do not miss the auction this afternoon, everyone. It has been specially prepared for you."
Ling Ruoxue wiped her mouth and announced to the table.
"An auction? Is there an auction today?"
Qin Xiao was entirely unaware of this established tradition.
"Ah, right, you would not know yet. During every realm's quota competition, our Immortal Dao Merchant Association holds an auction. With so many major powers gathered, if competing disciples manage to acquire one or two suitable items, it can vastly improve their win rates. It is a win-win situation-how could our Immortal Dao Merchant Association possibly pass it up?"
Seeing that Qin Xiao was still in the dark, Ling Ruoxue offered an explanation.
"When does it start?"
Qin Xiao also wanted to take a look; perhaps he could unearth something useful.
"It is nearly noon now, so in roughly two hours, I should think."
Ling Ruoxue estimated.
Naturally, she was not here to participate in the matches herself. She was merely at the Golden Core stage; while her cultivation talent was respectable, compared to this gathering of monstrous talents, she was quite ordinary. Her true focus lay in commerce, which was precisely why her father had dispatched her down to gain practical experience-perhaps with the intent of letting her take over the commercial empire in the future.
"That leaves plenty of time then. Safe journey, everyone, and I will see you at the auction later."
After seeing the group off, Qin Xiao summoned the shopkeeper.
"Honored guest, do you require the bill settled? Since the honored guest has consumed so much today, I have taken it upon myself to give you a five percent discount."
Shopkeeper Liu was well aware that Qin Xiao was no ordinary person, given that he could dine at the same table as the Young City Lord, and thus offered a discount well within his authority.
"How much is it after the discount?"
Qin Xiao naturally intended to settle the tab, though not just for one set-he wanted ten more sets packed to go. He was thoroughly pleased with the local cuisine.
"I will go ahead and wipe out the remainder for you. The total comes to one hundred and twelve thousand Spirit Stones."
Shopkeeper Liu was quite adept in the Ways of the World, knowing to round down the numbers after applying the discount.
"There is no need for a discount. Just drop the odd numbers. Here is one million three hundred thousand. Pack ten more sets for me, and make sure it is all finished within two hours. Can you manage that?"
Qin Xiao cared little for such a trivial discount; his priority was ease of calculation and keeping to his schedule.
"Yes, yes, absolutely! We can certainly manage it. Honored guest, please wait a moment; I guarantee everything will be prepared within two hours."
After inspecting the Spirit Stones handed over by Qin Xiao, Shopkeeper Liu nodded vigorously and gave his absolute assurance.
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