Chapter 210.2: A Gift from True One Cui Xuan; Lu Changsheng Answers the Summons to the Treasure Contest! (II)
"Brother Lu, I can provide the thirty drops of Heavenly Spirit Water, still at nine thousand spirit stones per drop. I daresay you won't find a second person in all of Heavenly Sacred City willing to give you such a favorable price. I hope this mutually beneficial deal leaves us as friends. But as a friend, I would have a small request... Would you hear me out?"
As it turned out, Li Guang had approached Lu Changsheng for a specific reason. Still, Lu Changsheng was not really bothered by that.
"What request?" he asked.
"Only a small one. In a few days I'm to attend a gathering in Heavenly Sacred City, and I may need you to appear, temporarily, as my guard. At the gathering, certain disputes at the Dao Foundation Realm may arise, and it may even come to blows. You just need to aid me with all your strength. What do you say, Brother Lu?"
Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. A gathering in Heavenly Sacred City? Acting as Li Guang's guard? Given his standing, why was Li Guang not recruiting a Divine Ability cultivator instead? Surely, the Li Clan could dispatch a Divine Ability expert to protect him. Why was Li Guang going for a Dao Foundation martial artist instead?
Recalling the gleam that had just flashed in Li Guang's eyes, Lu Changsheng roughly understood Li Guang's reasoning. This gathering he was meant to attend was likely no simple affair. If those present were all on equal footing with Li Guang and a quarrel or brawl broke out among Dao Foundation cultivators, then having Lu Changsheng, the King of the Battle Arena by his side, would give Li Guang a tremendous advantage over everyone else.
After thinking the matter over, Lu Changsheng said, "Fine, but I'll only deal with conflicts at the Dao Foundation Realm."
He had no problem tagging along Li Guang for a short while if it meant he could acquire Heavenly Spirit Water for cheaper.
"Very good. Then, the gathering will take place three days from now. Make sure to be there, and then, when the matter is finished, I shall take you to the Li Clan Merchant Association to procure your Heavenly Spirit Water."
Lu Changsheng nodded. It was only three days, after all.
"Very well. Three days from now, I'll wait for you at the Li Clan Merchant Association."
With that, Lu Changsheng turned and left.
Back at the Vast Immortal Square, Lu Changsheng received an invitation from True One Cui Xuan to meet. Soon he stood before him.
"Lu Changsheng, congratulations on becoming the King of the Battle Arena! I never imagined that one day a cultivator of our Ancient Region could become King of the Battle Arena..." True One Cui Xuan was deeply moved.
Whether immortal cultivator or martial artist, both could be counted as cultivators.
Many cultivators from the Ancient Region had come to the Sacred Earth to make their way, and indeed a steady stream of them had always done so, most of them Divine Ability Realm martial artists or Golden Core True Ones.
However, not one of them, not even a Divine Ability Realm martial artist or a Golden Core True One, had made a name as great as Lu Changsheng's.
"Lu Changsheng, you've earned all those spirit stones to buy Heavenly Spirit Water, haven't you?" True One Cui Xuan suddenly asked.
Lu Changsheng made no response, as anyone who had been paying attention could make that guess. His tremendous strength made it clear that he had already condensed a Divine Ability Dao Fruit, and all that remained was the Heavenly Spirit Water.
"I don't know what kind of Dao Fruit you've condensed, nor how many, but I assume you're short on Heavenly Spirit Water. Take these five drops. I acquired them recently."
With that, Cui Xuan held out the porcelain vials.
"True One, this is..." Lu Changsheng frowned instead. True, he was in need of Heavenly Spirit Water, but he knew True One Cui Xuan wasn't giving him five drops for free.
True One Cui Xuan smiled faintly. "The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect has sent you all the way to the Sacred Earth. And you've already condensed a Divine Ability Dao Fruit, yet you've still not reached the Divine Ability Realm. There can only be one reason for all this. The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect doesn't have a supply of Heavenly Spirit Water large enough for your Dao Fruit to transform.
"If that's the case, then even if what you've condensed isn't a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit, it must be something close. Once your Dao Fruit transforms into a major divine ability, you'll have the chance to establish yourself in the Sacred Earth.
"I ask only one thing: when the time comes, and if it lies within your power, I hope you'll help the Vast Immortal Sect gain a foothold in the Sacred Earth. Fellow Daoist, would you agree to my request?"
True One Cui Xuan had already begun addressing Lu Changsheng as "Fellow Daoist," treating him more or less as an equal. This clearly showed how much he valued him.
"Five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water, just for a promise?" Lu Changsheng smiled. "How could I refuse a deal like that?"
Almost without hesitation, Lu Changsheng took the five drops. A single promise in exchange for five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water was certainly worth it.
Back in his room, Lu Changsheng took out the five drops at once. It had in fact been several months since he last used any. His Mental Black Hole Dao Fruit had consumed eight drops of Heavenly Spirit Water in all, and with these five added, that would make thirteen.
Though Li Guang had said an immeasurable divine ability needed at least a hundred drops to transform, Lu Changsheng still wished to try for himself and see whether so much was truly required.
And so, he began fusing the Heavenly Spirit Water, drop by drop, into the Mental Black Hole Dao Fruit.
After all five drops fused into it, he found that the Mental Black Hole Dao Fruit did indeed seem to change somewhat, showing a sign of transformation.
But that was it, merely a sign. Sensing it faintly, Lu Changsheng found that the fruit would need many more drops in order to transform completely. As for whether it actually required a hundred drops, he still couldn't tell with certainty.
A Minor Divine Ability Dao Fruit, one drop. Ten for a major one, and a hundred for an immeasurable one... The gap between a minor and an immeasurable Divine Ability Dao Fruit is a hundredfold.
A strange flicker passed through Lu Changsheng's eyes. He was not surprised by that huge difference. In fact, he found it only natural. If not for that immense gap, immeasurable divine abilities would not be as special as they were.
In the blink of an eye, three days slipped past.
Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and summoned his Status Panel.
[Status Panel]
Host: Lu Changsheng
Perception: 258,800 (Praised for a Hundred Generations)
Mental Black Hole: Divine Ability Dao Fruit (Not Transformed)
Five Elements Decomposition: Divine Ability Dao Fruit (Not Transformed)
Four Symbols Prison: Divine Ability Dao Fruit (Not Transformed)
As expected, his Divine Ability Dao Fruits had still not transformed. His Perception, on the other hand, had been on a steady rise all along.
Lu Changsheng rose, left the Vast Immortal Square, and went straight to the Li Clan Merchant Association.
"I'm here to see Daoist Li Guang."
"Honored guest, this way please."
Lu Changsheng was shown into a room, where Li Guang was waiting.
Li Guang greeted him with a smile. "Brother Lu, you've come at last. Come, let's set off now!"
Li Guang led Lu Changsheng out, soared straight into the air, and flew toward a manor beyond Heavenly Sacred City.
Soon, the two landed. The manor was grand and imposing, with guards standing watch, all of them Dao Foundation martial artists. One elderly man in particular had a fearsome aura about him, one that suggested he was not in the Dao Foundation Realm, but in the Divine Ability Realm.
They actually have a Divine Ability expert to guard this manor. The people inside must be of high standing, Lu Changsheng guessed.
Li Guang gave an ambiguous smile. "This manor usually sits empty. It only receives very important guests. This time, several honored guests have come from the Heavenly Light City, and the manor is hosting them."
Lu Changsheng nodded. The Heavenly Light City and Heavenly Sacred City were both major cities of the Sacred Earth, and every major city had Martial Saints guarding them.
Soon, the two entered the manor. The moment he stepped inside, Lu Changsheng felt many wary gazes upon him.
I was right.
They were all formidable figures, each a supreme Dao Foundation cultivator or a supreme Dao Lord, some even Divine Ability experts. However, there were almost no Golden Core True Ones present.
Golden Core True Ones were rather different from Divine Ability cultivators. A Golden Core True One could refine powerful enchanted treasures, and so nearly all of them were exceedingly wealthy, a world apart from those at the Divine Ability Realm.
That was why one often saw Divine Ability martial artists attach themselves to powerful forces or families to earn spirit stones, yet almost never a Golden Core True One doing the same. In fact, it was the powerful forces and families who actively invited Golden Core True Ones to protect them.
"It's Li Guang of the Li Clan Merchant Association."
"Li Guang, you're late."
"Li Guang, you lost everything at the last Treasure Contest. Who have you brought along now?"
"I bet he's come prepared this time, hoping to wash away his past disgrace. Still, how many rounds has Li Guang ever won in the Treasure Contest?"
"Indeed. By and large it's we of the Heavenly Light City who come out on top. The Heavenly Sacred City loses more often than it wins. As for Li Guang, he loses almost every single time."
Many gazes swept over Li Guang, and the tone of the talk carried a touch of heat. These people clearly knew him, and had dealt with him often enough that both sides were quite familiar.
But hearing it, Lu Changsheng frowned slightly.
"A Treasure Contest? Fellow Daoist Li, what's this about?" he asked in a whisper. He had agreed to attend a gathering at the manor and cross hands with experts at the Dao Foundation Realm, not to take part in some Treasure Contest.
Li Guang frowned slightly, his expression betraying a hint of embarrassment. "It's really just a gathering of people of decent background from the Heavenly Light City and Heavenly Sacred City. Each brings out their own treasures to contend over, by way of exchange.
"My luck has been terrible, or rather, the Li Clan Merchant Association has too few experts at the Dao Foundation Realm, so I lose face at nearly every Treasure Contest. When I saw you become King of the Battle Arena, Brother Lu, I felt like I finally had a chance to redeem myself."
Lu Changsheng nodded slightly.
"Once it's done, I will give you five more drops of Heavenly Spirit Water as a thank you, Brother Lu. However, you must get first place in the Treasure Contest!" Li Guang said through gritted teeth, his voice barely above a whisper.
"No problem," Lu Changsheng said readily.
In the end, it made no difference to him whether this was a gathering or a contest. So long as his opponents were in the Dao Foundation Realm, he feared no one.
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