Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!

  Three resonant tolls of the sect bell echoed across the Outer Sect of the Lingxiao Sect. The triennial Qi Condensation Sect Tournament had officially commenced.

  The tournament rules were extremely enticing: tens of thousands of Qi Condensation disciples (the vast majority from the Outer Sect) would battle on the same stage. Anyone who broke into the top thirty would not only receive a massive bounty of spirit stones but would also ascend the heavens in a single step, allowed to choose any of The Twelve Peaks of the Inner Sect to join and escape the sea of suffering forever.

  However, buried beneath this stairway to heaven were countless bones. To secure one of those thirty spots, the tens of thousands of Outer Sect servants and disciples historically resorted to any means necessary, no matter how extreme. The sect's higher-ups always turned a blind eye to this. The cultivation world was essentially a Gu-refining jar; only the most venomous bugs that survived to the end deserved to enter the Inner Sect and consume its spiritual energy.

  At this moment, the ruined courtyard of Nanxi Pavilion was displaying an unusually prosperous scene.

  Ever since returning from Miaojiang, Xie Changyuan had completely lost his mind. Using his status as an Outer Sect Guest Elder, he had shamelessly set up permanent residence here.

  "Wan-er has a body of gold! How can she live in this gloomy, dilapidated graveyard?!"

  With a wave of his hand, the Eldest Young Master Xie forcibly squeezed his way into Nanxi Pavilion. He spent heavily to hire craftsmen from The Central Continent, replacing the leaking roof with Golden-Thread Nanmu wood and paving the courtyard with premium white marble. He even burned a massive sum to buy a miniature Spirit-Gathering Array disk and buried it underground. A murder house that used to have wind howling through the door cracks was forcibly smashed with enough spirit stones to radiate the aura of a nouveau riche immortal estate.

  Every day, Xu Nan pulled up a small folding stool and sat by the door. Watching the endless stream of premium building materials being hauled in, his round eyes curved into slits of pure joy.

  "Beautiful! The landlord didn't spend a single copper, and the tenant brought his own capital to the project, forcefully upgrading this murder house into a blessed sanctuary! If the Ancestors saw this ledger, they'd have to bow down to me!" Xu Nan cracked a handful of melon seeds, chewing them loudly.

  "Fatty, you're smiling so obscenely. Are you scheming against me again?" Dressed in a brand-new cloud-patterned brocade robe, Xie Changyuan walked over fanning himself. He kicked Xu Nan's little stool with a look of utter disgust. "I paid out of my own pocket to improve the living environment, and you cheap iron rooster can't even say 'thank you'?"

  "Young Master Xie, your logic is flawed." Xu Nan dusted the melon seed shells off his hands and began counting seriously on his fingers. "You replaced the floor tiles with white marble; that means the property tax for this courtyard goes up by thirty percent. You buried a Spirit-Gathering Array, increasing the spiritual density; this falls under 'specialized array value-added services,' meaning the monthly rent doubles. For the sake of your absolute devotion to Senior Sister Su, I'll waive the fractional fees. You still owe me a retroactive difference of three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones for this month."

  "I spit on you!" Enraged, Xie Changyuan snapped his folding fan shut and pointed it at Xu Nan's nose. "I spend my own money on renovations, and I have to pay you value-added fees?! You blood-sucking, black-hearted leech! Even the most corrupt banks in The Central Continent aren't as ruthless as you!"

  "Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth. Love always demands a premium." Acting like a dead pig that didn't fear boiling water, Xu Nan smiled and extended his hand. "Young Master Xie, shall we settle the bill?"

  "Get lost!" Xie Changyuan rolled his eyes so hard he nearly saw his own brain. Angrily shaking off Xu Nan, he turned around to go fawn over Su Wan.

  On the night the courtyard renovations were completed, Xu Nan surprisingly set up a rather lavish feast in the main hall. Of course, the Eight-Treasure Roasted Chicken and the century-old spirit wine on the table were entirely paid for by Xie Changyuan, whom Xu Nan had conned into ordering from the Immortal Gazing Tower.

  After three rounds of drinks, Xu Nan set down his chopsticks. His harmless, round face took on the absolute seriousness of an old pawnshop manager auditing bad debts at year's end.

  "Everyone, the bells for the Sect Tournament have tolled. It's time to audit the accounts in our little courtyard."

  Xu Nan nimbly pulled two Jade Slip Ledgers from his robes and knocked them loudly against the table.

  "Senior Sister Su: a death-warrant debt of three thousand High-grade Spirit Stones. Senior Brother Yan: a life-saving deposit of one thousand five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. Add to that the rent and food expenses for the past few months..." Xu Nan pointed out the main door. "The top thirty in the tournament receive a massive bounty of spirit stones. Therefore, you two must participate in this tournament! Win the bounty and hand it all over to balance your ledgers!"

  "Outrageous!" Hearing this, Xie Changyuan was immediately displeased. Snapping his fan shut, he grandly pulled out a bulging storage bag. "I will balance Wan-er's account! Is a measly three thousand spirit stones worth hounding her for debt? With Wan-er's status, how could she go onto the arena and butcher other Outer Sect mud-legs like a performing monkey?"

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  "Hold on."

  Su Wan suddenly reached out, decisively pressing her hand down on Xie Changyuan's storage bag.

  She looked at Xie Changyuan, then at Xu Nan. A flash of absolute resolve crossed her cold face. "Xie Changyuan, I didn't leave my clan just to turn around and hide inside your coin purse. Xu Nan is right. The bad debts I owe, I will fight in the arena to pay them back!"

  Xie Changyuan froze. Seeing the unwavering determination in Su Wan's eyes, his heart skipped a beat, and he silently withdrew the storage bag. He suddenly realized that the Eldest Miss who only knew how to throw tantrums in The Central Continent had—after experiencing the cruelty of the world and the life-and-death crucible of Miaojiang—developed a fiery arrogance in her bones that was now shining brighter than ever.

  "Senior Sister Su is generous!" Xu Nan slapped his thigh. "Then it's set in stone! Take the crown and earn that cash with your lives!"

  Sitting to the side, Yan Zheng silently swallowed a large mouthful of Spirit Rice. Hearing Xu Nan's "take the crown to pay me back," the usually cold, steady heavy-sword cultivator's mouth twitched, and he actually let out a quiet chuckle.

  Yan Zheng wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what Xu Nan's bottom line was. The dozens of storage bags the fatty had looted from Miaojiang contained enough spirit stones to buy half the Outer Sect with plenty to spare. Why would he actually care about a debt of a thousand-odd Low-grade Spirit Stones? By forcing them to participate in the tournament, he was actually forcing them to fight for a spot in The Twelve Peaks of the Inner Sect.

  Because only by entering the Inner Sect could Su Wan completely escape the shadow of The Su Family's arranged marriage, and only then could Yan Zheng obtain the high-tier Inner Sect cultivation methods and resources needed to protect his mortal brother.

  This fat bastard, whose mouth reeked of copper coins, was using the ugliest excuse of debt collection to execute the most loyal act of pushing them forward.

  For a sword cultivator, any debt that could be cleaved with a sword wasn't a problem. Yan Zheng gave a curt nod, accepting the mandate.

  "Since the macroeconomic direction is set, we need to audit the micro-details." Xu Nan swept the food off the table and pulled a rough sketch drawn with charcoal from his sleeve.

  "The preliminaries for this tournament are a 'Battle Royale.' Tens of thousands of Outer Sect disciples will be thrown into the Misty Valley. Over three days, they must fight for jade tokens. Only those who secure ten tokens advance. This means that once we're inside, we don't just have to guard against demonic beasts; we have to guard against our fellow disciples clubbing us from behind." Xu Nan's eyes turned sharp as he tapped the table. "Therefore, to do a good job, an artisan needs the right tools. Tonight, we sweep the market."

  Half an hour later, The Underground Black Market of the Outer Sect.

  The air here reeked of cheap herbs mixed with the rust of weapons. With the tournament imminent, the market was packed with people. The prices of all low-tier artifacts and talismans had been hyped to the moon.

  Fanning himself, Xie Changyuan walked at the front. Stopping at a stall specializing in flying swords, he waved his hand grandly. "Wan-er, Brother Yan's heavy sword shattered in Miaojiang. I'm paying today. Boss, bring out your best Tier-3 flying swords!"

  "Halt!" Xu Nan darted out from behind like a ghost, slamming his hand down on Xie Changyuan's wrist. He cursed in a low whisper, "Young Master Xie, is your brain flooded with water? The Outer Sect tournament explicitly prohibits the use of artifacts above Tier-2! If you bring a Tier-3 in there, are you just begging the Disciplinary Hall's enforcers to drag you out and disqualify you?"

  Xie Changyuan froze, awkwardly pulling his hand back. "Then... what do we buy? We can't just go in empty-handed and brawl, can we?"

  "Watch me." Xu Nan walked confidently to a shadowy stall selling obscure talismans.

  The stall owner was a masked, skeletal old man resting his eyes.

  Without even looking up, Xu Nan threw down a handful of Low-grade Spirit Stones. "The usual. Fifty units of Blinding Smoke, twenty packets of Itching Powder. Also, I'll take as many Thunderclap Talismans—the kind that make a massive noise but deal zero damage—as you have. And give me a hundred of your absolute lowest-tier Swamp Talismans."

  Behind him, Yan Zheng and Su Wan watched, completely dumbfounded.

  "Xu Nan, what are you buying this underhanded trash for?" Su Wan frowned. "Tournament combat is about True Qi foundation and exchanging spells. What use are these garbage talismans that can't even scratch a second-level Qi Condensation cultivator?"

  "Senior Sister Su, you don't understand the market dynamics. A one-on-one arena match is called a duel; a Battle Royale in the Misty Valley is called fighting for your life!"

  While furiously stuffing the colorful, cheap talismans into his robes, Xu Nan lectured them with the tone of a seasoned veteran. "Think about it. While some guy is flying his sword in the sky acting like a master, I toss a Thunderclap Talisman. The shock shatters his True Qi concentration. The moment he lands, I slap a Swamp Talisman under his feet and trip him into the mud. Then I casually toss a handful of Itching Powder... I secure his jade token without shedding a single drop of blood! This is a low-cost, high-yield 'cheese strategy,' focusing entirely on maximizing the ROI!"

  Listening to this, Xie Changyuan broke into a cold sweat and swallowed hard. "Fatty, your heart is way too dirty. If those Outer Sect disciples knew you were calculating them like this, they would tear you apart alive."

  "They have to catch me first," Xu Nan chuckled smugly.

  Afterward, he carefully selected an extremely thick, unsharpened Black Iron Heavy Sword from an old blacksmith's stall for two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. Although it was only a low-grade Tier-2 weapon, its material was incredibly durable, perfectly suited for Yan Zheng's suicidal, damage-absorbing fighting style. Yan Zheng nodded secretly, a flash of gratitude in his eyes.

  For Su Wan, he procured a massive stack of Gale Talismans and low-tier Rejuvenation Pills, fully maximizing the high-burst advantage of her premium Fire Spirit Root while compensating for her lack of agility.

  After a full sweep of the market, Xu Nan had armed the three of them to the teeth while spending the absolute minimum amount of capital. Xie Changyuan already had a deep family vault, so naturally, Xu Nan didn't need to spend any money on him.

  By the time the four returned to Nanxi Pavilion, it was late at night.

  Xu Nan laid out the categorized talismans and pills on the table. Looking at Su Wan and Yan Zheng, the mercenary look faded from his face, replaced by a rare trace of heavy solemnity.

  "Among these tens of thousands of Outer Sect bottom-feeders, there are definitely ruthless sharks who have suppressed their cultivation realms just waiting to skyrocket in this tournament. Whether we can collect this debt or not depends entirely on the Misty Valley half a month from now." Xu Nan took a deep breath.

  The wind was stirring at the tips of the duckweed. The biggest reshuffling of the Lingxiao Sect's Outer Sect market was finally about to open.