“H-how is this possible?”
The Sixth Young Mistress and the young man stared at one another as their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
They had just checked the stone pillars themselves and tried all kinds of appraising methods, but to no avail. Eventually, they even resorted to random guessing, not not even that worked. They assumed that this fellow would be the same as well, but who could have thought that… without even examining the stone pillars, just by tapping on them and calling out names…
… the stone pillars would explode!
Are you serious?
Are you sure you aren’t hacking?
“Th-this…”
Gan Yiping’s eyes nearly popped out from his sockets.
While he didn’t say anything previously, the truth was that he shared the same thoughts as the Sixth Young Mistress and the young man. Who knew that this fellow… would actually be so formidable!
With just a tap, he could identify whatever that was within the stone pillars. His speed was so fast that it was astounding. How in the world… did he manage to do it?
Fifty years of effort, and he only had three pillars deciphered…
And yet, just within twenty breaths, the other party had already deciphered thirty… no, forty, fifty pillars!
He was doing it even faster than they could see the artifacts!
When the butler said that his young master would be able to decipher everything, he thought that the latter was just boasting. Only at this moment did he realize that not only was the butler not boasting, he could even be said to be humble…
This isn’t deciphering anymore, he is sweeping through everything here!
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Gan Yiping said, “This… Young lady, it seems like you have lost the bet…”
“…”
It was only with Gan Yiping’s reminder did the Sixth Young Mistress recall the bet she had made just a moment ago. Realizing the implications, her body swayed, and her vision went dark.
Considering her standing, she did possess a sizeable wealth. However, she only had a few hundred of them on hand. As such, anything above a thousand would already be beyond her at the moment. Given a single stone pillar was worth a hundred middle-tier spirit stones, fifty of them would spell a debt of five thousand…
If she knew that he was that formidable, she would have never made the bet!
Wasn’t she just finding trouble for herself?
With a face as bitter as a bitter gourd, the Sixth Young Mistress was on the verge of tears. Clenching her teeth, she spoke up. “Pause for a moment, I’ve something to tell you…”
“Something to tell me?”
Zhang Xuan came to a stop.
With a scarlet face, the Sixth Young Mistress said, “Yes. You’ve already made your point, and I understand that you’re a capable person. There’s no need for you to continue on!”
It was a moment ago that she was gleefully making this bet with the other party. To renege on her promise now made her so embarrassed that she would dive deep into the ground in this very instant if she could.
“You understand that I’m a capable person? I doubt that. Don’t worry, I’ll be done soon!”
With a bright smile, Zhang Xuan lifted up both of his hands and touched the stone pillars on both ends simultaneously and started running.
“Rain Assembling Thorn, Knocking Wood, Hundred Stem Scarlet, Three-leafed Golden Thorn Immortal…”
Peng peng peng peng!
The stone pillars on both ends exploded relentlessly, revealing an artifact one after another.
Five breaths later, Zhang Xuan finally came to a stop.
Clapping his hands, Zhang Xuan smiled.
“Alright, I’m done…”
Hualala!
Before him stood a hundred or so collapsed stone pillars, and the artifacts hidden within them were shining with a brilliant glow.
While these artifacts were not exceptionally powerful, they were still at a decent level. They could fetch a sizeable sum when sold.
“It has only been… less than a minute!”
Looking at the incense not too far away, only a small portion on top was burnt. Yet, within this short period of time, that fellow actually managed to decipher every last one of the stone pillars. The surroundings turned completely silent with the exception of the clattering of teeth.
They had seen plenty of formidable people throughout their life, but this…
“That… Hall master, after deciphering so many stone pillars, I should be able to take those three items, right?”
Zhang Xuan walked up to the old man and asked.
“Er…”
With a twitching mouth, Gan Yiping quickly turned to look at the attendant beside him and clenched his jaws. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and wrap everything in the shop up for this young master over here! From today onward, he is the new owner of the Mystical Treasure Hall…”
“Yes!”
The attendant quickly rushed down the stairs.
“Hall Master?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
“Yes. Going by the cumulative score system, the points you’ve accrued through breaking all 110 stone pillars adds up to more than six thousand…”
Gan Yiping nodded.
Honestly, with six thousand points, even if he were to put all of the treasures in his Mystical Treasure Hall together, it wouldn’t be sufficient to compensate the other party…
It would be a huge stroke of fortune if someone could decipher even one of these pillars, and this fellow actually managed to decipher 110 of them in a single breath. He felt as though everything he had known was being flipped upside down, and this left him terribly frenzied.
But after his frenzy came excitement.
While he did lose his entire wealth in a breath, the doubt that had been lingering in his heart for several decades had finally been resolved. He felt as though he would be content even if he were to die at this very instant.
“Thank you…”
Clasping his fist, he bowed deeply.
Fifty years! It had been an entire fifty years!
Ever since he obtained these stone pillars, he had been devoting his entire life to breaking them. He thought that he would end up carrying these doubts and regrets into his grave, but who knew that… this young man would actually resolve what would have been his greatest regret in less than a minute.
With the secrets of these stone pillars unraveled, he would have no regret even if he were to die at this very instant.
“Young Master… is the new owner of the Mystical Treasure Hall?”
“Despite having all of his wealth taken away, the hall master still thanked teacher?”
The dumbfounded Sun Qiang and Yuan Tao stared at one another blankly.
They came here to buy a couple of items, and yet, they ended up swiping everything within the Mystical Treasure Hall clean… Not only so, the hall master even thanks them for that. As expected of their young master and teacher, he truly couldn’t be comprehended through common logic.
“Didn’t you say that you would pay me a hundred middle-tier spirit stones for each stone pillar I decipher? I’ve deciphered more than a hundred of them, but I’ll give you a discount… ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones!”
After trading some pleasantries with Hall Master Gan, Zhang Xuan turned to look at the Sixth Young Mistress.
Rather than the artifacts in the Mystical Treasure Hall, he was more interested in the spirit stones.
“I…”
With a face flushed red, the Sixth Young Mistress’s body trembled.
She had thought that the other party would have been unable to even resolve a single one of the pillars, and she could have the other party kneeling before her to teach him a lesson. How could she have ever known that…
Not only did the other party decipher every last one of the stone pillars in the store, he even became the new owner of the Mystical Treasure Hall…
What in the world was this?
If only she’d known the other party was so formidable, she would have never gotten ahead of herself!
Ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones… Even if she were to take out everything in her possession, she still wouldn’t have that much!
“Why? Do you intend to go back on your words?”
Noticing the other party’s silence and pale face, Zhang Xuan frowned.
If not for the other party insistently interfering in his affairs, going to the extent of even making this bet, he wouldn’t have bothered with her. Since she had tried to make him kneel through the bet, she should suffer the consequences of her own actions as well.
“I’ll help the Sixth Young Mistress pay for her debt…” Seeing that the woman he was courting being forced to a corner, the young man stepped forward with gritted teeth.
Honestly speaking, he couldn’t afford ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones either.
But at this point, it mattered not anymore. If he could win the other party’s heart by standing up during her times of crisis, it would be worth it no matter how heavy a price he had to pay.
Of course, he had thought of refuting the bet. But the conditions were stated clearly, and if it was known that respected 5-star master teachers like them actually went back on their words, how could they face others in the future?
If the headquarters were to learn of this matter, they might even face punishment.
Only one who holds oneself with dignity would be qualified to teach others. If one couldn’t even uphold the end of one’s promise, who would dare to allow one to be a teacher?
“I don’t need your help!”
Before the young man could finish his words, the Sixth Young Mistress gritted her teeth and said, “I’ll repay it myself!”
After which, she lifted her gaze and looked at Zhang Xuan. “I’ll repay all ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones to you. However… I don’t have that much money on me at the moment, so you’ll have to give me a few months’ time!”
She couldn’t even take out a thousand spirit stones at the moment, needless to say ten thousand. However, while ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones was a huge sum, her family was more than capable of repaying it.
“A few months?”
Zhang Xuan shook his head. “If it’s in a few months’ time, I’d surely be able to take out ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones easily. By then, your debt would mean nothing to me!”
Huanyu Empire was just a small stop for him before heading to Hongyuan Empire. He wouldn’t even remain here for half a month, let alone a few months.
Besides, it had only been half a year since he started cultivating, and who knows how far he would reach in a few months’ time. By then, chances were that he wouldn’t even need middle-tier spirit stones anymore.
Along with the raise of his cultivation, his Heaven’s Path zhenqi was becoming purer and purer, the requirement demanded of the spiritual energy he absorbed was increasing swiftly as well. Even though he was only at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle at the moment, he had already realized that the middle-tier spirit stones were gradually losing their effectiveness.
It wouldn’t be long before it would become completely ineffective, just like how low-tier spirit stones were to him.
If it’s going to be useless to me in a few months’ time, what is the point of you returning me the debt then?
“You… Then how do you intend to resolve this matter?”
The Sixth Young Mistress gritted her teeth.
“This…”
Zhang Xuan frowned.
The other party had made this bet confidently a moment ago, saying that she would definitely be able to repay the debt. Who could have known she would be so poor?
If he had known beforehand, he would have never made this bet with her and bring himself so much trouble.
“Didn’t you say that you would make me kneel if I lost just now?”
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan replied, “Alright, I won’t make you kneel but I’m lacking a maid to serve me tea at the moment. I’ll put you under Sun Qiang’s command, and as long as you do well, we can forget about the ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones!”
Even if the other party couldn’t fork out the money, he couldn’t let this matter go just like that!
The other party had spoken so arrogantly a moment ago, trying to teach him a lesson. Since that was the case, he would return it to her.
Besides, considering how the other party had achieved a cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 6-dan despite her young age, she must be of considerable standing. With such a subordinate, he would be able to solve many of his problems.
Before the young lady could speak, the young man beside her leaped in shock and exclaimed, “Maid? You want to take Sixth Young Mistress in as your servant? Do you know who she is…”
Sun Qiang interrupted the other party’s word.
“Who she is? No matter how incredible she is, can she be more incredible than our young master? It’s your fortune that our young master is accepting you in as his maid. If you are unwilling to accept, why don’t you try repaying your debt first?”
Young Master is Old Master’s direct disciple, and his standing could be said to be even above Pavilion Master Mo. You should feel honored that he’s accepting you as his maid, to think that you still dare to talk about identity…
Know your place!
“I shall have you know that the Sixth Young Mistress is the pri…”
Hearing the fatty’s words, the young man harrumphed, but before he could finish his words, the Sixth Young Mistress interrupted him.
“Enough!”
Gritting her teeth, the Sixth Young Mistress turned to look at Zhang Xuan proudly and said, “It’s impossible for me to become your maid, and ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones aren’t enough for that either. Change your terms!”
“You aren’t willing? Kowtow then!” Zhang Xuan replied impassively.
