Chapter 27 Bet
The black eagle caught the demon rhinoceros, so it must have had enough food. Therefore, it just glanced at the two of them, flapped its wings, and actually grabbed the adult demon rhinoceros weighing a thousand pounds, flew into the air, and disappeared into the sky in the blink of an eye.
Shi Feng and Gao Tuo looked at each other and said, "If we don't leave now, when will we leave?" They both had the same idea in their minds, to escape while the black eagle scared the demon rhinoceros away!
Gao Tuo's ribs were broken, and he was limping. Shi Feng, seeing this, turned around, picked him up on his back, and ran out of Wulong Valley in one breath. He ran for five or six miles before stopping, still in shock.
Shi Feng put Gao Tuo down, and Gao Tuo took out a pill from his storage bag and swallowed it. Seeing that it was still dark, the two discussed it. They had escaped death and no longer had the courage to go into the dense forest at night, so they found a tall tree and climbed up to rest.
After about another hour, Gao Tuo's injuries felt much better. The sky was already bright, the morning light was breaking, birds were singing in the valley, dew was attached to the leaves, and the air was fresh. The two had escaped a disaster and suddenly felt that everything around them was so beautiful and lovely.
Leaping down from the tree, the two men walked through the dense forest until they reached the fork in the road at the foot of Fen Tian Peak. Gao Tuo pulled the young demon beast's head from his storage bag and said, "Junior Brother Shi, please accept this." Shi Feng was stunned. "Senior Brother Gao, you..." Gao Tuo said, "Although I am arrogant, I am not a shameless villain. This demon beast was originally hunted by you, and you saved my life. How can I have the audacity to take it for myself?"
Shi Feng said, "Brother, you're too polite. You saved me too. If it weren't for your talisman, I would have died under the hoof of that demon rhinoceros." Gao Tuo chuckled, "How can we compare? You saved me first. If you had left the valley directly, how could you have encountered such danger? Besides, my Red Dragon Whip is broken, so I don't need the crocodile spine for the time being."
Before Shi Feng could refuse, Gao Tuo had already stuffed the beast head towards him, "Alright, Junior Brother, don't be polite."
Shi Feng could only take it and said, "Thank you very much, senior brother." Gao Tuo waved his hand and said, "This thing doesn't count. I still owe you a life. I will repay you when I have the chance in the future. I am seriously injured and need to go back to recuperate. Goodbye." With that, he clasped his fists and stepped into the teleportation array and disappeared.
Shi Feng returned to the Sword Forging Valley and first asked Xiaopang for the letter of help. Then he returned to the house, removed the beast's head, and split it open with a sharp knife. He pulled out a little finger-sized stone from its skull. This was the Ironback Rhino's demon crystal. Demon crystals, also known as demon cores, are the condensed essence of demons and have a wide range of uses, including medicine, alchemy, and casting.
Shi Feng washed away the blood stains with clean water. This was the first demon crystal he had hunted. The Iron-backed Rhinoceros was only a first-level demon beast, and its demon crystal was not a rare item. However, Shi Feng was already extremely happy. He kept stroking it in his palm. The demon crystal was light yellow in color and had a very smooth surface. In addition to being full of spiritual energy, it also had bursts of demonic energy.
Shi Feng looked at it for a while, put it away, and then got up and went to Changgu Market. When the man wearing a bamboo hat saw Shi Feng take out the iron-backed rhinoceros crystal, he gave the crocodile spine to Shi Feng without saying a word.
Shi Feng was overjoyed. He went back and found four other auxiliary materials, including blackbird gold silk, and began to forge the Iron Dragon Bow again. It took him nearly ten days to refine the bowstring. Shi Feng tested the newly forged iron bow again, and it was more than twice as powerful as before. This was no surprise, as the power and range of a bow depended primarily on the bowstring. Shi Feng's meticulous selection of materials made the resulting spiritual weapon much more powerful than the original.
Shi Feng tested it briefly, and within five hundred steps, it pierced stone like rotten wood. If he had had a bow and arrow of this power back in Wulong Valley, even an adult demon rhino would have been able to be pierced through with one arrow. Shi Feng was overjoyed, but he felt a little sorry that the dozens of long arrows he had forged had been almost used up in Wulong Valley.
Shi Feng was not in a hurry to make bows and arrows. Firstly, it was not an urgent need. Secondly, as the competition was approaching, many inner disciples came to him privately to repair their spiritual weapons, and he really couldn't spare the time.
During this period, Shi Feng also went to Fentian Peak to visit Gao Tuo once. Although Gao Tuo's injury had healed, his vitality was damaged after all. The two of them had to fight to reach an agreement. Shi Feng offered to help him repair the Red Dragon Whip. Gao Tuo now knew that Shi Feng had excellent craftsmanship, so he was relieved to hand over the magic weapon to Shi Feng.
Shi Feng observed it carefully and found that although the repair was not difficult, there was a restriction called "absorption and dyeing", which required soaking in the blood of fresh red-skinned monster python nine times, which could not be done in a hurry.
In a hurry, only seven days remained until the competition, and disciples from all sects were eagerly preparing for the final battle. Among the inner disciples, the only one who wasn't paying attention was Shi Feng.
That day, inside a small, square room within the Taiji Sect, a tall, red-faced Taoist priest was saying, "A disciple recently reported that a wind-winged black eagle had been spotted near the sect. Junior brother, have you heard anything about this?" A Taoist priest with a black beard bowed and said, "Reporting to Senior Brother, it is indeed true."
The red-faced Taoist priest said, "The Wind-Winged Black Eagle is a notorious ferocious bird in the demon world. It's rumored to be proficient in both wind and fire magic. With a flap of its wings, it can instantly travel a thousand miles, and it can also spew out ten thousand feet of true fire, burning a thousand miles away. Even a powerful warrior in the Nascent Soul stage cannot withstand it. The appearance of such a ferocious bird within the boundaries of our Taiji Sect is not a good thing."
The black-bearded Taoist said, "Brother, don't worry. After this monster appeared, I went to investigate and found two black eagles, a male and a female. Although they are indeed wind-winged black eagles, their cultivation is still shallow, only equivalent to that of a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage."
The black-bearded Taoist priest attacked a square-faced middle-aged man who said, "The Wind-Winged Black Eagle is proficient in fire magic and is usually found in the wild volcanic areas of the south. We don't see many of them here. Besides, even among the Wind-Winged Black Eagles, there are probably only a few who can cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage."
The black-bearded Taoist nodded. "From afar, I saw that these two black eagles were only second-level demonic birds, equivalent to a human's foundation-building stage, so I didn't bother to attack them." The middle-aged man said, "With such limited Taoist skills, they dare to cause trouble at Taiji Sect. Master, how about I go and destroy these two demonic birds?"
The red-faced Taoist priest in the middle snorted, "Wuxi, you've reached the Golden Core stage, yet you're still so impulsive. If it were just two second-level demon birds, would I have come to discuss this with you? Do you know where the nearest Black Eagle tribe is?"
The middle-aged man lowered his head after being scolded, and replied, "Disciple, I don't know." The red-faced Taoist said, "It's the Fengming Mountain Tribe! You may not know, but the Black Eagle Clan was once one of the most powerful clans in the Fengming Mountain Tribe, and they were very influential. Although they have declined in recent years, their strength is still not to be underestimated. At the very least, they are not weaker than our Tai Chi Sect."
The black-bearded Taoist priest said, "Then, Senior Brother, should we go to Fengming Mountain and find out what's going on?" The red-faced Taoist priest pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it, let's not ask for now. The demon race and our human race are still allies on the surface, but secretly... hehe. Back when our Taiji Sect was founded in the Shigu Mountains, the demon race was quite dissatisfied. You know, the northern half of our sect, especially the area around Diecui Peak, is densely forested and rich in spiritual energy. The demon race is very jealous."
The black-bearded Taoist said, "My Taiji Sect has been established in Shigu Mountain for thousands of years. It is unreasonable for the demon tribe to want to seize our territory. Besides, our Taiji Sect is not a beast-taming sect, and we have not massacred the demon tribe. The demon tribe cannot hold us accountable for this."
The red-faced Taoist priest said, "Of course. If we want to bring an army to punish the culprit, two second-level demon birds alone will not be enough." The black-bearded Taoist priest and the middle-aged man both laughed.
The red-faced Taoist priest continued, "My point is, there's plenty of food in the Diecui Peak area, and these two black eagles haven't transformed yet. Perhaps they're just chasing food and came here. If these two black eagles are from the Fengming Mountain tribe and haven't harmed our disciples, then we shouldn't be so ruthless."
The black-bearded Taoist priest and the middle-aged man both nodded.
The red-faced Taoist priest said, "How about this, Junior Brother Xuanming? You can assign two disciples to closely monitor the black eagles. If they don't leave after a few days, drive them away. Since the sect competition is imminent, the rest of the staff should focus on this important event."
…………
At the same time, on Yuxiu Mountain, Liu Yunzi walked out, stretched, and sat down on the middle chair. He was in a good mood. He looked around and nodded, saying, "During the time when your master was in seclusion, it seems that none of you have been lazy. Yuanqing has actually broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining. Xiangying, your Golden Finger Yuan Revitalization Technique seems to have made some progress. If you are lucky, you can all get a good place in the sect competition." The disciples said in unison, "Thank you for the compliment, Master!"
Liu Yunzi chuckled twice. "However, I see you've been spending quite a bit lately. Yuanqing, you don't have to tell me that it would take you at least half a year to reach the seventh level of Qi Refining. You must have bought some elixirs, right? Xiangjun, your spiritual weapon looks very unfamiliar to me. Is it new?" Xiangjun stuck out his tongue. "Master's eyes are indeed as sharp as lightning."
Liu Yunzi looked at everyone and suddenly remembered, "Oh, right. Where is your seventh junior brother? Is he still in the weapon refining hall?" Chang Qing said, "Yes, the junior brother is still in the weapon refining hall. I am happy to make the master. I heard that the seventh junior brother is quite talented in weapon refining and is now accepted by Master Gan Chu as a furnace-operating disciple." Liu Yunzi curled his lips, "Isn't he just a fireman for others? You seem so excited about it." Chang Qing was embarrassed and everyone laughed.
Liu Yunzi asked, "Shouldn't he participate in the sect competition?" Chang Qing said, "Grandmaster Dao Chong originally said that Junior Brother Seventh shouldn't participate, but the Sect Master said that all inner disciples must participate in the sect competition. This is a long-standing rule and can't be changed at will. He also told Grandmaster not to worry. All the disciples in the sect know that Junior Brother Seventh has no spiritual roots and doesn't know any skills, so they won't make things difficult for him. Besides, fighting among fellow disciples is strictly prohibited in the sect competition."
Liu Yunzi's face became long for a moment, "That being said, I'm not worried that anyone would dare to hurt my disciples. But Shi Feng is just an ordinary person, and he was defeated in one move. How can I be proud of myself?" The disciples were silent for a moment.
Liu Yunzi scratched his head and said, "In the sect competition, there are only a thousand Qi Refining disciples. They fight against each other in pairs. After one round, only five hundred are left. The sect's long-standing rule is that if you can make it through two rounds, you will be rewarded with a thousand spirit stones, plus a bottle of rejuvenation liquid. Wow, whoever got the same lot as my silly disciple in the first round is really lucky. Changqing, who drew the right lot with Shi Feng?"
Chang Qing said, "The first round draw list was released yesterday. The one facing Junior Brother Seven is Senior Sister Lingyun from Huiyan Peak. She's at the sixth level of Qi Refining and was originally going to have a hard time getting through the second round, but I'm afraid she's really out of luck this time."
Liu Yunzi's eyes rolled. "By the way, the sect competition draws lots for all sects, so fellow disciples might be drawn together. It seems like you're regretting not drawing Shi Feng in the first round." Chang Qing said hurriedly, "I don't think so."
Liu Yunzi said, "A real man should be open and honest. He can just say what he wants." Chang Qing hesitated, "It's not that we want to get the first round for free, but we are just thinking about saving Master's face. We can just pretend to fight fiercely with Seventh Junior Brother to let him hold out for a while, so that others won't come up and embarrass Junior Brother."
Liu Yunzi glared at him, "Your opinion is truly disgusting! Shi Feng is the only inner sect disciple without spiritual roots, a thousand-year-old freak, everyone in the sect knows that, and yet you're pretending to fight fiercely, hoping that others will laugh at you the next day. He doesn't know any skills or magical powers, and everyone in the sect knows that. If he loses, he loses, so what's there for the winner to be proud of?"
Chang Qing was scolded and helpless, he could only say, "Yes, the disciples all feel it's a pity. It's better to give our own people a good deal than to give others a good deal. Before, because of this matter, the disciples of the entire sect were in an uproar for a while. I heard that someone even wanted to bribe the uncle who was dividing the lots to assign the seventh junior brother to his group.
Liu Yunzi's anger boiled over when he heard this. "Great! Shi Feng is a rare commodity! Oh, and you Qi Refining disciples are always fond of gambling. As soon as the lottery sheet came out, you all bet on this person winning and that person losing. What's the odds on Shi Feng winning or losing?"
Chang Qing laughed and said, "Seventh Junior Brother doesn't even know any martial arts, so why would anyone bet on him to win? There's no way to bet on the win-loss odds, but there are quite a lot of bets on Seventh Junior Brother's match, all betting on how long he can hold out."
Liu Yunzi uttered an "oh" and said, "We're betting on the first move he loses, right?" Chang Qing replied, "Of course not. He'll definitely lose in one move. We're betting on the first breath Junior Brother loses. Generally, it's said to be within three breaths, which is exactly the time it takes Ling Yun to fire an ice bomb. Some people bet that Junior Brother Seventh is physically strong, so one ice bomb might not even be able to bounce out of the arena, and it might take two. Some say that Junior Brother Seventh is too agile and can dodge a round of ice bombs, or that Ling Yun doesn't use ice bombs but uses ice arrows, which means it would take ten breaths..."
He was still nagging, and Liu Yunzi's face turned red. He shouted, "Shut up! Your own junior brother was humiliated like this, and you, the eldest senior brother, treat it as a joke." Chang Qing immediately didn't dare to say anything more.
Liu Yunzi glanced at the disciples and said, "You bastards, I see you've all placed your bets, right? Speak!" Chang Qing murmured, "Yes, I'm also tempted to do something, but I'm betting fifty spirit stones that Junior Brother can hold out for ten breaths."
Liu Yunzi said, "How can this be absurd! How can my disciple be looked down upon like this?" He flicked his hand to his waist and took out a bag of spirit stones. He said, "Yuanqing, here are two hundred spirit stones. Go place your bet on Shi Feng winning the first round."
Zhang Yuanqing was startled and said, "Master, please calm down. This spirit stone is hard to come by. Why..." Liu Yunzi snorted, "The spirit stone is a small matter, but face is a big matter. When you placed the bet, you should openly say that I, Liu Yunzi, bet that my disciple can win." Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly took the spirit stone.
Everyone then understood that Liu Yunzi was willing to waste two hundred spirit stones, but he wanted to use this opportunity to tell the sect that although Shi Feng lacked magical powers, he was still his personal disciple, and that no one else in the sect could easily humiliate him, otherwise Liu Yunzi would never allow it. This sincere heart of protection for his disciple moved all the disciples deeply...
The room was silent for a moment, no one spoke. Liu Yunzi stood up, sighed, and said, "Changqing, help me put 300 spirit stones on Shi Feng to lose in three breaths. Don't say it was my bet."