Chapter 188: Meeting Qin Zhen
In the pavilion, the elders from other sects were wearing rare smiles.
This smile, especially, was due to the appearance of Qin Bei.
The reason? Well, it was simply because Qin Bei was willing to sell the soul beads he had in his hands.
For individual cultivators, having one or two of these soul beads is actually necessary, especially a sixth-level soul bead. One is truly enough for cultivators to use.
After all, for martial skills of the same level, learning just one is more than sufficient.
As for the sects, there are still quite a few people in their ranks.
If everyone could have a sixth-level soul bead, it would be a definitive boon for the sect’s disciples!
But everyone also knew that this scenario was just not realistic.
Even the royal family couldn’t manage that.
So, being able to buy a few from Qin Bei was already a delight for them.
However, Emperor Xia wasn’t happy – or should we say, he was very unhappy.
Because at the end of the day, these soul beads were, in fact, the property of the royal family.
They were originally meant to inspire and assist the younger generation.
But given the current situation, it seemed Qin Bei never intended to let these soul beads go.
From the way he carried himself, it was clear he aimed to sweep them all up.
The kicker? After catching them all, it didn’t look like Qin Bei had any intention of leaving anything for the royal family.
Selling off the royal family’s possessions while pocketing the spiritual stones himself?
This thought made Emperor Xia recall the scene when Qin Bei had sold his personal belongings.
He truly couldn’t fathom it. Was a prince at the Golden Core stage really so desperate for spiritual stones?
He would go to any lengths for a few spiritual stones!
And by the looks of things, Qin Bei was only selling a part of them.
It seemed more like he was preparing to destroy the rest and absorb the soul power within.
This was like overdrawing the opportunities of the sect’s geniuses for the next ten years to boost his own cultivation!
That was giving Emperor Xia quite the headache.
Others competed for opportunities by snatching up what was available now.
But this rebellious son of his not only wanted to rob others of their existing opportunities but also of those that the newcomers might have.
Not a single chance left for them to survive!
Looking at these old men smiling in front of him, Emperor Xia couldn’t help but sneer in his heart.
They were genuinely laughing, completely unaware that Qin Bei was, in fact, draining the opportunities of these sects for the next decade.
As for the royal family, the most crucial opportunities lay in the inner and core regions.
With the outer area being ravaged by Qin Bei, Emperor Xia could just barely swallow it.
After all, these opportunities belonged to the entire Great Xia, not just the royal family.
Let’s see how slowly these fools in front of him will react.
Though even if they did, it wouldn’t do them any good.
Emperor Xia felt that given the situation, he might not even be able to stop Qin Bei himself.
Not to mention the people right in front of him.
Thinking about it made him go from initially being unhappy to feeling a bit giddy.
After all, all the opportunities of these sects for the next ten years were going to Qin Bei.
It looks like in the end, both the royal family and Qin Bei would profit!
‘Hmm~ Not bad, not bad. It’s just a pity for those unborn little babies.’
Emperor Xia nodded in his heart, feeling a bit helpless.
…….
“Not too shabby, two thousand soul beads sold in three days, but these folks are way too poor, buying everything on credit.”
In the imperial mausoleum, Qin Bei complimented Peng Yuan, who had appeared in front of him.
However, for the spiritual stones collected, only around ten million didn’t feel quite enough.
“No way around it. These folks already made a trip to the auction house before entering the mausoleum. They’ve nearly spent all the spiritual stones they brought, and what little is left is barely enough. After all, not every cultivator can squander spiritual stones like you.”
Peng Yuan replied, sounding a bit helpless.
One hundred thousand spiritual stones were nothing much for Qin Bei.
But for people like them, that was indeed a hefty amount.
The sects didn’t provide much either. Most who could muster up that many spiritual stones had the backing of their elders.
Otherwise, these folks wouldn’t dare to buy soul beads.
“Ugh~ Fine, it’s all the same anyway. Just let them put out whatever spiritual stones they’ve got, don’t stash them away. I have use for those stones,” Qin Bei said, not wanting to fuss over it too much.
As long as there’s enough to spend in the mausoleum, that’s all that matters.
“Rest assured, Prince Bei, I will ensure everyone with spiritual stones hands them over.”
Peng Yuan said cheerfully, taking credit for his efforts.
Over the past three days, Qin Bei had visited no less than a hundred groups of tombstones.
Each time, he didn’t linger for too long.
But he made sure to take away every single soul bead left in those tombstone groups.
After three days, Qin Bei had collected tens of thousands of soul beads.
However, Qin Bei hadn’t destroyed a single soul bead; instead, he had given them to Peng Yuan and the others to sell.
Meanwhile, rumors about the imperial mausoleum began to spread.
There were whispers of a group of merchants dealing in soul beads, specializing in selling the highest quality ones.
But the root cause of their fame was that the cultivators in the mausoleum discovered a serious issue.
After visiting many tombstone groups, they found they were unable to get any soul beads at all!
They were completely cleaned out by these soul bead merchants, leaving behind not a single bead!
Consequently, rumors of an impressive team arose — not only could these folks acquire soul beads, but they were also willing to sell them.
People felt both admiration and frustration towards this team.
Frustrated that they had snatched away all the opportunities, yet grateful that with enough spiritual stones, one could obtain even better chances.
……
“Let’s head to the next tombstone group. This one is a big one, we should be able to get over ten thousand new soul beads.”
Qin Bei said to Peng Yuan.
“Sure thing, Prince Bei! I’ll make sure to promote it well and let everyone there buy at least one.”
“No, make it ten!”
Peng Yuan said confidently.
Qin Bei merely chuckled.
Buying multiple at once wasn’t all that common.
Besides, Qin Bei’s purpose in obtaining these soul beads wasn’t to rake in spiritual stones.
The real goal was to enhance his soul power.
Yet, Qin Bei had no intention of dampening Peng Yuan’s enthusiasm.
After all, the soul beads being sold hadn’t yet reached Qin Bei’s limit.
……
The next group of tombstones arrived swiftly.
This time, it certainly was just as the rumors had stated—Qin Bei noted a rough count of over ten thousand tombstones.
In Qin Bei’s eyes, that equated to ten thousand sixth-level soul beads.
Many people had gathered here as well.
To Qin Bei’s surprise, he spotted quite a few familiar faces.
Qin Zhen was among them.
However, at that moment, Qin Zhen didn’t look too happy.
The royal family members who were teaming up with him were all staring into the distance with the same expression.
When Qin Bei looked, he recognized a familiar face.
Qin Xiu.
Qin Xiu was also casting a mocking glance over at Qin Zhen’s side.
It was evident that the two parties seemed to be embroiled in some kind of conflict.
Both sides were still in a standoff, with everyone present discussing Qin Xiu and Qin Zhen, completely oblivious to Qin Bei’s arrival.
…….
“Prince Xiu is truly a dragon among men. In a mere eight days, he and his team managed to obtain over a hundred third-level soul beads. Prince Xiu has certainly secured a spot in the inner circle.”
“What a funny thing to say! Isn’t the spot in the inner circle determined the moment one enters the imperial mausoleum? Why need to gauge current performance?”
“Exactly! Just look at Prince Qin Zhen! He’s not short on soul beads either!”
“Sure, their backbone isn’t lacking, but those who follow them are struggling. If these followers want to enter, they need sufficient soul beads.”
“Being part of the royal family is so comfortable. As long as you gather enough soul beads, even if your sect doesn’t have the qualifications to enter the inner circle of the imperial mausoleum, you can still get in by sticking close to the royal family. Heck, I’m almost tempted to join them!”
“Well, go ahead, why don’t you?”
“Uh, maybe not! Teams for the royal family were already formed well before the imperial mausoleum trial began. Now trying to form a new team? Not a chance.”
“Sigh~ It all boils down to our sect not being strong enough. Otherwise, how could we not even enter the inner circle?”
“But there are disadvantages to following the royal family as well. You see, Prince Qin Zhen took a hit this time!”
“That’s true…”
……
The surrounding crowd looked at the group acquiring soul beads with a sense of loss.
To enter the inner circle during the Imperial Mausoleum Trial, there are only two paths.
One is that your sect needs to be powerful enough, powerful enough for the royal family to grant a quota.
Take the Sword Sect and the Knife Sect, for instance—big sects!
The other method is to follow a prince inside.
However, it requires at least a second-seal prince to have the authority to lead others into the inner circle.
And these groups were usually arranged well before the trial began.
After all, every prince has limited quotas in hand.
So the competition tends to be quite fierce.
Every time, a prince can reap considerable rewards.
It’s certainly something to envy!
“Who says it’s impossible? Did you all forget about someone?”
Suddenly, a voice broke through from the crowd.
It was Peng Yuan.
He had been sent by Qin Bei to sell soul beads.
But upon hearing their discussions, he felt compelled to join in.
“What does this fellow Daoist mean by that?”
Everyone turned their attention to Peng Yuan, asking politely.
“Hai~ You all don’t know? Prince Bei! Did you forget? When entering the imperial mausoleum, Prince Bei only brought along two princesses, meaning he can bring at least eight more people into the inner circle!”
Peng Yuan chuckled.
In truth, he was aware there weren’t eight spots left.
Qin Bei had already promised a few to bring some people into the inner circle.
After all, Qin Bei still relied on them for selling soul beads once they got in.
But that didn’t deter Peng Yuan from making bold claims.
“Prince Bei? Who doesn’t know him? The most arrogant of all the princes! Not even Prince Three Seals or Prince Five Seals would dare to act so proudly, but isn’t he too preoccupied with his own matters? How can he have time to bring other people into the inner circle?”
“Exactly! I heard that since he entered the imperial mausoleum, he’s just been fooling around, doing nothing! All the work has been left to his wife to get the soul beads! And let’s not forget, the former saint was pretty great too, even his personal maid managed to snag over ten soul beads in just a few days.”
“Hehe, but he himself isn’t motivated enough. I heard he’s already ruined several soul beads. He probably won’t even have the chance to enter the inner circle!”
“Without enough soul beads, how can you even think about the inner circle? If we go chasing after Prince Bei, aren’t we just handing over our soul beads? Come the time we help push him into the inner circle, we’ll be left with absolutely nothing.”
“Right! Who wants to be involved in such a losing business? This fellow Daoist better not play tricks on us!”
……
Listening to the chatter around him, Peng Yuan’s temper flared.
These folks were so out of touch, they didn’t realize the Prince Bei now was entirely different!
Little did they know that the fiercest soul bead merchant was standing right before them!
‘Just wait! In a moment, you’ll see how impressive he is!’
Peng Yuan chose not to engage in argument with those people, believing that the best way to slap the ignorant would be through actions, not words.
Sooner or later, when these folks witnessed Qin Bei’s prowess, they’d realize just how foolish their statements were!
…….
“Let’s go see what’s happening.”
Qin Bei didn’t bother with the crowd, laughing as he took Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue by the hands and made his way towards Qin Zhen’s location.
This time, everyone took notice of him.
Of course, it wasn’t primarily because of Qin Bei.
No, the real reason was due to the beautiful Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue walking alongside him.
Wherever a stunning woman goes, her presence is always eye-catching.
This place was no different!
As a result, the previously gossiping crowd fell silent.
They understood that Prince Bei was currently in over his head, but at the same time, they recognized that this arrogant prince was unreasonable and not to be offended.
……
“Brother!”
“Young Bei?”
Upon spotting Qin Bei, Qin Zhen’s previous grim expression melted away, and he approached with a smile.
“How’s it going? How’s the search for soul beads? I heard you’ve ruined quite a few, which is really unacceptable! Those were all earned through hard work by my brother and sister-in-law!”
Qin Bei didn’t anticipate that the first encounter between them in the mausoleum would end up with Qin Zhen scolding him.
“What? Who told you that? I’ve made up for everything! If you don’t believe me, just ask!”
Qin Bei replied in exasperation.
“Made up for? With what? You aren’t telling me that you actually purchased soul beads with spiritual stones, are you? Have you found those soul bead merchants?”
Qin Zhen asked, taken aback.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you know? Lately, I don’t know what happened, but someone has been selling soul beads, high-grade ones, selling for only a hundred thousand spiritual stones! But their whereabouts are erratic. By the time I hear about them, it’s always too late to find them.”
Qin Zhen thought Qin Bei was oblivious to the news, unaware of the situation in the imperial mausoleum trial.
“Oh? So, my brother also wants to buy some soul beads? How come you haven’t gathered enough soul beads?”
Qin Bei inquired.
Given Qin Zhen’s decent talent and that he was already over forty, it seemed implausible that he’d be stuck in the outer perimeter.
Sure enough, Qin Zhen confirmed Qin Bei’s thoughts.
“It’s not about me; it’s more about them. Originally, I intended to bring them along into the inner circle, but didn’t anticipate it being even harder to obtain soul beads than ever before.”
Qin Zhen responded, feeling quite helpless.
“How could that be? Did the difficulty of the Imperial Mausoleum Trial increase? I wasn’t aware!”
Qin Bei asked in confusion.
He hadn’t heard anything about an increase in the difficulty during the annual trial.
“It’s not the mausoleum itself; the main issue seems to be that there are a few prodigies this time around. They’ve been reaping huge amounts of soul beads and then selling them. You probably bought the soul beads from them.”
“Isn’t that great?”
“What’s great about it? They’re snatching all the soul beads, even some that our team could have obtained! Doesn’t that make it harder? Now we really need to fight for every single soul bead, otherwise, it may mean one less person entering the inner circle!”
Qin Zhen said with some resignation.
It was evident that during this round with Qin Xiu, they hadn’t gained the upper hand.
……
P.S: Sorry, this is running late!
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