Ji Wu was among the five who had yet to show themselves!
The light beam grew narrower and narrower, on the verge of vanishing entirely.
Just then, the beam fluctuated violently. A blurry figure appeared, forcibly squeezing his way through at the very instant the mirror surface was about to disappear.
The man looked in an utterly miserable state. Having barely squeezed out before Heaven-Pointing Peak closed, his footing faltered, and he tumbled straight into the water.
Once he surfaced and his face could be seen clearly, a collective sigh rose from the side of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance.
Qin Sang's gaze sharpened, and the relaxed expression on his face instantly vanished. The man was actually Ji Wu!
Qin Sang had assumed Ji Wu had died inside, eliminating a huge headache. He had not expected the man to make it out at the final moment.
Ji Wu's aura was disordered. He wore a tattered dharma robe, and his left arm hung limply at his side. Having exerted every ounce of his strength to escape with his life, he was still panting heavily when he flew up to Granny Jing.
With cultivation as formidable as his, he had likely rarely been reduced to such a wretched state.
Even more astonishingly, when Ji Wu handed over his Star Element Stones, there were more than three hundred of them.
Aside from Qin Sang, Ji Wu had the most!
The onlookers quietly studied him. For him to emerge only at the last moment, he must have encountered something extraordinary. The injuries on his body and his ruined robe sparked endless speculation.
Upon learning he was not in first place, Ji Wu could not suppress a look of disappointment. He cast a glance at Qin Sang and quietly retreated into the crowd.
By this point, the light beam had vanished completely. The surface of the water lay tranquil, without the slightest trace remaining of Heaven-Pointing Peak's existence.
Snake Granny lightly tapped her snake staff, lining up the pouches of Star Element Stones before her. Then she said in a clear, resonant voice, "Who has won and who has lost is abundantly clear. There is no need to count them, is there?"
The Gold-Armored General snorted coldly. Sweeping up all of his side's Star Element Stones, he turned and barked in fury, "A bunch of useless trash!"
Stamping his foot, the Gold-Armored General transformed into a streak of golden light and departed in a huff.
The members of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance exchanged awkward, crestfallen looks, departing without a single word.
***
Stargazing Island.
Snake Granny was in high spirits. Smiling warmly at the assembly, she offered a few encouraging remarks before signaling Vice Island Master Xiao to bring out the rewards.
Ten beams of treasure light appeared once more.
This time, everyone already had a good idea of who would claim these treasures.
Those unqualified to receive one could only look upon the others with envious eyes.
Most of those gazes fell upon Qin Sang.
"For this expedition into Heaven-Pointing Peak, in accordance with our agreement, the ten individuals who gathered the most Star Element Stones are entitled to select a treasure: Qin Sang of Shaohua Mountain, Ji Wu of the Demon Flame Sect..."
Senior Brother Rong was not among them.
After naming Qin Sang and the others, Snake Granny continued with a smile, "In winning this wager against the Heaven-Traversing Alliance, the rest of you have also rendered no small service. Stargazing Island has decided to reward each of you with a top-grade magic tool. You may choose for yourselves."
With that, Snake Granny waved her hand and cast out dozens of streaming rays. Magic tools of every variety hovered together in a dazzling display.
The sight reminded Qin Sang of his time in the Kuiyin Sect, when Yi Tiannie had forced them to act as spies. Though decades had passed, the memory remained vivid.
That had been the greatest crisis of his life, yet also the greatest turning point on his path toward immortality.
*Blessings lurk within misfortune; misfortune crouches within blessings.*
Qin Sang could not help but sigh with deep emotion.
The experts present did not value top-grade magic tools all that highly, but having one was better than nothing. Taking it as an unexpected bonus, they all smiled and picked the tools they favored.
"Qin Sang!"
Once the others had made their selections, Snake Granny pointed at him. "You placed first, so you shall choose first."
Qin Sang drew a deep breath. Amidst a sea of disappointed gazes, he said without hesitation, "This junior chooses the snow spirit lotus and the iris flower."
Snake Granny was not surprised. With a beckoning gesture, the two spirit herbs flew into Qin Sang's hands of their own accord.
The snow spirit lotus emitted a faint, refreshing chill, while the iris flower was the exact opposite, radiating a gentle warmth.
Both were sealed within restrictions to preserve their spiritual essence. Holding the two spirit herbs, Qin Sang's breathing grew slightly heavier. He carefully supported them before storing them away in his mustard seed bag.
He could feel several ill-intentioned gazes settling upon him, but he felt no fear. No one would dare cause trouble within the True Water Thousand Illusions Formation.
Even after leaving the Luandao Waters, there was no one he needed to fear.
"Second, Ji Wu!"
Snake Granny's voice brought Qin Sang out of his thoughts. He instinctively looked toward Ji Wu, only to see him gazing at the Xuanzhen Pill, whose value was second only to the two spirit herbs, with an expression of hesitation on his face.
In the end, he made a choice that caught everyone off guard.
"I want the Guifu Pill!"
As soon as Ji Wu spoke, an uproar broke out.
The Guifu Pill might be rarer than the Xuanzhen Pill, but to a False Core cultivator, no healing medicine could ever compare to an elixir that assisted in Core Formation.
After their initial astonishment, the cultivators ranked behind Ji Wu were overcome with ecstatic joy.
Snake Granny was somewhat surprised as well, but she asked no questions and handed the Guifu Pill to Ji Wu.
Qin Sang watched silently as Ji Wu put away the Guifu Pill, a sudden sense of urgency rising in his chest. The Guifu Pill was incomparable to ordinary healing medicines; it was equally effective on the injuries of Core Formation stage cultivators.
Such an elixir would cause a massive sensation at an auction.
Daoist Jiupao had been collecting healing medicines all these years, so his injuries had surely recovered to some extent. If he were to obtain this Guifu Pill on top of that...
Qin Sang clenched his fists.
For a moment, much of the joy of obtaining the two spirit herbs was washed away.
Soon, every treasure had found its owner.
Qin Sang and the others took their leave one after another, leaving only the two island masters in the grand hall.
"Senior Chifa established the wager pact with the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. Now that the Foundation Establishment disciples' contest has concluded, we must prepare for the second round of wagers. How are things to be arranged here? Surely we won't disband the remaining disciples and leave only a portion behind to guard the area?" Vice Island Master Xiao asked softly.
Snake Granny shook her head. "The Heaven-Traversing Alliance will not withdraw so easily! Besides, the terms of our next wager have yet to be decided. Senior Chifa previously sent me a voice transmission saying that both sides are evenly matched this time, making it an excellent opportunity to temper the disciples of each sect. There is no need to withdraw our forces. We shall remain stationed here and sortie once every ten days to skirmish with the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. Only after the Ziwei Palace opens will it be time to beat the drums and call back the troops."
Vice Island Master Xiao thought for a moment and sighed. "Tempering them is well and good, but casualties are inevitable. Heaven-Pointing Peak was hardly perilous, yet four promising disciples lost their lives, one of whom was my martial nephew..."
Snake Granny shared none of his sentimentality.
"Time and fate brook no blame upon others. Fellow Daoist Xiao, you cannot shield him his entire life. How many of our former peers possessed talent far greater than yours or mine? How many of them are left today? Fellow Daoist Leng Yuntian had worse aptitude than either of us, yet now he is a mighty Nascent Soul expert and the master of a sect."
"Him?"
A flicker of disdain flashed through Vice Island Master Xiao's eyes, but he said nothing more.
After conferring a bit longer, the two went their separate ways.
***
Upon leaving Stargazing Island, Qin Sang declined all invitations. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Senior Brother Rong and the others, he flew back to his cave abode on his flying sword amidst a chorus of congratulations.
After sealing the cave abode, Qin Sang sat down cross-legged on the floor and fell into deep contemplation.
Chapter 480