True Person Cuixuan Bestows Heavenly Spirit Water, Lu Changsheng Accepts the Treasure Contest!

"It's over just like that?" Many in the crowd had yet to collect their wits. Where was the spectacular battle they had been promised? Where was the magnificent, climactic final battle of Hong Shan? In the end, that was it? From the moment the two stepped onto the ring to the moment it ended, barely the time to drink a cup of tea had passed. In just that short span of time, it was already over? Even the Divine Ability realm expert presiding over the duel seemed momentarily stunned. Only after a long pause did the Divine Ability realm expert slowly speak: "Lu Changsheng wins and becomes the new King of the Battle Arena!" With that announcement, a massive uproar swept through the entire Battle Arena. Countless people erupted in excitement. "Hahaha, I won! I made a killing this time!" "I believed in Lu Changsheng ever since he won three matches in a row. I bet on him to win every single match along the way—I've made a fortune!" "Even though I thought highly of Lu Changsheng, I truly never imagined he could defeat Hong Shan and become the King of the Battle Arena. What bad luck that I bet on Hong Shan this round!" "Lu Changsheng really is a martial artist unlike any other. Who would have thought that two consecutive Kings of the Battle Arena would both be Dao Foundation martial artists rather than Foundation Establishment Dao Lords?" Many gasped in marvel. In truth, at the Dao Foundation and Foundation Establishment tiers, a Dao Foundation held no advantage whatsoever. Where martial artists truly gained the upper hand was at the Divine Ability realm. Compared to Foundation Establishment Dao Lords, Dao Foundation martial artists simply had far fewer methods at their disposal. Yet within the Battle Arena, two consecutive Kings had both been Dao Foundation experts. It almost gave people the illusion that Dao Foundation martial artists were stronger than Foundation Establishment Dao Lords. Of course, this proved nothing of the sort. Or rather, it only proved that Hong Shan and Lu Changsheng were exceptionally powerful as individuals. They could not represent Dao Foundation martial artists and Foundation Establishment Dao Lords as a whole. Overall, Dao Lords were still the stronger party. "Lu Changsheng wins and becomes the King of the Battle Arena!" Finally, the Divine Ability realm expert presiding over the match spoke again, officially declaring the result of the duel. Lu Changsheng had won, becoming the new King of the Battle Arena! *Boom! Boom!* The arena grew even more clamorous. From this day forward, Lu Changsheng's name would resound throughout the entire Battle Arena. Lu Changsheng, however, appeared utterly calm. He slowly stepped down from the ring. Wang Cheng hurried forward at once, his face flushed with excitement. "Brother Lu, you truly won! You've become the King of the Battle Arena!" Wang Cheng could not contain his excitement. In less than two months, Lu Changsheng had become the King of the Battle Arena. It felt almost like a dream. Yet it was an undeniable reality! Lu Changsheng glanced at Wang Cheng and nodded. "Where are my spirit stones?" "Go rest for a moment first. There are quite a lot of spirit stones this time, so it will take a little longer to calculate. I'll go sort it out for you." Wang Cheng immediately turned and left to prepare Lu Changsheng's spirit stones. After all, calculating the payout from a pool of over two million spirit stones was no simple task. Lu Changsheng was in no hurry for that bit of time. Closing his eyes to rest his mind, he waited patiently. About an hour later, Wang Cheng returned. His hands were empty, but the look on his face was extraordinarily thrilled. "Brother Lu, do you know how many spirit stones you gained in total this time?" Wang Cheng asked excitedly. "How many?" "A total of three hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones!" "It's simply unbelievable—three hundred and fifty thousand! With so many spirit stones, most of them were exchanged for spirit crystals. One spirit crystal equals a hundred spirit stones, making thirty-five hundred spirit crystals in all!" "These spirit crystals are all inside this spatial bag." Wang Cheng handed over the spatial bag. Lu Changsheng swept it with a brief sense. Indeed, inside the spatial bag lay a massive hoard of spirit crystals, along with some loose spirit stones—the change beyond the thirty-five hundred spirit crystals. "Thank you for your hard work." Lu Changsheng took out the spirit crystals directly and transferred them into his own spatial treasure. Three hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones could directly purchase thirty-five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. With that much Heavenly Spirit Water, it should be enough to cause his boundless divine ability Dao fruit to undergo its transformation. At that thought, Lu Changsheng rose to his feet and said in a low voice, "Then I shall take my leave." "Leave?" "Brother Lu, you are now the King of the Battle Arena! If an expert with a ten-match win streak challenges you, will you accept?" Lu Changsheng paused slightly, then replied, "Once someone challenges me, notify me then." Lu Changsheng left behind the address for Haoxian Workshop. If anything came up, he could be informed there. As Lu Changsheng stood and prepared to depart, Li Guang arrived. Li Guang had been paying attention to Lu Changsheng ever since the very first match. For some reason, he felt deeply intrigued by Lu Changsheng. Along the way, he had bet on Lu Changsheng in every single match and had made an immense fortune by now. Thus, Li Guang took the initiative to come over and meet Lu Changsheng in person. "Lu Changsheng, I am Li Guang." "I've been watching you since your first battle. I only came because I wanted to meet you and perhaps make a friend." Li Guang stated his intention plainly. Lu Changsheng nodded. In truth, Li Guang was hardly the only person who wanted to befriend him. Ever since he racked up continuous victories in the Battle Arena, people had constantly approached him, hoping to "make a friend." Lu Changsheng naturally understood why. It was nothing more than his performance in the Battle Arena drawing widespread attention. Lu Changsheng's demeanor remained placid, but Li Guang did not mind. It was simply that Lu Changsheng did not know who he was. Had he known Li Guang's identity, he certainly would not be so indifferent. Li Guang smiled and said, "Lu Changsheng, you are a Dao Foundation martial artist. When you eventually condense a divine ability Dao fruit and wish to transform it into a true divine ability, you will certainly need Heavenly Spirit Water." "If you need Heavenly Spirit Water, you can come straight to me." Li Guang sounded thoroughly confident. If it were anything else, he might not be able to help Lu Changsheng. But obtaining Heavenly Spirit Water was hardly a difficult task for him. "Oh? You can obtain Heavenly Spirit Water?" Lu Changsheng was mildly surprised. Since Li Guang said this, it surely meant his Heavenly Spirit Water would not be as expensive as ten thousand spirit stones per drop. After all, ten thousand spirit stones per drop was essentially the publicly listed price. At that moment, Wang Cheng offered a discreet reminder from the side: "Brother Lu, Li Guang is a direct descendant of the clan behind the Li Chamber of Commerce, the second-largest chamber of commerce in Tiansheng City. In fact, he is the direct son of the clan head. He can certainly procure Heavenly Spirit Water at a discounted rate." Wang Cheng's words stirred Lu Changsheng's interest. He knew the largest chamber of commerce in Tiansheng City was the Tiansheng Chamber of Commerce, but he had never looked into what the second largest was. It was evidently this Li Chamber of Commerce. "Brother Li, could we step outside to talk?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Of course." And so, the two walked out of the Battle Arena. Lu Changsheng asked directly, "I want Heavenly Spirit Water. What price can Brother Li offer?" "You want it right now?" Li Guang asked, slightly surprised. "Yes, right now." Lu Changsheng's response brought a sudden realization to Li Guang. "So you have already condensed a divine ability Dao fruit? No wonder you possess such terrifying strength..." Li Guang appraised Lu Changsheng thoughtfully from top to bottom. Condensing a divine ability Dao fruit might not directly increase one's raw power. However, condensing a divine ability Dao fruit often required deducing all manner of divine techniques or finding the ones best suited to oneself. Imperceptibly, that naturally enhanced one's battle prowess. Of course, other martial artists who had condensed divine ability Dao fruits were never as exaggeratedly strong as Lu Changsheng. To shatter dozens of Hong Shan's divine techniques with merely a handful of his own was truly incredible. Li Guang quickly gave his reply. "Brother Lu, if you want Heavenly Spirit Water, I can offer you a very favorable price: nine thousand spirit stones per drop. How does that sound?" "That is one thousand spirit stones less than the outside market." The price Li Guang quoted was indeed remarkably low. If Lu Changsheng went to buy from merchant chambers on the outside—whether the Tiansheng Chamber of Commerce or any other—it would basically never drop below ten thousand. Even with bulk purchases granting certain discounts, it would never be as cheap as nine thousand spirit stones. "Very well. I need thirty drops of Heavenly Spirit Water!" Lu Changsheng stated immediately. Moreover, thirty drops in a single breath. "Thirty drops? Why do you need so much Heavenly Spirit Water?" "Could it be that you condensed a greater divine ability Dao fruit? And more than one at that?" Hearing the quantity Lu Changsheng requested, Li Guang gave a start. This was entirely beyond his expectations. Thirty drops of Heavenly Spirit Water—no matter how one looked at it, that was a massive transaction. "Hm? How many drops of Heavenly Spirit Water does a greater divine ability Dao fruit require?" Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow, looking at Li Guang in slight confusion. Back when he was in the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, even the seven Divine Ability realm ancestors did not know how many drops of Heavenly Spirit Water a greater divine ability Dao fruit required. As for a boundless divine ability, the seven ancestors had no clue at all. Such matters still fell under the category of confidential knowledge. Yet however confidential it might be, someone of Li Guang's background was sure to know. Li Guang chuckled. "It seems you aren't aware." "Well, that makes sense. This information is considered relatively confidential. Unless one hails from a major power or possesses an established legacy, ordinary people truly wouldn't know much about it." "Generally speaking, divine ability Dao fruits are divided into lesser divine abilities, greater divine abilities, and boundless divine abilities." "A lesser divine ability Dao fruit generally requires anywhere from one to ten drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. Most only require a single drop." "A greater divine ability Dao fruit requires ten to twenty drops of Heavenly Spirit Water to complete its transformation." "Therefore, since you need thirty drops, you most likely condensed a greater divine ability." Li Guang's words left Lu Changsheng deep in thought. Yet why had Li Guang made no mention of boundless divine abilities? "What about a boundless divine ability?" Li Guang offered a faint smile. "A boundless divine ability? In our entire Tiansheng City, those capable of condensing a boundless divine ability can be counted on one hand. Every single boundless divine ability Dao fruit requires at least a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water before it can thoroughly transform into a boundless divine ability." "Yet once it transforms into a boundless divine ability, its might is earth-shattering." Li Guang shook his head. A boundless divine ability was simply too far beyond his reach. Never mind Tiansheng City—even across the entire Holy Land, boundless divine abilities were exceptionally rare. Every single individual who condensed a boundless divine ability was an apex genius, an unrivaled prodigy capable of stirring the winds and clouds across the whole Holy Land! *At least a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water...* Lu Changsheng's heart shook! A hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. And even a hundred drops might not be enough. The more Heavenly Spirit Water a Dao fruit required, the more terrifying its divine ability's might once transformed. Lu Changsheng had imagined that transforming his boundless divine ability Dao fruit would require a great deal of Heavenly Spirit Water. Yet he never could have guessed it would take at least a hundred drops. With all the spirit stones he currently had, he could only purchase thirty-odd drops. He was still far from reaching a hundred drops. *I still need to fight another King of the Battle Arena challenge match—or even several!* *However, now it's others challenging me, and the odds won't be nearly as high. A single match's total wagers might only amount to several hundred thousand stones.* *The winnings from one match might only be a few tens of thousands of spirit stones...* *How long will it take to accumulate enough spirit stones to buy a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water?* Lu Changsheng furrowed his brow, sinking into deep thought. "Brother Lu, I can provide you with thirty drops of Heavenly Spirit Water," "and the price will remain nine thousand spirit stones per drop." "At such a price, I dare say you will not find a second person in all of Tiansheng City willing to offer you such a discount. Consider it a gesture of friendship." "However, as a friend, I have a small request. It shouldn't be too much to ask, right?" Sure enough, Li Guang's initiative in approaching Lu Changsheng came with an ulterior motive. Yet Lu Changsheng felt no aversion to it. "What request?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Just a small matter." "In a few days, I need to attend a gathering in Tiansheng City. When the time comes, I may need Brother Lu to temporarily act as my bodyguard." "During the gathering, certain disputes at the Dao Foundation level may arise, and people might even come to blows. Brother Lu only needs to support me with all your strength. What do you think?" Li Guang's words caused Lu Changsheng's eyes to narrow slightly. A gathering in Tiansheng City? Acting as Li Guang's bodyguard in battle? Given Li Guang's background, how could he fail to hire a Divine Ability expert as a guard? The Li family alone could dispatch Divine Ability realm experts to protect him. Why would he need a Dao Foundation martial artist as a bodyguard? Recalling the glint in Li Guang's eyes just a moment ago, Lu Changsheng roughly grasped the reason. This gathering was almost certainly anything but ordinary. If everyone attending shared a status similar to Li Guang's and disputes were restricted to the Dao Foundation level, Lu Changsheng—as the reigning King of the Battle Arena—would undoubtedly allow Li Guang to handle any confrontation. "I will only handle battles at the Dao Foundation level," Lu Changsheng replied after a long silence. It was merely cooperating with Li Guang on an occasion. In exchange, he could obtain Heavenly Spirit Water at nine thousand spirit stones a drop. Why refuse? "Splendid! Then shall we set it for three days from now?" "We will attend the gathering in three days." "Once the gathering ends, I will take you to the Li Chamber of Commerce to purchase the Heavenly Spirit Water." Lu Changsheng nodded. It was only three days, after all. "Very well. In three days, I will wait for you at the Li Chamber of Commerce." Having said that, Lu Changsheng turned and left. Upon returning to Haoxian Workshop, Lu Changsheng received an invitation from True Person Cuixuan to meet. Soon, Lu Changsheng saw True Person Cuixuan. "Lu Changsheng, congratulations on becoming the King of the Battle Arena!" "I truly never expected that one day, a cultivator from our Ancient Region would become the King of the Battle Arena..." True Person Cuixuan was filled with emotion. Whether immortal cultivators or martial artists, all could be regarded as cultivators. Not a few cultivators from the Ancient Region had ventured into the Holy Land. In fact, there had always been people steadily making their way here. Almost all of them were Divine Ability realm martial artists or Golden Core True Persons. Yet even among those Divine Ability realm martial artists and Golden Core True Persons, not a single one had ever carved out such resounding fame as Lu Changsheng had. "Lu Changsheng, you earned so many spirit stones in order to purchase Heavenly Spirit Water, correct?" True Person Cuixuan suddenly asked. Lu Changsheng offered neither confirmation nor denial. In truth, anyone paying attention could deduce it. Given Lu Changsheng's strength, he had almost certainly condensed a divine ability Dao fruit. All he lacked was Heavenly Spirit Water. "I do not know what kind of Dao fruit you condensed," "nor do I know how many Dao fruits you possess." "However, you must be in dire need of Heavenly Spirit Water right now." "Here are five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water that I exchanged for. Take them." True Person Cuixuan directly offered five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. "True Person, what is the meaning of this...?" Lu Changsheng furrowed his brows instead. He was indeed in need of Heavenly Spirit Water, but he had to know True Person Cuixuan's purpose. True Person Cuixuan smiled faintly. "The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect was willing to send you, a Dao Foundation martial artist, to the Holy Land. You have condensed a divine ability Dao fruit, yet you have delayed ascending to the Divine Ability realm. There can only be one reason: the Heavenly Spirit Water in the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect was insufficient to transform your Dao fruit." "Looking at it this way, even if what you condensed is not a greater divine ability Dao fruit, it must be nearly comparable. Once your Dao fruit transforms into a greater divine ability, you will have a real chance of establishing a foothold in the Holy Land in the future." "I have only one request: when the time comes, I hope that within your capabilities, you will help the Haoxian Immortal Sect establish a foothold in the Holy Land. I wonder if Fellow Daoist can agree to this?" True Person Cuixuan had already begun addressing Lu Changsheng as "Fellow Daoist." That meant he was essentially treating Lu Changsheng as an equal. It was clear just how highly he regarded Lu Changsheng. "Five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water, merely in exchange for a promise from me?" Lu Changsheng chuckled. "How could I possibly refuse such a generous offer?" "I, Lu, agree to this matter!" With virtually no hesitation, Lu Changsheng directly accepted the five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. A mere promise in exchange for five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water—it was an undeniable bargain! Returning to his room, Lu Changsheng brought out the five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. Several months had passed since he last used Heavenly Spirit Water. His Spiritual Black Hole Dao fruit had consumed eight drops in total back then. Now that he had obtained five more drops, once used, it would bring the total to thirteen drops. Although Li Guang claimed a boundless divine ability required at least a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water to transform, Lu Changsheng still wished to test it himself. He wanted to see if it truly required that much. And so, Lu Changsheng began merging the drops of Heavenly Spirit Water into his Spiritual Black Hole Dao fruit one by one. One drop, two drops, three drops, four drops, five drops! When Lu Changsheng had merged all five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water into the Spiritual Black Hole Dao fruit, he discovered that the Dao fruit did indeed show a slight change. There was a faint sign of "transformation." Of course, it was merely a sign. With a slight sense, Lu Changsheng discovered that to complete the transformation entirely, he would indeed need many more drops. He simply could not be certain whether it would truly take a full hundred drops. *One drop for a lesser divine ability Dao fruit, ten drops for a greater divine ability Dao fruit, and a hundred drops for a boundless divine ability Dao fruit.* *Between each tier of Dao fruit lies nearly a tenfold increase. A boundless divine ability Dao fruit is a hundredfold leap compared to a lesser divine ability Dao fruit!* A strange glint flashed through Lu Changsheng's eyes. He felt no surprise. On the contrary, he felt this was only natural. If there were not even a hundredfold disparity, boundless divine abilities would not be so exceedingly rare. In the blink of an eye, three days slipped past. Lu Changsheng opened his eyes, and with a thought, he checked his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 258,800 (Praised for a Hundred Generations) Spiritual Black Hole: Divine Ability Dao Fruit (Untransformed) Five Elements Decomposition: Divine Ability Dao Fruit (Untransformed) Four Symbols Prison: Divine Ability Dao Fruit (Untransformed) Sure enough, his divine ability Dao fruits remained untransformed. His comprehension, however, had been steadily increasing. Lu Changsheng stood, departed Haoxian Workshop, and made his way straight to the Li Chamber of Commerce. "I am looking for Fellow Daoist Li Guang." Lu Changsheng stated his purpose directly. "Honored guest, this way please." Lu Changsheng was led into a room, where Li Guang was indeed waiting inside. Seeing Lu Changsheng, Li Guang smiled and said, "Brother Lu, you've finally arrived. We were just waiting for you." "Let's go, we depart now!" Li Guang led Lu Changsheng out the door, leaping into the air as they flew toward a mountain manor outside Tiansheng City. Before long, the two landed on the ground. The manor was grand and imposing. Guards stood outside, all of whom were Dao Foundation martial artists. There was even an old man among them. The aura radiating from his body was terrifyingly formidable—he was no longer a Dao Foundation martial artist, but... Divine Ability! Yes, a Divine Ability realm expert! *Deploying a Divine Ability realm expert just to guard this manor...* *The people inside must possess extraordinary backgrounds,* Lu Changsheng guessed inwardly. Li Guang smiled mysteriously. "This manor usually sits idle and is only used to entertain distinguished guests." "This time, several distinguished guests have arrived from Tianguang City, so they are being received here." Lu Changsheng nodded. Tianguang City and Tiansheng City were both prominent cities in the Holy Land. Every major city had a Saint-tier powerhouse overseeing it. Soon, the two entered the manor. The moment they stepped inside, Lu Changsheng felt numerous wary gazes fall upon them. Experts! The owners of these gazes were all formidable experts. Every one of them was a peak Dao Foundation expert or a peak Dao Lord. There were even Divine Ability realm powerhouses. Conversely, Golden Core True Persons were practically nowhere to be found. Golden Core True Persons were truly somewhat different from Divine Ability realm cultivators. Golden Core True Persons could forge powerful magic treasures. Consequently, almost every Golden Core True Person was immensely wealthy. Compared to Divine Ability realm cultivators, the difference in wealth was vast as heaven and earth. Thus, one could often see Divine Ability realm martial artists attaching themselves to powerful factions or clans to earn spirit stones. Yet one almost never saw a Golden Core True Person attaching themselves to a powerful faction or clan. Instead, it was the powerful factions or clans that took the initiative to invite Golden Core True Persons to hold down the fort. "It's Li Guang of the Li Chamber of Commerce." "Li Guang, you're late this time." "Li Guang, at the last Treasure Contest, you lost everything down to your undergarments. Whom did you bring along this time?" "Li Guang probably came fully prepared this time, hoping to wipe away his past disgrace. Then again, across all the previous Treasure Contests, how many rounds has Li Guang ever won?" "Indeed. It's basically always our Tianguang City that holds the upper hand. As for Tiansheng City? They lose far more than they win. And Li Guang loses every single time..." Numerous gazes swept over Li Guang. The tone of their words even carried a slight edge of hostility. These people clearly knew Li Guang. Moreover, having crossed paths many times, both sides were thoroughly familiar with one another. Lu Changsheng, however, frowned slightly upon hearing this. "A Treasure Contest?" "Fellow Daoist Li, what is this about?" Lu Changsheng asked in a low voice. He had agreed to accompany Li Guang to a gathering at the manor and spar against Dao Foundation-level experts. He had not agreed to take part in some Treasure Contest. Li Guang's expression turned somewhat unnatural as he explained, "In truth, it is merely a gathering of individuals with distinguished backgrounds from Tianguang City and Tiansheng City. Everyone puts forth their respective treasures to contest for them, treating it as a form of exchange." "It's just that my luck has been poor, or rather, the Li Chamber of Commerce lacks sufficient experts at the Dao Foundation level. At almost every Treasure Contest, I've ended up thoroughly humiliated." "When I saw Brother Lu become the King of the Battle Arena, I wanted to seize the chance to wipe away that disgrace." Lu Changsheng understood. "Once the matter is settled, I will add another five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water as remuneration for Brother Lu!" "However, there is one condition: Brother Lu must take first place in the Treasure Contest!" Li Guang gritted his teeth and declared resolutely. "No problem," Lu Changsheng agreed readily. Whether a Treasure Contest or a casual gathering, it made no difference to Lu Changsheng. So long as the battles remained at the Dao Foundation level, he feared no one!