Chapter 559 Ding Hong's Conditions

Zhang Xuan was truly somewhat regretful.

That previous special envoy Liu Xuan gave off a very powerful impression at first glance, and she came from headquarters... For him, every single middle-grade spirit stone was precious beyond measure, but for someone like her, they might be as worthless as trash, casually able to produce thousands or tens of thousands!

Unfortunately, at the time, Zhao Ya was leaving, and he felt somewhat guilty, coupled with a bit of pride—he didn't want others to think he was trading his students for spirit stones... so he didn't think much of it. Now it seemed truly regrettable.

He didn't have to trade students... he could offer guidance!

Under the heavens, no flaw could be hidden, and he could certainly offer guidance in exchange for some compensation.

With that compensation, his future cultivation would be smooth sailing, free from worry, and even Zheng Yang and the others could obtain the best cultivation conditions...

But that opportunity had slipped away...

"Forget it, dwelling on it is useless..."

Knowing that it might be ages before he could meet a strong cultivator like Special Envoy Liu Xuan again, Zhang Xuan turned to Hall Master Kang and asked, "Hall Master, who in our Ten Thousand Kingdoms City has the most middle-grade spirit stones?"

"Middle-grade spirit stones?"

Hall Master Kang was taken aback. "This essential cultivation item—every major family keeps one or two on hand, but... not many in quantity. If we're talking about abundance... it would have to be those major sects and powers attending the Master Teacher Grand Competition!"

"Sects and powers?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

"Yes. The Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance is relatively weak among similar powers, so the amount of middle-grade spirit stones we can exchange from the Feathered Flame Empire each year is very scarce. But places like Flowing Cloud Sect, White Sun Sect, and Luo Qian Sect—these are powerful, with half-step five-star master teachers in charge, and they have a great many middle-grade spirit stones. Being able to produce three is already good for me, but their hall masters or sect leaders can easily produce over a dozen, or even several dozen!"

Hall Master Kang said after a moment's thought.

"That many?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

If he could get a dozen or two dozen, he could easily break through to the peak of Mortal Transcendence Third Layer, and with that strength combined with his soul power, he might even be able to fight a Mortal Transcendence Fifth Layer cultivator.

"Looks like I need to find a chance to squeeze some out of them..."

Chin in hand, Zhang Xuan pondered.

Seeing his expression, Hall Master Kang's mouth twitched again.

Those were major sects, and he was thinking of squeezing them?

"Ahem, Master Zhang, half-step five-star master teachers are all at the Spirit Merging realm, with formidable strength and power. Moreover... they aren't exactly friendly with our Ten Thousand Kingdoms City..."

Afraid that this fellow might stir up trouble he couldn't handle, Hall Master Kang couldn't help but dissuade him.

The Spirit Merging realm—where soul power surges and spirit and flesh merge—has combat power several times greater than the Turbid Purity realm. It would be good enough if such people didn't come looking for trouble with Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, yet he was eyeing their spirit stones... Wasn't that asking for trouble?

"Don't worry, I know my limits!"

Zhang Xuan nodded and said no more, instead calculating in his mind.

Directly robbing them was certainly out of the question. Although his strength had surged recently, he knew he was still far from the Spirit Merging realm.

Using all his means, he might be able to fight an early Spirit Merging cultivator, but against a mid-stage one, he could only flee.

From Hall Master Kang's tone, these major sects had plenty of mid-stage and late-stage cultivators. He couldn't beat them in a fight, but... lacking strength didn't mean he couldn't bluff or make money.

Back in the Tianxuan Kingdom, when he was destitute and not even very strong, hadn't he still made countless strong cultivators willingly bow and call him Teacher Yang?

"It seems I need to think of a way to offer guidance and treatment to earn some middle-grade spirit stones..."

Zhao Ya's departure had once again created a sense of urgency in him.

If his strength were sufficient and his cultivation resources abundant, why would he let his student follow someone else?

At the root of it all, his cultivation was still insufficient.

Without enough strength to back it up, no matter how well he spoke, it was just a mirage.

Thus, he had to gather middle-grade spirit stones as quickly as possible and rapidly improve his strength.

While he was planning how to squeeze some spirit stones from the major sects, Sect Leader Luo Huang and the others had already arrived at Wanghai Tower.

"Sect Leader Luo, what brings you here?"

Just as he was about to enter the tavern, he heard an exclamation of surprise. Turning his head, he saw another middle-aged man standing not far away.

White Sun Sect's sect leader, Bai Kaizhi.

A late Spirit Merging realm cultivator and half-step five-star master teacher.

"Oh, Sect Leader Bai, you're here too!" Having guessed that the other party would notify others, Luo Huang was not surprised to see him appear and instead smiled lightly.

"Was it you who notified me?" Seeing his confident demeanor, Sect Leader Bai asked doubtfully.

"Me? I'm not that bored. If there really were relics of Master Teacher Kong, I'd definitely hide them away quietly, not waste words with you lot." Luo Huang shook his head. "I don't know who arranged this. Let's go in first. I reckon he's notified more than just the two of us."

"Hmm!" Sect Leader Bai paused, then understood. Nodding, the two walked side by side into the tavern.

Once inside, they indeed found many familiar faces. Of the twenty-seven powers that had come to Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, a full fourteen were present!

Moreover, it seemed the other party had done their homework, as these fourteen powers were all among the top-ranked.

In other words, the fourteen strongest of the twenty-seven powers surrounding the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance had all been invited.

Upon inquiry, everyone had received a letter stating 'Relics of Master Teacher Kong,' with no other superfluous words. None of them knew who had sent the letter or what the so-called relics specifically were.

"Could someone be deliberately playing us?" someone expressed doubt.

"Impossible. Although our roots aren't in Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, if we really find we've been tricked, it would be very simple to track down the culprit."

A sect leader snorted. "Unless... he really doesn't want to live!"

Although the letter sender hadn't been seen, back then the Lin Family of Tianwu Kingdom could produce a tracking rat. With their large powers, if they really wanted to investigate, it would be quite simple.

The reason they hadn't done so was to avoid scaring him off and losing the information about Master Teacher Kong's relics.

"That's true. Let's wait, then!"

Understanding this, everyone fell silent.

They were all master teachers, at least at the peak of Four-Star, possessing ample patience and composure.

"It was I who invited you all here!"

Sure enough, before long, a low voice sounded, and a one-armed old man walked over.

Ding Hong made no attempt to conceal himself. He appeared to be in his sixties, with a cultivation of only the Sovereign realm, and his complexion was severely depleted, clearly showing he had recently suffered a serious injury and had not fully recovered.

Everyone looked at him.

They had thought that someone daring to summon so many of them at once would at least be at the peak of Mortal Transcendence Fourth Layer or higher, but instead it was just a minor figure at the Sovereign realm. All frowned.

"I've taken the liberty of inviting you all here, as stated in the letters... for the relics of Master Teacher Kong!"

Ding Hong looked around.

He knew that no matter how well he disguised himself, he couldn't fool these half-step five-star master teachers, so he simply appeared in his true form. After all, with the secret in hand, he wasn't afraid of being silenced.

"Relics of Master Teacher Kong? Do you know who you're speaking to? If there's any falsehood, do you know the price you'll pay?"

With a flick of his sleeve, Sect Leader Luo Huang snorted.

"Of course I know. Every word is true... The relics of Master Teacher Kong I speak of are a personal handwritten letter from Master Teacher Kong!" Ding Hong clasped his hands and said.

"A handwritten letter from Master Teacher Kong?"

Everyone was shaken.

Among the relics, although treasures were highly effective, for master teachers, they were less useful than a handwritten letter.

Such a personal letter, with every stroke containing the writer's essence, energy, and spirit, could, through frequent observation, greatly advance one's mental cultivation and increase one's strength—something other treasures could not match.

"Indeed. It was a letter written by Master Teacher Kong out of gratitude after the ancestor of a small family saved the life of Saint Min, Master Min. It was kept as a family heirloom and has been passed down to this day."

Ding Hong said.

"Saint Min?"

"Are you referring to Master Min, one of the seventy-two saints under Master Teacher Kong?"

"He was one of the founders of the Master Teacher Pavilion, renowned throughout the world, with descendants spread far and wide. If what you say is true, the value of this letter is immeasurable!"

"Not to mention anything else, if you take this to the descendants of Saint Min, they certainly won't treat you poorly..."

"Indeed..."

Hearing the explanation, everyone's breathing quickened.

Master Teacher Kong had three thousand renowned disciples, the most outstanding of whom were called the seventy-two saints. Saint Min was one of them, having participated in the founding of the Master Teacher Pavilion and being one of its founders.

To have saved such a person and even received a personal letter from Master Teacher Kong...

Not to mention the value of the letter itself, even this story alone would drive countless people wild.

"State your conditions!"

Sect Leader Luo Huang also suppressed his breathing and looked up.

Hearing his words, everyone else calmed down as well.

Indeed, the other party had gone to such lengths to gather them all, so he must have a purpose and conditions. If there were none, they certainly wouldn't feel at ease.

"Sect Leader Luo is indeed straightforward!"

Ding Hong smiled lightly. "My conditions are simple. First, I want to become the alliance leader of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, with my strength reaching the peak of Mortal Transcendence Fourth Layer! Second, help me kill someone. Rest assured, this person's strength is not high, only at the early stage of Mortal Transcendence Second Layer, nothing significant. Whoever can promise to fulfill these two conditions, I will tell them the whereabouts of this relic of Master Teacher Kong."

"The alliance leader of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance is appointed by the Ten Thousand Kingdoms City Master Teacher Pavilion. Although we cannot interfere directly, with my influence, Hall Master Kang will still show some respect. Changing an alliance leader without harming the foundation should not be a big problem!"

Sect Leader Luo Huang looked over. "As for raising your cultivation to the peak of Mortal Transcendence Fourth Layer, if you strictly follow my guidance, there is an eighty percent chance of achieving it... As for the killing, that can also be agreed to."

"Sect Leader Luo, don't be so hasty. What you can do, I can do as well. The relics of Master Teacher Kong—I'm sure no one present is willing to give up!"

"Yes, friend, I, the Luo Qian Sect, promise you not only to make you the alliance leader of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance and greatly increase your strength, but also to make you a guest elder of our sect, enjoying the treatment of an elder!"

"We, the Cold Air Sect, also agree to these conditions, and will add five middle-grade spirit stones and fifteen female disciples at the Mortal Transcendence Second Layer as concubines..."

...

Hearing the conditions, all the powers erupted at once.