CHAPTER 31: This Is the Dog Fur I Picked Up

The disciples of the Eastern Territory secretly looked around for half a day but saw no sign of Baili Kongshan.

The pill cultivators and shield cultivators were a little worried—every other sect had a Nascent Soul cultivator protecting them, but they were like orphans with no guardian.

Yet, all the sword cultivators let out a small breath of relief. It seemed like they were all deeply afraid of this Junior Master Baili. Even Jiang Yuan, who was clutching his sword, relaxed his grip slightly.

However, the moment Yu Youyou approached with a beaming smile, his face became even more rigid. He clammed up completely, looking as if he had mentally shut down.

Yu Bumie, oh Yu Bumie, you ghosted everyone for the sake of beauty, and now look at how devastated your poor disciple is after losing the bet.

Although Baili Kongshan had yet to show up, plenty of other cultivators had arrived.

The Four Territories Grand Tournament was a grand event for all of humanity. Not to mention the local cultivators of the Western Territory, even many from the other three territories had traveled here specifically for it. The heads of various noble families and sects, eager to witness the talents of top-tier sect disciples, had even brought their own students or children along.

The result was utterly disheartening.

There was a stark difference between cultivators. While some prodigies barely over ten years old were already competing in the tournament, preparing to enter the Eternal Ancient Forest to hunt exotic beasts as training for future battles to protect humanity—

Many of the second-generation cultivators in the audience were still whining about the scorching sun and wanting to go back to Extreme West City to buy souvenirs and snacks. The entire scene was filled with noisy, bratty children.

Countless cultivators grabbed their disappointing offspring and, pointing at the shortest figure up ahead, berated them with frustration, “Look at them! They’re probably not even ten yet, and they’re already off to hunt exotic beasts. And you?”

The scolding was so loud that those in the front overheard it.

The one being pointed at, Su Yizhi, suddenly felt his knees ache as if on instinct. “…I’m almost fourteen.”

Yu Youyou couldn’t help but be grateful that she had eaten well over the past year and had finally grown taller than Su Yizhi. Otherwise, she would have been the one getting humiliated today.

Of course, aside from those taking care of the children, many others were crouching motionlessly on the trees in the back, holding communication talismans.

Yu Youyou glanced over but couldn’t quite understand what they were doing.

“Various exotic beasts and methods to deal with them will appear during the Four Realms Tournament. Ordinary sects eager to obtain such information will deliberately send disciples to relay the entire competition process via communication talismans.”

“Moreover, the black market is running betting pools—wagering on this year’s rankings, the first exotic beast to be slain, which sect will take it down, which cultivator will slay the most exotic beasts, who will be eliminated first, and so on.”

Su Yizhi pointed toward an open space and explained in a hushed voice, “Later, each realm will receive a projection stone that will display footage of our actions inside the Ancient Forest. The major bookies from those gambling pools will be watching from here.”

Yu Youyou looked regretful. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? If I had known, I would’ve placed my bets last night.”

Su Yizhi said softly, “You still have time. Look behind you.”

Yu Youyou followed his direction and indeed saw people within the crowd hosting live betting tables. Many spectators who came to watch were also placing bets.

Up front, Elder Mei was still introducing each sect’s past performances in previous Four Realms Tournaments. It seemed there was still time before the real event began.

Thus, Yu Youyou quietly slipped out of the group.

Well, “quietly” in her own mind.

In reality, whether it was the elders standing in front or the spectating cultivators in the back, all clearly saw a Pill Cauldron Sect disciple dashing straight toward the largest betting table!

Elder Mei, who had been speaking about the Pill Cauldron Sect, abruptly paused.

Unaware of the attention, Yu Youyou focused on studying the odds.

The most bets were placed on the Northern Realm, followed by the Southern Realm. The Eastern Realm, which had ranked last most frequently over the past century, had almost no bets placed on it, resulting in outrageously high odds.

After swindling fifty thousand spirit stones from Shen Jun, Yu Youyou was now quite wealthy.

She immediately took out thirty thousand.

“Bet on the Eastern Realm,” she whispered for discretion. “Thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones.”

For an average cultivator, this was a hefty sum. The bookie hesitated and asked softly, “Are you sure about such a big bet? The Northern Realm has a direct descendant from the Su Clan this year…”

Yu Youyou nodded firmly. She thought Su Feibai didn’t seem very bright, and she had absolute confidence in the little protagonist halo surrounding Yu Changan. Of course, she had even more confidence in herself.

“The Eastern Realm will absolutely crush the Northern Realm this year.”

The elders up front: “…”

Her voice was soft, but with the high cultivation levels of those present, they all heard it crystal clear.

Elder Mei covered her lips with a smile and glanced meaningfully at the Northern Realm’s team. “It seems the Eastern Realm is well-prepared this year.”

The other three realms also looked toward the Eastern Realm with wariness.

Ordinary disciples wouldn’t be able to produce such a large amount of spirit stones. Clearly, either the Pill Cauldron Sect had given that girl the funds, or the three sects of the Eastern Realm had pooled their resources. Betting so openly before everyone’s eyes was a direct show of strength.

The Eastern Realm must have some trump card this year!

The Eastern Realm disciples: “…”

What trump card? This year’s lineup was the worst in history! Could a team of airheaded fools be considered a trump card?

When Yu Youyou rejoined the group, the shield cultivators gave her a thumbs-up. They had also considered betting the spirit stones they had scammed off the rogue cultivators, but they were afraid of being scolded by Elder Kuang, so they hadn’t.

Yu Youyou, who still believed herself to be discreet, carefully examined her betting slip within the group.

Soon, it was time for the distribution of the projection stones. Each realm’s designated leader would receive a stone to record their team’s footage.

Jiang Yuan instinctively reached out to take it, but then he suddenly recalled losing his bet against Yu Youyou. For the duration of the Four Realms Tournament, he had to follow her commands.

Thus, he stiffly withdrew his hand and expressionlessly said to Yu Youyou, “Go get it.”

Yu Youyou eyed the shimmering stone, instinctively sensing it was expensive. She turned to Su Yizhi and asked, “This thing must be valuable, right?”

“Priceless.” Su Yizhi’s expression was serious. “There are only four in the entire Four Realms, and they’re only taken out during the tournament.”

She understood.

So, she suddenly turned to Yu Changan, whom she had barely interacted with, and spoke calmly, “Yu Changan, how about you keep the projection stone?”

Yu Changan was momentarily stunned.

He had assumed Yu Youyou would retrieve it herself or assign it to one of her two close friends or Kuang Langsheng. He never expected her to call his name.

A faint, inexplicable feeling of recognition welled up inside him.

The young man’s eyes lit up. With a slight smile, he briskly stepped forward to receive the projection stone.

Jiang Yuan was just beginning to think that Yu Youyou was finally learning her place, only to hear her solemnly instruct her friends: “Make sure to stay far away from that projection stone. If we accidentally lose or break it, we wouldn’t be able to repay it even if we refined pills for the next hundred years!”

Qi Nanfeng and Su Yizhi nodded in unison.

Jiang Yuan: “…”

Su Feibai from the Hanging Pot Sect, who had just received his own projection stone: “…”

Why did it suddenly feel like this thing was burning his hands?

….

After distributing the projection stones, the teams would enter the Ancient Forest according to last year’s rankings—Southern Realm first, Northern Realm second, Western Realm third, and the Eastern Realm last.

But before that, the young cultivators had to surrender any artifacts they were carrying.

At the front of the line, leading the Southern Realm’s team, was Yu Yayi, the Young Sect Master of the Beast Taming Sect. Clad in a simple yet elegant white robe, his only ornament was a plain jade hairpin, making him appear refined and gentle—completely at odds with the rumored image of someone excessively wealthy.

Yu Yayi smiled slightly, his expression calm as he explained to the inspecting elders, “We were already aware of this rule, so we deliberately only brought our respective spirit beasts and mustard seed pouches.”

He opened his palm, revealing only an empty mustard seed pouch and a summoning stone used by Beast Taming Sect disciples to seal their natal spirit beasts.

The other Beast Taming Sect disciples behind him were the same. Unlike disciples from other medical sects, the disciples from the Rejuvenation Gate specialized in acupuncture techniques, so each of them carried several hundred pounds of needles in varying sizes.

It was a stark contrast to last year when everyone had brought hundreds of attack talismans each.

“Pass.” The Nascent Soul elders nodded and were about to allow them through the random teleportation array into the Eternal Ancient Forest.

However, at that moment, the clouds shrouding the Northern Territory were suddenly torn apart, and an aged voice rang out coldly, “Halt.”

It was Real Person Su, a Soul Formation cultivator from the Northern Territory. Why had he suddenly stopped the Southern Territory cultivators?

Ignoring the crowd’s astonishment, Real Person Su said nothing and directly pointed at Yu Yayi. A surge of spiritual power instantly wrapped around him, lifting him into the air. With terrifying precision, his outer robe was swiftly stripped away.

That seemingly ordinary outer robe billowed in the wind, revealing a dazzling radiance that only high-grade magic treasures possessed.

Elder Ma clicked his tongue and explained to the uninformed disciples, “A high-grade protective treasure, the Heavenly Net Robe. When fully activated, it can even trap a Nascent Soul-stage spirit beast. So rich!”

Immediately after, Yu Yayi’s shoes were also pulled off and casually tossed aside by Real Person Su. In the distance, a terrifying spiritual explosion erupted upon impact, shaking the ground violently. When the dust settled, a massive crater had formed.

Elder Ma’s eyes were filled with envy. “High-grade magic treasure, Thunderburst Boots. Throwing them is equivalent to a full-force strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator. So, so rich!”

Next, the Beast Taming Sect’s young sect master’s belt, socks, and jade hairpin were all stripped away one after another.

Without exception, every single item was a high-grade attack magic treasure, each powerful enough to turn a portion of the Eternal Ancient Forest into barren wasteland.

At last, Yu Yayi returned to the Southern Territory’s ranks with a bitter expression, reduced to wearing only his inner garments, his previously elegant and refined appearance utterly gone.

He quickly hid himself in the middle of the group, practically fleeing into the teleportation array, escaping into the Eternal Ancient Forest as though running from this terrifying world.

Having finished his task, Real Person Su let out a cold snort. “Real Person Gu, why has your Southern Territory’s bad habit returned?”

Real Person Gu remained silent.

However, when it came time for the Northern Territory to hand over their magic treasures for entry, Real Person Gu suddenly spoke. His voice was that of a middle-aged man, steady and firm. “Wait a moment.”

Real Person Su chuckled leisurely. “Unlike the wealthy Daoists of the Southern Territory, my Northern Territory is not so extravagant. We don’t have nearly as many high-grade magic treasures, nor do we take shortcuts.”

Indeed, the disciples of the Hanging Cauldron Sect in the lead had no concealed magic treasures—just a single disciple carrying a pill furnace.

However, Real Person Gu suddenly let out a low chuckle. “That may not necessarily be the case.”

With a sweep of his palm, a fierce gust of wind blew through, causing the expressions of the spell cultivators from the Myriad Laws Sect—walking behind the medical cultivators of the Hanging Cauldron Sect—to change drastically. They hurriedly pressed down on their robes.

Yet, how could they resist a gale conjured by a Soul Formation powerhouse?

The robes of the spell cultivators were instantly torn to shreds, revealing countless talismans hidden in the layers of fabric, fluttering through the air like snowflakes.

Real Person Su: “…”

He had been so focused on inspecting his own disciples that he had forgotten to check on his allies. It turned out that last year’s Southern Territory “pay-to-win” strategy had led the Myriad Laws Sect astray as well.

This time, it was Real Person Gu’s turn to laugh. “It seems some people not only want to take shortcuts but also wish to retrace the very path we Southern Territory cultivators walked before.”

The competition hadn’t even started, yet the atmosphere was already so heated and intense that the watching cultivators couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

“You top-tier sects sure know how to play the game.”

The disciples of both the Southern and Northern Territories rushed into the teleportation array at top speed, their retreating figures looking unmistakably like those fleeing in defeat.

The Western Territory, in contrast, proceeded in an orderly fashion.

The disciples from the Spirit Herb Valley carried pill cauldrons. Those from Tianyin Zen Temple carried wooden fish or monk staffs. Meanwhile, the disciples of the Hehuan Sect, a group of stunningly beautiful female cultivators, carried…

Yu Youyou widened her eyes, wanting to see clearly what exactly they were using. Unfortunately, her short stature meant her line of sight was blocked.

So, she nudged the tallest person around—Jiang Yuan. “Daoist Jiang, tell me, what weapons does the Hehuan Sect use? One must know the enemy to secure victory.”

Jiang Yuan initially didn’t want to speak with her, but upon hearing the latter half of her statement, he found some logic in it and reluctantly glanced over.

“Whips, bells, silk ribbons, candles.”

“Huh?” Upon hearing this, both Yu Youyou and Elder Ma wore subtly odd expressions.

Jiang Yuan stopped walking and looked at them. “Is there a problem?”

Yu Youyou’s expression instantly turned innocent and naive. “No, I just think they use such a diverse and powerful array of weapons.”

Elder Ma: “…”

Recalling his past torment, he decided it was best not to engage in conversation with Yu Youyou any further.

Once the Western Territory cultivators had entered, it was finally the Eastern Territory’s turn.

The shield cultivators at the forefront were so poor that they practically rattled when they walked. Aside from their mustard seed pouches and the massive shields in their hands, they had nothing else and passed inspection with ease.

The sword cultivators carried nothing but their swords.