Ji Yan shook his head and said sourly, "What does this have to do with divine will? You can only say that Junior Sister Luo got lucky and found a good disciple!"

Dugu Qingqian spoke with a frosty tone, "To give up the merit from a million human souls in exchange for the Divination Sect's renewed popularity is a bold move indeed. This boy truly has audacity.

"Moreover, he cultivates alone. Without any guidance, he still reached the Golden Core Realm at such a young age. With such temperament, vision, and talent, he could likely hold his own even against me!

"For him to stay in that wretched place, the Divination Sect, is a true waste! If he were to study the way of the sword with me, I am confident he would achieve Sainthood within five hundred years!

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, why not... transfer him to the Sword Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan immediately protested, "Study the sword? What for? Wang Xiu is the young Supreme of the Thunder Path, ordained by destiny and recognized by the Heavenly Dao. Only under my personal mentorship can his talents be fully realized. Senior Brother Sect Leader, if Wang Xiu comes to my Thunder Sect, I guarantee that within four hundred years... no, three hundred and fifty years, he will certainly reach Saint Manifestation!"

Dugu Qingqian shot him a glance and snorted, "The Thunder Technique? A trivial art... What's so great about it? The Sword Dao is the true path of destiny. No matter how many thousands of Thunder Techniques you possess, I can shatter them all with a single sword strike!"

Ji Yan argued back, "The Thunder Path is an innate Great Path, while the Sword Dao is but an acquired lesser art. No matter how varied and profound your swordsmanship may be, before the might of heaven, all are mere ants!"

Behind them, seeing the two of them quarreling, the other chiefs couldn't help but smile bitterly.

How on earth did it come to this, fighting over a disciple?

The chief of the Housing Sect's eyes darted around before he suddenly piped up, "Actually, my Housing Sect has the Art of Three Thousand Maidens... I think that would suit Nephew Wang Xiu quite well!"

"What business is this of yours?" Ji Yan and Dugu Qingqian snapped in unison.

The chief of the Housing Sect was so frightened he threw his hands up in surrender, shrank his neck, and clamped his mouth shut.

At this moment, the crows on the Sect Leader's shoulder spoke.

The black crow squawked, "Stop your damned arguing! It's so annoying!"

The white crow said, "Nephew Wang Xiu is a disciple of the Divination Sect. Junior Brother, Junior Sister, it is meaningless for you to argue here. If he is unwilling, even I cannot force him!"

Upon hearing this, both of them snorted, turned their heads away, and finally ceased their bickering.

* * *

On Spirit Turtle Peak, inside Wang Xiu's small courtyard.

DING!

[Detected someone boasting nearby. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +2,333!]

DING!

[Detected someone boasting nearby. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +2,333!]

DING!

[Detected someone boasting nearby. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +666!]

DING!

[Detected someone boasting nearby. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +188!]

...

BOOM!

A great upheaval erupted within Wang Xiu's Dantian as his vast Mana boiled incessantly. His aura surged higher and higher, only stabilizing once he reached the peak of the second layer of the Golden Core Realm.

This feels amazing!

He opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. A look of joy spread across his face. He had figured that opening the blessed land and freeing the spirits would set his grand career of flexing on a path to glory, but he hadn't expected the surprise to come so quickly. Even the various sect chiefs had gathered to vie with one another in boasting about him!

What a haul! I've hit the jackpot!

In his mind, the System's notifications were still chiming. However, most of the remaining boasts were from ordinary disciples and not nearly as significant. But Wang Xiu wasn't greedy.

Every little bit counts!

He sat cross-legged for a while longer to thoroughly stabilize his new Cultivation Level, then pushed the door open and stepped outside.

* * *

The sky was filled with stars. It was deep into the night.

Inside the Loan Hall, Lu Baicao and the numerous disciples of the Alchemy Sect had finally reached the front of the line after waiting for half the day. After much hassle, each disciple finally completed the loan procedures, borrowing a modest one hundred Spirit Stones each.

Yan Ruyu asked with an expectant face, "Can we go in and help the human souls achieve transcendence now?"

"Uh..." Xiao Qingyu looked at them with a peculiar expression. "You don't know?"

A bad feeling bloomed in Yan Ruyu's heart. "Know what?"

Xiao Qingyu said, "The current loan quota of five thousand people has long since been filled!"

Although the Spirit Stones in a Spirit Vein can regenerate over time by drawing Spiritual Energy from the void, this process isn't instantaneous. The four Spirit Veins in the blessed land must maintain a balance between mining and regeneration. Considering the maximum loan amount per disciple and staggering their mining times, the veins can support a maximum of five thousand disciples mining within a year. Any more than that, and the rate of extraction would outpace the rate of Spirit Stone regeneration. Such a practice is forbidden by the Immortal Sect.

"So what now?" Lu Baicao asked, stunned.

Xiao Qingyu replied, "So, you'll have to get in line and wait for those ahead of you to borrow their money and finish their mining before it's your turn! Only then can you enter the blessed land!"

Lu Baicao glanced at the five-digit number on the ticket in Yan Ruyu's hand, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "How long will that take?"

Xiao Qingyu smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be quick... just three or four years!"

Three or four years? By then, there won't be a single damn soul left in this blessed land!

Lu Baicao felt completely numb.

Yan Ruyu and the other Alchemy Sect disciples stared at the five-digit numbers on their tickets, feeling the urge to simply die. They glared at Lu Baicao, filled with resentment.

Master! Oh, Master! Why did you have to be so stubborn? What was the point of putting on airs? If we had just come earlier, none of this would have happened! Oh, heavens! What have we done to deserve this?!

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