Being able to say those words showed that Sect Leader Bian himself had regrets.

Indeed, he regretted it and truly had not anticipated that anyone from Wukang Mountain would win the contest. He would have been considered mad if he had suggested it before.

Now that the unimaginable had happened, how could he execute Shi Chun?

It wasn't that he couldn't execute him, at least not right now.

After the results were announced, if he killed the victor, especially after Domain Master Wei Mo had expressed admiration for that person in his presence, what sort of message would that send?

He surely couldn't resort to assassination, right? Executing Shi Chun and the others was supposed to be a statement to all parties concerned, an assassination would explain nothing.

Now that his son knew Shi Chun was coveting the woman he loved, and he temporarily couldn't kill Shi Chun, it was as if he had set off his own family's conflict ahead of time. What was he to do? He was troubled.

Yin Huixing ground her teeth and said, "Are you trying to drive your son mad with your actions? He's desperately trying to get to the Royal Court now!"

Of course, Sect Leader Bian was aware of this. To prevent his son from coming to the Royal Court, he had ordered his son to be imprisoned.

He didn't want to discuss this matter now and replied simply, "I will handle it."

Yin Huixing angrily said, "How will you handle it?"

Facing such an affair where family matters and sect matters were entangled, Elder Ke sighed inwardly and found it inappropriate to comment.

Sect Leader Bian didn't want to argue with her in front of outsiders, so he turned to Elder Ke again and said, "Brother Ke, I'll leave this matter to you."

Elder Ke nodded.

Sect Leader Bian then turned and strode away, opening the door and disappearing outside.

Yin Huixing's face was cold. If it weren't for her daughter's involvement in the contest controversy and the unknown troubles that might follow, worrying about her daughter's safety, she would certainly have rushed back to Wukang Mountain now.

"Go to the Xun Gate formation altar to the north."

In the courtyard, two disciples followed Sect Leader Bian into the vehicle, and one of them told the spirit beast pulling the cart where they were headed.

The Xun Gate formation altar was the central hub leading to various continents.

Without a coachman, the spirit beast consciously turned around and pulled the cart towards the gate.

But before the cart could leave the main gate, it was stopped by a figure in black clothing.

The cart stopped abruptly, and Sect Leader Bian immediately pulled aside the curtain, ready to demand an explanation, only to have a black-clothed figure flip a token in front of his face.

Even under the night's lamplight, one could see that it was a bright red metal token, sinisterly red, engraved with star and moon motifs.

Seeing the color of the token and the star and moon motifs, Sect Leader Bian's pupils contracted sharply. There were some things he might not have seen but had heard of—this was the Xuanji Token from the Heavenly Star Pavilion.

The so-called "stargazing" literally meant observing the stars, but in reality, it was about watching people.

Simply put, the Stargazing Pavilion was a secretive enforcement branch of the Heavenly Court, directly under the empress.

The black-clothed figure took back the token and asked, "Sect Leader Bian, where are you headed?"

Sect Leader Bian paused before replying, "There are matters at the sect, I need to return for a while."

The black-clothed figure said, "Please wait for the moment, remain here."

Sect Leader Bian questioned, "May I know the matter at hand?"

The black-clothed figure replied, "You will be informed. Please wait."

All right, Sect Leader Bian had no choice but to return to his seat obediently.

When he got off the cart and looked around, he noticed that the inn's attendants were gone, replaced by those in black clothing, staring intently, whether openly or in hiding.

After returning to the room, Yin Huixing and Elder Ke naturally noticed his return and came to ask what had happened.

Describing the situation as it had unfolded, Sect Leader Bian conveyed the circumstances, leaving the two equally stunned. What merit did Wukang Mountain possess to attract the attention of the Heavenly Court's Stargazing Pavilion?

The two did not dwell on it for long, immediately suspecting it had to do with Shi Chun's recent victory; nothing else seemed to make sense.

However, Sect Leader Bian, darkly mulling over the situation on the side, had his own suspicions that it might be related to the Demon Path, certain things that only he and his father were aware of.

Not much later, another group of black-clothed figures arrived at the inn, accompanied by a carriage from which a man in green robes alighted.

The formal talks began...

Outside the beautiful courtyard of the Miao family, Miao Yilan, with a hint of dignity, saw off her guest, accompanying Gong Shaoci to the main gate, who appeared reluctant to leave.

Having sent off her guest and returned to the family home, Miao Yilan sat down next to her mother and glanced at her father, who was whispering with the butler at a side door, not knowing what the paper in her father's hands was or what he was reviewing.

She had seen similar scenes before and was fully aware of Bowan Building's other significant purpose besides trading. From a young age, she knew not to ask or pry.

After Gong Shaoci left, the conversation between mother and daughter inevitably turned to Shi Chun. They couldn't help but discuss the event that had unfolded in the mirror image earlier that evening.

Having sent the housekeeper away, Miao Dingyi walked over to an antique rack nearby and started searching for something.

Seeing this, Lan Qiaoyan asked, "What are you looking for?"

Miao Dingyi didn't answer, but after rummaging through the various jars and bottles, she pulled out a shiny object from something that resembled a copper basin, then she stared blankly at the item in her hand.

Mother and daughter exchanged a glance, finding it strange to see the head of the household like this.

Curious, both of them got up and walked over to see what was going on.

Upon closer examination, they saw Miao Dingyi holding a piece of metallic seashell-colored shiny foil, her expression distant.

It looked somewhat familiar, and Lan Qiaoyan asked, "What's that?"

"Ah," Miao Dingyi sighed as a response, but did not speak.

Lan Qiaoyan immediately reached out, took the shiny foil to examine what it was more closely, and Miao Yilan also curiously leaned in to look.

The shiny metallic piece had a line of words inscribed: Wu Kang Mountain Envoy, Shi Chun one hundred thousand gold, first place one thousand times.

The two women looked at each other again. So this was the object; they had both seen it before and knew its origin. The question was, why was the head of the household nostalgically searching for this object now?

"What does it mean? Could it be..." Lan Qiaoyan tentatively asked.

"Ah," Miao Dingyi sighed again and nodded, "That's right, it's just as you guessed. Unless there's a surprise, Shi Chun will be the champion of the Sky Rain Meteor Conference."

The mother and daughter looked at each other, bewildered. Because of what they had seen in the mirror image, they had suspected it, but to actually face the reality was unbelievable. Could that well-dressed fellow, newly released from the Land of Exile, truly dominate over all the Sect Disciples of the Shengshen Continent to take first place?

It seemed unrealistic to them.

Lan Qiaoyan said, "The results are out this quickly? Are you sure there's no mistake? With so many people, it would take at least a day or two to check and determine the accurate order, right?"

Miao Dingyi stared at the shiny foil in her hand and bitterly smiled, "That's the logical course, but Shi Chun's score is too exceptional. Sigh, of all the participants, there are only two whose personal, Insect Extreme Crystal count exceeds ten thousand. One is Shi Chun, guess who the other is?"

The two women looked at each other again, their eyes filled with astonishment and doubt.

Miao Yilan ventured a guess, "The tall guy?"

Miao Dingyi smiled helplessly, "Yes, him, Wu Jinliang. Shi Chun has over twenty thousand, Wu Jinliang has over ten thousand. Look at these numbers! It's clear those two had an agreement, sharing the spoils, one with a large bowl and the other with a small one. I just don't understand what they were thinking; it's too flashy!"

Lan Qiaoyan flipped the shiny foil in her hand, blinking and said, "So you mean, you won the bet?"

Miao Yilan couldn't help but chuckle, covering her mouth. She found it a bit amusing; an offhand gamble had hit the jackpot. It seemed that wealth had a way of coming in when you couldn't even block it.

Miao Dingyi was also caught between laughter and tears; he truly hadn't had any expectations when he gambled, and had tossed the metal foil aside carelessly, never dreaming that it would see the light of day again.

He sighed and said, "Let's not talk about winning the bet; it's not a good thing. This prize is too hot to handle. If word gets out, everyone will be curious why I bet on Shi Chun, and then our relationship might be dug up, making many things complicated to explain."

Lan Qiaoyan hesitated and said, "It'll be fine, it's all above board, no need to feel guilty."

Miao Dingyi countered, "After this event, haven't you realized? That guy is too bold, daring in his actions, he's destined to cause trouble. Who knows what he'll do next? It wouldn't hurt to keep some distance.

Once the news of winning the bet spreads, everyone will suspect whether I knew all along that Shi Chun would take the crown. Then I might even have to explain myself to those above. The question is, will they believe me? Giving up the prize shows my stance and makes for an easy explanation.

I'm baffled by my own choice at the time, why, of all people, did I impulsively bet on him?"

Well, the head of the household's word was final. Lan Qiaoyan grudgingly understood his difficulty but still sighed regretfully upon seeing the shiny foil in her hand, "A thousand times, a hundred million? What a pity."

Miao Yilan smirked, sharing the sentiment. It was a significant amount of money.

Having said all there was to say, Miao Dingyi went back inside the living room to sit down.

Lan Qiaoyan, while feeling the pity, didn't take it too seriously. To someone of her standing, a hundred million wasn't a large sum, but she quickly approached her husband and asked, "So, you're saying, Shi Chun has taken the first place from Su Yuan Sect and even left Mulan Qingqing in that state? He won't be in any trouble, will he?"

Miao Dingyi snorted, "He beat up the junior, and the senior showed up. Someone has already taken action; the lodging place at Wu Kang Mountain has been taken under control."

The mother and daughter were both greatly shocked by this revelation.

Lan Qiaoyan asked with concern, "Are they going to directly harm Shi Chun?"

Miao Dingyi looked at his wife and daughter's worried faces and thought for a moment before explaining, "It shouldn't come to that. If they wanted to harm him, it wouldn't be so obvious. This is happening in the Royal Court, after all.

Ideally, Su Yuan Sect might not let Shi Chun get away easily after what he has done, but fortunately, during his fight with Mulan Qingqing, someone intervened slightly.

I don't know who intervened, but that was openly against the rules. Although it was a desperate attempt to save Mulan Qingqing, it also inadvertently protected Shi Chun, making it difficult for Su Yuan Sect to insist on the issue.

Moreover, do you really think the Life Continent Domain Master Wei Mo is a pushover? His subordinates are trying their best to earn him face, and it's obvious they've offended powerful forces. How could he not be prepared? If someone actually killed Shi Chun right then and there, where would he put his face? Rest assured, unless the Royal Court deliberately interferes, no one else's involvement will matter. He will definitely step in."

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