Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 371 - 20 Million Spirit Stones

Hu Family.

Inside a room, there was a round table sectioned off into 12 areas, each one emanating a tyrannical aura.

“Just how precious is the Infinite Token? This is a lucky chance that my Hu Family obtained; we cannot miss out on it!” An old man with half black half white hair said, his voice cold. The other family Elders of his faction all nodded in approval.

Across from him, a middle-aged cultivator in purple robes sneered. “Second Elder’s words sound nice, but there is only one Infinite Token. Who should we send to the Infinite Realm?”

The Second Elder humphed. “The Infinite Realm has countless perils and has masters gathered from all over. It’s natural that the strongest Divine Soul of my Hu Family goes. What, does Third Elder have an opinion on this?”

“I do!” The Third Elder didn’t even leave behind a little bit of face. “The so-called strongest Divine Soul that Second Elder speaks of, that is only referring to yourself!”

The Second Elder angrily shouted, “So what? Do you want to fight with me!?”

The Third Elder laughed with disdain, “That’s right, you are indeed the strongest Divine Soul within my Hu Family, but the lucky chances of the Infinite Realm are prepared for the young elites of heaven. You are over 2400 years old and lack any potential at all. To have you enter the Infinite Realm is an utter waste!”

The Second Elder flew into a rage, “You are seeking death!”

With a drooping head, the normally listless Great Elder suddenly said, “Enough. Everyone shut up.”

His voice wasn’t loud but it caused the Second and Third Elders to stop. They lowered their heads in respect.

The Great Elder was a representative appointed by the Old Ancestor. Although he never cared too much about affairs in the family, when he opened his mouth, his word was final.

“Third Elder, how do you think we should process this Infinite Token?”

The Second Elder was anxious but he didn’t dare to interrupt. His face flushed red.

The Third Elder honesty said, “Great Elder, our Hu Family’s situation hasn’t been good these past years and our income from various industries has been constantly declining. Recently, we’ve even had difficulties concerning capital turnover among the merchants businesses. If things continue like this, there is sure to be a big problem. So, in my opinion, this Infinite Token should be brought to the auction house and put up for public auction. It will inevitably attract an astonishing price and our family’s problems can also be easily solved.” His gaze turned cold and he looked around the round table. “Moreover, once the public auction is announced, it will surely cause a great deal of commotion and confusion. There might be a chance to quietly take the Infinite Token back during the mess.” action

The Great Elder nodded. “Good, then we’ll manage things according to the Third Elder’s words. Tell the auction house that for the auction of the Infinite Token, we will only accept a transaction of spirit stones.”

There were many precious treasures that could not be purchased with spirit stones. But sometimes, spirit stones were more suitable than precious treasures. What the Hu Family needed now was a massive amount of spirit stones to fill the family coffers.

The Second Elder clenched his jaws and left the room after flicking his sleeves. Unless the Old Ancestor spoke up, no one could refute the Great Elder’s decision.

He could only try to find a way to secretly steal the Infinite Token back after the auction.

The Third Elder smiled in smug satisfaction. You want to have sole possession of the Infinite Token? Keep on dreaming.

“Message Paradise Auction House to tell them that my Hu Family wishes to place the Infinite Token up for auction. Have them dispatch masters to come and collect it!”

Privately, the Third Elder had a 30% individual share rate in the Paradise Auction House. For something like this that was destined to earn a giant commission, it was certainly best to leave it to their own people.

Soon, all of Square Wave City learned that the Hu Family would be publicly auctioning their Infinite Token at the Paradise Auction House in three days.

And this time, they would only be accepting spirit stones!

A single stone aroused a thousand waves. Countless cultivators were left shaking with excitement. Some smaller families that had no way of obtaining an Infinite Token began to take action.

“My son’s talent is outstanding. He managed to reach the sixth level of Divine Soul in 200 years and when he erupts with all his combat strength he can compare to a peak Divine Soul. If he enters the Infinite Realm, there is a chance that he will obtain a lucky chance to break into the Blue Sea realm. Immediately pass down orders to gather all wealth within the family. We must win the Infinite Token in this auction no matter the cost!”

“Hum hum! Infinite Token? I must obtain it! Tell teacher and father that I need their help!”

“Hurry hurry hurry! Rush over to Square Wave City immediately! We are extremely far away from them; if we delay any further and there’s some problem on the road, there’s a chance we’ll miss the auction!”

“Damn it, if we only look at spirit stones, how can us rogue cultivators compare to those cultivators from large families and sects? But, there is still a chance. If I kill the one who wins the Infinite Token, I’ll naturally obtain it!”

Qin Yu revealed a happy smile. The Infinite Token was really being auctioned off. If this didn’t happen, then if he wanted to obtain one in a short period of time, the only path left open to him was to brace himself and walk the road of a thief.

Only spirit stones were accepted in this auction?

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed. He put on a black robe and covered his face. Then, he pushed open the door, walking out the inn and along the main road.

Because of the Infinite Token being auctioned, the entire city was indistinctly more restless now.

Soon, a black signboard appeared in front of him. It read: Great Desolate Lake.

The Infinite Token auction only accepted spirit stones. When he left the Southshine Nation, the Old Ancestor had given him 5 million spirit stones. In addition to his own savings, he had a full 10 million.

But Qin Yu had no confidence he could easily win the Infinite Token with this amount of spirit stones.

Thus, he had come to ‘borrow’ spirit stones.

“Dear guest, how are you? Can I help you?” As soon as he passed through the front door, a beautiful woman welcomed him, her smiling face warm and sweet.

Qin Yu revealed a trace of his aura. “I want to see your manager.”

The female cultivator straightened up, immediately more respectful. “Please wait a moment. I will immediately send a message.”

In the Land of Divinity and Demons, a Divine Soul powerhouse was considered a powerhouse. They did have the qualifications to ask for this.

Soon, after receiving permission, the female cultivator bowed and said, “Dear guest, please follow me.”

Passing through the front trading lobby and into the quiet office space in the back, Qin Yu entered an elegant room and saw the manager of the Great Desolate Lake’s Square Wave City branch division.

This person had a middle-aged appearance. A sharp light flashed in his eyes. “Guest, may I ask why you wish to see me?”

Qin Yu lightly asked, “You should have some way to contact the high level figures of the Great Desolate Lake. I want to speak with Revered Ming.”

The manager’s heart shook. He said with deep vernation, “Revered Ming has an honored status. I don’t dare to casually alarm him.”

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows. He said, “Then contacting Miss White Fengfeng should be possible.”

The manager muttered to himself. Unless this person was tired of living and was bored enough to come here and casually mention Revered Ming and the young lady, then he likely came from a great background. Compared to calling Revered Ming, contacting the young lady was much simpler. At the very worst he would be reprimanded a little. Thinking of this, he nodded and said, “I will try. Dear guest, please wait.”

He picked up a red phone on his desk and dialed some numbers before placing it near his ear. The call soon connected and after the manager explained the situation, he hung up.

“Please wait a moment. If the young lady desires to, she will call back.”

Qin Yu nodded.

Time slowly passed. In the blink of an eye, it was an hour later. Just as the manager was preparing to ask Qin Yu to leave, the red phone suddenly rang out. He glanced at it and saw that the call was originating from headquarters. The manager hurried to pick it up and spoke several respectful words before passing it to Qin Yu, “It is the young lady. If you have something to say, please hurry.”

Qin Yu placed the phone near his ear. White Fengfeng’s faint voice sounded out, “Which fellow daoist is looking for me?”

This little girl – even though she was putting on airs – did somewhat sound like the daughter of a great family. But since Qin Yu had seen how she truly was in private, he only thought these words to be funny.

After a brief laugh, there was silence on the other side. Then, there was a scream so loud it almost tore open his eardrums, “Big Brother Baoyu! You’re Big Brother Baoyu, right?”

Qin Yu moved the phone a bit further away from his ear. “Hold on, if you continue screaming so loudly I’m afraid I’ll go deaf.”

White Fengfeng was incredibly excited, “Big Brother Baoyu, how come you ran all the way to Square Wave City? Should I come over to find you? We can have some fun!”

The manager was left in a cold sweat. With just a few words he immediately understood that the young lady’s impression of this fellow daoist Baoyu was so great it broke through the heavens. Luckily, he had treated this person reasonably well during his visit here. If he somehow annoyed this person, his good days were sure to come to an end.

Standing up and taking a few steps back, the manager smiled at Qin Yu before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. This person had an uncommon relationship with the young lady and likely didn’t want him listening in on their conversation. The manager was well versed in this sort of social understanding.

Qin Yu couldn’t be bothered with the manager’s ambiguous gaze. It was only after a long time of comforting and explaining that he managed to dispel White Fengfeng’s plans of running all the way here. Then, he told her about the matter of the spirit stones he needed.

Young lady White arrogantly said, “My family has many spirit stones. Big Brother Baoyu can feel free to take as many as you need. If Square Wave City’s branch division doesn’t have enough, I can have people transfer some more over.”

Qin Yu was moved. He spoke some more words before calling the manager back and hinting for him to take the phone.

“Is this the Square Wave City branch division’s manager? I am White Fengfeng and Big Brother Baoyu is my best friend. He needs to temporarily borrow some spirit stones. No matter how much he needs, give it to him. I will explain it to my father and mother.” When speaking to bystanders, White Fengfeng had a lofty and arrogant tone.

The manager nodded repeatedly. After asking whether or not Qin Yu wanted to receive the phone again, he respectfully hung up. Once he laid down the phone, his smile immediately brightened. “Aiya, I really had no idea of the status of this honored guest. If I was disrespectful or rude to you in any way, I ask that you please be forgiving. Honored guest, please take a seat. Come and taste some spirit tea that I’ve been collecting; the flavor is quite passable.”

Qin Yu expressed his thanks and the manager personally brewed the tea. The room was soon filled with a delicate fragrance. It was warm and mellow, immediately lifting the mind.

“This tea is wonderful. I must thank you for the reception.”

The manager’s smile brightened even further. “Guest satisfaction is our pride.” To rise all the way to the manager of a city branch division, he naturally knew how to be discreet and handle certain matters. He laid down his teacup and said, “The young lady didn’t specify how many spirit stones honored guest needed. My Square Wave City branch division has a year’s worth of income that we have yet to turn in.”

Qin Yu hesitated for a moment. He raised a hand and stretched out two fingers.

“2 million? Of course, I will immediately order people to prepare it.”

Qin Yu shook his head. “No, it’s 20 million.”

The manager’s eyes popped wide open. He hacked out a cough, “20…20 million…”

“That’s right.” Qin Yu nodded in confirmation.

The manager had an awkward expression. Although the young lady was the Great Desolate Lake’s only successor, she still didn’t hold any real power right now. If it were 3-5 million spirit stones then that would be fine, but 20 million was simply too much.

Their Square Wave City branch division could take out this much, but if anything were to happen to such a massive amount of wealth, the young lady would at most be scolded a little, but as for him, he would absolutely be in deep trouble!

Qin Yu flipped his hand and took out a sword. This sword was wide and thick but contained an endlessly sharp aura. Just this aura alone caused the surrounding space to crackle and pop, with countless tiny cracks appearing in the void.

“This sword can be used as collateral.”

The manager’s eyes brightened. The Great Desolate Lake sold pills and had encountered all sorts of transactions. To exchange magic weapons was extremely common. And as the manager, he naturally had excellent eyesight which allowed him to readily judge the value of a treasure. With just a single glance he could see that this sword was truly amazing. The aura it emitted alone could tear apart space. At the very least it was a peak Divine Soul treasure. It was sure to be highly valuable to some sword cultivators.

With this treasure sword as collateral, 20 million spirit stones could be borrowed. The manager’s thoughts raced and he revealed a hesitant look, “How…how could I possibly…”

Qin Yu shook his head. “While I have a good relationship with Miss White Fengfeng, I should still abide by the rules. Please examine this. If it is fine, I will place this sword here as collateral.”

“Hah…I thank honored guest for your understanding. I really have no other choice.” The manager waved his hand, “I naturally have full faith in honored guest’s credibility. There is no need for me to examine it.”

He turned his hand and took out a locked metal box from his storage ring. After confirming his identity it opened and he took out two deep purple spirit stone cards.

“Honored guest, these are spirit stone cards officially issued by the Southshine Nation. Each one contains a balance of 10 million spirit stones. Please check them.”

Qin Yu received them. After probing with his divine sense and discovering nothing wrong, he stood up and bid his farewells.

The manager tried to keep him there a bit longer but to no avail, so he personally escorted Qin Yu outside. Once Qin Yu’s figure vanished, he hurried back in.

He picked up the sword and carefully poured in some magic power. Sword light instantly gushed out, shattering the surrounding space.

The desk beside him was accidently drawn in. Without making even the slightest sound, it disintegrated into powder.

The manager’s eyes widened. The might of this sword was far greater than he had imagined. Looking at it in his hand, he didn’t dare to delay any further. He hurried and found the guard commander that protected the branch division. This person had an eighth level Divine Soul cultivation and was the top master of their branch division. He had also studied the dao of the sword for over a thousand years so he should be able to accurately judge the rank of this sword.

When the guard commander casually swung it, sword light chopped the lake in the back court in half and also crushed half of their garden. The guard commander looked at the manager with a stunned expression, his body shaking with excitement, “This is the might of a Blue Sea, the might of a Blue Sea!”

After the Divine Soul realm, the rank of a magic tool depended on how strong or weak the rules contained within it were. A Divine Soul level magic tool contained Divine Soul realm rules. A Blue Sea level magic tool contained Blue Sea level rules.

A single sword strike had severed a lake in half, cutting deep down for thousands of feet and then destroying a garden for miles and miles. Such a terrifying might and energy could only be accomplished by Blue Sea rules.

It took a long time before the manager composed himself. Then he slapped his head, “This is bad! I originally thought this was a peak Divine Soul treasure, so 20 million spirit stones would be enough to buy it. I never imagined it would be a Blue Sea treasure! 20 million spirit stones can’t even purchase half of it…no, this is bad, I might have already offended that honored guest.”

The guard commander was on good terms with the manager. After asking him about the situation, his complexion similarly darkened. “You’re an idiot! Since he’s the young lady’s friend, you give him as many spirit stones as he wants and that’s it! But you even received his magic tool? Can someone who casually takes out a Blue Sea treasure be an average person? Go back and immediately return this treasure sword, otherwise there will definitely be some catastrophe!”

The manager nodded in a cold sweat. But, what left him wallowing in despair was that even though he had everyone in the branch division looking, he couldn’t find that mysterious honored guest.

It was like he had vanished from this world.

After struggling with it for a long time, the manager didn’t dare to conceal this matter any longer. He directly reported it to headquarters.