The ancient city of Qingzhou.

After the list of the final four was revealed, the entire Qingzhou Ancient City got into a huge uproar.

It was the scene that all cultivators had been waiting for.

Initially, the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet was just a state competition that basically only the Qingzhou cultivators paid attention to.

However, with Sikong Jiantian’s participation, the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet became a national event that the entire Jin Nation paid attention to.

However, the depressing thing was that the three participating cultivators who were the most talked about basically did not attack much.

After Ye Ping attacked in the first round, his subsequent opponents decided to withdraw from the competition.

On the other hand, Sikong Jiantian and Su Changyu never got to fight at all. Hence, the spectators who were there to watch the sword trials were disappointed.

They were not there for a vacation but to watch the battles between experts. All of a sudden, there were many disputes.

Now, the jury of the Sword Dao Meet had finally done something humane.

They let Ye Ping and Wang Minghao fight.

They also let Sikong Jiantian and Su Changyu engage in a battle.

They were evenly-matched and the arrangement was in line with the thoughts of the cultivators in Qingzhou Ancient City.

After all, if Su Changyu and Wang Minghao fought a battle, it would not be interesting.

Although Wang Minghao won eight bouts in a row and was indeed quite capable, Su Changyu was a mysterious expert in the opinion of the people who also thought that Sikong Jiantian was the only one who could rival him.

On the other hand, it was appropriate for Ye Ping to fight Wang Minghao too because the two of them had extraordinary power.

Hence, as soon as the list was announced, the entire Jin Nation paid attention to the battle.

Ye Ping and Wang Minghao fought first, followed by Su Changyu and Sikong Jiantian.

Those two battles also brought a serious challenge to the underground gambling dens of Jin Nation.

For the battle between Ye Ping and Wang Minghao, Ye Ping’s odds of winning were 1:1, while Wang Minghao’s odds were 1:2.

For the battle between Sikong Jiantian and Su Changyu, Sikong Jiantian’s odds of winning were 1:1 while Su Changyu’s odds were 1:3.

The amount of money bet on each side was enough to make the few major trade unions break out in cold sweat.

The first battle was not too bad. After all, Ye Ping and Wang Minghao were evenly matched, though Ye Ping was a little more popular.

However, the second battle was very one-sided. Although many felt that Su Changyu was very remarkable, he was only so compared to Ye Ping.

The problem was that Sikong Jiantian’s prestige was too high, and the amount of Spirit Stones bet on Sikong Jiantian’s victory in Qingzhou Ancient City alone had already exceeded ten million.

Yes, the amount of Spirit Stones bet on Sikong Jiantian’s victory in Qingzhou Ancient City alone had already exceeded ten million.

On the other hand, only less than 300,000 inferior-grade Spirit Stones were bet on Su Changyu’s victory.

However, even though Sikong Jiantian’s odds kept decreasing, the number of bets kept rising.

Hence, it was a huge challenge for the trade unions who were the true owners of the gambling dens.

However, the gambling dens were not taking a gamble on Su Changyu’s victory but on Sikong Jiantian’s absence.

Yes, his absence.

They bet that Sikong Jiantian would not take on the battle because he was on a completely different level from Su Changyu, and some even guessed that the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet was definitely not the reason why he came to Qingzhou Ancient City this time.

They thought that he was just there to do other things under the guise of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet, which was also the reason they dared to open the bets. Otherwise, who would dare to do so for a battle where the winner was obvious?

At this moment, in the garden at the back of Full River House.

Su Changyu was sitting quietly under a willow tree.

His eyes were tightly shut and he seemed to be in enlightenment, which made others curious.

Not far away, Ye Ping was also comprehending the Sword Dao.

He was revising his sword techniques for the battle tomorrow.

At this moment, Li Yu appeared and frantically appeared beside Ye Ping.

“Teacher, Teacher.”

Li Yu’s voice wasn’t too loud.

At this moment, Ye Ping opened his eyes.

“What?”

There was some curiosity in Ye Ping’s eyes as he didn’t know what Li Yu was calling him for.

“Pardon me for interrupting, but Master, there’s something that I don’t know if I should tell you about or not.”

Li Yu seemed to be stuck in a difficult spot.

“Go ahead.”

Ye Ping looked calm.

“Master, I’d like to ask, what are… Uncle-Master’s abilities like?”

Li Yu’s eyes were filled with curiosity and he couldn’t help but ask this.

“What’s the point of asking that question?”

Ye Ping was even more curious.

Li Yu immediately smiled awkwardly before answering the truth.

“Master, there are a few trade unions that have joined forces, and the odds of Uncle-Master winning the bout tomorrow has dropped to 1:5. I’m not greedy for money, but my daily expenses are high and I don’t get much money from my family. So, I was wondering if I can earn some money to cover my daily expenses.”

“Of course, if it’s regarding something that I shouldn’t be asking about, just take it that I was never here.”

Li Yu said.

As the prince of the Jin Nation, Li Yu knew quite a bit about the people’s livelihood, agriculture and commerce, and the King’s thoughts. Now that the few major trade unions were cooperating, even the prince of Jin Nation, Li Yu, was touched.

After all, he was still the crown prince, and apart from bribery, he also had to spend a large amount of money on other expenses.

Hence, Li Yu also wanted a piece of the pie.

Hearing Li Yu’s question, Ye Ping immediately figured it out.

After thinking about it, he answered softly and mysteriously, “I can tell you, but there is one thing that you have to remember.”

Ye Ping deliberately lowered his voice.

“Go ahead, Master, I will bear it in mind.”

“Remember, you mustn’t tell anyone about Eldest Senior Brother’s strength after I tell you.”

Ye Ping said with extreme seriousness.

After he said that, Li Yu immediately nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I’m known to be tight-lipped and I definitely won’t spread it around.”

Li Yu was just as serious.

“Okay then.” Ye Ping nodded and said with a serious expression, “My eldest Senior Brother is a peerless Sword Immortal.”

After he said that, Li Yu immediately froze.

‘Peerless Sword Immortal?’

He could not help but glance at Su Changyu.

‘Actually, he does seem like one.’

“There used to be a mighty figure. Do you know how he commented about me?”

Seeing Ye Ping’s expression, Li Yu continued.

“What did he comment about you?”

Li Yu swallowed his saliva and was full of curiosity.

“There are three million Sword Immortals in the sky but they all have to bow down to you.”

Ye Ping said seriously.

He inhaled sharply.

All of a sudden, Li Yu was dumbfounded.

“There are three million Sword Immortals in the sky but they all have to bow down to you.”

‘That’s so majestic.’

Li Yu’s pupils constricted and he was so shocked that he forgot to breathe.

Ye Ping, who was seated cross-legged on the ground, was pleased with Li Yu’s expression.

Although he was the mighty figure, he didn’t mind it because he wanted to show how much of a peerless expert Su Changyu was. Anyway, Su Changyu was indeed a mighty Sword Immortal in his opinion, so he wasn’t too bothered.

“Master, I understand, I’ll go bet on Uncle-Master winning now. If I really win, I will share some of my earnings with you and Uncle-Master.”

Li Yu was agitated.

He knew that Sikong Jiantian was very strong, but he also felt that Su Changyu was not bad either. However, he never expected Su Changyu to be so strong.

‘Peerless Sword Immortal?’

‘I’m going to ascend.’

‘Fly!’

“Go ahead, but don’t bet too much, lest you win too much and the banker doesn’t honor it.”

Ye Ping nodded and let Li Yu handle it himself.

Li Yu also nodded repeatedly, but he was not afraid that the banker would not honor it since he was the crown prince. Well, unless the banker didn’t want to continue making a living in Jin Nation.

After Li Yu left, Ye Ping, on the other hand, could not help but look at Su Changyu, who was not far away.

The latter had his brows furrowed and seemed to be in deep thought about something.

‘Maybe, this is what an expert is like. He’s thinking about the Great Dao at all times.’

Ye Ping stopped thinking about it and continued comprehending the Sword Dao.

Not far away, Su Changyu kept muttering in his heart.

“The battle robe awarded to the top four should not be green and white, otherwise, it would coincide with this white crane robe of mine and that would be bad.”

“I must tell Shuang’er about it later.”

Su Changyu thought in his heart.

Six hours passed.

A piece of news suddenly spread in Qingzhou Ancient City.

“Hey, have you guys heard? Su Changyu is a peerless Sword Immortal.”

“What? Su Changyu is a peerless Sword Immortal?”

“You still don’t know? According to reliable information, Su Changyu was a famous Sword Immortal in the Ten Nations 500 years ago, but due to some reasons, he was reduced to anonymity.”

“Really? Senior Su does look like a Sword Immortal, but I’ve never heard of him before.”

“Of course it’s true. It was revealed by a big shot. Also, you guys should think with your brains. Everyone can tell that Sikong Jiantian will win the battle against Su Changyu this time. Why did the trade unions cooperate and open bets? What gave them the confidence?”

“Now that you said it, it does seem to be the case. These trade unions are very intelligent. I was just wondering why they were so foolish. I didn’t expect them to be so scheming.”

“Damn, I’ve just bet 300 Spirit Stones on Sikong Jiantian winning, but you’re telling me now that Su Changyu is a Sword Immortal? No, I have to go to the pawn store and pawn my ancestral flying sword, or I’m going to suffer a huge loss.”

“Oh my God, big news. Sikong Jiantian and Su Changyu just fought outside the ancient city, Sikong Jiantian lost without even drawing his sword. He was so shocked and he asked who Su Changyu was. Do you know what Senior Su replied?”

“What did he say?”

He said slowly, “There are three million Sword Immortals in the sky but they all have to bow down to me.”

Sss!

“Stop talking, hurry up and bet on Senior Su winning.”

“Hurry up and go, Senior Su’s odds have dropped to 1:5, any later and we won’t have a chance anymore.”

No one in Qingzhou Ancient City knew what had happened, and they had merely gotten into a commotion because of a rumor that was being spread around.

Six hours passed.

Outside Qingzhou Ancient City.

In the middle of a barren mountain range.

There were hundreds of people dressed in black gathered there.

Their gazes were all full of indifference.

There was a Confucian scholar with a folded fan standing in front of them.

“Gentlemen, the Jin Nation has discovered our traces lately and gotten familiar with our plans, so this time, the mission has been postponed.”

“However, the sect has already given orders for us to assassinate the geniuses when the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet is over, according to plan.”

“There’s a list and a portrait here. Take a careful look and don’t miss any of them.”

“Got it?”

The Confucian scholar spoke, his voice extremely cold.

“We understand, and we respectfully obey the orders.”

The voices of hundreds of people sounded.

However, someone soon couldn’t help but speak up.

“I can deal with ordinary geniuses, but the problem is, how should we deal with Sikong Jiantian?”

The question immediately made the hundreds of people somewhat curious.

They were not afraid of ordinary geniuses, but Sikong Jiantian was extraordinary so they naturally had their guards up.

“You guys don’t have to worry. The sect knows that Sikong Jiantian also came to Qingzhou Ancient City and has sent elders to personally kill Sikong Jiantian. However, you should look out too. The strongest person is not Sikong Jiantian.”

The words of the Confucian scholar made the hundreds of black-clothed people instantly stunned.

In their eyes, Sikong Jiantian was already considered a top expert, but the Confucian scholar in front of them actually said that Sikong Jiantian was not the strongest.

“Sir, if it’s not Sikong Jiantian, who is it?”

Someone bit the bullet and asked.

“Su Changyu.”

The Confucian scholar said indifferently as he took out a portrait.

He inhaled sharply.

At this moment, the crowd could not help but be surprised, but they more or less also had some doubts.

The Confucian scholar could tell immediately why they were puzzled.

He did not answer directly but slowly explained.

“Do you guys think that the Jin Nation deliberately invited Sikong Jiantian over because they have already discovered our traces and know of our plans? His real purpose is probably to wait for us to appear.”

Everyone nodded because they thought the same.

However, the Confucian scholar shook his head and seemed to be wise.

“That was what I thought at first too, but I soon found some clues.”

“Sikong Jiantian’s strength might be good, but he took the initiative to appear and dared to expose himself so brazenly. There’s obviously something wrong about it, unless he’s very confident and fearless of us. However, he obviously isn’t fearless.”

“I’ve been thinking about why Sikong Jiantian had the guts to brazenly arrive in Qingzhou Ancient City, but I only figured it out now.”

“Actually, he’s just trying to cover up for Su Changyu. The Jin Nation has invited a mighty figure who quietly came to the ancient city of Qingzhou, but even if he keeps a low profile, he can’t hide his aura.”

“Hence, in order to conceal his identity, they invited Sikong Jiantian and let him be the bait to lure us to focus all our attention on him instead of Su Changyu.”

“As soon as we make a move, this person will go on a rampage. However, despite their careful arrangements, they still revealed some clues in the end.”

“I was in the ancient city when I accidentally chanced upon the crown prince of Jin Nation, Li Yu. He was following a young man whom he addressed as his teacher. Besides, this crown prince Li Yu isn’t scheming and he even blatantly said that Su Changyu is a peerless Sword Immortal.”

“I suddenly figured out everything and saw all the plans that Jin Nation has made. Think about it yourselves, Sikong Jiantian could have entered Qingzhou Ancient City secretly and quietly, but why did he choose such an attention-grabbing method?”

“He’s clearly trying to conceal someone else’s identity. They are very smart, but unfortunately, they met me.”

The Confucian scholar was full of gusto and confidence, making the hundreds of men in black have an epiphany.

“You are really wise and resourceful.”

“It’s no wonder you are the smarter one among us.”

Everyone praised him sincerely, but the Confucian scholar simply waved his hand composedly and said with a serious expression,

“You guys, remember, after the Sword Dao Meet ends, execute the plan. If you meet him, do not be rash and just run if you can. I’ve already sent a letter to the cult, and the cult has also urgently sent three elders from the 72 Earthly Fiends to kill him.”

“So, this mission is very dangerous and you have to be prepared to die. After you die, you may enter the Great Heavenly Realm where you can enjoy infinite bliss, so don’t hesitate. Understand?”

His expression was cold.

“Yes! To die for the cult is an honor for us.”

The hundreds of men in black were firm in their tone.