Chapter 49 You...you still have a backup plan?!
Spirit Stone?
They just bought spirit cores from Shen Zhaozhao, so they have fresh spirit stones in their pockets.
If you round it up, what's the difference between this and getting it for free?!
Now, these spirit stones that were picked up for free can actually be exchanged for a chance to rise to the top and directly enter the finals?!
"Excuse me! I was here first!"
"Senior Sister Chen! Give me 5! No! 10!"
"Don't push! Fellow Daoist Chen! I'll buy 20! Give me the numbers that are consecutive!"
Countless cultivators, as if possessed, with bloodshot eyes, waved their spirit stone bags and surged toward Shen Zhaozhao's location in a frenzy, scrambling and stumbling!
The scene was a hundred times more chaotic and frenzied than when the monsters of Riftwind Valley attacked!
Yun Wan'er's step, which she had just taken, froze in mid-air.
Looking at the chaotic scene before her, like a locust swarm sweeping across the land, completely out of control, she felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, her whole body icy cold.
Before she could even make her next move to "seduce" Xiao Zhen, Shen Zhaozhao's completely unpredictable and table-flipping antics utterly crushed her into dust.
Xiao Zhen?
Who cares about Xiao Zhen now?
At this moment, everyone's eyes were only on Shen Zhaozhao, the Spirit Gathering Pill, and the grand prize of 106 spirit cores!
Yun Wan'er stood there, her carefully prepared pitiful expression frozen on her face, making her look extremely comical.
Deep within those eyes, which had always been adept at feigning weakness, a venomous flame of resentment, almost threatening to devour Shen Zhaozhao alive, finally ignited uncontrollably.
Liu Qingyi stared blankly at the absurd clamor before her.
Her fellow disciples, those who had just been supporting Yun Wan'er and using "the greater good" to gloss over the situation, now had shifty eyes, hesitant steps, and their gazes darted back and forth between the frantically surging crowd and Shen Zhaozhao.
Their faces were filled with struggle and longing. They wanted to join that high-stakes gamble of "rising to the top in one step," but they hesitated, afraid of being rejected by Shen Zhaozhao in public and losing their last bit of dignity.
Liu Qingyi felt a chilling sense of absurdity spreading from the bottom of her heart. The fellow disciples she had risked her life to protect, the sect she had once been proud of, had in the end been filled with these scheming, self-serving, and treacherous people.
Lin Shidi's blood hadn't even dried on this land yet, but it hadn't even stirred a ripple in their hearts.
How ridiculous.
As they eagerly await that "opportunity," have they ever considered that the next skeleton to be pushed out and become a "willing sacrifice" under someone else's feet might be themselves?
For such a sect, Liu Qingyi devoted herself wholeheartedly, regarding it as her home.
They're blind and incredibly stupid!
Just as this cold self-mockery was about to overwhelm her, a figure nimbly squeezed out from the frenzied crowd, carrying the fragrance of medicinal pills, and stopped in front of her—Shen Zhaozhao.
"Senior Sister Liu."
Shen Zhaozhao's eyes sparkled, and she casually picked up two white jade bottles and waved them in front of her: "Really not going to take a couple? What if we win?"
Liu Qingyi's gaze fell on Shen Zhaozhao's face.
The face before me still vaguely resembles the young girl who followed Gu Xuanchen back then, with a stubborn yet slightly silly look in her eyes.
But now, that naiveté has been covered by a layer of cunning shrewdness, like a dusty pearl being polished to reveal a completely different, vibrant brilliance within.
Unexpectedly, away from the corrupting influence of the Tianyan Sect, even the former Junior Sister Zhao Zhao has become... so vibrant and interesting.
Oh.
With a soft chuckle to herself, Liu Qingyi's last lingering regret for the sect vanished completely, like ashes scattered by the wind.
Looking at Shen Zhaozhao, she seemed to see an answer. Then, Liu Qingyi shook her head very slowly, a very faint smile curving her lips. It wasn't mockery, but more like a sense of relief after everything had settled down.
"No," her voice was calm, without the slightest ripple, only a kind of weariness after seeing through things: "I am still considered a disciple of the Tianyan Sect... If I win, wouldn't that be a benefit to the Tianyan Sect? They are not worthy of this opportunity."
Before Shen Zhaozhao could react, Liu Qingyi had already taken a step back.
This step back was taken with extreme solemnity, as if stepping back from some invisible boundary.
Immediately afterwards, she placed her hands together in front of her and bowed deeply to Shen Zhaozhao in a very solemn manner, her black hair falling down to cover her pale but unusually calm profile.
"Junior Sister Zhao Zhao."
Liu Qingyi's voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the surrounding noise, carrying a clarity and sincerity after the dust had settled: "The mountains are high and the roads are long, so let's part here. May your future path to immortality be brilliant, and may the pure light in your heart always remain."
After performing the ceremony, Liu Qingyi straightened up, no longer looking at Shen Zhaozhao or the various expressions on the faces of her fellow disciples behind her. She turned around, her back ramrod straight, like a bloodstained lone sword, and walked step by step toward the edge of the valley.
As Shen Zhaozhao watched Liu Qingyi's resolute back, the playful smile on her face slowly faded, and a rare hint of complexity flashed across her almond-shaped eyes.
Just then, her cuff was gently tugged.
Looking down, I met Xiao Huang's round, beady eyes that seemed to scream "make money, make money!"
"Aww~"
The little yellow paw pointed to the medicine stall that was about to be swallowed up by the crowd, and its tail wagged anxiously.
Shen Zhaozhao snapped back to reality in an instant, and her feelings of emotion were immediately dispelled by the glittering golden spirit stone.
May the moonlight always shine upon you.
She smiled slightly, put the bottle back into her sleeve, as if she had cast aside that minor feeling, and turned around to plunge back into the bustling crowd.
【bite--】
[System settlement in progress...]
[Host detected to have completed an epic-level despicable operation: Getting something for nothing, a perpetual motion machine for spirit cores and spirit stones, and ruthlessly exploiting every vulnerable target. Reward: 1000 Despicable Points!]
[Achievement Acquired: Squeezing whales dry, reaping profits from retail investors, ruthlessly exploiting them – you're truly shameless! Who can compete with you? Not a single fat sheep can escape your clutches, not even a hair. Achievement Effect: Shamelessness Value x5!]
[Total Morality Points Earned: 5000!]
[Current Morality Points Balance: 14,000 points!]
Even the system's electronic voice stammered, a rare occurrence: "This system has traversed countless worlds; I've seen people harvest leeks, but I've never seen anyone dig up the soil beneath the leek roots and sell it by weight..."
【No, isn't that 500 high-grade spirit stones you got in exchange for 2500 Spirit Gathering Pills too hot to handle?!】
Shen Zhaozhao weighed the storage bag, which had become heavy again, and suddenly raised an eyebrow. She slowly and deliberately uttered a terrifying sentence: "You don't think that's all, do you?"
【What? ! 】
The system screen instantly started trembling with static, characters jumping around wildly: 【You skinned me dry! You've ripped me off so badly, you've squeezed every last drop of oil from my bones! You...you still have a trick up your sleeve?!】
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