Chapter 95

The dragon rhinoceros demon essence within the stone is of unparalleled purity, blending seamlessly with the magnetic yuan gang qi around it, yet its quality is even superior to that!

Even though Zhuang Wudao never wanted to leave an impression of being frivolous and flighty in front of others, and due to his cultivation of the Great Demon Mind Cultivation Technique, his emotions were rather indifferent, at this moment, he could not help but show a hint of joy, almost losing his composure.

The grade of this dragon rhinoceros crystal core is at least a mid-second rank, and it must have been taken from a mid-second rank demon beast! The dragon rhinoceros possesses two divine beast bloodlines, making it extremely powerful. Even among demon beasts, it is one of the top-tier existences. To hunt it down, it would require a joint effort of three to five peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The dragon rhinoceros crystal core auctioned by the Xuan Yuan Pavilion two months ago, compared to the one in his hand, was simply not in the same league.

Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Wudao barely managed to suppress his excitement and asked with doubt, "Is this really for me?"

The value of a mid-second rank dragon rhinoceros crystal core is simply immeasurable. Even though others do not have top-tier earth-type cultivation techniques like the Niu Mo Yuan Ba Ti, if used as the core for refining artifacts, it can easily push the artifact to the 15th to 18th level of the Dharma Prohibition.

The key is that with his current status, such a treasure might not even be available for purchase.

"Of course! My father obtained this through the Xuan Yuan Pavilion a month ago, spending a total of 20,000 taels of gold. It was originally intended to assist you in today's battle with Gu Yue Ming, but since you are attempting to fuse the Shi Ming Essence Flame, we decided to use this to reward your efforts. I believe it is sufficient."

Beitang Wan'er proudly lifted her pointed chin, her eyes filled with a smile, "Moreover, after you join the sect, the Beitang family will keep our promise and do our utmost to make you a true disciple. The Beitang family always treats our friends with righteousness and will never let them down."

"I will not refuse such a generous gift!"

Zhuang Wudao laughed, putting away the stone in his hand. This thing is indeed enough to reward his efforts, and it even exceeds his expectations. He could feel that this dragon rhinoceros crystal core would indeed be very beneficial to his Niu Mo Yuan Ba Ti.

If he could find a way to absorb and refine the magnetic demon power within the crystal core, the Niu Mo Yuan Ba Ti might even directly advance to the second level.

This would mean that his strength could increase by three times! The Niu Mo Yuan Ba Ti would also be greatly enhanced, giving him the power to contend with late Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Even the Shi Ming Essence Flame refined within his body could benefit from this.

Speaking of which, Beitang Cangkong dared to place a bet of 20,000 taels of gold on his battle with Gu Yue Ming without even meeting him once. This kind of boldness far surpasses that of Beitang Wan'er and Beitang Cangjue.

No wonder this person could surpass the more powerful Beitang Cangjue to become the head of the Beitang family. No wonder he could dethrone the Gu Yue clan from the position of the first clan in Yuecheng.

"Is there no one in your clan who has any complaints about this valuable item?"

The Beitang clan has nearly ten thousand members, not just Beitang Cangkong's personal clan.

"How could there not be, but the Beitang family is far from being under their control! With my father and uncle, who dares to speak out?"

Beitang Wan'er shook her head and then took out several dozen gold tickets and placed them in front of Zhuang Wudao, "However, the share of the gambling profits will be less, at most one-tenth."

Zhuang Wudao was not surprised. Seeing Beitang Wan'er's forced expression to hide her embarrassment, he couldn't help but laugh.

Even one-tenth is quite good. He is not an ungrateful person. Even if he only took this dragon rhinoceros crystal core, he would have no complaints, but rather be grateful.

Counting the gold tickets, he found that they amounted to 8,300 taels. Zhuang Wudao was surprised, opening his mouth to speak but then stopped, and let out a bitter laugh, "It seems that today, I have offended everyone in Yuecheng. I wonder how many families will be destroyed and how many will be separated after tonight."

One-tenth is 8,300 taels, so the total profit from the gambling is over 80,000 taels of gold. In addition, it is unknown whether the Beitang family has any hidden profits.

Even if they plundered the entire northern city, it would not be more than this.

The Beitang family truly does not fear offending people. From now on, he dare not walk alone on the streets of Yuecheng.

"The odds for Gu Yue Ming were 1:6, high odds naturally come with high risks. They were convinced that Gu Yue Ming would win, and if they lost, it was their own fault. If they have any complaints, they can only blame Gu Yue Ming's incompetence. I, Beitang Wan'er, have nothing to reproach myself with!"

Seemingly seeing through Zhuang Wudao's thoughts, Beitang Wan'er sneered, "Moreover, those commoners, do you really think they have much money to bet? Even if they bet all their savings, it would only be a few taels of silver, which I don't even bother to collect. The minimum bet for the two gambling sessions was a thousand taels of silver, and only the wealthy and influential could participate, and they wouldn't feel the loss. I didn't expect that you, a reckless person, still have a conscience."

Zhuang Wudao laughed, knowing that Beitang Wan'er's words were twisted, but the guilt in his heart was instantly relieved, and he calmly put the share of the profits into his pocket.

Adding the share from the previous match with Fei Xiushen, he now had over 10,000 taels of gold. After some time, when the storm passed, he could consider purchasing a couple of suitable spirit artifacts for self-defense.

At this moment, Beitang Wan'er's eyes were slightly misty, showing a hint of guilt, "Actually, not long after the competition, Shen Lin also came to see my uncle and father, but my uncle refused to accept his gifts and sent him away. I guess our family can only protect you until you reach the Wu Jing Dao Guan—"

Zhuang Wudao's body trembled, his heart surging with waves, unable to calm down for a long time.

As expected, even the Beitang family dare not completely offend Shen Lin. The reason they did not immediately agree was probably to use his strength to suppress Gu Yue Ming. Today, Beitang Wan'er offering him the dragon rhinoceros crystal core and a large sum of money as a reward was likely due to his identity as Shen Jue's son, to form a good relationship with him.

From the attitude and tone of the Beitang clan members towards him after he joined the Beitang family, he could guess a few things.

In the past, they showed respect and warmth, but in their hearts, they were proud and looked down on his background, thinking he was clinging to the Beitang family. However, today, these people treated him as an equal, even with a hint of eager flattery.

Beitang Cangjue and Beitang Cangkong did not even show up.

If he abandoned everything in Yuecheng and followed Shen Lin back to the north, with Shen Jue's character, he would certainly compensate him generously to make up for his guilt, allowing him to truly have no 'attachments' and seek the Dao.

As long as he did not go too far, he could do as he pleased in the north, even wielding great power.

A person like him is naturally worth the Beitang clan investing in him. They do not want to offend Shen Lin, nor do they want to offend him, so they gave him a generous gift to appease him.

So, whether he likes it or not, he is still benefiting from the 'Zhongyangzi'—"

Zhuang Wudao smiled bitterly, suppressing these thoughts, leaving no trace.

Even if he clearly understood, he had no intention of returning the 'dragon rhinoceros crystal core.'

In his youth, Zhuang Wudao roamed the streets, willing to do anything to survive, from fraud and theft to begging, with almost no moral底线.

He did not really agree with his mother's vow to not eat a single grain of rice from the Shen family.

In his eyes, it was the Shen family who owed his mother. The 'Zhongyangzi' achieved his current glory largely due to the dowry his mother brought!

Not eating a single grain of rice was indeed a show of strength, but the result was that his mother died before the age of thirty, exhausted and emaciated.

Although he did not have his mother's integrity, he did not want to go against her wishes.

However, whether it was the 'dragon rhinoceros crystal core' or the 8,300 taels of gold in his pocket, they were not the Shen family's property, and he had paid a price, so he took them with a clear conscience.

Whether the Beitang family had ulterior motives in giving him these things was their business, not his.

※※※※

After sending off Beitang Wan'er, Zhuang Wudao was in a gloomy mood, unable to shake it off, even after practicing the Tianxuan Zhaoshi Zhenjing and the Yun Jian Jue before going to sleep.

The only thing that could make him happy was that the Tianxuan Zhaoshi Zhenjing had made significant progress just one day after his last practice.

The Yun Jian Jue had undergone a sudden change, with the sword qi he had cultivated in his body now splitting into two, circulating through his meridians.

This was a sign that the cultivation technique had officially entered the first level, indicating that he had truly mastered this auxiliary cultivation technique.

At this stage, he could release the two threads of sword qi from his body. Whether in actual combat, whether with fists, feet, or weapons, he could attach the sword qi to them, greatly increasing their power.

The two threads of sword qi could be used twice. However, if attached to mystical techniques, they had unpredictable power and could catch the opponent off guard!

The first level of the Yun Jian Jue is the division of sword qi. The second level involves cultivating twelve threads of sword qi in the body. Although it is still a long and arduous journey, the prospects of this top-tier auxiliary cultivation technique, as described by Yun'er, are now clear!

Zhuang Wudao was overjoyed but also puzzled.

Previously, he could not break through in the cultivation of the Yun Jian Jue for a long time, but today he achieved it in one go. He did not know if it was due to the effects of cultivating the Great Demon Mind Cultivation Technique or if defeating Gu Yue Ming and surpassing his 'self' once again had unleashed his potential.

That night, when Zhuang Wudao fell asleep, he noticed that the dream where he met Yun'er every night had also changed.

The surrounding mist had expanded slightly, leaving a space of about 300 zhang in the center. Beyond this, there was still a seven-colored mist, with the scenery blurry and unclear.

On his right, a small lake had appeared. The water was clear to the bottom, covered with floating duckweed, green and bright. Several dozen golden-scaled carp swam freely in the water. A few white cranes flew around the lake, occasionally emitting ancient crane calls.

In the distance, he could vaguely see the outline of a palace. It was grand in scale, with buildings arranged in a neat and orderly manner, magnificent and splendid, with a rainbow of colors. There were countless figures flying outside the palace.

At this moment, Luo Qingyun was standing by the small lake, looking towards the distant palace. Her eyes were filled with confusion and melancholy, occasionally flickering with a faint light.

Zhuang Wudao, not knowing what to make of it, walked to the girl's side and looked at the palace with doubt, "What is this?"

Yun'er had once told him that this dream was a manifestation of the fusion of the sword spirit with his mind. However, in his memory, he had never seen such a grand palace.

Its majestic aura made one feel suffocated and even fearful. This palace was certainly not something that could exist in the mortal world.

"That is my memory—"

Yun'er murmured, "Today, the Qingyun Sword has recovered a bit, and I have remembered some things."