"This thing is a treasure. Xu Qing, as long as you get a Foundation Building power source, your boat will be upgraded to a magic ship." Zhang San said. After that, he looked left and right before speaking in a low voice.
"Xu Qing, are you going to take part in the competition? It should be in the next few days. I'm preparing to do something big. If you are going, we can join forces."
"I am going." Xu Qing nodded.
Zhang San laughed and didn't say anything else.
Xu Qing cupped his fists and left. As he walked at the harbor, he noticed that the shops of the various peaks were filled with Seventh Peak's disciples.
There were also more magic boats returning to the harbor than usual. In fact, he even saw a few very unfamiliar faces on the way, and all of them had cultivation fluctuations that were at least at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Condensation.
There were even a few who had reached the great circle of perfection like him...
Clearly, these Seven Blood Eyes disciples had been in closed-door cultivation or had been wandering on the sea, and rushed back after hearing about the competition.
As for the baleful aura on their bodies, Xu Qing could clearly sense the coldness that came from their bones.
He had also heard that the Northern Spirit Race of the Western Reef Archipelago was extremely anxious during this period. They kept sending requests for help to the other nonhuman races, and also sent envoys to the Seven Blood Eyes for peace talks many times.
This made Xu Qing think of the captain's words and his own guess.
"In that case, will the true target be the merfolk race?" Xu Qing mumbled. That night, a familiar visitor came to his boat.
"Xu Qing, Xu Qing, why didn't you tell me that you were back? You are not treating me, Huang Yan, as a brother." Outside the magic boat, Huang Yan shouted loudly with a hint of unhappiness on his face.
When Xu Qing heard the sounds outside, he walked out of the cabin and smiled.
Up until now, he came to know many people in the Seven Blood Eyes. However, very few of them gave him a real feeling. Huang Yan was one of them.
"I came back to deal with some trivial matters," Xu Qing explained.
Huang Yan didn't mind. He laughed and sat on the shore. Just like last time, he didn't board the ship. After he sat down, he spoke in a low voice.
"Xu Qing, I found out a big secret today!"
Upon hearing the word 'secret', Xu Qing felt a little vigilant. He thought of the captain's secret that was worth 100 spirit stones.
Before Xu Qing could speak, Huang Yan quickly spoke with a hint of showing off.
"Do you feel that there's something wrong with the Seventh Peak this time? Although the targets and destinations were also announced in advance before, I keep feeling that this time around, it's too deliberate. With the nature of the Seventh Peak… I feel that the location of this competition definitely isn't the Northern Spirit Race's island. According to my analysis and investigation, I'm certain that the target this time is the merfolk race!"
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. After glancing at Huang Yan's expression, he revealed a shocked expression without needing the other party to remind him.
Seeing Xu Qing's expression, Huang Yan instantly felt comfortable and smug.
"Haha, actually, it's nothing much. My senior sister told me all of this. We have no secrets between us now."
"After I found out about this, I started investigating the information about Merfolk Island. When I found out that you had returned, I quickly came over to share it with you. How is it? Ain't I a good brother?" Huang Yan threw a jade slip to Xu Qing and spoke again in a low voice.
"I was really shocked from what I found out. This merfolk race is too rich. They have four islands, namely Image, Hidden, Binding, and Mire. Every island contains a large number of treasures. I have summarized the most valuable treasures that few people know about on this jade slip."
Xu Qing caught the jade slip and poured his spirit energy into it to check. Huang Yan seemed to have memorized it and shook his head as he spoke.
"I spent a lot of effort to get this information. Let me tell you, there's an armor on Mire Island called the Mire Armor. It's hidden in the Mire Volcano. It's an armor at the level of a magic treasure that the merfolk race has been forging for the past thousand years. The value of this thing is too great. It's a pity that we can't get it."
"There's a large number of merfolk tears on the Image Island. This is something comparable to a spirit pill. However, more importantly, the Image Island has a drop of Image's tear which is the most valuable thing in the whole island. Image is the name of the merfolk race's ancestor. This tear is his last drop before he died and it was embedded in his crown."
At this point, Huang Yan took out two eggs and threw one to Xu Qing. He took one and poked it, sucking as he spoke.
"As for the Hidden Island, it's a graveyard. There are countless treasures buried there but the most valuable one is a feather. Do you know whose feather it is? It's the Flame Phoenix's. Flame Phoenix, do you know who it is? That's the king of the western forbidden zone of the Nanhuang Continent's Truth Mountain Range and also the king of the Nanhuang Continent. You should know why it's called the Nanhuang Continent, right?"
"Lastly, there's the Binding Island. That island is also very astonishing. It's said that there are many pill vaults and there should be many Foundation Building Pills stored there. Back then, Senior Sister went there to snatch them. I guess that she will definitely fight for them this time as well."
"These aren't much. There's a treasure worth 500,000 spirit stones on Binding Island called the Spirit Breath Lantern!"
"This Spirit Breath Lantern is a Foundation Building holy item of the merfolk race. It's placed in the Foundation Building Pagoda in the Binding Island's main city."
"That place is a specialized Foundation Building place for merfolk cultivators. It's the same as our Seven Blood Eyes' Foundation Building place, which costs 100 spirit stones per hour. However, I heard that what we use is divine blood to protect our disciples while the merfolk rely on this lantern."
"In reality, every large sect and clan has such a magic tool that protects their disciples when they advance to the Foundation Building realm. The types are different, and the effect of this one from the merfolk race is actually average, so those large sects and clans don't fancy it."
"The reason why I am saying it is worth 500,000 spirit stones is because after Senior Sister snatched it away last time, she demanded 2 million spirit stones from the merfolk race. Later on, the merfolk race agreed on 500,000 spirit stones and bought it back.
"By the way, it's rumored that there are clues about some temple hidden in this Spirit Breath Lantern. However, no one has found it after so many years. Senior Sister couldn't find it, so she sold it back. Everything is in the jade slip. You can read it yourself later."
When Xu Qing heard this, he fell silent. He was still worrying about tens of thousands of spirit stones but the other party was talking about millions of spirit stones.
This made him feel a little uncomfortable. After he broke the egg and took a sip, he still couldn't suppress the thoughts of excitement that rose in his heart.
Huang Yan finished speaking and started chatting about him and his senior sister.
Throughout the entire process, he was basically the one talking and Xu Qing was the one listening. This way of interaction was strange but Huang Yan felt very comfortable.
When it was late in the night, Huang Yan, who had finished eating the egg, patted his stomach and got up to leave. Before he left, he burped and spoke in a low voice.
"Xu Qing, I know there's a high chance that you won't, but I still have to remind you. Don't be stupid and fight for first place. That core disciple status isn't important. Resources are the most important during the competition. You'll know when the time comes."
"In reality, not many people care about rankings. They're all here to make a fortune. Also, let me tell you, only the two of us know about this information. I treat you as my brother, so don't go around spreading the news. When the time comes, we'll take whatever we can from the island we arrive at and make a fortune!"
Xu Qing nodded.
Huang Yan patted his belly in satisfaction and left. As he walked, he took out a jade slip and whispered sweet nothings to his senior sister.
Watching Huang Yan leave, Xu Qing sat on the deck and looked at the Forbidden Sea. His gaze landed in the distance.
At that moment, the waves gently surged over, causing the boat to sway slightly.
Under the moonlight, his shadow landed on the deck beside him. A portion of it spread into the sea and fused with the black seawater.
Xu Qing retracted his gaze from afar and swept it across the shadow. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as the words in the jade slip given by the little mute surfaced in his mind.
"It's sleeping…"
Time flowed by. Three days later, early in the morning, the identity tokens of all the Seventh Peak's disciples in the Seven Blood Eyes vibrated at the same time. A dignified voice entered the minds of all the disciples.
"All disciples who are participating in the competition, gather at the central altar in 15 minutes. The Seventh Peak's Grand Competition will begin immediately!"
