Chapter Eighty-Six: Becoming Impressive Again?

Yuechan was utterly speechless. This fellow… was truly infuriating to the point of madness.

Everyone else who had reached this realm had survived countless ordeals, fighting their way step by step to their current standing. Yet you dare tell me that, apart from reading and writing every day, you did nothing else and somehow became invincible?

Heavens, was the gap between people truly so vast? Why, while we struggle in endless hardship and torment, doomed without hope, do you do nothing at all—eating and sleeping your days away—only to become peerless in the world?

For a moment, Yuechan had no words. She felt as if the past twenty years of her life had been wasted.

Bang—

At that moment, a sound came from outside. A group of people entered, led by none other than the old Daoist, Withered Wood.

“Immortal Mountain’s Withered Wood, paying respects to the elder…”

As soon as he stepped into the tavern, Withered Wood bowed respectfully. Ye Qiu glanced at them in surprise and asked curiously, “What brings you here?”

Withered Wood answered truthfully, “Elder, the battlefield has already been opened. People from all over the Wilderness have begun to gather, and the first clashes have broken out.

The Dark Tribe has also joined the battle. What’s more… they’ve already come to blows with the Void creatures. For now, the Wilderness has been spared. We came to ask, should we ally with the Dark Tribe?”

“Oh? That’s possible. One more ally is better than one more enemy. Handle it as you see fit,” Ye Qiu responded with effortless ease. He was surprised the Dark Tribe had entered the fray; they must have been pent up for too long, half-mad for battle.

Training troops on the battlefield? It seemed they had long coveted the lands beyond the border, and this might be their first confrontation to test their foes.

With Ye Qiu’s permission, Withered Wood nodded quietly and entered. Behind him trailed a group of elders and leaders from each holy land.

The moment they stepped into the tavern, they were stunned by the sight before them.

“Damn… so many elixirs of longevity?”

“My god, this whole pile of life-prolonging herbs is just dumped in the corner by the door? Isn’t that an outrageous waste?”

For a time, everyone stared dumbfounded at the heap of longevity herbs in the corner, at a total loss.

“Heavens above, so the elder wasn’t exaggerating—he really does have so many elixirs that he throws them around?”

“How wealthy can you get? So many elixirs, and you don’t even store them properly—just toss them in a corner like garbage?”

“Wait… look, isn’t that the legendary Blood Jade Leaf Blossom? My god, the supreme treasure of the Nether Springs, said to bring the dead back to life!”

“And that—Yellow Springs Fruit…”

“Nether Jade Dew Fruit…”

What in the world, the three greatest treasures of the Nether Springs all gathered and tossed aside in a corner?

For a long moment, everyone felt as if struck by lightning, their lips twitching, unable to respond.

So this is what it means to be truly wealthy—utterly and unmistakably extravagant.

“Ahem… Elder, this is…?” Withered Wood pointed at the pile of longevity herbs, unable to hide the twitch at the corner of his mouth. Even he was tempted by them; how could Ye Qiu be so blasé?

Ye Qiu glanced at the corner and replied nonchalantly, “Oh, just some herbs that have been piling up in my storeroom for too long. There’s no more space, so I brought them out to air.”

The entire room was shocked speechless at his words.

Did you hear that? Is this even human language?

The storeroom is so full it can’t hold them all?

Heavens, please, show some mercy! If you’re out of space, just give them to me. My storeroom is huge; I could stack mountains and still have space left!

Ye Qiu’s casual remark nearly drove everyone mad. How could the gulf between people be so vast?

What you consider trash is a once-in-a-lifetime treasure in our eyes!

“Ahem… Elder, you truly are extraordinary. We are in awe…” Withered Wood forced a smile, feeling as though the past millions of years had been for nothing. This was a true master—regarding wealth as dirt, unbound by conventions, unmoved by treasure. Such a state of mind was truly astonishing.

“By the way, is the merit register I asked you to prepare ready?” Ye Qiu asked curiously. He would need it soon. Ye Qiu planned to create a merit system convertible with gold coins—meaning, gold could be exchanged for merit, and vice versa, at different rates.

This way, whether exchanging merit for herbs or buying them outright with gold, Ye Qiu would always profit.

Withered Wood replied sheepishly, “Elder, the merit system is complete. Each head taken earns one merit point. Everyone will have a merit badge, and each time they slay a Void creature, they gain a point.

As for the badges, Immortal Mountain is crafting them. Soon we’ll set up a record tablet here, so you can monitor the battlefield situation at any time.”

“Excellent, well done!” Ye Qiu said with satisfaction.

Just then, Cao He came out carrying a large pile of boxes, placing them in the middle of the hall.

The room fell silent as everyone watched him.

“What’s going on?”

“What’s in those boxes? Don’t tell me they contain something even more terrifying than the elixirs?”

“Impossible—the elixirs are already terrifying enough. There can’t possibly be something even more valuable. No way…”

Everyone watched as Cao He busied himself opening the boxes, pulling out books, paintings, calligraphy scrolls, and similar items. He tossed these onto the floor without a second thought, then began loading the boxes with longevity herbs, working with great enthusiasm.

“What are these?” someone asked, approaching the pile of books. The topmost volume bore bold characters.

“Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?”

“What kind of divine manual is this? Even ancient beasts and true dragons can be subdued by this?”

“No way, this is definitely a peerless secret art! My god, even dragons can be subdued—just how powerful is that?”

Once again, everyone was struck dumb, as if they’d discovered a new world, their eyes wide with astonishment.

Ye Qiu stared at them, dumbfounded. “Are you serious? These crude martial arts manuals made up in popular novels, and you’re treating them like treasures?”

Ye Qiu felt the situation was getting more and more absurd. Was he showing off again?

This was a fantasy world, and yet they were coveting martial arts manuals from adventure stories as if they were rare treasures?

“Look, this one… ‘Buddha’s Palm’? Isn’t that the palm technique used by the pineapple-headed elder who sealed the Dark Rift earlier? No way, this must be a true peerless art…”

For a moment, everyone was in shock. They’d thought these books were useless, which was why Cao He threw them out to make room in the boxes for the longevity herbs.

Only now did they realize these too were treasures—just how many priceless items did Ye Qiu have, that he could not even find places to store them all?

“Elder, may we… may we take a look at these books?” Withered Wood asked hesitantly.

Ye Qiu waved his hand indifferently. “Go ahead, just a pile of worthless books—nothing special! Read them if you like…”

These really were nothing but worthless books, recopied by Ye Qiu out of boredom from martial arts novels he’d read in his previous life. He paid them no mind at all—after all, this was a world where a single move could shatter the heavens and earth. What use could a few martial arts manuals possibly have, even if they were real?